The Chieftains continue to have relevance and appeal in the Irish and international world with The Voice of Ages. Popular alternative rock artists like Paolo Nutini, Bon Iver, Imelda May among others’ contributed their talents in this wonderful album of total brilliance.
Imelda May proves that to be a great singer, it’s not just about singing well. The speakers and mics have to love you. I think Voice of Ages is the continuation of what The Chieftains started in The Long Black Veil. They aren’t scared of trekking unfamiliar territories. Can you cite other Irish bands that have collaborated with a wide array of talents and diverse music like them? I don’t think so. No other group comes close to them.
What I love about The Voice of Ages is that the Chieftains always manage to bring out their own signature sound on anything they record. Regardless of the other musicians they collaborate. They also know how to balance their track listing between fast and slow tunes. Listen to My Lagan Love with vocals by Lisa Hannigan. If that doesn’t stir your soul then I don’t know what else will do. The Punch Brothers also offered an interesting Bluegrass flavor to this album. And yes, Carlos Nunez who has appeared in many of the Chieftains’ past recordings played with them in Lundu. I think the highlight of this album is the contribution of NASA Astronaut Cady Coleman with The Chieftains in Orbit!
I like both The Bombadils and Raftmen. The former is a Celtic fusion band and the latter a classically influenced folk/rock band. What do they have in common? Both are from Canada and they are bands where my featured artist Luke Fraser plays for. He is a native of Nova Scotia . Now he is basking under the musical diversity of Montreal, Quebec where the rest of the band members are located. We both like The Punch Brothers and I remember how he was excited about going to their concert when they toured Canada. These days, he is busy with music. The Bombadils has just released an album called “Fill Your Boots”. Music can be sampled via streaming through their website http://www.thebombadils.com/
By the way I just heard the first track from “Fill your Boots!” while writing this introduction and I love it! So let’s get to know more about Luke:
Favorite color: Blue
Guitar man.
Zodiac sign. Cancer
Pet peeve: Apathy
Tell us what Raftmen is all about?
* The Raftmen started as the brainchild of the lead singer and bassist Ben Duinker. He is a great musician all around and thought that it would be fun to bring together all of us Nova Scotian friends to start a rock project. This is the second time we have all played together – the first time was in a cover band, put together to play the Dalhousie University music faculty ball. The first album is based on selections from an old popular TV commercial series entitled “Canadian Heritage Moments”. Some of them were used in the lyrical content of a few of the songs.
What are the challenges playing an electric guitar for the Raftmen, as opposed to the usual mandolin/acoustic guitar type of music you do for The Bombadils.
* I began playing electric guitar before acoustic guitar, so it is easy for me to switch back to electric for this project. Since I have been focusing on acoustic guitar and mandolin these days, I forgot how different it really is between acoustic and electric. For one thing it is so much easier to play and you don’t have to really have great technique to play it well, although it helps. You don’t have to really worry about tone production in the picking hand because most of the tone comes from the guitar and amp you use. I enjoy electric for different reasons, but nothing will ever replace my passion for making a hollow sound chamber resonate. It just feels more personal to me.
You list Chris Thile as one of your heroes. How was the Punch brothers concert?
Session.Picture by Aaron Hull
* The Punch Brothers show in Montreal was amazing. Chris Thile and the band are a huge influence on me and they are such solid musicians on their recordings and especially live. They are returning the September, 2012 to Montreal and I will be in the front row again!
Fans are waiting for the Bombadils album. How’s it going in terms of recording and production?
* The Bombadils album has arrived! We are very proud of our first full length album and we will be officially releasing it this Friday at Burritoville in Montreal.
How’s your own solo project?
* At the moment I don’t really have a solo project, but I am thinking about new future side projects, which may take the form of a duo project with Sarah Frank, and/or a full-on bluegrass band with some of Montreal’s finest players.
What are the funniest moments you experienced being on the road/tour?
* We are a crazy bunch of bandmates, so there were a lot of funny moments. We had a lot of fun carrying on during the drives and especially making the Vlog videos that can be found on Youtube.
Sad experiences while on tour.
*Overall, it was a great tour. We were all sad to see it end!
With Raftmen
Is it true that you are originally came from Cape Breton? I have friends from that region and all of them are very musical. Can you give us a little picture of the Fraser household when you were a kid?
*Actually, I am not from Cape Breton specifically, but I am from outside Halifax which is in the same province where Cape Breton is located. That being said I have been influenced by the music of CB. We sometimes perform a song by one of CB’s hometown heros, J.P. Cormier.
In the Fraser houshold when I was a kid, you would find me alone in my room listening to cassette tapes of the Beatles, The Rankins, Alvin and the Chipmonks, The Eagles, Lovin’ Spoonfull, and lots more. Also, CBC radio was constantly on in my house.
With The Bombadils
What are the albums that you listen to right now.
* I am currently listening to my new vinyl collection, inherited from my lovely aunt. Aka-everything bluegrass, newgrass, classic rock and blues. Also on constant spin – Punch Brothers. (go figure).
Complete the sentence: ” I dreamed of________________ last night and I____________ when I woke up this morning.
” I dreamed of the ocean last night and I did songwriting exercises when I woke up this morning.
You can get your copy of Fill your Boots by The Bombadils through:
It is a great Sunday morning to start the weekend with Australia’s own Trouble in the Kitchen. Their recordings simply bring the beauty of the Emerald Isle right to the Down Under. Fast or slow, the band exudes great atmosphere and beauty. There is this warmth vibe within each track, as exemplified by The Pleasure Palace and Road to Port Fairy. There are good vocals in songs like Four Pence a Day and Mill Towns. Great sound engineering washed all tracks. Gossamer sheen and lush production technique predominate the amazing mastering. These are sound characteristic of bands like Grada and Cara.
If you are a fan of Nicklecreek, The Punch Brothers and Liadan then you will definitely warm up to Trouble in the Kitchen.
Fiddle – Adrian (Ado) Barker
Flute – Ben Stephenson
Guitar – Kate Burke
Bouzouki – Joe Ferguson
Bluegrass masters Punch Brother‘s new album Who’s Feeling Young Now will be available everywhere on February 14. But fans need not fret because the album can be pre-ordered through the official website. You can listen to the album’s opening track ” Movement and Location” for free download through this link: http://www.punchbrothers.com/news/whos-feeling-young-now/. All you need to enter your email address. That song blew me away. Chris Thile’s playing is intensely electrifying that it makes you wonder if this guy is human. More news about the release here: http://www.punchbrothers.com/
Album Tracks:
1. Movement and Location
2. This Girl
3. No Concern of Yours
4. Who’s Feeling Young Now?
5. Clara
6. Flippen
7. Patchwork Girlfriend
8. Hundred Dollars
9. Soon Or Never
10. New York City
11. Kid A
12. Don’t Get Married Without Me
Celtic Music Fan 