Celtic Rock

Upcoming NY area shows! The Fighting Jamesons, The Celtic Tenors and Black 47‏

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Plus: The Moorings, Athy and CLEGHORN!

The Celtic Tenors.

 

My new York correspondent Anita Daly sent me updates in the area. Here they are:

AUGUST 10th THE FIGHTING JAMESONS
Celtic Rockers, The Fighting Jamesons, make their New York City debut this August 10th at the legendary Webster Hall.
 Based in Norfolk, Virginia, for 2 years The Fighting Jamesons have been developing a strong presence on the East Coast with their high energy performances, original tunes and rousing renditions of our favorite traditional songs. They’ve shared the stage with legendary Irish rock acts such as Dropkick Murphys, The Saw Doctors, and Young Dubliners. In November of 2011 the band released their first album, “The Fighting Jamesons”, produced and engineered by Capital Records recording artist Mark Padgett. “{The CD} features a healthy respect for Irish music tradition delivered with a decidedly modern attitude…The band has quickly made a name for itself, thanks to its fiery high-energy shows. Think sing-along choruses, the occasional guest bagpiper and hoisted pints of Guinness.” – The Virginian Pilot
 So come on out and give The Fighting Jamesons a hearty New York welcome, dance, sing along and hoist a pint (or a Jamesons!)

 THE FIGHTING JAMESONS at The Studio at Webster Hall, 125 East 11th Street, on August 10th at 7:30pm, for tickets go to http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=4798415&pl=webstudio

AUGUST 11th THE CELTIC TENORS

The State Theatre will present the popular The Celtic Tenors in concert on Saturday, August 11, 2012 at 8pm, performing a fresh, innovative spin on traditional Celtic, classical, and popular works. Tickets range from $30-55.
Established as the most successful classical crossover artists ever to emerge from Ireland, The Celtic Tenors live show is an experience overflowing with vitality and variety from start to finish. The unique voices of Daryl, James, and Matthew, combined with talented young Musical Director Colm Rogan, create a thoroughly uplifting, musical experience. For tickets or more information, call the State Theatre ticket office at 732-246-SHOW (7469), or visit online at www.StateTheatreNJ.org. THE CELTIC TENORS at The State Theatre ticket office, located at 15 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick NJ
AUGUST 17th BLACK 47

Celtic Rock Legends, Black 47 will be at the Towne Crier – “…An unashamedly topical wallop of the early-Seventies Jersey-bar E Street Band and the Combat Rock-era Clash, laced with the mourning siren of uilleann pipes.” – Rolling Stone .  Black 47 espouses an unblinkingly political and thoroughly Irish form of rock ‘n’ roll, with songs covering topics from the Northern Ireland conflict to civil rights and urban unrest in contemporary New York. Black 47 earned their chops playing the pub scene in Manhattan and self-producing their first indie record, Black 47, before converting The Cars’ Ric Ocasek to the cause and gaining mainstream attention with their second album. The band recently celebrated their 20th year on the road. BLACK 47 at The Towne Crier 130 Route 22 Pawling, NY 845 855 1300 /http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/256596

I am sure it is going to be awesome. Those are great bands and group.

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Video of the day: The Moorings – “Friendship”

This video was sent by Pavel of the band “Cheers!”.

I like the way this track progresses from the harmless intro and then spews into a spasmic kaleidoscope of melodic Celtic rock that makes you want to puke all the bad spirits out with their brand of feel- good energetic music.

I have to warn you. Not for the faint of hearts. there is that scene where the girl in the video throws up. It was one of those surprising EWWWWW moments but it was fun. It made me laugh my guts off. Totally original and beautiful music!

The band:

Denis Jelly : Guitar + Vocals
Anne-Sophie Golé : Violin
Samuel Klein : Drums
Matthieu Renaudet : Bass
Nicolas Biegel : Guitar

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Our pic of the day: Athy ElectricHarper

Athy has made  a lot of buzz these days. He is in demand around the world. Mind you I even received an email from the United Sates asking if I know his whereabouts because they would like to book him! I found that incident very funny.

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Featured band: Cleghorn

Are you stressed? Need a music chocolate? Just listen to this son and dad duo called CLEGHORN. and I am sure you will forget your blues. If not, the music will make the pain so insignificant like a bite from a wimpy ant. Ah 10 tracks already!!!! They are also preparing for gigs all over the United States.

Eamon Doorley : The Bouzouki You’ve Heard Before

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Plus: Manau, Jeremy King,The Levellers,Dead Can Dance New Album Anastasis,Rachael Mccormack, Dom Duff and the spirit of the Olympics!

Be ignited or be gone

-Mary Oliver

Life is about passion. It is inspiring to see people doing something again and again despite being ignored. There are those who do art because for them it is an outlet-or a sickness however you want to see it 😀

folkbyfarr.co.uk

Today, CMF highlight’s the talent of bouzouki player Eamon Doorley. Those who own records of Danu and Julie Fowlis already recognize his name in liner notes. His sound is warm, luminous with the delicate playing style that is his own.

Hearing him play is like listening to a pouring water.  Eamon Doorley and Julie Fowlis had little Aoibhe born on Christmas eve last 2009. 2012 is a good year for the couple. After taking part in the big  animation The Brave, they are back on stage for more musical performances.

More of his bouzouki here: http://www.myspace.com/eamondoorley

Here is a video by Julie Fowlis. The song was used in the movie The Brave. This time, Eamon Doorley gave his bouzouki a rest in favour of a guitar.

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New album by Manau

Fans of Celtic rap artist Martial Tricoche who created  Manau have the reason to celebrate. This year is the release of the new album Panique Celtique. It has been a while since the release of their last album that spawned the hit La Tribu de Dana. That song features a sampling of Tri Martolod by Breton harpist Alan Stivell.

The video of the carrier single La Rumeur  is medieval by design, inspired by the burning of heretics. The new video  is a follow up single called  Le curé et les loups  is now available for viewing. I don’t know if it is just me or the theme of the video La Rumeur borders on S&M?!! Anyway I am glad the Breton rapper is back. It has been years and he is surely missed by fans.

More here: http://www.manauofficiel.com/

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Today in pictures

Happy Birthday Jeremy King of Poitin. May you have more birthdays to come. May you always touch listeners with your music and also inspire young bands to do more and be the best. Slainte!

Listen to The Congress Reel by Poitín

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Flashback: The Levellers

Remember the good old 90’s and this band? We are back to Doc Martens and of course the Celtic folk/rock band  The Levellers. I think I got into their sound at the same time I got into The Paperboys. Back then, Celtic rock was new to me- having been exposed to New Age  music and traditional folk. Great tune. Nice memories.

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Dead Can Dance Are Back!

Dead Can Dance isn’t exclusively Celtic, but they blend Celtic elements to their Gothic/Medieval inspired World Music. I bought my first DCD  album on cassette tape in the early 90’s following Everybody Else is Doing it So Why Can’t We by Cranberries and Banba by Clannad. What can I say? The early 90’s was cool for Irish music and everything unique. After listening to insipid and forgettable music of my high school years, college was an exciting stage in everything  musical.  Dead Can Dance made a huge wave in my musical taste.  How can one forget the haunting quality of Lisa Gerrard’s vocals as she delivered”The Wind that Shakes the Barley”? I think Brendan Perry’s “I Am Stretched on Your Grave “ is still my favorite Halloween music.

I really jumped with joy when I heard that they are now touring and has released a new album called  Anastasis  after 16 years! Wow 16 years. A child born after The Spirit Chaser would already have relationship issues by now! Or a dog would be so old it would have passed away by this time. 16 years….Did you know that they have a track available for free download? All you need to do is  sign up for their newsletter through their official website.

Tracklisting for Anastasis
01 – Children Of The Sun
02 – Anabasis
03 – Agape
04 – Amnesia
05 – Kiko
06 – Opium
07 – Return Of The She-King
08 – All In Good Time

More news here: http://deadcandance.com/

https://www.facebook.com/DeadCanDanceOfficial

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Fresh Tunes from Dublin Rocker Rachael Maccormack

 “I can think as far back as 6yrs of age when I’d be tugging at my mams jumper saying I want a guitar, or I’d make one out of a shoe box and shoe laces hahahaha. So Dublin to me is one big song with many choruses. Let’s face it, us Irish know how to party, so adding the music element is like water from a tap: It comes naturally I guess,we’re a nation of storytellers and the songs are there to guide us along the way”.

Taken from her essay Welcome to the Musical Dublin

You can listen to new tunes by Rachael Mccormack here http://breakingtunes.com/rachaelmccormack

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Influential Breton Rocker Dom Duff

Checking what our pal is up to lately.

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The Spirit of Olympics!

Now the link isn’t about Celtic music but it has been getting a lot of shares from my network. . Hmmm  you be the judge who wins XD  http://thefw.com/olympic-diving-funny-faces/

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The Celtic Music Fan mourns for the passing away of someone close to a dear friend. He is flying to Scotland  for the funeral of his  grandmother. He helped me make this site what it is now. My heart goes to him and his family.

Molly Ramone: Strong Celtic and original songs with the emphasis on fun and musical surprises!

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They love the Celtic edge of things. 

The mandolin of Joe Khoury is one of the best sounds you hear in Molly Ramone. They are from Nashville TN  playing a combination of traditional and original tracks. I think a  lot of interesting Celtic musicians are found in Nashville. Do you remember the Chieftains once held a concertover there and released it as Down the Old Plank Road? It is still one of my favorite DVD releases. There are ballads and Celtic rock songs in Molly Ramone’s live shows. Lead vocalist Mark Harriman has a versatile voice. He can sing really softly and belt out tunes with such terrific range. Skins man Dave Harrison maintains the nice beats, while grooves man Bruce Wallace has it going all the time.

Molly Malone is a feel good American Celtic rock band with a lead vocalist based in the UK.

Follow them on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Molly-Ramone-Band-Page

Band merchandise can be found here: http://mollyramone.com/Merchandise.html

Celtic Music Is Freedom : A New Celtic CD by Marc Gunn

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March Gunn is one of the influential people who inspired me to start my music review site. For me,the musical culture I am writing for is always spiritually and aesthetically enriching. I think there is good to be said about an artist who not only performs but also brings back something to the community.

Like the title of his new album Celtic Music is Freedom, he has always excelled in his path as an independent artist. It would be however unfair to praise his marketing skills and not mention his musical assets. His autoharp is always great to listen to. His bluesy strong vocals are  engage the listeners to stop whatever they are doing and listen to his tails of heroism, the human condition and comedic stuff.

Songs like Drunken Sailor, A Well-Dressed Hobbit and Monahan’s Mudder’s Milk among others will keep you tapping your foot and snickering with Marc’s brand of humour.

You can listen to his music through this link.

http://marcgunn.com/us/


More info about the album can be found here: http://marcgunn.com/projects/celtic-music-is-freedom-new-album-by-marc-gunn/

 

What Marc Gunn  says about the album:

Celtic Music Is Freedom : A New Celtic CD by Marc Gunn

 

It was January 2011 when I drove up to Kentucky, found a cabin in the woods, and started recording a whole bunch of Celtic songs. I had several CDs I wanted to release: Scottish Songs of Drinking and Rebellion, the next Cat Companion CD, another Irish drinking songs CD and who knows what else. My goal was to just record.

I had over dozens of songs halfway completed when I left. Autoharp and vocals were done. All I needed was to decide if I wanted to add additional instrumentation. Seven months later, I released “Don’t Go Drinking With Hobbits”. The first album from that recording session.

I could probably compile five more albums from that session, but I don’t have the time or money. I’ve barely touch the home studio since that week in January. Yet, I REALLY want to share this music.

A couple months back, I sent a couple tracks to my friend Daniel Briggs. Daniel helped record on “Don’t Go Drinking With Hobbits”. I asked him to record a simple guitar, maybe some bass, and some background vocals. That’s the same arrangement I had for the first Cat Companion CD. He agreed.

The first track he recorded was “A Drop of Nelson’s Blood”. It was awesome! He had his whole band–Dogs in Doublets–record on the track. It had this fun, old-timey feel. You can hear it on my website.

 

 

Debut Album by Flutatious Has the Bounce!

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http://www.flutatious.co.uk/

http://www.myspace.com/flutatiousUK

 

I have my different Celtic “soundtracks” of the day. I listen to New Agey stuff after waking up , usually when the sun hasn’t risen yet. In the middle of the day, there’s the Celtic Rock and other ‘lively’ albums. In the afternoon it is usually traditional stuff. In the evening that’s when the urban chill out albums come. At this time, I give way to the dancy electronic types of Celtic music. One included in my regular playlist is from the UK based group Flutatious which I wrote about before.

 

Their self-titled debut album is a joy to listen to. I like dancing and this is the type of music that has that bounce. This is best played with big speakers emanating deep bass and lush midrange. What I like about the production is the emphasis on balance between the midrange sounds and the bouncy, floor shaking lows. The wispy highs are also crisp.

 

Things that I noticed about this album are:

  1. Chanty choruses injected in some tracks are fabulous. But the emphasis is not so much given to them as in the case of bands like  Ceredwen or Clannad. Often times these effects are done when the track really needs it.
  2. The traditional aspect of the album is geared towards the Welsh and Cornish type of flavour. There are Scottish and Irish jig styles that you can hear once in a while.
  3. The jazzy keyboards make this album appealing both to lovers and non lovers of Celtic music. I bet this will also sell well in the London club scene as in the case of loops and electronic effects that are hip.
  4. The band doesn’t repeat their styles in every track. It can be a good or sad thing depending on your point of view. Tracks like Spacechick, Venus, Morag’s Dance and Road to Skye are so addictive you want another version of the same sound.  

With all these in mind, I think the debut album by Flutatious deserve more spin in your player.

Thanks to Bill Forwell for the taste of this great sonic juice!

Samples: