What a Treat! Spencer Murray & Pipeslinger

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If you are a fan of Celtic music then the name Spencer Murray is no stranger to you. Yes it is the first time I got hold of his full-length album but I am familiar with his videos for years, via YouTube. The album in question is called Sound and Fury. It has twelve tunes with alternating vocal and instrumental leads.

According to his bio, he has already (quote) performed with Grammy winner Carlos Nunez, Scottish fiddler Bruce MacGregor of Blazin’ Fiddles on his Canadian tour and with the Barr Brothers on the mainstage of the 2016 Edmonton Folk Music Festival. In 2015, Spencer became the first ever Canadian to win the senior flute competition at the New York Fleadh, the biggest Irish music competition in North America and went on to represent Canada at the All Ireland Championships in Sligo, Ireland.

Sound & Fury is a rich musical tapestry encompassing modern and traditional tunes from Scotland, Ireland and various Celtic nations. His bagpipes are mellifluous and he weaves his performance like a master yarn artist. Each melodic line weaves a story that resonates around our ancient souls.

There are bombastic and gentle moments in this album. For instance, in Strong Ciders, a gentle piano melody introduces the track and builds up gradually into complex rhythmic structure, yet maintaining that intimate and wispy feel- as introduced by the guitar. The album features his favorite musicians:  Jake Charron on guitar and piano, Shane Cook on fiddle, Daniel Stadnicki on percussion, Elliot Thomas on banjo and vocals, Keith Rempel on upright bass and Spencer Murray on Irish flute, tin whistle, Scottish borderpipes and Uilleann pipes.

The album showcases each of the musician’s talents as the recording introduces that breath of space between instruments, clarity that keeps us on the loop of who’s playing and what instrument. Sound & Fury closes with Clawhammer Reels that will surely keep enthusiasts tapping their feet! Spencer Murray is also part of The Log Drivers.

Released August 24, 2016

Spencer Murray – borderpipes, uilleann pipes, flute, whistles

Jake Charron – guitar, piano

Elliot Thomas – vocals, banjo

Keith Rempel – bass

Daniel Stadnicki – drums

Shane Cook – fiddle

Daniel Gervais – fiddle

Loretto Reid – concertina

Dana Wylie – vocals

Eric Wright – electronic production

Recorded and Mixed by Harry Gregg at The Audio Department & Riverdale Recorders in Edmonton, Alberta Canada

Mastered by Phil Demetro

Art by Kat Gomboc  www.katgomboc.com

 

Van Morrison Keeps Our Souls Singing Along

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Tracks

  1. Let It Rhymepackshot
  2. Every Time I See a River
  3. Keep Me Singing
  4. Out in the Cold Again
  5. Memory Lane
  6. The Pen Is Mightier Than the Sword
  7. Holy Guardian Angel
  8. Share Your Love With Me
  9. In Tiburon
  10. Look Behind the Hill
  11. Going Down to Bangor
  12. Too Late
  13. Caledonia Swing

Keep Me Singing, the much-anticipated album by  Northern Irish musical legend Van Morrison got its release this September. Finally, it is great to be treated to an exquisite musical experience with this album. Morrison has established his name in the music world with Astral Weeks among his other great albums.

My introduction to his music began with his contribution to The Long Black Veil by The Chieftains in the mid-90s. It was also the time when his Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison topped the jazz charts all over the world. His eclecticism is his asset. It is through that vision that he continues to collaborate successfully with notable artists from different genres while influencing them at the same time.

Keep Me Singing has thirteen songs. All of them are classic Morrison with touches of folk, jazz, soft rock and traditional Irish. The timeless sound transcend  decades. Listening to songs like The Pen is Mightier than the Sword calls to mind his earlier albums. The feel of the songs are warm and rich which calls to mind those live recordings from bygone days before the introduction of computers. So for people who love the taste of nostalgia, this album is for them.

The string arrangement feels cinematic and this is expressed in songs like Let it Rhyme, Every Time I See A River, Memory Lane and others. Too Late is the first single off the album and it is an upbeat song. Too Late is the single off the new album. It is an upbeat track that will surely catch your attention. Keep Me Singing is another musical treasure to keep. And the good feeling keeps coming!

 

Also available from
iTunes – http://po.st/KeepMeSingingiTunes
Amazon – http://po.st/KeepMeSingingAmz
HMV – http://po.st/KeepMeSingingHMV

Follow Van Morrison online at:

http://www.vanmorrison.com
http://po.st/VanMorrisonFacebook
http://po.st/VanMorrisonTwitter
http://po.st/VanMorrisonYouTube
http://po.st/VanMorrisonSpotify
http://po.st/VanMorrisoniTunes
https://itun.es/gb/g79

Wow! The Led Farmers @ Arlene’s Grocery 9/2 and LAU @ Rockwood Music Hall 9/15

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Hey! Hey! Hey! one of the coolest Irish bands of the decade is performing. I am talking about The Led Farmers. I love their sense of humor and I admire their musical skills! Now if you haven’t noticed yet, they are on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theledfarmers/

As with Lau I recently wrote a piece about Kris Drever so you know what to expect 😉

Check out the press release of the concert below . They are performing with Lau:

THE LED FARMERS – @ Arlene’s Grocery, Friday Sept. 2nd 10PM
The Led Farmers are an Indie Irish Folk/Rock Band from Ireland that grew up steeped in the Irish music tradition and have garnered a reputation for excellence by combining their rich heritage with modern Ireland to create a fresh new energy. The Led Farmers 
are launching their brand new album “Katie” on September 1stand will be on tour in the US this August and September. While they love to play the Irish folk classics it is their own songs and fresh new arrangements of folk music that has seen them get attention of late. The group boasts a two-time All Ireland Music champion and many of its’ members have studied music at University level. They have toured the US and Europe and are becoming one of Ireland’s best loved live acts. In 2015 they played 87 shows and 2016 looks to be similar. The band keeps the tradition while moving it forward.
THE LED FARMERS @ Arlene’s Grocery, Friday Sept. 2nd 10PM http://www.arlenesgrocery.net/
LAU – Scottish Folk band, LAU, releases ‘THE BELL THAT NEVER RANG’ In NYC 
@ Rockwood Music Hall September 19th sponsored by WFUV
‘The intuitive and often beautiful interplay of accordion, fiddle and guitar glides to a new level as instrumental virtuosity blends easily with tasteful electronics.”  Mojo
Scottish Folk group, LAU, redefine how a trio can sound, arming themselves with both highly original repertoire and superb takes on traditional material. Their latest release, ‘The Bell That Never Rang’ has been nominated for Scottish Album of The Year award 2016. The Bell That Never Rang is their fourth studio album,  released last year in the UK on Reveal Records. Brilliant musicians, thrilling performers and free-thinking visionaries small wonder Lau are regarded as the epicentre of the new folk boom. And they’ve got shelves groaning with awards (BBC RADIO 2 FOLK AWARD WINNERS, BEST BAND, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, ALBUM OF THE YEAR 2015 THE HERALD), a forest’s worth of ecstatic reviews and breathless plaudits from excited audiences in various outposts of the world ringing in their ears to prove it.
LAU @ Rockwood Music Hall Sept. 19th tickets @ http://www.rockwoodmusichall.com/ 8:30PM
 

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Hello everyone,

Good news! Our new album has arrived! Say hello to Katie. We are very happy with this CD and I hope you will be too.

To all the people who supported the making of our album, we will get your rewards to you as soon as we can. We’re off to America in 36 hrs but after that we will get to work on all the CDs, t shirts, poems, sketches, Irish lessons and signed photos for all you fine people. Thanks again 😁👍

If you would like a copy you can purchase online at www.theledfarmers.com

All the best,
The Led Farmers.

 

Video premiere of new Van Morrison album!

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Van Morrison will release his brand new album ‘Keep Me Singing’ on September 30th on CD, Gatefold Vinyl & download. You can pre-order the album on CD/Vinyl + Lithograph from the official store here:http://po.st/KeepMeSingingStore

Hooray! The legend is releasing a new album next month and this video is a teaser of what’s to come. I admire the simplicity of the music video. No frills. Just the singer-songwriter backed by other musicians in the studio. Too Late is the first single off the upcoming apbum ‘Keep me Singing. It has the eclectic elements that Morrison is known for.

I never got into his music until the mid-nineties when The Chieftains released The Long Black Veil (feat. other artists like Sinead O’Connor, Tom Jones and Sting among others) and I noticed the beauty of his voice. It is a very expressive, bleeding instrument. Watch out for Keep Me Singing at the end of September and I am sure fans will be showered by the greatness of his talents once more!

Tradition at its Finest:Roots by Andrew Finn Magill

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Irish music was already dominant in the life Andrew Finn Magill while growing up and spending every summer at the Swannanoa Gathering Folk Arts Workshops. He learned to play the fiddle with the help from some of the finest folk musicians in the world.

By age 16, he already accomplished the following:

-As a two-time finalist at the All-Ireland Championships.

-He has toured France with the popular Celtic music & dance revue, Celtic Dances( under the musical direction of Liz Knowles & Kieran O’Hare).

-Produced a Fulbright-MtvU- funded concept album, Mau a Malawi( about those affected by AIDS with Malawian Afro-vibes artist Peter Mawanga).

I am currently enjoying his first in the series of concept albums. This one is called Roots. Why the title Roots? Well, I noticed that it is perhaps the most Traditional Irish I got my hands on this year. The tracks are familiar and they are rendered in a way they are supposed to-with emphasis on the style of music itself.

I once had this conversation with a friend while listening to traditional tunes. I just got my hands on a bodhran courtesy of my friend in England. So I was trying to learn my ear and these are songs from Lunasa, Chieftains and other bands who are into hardcore trad music. This is also the time when exploring the technical aspect of the music can be an enjoyable experience. And this love for traditional music gave way to many blog posts in this site.

?So what’s the story behind Roots? According to his press release:

Roots is the first disc in a concept album series which charts Magill’s musical progression in Irish music, featuring the tunes and players that defined his earliest years playing the fiddle: John Doyle, Cillian Vallely (Lúnasa), Sean Earnest (The Yanks), Duncan Wickel and Vincent Fogarty (The Red Wellies). Recorded in three studios on two continents, the music is ‘pure drop’ Irish with sparse instrumentation and innovative arrangements.
From the lively set of reels that opens the album, the listener is treated to brilliant and respectful renditions of much-loved jigs, hornpipes & reels, as well as some rarely-heard gems such as a beautiful setting of the set dance, “The Blackbird” the slow air, “Roisin Dubh,” and Carolan’s “Maurice O’Connor’s Third Air.” The album ends with a rolling, powerhouse set of reels sure to get any Irish music fan’s blood pumping.
In fall 2016, Magill will release Branches, the sequel to Roots, which integrates Finn’s traditional Irish musical foundations with his many other influences in ten original compositions.

Looking forward to the release Branches and that will showcase how flexible and colorful Traditional Irish music has grown through the years.

Roots the album has ten tunes featuring  jigs, reels and hornpipes. I love his precision and perfect pitch. The album features John Doyle, Cillian Vallely & Colin Farrell of Lúnasa, among others. There’s also Duncan Wickel whose work I am familiar with. It also features the 10-string bouzouki of Vincent Forgarty. Now DAGAD fanatics will hear the strumming of Sean Ernest.

So what track is closest to my heart? It’s got to be The Green Fields of Glentown as part of the medley in the 10th track. If you meet someone asking about Traditional tunes then let him or her listen to this CD as it will ‘teach’ everything there is to know about the music. And hopefully it will influence younger audience to learn the style for future musical generations to come.

I really enjoy Roots. I take it with me when I ride the bike. I listen to it when I am stressed and I want to keep focused. But most of all I just listen to it for its musical richness. And it should be part of your growing collection.