Celtic

Interview with Gilles H (Daonet) for the album “Donemat”

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Plus: Lúnasa video and new releases fromAndrew “Slim” Black,  Michelle Mulcahy and Eliseo Mauas Pinto.

Gwendal Meillarec, Herve Briand and Gilles Bogzh-daonet.

I am glad to discover the band Daonet from Nantes. They are a fine addition to our ever growing collection of Breton artists. They play catchy rock oriented music using Breton language. It doesn’t matter if you don’t speak the language. The music is fun, catchy with just enough loudness to awaken your caffeine deprived family members. The lead vocals of Gwendal Meillarec (he also plays the flute) is strong but not imposing which is a good thing. He sometimes mimics the sound of the bagpipes with his guitar tuned in a unique fashion using great effects.

My guest Gilles H  mostly plays bass guitar. He explains : “I personally mostly play bass guitar except on O’surfin on which we play with 2 guitars (Gwendal on chorus me in rhythmic guitar and after we exchange the roles). On stage I also play synth sounds controlled by my bass (organ, guitars sounds etc.) or my guitar on “O’surfin” (upright bass sound) but on the CD, I’ve used this sounds on “Marv Ponkalleg” intro and one effect on “Nerzh-kalon”. The drums of Herve Briand make the crunch! If you read further,  Gilles gives us an in-depth look at the Celtic music scene in the whole of France not just in Brittany. Here, Gilles uses the terms Breton and Celtic to differentiate the specific from the general.

You made a different treatment of Tri Martolod..it has a  more energetic and punk feel. What are your expectations in terms of people’s reactions to this song and those who are loyal with Alan Stivell’s version?

Yes we play Tri Martolod on stage in our way since 2003, 2004 I think. The reactions to our interpretation of this traditional song are always good, never any complaints 😉 people sing and clap their hands every time 😉

Daonet means Damned in English. Why did you choose that name for the band?

We are from the town of Nantes = Naoned in Breton language and there is an expression from Brittany “Mont da Naoned da c’hortoz bezan daonet” = going to Nantes waiting being damned, an expression referring to people from west part of Brittany who had to go to Nantes to get a job in the 19th century. The 12th track of Donemat album, “Mont da Naoned” is a folk-rock style song based on this expression with a parallel on  nowadays people who have to migrate to find a job … Paris or elsewhere on the planet …

 How about giving us a brief background of each band member?

Gwendal founded the band in 2000. He is an electric and acoustic guitarist. He also sings, and plays tin whistle. He writes lyrics mainly in Breton or in French.

I (Gilles) have joined the band in 2002. I play bass guitar, upright bass, synth guitar, and I also sing.

I’ve played in the late 80’s and early 90’s in a Celtic rock band from Vannes called Tan Flam. I’ve also played, wrote and sung in rock, rock’n roll, blues-rock bands  ….for example Bogzh ! with Hervé on drums …

Hervé has joined Daonet in 2006,  he plays drums, derbouka, djembe, cajon etc. He played in different music styles band before Daonet : rock, punk-rock, blues-rock …

 What can we expect from the band this year?

We have recorded “Donemat” with guests’ participation on violin (Frédéric Bouley) and bombarde (Olivier Arz). We have played some concerts with Olivier. We also played in acoustic configuration (acoustic guitars, upright bass, cajon and voices). These different configurations may be developed in the future for live and recording events …

Booking / tour +33 628 362 994

 Where can listeners purchase their copies of Daonet CDs and mp3s?

The latest album “Donemat” is distributed by Coop Breizh, so dealers may have access to this record. It is also available on Daonet’s website http://www.daonet.eu/ as the previous CD “Rok a raok”, the different albums are also available in numeric version on http://daonet.bandcamp.com/ .

Donemat is also available in MP3 on itunes, Amazon platforms … It is also possible to discover the album through Deezer, spotify …

What are the festivals around France that you guys have been to?And what  memorable things  happened during these shows? 

We played for the “Festival des filets bleus” in Concarneau (Brittany) 1 year ago opening for Gilles Servat with 10 000 people attending, we were announced as the “coup de coeur” of the festival… It was great. We’ve also played for “Celtival on the rock” in Guemene-Penfao with Dom Duff and Muray Head, for Festival des nuits salines in Batz-sur-mer …

It is not a festival, but a fest like the St Patrick fest for Ireland, in Brittany around the St Yves day / Gouël Erwann may 19th there is Brittany Fest organized since several years and promoted by Brittany region, we play during this period in different contexts. We played for example, few years ago in Rennes with traditional music bands, “Les Ramoneurs de menhirs” with their special recipe mixing traditionnal music and punk music and also a punk-metal-fusion band singing in Breton … This year we played for one of this concerts for the Brittany Fest in Nantes for or the first Breton language fest in Loire Atlantique. We are also asked for playing every year for the St Patrick day with Irish music bands (traditional or rock bands). We also play sometimes our music in concerts with no Celtic, or folk theme, with rock, blues-rock, punk bands etc. for concerts organized by bikers that sometimes are a little afraid of songs in Breton but when we ask if they understand the lyrics of English singing bands this stops their fear and they often recognize that  even some French  singing bands are not so easy to understand ;-).

Tell us about making the album Donemat. How do you gather materials etc. Can you tell us the procedure down to the final mixing?

Most of the songs were played on stage several years before they were recorded but in the beginning of the new record project, we’ve selected the songs (with 2 traditional songs “marv pontkalleg” and the Brittany anthem “Bro gozh ma zadoù”) and we stopped playing others songs, new songs replacing the previous ones. We worked the titles adopted in studio versions exclusively with the strict tempo of a metronome on every rehearsal during at least one year. We recorded with Arthur Lauth, who manages when this is possible our sound on stage, in a one day captation + mix, a pre-production recording of the 12 titles. With this pre-production CD, we met several sound engineers to find the studio allowing us to get the recording we were expecting with an agenda matching ours ;-).

At this point of the project, we had the agreement of Coop Breizh for the distribution of our album in France. We also had a contact with a painter / illustrator Brucéro to order him a drawing for the CD.

We chose to work with a brand new studio : Woodbox Studio near Nantes – managed by Jeff Ferrand that worked before in others studios.

We began the recording in the end of may 2011 with drums and bass tracks (electric basses and fretless bass) in 2 week-ends.

Followed later by Gwendal during a week electric and acoustic guitars parts, a keyboard track on the slow song, tin whistle, and we recorded voices.

Two guests recorded after then theirs parts in other sessions :

– Olivier Arz (we played together in Tan Flam group long time ago) played bombarde on three tracks, we worked together for several rehearsals with Olivier with the complete band, or with guitar, bass and tin whistle/ bombarde.

– Frédéric Bouley who plays violin in numerous bands (Breton, Irish music) recorded on the song “Mont da Naoned”, we worked with him and Gwendal in rehearsal (acoustic guitar, upright bass, violin), and with a first mix of the tracks already recorded of this title.

We finished the choirs, Hervé recorded Derbouka and Djembe, I recorded upright bass licks with the bow on “Mont da Naoned”, synth guitar on “Marv Pontkalleg” intro and my rhythm and chorus guitar parts on O’Surfin …

Jeff did the mix with some adjustments after listen sessions with the band. We defined the final order for the titles and then the mastering process was done in a specialized company.

My brother Lionel took pictures of the band for the CD and newspapers, he also did the graphics of the Digipack including the booklet with lyrics etc. with the character Brucéro drew for us.

The CD was then manufactured in the first week of January 2012 and sent to stores in February by Coop Breizh, we also sent CD to fans who pre-ordered and organized a concert in Nantes to invite fans for this disc availability.

Do you think Celtic Breton is stronger now than before?

I suppose that you ask the question of Breton music . Is it stronger ? It is always present. In Brittany there are many bands playing traditional music : bagadoù created on the model of pipe bands. There are fest-noz bands (fest noz can be translated in night fest) and they play music to make people dance traditional Breton dances. They are very active. There are also Celtic rock bands and some Breton rock bands. They play songs written in Breton, in Gallo with or without traditional, Breton or Celtic music influences. The success of Celtic music and of Breton music for masses is cyclic in France. Alan Stivell, Tri Yann, Soldat Louis, Manau (Celtic rap), Armens, Dan Ar Braz, Matmatah (their first album), Merzhin etc. had a very good success in some periods, Nolwenn Leroy with her cover album of best of traditional songs in Breton had been a big success recently.

The scene for Celtic music and Breton music is always present here, especially in Brittany, where the festivals are very popular and numerous (Festival interceltique de Lorient, Nuits salines in Batz sur Mer, Filets bleus in Concarneau, Festival de Cornouaille etc. In the Festival des Vieilles Charrues in Carhaix-Plouguer  it is much more rock and pop oriented,  but a stage is reserved for Breton music). But bands playing Breton music are not only present in Brittany. In every region of France there are Breton associations including a bagad, a “cercle celtique” (breton dance group) promoting Breton music and Breton learning in the region where they live. There are also Celtic rock, folk-rock bands in the different regions playing Breton, Celtic inspired music…

A band like Daonet mostly plays rock sung in Breton language to promote its use, its learn that was in the past reduced in use by the action of France (interdiction in French schools).

Daonet band is based in Nantes, a town that officially is not a part of administrative region Bretagne, the department of Loire Atlantique was in fact removed from the historic Brittany to create an artificial region called “Pays de la Loire”. Numerous songs of Daonet are based on Brittany and Nantes history, and the use of Breton language for a band from Nantes in this context is of course a  symbol. Others bands from Nantes that don’t still exist played Breton rock sung in Breton, EV and Tri Bleiz Die for example, (EV guitarist-singer Gweltaz ADEUX plays now pop-rock songs in Breton), the band Tri Yann that exists since the 70’s, plays Breton and Celtic music with some songs in Breton language is also based in Nantes.

https://www.facebook.com/daonetrock

http://www.daonet.eu/

http://www.myspace.com/daonet

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Featured Video: Lúnasa”The Merry Sisters of Fate”

Called “the hottest Irish acoustic band on the planet” by the Irish Times, Lúnasa performs live from the intimate confines of The Burren Irish Pub in Somerville, Massachusetts. Named for an ancient Celtic harvest festival in honor of the Irish god Lugh, patron of the arts, Lúnasa is made up of some of the top musical talents in Ireland. The current lineup includes:

Seán Smyth — Fiddle, Whistles
Kevin Crawford — Flutes, Whistles
Trevor Hutchinson — Double Bass
Cillian Vallely – Uillean pipes, Whistles
Ed Boyd – Guitar

The Burren Backroom Series is hosted by Brian O’Donovan of A Celtic Sojourn on WGBH Radio.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel WGBH Music: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=WGBHMusic

Audio Engineer: Antonio Oliart
Camera/Editing: Greg Shea
Camera: Annie Shreffler
Producer/Host: Brian O’Donovan

My big thanks to Greg Shea for this one.

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New Releases:

Slim’s forthcoming LP, ‘Gallows Tree Tales’, is a barn-storming folk-rock romp through tales of love, loss, booze, laughter and madness. With big productions, there’s everything from americana rock, celtic folk, country balladeering, and even a gospel choir thrown in for good measure. Once the record’s released, you’ll be able to buy it here, and there’ll be a full band tour, gigs-aplenty, and of course, a fair few ‘Gallows Tree Tales’ to tell. Get it here: http://www.slim-music.com/tcms/home

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Michelle Mulcahy, Suaimhneas (Cló Iar-Chonnacht)

Read the wonderful review here: http://www.robadamsjournalist.com/index.asp

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The Celtic Harp  By Eliseo Mauas Pinto

“The Celtic Harp” is a very interesting quick guide not only approaching to questions regarding the origins of its name, its history and revival, but also to the surviving types, suggested Celtic Harpists, and a list of related external links. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/210054

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Philip Knight Uncovers Omdowl Morek, His Cornish Language Album.

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Plus: Newgrange by Tina Negus and Corrina Hewat CDs

We have Philip Knight on board this week as he explains his reasons for creating a Cornish language album. I also attached an ‘artwork’ I did to further support the importance of such musical release. We have a great wealth of musical talents from Cornwall.  You will know more about it as you read further. It was fun catching up with Phil. He’s been in Spain lately bringing us the Spanish sunshine and giving us a glimpse of what’s in  his own and Cornish music in general.

•  Omdowl Morek is an album composed of melodic songs all in Cornish. How long did it take you to complete the album?

The album is the culmination of over thirty years of writing and performing songs in Kernewek. It’s a selection of the best of my own compositions, a combination of contemporary music and folk. I aimed to blend lyrics carrying traditional folk themes with those with a personal and modern flavour. Since the album comprises contemporary themes, I wanted to update my treatment to avoid a dated sound and be sure that the songs were suitable for the 21st Century. The whole process of adapting to these constraints and recording them took the equivalent of a month of concentrated recording of my vocal and instrumental work. The arrangements took a further three months of careful editing, special effects and production.

•  I like the crisp production that your son Paul Knight-Malciak has achieved. I understand he also arranged, engineered, mixed and mastered this album. How was the working experience with him?

As Paul is my son, he has a knowledge and insight regarding my love of Kernewek, my style of material and my musical aims. In view of his acumen, I was flattered that he had long pressed me to make a high-quality album. He has had ample experience with a top-flight band of both making music, arranging it and recording it and has worked with several leading technicians and producers. http://www.paulknightmusic.co.uk/ As a result I was more than confident in his abilities to direct, arrange and offer me advice. We trusted each other’s abilities and our working relationship was surprisingly civilized! Paul spent a further three months finalizing the results of my recordings, consulting with me once he had a draft album at the ready. We never once fell out during the process and I hope this shows in the finished product of which I am extremely proud.

•  All of the songs in this album are in Cornish but there is a corresponding translation to English in every song. It must have been a challenge putting everything in detail on the liner notes.

The difficulty in making an album purely in Cornish was that my potential listenership was bound to be limited as it’s a lesser-used Celtic language. With the lyrics playing such an important part in my songs, I wanted them accessible to as many as possible. Thanks to MAGA (the Cornish Language Partnership), I was able to provide an accompanying booklet in parallel translation, Cornish alongside English. Unfortunately, any such lyrics booklet proved too bulky to include in the CD. I was advised that outlets would be likely to place the album with a separate lyrics booklet in literature sections rather than music. MAGA helped me overcome this by creating a webpage where the lyrics could be accessed, http://www.magakernow.org.uk/default.aspx?page=624 whilst they also have available hard copies for distribution. I owe a debt of great thanks to them for that and their part in helping me to make the album.

•  How is Cornish music different from Irish or Scottish music in terms of melody and delivery?

Well, every language has its own lilt, cadence and rhythm and such is the case with Kernewek. It all comes down to the position of the stress, the type of the consonants and the length of vowels. In general, Cornish words are stressed on the penultimate syllable (e.g. Kernewek ). Often the most important part of a Cornish sentence tends to be placed first but there it also has great variety and subtlety of meaning according to the word order. These facts tend to dictate the way Cornish music sounds, particularly if we are talking about traditional, folk music. I suggest that Irish and Scottish music have their own distinct qualities for this reason but, in view of the many grammatical structures inherent in all Celtic languages, there are also many similarities. All the same, my own music is an attempt to bring a contemporary sound to Kernewek as a modern yet authentic, revived language. I have paid close attention to its non-English pronunciation but I hope the melodies will appeal also to English-speaking ears. The melodies of my self-penned English songs definitely have a totally different quality from my Cornish ones and only one of the songs on this album could also be sung in English (Track 5 – Karoryon Porthgwarra). In spite of that, Paul feels this is his favourite track, maybe because it is the least English-sounding, and a quirky, though folksy, tune.

•  www.kesson.com is selling your recording. I understand it also represents the best in Cornish music.

I have nothing but praise for Kesson (Harmony) as an excellent portal for all Cornish music, whether in English or Cornish. Its creator, Kit Davey, himself one of an accomplished Cornish family of active musicians and Cornish speakers, offers a professional outlet but does not seek to run the site purely on a commercial basis but rather to promote all Cornish musicians and music. He makes Cornish artists’ material available on a non-profit-making basis and, according to their requirements, offers albums as CDs or as downloads or both. Perhaps, readers might find the answer to the last question re Cornish music by trying a few samples on the Kesson website.

. Are you planning to tour your music?

I have no plans as such. The whole purpose in making this album ‘Omdowl

Philip: This was a beat group I sang and played the single-manual organ with (I’d have looked silly sitting on a tree, holding my organ!) back in about 1969-72. They were called the Velvet Touch and were Devon Pop Poll Champions.

Morek’ was to record to the best of all my creative powers with the help of my son Paul ‘s technical know-how a handful of my Cornish language songs. I have been a very active musician pretty well all my life since my teens in a wide variety of music, whether as a drummer, organist, guitarist vocalist. I have been folk singer, played in rock bands and beat groups, sung in a male voice choir, taught music to primary school kids, played in Country Dance bands. In a Cornish language capacity, I have been performing since the early eighties. With this album, I didn’t want my music in this vein to die and felt that, in some humble way, that it would be of benefit to the Cornish language world if it were to be there for all to be able to hear and access, and make their own. It is important for a revived language to be “sexy” so that young people want to take it up so it was important that the sound should appeal across age groups and, I hope, have a timeless quality. Otherwise there is always the risk that the language will become moribund and confined to traditional folk modes. It would not be to my liking to do a karaoke job of singing my songs to backing tracks though I obviously have these. I would need a band to reproduce the songs on stage as I might like. In the studio, I could form instrumentation as full as a whole band and, where vocals are concerned, multi-track my voice or even be a male voice choir as I was on the last track ‘Spyrys Agan Tir’.

. What are your major musical plans for this year?

Given funding, ideally I’d like to record a further ten or twelve songs that I’ve written in Cornish but, more than anything, I’d love to record a polished, updated, digital version of a song that I wrote for the Pan Celtic Festival in Galway, 1991, and which won Kernow first prize in the Pan Celtic Song Contest of that year. It was called ‘Deus Y’n Rag, Dolli’ (Come on, Dolly!) and was an attempt to create a Cornish language equivalent of ‘Roll Over Beethoven’, whereby I hoped to resurrect the language with a rocking appeal to Dolly Pentreath to come alive again. She was the then-supposed, last-recorded native speaker of Kernewek in about 1770, and she berated an English philologist, called Daines Barrington, who was searching Cornwall for surviving Cornish speakers, in true fishwife style by calling him ‘Ty gronek hager du!’ or ‘You ugly, black toad!’.

If I can once more enlist the recording and producing expertise of my son, Paul Knight-Malciak, this will be my project, together with an upbeat ‘b-side’ ofanother of my songs, ‘Hunlev an Omsettyans’ (Nightmare of the Invasion), which recalls the reprisal raid on Dolly Pentreath’s village of Mousehole by a section of the failed Spanish Armada.

Bolonjedhow a’n gwella/Very best wishes,
Phil Knight

Well there you have folks. Another fine addition to our ever growing musical exploration. Be sure to visit kesson and if you like Phil’s new album, have a copy yourself.

1. Men Selevan (St Levan’s Stone) 00:00
2. Tamsin (Tamsin) 03:35
3. Maria Wynn a Gernow (Blessed Mary of Cornwall) 06:46
4. Dhe Vlamya yw Hi (She is to Blame) 10:43
5. Karoryon Porthgwartha (The Lovers of Porthgwarra) 13:49
6. Dehwelyans an Marner (The Sailor’s Return) 18:50
7. Myrgh an Mor (Daughter of the Sea) 22:59
8. Kyns ty dhe vos (Before You Go) 26:56
9. Spyrys agan Tir (The Spirit of our Land) 31:14

For bilingual lyrics and more information about the artist, go to http://www.magakernow.org.uk/idoc.ashx?docid=7dfc15fd-948b-4826-bd3c-32c55c7a…

All songs written and performed by Philip Knight

Produced, arranged, engineered, mixed and mastered by Paul Knight-Malciak http://www.paulknightmusic.co.uk

Recording generously funded by MAGA http://www.magakernow.org.uk

To purchase the CD album, mp3s, and lyrics booklet go to http://www.kesson.com

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Today in pictures: Newgrange by Tina Negus watercolour/ink/pastel/waxed crayon 2007.

I love mixed media. This is an amazing painter by Tina Negus. My friend Paula brought this to my attention. We both love nice pictures and I found this heart warming. The colors are really vibrant and it is very Celtic. More interpretation can be found here: http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/newgrange/Interesting

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What’s Playing: Corrina Hewat

http://www.myspace.com/corrinahewat

Ardyth & Jennifer : Magical Harps and Voices from Nova Scotia

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Plus: Clydagh Valley by Gearoid O Duinnin, River Underground, Sean Nos Dancers and Genius Loci Cornwall

Yes! Our new edition is out and yours truly is bringing you nothing but the best in Celtic music. All the fresh tunes you want to hear, all the cool bands and music news you want to know-they are in this site!

Everywhere I look there are Celtic inspired companies cropping up. There are young bands and also veterans who continue to create awesome music. A few days ago my muse was inspired by the beautiful Celtic artifacts found in Moravia, the Czech Republic. This goes to show that the Celts were all over Europe during the ancient times and the spirit lives on through us! We are family. Let us continue keeping the flame alive. Slainte!

My friend the legendary and awesome Layne Greene has mixed their harp tunes for the live performance as part of his summer job. That’s how he was able to share these artists. I love the harp and the vocals. Listening to them is a mesmerizing and magical experience.Their track Just Summer speaks of endless possibilities. Sometimes jazzy as in the case of Still Waters, one can feel the spiritual rush of The Angel Gabriel; a tune taken from the Basques. The duo continues to evade being pigeonholed yet are confident in their unique sound that no band sounds like them.

About them:

Ardyth & Jennifer have been performing and giving workshops for many years with their unique mix of harp and original songs. For a list of our favourite links, click here.
Ardyth Robinson

Ardyth Robinson is currently living in the valley with her two girls, Nadia and Claire.

Ardyth Robinson and Jennifer Wyatt met more than a decade ago at a traditional Nova Scotia kitchen party and have been performing together ever since. Bringing their eclectic mix of harps, vocals, bass, percussion, whistles and original songs to audiences throughout the Maritime Provinces and into the New England States they have developed a unique style that combines elements of traditional music with the influence of jazz and contemporary songwriting. They have played at many premier folk festivals and concert venues, showcased in the Roots Room and songwriter’s events at the East Coast Music Awards and at the Juno Fest in Halifax and they have been featured on many local radio and television programs. As they have travelled, their unique style has earned them critical acclaim within the music community and an ever-growing fan base in the Maritimes.

http://www.ardythandjennifer.com/

http://www.myspace.com/149124303

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River Underground Surfacing.

It is great when bands or their friends come forward to promote their music. I know that there hidden gems out there waiting for the light of the day to catch up. How would we know if they keep silent right? I have been fortunate to receive a message from Nick Rossiter about the band River Underground. This is what he wrote.

I am from St. John’s N.L. I love the pubs of George Street, and all around the downtown area!! It is part of a long heritage of Downtown, St.John’s, N.L.
I’m just writing to ask if you could post on your wall, a Celtic band called ” Skraeling”, otherwise know as “River Underground”!!
They are based out of Toronto, Ontario, and quite frequently, Vancouver, B.C. And they do extensive traveling to all places, everywhere!!
They have released 3 C.D.s so far.
They are, quite possibly, Newfoundland’s “Best Kept Secret”!!!
They played Erin’s Pub last week for 3 nights, to a crowd that absolutely Loved them!!
The band members are, Jamie Snider(of the Wonderful Grand Band), Mike Rossiter, and a nice young man on drums, who calls himself “Animal” Pearson!!
They are in Newfoundland till mid August, and then they head back to the mainland after that!!
Also, they are looking for more bookings in any of your local pubs or bars, so if you could repost these links on your wall, it would be greatly appreciated!!
A good contact # is 1 416 873 7886.
Thank-you for sharing this and listening!!
Cheers!!

P.S. This is three of their links to get an idea what their sound is like!!
http://riverunderground.com/ https://www.facebook.com/riverunderground https://www.facebook.com/pages/Skraeling/71575184364

I listened to the music samples and I automatically like their music. It glides in smoothly and everyone in the band plays with such beautiful gusto it makes you want to get up and dance to the jigs.
Sound Samples here: http://riverunderground.com/
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Our pic of the day: Clydagh Valley by Gearoid O Duinnin

Since the day Clydagh Valley came out, it has been shared so many times. This image is by painter Gearoid O Duinnin who is based in County Cork, Ireland. The wild splashes of deep colors hold the imagination. The artwork speaks in volumes.  I can stare at it again and again and imagine I actually live there. I got in touch with him and conducted this little interview.

How long did you work on this painting?

I will always work on a painting for about two months, Layering and layering it with a plain colour. Then I attack the canvas with all the paint. Maybe 5-6 hours for the final bit.

What is your inspiration in creating this painting?

I actually live there. The funny thing is that when I painted it, I had just moved there and a friend pointed out to me afterwards that I had painted the Valley. I wasn’t intentional. I don’t paint from photos etc.

Can you give me the artists who influenced you in terms of your style?

I do like Jackson Pollock and Francis Bacon a lot but mainly for what they had to say about the subconscious as regards to painting. The pictorial result is different but the experience is the same feeling.

You are also a musician on the side. Any plans of pursuing this career or is this just for fun?

I’ve never had any aspirations as a musician. It’s something I do and other musicians ask me to play with them. I’m an accompanist and a fan of the music I suppose. I’m very lucky because I get a front seat in hearing some of the best musicians we have.

What can we expect from you this year in terms of artistic works?

Well…. I’m busy painting at the moment and I hope to have an exhibition that I can take on tour next year. I’ve had some help this year from Udaras na Gaeltachta & the arts council that enabled me to buy badly needed art supplies. Now that the house is full of canvas and paint, I feel confident.

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Video of the day: Sean nós dancers

There is an old form of Irish Dancing called Sean nos which like the style of singing means: Old Style. It is simple, fluid and improvisational. Through the years Irish dancing have grown and developed into other forms but it is great to look back sometimes and realize that everything has origins. My special thanks to Karen Victoria Smith for introducing this form of dancing in her vampire novel Dark Dealings. Here;s her blog to get more info about the book.

http://kvictoriasmith.blogspot.com/

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Featured media and marketing company: Genius Loci

Although known as a media and marketing company, Genius Loci actually started life as an independent Record Company. We are proud to be behind the most popular Cornish video on youtube ‘The Home Coming’ and also have a number of new musical projects in the pipeline…

About

Internet Marketing & Media Consultancy. Website Management, SEO photography design. Also involved in music & yoga promotion.
Description

Genius Loci means the ‘spirit of place’, and our skills will enable you to stand out from your competitors and be the leading light in your area of business.

Harp Builder Timothy Des Roches for Harp Talk (Interview)

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Plus: The High Kings and Festival Interceltique de Lorient

Timothy Des Roches: The invisible noodle(string)

The harp  fascinated me since childhood. I owe that to the movies and also the late  Japanese jazz harpist Tadao Hayashi (in grade school) who started me in this path. He made me realize that the instrument can create a lot of sound  textures depending on the player.

With my journey to the discover of Celtic music, it was not hard to fuse the past and the present. Hearing the instrument gives you deeper meaning when you know its history and its construction. How or why does it make such sound? As what poet  Lao Tzu says about traveling..”A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” And also “For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” –– Robert Louis Stevenson. Learning is a great journey -by knowing the harp more.

You have to realize this didn’t take place in one day. Tim and I just sent messages and ideas back and forth as we went along:

I got a brilliant idea for the interview. Why don’t we make a picture discussion. I will go ahead and post pictures from your picture  gallery and let you explain further. We will make it as informal and chatty as possible.

Or if you prefer we will make it on the main conference with Scott(Hoye). Anything that makes you comfortable.

After sometime….

He said: This may be mildly interesting to you. I’ve been discussing the build of a traditional wire strung harp with someone for some time now. This person desires a replica harp with an English Walnut pillar and column (the sound box is to be carved from Linden/Lime ,latin: tilia. Our conversations started over a year ago. Well, after about one year I came upon a proper log for the carved sound box (the wood needs to be green/wet), and after countless hours of searching I just found the English walnut in the right thickness (rare) in Southern Poland. Enough for many harps and pleasantly priced – WAAAAY cheaper that it would be from a US vendor, even though the wood is actually more common here than in Europe. It’s very odd to me how these things seem to make themselves available when I’m close to being ready for them even if the odds are stacked against me. Money is always an issue – I have little and wood and transport are costly – and transport is always challenging as I haven’t a car.

In the picture the shorter lengths are about 1.5 meters long and 7 cm thick, the rest is 5cm thick and about 3 meters long. The wood has “seasoned” naturally for five years. Commercial wood is usually kiln dried, which is less desirable for musical instruments.

Now this is a great thread starter 😉

Hey, I know that pic (referring to the picture below).

Let us discuss about wood carving in this picture. How long did it take for you to finish this one?I am actually in your album now.

Hmmmm, 80 hours maybe. But “in the round” like that is a real pain and I never clamped that piece while working on it. Or rather, I clamped it with my left elbow while carving with the right and left hand.

You seem to take harp making a step further by adding intricate designs. How do clients react to your finished products?

The design took longer than the carving – I can take a long time to settle on a design. When it’s for me, as this harp was, I want something I can live with, something that fits the harp. If a carving is for someone else THEY decide; that makes things easier.

What clients? Thus far it’s all for my wife, except one small wire harp. They liked the carving a lot, it made the harp more personal. For myself, I enjoy finding what the wood has within and adjusting to the grain. Thankfully, every piece of wood is different so even if you’re making the same design over and over there’s always something new, but hand carving adds another layer to that.

Interesting!

I didn’t know you have so many” weapons” ( see picture). How did you get into harp building?

I like “les armes blanches!” There’s absolutely no such thing as too many chisels. Grab and air-sickness bag, love got me involved. It was my 5th anniversary that was approaching and I wanted to give Magda something special. The fifth anniversary calls for a wooden gift so I set myself to thinking. I remembered that she had once told me that as a little girl her dream was to play the harp, but in Communist Poland that was beyond the grasp of all but the luckiest of talented youths, so she opted for classical guitar. So, I researched and bought a harp kit from Musicmakers; it was a 26 string Limerick harp in walnut. I did some simple carving to to make it truly hers and found an interest in both harps and carving. Later I made a connection with the harp maker Rick Kemper of Sligo Harps and have been enjoying a kind of intl. apprenticeship with him. Rick’s harps are awesome and he’s been very patient and kind to me. It’s now four summers that I’ve been cluttering his shop with myself and one harp project or another.

That is the best gift I have ever heard in ages!Look at these gorgeous harps she got.These are wire strung harps right? How many of these are in your house now?

Actually Magda has an irrational preference for nylon or gut strung harps. Those floor harps in the picture are nylon strung (there’s no money in my piggy bank for gut). On the left is the second harp I “built” for her, a Muscimakers Voyageur (another kit) on which she wanted carved dragons. On her right is a cross-strung harp that was the result of my second summer spent in the company of Rick Kemper. So, that’s two, then there’s my little 19 string wire harp (bronze strung) of lime and cherry, a nineteen string wire harp of cherry and maple (strung in brass), the 32 string Lamont strung in bronze and silver, and a small 22 string nylon harp bought before I decided to build a kit harp. That makes 6, and I’m currently working on a triple strung harp (81 strings) for Magda because there’s still room to throw a cat in the music room. Oh, and we live in flat that’s right in the middle of Lodz.

That one is really tiny. I haven’t seen a size like that before.

Small wire-strung, that’s the lime/cherry – fruit flavoured! Except that lime/linden trees aren’t fruit bearing and the cherry is a wild and rather unpalatable fruit bearing variety – better for cabinet making than jam making. That is actually the first harp I made all on my own. The wood for the soundbox came from a tree being felled on my way to work.

Let us talk about construction. What are the yes and no of making levers and of the kind of materials you use?

Whoa! I don’t make levers and wouldn’t want to. Levers are made by elves and dwarves in unknown lands (I do fear that some of this activity takes place in China – at least component manufacture, but I may be wrong…I hope I’m wrong. I have installed levers, and shall likely do more of it in the future although it’s not my preferred way to spend time. The levers in the picture are Camac levers and are very popular for their quality of tone and ease of use – by the harpist. Other brands exist: Truitt, Delacour, Peter Brough, Loveland, Robinson… Each type has it’s advantages and disadvantages.

Peter Brough Brilliant bronze semitone levers

Thanks!

Nylon and steel strings…the difference in sound, construction and the challenges making each?

Wow, esoterica. Interestingly enough, nylon and steel strings both call for just about the same vibrating length. Wire harps are strung (usually) with brass or bronze. Brass and bronze call for shorter (significantly so) vibrating lengths for a given note than than nylon. Nylon, gut, nylgut (a synthetic), or fluorocarbon strings all produce a “typical” harp sound with some being darker, some brighter, some punchier… Brass and bronze strings sound closer to a harpsichord when played with great technical skill. The wire strings have a greater sustain and typically less volume from the harp although in some ways the sound carries better. Steel strings sound more like little bells, more tinkly.

Nylon harps are lighter built than wire harps and requiring a greater length of string material for any given note. Given a wire harp and a nylon or gut harp with the same range of notes, the nylon/gut harp will be bigger. Wire harps tend to be styled after existing historic harps or harps depicted in stone carving or period illustrations. There is a greater freedom of form and materials used that can be perceived in the nylon/gut strung harp arena. Many lever harp players cry out for lighter and lighter harps, one builder even builds in carbon fiber – ultralight. You’re more likely to hear wire harp types clamoring for archaic dry joinery (no adhesives) and specific woods. All types of harps have their merits and uses.

For more on string theory, try to get your head around my friend Rick Kemper’s brilliant explanations:
http://www.sligoharps.com/string.html

Tim, if people are looking for great harp manufacturers, where would you refer them?

Who are they? WHERE are they? What kind of music do they want to play?

Generally I’d tend to go with one woman/man operations. You get more of a dialog, more personal service. USUALLY a better instrument. Big name companies are more interested in NOT having to perform warranted repairs and that forcibly affects building strategies and sound. It’s nice to buy local. If not, make sure a competent luthier lives within a couple of hours drive. A floor harp can be expensive to ship for repair work!

Timothy Des Roches is the guy you might want to look for if you want a harp builder. His bio says:

I live in Lodz (woodge), Poland with my wife, Magda, my son, Mieszko (myeshkoh), and my dog. Life just keeps getting better.

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Featured video: The High Kings – “The Rising Of The Moon”

Check out the new video “The Rising Of The Moon”, from Ireland’s ‘Best Folk Group of the Year’ THE HIGH KINGS. Their new album “Memory Lane” is out now in the US.

Get your copy at Amazon here – http://amzn.to/h53CHG

My appreciation to Christi for posting this on her network. One of the best Irish groups!

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Today in Pictures: Festival Interceltique de Lorient Grande Parade 2012

Copyright Michel Renac- FIL2012

Celtic 5 String Banjo Player – Dave Hum‏

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 2 Comments

Plus:Featured mp3s: Dan Aston, New video by Cheers! and Nolwenn Leroy

“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain. ”
–Bob Marley

Featured artist Celtic 5 String Banjo Player – Dave Hum‏

“An instrumental selection of traditional Celtic, bluegrass and old time tunes, featuring Dave Hum playing the five string banjo, guitar, bass, mandolin, harmonica and percussion.”

The  music of Dave Hum is like  a friend who comes to visit to bring you great news. It  overflows with an almost Rastafarian philosophy that is all embracing. It is a kind of feeling you get with when you take that time off  from the harsh realities of life . The seductive rhythm invites you to throw your worries and close your eyes. Imagine someone you have not heard for some time announcing he is dropping by. You don’t know what to expect. He comes marching in. Then he cracks a joke. Everything dissolves into a familiar warmth of old friendship and easy fun. That’s exactly what his music is like!

He sounds like no other. I’d call his music timeless, with the mood elevating qualities of dark chocolate.  In place of words, he uses his mastery of melodies and arrangements. There aren’t any stumbling block in his musical path…it is like a great river rushing, where everything flows so smoothly.

It surprises one to know that there is only one person behind this big sound. Yes he plays everything that you hear in the recording.

http://www.davehum.com

http://www.myspace.com/davehum

 

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This Edition’s Fresh Video: Cheers!

Finally, the most anticipated video from Celtic rock group based in the Czech Republic is out.  It features the band playing live interspersed with an old Czech film. According to  Pavel, the lead singer of “Cheers!”:

“We used this movie – to point out the culture in its roots. Even if we play something totally else”..

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Featured mp3: Dan Aston

If you are very active in the Celtic folk in scene in Cornwall, then you might have seen Dan Aston as  the guitarist of Cornish language band (with both his parents in it) An Derow. His music is inspired by artists like John Martyn, Nick Drake and Gary Moore. These are selections off his soundcloud page. Dan is a fine singer with a good range. His voice is in perfect shape and pitch. When asked about the possibility of releasing an album:

“I am currently working on my debut album which will hopefully be out in January 2013.”

That is a good sign. So what can we listeners expect from his debut album?

“The listeners can expect a selection of my original songs that have strong roots in folk, blues and jazz genres as well as possessing a Celtic touch. Working with local Celtic group An Derow and having played on Sue Aston’s recent album ‘Between Worlds’ has influenced me in this direction as well as my natural love towards renowned musicians in the folk/Celtic genre such as John Martyn and Nick Drake. Some of my songs will be expanded instrumentally for the album and will feature additional musicians to add further depth and textures to their musical landscapes. The expansion of my songs will also include myself playing lead guitar and harmonica which doesn’t currently appear on the soundcloud demos. The record will be musically diverse and will hopefully appeal in one way or another to listeners from all musical backgrounds.”

Dan has a live show and according to his status update:

“I will be playing at Goldsithney Charter Fair this Saturday, performing my usual mix of folk/jazz originals and covers with some new covers by Deep Purple, Bruce Springsteen and Blue Oyster Cult! Hopefully see you there should be a great event.”

Don’t miss this awesome artist live and have a listen to his recordings below.

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Today in Pictures: Nolwenn Leroy

Raphaële Beyssier / 11 Le Magazine

She brings sass and spice to Celtic music.