Ewan McLennan: Classical guitar was one of my foundations I’d say(Interview)

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Ewan McLennan, Scottish singer/songwriter,scotland,folk singers,celtic,scottish

Winner of the 2011 BBC Radio 2 Horizon Award and named FATEA Music Award’s ‘Best Male Vocalist of the Year.’

Meet one of  Scotland’s new breed of moving voices, Ewan McLennan. The elegiac and stirring combination of his voice earned him a massive following all over Scotland and the rest of the  Scottish diaspora. In the vein of Dougie McLean and Donovan, he can hold his own with a style that’s fresh and distinctive. If none of the songs from The Last Bird to Sing can move you, then you must have a wooden heart. Because these songs resonate what is spiritual and sensual in all of us. The things that make us human, sincere and loving. His singing is such a warm blanket in  the midst of familiar stirrings all around us. If we magnify the language of the leaves and flowers then listen to each bloom softly, then such is the music of Ewan McLennan.

The poetry doesn’t end in the sounds. They also lie deep in his lyrics which talk of longing for home, the love for tradition, people and places. And he sings with that Scottish lilt that we all come to recognize and love. In the midst of such expressive singing is his style of playing the guitar. He adds that intricate delivery to simple melodies creating a balance of simplicity and refined musical skills. Such richness of music is a blessing to weary ears. He is our featured artist and what an amazing exchange of messages resulted to this interview.

You sing with this distinct style. How did you develop your haunting and beautiful voice?

It’s always a difficult question to answer. I guess the singers that I’ve heard over the years are big influences on how my voice has developed – singers I, at one time or another, tried to mimic or adapt parts of their style. I sing a lot now these days, practice exercises and scales etc. but also sing a lot of songs. I stick to the opinion that technique is important but that it is only a means to express, not the other way round.

Your guitar playing is fascinating. Will you tell me more about it?

I began by playing classical guitar at the age of 18, though I’d already been playing music for years by this point. Classical guitar was one of my foundations I’d say. But after a few years I started playing steel-string guitar and more and more folk guitar. Someone who has been a real influence on me is Martin Simpson, who I have been getting tuition from for some years.

How did you decide to call the title of your album “The Last Bird to Sing”? This is your second album right?

The Last Bird to Sing is indeed my second album. The name of the album comes from a track on it that I wrote. I thought that it worked nicely as a title for the whole piece.

Let us discuss about song Architecture. How do you lay down the foundation of a song? What is the structure you base your songwriting to?

It really depends on the particular song I’m working on. But usually the first thing is when an idea for a song, a story will come to me – that sets the ball rolling. I then begin to put together a melodic line that reflects this story. And from there I begin, separately, to work words into the melody, sometimes changing the melody to fit the words, sometimes the opposite. Finally I begin to work on the guitar part, to arrange the melody and accompany the vocals.

Are you the type who records a lot of demos and then just filter the songs that make into the album or do you sit down and really work in the idea of creating songs that all make their way into the album?

For the first two albums I recorded I chose a specific number of songs that I knew I wanted on the albums. It was then a process of getting those songs sounding just as I wanted them to. But at the moment I am beginning to work, gradually, towards a third album and I am working in a slightly different way. I’ve been writing a lot of songs lately, as well as coming across, unearthing and arranging a lot of tradition material, so I already have too many songs for one album. I will carry on this process and then begin to whittle down the tracks to what I believe are the strongest individually and what work best together on the album.

Your status post says: “On the train home from London. You know you’ve been doing a lot of travelling when you and the conductor are on first name terms.” Musicians work hard(probably harder than people realize) and do a lot of travelling. What do you think can be done by the government, not just in the UK but all over the world to make it easier and better for every musician?

…I do do a lot of travelling. I guess being a musician, like any job, has its ups and downs. But overall it is a fantastic job to have the privilege to do and earn my keep that way. I think there are lots of interesting ideas around about how to make it easier for musicians to pursue their skills and talents and more generally to help develop a really vibrant national musical culture. The musicians wage, adopted to some degree in countries like France, is one such idea, but there are many. I think we should try to think of ways by which we can support musicians and develop strong and diverse musical cultures without continuing to turn music into merely another commodity.

Are you satisfied with the feedback that the second album is getting?

I’ve been really pleased with the feedback my second album, The Last Bird to Sing, has been getting. As well as the reviews, it was nominated for FATEA album of the year and I’ve also just been nominated for two Spiral Earth Awards – www.spiralearth.co.uk/spiralawards2013

The beautiful acoustic guitars that Ewan McLennan play are custom made, built by Ralph Brown. Below are pictures of the singer/songwriter and his guitars.

Notice: Ewan McLennan has  been nominated for Spiral Earth Awards ‘Best Male Singer’ of 2013. The voting for the nominees is all done online by the public. It’d be great if you would consider casting your vote his way! But also if you could pass this on to anyone else who might vote for him too that’d be much appreciated!

You can vote here: www.spiralearth.co.uk/spiralawards2013

Video

Video courtesy of Peter Simmonds

From the album ‘The Last Bird to Sing’
ewanmclennan.co.uk

  • Buy “The Last Bird to Sing” on
    iTunes

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Celtic Twist Game:

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

celtic twist,game,albums,

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Huzzah!

How is everyone this week?As of this writing I am still listening to The Last Bird to Sing by our featured artist Ewan McLennan. Like I said above, his voice simply gets to you in a way one can ever imagine. And there is such palpable beauty in his rendition of new and traditional songs. This week is kind of relaxed. As you see not much feature other then the ongoing game of The Celtic Twist which I hope you take part. They make awesome recordings!

My friend Paula made an amazing discovery. This artist is harpist Mark Harmer. She posted this video on my wall. The track on the video is called Sir Arthur Shaen Carolan played by Mark Harmer on Celtic harp. I am not sure if it is me who will convince Mark to have an interview for this site or Paula. May the lucky person wins. As always, I am grateful for Paula’s enthusiasm for Celtic music even though she makes a different kind of music which is electronic. She did cover a number of Celtic inspired tunes like this one. She also sewed me those amazing frame Celtic designs and send them all the way from Yorkshire England. They proudly  sit on my working table!

I am currently doing an interview with John Breen for www.67music.net. Yes yours truly is now affiliated with the amazing guys who run this wonderful site and its owner Skot Cranmore became my first interview artist for American Made Insider.

It is wonderful to know the lives of the artists who became part of this site. That discovery is a continuing process because I still get updates and they appear in this site every now and then. For me, a musical relationship is a lasting relationship. More lasting than anything I have known…other than my relatives hahahaha.

I wish you all an amazing week and watch out for my updates on the John Breen interview. I would suggest you check out my tweets which are found on the lower right of this site. That way you will see my retweets. I don’t really like to tweet about my stuff but I like retweeting relevant updates on my feeds. Take care and see you soon.

Post Valentines in Celtic Land

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Featured artists: John Breen, Brian Cunningham and Corncrow

john breen, irish,folk,singer,songwriter,ireland,music

Welcome to our post valentine edition. I made it a rule not to talk at the beginning of a post. I will just reserve the talk for our Huzzah! Section so see you there .

The attention turns to John Breen this week . He hails from County Wicklow which is check this out: the Garden of Ireland. I am sure the flora and fauna of Wicklow have provided an ample amount of inspiration to Sir John Breen to be able to perform those tunes with the grace of a blooming rose in hyper speed.

Fans of Ronnie Drew, Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen and even Kenny Rogers will find something that will tickle their heart-strings. If you think his recorded songs are awesome, wait until you hear him live. His performance level will blow your socks off.

I think that ease of getting his feeling across is brought about by the fact that John is naturally a friendly fella. And you can’t fake that warm attitude. It will find its way around people who in turn responds to the same aura that you project. I felt that inner goodness and that’s what I feel the moment I heard his version of The Irish Rover and other songs. There is always that extra special you often find around Irish balladeers.

He signed up with Atlantic music group in 2004 and has two CDs to date. An interview is on the way but I wont tell you the exact date yet. I like suspense and I am sure you do too.

For more info visit: http://www.johnbreenmusic.com/

Video:

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Sean-Nos Dancer Brian Cunningham

Sean Nos dancing is catching fire and it is spear headed by the most prominent name in the scene: Brian Cunningham.  I am in the process of conducting an interview with the famous dancer himself and he is gracious enough to talk in between his schedules. There is really something good to be said about the majority of Celtic artists. They are so passionate about the art that it isn’t really about themselves but more on the exposure of the art. They give so much more and it is really important to keep in mind why their fans who are bloggers like are passionate in pushing their efforts to the front of Goggle search. We are all in the right scene!

He is currently performing in the Horseshoe Casino(Hammond, Indiana) so if you are around, don’t forget to see this one of a kind performer of traditional Irish dance.

Atlantic Steps’ is the inspiring epic story of Ireland’s oldest dance form (sean-nós), portrayed through the music, song, dance and Atlantic-Ocean-inspired energy of the Connemara region. For booking information, contact JRA Fine Arts at info@jrafinearts.com or 888.939.ARTS (2787).

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Corncrow – Meriasek

Tell me if this song doesn’t evoke something within you! If it doesn’t then you have the heart of a crow(pun intended) I think Corncrow makes a kind of music that brings out ancient mysteries . The music is haunting and transporting bringing you back to ancient lands, where gallantry was abundant and people wore long dresses. A little digging on the background of the song tells me about a 4th century Breton saint who was also a great healer. His feast day is the first Friday in June.No wonder the song has a very spiritual feel. Corncrow are a duo of Kim Guy -acoustic guitar, recorders, vocals and Steve Hunt – acoustic and electric guitars, bouzouki, vocals. Meriasek is taken from their new album Sweet Nightingale.

You can find them in facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Corncrow/90795758139

and Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/corncrow

About the video: Official video for Corncrow’s version of Meriasek (S. Lockley, N. Kennedy), which I shot in Polkerris and Charlestown, January 2013.

Canon 650D, Canon 50mm f/1.4, Fader ND.

Celtic Twist Game:

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

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Huzza!

Now that we are in the month of love, the focus this week is about the best love songs in traditional Celtic music.  My first introduction was by Windham Hill compilation called Heart of the Celts. From there the list of ballads about love simply increased. If you look at our musical culture in a macroscopic level, you will realize that each Celtic nation has its own love ballads and it will take so much if we do some research and post the songs here. However, I would just like to emphasize that the Celts know how to write the best heart break songs, I think much better than love songs. But we also need to give tribute to Robert Burns for giving us one of the best love ballads called ” Ae Fond Kiss ” which is close to my heart.

Clannad is known to produced the best ballads both traditional and modern. There’s also Connie Dover, Loreena McKennitt and Altan. Then there’s so much more that like I said would take so much to fit this edition.

Sorry if this section is short. I  have to be honest with you: I have nothing to write for now. All my thoughts were focused on the meteor explosion in Russia and for hour I kept on posting updates upon updates about the incident via facebook and google plus. So when morning came I felt so exhausted and I kept on thinking about aliens. So there you have it. I promise to write more content on our Huzzah next time. Take care and see you this Tuesday for our featured interview and it is with no other than Scottish singer/songwriter Ewan McLennan!

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According to the French Piper: Interview with Francois of Caliorne

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

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

How did you learn to play the pipes that way?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here they are:

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

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

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

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

Or the Carrs

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

MISC:

About his instruments:

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

Currently listening to:

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

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

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

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

http://www.caliorne.com/

http://www.caliorne.fr/

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

Video:

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

Gallery

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Celtic Twist Game:

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

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Huzzah!

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

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

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

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

Let the Game Begin Plus More in Huzzah!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Young Fiddle Duet Fiddlin’ Frenzy

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

The Celtic Twist Game starts now!

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

Huzzah!

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

So what do we have today?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Top 5 albums I listen to this weeK

1. Banba by Clannad

2. If Ever I return by Connie Dover

3. Parallel Dreams by Loreena McKennitt

4. Foxlight by Iarla O’Lanaird

5. Windblown by Jamie Smith’s Mabon

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

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

Jamie Smith side view

Jamie Smith

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Music:

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

Video:

 Gallery:

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Huzzah!

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

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

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

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Great news about the amazing Galician piper Carlos Nuñez

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

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

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