Connie Dover

Throw your music map and dive!

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In this edition: Eve Williams, Clan Suibhne, Dom Duff, Colin Nea, Connie Dover , Mark Harmer and Planxty.

It is 2013. Four years after I officially launched this site. In the past four years, I met a lot of talented musicians and listened to their amazing music. In the past four years I met interesting readers who turned out to be bloggers too. In the past four years I poured my heart out, experienced joy and at some point almost lost my sanity. But I never gave up blogging and maintaining this site. Despite the personal earthquakes I experienced in this life, this one seems to be left unscathed. This is my baby. This is my love. It’s been four years. And here’s The Celtic Music Fan looking forward to more discoveries, more mistakes, more success and more joy! Let the fun begin again.

Eve Williams-Twenty Miles from Home

New CD from UK based singer/songwriter Eve Williams

Think of the soft approach of Cara Dillon and  the vocal power of Evanescence.

It is always a great experience when I discover new music. This is only possible without a map. Personal maps obscure our chances of finding something new out there. Especially when we are so used to the formula we created and the comfort zone we find hard to let go. I wondered if this is the same thing that ran inside the mind of Eve Williams when she created Twenty Miles from Home.

It is an eclectic album full of  surprises wrapped in a blanket of atmosphere. There are things that are consistently noticeable in the midst of variety. All the twelve tracks are melodic. Her voice is superb and full bodied. She is also a writer which explains her interesting lyrics references to classical literature.

In my other blog friend who is a guest blogger wrote about Music Theory. I think we have to admit that people who make artfully crafted music are those who at least in some part of their musical development, had undergone music studies. The maintaining discipline  in creating and also in the performing part is probably hard because music is such an emotional medium. It is easy to get lost and let everything rip through.

Twenty Miles from Home strikes me as a balance of  emotion and control. It is also a recording done with minimalist approach to instruments. This gives us a chance to hear how Eve can showcase her vocal talents. I sometimes find it hard to listen to something overly produced because you have a lot of sounds coming from every direction. Which in turn makes it hard to concentrate to the few aspects. But this album proves to be something that even listeners with short attention span can feast in.

I realized that listening to different systems also yield different results. When I listened to this through a computer, it didn’t give me too much probably due to the speakers. Then I put it in a CD player with good speakers. And the experience was something else. The whole album shimmers. The headphones also give you that intimate feel which focuses more on the nuances . I suggest you listen to all types of

Singer Eve Williams

Eve Williams

players and see which works for you.

Twenty Miles from Home is a beautiful album. Oblivion is one track with full arrangements and soaring vocals along with Tall Dark Stranger. These are orchestrated tracks. But I love the contrast of the spare arrangement on others like Broken Dolls (feat Scarlett Burnside), The Rock (feat. Dominik Boncza-Skrzynecki) and many more. Eve Williams is based in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is probably the beautiful landscapes that shaped her sound and sentiments. It it an album that can appeal to lovers of Sinead O’Connor, Cara Dillon and Evanescence. The combination of folk simplicity and operatic flourishes in her songs makes her one of the rising voices in the Irish music scene.

Older recordings

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Clan Suibhne Yank~Irish~Celtic Music Group‏

Clan Suibhne. Clan Suibhne They're Not Just a Band, They're a Clan clansuibhnegreengrassmusic.blogspot.com

Clan Suibhne. Clan Suibhne They’re Not Just a Band, They’re a Clan
clansuibhnegreengrassmusic.blogspot.com

Their unique “Roots” music, dubbed “Greengrass,” is a blend of traditional Irish/Celtic meets American Folk/Bluegrass tunes.  “This genre existed long before the music we know as bluegrass. We were very surprised, but so honored to win an award for our music,” says Charles (C.W.) Farrell. The three Farrell brothers and cousin John Curran have become well known around the “Irish Riviera” for their signature style. They incorporate traditional instruments, including  the mandolin and banjo, into traditional Irish music.

Celtic music is a family affair. You can see this in bands like Clannad, The Corrs, The Rankins among others. It is no surprise when a lot of American Irish bands are consist of family members. Irish and Scottish music have grown into stellar proportions in the United States in the past few years. This is an exciting age to start your own Celtic band because even though you can’t find listeners in your hometown, you know that there is this whole wild world which is the Internet. There will always be  listeners for you out there!

Clan Suibhne (pronounced Sweeney)are a band based in New Jersey. They play acoustic music combining their Yank-Irish-Celtic Roots which they fondly mention in their website.  Like I mentioned, they are a family group, acoustic and fun. They do solo, duo, trio & quartet arrangements throughout the New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York Tristate area.

This St Patrick’s Day 2013, they are scheduled to play at the Historical National Hotel in Frenchtown, NJ…and will be appearing at many other venues throughout the months of February, March and April 2013. Sounds like fun! Do check them out if you are in the area.

http://www.reverbnation.com/clansuibhne
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Clan-Suibhne/240984553900
http://clansuibhnegreengrassmusic.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/ClanSuibhne

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Connie Dover and what makes her amazing.

If you’ve been a listener since 1993(her debut album came out in 1991) and now it is 2013..surely there is something about Connie Dover. She is considered as one of the stalwarts in the Celtic genre. I think she is underrated considering the achievements she has. I don’t think I am totally biased when I say that being an American singer, she took such challenging steps in making sure she breaths authenticity in her every recording. Even to the point when she has to sing in Latin of Scots/Irish Gaelic.

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Before going solo, Connie Dover fronted this Missouri based bluegrass group. She is one American singer I really respect because her music is based in hard research and she yes she sings in Gaelic.

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Si Beag, Si Mhor

This composition by the famous Irish composer O’Carolan landed into facebook discussion with my friend Ralph who plays the tin whistle. I am so glad he raised this discussion up so I was able to do further research about the song. I discovered the other versions. There are many out there but I will just post two of them here. These are fine interpretations. I am crazy for uilleann pipes and that is why the one from Planxty appears in this edition. I am also a big fan of harp music specifically the Celtic harp. So let us get to know a wee bit more of this music.

Picture. Mark Harmer gauntssummergathering.com

Picture. Mark Harmer gauntssummergathering.com

In English it means: Little hill, big hill. It’s a reference to the fairy kingdoms.
It’s also translated as “it’s little, it’s big.”It’s sometimes titled “Sidhe Bheag, Sidhe Mhor” The tune is by Turlough O’Carolan (1670-1738). O’Carolan’s works were published by his son in 1747. According to this timeline “Si Bheag Si Mhor” was the first piece O’Carolan composed upon the completion of his harp apprenticeship (1691).

According to Ralph: “I think a closer translation is ‘big hill, little hill’. I’m pretty sure it has something to do with a war of fairy clans but I’d like to know how the story goes. Wanna know who owned w/c hill and who won in the end.” Here we have two versions. The first one by Planxty and the second one by Celtic harper Mark Harmer:

Note: An in depth research by harpist Scott Hoye suggested a new light to the trivia on top  . According to his source, Si Beg Si Mor is in fact a Scottish Tune, The Bonny Cuckoo. O’Carolan used the tune, made popular by the Ulster Scots, and wrote Irish lyrics for it. His poem was about the battle between two Faerie kingdoms. My big thanks to Scott for the info about this classic.

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Babel Pow Wow by Dom Duff

Breton musician Dom Duff is working on a new album. He is requesting the help of Breton music enthusiasts to help fund this project. As I

Dom Duff Babel Pow Wow Proje

Dom Duff Babel Pow Wow Project

said  in a conversation with a musician that music is a community. You get what you give. Dom Duff is very passionate about the culture of Brittany and its people. He  was also one of our featured artists way back .

I chatted with him a few days ago. He was trying to put a video project to promote the album. This involves people speaking in their own dialects from all over the world. The video you see below is just one of the many he is trying to create between music session. This man in really busy these days!

Please check this one out:

More here: http://www.kisskissbankbank.com/fr/projects/dom-duff-album-babel-pow-wow-2013

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Wonderful Review of trad album by Colin Nea

Fair play to Colin Nea on a great review from TradConnect-Enda Seery: http://tradconnect.com/profiles/blogs/album-review-colin-nea-between-the-jigs-the-reels

Colin Nea and Enda Seery are cousins. They are also very supportive of each others music projects. The proud Enda was posting and tweeting about this wonderful review of his album Between the Jigs & the Reels with Jack Talty on a piano. I haven’t talked to Colin Nea yet but I have exchanges several pleasant messages with Enda. He is also releasing an album this year and I am sure Colin is going to advertise it too. It is great to see trad music growing. It is composed of family relations jamming together or with other musicians. Like I’ve mentioned before: Irish music is a family affair.

Dave Hum,Les Ramoneurs de menhirs,Velha Gaiteira, Connie Dover and Celtic Cross Stitch

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Featured Video: Les Ramoneurs de menhirs – Bella Ciao

Ah Celtic punk from Brittany. Forget the fact they don’t sing in English..well actually that makes it very ‘rebellious’! Hey the bombarde overpowers even the electric guitar.

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Album Review: Traveling Light by Dave Hum

Dave Hum

I have other Dave Hum albums so I say Traveling Light sounds different from his other creations. I will bring each one of them to your attention in days to come. For now we are going to take Traveling Light apart and discover its artistic merits. There’s a lot actually.

Groove: Most of Dave Hum’s albums are about instrumental prowess and great atmosphere. This one is an example of music  that crosses genres. You hear African, Reggae, modern rock and classical influences thrown in for the good measure.

Great Melodies: Every track in this album are very satisfying. Dave Hum has a thing for melody which is always close to Celtic music. Whither he is trying to make something new out of something old, his music has that ’ring’ to it. If you are a fan of certain artists, it’s that quality that makes their music recognizable as theirs. It’s like DNA embedded inside the workings of rhythm, melody, arrangement and song structure.

No loose ends from beginning to end: The opening track Chesters Tune is ear-grabbing. From that track up to the end track which is Grandad in the Lift, Traveling Light  will put you up your toes.

The Future of Banjo Music: Dave Hum has made banjo music in this album  accessible to a lot of listeners.There are great tunes with great beats and variety. Tunes like Lulworth Mermaid with its New Agey female layered voices and the uplifting Riders are testaments of his amazing artistry. This is an album for all!

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Submitted: Velha Gaiteira – “Bate lavadeira e Helena” (tradicional do Paul/Beira-Baixa)

A friend of CMF Pedro Fulano Lourenço submitted this video. I am pleased that friends are very passionate about Celtic influenced music.The voice reminds me of Hungarian folk singer Márta Sebestyén. Very lovely!

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Flashback:Connie Dover – Somebody

I first read about her in CD review magazine. That was around 1991. This album was creating a stir in the Celtic music scene. Back then, the scene was different. No mp3s and very few people have access to ‘elite’ music like this one. She is one of the great artists who paved the way for Celtic music to have a broader acceptance.

My heart is sore, I dare not tell, my heart is sore for Somebody
I would walk a winter’s night all for a sight of Somebody

If Somebody were come again then one day he must cross the main
And everyone will get his own and I will see my Somebody

Chorus
Ochon, for Somebody, Och hey, for Somebody,
I would do, would I do not, All for the sake of Somebody

Why need I comb my tresses bright, oh, why should coal or candlelight
Shine in my bower day or night since gone is my dear Somebody

Oh, I have wept many a day for one that’s banished far away
I cannot sing and must not say how sore I grieve for Somebody

Music: traditional Irish; lyrics: traditional Scottish
Adapted by Connie Dover
From the CD, Somebody (Songs of Scotland, Ireland and Early America) by Connie Dover

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Today in Pictures: Celtic Birds Cross Stitch by Paula.

I could not let this article pass without introducing this wonderful musician who explored the world of Celtic designs.

Celtic glasses case sewn for my mother —Paula
From the real of electronic music, Paula moved to cross stitch. She made amazing images with her Celtic designs and CMF is a proud owner of a lot of her works!

Here Lies Your Passion

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Passion is what keeps us alive. It is the driving force that not only serves artists but also everyone who has  what we call humanity. I think where ever you are or whatever status you may have in life, passion is something that you can always seek shelter to. It is what keeps you young and ambitious.

I know that I am passionate about any type of music. That is why I will always have something to write about and I will have someone to talk to about music almost every day. I like to read what other people write about music they like. I also love reading about thoughts of musicians and what they are going through or how they’re inspired to write a wonderful song.

I think all of us have an artist inside. As children we don’t really know yet about our true calling that is why we tend to mimic anything . But as we  grow older and once our habits and preferences are set, we become discriminating. We develop certain tastes-whiter it’ musical, visual or culinary.

I like the idea that we add layers to our personalities as we grow older. And also our tastes evolve with time. And in the midst of all these are the artists who inspire us to discover what we are called upon to do- the purpose of our existence.

Let me introduce to what’s new….

Traditional music as well as original songs and tunes from this dynamic young 5-piece led by singer Paul McKenna.

Their exciting sound is created through outstanding vocals, driving guitar and bouzouki, intense fiddle playing, a warm pairing of flute and whistles, and dynamic bodhrán and percussion. Their first album (self-titled) won them Best Up And Coming Artist Of The Year at the Scots Trad Music Awards in 2009, and received critical acclaim.

-MusicScotland

Copyright - Archie Macfarlane 2008

Copyright - Archie Macfarlane 2008

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If you don’t know how exciting Glasgow based band Deoch n Dorus are, then don’t miss on the train. They are young, vibrant and passionate about the kind of music they play. This s a good addition t those who love Scottish music.

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Lovers of the music of Early America, Ireland and Scotland should know Connie Dover. I really think her albums are awesome and there’s never been a moment that’s not magical. Her clear , pure and magical voice delivers that Celtic American sentiment found in no other artist.


Connie Dover & Roger Landes – Will You Go Lassie Go

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I love her voice. I also love her direction.  last July , Connie performed with Roger Landes at the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area , Akron, Ohio performing this beautiful song called Will You Go Lassie Go.

News from Connie Dover, Liadan and Save our Scenery Concert.

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Today we are going to talk about passion. According to the English dictionary of synonyms, the very word also means: warmth, heart, ardour, fervor, rapture, ecstasy, intoxication, rapture, enthusiasm, gusto, eagerness etc. There are countless words that could mean the same thing. And of course we know that the antonyms of passion are apathy, indifference, coldness etc.

A friend used to say that the reason she finds musicians or people who are into music interesting is that these people have something that sets them apart from other. It could be because of how passionate they can get…

Now for the news…

I love listening to Connie Dover. I have listened to all of her recordings available and I have been passionate about her works since the 90s. She started her career fronting the Kansas based Blue Grass band Scartaglen in the 80s. From there she honed her skills into what would become her solo debut Somebody(Taylor Park) which resulted to positive reviews and a rave in the Scottish radio. I think her name stuck with me for the first time, while I was browsing through the pages of CD review back in 1991. And years later that music became a source of comfort for me when I was undergoing some troubling and lonely periods of my life.

Her pure and magical voice is undoubtedly unmatched by anyone in the business. Her materials are well-researched that span a thousand years. I also give her a high five for being the only American who is able to wield the songs of Early America with the traditional hymns of Ireland and the British Isles. Her recordings never fail and there featured a distinction between instruments used by guest musicians. From hammered dulcimer, Irish bouzouki, fiddle, concertina and other definitive instrument used in this type of music, each of the songs promises to entice and to wrap you up like fine silk.

Right now Connie continues to be active in the music and poetry scene. Two poems called Radio Crane Collage and Cavort (from her book of poetry  Winter Count) are featured in her official myspace site) If you go to the National Public Radio website, there is an interview of Connie about her song I Am Going to the West (from Border of Heaven) and here’s the link: http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=102168188&m=102218501

She was also part of the 25th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada, where she sang with her friend, Skip Gorman, and read a few poems. To view the event: http://cybercast.westernfolklife.org/2009/.

Here is an interesting blurb from her official myspace site:

Connie finds her inspiration in the landscapes, history and culture of the American West. When she is not performing, she works as a ranch cook in the beautiful country between Wyoming’s Wind River and Absaroka Mountains. She received the Grand Prize in the Western Folklife Center’s 2007 Yellowstone-Teton Song Contest and a 2007 Emmy Award for her soundtrack production of the PBS documentary “Bad Blood – The Border War that Triggered the Civil War”.

Her CDs (three were recorded in Scotland) show the close ties between the American folk and cowboy songs she sings around Wyoming campfires and their Celtic ancestors, and she has twice been a finalist for a Native American Music Award.

Listening to readings from the “Pit Poets” at Prospero’s Bookstore in Kansas City lit Connie’s literary fire, and her first book of poetry, Winter Count, was published in 2007. She is a recipient of the Speakeasy Prize in Poetry. Look for samples of her writing on her myspace blog.

Born in Arkansas and raised in Missouri, Connie is of English, Cherokee, Mexican and Scots/Irish descent. Her studies at Oxford University further enriched her unique perspective of the context of traditional songs. She has been a guest on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday and Sunday, A Prairie Home Companion, and Thistle and Shamrock. Acclaimed by the Boston Globe as “the finest folk ballad singer America has produced since Joan Baez”, Connie offers listeners a musical experience that transcends cultural boundaries and affirms our connection with the past.

Connie’s newest CD, The Holly and the Ivy (traditional Christmas songs and carols recorded with the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra,) was released December 10, 2008. Her new digital-only release of “Amazing Grace” and “The Language of Flowers” is now available through CD Baby, itunes, emusic and other music download sites.

Vincent van Gogh wrote to his brother, “The best way to know life is to love many things.”

Concert

Connie Dover
When: Saturday, June 26, 2010 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM MDT (End Time Estimated)
Where: White Sands National Monument – Full Moon Concert
19955 Highway 70 West
Alamagordo New Mexico 88310

Get Directions

Description:

Connie Dover and Skip Gorman — Full Moon Concert in the Dunes; an evening outdoor concert by the light of a full moon in White Sands’ beautiful natural amphitheatre; an intimate setting in the New Mexican desert – bring blankets or lawn chairs; http://www.nps.gov/whsa; contact: 575.679.2599

For more info about Connie Dover: www.myspace.com/conniedover and www.conniedover.com

..Searching for a radio station which plays “Connie Dover” and
similar music ?

Check out radio “smorgasbord” – your internet
radio playing folk, Celtic, rock, metal & more.http://www.smorgasbord.at

Let the all girl band conquer the global arena of Irish traditional music, Liadan is here! Not only that they’re all pretty, they got original talent for clever arrangements, singing in harmony, and play traditional instruments at such a breakneck speed that destroys the myth that beauty and brains don’t go together. Liadan has proven to the world that traditional music is very much alive and kicking. We are assured, that there are still talents out there who will carry the torch lead by bands such as The Chieftains, Clannad, Cherish the Ladies, Altan and De Dannan in decades to come. From Galway and Limerick this inspiring all-female band comprises of six members: Síle Denvir, harpist; Deirdre Chawke, piano accordion; Elaine Cormican, whistles. Valerie Casey and Claire Dolan, fiddles; Catherine Clohessy, flute. Catch them perform in the following venues:

Jul 16 2010     8:00P Skatoy             Skatoy, NO

Aug 22 2010   8:00P Leverkusen      Leverkusen, DE

Sources:  www.myspace.com/liadanmusic and www.liadan.ie

Don’t miss the big event at Leo’s Tavern this June 29th . SOS (Save our Scenery) is a benefit concert featuring Brian Kennedy and Frances Black. These are the two amazing voices of Ireland. The event is hosted by Leo Brennan’s daughter Moya Brennan whom we all know as the voice of Clannad and sister of Enya.

Sources:   www.myspace.com/leostavern and  www.leostavern.com

Leo Brennan

Leo Brennan