Breabach’s updated approach to Celtic musical tradition explores the range of older styles.

Glasgow, Scotland has long been home to a fertile social music culture, and Calum MacCrimmon is a product of those environs.

“There’s always a ton of live music there year round,” he says. “We call it ‘sessions,’ and they go down in the pubs throughout the city. That’s where we met.”

“We” is MacCrimmon and guitarist Ewan Robertson, who were both students there in 2005. The encounter led them to co-found the group Breabach, which is Gaelic for “kicking” or “bouncing.” And this Scottish quintet has been doing just that for 20 years now.

“At first we just toured around England and the UK, doing clubs and the festival circuit,” MacCrimmon recalls. “We did that for quite a long time, building our following.”

All the usual suspects of a Celtic folk band are present. MacCrimmon handles duties on highland bagpipe, whistle, bouzouki and vocals. In addition to guitar, Robertson plays cajon. There is also a fiddle and upright bass, as well as one major departure: the group features not one, but two pipers.

In 2020, they brought on multi-instrumentalist Conal McDonagh, a choice which continues to transform the band’s sonic possibilities.

“It was a risky move because it is very unusual to have two pipers in the same band,” MacCrimmon says, “but it opens a whole new world of musical possibilities – particularly in the realm of interesting harmonies not typically heard in traditional Scottish folk.”

Now enjoying their sixth U.S. tour and after eight critically acclaimed albums, the band shows no sign of relenting.

“We have a healthy respect for the Scottish, Irish and Celtic traditions of rhythm, melody and harmony, but with an eye towards innovating on top of those structures,” MacCrimmon says. “While we tend to do a lot of very old Gaelic work songs, we also love to show the many different sides of all of our music.”

Coming from a musical family (both his father and grandfather played bagpipes), MacCrimmon’s musical trajectory was obvious right from the beginning. He went straight to the bagpipes.

“I was surrounded by music and step dancing growing up. I still dance sometimes – depends upon how many whiskeys I’ve had,” MacCrimmon says with a laugh.

BREABACH plays 7pm Thursday, Nov. 20. St. Mary’s-by-the-Sea, 146 12th St. Pacific Grove. $31; $13/children ages 12 under. (831) 373-4441, celticsociety.org.