Music

Celtic Music Fan Podcast #3

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.My radio show from Saturday is now a podcast available in youtube and mixcloud. This is my first show in http://www.radio-happy.com which starts at 4pm German time. I linked the sites of the artists with the tracks of the show. There will be skype interviews soon so keep on listening. I haven’t given up on writing blogs because it’s my first love but radio is a great way to expand my creativity. I hope you enjoy the amazing tunes from these wonderful musicians! I feel so blessed knowing them. I couldn’t ask for more 🙂

1.Iona-Les Mardi Gras-Reuben’s Train-Le Reel Beatrice
2.Aulaga Folk-Los Motiladores
3.Realta– Open the Door for Three(slip jig)
4.Brendan Mulholland-The House of Hamill/Sean’s Reel
5.Kinfolk-This Land
6.Celtic Twist-Looking for Moss
7. Kaliorne– Scottish Purple
8. The Gothard Sisters-The Landing
9. Jamie Smith’s Mabon– Summer’s Lament
10. Fiona J Mackenzie-Tha thu Beo nam Anamsa
11. Maxim Cormier-Big Sampie’s Reel
12. Cara-Rain
13.Kevin O’Donnell-Factory Girl
14. Qristina and Quinn Bachand-D Set.

 

Original Demo Songs by the Late Samuel Smith

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Good day to subscribers of this page. I have my own radio show this weekend and it’s in http://www.radio-happy.com/. I am so excited because I am playing my favorite Celtic tunes in that show. The first part is devoted to the music of this blog. The second part is about my other blog. So expect eclectic music and future interviews..and even a possibility of an acoustic performance!

I got a message from one of our readers. her name is Geraldine McAuley. She’s the sister of the late Samuel Smith who was a huge fan of Breton harper Alan Stivell.

According to Geraldine:

” Samuel attended Alan’s last Concert when in Dublin on a trip from the States but did not take the opportunity

to go back stage to talk with him.

Samuel Passed away on the 12/07/2013 after a short period of 5 months from a Brain Tumor.
It was heart breaking for us to watch him suffer and to say goodbye to him. Such a waste of a Talented Life.
The one good thing was we got to take him back to Ireland from Arkansas before he passed away.
His Funeral Service was full of his Beautiful Haunting Celtic Melodies both performed on CD by Samuel.”

I told Geraldine that I wish I could get in touch with Alan Stivell and tell him all about it but I don’t have the means. I asked her if there is a way I can listen to the songs that her late brother composed. She said:

“There is a lovely Lady named Charlie Doidge who met Samuel in a recording Studio in Brighton. She recorded and arranged some of Samuel’s Songs Shortly afterwards he went to live in Arkansas. I will attach now a Song entitled Song for Eire. There is some Photographs of Places Samuel visited when he was back home in Ireland. Hope you like it.http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=uGD3dRCvtK0&t=20”

Listening to all the demo tracks of Samuel Smith left me a feeling of great sadness. It is a feeling you get when a birthday cake is left in the open with no one to eat it…or that thought that this man could have given us more songs. Songs to take us into another reality. His music seems to have come from another world. Perhaps it really came from that place.  I like to believe in that parallel universe where all our dreams that never came to be realize in this world actually happen there. Perhaps if we only have a glimpse this other reality then we don’t have to live in such quiet desperation.

I call the attention of record producers out there, or people involved in recording to take notice of Samuel’s wonderful music. You can contact germcauley@hotmail.com his sister. All Copyrights were signed over to  Sam’s Widow Tina in Arkansas. These are songs he was working on before he passed away due. He will sorely be missed.

Tracks:

Mystic Rover
Bantry Bay
Heathen Soldier
Niamh’s Lament
Return of the pilgrim
The Agony
Ballad of Oisin

Here is a poem he wrote called African Sunlady

Samuel Smith poem

Kickstarter Campaign for North Star by Kyle Carey (2nd album)

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 Kyle Carey North Star

It is amazing how we’ve come a long way. Before, we merely rely on the recommendations from friends, word of the mouth from experts and also through the whims of record execs. Finally, that dream album will happen.  Now the power to put whatever music we want to the top has arrived. One of the common tools used by musicians to fund their new projects is kickstarter. I am sure you are familiar with this one.

Let me tell you. Singer/songwriter and vocal extraordinaire Kyle Carey is preparing to record her new album. North Star will be recorded in Scotland aound January, during Celtic Connections.  Seamus Egan will produce the album. Now expect nothing less from this project because I know it will be an amazing album!

Kyle Carey is based in New England. You know, that beautiful place in the East Coast where everything becomes colorful this time of the year. If you remember she released that amazing album called ‘Monongah‘ and it is one of those albums that occupies the top of my playlist.

Listen to tracks off her debut album Monongah:

The Gothard Sisters – Compass

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Compass

Compass: Dreamy and energetic tunes from the magical sisters of Celtic music.

Sounds like: Mozart, Secret Garden, Anuna, Altan and Riverdance.

Track listing:

1. Compass 
2. Water is Wide
3. The Landing
4. Solid Ground
5. Guinevere
6. Call and the Answer
7. Fairy Dance Jig
8. The Whistling Gypsy Rover
9. A Song for Lark
10. Feast of the Elven King
11. Danny Boy
12. Flying Sails

The great thing about doing Celtic music podcasts is the opportunity to reach more ears and to spread the beauty that;s Celtic music. Also, the idea of relaxing and still want to play Celtic tunes to get that inspiration moving. This is what happened yesterday. I got the time to listen to the album of the Gothard Sisters called Compass. It’s their new album. What is different about this one is the energy they put so much in their recording performance.

There are slow tunes especially the traditional ones like Danny Boy but most of the tracks are electrical in their execution. Take for instance the third one called The Landing. That one literally stopped me from my idle listening and sent me to perform my improvised step dancing. I was so amazed how music can do that. Especially when it is performed with so much passion that the music dictates your feelings.

Compass is an exciting album. As the title suggests, it’s all about gravitational attraction as the compass signifies the direction to the magnetic field of the earth . It  tells us what direction to take. The sisters have done well in recording this beautiful album. I hope more ears will hear. It will be a shame if such a gem of a recording would go unnoticed. They can make Lord of the Dance have a run of their money. Check it out. I already featured the title track in my first Celtic Music podcast and I will be featuring more of them. Yes more and more until you remember to get out there and buy Compass.

***

Huzzah!

I am running a

 Win an album “The Calling” by MÉAV

 contest!!!!

So watch out for my announcement. The winner will receive Meav’s autographed album .

Celtic Dub Volume 1-Celtic Reggae Revolution

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The Celtic Reggae Revolution

Band: Celtic Reggae Revolution

Album: Celtic Dub Volume 1.

Sounds like: Dub reggae drum and based mixed with fiddle, pipes, whistles,
mandolin, banjo and accordion.

Album notes: Groundbreaking Celtic Dub album mixing Reggae Drum and Bass. Pipes, Fiddle, Box, Banjo, Low Whistle, Tin Whistle fused with heavy delay/echo, re-verb and Drum and Bass. A MUST for Ambient Dub lovers. Nicely mixed and mastered by U2’s engineer Pete Maher.

If you followed my previous post about The Celtic Reggae Revolution, then I know you already have an idea what kind of sound to expect from their new release Celtic Dub Vol. 1. Sounds from this album will appeal to those who have eclectic tastes.  And I have to say this, the production quality is excellent. Whither you are using headphones of large speakers, the tracks have this seamless connection to each  other. There are various effects present: loops, fade outs, echo and sampling bits thrown in the mix. All of these made possible by the genius of U2’s engineer Pete Maher who mixed and mastered this album .

I find myself tapping my feat to the beat and it is the kind of album I can take and play anywhere because it will also appeal to those who like dance, rnb and rap music. But if you are into traditional Irish music then this is also for you. It’s something you can just chill out to if you want something  not so trad-ish or hip hop-ish. A kind of music that is in between if you know what I mean.

Celtic Dub Volume 1 sees the band growing their sound into a more radio friendly style without sacrificing their exotic sound. St. Brendan’s Dub is the opening track that introduces you to the sounds that will come as you listen along. The fiddles and other Celtic instruments  blossom in and out of the field of sound that’s groovy and lush. The reggae beats are there to support the instruments, complimenting the musical ideas  instead of drowning them which usually happens in a lot of fusion albums.

I have my personal favorite and that’s Celtic Truth Dub because it simply moves you. It has that easy breezy feeling in the midst of the sunny tune. Dub music is a sub-genre of reggae that became popular in the 60s and branched out on its own. With Celtic Dub Vol.1, new listeners will come to appreciate the beauty of Reggae and Celtic music and I am sure they will definitely love these specific genres. It’s what  happened to me. I discovered traditional Irish music because of Celtic fusion. So Celtic Reggae Revolution are doing a great thing to the music world: they are getting people to listen to different musical cultures through fusion.

For samples of the band’s music and buy the album, go to this link: http://www.cdbaby.com/AlbumDetails.aspx?AlbumID=celticreggaerevolution2

And this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Celtic-Dub-Vol-1/dp/B00DVLZIR0

Huzzah!

In today’s news: Clannad’s New Album in decades!

It’s been confirmed that the new album by the million-selling Irish group Clannad is called “NádĂşr” (pronounced as Ned-dur). This is the Irish Gaelic word for Nature. Wow the last album that they released was Landmarks and that’s like fifteen years ago! But though Clannad were in a long hiatus, lead singer Moya Brennan has been busy with Voices and Harps. It’s a collaborative work with harpist Cormac de Barra. Yes I will wait for that album. More here: http://www.clannad.nl/2013/07/new-clannad-album-titled-nadur.html

For those who love harp music here’s a link to the wonderful documentary that you will love: The Harp

A very inspiring and informative documentary about the history of the harp, its relation to middle-eastern tunes, to its status as a Celtic symbol for Wales,Ireland and Scotland..how Handel wrote a harp concerto for a Welshman, Robert Ap Huw (the introduction of binary system in musical notation during the 16th century)and its evolution as an instrument spanning genres. It’s hosted by harpist Catrin Finch Really worth watching.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_ImURf8KUE

Gavin Friday: I probably saw 70% of the films that he wrote music to(In The Name of the Father, The Boxer etc)and just saw Breakfast on Pluto(which he appeared as an actor). In the spirit of Irish post-punk (he was the lead singer of The Virgin Prunes)Gavin was the hero. Another youtube video worth checking out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU9s85pTlz0

Celtic Star Sign:

Thanks to my blogger friend Christi. She posted this link on her facebook page and tagged me. This will help determine which Celtic Tree Sign you belojg to. I am Birch. Want to find out your own?

WHAT CELTIC STAR SIGN ARE YOU?

Celtic Astrology had been around since about 1000BC and it’s based on 3 basic strands of belief … remembering your ancestors and the past … having an understanding of nature so you can work with it, not against it … and exploring the connection of everyday reality with that of the spiritual realm.

In Celtic astrology, the zodiac was based on trees and vines, each being connected to a lunar month and so, unlike the zodiac we’re familiar with, the Celtic calendar has 13 astrological signs. Here they are …

January 22 – February 18 … THE ROWAN (the thinker)
February 19 – March 17 … THE ASH (the enchanter)
March 18 – April 143 … THE ALDER (the trailblazer)
April 15 – May 12 … THE WILLOW (the observer)
May 13 – June 9 … THE HAWTHORN (the illusionist)
June 10 – July 7 … THE OAK (the stabiliser)
July 8 – August 4 … THE HOLLY (the ruler)
August 5 – Sept. 1 … THE HAZEL (the knower)
Sept. 2 – Sept. 29 … THE VINE (the equaliser)
Sept. 30 – October 27 … THE IVY (the survivor) … me!
October 28 – November 24 … THE REED (the leader)
November 25 – December 23 – THE ELDER (the scholar)
December 24 – January 21 … THE BIRCH (the achiever)

Find out your own Celtic zodiac profile here …
http://www.celticradio.net/php/zodiac.php?type=index

Loreena McKennitt posted this on her fb page. She’s raving about this book called The Shallows. Her recommendation makes me want to check this book out. What do you think? http://www.cbc.ca/manitoba/scene/books/2013/07/29/loreena-mckennitt-recommends-the-depth-of-the-shallows/index.html