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Mademoiselle Nolwenn Leroy: Seriously Breton

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From reality show to being an ambassador of Breton music to the world.

Being typecast is every artist’s worst fear.  This must have been a struggle for French singer songwriter Nolwenn Leroy after bagging the first place in the French reality show Star Academy. I think that show holds the same prestige as Big Brother and American Idol. I don’t know about other shows in the UK because I am not a fan of these shows. But then again there is this polarity that is common between serious  music lovers and the pop audience who go for Hollywood glamour. I think Nolwenn got all the flack for appearing in that show where contestants are said to stay inside a castle.

Picture courtesy of: mademoiselle-nolwenn.fr

In 2010 Nolwenn traced her Breton roots. She was born in Saint-Renan, Finistère, Brittany . Her parents left the place when she was only four. But every one with a Celtic blood will eventually gravitate to music. When Leroy was eleven, her music teacher noticed her musical talents and encouraged her to learn the violin. This lead to he winning musical contests and finally albums.

Right now she is an ambassador of Breton music to the rest of France and to the world. Stretching out of  pop music which she started and creating a timeless Celtic recording Bretonne in 2010, she broke boundaries and gained huge following both from mainstream listeners and  hardcore Celtic music lovers .

My special thanks to Tim for making me curious about the picture of Nolwenn with a violin..that curiosity eventually lead to this article. Visit her official website : http://www.nolwenn.org/

Papillons de Nuit! Photo ©@papillonsdenuit

Harp Music, Good Mood!

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Scott Hoye takes harp music to the next level!

I think  these days the harp has been overlooked in much of Celtic music. Chicago based harpist/singer/composer Scott Hoye has added charm and elegance to this instrument making it fresh as a ripe fruit ready to be plucked for your sonic hunger. He weaves his personal style to traditional tunes  to create something new out of the old.

As for the singing, this man can sing! Right now the rain is falling as I write this piece. His music is a perfect companion to that mood. You should try this: make yourself hot chocolate with bread and butter. Find a great spot by your window. Look at the glistening leaves under the gray sky.. and smell that wet scent of the earth rising along with other organic scents. Close your eyes occasionally to the sound of harp music. You will be in a good mood later. I am at peace oh yes! Feeling calm now.

http://www.reverbnation.com/scotthoye

Blurb about Scott Hoye:

Scott was a founding member of the Celtic ensemble The Spriggans, as well as the progressive rock band Seranati. His repertoire includes traditional and original tunes on Celtic harp, vocals, whistles, and percussion. Scott gathers inspiration from traditional sources of Irish, Scottish, other Celtic, folk, and world music, while mixing them together with contemporary sounds to create a new, sonic brew.

Bone Idol: Singing Songs of the Sea

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The Isle of Scilly is an archipelago that lies in the southwestern tip of Cornwall. You might  not know it yet but because of its position, a lot of migratory birds come here from as far as North America and Siberia. Apart from the warm climate and rich history, it is also a place rich in musical tradition.

The all male vocal group Bone Idol have proven this. There is something haunting and beautiful in their style of singing. They sing the songs of the sea. Their album is available locally but if there is a way for them to reach a wider audience I think it should be a must. Music like this should be heard by the world. Forget Euro vision. This is way better!

Map of the Isles of Scilly. Location in relation to Cornwall
Geography

Foeter Breizh: Saving the Breton Language

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Dom Duff makes a run for Breton Culture!

For a Celtic Breton musician, language is precious. I remember an interview with Liam O’ Maonlai where he stated that one becomes vigilant with an art that is disappearing. Sometimes just watching and not making a stand is wasting that precious gift. Because no one can underestimate the power of one person to change the course of destiny. Hooray to Tolkien for reminding us about that.

I featured this song way back as a widget. Now I am highlighting the video. When it comes to passion for culture hands down to Dom Duff.

About the video:

Breton

Diwar ar ganaouenn savet ha kanet gant Dom Duff “Foeter Breizh”ez eus bet sevenet gant Mikael Baudu hag e stal produiñ Gwengolo Filmoù, ur c’hlip da gas war-raok ar Redadeg evit hol lakaat dija e-barzh ton Redadeg 2012.

English

The official video clip of Redadeg 2010 on «Foeter Breizh» a song by Dom Duff filmed by Mikael Baudu and produced by Gwengolo.Filmoù.
In may 2012 thousands of poeple will run over 1500 km to rise money for the breton language.

Lúnasa: A Band with Consistently Beautiful Artwork?

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Mirror mirror on the wall, who has the best album cover of them all?

I believe that every topic merits an article. The little conversation that I had with Christi and Connie inspired this piece. It has something to do with the post Christi made of the Irish band Lúnasa. Through the years this band made amazing recordings of top notch traditional interpretations that got them into the global spotlight.

They have a new album out called Lá Nua’. As always we expect nothing but amazing music . However something has been overlooked in forum discussions as well as reviews from other Celtic magazines. It is the amazing album artworks. My first Lúnasa album was Otherworld(1999). The impressionistic photography and dashes of blue and green colors are really eye-catching.  There are albums out there that sound really great but the artwork don’t really give justice to the music.  To see more of the band’s album artwork just visit the photogallery section of the official site.