I was already aware when their new album dropped. But I haven’t caught the blogging momentum yet at the time. But things have changed lately.
This is HUGE because any Altan release is always worth celebrating and talking about. While most bands in their category have either stopped recording or changed direction musically, they remain obstinate in their passion and vision. They’re like a home you want to come home to when all the world’s in chaos.
Thirteen tunes comprise The Gab of Dreams. Here’s the blurb taken from their release:
“After thirty years of playing on stages all over the world from Dublin to New York, Tokyo to Sydney, premier traditional Irish band, Altan came back to the hills of Donegal to record their new album, The Gap Of Dreams. The 13 tracks transport the listener to the lifestyle of rural Donegal, to a time before electricity when folks would gather together in the mists of winter to tell stories, sing songs and dance into the wee hours of the night. The music lifted the locals’ spirits and helped elevate them beyond the hardships of the day like famine, conflict and emigration.”
“The title The Widening Gyre appeals to us and depicts the spiral of life, widening and embracing the new. It has an innate energy. We think that idea is reflected in the album’s music,” says Mairéad.
Every Altan release is defined by craft and experience. The Widening Gyre is no exception. It just goes to prove that Altan continues to feel the excitement and growth of their music after being together for so many years. Batch mates include Clannad and the Domhnaill siblings (and you see them together in concerts and tours occasionally). Maggie’s Pancakes is the first single off The Widening Gyre which was presented on the RTE One sessions. The music is irresistible which is something that Altan have given us through the years. I have read so many positive reviews and my newsfeed is flowering with links posted by fans of the band.
At the centre of this artistic band is the fiddler extraordinaire Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh. I follow her on social media not solely for her talent but also for her advocacy. She is a staunch supporter of causes that matter in Ireland and the world. She is really outspoken with her beliefs. Traditional Irish musicians have been pigeonholed as people who are just mainly concerned with the stye of music that they’re playing – which is reasonable given the kind of discipline that goes to the mastery of the instruments. But this revelation proves that the traditional music community is constantly evolving comprising of people who are forward thinkers and visionaries. It is a great genre with great people around it.
So if you have not yet gotten your copy of The Widening Gyre by Altan, you better get one! The music will embrace you and keep you happy through troubled times.
My post Halloween special featuring The Hothouse Flowers on autodj and special guest Kyle Carey joins us on an interview in the Celtic music hour. More goodies on the indie variety show.
Compass: Dreamy and energetic tunes from the magical sisters of Celtic music.
Sounds like: Mozart, Secret Garden, Anuna, Altan and Riverdance.
Track listing:
1. Compass 2. Water is Wide 3. The Landing 4. Solid Ground 5. Guinevere 6. Call and the Answer 7. Fairy Dance Jig 8. The Whistling Gypsy Rover 9. A Song for Lark 10. Feast of the Elven King 11. Danny Boy 12. Flying Sails
The great thing about doing Celtic music podcasts is the opportunity to reach more ears and to spread the beauty that;s Celtic music. Also, the idea of relaxing and still want to play Celtic tunes to get that inspiration moving. This is what happened yesterday. I got the time to listen to the album of the Gothard Sisterscalled Compass. It’s their new album. What is different about this one is the energy they put so much in their recording performance.
There are slow tunes especially the traditional ones like Danny Boy but most of the tracks are electrical in their execution. Take for instance the third one called The Landing. That one literally stopped me from my idle listening and sent me to perform my improvised step dancing. I was so amazed how music can do that. Especially when it is performed with so much passion that the music dictates your feelings.
Compassis an exciting album. As the title suggests, it’s all about gravitational attraction as the compass signifies the direction to the magnetic field of the earth . It tells us what direction to take. The sisters have done well in recording this beautiful album. I hope more ears will hear. It will be a shame if such a gem of a recording would go unnoticed. They can make Lord of the Dance have a run of their money. Check it out. I already featured the title track in my first Celtic Music podcast and I will be featuring more of them. Yes more and more until you remember to get out there and buy Compass.
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Huzzah!
I am running a
Win an album “The Calling” by MÉAV
contest!!!!
So watch out for my announcement. The winner will receive Meav’s autographed album .
Conor Lamb took the time to talk about the music of the trio Réalta between touring.
I can close my eyes and get lost in the music of Réalta. There is something sublime about it. A quality that revive the spirit and soothes the mind. Open The Door For Three is what I would call as an auspicious album.The maturity and confidence of the trio are showcased in every track. I am glad to discover that Conor Lamb took the time to answer questions. It is also an honor to have him as our featured artist of the week representing Réalta.
Open The Door For Three is one of the amazing releases this year. How did you three decide to create this album?
Ha, deciding to create the album is the easy part… actually doing it is the difficult bit! We had been playing together for a few years and we had some nice sets worked out so it just made sense to try and capture that moment in time and get it recorded. We put a lot of work into the album so it means a lot to us when people enjoy it, so thanks very much, glad you like it.
Realta toured with Altan. Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh made an amazing recommendation of the band. How was the experience touring with Mairead and the rest of Altan?
Simply fantastic. Of course for all of us Altan have been a big influence on our music and their albums have always held a prominent place on our CD collection, so to tour with the band was a great experience. They really are a brilliant bunch of people… and you REALLY get to know people when you are on the road for a month! We had many a long chat about music and a few singing sessions into the early hours so an all round great experience. Mairead told us how Altan have always made a point of promoting Donegal songs and tunes and that we should try and do the same for our part of the world. I think this is a great point and one that we have taken on board. On that tour we were also away the excellent band The Outside Track and a singer/storyteller/matchmaker Willie Daly and again these were all a great bunch so we couldn’t have asked for better.
Picking up a favorite is hard because everything in this album is beautiful. But during a blind choice my finger landed on the beautiful air called Sliabh Geal gCua. Please tell me more about this track.
Glad you like it. Like many Irish airs, Sliabh Geal gCua originates as a song. This piece was written by Pádraig Ó Míléadha, who was born in Waterford and emigrated to Wales. The song describes Pádraig’s longing for the mountain close to the homeland where he spent his childhood. It is a tune we always enjoying performing. Do you think The 2010 William Kennedy Piping Festival opened doors for the trio?
Conor, Deirdre and Aaron
Me and Aaron have been going to the festival since we first started playing the pipes. So I think by attending the classes and concerts the festival helped open doors for us long before we could even scrape together the Kesh jig. This is why it was such a big deal for us when we were invited to play there as a band. A thoroughly nerve wreaking experience but also a very enjoyable one. Two uilleann pipers and a female vocalist playing guitar and bouzouki. This is rare in traditional groups. How did you manage to make it work?
You think it works!? Hmm, that’s good to hear. It wasn’t a specific instrumentation line up we had in mind or had a reason for, we just got together to play tunes because we like it. And I think that is a good basis to start upon. To be honest, when you have two pipers in the band it also forces you to be creative with regards to arrangements and this can bring about some very interesting results. Also, I think people generally like the fact that it isn’t very common.
What’s the story behind Deirdre’s unique voice?
Hmm, don’t quite know how to answer that. That is just what she sound like, and we like it.
Tell me more about Aaron O’Hagan who also plays the bodhrán.
I have been friends with Aaron since we first started learning the pipes so we go back a long way. He is a great all round musician and also a brilliant pipe maker and reed maker. He studied at an instrument making course over in England and has been producing some great sets since. When you have two sets of pipes in the band it is great to have someone with his skills help keep the things working and in tune together.
You can also get the album from CDBaby.com and Amazon, but it is best to go direct to our own website. Also, if you like the tunes, please say hello on our facebook page www.facebook.com/realtamusic Conor, you manage to be an amazing band spokesperson. How do you keep it together?
With great difficulty. Haha, only joking everyone plays their part in the band.
What are you and the rest of the band expect this year musically?
We have a few nice things coming up. We are just back from a two-week tour in Denmark, and over the summer we have festival gigs planned in Greece, Belgium, Netherlands and Brittany. Check out our website for the details.
The world is getting a taste of the wonderful artists coming form Northern Ireland. This is an exciting year for Northern Irish artists. What’s your shout out to your fellow Northern Irish and also the rest of the listening crowd?
The amount of musical talent coming out of North and Ireland in general is superb. There are so many great new CDs coming out I simply can’t keep up. Certainly from the Belfast / Antrim direction a few names to keep an eye out for are At First Light, Craobh Rua, Brendan Mulholland, Grainne Holland, Ioscaid… the list goes on. The music is in safe hands.
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Huzzah!
Have a listen to this track written by Brendan Phelan and Performed by John Breen with Steven Collins on Mandolin. Such a soothing song with a beautiful message.
Celtic Music Fan 