The Universal Welshman: Interview with Ceri Rhys Matthews

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Also in this edition: Gaitafolia and Featured performance:Gillian Boucher (fiddle), Seph Peters(banjo), Anna Ludlow(fiddle) and Mary Beth Carty(guitar)

Ceri Rhys Matthews taken with Instagram

Ceri Rhys Matthews talks about what it means to be a musician bridging tradition and innovation to the fore.

The prose of Ceri Rhys Matthews flows like music. He answers questions as honestly as he can. There is a wealth of wisdom in his opinions and he does them with the ease of someone who has conversed and played music with people of varied cultural backgrounds.

My meeting with him started after hearing the music of fernhill. I was also doing research about the top pipers of Wales and his name not only came up frequently, I also got recommendations from his peers.

I am sure you will enjoy reading this informative conversation the way I enjoyed formulating my questions and reading his answers.

 You are very well known in the Welsh trad scene. How did you master the art of piping (and also the wooden flute) and who/what really influenced you  to take up piping?

A long time ago, I moved back to Wales from studying Art in Maidstone, Kent, in the east of England. This was in 1981, when I was 20 years old. There was a sound in my head that I wanted to hear but I didn’t know what it was. One night a friend said, “Are you coming to the session tonight? There’s a man coming who plays pibgorn”. And I knew instantly that that was the sound I could hear in my head, even though until then I’d never even seen a pibgorn, nor knew what that instrument was. I played mandolin at the time.

Later that summer I was playing some tunes on my mandolin, with a cittern player in a session in pub in Pontardawe, and the pibgorn player came and sat about a yard from us staring and listening intently. “Where do you get your tunes from?”, he asked, and I told him. “Hmm”, he says “Owain Alaw, check out Owain Alaw”. I already knew that repertoire I told him, and we got talking. I asked him if he’s make me a pibgorn, and so he did. Jonathan Shorland is his name and he’d been making and playing the instrument in Aberystwyth for a couple of years before we met. Anyway, we struck up a friendship and I’d visit him at his workshop and play tunes at his house and at sessions. I watched how he played, and listened and copied. He played flute too, and that’s when the flute began to seduce me.

Some years later I was more in love with the flute than the pipes, and so

Ceri Rhys Matthews playing a Welsh Bag-Hornpipe or Pibe Cyrn

tentatively moved over to that instrument more.

What I play on both instruments is driven by two disparate things. The first is the desire to copy things that I hear and like. I’m pretty bad at this. I pick up all the wrong habits, and I’m very, very slow at learning other people’s tunes. The second is a desire to realise sounds that I hear distantly in my head. Then there is the process of focusing these nebulous sounds to make them more concrete and memorable – but still retaining a freedom each time they’re played. These two thing correspond roughly to what people would term traditional in the first instance, and creative in the second. But I see them as pretty close activities.

What can we expect from fernhill this year?

We have now enough new songs and tunes to make a new album. But money is very tight and we can’t afford to record another album in the foreseeable future. We are gigging, and playing the songs to people, and this is very important to us; to keep the flow of the music moving, and so I guess that some of these pieces won’t get recorded, as new songs take their place in our performances. Songs seem to have their time, and then move on. Sometimes, parts of old songs will find their place in new combinations, so it’s not altogether a bad thing that some don’t get recorded. But we like recording too, and so maybe next summer or autumn we’ll have another think.

I consider Yscolan as one of the best trad albums. It really represents Welsh music. When will you do a follow up to this kind of style?

Thank you. Again, I think the answer to this is pretty much like the last question. I could make many such recordings, but playing live to people seems to have taken over, and this is not such a bad thing. I have learned so much, and continue to learn from playing music to people. If an offer came from someone to make a follow up recording, I could do it next week, but I don’t expect an offer, and so I get on with playing. The playing changes and flows because of this, which pleases me.

Apart from your gigs with fernhill are there other collaborations you do?

Out of the solo work, and the fernhill work, has grown my work with Christine

Photo by Christopher Levy

Cooper, who plays fiddle for fernhill. (She’s also a storyteller in her own right).

I am coming to think that duet playing is the pinnacle of what I am working towards in my music, and Christine is helping make this more apparent to me. It helps that she is such a talented and also an understanding musician. Her musicianship is subtler than mine, and enables a very workable collaboration. In it, I tend to be a starting point; and idea or melody, and Christine helps embody or realise the idea or vision.

When two melody lines play almost in unison, something more concrete manifests to the listener, and the players. They create a triangle, but a fluid moving narrative of three points. A solo performer can create a hierarchy between himself and the audience, which is not always bad but is something I’m less interested in. The relationship between two independent but related performers, on the one hand, and the listeners on the other seems to me to be a sort of artistic democracy that is central to folk music, and that gives it wings to fly. The players can respond to each other and the listener, who in turn can influence what is being played.

Christine and I have begun to develop this recently in a thing I call “Rambles through Tunes”, which is described pretty well by Kate Pawsey here:
http://yscolan.tumblr.com/new_work

and here:
http://www.folkradio.co.uk/2012/10/ceri-rhys-matthews-rambles-through-tunes/

It’s not a new idea, of course. Or my idea. But an idea that has gripped me.

What is the state of the Welsh trad scene right now in your opinion?

It’s a complicated question. One could begin by asking, like the historian Gwyn Alf Williams asked, “When was Wales?”, and by extension, “What is Wales?”

I see the tradition(s) and the creative urge here in this place as part of a continuum of musical activity throughout these islands and beyond – to the continent, and further afield still. Much of what I have learned personally as a musician, for example, has been abroad. Surely the experience of musicians throughout the ages. I learned about the guitar in Uganda, in Africa, even though I started to play in Swansea. I learned about the pipes in the Atlas Mountains, and the mountains of Sa Pa in northern Vietnam. I learned about how you make music long instead of short from Hungarian musicians in Pontardawe (the same time as I met Jonathan Shorland).

So I feel uncomfortable when music is defined by geography, let alone nationhood. But so as not to duck the question, I feel that at the moment the music is being politicised to serve a national identity, which will ultimately strangle the music. This is not the first place this has happened in, and not the worst, and it won’t be the last. If I have a role, it’s to make sure that space and freedom are found for individuals and small groups of people to continue their personal musical narrative, and simultaneously for them to be able to breath creatively within their society, and consequently to contribute their music back.

But it’s handy to have a name for the place, otherwise people end up somewhere else if they come and visit! And so it’s possible to say that where I live has many many exciting and interesting things happening musically and culturally.

Fernhill live at Theatre Moliere, Brussels, January 2010. Fi Wela, “I See”
Julie Murphy – voice
Ceri Rhys Matthews – guitar
Christine Cooper – fiddle
Tomos Williams – trumpet

Ceri Owen-Jones on the harp and the well-known Ceri Matthews on the Welsh pipes.

Additional sources:

http://yscolan.tumblr.com/

https://twitter.com/yscolan

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Featured video:Portuguese bagpipers Gaitafolia- Passeado Valsado

These musicians are amazing!

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Featured performance:Gillian Boucher (fiddle), Seph Peters(banjo),Anna Ludlow(fiddle) and Mary Beth Carty(guitar)

Intense performance! More here: http://www.thecelticumbrella.com/

Thanksgiving Edition

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Also in this edition: Mortal Destiny, Eve Williams and new Celtic releases !

Review of the new album by Flutatious called 333.

Happy thanksgiving to our readers in the United States.Today we have the following in the menu: an album review and two featured tracks.

While the second album established the “Flutatious sound”, this third release called 333 pushes the band’s influences. It’s like whatever styles they have incorporated in their recording career are  given  nods here.

There are still common elements like the vocal layering and airy pieces but their sound has become more upfront and confident. The opening track 333 A Call To Arms features a male voice reciting a line in a poem. The fusion of keys and flute bring out that fantasy feel. The track builds up into a typical Flutatious salvo: great rhythms, instrumental fireworks and traditional inspired melodies.

Everyone in the band contributes to the vocal layering in Crystal Morning. It creates that diaphanous magical feel.The sound changes from dense to airy. Horny is perhaps made for fans of 70‘s spy of kung fu movies. The funky guitars, saxophone and beats are the real winners here. This is Celtic music with bell bottoms and polyester. Whenever I put this on I feel as if I am the late Bruce Lee.

Open Window has a strong jazz influence. The track has varying tempo and mood. Like clouds changing shape before your very eyes, it has several layers and textures. Around 5:40 there is that insertion of male voice doing a Lord of the Rings sort of narration.

Wise Tree  is very Druidic and relates to that belief that trees are great store houses of our memories. What’s in the Tea speaks to me a lot. I am all smiles when I listen to this. I am a tea lover as well. There is that spacey feel in the introduction, and then the track blossoms into a hip swaying, head shaking wall of sound. Somewhere around 3:30 the music changes mood with hammering drums and fiery guitar licks and then goes back into the serene mood.

Tune for Addy revisits the mood of Horny with it’s funky 70‘s feel. It also features an ethereal female voice near the end. I am sure if the band capitalizes in the vocal abilities of each member, they would wow fans of vocal music.

Mesmerize as the title suggests is a haunting tracks which starts out slow. It showcases the play of acoustic guitar and flute. Around 1:00 of the track, it blossoms into a combination of electronic layers and psychedelia. The melody suggests either Welsh or Scottish origin. Nadurra is a Scottish Gaelic word which means ‘affectionate or good-natured.”It starts with the breezy piano playing and flowers into a steady rhythm that makes you think of quiet walks along the Scottish Highlands.

Road to Skye(revisited) closes the album. It takes the sound from the previous version of the song with an added twist. There is that ambient electronic pulse that hovers all over the track like sonar rotating around an axis point. It is a perfect rave track that will please the crowd. I can imagine sweat drenched concert floors and moving bodies hypnotized by the pulsing sound.

333 is an album of shimmering layers and atmospheric delights. It is meant for those with matured taste and can appreciate and even recognize the different genres entangled in whole  album. Flutatious is meant to be played in big speakers with good sub-woofers.Yes there are intricate layers of sounds here but you can’t deny the punch and bounce they bring. And if you can savour them all, then you have yourself a truly satisfying listening experience. A kind of music that speaks to all.

 

Sounds samples. Just hit the ‘buy the album’ link to go to the band’s store:

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Featured track: The Hobbit by Mortal Destiny

Lyrics – J. R. R. Tolkien / Jeremy King – Music, Arrangement by Mortal Destiny

I am sure everyone is waiting for The Hobbit to arrive. The news is out that Howard Shore has finished doing the score, the guys in Poitinland recorded this Celtic rock song. This is a visual track that makes me imagine the dwarves and hobbits singing together.  Jeremy King explains the thoughts behind this track:
“Pavel Čengery is the producer for our last 2 albums Bofiguifluki and Hot Days as well as being a talented musician himself. I’ve worked with him on a couple of other projects including writing lyrics for his band Mortal Destiny-the track I wrote called ‘Pagan Pride’ also features our fiddler Otik Machacek and arose during the recording of ‘Hot Days’ when we were playing a traditional Scottish tune http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=506030

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Featured Track: Oblivion by Eve Williams

It’s a coincidence! I was watching Skyfall and nearly cried when M played by Judi Dench starts reciting the lines by Lord Tennyson. Now we have Oblivion which is a song also inspired by the poetry of Tennyson himself. The heartbreaking theme resonates and given more weight with Eve’s excellent vocal delivery. She has a terrific operatic range. The orchestration in this track is simply superb. Oblivion could very well be one of those “ soundtrack of your life” that you take with you as you greet the chill of the coming winter.

© Craig Murray/ Eve Williams 2012 Produced by Andrew GiddingsI hold it true, whate’er befall;I feel it, when I sorrow most;’Tis better to have loved and lostThan never to have loved at all.Alfred Lord Tennyson, In Memoriam

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Goodies to buy this thanksgiving if you haven’t yet..

Cillian Doheny: My Life as a Member of a Traditional Irish Band(Interview)

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Also in this edition: The Picts and Flutatious

Cillian Doheny; All Ireland Champion.

Riding the thunder: Apart from jamming with U2’s Bono and The Edge, Cillian Doheny gives us an insider’s look at the life of a musician in a traditional Irish band.

Cillian Doheny is based in Limerick Ireland. He plays the Tenor Banjo, Nylon & Steel String Guitar and  Mandola for Moxie. The band will release their first music video in January of 2013. They will also release their debut album next year. We will see the future of this amazing trad Irish band taking off and wowing listeners in both sides of the Atlantic.

What is it like to be a young musician playing in a trad band? Especially for someone who has bagged an All Ireland Winner title on Tenor Banjo under 18 years at the All Ireland Fleadh Ceoil held in  August 2009? Ha! You shall find out. His recordings can be found in his Myspace music page.

Music is created through friendships with other musicians. This how the trad scene  continues to flourish. I notice more and more young ones getting into the music, performing and creating them. I see a bright future in the traditional Celtic music scene. It is a world that continues to blossom with such vigor that will make even those who don’t normally listen to such music stop in their steps and listen.

I appreciate this interview with Cillian. He is down to earth, enthusiastic and he also loves promoting other musicians. These qualities make him such a great asset to those whom he collaborates with. So other than the terrific banjo playing, with fingers that move like lightning, this young man is in the right and exciting path.

Your bio says you started playing music since you were 11. Now you have mastered theTenor Banjo, the Guitar (nylon and steel), Bouzouki, Bodhrán and Mandolin. What is your main instrument now and why?

My main instrument would have to be the tenor banjo. The reason for this is my love for the sound of the instrument. I’ve also found that it’s very adaptable in most genres of music as well as traditional Irish music, which is great news to my ears.

In one unique occasion you jammed with U2’s Bono and The Edge. How did this happen and how was the experience?

This experience was one of a kind and a great opportunity to catch up with the U2 members and see what they were like. Although they had a hectic day of travelling with their flight having to be rerouted to Shannon from Dublin due the bad weather at the time, they were very friendly, good fun and loved the music.

You have a new band called Moxie. Can you give us a brief timeline of the band’s activities up to the release of the debut album next year?

We formed the band at the annual Sligo Live festival in 2011 and since then we’ve been getting on great. At the moment we are looking at releasing our new EP, recorded and mastered in Big Banna Studios,Co. Antrim by Seán Óg Graham which will hopefully be available before Christmas. We have played at festivals such as Celtic Fringe Festival ( Jun 2012), North Atlantic Fiddle Convention ( Jun 2012), All Ireland Fleadh ( Aug 2012 ), Tuam Traditional Festival ( Sep 2012 ) and of course we just made our second appearance at Sligo Live this year which turned out to be a huge success for us a year on. We have plans to bring out our debut album in late 2013 but we’re not rushing with anything yet as there is plenty of time to perfect the sound and we are also waiting on a band member to finish out his exams.

What is so great being in a trad band composed of young people your age?

Tenor banjo master

I suppose the best thing about it without a doubt is the craic that we have. We grew up with each other playing music while having great fun all down through the years, to all of us that means a lot and without that it wouldn’t be what it is.

Do you have a kind of routine when you start recording with the band? And also, what do you do to make sure you give optimum performance both in recording and playing live?

Well I am going to use the overused and sometimes overlooked statement, “practice makes perfect”. Once the music is tight and everyone is comfortable with the arrangements, that’s when we can relax and work on the sound as a whole.

If given a power to change the music scene, what are the things you want to happen?

If I was given the power to change the music scene I would make undiscovered artist’s / band’s music widely available to the worldwide public. There are so many amazing musicians out there that don’t get the recognition that they deserve due to lack of funding or funding authorities making it difficult for up and coming artists to get recognized.

Please complete this sentence: When I am not playing music I………..

When not playing music I am usually writing music, listening to music, practicing or going to see gigs with friends. I also enjoy photography and I am a bit of a technology freak too.

What is something you can’t live without when you go on a tour?

Well I’ve had a long think about this and the answer would probably have to be my hair straightener… Kidding! My iPod would definitely be one of my prized possessions on tour, as I would most likely go insane without it.

Moxie on stage

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The Picts

Members:

Grant McConnell- Accordions, Guitars, Bass, Vocals and anything else he can get his hands on..Douglas McQueen Hunter – Vocals, Guitars, Mandolins, 5 String Banjo and things that need plucked….Jeremy Stirling- Keyboards, Pianos and things that need plonked….

David Murray- Pipes, Whistles, Mouth-organ and things you blow.

Neil McDonald- Drums, Percussion and thing that need hit

Tracy Carmichael – Technical advisor, lighting and sound, driver and stage manager and anything that requires sorting.
Hometown Glasgow & East Lothian

Hypnotic,energetic and stunning! The Picts are a part of a New Wave of Celtic bands hailing from Scotland.   According to the band’s bio:

Formed in February 1997, The Picts have become one of the most popular live acts on the folk rock and concert scene. They have reached out with their unique brand of celtic rock and captivated hundreds of audiences both at home and abroad. There is a considerable influence of original material combined with the traditional. The songs and instrumentals are upbeat, powerful and irresistible for dancing, yet retain their original sentiment, feeling and intimacy.

A lengthy bio can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/thepicts/info

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A new album out by Flutatious!

I am in the process of writing a review of this album by UK based Celtic fusion band Flutatious. Watch out for that one. You can purchase the album here: http://www.flutatious.co.uk/store/

Review over Cappuccino

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 In this edition: Nua,
Jonathan Kershaw and Eclipse

NUA

Making waves: Irish/Scottish Traditional Music, Experimental, Fusion trio from Toronto Canada.

NUA came up with an auspicious debut in a form of an EP. It gives us the taste of what this trio can offer not just today but also in future releases. These are clean, crisp tunes  that sparkle with precision and showmanship. The audio quality is something get excited about. The surface sound of every instrument is captured giving us a degree of nuance and atmosphere.

The EP starts with Fizzbuzz which showcases the thunderous bodhran playing of Jacob McCauley and the invigorating strums of Graeme McGillivray on guitar. These sounds are sliced up with James M Law’s luminous playing on fiddle. That fiddle simply sparkles in all of the tracks.

The Draw is perhaps what one would call a ‘carrier single’ due to its upfront rhythm and fast paced characteristic that draws influences from Jazz, Folk and even World. Here, Jacob McCauley’s bodhran becomes emotive, giving us an impression that this percussion has finally reached its tonal height and is capable of being a lead instrument. We have to remember, Jacob plays different types of bodhrans including those custom made by Christian Hedwitschak. This is a tune that’s guaranteed to get you dancing.

Martin’s Yellow Tea Pot has that folk pop quality that waltzes on you like a sunny  afternoon. We hear exquisite chord structures as well as interesting changes of rhythms. The guitar has a crunchy sound that really keeps everything together.

The Hijack is a perfect track to close the EP. It has all the elements of how ripe talents should sound like. Confidence, experimentation and cohesiveness are traits of what a good album should possess-and they are all here. If they are able to come up with a full  sound  in this 4 track EP, just imagine what a complete album would be like. You would be missing a huge part of your musical life if you don’t get this EP!

About NUA:

NUA is an innovative new trad trio, bringing a fresh and unique sound to traditional music, creating their own distinctive flavour with both original and traditional compositions from Ireland and Scotland. Based in Toronto, Canada, NUA consists of three award-winning members: fiddle player James M Law, guitarist Graeme McGillivray and bodhrán player Jacob McCauley. The interaction between the three
e is what really makes the music shine, whether it be their soaring melodies or tasteful grooves. The trio is also well known for their exciting incorporation of odd time signatures and polyrhythms, which give the music an electrifying lift and spontaneity.

Each member adds their own distinctive sound and influence to the music. Although they are a trio with a sole melody player, the brilliant multi-tasking of each member is demonstrated countless times with perhaps a guitar-driven flat-picked melody, rhythmic fiddle playing, or melodic bodhrán playing to add to the mix. The ability for each member to take on multiple roles is one of the staples of NUA. This adds to a thrilling live experience, and a “you just don’t know what’s coming next” approach!

NUA released their first EP on November 12th 2012 and they are currently beginning work on their full-length debut album to be released in 2013.

Helpful links:

http://trionua.bandcamp.com/album/ep

https://www.facebook.com/TRIONUA?fref=ts

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“Bizarre Tales”

 

Now for something dark and Celticky…

If you are ready for something seductive, atmospheric and emotionally charged Celtic fusion music, then you better give  Jonathan Kershaw a listen. Everything he does points to Renaissance music in the vein of Dead can Dance. There are also Celtic folk  and Viking influences embellished with subtle atmospherics. The guitars are gentle and the female vocals are mysterious. There are other instruments like the cello.This album kept me up all night while I did my usual blogging and it has that quality of being un intrusive but at the same time with the right volume, creates a full-house of soundtracky experience.
Band personals:

Jonathan Kershaw – guitars, percussion
Laura Fauvel – vocals, some flute
Karina McGrath – vocals
Chris Jones – other instrumentation

In the words of Jonathan Kershaw:
The sound of this album was (in it’s inception) clearly supposed to be sat firmly in the traditions of Celtic folk music. Evident in the rich, flowing guitar lines intertwined with flute and violin, ringing pedal sounds and the sometimes rather ominous bodhrans.

However, somewhere along the line, the link was clearly stretched beyond its traditional boundaries. Jonathan’s love of music from outside this area becomes apparent with strange colourings from elements of classical, baroque music and dare I even say it, hard rock!

As a result, the album maintains a curious, ethereal feel of mysticism throughout as it moves through pieces in a variety of emotions:
Album Details
Artist:     Jonathan Kershaw     From the dark, pounding introduction of “The Demeter” and “Crossing the Third Sea” to the sensual stories and thoughts of “Never Love an Angel”, “Sandwalkers” and “Clocks & Mirrors” (with vocals courtesy of guest vocalists Laura Fauvel and Karina McGrath); the light, joyful melodies of “Lotus Corset” and the jig-like “The Green Man” to the comedy of “Rat Run” or “The Alchemist’s Penny” and the ever- increasing power of the centre piece “Andrasta”.

New album “Bizarre Tales” available now!
Celtic folk – Traditional – Acoustic rock

Here is the link to the music store where you can listen to samples: http://www.jonkershawmusic.co.uk/region_select.htm

Web: http://www.jonkershawmusic.co.uk
Email: mailto:jon@jonkershawmusic.co.uk

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Eclipse

It’s Christmas Now!

They  are singer/songwriters originally from Edinburgh, Scotland but currently live in CT, USA .  They call themselves Eclipse:twin sisters Nell and Trish and their brother Matt Wilkie.

The strong vocal harmonies and percussive arrangements make this holiday album a joy to have. It has an almost African, Mid-Eastern and Reggae vibe to it. There are modern and traditional tracks. Oh Christmas Now is traditional but this is the first time I’ve heard of this one.It seems the artists behind Eclipse have this thing for the obscure. They also have this characteristic of delivering strong and crisp vocal mixes.

There are four official members but a total of eleven people contributed their talents in creating this album. The mixing is amazing because you can even hear the surface sound of every instrument. That is how crystal clear It’s Christmas Now ! is. I am really choosy when it comes to holiday albums because I like my music loud. And I like to bring it anywhere too. And I am a total show off!

I like a holiday album that doesn’t sound ‘like Christmas’. You know what I mean? It has to be something that you can play for all seasons and doesn’t sound out of place. It’s Christmas Now! is one example of an album that can be at home in any part of the year. And yes, listening to this one makes you feel warm and cozy.

Trivia: According to the band, they were particularly proud of “ Christmas in our Hearts “, (track 6), which they wrote for their family back in Edinburgh and their arrangement of “Auld Land Syne” (track 12)

Here is the link to the store where you can buy the CD: http://www.celticmusicradio.net/eclipse-its-christmas-now/

You can also listen to the samples here: http://www.eclipse-bandllc.com/

Helpful links:

The CD is available at:

Patrick D’Arcy:Pure Pipes (Interview)

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Also in this edition: Eve Mctelenn, The Whistling Tree and Will Tun & The Wasters.

 

From Dublin Ireland to California, Patrick D’Arcy maintained the soul of the uilleann pipes and other wind instruments …making one realize that it is innate passion , not geography that keeps the spirit of the music alive.

Patrick D’Arcy

This week’s featured artist is the smooth man of the uilleann pipes, Patrick D’Arcy. I was literally captivated by his album Wallop the Spot that I had to get his ideas into cyber print for everyone’s pleasure. The album cover shows the charismatic musician grinning away from the camera to his left. The immaculate  instrument is poised ready to be played. Oxford Dictionaries define Wallop as : to strike or hit very hard(verb) or a heavy blow or punch (noun). The title speaks for the album. I think the notes are given more volume and mass with the absence of other instruments. You can literally feel as if each note  is being punched out of the instrument. He made the pipes very intimate giving a lot of angles to be appreciated including the drones. I enjoyed this conversation with Patrick and I hope you do as well.

The uilleann pipes became a star instrument in your hands. What kind of techniques have you developed so far after years of playing?

Thank you Baxter! I don’t think I do anything unusual as far as technique on the instrument goes. I use traditional techniques I’ve picked up over they years from other players and teachers by attending schools like The Willie Clancy Summer School in Clare, Ireland, and also by attending Tionól all over the US. These techniques would include cuts, rolls, triplets, crans and various other finger manipulations to trick the reed into believing that it’s supposed to be playing music and not standing dead in a marsh in California somewhere. Where these techniques are placed in relation to the beat would effect greatly the feel of the tune being played. Also the tempo at which the tune is played. I enjoy a less hurried pace to the music, trying to find feeling in tunes rather than just the thump on the floor.

You are very active in terms of networking with other musicians and creating piping sessions all over California. Has there been a dramatic change in terms of audience attendance now that it is so easy to network with listeners all over the web?

Not that I’ve noticed. When I began it was just before the onslaught of the internet anyway, the early 90’s, so I’ve always been able to email with other like-minded psycho’s. There was a great message board called The Uilleann Pipes Information List where everyone with access to a computer from complete beginners to pipemakers could share thought’s, ideas and opinions and gather information. I suppose people don’t seem as far away as they used to. Nowadays everything is available online. Every rare bit of footage and recording is there to be found and downloaded. It’s overwhelming really the amount of material there is out there. It is a matter of finding what you like and learning it intensely which will lead on to other musician’s and styles. Everything leads to something else.

What has been most memorable experience you had making Wallop the Spot?


Wallop The Spot album
by Patrick D’Arcy

Going for taco’s with Bryan Dobbs, my producer. I like food, but he is intensely into traditional Latino food. A place close to him is a small chain called Rigo’s Taco. After a day of recording we would refuel there and return to the studio for the rest of the night. Also, the recording got me back into listening to music. I hadn’t consciously been listening to traditional music for a while apart from the CD’s I have in my car on rotation at all times. Tommy Peoples, Tommy Reck, Bobby Casey, Willie Clancy and Darach Ó Catháin.
Every time I drive they are playing.
And as I live in Los Angeles, California, that would appear to be quite a bit!

 What’s your favorite track(s) off the album? And why?

I like tracks 2 (The Hag with the Money, The High Part of the Road,The Girl from the Big House ), 3 (The Green Fields of America) and 12 (My Bonny Blue Eyed Lassie). I love playing airs on the pipes and particularly these two. They seem epic to me. I also like track 4, (An Buachaill Dreóite), on the C whistle. It has a nice skip to it that I like. I was very happy with how the pipes recorded, especially the B set… there’s some whack off them! We spent a lot of time getting the sound right. I wanted to reproduce an authentic sound that allowed the listener to experience the pipes in a way that the player usually only gets to enjoy, like you are inside the instrument feeling the reeds buzzing all around you.

 Being Irish and now residing in the United States, do you keep a strong bond with your friends and fellow musicians in Ireland?

I like to think so. It is hard enough due to the distance but, like we were talking about earlier, the internet helps. Everyone is on Facebook so at least we get to see, silently sometimes, what each-other is up to. It is always nice to get together with people when I go home on holiday or on tour. Time can be limited but it’s an important part of those trips.

Having a tune at the Grand Ole Opry. — with Ricky Skaggs and Keith and Kristyn Getty at Grand Ole Opry.

 If you were given a chance to collaborate with another musician for a side project, whom would you like to work with and why?

Wow! … Liam Howlett of The Prodigy! … I think there could be some mad music made in that collaboration 🙂 I have so much admiration for other traditional Irish musician’s that I would be reluctant to impose my musicianship on them! I’d love to get a good trad band together though. It’s very hard thing to do in Los Angeles as there aren’t that many players and they’re all doing their own thing. Having said that though we do have a nice couple of sessions each week that I enjoy. Particularly the one at Timmy Nolan’s in Toluca Lake, my regular Tuesday night session. It is so important for publican’s to be enthusiastic about the music. The owner there is and takes very good care of us. It makes the atmosphere better and the music too! I love it when traditional musician’s from other cultures get together and come up with a hi-bred. Like Spillane, Irvine, Whelan and Parov did with Eastwind or Caoimhin O’Raghallaigh does with Swedish music. Liam O’FLynn also did it with Carlos Nuñez and the Galician tradition. I think Indian music would be a great combination with Irish music, maybe because of the drone commonality? I have had a the great pleasure of playing with Vikash and Prabash Maharaj from Varanasi, India. They are a father and son duo on sarod and tabla. They are consummate musicians – it would be very interesting to record something with them. I also like playing with bluegrass musicians and have had the privilege of playing with some of the best in Nashville like Ricky Skaggs, Ron Block, Andy Leftwich and Ross Holmes. It just grooves in a different way that can be interesting sometimes.

Pat that’s really a good idea…collaboration keeps creativity flowing! So what will we see you doing in the next few months?

I have a Christmas tour coming up with modern hymn writers Keith & Kristyn Getty http://www.gettymusic.com – It begins the end of November and runs until just before Christmas. There are rehearsals between now and that beginning. I am promoting my CD “Wallop The Spot” like crazy and it’s going very well. If you are a radio show host or write album reviews please contact me!
The official website of modern hymn writers Keith and Kristyn Getty
www.gettymusic.com

In January I will be reassessing what to do next. Possibly a house concert/folk club tour? Any venues interested please contact me also.

Please complete this sentence: Music is………………………………………………………..

…what I am. All my life I’ve been eaten up with it… I’m just happy it’s not a disease… or is it!?!!? I wonder if there’s a generic medicine I can take to help cure it 😉

Parting words to your readers and fans?

Thanks for all the support! It is always so nice to meet people when I am out playing that know of my music. Please come up and say hello when I am in your town. And spread the word! <subtle hint>You know Christmas is coming up 😉 </subtle hint>

 Patrick is performing all over California. If you have the time please visit his sites below and also buy Wallop the Spot as a step in getting to know the uilleann pipes.

Other resources

Please visit his bandcamp page : http://patrickdarcy.bandcamp.com/

Video samples:

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Featured video: Will Tun & The Wasters live @ the Baz Bunker, Norwich.

Ok these guys are crazy! I mean crazy as in fun and amazing. A big thank you to Will Tun and The Wasters for sending me the link to their live video via twitter. It made my morning. Yes yes yes good spirits.

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Post Halloween Amusement: JACK O LANTERN STORY by Eve Mctelenn – jack à la lanterne

Those who frequent the Celtic Harp Facebook page aren’t strangers to Eve Mctelenn’s music. This one is a fine example on how story telling and music can enchant and inspire. Yes this is done in French but it doesn’t matter if you don’t understand. Just Listen…and listen..and you will love the sounds and the music. I am serious.

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Featured site: The Whistling Tree

This is a new site devoted to those who want to learn and share the music of the tin whistle. The creator of this page is concentrating more on twitter feeds for now. But with more members, things will definitely change. Better hit the ‘like’ button 😀

https://www.facebook.com/TheWhistlingTree

https://twitter.com/WhistlingTree