Month: February 2011

Ffynnon and Other Events

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 4 Comments

Thanks to Jeremy of  Poitin , I was able to get to know this wonderful Welsh band called Ffynnon. If you look   at the individual bio of these guys, you’ll know that though they perform traditional Welsh music, they all have been trained in Classical, Jazz and World Music. Each has his or her own collaborative project with other musicians, extending the branches of the band’s repertoire into heights of musical discoveries.

What I like about Ffynnon, is that they are not an exclusive instrumental band. The mesmerizing voice of lead vocalist Lynne Denman will move even the most jaded listeners as the band embellish the tracks in gossamer but oftentimes challenging instrumentations.

Here the samples here: http://www.ffynnon.com/music.php

Lynne Denman:singer

Stacey Blythe: accordion, harp, whistle, vocals, piano, harpsichord

Chris O’Connor: double bass

Oliver Wilson-Dickson: fiddle

Mark O’Connor: drums/percussion

:

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You can now enjoy Paul Taggart’s painting workshop c/o blip tv. Paul has been active in the Scottish  art scene:

http://artworkshopwithpaultaggart.blip.tv/posts?view=archive&nsfw=dc

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From Ireland to Cornwall,  Jamie Lawson will make hearts smile with his brand of sad songs laced with sunny melodies. Catch him in Up Close and Personal Sessions  on March 12  20:00 – 23:00, at The Thatch Rahan – Tullamore – Co. Offaly.

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Other events:

Donal Lunny, Padraig Rynne, Sylvain Barou Trio

where: An Droichead

20 Cook Street
Belfast, United Kingdom
when: 

11 March · 19:30 – 22:30
Donal Lunny – Bouzouki, Pádraig Rynne – Concertina, Sylvain Barou – Flute & Uilleann Pipes. 

Trio perform first of 2 nights concerts in March.
12/03/11 trio play Paris as part of Festival Irlandays.

Buy tickets for Belfast concert from:
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/105978

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Julie Feeney Boston Debut at Club Passim
when: 

07 March · 19:30 – 21:30
where: Club Passim 

47 Palmer St., Cambridge, MA 02138
$15 (general)/$13 (member)
Show 8pm, doors at 6:30pm 

http://tickets.passim.org/ordertickets.asp?p=1577&backurl=%2Fdefault.asp%3FSearchMonth%3D3%26monthsubmit%3Dx%26SearchText%3D%26Go.x%3D%26Go.y%3D%26pg%3D1%23abc

Take Red Line to Harvard Square T stop.

• Exit via Church Street entrance Walk one block down Church Street past Harvard Square Theater to Palmer Street on left. We are in the basement just around the corner on the left.

•Exit via Harvard Square main entrance Cross Massachusetts Ave. to Harvard Coop building. Stay left by newsstand on Brattle Street to first right (Palmer Street) which is 200 feet from the corner. Turn right and walk one block. We are on the right in the basement just before you reach Church St.
We are in the basement of an 1830 brick delivery building and carriage house on the corner of Church and Palmer streets.

Already and Upcoming!

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 1 Comment

I have a bunch of news for you guys. Remember when I actually mentioned  a Christian Celtic band Eden’s Bridge last time? We had no input as to what’s up with them. I was surprised when I stumbled upon their site and learned that they released a Christmas EP last year. I Know it’s a little bit late for that but not for the music. There is something magical about this release which can withstand seasons. I think this is the kind of EP you’d listen to when you want inner peace.  Check out The Winter Sings on this link and listen to the songs.

http://www.edensbridge.net/

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Our friends Phil Holland and Dave Palmley sent me a special gift in a form of a song .I want you to experience the kind of profound feeling I got when I heard this track. Adventurous- bordering on the Baroque with traces of Clannad and the duo’s personal styles; Steal Our Soul Away is a preview to what is going to be a future album.  Beautiful song, fantastic talents! We love you Phil and Dave.

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Visual artist and musician Sharron McCulley has carved up a musical project with Jan Harris called Red Sonnet. The songs are wrapped up in keyboard sound scape that begs for more cinematic moments and water color tears. Christian , New Age, Folk- whatever you want to call them but the fact remains. The music of Red Sonnet is a perfect soundtrack to a tired night when you want to feel a little bit dramatic but enlightened. They’ve just finished recording their new album  Across The Bridge. They will be performing soon so watch out.

Member Since:

March 05, 2009

Members:

Jan Harris –
piano, guitars, keyboards

Sharron McCulley –
vocals

http://www.myspace.com/redsonnet

The Whole Of The Moon(two versions with lyrics)

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 5 Comments

Today I have been listening to The Whole Of The Moon– two versions repeatedly. Someone posted this in Twitter and before I knew it I was hooked going back and forth like what you do in a seesaw. It s a boring Monday and I have been doing paper works with that song in the background. Oh and I have to tell you I am doing this on a break-not during work.

There’s something about the lyrics that captivated my imagination. It’s originally done by The Waterboys in 1985 from the album This Is The Sea. In the early 90’s, Irish singer Terry Reid covered this.  Enya collaborated with him on this track providing backing vocals and keyboards.

The Whole Of The Moon lyrics
Songwriters: Scott, Michael;

I pictured a rainbow, you held it in your hands
I had flashes but you saw then plan
I wandered out in the world for years while you just stayed in your room
I saw the crescent, you saw the whole of the moon
The whole of the moon

You were there in the turnstiles with the wind at your heels
You stretched for the starts and you know how it feels
To reach too high, too far, too soon
You saw the whole of the moon

I was grounded while you filled the skies
I was dumbfounded by truth, you cut through lies
I saw the rain dirty valley, you saw Brigadoon
I saw the crescent, you saw the whole of the moon

I spoke about wings you just flew
I wondered I guessed and I tried, you just knew
I sighed and you swooned
[ From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/w/waterboys-lyrics/the-whole-of-the-moon-lyrics.html ]
I saw the crescent, you saw the whole of the moon
The whole of the moon

With a torch in your pocket and the wind at your heels
You climbed on the ladder and you know how it feels
To get too high, too far, too soon
You saw the whole of the moon, the whole of the moon, hey yeah

Unicorns and cannonballs, palaces and piers
Trumpets, towers and tenements, wide oceans full of tears
Flags, rags, ferryboats, scimitars and scarves
Every precious dream and vision underneath the stars

Yes, you climbed on the ladder with the wind in your sails
You came like a comet, blazing your trail
Too high, too far, too soon
You saw the whole of the moon

Oh, how [Incomprehensible] did you see the whole of the moon

© DIZZY HEIGHTS MUSIC PUBLISHING LT;

According to GrecoCelt: On a less speculative note, Mike Scott (The Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist/Pianist of the Waterboys) has said that the song’s subject is “a composite of many people”, including C.S. Lewis.

from Song Meanings website.

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If you are in Cornwall and looking for a place to hang out for some Celtic music, then try Rule 7 Bar try this link for a complete info: http://www.folkmusicfestivalsandsessions.com/2011/02/friendly-traditional-english-irish.html

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Now for some Scottish Puirt a Beul is Sileas.

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Fisherman’s Friends from Port Isaac Cornwall will receive BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for Good Tradition .

From  http://www.independent.co.uk:

Once known as a safe haven for fishermen and sailors on the merciless north Cornish coast, Port Isaac, with its typical whitewashed cottages and cobbled lanes, is now a place more recognisable as the setting for television dramas such as Doc Martin and films such as Nigel Cole’s Saving Grace.

However, the Fisherman’s Friends have proved that home-grown talent can grab the headlines, too. The choir, who have sung together for 16 years, first came to critical attention when they released their first album, Port Isaac’s Fisherman’s Friends, on Universal Records at the end of April 2010. Since then, they have performed at Glastonbury, the Cambridge Folk Festival, the Royal Festival Hall, Union Chapel and, slightly closer to home, the Boardmasters Festival in Newquay and the Falmouth Sea Shanty Festival.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/ship-comes-in-at-last-for-cornish-folk-singers-2206359.html

Behind The Celtic Melodies: Phil Holland and Dave Palmley

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 1 Comment

Article plus Interview

2 traditional Irish jigs.
Phil: fiddles and bass
Dave:guitars, mandolin and bodhrun.
for info on how to buy the new CD “THE VISIT” by Dave Palmley and Phil Holland write to lmcrecords2011@gmail.com

The Visit is one of my most played album this month as we mark our departure from Yule and welcome Imbolc. The album cover of stone circles evoke pagan musings , and yet the music is universal. This is a musical venture that the  classically trained musician Phil Holland did after her solo albums; venturing into a more upbeat and more Irish/Scottish driven arrangement.

   Dave Palmley who also made a mark with his own releases(His UK single Looking Closer is timeless) and added a twist to these wonderful tracks. I can tell where Ms Holland’s style ends and where Mr Palmley’s own comes in. But they create such wonderful musical chemistry that everything is seamless and spontaneous. It’s like these guys have been collaborating for years.  Tracks like Baidin Fheilime, The Clare Jig, The Hills of Connemara and the rest are given freshness. And the length of time for this album to happen?

  (PHIL and DAVE):  We didn’t expect to start an album for a while, but when we started playing together, the rapport was amazing and it just happened.In the space of 2 months we wrote, arranged and recorded everything that you hear on the album. It was just something that needed to come out. Initially we thought we would do mainly some of our favorite traditionals but we found that our combined need to write and create was just too strong and the album ended up being half and half…6 traditionals and 6 original pieces.

In fact since we completed “The Visit” we have continued writing and recording and the next album looks to be already on its way with even more originals that seem to be taking a more progressive direction, although always with a Celtic feel which is inevitable given our combined backgrounds and love of Celtic music.

 I am fascinated by the power of this type of music to bind people together. You could be anywhere in the world and still find someone who shares exactly the same vision as you.  

 We became aware of each other’s music and began corresponding, exchanging thoughts and creative ideas.

There was a mutual understanding and admiration of each other’s work and we decided we really wanted to write, play and record together.

Dave was in England but has actually now moved to Italy so that we can work together on a permanent basis.

Although we’ve only been together as a duo for 3 months there’s already quite a bit of interest in the European Celtic scene and a couple of tracks have already been played on BBC radio. We feel very excited about the music we are making together and we’re looking forward to sharing it with lovers of this genre.

 

 There are a couple of tracks in this album which are my personal choices. One of my favorites is the carrier single “Brave Warrior I and Into Battle Jig”. The melody is beautifully heartbreaking and this track is divided into two parts, the slow beginning and the rapturous second half.

 We started writing the Jig first and initially it was intended as a simple jig. However when we heard its assertive, almost battle-like quality, we realised we could do more with this and the Brave Warrior was born!

We imagined the gaelic warriors of ages past preparing for battle, and what would go through their minds, thinking of homeland, family and possible death and loss. It was a very poignant image but also very proud and strong. The piece itself is very essential, using only 4 tracks; guitar, celtic harp, fiddle and drum, and in this respect is symbolic of the essential nature of the gaelic warriors and their fight for freedom.

It was a wonderful experience writing “Brave Warrior I and Into battle Jig”, because it came to us so spontaneously, almost like a gift, and as it unfolded, we could see and hear the beauty of it. After we recorded it and listened back we heard the depth of feeling and yet it sounded very fresh, uncluttered and natural.

As this is an instrumental, since writing it we have actually starting working on a song version of it with lyrics, which will most likely be on the next album.

   This sounds like an interesting thing to anticipate!