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The Scottish Scene and the rest of the UK

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 2 Comments

Friends are in Scotland today. Weekend is here and it’s time to keep the ball rolling.  Julie Fowlis is embarking on her US tour from October 26 to November 11. Music of the Scottish Isle will begin on Hillsdale Michigan and that falls on a Wednesday. I haven’t confirmed with My friend Christi if she will be there. But I am sure all lovers of Scottish music will not surely miss this one out.  More of this news here: http://www.juliefowlis.com/

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Welsh band Jamie Smiths MABON  are about to sep up their UK tour next month. I have confirmed this news with their Manager / Sound Engineer John Eelles whom I am going to contact for a possible interview with lead man Jamie Smith.  Listen to the new tracks posted here: http://www.jamiesmithsmabon.com/
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=62149346341

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Jamie Lawson – @ The Thatch Rahan Tullamore   Today at 23:30 – Tomorrow at 02:30 .Don’t miss this event. The album ‘Wasn’t Expecting That’ is now out! Here’s the press release:

The title track ‘Wasn’t Expecting That’ jumped to #1 on iTunes after a rush release in Ireland following radio airplay on Today FM. The YouTube hits accelerated to 85,000 views and are now over 194,000 views. And Jamie has since performed on RTE The Late Late Show as well as appearing on TV’s Ireland AM (and that’s just the beginning).

Born and raised in Plymouth in what was he says a resolutely non-musical household, Jamie asked for and received a guitar when he was 8-years-old. Experimenting with covers band while at school, it was only when Jamie was 17 that he started to discover his own voice – and that voice proved to be something very special indeed. No-one who has heard him sing live would disagree (and in addition to his own regular schedule of gigging, he has played with artists including The Frames, Martha Wainwright and Damien Rice, as well as having been chosen as opening act for outdoor gigs by both Van Morrison and Katie Melua). Even-keeled, even undemonstrative offstage, he comes alive in front of an audience and in the service of his songs. “American Music Club’s Mark Eitzel has been a big influence, in the sense that he sings with his whole body and puts so much into his performance. The difference is that my voice is sweeter and more pure.”

Currently residing on the north coast of Cornwall, Jamie spends most of the year living in a caravan overlooking the sea. “I like the freedom it provides. There aren’t as many of the distractions of modern life, so I have the space to write songs. I’m not Bon Iver, though!”

Before settling in Cornwall, Jamie spent two years working and playing in the clubs of Ireland, fully immersing himself in the music scene and performing alongside the likes of Mundy, The Four of Us, Glen Hansard of The Swell Season, Tom Baxter and Gemma Hayes.

http://www.jamielawsonmusic.co.uk/

The Welsh Scene and Celtic Colors.

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The colors of Autumn are here. And so is the music that fits the season. Don’t you just love it when after a long day you can finally sit down , relax and listen to your favorite Celtic tunes? Right now I am listening to The Battlefield Band, Jamie Smiths MABON, Cleghorn and The Gothard Sisters.

Jamie Smiths MABON are a group I am keeping my ears on lately. They have this contest for listeners to name the new tunes. That’s interesting. The band have been busy with so much musical stuff that it will take so much space if I mention them here. They also have amazing photo shoots and the band have been on the top list of my best computer wallpapers. I’d recommend you visit their website www.jamiesmithsmabon.com

The Gothard Sisters remind me of Pre-Raphaelite models who stepped out of Rossetti’s paintings to charm mortals. They are  photogenic that it’s lovely to stare at their album covers. Heard about them when my friend Jimmy posted a video on facebook and he got a lot of comments for that. It’s nice to know that Celtic music has gotten more and more hip and fashionable. The amazing Scarborough Fair video is beautifully conceived and the rich sophisticated playing of the sisters are sure to captivate more ears. I’d say they’re the bomb and everyone needs to listen-and look! http://gothardsisters.weebly.com/

 Cleghorn are a band everyone’s been passionate about . They performed at Pirate Days of Texas at Stewart’s Creek Park. I hope you’re able to catch this father and son musical act. If you look at the right widget section of this blog, you will see that I posted the Cleghorn player for fans to have a listen especially this wonderful new track Windswept Girl. It will surely sweep you off your feet. http://store.cleghornmusic.com/

Bands Spotlight: Manran and Skerryvore

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I heard Manran’s single “Latha Math” a few weeks ago and I have to admit it it has become addicting that my day isn’t complete without hearing it. Catchy vocals with driving beat and fresh arrangement you’d think that this has been carefully engineered. But it’s all about 6 friends reuniting together to create the most beautiful and exciting Scottish music around since Capercaillie.

The members of Mànran are

Norrie MacIver (guitar/vocals),

Gary Innes (accordion),

Ewen Henderson(fiddle/pipes),

Calum Stewart (flutes/uilleann pipes),

Ross Saunders (bass)

and Scott Mackay (drums).

http://www.manran.co.uk/

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A friend sent me a youtube link to Skerryvore’s Hold Me Tonight taken from the album of the same title.  The heartfelt lyrics and beautiful arrangement combine a mood that’s comforting, poignant and reflective. But aside from this wonderful ballad, they play an exciting blend of traditional Scottish music and Rock.  Everything about this group is pristine, beautiful and blazing like the golden sunset! Beautiful music to take with you, a soundtrack to your journey. This song is dedicated to my  piper friend Tim who stumbled upon the band and  introduced the music to us.

SKERRYVORE ARE:

Daniel Gillespie: Accordion
Martin Gillespie: Highland Bagpipes. Scottish Small Pipes, Accordion
Alec Dalglish: Guitar, Vocals
Craig Espie: Fiddle
Fraser West: Percussion
Barry Caulfield: Bass

Additional Members:

Chris Pugh: Trombone, Piano
Douglas West: Trumpet, Guitar
Konrad Wiszniewski: Saxophone
Duncan J Nicholson: Bagpipes & Whistles

http://www.skerryvore.com/

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October 5:Music that Uplifts

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Donal McCague (fiddle): Sep 20, 2011 Unitarian Church, Dublin( with Dave Sheridan (flute) and Michael McCague (bouzouki)

Donal McCague (fiddle): Sep 20, 2011 Unitarian Church, Dublin( with Dave Sheridan (flute) and Michael McCague (bouzouki)

A friend told me that the mother of the dog that he has passed away. On top of that I have this frustration that I find hard to describe except this: the feeling you get being nominated several times but  not bagging even just one award. So what to do? Nothing. But the feeling of being confined eats you. In times like this only music is the way out.  Let me give you a list of performers that merit a listen in situations like these artists:

Eden’s Bridge: Grow- Taken from the upcoming  The Longest Day EP. The freshness of this track will carry you into caress of waves and prairie leaves. Transporting, uplifting, let it carry you to the silver lining of your personal clouds:

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Visit : http://www.edensbridge.net/

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Listen to Donal McCague’s Bit’s and Pieces

Explosive shimmering interpretation of traditional pieces from this young Irish fiddle player. The golden album cover speaks of the tracks-utterly timeless, radiant and mesmerizing.  Here’s the preview:

Visit: http://bitsnpieces2011.com/

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Nuala Kennedy creates a mood that kicks off the blues. This Scottish singer/flutist has made a following of her own with her style. Check this info from reverbnation :

Based in her adopted homeland of Scotland, Irish singer and flautist Nuala Kennedy performs a range of material from across the Irish and Scottish traditional music repertoires.

She also composes her own idiosyncratic brand of traditional music and tours in a variety of lineups from duo and quartet to a nine-piece festival band.

She has a new album (Tune In) released on Compass Records in March 2010. It was described as ‘A Picaresque Adventure and A Delight’ **** by THE IRISH TIMES

http://www.reverbnation.com/nualakennedy

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Feel free to share your own tunes and we will discuss it .

October Rising

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Hi CMFs!  The month of October is going to be exciting because there will be more music . As the cold season sets in and there are less sunlight , there are people who get moody. Wanna hang out with me? Wanna have a walk on the foggy side? Just listen to my lists of bands and you will know what is it to be in this mind.

To be honest, it’s been more than two years when I set this site up, but whenever I face the screen and start to touch the keyboard, I still don’t feel that confident. I have done interview with musicians-which is easy because I know the formula. But doing something in between. Like covering music or writing a feature is something else.  I don’t want this site to be too ‘academic’ not too informal. I also don’t want this to be just a blog where I confess my sins. I want this to be a lot of things. But I really don’t know what to expect after typing away and sending my message in a  bottle.

I have been moody all day which explains why I have been away from facebook. If I am there all I’d do is post sad songs and that is not helping either. It’s just something in me that I can’t explain when the season is in transition.  There is a risk involved though. I don’t know how many friends are going to be put off by this. It’s the dark months-ah wonderful mysterious time of the year.

My friend Fiach Moriarty is releasing an album and he needs your help. Please go ahead and listen to his songs by visiting his website and his facebook page. I made an interview with him which i enjoyed so much. Fiach is truly a hard working irish musician and he deserves the love:

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Fiach Moriarty-Be a part of my second record

Location
In Studio
Created by:
More info
About a year ago I signed up for www.slicethepie.com, a site where you upload your tracks and allow other members to rate them. If, after a certain period of time, your songs are rated above 75% you qualify for a showcase. I was lucky enough to qualify and got to choose an amount to raise from other members to record my second record. I opted for €3000 which translates as $4000 according to the people who run the website. You can pledge as little as $5 or go up to $500. In exchange for this there are a list of treats such as free gig tickets, signed copies of album, your name on the album sleeve, free download of all tracks on slicethepie.com and more. If the target is not hit, everyone that supported will get a full refund. Check it out here:
http://backstage.slicethepie.com/artist/fiach

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Caladh Nua at ChristChurch Waterford

One of those traditional Irish bands I love to follow. Be part of their performance:

Time
01 October · 20:00 – 23:00
Location
Created by:
More info
See http://www.caladhnua.com/christchurch.pdf for booking information

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Moya Brennan, Cormac De Barra LIVE VOICES & HARPS, Liffey Bank Sessions

Ah yes the First lady of Celtic music is promoting her latest album and please please do check it out because it’s worth your money and time. Now is the time to promote Celtic music because I noticed the decrease of sales due to the popularity of mainstream music. So get off your coaches lazy bears and go out there on the street and do your souls a favor by supporting and promoting these artists I mention here.  Yes Moya and Cormac will uplift your spirits.

Time:11 October · 20:00 – 23:00
Location:The Grand Social
Created by:Moya Brennan
More info
Moya and harpist, Cormac, continue their series of extraordinary performances.