The exciting month of October is here! So how’s everyone? I am starting to bring out my Halloween decorations. I hope you are enjoying your time embellishing your houses with creepy and eerie goodies. This month is exciting because lots of music have arrived. And you will read about them soon. First of all let me showcase my own Halloween thingy:
So what do you think about that picture? Anyway, like I have mentioned exciting musical things are coming. Take a look at this wonderful soundcloud page by Czech group Cheers! The have new music up and watch out for these tunes via soundcloud as well as their official page.
The exciting month of October is here! So how’s everyone? I am starting to bring out my Halloween decorations. I hope you are enjoying your time embellishing your houses with creepy and eerie goodies. This month is exciting because lots of music have arrived. And you will read about them soon. First of all let me showcase my own Halloween thingy:
mrbaxteria’s goodies.
So what do you think about that picture? Anyway, like I have mentioned exciting musical things are coming. Take a look at this wonderful soundcloud page by Czech group Cheers! The have new music up and watch out for these tunes via soundcloud as well as their official page.
Their new tunes retain that Celtic punk spirit but they always add new things to the mix.
Our Irish chanteuse is making waves in the music scene! Rachael McCormack has a new video out. It is an uplifting tune with a nod to the flower power spirit. It is called Stand Up, Be Counted [Ft. Deanie]. Ms McCormack has earned her star as she worked for it, starting her career performing live all over Dublin. Karma has been kind to her as I can see she in on her way to stardom. She keeps me updated and with that I will keep you all updated about her.
I am writing this on a windy and slightly sunny afternoon. The big night is tomorrow. I would be celebrating it by going out dress up for the occasion, watch a movie then buy a book or maybe the latter goes first, either way I will be out. The next day I will be going to my mom’s grave. She passed away this year May 15th. It’s almost six months and I would be lying if I say I am over it. No one will ever be over losing someone who mean the world to you.
I hear the birds singing more often and the rustling of the leaves as life became more relaxed. I probably lost it for the last two years. I think what kept me going was the idea that I need to blog several times a week. And it’s always the music that has been a source of comfort. It always was and always will be. I was writing back and forth with singer/songwriter John Breen and he told me about this outreach programs he was putting his energy on, trying to help kids with special needs and making life better for them. I think that by caring for others we also care for ourselves. I like my life to be more meaningful…more attuned to kindness and less attached with material stuff and clutter of ideas that make facebook and other social sites toxic these days. When you go out there and help injured animals, make an effort to stop bullying and plant trees then I think real joy is just around the bend.
I had no idea what I would be writing about when I took this laptop out and started typing away. I always take writing as a spontaneous conversation with a visitor and you don’t know what will happen until you start typing those keys. All I know is that it is really a great release to send thoughts out there…to the big universe and spread the goodwill of music. Music is a gift and thank God for musicians we have something to ease us from the harsh treatment of life. A haven in the midst of the storm.
So what am I going to write about? I will list down my top 10 Halloween albums and I am sure you have already heard some in my radio show which is also the current podcast I posted yesterday. If you are not aware yet, I have my own radio show every Saturday afternoon German time 3 to 6 pm. And the website is www. radiohappy.eu. Please tell your friends about it and about the podcast taken from that show after.
1. Lunasa-Otherword : I love this album for the explosive melodies and fine album art. Great music to celebrate the spirit of Halloween as we welcome the otherworld right into our midst.
2. Loreena McKennitt-The Wind that Shakes the Barley: Very good relaxing tune to celebrate ti Irish spirt. And her voice is really the voice from another world.
3. Clannad-Lore: Yes, I think this is perhaps the most haunting and fantabulous of all their albums. But the new album Nadur is also fantastic to call the spirits and awaken the other side.
4.Chieftains-The Long Black Veil: Yes, music to awaken the spirits of the past and to celebrate the beautiful mystical side of Irish music. MY favorite guest vocalists are Sting and Sinead O’Connor.
5. Ceredwen-The Golden Land: The Welsh dou made one of the most fantastic and atmosphereic New Age inspired albums of the late 90s. Transporting and passionate. Something to listen to as you light bonfires.
The bands who never made it here are in my remaining top 10. So don’t worry!
Halloween Music Sale! Halloween Music Sale! Halloween Music Sale!
Here at The Celtic Music Fan, I am always constantly checking for the best deals in Celtic music before the word comes out. I am a snoop. I am curious. It’s a habit I could not break. So here’s an interesting deal to give someone a Halloween present or a surprise for Christmas.
Enda Seery Halloween Surprise!!!
From Sunday, October 27th until Sunday, November 4th, both of Enda Seery’salbum releases:’Síocháin na Tuaithe:Peace of the Countryside’ (2013) and ‘The Winding Clock’ (2010) will be for sale from Enda’s website for the SCARILY and DEVILISHLY low price of €8 including postage and packaging. Don’t miss out on this MONSTROUS offer! http://www.endaseery.com/buy-albums.html
These albums received good reviews not only from your’s truly but from major Celtic music magazines and websites. Síocháin na Tuaithe:Peace of the Countryside’ (2013) can be a perfect companion as you warm through the seasons by the fireside. Same with The Winding Clock! So mark the date again: October 27th until Sunday, November 4th.
So what’s your plan this Halloween? Are you going to wear a garbage bag and a paper bag over your head like I do? It’s not what you think though. I will make sure I don’t come out looking like a fool. But I will hide behind the bushes and say ‘boo!’ to those passing by. I am sure it will scare the wits out of them. Because I will look really icky scary.
I have listened to many live recordings including mainstream albums but once in a while something pops up and takes the cake. I am talking about the new album by Rant Maggie Rant recorded live. They say good things come in minimalist packages. Don’t let the serene green CD package fool you. The album is packed with the most endearing Celtic tracks.
Big kudos to the sound engineer who recorded this performance because it captures the energy and the nuance of the band. They play so tightly and perfectly that you would wonder if this is really a live recording. Only when you hear the enthusiastic cheering of the audience then you know it’s really live. The strong points of Rant Maggie Rant are their rhythms, vocal presentation and arrangements. I think I play this CD at least three times a day starting in the morning when I wake up because it is really a perfect album to greet the day. There’s this huge positive vibe that wraps itself around you.
I love the Irish Gaelic track Cunla because I’ve heard this performed by other bands before but RMR has given it a different twist! All the tracks are feet jerkers because of their energetic style. Gooseberry Bush did it for me. The fiddling is as delicious as ripe apples. I also love their slower moments like Bachelor’s Hall. Glen Dias has that Celticky vocals ( that’s how I call singers with that distinctive type of singing voice filed under Iarla Ó Lionáird, Loreena McKennitt, Connie Dover, Moya Brennan, Luka Bloom and other singers). Lindsay Schindler always shines in reels and jigs like the breath-taking Kitchen Set. As for the guitar of Barry James Payne, all I can say is : his guitar playing is always luminous, wispy and stunning.
The special guests can also hold their own like Loretto Reid’s fantastic tin whistle, Steve Clarke’s grooves and the foot stumping percussion of Graham Hargrove. I warn you. This album is addictive. Potent and magical stuff there. A great way to celebrate Halloween to liven up misty hearts and sleepy heads.
Listen to my Celtic Music Hour this Saturday, 4 to 5 pm German time because I will be playing a few tracks from the album. That’s on www.radiohappy.eu and the recorded stream will become my podcast a day or two later for you to listen again.
As the world turns, the music spins. We have music news as well as up and coming. Thank goodness it’s a weekend. The week went by in a blur. What have you been doing folks? If you ask me, been busy with domestic stuff as well as renewing old ties with friends. And nothing beats the moment of having the soundtrack of your life help you recall those moments in time when everything was perfect and you thought that moment was not going to end….
First up is the upcoming concert of fiddle maestro Maurice Lennon: The time: 31 October · 21:00 – 23:30. The venue: Traditional Harcourt Sessions, Harcourt Hotel, Harcourt St Dublin 2. Here’s the specific invite for those who are interested, additional info here:
Bank Holiday Monday Special Concert !
Tickets in Advance €10 cc Bookings to 01 4783677 No Fees charge Generous Student/Sen Citz Concessions with ID on night
Adm on door on night €12 . Visit the following website for more info:
I think this is an event not to be missed. I love his style and I am sure you want to bring your friends along for some craic after great music.
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Dornoch Castle hotel will be shaking with musical vibration and good vibes. This is going to be a fund raising headed by Scottish painter Paul Taggart.
Date:
04 November at 19:00 – Sunday, 04 March 2012 at 23:30
For those who don’t have a copy of Feels Like Home by The Celtic Tenors, I encourage you to get one. You will really, really enjoy the music. If you love traditional Irish music, Celtic Thunder, The High Kings, Anuna, and Gregorian, then you will love the combination in The Celtic Tenors.
The guys are:
MATTHEW GILSENAN
Matthew Gilsenan was born into a hard-working farming family in North Meath. Steeped in the local musical traditions and raised by parents who shared a great love for music, from the great composers to obscure Irish folk, Matthew (along with all his siblings) was born to sing.
His classical training started in the Sisters of Mercy convent in Kells, Co.Meath, aged 10, and progressed to some of the great Irish and Scottish teachers. Although he ventured into opera and classical singing, Matthew never lost his love for the music of his youth, in particular the vibrant contemporary Irish music which is his great source of inspiration.
Matthew’s busy singing life ran in parallel with his engineering career, but his desire to sing was too strong, and ten years ago he turned to singing professionally.
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JAMES NELSON
James Nelson, from Sligo, is a BA.,B.Mus (Hons) graduate from UCD, and a student of David Harper (UK), Britta Sundberg(SWE) & Edith Forrest (IRL).
Highlights from an oratorio rep of 60 works include Golgotha (Martin) in Bern&Zurich, and L’Enfance du Christ (Berlioz) alongside Katia Ricciarelli in Rome. More than 50 roles in opera include Pinkerton (Butterfly) in Kent, Lensky (Onegin), Alfredo (Traviata), Tichon (Katya) in Portugal, Basilio (Figaro) with Raymond Leppard for Scottish Opera, and roles for Opera Ireland, Opera Theatre Co, Singapore Lyric, New Israeli, and Wexford & Buxton Festivals.
James writes a column for the “Sligo Weekender”, and is part of an ongoing building project in Nairobi (Kenya) helping give AIDS orphans a second chance at life, as well as teaching them music&performing in concerts with the kids. A debut CD is available – “Cheryl’s Children – On Top of the World”.
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DARYL SIMPSON
Daryl Simpson, from Omagh in Northern Ireland, studied singing with tenors Peter Alexander Wilson and Nicolai Gedda, and completed his Opera Masters Degree at the Alexander Gibson Opera School in Glasgow.
Daryl joined Opera Theatre Company’s “Young Associate Artist Scheme”, performing in many recitals and broadcasts, and in Monteverdi’s Coronation of Poppea. Daryl furthered his studies at Zurich’s “Internationales Opern Studio”, where he sang Tamino (Die Zauberflute), and roles in Les Mamelles de Tirusias (Poulenc) for Oper Zurich.
As well as performing worldwide on the concert platform, Daryl is also the Musical Director of the Omagh Community Youth Choir, which was set up in the wake of the Omagh atrocity to promote peace and reconciliation through music.
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COLM ROGAN – MUSICAL DIRECTOR.
Colm Rogan was born in County Louth into a very musical family. He began piano lessons aged 8 and succeeded quickly, earning a distinction in his final grade by age 15. From there, Colm developed a love of all kinds of music including Pop, Blues and Rock, and dedicated time to becoming proficient in other instruments including guitar, bass and drums.
Colm went on to graduate from the National University of Ireland, Maynooth with a B.Mus (Hons) degree, specialising in composition. During his time at Maynooth, Colm was active in meeting Ireland’s foremost composers and his compositions have been performed by members of the RTE Symphony Orchestra.
After completing his studies at Maynooth, Colm spent time working as a live and recording artist before taking up the position of Musical Director of the Celtic Tenors.
Colm is thrilled about his future with the Celtic Tenors and is delighted to be touring as a vital part of the team.
From November to December, they will be in the US for concerts:
Celtic Music Fan 