I did two articles about La Unica and I am always attuned to what’s going on with bands who got their names in this page. So it is always a pleasure to present to you what’s happening to them. Later this month, La Unica will be playing at a New York City venue called Shrine. This is going to be an exciting musical even because you know what to expect from La Unica right? It will be a night filled with Latin grooves and Celtic melodies. Plus I have mentioned about the cover of the U2 song( With or Without You) which is something you should hear live! I mentioned that because I am once again listening to U2’s The Joshua Tree. A fantastic album. This cover is worth hearing because they added their own twist to it.
Meanwhile…
Irish actor/book author Alan Cooke a.k.a The Wild Irish Poet is writing a new book. Details are hush hush at this time but he shared a passage from that book. Here it is:
She lied back on the bed and gradually dozed off the jet lag claiming her. She had another strange dream… She is walking in a field of blood. There are many people. Bone faces and dying. Broken bodies. Crawling around her putting grass in their mouths. She walks through the fields of many thousands of Irish men and women. She comes across an open bare piece of land. She wept at all the pain. The sky rumbled above her. She looked up and could hear terrible screams so far up above her head. She felt dizzy and fell to her knees. Her hands on the dying earth. She felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned around and was confronted by the face of an old woman. Her face was sunken. Her skin hung off her body in terrible folds. She was a human bone. Her eyes were bulging and filled with some terrible pity of all the ages. The woman has old grey hair and bald patches around her head. She held out her sickly hands as if pleading to her. She tried to cry out but only a low moaning sound was heard. She was frozen. The sky turned a velvet black. The sun was erased and all the sickly millions wept in unison. The woman fell against her and shattered into a thousand pieces. ..’ She awoke and for a second she could not breathe.
Sounds like a horror novel to me. But let us wait and see. He wrote two books about his experiences in the literary vein of James Joyce: Naked in New York and The Spirit of Ireland. These are two books I enjoyed reading and I am sure you will too. But there are details of thriller he is polishing which has a Hollywood movie potential. I will give you the details when it is out.
And Lastly…
Enjoy this lovely track from singer/songwriter John Breen!
Music is an emotional persuasion. Anyone who deals with it whither directly as a composer or passively as a listener will know what it takes to really appreciate it. It is a feeling that sweeps over you that sometimes, you are helpless under its spell. Funny that that very thing that inspires us to do things can be both a blessing and a burden. Lucky are the few who made it by finding an outlet. Such is the music of Aulaga Folk.
Juan Carlos
Passion is evident in any Spanish melody. That is why we always see Latin singers as emotional and sizzling. It is that sensuality that drives the artists to bring out the best in what they do and also draw something from the listeners. But to find its very appeal and distinctive style then fuse those with other styles can be a transforming experience.
There are different elements that colour the sound of Aulaga Folk. From the haunting Gregorian inspired vocalize that finds its way into some of the tracks, to the lively poly-rhythms of Jazz and World music, the band have something for everyone. Borrowing heavily from the Celtic sound of Galicia, Asturias, and the folk music of Spain itself, this unique band are led by Juan Carlos. The the new album promises to enchant as well as to inspire listeners with its grace and sophistication. Here, he explains his thoughts about the band, the music and also how it is like carving a name for themselves in a world where styles can be an elusive thing.
Why the name Aulaga folk?
Aulaga is a plant that grows abundant in our land in the mountainous region. Once, the farmers hated it because it is a beautiful plant with yellow flowers but has very sharp spikes which does injury to livestock and had to be avoided. I decided to take the name of this plant for the band.
How do you describe your style of music?
We try to make music without borders. We can call them a combination of ethnic rhythms and progressive folk. Anything that smacks of tradition seems very interesting. It is the music of the people and for the people . We keep the original root of the songs but we try to adapt to the times. Everything in life evolves and folk music as Celtic music that we know must also adapt to new times. It allows us a fresh approach to the sound.
Can you give us a description as to what the new album is all about?
Aulaga Folk have 3 albums already , the first “FromAmbrozOur Way” is a compilation album of popular music of our valley. It is very traditional and also our first attempt in releasing a recorded album. The second album “Not Bad Wood” incorporates new rhythms and melodies. It also showcases how we evolved as musicians. This third album is released in 2011, “A quarter” and it shows, or so we think, a greater variety of ethnic rhythms mixed with progressive folk. We have found our way into the work of collecting and disseminating traditional culture, not only in Extremadura, but in many parts of the world.
Your music is lively and infectious. Was this intentional?
The folk music gives us plenty of feeling –be it joy, sorrow, work songs- in short, everything that is related to the life of our elderly. The treatment of the songs is to try to make them as realistic as possible with the environment where they originated from but at the same time, trying to give them our own touch as a group and that leads many of them to be festive and contemporary. We always try to respect the richness of the original melody, but by nature the music conveys feelings, sometimes joyful and festive and other times melancholic and profound.
What’s fun about recording the new album A Quarter?
The most fun is doing what we like to do best: in this case translate the work and dedication to the collection and dissemination of popular music in all its possibilities. In the current album we have been fortunate to have great collaborations of national folk masters: Eliseo Parra, Joaquin Diaz, Manuel Luna, Javier Ruibal, and other artists who participated in this work, which has filled us with satisfaction and pride. It has been a luxury to work with these great masters of music and the collection ofroots music. We had fun and learned a lot from the wisdom of established musicians.
Aulaga:a beautiful plant with yellow flowers but has very sharp spikes which does injury to livestock...
What were the challenges doing the new album?
Trying to get the traditional music and make it sound current was quite a challenge. We are trying to reach out to young people today to let them become aware of their past which is for the sake of understanding the present so that we will walk steadily forward. Also, to discover what their grandparents were doing not so long ago, the roots and origins of the things that we are living right now, and finally to have a sense of history and a past that we are trying to retell. I think these were the challenges that we had creating A Quarter.
What keeps you guys together and what drives you to keep steady during tours and festivals at this time?
In these difficult times where the economy is so affected, most of the budget cuts are made in the areas of culture. Many of the festivals organizers do not know whether they will continue due to the budget cuts. The future is uncertain this 2012. So we reflected in our past, our roots, and we hope to continue tour with our work. We want to meet new people which is the most beautiful of the tours, and discover new places, enjoy the landscapes and its people-these are really the most important and beautiful part of being in this business.
Celtic Music Fan 