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Thoughts and Music this Christmas

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Still with Allison Crowe… About the song: Canadian poet, singer-songwriter, sailor and islander Andy Vine (http://www.andyvine.com) composed this song in the late 1970s. While music-making in St. John’s, Newfoundland he discovered “Woman of Labrador”, the remarkable autobiography of Elizabeth Goudie. Of Inuit, Indian, French and English roots, Goudie (née Blake) was born in 1902 in Mud Lake, Labrador. At 18 she’d wed a trapper, raising their eight+ children in the brush – her memoirs recounting life and travails and dwellings from a trapper’s “tilt”, and log cabins to a Summer lake-shore fishing house and beyond – all that comes with and from such a pioneering existence in territory that encompassed family homes in Mud Lake, North West River and Happy Valley-Goose Bay To read the complete description, go the You Tube link: http://youtu.be/uYBp3ooX-2Q

About the song:  From Corner Brooker Allison Crowe’s album, “Newfoundland Vinyl II”, comes this stirring song of a shipwreck and brave rescue efforts that occurred on November 29, 1875. To read the complete description, go to the You Tube link: http://youtu.be/LEM9DIRAGyk After listening to Souling and The Newfoundland Vinyl !! repeatedly, I notice something I never mentioned in my last article. Allison Crowe has a strong and distinctive voice. Singer/songwriters or musical artists who play their own instruments have always been associated with having soft singing voices. There are those who do have powerful voices but this is rare. Feel free to correct me but this is my observation. I think it comes with the fact that singing while playing an instrument is hard. You got to pick at least one instrument to channel your skills and emotions. Pop divas have their voices as their primary instrument. And for instrumentalists who don’t sing, they channel their power to that instrument they are using. But to master both is a challenge-I think. I have tried performing before and it is really hard to channel intense emotions when you are strumming a guitar. It feels awkward. When you belt out a tune, you do it easily when you are just holding a mic. And this is what I have noticed in Allison Crowe’s singing. She sings like a pop/rock vocalist but she is also that woman with the guitar. But he is certainly not Suzanne Vega or Judy Collins. She’s more like the late Nina Simone with bit of Natalie Merchant.

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Holiday albums I listen to year after year.
 
The list of Holiday albums I listen to change year after year depending if there are artists who are able to squeeze into my top 5. This usually happens upon new releases. But here are the albums that made it to my holiday list which I will be listening to next year.
  1. Loreena McKennitt- Midwinter’s Night Dream: This Canadian artist never fail to dazzle me with her amazing voice and marketing smarts. What is Christmas without the elfin appeal of McKennitt’s music?
  2. Enya-And Winter Came: Every year I listen to this because her arrangements bring down the snow. I won’t say more but perhaps you know what I mean.
  3. Moya Brennan-An Irish Christmas: After her US tour, she will be performing a Christmas special in Ireland. The first lady of Celtic music continues to dazzle.
  4. Souling-Allison Crowe: Yes she made it to my top 5 and I know I will be playing this album next holiday season.
  5. Together at Chritmas-Various artist: I want to thank Anita Daly for giving me this sampler as there are many amazing Celtic artists out there worth discovering.

*** Martin Tourish and how Celtic music continues to inspire me. I sometimes get asked, how I am able to keep up my passion for blogging . Especially that it’s been years since I started this baby? The answer is simple. Music. When I hear something that I like , that tune inspired me to write something about it. It is like discovering a beautiful plant that you just want to take care of it because seeing it bloom give you much pleasure.1458141506_bb96e77eb0 Of course it’s been obvious that I also like other types of music. And this liking for other styles of music made me marvel at the beauty of Celtic music. Because it remains different and ‘not mainstream.’ We all have our degree of elitism and this is my little elitist guilt ….and well, let’s face it, you don’t want to be part of the herd right? You gotta find your niche and hone your creativity around it. For me the sound of uilleann pipes, harp and other Celtic instruments inspire me. I love hearing them and also the comments that I get from people when they say that my music is something they could not find anywhere and that when they hear it they are soothed. So let me give you a taste of this wonderful playlist by the very talented Martin Tourish. This is presented by Trad Connect, the leading site for lovers of traditional Irish music. http://www.martintourishmusic.com

My Christmas thoughts. Warning it’s a little bit personal. 
Never be afraid to be vulnerable. I read that via Flipboard this week. I must confess, one of my fears to bare my weakness for anyone to say. And so I hid behind the guise of a blogger who just wants to post updates and ‘new stuff.’ Of course the ‘enterprise’ can be about that and building a brand. But that’s way behind me now. What I just want to do is to share music, and my thoughts about music. And perhaps a bit of my ‘voice.’
I know everyone has his or her own holiday plans. It could probably involve visiting relatives or holding a party. Mine is receiving relatives, playing Yuletide tune, completing a book by Anne Rice about werewolves of mid-winter and watching great movies. My aunt who raised me to become who I am today passed away last May 16, 2013. So it’s the second Christmas without her. I have to tell you, it is not an easy thing to go through year after year. But she also raised me to be strong and despite the pain I might be feeling inside, the ‘show must go on.’ There are moments of crippling pain especially when I am alone. There are moments when I feel I lave lost my relevance. I feel that she took the meaning out of existence with her, when she went away. As if living is a just a task I have to do because there is nothing else to do but to endure and to live for others.
I want to thank everyone who followed this blog through the years since its first launch in 2009. So may things happened. Amazing and tragic things. I met amazing people through this blog. And I know nothing lasts forever. We don’t have inexhaustible source of energy. Who knows one day I might stop writing simply because I could no longer go on. Perhaps because I have moved on to another venture. But I just want to say that this is my baby. I nurtured it, poured my love and sometimes pain to it. And I tell you, there is one thing that makes life beautiful and that is the feeling of being connected. That we are all part of a bigger picture, whatever that is. That we are not alone. No one is insignificant.
For my late aunt:
To my late aunt whom I call mama. You were the meaning of my life. And when all the stars fade and I have given all I have to give to life, your smiling face will be the last thing I will see…your voice , the last thing I will remember. And the universe will go on.
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Coming up…
I will be posting a review of North Star by Kyle Carey

Listen to Immigrants & Dissidents by Will Tun and the Wasters

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Will Tun and the Wasters released a beautiful and surprising single Immigrants & Dissidents.

I think touring brings out the best in everyone. This is what happened to Will Tun and the Wasters with their new tune Immigrants & Dissidents. By the way if you go to soundcloud it is available as a free download. I suspect this is the direction that they taking if they are going to release an album in the future. Unlike their past recordings (which were geared towards punishing punk energy),this one is ‘sweeter.’ I see the arrival of a more textured sound that’s getting more and more sophisticated as they mature as artists.

You can hear the other instruments in Immigrants & Dissidents. It has a more acoustic feel. Since their break through, I’ve been following this band because of their distinctive sound. They bring something new to the music world. They fuse styles that would have been otherwise odd in the wrong hands. But they made it. They are going steady as they evolve, releasing tunes after another.

Kudos to Will Tun and the Wasters. They know how to give their fans a good time. You should see them live if you a chance!

Cillian King is going to release some mighty music!

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Thanks to Rolf Wagels for this exciting story!

The buzz is that Cillian King is releasing new music soon. What music could this be? Are you excited? I know I am. I have heard his tunes with other groups and this man is truly amazing. I am sharing his soundcloud page because I am sure he will post all his new tunes on this page so keep a close watch ok?

In the mean time I wish you all a great week ahead. Good coffee and awesome tunes!

The Baxteria Podcast #16

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The Elders-Christmas Day
Michael Londra-Beyond the Star
Celtic Twist-Looking for Moss
Lisa Lynne-Fields of Gold
Celtus-Strange Day in the Country
Cherish the Ladies-Thady Casey’s Fancy/The Ladies Pantalettes/The Monaghan Twig/The Linen
Samuel Smith-Next to You
Storm Queen-Look Right Through (MK Vocal Edit)
Peter Gabriel-Red Rain
Hozier-Take me to Church
Rachael McCormack-I am Still Breathing
Joe Zymes and the Loving Kind-Where Do I belong
FPS (For Pete’s Sake)-Friends

 

Here’s another podcast for you as heard via www.radiohappy.eu yesterday. To those who are very dependent in their mobiles to listen to music, Mixcloud isn’t available on Windows phone yet. But if you are using an iphone ar an android device then this one works. All you need to do is download the mixcloud app from Google play and you are set to go. I am not sure if it works using a mobile browser but you can try.

I have not posted on Soundcloud because my paid account has run out so I need to give them another $25 so I can increase my usage. Not bad as long as they don’t block some of the songs I post there-which they do unfortunately. The same thing goes for Youtube. So these days I am only uploading my interviews with musicians that way I won’t receive comments about the songs I am including in the show. I have no issues with Mixcloud so I am using this as my primary medium of uploading my radio show.

The DJ mix is interesting as you will get to hear new bands and new music. An hour of great music! The show lasts an hour. It is divided into two sets. The first is about Celtic music and the next is indie variety. I know musicians from different genres so I need to have two sets to make sure I represent other genres other than Celtic music(which is the primary reason why I got into blogging and doing DJ work).

The Folkalists: Warning, Irish Humor at Work!

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The Folkalists

The Folkalists

Genre: Irish and contemporary folk, bluegrass and country

Members: Dee McIlroy, Eugene Glenn, Barry Skeff

Hometown: Belfast

It’s hard for me to listen to The Folkalists without giggling. From afar, the music maybe pleasant, warm and even inviting because of the efforts placed in the arrangements.  Up near you get the lyrical wit and sarcasm that’s original. Listen to ” I Used To Hate Someone” with lines like ” I never liked a single hair on his head, I never liked one thing that he said.” My personal favorite is  Friends Must because the melody reminds me of a cross between BJ Thomas and Travis.

These are not your run-of-the-mill  band members. We are talking about musicians who are known in their own respective fields and just decided one day to form a musical project together. It is great to see them exploring another musical style to showcase their versatility.

I know some of them from Clanu which I enjoyed featuring. With The Folkalist, the band incites everyone into the sunny side of life and yes to appreciate humor in every form. This is where music and lyrics come together to draw a reaction. Dee McIlroy’s lyrical talent is really at work in every track on top of his smooth and pleasant vocal delivery.

For the now  the members are still the in the process of putting tracks together and developing a full-length album which will be out before we know it. So enjoy the tracks and also say hi to the band via their facebook site.

https://www.facebook.com/folkalists

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Huzzah!

Gaelic Storm

Gaelic Storm

About Gaelic Storm

This July they’re running “Rag and Bone Workshop,” their own 4-day music camp at the Full Moon Resort in the Catskills, NY.  The week will be filled with classes teaching classes fiddle, percussion, guitar, songwriting, Gaelic swearing and more.  It will be a week of learning, performing, and of course…drinking.
There’s even a possibly running a CD giveaway from the band promoting the camp. I will keep you updated about this Rag and Bone Workshop.
Check out more information on the camp here http://ragandboneworkshop.com/
Thanks to Elliot Fox for contacting me about this info.