My new solo record is out! A New Shade of Green is across the board, truly. Think traditional Irish music + Foo Fighters + Genesis + Incubus + Iron Maiden + a dash of Bill Withers. Yep, all over the place, but it all comes together in this project and manages to make sense. The goal was to make a record that was still “one of my records,” but pose some big challenges along the way. I hope you dig it as much as I do. -Brian
Brian FITZY Fitzgerald is a wonder. He does both- playing a challenging instrument and also singing tunes that require vocal acrobats. He also does remix tweaking and manning the gears in a recording studio. People react to his playing with amazement. It is a music that has that haunting quality to be pop yet groovy enough to make it accessible to fans of Hip Hop and Jazz. The free-spirited energy of his music is reflected in his stage persona.
I really enjoyed this interview with Brian. It’s one of those rare moments that I let an artist decide what font color to choose in the article layout.
A New Shade of Green is a combination of traditional Irish sounds and urban funk. What are you trying to accomplish musically by releasing this recording?
My goal is always to try to do something different, and I really enjoy the concept of ‘mash-ups’ — as long as they make sense. The idea of “make it your own” was instilled in me at a pretty young age, so that’s what I set out to do.
Have you met musicians who are into Celtic music around PA?
Actually, a tremendous number. I spent the better part of a year touring in the US, and overseas to Ireland, with a band called Ceann. At many of the festivals we played, I heard quite a few groups blend in progressive rock and hip hop elements. Music, art…culture; a total melting pot.
Why the electric violin?
I hear that one a lot; usually preceded by “what is that thing,” haha. My background and formal training is of course centered on the traditional acoustic violin, but I started experimenting with pickups early on. The further I went, the more I realized the technical limitations of that setup, like feedback, and made the switch. I still perform and record with an acoustic violin often, but the majority of the time I stick with the electric. Just a lot more control over what ultimately reaches the ears of the audience.
The song writing process, I want to know how you create each song.
It’s always different for me. Sometimes I’ll start with lyrics or the head (the recognizable main melody) and construct around that, then go back in with a knife, rearrange all of it and re-record everything. Perhaps more often than that, I’ll start with a rhythm section groove and build upwards. Groove and feel is everything to me. I prefer density to sparsity in a mix, when it’s warranted, so I usually reach a point where I listen and think about what’s “missing.” As a multi-instrumentalist, I’m able to plug most things in on my own, be it a Fender Rhodes, Hammond B4, a 20-piece string section, or horn stabs. I love the writing process, and the production work that’s entwined is just icing on the cake for me.
Are you a night person or a day person.
Night, all the way. I perform mainly at night, so my day doesn’t end until around 5am. “Morning” starts around 12 noon. Doing 280+ dates a year forces that I stay nocturnal, but it’s useful when I’m not performing as well. The better part of my “day” can be spent working with little interruption while the rest of the world sleeps.
Note your greatest musical influences.
I credit Jean-Luc Ponty and Philly jazz violin legend John Blake for planting the bug to “get out of the box.” I got to sit in with Blake’s quartet in front of my school only a year after I started violin, around 9 years old. That was a huge defining moment. My mother played Ponty for me starting at a very early age, way before I started violin. I got a healthy education of George Benson, Yes, The Police, Al Jarreau, Genesis, EWF, Huey Lewis etc. from them, too. As a teenager I got heavy into Rage Against The Machine, Led Zep, Foo Fighters.. I have an equal love of raw rock, huge production with horn sections, and thick 13 chords.
Engineer,producer and musician. How do you reconcile these facets and how is it like being 1, 2 and 3?
Usually very frustrating, haha. It’s been a real learning experience to learn to step back from what I’m doing and axe something I love if it doesn’t really work. Another really big problem is my obsessive perfectionism. I have a hard time knowing when to say “it’s done.” I’ve done 100 takes of the same bar before, all of them solid and usable, but couldn’t stop going back in. On REDEFINITION and New Shade, I set somewhat ridiculous time constraints to force completion. REDEF’ was written, recorded, and out of post production in 36 hours over 3 days. A New Shade of Green was about a week from start to finish. I function better under pressure, but if I can bring in another pair of ears I can alleviate a lot of the stress that goes with that pressure.
Weirdest/funniest experience on the road.
Played a 2-night run in Virginia a couple summers back shortly after stink bugs infested the state. We had to use wet/dry vacs to suck them off the walls..by the hundreds. It was like an indoor camping trip. I’m sure there have been other times to top the oddness of that one, but man..
I also did a gig opening up for Snoop Dogg. Literally 30 seconds before he’s supposed to be on stage, the backstage loading doors of the venue open and he comes jettin through. There’s a dude standing there off to the side holding his mic..he had been there for a while. Snoop grabs it, runs out on stage, rocks the joint, finishes up and runs back off handing the mic back to the dude like a baton in a relay race. Right back out the door he came in and that was that. I laughed pretty hard.
Memorable experience?
Working with John Paul Jones and the Foo Fighters for a week…wow. Walking down a hallway with Stevie Wonder. People paying to see me perform. What purpose does art have without an audience? Hard to beat that!
Calan bring together the remarkable talents of 5 young musicians giving a fresh and vibrant sound to traditional Welsh music. With a contemporary and lively approach they breathe new life into the old traditions through their sparkling melodies, foot tapping tunes and spirited and energetic performances of Welsh step dancing. They blast their way through some of the old favourite reels, jigs and hornpipes with fast paced and uplifting arrangements before melting into some of the most beautiful and haunting songs. -The Calan Website.
Calan. I like the name. It possesses that pagan sound which calls to mind dragons, druids and the beauty of the Welsh mythology. It is also a term associated with Welsh feasts as in Calan Mai (1st day of May) which is the equivalent of Gaelic Beltane.
Patrick Rimes plays for this band. He has mastered the fiddle, bagpipes, pibgorn, whistle and trombone . Calan approach the Welsh traditional music scene with freshness, vigor and a fashion sense.
Like the power of the fire-breathing dragon, these guys swoop down to the scene with such intensity and hypnotic grace. I saw several videos of their performance and they always leave the audience with jaw dropping impression. Calan have joined the ranks of top Celtic players all over the world and Wales is once again at the center stage of the music scene. Like any knight haunting for the mythical dragon, I got help from their manager Huw Williams who helped me get in touch with Patrick Rimes. Now we will know Calan at this point and I am sure people who read this will want to know and listen more to this band.
Patrick Rimes – fiddle, bagpipes, pibgorn, whistle, trombone
Angharad Siân Jenkins – fiddle
Bethan Rhiannon – main vocal, accordion and step dancing
Alaw Ebrill Jones – harps
Llinos Eleri Jones – harp, triple harp
Sam Humphries – guitar
Alex Moller – percussion, drums
Promo band picture
What were the challenges faced in making a sophomore album?
It wasn’t exactly the usual affair of “2nd album syndrome” where you
have to cobble something together dead quick – Sain records were
obviously keen for us to release it sooner rather than later but we’d
had plenty of time since ‘bling’ so the majority of the tracks were a
part of the regular set.
Bling was highly successful and it received a lot of praises. Has this experience made you guys feel that it was a tough condition trying to live out to the debut’s success?
I don’t think we felt too much pressure from others – but for
ourselves we wanted to create something that demonstrated how much
we’ve developed since then. Bling came out when we were still surviving
on the cute factor to some extent, and I think it reflects that – quite
rough in places and full of fun. We’ve grown up a bit now (but not too
much!) and needed something that we could look back on in 20 years time
and hopefully not cringe too much!
The pibgorn in Wales
I describe your music as vibrant and stylishly appealing. Are you guys aware that you are contributing something fresh to the traditional scene?
It’s great to be able to take Welsh traditional music to English
festivals maybe 20 minutes drive from the border and play this stuff to
people who’ve never heard anything like it before. We’re always in
search of that ‘Welsh sound’, to which the harp contributes an awful
lot, but the tunes are really distinctive. Bizarrely, it seems that
Wales itself is the least keen appreciate its own music – people are
just so determined to listen to crap all the time.
You play different instruments with the band. One of them is the pibgorn which I find fascinating. How did you master this instrument.
The pibgorn was a 10th birthday present, which I nagged my mum into
getting for me after seeing acts like Crasdant and Pibau Bach – I
paraded it round school the next day and could only make a horrific
whining sound! As an enthusiastic member of the schools recorder
ensemble, it was only really the breath control that was a problem
(fingering patterns are almost identical), and that’s always a constant
battle. Trombone playing certainly helps, but I really wish I could
circular breathe like Crasdant’s Stephen Rees.
How smoothly did the recording of Jonah go and why the title?
Since we’d been playing most of the stuff live for about a year, some
tracks went down very easily indeed, however it wouldn’t be a proper
fortnight of recording without the panic meetings and hasty preparation
of extra numbers in the studio lounge! Me and Alex the drummer also
spent several nights sleeping in the studio, which was pretty rock ‘n
roll – comfiest place I’d recommend is Dafydd’s (the boss) office!
After we’d finished recording and listened back, the song Jonah stuck
out as one of the flagship tracks and seemed an obvious choice for an
album name. We still had a longwinded discussion over a pizza and came
up with some very naff alternatives, but I’m pleased we made the right
choice!
I am a big fan of atmosphere. Atmosphere is another piece of a puzzle that every recording has. People who work with sound are masters of these by incorporating effects like reverb, echo, delay and attack- things that we refer to as ‘wet sounds’. Not all atmosphere is achieved inside a studio. Most of the great things you hear can be reproduced outside in enclosed spaces like churches or a small space with walls and ceiling aligned perfectly to create that bounce of sound. Most of these songs I featured here are either live performance or recorded songs but they all have one thing in common-they create atmosphere.
Today’s play list is all about traditional sessions held in open as well as enclosed spaces like churches. The beauty of live music plus the spiritual atmosphere that surrounds these performances are your perfect getaway to the stressful surroundings that mark day to day relationships at work and outside. So journey with me today as we both explore the music and the people who play these tunes.
Dave Sheridan playing the flute, Michael McCague playing the bouzouiki & Donal McCague playing the fiddle in a concert which took place as part of the Steeple Sessions 2011 season at the Unitarian Church on St. Stephen’s Green in Dublin on September 20th. The tune is called The Independence Hornpipe
Donal O’Connor playing “Tune for Rose”, a tune for his grandmother and fiddle teacher Rose O’Connor at the Steeple Sessions on August 11, 2011 at the Unitarian Church in Dublin.
Laoise Kelly playing a piece called “Sliabh na mBan” on the harp at the Steeple Sessions on August 23, 2011 at the Unitarian Church in Dublin.
Ali gets a go of a Steinway Grand at Colchester Arts Centre! Filmed during our UK tour April 2011. Mike and Ali play 42 Beech Avenue and Cavers of Kirkcudbright.
Twins Mike and Ali Vass performing together. I am posting my own review of String Theory which is a new project by Mike Vass so watch for it .
Been a big fan of Iarla since his work with The Afro Celts Sound System. His voice is as exquisite and the heavenly lights of the Aurora Borealis. It stops you on your tracks and grabs you. I can close my eyes while listening to him and I feel like I am in a different place. To have a beautiful voice like that and to move souls…that’s got to be something! I think I am having an epiphany now LOL!
This is a tragic piece about lost love. This song was written in 1909 although the original pre-dates this. But a song collector and publisher named Herbert Hughes heard the melody while in County Donegal and approached the song writer Padric Colum with the last two lines of the song and asked him to write a version.
Iarla Ó Lionáird Dublin mbac bac Bhaile Baile Brian Kennedy Átha Cliath teilifís teilifis TG4 Gaeilge TG4Gaeilge Celt Celtic Ireland Irish Ceol Gael Gaelic Folk Eire Traditional RTE World television programme Mick O’Brien TG4.ie Dubliners
Sinéad left out some of the song.
Usually the third verse is
“The people were saying no two were e´er wed,
But one has a sorrow that never was said,
And I smiled as she passed with her goods and her gear,
And that was the last that I saw of my dear.”
and the last verse should start:
“last night she came to me, my dead love came in”
This is where the young man denies that he murdered his young love.
In the last verse we hear the line, I dreamed last night my young love came in. The original line is, I dreamed last night that my dead love came in (implying she haunts him for what he done).
The song has been used in several movies including Brave Heart.
I don’t think any playlist is complete without the beautiful voice of Sinead O’Connor. In a way I totally get her. The passion and intensity she place on her songs and the emotional force in which she lives her life is something that speaks to me. We all have our little Sinead’s in us all..
Top Ten Traditional Albums – March 2012(TradConnect).
I heard about Calan and Fernhill from Idris Morris Jones of BBCRadio5 Radio Cymru which is focused on Welsh music. I was trying to come up with a project about pipe music and he was my target reference. But he told me that he is not the right person to talk about it so instead gave me the names of Ceri Rhys Matthews of Fernhill and Patrick Rimes of Calan plus their contact infos.
I am familiar with Ferhill because I wrote about them years ago and now they are making a comeback in my consciousness. Now let us take a closer look at Fernhill.
Their latest album is called “canu rhydd” and I am attaching their bandcamp site so you will be able to enjoy their brand of Welsh Celtic music. The sound is distinctive and have that perky kind of delicacy.
There are 8 tracks in the album and I am listening to them right now.
canu rhydd… literally ‘free poetry’, is written according to the free will of the poet. it is unconstrained by patronage or by the twenty four accredited meters of the secret craft of bardic poetry as laid out by einion offeiriad. from its sixteenth century flowering, came tumbling the multitude of unattached verses kept safe on the tongues of unselfconscious singers over the centuries. with these we start our songs…
this album was recorded at dartington college of arts in july 2010, shortly before the college left its devon home for good. the album is one of many thousands of sparks of dartington’s creative legacy which are scattered throughout the country.
recorded and mixed by nick marshall at dartington college, devon mastered by jens schroeder at dreamworld studio, pembrokeshire cover by noel hefele
1. adar(Free) The carefree chord combinations and soft guitar strumming reminds me of lazy afternoons and the visions of being at sea.
2.when i was in my prime- I already heard several versions of this song and this one is a different arrangement. Fernhill added their fresh twist to this traditional track. With the simplicity of the guitar, it adds wings to Julie Murphy’s beautiful singing with a voice that reminds me of Mary Hopkins.
3.diddan-Beautiful tune in Welsh. It has that toe tapping appeal and the instruments just wash over. The strumming and fiddling are superb.
4.forest-Sang in the form of a hymn, it has that soothing trumpet sound in the middle.
5.glyn cynon-The track opens with a flugelhorn. Now this kind of instrument is seldom being used by World/Celtic acts. Having that in the album is a plus. The soft guitar plucking follows. Then there’s that lark singing of Julie. Something Jazzy, something soothing. Good for your nightcap. It ends with a step dancing tune. Now who needs coffee?
6.glyn tawe-A lilting voice and guitar in Welsh. The flugel horn occasionally embellish the lines. A beautiful poetry in English cuts through the singing..images in full color.
7. y fwynlan o serch- Guitar strumming and Ceri Rhys Matthews contributing in the vocals . The guy has a remarkable voice! This makes you declare that Welsh is the language of the elves.
8. like the snow-This track closes the album. A haunting enveloping lament with vocal harmonies and lyrics about loss. Then, it builds up tempo in the middle with that typical Welsh dancing tune.It leaves its footprints long after you finished listening.
canu rhydd is a beautiful transporting experience into the lush Welsh country side. You don’t have to be there to feel it all. Just listen to the music and it will bring you there. Away from all cares. Away from life’s hardships, and for just a moment…just a moment you feel this is heaven.
Traditional Irish Musician on Whistle/Flute/Keyboard from the heart of Ireland talks to CMF!
Passion affects people around you. When you love what you do, everyone will feel it. This awareness creates enthusiasm. And therefore in your own way, you affect the universe. It’s like magic: The ability to make people hope..and even dream…
There are artists who make you feel a certain way about how they play music. You don’t even have to understand what the music is about to appreciate it. Sometimes there are tunes that don’t need words to express that feeling. You just listen and then you connect. Just like that. This transcends everything. Today, a musician is going to make that example.
Enda Seery from Streamstown, Co. Westmeath, Ireland sets the standard for the tin whistle. His album The Winding Clock (Traditional, Folk, Celtic)has 13 tracks that will serenade your ears with wistful and cheerful tunes. The sound of this instrument has never been sweeter or softer. When not involved with music, he is teaching Irish language . This passion in preserving tradition is reflected in his style of playing. His original compositions made there way, along with the traditional tunes in The Winding Clock. Between gigs and and working on a second album, I was able to squeeze the time for him to be our guest!
Hi Enda, you have been getting a lot of positive reviews regarding your playing style. I can tell that you are an instrumentalist who gives more emphasis on the beauty of playing rather than the speed . There is richness and grace in every note. How long did it take you to perfect this style of playing?
Thanks a lot for your kind comments. In my opinion too many trad players today try to place too much emphasis on speed rather than respecting the tune(s) they are playing. I like to keep the tune pure. Just last week at a show I noticed some young players trying to do too much with a tune, basically trying to be too fancy. Tradition shouldn’t be tampered with! I have perfected my style over a number of years by listening to all types of players, not just Whistlers. I always try to play for a few hours a day to keep perfecting my style and repertoire of tunes.
You play traditional tunes and you also compose. What are the challenges you undertake doing both?
To be honest I don’t see it as a challenge. Composing is something that I take for granted now. I love to mix and match old traditional tunes with my own compositions. I make sure though to keep my compositions in the traditional idiom. I was delighted to hear some reviewers and experts alike say that my compositions on ‘The Winding Clock’ album integrated well with the other traditional tunes.
‘The Winding Clock’ has received positive reviews. You are also recording your second album “High and Low”. What will listeners expect to hear in this second album?
I suppose the dreaded second album can be tricky after the first but I had a lot of material, especially new compositions left over after the recording of ‘The Winding Clock’. I am going to take my time recording the second album ‘High and Low'(a reference to my use of high and low Whistles). I am about to start a Masters in Trad Music Performance at the Irish World Academy, University Limerick so I won’t have a lot of time for recording. Listeners though can expect to hear a lot of new compositions between reels, jigs, hornpipes, polkas, airs and instrumentals. I am also going to record a few tracks on the Trad Flute and Low Whistle.
You will play whistles, low whistle, flute and keyboards in this new album. Are there other musicians you will be working in this project?
Yes, John Byrne will again hopefully work with me on this album. Myself and John have started to do a number of gigs and performances as a duo recently. He is a gifted Guitar player as well as a talented Banjo player. I will provide a lot more Keyboard backing on this album too. I will be recording again at Black Rose Studio, Kilcock, Co. Kildare with Rob Laird as Sound Engineer. There might one or two other guest musicians in the pipeline too.
Tell us about your involvement in Comhaltas ‘Seisiun’ show .
The Comhaltas run ‘Seisiun’ show is a series of shows that runs throughout July and August in venues all over Ireland. This year I am playing but also producing in the show at Aras an Mhuilinn, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath. I would hope that I have put my own personality on the show in Mullingar. I have added in Sean Nos Dancing and and new compositions to the show. Producing and arranging is something that I would like to do a lot more of in the future. I am lucky to be working with some great people in the resident group of Aras an Mhuilinn: ‘Ceoltoiri an Mhuilinn’. Audience attendances have been good so far. Aras an Mhuilinn is a beautiful venue in a prime location in Mullingar, a venue that is there to be used by Comhaltas branches of Counties Westmeath, Offaly, Laois and Longford.
So what are the plans you have later this year musically
I’m starting a Masters in Trad Music Performance at the Irish World Academy of Music Limerick in September. Really looking forward to working with some fantastic people there. I hope to fit in a few recording sessions for the High and Low album too at Black Rose Studio. Also I am due to play on the main stage with a number of my friends at the new Green Village Festival at Castletown Geoghegan Co Westmeath on Sat September 24th.
What are the best traditional albums you’d recommend to our readers?
Danny O Mahony’s new album ‘In Retrospect’. Liz Carroll and John Doyle ‘Double Play’. Steph Geremia ‘Open Road’ and of course ‘The Winding Clock’!
And lastly: what’s your message to our readers?
Traditional Irish Music has never been stronger so get out and buy or download the music. The music is part of what makes us Irish. It can raise the spirits of a nation. Finally for whistle players remember that it can become your main instrument and as we say in Irish cleachtadh a dhéanann máistreacht!(practice makes perfect).
Additional info: ‘The Winding Clock’ was released in November 2010. Recorded at Black Rose Studio, Kilcock, Co. Kildare. Accompanient on album provided by John Byrne on Guitar from Mullingar, Co. Westmeath and Colin Hogg on Bodhran from Castletown Geoghegan, Co. Westmeath. Ciarán Seery(Button Accordion), Siobhán Seery(Flute) and Pádraig Seery(Fiddle) all from Streamstown also feature on the album.
Celtic Music Fan 