In this edition: The Indulgers, Blyde Lasses, Cillian Doheny and pictures of the day…
We had a hard week. My heart goes to those who suffered the terrible force of hurricane Sandy. As much as I love Nature, these are one of those times when nature can be scary. It is a horrible situation but as long as we remain steadfast in our devotion to one another, then we will get through this. Ive had moments in my life when I thought all hope is gone. But when I think about the love of friends and family members, everything becomes bearable again.
There is an ongoing drive to help the people of New York. Please check out Beal Bocht:
The Beal Bocht offers music, poetry, comedy, theatre and art exhibits ,making it the premiere place for to showcase both Irish and local artistic talents while enjoying great drinks and food.
Genre Irish/Celtic/Americana/Rock
Members Damien McCarron – Vocals, Guitar
Mike Nile – Vocals, Guitars, Mandolin, Harmonica and Electronic Bagpipe
Renee Fine – Fiddle/Violin
Aaron Haywood – Bass
Frannie (Cheech) Mannone – Drums
Guesting on occasion:
Neale Heywood – Guitar
Ryan Bunnell – Guitar
Hometown Boulder/Golden
Record label Celtic Club Records
General manager www.shamrocker.com
Influences Waterboys, Horslips, Thin Lizzy, Christy Moore, Irish Trad., Paul Brady, Spirit, Fleetwood Mac, Beatles and many more.
Current Location Boulder/Golden, Colorado
The The Indulgers
Good melodies, rockin’ beats, sing-along lyrics: these are the things that make up a good album that you can listen to again and again. My introduction to The Indulgers was rather nontraditional. I only know them after catching a radio show called Mile High Celtic Hour hosted by front man Damien McCarron. He moved to Colorado from Dublin.
I became a regular listener of the radio show and there is something about his speaking voice that’s great to hear. It is not just his Irish accent but his voice quality. I was not wrong when I heard their various tracks. I should also mention that apart from the front man’s vocal appeal, all the guys in the band are well-heeled musicians who are master of their own instruments. You can feel the passion as it electrifies every instrument in their songs.
***
Blyde Lasses
Check out this duo from Aberdeen UK. Great fiddling tunes there that’s fresh and crisp. The Lasses Set is truly inspiring. I love the balance between energetic performance and emphasis on grace. The recording is also amazing because it lets you listen to the surface of sound. You can almost hear the way the bow grinds against the stings. Their vocals are also lush and expressive. I hope to hear more from them. It’s been a while that this site featured fiddlers. This could be the start eh?
Cillian Doheny is answering my interview questions in between touring with Moxie. I treat this as a pre feature write-up about his music. He does play the banjo way beyond his years. This man is hard-working being with so many projects in such a short period. So this is an introduction to his music and many more to come.
Also in this edition:Damien Mullane, The Tristan Legg Band, Paul Mounsey and Alalé.
Instagram pic of Frost at Midnight’s Happy Birthday
Album Review: Happy Birthday by Frost at Midnight.
Country: Wales
Band members:
Robert Atkins: guitar, bass, keyboards
Catherine Atkins: vocals
Catherine Handley: flute
Johnny Quick: vocals
John Tribe: harmonica
Record label: taff vale
Beautiful and uplifting, Frost at Midnight crafted an album that is determined to encourage repeated listens. Even the album artwork encourages a smile with its illustration of golden birthday cake framed in blue. The album title is Happy Birthday. Opening the cardboard case introduces me to a back cover picture of band members slicing that cake. There are references to Keats, Jacques Humbert, Jack Sinclair, Julian of Norwich and TS Eliot.
I can tell that songwriter Rob Atkins is somewhat into academic themes. This album is also traditionally influenced with classical frills. As for the vocals, Catherine Atkins and Johnny Quick both deliver superb singing styles. Catherine has pure soprano voice which is comparable to Judy Collins and fellow Welsh singer Mary Hopkins. Johnny has a faint folk roughness underneath the Broadway smooth voice.
A kind of high plucky sound is heard all over the album courtesy of Rob Atkin’s mandolin. The airy sounds of keyboards, bass and guitars almost slide into the border of indie folk and is only hold on a balance by the flute of Catherine Handley. The harmonica of John Tribe reinforces the band’s folk influence.
Happy Birthday opens with the lively A Birthday. It has a kind of 70’s vibes. The signing here reminds me a bit of Sally Oldfield and Maggie Reilly. Deep Open Chord follows with its heartfelt lyrics and pastoral melodies. Surprise by Joy opens with “Surprise by joy impatient as the wind I turn to share, I turn to share the rapture..” I am touched with the poetic elegance of this track. I love the mandolin playing in The Egg Timer. It’s one of those instrumental tracks that should be given more exposure for its delicate and atmospheric beauty.
Writ in Water has a renaissance kind of sound while All Shall Be Well reminds me of those Irish ballads performed by the Dubliners and Planxty. Love’s a Mystery is filled with magical bells which grow on you after repeated listens. Why Should I Care strikes me as something the late Sandy Denny would sing. At the same time the Jazz melodic flavor makes it a perfect lounge track. Percy Paves the Way burrows its melody from the Scottish song Ae Fond Kiss. The voice of Catherine Atkins soars like an angel.
Tambourine is a track that introduced me to the band after hearing it online. This is definitive Welsh trad style.The tambourine sounds trimmed down to give more emphasis on the flute of Catherine Handley. Sleep starts with an ambient keyboard style. This is the only track featuring a synthesized sound that works well! As the title suggests, it is a lullaby. Another Birthday(reprise) closes the album as an instrumental track.
My verdict: There should be more Welsh bands like Frost at Midnight that celebrates the beauty of combining the delicate styles of various genres. It is a must have album whither you are into indie folk, Celtic or easy listening.
Damien Mullane has just released 13. The carrier single is “The Orphan”. He’s just finished a tour with Fiddle player Colin Farrell and Lunasa’s Kevin Crawford. Big thanks to Cillian Doheny of Irish trad band Moxie for recommending this music.
***
The Tristan Legg band
I discovered The Tristan Legg band last July of 2011. Since then I have been following their updates. Tristan Legg is based in Nova Scotia, the Celtic music capital of Canada. Below are videos that will give you an idea about his music. Enjoy!
***
Paul Mounsey
My friend Paula who is based in Yorkshire England posted this man’s music on my facebook wall. I was captivated. There is definitely a strong Scottish identity in his music.This track is also very hypnotic. He was featured in the UK docu called Visit Scotland…
Video notes:
One picture video of Paul Mounsey track The Fields of Robert John
My friend Sacha Talens is a punk rocker who travels around the world. He lived for a certain time in Ireland. This is a band he witnessed performing live when he was in Galway.
Video notes:
Born out of the lively music scene in Galway in the West of Ireland, Alalé was formed in 2006. The band was formed by Fergal Walsh, David Cardona, Gabriel G. Diges and Ciaran O’Donghaile. They soon released the self-produced album Wo Japen, which has since gone on to sell over 4000 copies. At the moment the band members include, Flute, Whistle and Galician Gaita player, Gabriel G. Diges; Singer and Fiddle player, Stephanie Swanton, guitarist, Esteban Moreno; and Bodhrán player, David Cardona. Alalé have played and toured extensively in festivals and venues in Ireland and throughout Europe, returning regularly to Germany, Spain and the Netherlands and recently got their first television exposure playing on BBC Northern Ireland.
With the excitement of an upcoming album, Fraser Fifield talks to The Celtic Music Fan about music and what makes collaborative musical work interesting.
This week’s special attention is given to Scottish musician, composer and producer Fraser Fifield. I was captivated the first time I listened to one of his tracks. There’s sensitivity, intricacy and a sense of underlying elegance in his musical voice. I think I read and heard his music a couple of years ago, way before I even started writing about Celtic musicians. It is only now that I got an opportunity to communicate with him directly for this edition.
He plays the traditional instruments in a way a Jazz musician would, and then reverse the process with the Traditional instruments. It is like what happens when you put different people in different attires and situations and see how they react or how they look in that environment. This is what he did with music and instruments. I think his striking importance is being able to walk between different worlds and still maintaining the authenticity of his artistry in playing. This edition is about relationships: between different types of music, musicians and instruments.
I think you will enjoy how this interview turned out. I had fun making this one.
What’s keeping you busy these days Fraser?
What’s going with me? Well, the main thing just now is having eventually started recording an album with Graeme Stephen, guitarist and long term colleague – just duo, focusing on live performances basically – meaning played live together, not actual concert recordings..lots of electronics too but hardware boxes used in live performance on the whole as opposed to studio laboratory type of process – which is cool, but not what we’re doing here.
So we started that last week…and will be ongoing as time permits over the next wee while. Just had a flurry of CDs through the door as other projects I’ve recorded on came to fruition – Maeve Mackinnon, Sophie Ramsay and Wingin It…maybe you’ll hear some of these soon
Looking forward to playing London jazz festival with the Take 5 Europe ensemble plus a couple of gigs in Poland one with Maciej Obara 4tet and Take 5 again. Playing duo with Graeme in St Andrews Scotland in a couple of weeks…
Doing a recording session for Angus Lyon this week and hooking up for a small gig with an old friend – wonderful clarinet /sax player Dick Lee..
With John Surman and Tom Arthurs last week on Take 5 Europe. By Emile Holba
What can listeners expect from this new album in terms of style and sound?
I’m hoping folk will hear two musicians enjoying playing together who’ve built up strong dialogue between them (we’ve been playing together some 16 yrs I think). A general rule seems to be emerging – remember we’ve just started – to avoid layering performances/multitracking ourselves i.e. you’re essentially going hear two musicians playing live together, there’s no click track etc… that’s not too say sonically the record will be simple – early results suggest anything but…this is often just low whistle and guitar but like you’ve never heard.
A bold statement perhaps..but I’m being fairy serious… The live recordings on the soundcloud page hint at the sound of course, but I am enjoying working a little more on our recordings after the initial performance, resampling ourselves in a way, extracting small bits of audio and changing it’s function…I’ll say that much. Will it sound folk or jazz – I’m bound to be asked that… and the answer is I have absolutely no idea..a bit of both, or plenty of both actually. The compositions are mine but compared to my previous records I’d say improvised passages will turn out be more featured.
I think making music is also a relationship between you, your fellow musicians and your fans. What have you learned so far in maintaining this relationship since you started? What are the things you avoid now and what are the things you consider essential?
….Essential in regard to making music with other musicians, for me, is a sense of openness, trust and maybe some kind of mutual understanding of what it is we’re doing, not necessarily verbalized but that the feeling of all being well is present…all makes for a good starting point, at least musically; you could be having the worst week imaginable, but sometimes these things can twist around into good musical moments. Sometimes, hopefully not often, one can’t get into the right vibe to make music creatively for whatever reason, cat gone missing, who knows, but assuming all is fine there should be something you can switch on to be excited about what you’re doing, if you’re not already. Basically it helps to be in good mood is what I’m saying I suppose.
Musical situations I try to avoid are those where none of the elements to my previous answer are present. Also I’ve not been drawn into a ‘band’ situation for a wee while now, which is maybe down to my personality, I don’t know..I kind of miss it in a way, the band thing, but at the same time value the diversity of music I’m currently able to fit on my modestly sized internal drive.
Be nice to audience members if they’re being nice to you…i.e. paying to hear you play….would be a good general rule…
Try and have a relationship with the people that enjoy your music, if you want to that is…unless you have some Garbarek like qualities, and I try to mean that in a nice way, it’s a probably good idea business wise to interact a bit.. which I guess is what I’m doing right now..but I’m sort of enjoying the therapy of answering your questions. How’s this piece shaping up now by the way ?
Oh this is shaping my work nicely!
If you evaluate all the tracks you composed throughout your career, which one has an impact to you in terms of the manner it was composed and the inspiration behind it?
I’ve chosen the track called Psalm from my first solo album Honest Water as it’s perhaps the tune or idea which has had the longest and most interesting journey with me to date. The first idea was to try and imitate the sound of psalm singing from the Scottish Gaelic tradition – a most beautiful and peculiar art form in itself. My approach is a very simple one and one that has worked for me in many situations over the years, the more instruments playing together the better the effect, so great if working with groups of students of varying levels of ability for example.
Most recently I used this idea in the opening section of my piece ‘Playground Tales’ written for the group Mr McFalls Chamber with guests Corrina Hewat, James Ross, Aidan O’Rourke and myself – hopefully a recording next year. So the track Psalm from Honest Water began life as one of five parts of a suite for saxophone quintet titled Traditions – one of the first years of the ‘New Voices’ series of commissions made annually by Celtic Connections, and it’s still running – quite a body of work in there now. My turn was 2001, a long time back now!
I’ve never played the tune much on my own gigs for some reason, actually probably no reason, but have used it often in a variety of other settings, I recall…a group of 7 different European bagpipes at Rudolstadt Festival Germany, recently with Dutch trio the Nordanians, with the Take 5 Europe group this year, it’s served me pretty well, and I think it’s a nice melody.
With Corrina Hewat
If you have the time, the energy and the means to be an album producer, whom would you work with and what types of musicians would you help in producing records?
Well I’m doing that very thing right now in a kind of self-medicating manner along with Graeme Stephen in the making of a duo album together which is actually a bit overdue I feel, but at last is progressing nicely. I’ve always enjoyed being very hands on with every aspect of my own record making, from the engineering through arrangements, performance to mixing. I like having the freedom to work at my own pace with things and review/adjust at will…does end up taking forever sometimes though…and that’s not so cool always.
With other artists I’ve occasionally become involved in the role of producer or perhaps co-producer in some instances – for example where a group has developed a sound collaboratively and go on to then record. I’ve never been great at adopting a workmanlike attitude when it comes to making records. I think its quite a big deal. An example I can think of is with my friend Mick West, a traditional singer from Glasgow whom I first met whilst a student there. I’d played with him in various line-ups of the Mick West Band ever since, so when the chance to make his last album ‘Sark O Snaw’ came round I really wanted to do it, not least because having played with Mick for many’s the year he’d never properly captured the best of his music on record – I wanted to change that, and I think we did, to cut a long story short. It was a labour of love like most records I’ve worked on, probably ending up with a negative hourly rate or something close it, who cares, it’s a lovely document to have.
In terms of who to work with…if they can play well with heart and soul and give and take, and we can get along well, that’s the only ingredients required. I’m pretty happy doing a lot of the work I do for those very reasons.
Take 5 is an ongoing project you are involved with. Can you tell us a little bit about it and how’s it going so far?
It’s been a very nice experience. Firstly Take 5 then this year Take 5 Europe which is new extension of it. It’s about artist development essentially, through talks/discussions/networking (that mostly over one week) and making music with the other Take 5 participants you’re given tools or ideas at least aimed at perhaps focusing one’s career, taking a look over what you’re doing and what you might be doing…it’s positive certainly if anything at all.
This year the ensemble of musicians on Take 5 Europe proved to be a surprisingly cohesive group – not a typical line-up – 2 basses, vibes, drums, guitar, trumpet, 2 saxes + me. They’re a very nice bunch of people and amazing players, in late 20s or 30s – 2 each from Netherlands, France, Poland, Norway and the UK. We’ve been playing at the festivals run by partners of the scheme in Molde, Rotterdam, Coutance, with just 2 performances left to do in November in Poland and London. Playing and hanging out with John Surman on both these Take 5 weeks was certainly noteworthy, great musician and lovely chap.
I know you have played the bagpipes for a long time. But if you were a listener, what makes a bagpipe and amazing instrument?
There’s something primal going on with it that’s for sure. I can’t get into any physics that’s for sure too…I can but agree there is something about the sound that speaks to an enormous variety of people from every part of the world. Being very loud (if we’re talking the GBH here) is surely a bonus.
There you have it folks. Be sure to keep track of his schedules and keep him on your radars. The new projects sound amazing!
Fraser Fifield
***
Pic of the day: Colin Nea-Between the Jigs and Reels
COLIN NEA will be launching his CD ‘Between the Jigs and the Reels’ at 9pm, Thursday the 8th November in the Temple Gate Hotel
***
Enda Seery: Website updated and revamped!
The musician/composer of The Winding Clock has introduced a new feel and look to his official website. Visit :http://www.endaseery.com/
***
Featured Video: Therese Honey: Paddy Cronin’s Jig – Jenny Pippin from ‘Summer’s End’
Yes yes! We have a new addition to our list of harpists to watch out for. Therese Honey creates a relaxing wall of strings with with the talent of Jenny Pippin. Have a listen 😀
Track 2 from the 2012 http://www.Waterbug.com release, Summer’s End. Photos of the Dingle Peninsula were taken in April 2011 by Therese Honey and Larry Mallette. Therese learned Paddy Cronin’s Jig from Gráinne Hambly. Jenny Pippin is from O’Neill’s “Music of Ireland,” 1903. www.theresehoney.net
In this edition: Damien McCarron of Mile High Celtic Radio, Karen Victoria Smith, Dan Coleman, Celtic Twist and Moxie!
Mile High Celtic Hour : You ultimate guide to Irish and Celtic music.
Got the feeling that you need to update you Celtic music collection? Work schedules and classes can sometimes take you away from what’s going on with the ‘scene’. Well worry no more.
Mile High Celtic Hour is guaranteed to put you ahead of things Celtic. This is a show based in North America, featuring a playlist that is diverse. You get to hear bands from all over the world and get to sample their best songs plus video via livestream.
Damien McCarron grew up in Howth outside Dublin and was immersed with Irish music and tradition. As a musician, he shared stage with amazing musicians in the field including members of Solas. This is a very exciting time for Irish music and the rest of the Celtic world. Damien is definitely in the right track and the right time, with the right crowd
Damien talking between music. .
Here is the page where you can watch and listen to his show:
The website of the duo Celtic Twist is updated! I met Phil Holland and Dave Palmley over a year ago and I have enjoyed their albums. They are doing interesting things with their diverse musical backgrounds by mixing them up with Celtic style.
They moved to Scotland from Italy around two months ago and Phil is taking her time drinking the sight of the beautiful Scottish landscape. This is where she grew up and Scottish music makes a huge part of her musical influences.
Dave Palmley’s pop rock influence creates a radio friendly balance for Celtic Twist. He likes experimenting with various instrument including the synths. Have you heard of a harp tune using the effects pedal?
This piece was originally inspired by the native north American people and their loss of land and cultural identity, but it is really in homage to all people of all races and creeds wherever they may be in the world, past, present and future, who suffer the indignities of invasion and oppression.
Phil: Celtic harps, Violins, Voices and Piano.
Dave: Guitars, Voices and percussion.
This will be on our forthcoming album, to be released later this year.
More news to follow. http://hollandandpalmley.blogspot.com/
Notes:
Dedicated to a dream come true,moving back home to the west coast of Scotland.This meditative and hypnotic piece of music is entirely written, arranged and performed by Celtic Twist (Phil Holland and Dave Palmley).We wanted to share with all our followers this beautiful place and its magical atmosphere.
***
Dark Dealings Book Interview via Rock On Radio
Having a great time at the Draft House
Yes our musical culture has a literary friend in the form of Karen Victoria Smith. She wrote the book Dark Dealings which talks pretty much about Irish mythology, Wall Street vampires, shape- shifters and what they like to listen to in their ipod. You might think I am kidding about that last bit but I am serious. There are a lot of r references to Irish music in the novel and I think she is doing an amazing job pushing the culture and mixing it with the hip, the supernatural and how the money world works. I had to reread the book after it is done because I can’t part easily with the characters. They stay with you like long lost friends.
My friend Christi and I had a blast listening to her interview via Rock on Radio hosted by Dan Coleman and the gang. It was a wacky show and Danny asked a lot of interesting questions about the book. There’s a chat room where listeners can interact with the hosts. We also met Karen’s best pal Deedee who also happens to be part of an indie rock band Strumberry Pie. The internet made this world a better and smaller place. Christi’s in Michigan and I am in the Philippines. And we all had a blast!
***
Introducing Moxie
Moxie
Genre: Irish Contemporary Music / Jazz / New Age Bluegrass / Folk
Darren Roche Button Accordian / Nylon String Guitar
Ted Kelly Tenor Banjo / Tenor Guitar / Mandolin
Paddy Hazelton Percussion
Hometown: Limerick / Sligo
What Lies Behind the Wall has notes tapping with suspense at the beginning of the track. It is like watching a flower bloom in hyper speed. Like all remarkable Irish bands playing traditional music, Moxie offers fresh approach to a tradition that has been around and is determined to stay.
Their sound is vibrant and the arrangements are intricate. This is traditional music with a cool twist. Sophisticated style blends with rustic simplicity making them one of a kind Irish band. In Elixir’s Walts, they took advantage to pauses and trance like melodies to create a dramatic effect that blends organic percussion with luminous instrumental delivery. This is the music of a butterfly’s wings flapping in a near flight.
Bug and Bear’s further showcase the hypnotic capacity of the banjo and guitar especially when it is given to the right hands. There are three tracks available for sampling in the band’s site http://breakingtunes.com/moxie. I am sure what’s on the site is just the tip of the iceberg.
Band bio: Formed in late 2011 as part of the annual folk festival, Sligo Live, Moxie are a Sligo and Limerick based band that formed through years of musical friendships from playing together at certain festivals around Ireland. The band incorporates Irish music with other genres such as folk, rock and new age bluegrass. A vibrant new band playing an exciting mix of traditional based compositions with richly developed layers of fantastic harmony. The band includes JPTrio members, Ted Kelly (banjo, tenor guitar, vocals), Jos Kelly (button accordion, keyboard, vocals), Paddy Hazleton (percussion, vocals) and Limerick based musicians, accordion and melodeon powerhouse Darren Roche and virtuoso banjo & guitar player Cillian Doheny.
Also in this edition: Janet M. Christel and Maeve Mackinnon
Brian McDaid explains how Irish music shaped both their styles and also the new album they are working on.
I was interacting with Gerry Power before this interview started. Brian McDaid arrived a week ago for a few gigs. Gerry decided to hand the questions to Brian and he took the honor to answer in behalf of them. I think this is a nice turn since I am curious as to what Brian thinks about their musical career.
This whole thing started because I love the work they put out in the Kinfolk album This Land. I think that as a music lover, the satisfaction doesn’t end in hearing the entire album. One needs to KNOW the process behind and the inspiration plus perspiration that gave way to a beautiful album.
So to quench your curiosity if you are one of those who bought This Land, then this is it! Enjoy.
It’s been years since the release of Kinfolk which is in impressive album wrapped in both traditional and modern beauty. When will we hear another album from you and Brian?
We are currently working on a new album and hope to have it completed by early next year.
I noticed that a lot of Irish artists who are based in the UK getting more visibility in the scene these days. How is the state of Irish music in Britain?
Irish music has been pretty strong in the UK for a number of years. However with the resurgence in popularity of the general folk scene in the UK, with bands such as Mumford and Sons, Irish Music has also benefitted and is attracting more and more young people to listen to and appreciate this genre of music.
Can you name the 5 albums that changed your life and made you love being in the music industry?
Pretty difficult. I have been influenced by numerous types of music, but as a youngster, if I was to name any album which really made a difference it would be ‘Harvest’ by Neil Young. Other influences include James Taylor, America, The Eagles, [which readily explains our use of harmonies!], Steely Dan and Led Zeppelin. Pretty wide and diverse really. However as a young boy and having Irish parents our house was always resounding to the sounds of Irish and folk music and I particularly remember the songs of the Clancy Brothers and the sounds of Planxty. Also being a Glasgow Celtic football fan and with their Irish traditions, many Irish folk songs are sung on a regular basis by the fans. And when you hear 60,000 people singing together it can certainly raise the spirit and influence you!
I love your song Donegal and it is a love letter you wrote for a place. How huge is the influence of County Donegal to your style of making music?
Gerry in studio
Quite simple. This is a song about my Dad who likes many young people from Ireland, left Donegal when he was a young man and came to find work in the UK. As a child I often went on holiday to Buncrana in Donegal visiting relatives. On their retirement my parents were lucky enough to be able to build a house there overlooking Lough Swilly which all the family still visit on a regular basis and the view from the house is what influenced ‘Wonderful Day’ on the Kinfolk Album. So in answer to your question County Donegal has obviously influenced my song writing!
I know that Bound for New York City strikes a universal chord to the Irish diaspora. What sparked the idea of writing this track?
This is a song which came about while we were recording ‘This Land’. We had been working in the studio all day and were trying to find a middle eight for one of the tracks [I can’t remember now which one]. It was about 11 o’clock at night and we were obviously in the ‘zone’ and between us we came up with the idea and had most of it recorded within 2 or 3 hours. Sometimes it just seems to happen like that and sometimes it can take forever!
From the time you both worked on this project, what do you think has changed?
We feel our songwriting has developed and we have grown as musicians as a consequence of playing with various bands and playing a variety of styles. We hope to show this on the new album while still maintaining our strong Celtic influence.
If given a chance to collaborate with other artists what are the names that you both would like to work with?
Brian in studio
There are a lot of great song writers that the both of us admire. As far as Gerry is concerned he would like to to work with Steely Dan for their gorgeous harmonies and groove, Mark Knopfler for his tasteful country folk playing and Paul Brady, a long standing hero of Gerry’s, who has written some of the best songs he has heard. As far as I am concerned I must agree with what he says about Steely Dan and someone who I particularly admire as a songwriter is Christy Moore. His songs tend to have a great ‘mood’ and I could learn a lot from his use of lyrics. However what I would like to do is spend more time with a good instrumentalist, fiddle player or accordionist, and explore and mix some of my more contemporary ideas together with the traditional. The idea would be to create something a bit more individual.
How do you two work on a song? What’s the collaborative process?
We have no set process. Sometimes one of us will present a complete song. The both of us will then work on it and ‘tweak’ it to give it the distinct ‘Kinfolk’ sound. Sometimes one of us has the initial idea lyrically or it may be a sequence of chords or a riff that starts the ball rolling. Other times one of us comes up with a chorus and we take it from there. We have actually written the ideas for a song over a pint in the pub – amazing how creative you can be after a couple of drinks!
There you have it. Another interesting moment with a musician and getting to know the process behind the song. Watch out for their upcoming album that will be out, hopefully early next year. Now that it’s done I will give This Land another spin and get lost among the beautiful tracks.
I miss vocal music! This is really refreshing. The voice and accent of Janet M. Christel are things that make her singing really distinctive. The arrangements are striking. Her music is a delectable bar of dark chocolate wrapped in soft caramel hazel nut core. Listen listen listen!
Maeve Mackinnon Her Music is like a Force of Nature.
Ok I got goosebumps listening to the style of Maeve Mackinnon. The music haunts you. Like the swaying tree amidst the howling wind, her voice is a spiritual force that can rattle the walls of your soul and open the sky of rain. This is the kind of music that draws me and it is hard to say no…to such music as Maeve Mackinnon’s. Her music page says: 1st October 2012 sees the release of “Once Upon an Olive Branch”, the second album from acclaimed contemporary Gaelic singer Maeve Mackinnon.
Celtic Music Fan 