blog

Celtic Music on the Run

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 2 Comments

 

Tremolo Band: Bringing their music both on the road and the Web

Tremolo Band: Bringing their music both on the road and the Web

This piece is a tribute to music going mobile. I know of someone (you know who you are) who doesn’t like the idea of having an iPod-or in general making music mobile, believing that it is a private experience.

The good and the bad:

I read about  the time when music was an indoor experience. It was a family affair with people gathering  in front of their Victor turntable and listening to collections upon collections of music recorded on vinyl. I am talking about the 70s when bands used to have their songs on 45s and LPs.

Now music became a solitary experience. People listen alone. And sometimes people listen to the hum and not really to the music. They just splice the tracks as background music while most of their attentions are focused on the task. No wonder the recording industry is cashing out on young artists who can sing lines like ” baby, baby oh or I want your love oh yea” again and again with decent beats and pass it off for music. I can’t blame them. This generation has low attention span. And music like that caters to people with no special leaning to the arts.

But if you are an artist you know what you want and you care for what you want. More and more Celtic musicians are advertising and selling their music in different formats. You have iTunes, bandcamp and even rhapsody.

The web generation has taught artists to be resourceful . They no longer wait for execs to find their craft and sell it. They do the advertising and some even go as far as doing the album art. I know a few who do these things without sacrificing the beauty of their music.

back to my idea of the good and the bad:

The good:MP3 downloads are practical and also a fast way of getting the music our there with the click of the thumb.

The bad: Too many choices too many things to consider.

I love the way how the music industry is evolving and empowering those without access to major labels. Most of my discovery came from youtube. And I see myself posting more and more youtube videos in the future. And I also look forward to post from friends. let us all spread the beauty of Celtic music.

 

Welcome to the Musical Dublin

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 1 Comment
True Grit

True Grit

Essay of life as a Dublin musician in her own words 

by Rachael McCormack

I met Rachael through Fiach Moriarty whom she calls as Dublin’s local music hero. You always start from somewhere and that’s when you meet other people in the business. It is a thriving community of interesting people from all walks of life. Some of them even came from other parts of the globe but got marooned here and well, the rest is history.

She is from north of Dublin and got exposed to music at such an early age. Here are her thoughts about her city and why people never want to leave when they get there:

Well what can I say,100 words wouldn’t be enough about how much I love my hometown of Dublin, it’s one of the only cities that caters for unsigned musicians.
Down every street, every side alley your bound to bump into a musician playing guitar to violin to drums to even the odd thin whistle, especially around Temple Bar the carnival atmosphere in the square is pretty special, I myself would be seen walking the streets with the guitar on my back going to a gig.
As a very young child I’ve always wanted to play music.

courtesy of the Temple Bar website

courtesy of the Temple Bar website

I can think as far back as 6yrs of age when I’d be tugging at my mams jumper saying I want a guitar, or I’d make one out of a shoe box and shoe laces hahahaha. So Dublin to me is one big song with many choruses. Let’s face it, us Irish know how to party, so adding the music element is like water from a tap: It comes naturally I guess,we’re a nation of storytellers and the songs are there to guide us along the way.

With our famous exports as The Frames to The Script (and lets not forget U2),there’s something special about singing in front of a packed live audience. I recently visited the Glor Sessions which is a poetry/singer/songwriter night, where there is no mikes, no amps, just you and your voice and guitar.It’s really intimate and you feel that when you finished each song. I myself have always just wanted to play for people, at so many of my gigs I get at least one person coming up to me saying, I really loved your set, and that one person makes the whole night worth it, and that’s what music should be about, not will I ever be discovered?Or will I ever make it?

To me, I’ve already made it. I’m a musician and that to me is an achievement, from supporting Slumberjet, a Dublin based rock band in the renowned Sugar Club venue,to upstairs in Whelans for the battle of the bands Dublin final, it’s a fantastic city of acceptance, musically speaking, Irish audiences love you for who you are on stage and how unique you are. Us Dubliners are known for being a noisy bunch at gigs. But are always remembered for and are welcomed, and that’s what music is about: a celebration of local talent.

Hopefully in the coming years will just grow and grow in this fastly cosmopolitan city, but the thing is, I’m lucky I’m right in the heart of it, and that’s the best gift of all; the charm of the city will always make me want to play. I once played for 3 people and a dog. Now I’m playing for 300 people in the middle of Marrion square park for the rising stars of 2011. Things can only get better for the Irish music scene.

Dublin, River Liffey at night

Dublin, River Liffey at night

***

The Heart’s Sweet Sob: Kate Rusby

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 2 Comments

My friend and I posted the songs of Kate Rusby a lot recently . These are days when songs of her’s create a beautiful backdrop against life’s stressful activities. But it is more than that. She addresses some of the most common human conditions .

For instance the song Wandering Soul from the album The Girl Could Not Fly, talks about finding one’s true home after countless times of fumbling and stumbling. I think I can relate to this, especially that I found a special circle I call home. I have been in different circles but this one is like a crater formed after a meteor drop-a truly life altering experience.

I often joke to one of my friends that if this is made into a movie,  it’s gonna be a story shot in different locations in the world with quirky characters and nice cinematography. And yes, lots and lots of music. There will always be other circles- little ones but not like this where you find everyone who appreciates the kind of music that I blog about here.

You will realize that friends whom you met through music are friends who stay with you much longer. Because when everything fails, there is always music to talk about. And even if you don’t have to talk, you let the music do the talking for you.

There two memorable paragraphs from an article I read about her:

She lost two close relatives while putting the album together and the split with husband John McCusker meant she needed a new producer. With indomitable Yorkshire practicality, her decision was to face that problem herself and with help from her brother Joe, Awkward Annie sees her not only doing the songwriting but also the knob-twiddling.

Still, it’s a long standing truth that from hard times comes fine art, and Awkward Annie is testament to that. While Kate describes the making of the album as “extremely tough” in her notes, the resulting songs have a refreshed vibrancy and depth that was occasionally lacking on The Girl Who Couldn’t Fly

-BBC Review(Kate Rusby in a wonderful return to form…) Chris Long 2007-09-07

Kudos to Kate and her beautiful music : a combination of English, Scottish and Irish folk  styles resonating the sweet, and sometimes trying times we often face in life, as we journey through relationships. It is a hard road but in the end there is always the door to what you can call a home. And someone whom we can call our true love.

Friendship and Music

/ mrbaxteria2008 / Leave a comment

There was a point when I used to post two updates per day. Visiting this place made me realize that life has caught up with me. Wow what happened? I guess I have been sailing in bliss for the past few months. And I still am. But my conscience is screaming right now.  I need to dust this place off. I think I am doing a lot of dusting off today- from  old records I have not listened to, up to deciding to read something.

Music has played a big part in all my friendships. Sometimes people close to me read what I feel through the kind of songs I post in facebook. You know you are close to someone if he or she starts getting bothered by your playlist. It means he or she is sensitive to your feelings .  You don’t have to say anything. You just let the songs do the confessions for you. There are sentiments that if we express them, they fall short of intended impact. But coming from an artist, they deliver the message home.

Music is the language of the soul.

***

Despair- Tim Eriksen and Cath Oss at Celtic Connections 2011

This took place only this year.

***

Canadian Celtic music scene is always bursting with excitement bringing us artists and music that blurs category and traditions.

Cape Breton’s Colin Grant Band came to Vancouver to perform at the Celtic Fest 2011 and gave a free concert at the Pacific Centre Plaza on March 15, 2011, or as Grant himself indicated, a year too late for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games. The Irish instrumental rhythm and tunes were provided by Colin Grant (fiddle), Jason Roach (piano), Darren McMullen (guitar, mandolin, banjo) Donnie Calabrese (bass) and Colin Clarke (Drums).

[Music Video by Ray Van Eng http://www.vancouver21.com Shot with Sony VG10, the world’s first interchangeable lens HD Handycam.]

Moya Brennan and Cormac De Barra

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 3 Comments

 

For more info please visit: http://www.voicesandharps.com/ 

Moya Brennan and Cormac De Barra ,two world renowned artists coming from families with musical backgrounds stretching for generations;  united to form a kind of Celtic mix that will challenge traditions as well as please discriminating ears. I see the beauty in collaborations. You always get something new out of different ideas.

My Match Is a Makin’ can be purchased on the official website or online.

Thanks to my friend Christi for the update on this news!!!!