Alicia Ducout (piano, harpe celtique et chant), Florian Baron (guitare et oud), Kenan Guernalec (flûte traversière irlandaise), Marc Blanchard (arrangements électroniques), Anthony Debray-Laizé (percussions)
The world can be a dark and scary place. That is why we have music to escape to when things start to get chilly. I would recommend Alicia Ducout’s (who also goes under the name Luascadh) ambitiously atmospheric project called Wezen. It is a CD-Book with accompanying artwork . Her works are always marked with her classical, renaissance and Celtic influences. This is an album that’s a treasure to own because this is not something you can find in mainstream music.
I like the Celtic harp because it conjures images of Tolkien’s characters. Alicia Ducout is based in France. A detailed information about the album can be found below. Wezen is not just eclectic in the musical sense but also in its use of different languages. This calls to mind works of groups like Dead can Dance and artists like Loreena Mckennitt (for the eclectic instruments) and Connie Dover (for the multi lingual approach).
I love it when artists venture outside the English language or from their own native languages. I think language is essential for an album in addition to the instruments and arrangements. I think it adds to the authenticity of the sentiments you are trying to create and also the feeling of the song. It gives that feeling of being transported into the native soil of the composer and not in an urbane setting which is always characteristic of English songs. This is not to belittle the English language because it is what i use to blog, but being bilingual myself, I appreciate the beauty of being able to walk in the two worlds of spoken and written words.
Back to the harp, the beauty of her playing is her understanding of the emotional range of the Celtic harp or other harp instruments. Ducout studied drama at Lyon, and after 10 years of piano practice, she joined several medieval ensembles. The artistic journey opened the doors of Celtic civilization and ancient traditional music to her and now we have Wezen.
Wezen is a tale written in 2008 by Alicia Ducout. It tells the story of a strange character and the essential question: how to fight fear? This story deals with issues of identity, trust in yourself and others. The graphic novel and its soundtrack was released in December 2012.
To echo a history, music is at the crossroads of several traditions, as shown by the choice of instruments: harp, bodhran and Irish flute for the Celtic sound. Oud for the Eastern source. The nyckelharpa for Northern anchor (Swedish), the piano like a familiar linking that connects us to our own history. The electronic sounds are even more subtle we can say connect this traditional matter and to present to the world today, bringing a breath of timelessness work.
This alchemy is born a minimalist style (inspired by Philip Glass, Bruno Coulais, Steve Reich) speaking we can say here instrumental or sung in several languages.
A journey through the sounds of German, English, Norwegian, Irish, Spanish, Aramaic, and even Elvish!
Trevor Lewington: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Octave Mandolin, Keyboards
Mark Abraham: Bass Guitar, Vocals
Bruce McCarthy: Drums, Percussion
This interview happened in the middle of the Enter the Haggis tour. Anita Daly became our go between because she has direct contact with the band and it made the communication easier between us. I made a review of their new album in my past edition and the band was pleased hahaha. So it was Trevor Lewington who answered all these questions. Let us welcome them as our band of the week! Also check out the cool videos at the end of this interview.
Hi guys, my name is Baxter. I write for The Celtic Music Fan online magazine. I listened to your album in its entirety and have been meaning to conduct an interview with you since 2009. I am glad for this opportunity…. With the release of The Modest revolution, what do you think has changed in the musical aspect of the band?
Our last album, Whitelake, was recorded at a cottage and the overall vibe was pretty folky. We went down to a studio in Kentucky to record TMR and cranked the amps back up again. Songwriting remains our first priority but the arrangement approach was to bring the songs to new highs and lows dynamically-speaking. Brian (fiddle/keyboards) played basically ALL the electric guitar parts, which changed the sound of the band rather dramatically. Craig (bagpipes/harmonica) picked up the trumpet on our last album and his playing is really solid on this record.
What are the technical aspects you have learned in terms of recording and playing live?
The experience of recording a new album always challenges us in different ways. Thanks to the success of our kickstarter campaign, we had more time than usual in the studio such that we didn’t feel rushed and were able to experiment with unusual sounds, parts or arrangement ideas. Sometimes it worked out and sometimes not, which is the exciting thing about experimenting!
In terms of the technical aspects of live performance, I don’t think anyone learned more than Brian. He’s always been a gear head but now that he’s playing electric guitar live he’s done a lot of research to get the right tones for all the new songs. Craig has added electric bagpipes to the live mix, which frees us up to play songs in more keys (the traditional highland pipes have a very limited range.) The highland pipes are still his instrument of choice but it’s nice to have the option of electric pipes.
How’s the tour going so far?
Great! We had a crazy March run where we played some amazing venues, including a sold-out show at Turning Stone casino. We’re now in the middle of a Canadian run and will be heading over to Ireland soon. The new music really seems to be connecting with people, which makes performing It all the more enjoyable for us.
Why the title The Modest Revolution?
It’s a quote from the front page of the newspaper that inspired the album: “Harper’s Modest Revolution.” The gist of the article is that our prime minister is trying to sway Canada’s collective psyche to the right, but we’ve taken it to mean that “even a small gesture can be the beginning of positive change.”
What can you say about each of your band member in terms of being together through the years, playing and recording together?
Well it’s certainly been quite the ride. I feel like we’ve always just kept our heads down, writing the best songs we can and traveling around playing shows. Only recently have we noticed that we have an actual history! College kids are coming up to us and saying they started listening to us when they were kids. It makes us feel old until we realize that most if us were pretty young when we started making music together.
Personally, the longer we do this for, the more I appreciate the other guys in the band. Not only are they amazing musicians, but that there’s a respect for each other as people. Musically I think the growth as individuals and as an organism has been substantial. I feel like with this album we’ve only now come to understand what this band is – but don’t ask me what that is as I probably won’t have an answer.
What’s your marketing goal for the album now that it’s release?
Being an independent band, we don’t Have a “marketing department” as such. I think the idea is to connect with as many people as possible who might enjoy what we do. This isn’t dumbed down pop music so it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea but that’s the way we like it. We’ve got an amazing group of dedicated fans and we feel like as long as we can make music that resonates with them they’ll want to share it with their friends. We’ve hired two publicists, a radio tracker and pay for online advertising but there’s no better advertising than getting up in front of a crowd and playing our asses off.
ETH has a kind of Celtic rock that is easily accessible. It is also radio friendly and universal. How are tracks conceived. What’s the science behind the songwriting?
Haha… Seriously? Celtic rock is about as radio-friendly as… well, bagpipes. Being radio-friendly definitely isn’t our intention, although there are so many great specialty online stations these days that any style of music can find a home. I could go on for hours about songwriting but suffice it to say that I try to remain a student of it. There’s so much incredible music out there so it’s important to keep listening to as much of it as possible. As a band I think we’ve learned how to take on the roll of a producer by focusing on the best parts of a potential song and losing the parts that distract from that.
Do you think you have reached the part in your musical career where you can breathe? For those aspiring Celtic rockers, what’s your top 5 list of things that they should remember when they want to make music as a career?
Can we breath? Absolutely not! I feel like we’re being chased by the Minotaur and are barely staying one corner ahead. We’re having a spark of success but with that comes the pressure to stoke the fire.
1.) don’t do it unless you must
2.) get regular servicing done on the van
3.) eat fresh vegetables
4.) book your hotels through Priceline
5.) don’t room with a band member who snores
Where can fans buy your albums?
Come to a show! Or get them through our website, iTunes, Amazon and just about anywhere else online.
What’s your marketing advise to all bands trying to court online and offline listeners?
Don’t call it marketing! Just try to connect with your fans as often as you can and don’t put out music just to put it out – make sure it’s something you’ll proudly play for your grand kids.
I hope that works! Thanks Baxter.
Ok there you go. I hope it gets to them, Trevor
Videos:
AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE MARCH 30TH.
Thanks to Zach McNees for cutting this together, and Daniel Roher for some of the footage. 🙂
Welcome to our artist of the week edition featuring the band Enter the Haggis. For the whole week I will be putting updates in my Huzzah! column so that you will be informed about what’s going on with the band.
Now on a sad note I was shocked upon hearing the Boston Marathon explosion this Monday and the whole blogosphere mourns for the victims and their families. Actually I posted an essay on another site and I am glad to be able to talk about situations that belong to a particular venue and not just mix things up.
An Air For Boston – April 15, 2013
Here is a video that piper Patrick D’Arcy performed on the wake of the tragedy and I think this is very appropriate because Boston is one of the most Irish places in America. The Celtic Music Fan, being spiritually attached to Ireland mourns and condemns any violence inflicted upon the Irish and the rest of humanity.
My heart goes out to those affected by today’s bombings. May God help you all. This air came to me, The Wild Geese- Patrick D’Arcy
This is not just an American tragedy but a global one because people of all races were victims. And we are all human beings. We are not fighting people from another planet but our own kind. Very sad.
Yes folks Elva MacGowan is returning, this time with an EP called Secret Love. As the title suggests, expect standards, silky vocal delivery and exquisite musicianship. According to her:
“I have just recorded a single (Cry Me A River) taken from my forthcoming EP Secret Love.”
What can we expect from Secret Love?
“I am blending my knowledge of vocal performance with my love of old time jazz standards and traditional Irish accompaniments.
Who are the talents involved? You will be pleased: traditional musicians Donncha Moynihan on Guitar and Karl Nesbitt on Low Whistle and Bodhran.
Arthur Hamilton’s ‘Cry Me A River’ is a unique cover because it features traditional Irish instruments by traditional musicians. Elva MacGowan’s Celtic music projects are widely acclaimed and supported by peers in the industry. And this single is a testament to that fine artistry and control. I love other types of music and Jazz influenced my growing up. To have it in the same room as Traditional Irish music is such a wild thing!
How’s your Sunday folks? I want to give a big shout out to my friend The Wild Irish Poet Alan Cooke. It’s his birthday today. I also read in advance the copy of his new book The Spirit of Ireland(An Odyssey Home) . The cover above is just a possible cover as nothing is decided yet. I will be publishing my review soon and I got important quotes from this book. Anyway here’s the trailer:
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The Scottish New Music Awards: If you have any UK artist whom you think deserves and award, then go ahead and submit your nomination to http://www.scotmusicawards.co.uk/index.html
It is great to open up emails over coffee and so I had this conversation with artist Eve Williams who lives in Northern Ireland. She’s the one who actually talked about the link. According to her:
I really like the idea… coz nowadays music is not just about what’s in the charts. There are some great independent artists and they contribute to their local communities by playing and getting people out to hear them! The music industry in Northern Ireland is woeful. Hardly any venues, no publishers… the republic is better.
Members: César Ricky (eletric guitar, acoustic guitar, harmonica and vocal) and Jackie M. Mendes (tin whistles, low whistles and vocals), and some friends!
Tracks:
When I survey the Wondrous Cross
Close to you
Panic
Build Me Up Again
With All My Soul
Wherever you Go
Saved My Soul
Two Little Princesses
Carried Me
Follow the Way
I’m Not Condemned
Nearer My God to Thee
Back to the New bolted out of the gates upon its release via Noisetrade. Noisetrade is one of the most accessible sites to showcase bands of all genres . For this Brazilian band to spotlight their work internationally is a great thing. After all, the sound of Tehilim is really something that American and UK listeners will embrace. All tracks are sung in English. I dig the influences: Iona, Moya Brennan, The Corrs, John Petrucci, Steve Vai, Dixie Chicks, Sheryl Crow and others.
Most of the compositions in Back to the New is built around the guitar flourishes of César Ricky Mendes who is also the band’s lead vocalist. Jackie Mendes plays the whistles and backing vocals. The couple has four album credits . There are three guest musicians who played in Back to the New for the bass, drums and other instruments.
The music of Back to the New reminds me of American Southern Rock with an arena packed energy. It is a kind of music that’s best to be played live and in a wide setting as opposed to something intimate. The vocals are robust with remarkable range. Most of topics in back to the New revolves around Christianity, soul searching and finding meaning in life. I think I can label this album safely as Celtic Christian Rock album with mainstream appeal. I also think they are better known as Tehilim Celtic Rock as opposed to just Tehilim. That way people who pick up the recordings will have an idea what to expect.
Consider track 7 Saved my Soul as an example:
Lord, you saved my soul And gave me hope You loved me so And made me new Lord, I want to know Who needs your love And save their soul And make them new You saved my soul, Saved my soul Don’t let me go without your love You saved my soul, Saved my soul I sing for all, you saved my soul.
It’s also the most Irish sounding track in the entire album.
Lyrically, think of early Moya Brennan albums like Perfect Time and Whisper to the Wild Water meeting up with Jars of Clay and you will appreciate each Tehilim releases. Although the content of the album is Christian-centric, Tehilim is never preachy which makes it accessible to all ears even if you are not a Christian. And yes in the end it is the beautiful music that’s worth listening to again and again which is actually what universal love is all about: embracing all and pleasing all. You can download the album via Noisetrade.
Hi there folks and welcome to our Saturday edition. This is what happens when you put things aside and then realize you have things piled up at the last minute. So, let me bring you great tunes once more and also recommendation. And please don’t be shy. If you have anything to share, use the comment thread of this post and post your own stuff. Be the blogger too!
Donal and Mick McCague: These two brothers are always popping up in my newsfeed so I finally got a good video to showcase their amazing instrumental talents. Donal (Fiddle) and Mick (Guitar) pay a set of reels at the all Ireland Fleadh in Cavan in August 2011.Check this video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-8imeWmCKY
Yes I wrote a review about this amazing album from way back: Everything in this album bumps and pulses. No need for you to think deep thoughts. Just the pure fun of knowing that Black 47 is there to shake your day into burst of ecstatic energy. Buy it here: http://www.black47.com/
Another album lovers of Irish music should not miss: Memory Lane is an album worth of repeated listens. It’s a collection of tracks that sound familiar to everyone Irish or not, but given a new life and freshness by The High Kings. This is just their second album but it looks like they have achieved a lot. These guys know their stuff. They are real musicians with real instrumental talents. They are seasoned vocalists and their individuality shines in every track. They are also charismatic figures that looks good on your CD library. I am pleased to own this album. In terms of production, the album shimmers with clarity and lushness of sound. Buy it here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Memory-Lane-High-Kings/dp/B0036V0VPY
I am still enjoying this gem:
Expect to hear instrumental arrangements that were made popular during that time. I am a fan of harpsichord and recorders and they’re highlighted here! What I love about the recording is the variety . You hear English Country dances, James Oswald, Matthew Locke, Traditional Scots Tunes, Traditional Irish and so much more.
The tunes are lively and melodic. I should also mention that I adore the packaging of the album especially the very informative liner notes. Buy it here: http://www.musicapacifica.org/recordings.html#
With five albums released and an amazing collection of tunes, I just feel that the Kilfenora Ceili Band is one of those underrated Ceili bands. Their gig calendar is busy as they have upcoming shows in Clare, Sligo, Limerick and Portmarnock up to May this year. Kilfenora was formed in 2009(the current lineup). It is composed of ten-piece band that features three fiddles (Anne Rynne, Pat Lynch and Annemarie McCormack), two flutes (Anthony Quigney and Garry Shannon), two sqeezeboxes Tim Collins and his wife, Claire Griffin), banjo and leader (John Lynch), drums (Sean Griffin) and piano (Fintan McMahon).
Kilfenora Ceili Band is under the leadership of John Lynch. Their forte is instrumental music with some harmony and a driving rhythm. They also have profitably collaborated with vocalists and invariably include a singer or two in concert.
What makes Kilfenora Ceili Band really interesting is the introduction of set dancers in their every performance. It’s like they have everything in one group because Irish music is really complete when it isn’t just about the playing of music but also the dancing. To be in their presence is an aurally and visually inspiring event!
You can also get the contact info of band leader John Lynch in case you need to have them booked for a show.
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Huzzah!
Welcome to our Friday edition. Yes our second article under this week’s featured artist Blair Dunlop. Don’t forget to check the links I wrote on the last article which was my interview with the singer/songwriter. This week is very inspiring as a lot of music was brought to my attention. And more to come.
Acoustic/Folk/Celtic artist Peter Daldry
First, I want to tell you about the artist Peter Daldry whom I wrote about before.
He is one of the names in the Independent Music Awards. He is nominated in the A Capella category for best performance of the song ” I Wish I Was in Glasgow ” He mentioned that he is overjoyed at this nomination as it is a world wide awards program which covers six continents! and one of the best online awards program for independent artists.
The judging process is twofold, a panel of industry judges decide on who wins, but there is also a Vox Pop award where the fans get to choose their favorite. It would be great to get the word out to the “Celtic” community to try and get some votes. Information on the awards can be viewed at his web site http://www.peterdaldry.com/ or his Facebook page or going to the Independent Music Awards page which explains how to register and vote.
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This video by Skilda was published October 4 2012. The Celtic influence withing their pop and electronic groves is unmistakeable. They are totally amazing! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGgD2tfbMAM
Check out this site where you can order music. It’s called Veteran Mail Order. It contains Irish traditional music and song in CDs & DVDs. http://www.veteran.ie/
There you have it folks. I was not feeling energetic for the past few days due to the busy situation at home. But I am sure I will be able to catch up.
Celtic Music Fan 