Gillian Boucher

Yay!It’s Gillian Boucher(interview)

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Gillian Boucher talks about her music and the unpredictable but wonderful things in life in the midst of motherhood. And oh a bit about people expecting musicians to give lessons for free.Ha!

Hi Baxter! Well… here it is!!! I’m severely jet-lagged after the journey from NZ to Turkey, but I was determined to get this to you today 🙂 I hope it’s OK!!

I discovered the music of Gillian Boucher around two years ago while I was doing my research on the Cape Breton fiddling style. She has this certain ‘walk under the sunny park on an afternoon’ kind of vibe when she plays her instrument.  I also admire her fashion sense. For a while I kept track of news about her and poof! She disappeared from the Celtic music radar. I wondered what really happened to her for a long time. While Cape Breton and the whole of Canada gave us tons and tons of beautiful music, Gillian was nowhere to be found. Until recently.

She started updating and leaving digital footprints online once again. The illusive artist has now become more and more accommodating to the public as she enthusiastically shares her travels and photographs to her friends. Her group The Celtic Umbrella Ensemble is gearing towards bigger musical shows and you will find out about it in this interview. So my dear readers, sit back and relax over a cuppa tea as we listen to Gillian’s unique voice as she shares her time with us.

How’s it going with Celtic Umbrella these days?

Well, the Celtic Umbrella Ensemble will be entering it’s third year of existence and after a few line-up changes we feel that we’ve finally found something that fits really well! Last summer in Canada we finished our touring season off with a main-stage performance at Festival Memoires et Racines in Joliette Quebece with a new line-up and the response was simply mind-blowing! We don’t do much touring during the winter season as I’m usually back in Turkey working on administration for my various projects or down touring New Zealand which I do annually. This spring, though, we’ll be heading in the studio in Canada to work on our first album which is really exciting. We’ve got a lot of great material that spans from Old Scots to Acadian folk songs and groovy instrumental rhythms. It’s going to be a fabulous project!

  You seemed to have disappeared from the radar for a while and now you are in Turkey. How’s life treating you?

After the release of Elemental and receiving some great reviews in the form of music nominations and an award, I hit some turbulence in my personal life and decided to lay low for a while. The album was also released after nearly a decade of being on the road with singer/songwriter and former partner Andrew White and so by the time I was due to push the new album, I was already exhausted and needed a break from music. After a trip to Ankara, Turkey, to perform for the Canadian Ambassador’s Canada Day celebrations in 2010, I saw an exciting opportunity to completely relocate to an interesting part of the world but still work on my various projects. It’s been a whirlwind of an adventure but I’ve  found a sweet balance that makes it all work, giving me a chance to rekindle my passion for what I do, go out on the road to perform and come home to a peaceful and quiet existence in this far-off and beautiful land. If someone would have told me 5 years ago that I would be living in Turkey some day, I wouldn’t have believed them! Yet, here I am, and I’m very settled and happy.

  You have a certain style in playing the fiddle. Where did you get all that energy, concentration and style?

Well, thanks very much for the compliment! Growing up on Cape Breton Island I was immersed in the Cape Breton style of music and dancing from a very early age. We grew up near my mother’s family, who were all of Scottish decent, and so the culture was very present in our lives. I was classically trained on piano, but not on fiddle and had a very strong Cape Breton fiddle style until my mid-teens. Perhaps my classical training on piano came through as I was very fond of complicated pieces by Neil Gow and Scott Skinner, which weren’t being played much by the younger players around.

At around the age of 15 I first heard Irish music and it was a major milestone in my life for sure. I immediately fell in love with the style of music and it also corresponded with many opportunities to work in the USA and collaborate with a lot of Irish-American players, so my style and approach started to morph at that time for sure. When I was 19 I moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, and again was greatly influenced by the tunes and players there, creating another element in my stylistic approach to traditional music. I am not and never have been a traditionalist and feel very free to build upon my experiences in life to create my own individual style.

I don’t strive to sound like anyone else which is what a lot of tradition bearers feel as responsibility. I know this because I felt this responsibility when I was younger, trying to preserve our Cape Breton culture and style of playing by mimicking older players, so I guess you could call me a bit of a rebel in that respect! Don’t get me wrong, I respect and admire the amazing players that keep our heritage alive and well. I just don’t feel like it was ever my path, which might also have something to do with my mixed-heritage background of Acadian and Metis as well as Scottish.

Aside from being a recording artist, you also teach. Which do you think gives you the most fulfillment?

I’ve been teaching for nearly as long as I’ve been performing, first starting to teach dance when I was about 12 years old. I started teaching fiddle later in my teens, but I’ve always had great enjoyment teaching both and still do. The feeling of fulfillment seeing a student progress, giving validation to ones teaching method, I don’t think can be compared to the thrill of walking off a stage with an audience in rapturous applause. I can’t compare the two at all, but deeply love both! The later being the most exciting buzz in the world! I’ve also found that in order to maintain a lifestyle as a working musician, one must have a few fingers in a few pies! Teaching is just another aspect of my work that keeps me moving forward, allowing me to continue to do what I love. My most recent teaching project is a comprehensive online teaching method entitled ‘Learn Celtic Fiddle’ which is comprised of HD video lessons and supporting documents. We (my business partner and I) currently have 4 Units up and running: Absolute Beginner, Advanced Beginner, Early Intermediate and Advanced Intermediate. Each Unit has 5 lessons. It’s a wonderful project and we have students from all over the world logged in, learning Celtic fiddle!

I read your post the other week where you ranted about people expecting musicians to give lessons for free. And this even go as far as expecting musicians to perform music for free. What can you say about this outrageous mentality?

I was recently in New Zealand and heard that local festival had decided that they were not going to pay musicians to perform, and would only offer a ticket pass and free camping. As a result, they will not have professional musicians at the festival because professional musicians don’t play gigs for free, which only disappoints the attendees who are mostly going to the festival for music. It’s shocking, really. But we can be guaranteed that the porta-loo companies will be paid, as well as any other tradesman involved in the production of the festival! Over the last ten years, as not only a professional musician but also a booking agent and show promoter in places like New Zealand, I see ticket prices staying the same, sometimes even going down, and tour expenses and cost of living rising. It’s a very challenging business to be in for sure. The light at the end of the day though is the fact that we get to do what we love and the people we do it with are some of the most magical people on earth. I think that’s what keeps us all going!

(More by visiting her website www.gillian-boucher.com) 

Videos

Check out the Celtic Colours International Festival online via:

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

http://www.facebook.com/celticcolours

http://twitter.com/Celtic_Colours

http://www.youtube.com/celticcolours

Gillian Boucher and Celtic Umbrella in concert, June 2011, Chester Nova Scotia

Gallery

The Celtic Umbrella Ensemble Live

* 2010 ECMA Nominee: Roots/Traditional Solo Recording of the Year

 

* 2009 NSMW Award Winner: Roots/Traditional Recording of the Year

Album Reviews and Happy Weekend

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In this edition: Dave Hum, Cormac O Caoimh, Frost at Midnight, Lignit, Kevin McKidd, Dave Martin and Gillian Boucher

Clockwise: Dave Hum, Cormac O Caoimh, Kevin McKidd, Gillian Boucher and Dave Martin

The midweek edition became a weekend post due to ISP issues. Now everything is back so we are back in business. How are you lovers of Celtic music and beyond? A couple of days ago, I had an interesting chat with Martin Tourish which turned into a nice interview. So you will see Gillian Boucher in this edition because I was reminded when he said he played with her along with other artists when they were in Asia specifically the Philippines.

Next you will see Kevn McKidd who recently starred in a critically acclaimed animation The Brave. It is great to see Hollywood stars being proud of their Celtic roots. We also have a featured MP3 from Roby Atkins who is part of Frost at Midnight and yes they play great Welsh tunes. You see the guy doing techno stuff in the pic with the penguin shirt? That is no other than Scottish producer and percussionist Dave Martin who will be our next featured artist. He is part of the Big Fat Electric Ceilidh. The two men above are in my featured reviews: Dave Hum and Cormac O Caoimh. I enjoyed their CDs and I am sure you will too! You will see a video by Czech Republic based Bluegrass band Lignit with Jeremy King on the bodhran. Please enjoy and drop me a message so I can improve this site further.

Album Review: Celtic and Bluegrass 5 String Banjo by Dave Hum

Depressed? Annoyed because you are having ISP issues and it has been more than a week and they were not able to fix the problem? Just crank in one of Dave Hum’s CDs and you will forget your frown. He has a happy way of playing that every track shines with optimistic vibes. I think he is the only one I know who plays the five string banjo as of the moment and he plays it like no other kind of master. Credit goes to the fact that he plays all the instruments including the guitar, mandolin, harmonica and percussion.

His years of busking and playing all over London with the band The Huckleberries have done him well and now he is gathering enthusiasts who love traditional Irish, Celtic and Bluegrass music. My experience listening to his nontraditional album Traveling Light made me aware that he is very much into the music of the times. Well in that one he experimented with a little bit of electronic music and reggae. Here, he is playing the standards which people who listen to this kind of music will surely love. We all know that traditional music is no longer traditional when it isn’t played in a certain way and Dave knows this path so well that he actually gave tribute to the tradition by coming up with a CD composed of 21 delightful tracks.

This is a perfect kind of music if you are having little bit of traditional music party over the weekend. Just put this in your player and you will be guaranteed with tracks that will last you a while. And after one listen, the album tempts you for another spin. That is how good it is-excellent playing but music that is not intrusive you can just talk while you let this play in the background. Tracks like Cripple Creek, Farewell to Erin, Mason’s Apron and the theme from ‘The Third Man’ (taken from the 1949 BBC movie) will put a smile on your face. There are other greats like his interpretation of Raggle Taggle Gypsy and Drowsy Maggie.

You also need to check out the artwork that Dave did himself. It show’s a traveller(as the cover is meant to depict the Irish travellers having to leave their country and head for America which is how a lot of the Irish and Scottish tunes merged with the blues, gospel, oldtime and bluegrass music-Dave) carrying a staff while running around with a kite. A dog runs before him carrying a stick. There’s a girl on near left playing a fiddle. There’s also a woman beyond riding a horse. On the right looks like a trailer house with a woman watering azaleas. Then there’s the 5 string banjo where the peacock is sleeping. The colors almost remind me of ‘flower power’. Well, this goes to show that the artist is an all around kind of guy. Makes you wonder more and wait for more recordings from Dave Hum.

First track off his 5-String Banjo CD1. Yes that is Dave without his disguise!

More about the artist here: http://www.davehum.com/

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Album Review: a new season for love by Cormac O Caoimh

Like water color painting still running and moist, the music of Cormac O Caoimh seeps into your heart rendering you speechless with emotions. His classical guitar style combined with other influences is a joy to listen to. It makes you feel filled up, like you’ve just eaten a good meal. The spiritual nourishment that his music imbues is no accident.

Being from Ireland and having shared the stage with such artists as Declan O’Rourke, Damien Rice and Damien Dempsy to name a few; made his music eclectic but never losing that Irish spirit that is all over this CD. His lyrics are heartfelt and reflective as in the case of the opening track There’s Gold There Somewhere” –Who am I? Who are you? Who do we intend to be? It’s hard it’s hard when we can’t stand on our two feet…A combination of poignancy and passion is exemplified in the title track: With every morsel of muscle, Molecule of mind, I’d try to justify new oceans and new tides and new seasons, a new season for love…

On this side of the world it is the season of rain. And his music is the perfect soundtrack for that. There is a balance of musical precision and inventiveness that pull you up from the introspective lyrics that at times seem to overpower you with sadness. His voice is a fine instrument. I like the kind of ease he puts in singing like he is talking to you-almost intimately, close to your ears so there is no need to sing loudly …but rather in a breathy style. The transparency of the vocals and the gossamer arrangement make A New Season for Love a truly luminous listening experience.

It isn’t the kind of CD you will grow tired as in the case of those with too much fireworks in the production. This is something that grows on you. A kind of music you want to take with you anywhere when you need something warm and introspective.

One of my favorite tracks of the album A New Season for Love. This one is called Heart Attack.

More about the artist here: http://www.thecitadels.net/

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Tambourin by  Frost at Midnight

Frost at Midnight is a project band led by Welsh musician Robert Atkins. It is nice to hear refreshing Welsh music based on tradition.

Robert Atkins, guitar, bass, keyboards; Catherine Atkins, vocals; Catherine Handley, flute with Johnny Quick, vocals; John Tribe, harmonica.

More here:http://soundcloud.com/frost-at-midnight/sets

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Featured Video: Lignit – Balada o Jenny (Official Music Video 2012)

Let us check out the Bluegrass scene in the Czech Republic with Jeremy King on Bodhran.

http://www.lignit.wz.cz
Režie: Pája Junek
http://www.junekfilm.cz

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Interesting Documentary: A Journey Home With Kevin McKidd

I am currently working on a feature with Scottish musician/producer Dave Martin. He is involved in a musical project with Hollywood actor Kevin McKidd and I thought this is a nice intro to a feature I am doing with Dave. I found this video really inspiring and I hope you feel the same way too. Enjoy!

Travel with Kevin McKidd to his hometown in the Scottish Highlands as he revisits his childhood, performs and records the Speyside Sessions Album with classic Scottish folk songs with his friends, and reconnects with his roots.

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Gillian Boucher, fiddle, plays a lively set

My interview with Michael Tourish brought me back to the music of  Canadian fiddler Gillian Boucher. She is currently residing in Ankara Turkey. More of  her music here: http://www.myspace.com/gillianboucher

Learn Celtic Fiddle with Gillian Boucher

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Hi folks. Just discovered this wonderful fiddle musician/ teacher . I think my time on social networking sites like facebook exposed me to materials posted by other Celtic music lovers.  Like all best fiddle players that Cape Breton can offer, Gillian leads her pack like comets blazing the night sky of Celtic music. Fiddle playing has never been sweeter, infectious and explosive the way she does it. For those who are audience of Celtic Colors then you might have noted her performance from2008 to 2011. She already earned the Nova Scotia Music Week Award in 2009 for Roots Traditional Recording of the Year and an East Coast Music Award Nomination in early 2010 in the same category. Her playing is transporting and I can close my eyes and reach places in the mind that is not possible to access in the physical state.

This site http://gillian-boucher.com  lets you hear tracks from her album Elemental(2008).  She is working on a new album to be released this year.

I dedicate this post to my friend Nancie in Lyon France who is a fiddle player herself. I hope that one day I will hear her play.