Two popular Celtic performers will headline entertainment at this year’s Arkansas Scottish Festival April 18-20 at Lyon College.

Texas-based Needfire will return for the second year in a row along with traditional Scottish performer Alex Beaton to entertain the more than 10,000 people expected to attend the festival.

The Big Show, the annual student talent showcase, will kick off the weekend's entertainment at 8 p.m. Friday, April 18, in Brown Chapel.

Needfire blends edgy rock guitars with drums and bagpipes. The band is known for taking traditional Celtic melodies and turning them into modern rock songs with original lyrics.

Formed in 2005, Needfire has quickly progressed from regional to a nationally-headlining artist at some of the largest arts/music and Celtic festivals coast to coast. The band’s 2007 tour included headlining performances at festivals in Texas, Kansas, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, Arkansas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arizona and Oregon.

The members of Needfire are accomplished performers with unique backgrounds. The band's primary songwriter, John Cleghorn (vocals, guitar, harmonica), has a background in Texas blues rock and has won songwriting awards, showcased for major labels, and released a solo album. Dylan Cleghorn (fiddle, piano, didgeridoo), who is only 19, is already composing fiddle tunes that sound like the jigs and reels of traditions past. Richard Kean (bagpipes, whistle) is originally from Edinburgh, Scotland and makes and plays his own bagpipes. Matt Henthorn (drums, percussion) also has a background in Texas blues rock, and has years of overseas touring experience. Ed Walewski (bass, dulcimer, mandolin) is originally a mandolinist and has had music appearances in independent movies and television shows,.

At last year’s Arkansas Scottish Festival, the group recorded a CD “Live From Batesville,” which will be available at the festival.

Alex Beaton (right) has had an impressive music career that spans four decades and includes the creation of Glenfinnan Music, which offers a collection of 19 albums dedicated to traditional Scottish music and a triple feature DVD.

Everywhere Beaton performs, the quintessential entertainer delights audiences with his rich baritone voice, virtuoso guitar playing and engaging stage presence. Beaton’s talent is showcased by a body of music ranging from ballads such as “The Loch Tay Boat Song,” to rousing anthems like “Flower of Scotland,” to his classic children's favorite “Coulter's Candy.”  

During a performance, Beaton likes to share some fascinating bits of Scottish history to bring the music to life, or he may sarcastically acknowledge the audience's obvious appreciation of good music as they burst out in laughter when he sings a selection from his album Daft Ditties. 

Already a successful entertainer in the 1970s, Beaton recognized a desire among American audiences for traditional Celtic music. He said he knew that the natural outlet for his music was the Highland Games that take place nearly every weekend of the year all across the continent.

After organizing Glenfinnan Music, he began focusing on establishing a market for the traditional singer in a venue long dominated by heavy athletics, pipers, and pipe bands.  Now, due in large part to Beaton’s efforts, the folksinger is there along with the athlete and the piper.