It is amazing how we’ve come a long way. Before, we merely rely on the recommendations from friends, word of the mouth from experts and also through the whims of record execs. Finally, that dream album will happen. Now the power to put whatever music we want to the top has arrived. One of the common tools used by musicians to fund their new projects is kickstarter. I am sure you are familiar with this one.
Let me tell you. Singer/songwriter and vocal extraordinaire Kyle Carey is preparing to record her new album. North Star will be recorded in Scotland aound January, during Celtic Connections. Seamus Egan will produce the album. Now expect nothing less from this project because I know it will be an amazing album!
Kyle Carey is based in New England. You know, that beautiful place in the East Coast where everything becomes colorful this time of the year. If you remember she released that amazing album called ‘Monongah‘ and it is one of those albums that occupies the top of my playlist.
And it’s no accident that this selection of the best poems from three decades begins with the word “between,” for Heaney was a poet of the in-between (as his friend Helen Vendler has observed), writing from a zone somewhere between north and south, between Catholic and Protestant, between Ireland, England, and America, between formal and free verse, between public and private, between realism and allegory, and between plain speech and loading “every rift with oar,” while also balancing the gravitas of his subject matter with the frolic and grace of poetic language. As Heaney said, “The point is to fly under or out and beyond those radar systems.” SEAMUS HEANEY: A POET OF IN-BETWEEN POSTED BY HENRI COLE (The New Yorker)
It’s everywhere. People in my stream have been posting about the passing away of the late great Seamus Heaney. His story is everywhere: The Guardian, NY Times etc. It’s like a big hole has been punched into our collective consciousness. What is death? Why such disbelief? Perhaps we always think that great minds would never die. We feel the same way to those we love: our parents and close friends. Something in us finds it hard to let go, as such soul has already nourished the umbilical cords of our creativity, our joys, our very lives. It is a symbiotic relationship that feeds poets, musicians, painters- to create. Where do we go without the beacon of light?
I don’t claim expertise to his works as I only stumbled upon his works in the course of my music blogging. I don’t think that those in love with Irish music could divorce themselves from the culture and history ; the things that feed Irishness. So yes today I am one of those rediscovering the works of this great mind. He is gone but the memory will always remain stronger with years. For those of us who feel that being alive is a burden to carry, we find comfort in the poems of this poet. It’s like his words form this umbrella to protect us from the harsh glare of the sun and the unforgiving storms of reality.
I think being from Northern Ireland made Seamus feel that sense of being in two worlds at the same time. Your reality shapes your soul. I guess that is why we always long to find a soul mate because we have different souls inside.
1. Whiskey in the Jar
2. Dicey Riley
3. Tae the Begging
4. Kilkelly, Ireland (Steven and Peter Jones)
5. Rising of the Moon (John Keegan Casey)
6. Nancy Whiskey
7. Rocky Road to Dublin
8. Old Fenian Gun (P. O’Neill)
9. The Alcoholic (Hugh Scanlen, Marc Gunn)
10. Minstrel Boy (Thomas Moore)
11. Danny Boy (Frederic Weatherly)
12. Drunken Sailor
13. Wild Colonial Boy
14. Big Strong Man
15. An Irish Lullaby (James Royce Shannon)
16. Henry Martin
17. May Morning Dew
18. A Drop of Nelson’s Blood
19. Arthur McBride
20. Old Dun Cow (Harry Wincott, Brad Howard)
Musicians
Marc Gunn: autoharp, vocals
Kenzie Gunn(his daughter): percussive
Daniel I. Briggs: bkg vocals, acoustic Bass, acoustic Guitar, octave mandolin
Jon Richardson: bkg vocals, English concertina
Jody Richardson: bkg vocals, violin
Jamie Haeuser: bkg vocals on “Minstrel Boy”
I don’t know if there is another artist who gives so much to the Celtic music community like Marc Gunn. If you browse through his Celtic music podcast/ reviews, you’d realize that this man is a walking encyclopedia of the genre. He is also a performing artist and has written and performed many songs on the genre. This is a long shot from his days as a lead vocalist of a grunge band. Perhaps you might have noticed that tilt towards a more rock oriented performance in his youtube videos. His podcast and mp3 reviews helped other musicians get the exposure they deserve. That’s how he got his title The Celtfather.
This year, he serenades us with Not Every Day is St Patrick’s Day. I like the album cover. I have my favorite which I featured in my recent podcast. That song is called Tae the Begging. I am impressed by his delivery especially the expressiveness he gives to his autoharp. It’s an instrument like no other. He also gives tips about the instrument to aspiring learners.
Not to stray too much from the main topic which is the album Not Every Day Is St. Patrick’s Day,I want to recommend this album for those who love traditional as well as original tunes. This album is also attended by amazing musicians like his daughter Kenzie Gunn ( According to him: “She was barely a year old and I used to pat her back to help her sleep. I recorded that back patting while I was working on the album”). Sounds cute eh?
I say I really enjoyed listening to this album. I am also surprised to find an old favorite An Irish Lullaby which I heard from Kenny Loggins in his Return to Pooh Corner album. This interpretation sounds magical and Marc’s voice has taken that soothing quality.
Compass: Dreamy and energetic tunes from the magical sisters of Celtic music.
Sounds like: Mozart, Secret Garden, Anuna, Altan and Riverdance.
Track listing:
1. Compass 2. Water is Wide 3. The Landing 4. Solid Ground 5. Guinevere 6. Call and the Answer 7. Fairy Dance Jig 8. The Whistling Gypsy Rover 9. A Song for Lark 10. Feast of the Elven King 11. Danny Boy 12. Flying Sails
The great thing about doing Celtic music podcasts is the opportunity to reach more ears and to spread the beauty that;s Celtic music. Also, the idea of relaxing and still want to play Celtic tunes to get that inspiration moving. This is what happened yesterday. I got the time to listen to the album of the Gothard Sisterscalled Compass. It’s their new album. What is different about this one is the energy they put so much in their recording performance.
There are slow tunes especially the traditional ones like Danny Boy but most of the tracks are electrical in their execution. Take for instance the third one called The Landing. That one literally stopped me from my idle listening and sent me to perform my improvised step dancing. I was so amazed how music can do that. Especially when it is performed with so much passion that the music dictates your feelings.
Compassis an exciting album. As the title suggests, it’s all about gravitational attraction as the compass signifies the direction to the magnetic field of the earth . It tells us what direction to take. The sisters have done well in recording this beautiful album. I hope more ears will hear. It will be a shame if such a gem of a recording would go unnoticed. They can make Lord of the Dance have a run of their money. Check it out. I already featured the title track in my first Celtic Music podcast and I will be featuring more of them. Yes more and more until you remember to get out there and buy Compass.
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Huzzah!
I am running a
Win an album “The Calling” by MÉAV
contest!!!!
So watch out for my announcement. The winner will receive Meav’s autographed album .
Celtic Music Fan 