The new track Help Ye! By Dónal McCague is now available to listen to via SoundCloud.It was uploaded last Friday. It is a traditional fiddle track which he is known for, with his distinctive style. No further information has been added yet but this could be a demo for a new album to come.
In 2011 he released his début solo CD entitled Bits’n’Pieces.The album has fifteen exquisite tracks. Oisín Mac Diarmada wrote in the sleevenotes “Dónal has developed into a fiddler of great expressivity, playing music adorned with an incredible of detail and thought”.
Do you want to get a free copy of an Irish traditional record? Well you better hurry before offer runs out. According to Irish recording artist Michael McCague:
So grab your camera phones and make a video of yourselves playing one of his tunes. Hey it wouldn’t be hard even if you don’t have his album yet as you can always looked it up via YouTube.
“The title The Widening Gyre appeals to us and depicts the spiral of life, widening and embracing the new. It has an innate energy. We think that idea is reflected in the album’s music,” says Mairéad.
Every Altan release is defined by craft and experience. The Widening Gyre is no exception. It just goes to prove that Altan continues to feel the excitement and growth of their music after being together for so many years. Batch mates include Clannad and the Domhnaill siblings (and you see them together in concerts and tours occasionally). Maggie’s Pancakes is the first single off The Widening Gyre which was presented on the RTE One sessions. The music is irresistible which is something that Altan have given us through the years. I have read so many positive reviews and my newsfeed is flowering with links posted by fans of the band.
At the centre of this artistic band is the fiddler extraordinaire Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh. I follow her on social media not solely for her talent but also for her advocacy. She is a staunch supporter of causes that matter in Ireland and the world. She is really outspoken with her beliefs. Traditional Irish musicians have been pigeonholed as people who are just mainly concerned with the stye of music that they’re playing – which is reasonable given the kind of discipline that goes to the mastery of the instruments. But this revelation proves that the traditional music community is constantly evolving comprising of people who are forward thinkers and visionaries. It is a great genre with great people around it.
So if you have not yet gotten your copy of The Widening Gyre by Altan, you better get one! The music will embrace you and keep you happy through troubled times.
To celebrate the Scottish spirit of independence, I scouted for old and new tunes from Celtic fiddler Iain Fraser. There is something magical in the way he plays that fiddle. It’s akin to silver snow falling. I’ve been looking forward to exchange messages with this legendary composer and I am glad I finally did. He is such a down- to- earth man with a positive energy which can be felt across the world and it shows even if you don’t meet him in person. I am sure those people who watched his many live shows can attest that his music is like a force of nature.
He recently, over the summer, filmed some older Scottish material from his book of Fiddle Tunes and the link is below. He likes to promote the videos a bit more in advance of a new book coming out next year of older Canadian tunes. I encourage you to listen to these wonderful tunes. Just leave the blog on after the first tune because the rest will follow.
That’s just him unadorned. This man doesn’t need an orchestra. The rich emotion he brings out of the fiddle is huge as the orchestra itself. And I felt strangely fine after listening to his music. I hope you enjoy and have a great week!
About the videos:
A series of short videos of slow airs and slow strathspeys taken from my book of “Scottish Fiddle tunes.”
60 Scottish tune for the fiddle, published by Schott Music in 2006.
….about the tune.. it was first published by Niel Gow’s son Nathaniel in his “Fifth Collection of Strathspeys, Reels etc” in 1809. Although it is a lament for the death of a loved one, I think it has an underscore of optimism and celebration.
As the extraordinary fiddler of the Canadian Celtic trio NUA, his projects don’t go unnoticed. As in the case of this Neknomination, where he shows his amazing instrumental excellence through guitar and fiddle. I did a brief message exchange with him and came up with interesting facts, including a forthcoming new album from NUA!
1. Can you tell us more about this project?
This isn’t so much my project as it is an interpretation or a reinvention of the original Facebook game called neknominate. Neknominations was originally when people consumed an alcoholic beverage in one gulp and posted the video of them drinking on facebook. You then nominated two other people to do the same within the next 24 hours and post it. More detail at this link. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neknominate
2. What is this tune you are playing?
James M Law
The tune I am playing is one that I wrote in the last week or so as I was working on new material for an upcoming NUA album. It doesn’t have a name yet but I’m sure one will soon enough. Graeme McGillivray (guitar player from NUA) also assisted on composing this composition.
3. This is a musical side of you I haven’t seen before and I am impressed . Is there a solo project you are working on as of the moment?
I am not working on a solo project at the moment. This video came about because Kerry and Julie Fitzgerald nominated me to play a fiddle tune. The reason I picked the tune was because it was something new that I had just written and was inspired to try and put some chords to it and work on some of my DADGAD guitar playing. Before this video, I have never done a solo video of this nature with me playing all the parts. I enjoyed the new experience and think there might be a few more videos to come in the future.
4. What are the things you want to accomplish this year?
I am looking forward to the summer this year as I have a lot of exciting gigs coming up. I will be teaching the Trad Band at the Sunshine Coast School of Celtic Music during the first week of July. NUA is playing at Mill Race Festival for our second year in a row this August. We are also playing at Goderich Celtic Roots Festival this August which is very exciting. NUA is expecting a new album to be released early 2015. The other big project I am a part of is The Marwills. The Marwills have a tour coming up in late July out to the East Coast in Halifax. The Marwills are planing gigs in Barrie ON, Toronto ON, Ottawa ON, Montreal QC, Fredericton NB, Halifax NS and Tay Creek NB where they will be playing at the Tay Creek Music Festival. Other than that I am concentrating on my music / instruments as well as my production skills as I record other artists.
5. Thanks for the time James!
Thanks Baxter, let let me know if you want more info. Here are some links to things I talked about in the questions. I will upload the video to youtube just now and send you the link when its done uploading.
Celtic Music Fan 