Mouse Extra

One of the major goals I had when Mouse Extra began was to develop a good resource of information for folks going to Disney World, either for their first trip or the latest of many.  For this reason, we are constantly working on restaurant, resort, and attraction reviews for our readers to use to hopefully help make their trips more enjoyable.

Today we begin a new segment called the Gems of Disney World.  These are the little treasures, some hidden some not so hidden, that make a trip to the Mouse so much more enjoyable then just standing  in line for a gatebuster attraction.  These are things you may miss, or that may not get their own ad campaign to promote them, but they are the stuff that really can enhance a vacation.  For our first entry, I am choosing my favorite gem, Off Kilter…

Disney World is full of great music.  You’ll find live shows and catchy ambient tunes, but nothing surpasses the great ensembles one can find at Epcot’s World Showcase.  Of all the terrific offerings, the first one that usually comes to the mind of the Disney addict is Off Kilter.  They are fun, engaging, and very, very loud.

From all over the World Showcase Lagoon, you can hear the sounds of bagpipes and rock n’ roll coming from the Canadian Pavilion.  It seems a strange mix, but this band makes it happen.  The bagpipes are a traditional instrument to be sure, and many often associate them with parades or funerals, but Off Kilter makes them as much a rock instrument as the Fender Stratocaster.  Piper Jamie Holton has a way of using the pipes to riff much the same as a great guitarist, but never leaving the fabric of Celtic music behind.

Off Kilter’s repertoire includes a sampling of traditional Celtic songs and instrumentals, including Scottish, Irish, and Canadian folk songs.  These pieces are always creative, but never esoteric.  They combine them with more modern rock songs and original compositions for a sound that many have never heard before.  Often times this combination is made during the same tune, and usually in a very light-hearted manner.  But their overwhelming talent makes what may seem a bit goofy onat first an interesting thrill to listen to.

Always smiling, and always appearing to have a great time, Off Kilter is comprised of pipes, guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums.  Even though they perform at the Canada Pavilion, I don’t believe any of them are actually Canadian.  But thankfully management saw through this detail and gave us a great band to listen to.  One mark of something good is that if you go and see them more than once in a day, you’ll notice many faces that were there at a previous show.  You can’t see this band only once.

For those more familiar with Irish folk music, stick around until you hear bassist Mark Weldon sings “The Fields of Athenry”.  It’s a different, yet sincere and beautiful take on a classic tune.