Music

According to the French Piper: Interview with Francois of Caliorne

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France with its interesting culture and music is definitely a home to bands that are considered avant-garde. Living in France and having a taste for Celtic music would mean that you either go for Breton music or a combination of that and Gaelic sounds. Then there are elements of Jazz and Rock which the French are good at. Such elements can be found in the music of the six piece ensemble Caliorne. With the release of Rock Noz Band, Caliorne continues to define their music and also spread the love of music from France.

Francois (who also goes by the name Fanch Soixantequinze) is the band’s spokes person. He also plays the bagpipes and other wind instruments. So it isn’t a wonder how he landed in my interview section. It is a pleasure to learn what Caliorne is all about through the words of the piper.

How did you learn to play the pipes that way?

I started playing Highland bagpipe in Paris, where you can either play Breton music or Scottish music. I started with Breton music in a Bagad and after, in a Pipe Band (Paris & District Pipe Band). After few years I wanted to play with friends some french folk music (Groupe Sans Gain). To do this I discovered other bagpipes, tuned for that music. And finally, I met people in order to play Rock, what I always aimed to play To play with Caliorne. I tuned bagpipes on A440 with Equal temperament, rather than just temperament. That’s one of the reasons why my bagpipes melt with other instruments…Finaly, my way of playing is surely the result of all this meetings ! But it is the first time someone asked me.

Who is your main influence in your development as a piper?

So many highly skilled pipers ! Douggie Pincok (Battlefield Band), Gordon Duncan, Martynn Bennett, Patrick Molard, Erwan Keravec, Mickaël Cozien… and most of Celtic Rock Bands with a bagpiper (Wolfstone, Slainte mhath, Sonerien DU, Prydein, The claymore…) . And of course many friends and other musicians you probably haven’t heard of yet!

Do you have an exciting thing  going for your band this year? What are they?

Playing at a lot of gigs ! At the moment we lack notoriety, and we have few. That’s why we recorded “Rock Noz Band” last year, and we hope It will be listened to widely !And of course we will compose new tunes.

What are your favorite tracks that you recorded with the band ?

Well, I like most of the album ! Hopefully! But to answer to your question :Déjanté ( totally crazy), La Kro, Star de la Boite (la “Kro” is a common beer in France, and “la boite” means disco. And the sentence is pronounced almost like the traditional dance name…)Trad ha Rock (from tradition to Rock…) and Friponne (rogue).

What are the top 5 Celtic recordings you are listening to this week.

Here they are:

http://pakerprod.com/fr/album-fr/dar-pevarlamm/
http://pakerprod.com/fr/album-fr/614/
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/prydein3
http://www.martynbennett.com/Album_Hardland.html
http://www.amazon.com/Nas-Cordas-Pancho-Alvarez/dp/B00005S0MJ

If one goes to France, what are the places in your area where one can listen to Celtic bands performing live?

Well, It is quite easy to listen to Breton music in Paris area, but for non-Breton Celtic music, it is harder. Dropkick Murphy’s played last week in a large hall (Zenith), but it is unusual. At the time of St Patrick day, of course, you can find a lot of gigs…
There is no formal venue dedicated to Celtic music…
The best way is to look at facebook or some website.
Some Pub organize Irish Music Session, every week, like the “Quiet Man”

https://www.facebook.com/events/135977159899005/

Or the Carrs

https://www.facebook.com/groups/356096901070064/

MISC:

About his instruments:

“Most of my instruments are made by talented craftsman, and some of them are almost unique pieces : 1 chanter in C major, 1 veuze chanter with highland pipe fingering in c major, my diatonic clarinet, etc…
http://benew75.blogspot.fr/search/label/Mes%20instruments%20%C3%A0%20vent

Currently listening to:

http://www.deezer.com/fr/album/212387
Amos Hoffman – Evolution
http://www.deezer.com/fr/album/75550
AC DC – Black Ice
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Duo-Jonsson-Coudroy/154672931264004
SuperTramp – Crime of the century
And a lot of unknown albums. They are completely unknown outside France.

What he loves the  most about being in the Celtic music scene.

Feeling the music & sound surrounding me and looking at the dancers moving with the rhythm..

A detailed review of Rock Noz Band via 67 Music: http://67music.net/reviews/caliorne/

http://www.caliorne.com/

http://www.caliorne.fr/

http://www.myspace.com/caliorne-rock-noz-band

Video:

About the video: During our recording in studio of Rock Noz Band, we filmed each musicians when they performed on the same tune. Here is a video of the “Scottish Purple”, with the final soundtrack of the CD.

Gallery

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Celtic Twist Game:

The Celtic Music Fan would  like offer a free copy of Twist in the Tale to the winner of a competition which will start now. This is how it goes. All you need to do is find an answer to a question which in the animated picture blow. all you need to do is go to their official website http://www.wix.com/hollandandpalmley/celtictwist to look for the answer. A winner will be announced at the end of this month.  Phil and Dave could send it directly to you with a short note of congratulations. How’s that? For those who are new to this album, here is the link to the review I did back in June 27 of 2012.

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Huzzah!

Cornish Ceilidh band. I found that video above while looking for some Cornish music. Yes the wind blows from Cornwall this week-and Scotland. I’ve never seen any ceilidh band from Cornwall to be honest. So it was quiet a pleasant surprise to find something like that.I am sure if I look further there will be more.

This week, the commotion is all about the Traditional Album of the Year nomination for Trad Connect. So if you haven’t chosen your favorite album yet, then it is time to cast your vote. And please register so you can interact with musicians and bloggers like myself who drop once in a while.

That clip above is from The Big Fat Electric Ceilidh from Scotland manned by Dave Martin. Dave teaches bodhran while maintaining his love for electronic music. The great part about running a site about Celtic music in general is the lack of restriction I have to adhere to. So don’t be surprised if you find yourself listening to something that sounds like Jazz, or electro one of these days. It takes all kinds….

The Peatbog Faeries have a new track and that video has both the great scenes and beautiful music! I look forward to doing an interview with the band soon. Who would you suggest I interview next?

Let the Game Begin Plus More in Huzzah!

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Honorable mentions: Acoustic Bloom, Andrew Slim Black, Blair Dunlop, Celtic Twist, Dom Duff, Fiddlin’ Frenzy, Live Ireland, Marc Gunn,67 Music, Michael Curran, Song of the Isles, The Ryans Band.

Acoustic Bloom left irresistible clues that lead me to their lead singer Tom Bolger.

The Little Bug Band is a track by Irish band Acoustic Bloom. I describe the song as infectious  on top of a nice animation. Their combines the tempo of traditional music along with  sophisticated production techniques. The music is really addicting.Give it a listen. They are still  recording tracks for an upcoming album so, not much info is available yet. However according to the band:

“Acoustic Bloom are an Irish band from Kilkenny, writing and recording our own original material. We are currently recording a number of tracks which we plan to upload over the coming months. In the meantime we hope you enjoy our first upload ‘The Little Bug Band’!

Acoustic Bloom is fronted by well known local singer/songwriter Tom Bolger. Tom has achieved much success as a solo artist and original tracks from his widely acclaimed album “The Wish” are available on his MySpace page at www.myspace.com/tombolgermusic.”

So who is Tom Bolger? I went ahead and checked his myspace page. Slide Over Hill is the first track I heard. Itmade me smile! Hey if Tom is the lead man on this band then we will expect more awesome tracks  in the future. I won over! ” Slide over here, close your eyes, let me hold you tender hand,  ease your mind”…Says the chorus.  One Life  is unapologetic pop rock that fans of Luka Bloom, Thin Lizzy and Hothouse Flowers will love.

What is consistent in his solo project is the emphasis of unobtrusive the string section.  Never starts with the piano track, followed by one of the sweetest orchestration I heard in a ballad. Reminds me of Chris De Burgh. The vocal harmony is a killer!  ” Never been so close, never been so deep , when I hold you in my arms, and watch you when you sleep.” It is a kind of song that even with its unabashed declaration of love, it still sounds so dignified.

Old and Grey is also nice to listen to.  The Wish  cements my impression of him as a fine vocalist. These tracks are all taken from his solo album The Wish. I wanted to find out more so I clicked the link to his official website http://www.tombolgermusic.com/

That’s a nice looking site. I also found his influences that made his compositions sound that way. I will paste this blurb: “Tom Bolger has a magic CD out called, “The Wish”. I believe Tom Bolger is a modern Neil Diamond-Gordon Lightfoot. Tom Bolger was always the most magnetic and magical of the many singers / musicians that I encountered in Ireland. I’m very glad that Tom has this album completed and available. Whenever I am homesick for the Emerald Isle I put on “The Wish” and I’m suddenly transported back to Ireland.”
– Kim Fowley American musician / producer / composer.

Ok, now I understand why Acoustic Bloom sounds like that. So I think the band is an extension of his artistry, a growth out of his usual sound. Not a bad idea. And although his solo project caters more to the country/easy listening audience, Acoustic Bloom is definitely Celtic.

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Young Fiddle Duet Fiddlin’ Frenzy

The young people are taking Celtic music by storm. I have no idea if this is because of the internet or parents exposing their kids to good music at an early age but whatever it is, it’s doing an awesome job. Fiddlin’ Frenzy is a pair of siblings from the west coast of Canada. I am browsing through reviews of their performance and they are really making a great impression!

The Celtic Twist Game starts now!

The Celtic Music Fan would  like offer a free copy of Twist in the Tale to the winner of a competition which will start now. This is how it goes. All you need to do is find an answer to a question which in the animated picture blow. all you need to do is go to their official website http://www.wix.com/hollandandpalmley/celtictwist to look for the answer. A winner will be announced at the end of this month.  Phil and Dave could send it directly to you with a short note of congratulations. How’s that? For those who are new to this album, here is the link to the review I did back in June 27 of 2012.

Huzzah!

Welcome to our everything goes column Huzzah. As I explained this term originated from a Jamie Smith’s Mabon track. And lead man Jamie Smith is our featured artist this week. Someone in our facebook page said “Pin Up Boy!” referring to the featured photo. By the way If you are not aware yet, I update the featured photo every week to mirror our featured artist. Back to the pin up comment, I often get across that compliment the featured artists. Well, I think it is amazing that mother nature has blessed our  Celtic musicians with both talents and looks!

So what do we have today?

1.I was smiling hard when I got updates from twitter and email that Live Ireland featured one of my blog posts over there. Live Ireland happens to be the first site I created an account with because of the music and also because of the wonderful and supportive folks over there.

2. Marc Gunn posted this amazing article about Celtic Music where he explains important points, points I really agree with! If you are not aware yet, the Celt father has just released a new album called Not Every Day Is St. Patrick’s Day.

So those are two announcements I need to make. On the other hand I am glad that there is a site devoted to Celtic songs. I know we have jigs and reels but I noticed the depletion in the promotion of ballads.

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My awakening to Celtic music was with the ballads by Connie Dover, The Chieftains, Loreena McKennitt and even Enya(with her Gaelic songs). The others followed after. Song of the Isles continues to support this form of art and check out this new post featuring Julie Fowlis.

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Here is another discovery. The Ryans Band won 2 awards at the Irish music awards, there website is www.theryansirishband.co.uk and they are also on facebook. There is one song Let the People Sing that is available for streaming via their website. It is beautiful! Have a listen.

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67 Music owner Skot Cranmore invited me to join The Global Celtic Music Community via linked in and here is one info you might love to hear: A Celtic Music TV show is coming up soon. According to Skot: “67 Music begins production on a new Celtic Music TV/Video show in early 2013. We are seeking sponsors and advertisers now Global exposure and still save on your advertising budget! Email skot@67music.net for all details.” How’s that! Our community is really gearing for world domination 😉 And oh I have been getting skill endorsements for Sahara and Oona McOuat! If you haven’t yet, better join the Celtic music community via linked in because that is where the party is.

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Trad Irish musician Michael Curran who is part of Celtic Music Fan’s alumni posted this TV show on his facebook status yesterday. Along with that post is this message: “Great programme recorded back in the summer for Irish TV Showcase channel…skip to 50:40 for a wee cameo of myself and mighty man Vincent Griffin!!” he added: “You should be able to skip straight to it, but still loads of lovely music before that!!”

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Who is Blair Dunlop?  Breton rocker Dom Duff is endorsing Blair’s new album Blight & BlossomBD-cover-edit-II-300x298

Blair acted in Charlie and chocolate factory (young Johnny Depp, Little Willy Wonka ) his father is the founding member of Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and Albion Band .Very huge Celtic connection there. Now I am not sure if we can get Blair’s story through an interview here but I will keep you all posted. In the meantime enjoy the music and at the same time, I am going to listen to The Fairport Convention again!

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Explore the Barnanez cairn, the largest Megalithic mausoleum in Europe, lying at the top of a steeply sloping peninsula in the bay of Morlaix in the Finistère.

Speaking of Dom Duff, I got this amazing site about The Cairn of Barnenez. I check on the link he sent to me and it says it dates back to as early as 4,500 B.C. Info with pictures .

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Andrew “Slim” Black, the soulful Celtic singer who brought us the compelling Gallows Tree Tales just updated his facebook page. Have a listen to that album if you haven’t yet and I guarantee you will like it. You can get latest updates from this amazing singer/songwriter/producer via http://www.facebook.com/gallowstreetales

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Here is a fantastic upload from Barrule. This is an amazing Manx music educational tour, starring of course the artist of the week Jamie Smith and the rest of Barrule: A montage of video taken during a week’s tour of Scotland and Newcastle. Barrule visited Plockton High School, Benbecula, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Edinburgh University Highland Society and Newcastle University, performing and teaching Manx music to the students at the various courses. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33sy2Ox8Ae0&feature=youtu.be 

Prior to this video, I woke up to this wonderful view of Ogham Stone.

Top 5 albums I listen to this weeK

1. Banba by Clannad

2. If Ever I return by Connie Dover

3. Parallel Dreams by Loreena McKennitt

4. Foxlight by Iarla O’Lanaird

5. Windblown by Jamie Smith’s Mabon

Jamie Smith:”I have been singing for many years.” (Interview)

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Check out our column Huzzah! Featuring: Sue Aston, Leza Mesiah,  Carlos Nuñez and Solas.

Jamie Smith side view

Jamie Smith

The phenomenal Welsh singer/songwriter/instrumentalist Jamie Smith talks to The Celtic Music Fan about recording, performing and singing for the first time in an album.

Jamie Smith remained a mystery for years to the Celtic music circle. His accordion playing is electrifying. He possesses great showmanship when onstage. He is charismatic. With his band, they fill out venues as live performers. Late last year was the release of their much anticipated third album called Windblown. I noticed that they  are exploring new avenues of musicality.They also seem to posses that relaxed attitude in playing live and building their online presence to their listeners.

As a band, Jamie Smith’s Mabon captivated the imagination of everybody. They also brought with them the mystical sound of Wales. At the same time, they worked in fusing that sound with other styles from any Celtic nations.

As an individual performer, Jamie Smith brings something special to the music culture. I think it  is his passion and also the way he abandons himself to the music that he plays. This in turn gets into the audience and the sincerity of it all is the core of his artistry. He has a strong presence in the recording and live performance. It is hard to explain and you have to own one of their albums to understand.

 Before the end of 2012, we talked about creating this interview. At that time, his band was on tour so it was a busy month. But true to his word, he made it here.  So here he is, Jamie Smith!

Hi Jamie, your band formed in 1999 with your father Derek, Iolo Whelan and his brother Gareth. You must have learned a lot after being exposed to many live performance at a young age.What are the things you have observed in the Celtic music scene, in terms of releasing albums and performing the songs live?

One thing I have learned is you can always improve on what you are doing. It’s amazing to look back down the years since the early days of the band and see how we’ve gradually transformed over time. I think it’s important to keep moving or else you can stagnate and lose interest. Another thing I have observed is that the tracks the band likes best and are most proud of often aren’t the ones the audience likes the most! 

 The new album is a pleasant departure from the previous ones. You did vocals for the first time! And you made a great job singing. Your voice is such a fantastic instrument that can move between haunting deliveries to a more pop rock kind of style. Who encouraged you to finally take the mic? 

I’d been thinking about it for a while and my wife, Gráinne, gave me the extra push to actually go for it. It’s good to have new challenges and we’re looking forward to working on more new songs this year. I have been singing for many years, just never in Mabon. I have become more interested in songs within the Celtic/folk genre over the last few years, which is partly what led me to want to try writing songs for the band. 

How’s the whole experience making Windblown? Anything to share about your own experiences and also the quirks that happened during the whole songwriting and recording process?

Making an album is a strange and often obsessive process: you spend a long time working on it and constantly thinking about it, then when it’s done you quickly put it to one side and look forward to the next challenge. I’ve hardly listened to the album since we got the final copies back! We had some great moments in the studio and a lot of fun experimenting with overdub ideas, some of which made the final mix.

What’s your favorite track off this new album and why?

I don’t think I can pick out one track sorry! Something that has pleased me since releasing the album is that everyone seems to have a different favourite track. It’s fair to say Caru Pum Merch has got a lot of fans, because it sounds so different, but quite a few of the others have been singled out as favourites by listeners too.

If a young person asks you for an advice about the best way to maintain a creative working relationship with a band, what would you tell him/her?

Enjoy playing together and try to do it often! If you are all enjoying playing music together then it should be easy to be creative.

What do you like about being a musician and also being in a band?

I like entertaining people by playing music and being in a band is more sociable than touring on your own! Apart from the making and performing of music, the next best thing is getting to travel to so many different places both home and abroad.

 You are also part of Barrule which is an amazing band based in the Isle of Man. How do you maintain a balance between working with the Barrule project and JSM?

Barrule’s in its infancy still so it’s not too bad at the moment, although recording albums with both bands back to back was a mammoth undertaking. If it does become more difficult, at least that means we are all doing well!

What are the other talents you have apart from those we already observed?

I play guitar, but not in Mabon. I’m pretty good at whistling actually. Drives my wife up the wall though!

For more updates visit: http://www.jamiesmithsmabon.com/

Music:

Jamie and the gang will kick off their March tour and here’s the list: http://www.jamiesmithsmabon.com/concerts/

Video:

 Gallery:

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Huzzah!

Welcome to the second part of this blog which is the chatty part. Yes it’s called Huzzah! Which is also one of the track titles in Windblown by Jamie Smith’s Mabon whose lead singer is our featured artist this week.  Yes yes I will talk about anything and be natural as much as I can. Now those of you who are following my facebook page have already seen this video by Cornish violinist Sue Aston. For those who are new to her music, she is actually based in Penzance Cornwall. She is both influenced by Classical and the folk music. What’s fascinating about her is that she writes and plays everything. She also runs her own record and media company. To quote American singer/songwriter Jim Wearne regarding this video: “Wonderful tune, and beautiful Cornish scenery, not to mention a Cornish fiddler who’s easy on the eyes. Celtic festivals? Are you listening?” Yes like Jim said are you listening festivals?

About the video: Dedicated to everyone who has lost someone special to them. Taken from my album ‘Inspirational Journey’ written for my Dad and Nan who I miss everyday. Sue

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Four days ago I launched a discussion thread via Linkedin. I’ve been with linkedin for heaven knows how long and it became so boring I stopped visiting. Then, while perusing through the links four days ago, I found a group called Irish Music. Bam! Things just started taking off.  I now have a reason to go there everyday. I met wonderful people from that group includingvocalist Leza Mesiah. Here’s a link to her songs: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/lezamesiah “The back story on my Ren ‘Character’ is your generic African Musician Princess living in Scotland, having fallen in love with a Scot.”She said.

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Great news about the amazing Galician piper Carlos Nuñez

I stumbled upon this through his site: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2013/feb/03/carlos-nunez-philip-pickett-globe My fascination with his music went back to early 90s when Windham Hill started releasing albums worldwide. Celtic albumswere hard to find at that time. But compilations made it possible. So my big thank you to Windham Hill and The Chieftains for introducing this amazing artist to me!

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With Celtic band Solas making it on the same page as Beyonce just goes to prove that Celtic music is BIG in the United States  http://soc.li/CXRcSvD

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So do you have any Celtic music buzz to share? Feel free to comment on the thread and post your own. Yes this is open for all and ideas are welcomed.  This is what I learned lately: When you are in the world of marketing(that includes independent musicians and writers) playing nice really helps. We don’t live in a vacuum. And we create things not for our self but for the audience. Being ‘accessible’ and ‘community minded’ do help. Good luck everyone 🙂

St. Bridget’s Weekend Trivia and Celtic Album Giveaway

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Featuring: Caliorne from France, Holland and Palmley podcast, Peace of the Countryside and more useful links below. Be sure to check.

Happy St. Brigid’s Festival everyone. We have a great weekend filled with music news from our musician friends all over the world. What’s on the menu? We have a transcript of a conversation I had with Dave Palmley of the Holland and Palmley dou. We have an album artwork preview of Trad whistle/flute player Enda Seery. Then I want to introduce you to a French band playing Celtic rock music that is fascinating

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as it is beautiful!

Celtic Twist Podcast and album giveaway.

Ok first on the line:I had an energetic  discussion with Dave Palmley of the Holland- Palmley duo (also known as Celtic Twist ) regarding their guest appearance at the Celtic Music Radio. I have heard of their studio and youtube uploads but I haven’t heard them in a natural environment which includes being interviewed by a DJ and also playing impromptu. This news about their recent radio gig was a pleasant surprise and I asked Dave about it. For those who are curious about this show, here’s the link: http://podcast.canstream.co.uk/celticmusic/index.php?id=8176

Dave: Just got back from Glasgow where we were playing a live session on Celtic Music Radio for Celtic Connections…if you missed it live but want to hear it anyway you can catch up later by clicking on this link! It’s the second “Live from Celtic Connections Friday 1 February” that you see on the page…there’s an announcement and one song before our set starts

Baxter:Listening to your segment now. You both sound good.

The guys from the radio were really nice!

I am listening to the first track you played live. Phil  has a nice  speaking voice. Dave you have a wonderful accent too.

The Lancashire! Phil’s voice is, after years spent travelling, a sort of generic British with hints of God only knows.

She sounds almost American!

Yikes really? Crikey!

Yes very pleasant. Sometimes she sounds Irish.Hard to tell at times

Actually Baxter, when Phil played in America in the 80s she was made an honorary citizen of the town of Towanda Pennsylvania and she did perform for president Reagan on the White House lawn (but she tries to keep very quiet about that).

OH wow that is a nice trivia! Great to hear that. This proves to be a great show with both of you.

Glad to hear you are enjoying it!

Now I hear Phil singing. Unbelievable. She has this natural audio mixed in her throat!

Thanks! She was worried that she sounded terrible…she’ll be glad to hear your words of encouragement.

At first I thought it wasn’t live because it sounded so pristine. The microphone loves her.

We’re hoping that a few people will hear it and want to join us here on Facebook…

Well this is a fantastic show. First time for me to hear you both speak live and perform live as well. You should do more radio guesting.

Thank you…we may well do that!!! we were a bit nervous but now we’ve tried it we’ll be fine to do it again.

You had an amazing debut and I don’t notice signs of nervousness! In fact you both sound like you have been doing this for a long time. Very natural.

Good to hear that! We will be popping off now for a walk down to the castle with Moony the dog…maybe we’ll see you later!

Cool. I will continue listening. Phil is explaining about the The Wild Geese . See ya!

See ya

The Celtic Music Fan would  like offer a free copy of Twist in the Tale to the winner of a competition which will start next week. This is how it goes. All you need to do is find an answer to a question which will be asked at the end of an article. This will take place next week. I will present a question and all you need to do is go to their official website http://www.wix.com/hollandandpalmley/celtictwist to look for the answer. A winner will be announced at the end of this month.  Phil and Dave could send it directly to you with a short note of congratulations. How’s that? For those who are new to this album, here is the link to the review I did back in June 27 of 2012.

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Enda Seery album coming soon. Album artwork revealed.

Somewhere late December, Irish instrumentalist Enda Seery announced that he is working on a new album. If you remember in my previous article, I mentioned about the new tracks and also the fact that in this sophomore album, he will be singing for the first time. IT is quite a bold step for someone who has started his niche as a player of tin whistle. But I think this is eventually something he would be doing. As an English and Irish teacher, he has been using his vocal capabilities and singing is just another logical step. The album is doing fine .

You can read all about it here: http://tradconnect.com/profiles/blogs/the-road-to-my-second-solo-album-blog-5-by-enda-seery

Gallery:Recording for Síocháin na Tuaithe, Black Rose Studio

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Caliorne – Celtic rock band from France‏

Members: Daniel – Batterie
François – Cornemuses, Veuzes, Binious & Clarinette diatonique
Hugues – Guitare électro-acoustique 12 cordes
Kevin – Guitare électrique
Olivier – Clavier & Bombarde
Patrick – Basse

Genre: Rock celtique, Celtic Rock, Fest-Noz

Here is an amazing band from France fusing rock and traditional music. The result is an electrifying blend of soaring melodies focusing on the beauty of the bagpipes. There is one track that I heard for the first time the notes being bent. Francois the piper really knows the capabilities of the instrument and making sure it is showcased to the fullest. There is that familiar Breton beat all over and also the melancholic flavour that is typical of Breton music. However these are balanced by the electrifying arrangement and fusion of mainstream rock styles.

More about them here:

Gallery

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More links

Just talked to John Ryan via linked in. Linked in is amazing in bringing people together who have common interests. Anyway I am listening to samples of The Dublin City Ramblers and they make good sounding music! Have a sample:)
http://www.dublincityramblers.com/ This is the fb band page to those who are curious http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dublin-City-Ramblers-Fan-Page/223644963693

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Sharing the page of one of Celtic Music Fan’s interview alumni and featured artist Andrew “Slim” Black 🙂
https://www.facebook.com/gallowstreetales

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From Paddy Ryan : Don’t know if you heard of them, but the Ryans Band won two awards at the Irish music awards, there website is www.theryansirishband.co.uk and they are also on facebook.

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Attention: Celtic musicians in Indianapolis, Craig Stonebraker of Murphy’s Steakhouse looking for entertainers on march 16th for St pats celebration. Venues: murphys steakhouse & murphys pubhouse Fishers & Indianapolis In.Phone: 317-545-3707
Fax: 317-545-3766 Email: craig@murphyssteakhouse.com http://www.murphyssteakhouse.com/

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Irish Music Group via Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=709717&trk=anet_ug_hm

This is an amazing group I found in linked in. For months my linkedin was really boring until I found people in my niche. And this is one energetic group right now. I encourage you to join. I met new friends there including Skot Cranmore of 67 Music!

Yay!It’s Gillian Boucher(interview)

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Gillian Boucher talks about her music and the unpredictable but wonderful things in life in the midst of motherhood. And oh a bit about people expecting musicians to give lessons for free.Ha!

Hi Baxter! Well… here it is!!! I’m severely jet-lagged after the journey from NZ to Turkey, but I was determined to get this to you today 🙂 I hope it’s OK!!

I discovered the music of Gillian Boucher around two years ago while I was doing my research on the Cape Breton fiddling style. She has this certain ‘walk under the sunny park on an afternoon’ kind of vibe when she plays her instrument.  I also admire her fashion sense. For a while I kept track of news about her and poof! She disappeared from the Celtic music radar. I wondered what really happened to her for a long time. While Cape Breton and the whole of Canada gave us tons and tons of beautiful music, Gillian was nowhere to be found. Until recently.

She started updating and leaving digital footprints online once again. The illusive artist has now become more and more accommodating to the public as she enthusiastically shares her travels and photographs to her friends. Her group The Celtic Umbrella Ensemble is gearing towards bigger musical shows and you will find out about it in this interview. So my dear readers, sit back and relax over a cuppa tea as we listen to Gillian’s unique voice as she shares her time with us.

How’s it going with Celtic Umbrella these days?

Well, the Celtic Umbrella Ensemble will be entering it’s third year of existence and after a few line-up changes we feel that we’ve finally found something that fits really well! Last summer in Canada we finished our touring season off with a main-stage performance at Festival Memoires et Racines in Joliette Quebece with a new line-up and the response was simply mind-blowing! We don’t do much touring during the winter season as I’m usually back in Turkey working on administration for my various projects or down touring New Zealand which I do annually. This spring, though, we’ll be heading in the studio in Canada to work on our first album which is really exciting. We’ve got a lot of great material that spans from Old Scots to Acadian folk songs and groovy instrumental rhythms. It’s going to be a fabulous project!

  You seemed to have disappeared from the radar for a while and now you are in Turkey. How’s life treating you?

After the release of Elemental and receiving some great reviews in the form of music nominations and an award, I hit some turbulence in my personal life and decided to lay low for a while. The album was also released after nearly a decade of being on the road with singer/songwriter and former partner Andrew White and so by the time I was due to push the new album, I was already exhausted and needed a break from music. After a trip to Ankara, Turkey, to perform for the Canadian Ambassador’s Canada Day celebrations in 2010, I saw an exciting opportunity to completely relocate to an interesting part of the world but still work on my various projects. It’s been a whirlwind of an adventure but I’ve  found a sweet balance that makes it all work, giving me a chance to rekindle my passion for what I do, go out on the road to perform and come home to a peaceful and quiet existence in this far-off and beautiful land. If someone would have told me 5 years ago that I would be living in Turkey some day, I wouldn’t have believed them! Yet, here I am, and I’m very settled and happy.

  You have a certain style in playing the fiddle. Where did you get all that energy, concentration and style?

Well, thanks very much for the compliment! Growing up on Cape Breton Island I was immersed in the Cape Breton style of music and dancing from a very early age. We grew up near my mother’s family, who were all of Scottish decent, and so the culture was very present in our lives. I was classically trained on piano, but not on fiddle and had a very strong Cape Breton fiddle style until my mid-teens. Perhaps my classical training on piano came through as I was very fond of complicated pieces by Neil Gow and Scott Skinner, which weren’t being played much by the younger players around.

At around the age of 15 I first heard Irish music and it was a major milestone in my life for sure. I immediately fell in love with the style of music and it also corresponded with many opportunities to work in the USA and collaborate with a lot of Irish-American players, so my style and approach started to morph at that time for sure. When I was 19 I moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, and again was greatly influenced by the tunes and players there, creating another element in my stylistic approach to traditional music. I am not and never have been a traditionalist and feel very free to build upon my experiences in life to create my own individual style.

I don’t strive to sound like anyone else which is what a lot of tradition bearers feel as responsibility. I know this because I felt this responsibility when I was younger, trying to preserve our Cape Breton culture and style of playing by mimicking older players, so I guess you could call me a bit of a rebel in that respect! Don’t get me wrong, I respect and admire the amazing players that keep our heritage alive and well. I just don’t feel like it was ever my path, which might also have something to do with my mixed-heritage background of Acadian and Metis as well as Scottish.

Aside from being a recording artist, you also teach. Which do you think gives you the most fulfillment?

I’ve been teaching for nearly as long as I’ve been performing, first starting to teach dance when I was about 12 years old. I started teaching fiddle later in my teens, but I’ve always had great enjoyment teaching both and still do. The feeling of fulfillment seeing a student progress, giving validation to ones teaching method, I don’t think can be compared to the thrill of walking off a stage with an audience in rapturous applause. I can’t compare the two at all, but deeply love both! The later being the most exciting buzz in the world! I’ve also found that in order to maintain a lifestyle as a working musician, one must have a few fingers in a few pies! Teaching is just another aspect of my work that keeps me moving forward, allowing me to continue to do what I love. My most recent teaching project is a comprehensive online teaching method entitled ‘Learn Celtic Fiddle’ which is comprised of HD video lessons and supporting documents. We (my business partner and I) currently have 4 Units up and running: Absolute Beginner, Advanced Beginner, Early Intermediate and Advanced Intermediate. Each Unit has 5 lessons. It’s a wonderful project and we have students from all over the world logged in, learning Celtic fiddle!

I read your post the other week where you ranted about people expecting musicians to give lessons for free. And this even go as far as expecting musicians to perform music for free. What can you say about this outrageous mentality?

I was recently in New Zealand and heard that local festival had decided that they were not going to pay musicians to perform, and would only offer a ticket pass and free camping. As a result, they will not have professional musicians at the festival because professional musicians don’t play gigs for free, which only disappoints the attendees who are mostly going to the festival for music. It’s shocking, really. But we can be guaranteed that the porta-loo companies will be paid, as well as any other tradesman involved in the production of the festival! Over the last ten years, as not only a professional musician but also a booking agent and show promoter in places like New Zealand, I see ticket prices staying the same, sometimes even going down, and tour expenses and cost of living rising. It’s a very challenging business to be in for sure. The light at the end of the day though is the fact that we get to do what we love and the people we do it with are some of the most magical people on earth. I think that’s what keeps us all going!

(More by visiting her website www.gillian-boucher.com) 

Videos

Check out the Celtic Colours International Festival online via:

http://www.celtic-colours.com/

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Gillian Boucher and Celtic Umbrella in concert, June 2011, Chester Nova Scotia

Gallery

The Celtic Umbrella Ensemble Live

* 2010 ECMA Nominee: Roots/Traditional Solo Recording of the Year

 

* 2009 NSMW Award Winner: Roots/Traditional Recording of the Year