Interview with Gilles H (Daonet) for the album “Donemat”

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Plus: Lúnasa video and new releases fromAndrew “Slim” Black,  Michelle Mulcahy and Eliseo Mauas Pinto.

Gwendal Meillarec, Herve Briand and Gilles Bogzh-daonet.

I am glad to discover the band Daonet from Nantes. They are a fine addition to our ever growing collection of Breton artists. They play catchy rock oriented music using Breton language. It doesn’t matter if you don’t speak the language. The music is fun, catchy with just enough loudness to awaken your caffeine deprived family members. The lead vocals of Gwendal Meillarec (he also plays the flute) is strong but not imposing which is a good thing. He sometimes mimics the sound of the bagpipes with his guitar tuned in a unique fashion using great effects.

My guest Gilles H  mostly plays bass guitar. He explains : “I personally mostly play bass guitar except on O’surfin on which we play with 2 guitars (Gwendal on chorus me in rhythmic guitar and after we exchange the roles). On stage I also play synth sounds controlled by my bass (organ, guitars sounds etc.) or my guitar on “O’surfin” (upright bass sound) but on the CD, I’ve used this sounds on “Marv Ponkalleg” intro and one effect on “Nerzh-kalon”. The drums of Herve Briand make the crunch! If you read further,  Gilles gives us an in-depth look at the Celtic music scene in the whole of France not just in Brittany. Here, Gilles uses the terms Breton and Celtic to differentiate the specific from the general.

You made a different treatment of Tri Martolod..it has a  more energetic and punk feel. What are your expectations in terms of people’s reactions to this song and those who are loyal with Alan Stivell’s version?

Yes we play Tri Martolod on stage in our way since 2003, 2004 I think. The reactions to our interpretation of this traditional song are always good, never any complaints 😉 people sing and clap their hands every time 😉

Daonet means Damned in English. Why did you choose that name for the band?

We are from the town of Nantes = Naoned in Breton language and there is an expression from Brittany “Mont da Naoned da c’hortoz bezan daonet” = going to Nantes waiting being damned, an expression referring to people from west part of Brittany who had to go to Nantes to get a job in the 19th century. The 12th track of Donemat album, “Mont da Naoned” is a folk-rock style song based on this expression with a parallel on  nowadays people who have to migrate to find a job … Paris or elsewhere on the planet …

 How about giving us a brief background of each band member?

Gwendal founded the band in 2000. He is an electric and acoustic guitarist. He also sings, and plays tin whistle. He writes lyrics mainly in Breton or in French.

I (Gilles) have joined the band in 2002. I play bass guitar, upright bass, synth guitar, and I also sing.

I’ve played in the late 80’s and early 90’s in a Celtic rock band from Vannes called Tan Flam. I’ve also played, wrote and sung in rock, rock’n roll, blues-rock bands  ….for example Bogzh ! with Hervé on drums …

Hervé has joined Daonet in 2006,  he plays drums, derbouka, djembe, cajon etc. He played in different music styles band before Daonet : rock, punk-rock, blues-rock …

 What can we expect from the band this year?

We have recorded “Donemat” with guests’ participation on violin (Frédéric Bouley) and bombarde (Olivier Arz). We have played some concerts with Olivier. We also played in acoustic configuration (acoustic guitars, upright bass, cajon and voices). These different configurations may be developed in the future for live and recording events …

Booking / tour +33 628 362 994

 Where can listeners purchase their copies of Daonet CDs and mp3s?

The latest album “Donemat” is distributed by Coop Breizh, so dealers may have access to this record. It is also available on Daonet’s website http://www.daonet.eu/ as the previous CD “Rok a raok”, the different albums are also available in numeric version on http://daonet.bandcamp.com/ .

Donemat is also available in MP3 on itunes, Amazon platforms … It is also possible to discover the album through Deezer, spotify …

What are the festivals around France that you guys have been to?And what  memorable things  happened during these shows? 

We played for the “Festival des filets bleus” in Concarneau (Brittany) 1 year ago opening for Gilles Servat with 10 000 people attending, we were announced as the “coup de coeur” of the festival… It was great. We’ve also played for “Celtival on the rock” in Guemene-Penfao with Dom Duff and Muray Head, for Festival des nuits salines in Batz-sur-mer …

It is not a festival, but a fest like the St Patrick fest for Ireland, in Brittany around the St Yves day / Gouël Erwann may 19th there is Brittany Fest organized since several years and promoted by Brittany region, we play during this period in different contexts. We played for example, few years ago in Rennes with traditional music bands, “Les Ramoneurs de menhirs” with their special recipe mixing traditionnal music and punk music and also a punk-metal-fusion band singing in Breton … This year we played for one of this concerts for the Brittany Fest in Nantes for or the first Breton language fest in Loire Atlantique. We are also asked for playing every year for the St Patrick day with Irish music bands (traditional or rock bands). We also play sometimes our music in concerts with no Celtic, or folk theme, with rock, blues-rock, punk bands etc. for concerts organized by bikers that sometimes are a little afraid of songs in Breton but when we ask if they understand the lyrics of English singing bands this stops their fear and they often recognize that  even some French  singing bands are not so easy to understand ;-).

Tell us about making the album Donemat. How do you gather materials etc. Can you tell us the procedure down to the final mixing?

Most of the songs were played on stage several years before they were recorded but in the beginning of the new record project, we’ve selected the songs (with 2 traditional songs “marv pontkalleg” and the Brittany anthem “Bro gozh ma zadoù”) and we stopped playing others songs, new songs replacing the previous ones. We worked the titles adopted in studio versions exclusively with the strict tempo of a metronome on every rehearsal during at least one year. We recorded with Arthur Lauth, who manages when this is possible our sound on stage, in a one day captation + mix, a pre-production recording of the 12 titles. With this pre-production CD, we met several sound engineers to find the studio allowing us to get the recording we were expecting with an agenda matching ours ;-).

At this point of the project, we had the agreement of Coop Breizh for the distribution of our album in France. We also had a contact with a painter / illustrator Brucéro to order him a drawing for the CD.

We chose to work with a brand new studio : Woodbox Studio near Nantes – managed by Jeff Ferrand that worked before in others studios.

We began the recording in the end of may 2011 with drums and bass tracks (electric basses and fretless bass) in 2 week-ends.

Followed later by Gwendal during a week electric and acoustic guitars parts, a keyboard track on the slow song, tin whistle, and we recorded voices.

Two guests recorded after then theirs parts in other sessions :

– Olivier Arz (we played together in Tan Flam group long time ago) played bombarde on three tracks, we worked together for several rehearsals with Olivier with the complete band, or with guitar, bass and tin whistle/ bombarde.

– Frédéric Bouley who plays violin in numerous bands (Breton, Irish music) recorded on the song “Mont da Naoned”, we worked with him and Gwendal in rehearsal (acoustic guitar, upright bass, violin), and with a first mix of the tracks already recorded of this title.

We finished the choirs, Hervé recorded Derbouka and Djembe, I recorded upright bass licks with the bow on “Mont da Naoned”, synth guitar on “Marv Pontkalleg” intro and my rhythm and chorus guitar parts on O’Surfin …

Jeff did the mix with some adjustments after listen sessions with the band. We defined the final order for the titles and then the mastering process was done in a specialized company.

My brother Lionel took pictures of the band for the CD and newspapers, he also did the graphics of the Digipack including the booklet with lyrics etc. with the character Brucéro drew for us.

The CD was then manufactured in the first week of January 2012 and sent to stores in February by Coop Breizh, we also sent CD to fans who pre-ordered and organized a concert in Nantes to invite fans for this disc availability.

Do you think Celtic Breton is stronger now than before?

I suppose that you ask the question of Breton music . Is it stronger ? It is always present. In Brittany there are many bands playing traditional music : bagadoù created on the model of pipe bands. There are fest-noz bands (fest noz can be translated in night fest) and they play music to make people dance traditional Breton dances. They are very active. There are also Celtic rock bands and some Breton rock bands. They play songs written in Breton, in Gallo with or without traditional, Breton or Celtic music influences. The success of Celtic music and of Breton music for masses is cyclic in France. Alan Stivell, Tri Yann, Soldat Louis, Manau (Celtic rap), Armens, Dan Ar Braz, Matmatah (their first album), Merzhin etc. had a very good success in some periods, Nolwenn Leroy with her cover album of best of traditional songs in Breton had been a big success recently.

The scene for Celtic music and Breton music is always present here, especially in Brittany, where the festivals are very popular and numerous (Festival interceltique de Lorient, Nuits salines in Batz sur Mer, Filets bleus in Concarneau, Festival de Cornouaille etc. In the Festival des Vieilles Charrues in Carhaix-Plouguer  it is much more rock and pop oriented,  but a stage is reserved for Breton music). But bands playing Breton music are not only present in Brittany. In every region of France there are Breton associations including a bagad, a “cercle celtique” (breton dance group) promoting Breton music and Breton learning in the region where they live. There are also Celtic rock, folk-rock bands in the different regions playing Breton, Celtic inspired music…

A band like Daonet mostly plays rock sung in Breton language to promote its use, its learn that was in the past reduced in use by the action of France (interdiction in French schools).

Daonet band is based in Nantes, a town that officially is not a part of administrative region Bretagne, the department of Loire Atlantique was in fact removed from the historic Brittany to create an artificial region called “Pays de la Loire”. Numerous songs of Daonet are based on Brittany and Nantes history, and the use of Breton language for a band from Nantes in this context is of course a  symbol. Others bands from Nantes that don’t still exist played Breton rock sung in Breton, EV and Tri Bleiz Die for example, (EV guitarist-singer Gweltaz ADEUX plays now pop-rock songs in Breton), the band Tri Yann that exists since the 70’s, plays Breton and Celtic music with some songs in Breton language is also based in Nantes.

https://www.facebook.com/daonetrock

http://www.daonet.eu/

http://www.myspace.com/daonet

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Featured Video: Lúnasa”The Merry Sisters of Fate”

Called “the hottest Irish acoustic band on the planet” by the Irish Times, Lúnasa performs live from the intimate confines of The Burren Irish Pub in Somerville, Massachusetts. Named for an ancient Celtic harvest festival in honor of the Irish god Lugh, patron of the arts, Lúnasa is made up of some of the top musical talents in Ireland. The current lineup includes:

Seán Smyth — Fiddle, Whistles
Kevin Crawford — Flutes, Whistles
Trevor Hutchinson — Double Bass
Cillian Vallely – Uillean pipes, Whistles
Ed Boyd – Guitar

The Burren Backroom Series is hosted by Brian O’Donovan of A Celtic Sojourn on WGBH Radio.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel WGBH Music: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=WGBHMusic

Audio Engineer: Antonio Oliart
Camera/Editing: Greg Shea
Camera: Annie Shreffler
Producer/Host: Brian O’Donovan

My big thanks to Greg Shea for this one.

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New Releases:

Slim’s forthcoming LP, ‘Gallows Tree Tales’, is a barn-storming folk-rock romp through tales of love, loss, booze, laughter and madness. With big productions, there’s everything from americana rock, celtic folk, country balladeering, and even a gospel choir thrown in for good measure. Once the record’s released, you’ll be able to buy it here, and there’ll be a full band tour, gigs-aplenty, and of course, a fair few ‘Gallows Tree Tales’ to tell. Get it here: http://www.slim-music.com/tcms/home

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Michelle Mulcahy, Suaimhneas (Cló Iar-Chonnacht)

Read the wonderful review here: http://www.robadamsjournalist.com/index.asp

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The Celtic Harp  By Eliseo Mauas Pinto

“The Celtic Harp” is a very interesting quick guide not only approaching to questions regarding the origins of its name, its history and revival, but also to the surviving types, suggested Celtic Harpists, and a list of related external links. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/210054

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Philip Knight Uncovers Omdowl Morek, His Cornish Language Album.

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Plus: Newgrange by Tina Negus and Corrina Hewat CDs

We have Philip Knight on board this week as he explains his reasons for creating a Cornish language album. I also attached an ‘artwork’ I did to further support the importance of such musical release. We have a great wealth of musical talents from Cornwall.  You will know more about it as you read further. It was fun catching up with Phil. He’s been in Spain lately bringing us the Spanish sunshine and giving us a glimpse of what’s in  his own and Cornish music in general.

•  Omdowl Morek is an album composed of melodic songs all in Cornish. How long did it take you to complete the album?

The album is the culmination of over thirty years of writing and performing songs in Kernewek. It’s a selection of the best of my own compositions, a combination of contemporary music and folk. I aimed to blend lyrics carrying traditional folk themes with those with a personal and modern flavour. Since the album comprises contemporary themes, I wanted to update my treatment to avoid a dated sound and be sure that the songs were suitable for the 21st Century. The whole process of adapting to these constraints and recording them took the equivalent of a month of concentrated recording of my vocal and instrumental work. The arrangements took a further three months of careful editing, special effects and production.

•  I like the crisp production that your son Paul Knight-Malciak has achieved. I understand he also arranged, engineered, mixed and mastered this album. How was the working experience with him?

As Paul is my son, he has a knowledge and insight regarding my love of Kernewek, my style of material and my musical aims. In view of his acumen, I was flattered that he had long pressed me to make a high-quality album. He has had ample experience with a top-flight band of both making music, arranging it and recording it and has worked with several leading technicians and producers. http://www.paulknightmusic.co.uk/ As a result I was more than confident in his abilities to direct, arrange and offer me advice. We trusted each other’s abilities and our working relationship was surprisingly civilized! Paul spent a further three months finalizing the results of my recordings, consulting with me once he had a draft album at the ready. We never once fell out during the process and I hope this shows in the finished product of which I am extremely proud.

•  All of the songs in this album are in Cornish but there is a corresponding translation to English in every song. It must have been a challenge putting everything in detail on the liner notes.

The difficulty in making an album purely in Cornish was that my potential listenership was bound to be limited as it’s a lesser-used Celtic language. With the lyrics playing such an important part in my songs, I wanted them accessible to as many as possible. Thanks to MAGA (the Cornish Language Partnership), I was able to provide an accompanying booklet in parallel translation, Cornish alongside English. Unfortunately, any such lyrics booklet proved too bulky to include in the CD. I was advised that outlets would be likely to place the album with a separate lyrics booklet in literature sections rather than music. MAGA helped me overcome this by creating a webpage where the lyrics could be accessed, http://www.magakernow.org.uk/default.aspx?page=624 whilst they also have available hard copies for distribution. I owe a debt of great thanks to them for that and their part in helping me to make the album.

•  How is Cornish music different from Irish or Scottish music in terms of melody and delivery?

Well, every language has its own lilt, cadence and rhythm and such is the case with Kernewek. It all comes down to the position of the stress, the type of the consonants and the length of vowels. In general, Cornish words are stressed on the penultimate syllable (e.g. Kernewek ). Often the most important part of a Cornish sentence tends to be placed first but there it also has great variety and subtlety of meaning according to the word order. These facts tend to dictate the way Cornish music sounds, particularly if we are talking about traditional, folk music. I suggest that Irish and Scottish music have their own distinct qualities for this reason but, in view of the many grammatical structures inherent in all Celtic languages, there are also many similarities. All the same, my own music is an attempt to bring a contemporary sound to Kernewek as a modern yet authentic, revived language. I have paid close attention to its non-English pronunciation but I hope the melodies will appeal also to English-speaking ears. The melodies of my self-penned English songs definitely have a totally different quality from my Cornish ones and only one of the songs on this album could also be sung in English (Track 5 – Karoryon Porthgwarra). In spite of that, Paul feels this is his favourite track, maybe because it is the least English-sounding, and a quirky, though folksy, tune.

•  www.kesson.com is selling your recording. I understand it also represents the best in Cornish music.

I have nothing but praise for Kesson (Harmony) as an excellent portal for all Cornish music, whether in English or Cornish. Its creator, Kit Davey, himself one of an accomplished Cornish family of active musicians and Cornish speakers, offers a professional outlet but does not seek to run the site purely on a commercial basis but rather to promote all Cornish musicians and music. He makes Cornish artists’ material available on a non-profit-making basis and, according to their requirements, offers albums as CDs or as downloads or both. Perhaps, readers might find the answer to the last question re Cornish music by trying a few samples on the Kesson website.

. Are you planning to tour your music?

I have no plans as such. The whole purpose in making this album ‘Omdowl

Philip: This was a beat group I sang and played the single-manual organ with (I’d have looked silly sitting on a tree, holding my organ!) back in about 1969-72. They were called the Velvet Touch and were Devon Pop Poll Champions.

Morek’ was to record to the best of all my creative powers with the help of my son Paul ‘s technical know-how a handful of my Cornish language songs. I have been a very active musician pretty well all my life since my teens in a wide variety of music, whether as a drummer, organist, guitarist vocalist. I have been folk singer, played in rock bands and beat groups, sung in a male voice choir, taught music to primary school kids, played in Country Dance bands. In a Cornish language capacity, I have been performing since the early eighties. With this album, I didn’t want my music in this vein to die and felt that, in some humble way, that it would be of benefit to the Cornish language world if it were to be there for all to be able to hear and access, and make their own. It is important for a revived language to be “sexy” so that young people want to take it up so it was important that the sound should appeal across age groups and, I hope, have a timeless quality. Otherwise there is always the risk that the language will become moribund and confined to traditional folk modes. It would not be to my liking to do a karaoke job of singing my songs to backing tracks though I obviously have these. I would need a band to reproduce the songs on stage as I might like. In the studio, I could form instrumentation as full as a whole band and, where vocals are concerned, multi-track my voice or even be a male voice choir as I was on the last track ‘Spyrys Agan Tir’.

. What are your major musical plans for this year?

Given funding, ideally I’d like to record a further ten or twelve songs that I’ve written in Cornish but, more than anything, I’d love to record a polished, updated, digital version of a song that I wrote for the Pan Celtic Festival in Galway, 1991, and which won Kernow first prize in the Pan Celtic Song Contest of that year. It was called ‘Deus Y’n Rag, Dolli’ (Come on, Dolly!) and was an attempt to create a Cornish language equivalent of ‘Roll Over Beethoven’, whereby I hoped to resurrect the language with a rocking appeal to Dolly Pentreath to come alive again. She was the then-supposed, last-recorded native speaker of Kernewek in about 1770, and she berated an English philologist, called Daines Barrington, who was searching Cornwall for surviving Cornish speakers, in true fishwife style by calling him ‘Ty gronek hager du!’ or ‘You ugly, black toad!’.

If I can once more enlist the recording and producing expertise of my son, Paul Knight-Malciak, this will be my project, together with an upbeat ‘b-side’ ofanother of my songs, ‘Hunlev an Omsettyans’ (Nightmare of the Invasion), which recalls the reprisal raid on Dolly Pentreath’s village of Mousehole by a section of the failed Spanish Armada.

Bolonjedhow a’n gwella/Very best wishes,
Phil Knight

Well there you have folks. Another fine addition to our ever growing musical exploration. Be sure to visit kesson and if you like Phil’s new album, have a copy yourself.

1. Men Selevan (St Levan’s Stone) 00:00
2. Tamsin (Tamsin) 03:35
3. Maria Wynn a Gernow (Blessed Mary of Cornwall) 06:46
4. Dhe Vlamya yw Hi (She is to Blame) 10:43
5. Karoryon Porthgwartha (The Lovers of Porthgwarra) 13:49
6. Dehwelyans an Marner (The Sailor’s Return) 18:50
7. Myrgh an Mor (Daughter of the Sea) 22:59
8. Kyns ty dhe vos (Before You Go) 26:56
9. Spyrys agan Tir (The Spirit of our Land) 31:14

For bilingual lyrics and more information about the artist, go to http://www.magakernow.org.uk/idoc.ashx?docid=7dfc15fd-948b-4826-bd3c-32c55c7a…

All songs written and performed by Philip Knight

Produced, arranged, engineered, mixed and mastered by Paul Knight-Malciak http://www.paulknightmusic.co.uk

Recording generously funded by MAGA http://www.magakernow.org.uk

To purchase the CD album, mp3s, and lyrics booklet go to http://www.kesson.com

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Today in pictures: Newgrange by Tina Negus watercolour/ink/pastel/waxed crayon 2007.

I love mixed media. This is an amazing painter by Tina Negus. My friend Paula brought this to my attention. We both love nice pictures and I found this heart warming. The colors are really vibrant and it is very Celtic. More interpretation can be found here: http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/newgrange/Interesting

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What’s Playing: Corrina Hewat

http://www.myspace.com/corrinahewat

Ardyth & Jennifer : Magical Harps and Voices from Nova Scotia

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 4 Comments

Plus: Clydagh Valley by Gearoid O Duinnin, River Underground, Sean Nos Dancers and Genius Loci Cornwall

Yes! Our new edition is out and yours truly is bringing you nothing but the best in Celtic music. All the fresh tunes you want to hear, all the cool bands and music news you want to know-they are in this site!

Everywhere I look there are Celtic inspired companies cropping up. There are young bands and also veterans who continue to create awesome music. A few days ago my muse was inspired by the beautiful Celtic artifacts found in Moravia, the Czech Republic. This goes to show that the Celts were all over Europe during the ancient times and the spirit lives on through us! We are family. Let us continue keeping the flame alive. Slainte!

My friend the legendary and awesome Layne Greene has mixed their harp tunes for the live performance as part of his summer job. That’s how he was able to share these artists. I love the harp and the vocals. Listening to them is a mesmerizing and magical experience.Their track Just Summer speaks of endless possibilities. Sometimes jazzy as in the case of Still Waters, one can feel the spiritual rush of The Angel Gabriel; a tune taken from the Basques. The duo continues to evade being pigeonholed yet are confident in their unique sound that no band sounds like them.

About them:

Ardyth & Jennifer have been performing and giving workshops for many years with their unique mix of harp and original songs. For a list of our favourite links, click here.
Ardyth Robinson

Ardyth Robinson is currently living in the valley with her two girls, Nadia and Claire.

Ardyth Robinson and Jennifer Wyatt met more than a decade ago at a traditional Nova Scotia kitchen party and have been performing together ever since. Bringing their eclectic mix of harps, vocals, bass, percussion, whistles and original songs to audiences throughout the Maritime Provinces and into the New England States they have developed a unique style that combines elements of traditional music with the influence of jazz and contemporary songwriting. They have played at many premier folk festivals and concert venues, showcased in the Roots Room and songwriter’s events at the East Coast Music Awards and at the Juno Fest in Halifax and they have been featured on many local radio and television programs. As they have travelled, their unique style has earned them critical acclaim within the music community and an ever-growing fan base in the Maritimes.

http://www.ardythandjennifer.com/

http://www.myspace.com/149124303

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River Underground Surfacing.

It is great when bands or their friends come forward to promote their music. I know that there hidden gems out there waiting for the light of the day to catch up. How would we know if they keep silent right? I have been fortunate to receive a message from Nick Rossiter about the band River Underground. This is what he wrote.

I am from St. John’s N.L. I love the pubs of George Street, and all around the downtown area!! It is part of a long heritage of Downtown, St.John’s, N.L.
I’m just writing to ask if you could post on your wall, a Celtic band called ” Skraeling”, otherwise know as “River Underground”!!
They are based out of Toronto, Ontario, and quite frequently, Vancouver, B.C. And they do extensive traveling to all places, everywhere!!
They have released 3 C.D.s so far.
They are, quite possibly, Newfoundland’s “Best Kept Secret”!!!
They played Erin’s Pub last week for 3 nights, to a crowd that absolutely Loved them!!
The band members are, Jamie Snider(of the Wonderful Grand Band), Mike Rossiter, and a nice young man on drums, who calls himself “Animal” Pearson!!
They are in Newfoundland till mid August, and then they head back to the mainland after that!!
Also, they are looking for more bookings in any of your local pubs or bars, so if you could repost these links on your wall, it would be greatly appreciated!!
A good contact # is 1 416 873 7886.
Thank-you for sharing this and listening!!
Cheers!!

P.S. This is three of their links to get an idea what their sound is like!!
http://riverunderground.com/ https://www.facebook.com/riverunderground https://www.facebook.com/pages/Skraeling/71575184364

I listened to the music samples and I automatically like their music. It glides in smoothly and everyone in the band plays with such beautiful gusto it makes you want to get up and dance to the jigs.
Sound Samples here: http://riverunderground.com/
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Our pic of the day: Clydagh Valley by Gearoid O Duinnin

Since the day Clydagh Valley came out, it has been shared so many times. This image is by painter Gearoid O Duinnin who is based in County Cork, Ireland. The wild splashes of deep colors hold the imagination. The artwork speaks in volumes.  I can stare at it again and again and imagine I actually live there. I got in touch with him and conducted this little interview.

How long did you work on this painting?

I will always work on a painting for about two months, Layering and layering it with a plain colour. Then I attack the canvas with all the paint. Maybe 5-6 hours for the final bit.

What is your inspiration in creating this painting?

I actually live there. The funny thing is that when I painted it, I had just moved there and a friend pointed out to me afterwards that I had painted the Valley. I wasn’t intentional. I don’t paint from photos etc.

Can you give me the artists who influenced you in terms of your style?

I do like Jackson Pollock and Francis Bacon a lot but mainly for what they had to say about the subconscious as regards to painting. The pictorial result is different but the experience is the same feeling.

You are also a musician on the side. Any plans of pursuing this career or is this just for fun?

I’ve never had any aspirations as a musician. It’s something I do and other musicians ask me to play with them. I’m an accompanist and a fan of the music I suppose. I’m very lucky because I get a front seat in hearing some of the best musicians we have.

What can we expect from you this year in terms of artistic works?

Well…. I’m busy painting at the moment and I hope to have an exhibition that I can take on tour next year. I’ve had some help this year from Udaras na Gaeltachta & the arts council that enabled me to buy badly needed art supplies. Now that the house is full of canvas and paint, I feel confident.

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Video of the day: Sean nós dancers

There is an old form of Irish Dancing called Sean nos which like the style of singing means: Old Style. It is simple, fluid and improvisational. Through the years Irish dancing have grown and developed into other forms but it is great to look back sometimes and realize that everything has origins. My special thanks to Karen Victoria Smith for introducing this form of dancing in her vampire novel Dark Dealings. Here;s her blog to get more info about the book.

http://kvictoriasmith.blogspot.com/

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Featured media and marketing company: Genius Loci

Although known as a media and marketing company, Genius Loci actually started life as an independent Record Company. We are proud to be behind the most popular Cornish video on youtube ‘The Home Coming’ and also have a number of new musical projects in the pipeline…

About

Internet Marketing & Media Consultancy. Website Management, SEO photography design. Also involved in music & yoga promotion.
Description

Genius Loci means the ‘spirit of place’, and our skills will enable you to stand out from your competitors and be the leading light in your area of business.

Stephen Ducke: “A Complete Guide to Playing Irish Traditional Music on the Whistle”

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Plus: The Stride Set, Brian Femming and the late Maeve Binchy

Learning of an instrument as a journey, rather than a destination..

286 pages with illustrated examples and also audio materials accompanying this book should  be a joy to those trying to learn the tin whistle.

I have a brief background in the recorder and it isn’t hard for me to understand the notation as well as terms that Stephen Ducke used in this book. I should tell you that even though you don’t have a musical background and have just picked up the instrument, this book is straightforward and free of any cumbersome words that might hamper the learner.

It will also give you a complete understanding why Irish music sounds that way. Learning through this book will reward you in twofold: playing the tin whistle and understanding Irish Celtic music. The rest is up to you to find out. I cached up with Steve and popped him few questions: .

I see that you are managing 9 blogs all and all. How do you find the energy to teach and blog at the same time??!!

The author: Stephen Ducke

 

Actually, my Blogger blogs are mostly collections of videos, and Irish traditional news stories found online (with links to the original articles) It’s a way for myself to keep abreast of the news, and there does seem to be a readership too. My principal site is Tradschool, and this is all my own work: In the blog I regularly post tune recordings on flute and whistle, band profiles and other information. There’s also a news section that I update when I can, although less so in summer for example, when there are more gigs and workshops and I’m not often at home…

You play other instruments apart from the whistle:concertina, uilleann pipes, fiddle, flute, guitar and bodhran. Man, do you even sleep? What are the challenges of playing the tin whistle for beginners?

I play the flute and whistle, and am lucky to have some colleagues who participate in sending me recordings for the website, so I am able to post concertina and fiddle tunes also, and sometimes uilleann pipes.

Please tell us more about this e-book tutorial that you are selling on your site right now.

The tutorial came from my teaching of flute and whistle, in Ireland but especially over the past 10 years in France. Many of the questions my French students have about the music and the instrument were not the type of question I was used to answering in Ireland – technical questions about the music, style and interpretation, for example. As a teacher, I feel a responsibility to at least try to answer the student’s questions, and this called for a lot of reflection on my part, and a closer examination of the music than I was used to; I realized how many things I had been taking for granted as an Irish player.

The tutorial’s format will be familiar to anyone who has taken my workshops – I adapt what I like to call a “layered” approach to playing the music, beginning with the rhythm and adding each new element little by little. I believe that, as an orally-transmitted folk music, Irish traditional music is necessarily based on a simple system, and to properly appreciate and play this music, an understanding of the system is necessary.
I feel that this tutorial is different in that I try to bring the student to an understanding of the musical style, not so he can imitate the recordings provided, but so that he can go o  to interpret new tunes and form his own style and repertoire. Where I feel many other tutorials miss out is that they provide repertoire, and descriptions of ornamentation, but very little explanation of how it all goes together. I try to examine the logic behind the music, so the student can feel confident in his understanding of the style, and confident enough to make his own choices in style or interpretation.

If I am in my 60s, do you think it is too late to master the instrument?

It depends what you mean by “master” – at 37, I’ve been playing the whistle almost 30 years and don’t feel I’ve mastered it yet; however the journey to where I am today has been immensely rewarding and gratifying. At sixty, it’s definitely not too late to start, and it’s not too late to take pleasure in playing this wonderful music. I prefer to look at the learning of an instrument as a journey, rather than a destination…

You can get your own copy though this site: http://irishwhistletutor.blogspot.com/

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Video of the day: Beginner Bodhrán: FREE Lesson No.1 of 2 from OAIM.ie with Brian Fleming

It is nice to be enlightened from various sources. Even though you are not going to be a serious musician, looking at these tutorials can enhance your appreciation of the music. I think that knowledge and esthetics go together. You can’t enjoy something you don’t understand right?

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Today in pictures: The Stride Set

Meabh O’Hare (fiddle)
Jani Lang (fiddle)
Patricia Clark (fiddle)
Michael McCague (bouzouki)
Josie Harrington (guitar/vocals)
Kevin Jones (drums)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Stride-Set

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People: The Late Maeve Binchy

An undated handout image provided by Christine Green Authors’ Agent in London, Irish novelist and playwright Maeve Binchy passed away after a short illness at the age of 72 on 30 July 2012. Photo credit: EPA/Liam White

Her  book Circle of Friends introduced everyone to Ireland in the 50s. I like the fluidity of her prose. She can be subtle but also funny. Books like Tara Road, The Lilac Bus, The Glass Lake among others, stayed with me and I can still remember how the characters are. I think all Irish people have the gift whither it is musical, visual or literary. Their passion speaks in volumes and it can me be contagious. She will always stay in our hearts.

Upcoming NY area shows! The Fighting Jamesons, The Celtic Tenors and Black 47‏

/ mrbaxteria2008 / Leave a comment

Plus: The Moorings, Athy and CLEGHORN!

The Celtic Tenors.

 

My new York correspondent Anita Daly sent me updates in the area. Here they are:

AUGUST 10th THE FIGHTING JAMESONS
Celtic Rockers, The Fighting Jamesons, make their New York City debut this August 10th at the legendary Webster Hall.
 Based in Norfolk, Virginia, for 2 years The Fighting Jamesons have been developing a strong presence on the East Coast with their high energy performances, original tunes and rousing renditions of our favorite traditional songs. They’ve shared the stage with legendary Irish rock acts such as Dropkick Murphys, The Saw Doctors, and Young Dubliners. In November of 2011 the band released their first album, “The Fighting Jamesons”, produced and engineered by Capital Records recording artist Mark Padgett. “{The CD} features a healthy respect for Irish music tradition delivered with a decidedly modern attitude…The band has quickly made a name for itself, thanks to its fiery high-energy shows. Think sing-along choruses, the occasional guest bagpiper and hoisted pints of Guinness.” – The Virginian Pilot
 So come on out and give The Fighting Jamesons a hearty New York welcome, dance, sing along and hoist a pint (or a Jamesons!)

 THE FIGHTING JAMESONS at The Studio at Webster Hall, 125 East 11th Street, on August 10th at 7:30pm, for tickets go to http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=4798415&pl=webstudio

AUGUST 11th THE CELTIC TENORS

The State Theatre will present the popular The Celtic Tenors in concert on Saturday, August 11, 2012 at 8pm, performing a fresh, innovative spin on traditional Celtic, classical, and popular works. Tickets range from $30-55.
Established as the most successful classical crossover artists ever to emerge from Ireland, The Celtic Tenors live show is an experience overflowing with vitality and variety from start to finish. The unique voices of Daryl, James, and Matthew, combined with talented young Musical Director Colm Rogan, create a thoroughly uplifting, musical experience. For tickets or more information, call the State Theatre ticket office at 732-246-SHOW (7469), or visit online at www.StateTheatreNJ.org. THE CELTIC TENORS at The State Theatre ticket office, located at 15 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick NJ
AUGUST 17th BLACK 47

Celtic Rock Legends, Black 47 will be at the Towne Crier – “…An unashamedly topical wallop of the early-Seventies Jersey-bar E Street Band and the Combat Rock-era Clash, laced with the mourning siren of uilleann pipes.” – Rolling Stone .  Black 47 espouses an unblinkingly political and thoroughly Irish form of rock ‘n’ roll, with songs covering topics from the Northern Ireland conflict to civil rights and urban unrest in contemporary New York. Black 47 earned their chops playing the pub scene in Manhattan and self-producing their first indie record, Black 47, before converting The Cars’ Ric Ocasek to the cause and gaining mainstream attention with their second album. The band recently celebrated their 20th year on the road. BLACK 47 at The Towne Crier 130 Route 22 Pawling, NY 845 855 1300 /http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/256596

I am sure it is going to be awesome. Those are great bands and group.

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Video of the day: The Moorings – “Friendship”

This video was sent by Pavel of the band “Cheers!”.

I like the way this track progresses from the harmless intro and then spews into a spasmic kaleidoscope of melodic Celtic rock that makes you want to puke all the bad spirits out with their brand of feel- good energetic music.

I have to warn you. Not for the faint of hearts. there is that scene where the girl in the video throws up. It was one of those surprising EWWWWW moments but it was fun. It made me laugh my guts off. Totally original and beautiful music!

The band:

Denis Jelly : Guitar + Vocals
Anne-Sophie Golé : Violin
Samuel Klein : Drums
Matthieu Renaudet : Bass
Nicolas Biegel : Guitar

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Our pic of the day: Athy ElectricHarper

Athy has made  a lot of buzz these days. He is in demand around the world. Mind you I even received an email from the United Sates asking if I know his whereabouts because they would like to book him! I found that incident very funny.

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Featured band: Cleghorn

Are you stressed? Need a music chocolate? Just listen to this son and dad duo called CLEGHORN. and I am sure you will forget your blues. If not, the music will make the pain so insignificant like a bite from a wimpy ant. Ah 10 tracks already!!!! They are also preparing for gigs all over the United States.