The Led Farmers: They have a likability that is instant. The music is full of vigour and wonderful melodies.
The Led Farmers’ website says they are touring around Europe but they will start their North American tour in the last part of August. There is no doubt they will fill venues with their energetic sound and a style that is homegrown as it is punk with its rebelliousness.
Katie is the latest album that landed on my speakers from Ireland. Caution: Their music encourages you to get up and move. . So who are they? The band is comprise of the following:Brendan ‘Dog’ Walsh: Banjos. Ross O’Farrell: Bass. Glenn Malone: Drums. Shay Long: Guitar.
Share the Wealth is the latest single off the album. The music video shows the band playing in what appears to be a living room. There is an alternate scene(acted by the band members) of what looks like a money-lender making deals over the phone. First client comes in and signs a contract. He hands it back to the man who tears it up and laughs at his face while smoking a cigar.Then another appears, same thing happens but this time he puts an X on the paper to the dismay of the other guy. Third guy gets his paper crumpled. In the end he receives a termination letter. He packs his stuff and walks out of his office. Outside, he meets the men he conned. Their expressions say:” See what happens to greedy people?”
What I like about them as a band? The reviewers are right. They have this likeability factor. They’ve got what you need in a superstar Irish band: Sound, looks, and stage presence. Any banjo fan will rejoice as this recording highlights the instrument very well. Guitars and bass have their moments. The drums are also mixed in a way that it doesn’t sound too aggressive especially in the faster tracks.
Row by Row is my favorite as of the moment. It has all the elements of a timeless tune. The voices of the quartet blend well and I love the counter points in the chorus section. But this is not to say that is the only stand out track. There are many more. From Share the Wealth which introduces the mood of the album, to their beautiful remake of Star of the County Down, the funky Space to their rendition of traditional Irish music- everything you look for in an excellent Irish pop rock album is here.
Yes Katie is an album of fast tunes, but Foggy Dew and Ragland Road prove that they can be masters of haunting ballads.
Read the press release that follows:
Biography:
The Led Farmers are an Indie Irish Folk Rock band from Ireland. The group boasts a two-time All Ireland Music champion and many of it’s members have studied music at University level. They have toured the U.S. and Europe and are becoming one of Ireland’s best-loved live acts. 2015 saw them play over 80 concerts and 2016 looks to be something similar. While they love to play the Irish folk classics it is their own songs and fresh new arrangements of folk music that has seen them get attention of late. Their spontaneous nature and friendliness on the stage makes them a very entertaining live band.
What the media says:
‘The Led Farmers are the kind of act that you just want to see go far, they have a likeability factor and stage presence that just completely enhances their performance and makes them so distinctive in comparison to so many trad/folk groups out there at the moment’ – Dublin Concerts reviews
‘According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, the word ‘fresh’ has the following meaning: having its original qualities unimpaired, full of or renewed in vigor and not worn or rumpled… and here comes a band that seems to fit the bill… they are infectious likeably and distinctive, these are lads you might indeed want to join for a pint or two’ – Irish American News
‘The Led Farmers preserve the tradition of their own native songs while adding a decidedly unique perspective to it. I can see that if The Led Farmers can persist like the Clancy Brothers did. Maybe in 20 or 30 years it may be said that they helped set the new standard for traditional Irish Music’ – Paddy Rock
‘I like the vibe of The Led Farmers. They have an acoustic sound that reminds me of Dexys Midnight Runners. These lads have an energy and style that takes up where the Pogues left off’ – Christy McNamara
Calan bring together the remarkable talents of 5 young musicians giving a fresh and vibrant sound to traditional Welsh music. With a contemporary and lively approach they breathe new life into the old traditions through their sparkling melodies, foot tapping tunes and spirited and energetic performances of Welsh step dancing. They blast their way through some of the old favourite reels, jigs and hornpipes with fast paced and uplifting arrangements before melting into some of the most beautiful and haunting songs. -The Calan Website.
Calan. I like the name. It possesses that pagan sound which calls to mind dragons, druids and the beauty of the Welsh mythology. It is also a term associated with Welsh feasts as in Calan Mai (1st day of May) which is the equivalent of Gaelic Beltane.
Patrick Rimes plays for this band. He has mastered the fiddle, bagpipes, pibgorn, whistle and trombone . Calan approach the Welsh traditional music scene with freshness, vigor and a fashion sense.
Like the power of the fire-breathing dragon, these guys swoop down to the scene with such intensity and hypnotic grace. I saw several videos of their performance and they always leave the audience with jaw dropping impression. Calan have joined the ranks of top Celtic players all over the world and Wales is once again at the center stage of the music scene. Like any knight haunting for the mythical dragon, I got help from their manager Huw Williams who helped me get in touch with Patrick Rimes. Now we will know Calan at this point and I am sure people who read this will want to know and listen more to this band.
Patrick Rimes – fiddle, bagpipes, pibgorn, whistle, trombone
Angharad Siân Jenkins – fiddle
Bethan Rhiannon – main vocal, accordion and step dancing
Alaw Ebrill Jones – harps
Llinos Eleri Jones – harp, triple harp
Sam Humphries – guitar
Alex Moller – percussion, drums
Promo band picture
What were the challenges faced in making a sophomore album?
It wasn’t exactly the usual affair of “2nd album syndrome” where you
have to cobble something together dead quick – Sain records were
obviously keen for us to release it sooner rather than later but we’d
had plenty of time since ‘bling’ so the majority of the tracks were a
part of the regular set.
Bling was highly successful and it received a lot of praises. Has this experience made you guys feel that it was a tough condition trying to live out to the debut’s success?
I don’t think we felt too much pressure from others – but for
ourselves we wanted to create something that demonstrated how much
we’ve developed since then. Bling came out when we were still surviving
on the cute factor to some extent, and I think it reflects that – quite
rough in places and full of fun. We’ve grown up a bit now (but not too
much!) and needed something that we could look back on in 20 years time
and hopefully not cringe too much!
The pibgorn in Wales
I describe your music as vibrant and stylishly appealing. Are you guys aware that you are contributing something fresh to the traditional scene?
It’s great to be able to take Welsh traditional music to English
festivals maybe 20 minutes drive from the border and play this stuff to
people who’ve never heard anything like it before. We’re always in
search of that ‘Welsh sound’, to which the harp contributes an awful
lot, but the tunes are really distinctive. Bizarrely, it seems that
Wales itself is the least keen appreciate its own music – people are
just so determined to listen to crap all the time.
You play different instruments with the band. One of them is the pibgorn which I find fascinating. How did you master this instrument.
The pibgorn was a 10th birthday present, which I nagged my mum into
getting for me after seeing acts like Crasdant and Pibau Bach – I
paraded it round school the next day and could only make a horrific
whining sound! As an enthusiastic member of the schools recorder
ensemble, it was only really the breath control that was a problem
(fingering patterns are almost identical), and that’s always a constant
battle. Trombone playing certainly helps, but I really wish I could
circular breathe like Crasdant’s Stephen Rees.
How smoothly did the recording of Jonah go and why the title?
Since we’d been playing most of the stuff live for about a year, some
tracks went down very easily indeed, however it wouldn’t be a proper
fortnight of recording without the panic meetings and hasty preparation
of extra numbers in the studio lounge! Me and Alex the drummer also
spent several nights sleeping in the studio, which was pretty rock ‘n
roll – comfiest place I’d recommend is Dafydd’s (the boss) office!
After we’d finished recording and listened back, the song Jonah stuck
out as one of the flagship tracks and seemed an obvious choice for an
album name. We still had a longwinded discussion over a pizza and came
up with some very naff alternatives, but I’m pleased we made the right
choice!
Margaret Dudasik
fiddle/vocals/low whistle/dancing feet
Blaithin Loughran
accordion
Bernadette Flanagan
piano/bodhran/dancing feet
Pamela Geraghty
accordion/vocals/guitar
Emily McShane
piano/vocals/bodhran/guitar
Girsa-A combination of beautiful instruments and voices in the veins of Alysson Krauss and Solas. These young women have what it takes to charm even the jaded listeners with their energetic but at times calming music. I’d like to thankChristi Broersma for bringing this band to my attention. Girsa—pronounced geer-sha and meaning “young girls ” in Gaelic—is a group of eight Irish American teenagers wholive in and around Pearl River in Rockland County(the same place where Mary Fahlcame from). . Instrumentation includes fiddle, accordion, whistle, mandolin, piano, and guitar. Two band members are also dancers. Immigrant Eyes is a track recorded and rendered with clarity and control. It is Irish but at the same time American. It is also one song that Guy Clarke recorded in 1993 for his Old Friends album. The lyrics:
Oh Ellis Island was swarming
Like a scene from a costume ball
Decked out in the colors in Europe
And on fire with the hope of it all
There stood my father’s own father stood huddled
With the tired and hungry and scared
Turn of the century pilgrims
Bound by the dream that they shared
They were standing in lines just like cattle
Poked and prodded and shoved
Some were one desk away from sweet freedom
Som were were torn from someone they love
Through this sprawling tower of babel
Came a young man confused and alone
Determined and bound for America
And carryin’ everything that he owned
Chorus
Sometimes when I look in my grandfather’s Immigrant Eyes
I see that day reflected and I can’t hold my feelings inside
I see starting with nothing and working hard all of his life
So don’t take it for granted say grandfather’s Immigrant Eyes
Now he rocks and stares out the window
But his eyes are still just as clear
As the day he sailed through the harbor
And come ashore on the island of tears
My grandfather’s days are numbered
But I won’ t let his memory die
‘Cause he gave me the gift of this country
And the look in his Immigrant Eyes
I swear this song made it hard for me to see the computer screen because I was trying hard to fight back the tears. Such sweet and sad song. I don’t know about you lads but if there is one song that’s really worth listening to as we think about the blessings we have in our lives and how those before us have given their blood, sweat and tears to bring us to where we are now then this is that perfect soundtrack. As the year draws to an end this is an eye-opener. And we should give love to one another as intensely as we can while we are still alive and while we are still capable of giving that love. because through all the pain let us find comfort in everyone in this cold mad world.
One of the great success stories of the Australian music scene.
When you are needing something to spice up you morning cappuccino, or a companion to your Earl Grey tea at night Sahara is the perfect music for your best moments. With musicianship that has been distilled by time and space, you are an audience to the best duo in this music category. Dave Long has one of the rare gorgeous male vocals in the tradition of Sting and Steve Winwood. I swear I could go on for hours and hours being hypnotized by tracks like No Man’s Land, Higher Than High, and Make My Day. I’m sure no one would question Trish long’s expertise with the sax and other instruments apart from the fact that she has a voice that could rival Celine Dion’s yet has the Irish gorgeousness.
According to their bio:
Sahara is the award winning singer/songwriter team Trish and Dave Long who met in their hometown Dublin in the eighties before migrating to Australia where they have toured extensively performing to sell out audiences. Before leaving Ireland they had performed in many of Dublin’s music venues eg. The Baggot Inn, The Meeting Place, Slattery’s, Dame Tavern and Trinity College, and alongside some of the Irish household names such as Brendan Grace, Red Hurley, Linda Martin, Errol Walsh, Freddie White, Declan Sinnott and Kieran Halpin.
I hear traces of Van Morrison, Bruce Hornsby and Traffic. If you love something that teeters between classic folk/rock, Celtic and jazz then Sahara is a perfect soundtrack.
Celtic Music Fan 