Folk

Solas Website

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For those of you who are fans of American band Solas, this is the link to their official website. The guys have been delivering to us great music since the late 90’s. The site contains info about present tour schedules and the new album For Love and Laughter .

Just a recapsolas_forloveandlaughter_360

Band Members are:

Seamus Egan – flute, tenor banjo, mandolin, tin whistle, low whistle, guitars, bodhran
Winifred Horan – violins, vocals
Mick McAuley – accordians, concertina, low whistle, vocals
Eamon McElholm – guitars, keyboards, vocals
Máiréad Phelan – vocals

Mac Talla Mor:Hip,Haunting and Traditional

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If you want your vocalist to have a strong distinctive voice(ala Natalie Merchant), yet ethereal enough to be called Celtic, then New York based Mac Talla Mor is for you. If you want something traditional but  spliced with irresistible dance beats, music that’s hip but never loses vision then this band is for you.

Scottish pipe playing has always been Mac Talla Mor’s  focal point along with the Illana Regina’s strong vocals and classically trained piano playing. What’s more, each member can play other instruments which makes hearing them a rewarding experience. They have been coined ‘music for the masses’.

Mac Talla Mor in Gaelic means ‘great echo”. Learn more by visiting their home page and watch an uploaded video. Unfortunately there is not much resources on the web at this point. But with your support, the band will go places!

Albums out:

* Piping Hot 2005

* No Man’s Land 2006

* Jacob’s Ladder 2007

* The New Colossus 2008

You can listen to samples and buy mp3s here:

Welsh Celtic Music:Carreg Lafar

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carregflagNow that we have explored the traditional music of Wales, let me introduce you to another band.Carreg Lafar was formed in Cardiff Wales. In Welsh the name means ‘speaking stone’. The band is considered as the forefront of Welsh traditional music revival. So if you are curious as to how traditional Celtic music sounds like in Wales then you better hear Carreg Lafar.

They have an official site which you can listen to samples before getting the album.You can do this by clicking on the music section. Band members are: Linda Owen Jones (Voice) Antwn Owen Hicks (pipes, pibgorn, voice) Rhian Evan Jones (fiddle) James Rourke (flute, whistle) Danny KilBride (guitar) with guest piper Gafin Morgan. They want to reach wider audience through their MySpace page. I’m getting the hang of their music. What do you think?

Holding on to Peace with Planxty

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How do you fight fire? Do you fight it with another fire? There are times when we are put in a hateful situation and we forget who we are. The situation bares our animal instinct.We are not free from the wear and tear of everyday life. There are times when the internal struggles we have are worse than what’s happening outside.

My take on this? Always take time for your self. Find that personal space. Being with the same people for so long can have its downside. As they say ,familiarity breeds contempt. So always be on the lookout. So how do you fight hate? I fight it with peaceful music. Here’s Planxty with Sweet Thames Flow Softly taken from their 1973 self-titled album also known as The Black Album. I hope that to those who are having a bad day, this song will give you a source of inspiration to go on living.Don’t forget to smile.

Artist credits on the album:

The elfin enchantment of Julie Fowlis

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  Scotland has another pride and that’s through this elfin singer Julie Fowlis. She has the kind of voice that any Kate Bush and Bjork fans would love.She was featured in  BBC as  artist of the year.

 

  The music is laid back and stripped with all the clutter that marks most studio productions. This way it gives you a glimpse of the soul inside. Visit her official site. You can also check her out in MySpace.