Precocious Canadian Celtic quartet the Cottars formed in late 2000 on the Nova Scotian island of Cape Breton. Comprised of siblings Ciarán and Fiona MacGillivray and Jimmy and Roseanne MacKenzie, the small collective of 15- to 17-year-old multi-instrumentalists, singers, and step dancers burst onto the traditional music scene in 2001 with nary a glance back. They have shared the stage with and played for everyone from Altan and John McDermott to Wayne Gretzky and Senator Edward Kennedy. Renowned tenor McDermott signed the Cottars in 2002 to his Bunnygee label and released their debut, Made in Cape Breton, with the help of Warner Music Canada. On Fire! followed in 2004 and earned the group an East Coast Music Award in the Roots/Traditional Group Recording category. They inked a deal with Rounder the following year and released Forerunner. ~ James Christopher Monger