New album is coming along nicely. Off to studio today to record-Fiach
This video you see is just the beginning of what’s to come. This song is from his debut album “So I”. Fiach Moriarty is busy with the new studio album-no title available yet but I will keep you updated.
A one take/no edit video.
Just to explain this video a bit; myself and Bob Kelly came up with this concept about a year ago in Hourican’s bar on Leeson St after a conversation about Samuel Beckett. We wanted to do something a bit different and challenging that would not be easily done. So we hatched a plan to learn a song backwards and from there it grew and developed. We then decided to make it a walking video and mapped out a route. The route involved getting lucky with traffic lights, cars and indeed human traffic and all in one take as well. It also involved me walking backwards throughout. So what you see is the reverse of me walking and singing backwards, which makes me look (slightly) normal and everybody else in backwards mode? Lost? Thought so, watch the video and it will become clearer.
We enlisted the help of Aoife Scott, Philip Graham, Trish Fitzpatrick, Marcus Lamb, Déaglán Mac Samhráin, Rebecca Flynn and Enda Reilly to help us achieve what you see here.
So here ya go folks, ‘Lullabye’
Cast in order of appearance:-
Fiach Moriarty – Himself
Busker – Enda Reilly
Photographing fan – Trish Fitzpatrick
Ferryman – Deaglán Mac Samhráin
Dancer – Rebecca Flynn
Businessman – Marcus Lamb
Crew:-
Steadycam Operator – Philip Graham
Best Boy Grip – Aoife Scott
Producer/Director – Bob Kelly
Song appears on debut album ‘So i’ recorded and produced by Keith Lawless in Studio 2 Kinsealy.
Vocals, Guitar & Piano: Fiach Moriarty
Keys: Keith Lawless
Upright Bass: Steve Mogerley
I was eating dinner while looking at my site. I know, it isn’t a good habit to have your laptop on your dining table along with your food. I know I am already risking something by telling you about my personal habits. Anyway, I kept looking, chewing and thinking. I was asking myself, what people could possibly want from my site apart from getting the music news. I know that bands will peek every now and then to see if I have written something about them. I know that fans will check to see if I have written something about their favorite bands. Yes there are videos, but these videos are only appealing as far as the musical preferences of my viewers permit. I have interviews scheduled as a weekly thing. My reason for this is to give bands and musicians the opportunity to have more exposure. I do have pending interviews but I need to stick to my schedule to provide everyone the same opportunity.
I am sure you don’t come to this site for the following reasons:
The weather forecast
Fashion trends
Health tips
Romance counseling
Stock market reports
Tips on how to get even with your neighbor who plays the same annoying album over and over again.
Self defense advice
Recipes. Hmmm…No.
Something occurred to me. People like to visit websites not just for information, but they do appreciate being offered freebies too. It’s nice to be able to have visitors leave my site with something they can keep. I think digital downloads are a gift that is always appreciated. I will have to ask the bands I have already interviewed to see if I can do this as a part of a weekly freebee give away. I can’t commit to doing daily updates since I am working on this alone and committing myself to something that might be too hard to carry out might tarnish my reputation in the blogosphere. I think that this download offer will work. A weekly free mp3 (I don’t know how many I can give away) is what I will be offering you.
This idea isn’t new. Marc Gunn has been doing this way before I launched this site. But you, my readers, are important to me and I think you should have something you can keep with you when you come and visit this site. In return, I would like to ask from you to share the word about the bands you download especially if you like their music. Please spread the word about this website too, so that it will get more traffic. The more traffic it gets, the more we can help expose our favorite musicians. So what do you think? It’s fun to share together!
My choice this week is Mike Vass whom I had the honor of featuring before. This track is taken from his album String Theory.
Winner of the inaugural Neil Gow International Composition Award, Mike Vass is fast gaining a reputation as one of Scotland’s foremost tunesmiths. His compositions frequently appear in the recordings and performances of some of the UK’s top name acts; most notably luminaries such as Brian Finnegan, Corrina Hewat, and Mairearad Green.
Mike is regarded as one of Scotland’s finest fiddle players, in great demand as a performer, composer and teacher. He has toured extensively in the past few years with leading Scots Song band Malinky, in a duo with twin sister Ali, and with International super group Fiddle Rendezvous, featuring Bruce Molsky, Maryann Kennedy and Gerry O’Connor.
Mike’s New Voices Commission ‘String Theory’ debuted at Celtic Connections in 2010, and was described as ‘the most direct and honest since the idea was first conceived … precision, subtlety and attention to detail’. One of the highlights, the avant-garde piece ‘Man’s Search’ inspired by Viktor Frankl’s best-selling book, was described as ‘utterly compelling’ and ‘one epoch-making composition’. ‘Man’s Search’ was subsequently featured by the Victor Frankl Institute in Austria to commemorate Frankl’s birthday.
Mike was nominated as ‘Best Up and Coming Act’ in the 2007 Scots Trad Music Awards, along with pianist/singer twin sister Ali, and won ‘Best Folk Band’ with Malinky in 2010. A runner-up in the 2007 BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year competition, Mike was subsequently invited to tour with the 2008 finalists as an accompanist. Although barely 5 years into his career, Mike has already featured on more than a dozen recordings, including Volume 1 of The Complete Songs of Robert Tannahill, produced by Dr Fred Freeman, and Malinky’s acclaimed fourth album Flower and Iron.
Always expect energy when you listen to a Poitin album. These guys always deliver goods with gusto. Hot Days is an album that looks the way it sounds (note the chili pepper red cover that screams hot hot hot!). The introduction of the didgeridoo and the soprano sax are pleasant surprises. The album has everything that jumps and grabs you from behind.
Step It Out has Jeremy King’s superb vocals. Precision and tight musicianship are the things the band is known for.
For to Free. Wowwowow! The didgeridoo addition here is something I truly dig. It is the right ingredient to the track! It makes you feel like you are in Australia, wearing a kilt and jumping with kangaroos. It begins with this ambient sound of an old vinyl record being touched by a needle.
Who Are Youis a fast traditional song. Every nuance is captured in the recording. The crisp vocals and resonant fiddle jive together with the fiery guitar strums. This song makes me feel like a young man ready for action.
Springtime Frolics is a track I can sum up in one word: stunning. These guys record their albums live. Such precision is not easy to master. I read somewhere that they would do it over again if ever something goes wrong. It’s like me writing this review, having a lot of re-editing to do when the grammar goes wrong wink wink.
Crazy Man Michael starts a capella and then blossoms with a guitar. It is a great title track. It sings about a tragic incident. You know, I read that if you have some Irish in you, then you will understand that the more painful the song is, the more the singing gets better. With its bare arrangement, the vocals gain the dramatic effect making it one of the most memorable singing styles I have heard in years.
Hot Days is a track which begins with both the high and low whistles fencing each other tenderly. The mournful notes progress into a beautiful track with rich arrangements and incandescent beauty which calls to mind a phoenix rising from its ashes. The second half of the track jumps into a jig with an explosive chorus of other instruments.
Midsomer is an energetic traditional track that won’t let you stop tapping your feet.
A Bucket Full of Mountain Dew is another traditional track with fast singing. There are amazing vocal harmonies and a beautiful melody.
March Flowers is a jazzy jig which begins with the acoustic guitar, then the whistle and then other instruments join in. It has this swaying rhythm to it. It makes you think of seaside and relaxing afternoons. I noticed that there is a consistency of clean recordings all throughout the album.
For to Free really frolics into your mood and into your subconscious.
I Was A Young Man is a fast ballad about coming of age. There is great bodhran playing on top of the fiddling. The didgeridoo encapsulates the track like fine moth’s wings. It’s awesome!
Saxet is a jazzy traditional track with a vibe that smells of beer and chips. It is also a sexy track.
Curragh of Kildare ends the track with its amazing fiddling. Hot Days is an album that makes you realize that some very talented Irish music players are also found in the Czech Republic. This is world music at its finest. You can buy Hot Days here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/poitin5
Guys who are into Bluegrass and anything Americana might want to get themselves ensnared by the music of these six guys bringing you nothing but the freshness of homegrown freshly brewed American music. The good vibes of Bluegrass and Country music have made their way into my chest and now my head is moving back and forth while listening to tracks like Deep Ellum Blues and I Know You Rider. The band, Appalachian Still, is from Northampton Massachusetts and they have been around since 2005. Bring on the croissants, this is going to be a great day! Just give them a chance and who knows? You might get hooked, head over feet.
Members
Andrew Woodland: Clawhammer Banjo, Vocals & Management
Jared Libby: Guitar, Vocals, Recording & Engineering
Sean Mallari Upright Bass
Sam Barnes: Fiddle
Ivan Ussach: Drums/Percussion
Peter Nabut: Sound-Man
Occasionally, we are blessed with someone who has an eye for beauty and a hand for musical expression. Chris Caswell embodies the nature of a true bard. Apart from being a versatile musician (playing flute, penny-whistle, harp, bodhran, and bagpipes), he is also the builder of Caswell harps. He started making harps in 1972 while also serving as a session player for other bands. His designs are unique and breathtaking- like his own music. He is also a music teacher around the San Francisco Bay area.
I got the time to sit down and really listen to his tunes this evening. He gives multiple expressions to the harp in a way that it sounds like different instruments. At times it reaches sublime spirituality especially when he does those arpeggios. There is something ‘quiet’ about his music that speaks to you. One of my favorites is The Wild Geese taken from his 2001 album Holy Wood. The relaxing beauty of his tunes makes you sit back and relax. He has unique harp interpretations of bagpipe tunes like in the case of Catriona’s Lament (piobaireachd). There is no arguing. The harp makes a unique sound that could never be achieved by other instruments.
Chris continues as a musical asset through building harps, playing tunes and handing them down to generations upon generations of Clarsach musicians telling you: this is the beautiful way to play the Celtic harp.
I began making harps in 1972, first with Jay Witcher, then by 1977 in my own shop with Terry, my wife for 20 years (who was working at Witcher’s before I got there!). Over those years, my sense of calling has become only richer and clearer. In fact, the last few years have resulted in more new and possibly significant ideas than ever.
I always say I never make a harp I wouldn’t play myself. In fact, I tend to design new models to fulfill what my inner ear says is possible. This goes hand-in-hand with my own growth and experimentation as a player. Here, as best I can, is how I describe this calling:
Tradition
to make harps designed from the heart, and in the lineage of the ancient Celtic harps
Innovation
to continue to evolve the harp for a new generation of players, and for the future of the instrument itself
Excellence
to combine fine craftsmanship with a passion for its sound and esthetics, bringing each design into the realm of art
My aim during the making of every harp–from the least expensive to the most–is to connect with life directly, and experience a taste of my existence. My sense is that this translates into something in the instrument itself.
My goal isn’t to make lots of harps (though I have and, God willing, will) but to make harps that respond to their players’ desires, becoming a vehicle for the magic of music in each of us.
It’s a great blessing in my life that I continue to have an opportunity to follow this passion, and that this passion is as bright as ever. I invite you to be part of it by following your own desire. If you have a harp you love, wonderful. If you would like another to fulfill something you want to hear, contact me.
If you’re brand new to the harp, I will do what ever I can to put the right instrument in your hands, and support you as you blossom. Remember–Yes You Can!
“Yes You Can” is my way of saying :Don’t put off that which you know in your heart to be right for you! We all can find reasons not to do what we know will make our lives richer.
Life is precious and we must support that which connects us to the deep part of ourselves. If playing the harp helps you do that, then I am here to help you.
All best wishes,
Chris Caswell
***
Updated: I am posting the last exchange I had with Chris after this article was released. This was around June of 2012. You can tell he was a man of humor and great spirits. You will be missed Chris.
Hi Baxter,
Thank you so much for the kind review!
You might not have seen a recent FB posting of mine that you (or rather, the review) might benefit from. I’ll copy it to you here:
“Finally, I can go public with a bit of news I’ve been sitting on for about nine months!
I was contacted back then by an editor for the BBC who had found my recording of pibroch (piobaireach) on the metal-strung harp and intended to use it in an upcoming documentary. It looks like they’re ending up utilizing three of the pieces off my Holy Wood CD – Catherine’s Lament (the pibroch), the McLeod’s Big Tune, and Rowing from Islay to Uist.
Here’s the email I got this morning:
‘Hi Chris,
just a quick heads up to say that the Cairngorms show is finished!
It’s now called “Cairngorms – A Year in the Wild” it’s part of a three part series. Our date for transmission is as yet unconfirmed but it looks like a Sunday in July for the UK.
I can tell you your music has been used to illustrate some lovely material round the River Dee, and a very special piece contemplating ancient pines that our poet/nature writer Jim Crumley calls Wolf Trees…
I am still intending to send you a copy of the material but our production manager is reluctant to allow anything out until it has been broadcast. Hopefully this is enough to be going on with for you in terms of publicity efforts.
Thanks again for allowing the use of your music!
all the best,
Stuart’ ”
Also, I’m a little confused by the last sentence. It seems to make me sound like I’m telling people the “right” way to play the harp. That’s not something I’m comfortable with.
Regardless, thanks again. Best wishes for your blog.
All the best,
Chris
Hi Chris ,I know what you mean now. I altered a word in the last sentence. I hope it makes you comfortable now
12:58
Chris Caswell: Thanks! That does feel better. Thanks again for the review.
12:58
Baxter Labatos: Hahaha all the best Chris! you are welcome.
***
A memorial service for Chris is planned for this Sunday, Feb 10 at 6:00 pm, at St Monica’s Church in San Francisco, Geary & 23rd Avenue. His friends are welcome.
The awful weather makes people sick these days. The time to celebrate comes after the brooding period.You agree with me don’t you? To everyone out there who had gone through the rough times, I am sure you all come to a point when you just want to get up and dance. Ok I am closing my eyes and telepathically calling for more sweetness my way. Oooommmm! Oooom! Meditate, concentrate, let the mind become a magnet for positivism.Yes folks more sweetness please and you shall get sweetness in return. I just hope my karma counter is doing good for running this site 🙂
I found this bluegrass band after searching for something uplifting. If you are depressed or sick, I recommend you listen to this style of music and your blues will go away. Well, I can’t say that it is the answer to end all wars in the world but it is a good pill. Even the name feels good ” Greensky Bluegrass“. They even have vinyl pressings for their new album! They are part puritans and part innovators. They love the tried and tested highway of American music but they veer off once in a while to add freshness to their repertoire.
My fingers move through the keys emulating the banjo while typing this article. My neck moves to the rhythm. The sound just catches you with a smile. Yes it is all gin, honey and the green grass of home. This quintet is from Michigan, the home of my dear friend Christi.
If you’re familiar with bluegrass music, then you’re tuned in to some of what Greensky Bluegrass does. They’re also known to throw a great party, rock n roll, and (if the critics are to be believed) they have great songs. They are unquestionably a team of friends that traverse the country making music they enjoy. What makes Greensky different than Bluegrass? Poignant rural ballads about real people? Dobro tone that Jerry (Douglas or Garcia) would love? Distortion Pedals? Grit and attitude from a whiskey soaked card game? Indeed, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
This quintet from Michigan has been staying up late at all the coolest festivals and stopping to play your favorite clubs and theaters across America for 11 years now. Nearly 175 shows per year has prepared them for the rigorous task of continuity. Greensky Bluegrass isn’t slowing down. “They’re coming to your town to help you party down.” Yeah. Really. Like you never thought possible.
At the start of the millenium,some of these guys met, then they met more guys. They thought Greensky was a clever name for a bluegrass band. Fast forward to 2011 when they recorded their fourth studio record, called Handguns. Among them, words like, “proud,” “killer,” and “damn right!” have been spoken in regards to the music of Handguns.
While they all may be accurate, we hope you’ll find far more than you expected, hell – even more than we expected contained in this piece work that may well come to define one of 21st Century America’s hardest working musical ensembles.
Greensky Bluegrass is Anders Beck (dobro), Michael Arlen Bont (banjo), Dave Bruzza (guitar), Mike Devol (upright bass) and Paul Hoffman (mandolin).
Celtic Music Fan 