There is a thread running through this post that started when I wrote about the bodhran. To be honest, the instrument has taken a huge degree of interest on my part because I am trying to be good at it. Everyday is great when I get to practice. It also opened a big world of percussion to me and various rhythms that dominate all types of music all over the world.
This thread also pointed me to a remarkable artist and teacher in the world of percussion. I am talking about Matthew Bell who runs a successful project called Celtic Percussion. He merges Irish and Scottish drumming styles with the infusion of other world influences. He is very zen in his vlogs as he tries to calmly explain the basics of drumming. He combines the Kerry and top end of bodhran playing.
The youtube videos are just samples of the potential that he can offer. His recent book is The Contemporary Bodhrán: A Modern Percussionist’s Perspective on an Ancient Instrument
Here’s the general info about Celtic Percussion found in his official youtube site:
The Celtic Percussion Collective is comprised of several of the Washington, D.C. area’s biggest names in the Pipe Band and Celtic Music Communities. Matthew Bell formed the CPC in December of 2012 to expose audiences to the truly unique percussion concepts inherent in Celtic Percussion. The CPC is available for a variety of educational and performance-based functions. Please have a look around our website. We look forward to working with you.
Alan Stivell-Eliz Iza
Sinéad O’Connor-Oró, sé do bheatha ‘bhaile
Baal Tinne-Toss The Feathers
Brendan Mulholland-The King of The Pipers
Clannad-In a Lifetime
Luka Bloom-How Am I To Be
Ashley MacIsaac-To America We Go
Sleepthief-Reason Why
J.P. Kallio-Greener Grass
Teenage Fanclub-Take The Long Way Around
Von Shakes-Last Day on Earth
Jazzotron Vs Jamie Berry-Kiss Me
Róisín O-Here We Go
Who Does Music-Looking Around
Samuel Smith-The Agony
Special thanks to my friend Fanch Soixantequinze of Caliorne for making this event a possibility. If you are organizing a Celtic music concert for our brothers and sisters in the Philippines, let me know so I can discuss it here. And oh I have upgraded to 24 hours every Saturday for the Baxteria show. So if you tune in you will hear music all day and that is me playing the tunes! www.radiohappy.eu
No More Woman You’ll Kill
21 Black Jack
Rather Die than Forget
Next Sunday We’ll Be Back Again
The Way Back Home
With Head Held High
The American Dream
Hate Cannot Be Forever
At The Counter Bar
My Childhood Dreams
Fancy Prankster
Johnny Techno Ska
“Refarmatory” is am album by Spanish band The Fatty Farmers. This is straight ahead Celtic rock with nods to the musical styles of The Levellers and The Pogues. I love it when bands tell about the music through the album artwork. And yes I love what I hear. In fact, The Fatty Farmers left a sonic impact that distinguishes them from the current outcropping of bands of the same musical bent. There’s never a dull moment. Every track packs a wallop.
Listen to 21 Blackjack and Sraka Dupa and you will know what I mean about sonic impact. So yeah this is an album for the depressed. Listeners who are in search of something energetic and cheerful. The band gave a bit of tribute to their Spanish roots via Sraka Dupa and other tracks but the vocals are unmistakably Irish sounding. The Head Held High showcases the bands mastery of groove. Out of this 14 tracks, I can’t find any song that’s weak or bad. You can tell the choice of materials have undergone careful analysis prior to its studio release.
I enjoy funny album artwork . The lyrics are also interesting. The instruments are superb. Talking about lyrics there is one song that really caught my attention. It is called At the Counter Bar which pays tribute to The Mermaid and the Drunks by Pablo Neruda but with a twist. Like the music, the songs have explicit lyrics and I read a lot of F bombs there but it is ok. Music is supposed to express what you feel inside and what you meant to say in colors. I love what The Fatty Farmers did for Refarmatory and I hope this record gets heard by the majority of Celtic rockers.
You may get their humor or not. But they can surely draw reaction. And like what I told one of my friends. When people don’t react to you, then it means you are boring. Refarmatory is definitely far from boring.
Bio:
At the start of 2009 a Group of farmers from different stables appear in the music scene in Toledo to bring us a music style never heard around here.
This group brings rhythm and fun with there different costumes and there hardly seen instruments.
From the banjo to the electric mandolin played by the wild Rodrigo Farmer, to the bagpipes and irish whistles by the sweet Javato, passing by “The little boy” Javito Farmers violin.
The group is completed with Lamber on the bass, Lalo playing the acoustic guitar, Fignani the electric guitar and Juankar on the drums. The last one to join the group has been Goyo, a crack of the accordion and another big push to the group.
Celtic Punk Rock Folk music that isn’t to be heard at home but to be seen in this groups great live show that will make you want to sing, dance, jump, party hard and forget about everything for a little bit.
If you haven’t yet, please check out the other version of my interview of Kevin O’Donnell that appeared in this month’s edition of Irish American News. That’s page 12 of the digital copy. Thanks to Noah Smulkis of Ceolwind Productions for mailing me the physical copy of the magazine!
Trevor Lewington: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Octave Mandolin, Keyboards
Mark Abraham: Bass Guitar, Vocals
Bruce McCarthy: Drums, Percussion
This interview happened in the middle of the Enter the Haggis tour. Anita Daly became our go between because she has direct contact with the band and it made the communication easier between us. I made a review of their new album in my past edition and the band was pleased hahaha. So it was Trevor Lewington who answered all these questions. Let us welcome them as our band of the week! Also check out the cool videos at the end of this interview.
Hi guys, my name is Baxter. I write for The Celtic Music Fan online magazine. I listened to your album in its entirety and have been meaning to conduct an interview with you since 2009. I am glad for this opportunity…. With the release of The Modest revolution, what do you think has changed in the musical aspect of the band?
Our last album, Whitelake, was recorded at a cottage and the overall vibe was pretty folky. We went down to a studio in Kentucky to record TMR and cranked the amps back up again. Songwriting remains our first priority but the arrangement approach was to bring the songs to new highs and lows dynamically-speaking. Brian (fiddle/keyboards) played basically ALL the electric guitar parts, which changed the sound of the band rather dramatically. Craig (bagpipes/harmonica) picked up the trumpet on our last album and his playing is really solid on this record.
What are the technical aspects you have learned in terms of recording and playing live?
The experience of recording a new album always challenges us in different ways. Thanks to the success of our kickstarter campaign, we had more time than usual in the studio such that we didn’t feel rushed and were able to experiment with unusual sounds, parts or arrangement ideas. Sometimes it worked out and sometimes not, which is the exciting thing about experimenting!
In terms of the technical aspects of live performance, I don’t think anyone learned more than Brian. He’s always been a gear head but now that he’s playing electric guitar live he’s done a lot of research to get the right tones for all the new songs. Craig has added electric bagpipes to the live mix, which frees us up to play songs in more keys (the traditional highland pipes have a very limited range.) The highland pipes are still his instrument of choice but it’s nice to have the option of electric pipes.
How’s the tour going so far?
Great! We had a crazy March run where we played some amazing venues, including a sold-out show at Turning Stone casino. We’re now in the middle of a Canadian run and will be heading over to Ireland soon. The new music really seems to be connecting with people, which makes performing It all the more enjoyable for us.
Why the title The Modest Revolution?
It’s a quote from the front page of the newspaper that inspired the album: “Harper’s Modest Revolution.” The gist of the article is that our prime minister is trying to sway Canada’s collective psyche to the right, but we’ve taken it to mean that “even a small gesture can be the beginning of positive change.”
What can you say about each of your band member in terms of being together through the years, playing and recording together?
Well it’s certainly been quite the ride. I feel like we’ve always just kept our heads down, writing the best songs we can and traveling around playing shows. Only recently have we noticed that we have an actual history! College kids are coming up to us and saying they started listening to us when they were kids. It makes us feel old until we realize that most if us were pretty young when we started making music together.
Personally, the longer we do this for, the more I appreciate the other guys in the band. Not only are they amazing musicians, but that there’s a respect for each other as people. Musically I think the growth as individuals and as an organism has been substantial. I feel like with this album we’ve only now come to understand what this band is – but don’t ask me what that is as I probably won’t have an answer.
What’s your marketing goal for the album now that it’s release?
Being an independent band, we don’t Have a “marketing department” as such. I think the idea is to connect with as many people as possible who might enjoy what we do. This isn’t dumbed down pop music so it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea but that’s the way we like it. We’ve got an amazing group of dedicated fans and we feel like as long as we can make music that resonates with them they’ll want to share it with their friends. We’ve hired two publicists, a radio tracker and pay for online advertising but there’s no better advertising than getting up in front of a crowd and playing our asses off.
ETH has a kind of Celtic rock that is easily accessible. It is also radio friendly and universal. How are tracks conceived. What’s the science behind the songwriting?
Haha… Seriously? Celtic rock is about as radio-friendly as… well, bagpipes. Being radio-friendly definitely isn’t our intention, although there are so many great specialty online stations these days that any style of music can find a home. I could go on for hours about songwriting but suffice it to say that I try to remain a student of it. There’s so much incredible music out there so it’s important to keep listening to as much of it as possible. As a band I think we’ve learned how to take on the roll of a producer by focusing on the best parts of a potential song and losing the parts that distract from that.
Do you think you have reached the part in your musical career where you can breathe? For those aspiring Celtic rockers, what’s your top 5 list of things that they should remember when they want to make music as a career?
Can we breath? Absolutely not! I feel like we’re being chased by the Minotaur and are barely staying one corner ahead. We’re having a spark of success but with that comes the pressure to stoke the fire.
1.) don’t do it unless you must
2.) get regular servicing done on the van
3.) eat fresh vegetables
4.) book your hotels through Priceline
5.) don’t room with a band member who snores
Where can fans buy your albums?
Come to a show! Or get them through our website, iTunes, Amazon and just about anywhere else online.
What’s your marketing advise to all bands trying to court online and offline listeners?
Don’t call it marketing! Just try to connect with your fans as often as you can and don’t put out music just to put it out – make sure it’s something you’ll proudly play for your grand kids.
I hope that works! Thanks Baxter.
Ok there you go. I hope it gets to them, Trevor
Videos:
AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE MARCH 30TH.
Thanks to Zach McNees for cutting this together, and Daniel Roher for some of the footage. 🙂
Welcome to our artist of the week edition featuring the band Enter the Haggis. For the whole week I will be putting updates in my Huzzah! column so that you will be informed about what’s going on with the band.
Now on a sad note I was shocked upon hearing the Boston Marathon explosion this Monday and the whole blogosphere mourns for the victims and their families. Actually I posted an essay on another site and I am glad to be able to talk about situations that belong to a particular venue and not just mix things up.
An Air For Boston – April 15, 2013
Here is a video that piper Patrick D’Arcy performed on the wake of the tragedy and I think this is very appropriate because Boston is one of the most Irish places in America. The Celtic Music Fan, being spiritually attached to Ireland mourns and condemns any violence inflicted upon the Irish and the rest of humanity.
My heart goes out to those affected by today’s bombings. May God help you all. This air came to me, The Wild Geese- Patrick D’Arcy
This is not just an American tragedy but a global one because people of all races were victims. And we are all human beings. We are not fighting people from another planet but our own kind. Very sad.
Also in this edition: Celtic Vampire novel Dark Dealings and Cherish the Ladies.
Celtic Music Fan asks Damien McCarron what it’s like to front a band called The Indulgers and to host a show called Mile High Celtic Hour.
They offer more than the rousing beats and electrical vibes. They are melodic and sophisticated musicians. The Indulgers play original Celtic Rock Music and they are synonymous with the word energy! So what type of sound(s) defines them?
They play Celtic/Western/Americana/Irish Rock music. They are based in Colorado USA, owing much of their music to the strong Irish/Scottish roots. Formed in 1998, the band are fronted by Damien McCarron who is originally from Dublin. He does the lead vocals and guitars. Now to go into specifics about their sound, think about it in terms of bands/solo artists like Waterboys, Horslips, Thin Lizzy, Christy Moore, Paul Brady, Spirit, Fleetwood Mac, Irish Trad and The Beatles.
The rest of the band are:
Mike Nile – Vocals, Guitars, Mandolin, Harmonica and Electronic Bagpipe Renee Fine – Fiddle/Violin Aaron Haywood – Bass Frannie (Cheech) Mannone – Drums
Guesting on occasion: Neale Heywood – Guitar Ryan Bunnell – Guitar
Damien McCarron also runs a show called The Mile High Celtic Hour (TradioV.com) which offers an hour of great Celtic tunes rockin’ or otherwise but never a dull moment! He always brings something new to every show and we will talk more of that here.
Damien joins me today for a quick chat. He is also our artist of the week!
I think the Indulgers are making music that lovers of melodic Celtic rock are looking for. What do you have in store for your listeners this 2013?
Hi Baxter,
I suppose I kind of have my hands full at the minute but I’m not alone as the Indulgers set out to release a new CD. There’s fourteen new songs and it’s more a collection than a concept CD although the theme of immigration does tend to seep into what I write with Mike. The track list includes both a softer side and some rockers.
Fast tunes or slow tunes: which one works best for you live?
The band feeds on energy but likes to change tempos and instrumentation throughout a show. There’s always time for a nice romantic styled song, but only just enough before we’d up the pace again. Each Indulger CD by tradition includes a instrumental piece featuring Renee on the fiddle and includes “fine” in the title, the lovely “Doin Fine” continues that aspect for this seventh album. The CD was mastered in LA by Howie Wineberg just this past week and will be ready to release in the next month or so.
We’re playing all these new songs live and in recent days rehearsing older material with a new arrangement or two, adding an little more electric guitar to the mix. Should be an interesting year with the new shiny CD at last. It’s been a little while since the last release, six years even, so hopefully folks remember our CD’s are a lifetime treasure and a must for every home.
You now have a weekly show called Mile High Celtic Hour and I always tune in because it is informative, fun and spontaneous. The video streaming is a great way to show music videos of the Celtic artists you are playing. How did MHCH came to be?
With Glen Hansard
The Mile High Celtic Hour was something I asked TardioV about hosting not too long after their launch. The concept of TV on the Net, streaming live from a real studio was something that I thought was brilliant. It’s also archived, which does no harm at all. The morning show host Matt Need endorsed the idea of Celtic Hour with the producer Trevor O’Connor. Matt comes form FM radio background and I had been a guest a few times on his previous FM show. Initially the producer had ,been looking for a country music host, so I pitched my idea.
What can we expect happening to MHCH in months to come?
We’re ten weeks into the show, well ten episodes, it’s a hour long and allows me to cover the Celtic music genre all the way to the edges and back, having guests is a fun aspect, and one guest the Celtic Caterer will continue to join us now and then as a running segment. Last show he lit a hogmanay cake on fire. Not the normal is likely what we’ll look for, but staying within the confines of the Celtic culture in general.
Can you tell us about your upcoming playlist on the show?
I’ve no idea what the next playlist for the show will be, it’s an ongoing dig of all thing’s I come across and think, that’s pretty show like, there is no overall plan, except to be aware of the theme that might expose itself as I try to capture good content. I’d imagine I might get a better plan as I settle into the idea that every Thursday morning it’s a blank sheet.
You came from Ireland. How has Irish American music changed so far since you first arrived?
I’m twenty years in America, so the music has changed. In Celtic circles the genre is multi-layered in a way that’s so far from the purity of the past it’s not even talked about anymore. Celtic rock has established itself as a genre gaining slots in major festivals where as back in 1998 that was “never going to happen”. At the same time there’s also a huge amount of “punk” ballad/cover bands now too which seem to have replaced the actual solo ballad singer in the pubs. Session music in Colorado is at the strongest it’s ever been and I think it’s fair to say every band is touring so there’s more to see than ever too.
It’s all good.
From the state of Colorado, The Indulgers with a new song “The Cure”. “Won’t you try a taste of medicine” The legalization of MMJ has led to many a new store front. So here’s a few to the sounds of a new song.
For a limited time—DARK DEALINGS is on sale for $0.99 for Kindle! This is until end of year. Yes I read the book and I really love the story! I asked author Karen Victoria Smith about the sequel and she hopes to have next book ready for May release next year. For those who don’t know yet, this is a great read. The first of its kind. I have been searching for years for a story that will bridge my love for vampires and Celtic culture and Dark Dealings and its upcoming follow up revolve around these themes.
Featured Video: Cherish the Ladies, Celtic Christmas medley with Irish Dancing
They are part of the amazing album Together for Christmas(Various artists).
Members of the Celtic band “Cherish the Ladies” perform a medley of Celtic Christmas tunes live in the witf Performance Studio, with Irish dancing by Michael Holland, 2-time All-Ireland National Champion Irish Dancer.
Celtic Music Fan 