Features
July 31, 2009

Winning skin! Victorious pipes|drums tattoo contest entries

Performing at the Edinburgh Tattoo is an honour for many pipers and drummers, but it’s nothing compared with victory in the first-ever pipes|drums Show Us Some Skin to Win! competition to determine the world’s greatest piping and drumming tattoos.
 
We are pleased to announce our two winners as decided by tat-experts Stuart Robertson of House of Edgar-Shotts & Dykehead and Johnny Rowe of the 78th Fraser Highlanders.
 
In the piping category, the prize package from Bannatyne Bagpipes goes to piper Mike McNulty of Toluca Lake, California, whose depiction of Piper Kenneth MacKay, 79th Regiment of Infantry, at the Battle of Waterloo, 1815 carried the day. Mike had his “ink” done two years ago and was a compelling favourite with the judges.
 
“Piper MacKay is probably the best piper tattoo I have ever seen,” remarked judge Stuart Robertson. “It is a phenomenal piece of work.”
 
Johnny Rowe described the tat as, “The best of the best work displayed in the contest.”
 
Winning the drumming prize package from Cameron’s Drumming Studio is tenor-drummer (and piper) Jessalyn Wallace of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, whose depiction of both pipes and drums in a classic 1940s “pin-up girls” motif wowed the judges.
Mike McNulty's 'Piper MacKay at Waterloo' tattoo Jessalyn Wallace's piping and drumming pin-up girls.
 
“I love the ‘piping and drumming is sexy’ message,” said Robertson. “My decision is made on the message being portrayed by the pin-up girls.”

“Timelessly classy and very cool to incorporate both piping and drumming,” said Rowe.

 
Among possible other items, McNulty receives from Bannatyne Bagpipes a Bannatyne Zipper-Bag, a Bannatyne Canister Moisture Control System and Bannatyne Power-Tone Drone Reeds.
 
From Cameron’s Drumming Studio, Wallace receives a package that will be slightly modified from the original list to accommodate her tenor-drumming background, but will include drum skins, a DT4 tuning metre and a copy of Alex Duthart’s Book 1.
 
“We expected maybe a handful of entries,” said pipes|drums magazine editor Andrew Berthoff, “and were pleasantly surprised that more than 20 arrived from various parts of the world.”
 
The judges agreed that it was a very difficult contest to assess, and because of the overall high quality of entries, a subsequent Feature article showcasing other entries will be published on pipes|drums in the coming weeks.
 
We thank all entrants, our esteemed judges and Bannatyne Bagpipes and Cameron’s Drumming Studio for making this fun competition such a success.
 
[Please note that in no way does pipes|drums necessarily encourage or condone the creation of tattoos.]

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