These days I feel I am a bit behind my usual posts. You know why? It is because I am getting updates from left to right. There are amazing artists and the scene is flowering like never before. The support for young acts is tremendous if you think of all the forums and facebook groups sprouting in hordes. I met amazing people in The Celtic Link forum lately and it is really a fun experience when you get info from the musicians themselves rather than just getting your news material from writings and other reviews.
Yesterday I featured Welsh band Fernhill. Now I am going to present Calan, which I mentioned came from the same source. This band is not only slick in their interpretation of traditional music but also they have a knack for representing themselves in a way that leaves an impression to first time listeners. It is remarkable how bands these days not only take advantage of technology but also the way they represent themselves image wise.
Calan released their debut album “Bing ” in 2008 and since then they attracted warm responses from critics. Tours, rave reviews and enthusiastic audience are around always looking for more music that these guys can take out like pancakes. The new album is called Jonah. Listen to sound samples here: http://www.calan-band.com/english/music.html
Band members:
Patrick Rimes – fiddle, bagpipes, pibgorn, whistle, trombone
Angharad Siân Jenkins – fiddle
Bethan Rhiannon – main vocal, accordion and step dancing
“Since we are now a band based in Germany, Scotland and Ireland, a lot of travel is involved in live gigs and it feels like a long distance relationship. So the title reflects that, but it also reflects about how we feel about the new band members. “
The history of knowing this band came from a conversation I had with my friend Tim. He gave me the link to the track called Rain. The name of the album is Long Distance Love. There’s something about the track and the title of the album that made me look for the band online and learn more. They struck a personal chord inside. I think they did the same to countless listeners out there who might have found something to connect. Be it the personal messages of the songs or the well researched s background of each track that makes you take the band seriously. A week ago, Jimmy gave me a copy of their album In Colour (their debut album) . Now I have two Cara albums. One I got from the band courtesy of band member/bodhran player Rolf Wagels. He was teaching bodhran over the weekend when he got my interview.
1. How did Cara came to be? What made you guys sit down and form a band?
Rolf: We had been friends for years, and met through sessions and festivals in Germany. We always said: We should do something together, but it took until 2003 until it happened. After Claus and Sandra had left due to family commitments, we looked for two new members. I knew Ryan Murphy from a festival in Ireland, that I attend to teach Bodhran and Cara had played a gig there as well, so the other members knew him too. So we asked him and he was delighted. Jeana we found through another band we are friends with: Beoga! It was difficult to find somebody that plays piano, a melody instrument and is a strong singer, so we are glad Beoga recommended Jeana.
2. I love the liner notes because there are song commentaries . There’s also a bit of history lesson there. Do you guys make it a point to describe the origin of each song?
Rolf: Yes, the liner notes are important to us. Every song, every tune has a story and we all like to explore the story behind it and then share it with our audience. Also in live shows, we often tell the stories behind the songs and tunes and the audience seems to like that as well.
3.The mood of the whole album is uplifting…even the saddest songs like Rain makes you smile. Are you guys into upbeat tracks or it’s a concept exclusive to Long Distance Love.
Rolf: Well, we are all upbeat people for a start, but we also like sad songs, and songs with murder and tragic. If you look at Sweet Williams Ghost, it’s all about a ghost and the tragedy behind it, and an previous recordings we had songs like “Sailor Boy” where the main character dies as well. But we are not depressive and like the craic 🙂
4.Why the title Long Distance Love?
Rolf: Since we are now a band based in Germany, Scotland and Ireland, a lot of travel is involved in live gigs and it feels like a long distance relationship. So the title reflects that, but it also reflects about how we feel about the new band members.
5. How do you gather materials for recording? Do you research and gather materials before bringing the experiences inside the recording studio or is everything random?
Rolf: Yes, everything is researched and tested before we go into the studio. We try to play a few sets live, to see how they feel, but sometimes things just happen in the studio and if we like that, we keep it. Since we are all so far away from each other, the recording time is precious and you need to be prepared. On the other hand, Juergen Treyz, our guitar player, owns the studio and he does the producing.
6. How do you guys record your songs? What’s the recording studio like, the atmosphere of the place and also the recording gear you use. I can’t help but notice the great deal of sound engineering you do in your works…there must be something there that we , your listeners would be interested knowing about.
Rolf: Juergen Treyz, our guitar player, also has his own studio, the artes recording studio. This is where it’s all happening, Juergen is a well known producer for acoustic music in Germany and he has a lot of experience. If you want to know more details about the equipment used, let me know, I will forward your email to Juergen.
7.What brought Irish/Scottish music into your life?
Rolf: Well, everybody has her/his own story. Gudrun came to the music through her brother who played Irish music, I was on a school orchestra trip to Ireland when I first got in touch with Irish music. Juergen studied guitar, and played Breton music before playing Irish music. Ryan grew up with the music in his homeland Ireland and won 7 all Ireland titles on the pipes. Jeana grew up on the Orkney Islands and studied for a BA (Hons) in Scottish Music at the prestigious Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and won the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award 2008 with her singing partner Siobhan Miller.
8.What are the things that await the band this 2012?
Rolf: We are gathering material for a new album, but I can’t give you an exact date for a release, we are touring a lot, including gigs in Germany, Holland and Italy, and hopefully head to the States and Canada in the second half of the year.
So stay tuned 🙂
P.S. Thanks to Nancie who decided to drop the CD of Long Distance Love inside a bag of a friend as a Christmas gift…and found its way to me. The joy of sharing through music. May the long distance friendship that we share grow into a closer one through the years.
The colors of Autumn are here. And so is the music that fits the season. Don’t you just love it when after a long day you can finally sit down , relax and listen to your favorite Celtic tunes? Right now I am listening to The Battlefield Band, Jamie Smiths MABON, Cleghorn and The Gothard Sisters.
Jamie Smiths MABON are a group I am keeping my ears on lately. They have this contest for listeners to name the new tunes. That’s interesting. The band have been busy with so much musical stuff that it will take so much space if I mention them here. They also have amazing photo shoots and the band have been on the top list of my best computer wallpapers. I’d recommend you visit their website www.jamiesmithsmabon.com
The Gothard Sisters remind me of Pre-Raphaelite models who stepped out of Rossetti’s paintings to charm mortals. They are photogenic that it’s lovely to stare at their album covers. Heard about them when my friend Jimmy posted a video on facebook and he got a lot of comments for that. It’s nice to know that Celtic music has gotten more and more hip and fashionable. The amazing Scarborough Fair video is beautifully conceived and the rich sophisticated playing of the sisters are sure to captivate more ears. I’d say they’re the bomb and everyone needs to listen-and look! http://gothardsisters.weebly.com/
Cleghorn are a band everyone’s been passionate about . They performed at Pirate Days of Texas at Stewart’s Creek Park. I hope you’re able to catch this father and son musical act. If you look at the right widget section of this blog, you will see that I posted the Cleghorn player for fans to have a listen especially this wonderful new track Windswept Girl. It will surely sweep you off your feet. http://store.cleghornmusic.com/
I heard Manran’s single “Latha Math” a few weeks ago and I have to admit it it has become addicting that my day isn’t complete without hearing it. Catchy vocals with driving beat and fresh arrangement you’d think that this has been carefully engineered. But it’s all about 6 friends reuniting together to create the most beautiful and exciting Scottish music around since Capercaillie.
A friend sent me a youtube link to Skerryvore’s Hold Me Tonight taken from the album of the same title. The heartfelt lyrics and beautiful arrangement combine a mood that’s comforting, poignant and reflective. But aside from this wonderful ballad, they play an exciting blend of traditional Scottish music and Rock. Everything about this group is pristine, beautiful and blazing like the golden sunset! Beautiful music to take with you, a soundtrack to your journey. This song is dedicated to my piper friend Tim who stumbled upon the band and introduced the music to us.
SKERRYVORE ARE:
Daniel Gillespie: Accordion
Martin Gillespie: Highland Bagpipes. Scottish Small Pipes, Accordion
Alec Dalglish: Guitar, Vocals
Craig Espie: Fiddle
Fraser West: Percussion
Barry Caulfield: Bass
Additional Members:
Chris Pugh: Trombone, Piano
Douglas West: Trumpet, Guitar
Konrad Wiszniewski: Saxophone
Duncan J Nicholson: Bagpipes & Whistles
Hi CMFs! The month of October is going to be exciting because there will be more music . As the cold season sets in and there are less sunlight , there are people who get moody. Wanna hang out with me? Wanna have a walk on the foggy side? Just listen to my lists of bands and you will know what is it to be in this mind.
To be honest, it’s been more than two years when I set this site up, but whenever I face the screen and start to touch the keyboard, I still don’t feel that confident. I have done interview with musicians-which is easy because I know the formula. But doing something in between. Like covering music or writing a feature is something else. I don’t want this site to be too ‘academic’ not too informal. I also don’t want this to be just a blog where I confess my sins. I want this to be a lot of things. But I really don’t know what to expect after typing away and sending my message in a bottle.
I have been moody all day which explains why I have been away from facebook. If I am there all I’d do is post sad songs and that is not helping either. It’s just something in me that I can’t explain when the season is in transition. There is a risk involved though. I don’t know how many friends are going to be put off by this. It’s the dark months-ah wonderful mysterious time of the year.
My friend Fiach Moriarty is releasing an album and he needs your help. Please go ahead and listen to his songs by visiting his website and his facebook page. I made an interview with him which i enjoyed so much. Fiach is truly a hard working irish musician and he deserves the love:
About a year ago I signed up for www.slicethepie.com, a site where you upload your tracks and allow other members to rate them. If, after a certain period of time, your songs are rated above 75% you qualify for a showcase. I was lucky enough to qualify and got to choose an amount to raise from other members to record my second record. I opted for €3000 which translates as $4000 according to the people who run the website. You can pledge as little as $5 or go up to $500. In exchange for this there are a list of treats such as free gig tickets, signed copies of album, your name on the album sleeve, free download of all tracks on slicethepie.com and more. If the target is not hit, everyone that supported will get a full refund. Check it out here: http://backstage.slicethepie.com/artist/fiach
Moya Brennan, Cormac De Barra LIVE VOICES & HARPS, Liffey Bank Sessions
Ah yes the First lady of Celtic music is promoting her latest album and please please do check it out because it’s worth your money and time. Now is the time to promote Celtic music because I noticed the decrease of sales due to the popularity of mainstream music. So get off your coaches lazy bears and go out there on the street and do your souls a favor by supporting and promoting these artists I mention here. Yes Moya and Cormac will uplift your spirits.
Time:11 October · 20:00 – 23:00
Location:The Grand Social
Created by:Moya Brennan
More info
Moya and harpist, Cormac, continue their series of extraordinary performances.
The colors of Autumn are here. And so is the music that fits the season. Don’t you just love it when after a long day you can finally sit down , relax and listen to your favorite Celtic tunes? Right now I am listening to The Battlefield Band, Jamie Smiths MABON, Cleghorn and The Gothard Sisters.
Celtic Music Fan 