Two great Celtic bands are performing together. I have reviewed their excellent albums here. In terms of technique and stage presence, these guys are the best. Please don’t forget to watch them live together. I am talking about Poitin and Sliotar. They will be at Zach’s Pub, July 17,2012 Czech Republic! More info here: http://www.sliotarmusic.com/?page_id=10
His singing moved me to tears that I just lost it.
It is a somber day. I just finished breakfast and I listened to one of my CD collections. This song by Christy Moore came on. I had to drop everything . I can’t stop bawling like a baby. Something about the sentiment of the song hit me. It is a very sad song of Scottish origin. It took me sometime to recover and I thought I should write about it.
Writing is a good therapy. So is listening to music. There are emotions we refused to acknowledge so they stayed hidden. Not until one song unlocks them and everything is a catharsis. Sometimes the only friend we have until the end is music. Songs help unravel our experiences within the chronology of our lives. They help us revisit the past and we experience that old feeling. Music is precious. And musicians are also therapists that help us in the healing process.
I went through high school and college relying on the sustenance of my record collections. They kept me balanced and prevented me from doing drugs or getting into vices. In college, I had to set aside my allowance for clothes and shoes to buy albums. We do what we can to help each other. Friends are there but sometimes…just sometimes, people we care about can do damage even if they don’t mean to. It is just human nature I guess.
I remember the song Molly Ban which I also listened to a while ago. It has these lines:
Going home from her uncle in a shower of rain,
She crept under a green bush the rain for to shun.
Her white apron being around her he took her for a swan,
For he never intended to shoot his own Molly Ban.
O when he came to her and saw what he had done,
The tears from his eyes in great fountains did run.
Straight home to his father with a gun in his hand,
Saying “Father, dear father, I’ve shot Molly Ban.
“Her white apron being around her I took her for a swan,
In modern context, we can apply this story to words we say to one another. We might not have a gun like Molly Ban’s lover…but we have words. And words can wound..even kill.
I like this quote that my friend Christi once attached to her email signature:
Say little, and the little you say, say well.- Old Irish Saying
The Bombadils are busy touring and promoting their new album.
It’s happening! I remember that line from the movie Almost Famous. I can say the same thing for The Bombadils. Their new album Fill Your Boots! is out. You can see the band pics as well as a video from their East Coast tour. More info coming soon.
Sarah Frank: fiddle, vocals
Luke Fraser: mandolin, vocals
Anh Phung: flute, vocals
Kit Soden: guitar, vocals
Evan Stewart: bass
Noam Bierstone: percussion
You can now order the hard copy, pop-up and all, (as well as a digital copy) online! 🙂 For the indie-go-goers, we still have some mailing to do as soon as we get back from tour, and that will be happening next week. Thank you for your patience! http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/thebombadils
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
I love the music of Kepa Junkera and how it drives your senses into a wild abandon. The music has a primal but beautiful appeal. I can’t describe the feeling I have when I first heard the song Bok Espok. But I think the closest thing I can come up with is that feeling upon seeing a cornucopia exploding with deep colored fruits, juices oozing in irresistible sweetness . From 1988 to the present, he already recorded 10 albums.
Celtic Music Fan 