Gaelic Storm

The Folkalists: Warning, Irish Humor at Work!

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The Folkalists

The Folkalists

Genre: Irish and contemporary folk, bluegrass and country

Members: Dee McIlroy, Eugene Glenn, Barry Skeff

Hometown: Belfast

It’s hard for me to listen to The Folkalists without giggling. From afar, the music maybe pleasant, warm and even inviting because of the efforts placed in the arrangements.  Up near you get the lyrical wit and sarcasm that’s original. Listen to ” I Used To Hate Someone” with lines like ” I never liked a single hair on his head, I never liked one thing that he said.” My personal favorite is  Friends Must because the melody reminds me of a cross between BJ Thomas and Travis.

These are not your run-of-the-mill  band members. We are talking about musicians who are known in their own respective fields and just decided one day to form a musical project together. It is great to see them exploring another musical style to showcase their versatility.

I know some of them from Clanu which I enjoyed featuring. With The Folkalist, the band incites everyone into the sunny side of life and yes to appreciate humor in every form. This is where music and lyrics come together to draw a reaction. Dee McIlroy’s lyrical talent is really at work in every track on top of his smooth and pleasant vocal delivery.

For the now  the members are still the in the process of putting tracks together and developing a full-length album which will be out before we know it. So enjoy the tracks and also say hi to the band via their facebook site.

https://www.facebook.com/folkalists

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Huzzah!

Gaelic Storm

Gaelic Storm

About Gaelic Storm

This July they’re running “Rag and Bone Workshop,” their own 4-day music camp at the Full Moon Resort in the Catskills, NY.  The week will be filled with classes teaching classes fiddle, percussion, guitar, songwriting, Gaelic swearing and more.  It will be a week of learning, performing, and of course…drinking.
There’s even a possibly running a CD giveaway from the band promoting the camp. I will keep you updated about this Rag and Bone Workshop.
Check out more information on the camp here http://ragandboneworkshop.com/
Thanks to Elliot Fox for contacting me about this info.

Peter Purvis of Gaelic Storm:Titanic and Playing with big bands (Interview)

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Peter Purvis strikes me as a person who’d rather play than talk. But when he starts talking about music, it gets very interesting. I guess this is due to the part of him that loves teaching music. Growing up in the Ottawa valley immersed him to the culture of fiddle players, step dancers and yes even developing the love for maple syrup!

He picked up the Highland pipes at 12. He progressed to the Uilleann pipes and Irish whistle at 16. His musical upbringing provided him the great opportunity to be trained by the great musicians in the field.These lessons helped shaped his musical path to this day.

Peter joined the  Gaelic Storm in2004.  The band  brought  three albums to #1 in World music on the Billboard charts. Gaelic Storm have performed side by side, Goo Goo Dolls,Zac Brown Band,Lyle Lovett and Emmylou Harris at events such as the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and Milwaukee’s Summer Fest.  So let us welcome this week’s featured artist Peter Purvis!

Gaelic Storm’s tour calendar is busy until April. How is the American tour doing so far?

The US tour is great. We do most of our touring in the US these days. All of us are based here now. I’m engaged to a wonderful and beautiful girl from Chicago so that’s where I spend my days. We try to get over to either Europe, Asia or Australia at least once a year, but we typically do about 100-110 shows in the US every year.

The movie Titanic helped skyrocket the band to the American Top 40. What were the memorable things that you remember achieving such mainstream success?

Haha…..Well I has about 14 when that movie came out. My mother drove me to the theater because I wasn’t old enough to drive. That’s a question you would have to ask the other guys in the band.

When you are a touring piper, what do you need to remember in terms of comfort and getting ready for a gig?

Tuning, tuning, tuning…… Keeping a well-tuned bagpipe is a hard thing to do in perfect circumstances and my circumstances are anything but perfect. The climate on the road is always changing, making it difficult and time-consuming to stay in tune. Additionally, my pipes are being thrown around in road cases all day. Plus your instruments are in a freezing cold trailer in the winter and a boiling hot trailer in the summer.

Your first pipe instrument was the Highland pipe at the age of 12. What were the challenges learning those instruments at an age where everyone wants to pick up a guitar and be a rock star?

I think I hear this question everyday, and I still don’t have a great response. I had family friends and relatives that played, plus Braveheart had just come out. As a 12 year old a had a man crush on William Wallace (Mel Gibson) All those factors together got me interested and once I started I became obsessed and haven’t looked back.

You have an online bagpipe lesson page. Would you please tell me about that?

I love to teach and wasn’t able to do much of it because I’m on the road so much. So, I wanted to figure out a way to continue teaching with my schedule. Online seemed to be the perfect solution. I’ve created lessons on my website, www.bagpipelesson.com, and from there, I’m able to provide a month of lessons for people to work into their own schedules. These online lessons also cost less than in-person lessons. 

What I love most about it is that I’m able to offer lessons to people who don’t have access to good instruction and classes because of where they live or they simply can’t afford it. I have students as far away as Japan and as young as six years old.

What are the no no’s that one must remember when picking up a bagpipe as it differs from an Uilleann pipe?

I have been playing both for so long now that I never get them confused when playing. There are a couple of highland pipes embellishments that I will accidentally do on the uilleann pipes. However, for the most part they are such different instruments it’s hard to get them confused. As soon as your fingers hit the chanter your brain goes into an autopilot and you always know which one your playing.

What suggestions can you give to anyone trying to pursue such musical path?

If you love music and you want to make it your profession, just go for it.  Who would have thought that a bagpiper from the small town of Merrickville, Ontario would be playing at some of the biggest music festivals, venues and musicians in the world?  Anything is possible, you just gotta go for it. It’s not all about practice and trying to be the best. It’s also about getting out there, meeting people and being social. Above all, you really have to love what you do. I’m grateful enough to be able to do what I love for a living. 

Are you doing studio work apart from the band right now? And care to tell me about it?

Currently, I’m working on two studio albums. One is a more contemporary Celtic/world/rock album and the other is new highland dancing album. I hope to have both out sometime in the summer. Gaelic Storm is filming a DVD on St. Patrick’s day in Milwaukee as well.

Who is Peter Purvis when he is not performing live or doing studio work?

It’s hard to ever really escape the bagpiper in me. When I’m at home, bagpipes are still a part of my everyday life. I give a lot of lessons and play in a pipe band. I do what all other Canadians do. Sit on my Chesterfield, watch hockey and eat maple syrup (the real Canadian sort) and poutine.

Since touring with Gaelic Storm, you’ve had the chance to perform with groups and artists like Sarah McLachlan, Hanson, the Barenaked Ladies, and Collective Soul.  How was it like?  What are some other highlights of touring and performing with Gaelic Storm?  

Playing with these big bands is incredible; it’s something I never thought I would be able to do. However, it’s not very different than touring with any other band. They are all very down-to-earth and always ready to have fun.  Some highlights in my time with the band include: performing at the Milwaukee Irish fest for a crowd of about 25,000 as well as playing at Telluride bluegrass festival with some of the best musicians in the world (Elvis Costello, Bella Fleck…..). Additionally, we do massive festivals in Europe that are just out of this world.

We also play music festivals on cruises around the Caribbean. “The Rock Boat,” one of the cruises that we’ve done, is the most fun that you could possibly have in just five days. If it weren’t on water, I’m sure it would be against the law to have as much fun as we have on it. Over the years, we have been joined on this boat by Sister Hazel, Collective Soul, Better Than Ezra, Hanson, Zac Brown Band, Barenaked Ladies, Sara McLachlan, Great Big Sea and many other great bands.  It’s an absolutely wild time.

While on tour, anything can happen – from our singer Patrick Murphy slugging Russell Crow (It’s true. Look up our song called “The Night I punched Russell Crow”) to skydiving.  Every day is different and more exciting than the last.

You can find out more about me at:

www.petepurvismusic.com

www.bagpipelesson.com

www.gaelicstorm.com

Videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rB8CuFPMKv8

Music video by Gaelic Storm performing Rag and Bone. (C) 2012 Lost Again Records

Gallery:

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Huzzah!

After the previous article’s experience, I find it hard to write something without getting personal or not mentioning any reference to that incident. But then again I make sure to keep a balance between being informative and humorous (that is if you even find some of my writings humorous). But I understand the value of really being true to oneself. Flaws and all. You know when you get to that point in your life when you think you have created every unimaginable faux pas, every grain of hopelessness that permeates the unbearable lightness of being, that’s when you stop caring and just let everything flow. And when you allow that feeling to flow then your fingers simply follow and the brain works at a speed that is comparable to ordinary speech.

The Celtic Music Fan celebrates along with the billions worldwide, March as the month of Women. So today I will feature all women artists that I think are amazing in their fields.  The first one in this list is Kyle Carey. I am amazed how she is able to maintain the balance between lightness and resonance in her singing.

I discovered the music of Heather Dale two years ago and once in a while she pops out in my status discussion.Musician Jim Wearne recommended her. Between funky sounds and spruce up renditions of classics, she maintains her vocal identity while highlighting the beauty of the Celtic harp  :

If you don’t know yet, Shauna Burns combines the beauty of Goth, Americana and Celtic atmosphere in her every song. To me she is the Celticky Tori Amos and the god child of Siouxsie Sioux in the fashion department. For those who are more into the spiritually driven music then Shauna will haunt you with her fascinating melodies.

We are also celebrating St Piran’s day in Cornwall! So what better way to celebrate than the music of Dalla and Sue Aston!

Sue Aston has the most haunting Celtic violin.

If I didn’t include other notable female artists, it means they were heavily featured in my other editions so it doens’t mean those who are not here aren’t great. Everyone always finds her way back here 😉

Will Tun and the Wasters Time is a Bastard EP Interview

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Will Tun talks about the band, the music and their future plans.

A good week to you all. We have a new featured band this week and it’s Will Tun and the Wasters. Their music isn’t something you can just take for granted for the following reasons: Youthful energy, foot stomping beats, amusing lyrics and a style that appeals both to punk and traditional Irish/Scottish music listeners.

Their new EP is called Time is a Bastard. I enjoyed the five songs because they struck a chord in  me. It is good when music has the capacity to do that. It shows that we are all connected in some way beyond our cultural and geographic distance. As a fellow Asian, I am really rooting for Will Tun’s involvement in the Celtic music scene. Way to go bro!!!!

I got to know the band a couple of weeks ago and it was fun looking at the pictures of crazy things they did on their gigs. I think they are in the right track. It would be interesting how this band would progress musically. Fast forward to the future…say five years from now. That’s actually one of the questions here. Check out their video Community at the end of this interview.

 

 What can listeners expect from your new EP?

The new Will Tun and the Wasters CD “Time is a Bastard” is a 5 track release containing Pogues-Levellers inspired folk punk songs. It also veers of in places to include a gypsy song.

Lyrically it is varied, from narrating a story of getting drunk in Spain to running away with the circus as well as having love songs and political protest songs.

 How long did it get you guys to get together and then decide to form a band?

I met Declan the tin whistle player at a house party one drunken night 3 years ago and we took off from there. He soon introduced me to the rest of the Wasters. Our most recent recruitment has been in the form of a French Rapper, MC Amalgam who raps in the 2nd track “Community”. We intend to do much more collaborations with him in the future.

What were the challenges creating WTATW and also representing an eclectic blend of Celtic and Punk influenced music?

Most of the band members go to university in different parts of the country. Traveling long distances to a gig can take it’s toll after a while… I once did a gig, stayed up all night at the party that followed and then took the 6am train back across the country so I could make it took a compulsory lecture at 9pm…

but at the end of the day, we are all so passionate about making the music that we love and we’re having so much fun going crazy at our live shows that it’s worth the long distance travel.

We all graduate next year and plan to move into Bristol in the West Country so we can keep making music for the years to come. Hopefully, travel should become a heck of alot easier after this.

There’s not a huge amount of punk bands with Celtic influences in the UK circuit at the moment, and I think we set ourselves out by being the only one of the genre with an Asian front man and a French rapper. Musically as well we’re becoming more adventurous… Already in the last month, we have written a waltz, sea shanty and a gypsy jazz tune to give you a taste of the experimentation to come! We’re all excited about the years to come as we mature musically and begin to mix up our song style even more!

 Do you see a polarity between old and young listeners when they hear this kind of music?

I think there is a whole range of personalities and music tastes found in both the young and old generations. I think young kids nowadays are more likely to be open minded about music since they have grown up in a generation where access to different forms of music is but a click of the button away on the internet. Having said that, we have met some “old folks” who are just as open minded and insane as the young.

What is the creative process when you guys start writing music. From conceiving the lyrics, the melody to post production? 

Often I write the song acoustically and then take it to the band and we add in the melody and percussion. Other times another member of the band writes a chorus, a concept or create a chord sequence and I am left with the job of finishing of the verse lyrics.
The song “Community” is a great example of how we hope to write our songs in the future once we live together in Bristol. This is probably the best example of a song in the current Wasters repertoire where the song is composed as a full on team effort

Before going into the studio, what are the things that you bring with you and things you leave behind in terms of attitude.

When recording “Time is a Bastard” Aymeric our French rapper made us a brew of honey, lemon and ginger mixed with a spirit made from the extract of Pine Trees grown from the Alps, it did wonders for rejuvenating my throat after singing for hours as well as making me tipsy haha.
Our attitude in the recording studio we’d like to think is professional but that can be disputed at times…

What do you plan to achieve being in the band five years from now.

In 5 years from now, we hope to be still making the music that we love and playing mad festivals in England and hopefully around the world! We plan to release our first album in 2 years time so watch out for it!

 

 

 

Wow just think about it. They really have big plans. So let us go ahead and support this band. The music culture needs something positive, wild and fun.

This is a self-produced video of the first single-
COMMUNITY- from the upcoming release: “TIME IS A BASTARD” by WILL TUN AND THE WASTERS

Footage was shot in Reading by:
Stu Brooks- vimeo.com/user4610841/videos
Aymeric Voirin
Jared Dyer
Editing was done by Jared Dyer.

Lyrics

As the rich get rich and the poor get fucked
as the fear begins to creep
as the bombs go off and the nights ablaze
we return to Cable Street
and the wheels of history turn again
they’re looking for someone to blame
a media storm is coming our way
and it spins like a hurricane

Chorus
but I know where I’m from
and I’m no time bomb
Have some faith in what you see
this is our community!

we’re the underdogs, the alley cats
the rats trapped in a maze
we’re the immigrants that came to shore
and we are here to stay
the name of our enemy is fear and greed
it crawls beneath our skin
but music will always shine a light
from a single flame within

Chorus x2

Pourquoi s’assimiler à une catégorie de personnes
L’apogée du mimétisme quand le droit à la différence se prône
L’Homme siège, trône, bien haut sur l’absurdité
C’est l’esprit abasourdis que j’aspire à être compris
Comprends, qui veut, qui l’accepte et qui l’entends
Espérant de toujours plus recevoir plus d’enseignements
M’efforçant de réduire et ceci efficacement
Ces leçons pas comprises ou omises volontairement
Chaque être est unique, mais tellement se ressemble
Et c’est bien triste à dire, mais la connerie rassemble
Ne pas devenir aigri, en luttant contre la misanthropie
Aujourd’hui c’est aussi difficile que de connaître ses amis
Amis, sache que, l’époque veux que
On se tire dans les pattes en tout temps et en tous lieux
On cherche le bonheur et une vie toujours meilleure,
On cherche dans l’argent ce qui se trouve au fond des gens

Check their facebook: https://www.facebook.com/willtunandthewasters

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Featured band: Lachan

http://www.reverbnation.com/lachlanirishamericanfolkduo

Wow an Irish band based in Holland. I shall write more about them soon but have a listen to their reverberation link. I am sure you will find something that you like. There is definitely that unmistakable Dutch  flavour in their Irish music which makes it really interesting. It is hard to explain in writing you please have  a listen.

History
Marlies Janssens and Marc van Mulkom started Lachlan in November 2005. They were soon recognized for their own unique sound especially their rhythms that just pull you in. Within a very short period they were not only to be found in the Irish pub-circuit, but were also popular in all kinds of cafe’s and venues.

At the end of October 2009 Marc decided to leave Lachlan and Marlies was looking for a new colleague. It did not take very long and a few weeks later Wesley joined Lachlan. The partnership has already proven to be successful.

Lachlan is gaining popularity and appreciation in the Dutch folk world and you will have to hear them for yourself to fully appreciate their wonderful sound. Lachlan performs in pubs, clubs, cafe’s, parties and on festivals throughout the country. Check their schedule to see where you can catch them next!

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Flashback: Gaelic Storm – Titanic Set

We all know that Gaelic Storm earned international notoriety by appearing in the set of the movie Titanic.Remember that part where they do the Irish dance? Yeah that’s them. A blue ray DVD of the movie is going to be released soon. So watch out for this one. I love it when someone in the entertainment industry tips us about these things!

 

Classical Celtic

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Featuring: Emma Kate Tobia, Sue Aston, Noel Duggan, Karnataka, Denez Prigent(with Lisa Gerrard) and Celtic Tenors.

My dearest subscribers, welcome. It is raining while I am writing this and the weather can really change the mood. So we are going to go on a ‘softer route’ with classically sounding Celtic tunes-well, mostly- some old songs and and interviews I picked up off youtube. Weekend is here and August is almost over. It is amazing to see how the musical career of friends are starting to take off. This is probably the only site where you can find really eclectic stuff. I mean think about it: punk, traditional and new age all in one edition plus other interesting trivia along the way. But like I said, today we are going to go a little bit soft. I warn you though he next edition is going to be ear pounding.

Happy Birthday Sue Aston

http://www.sueaston.com

The Cornish diva of the bow is celebrating her birthday today. It was perhaps about two years ago when I invited her for an interview article. This woman is really down to Earth, intelligent and passionate about her culture. What are better tunes to celebrate her birthday than this beautiful Cornish dance tune which she performed and also one of her tracks from Between Worlds. Check them out!

Cornish Dance “Mazey Dazey” Sue Aston/Tros An Treys

Taken from the album ‘Between Worlds’ by Sue Aston Filmed in Cornwall UK

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Emma Kate Tobia

http://www.emmakatetobia.com

One of the songs by Emma Kate Tobia that you don’t get to hear in youtube so I took time to upload it for your listening pleasure. Have you observed that there are songs in any album by any artist that don’t usually get to be a single yet that song sounds really good? Next time I will have to find someone who works in the record industry and ask how they get together to decide which songs in the album become singles. This is the 11th track off her album Aisling na nGael. I recommend it if you are into classical type of singing and lush orchestration. I was raised in Classical music so I really dig tunes such as this one. And yes, the Irish part came a bit later. When you merge the two influences , the result is always amazing.

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Noel Duggan of Clannad Speaks About the reason why they got together again.

I was watching the Clannad performance in LiveTrad a couple of days ago. If you haven’t yet, you better subscribe to LiveTrad because they bring only the best in Irish music to the world. Try to read my interview with the people behind LiveTrad here: http://celticmusicfan.com/2011/09/12/livetradstreaming-traditional-irish-music-to-the-worldinterview/

Now going back to the video, Noel Duggan says here that they never really disbanded but concentrated in their individual projects. I think taking the time off from your band to hone your own musical styles can be a refreshing and creative thing would you agree? I am just so glad one of the best Celtic bands in the world is back!

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Featured ensemble: Karnataka

 ttp://karnataka.org.uk/music.php

That is a link to the track samples off the Celtic group Karnataka. Think of them as Riverdance, meets Gaelic Storm. They make big sounds and their live shows are always grand. Check them out if you like your Celtic music grand, big and theatrical.

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Flashback: Denez Prigent – An Hini A Garan

http://www.denezprigent.com/

Denez Prigent is one of the artists who introduced me to the music of Brittany. His voice has that haunting quality of a pinched pipe and the moving power of Gregorian singing. The subtle orchestration really highlights the beautiful singing between him and Lisa Gerrard. This language is Breton.  What is more compelling is the translation I found in this channel:

In English: An hini a garan (‘The One I love’) The one I love, before, when we were little at home when we were so near to each other My heart was loving only one When I was little at home, the one I love. The one I love, I lost forever Gone far away and will never come back And this is what I sing for the one I love. The one I love one day left me For a far away land A land that I don’t know Lost, lost one day, the one love

Wow I think this is one of the songs you would like to listen to in your room after a break up with someone.

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Curiosity:Facebook Celtic Tenors

http://www.celtic-tenors.com/

Wow curiosity brought me to this site. Frankly it is interesting to listen to how The Celtic Tenors talk. I was able to interview Matthew Gilsenan way back and I really expected him to talk that way. Here is the interview I did: http://celticmusicfan.com/2012/03/03/exclusive-interviewmatthew-gilsenan-of-the-celtic-tenors/

The Celtic Tenors are  on tour in China. Yeah, it is closer to the Philippines 😀

Shelta

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What’s Up with Shelta?

Shelta is a language spoken by the Irish travelers -also  known as Irish gypsies. It is also a name of  a Celtic band based in Rhône-Alpes. Ten years and still going strong, they have played gigs all over Europe. Their next gig is on Friday, June 22 at 9:00 PM. The place is La Lune Rousse. You can see the full tour schedule in this page. 

Shelta are:

Tania Buisse: bodhran
Romain Chéré: wooden flute, whistles, banjo
John Delorme: violin
Fabien Guiloineau: guitar
Guy Vesvre: accordion

 

here is the band website

http://shelta.legroupe.free.fr/

Listen to clips and buy the album here: http://shelta.legroupe.free.fr/musique.htm

Also, add them in facebook : https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shelta/125419444161088?ref=ts

Thanks to Jimmy for providing the fb link.

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I am in the process of doing an interview with world renowned Canadian piper   Peter Purvis of Gaelic Storm. If you remember they first appeared in the movie Titanic.  You can check out his bio here: http://www.peterpurvis.com/

Thanks to Tim for giving me the link to http://planetpipe.com/wp/ which got me started.

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Want to know what Marc Gunn is playing? Marc is the voice of the indie Celtic music. Listen and download the podcast here:

Irish & Celtic Music Podcast #123