Mary Jane Lamond

Violinist Sarah Frank of The Bombadils (Interview)

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Also in this edition, music by:Mary Jane Lamond and Wendy MacIsaac,Grace, Hewat & Polwart – ‘disappearance set, Best Bluegrass Clog Dancing Video,MacKelmore & Ryan Lewis- “Irish Celebration”,Celtic Woman – Orinoco Flow,Clannad – I Will Find You, Connie Dover – Peggy and Her Gallant Soldier, Ma Zadig A Ma Mamm( Brittany) traditional Breton folk song,  Mary Jane Lamond – Bòg A’Lochain, Cheers – Bard, She Moved Through The Fair by Celtic Twist/Holland and Palmley and presenting 67 Music!

Canadian violinist Sarah Frank  of  The Bombadils discusses creativity, singing and recording more this 2013!.”

Two album releases, live performances  and collaborations:  Sarah Frank is becoming one of Canada’s bright young star in the  folk scene. The prestigious McGill University school of music brought her, Luke Fraser Anh Phung, Evan Stewart and former member Noam Bierstone to form The Bombadils. I have watched their growth as a band since the release of their first album. Now the Bombadils are reaching out to new territories. Some of them made collaborations with other musicians(along with a solo project between Sarah and Luke Fraser) while still being true to their roots and going strong with their distinctive style of music.

Sarah Frank  is the four-piece ensemble’s violinist and vocalist. She has this sweet silky voice that sounds effortless even in the midst of playing a fast tune with her instrument. The Bombadils have traveled and played in different places all over Canada. The video diaries they created about their tour in the east coast were memorable. They played music and clowned around while on a VIA train ride. They are great and witty entertainers. After accomplishing interviews with one half of the band already, I’d say you better keep them on the radar. Because something is always going on. To hear them live is really worth it. And having The Bombadils music is to have something to keep you company when you long for a sound that’s inspiring, comforting and beautiful. Sarah Frank is our artist of the week.

CMF:What inspired you to pick the violin up as your main instrument?

Sarah Frank:When I was four years old, my parents asked me if I wanted to play violin or cello. I didn’t know what a cello was, and the word violin sounded familiar, so I said violin.

There were five of you in the band, unfortunately Noam left for France! How will the band be able to fit the new arrangement of four people in future recordings?

We’re sad that Noam left! We decided that he can’t be replaced. So now we have the challenge of finding percussion within our own instruments. Evan and I are incorporating more “chopping” (dropping the bow against the strings as percussion), and Anh is beat-boxing from time to time. Traditional bluegrass has been our main inspiration for finding a way to create percussion without a drummer.

Who are your earliest musical influences?  If we raid your record collection, what can we find there?

To be honest, I was really bad at listening to music when I was younger! But I listened to the Suzuki method violin recordings, as well as the music my dad had playing in the kitchen (Leonard Cohen, KD Lang, Neil Young, Dire Straights, Bob Dylan, Glenn Gould… lots more) and CBC radio. In the last few days I’ve been listening to The Monroe Brothers, random Youtube videos of Stuart Duncan, Meaghan Smith, Rose Cousins, and my friend, Rachel Baiman in her duo, 10 String Symphony.

Tell us about the Bombadils blog (http://thebombadils.tumblr.com/)now that we are seeing more updates plus more videos from you!

We’ve been meaning to make a blog and upload more videos for a while now, but it was put on hold while we were finishing up our studies at McGill University. We’ve all graduated now, so we’re happy to have more time to put into making videos and blog posts.

I love Hint! I see that it is the first time Luke’s mandolin playing is showcased on a video but you mentioned that he has played it before on various tracks. I also realize that Evan has this elegant style in composing music. Anh makes lush sound with her flute. What do you think of the whole band in terms of progressing musically?

I love the music that Anh, Luke, and Evan make! I also love playing with them because they know how to laugh and not to take themselves too seriously. I think this all brings positive energy to rehearsal and to the stage, and helps us remember that, even if the music isn’t perfect, (which it never is!) it’s appreciating how music brings people together that’s most important.

I think we have readers who are also independent musicians and band members and with this thought, would you care to share how Fill Your Boots came to be?Can you tell us the amount of work, time and also the financing aspects that shaped the album up to its release?

“Fill Your Boots!” was a lot of fun and took a lot of time, and it was all worth it. We were really lucky to have our friend, Duncan Ferguson, as our recording engineer and co-producer. The album served as a school project for him so we had access to the studios there, although the accessibility was limited to overnight. We often started recording at 11 P.M. and stopped around 4 in the morning. It took some getting used to, and we definitely got silly at times, but it all worked out. As far as the financial aspect of things, we used a website called Indiegogo to raise funds ahead of time. People were really supportive and pre-ordered CDs, t-shirts, and other goodies. http://www.indiegogo.com/the-bombadils

You have this certain style of singing which reminds me of how a flute sounds like. How did you achieve your technique and how do you maintain your voice through gigs after gigs.

I’m not someone who naturally knows how to project or sing with good technique, but I’ve always loved singing and really wanted to make that a regular part of the music I make. So when I was in high school I starting saving up money for voice lessons, and that’s still what I do. My teacher right now, in Montreal, is Jonathan Patterson, and I think he is the best ever. He really made me realize that the voice is an instrument to be learned like any other, and that different timbre, tone, and volume can be created if you practice just like you would practice another musical instrument.

What’s waiting for The Bombadils this 2013?

In February we are touring Alberta, and we’re looking forward especially to opening for Lennie Gallant at the Calgary Folk Club. We’re planning on touring the east coast of Canada again, and in the fall, we’d really like to make a big loop that will bring us through the eastern States. We’d also like to record more this year!

It seems this Canadian artist has a bright future! Check more of her and The Bombadils here:

Additional video:

Recorded at MMR studio at McGill University in Montreal.
Please visit http://www.audiolens.ca/site/ for more information.
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Band Members: Sarah Frank, Evan Stewart, Noam Bierstone, Luke Fraser, and Anh Phung
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Producer: Duncan Ferguson
Sound Engineers: Duncan Ferguson, Benjamin Smith
Video Editing: Denis Martin
Camera: Denis Martin, Phil Gosselin, and Pouya Hamidi

  Gallery

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Another online Celtic music site worth checking: 67 Music!
582304_10151206239629436_1257896002_n
This site is run by my friend Steve Behrens and it is one of the top notch sites in terms of promoting Celtic music. The site is also very easy to navigate and offers a variety of things that will keep you browsing for hours.
 What is 67 Music about:67 Music is a music media and promotions company exclusive to Celtic Music.  Our primary goal is to bring global attention and recognition to Celtic music in all it’s forms, and to the artists who make it.  We seek also to bring together organizations and companies into a tight knit Celtic community, inform fans of new events and releases, and maintain the grand heritage.
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Celtic music shuffle.
I will make it a habit to post diverse music as much as possible. This is a diverse musical culture we have embracing everything in a global scope.

Mary Jane Lamond and Wendy MacIsaac – “Seinn”

There is something about Mary Jane Lamond’s singing that’s intriguing and addicting!

Latest release from Mary Jane Lamond and Wendy MacIsaac, “Seinn”, available at http://maryjaneandwendy.com/.

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Grace, Hewat & Polwart – ‘disappearance set’

Three amazing artists share the stage to render one of the most beautiful songs to come out of the Orkney Folk Festival. Each has something special to offer vocally and instrumentally.

Annie Grace, Corrina Hewat and Karine Polwart at the 2008 Orkney Folk Festival. This is the medley of songs they named the ‘disappearance set’, teasingly nicknamed by Martin Simpson their ‘separation anxiety set’. I like how the power surges around 4:54.

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  Best Bluegrass Clog Dancing Video Ever Made

Aside from the fact that it is in black and white, it conveys an old world authenticity.  The music is amazing. It is by filmmaker David Hoffman. You can get this video from amazon and also from www.thehoffmancollection.com

About: Visit http://www.createspace.com/204609 to get this entire program.Each scene in this classic bluegrass documentary present incredible mountain music and dancing. Bluegrass Roots lets you experience the real people and music that dominated the southern mountains 50 years ago. It presents the most extraordinary singers, players and dancers the BlueGrass Mountains had to offer. Most of the songs are classics, including Mountain Dew. This scene was filmed at Bascom Lunsford’s home in his living room. When the film aired on TV, TV Guide gave it a full-page review because most Americans had never seen Bluegrass and Country music.
David Hoffman – filmmaker

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MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS – “Irish Celebration” (Official Music Video)

This video has already received 4.4million views in youtube. It is rap and contains explicit expression.

PRODUCED BY – Ryan Lewis
VIOLIN – Andrew Joslyn
TRUMPET – Owuor Arunga
ADDITIONAL VOCALS – Tim Haggerty, Noah Goldberg

DIRECTOR: Stephan Gray
DP – Ryan Purcell
B CAMERA – Stephan Gray
C Camera – Ryan Lewis
AC – William Brody & Conor Hair
GAFFER – Tred Baylis
KEY GRIP – Blue Boy
HAIR/MAKEUP – Shawn Shelton
PRODUCER – Bret Seeger
EDIT – Stephan Gray

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Celtic Woman – Orinoco Flow

This is a great performance . I admire the production everyone has put up to keep this together. This is a song composed and performed originally by Enya and it reach the top of the UK and US charts in 1989.

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Clannad – I Will Find You (Official video)

Wow it took me decades to find an official video to the song taken from the first ever Clannad album I got.

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Connie Dover – Peggy and Her Gallant Soldier

If Ever I Return is an amazing album filled with artfully crafted songs and timeless melodies. Connie Dover is a gem to be listened to for generations. What attracted me to this song is the tempo and also the love story between Peggy and her lover soldier.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqZqyGgwwnY

You can get her recordings here: http://www.conniedover.com/recordings.shtml

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MA ZADIG A MA MAMM ( BRITTANY) traditional Breton folk song

Wow I am glad I stumbled upon this amazing song from Brittany!

Brittany,vocals, frame drums, Breton, Celtic folk songs, traditional
Celtic folk music, Adam Reid, Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man, Wales, SANDRA REID – VOICE

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Mary Jane Lamond – Bòg A’Lochain

This is the 6th track  from her album Suas E!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgttB42VLas&feature=youtu.be

Lyrics and translations here: http://www.maryjanelamond.com/lyrics/suas/6.htm

Listen to more of Suas E! Here: http://www.myspace.com/maryjanelamond/music/albums/suas-e-16152627

You can view her entire catalog via Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Jane-Lamond/e/B000APADAM

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She Moved Through The Fair by Celtic Twist/Holland and Palmley

Info: Celtic Twist’s unique take on this timeless classic. Arranged and performed by Phil Holland and Dave Palmley of Celtic Twist. From their album Twist in the Tale available by writing via the contact form on the website.http://hollandandpalmley.wix.com/celtictwist

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 Cheers – Bard (Official Music Video 2012)

They project high energy live shows and amazing musicianship.Members are from the Czech Republic which is now a place with growing Celtic scene headed by bands like Poitin and also the band from this video Cheers!

Celtic Folk-Punk
http://bandzone.cz/cheers
Režie: Pája Junek + motivy z filmu Stakonický dudák (Karel Steklý, 1955)
http://www.junekfilm.cz

Modern Inspirations and Celtique Fusions

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 3 Comments

Music expresses that which cannot be said
and on which it is impossible to be silent.
~Victor Hugo (1802 – 1885)

First of all thanks to Erin Lenderts of www.bachelorsdegreeonline.com for mentioning this blog. I really appreciate it. Wow to be rank as on of the authority in this musical culture is an eye opener for me personally. .

Here’s the link: http://www.bachelorsdegreeonline.com/blog/2011/50-best-blogs-for-celtic-culture-history/

Presenting Manau…

The reason why this blog exists,is due to the English language. But there are other languages that are also beautiful. To say an English expression in Gaelic, Welsh or Breton evokes different textures.  Rap or hip hop music in general is an interesting medium especially if it is used as a vehicle to highlight an ethnic style. And this is that aspect of Hip Hop that I like rather than people talking about losing their lovers on a fight or finding a lover and all those boring things.

Such is the essence of Manau’s music. Although the band is currently based in Paris, all of the members can trace their roots back to Brittany. The group’s name comes from the old Gaelic name for the Isle of Man. To rap in English is one thing but hearing it in French is such a refreshing experience. Call me biased but I think the French language has more class and music in it than English.  But that’s just me who is struggling with my Gaeilige. But yes France has Brittany which is the focus of my attention when I talk about other Celtic nations other than Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall etc. This is a huge hit from way back and true to the purpose of this blog, I am getting it from the vault. Check out the lyrics below in French and translated to English.

Members:

Martial Tricoche,

Cédric Soubiron

Gregor Gandon

Hervé Lardic

Main Site: http://www.manau.com/

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Lyrics:

Le vent souffle sur les plaines de la Bretagne armoricaine,

The wind blows on the plains of the Armorican Brittany

Je jette un dernier regard sur ma femme, mon fils et mon domaine

I throw a last glance on my wife, my son, and my land

Akim, le fils du forgeron est venu me chercher,

Akim, the son of the blacksmith came to take me

les druides ont décidé de mener le combat dans la vallée

The druids decided to wage combat in the valley

Là, où tous nos ancêtres, de géants guerriers celtes,

Here where our ancestors, giant Celtic warriors

Après de grandes batailles, se sont imposés en maîtres

After great battles, became uncontested masters

C’est l’heure maintenant de défendre notre terre

It’s now time to defend our land

Contre une armée de Simeriens prête à croiser le fer

Against an army of Simerians ready to cross swords

Toute la tribu s’est réunie autour de grands menhirs

The whole tribe gathered around big menhirs

Pour invoquer les dieux afin qu’ils puissent nous bénir

To pray to the gods so that they bless us

Après cette prière avec mes frères sans faire état de zèle

After performing this prayer with my brothers without zeal

Les chefs nous ont donné à tous des gorgées d’hydromel

The chieftains gave us all gulps of hydromel

Pour le courage, pour pas qu’il y ait de faille

For courage, for us to be flawless

Pour rester grands et fiers quand nous serons dans la bataille

To remain big and proud when we move into battle

Car c’est la première fois pour moi que je pars au combat

For it is my first time to go into combat

Et j’espère être digne de la tribu de Dana

And I hope to be worthy of the tribe of Dana

* * *


 Dans la vallée de Dana La lilala

In Dana’s valley La lilala

Dans la vallée j’ai pu entendre les échos

In the valley I could hear the echos

Dans la vallée de Dana La lilala

In Dana’s valley La lilala

Dans la vallée des chants de guerre près des tombeaux

In the valley, war songs near the tombs

Après quelques incantations de druides et de magie

After some invocations of druids and magic

Toute la tribu, le glaive en main courait vers l’ennemi

The whole tribe, sword in hand ran toward the enemy

La lutte était terrible et je ne voyais que les ombres

The fight was terrifying and I could only see shadows

Tranchant l’ennemi qui revenait toujours en surnombre

Slicing the enemy who nevertheless kept on coming back in excessive numbers

Mes frères tombaient l’un après l’autre devant mon regard

My brothers fell one after the other before my very eyes

Sous le poids des armes que possédaient tous ces barbares

Underneath the weapons held by all those Barbarians

Des lances, des haches et des épées dans le jardin d’Eden

Lances, axes, and swords in the Garden of Eden

Qui écoulait du sang sur l’herbe verte de la plaine

Which flew from the blood splattered on the green grass of the plain

Comme ces jours de peine où l’homme se traîne

As in those painful days when men trudged

A la limite du règne du mal et de la haine

Between the reigns of evil and hatred

Fallait-il continuer ce combat déjà perdu

Were we to go on with this fight already lost in advance

Mais telle était la fierté de toute la tribu

But such was the pride of the whole tribe

La lutte a continué comme ça jusqu’au soleil couchant

The fighting continued like this until sunset

De férocité extrême en plus d’acharnement

From extreme ferocity into more determination

Fallait défendre la terre de nos ancêtres enterrés là

We had to defend the land of our ancestors who were buried there

Et pour toutes les lois de la tribu de Dana

And for the laws of the tribe of Dana

* * *

Au bout de la vallée on entendait le son d’une corne

Across the valley one could hear the sound of a horn

D’un chef ennemi qui appelait toute sa horde

Of an enemy chieftain calling his horde

Avait-il compris qu’on lutterait même en enfer

Had he come to realize that we would fight even in hell

Et qu’à la tribu de Dana appartenaient ces terres

And that those lands belonged to tribe of Dana

Les guerriers repartaient

The warriors went back

Je ne comprenais pas tout le chemin qu’ils avaient fait pour en arriver là

I couldn’t understand the whole path they took to get here

Quand mon regard se posa tout autour de moi

When I looked around me

J’étais le seul debout de la tribu voilà pourquoi

I was the only standing tribesman, that is why

Mes doigts se sont écartés tout en lâchant mes armes

I opened up my fingers, letting go of my weapons

Et le long de mes joues se sont mises à couler des larmes

Tears rolling down my cheeks

Je n’ai jamais compris pourquoi les dieux m’ont épargné

I never came to understand why the gods spared me

De ce jour noir de notre histoire que j’ai contée

From that black day of our history which I told


Le vent souffle toujours sur la Bretagne armoricaine

The wind still blows on the Armorican Brittany

Et j’ai rejoins ma femme, mon fils et mon domaine

And I go retrieve my wife, my son, and my domain

J’ai tout reconstruit de mes mains pour en arriver là

I rebuilt everything with my own hands in order to get here

Je suis devenu roi de la tribu de Dana

I’ve become the King of the tribe of Dana

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Brenda Wootoon rediscovered

This Cornish  world class artist  might no longer be of this world physically but her spirit remains . All these after someone  stumbled into her old reordings. Yes her flawless voice still captivates us . More of this discovery here:

http://www.realcornwall.tv/arts/music/john-knight-and-brenda-wootton.html

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In Lorient please check this out guys 🙂

Time
16 April at 10:00 – 17 April at 10:00
Created by:
More info

That’s like two months later but it’s good to be ahead.

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New Ashley MacIsaac Recording Soon!

Ashley MacIsaac will release a new recording called Crossover with Mary Jane Lamond on May 11,2011. Christi was way ahead of me in this news. Thanks.

http://www.ashleymacisaac.com/home

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More on Cape Breton artists, it makes you ask who is Rachel Davis?

One track Dan Hughie and Buddy Jigs: Listen to this and you will understand why this young talent has been one of the Nominees for performer of the Year for the prestigious Canadian Folk Awards. Her self-titled debut CD  is available now. Thanks to Jimmy for posting this info in his facebook.

http://rachel-davis.ca/

Listen to her on Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/racheldavis

Why Celtic Music Fanatics Should Love Mary Jane Lamond

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 5 Comments

Just when we thought the singer with the golden voice has deserted us and left us riddles in Gaelic , she is back and is going around doing some shows. It seems that the foremost representative of Cape Breton’s Gaelic culture is back with more surprises. My foray into this lady’s music was actually due to an accident. I walked in the record store when I was in Makati, when I saw Làn Dùil. I knew the music would e something I like. The packaging says it. The colors red and gold expresses the sentiments. When I opened the liner notes I got a big smile. All songs are written in Gaelic! Though I am not a Gaelic speaker, I love the sound of it. I asked the sales person to play it in loud speakers. It was like going home. From then on I followed her career, and was really surprise when I learned she performed in Ashley McIsaac’s tracks like Sleepy Maggie. Miss Lamond is not the type of artist who releases an album every year. She takes her time doing intensive research. It is after all her academic background that brought her to Celtic music. Now she is really back and we hope for a long long time.

Resources:

http://maryjanelamond.com

http://www.myspace.com/maryjanelamond

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Jane_Lamond

Ashley McIsaac’s Devilish Fiddle Playing

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ashleymacissac_a_cp_1351054“ Sleepy Maggie” captivated North American listeners and the world. This Ashley McIsaac song features Mary Jane Lamond. Cape Breton , Nova Scotia has always been the fore runner of Interesting music in Canada. I first saw Ashley performed in Gael Force, that was in 1997 . His fiddle playing has an irrestible, devilish charm. His controversial actions however created a polarity among listener.full-face2-bw-rbt-sm