France

Check out the Soundcloud Page of Fabien Guiloineau

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Fabien Guiloineau of Shelta is back, this time with his other musical project called Kitus. Bourree de Vichy/A Bout de Souffle is a lively track which has a strong Breton sound. Unlike Shelta which focus more on Traditional Irish music, Kitus have a World music influence as they merge not just the music of the Seven Celtic nations but also other musical styles.

To hear more of Shelta and Kitus, just visit Fabien Guiloineau’s page through the soundcloud embed below.

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What is your Christmas wish? Mine is peace. I am not talking about world peace as it quite a feat. Personal peace is enough. And by peace I mean to be away from situations that cause anger or pain. To really say what you want or feel is a luxury that seems to be abundant in others while scarce to some. Loss has taught me to not waste time and to be upfront with what I want to happen. If you have an interesting gift that you want for Christmas, let me know. I want to learn from your experiences and also wisdom.

 

 

According to the French Piper: Interview with Francois of Caliorne

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France with its interesting culture and music is definitely a home to bands that are considered avant-garde. Living in France and having a taste for Celtic music would mean that you either go for Breton music or a combination of that and Gaelic sounds. Then there are elements of Jazz and Rock which the French are good at. Such elements can be found in the music of the six piece ensemble Caliorne. With the release of Rock Noz Band, Caliorne continues to define their music and also spread the love of music from France.

Francois (who also goes by the name Fanch Soixantequinze) is the band’s spokes person. He also plays the bagpipes and other wind instruments. So it isn’t a wonder how he landed in my interview section. It is a pleasure to learn what Caliorne is all about through the words of the piper.

How did you learn to play the pipes that way?

I started playing Highland bagpipe in Paris, where you can either play Breton music or Scottish music. I started with Breton music in a Bagad and after, in a Pipe Band (Paris & District Pipe Band). After few years I wanted to play with friends some french folk music (Groupe Sans Gain). To do this I discovered other bagpipes, tuned for that music. And finally, I met people in order to play Rock, what I always aimed to play To play with Caliorne. I tuned bagpipes on A440 with Equal temperament, rather than just temperament. That’s one of the reasons why my bagpipes melt with other instruments…Finaly, my way of playing is surely the result of all this meetings ! But it is the first time someone asked me.

Who is your main influence in your development as a piper?

So many highly skilled pipers ! Douggie Pincok (Battlefield Band), Gordon Duncan, Martynn Bennett, Patrick Molard, Erwan Keravec, Mickaël Cozien… and most of Celtic Rock Bands with a bagpiper (Wolfstone, Slainte mhath, Sonerien DU, Prydein, The claymore…) . And of course many friends and other musicians you probably haven’t heard of yet!

Do you have an exciting thing  going for your band this year? What are they?

Playing at a lot of gigs ! At the moment we lack notoriety, and we have few. That’s why we recorded “Rock Noz Band” last year, and we hope It will be listened to widely !And of course we will compose new tunes.

What are your favorite tracks that you recorded with the band ?

Well, I like most of the album ! Hopefully! But to answer to your question :Déjanté ( totally crazy), La Kro, Star de la Boite (la “Kro” is a common beer in France, and “la boite” means disco. And the sentence is pronounced almost like the traditional dance name…)Trad ha Rock (from tradition to Rock…) and Friponne (rogue).

What are the top 5 Celtic recordings you are listening to this week.

Here they are:

http://pakerprod.com/fr/album-fr/dar-pevarlamm/
http://pakerprod.com/fr/album-fr/614/
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/prydein3
http://www.martynbennett.com/Album_Hardland.html
http://www.amazon.com/Nas-Cordas-Pancho-Alvarez/dp/B00005S0MJ

If one goes to France, what are the places in your area where one can listen to Celtic bands performing live?

Well, It is quite easy to listen to Breton music in Paris area, but for non-Breton Celtic music, it is harder. Dropkick Murphy’s played last week in a large hall (Zenith), but it is unusual. At the time of St Patrick day, of course, you can find a lot of gigs…
There is no formal venue dedicated to Celtic music…
The best way is to look at facebook or some website.
Some Pub organize Irish Music Session, every week, like the “Quiet Man”

https://www.facebook.com/events/135977159899005/

Or the Carrs

https://www.facebook.com/groups/356096901070064/

MISC:

About his instruments:

“Most of my instruments are made by talented craftsman, and some of them are almost unique pieces : 1 chanter in C major, 1 veuze chanter with highland pipe fingering in c major, my diatonic clarinet, etc…
http://benew75.blogspot.fr/search/label/Mes%20instruments%20%C3%A0%20vent

Currently listening to:

http://www.deezer.com/fr/album/212387
Amos Hoffman – Evolution
http://www.deezer.com/fr/album/75550
AC DC – Black Ice
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Duo-Jonsson-Coudroy/154672931264004
SuperTramp – Crime of the century
And a lot of unknown albums. They are completely unknown outside France.

What he loves the  most about being in the Celtic music scene.

Feeling the music & sound surrounding me and looking at the dancers moving with the rhythm..

A detailed review of Rock Noz Band via 67 Music: http://67music.net/reviews/caliorne/

http://www.caliorne.com/

http://www.caliorne.fr/

http://www.myspace.com/caliorne-rock-noz-band

Video:

About the video: During our recording in studio of Rock Noz Band, we filmed each musicians when they performed on the same tune. Here is a video of the “Scottish Purple”, with the final soundtrack of the CD.

Gallery

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Celtic Twist Game:

The Celtic Music Fan would  like offer a free copy of Twist in the Tale to the winner of a competition which will start now. This is how it goes. All you need to do is find an answer to a question which in the animated picture blow. all you need to do is go to their official website http://www.wix.com/hollandandpalmley/celtictwist to look for the answer. A winner will be announced at the end of this month.  Phil and Dave could send it directly to you with a short note of congratulations. How’s that? For those who are new to this album, here is the link to the review I did back in June 27 of 2012.

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Huzzah!

Cornish Ceilidh band. I found that video above while looking for some Cornish music. Yes the wind blows from Cornwall this week-and Scotland. I’ve never seen any ceilidh band from Cornwall to be honest. So it was quiet a pleasant surprise to find something like that.I am sure if I look further there will be more.

This week, the commotion is all about the Traditional Album of the Year nomination for Trad Connect. So if you haven’t chosen your favorite album yet, then it is time to cast your vote. And please register so you can interact with musicians and bloggers like myself who drop once in a while.

That clip above is from The Big Fat Electric Ceilidh from Scotland manned by Dave Martin. Dave teaches bodhran while maintaining his love for electronic music. The great part about running a site about Celtic music in general is the lack of restriction I have to adhere to. So don’t be surprised if you find yourself listening to something that sounds like Jazz, or electro one of these days. It takes all kinds….

The Peatbog Faeries have a new track and that video has both the great scenes and beautiful music! I look forward to doing an interview with the band soon. Who would you suggest I interview next?

Celtic Punk, Wooden Flute, Northumbrian Pipes and Irish Inspired Prints.

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Stephen Ducke on wooden flute

Play it again Stephen!

I featured an e book about learning how to play the tin whistle by Stephen Ducke. I told you how amazing that book is. It has 430 MB of files containing music, texts and illustrations will be enough to give you all that you need to get you started. Well, this guy doesn’t just teach one instrument. He teaches a LOT of instruments including the wooden flute. He makes amazing music too. Just take a listen to his myspace page and it will give you a good impression if not tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about Irish maestro Stephen Ducke. He now lives in France. He also runs www.tradschool.com which I posted here from my previous article but didn’t realize who the man behind the site is.

http://www.myspace.com/stephenducke

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Featured band: Greenland Whalefishers

If you think Norway is just about melancholic Scandinavian music then you are wrong. The Greenland Whalefishers not just ruins the stereotypes, they also bring a kick…yeah more like a kick in the eye with their brand of Irish music or Paddy

Greenland Whalefishers

rock. Whoa! And check this out, this guys have been on the road for 16 years! They love what they do, they don’t apologize for the awesome music and they are performing live in the Czech Republic this week. Yes get your socks rocked with the Greenland Whalefishers!

http://www.myspace.com/greenlandwhalefishers

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Featured MP3s: Will Tun and the Wasters.

Will Tun and the Wasters

Don’t let their wacky pictures and band bio fool you. These guys are SERIOUS about their music. I was impressed by the amount of craft they put on every recordings. They are Will Tun and the Wasters, a young, fiery and energetic 7 piece folk punk-ska band from Reading, England.
They occasionally add in a bit of gypsy to their song repertoire as well as collaborating with a French Rapper called MC Amalgam!
These 3 tracks  are from our latest release “Time is a Bastard”.

http://www.reverbnation.com/venue/318780#!/willtunandthewasters

https://www.facebook.com/willtunandthewasters

They have an interesting bio:

Deep in the winter of ’09 a lonely group of introspective alcoholics (AKA The Wasters) who were sick of having nothing to show for their drinking, decided to legitimise their actions by forming a band. Naturally this was to be a folk-punk band. One fateful night at a party after a few, the ebbullient Burmese violin/guitar maestro Will Tun steps on to the scene and a union is formed. The only trouble is he doesn’t know how to drink and he likes coldplay. Thus begins the fusion of two opposing worlds into the weird, smorgas board band dynamic of Will Tun and the Wasters. The Wasters learn to play music properly (kind of), Will Tun learns about punk rock and cider and somewhere in that process some songs got written.

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Featured Video:Kathryn Tickell – ‘Lads of Alnwick’

Kathryn Tickell and band (Peter Tickell – fiddles, Joss Clapp – guitars, Julian Sutton – melodeon). Song taken from a live set recorded at The Zodiac, Oxford. 8th September 2004

Prior to hearing her through The Sky Didn’t Fall with Corrina Hewat, I already posted a video about her. But you don’t really get to know an artist’s music unless you listen to an entire album. The northumbrian smallpipes are really great to hear and no one plays it like the way she does.

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Today in pictures: Eva McCauley

Have you seen the works of Eva McCauley before? If you haven’t check them out. Intense stuff. She is a painter and print artist. Well, it was a surprise to know that he is also the mother of famous bodhran player Jacob McCauley.  I never realized Jacob has an awesome mom! Eva is the Founder & Director of Riverside Celtic College,  in Guelph, Ontario. These images are about her latest exhibit.

Eva McCauley: Painter and print artist.

More of her artworks can be found in her official site: http://www.evamccauley.com

Interview with Fabien Guiloineau of Shelta

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 Lyon France is the home of Shelta, a band playing beautiful traditional Irish music. Fabien contributed one of their tracks for your download pleasure.

Shelta has already gained prominence as a  band that jumps into our discussion once in a while. This happens when I talk to my friend Jimmy who lives in France. The Antidote Pub is one of the great places that are very accommodating towards musicians of Celtic music. A year of drifting in and out of discussion(plus youtube posts), it was an honor  to finally  talk to one of the members of the band. Fabien Guiloineau lives in Lyon France. He plays the guitar and acts as the spokes person for the band. He has various side projects. Some, I  already featured in this site. It is great to hear first hand information from someone who is involved with the Irish music scene in France.

 

 

Shelta released two albums. One was in 2006 and latest one was in 2010. Is there a new album in the making?

We are not recording albums currently, but we are working on new tunes.

 Your band plays gigs around Lyon. Being the food capital of France, tell me what is the state of Celtic music in Lyon?

There are a lot of Irish pubs in Lyon and big Irish/Anglo community. So there are a lot of sessions (4 times a week). Irish music is very present:
You can get some news here:
http://www.afil.fr/index_eng.htm

How do you describe the music of Shelta.

 

We try to play Irish music as it is played usually in the pubs in Ireland.
So our music sound like traditional Irish, but we try to arrange it for the concert and make it accessible to the French audience.
We spend a lot of time making the best set of tunes !

 The band met in 2002 because of the common love for Irish music. What inspired the group to choose the name Shelta?

 

Shelta is the language of the Irish travelers. In Ireland the Irish travelers made a lot for Irish music (Johnny Doran, Paddy Keenan…).
And it sounds good for the name of a band 😉

After 10 years, what has remained and what has changed in terms of the band’s vision and also in terms of the music.

With time, we understand that the most important in traditional music is to have the swing !
You can have a lot of arrangements but if you don’t have the swing your music, it will be flat.

Being part of the group, how do you describe the individual playing styles of each one?

Each member has it own style but try to be the best for the collective aspect.
Guitar and bodhran try to be in the same mood, violon and accordion are very close and the flute can blend with everyone.

What have you learned in the past years playing live? 

Playing Irish music in France seems to be difficult but French people really like Ireland, so for us it’s also easier.
We try to explain our approach for the Irish music and to play it with sincerity! People like to see musicians as sincere; we don’t play just for the sake of playing music.

 

Do you know other bands/musicians in Lyon playing Celtic music with the same passion?

Yes there are other musicians, professionals or simply those  with the same passion for the Irish music !
For example: Davog Rynne, Sebastien Luthers, Julien Cartonnet, Simon Boddy etc…

What can we expect from Shelta this 2012?

We are working on new tunes and new concerts! Please watch out for our future performances.

What is the best Irish bar in Lyon?

Johnny Walsh’s Pub is the most famous, but for me the one I prefer is the Antidote Pub-both are in St Georges street in Lyon (5th).

Have you met other Irish music enthusiasts in the Antidote ?Do they have their own bands or just listeners.

We play regularly at the Antidote, every Thursday night from October to June. These are not concert types but intimate sessions or gigs. Sometimes we are just 3 or 4 musicians but there are cases when there are more than 10 of us. It usually depends on who is available.There are now some listeners who come regularly too.

Please add Shelta through facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shelta/125419444161088?ref=ts

also check out:

http://www.shelta.org
http://www.myspace.com/musicshelta

The Enchanting Luascadh

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Music of the elves…

We think of festive and loud sounds when we talk about the music of Brittany. This association is brought about by the popularity of the bombarde and the biniou. After looking further, I found this unique artist by the name of Alicia Ducout. She goes by the moniker Luascadh. Originally from Rennes, Bretagne, she tours around France with the medieval Celtic ensemble Gaimalis.

She mostly makes music using the harp. The vocals will delight you. It feels like the forest of the elves has suddenly opened up to draw one in. The music of Luascadh can be described as medieval Celtic. There is something hypnotic about the harp being played in such fashion. The sound it makes reminds me of the branches of trees that grow and surround you. She conjures images of fireflies dancing upon the leaves. When the sun sets and crickets start chirping their evening tune, it is time to play Luascadh.


http://www.myspace.com/luascadh

associated with

http://www.gaimalis.net

http://www.myspace.com/gayemalis

After studying drama at Lyon, and after 10 years of piano practice, I have evolved in several medieval ensembles, the journey opened the doors of Celtic civilization and ancient traditional music . .. These doors are engulfed  with wind and the breeze  and of the tale of the Celtic harp!-Luascadh