Watching the Marin County bagpiper known as the Dame of Drones—formerly going by the title Chelsea the Piper—roar her way through a cover of AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way to the Top” or the Violent Femme’s “Blister in the Sun” is like being dipped in a batter of pure happiness and rolled in a coating of sugary-sweet, high-energy exultation.
“You know, it’s probably even more fun to play the music I play on the bagpipes than it is to watch me play it,” she says. “I’m sure it’s great to watch, but it’s such a blast to play the bagpipes, and to do the motion that comes with it. It’s really a full-body experience.”
The Dame of Drones will be demonstrating her explosively entertaining stage presence this weekend at the annual RockSteadyFest, a day-long celebration of sobriety, held this year at West Marin School in Pt. Reyes Station on Saturday, May 30, from 3 to 7pm. Described by founder Jeffrey Trotter as a day of “music, poetry, food and fellowship, by sober artists for sober audiences,” the event will also feature singer-songwriter Tyler Allen, musician Daphne Moore, Nicolette Gottuso, Mofles, Coastal Dave, and Wendy DeWitt and Hurt Harwood.
Preceding the festival will be a free, youth-focused dance-centered concert from 1:30–3 pm, with an AA meeting for adults held from 1:30–2:30pm. Throughout the day, visitors are invited to enjoy a spaghetti feast with salad and garlic bread.
Given the physical demands of playing a bagpipe, it’s remarkable how effortless the Dame of Drones makes it look, spinning and dancing while blasting out tunes by Metallica, Journey and even The Backstreet Boys.
“Well, when you’ve been playing for 20 years, I guess that can happen,” she says with a laugh. “And the bagpipe just fits me. I try not to be a pixie girl, you know? One of my favorite things about playing the bagpipes is how you can walk into a room, or onto a stage, and command absolute attention without saying a word. There is something rather thrilling about that.”
Though RockSteadyFest events have been taking place since 2018, last year was the first time the Dame of Drones participated.
“I hope that I can bring something to the event that can elevate the joy in the experience for everyone involved,” she notes. “I’m excited to be doing this in West Marin—because that’s where I got sober. West Marin holds a very special place in my heart. I was in San Geronimo when I first got sober, and being surrounded by the trees and the birds, looking out my front window and seeing a neighbor going for a walk with his horse, it was just magical, and such a beautiful, healing place to start a new life.”
RockSteadyFest, she remarks, is an exciting opportunity to share time with others who feel the delight and gratitude of sobriety.
“I like to say that my favorite thing about bagpiping is that I get to be a facilitator of joy,” she explains. “It’s what I think I was made to do. I’m eager and passionate about connecting with people in a heartfelt way. There’s something about the bagpipe that really touches people in the heart. I try to make it a special event every time I play.”
Tickets for RockSteadyFest are $15 in advance and $18 at the gate, and $10 for youth. Tickets will be available at HumanTix or through PayPal via jt*******@*****il.com. Tickets for the spaghetti feast are $15 for adults and $12 for kids. For information visit rocksteadyfest.org or call 530.375.0004.
