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Marc Gunn’s Music Revolution

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It’s a breeze for big record labels to push songs up the charts. They just open up their pocket books and wave a wad of cash around. Boom! They own the Celtic Top 10.

If you listen to the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, you know that it’s not that big labels have better music, it’s that they have more money and expertise to promote the music they own. That is not the case for the indie Celtic musician… all we have is YOU!-Marc Gunn

I like Marc Gunn’s idea of breaking down the walls of major record labels. For musicians out there who might be having cold feet, this is the time to stop the hesitation and I’d say go for whatever musical ideas you have. Don’t be afraid to form a band or play solo, don’t be afraid to record and MOST of all don’t be shy to spread your music.

Talent is one thing but confidence is another. If we read the bios of famous bands or singers, we learned that they started like everyone else. They aren’t gods. U2 did not become U2 over night. So let us all start a music revolution and start recording whatever you got there. So get up, get on and get everyone involved. If you are a blogger and you are reading this, I hope this will help you start a chain of events in your community by helping out artists that you think deserve such attention.

Check this link out to learn about Marc Gunn’s Top of the Charts.

http://www.celticmusicpodcast.com/topthecharts/

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Stetrice are a band from Nantes and they are making waves in the local scene right now. Time for giving these fellas a much wider audience.

www.stetrice.com.

If you have bands you want me to feature just email me and I will check them out.

Gallows Tree Tales Album Teaser

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What’s coming t0 this site. 

This teaser came out around May 14 but due to health reasons as well as mixed up schedules, most of my notes and reminders got mixed up with other stuff. Anyway I found them. And oh I got a good news for you fellas. This will become a .com soon. Love it? I think there is credibility when you own a domain.

I  know I write articles that you will never ever see in other music sites and yes I have more interviews than other websites run by three or more people and I think it is time to take that asset into good use. I have to admit I am nervous.  Before, I used to only think about just writing. Now there will be responsibilities that will come about when this becomes an e magazine devoted to Celtic music.

I want to thank all of you for being with me since 2009. I know I have lost followers and also gained new ones. This would not have been possible without you my beloved readers. For a blogger, the only consolation he has is knowing someone out there reads what he writes. I don’t really generate income out of this but in the future to make this more of a quality site donations will be welcomed.

Irish Rocker based in London has an LP coming soon.

Remember Slim? I wrote about him way back and he is releasing an LP this summer of 2012. This teaser will give you an idea what the whole album sounds like. His music has always been personal and the songs touch your core like no other. In the midst of the rockin’ drums and guitars is a healing bough…he is a wise Celtic rocker beyond his years.

Kernow Film Society Presents The Rabbit

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Home grown movies!                                           

Here is a preview of a locally made film and it is very Cornish. Those who love the quirky and the novel will like this one. Now my site doesn’t embed anything other than youtube so all you got to do is click the picture and you will be directed to the movie site. Thank you!

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Cheers!-Pulsing Celtic Rock Band from the Czech Republic

Like I have said before, this country is oozing with Celtic talents. Go check them out when  you are in Prague. They were discovered by Jeremy of Poitin.

More about Cheers!

Cheers! – Celtic Rock’n Reel combining the pulsating energy of the Dropkick Murphys with the powerful stadium anthems of the Levellers, rewriting the rules of everything Celtic.

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Amazing Duo

My friend Jimmy shared this video and I think it is interesting in a sense that we have only two dueling instruments and yet they sound like they occupy the whole room if you know what I mean. I like the way how the video was taken.

More about this:

Watch James’ full episode: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBAA76076F7410378

The second musical segment from the HI*Sessions studio featuring James, his amazing ukulele skills, and Anne Davison on cello. Stay tuned as we update more videos from James’ episode featuring his music.

Watch previous videos of HI*Sessions featuring James:
“Heart Shaped Tattoo” – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlfrHelmX34

Visit http://www.hisessions.com to see a complete list of artists, and tune into our bi-monthly podcast featuring a behind-the-scenes look at what makes them all great!

Follow HI*Sessions:
http://hisessions.com
http://www.facebook.com/hisessions
http://twitter.com/hisessions808

Isle of Man : Yn Chruinnaght Inter-Celtic Festival – 14-21 July 2012

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There is something special about the culture and geography of this lovely island located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles.  Laura Rowles is one of my contacts and she is heavily involved with the cultural affairs of the island. This is from her. I was looking for a youtube video for this article and I found one ! Enjoy.

Yn Chruinnaght Inter-Celtic Festival – 14-21 July 2012

2012 marks the 25th anniversary of the death of Mona Douglas, the founder of Yn Chruinnaght Inter-Celtic Festival. Throughout her life Douglas was passionate about promoting and supporting Celtic culture, and she was respected throughout the Celtic world for this. Douglas had a vision of a Manx national festival, and this resulted in Yn Chruinnaght being started in 1977. However, unfortunately she did not live long enough to appreciate the huge success of her legacy.
Yn Chruinnaght aims to foster cultural relations between the Celtic nations, whilst also working to promote Manx culture, both on the Island and further abroad. The festival features performers from all of the Celtic countries in various venues throughout the Island. As well as music and dance performances, the festival also includes language events, lectures, workshops, art exhibitions, and fantastic sessions.
This year promises to be a particularly exciting festival, with the line-up so far including Scottish fiddle supergroup, Blazin’ Fiddles, mighty Breton band, Forzh Penaos, progressive Cornish group, Pentorr, and the extremely talented Rua Macmillan Trio. Manx bands that will be appearing include new Manx trio, Barrule, Strengyn, and Nish as Rish, who had the honour of winning the Trophée Loïc Raison at Lorient festival last year.
The festival offers much to keep visitors occupied throughout the week; however, there is still plenty of time to explore the beautiful Island. The Isle of Man boasts fantastic beaches, striking mountains, and picturesque glens, and has attractions to suit everyone.
For more information on the festival, see www.ynchruinnaght.com or email ynchruinnaght@manx.net
For more information about the Isle of Man, see www.visitisleofman.com

Lakeside scene in the Isle of Man courtesy of http://www.synergise.com

De La Basse Bretagne-Poitín

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De La BasseBretagneis an album by Poitin, a Celtic band based in the CzechRepublic. Since the release of their first album in 2000, the band have gained a steady cult following around Europe and the UK. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, people don’t have to wait for music to get into their music store. They can just search the web and discover the kind of music they want.

De La Basse Bretagne is a fine example of a musicianship that has grown ripe with challenges, time and passion. The opening track  J’ai Une Bonne Amie a Quimperle defines the kind of consistency you can find in the album. The strong and at times silky delivery of the female vocals and also the tight execution of instruments  make you hope that there is a follow-up to this Breton flavored album.

They have other releases dealing with other styles around the seven Celtic nations. But what makes this one great for me personally is the dedication to the kind of music that are associated around the geographical the area. And not only  do they give justice to tracks like De La Basse  and Marv Pontkalleg with  mouth-watering instrumental execution but also because of the sensitivity that Jeremy King and the rest of the band  put to this recording. I have to say when you reach track 11 of this album called Son Ar Sistr, you would be rolling your eyes  and tapping your feet to the exquisite beat of the bodhran!

I learned that Poitin make their recording in a live way and  have to do it all over again when there is even a slight mistake. Now that is hard to see in current bands with all the comforts of studio layering and sound engineering. And this makes them the best live band ever.

Members:

Jaroslav “Oto” Machácheck – fiddle ; Jakub Siegl – guitars; Jan Brabets – bouzouki, banjo, tin whistle, backing vocals; Jeremy Marc King – lead vocals, bodhran; Sasha Shantorova- flute and whistles; Dick Savage- Didgeridoo, spoons, egg, backing vocals.

Tracks
1. J’ai Une Bonne Amie a Quimperle 4:11
2. Kan Bale an A.R.B. 4:16
3. Gavotte Des Montagnes
4. File La Laine 3:40
5. Ma Jument Hippoline
6. De La Basse Bretagne
7. La Blanche Biche 6:35
8. Le Loup 2:34
9. La Jument De Michao
10. Marv Pontkalleg 5:14
11. Son Ar Sistr 6:18
12. Lída, Lidunka 4:00

Amazon sells their album now: http://www.amazon.com/De-La-Basse-Bretagne/dp/B007Q1IXNC/ref=sr_1_9?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1337494578&sr=1-9

Also, check out http://www.reverbnation.com/poitin