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A Closer Listen:Fine Friends by Sliotar

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The orange cover artwork shows the silhouette of a bare tree with birds on its branches. One should be aware that experience and wisdom can bring about something excellent. I had the pleasure listening to Fine Friends by Sliotar. A band interview is coming out soon.

The few chords of  the opening track remind you that Sliotar  can pack a wallop. Stick the Kettle On is an instrumental tune with captivating grooves. The uilleann pipes of Ray MacCormac remind you that pipes replace electric guitars here. A quarter to two minutes of this song will send you pogo dancing with gusto.

All Too Real showcases the band’s songwriting style that has that adult alternative twist. Even JP Kallo’s singing style fits the format. For those who like their Irish music more contemporary and radio friendly this is a fine example.

All Around Lough Gill is another instrumental tune showcasing the tin whistle. The drumming of Des Gorevan maintains its crunch all throughout the album without being too over powering. It took me several listens to this track alone to note that we are dealing with complicated drum styles here. Listening to music is like detective work. You don’t see pieces of evidence unless you look further and really pay attention.

May Morning Dew is sung without accompaniment. The strong sometimes gruff vocals maintain that expressiveness. The lyrics and the reverb created by either the room size or mixing have that compelling combination.

One Chance is a personal favorite. I like the sunny melody here. JP sings ‘Another Monday morning, coffee keeps you going, running late for work’  I think the Sliotar should expand on this direction more. I hear keyboards. I hear that nice editing effect applied to the last part of the chorus. Whoever did the sound engineering here has done an excellent job. I give this a high- five!

Rays Heel catches you by surprise with its unpredictable arrangement. It begins with that stately tempo, which calls to mind an idle walk , then around 2:50, it explodes into that fast jig that again gets you on your feet.

I could not stop smiling to  Rock-A-Bye Baby. It has that ingratiating appeal in its simplicity and intimacy, stripped of the drums. A perfect song to listen to when you are depressed and you want comfort. ‘Rock-a-bye baby..rain falls from the autumn sky..another wind blows hard and cold..let me keep you warm’ …Catchy!

Tinkering on the Bridge begins with the uilleann pipes and builds up into that foot tapping jig. It changes tempo at 2:05. The energy of this track really makes you rock your body.

Take it As it Is follows the vibe of  track 7 but with the drums. This is one hell of a tear jerker.

Whiskey in the Sauna makes me imagine that I am catching butterflies with my fingers or doing a kung fu/ Arabic dance steps on a Saturday night after meeting kindred spirits. Have you tried drinking whiskey in the sauna?

The album closes with the solo vocal track Fine Friends. It reminds you that after the laughter, everyone must part ways.

The album Fine Friends, also tells us that after listening to all the tracks, you will surely come back for more.This album deserves more listens because like good friends, the songs provide company that are enriching in all aspects.

About Sliotar

Sliotar is a three piece band based in Dublin playing modern folk music.
The roots of the tunes they play come from the music of Ireland,
but in the past few years the group is relying more and more on original
compositions. Sliotars fourth album, Cirque de Sliotar, has finally captured
the modern sound that has been in development and has been an obvious
at their live shows. Sliotar has been around now over twelve years,
eight with the current line up, and they have one of the longest running
residencies in Dublin in the Porterhouse. Also in the past few years
Sliotar have changed their way of touring, resulting the band travelling
all around Europe and even further. And still the Sliotars best asset is
the live show. Around 200 concerts every year keeps the band tight and
the energy of their live show is something that can only be experienced
and is not for the faint hearted.

You can buy Fine Friends here: http://www.sliotarmusic.com/?page_id=44

Tune in to JazzSpec tomorrow afternoon between 1 & 3 Irish time

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Tomorrow afternoon, Monday 4th. Sean Brophy will be including a Wanman & Floyd track in his show Jazz Spec on Dublin City FM103.2 (also online stream) – Sean has a classic selection of artists lined up including Curtis Fuller, The Chieftains, Booker T & the MGD, Procol Harum and lots more. We are truly honoured to be played in such esteemed company.http://www.jazzspec.blogspot.com/-Tony Floyd McKenna.

I am putting up a little bit of promotion for my friend Sean Brophy (and Tony). He actually commented on my Sinead O’Connor video post. It is nice to see someone responding to your youtube post in facebook especially when it is about  Irish singers. Anyway, talking about his show Jazzspec, I have listened to it before. Very interesting and informative..and yes good music! More here: http://www.jazzspec.blogspot.com/

Here is the Sinead video:

Brian’s Bodhran Passion

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Where the heart is…one could never go wrong!

Just saw this video post that my friend Jimmy posted today. I think this video took home a message of hope. Brian’s Bodhran Beater’s is getting a lot of attention from the media. His passion for creating this Irish instrument turned his life around. And he has never been to Ireland yet. Well maybe this time he will. It looks like his bodhran business is doing well.

Wonderful things happen where the heart is. I am sure someone out there is thinking the same thing. We are all connected in ways we can’t imagine. And nothing is as powerful as the bridges created by music. Our Celtic music.

Passion is such a beautiful thing isn’t it? It takes you to places. It can be a bitter-sweet thing. It can take high or it can drop you down. But most of all it makes you feel.  More about this man here : https://www.youtube.com/user/BriansBeaters

Tarbolten: Q&A with Darren Lynch of The Feekers

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Album launch, great instruments and feeking around: The Feekers!

Album launchings online and offline are interesting. You always get to pick the unexpected. Such as the luck I found with Tarbolten. It’s the debut album from Dublin based duo The Feekers. Aside from the interesting album title and of course what their band name means, we find some interesting bits about these two musicians. They have such passion for traditional Irish music. And well, because it is the thing that they do best.

Traditional music has really achieved such soaring popularity lately. I think with the gap between the ‘insiders’ and ‘outsiders’ in the music scene has been narrowed down. It is only a matter of time when the world finally redefines what is considered as hip and what isn’t. Radio is no longer as influential as it used to be and more and more people catch what’s being streamed online or what they come across on blogs and websites. This where , social butterflies(those with over 2000 friends) and megaphones(those who love posting links to videos and music) in facebook come in.

So please have the pleasure of reading my Q&A with Darren Lynch. And I hope you get to spread this to your friends. Let’s put the spotlight to The Feekers.

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Sample mp3s

What has happened to the trad scene for the past 10 years in your opinion?

Trad music has remained strong here in Ireland and continues to grow. Unfortunately, I don’t think there has been any recent bands that have broken the mould like the way some of the greats have done in the 60’s and 70’s folk revival. The final members of the legendry Dubliners and Clancy Brothers have unfortunately passed away in the last 10 years. I hope the passing of these legends will bring about a calling for more trad and folk music and maybe even another folk revival as people seek other bands to replace these.

 

What were the memorable things that happened during the recording of Tarbolten?

Recording sessions were very relaxed, with John and myself having very little planned beforehand. We didn’t record in layers or double track, so what you hear on the album is a direct recording of what and how we play. We think this gives the music more energy and a closer realism that represents how we sound at live gigs and performances. It was also less time consuming and allowed us to get more tracks recorded in a short time. Chris Marshall was our recording engineer in the Elektra studios in Temple Bar, Dublin. Chris has a very laid back attitude and left us to do things in whatever manner that made us comfortable while offering us his expert advice and guidance.

   John plays the banjo and whistles while you play the octave mandolin and also do vocals. What are the things about playing the octave mandolin (or the instrument in general) that we listeners don’t know of ?

I play the octave mandolin, which some people call the Irish bouzouki. I play in a similar tuning to the mandolin and Irish tenor banjo so I think octave mandolin is more accurate name for my instrument. I find it to be an all round instrument, in that it can play both melody and a rhythm equally well.

Why did you choose the title Tarbolten for your debut album? And also why the band name The Feekers?

Tarbolten is the name of one of the tunes played on the banjo on the first track of the cd. It was recorded in one straight take and we thought it captured the energy and character of The Feekers.

We called ourselves The Feekers after a couple of years of going nameless. John suggested the name as a joke originally, and it grew and stuck over time. Feekers isn’t really a word, but the verb ‘to feek’ is a slang name Irish travelers sometimes use which means… I’ll leave it to your imaginations!

Please tell us more about the album and also the tracks in term of styles.

As a duo, The Feekers basically consists of John looking after the playing of tunes and melody while I look after vocals and rhythm. We wanted an album that had a good mix of both tunes and songs that represented us both as a band, so that’s why we put a 50/50 mix on it. The 10 tracks on the album consist of 5 songs, along with 4 banjo tracks, and we couldn’t resist slipping a slow air on the whistle in!

  What can we expect from you guys in years to come in terms of your music. What is the next level for The Feekers?

This year is just really about getting our name out there. We have a few Irish festivals to play in 2012, which include the Ballinamore Festival in Leitrim, The Prosperous Festival in Kildare, and The Banjo Festival in Tullamore. Next year we plan to start recording our second album and spread our wings further afield and play a few festivals around Europe. Playing some Celtic and folk festivals around Europe is something we’d be really looking forward to.

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You can buy or sample the music from Claddagh Records

Or their music page: http://thefeekers.weebly.com/audio-samples.html

Please add and say hi t them in facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefeekers

Short band bio:

The Feekers are a traditional and folk music duo from Ballyfermot, Dublin.
Darren and John have known each other as teenagers when they hung around as friends in nearby Bluebell, but only met up again about 5 years ago to form a band after realising each other’s interest in folk and trad music.
Darren Lynch (Vocals/Octave Mandolin) and John Keenan (Banjo/Whistles) have played together for a number of years around numerous pub sessions, gigs and festivals, and plan to release an album in the near future.
Darren started off playing music after finishing a successful amateur boxing career with Crumlin Boxing Club. It was then in his late teens that he picked up the banjo and then later the octave mandolin and mandola. He
learned from some of the great folk and trad musicians in the area: that included Tom Moran, Liam O’Neill, Darach de Brun and John Lane. He then went on to play and record with the bands The Broadside Merchants, So-Ranna and Tam-Lin before forming Feekers with John in 2007.
Darren plays a mixture of folk songs from Ireland, Scotland, England and America, and is influenced by The Dubliners, Planxty, The Fureys and Sweeney’s Men.
John plays Irish tunes on the tenor banjo that he learned from his grandfather John Keenan Snr. John has been
playing banjo since the age of 10 and has also learned from his uncles who he has also played with over the years. John’s uncle Paddy Keenan plays the uileann pipes and played with the Bothy Band, and John’s other uncle Johnny is known today for his banjo playing and for the festival set up in his honor ‘The Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival’.
This year, The Feekers are due to perform at the Ballinamore Festival in Leitrim, The Prosperous Festival in Kildare and The Banjo Festival in Tullamore.The Feekers form a unique and fresh folk sound that is rooted in tradition and this sound gets across in their first album ‘Tarbolten’ which was released on 1st May 2012. The album is available from Claddagh Records – www.claddaghrecords.com

Clannad 40th Anniversary Performance on public TV this March‏

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Well well well, there is no denying that one of the most influential Celtic bands in history are making it to public television. After decades on the business it is true that a band like Clannad pack a punch no matter how soothing most of the music might sound. I am blogging in a public place for lack of internet at home. It seems that someone missed an appointment today and I am having coffee all alone.

Anyway I got this press release as an email from Susan Hellman.

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Clannad at Leo's Tavern

WLIW21 CELEBRATES ST. PATRICK’S DAY WITH RARE CONCERT FROM IRISH MUSIC ICONS CLANNAD

CLANNAD LIVE AT CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL, DUBLIN

EXCLUSIVE NEW YORK AREA BROADCAST PREMIERE

SATURDAY, MARCH 17 AT 3 PM AND 10 PM

In January 2011, the five original members of Clannad, the legendary family group from Donegal, Ireland, came together for a rare live performance marking the band’s 40thanniversary.   It was the first full concert in 20 years featuring all five founding members.    Recorded at the 11th century Christ Church Cathedral as part of the Temple Bar Tradfest, that magical evening has been captured in the new public television special– Clannad Live at  Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, premiering, appropriately, in the New York metropolitan area on WLIW21 on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day.

Clannad Live at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin will premiere Saturday, March 17 at 3 pm with an additional airing at 10 pm (check local listings) as part of WLIW21’s March membership drive.   The broadcast will include exclusive interviews with Moya Brennan.   The special will be distributed by WLIW21 to public television stations nationwide beginning Monday, February 27, 2012 (check local listings).

The special continues WLIW21’s longstanding commitment to programming that explores Irish culture and heritage, including recent broadcasts of the Music of Ireland series hosted by Moya Brennan and distributed nationally by WLIW, Órla Fallon’s Celtic Christmas, original productions including Visions of Ireland, and Out of Ireland on the WLIW World channel. 

Highlights of the set list of the Live at Dublin program underscore the impact Clannad has had beyond traditional Celtic music into international pop culture —  “Theme from Harry’s Game,” originally a TV series theme, became the United Kingdom’s first top ten hit in the Gaelic language and went on to international attention in the film Patriot Games and in Volkswagen ads in the U.S.; “Newgrange,” a song given pop culture attention again recently as covered by Celtic Woman; and “I Will Find You,” the haunting love theme from The Last of the Mohicans.

Featured guests are Anúna, Ireland’s National Choir, and Brian Kennedy, known for his years singing with Van Morrison and as the lead singer in Riverdance on Broadway. Brian joins the band for “In a Lifetime,” originally a duet with Bono on Clannad’s album Macalla.

Siblings Moya Brennan, Ciarán Brennan, Pól Brennan, and their twin uncles  –   Noel andPádraig Duggan – comprise the current lineup of Clannad.  Clannad first made their mark in thefolk and traditional scene in the 1970s in Ireland and mainland Europe. With their hauntingly beautiful songs, mesmerizing vocals, and captivating sound, Clannad has sold over fifteen million records worldwide.

The Grammy Award-winning Clannad is widely regarded as the band which paved the way for mainstream success for many other Irish artists by putting Irish “traditional” music, sung in the Irish language, on the world stage for the first time.  It has been said that what today is so widely regarded as Celtic music was first called “Clannad music.”

Clannad Live at  Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin is produced and Directed by Cathal Watters, Odyssey Media. Co-Produced by Shane McDonnell. Executive Producers are John Scher, Keith Naisbitt, Gustavo Sagastume and Carole Myers.  For WLIW21 – Gillian Rose, executive in charge of production in association with WNET New York Public Media.