St.Patricks

IRISH HAPPENINGS THIS MARCH

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Hi friends. It looks like yours truly is building momentum for 2018. So expect more posts. I am also keeping busy with my other blogs but I will make sure this one deserves the first on the list as this is first blog I ever built. Yeah that was almost ten years ago. Time flies! So many things happened. Life has altered direction. Perhaps you find yourself in a strange place. It takes time getting used to-like a pair of brand new shoes, but hey we will always find a way to live through many changes. I guess that is what being human is all about. Being hopeful in the midst of adversity. Having faith in the a world of darkness. Is it our DNA? Ir is it something higher? We don’t know fully the mystery of the universe or the forces that draw us to one another. How gravity becomes our death or life-it depends on your perspective.

So March is a busy month. I got these press release from my good friend Anita of Daly Communications. I will just paste them here as I am still creating ideas for the next post. It will be something to look forward to 😉

 

THE CHIEFTAINS – 55th Anniversary Tour!
MARCH 10TH at Town Hall tickets at http://thetownhall.org/ AND MARCH 17TH at The Tilles Center Long Island, tickets at https://tillescenter.org
“55 years, wow, where have they gone as we’re still going strong”, says Paddy Moloney, leader of the six-time Grammy Award winners,The Chieftains.  The Chieftains have been highly recognized for reinventing traditional Irish music on a contemporary and International scale.  The Chieftains were formed in Ireland in 1962 by Paddy Moloney, one of the top traditional folk musicians in Ireland and around the world. Their ability to transcend musical boundaries to blend tradition with modern music has notably hailed them as one of the most renowned and revered musical groups to this day. After more than fifty five years of making some of the most beautiful music in the world, The Chieftains’ music remains as fresh and relevant as when they first began. So now The Chieftains are set to embark on their  55th  Anniversary Tour in the US  beginning in Califonia on February 17th making their way across the US to the east coast with a final show on St. Patrick’s Day in Jacksonville, Florida.  Paddy Moloney says,“This tour will have all the musical force of what we’ve accumulated and achieved over the last 55 years, with a few extra gemsthrown in for good measure”.
LUNASA – MARCH 13TH at The City Winery – with singer Natalie Merchant – second show added due to popular demand! Tickets at www.citywinery.com/newyork/
Music is one of Ireland’s most celebrated exports and LĂșnasa, a band like no other, has been at the forefront of that musical migration. Since the release of their 1997 recording debut ‘LÚNASA’ and the band’s first tour of the U.S., when word-of-mouth led to SRO shows and rave reviews, “This is the hottest Irish acoustic group on the planet,” said The New York Times, the all-star quintet has become one of the most popular bands on the international Celtic music scene. In the years since those early concerts and albums catapulted the band to the forefront of traditional Irish music, the members of LĂșnasa have gathered a long list of credits and honors in addition to the legion of fans that spans the globe, fitting achievements for a band that takes its name from the old Celtic harvest festival in honor of the god Lugh, patron of the arts.  LĂșnasa have sold more than quarter of a million albums in the course of the band’s career and boast an impressive back catalogue of 9 highly acclaimed and award-winning studio albums.
Now LĂșnasa is back with a new studio album “Cas” and a tour of the US starting this February to celebrate their 20thAnniversary.  It is their first studio album in seven years and it is also their first recording with vocals, including guest singers who are prominent artists in their own right, that the band has recorded and toured with over the years.  These include Natalie Merchant and Mary Chapin Carpenter, top bluegrass singer/songwriter Tim O’Brien, Blues recording artist Eric Bibb and Daoiri Farrell, a young Irish folk singer star who recently won the BBC Radio 2 Folk contest.  Band member   Cillian Vallely says, “We took a break from the studio and when we came back, we wanted to do something a bit different.  We were becoming increasingly involved in live concert collaborations and from these projects we invited some of our favorite singers to guest on the album.”
CELTIC NIGHTS: OCEANS OF HOPE – 12 night run from March 27th- April 9th at The Sheen Center tickets at https://sheencenter.org/
Celtic Nights-Oceans of Hope is a production of Ireland’s GFD Promotions who have toured Irish musical shows in more than 30 countries worldwide since 1997.  GFD’s Executive Producer, Michael Durkan, says that Celtic Nights-Oceans of Hope departs from previous theatrical productions they have created, among them the successful Gaelforce Dance, by centering the production’s music, dance and narrative on the specific historical theme of the Irish who had to leave their homeland during the Great Hunger and seek out new homes in new lands. Celtic Nights-Oceans of Hope,  captures the very essence of who the Irish are and where they came from with their dreams of a finding their freedom in new lands. It’s the story of the Irish Diaspora in America, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.  It’s the story of people moving across oceans to free themselves from hunger, war and religious persecution to start anew.  Celtic Nights-Oceans of Hope expertly weaves together the lilting melodies and plaintive lyrics of the rich Celtic Heritage
to tell an epic story of a people through song, music, dance and narration.
 
CELTIC WOMAN – March 29th at The Tilles Center Long Island, tickets at https://tillescenter.org
Since its debut, global musical sensation Celtic Woman’s concerts continue to touch the hearts of a huge audience that spans the globe. Both an accomplished recording ensemble and a world-class performing collective, Celtic Woman celebrates Ireland’s rich musical and cultural heritage, while continuing its remarkable legacy of introducing some of Ireland’s most talented singers and musicians onto the world stage.  Celtic Woman successfully melds the traditional and contemporary.
Following its debut on PBS in 2005, the group has achieved massive success encompassing twelve chart-topping albums, eight DVDs and nine public television specials leading to sales of over ten million albums, with platinum success in nine countries. Each of its CDs – including 2016’s Destiny, which was nominated for a Grammy in the World Music category,  has debuted at #1 on Billboard‘s World Albums chart. The group has been named Billboard Magazine’s #1 World Albums’ Artist six times.

 There you go. See you soon. 0001452019

Post St Patrick’s Day Hangover

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I mean tunes not drink haha!

St Patrick’s has taught us that music is alive and well!

I admit it’s the first time I came across this YouTube vlogger by the name of Jack. Now I have to warn you. There are lots of expletives here. If you are like me who don’t care jumping from childlike innocence to morbidity in a split second then this is for you! Why? Because St. Paddy’s day covers everything under the sun!

Irish Time With Jack â–ș https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyZw-…

â–șTwitter : https://twitter.com/Jack_Septic_Eye
â–șInstagram: http://instagram.com/jacksepticeye
â–șFacebook : https://facebook.com/officialjacksept…
â–șMerchandise: http://jacksepticeye.fanfiber.com/

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Celtic Thunder Billboard St Patrick’s Day

I love these guys. They continue to make good music in the midst these dark times. Wonderful performance of Galway Girl and many more!

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So fitting for the times: And the Wasters are making music for the millennials!

This post originally appeared in http://www.spheremusic.me. I thought of sharing in here because I want more people to take notice.

Music is a substitute for caffeine. If you wake up in the morning and the music is right then the day is auspicious! I am always looking forward to releases from this group (Now called And the Wasters) as their subsequent albums have proven to be really good! Notice the change in the line-up(and name). Here’s a blurb from their site:Screen Shot 2017-03-21 at 1.27.06 PM

2016 saw the band change name and take on a new lineup to play main stages at UK festivals such as Bearded Theory and Boomtown Fair, complete an extensive tour of Europe and bring global influences into their sound with their instrumental diversity of accordion, trumpet and violin.

They are the most hard-working group I’ve known and they get better every year in both their studio and live recordings. It is no brainer that everyone in the group has his or her own musical influence and the diversity makes And the Wasters appealing to all music lovers. There is also nuance and complexity I’ve noticed in their music as they strive for artistic growth:

Lyrically, the EP reflects on a sense of sadness, anxiety and uncertainty faced in the modern world, while also promoting an empowering message of solidarity, DIY culture and collective action in their rowdy Punk sound and spirit.

I think this is shown in their song Small Victories. I get that mournful tune on top of the ska-powered rhythm. It is fitting for the times. This contradicting forces are present in all songs. Notably in Reduce, Reuse, Rebel. The Wasters are showing us that the punk spirit is still alive. Despite the excesses and the entitlement that litter this generation, there are still those going against the flow. The production quality is noted here:

Recorded in 2016 across at Music Ape studios & Worse than Bad studio. Mixed and mastered by Matt Martin at Made of Ale (Pumpkin Records). Overdubs on ‘Intro Dub’ by Ian Upsettah.

So the album just dropped. Check out their awesome video below:

Give this band your two thumbs up and buy their albums! It’s a pay-as-you-fee download. Free if ya like 😉 Show your support by giving the world conscience through music!

St Patrick’s Day Essay and Podcast#28

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 1 Comment

There comes a time when existential blues happen to any blog. I think it is the discontented feeling of doing the same thing again and again that gives rise to this feeling. And it is good to be someone who gives you the latest in our music community. But I found out that this blog has grown into  a more structure routine-without my overt opinions. And I feel that like any relationship, things have to change. Perhaps stir on a different direction. Maybe spice things up a bit. I also realized that my mind has become cluttered as I am thinking of so many things these days. Perhaps it’s the new work that I found. It’s blowing me into a different direction. So yes things have become less personal and more sterile. It is time to shake the apple tree until the fruits fall.

We all grow. Perhaps we grow together or apart. It’s the same with friends. There are those we meet for the first who give their best foot forward. Always smiling and friendly. Then one day things become confusing. Unlike friendship, music gives us a choice. Either we listen to the same artist or probably explore other styles. But life is always like that. It is full of uncertainty. We offend someone though we don’t mean to. Or it could be all in our heads. Who knows? Sometimes we do embarrassing things and we make a fool of ourselves. In the end our greatest adversary is our own minds. I know it is hard to let go of someone’s approval; especially if that person means a lot to you. But like anything else in this world, nothing stays forever. Whether we like it or not. So things have to change.

I’ve finished uploading the radio show from last Saturday. I am happy being an online DJ. It’s something different from the usual blogging that I do. And I don’t want to impose myself on anyone. That is why I am doing less promotion on my personal page because if people really like what you do, there is no need to tell them ‘hey listen to me, what I do is cool.” And it should not be an obligatory thing because friendship should be about freedom. I’ve learned that the more we force or expect people for their time, attention and effort, the more we are imposing ourselves to them and friendship becomes strain. And the other party will start feeling trapped.

So I think whatever it is you are doing, whatever it is you are passionate about; just do it. And people will just come along. I have more than seven hundred friends in my facebook personal page. I only correspond to around five percent. But I can’t delete those who added me from my previous job. I can’t delete those who added me for the sake of Celtic music. I don’t think it is necessary. But sometimes the feeds can be too much.

I think when you are an artist, the greatest asset that you have is not really your style or talent. Everyone has style and talent. It is either you are very good or good enough. It is what you say or the ‘unique’ things you bring to the table that makes you remarkable. I am just a blogger. I am not a ‘writer.’ But I think I have something to say(like all the bloggers out there). I have opinions. I have visions and things that not everyone thinks about. And this side doesn’t really get itself known because I have followed a strict rule of doing ‘just that.’ But this is not work. This is not something I owe anyone. This is my house. And I think it is time to say whatever I want to say. And even though we can’t please everyone, as long as we are happy with what we do then we are alright.

Oh and happy St. Patrick’s celebration to all of you.

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Sounds you should hear.

It’s been ages since I visited my soundcloud stream page. I found several artists you will enjoy. One is Scottish singer/harpist AnnaMcLuckie. Her vocal style is contemporary. She puts a cool spin to pop tunes.

I like demo tunes from established musicians. We all know that these demos or ‘live’ recordings will find their way into an album but it is always good to see the progress of the music. This time it’s Sir Phillip McHugh (slip jig) performed by Enda Seery: Vincenzo Di Mauro C Flute and James Hughes: Fiddle tuned to C.

And the last but not the least is something from Scottish piper/flutist Fraser Fifield.