Tracks: 1. Gone Are the Days 2. The Loving Time 3. Glen of Aherlow 4. Longing for Home 5. The Pride of Ireland 6. Oh Rowan Tree 7. Rocky Road to Dublin 8. The Fisherman’s Wife 9. Red Haired Boy 10. Down By the Salley Garden 11. To the Weaver’s We Will Go 12. Wild Mountain Thyme 13. Distant Shores 14. Back Home in Derry 15. Ag Croist an Siol
With the rarity of ballads in Celtic music these days, Sue Borowski finds a refreshing venue to showcase her multi instrumental capabilities. Even though she has no formal training in recording engineering, she arranged, recorded and mixed all the tracks in her basement. In the Celtic Spirit has a unique and inspiring history. Diagnosed with breast cancer, Sue channeled all her creativity into this collection of songs inspired by Ireland and the British Isles. The result is a collection of healing music that became a success story.
You will hear songs that you have missed all these years. Songs like Rocky Road to Dublin, Down by the Sally Garden and Wild Mountain Thyme. This is an album for those who are into vocal music with an easy listening style. Her expressive vibrato makes the fifteen tracks sound human and intimate. No sonic gimmicky kind of approach here. Just down to earth arrangements celebrating love and courtship, family memoires, and love for home and country. My personal favorite is the instrumental track Ag Croist an Siol. It is one of the most moving spiritual pieces in this album.
For fans of Loreena McKennitt, Connie Dover and Karen Matheson, this is a welcomed release. Celtic songs are beautiful, evocative and heart-hurting. It is always important that they are given the proper revival they need. So start listening to this album and sing along. Sing your heart’s content. Sing your pain, joy and love with the brevity of spirit through the celebration of the human voice: the greatest musical instrument!
Sue plays many instruments including guitar, fiddle, mandolin, bouzouki, Irish whistle, bodhran and accordion.
Sue’s love for performing music began at age ten in a Carpatho-Rusyn dance group, a sub-group of the Junior Duquesne University Tamburitzans. For three years she studied the music and traditions of her Slovak/Ukrainian heritage and performed her first solo on-stage at age eleven. In December of 2006 Sue gave her debut performance on the mandolin at the Melody Music Shop’s Holiday Showcase show at Carnegie Music Hall in Homestead, PA. In 2007 she met and auditioned with singer/solo artist, Matt Hughes of “Ar Eigean Gael”. Thus began her journey in the Celtic genre. After two years with Ar Eigean Gael, Sue joined the RichPatrick Celtic Music group as their fiddle and mandolin player, vocalist and guitarist. Sue enjoys playing in acoustic settings with friends around the City of Pittsburgh and most recently has ventured into a solo project under the name of “Steel Clover”.
Silver is the new album by Celtic band Iona. With amazing arrangements of tracks and interesting choices of materials, I am sure listeners would like to hear the ‘behind the scenes’ aspects of this album. And of course, the band as whole. It is quite an achievement to maintain that rush of creativity for decades.Barbara Tresidder Ryan, Bernard Argent, Chuck Lawhorn, James K. Queen and Kathleen Larrick continue to make the music fresh and relevant in today’s generation. I am glad to be able to have a chat with Barbara Tresidder Ryan and the creative force behind the music. There is also a glimpse of her own musical life in the interview. And oh, check out that video at the bottom of this post. She is an amazing player. So are the other members of Iona! So read along and enjoy.
IONA as a band has been around for more than two decades. This is remarkable because it shows the member’s dedication to music! How does it feel releasing the new CD Silver?
Releasing “Silver” was just the natural progression of a long and passionate musical journey. It has been bittersweet in some respects as the power of recorded albums has waned, giving way to the more diffuse acceptance of downloadable music, and the high tide of Celtic music, which peaked in the 90’s and early aughts, recedes. CD sales, which were always a banner of success, are no longer the immediate gratification. That being said, all of us in IONA are thrilled with the album as a production.
I love the music of the Celtic nations and I always make it a point to represent the many colors of the Celtic world. IONA is close to my heart being able to represent the music of the Celtic nations. Do you always make it a point to have this in mind every time you go to the studio to record new tracks for an album?
Celtic music, like Celtic design, has themes that resonate from one culture to the next. Bernard Argent and I set out a long time ago to investigate and pursue the modal and rhythmic themes that wind through the music of ALL the Celts. It’s freeing to launch into the ancient traditions where time signatures don’t have to conform to modern meters but to the movement of dancing feet, or sing a song that is in a mode that doesn’t even have a name! When we choose our material, we do so by ear and what seems to fit together, borrowing from one tradition to complement another – rarely by intention: an Appalachian song just sometimes insists on being coupled with a Galician tune – we can’t argue!
You have danceable tunes as well as ballads in Silver. I love IONA’s take on Dans les Prisons de Nantes which I first heard from Tri Yann. Will we be hearing more Breton music in your upcoming projects?
We always have lots of Breton music in our arrangements. Many thanks to the fabulous Nolwenn Monjarret and her father, Polig, for introducing us to such a wealth of Breton songs, tunes and dances!
Manx music is really fascinating and the track 10 ( Moirney ny Cainle/Arrane y Guilley Hesheree/St. Ives Fer Moh ) is worth an applaud. How do all band members keep the authenticity of the language and a tune being from the United States where English is the primary medium of communication?
Having majored in languages and lived overseas all my young life, I’m attracted to all language sounds. Jim Queen has also taken on language study more recently and has the ear. We both speak French fairly fluently. We are fortunate to have speakers of most of the Celtic languages in the Washington, DC area and are coached by them in the languages with which we aren’t familiar. My background is Cornish and Scottish, and I traveled to Cornwall many years back to consult a Cornish bard on the re-emerging language of Kernow so I could sing with some authenticity.
Your voice is unique because it sounds natural. How did you decide to maintain your vocal style while others want the more operatic, airy kind of voice?
I started out as a folk singer in the 60’s. My mother was from Kentucky and I grew up surrounded by what we knew as American folk music which also happened to be the folk music of the British Isles. A quick aside here to say it’s always been odd to hear, when we’ve toured in Scotland and England, that we’re singing “their” music when I’ve always thought of it s “mine”. I trained for 10 years in my twenties and have used that training to keep my voice strong and healthy, not operatic. At 63, I can sing 4 or 5 shows a day, even acoustically, for days and not tire. I now teach these techniques to singers of all ages.
Your live shows are not just appealing in the listening sense but you also have Celtic dance thrown in the mix. How is IONA different now compared to when you were all starting out?
When we started out, we were playing mostly Irish and Scottish/English music, since that was what we knew from childhood. We traveled a lot and discovered that there was a whole lot more to Celtic music. We played in sessions, contacted musicians from all the “nations”, founded a great Celtic festival, the Potomac Celtic Festival, bringing together all the elements, and just continued to grow as we absorbed all the amazing influences (as you seem to be doing as well!). We have been fortunate over the years to have dancers, who have also been musicians, be part of the band, and to have learned Breton dances that are integral to our performances. Highland dancer Susan Walmsley danced with us for 5 years, followed by Kathleen Larrick who grew up with Irish step dance and clogging, who has been with us for 6 years.
What are the exciting things waiting for all of you in terms of live shows this year?
We’re always working on new material that we’ll be introducing at our shows. This year, we’re not touring too far afield, this being a time for developing arrangements. Our schedule can be found at http://www.ionamusic.com/perform.shtml.
The DVD called Live! At the 333 has been released already. Do you have other DVDs ?
Not at this time, although there is an interesting compilation of 3 different performances of “Dans les prisons de Nantes” available on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALWFAR533oA.
What’s your message to our readers?
Open yourselves to all the Celtic influences around you: listen for the commonality and rejoice in the differences. We’re so lucky to be able to hear and experience such a broad range of music informed by the Celts worldwide!
Heather Gessey – fiddle/vocals
Seth Tinsley – guitars/vocals
Andrew Waite – piano accordion
Hometown: Newcastle
Album: ‘The Hidden Spoon’ released February 2013!
Thirty seconds into the Hidden Spoon, and I knew already that Tyde has something special to offer to discriminating ears. Their brand of electro folk and textured sound have something to do with their Newcastle environment. Mesmerizing melodies, angelic male and female vocals are just few of the many qualities you can find when you listen to Tyde. They have mastered the art of groove. They are also well acquainted with modern music and they use various styles to create their own original sound.
Most of the songs have folk goodness coupled with interesting samples and loops. They are true to what they are known for: creating punchy, danceable and intricate tunes. It is no wonder they’re part of the finalists in the BBC Radio2 Young Folk Awards in 2008. The music is rooted to the spirit of British Isles. Its brilliance is all over the tracks and the haunting qualities of these tracks are the things that make Tyde special even to those who are not into Celtic music. Fresh, modern and dynamic. The ever-changing soundscapes and moods that their songs evoke upon the listeners are here to stay and will be enjoyed through generations.
Tyde are a 3 piece that draw upon influences from every corner of the British Isles and beyond to deliver music and song that is dynamic, fresh and quite brilliantly played. In 2008, as finalists in the BBC Radio2 Young Folk Awards they captured the hearts of the live and broadcast audience. Then through several club and festival appearances in 2009 they began to build a strong following with their great sets and infectious onstage character. Tyde’s hotly anticipated debut album was launched in spring 2010 by Mrs Casey Records.
“Three brilliant players with a musical maturity way beyond their years. Their music goes straight to the heart of the audience, with an appeal second to none. A must for a concert venues. Pure Joy.” Tom McConville
“The best young band I’ve heard in years” Mike Harding – BBC Radio2
“Fantastic musicianship… If I could play like them now I’d be very happy, If I could play like them when I was their age I’d probably be living in the Bahamas!” Damien Barber – The Demon Barbers
“Watch out Lau!” Spiral Earth
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Huzzah!
Surprise? I know it’s not even a few days and I have this post. Something occurred to me today. I told myself why wait? Why put a schedule in what I do? When I feel like writing then write. I am prolific (hahaha) that’s why I blog in three more sites other than the two that I already own. Yes my brain has that capacity, so why limit it? So expect that I would no longer be putting numbers to what I do. This is me and I live my life free.
Well, he has his own program where he interviews people in all walks of life. The conversation is up an hour-long and it’s a spot on type of thing. And this is where this other side of him, the media side really shines. http://thewildhourshow.wordpress.com/
Click for details
Blair Dunlop is our next interview artist to be featured here. Ok no more surprises. I am letting you know what to expect this early.
Click for details
if you haven’t yet, now is your chance to add something to unique to your collection of Celtic albums. Sahara is a duo of Singer/Songwriters Trish and Dave Long. They are based in Mornington Peninsula, that’s in Australia and they’re originally from Ireland. I have their new CD A New Beginning and I really enjoyed it and continues to do so.
Micka O’Brien – The Ballad of the Downtrodden: Always a pleasure to discover young artists through recommendations of friends. This time we have Micka O’Brien and recommended by CMF’s best pal John Breen:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Gsy7Y0SWaU&feature=youtu.be
Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill performing together. Wow what an amazing performance. According to Enda Seery:” I could listen to this all day!” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96bKIE37gwQ
first heard from Tri Yann. Will we be hearing more Breton music in your upcoming projects?
Celtic Music Fan 