It is a great year for the Isle of Man. The Celtic telescope points that way. A huge effort has been place in getting the music and art of the people into the scene.  I am always glad to receive updates from anything  Manx. Let me tell you that there are two sites now which I consider as best references for anything you need. And if you are a band, it is the best time to collaborate with musicians from this region because the best sound always comes from these collaborations. For instance, Jaime Smith of Jamie Smith’s Mabon has been working with local musicians and they are able to come out with something interesting. The new project is Barrule. I will let the video do the talking for you and later on you can talk among yourselves ok?

Members: Jamie Smith – Piano Accordion, Tom Callister – Fiddle, Adam Rhodes – Bouzouki.

Hometown: Isle of Man

Description:

During the Manx festival ‘Shennaghys Jiu’ in 2011, musicians Jamie Adam and Tom came together to play a one-off concert in Ramsey. It soon became apparent that they enjoyed playing together and the audience really enjoyed listening to them, so they decided to do it again!

Playing a mixture of traditional and new Manx music, Barrule hope to bring music and songs from the Isle of Man to new audiences across the globe.

The trio are currently in the process of writing and recording a new album, scheduled for release later this year. The CD will feature guest musicians from the Isle of Man and further afield.

Fiddle player and multi-instrumentalist Tom Callister has established himself as one of the leading Manx musicians, despite being only nineteen years old. Tom has spent the last year studying traditional music on Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides and has just finished recording his debut solo album, produced by the renowned Scottish musician Matheu Watson.

Here are the best sites for Manx Music:

http://www.manxmusic.com/

http://www.ynchruinnaght.com