NovaScotia

Postcards from Dundalk: A Wee Craic with Nuala Kennedy

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by Louis De Carlo

Dundalk, Scotland,Canada and anywhere in the world, Nuala Kennedy plays music for every ear.

Help me welcome this fantastic musician this week. She is Nuala Kennedy. She became the focus of my interview request after seeing a post by The Riverside Celtic Society announcing her Canadian tour. It’s to promote her third release  “Noble Stranger.” After seeing her youtube videos and listening to her tunes, I told myself that I have to get her story. She would make a wonderful featured artist. I was right.

You had a show in  Canada this 24th of February! You must been very excited to greet your Canadian listeners. After all we know how Canada and Ireland are linked closely.
It was great to visit Canada again. It’s a fantastic country with a wonderful connection musically with Celtic music in Ireland and Scotland, especially on its Eastern seaboard, in places like Cape Breton Island and Newfoundland. I love the diversity of Canada, from Vancouver and the stunningly beautiful west coast, to Toronto and Quebec. I’m looking forward to touring and exploring more there, but I do have a special fondness for Cape Breton, its culture and people resonate with me and I love playing there.

You have a jazzy approach to Irish and Scottish music. Where did all the vibes come from?
I wouldn’t say my approach is jazzy, but I guess there’s a few different influences in there side by side with the traditional music. Edinburgh in the late nineties was an incredibly inspiring place to be a traditional player, with a lot of sessions and different musicians crossing paths and playing together. That was a hugely influential time for me. I always had an interest in other types of music too, in songs, contemporary music and in American folk music from the sixties and seventies.

 Dundalk is the same place where The Corrs originated. It must be a wild place for Celtic music.Can you give us a Nuala Kennedy: Noble Strangerbackground of your musical development? Do you think that the environment plays a big role in an artist’s artistic direction?
Definitely. I learned to play the whistle at around age seven, with a local teacher Mary Grennell. She taught me tunes out of the back of a shoemakers shop at the end of town. After I had a few learnt, I joined a local ceilidh band, ‘Ceoltoiri Oga Oghrialla’ which had some great older players as members. People like Tiarnan O Duinnchinn and Suzanne, Lisa and Patrick Conway, Brendan Needham. Fantastic players all, and I think I learned a lot from playing alongside them in the band, without even realising it really.

I was also encouraged to be independent and think for myself from an early age, by my parents but also by teachers and particularly my art teacher in secondary school who was a big influence on me. I loved the practical aspect of creating, the fact that you have a tangible finished ‘something’ at the end of a period of work. In Edinburgh, where I first went to study at the College of Art, it was difficult not to be influenced by all the amazing music that was in the city at that time. I returned often to Dundalk, where I grew up, and played with Gerry O Connor, with whom I now perform in the band Oirialla. I still go home very regularly, and it’s very satisfying to play traditional music from my own native area.

What do you look forward to this year in terms of live shows and recordings?

I’m currently working on a duo record with Mike Bryan, the guitarist from my band. It’s called “A Wee Selection: Some Scottish Tunes on Flute and Guitar” We recorded a bunch of our favourite traditional Scottish tunes. I’m really looking forward to seeing the finished CD! In a couple of weeks, we are launching Oirialla’s new CD. (Oirialla is an Irish trad. band featuring Nuala, Gerry ‘fiddle’ O’Connor, Martin Quinn and Gilles LeBigot) We are having a home town gig at the Square in Dundalk, as part of the Homecoming Festival. And I’m particularly excited about making my first trip to Alaska in September to play with John Doyle and Eamon O’ Leary. In October I’m taking the Snowflake Trio to Celtic Colours International Festival on Cape Breton Island, in Nova Scotia. It’s one of my favourite places in the world. The Snowflake Trio is myself, with Frode Haltli and Vegar Vardal, two incredible Norwegian musicians.

Can you cite other artists whose works inspired you?

by Louis De Carlo

Oliver Schroer was a huge inspiration to me. I also love Will Oldham’s singing and writing. I met the Birds of Chicago at Folk Alliance in Toronto this year, and really enjoyed their music. I’m a fan of lots of strong female singers and traditional musicians such as the late Ishbel Macaskill, Fiona Hunter, Kathleen MacInnes, Cathy-Ann MacPhee, Christine Primrose, Margaret Stewart, Padraigin Ni Uallachain, Catriona Mackay, Lori Watson, Shona Mooney… Also accordionists Martin Quinn and Julian Sutton. Of course Cathal McConnell continues to inspire me, especially with his musical musings on well known traditional tunes. I love his sense of creativity and the detail in his music.

 Top 5 albums you are listening to right now?

Some of my favourite albums at the moment include Mary Custy and Eoin O’Neill, Oliver Schroer’s Hymns and Hers, Rickie Lee Jones’ Traffic in Paradise, Devon Sproule “I Love You’ Go Easy”, Oliver Swain’s CD ‘Big Machine’ and Nels Andrews’ Scrimshaw.

I am curious how you would describe this as a flutist: What’s amazing about the flute?

That it’s a physical extension of the human body, powered by breath? That every aspect of my particular flute was made from scratch by hand by one artist, including all the keys and silver work. (It’s a Chris Wilkes flute.)

What other instruments do you love to play?

Whistle, piano.

Where can listeners buy your album?

They can get my album through: http://www.nualakennedy.com/store.htm

Your message to the readers.

Support live, local and independent music and art!

|| Nuala Kennedy » online store ||

www.nualakennedy.com

Meet Maxim Cormier, Fresh From the Nova Scotia Celtic Music Scene (Interview)

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Maxim Cormier

Instrumental music is the rage again as Celtic musicians release fantastic albums this year. One of them is this young man from Cape Breton. His name is Maxim Cormier. He just released a self-titled album which I really enjoyed and wrote about in my  review. His music is filled with youthful energy and the serenity of the Nova Scotia landscape. I am sure his music will appeal to everyone , even those who are not into Celtic music. This is because the charm of his music lies in the understanding of the various moods that inhabit the landscapes of the soul. And this is a  universal thing. So if you haven’t gotten yourself a copy of Maxim Cormier yet, now is the time. And I mean it. You will enjoy this album!

Halifax is steeped in diverse music.Can you cite the artists you listened to after you got your guitar in your 11th birthday?

I grew up in Cheticamp NS. a small francophone community on Cape Breton Island. I grew up listening to just about everything other than the popular music that has been released during my lifetime. haha. I listened to my parents’ favourites (such as Supertramp, the beatles, james taylor, etc). Being from Cape Breton, Celtic Music has also been a huge influence on my playing.
For the last 4 years, I have been listening to a lot of Classical Music (From J.S. Bach to Bela Bartok to Steve Reich to Leo Brouwer, etc), Jazz (Esbjorn Svensson Trio, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Lenny Breau, etc), and “contemporary acoustic guitarists” such as Michael Hedges, Pierre Bensusan and Don Ross.

The opening track Anticipation reminds me of the sound of a clock ticking. Was this intentional on your part?

In Anticipation was not intended to sound like a clock. I do understand why you got that feeling though. In Anticipation is hard for me to describe. It’s almost polyrythmic and it has an almost constant sense of pulse throughout most of it. Like I said, it’s hard to describe..

In Anticipation was one of those pieces that kind of just came to me out of nowhere. I knew wanted to find a way to keep the bass notes ringing constantly while bringing a sense of pulse to it. Which is where the idea of the pulsating bass notes came from. Then, in an effort to not let the pulse take over, I added a syncopated melody against it.

I think the parallel between “In Anticipation” and a clock is that the low sounding pulse isn’t a dominating sound in my piece. The click of a clock isn’t dominating sound in everyday life.. In fact, it’s hardly noticeable unless you have a migraine.

Track 7 (Mezquida) is a personal favorite. What’s the inspiration behind the melody?

I’m really glad you like Mezquida. It was written as an homage to Cuban classical guitar composer Leo Brouwer, who’s full name is Juan Leovigildo Brouwer Mezquida.

I stumbled upon the opening chord I used in Mezquida when I incorrectly played the opening chord to a Leo Brouwer Etude (Etude #6). The main melody was inspired by that opening chord that I discovered. The rest of the piece features ideas such as alternating measures of 7/8 with measures of 4/4 and moving chord shapes around while maintaining constant open string.

 If a much younger guitar enthusiast approaches you for an advice about releasing a guitar album, what are the dos and don’t s you’d like to share?

I don’t have enough studio experience to feel comfortable giving extensive advice. What I can say is 1) Go to a professional recording studio with state of the art gear, a great sounding room and a good engineer. bedroom studios are getting popular, but I really believe they should mostly be used to make demos. 2) Know what you want and stick with it. I knew before walking in the studio what pieces i was going to record and who was going to play on the tracks that needed accompaniment. 3) Despite having just said “stick with it”, keep an open mind. If you have a good engineer, he/she’s probably worked on more projects than you have 😉

I am curious about the album photos. They really convey the easy and expansive feeling of the music in this album. Where did the shoot happen?

The shoot was in my hometown (Cheticamp, NS). Photos by Jaron Felix in may 2012.

 What will happen now that the debut album is out and what are the big musical things you are anticipating?

I just finished the 3rd year of a Bachelor’s of Music with a concentration in guitar performance at Dalhousie University (Halifax, NS). I’m currently part of a classical guitar quartet and I’m also building a jazz repertoire. This summer, I will do some touring. In september, I will return to Dalhousie to complete my degree. Once I graduate, I want to tour Europe for a 3-4 months then I’d start working on a second album.

That sounds like a great plan. You seemed to have figured everything out in your musical career! I know that you have performed with great musicians spanning world class venues including the Celtic Colours. For those who are yet to take part in these Celtic music events, what can they expect?

Celtic Colours is so much fun. SO MUCH FUN. It’s a 9 day festival held in Cape Breton during the month october. It features world class musicians from all over the world as well as the top local Celtic musicians. It also features Gaelic Song, Dance, etc. Celtic Colours events are held in venues all over Cape Breton. At night, when all the shows are over, everyone meets up at the Gaelic College in St Annes where “Festival Club” happens. Festival Club is magical. Fans and keen listeners come to have a drink and listen to more music as the musicians take this opportunity to play with old friends or with new musicians they’ve just met.

 What are the top 7 albums you are listening to currently?

1- Chick Corea Akoustic Band
2- Los Angeles Guitar Quartet “Guitar Heroes”
3- Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer: Music for Two
4- Michael Hedges: Aerial Boundaries
5- Scott MacMillan’s “Mackinnon’s Brook Suite”
6- Esbjorn Svensson Trio: Strange Place for Snow
7- Any recording of Andrés Segovia

Where can people buy your new album?

People can buy my album at:
http://www.cdbaby.com/artist/MaximCormier
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/maxim-cormier/id561181401?ign-mpt=uo%3D4

and people in Nova Scotia can buy it at:
-Select Sounds (bedford)
-Obsolete Records (Halifax)
-CD Heaven (Dartmouth)
-Antigonish 5c to a dollar store
-Celtic Music Interpretive Center (Judique)
-Charlie’s Country Music Store (Cheticamp)
-Cape Breton Curiosity Shop (Sydney)
-The Coast store (Glace Bay)
-Gaelic College Gift Shop (St Annes)

These are just misc questions:

Favorite Color: I honestly don’t have one.

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio.

Pet Peeve: Forgetting something at home. It seems to happen far too often lately.

What’s great about being in Music: Being able to explore what I love while getting a degree for it.

Best Childhood memory: Playing for over 5000 people at “Les Jeux de la Francophonie Canadiennes 2005”. I was 14.

Things you can’t travel without: New music to listen to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xkBVvWKQkx4

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Huzzah!

What’s hot this month:

Artist: Kevin O’Donnell

Album: Deep is the Well

Players: Jim DeWan, Finbar Furey, Larry Gray, Kathleen Keane, Bill Lanphier, Maurice Lennon, Haley O’Donnell, John Rice, John William, and Jessica Willis

Style: Irish Country, Americana

Tracks:

  • A Letter Home
  • When I Was Young
  • Factory Girl
  • Downtowner Motel
  • Girl from Durango
  • Illinois & Michigan Canal
  • Camp-Farm Road
  • Rusted Dreams
  • She
  • The Ballad of Jackie Ryan Fagan
  • Saint Malachy’s Waltz
–

Album: “Babel Pow Wow“

Artist: Dom Duff

Location: Brittany

Original Release Date: April 18, 2013

Tracks:

1. Buan yann buan

2. Bitter Lands of Llydaw

3. Noa

4. Chikoloden groove

5. Floc’h ar jabadao

6. A-du gant an avel

7. Babel pow wow

8. Houarn & lêr

9. Buzhug’o’matik

10. Koroll gouez

11. Treizh

12. En tu all d’an treizh

13. Foeter breizh

–

Artist: Enda Seery

Album: Síocháin na Tuaithe

Location: Streamstown, Co. Westmeath

Players:ENDA SEERY-Whistles, flute, keyboard, vocals. JOHN BYRNE-Guitar.

JAMES HUGHES-Fiddle. EOGHAN MACAOGÁIN-Whistle. TOM DELANY-Guitar.

Tracks:

  1. The Scholar/Sam’s Delight (ES)/The Night Owl Time (ES) Reels 4.02
  2. The Castle/The Nightingale Jigs 3.25
  3. Peggy in the Settle/Day Trip to Galway (ES) Single Reels 2.47
  4. It’s A Working Man I Am Song 5.12
  5. The Dairy (ES)/The Belfast Hornpipes 4.06
  6. Santa Cruz (ES)/Friends from the States (ES) Jigs 2.38
  7. Amhrán na Leabhar Slow Air 3.03
  8. An Bhfuil an Fear Mór Istigh? Set Dance, Slip Jig 2.39
  9. The Golden Keyboard/John Blessing’s/The Highlandman Who Kissed HisGranny Reels 3.23
  10. My Aunt Jane/The Gullane/The Rambling Sailor Polkas 3.42
  11. Jearóid/You Rogue You Daren’t Meddle Me Slow Reel, Reel 3.02
  12. The Killeigh/Langton’s of Kilkenny (ES) Hornpipes 3.20
  13. Loving Hannah Song 4.28
  14. Tatter Jack Walsh/An Luradán/The Hag With The Money Jigs 3.31
  15. Síocháin na Tuaithe (ES)/Ralph’s Paw (ES) Slow Waltz, Jig 3.23
  16. Larry’s Favourite/The Floating Crowbar/The Chicago Reels 4.51
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Band: The Indulgers

Album: Whiskey Tonight

Location: Boulder/Golden Colorado

Members: Damien McCarron – Vocals, Guitar
Mike Nile – Vocals, Guitars, Mandolin, Harmonica and Electronic Bagpipe
Renee Fine – Fiddle/Violin
Aaron Haywood – Bass
Francesco(Cheech) Mannone – Drums
Guesting on occasion:
Neale Heywood – Guitar
Ryan Bunnell – Guitar

Tracks

1. Whiskey Tonight/2. Ceili Mor /3. It’s You /4. Hold On to You /5. Story Rory /6. Lady Jane /7. New Lease On Life /8. Man of All Seasons /9. Doin’ Fine/10. Roll This Stone/11. The Cure/12. Dreaming of You/13. Big Storm Rising/14. Dublin Day

New mp3 samples for your listening pleasure..

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Featuring:Layne Greene, Coda, Mickey Harte, Andrew Slim Black, Dan Aston and James M Law!

Good day folks. I spent the whole day listening and uploading songs. This happened because I received recordings from the following artists and it is nice to credit their work as well as getting you to know them one by one. Music helps us remember and it eases our pains and anger. I love the fact that music is my substitute for tons and tons of chocolate I could have swallowed trying to ease the blues of the past few weeks. I am glad to tell you that I am ok now. It  could have been difficult without music. I am featuring one by one. I have CDs on my shelf right now but I can’t cram them all here. Instead, I will take it one at a time. I am giving you a sampler at the end of this article. That way you will decide what artist you are going to pick up when you start shopping for records.

Pre release : Layne Greene EP

A new EP by Canadian folk musician Layne Greene (who is based in Nova Scotia) is in the works for final release. There are four tracks in the EP : Break, Iron Town, Winter Song and Working Man. Some of these tracks have been uploaded via his youtube, soundcloud and myspace pages. The only difference is that he actually made modifications and worked with jazz guitarist Alex MacNeil. Alex has a friend by the name of Shawn Bisson. Shawn did all the mixing/engineering for the session. He’s an actual sound engineer, and he just happened to be around and tagged along for the session. The artwork will be done by graphic artist Julie Meyer. For the  sample of Iron Town please refer to the bottom of this article where I posted all the sound samples for your listening pleasure.

Lyrics of Iron Town:

Words and music by Layne Greene

We built this town
on island waters
we wear ourselves down
with ropes and shovels

while days go by
and we sleep away
our time

we’ll wake to find
a restless state of mind
and all our thoughts
are leaving this place behind

while days go by
and sleep away
our lies

and we build the round
this iron town
and we’ll sit around
in our iron town
in our town

Lyrics printed with permission to the composer.

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Featured Videos: Coda-The Briar & The Rose/Elsafty, Armstrong & Browne in Concert

I like Tom Waits and when my friend Jimmy sent me a link to this video I was pleasantly surprised.  I was hooked. I keep on looking and listening. These guys gave me goosebumps! The second video is interesting in a sense that it is the most ‘traditional’ of all my post.

Róisín Elsafty — vocal
Siobhán Armstrong — early Irish harp
Ronan Browne — Union pipes, bansuri, tin whistle

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Our pic of the Day: Moya Brennan and Family

Moya Brennan: Going to Glastonbury with the family. We’ll all be performing the Croissant Neuf Stage Saturday afternoon. Maybe see you there? 3 June 2011
Tim , Moya, Paul and Aisling Jarvis. The reason why I found this photo fascinating is because it tells us that Irish music will always be a family affair. It is nice to see Moya and family looking relaxed and ready for musical action.

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Listening To: Mickey Harte-Forward to reality

I got a big surprise when I received a complimentary CD in the mail.

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Featured MP3s

Iron Town is taken from an upcoming EP. Title is in the works.

Bordertown is taken from an album Forward to Reality to be officially launched on September 16.

Peggy Gordon is taken from the new album of Andrew “Slim” Black called Gallows Tree Tales.

Way Home by Dan Aston. He is a singer/songwriter based in Cornwall. He is working on a debut CD which will be out in 2013.

The Thistle and The Daffodil by James M Law.

Ardyth & Jennifer : Magical Harps and Voices from Nova Scotia

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Plus: Clydagh Valley by Gearoid O Duinnin, River Underground, Sean Nos Dancers and Genius Loci Cornwall

Yes! Our new edition is out and yours truly is bringing you nothing but the best in Celtic music. All the fresh tunes you want to hear, all the cool bands and music news you want to know-they are in this site!

Everywhere I look there are Celtic inspired companies cropping up. There are young bands and also veterans who continue to create awesome music. A few days ago my muse was inspired by the beautiful Celtic artifacts found in Moravia, the Czech Republic. This goes to show that the Celts were all over Europe during the ancient times and the spirit lives on through us! We are family. Let us continue keeping the flame alive. Slainte!

My friend the legendary and awesome Layne Greene has mixed their harp tunes for the live performance as part of his summer job. That’s how he was able to share these artists. I love the harp and the vocals. Listening to them is a mesmerizing and magical experience.Their track Just Summer speaks of endless possibilities. Sometimes jazzy as in the case of Still Waters, one can feel the spiritual rush of The Angel Gabriel; a tune taken from the Basques. The duo continues to evade being pigeonholed yet are confident in their unique sound that no band sounds like them.

About them:

Ardyth & Jennifer have been performing and giving workshops for many years with their unique mix of harp and original songs. For a list of our favourite links, click here.
Ardyth Robinson

Ardyth Robinson is currently living in the valley with her two girls, Nadia and Claire.

Ardyth Robinson and Jennifer Wyatt met more than a decade ago at a traditional Nova Scotia kitchen party and have been performing together ever since. Bringing their eclectic mix of harps, vocals, bass, percussion, whistles and original songs to audiences throughout the Maritime Provinces and into the New England States they have developed a unique style that combines elements of traditional music with the influence of jazz and contemporary songwriting. They have played at many premier folk festivals and concert venues, showcased in the Roots Room and songwriter’s events at the East Coast Music Awards and at the Juno Fest in Halifax and they have been featured on many local radio and television programs. As they have travelled, their unique style has earned them critical acclaim within the music community and an ever-growing fan base in the Maritimes.

http://www.ardythandjennifer.com/

http://www.myspace.com/149124303

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River Underground Surfacing.

It is great when bands or their friends come forward to promote their music. I know that there hidden gems out there waiting for the light of the day to catch up. How would we know if they keep silent right? I have been fortunate to receive a message from Nick Rossiter about the band River Underground. This is what he wrote.

I am from St. John’s N.L. I love the pubs of George Street, and all around the downtown area!! It is part of a long heritage of Downtown, St.John’s, N.L.
I’m just writing to ask if you could post on your wall, a Celtic band called ” Skraeling”, otherwise know as “River Underground”!!
They are based out of Toronto, Ontario, and quite frequently, Vancouver, B.C. And they do extensive traveling to all places, everywhere!!
They have released 3 C.D.s so far.
They are, quite possibly, Newfoundland’s “Best Kept Secret”!!!
They played Erin’s Pub last week for 3 nights, to a crowd that absolutely Loved them!!
The band members are, Jamie Snider(of the Wonderful Grand Band), Mike Rossiter, and a nice young man on drums, who calls himself “Animal” Pearson!!
They are in Newfoundland till mid August, and then they head back to the mainland after that!!
Also, they are looking for more bookings in any of your local pubs or bars, so if you could repost these links on your wall, it would be greatly appreciated!!
A good contact # is 1 416 873 7886.
Thank-you for sharing this and listening!!
Cheers!!

P.S. This is three of their links to get an idea what their sound is like!!
http://riverunderground.com/ https://www.facebook.com/riverunderground https://www.facebook.com/pages/Skraeling/71575184364

I listened to the music samples and I automatically like their music. It glides in smoothly and everyone in the band plays with such beautiful gusto it makes you want to get up and dance to the jigs.
Sound Samples here: http://riverunderground.com/
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Our pic of the day: Clydagh Valley by Gearoid O Duinnin

Since the day Clydagh Valley came out, it has been shared so many times. This image is by painter Gearoid O Duinnin who is based in County Cork, Ireland. The wild splashes of deep colors hold the imagination. The artwork speaks in volumes.  I can stare at it again and again and imagine I actually live there. I got in touch with him and conducted this little interview.

How long did you work on this painting?

I will always work on a painting for about two months, Layering and layering it with a plain colour. Then I attack the canvas with all the paint. Maybe 5-6 hours for the final bit.

What is your inspiration in creating this painting?

I actually live there. The funny thing is that when I painted it, I had just moved there and a friend pointed out to me afterwards that I had painted the Valley. I wasn’t intentional. I don’t paint from photos etc.

Can you give me the artists who influenced you in terms of your style?

I do like Jackson Pollock and Francis Bacon a lot but mainly for what they had to say about the subconscious as regards to painting. The pictorial result is different but the experience is the same feeling.

You are also a musician on the side. Any plans of pursuing this career or is this just for fun?

I’ve never had any aspirations as a musician. It’s something I do and other musicians ask me to play with them. I’m an accompanist and a fan of the music I suppose. I’m very lucky because I get a front seat in hearing some of the best musicians we have.

What can we expect from you this year in terms of artistic works?

Well…. I’m busy painting at the moment and I hope to have an exhibition that I can take on tour next year. I’ve had some help this year from Udaras na Gaeltachta & the arts council that enabled me to buy badly needed art supplies. Now that the house is full of canvas and paint, I feel confident.

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Video of the day: Sean nós dancers

There is an old form of Irish Dancing called Sean nos which like the style of singing means: Old Style. It is simple, fluid and improvisational. Through the years Irish dancing have grown and developed into other forms but it is great to look back sometimes and realize that everything has origins. My special thanks to Karen Victoria Smith for introducing this form of dancing in her vampire novel Dark Dealings. Here;s her blog to get more info about the book.

http://kvictoriasmith.blogspot.com/

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Featured media and marketing company: Genius Loci

Although known as a media and marketing company, Genius Loci actually started life as an independent Record Company. We are proud to be behind the most popular Cornish video on youtube ‘The Home Coming’ and also have a number of new musical projects in the pipeline…

About

Internet Marketing & Media Consultancy. Website Management, SEO photography design. Also involved in music & yoga promotion.
Description

Genius Loci means the ‘spirit of place’, and our skills will enable you to stand out from your competitors and be the leading light in your area of business.

Flutist Brendan Mulholland Creates a (Sound) Wave

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Plus: Celtic inspired Goth band BKR, Soundtrack for the ships, Sliotar pictures, Flutatious 2nd album, free mp3 download, artist sampler Philip Knight and the joy of music!

It it fascinating how much we can learn from our history. It is also surprising to learn how much we have departed from our old selves given a year or two. Sometimes, we lost the original cadence of our words that made people listen to us. Like natural elements, people around us,the things we read and the things we do-or LIFE itself- can have huge impact on how we present ourselves to the world. I was reading my old articles and marveled at the things I stop doing. There are no longer those highlighted words or links attached to words that make reading colorful. No wonder I bore myself easily haha. So on with the news:

Brendan Mulholland  Creates a Super Impression

The name  Brendan Mulholland has cropped everywhere especially in traditional sessions. It is no wonder why he gets a lot of gigs. His energetic flute playing is one of the finest. His style appeals to both young and old. I think his simple/minimalist approach in  recording makes him stand out from the rest. An electrician by day and a full-time musician by night, it amazes me to think that he is also a dad! 

Fox in the Town Set with its pattering notes creates an impression of drizzle. The Dregs of Birch has that head swaying melody that is filled with summer sweetness. His works are all great tracks that make his playing unforgettable. My druid is getting impatient to hear his new album Jean’s Hill (2012). I will do a track by track review when I have it and I promise you readers, he will be our featured artist!

http://www.myspace.com/brendanmulholland

http://www.brendanmulholland.com

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BKR – Gothic Music Celtic Folklore

They have been getting attention in the web lately as: A fusion of Gothic music with Celtic folklore. Hmmm.. so far I have no direct reference for the band except the name BKR. I don’t even know what that stands for. Do you know? Would you care to share with us what you know?

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Today in pictures..

Sliotar:Keltska noc 2012

More here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150978891303977.414037.43074838976&type=3

Photos by Lucie Vysloužilová

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Three ships  are arriving in Nova Scotia and how Layne got entangled with the Ceilidh

Noon in the Philippines means might time in Nova Scotia. I popped Layne a conversation. He was busy the whole week because there will be three ships arriving tomorrow. The town has a huge ship that stays docked the whole year round. He is excited about this event. I thought I’d go ahead and recommend a soundtrack for the event. So I gave a link to that Enya video up there. I said it is a good

A replica of the ship Hector which arrived in Pictou in 1773 carrying settlers from Scotland – the Mayflower of Pictou County. It sits next to the Hector Heritage Quay Museum. From http://www.novascotiaphotoalbum.com

soundtrack for the event. He said he will sneak to the sound booth and blast it through the PA. He said  that’d be awesome. Lately he has made himself into the circle in the DeCoste Centre where he worked as part of his summer job. I said he is da mafia man of music now. As for the sound guy he is friends with:

“Super nice/smart guy, really knows his stuff. I’m learning a lot about live mixing from him. since I’m interested, he’s letting me work the board more than he usually lets the summer students.”

“I got to mix a ceilidh last night with a piano, 2 guitars and 2 fiddles. plus 3 vocals, it was really fun.”

“Really? How did you end up with a ceilidh”? I asked.

” We do a ceilidh every week for 3 nights, its really fun”.

“Wow well if you get mixed up with the ceilidh again tell me about it so I can write something about it.”

***

Album review

Flutatious 2
Track List
1.Wendel The Witch
2.Consumption
3.Dragonfly
4.W.O.W
5.Springtime on the Hill
6.Somewhere’s near to Nowhere
7.Haste ye Back
8.Morning Star
9.Drunken Drummer
10.The River of Ae

This album took me more than 10 listens before I decided to post a review. There are things we ignore about a song( or an entire album) with just few listens. Flutatious is a band that is both complex and minimalist in its approach sound recording.

Headsets or speakers, the slick production qualities are notable. This is a further step from their debut album. The style becomes well-defined. It seems that the band deepens whatever kind they based their influence in this album, composed of 10 songs.

Tracks like Wendel The Witch  and Consumption  come out with adventurous sonic blows that really defines the band’s eclectic style. There are slow tunes like Haste ye Back and River of Ae that nod on their New Age roots but tracks like Dragonfly and Drunken Drummer clearly define their Celtic heritage.

I recommend that you should NEVER skip a track when you listen to an album because it is like a journey. Every track tells you a story or a piece of a puzzle that completes the whole mystery which is the album. I prefer albums as opposed to singles.

An album is like a cathedral. Every track contributes to its architecture. What I see in Flutatious 2 is a great body of work. I can’t wait for the next album!

http://www.flutatious.co.uk/

Music sampler

***

Artist sampler Philip Knight

1. Men Selevan (St Levan’s Stone) 00:00
2. Tamsin (Tamsin) 03:35
3. Maria Wynn a Gernow (Blessed Mary of Cornwall) 06:46
4. Dhe Vlamya yw Hi (She is to Blame) 10:43
5. Karoryon Porthgwartha (The Lovers of Porthgwarra) 13:49
6. Dehwelyans an Marner (The Sailor’s Return) 18:50
7. Myrgh an Mor (Daughter of the Sea) 22:59
8. Kyns ty dhe vos (Before You Go) 26:56
9. Spyrys agan Tir (The Spirit of our Land) 31:14

For bilingual lyrics and more information about the artist, go to http://www.magakernow.org.uk/idoc.ashx?docid=7dfc15fd-948b-4826-bd3c-32c55c7a…

All songs written and performed by Philip Knight

Produced, arranged, engineered, mixed and mastered by Paul Knight-Malciak http://www.paulknightmusic.co.uk

Recording generously funded by MAGA http://www.magakernow.org.uk

To purchase the CD album, mp3s, and lyrics booklet go to http://www.kesson.com