https://soundcloud.com/www-tradconnect-com/breaking-trad-spike-island
My big thanks to Christi for sharing this wonderful track from the group Breaking Trad. The tune is called Spike Island Lassies. It is a unique interpretation of a traditional Irish tune which echoes fresh sentiments. Kudos to Trad Connect for featuring these musicians!
Also check out their YouTube video:
Members are Donal Murphy (accordion) Niall Murphy (Fiddle) Mike Galvin (Guitar) and Pauline Hartigan (vocals).
I’ve been starving for inspiration. I got nothing to write about. One needs to be passionate about something in order to create. I just had this conversation with a Scottish novelist via Facebook. And he remarked that the cure for depression is being able to do something. While we were chatting, I was listening to the second album of The Bothy Band. It’s called Old Hag You Have Killed Me. Remember that one around 1976? It is the album’s second track. I think something happened to my mind when it started to play. It is such a beautiful tune. The accuracy and speed of the rendition is otherworldly. They made their voices into instruments. And they are signing in Gaelic in this recording. I think this is my personal favorite from now on. 
The beauty of traditional Irish music is that it is timeless. You could never tell that this album came out in the 70s. It sounds like it’s only recorded this year. You can feel the passion of the band members and how much they have mastered their musicality. It is true though that members Paddy Glackin, Tony MacMahon, Matt Molloy,Paddy Keenan, Dónal Lunny, Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill, Mícheál Ó Domhnaill, Tommy Peoples and Kevin Burke have already established themselves in the trad scene before joining this band.
I thank The Bothy Band for sparkling my fingers to write again. It is true you can’t give what you don’t have. You can’t write when you don’t hear or see anything that inspires you. I suggest, when you find yourself in the midst of a rut, go listen to anything or go out and see the view outside. There might be something there waiting for you.
You can buy Old Hag You Have Killed Me through Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Old-Hag-You-Have-Killed/dp/B0014GFHQQ/ref=pd_bxgy_m_img_y
..And so we have amazing tunes to start the big bang of Celtic music for 2015!
Welcome to my ‘conversational post’ where I talk like a normal person especially when I am not doing album reviews or interviews. 2015 brings us fantastic tunes in the trad and fusion department. Celtic music is colorful as it embraces many. I will
The winning image from the Bodojo Header competition by Matthew Olwell.
bring you fresh uploads from musicians you have not or probably heard already. But guess what they have in common? Yes it’s fantastic music. These are artists who dedicated their lives in perfecting their craft. They have released albums independently and I think their persistence is admirable. Especially in a world where ‘common’ or ‘ordinary’ music is praised. But think about it. What’s so great about common right? Why not spice up your life with something you seldom read up the Billboard or Rolling Stone reviews. Why be part of the herd when you can be different. Think different. Act different and dare to be you.
This is a fresh upload from Irish musician Enda Seery(with James Hughes). I think a new album is on the way. What do you think? I love this tune.
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I will be posting an album review of this amazing artist. He is John Breen.
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Have a taste of Buan, the new album by Danu. Yes they have a new album out if you haven’t heard yet. It’s been creating quite a stir in the trad community these days. Worth a check! Thanks to Trad Connect for this link.
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Fans of Scottish artist Julie Fowlis will be pleased. She has released a new album called GACH SGEUL – EVERY STORY. As always, her vocals are in between the haunting realm of Celtic music and the simplicity of indie pop. Find out more here: https://www.facebook.com/juliefowlis
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Fans of bodhran music will love this! I love the bodhran and I am trying to be an expert but I guess I need more time. If you want to check out anything related to this instrument then be part of Bodojo https://www.facebook.com/groups/bodojo/?fref=ts
Have a great weekend everyone and more to follow!
Still with Allison Crowe… About the song: Canadian poet, singer-songwriter, sailor and islander Andy Vine (http://www.andyvine.com) composed this song in the late 1970s. While music-making in St. John’s, Newfoundland he discovered “Woman of Labrador”, the remarkable autobiography of Elizabeth Goudie. Of Inuit, Indian, French and English roots, Goudie (née Blake) was born in 1902 in Mud Lake, Labrador. At 18 she’d wed a trapper, raising their eight+ children in the brush – her memoirs recounting life and travails and dwellings from a trapper’s “tilt”, and log cabins to a Summer lake-shore fishing house and beyond – all that comes with and from such a pioneering existence in territory that encompassed family homes in Mud Lake, North West River and Happy Valley-Goose Bay To read the complete description, go the You Tube link: http://youtu.be/uYBp3ooX-2Q
About the song: From Corner Brooker Allison Crowe’s album, “Newfoundland Vinyl II”, comes this stirring song of a shipwreck and brave rescue efforts that occurred on November 29, 1875. To read the complete description, go to the You Tube link: http://youtu.be/LEM9DIRAGyk After listening to Souling and The Newfoundland Vinyl !! repeatedly, I notice something I never mentioned in my last article. Allison Crowe has a strong and distinctive voice. Singer/songwriters or musical artists who play their own instruments have always been associated with having soft singing voices. There are those who do have powerful voices but this is rare. Feel free to correct me but this is my observation. I think it comes with the fact that singing while playing an instrument is hard. You got to pick at least one instrument to channel your skills and emotions. Pop divas have their voices as their primary instrument. And for instrumentalists who don’t sing, they channel their power to that instrument they are using. But to master both is a challenge-I think. I have tried performing before and it is really hard to channel intense emotions when you are strumming a guitar. It feels awkward. When you belt out a tune, you do it easily when you are just holding a mic. And this is what I have noticed in Allison Crowe’s singing. She sings like a pop/rock vocalist but she is also that woman with the guitar. But he is certainly not Suzanne Vega or Judy Collins. She’s more like the late Nina Simone with bit of Natalie Merchant.
*** Martin Tourish and how Celtic music continues to inspire me. I sometimes get asked, how I am able to keep up my passion for blogging . Especially that it’s been years since I started this baby? The answer is simple. Music. When I hear something that I like , that tune inspired me to write something about it. It is like discovering a beautiful plant that you just want to take care of it because seeing it bloom give you much pleasure.
Of course it’s been obvious that I also like other types of music. And this liking for other styles of music made me marvel at the beauty of Celtic music. Because it remains different and ‘not mainstream.’ We all have our degree of elitism and this is my little elitist guilt ….and well, let’s face it, you don’t want to be part of the herd right? You gotta find your niche and hone your creativity around it. For me the sound of uilleann pipes, harp and other Celtic instruments inspire me. I love hearing them and also the comments that I get from people when they say that my music is something they could not find anywhere and that when they hear it they are soothed. So let me give you a taste of this wonderful playlist by the very talented Martin Tourish. This is presented by Trad Connect, the leading site for lovers of traditional Irish music. http://www.martintourishmusic.com
It’s been a while since I posted something here. Blame it to the many obligations I took (which sometimes I regret because they zap my strength and creativity to blog) and that you can’t serve two masters at the same time. When you want to give your best on something, it must occupy your time and attention. And I believe that writing reviews or blogging about music is not just for the sake of putting something out there. It must be true to your heart. Music is about touching lives and putting that ‘soul’ to your existence because your music defines you. And I know that there are those who really don’t like my music preference but that’s just a matter of taste. What is important is that people are passionate about what they like to listen to. Because when you dissect music in its barest essence, it is after all about energy. And energy is what the universe is made of. And it is part of us all.
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Happy Birthday to Kevin Crawford!
Yes the big man of Lunasa has just celebrated his birthday. They will be in the US next year so watch out for that event American listeners.
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These musicians are fantastic. They have created a kind of sound that is unique and also artfully crafted. I enjoyed every song from them and I think you will enjoy this Soundcloud link I posted. If you like the combination of Traditional Irish and modern music then you will love anything they release!
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Hooray Julie Fowlis!
If you haven’t visited the website of Julie Fowlis yet, you better check it out. A new album is out plus recognition from her own country. She wowed fans of alternative rock and traditional Scottish music and her wide appeal is evident in event below.
Music Award:
Julie made history last Saturday night when she became the first Gaelic artist to be honoured alongside pop and rock stars at the ‘Scottish Music Awards – The Tartan Clefs 2014’; where she received the ‘Scottish Traditional Music Award’.(from her official website.
New album from Julie Fowlis is out now!
If you want to read more about it and also upcoming music events from Julie Fowlis, then go to :http://www.juliefowlis.com
Celtic Music Fan 