Windblown

Jamie Smith:”I have been singing for many years.” (Interview)

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Check out our column Huzzah! Featuring: Sue Aston, Leza Mesiah,  Carlos Nuñez and Solas.

Jamie Smith side view

Jamie Smith

The phenomenal Welsh singer/songwriter/instrumentalist Jamie Smith talks to The Celtic Music Fan about recording, performing and singing for the first time in an album.

Jamie Smith remained a mystery for years to the Celtic music circle. His accordion playing is electrifying. He possesses great showmanship when onstage. He is charismatic. With his band, they fill out venues as live performers. Late last year was the release of their much anticipated third album called Windblown. I noticed that they  are exploring new avenues of musicality.They also seem to posses that relaxed attitude in playing live and building their online presence to their listeners.

As a band, Jamie Smith’s Mabon captivated the imagination of everybody. They also brought with them the mystical sound of Wales. At the same time, they worked in fusing that sound with other styles from any Celtic nations.

As an individual performer, Jamie Smith brings something special to the music culture. I think it  is his passion and also the way he abandons himself to the music that he plays. This in turn gets into the audience and the sincerity of it all is the core of his artistry. He has a strong presence in the recording and live performance. It is hard to explain and you have to own one of their albums to understand.

 Before the end of 2012, we talked about creating this interview. At that time, his band was on tour so it was a busy month. But true to his word, he made it here.  So here he is, Jamie Smith!

Hi Jamie, your band formed in 1999 with your father Derek, Iolo Whelan and his brother Gareth. You must have learned a lot after being exposed to many live performance at a young age.What are the things you have observed in the Celtic music scene, in terms of releasing albums and performing the songs live?

One thing I have learned is you can always improve on what you are doing. It’s amazing to look back down the years since the early days of the band and see how we’ve gradually transformed over time. I think it’s important to keep moving or else you can stagnate and lose interest. Another thing I have observed is that the tracks the band likes best and are most proud of often aren’t the ones the audience likes the most! 

 The new album is a pleasant departure from the previous ones. You did vocals for the first time! And you made a great job singing. Your voice is such a fantastic instrument that can move between haunting deliveries to a more pop rock kind of style. Who encouraged you to finally take the mic? 

I’d been thinking about it for a while and my wife, Gráinne, gave me the extra push to actually go for it. It’s good to have new challenges and we’re looking forward to working on more new songs this year. I have been singing for many years, just never in Mabon. I have become more interested in songs within the Celtic/folk genre over the last few years, which is partly what led me to want to try writing songs for the band. 

How’s the whole experience making Windblown? Anything to share about your own experiences and also the quirks that happened during the whole songwriting and recording process?

Making an album is a strange and often obsessive process: you spend a long time working on it and constantly thinking about it, then when it’s done you quickly put it to one side and look forward to the next challenge. I’ve hardly listened to the album since we got the final copies back! We had some great moments in the studio and a lot of fun experimenting with overdub ideas, some of which made the final mix.

What’s your favorite track off this new album and why?

I don’t think I can pick out one track sorry! Something that has pleased me since releasing the album is that everyone seems to have a different favourite track. It’s fair to say Caru Pum Merch has got a lot of fans, because it sounds so different, but quite a few of the others have been singled out as favourites by listeners too.

If a young person asks you for an advice about the best way to maintain a creative working relationship with a band, what would you tell him/her?

Enjoy playing together and try to do it often! If you are all enjoying playing music together then it should be easy to be creative.

What do you like about being a musician and also being in a band?

I like entertaining people by playing music and being in a band is more sociable than touring on your own! Apart from the making and performing of music, the next best thing is getting to travel to so many different places both home and abroad.

 You are also part of Barrule which is an amazing band based in the Isle of Man. How do you maintain a balance between working with the Barrule project and JSM?

Barrule’s in its infancy still so it’s not too bad at the moment, although recording albums with both bands back to back was a mammoth undertaking. If it does become more difficult, at least that means we are all doing well!

What are the other talents you have apart from those we already observed?

I play guitar, but not in Mabon. I’m pretty good at whistling actually. Drives my wife up the wall though!

For more updates visit: http://www.jamiesmithsmabon.com/

Music:

Jamie and the gang will kick off their March tour and here’s the list: http://www.jamiesmithsmabon.com/concerts/

Video:

 Gallery:

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Huzzah!

Welcome to the second part of this blog which is the chatty part. Yes it’s called Huzzah! Which is also one of the track titles in Windblown by Jamie Smith’s Mabon whose lead singer is our featured artist this week.  Yes yes I will talk about anything and be natural as much as I can. Now those of you who are following my facebook page have already seen this video by Cornish violinist Sue Aston. For those who are new to her music, she is actually based in Penzance Cornwall. She is both influenced by Classical and the folk music. What’s fascinating about her is that she writes and plays everything. She also runs her own record and media company. To quote American singer/songwriter Jim Wearne regarding this video: “Wonderful tune, and beautiful Cornish scenery, not to mention a Cornish fiddler who’s easy on the eyes. Celtic festivals? Are you listening?” Yes like Jim said are you listening festivals?

About the video: Dedicated to everyone who has lost someone special to them. Taken from my album ‘Inspirational Journey’ written for my Dad and Nan who I miss everyday. Sue

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Four days ago I launched a discussion thread via Linkedin. I’ve been with linkedin for heaven knows how long and it became so boring I stopped visiting. Then, while perusing through the links four days ago, I found a group called Irish Music. Bam! Things just started taking off.  I now have a reason to go there everyday. I met wonderful people from that group includingvocalist Leza Mesiah. Here’s a link to her songs: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/lezamesiah “The back story on my Ren ‘Character’ is your generic African Musician Princess living in Scotland, having fallen in love with a Scot.”She said.

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Great news about the amazing Galician piper Carlos Nuñez

I stumbled upon this through his site: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2013/feb/03/carlos-nunez-philip-pickett-globe My fascination with his music went back to early 90s when Windham Hill started releasing albums worldwide. Celtic albumswere hard to find at that time. But compilations made it possible. So my big thank you to Windham Hill and The Chieftains for introducing this amazing artist to me!

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With Celtic band Solas making it on the same page as Beyonce just goes to prove that Celtic music is BIG in the United States  http://soc.li/CXRcSvD

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So do you have any Celtic music buzz to share? Feel free to comment on the thread and post your own. Yes this is open for all and ideas are welcomed.  This is what I learned lately: When you are in the world of marketing(that includes independent musicians and writers) playing nice really helps. We don’t live in a vacuum. And we create things not for our self but for the audience. Being ‘accessible’ and ‘community minded’ do help. Good luck everyone 🙂

Wild and Sensual

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A new promo posted about The Pogues

In this edition: The Pogues, Jamie Smith’s MABON, Atlantean and  Gwenael Kerleo

I am sure you have notice the energy I placed on editing the pictures of the artists I posted here. It was a great practice of visual creativity on my part. At this point in time I am confident to say anything I can and post anything I want. It is fun discovering new acts and re discovering legends. Last time, I released an interview about Scottish percussionist/producer Dave Martin. It was an eye opener for me. It is inspiring to know that Scotland is a country of thriving Celtic fusion music. Music embraces all aspects. I think it is sad if we all think that Celtic music should only be about acoustic instruments and traditional songs. It is an expanding genre while it is also keeping in touch with its past. It is like an interesting person you met on a date. Someone who possesses a keen sense of culture but is also attuned to the current times. I think I’d date that person anytime.

 It’s The Pogues and I am Doing Pogo Dance!

It’s been a while since I last visited the wonderful, explosive and punk inspired music of The Pogues. As always when you think of the Pogues always expect something unconventional both in the musical and also how they project their image to the world. You know, when I get depressed the Pogues are always reliable in cheering my mood up. This song is called Fiesta. My big thanks to Irish Music Forever for posting this video.

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Autumn Tour for Jamie Smith’s MABON

Their official facebook page has confirmed this news: “The first batch of Windblown pre-orders are on their way! Huzzah! UK orders should arrive tomorrow and internationals early next week. Any future orders we receive will be dispatched within 48 hrs. Get your copy now at www.jamiesmithsmabon.com/windblown

Cheers folks :)”

Check out this new single from this amazing band based in Wales!

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Atlantean: A Unique Documentary

Take a look at this folks. Other segments of the story can be found in youtube. It is amazing how much wealth of information is stored out there waiting to be discovered.

A segment from Irish filmmaker Bob Quinn’s four-part documentary on the maritime heritage of Western Ireland and it’s links to North Africa. This scene includes examples of Conamara dancing, called “Battering”, and it’s relation to Flamenco.

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Gwenael Kerleo – Brand new skies 

The sound of the electro harp is always invigorating. A few days ago, Layne and I were discussing about cool harp designs and he said that the one on top of his list is the electro harp. It was right after I showed him the link to the Corrina Hewat interview I did. In this video we hear another addition to our growing collection of Breton artists. Gwenael Kerleo makes music that has that maritime appeal wrapped in haunting melodies. What I like about her voice is its tender quality that has an almost child like innocence and urban sensuality.

Une chanson extraite de l’album “QUAI N°7” de Gwenael Kerleo (distribution Coop Breizh). Musique : Gwenael Kerleo – Paroles : Louis-Jacques Suignard. Avec Kevin Camus à l’irish tin whistle et au uilleann pipe et Yvon Molard aux tablas.

Les photos ont été prises sur la plage de l’Aber à Crozon (pointe de la Bretagne) en mars 2012.

Brand new skies

When your love burns so deep

Everything melts inside

When you’ve gone past the need

To sort out wrong and right

When your words take the hues of brand new skies

May your will and your way walk side by side

When your love burns so high

Setting your skies on fire

Looking down on your pride

And yielding to desire

Then it turns into gold all rocks and stones

And that sand once so cold a new bed of strokes

It blows on and whispers and sings

Never waits for any man

It knows about everything

And laughs in waving hands

When it takes you away

To the thrones of High Kings

It is then you start to pray it never ends

Album Reviews and Debut Video

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Featuring: Jamie Smith’s MABON, Brendan Mulholland, Slim, Scott Hoye and Jeremy King

Hello readers of the page. We are featuring two album reviews in this edition.  I am also sharing a video for Peggy Gordon by Slim. He has been busy promoting his album Gallows Tree Tales which is a good album. We have one traditional album by Irish flutist Brendan Mulholland. This album satisfies your craving for traditional music which has not been present here lately since we have become very eclectic but I assure you once in a while this dude goes back to the roots.

We are starting this edition with the review of the stunning Windblown by Jamie Smith’s MABON. Iolo Whelan provided the album liner notes. I really love liner notes because they explain in detail what the music is all about. I don’t understand people who just listen to music without wanting to get their hands on the liner notes. It is just plain weird to listen without understanding what you are listening to. It is like eating something without knowing the ingredients.

What makes me like these albums? You will find out.

Album Review: Windblown

Band: Jamie Smith’s MABON

Track listing:

1.HUZZAH!

2.LADY OF THE WOODS

3.TUNNAG’S TUNES

4.SUMMER’S LAMENT.

5.THE GORDANO RANTER

6.GARETH & AOIFE’S

7.YES WE SING NOW

8.THE JOY OF LOWENNA

9.CARU PUM MERCH

10.THE WHISKEY BURP REELS

This month marks the release of the most anticipated album from Jamie Smith’s Mabon. Windblown is composed of ten tracks with varying moods. The common denominator however is that each song is finely crafted. There are tracks that are veering on being candidates for top 40 tunes. One fine example is the carrier single Lady of the Woods. All the tracks are sung by Jamie Smith and backed by the band. His voice is a pleasant surprise. I know this man to play the accordion like a devil but hearing him sing stops you in your tracks.

Windblown can withstand the great divide: between pastoral beauty and urban sleekness. The band members are well informed about the UK pop/rock scene as well as the varying styles of Celtic music all over Europe. All tracks play like pieces of poetry blown from another world- messages of beauty and grace from the subconscious.

The overall mood varies. It’s like watching a subtle intersperse of motion between light and shadow playing intricate pastiche of sound, creating patterns and breaking like scattering leaves on nameless roads. This is where you pick up the pieces of things unsaid and could have been. A hopeful painting of our times where tradition wrestles with technology. Here the two embrace like pieces of the same puzzle. They don’t fight but complement one another. I think even those who don’t listen to Celtic music will be instant converts. The band is the testament that our musical culture doesn’t stay in the museum but constantly evolves, takes other forms yet still retains that sacred identity.

I think the most hunting song in the album is the Welsh vocal track called Canu Pum Merch which starts slowly then builds up into a rhythmic play of classical and ethnic styling. This is the song that will leave you wishing the band creates more of this style in their future albums.

The album closes with Whiskey Burp Reels that is mesmerizing. I am fascinated with the way the band combines trad reels with electronica. Oh yes you heard me!

Windblown is like a voice from a friend telling you: Hey we’re in business. Let’s go ahead and spread beautiful music to the world!

Liner notes by Iolo Whelan:

‘Windblown’ is the crisp new 10-track studio album from Jamie Smith’s MABON, where Wales’ finest purveyors of original, InterCeltic music celebrate the autumn equinox after which the band is named.

Following on from Mabon’s award-winning Live at the Grand Pavilion, ‘Windblown’ is a “coming of age” album from a young band of virtuoso musicians spearheaded by composer and accordion maestro Jamie Smith.

Already established as “a mighty instrumental force” (The Independent), the band also unveils songs for the first time, including the aptly named Yes We Sing Now and the haunting Welsh-language track Caru Pum Merch (Loving Five Girls).  These songs take the band’s well-loved sound into new dimensions, but stay in the same ethos – reaching into contemporary soundscapes but still firmly rooted in their Celtic heritage.

From slick songs to joyful jigs, graceful mazurka to ecstatic muiñera, ‘Windblown’ is an emotional journey, an expression of joyful musicality: an autumn storm of youthful energy balanced by a mature restraint – taking Jamie Smith’s MABON on to a brand new page of their ever developing story.

“stunning” – R2

“stratospheric” – Financial Times.

“Both fur coat and knickers. Uplifting, energetic and cerebral in equal measure” fRoots

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

THE ALBUM

The theme for the album is derived from the band’s name: Mabon is the name of the autumn equinox in the old pagan calendar, thus ‘Windblown’, and the leafy, stormy, autumnal theme.

The album’s title also refers to a line from one of the songs: “windblown leaves whispering” advice to the song’s central character.

THE MUSICIANS

Jamie Smith: composer, accordion, lead vocals.

Oliver Wilson-Dickson: fiddle, backing vocals.

Adam Rhodes: bouzouki, backing vocals.

Matt Downer: bass, upright electric bass, double bass, backing vocals.

Iolo Whelan: drum kit, percussion, backing vocals.

THE GUEST MUSICIANS

Tomas Callister: fiddle, banjo.

Tom is an occasional ‘dep’ for Oli, and has made a great contribution to the album’s sound. Raised in the Isle of Man (yet another connection!: Adam, as well as Jamie’s and Iolo’s wives are all from the isle of man) and trained in Scotland, he features alongside Oli in places, and as the main fiddler in one track, ‘Huzzah!’.

As well as standing in for Oli in this band, Tom plays alongside Jamie and Adam in their acoustic Manx music trio, Barrule.

Calum Stewart: flute.

Scottish flautist, long-time Mabon friend and collaborator Calum appeared on the last two Mabon albums. He is now based in Brittany, but appears on several tracks of Windblown, and one set on the album features a composition of his too.

Will Lang: bodhrán

Another long-time collaborator, Will adds his trademark bohdrán sound to several tracks.

Dylan Fowler: acoustic guitar, lap steel.

Dylan engineered Windblown in his eco-studio in South Wales. His creative musical contribution in the control room inevitably spilled over into instrumental contributions too.

THE TRACKS

HUZZAH!

An instrumental album-opener, in classic ‘Mabon-style’!  A set of three tunes – slip-jig, jig, 6/4 reel – that starts off very traditional and works its way into a full band groove.

LADY OF THE WOODS

A tribute to Jamie’s love of epic fantasy, this adventure song is a reminder that nobody is entirely immune to the temptations of the flesh, and that those who think they are can be the first to fall prey to infidelity.

This song includes backing vocals from the whole band – a great candidate for singing along in the kitchen!

TUNNAG’S TUNES

Tunnag was a particulary crazy Manx cat of Jamie’s. Tunnag is Manx for ‘duck’, and the cat was so named because, as he had no tail, he looked as if he had a duck’s arse.

This is an elegy in several parts: ‘Mr Nibbles Cheats Death’ is the story of a field mouse which survived Tunnag’s attentions and was nursed back to health; ‘Farewell Tunnag’ is self-explanatory; and believe it or not, the name of the last tune, ‘Feed the Worm’ is totally coincidental, though curiously apt.

SUMMER’S LAMENT.

A self-explanatory title, Jamie sings about the end of summer: and so the autumnal theme pops up again!

THE GORDANO RANTER

This dramatic piece is dedicated to a lonely member of night staff at Gordano services on the M5, who launched into a long, unbridled rant about modern society and celebrity culture when Jamie and Oli were just getting a coffee on a late drive home from a gig.

GARETH & AOIFE’S

Written for Jamie’s good friends Gareth and Aoife Roberts and performed at their wedding in October 2011. Features special guest guitarist Dylan Fowler, who opens the track with a solo introduction.

YES WE SING NOW

The first song Jamie wrote for the band when we decided to introduce vocals to our sound in 2011. It’s a positive song about finding happiness through the forgotten art of contentment. Pursue goals and seek to improve your lot, but don’t forget to enjoy the ride!

THE JOY OF LOWENNA

The first of these two tunes is dedicated to Jamie’s daughter, born earlier this year. It’s a beautiful, sensitive tune played acoustically by Jamie, Oli and Adam.

The second tune, A Costa de Cricieth, was written in a north-Wales hotel room overlooking the sea, and is in the style of the Galician ‘muñera’.

CARU PUM MERCH

The band’s first Welsh-language song, with a melody by Jamie and lyrics by drummer iolo, whose mother-tongue is Welsh.

The material is in a very traditional style – a slow, haunting air with lyrics about love and death, written in iolo’s local dialect and reflecting his region’s rhyming style: but the treatment is very contemporary, with epic arrangement, rich production and a driving groove.

THE WHISKEY BURP REELS

Jamie Smith’s MABON is a concert band in nature, and flourishes best in front of an attentive, seated audience: but a lot of our fans love to dance too, so this one is for them – a feel-good, dancey track to round off the album.

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Album Review: Jean’s Hill

Artist: Brendan Mulholland

Track listing:

1) Reels: The House of Hamill – Sean’s Reel
2) Hornpipe & Reel:The Tin Wedding – The Maids of Castlebar
3) Slow Air: An Chuilfhionn
4) Jigs: The King of the Pipers – Behind the Haystack – The Maid On the Green
5) Hornpipes: The Belfast Hornpipe – The Newry Hornpipe
6) Reel: Farewell to Ireland
7) Slow Reels: The Laurel Tree – The Sally Gardens
8) Jigs: Dermot Grogan’s – The Pullet That Wants A Cock – Erin Go Bragh
9) Hornpipes: Factory Smoke – The Acrobat – The Sunshine Hornpipe
10) Reels: The Pigeon On the Gate – The Thrush In the Storm
11) Slow Air: The Hills Above Drumquin
12) Reels: Sailing Into Walpole’s Marsh – Corney Is Coming – The Chattering Magpie

Released: 1st April 2012
Catalogue Number: THM001
Barcode: 5060092483292
Running Time: 46mins.

What makes the wooden flute interesting is its resonant and sonorous sound. In really good recordings you can even hear the air passing through the holes which makes it possess an almost human sound. I think what is great about traditional recordings is how a particular instrument is highlighted. In these recordings it’s the instruments that become stars. Although the player’s virtuosity is important, artists take the backseat and let tradition shine. In music there’s always room for everything. There’s room for expression and that is why we have singer/songwriters. But we also have musicians who take the other road which is building the attention towards a style that defines the musical culture. It is true that although we have Celtic artists who make fusion music, it is through these traditional recordings that the roots are defined and gives the whole community its Celtic identity. And I am not just saying this is about Irish music. This is about the music of the seven Celtic nations.

Jean’s Hill by Brendan Mulholland takes the elegance of the wooden flute and embellishes it with tunes which he learned from family and friends. If you pick a copy of the CD and browse through the liner notes you can see how he explains the history of each track. By the way I have to add that the album packaging is excellent. It has this coffee table quality. Yes the tracks are awesome but isn’t it nice that they find a CD case that describes how great this recording is?

Those who contributed their talents in this album are notable names in the trad scene.

Lineup

Brendan Mulholland – Flutes
Stevie Dunne – Guitar & Bouzouki
Francis McElduff – Bodhran
Paul O’Donnell – Piano

If you are just learning your way around traditional Irish music then this is an amazing introduction because once again, the liner notes are very helpful. This album is also produced by Brendan Mulholland himself and I’d say he made a good choice having Brian Connolly Engineer the tracks. This man really captured the warmth of the music. The beauty of this album isn’t complete without the talent of Paul Conlon who added his visual style to this packaging.

There are three tracks that are original compositions while the rest are traditional. One of the tracks, the opening called Sean’s Reel is composed by the artist for his son Sean.Check the video I added above as reference. Jean’s Hill has played on my working table for days while I let the rays of the new day in. A zen way to start the day. Brendan Mulholland made an uplifting excursion into the mystery and beauty of traditional Irish music. A must have!

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Video Debut: Slim | Peggy Gordon

At last what we have been waiting for is here. Peggy Gordon video was released in September 18. I waited for this to happen because this is one of my favorite tracks off the Gallows Tree Tales album. I know that I have friends who like this song totally. I mean it is not often to get a traditional inspired song to pull your beating heart out of your chest and have it smashed with the song’s riveting intensity. Slim’s voice has the power to inspire hurt, joy and redemption. The ballad starts with him singing gently and then the sweeping blanket of the choir takes you through landscapes of longing and release. A perfect song. One of the best I heard in ages. Check this awesome video!

BUY THE NEW SLIM LP ‘GALLOWS TREE TALES’ – visit www.slim-music.com and www.facebook.com/gallowstreetales

Filmed by Bruno Vincent at Slim’s album launch for the ‘Gallows Tree Tales’ LP, at Proud Galleries, Camden Town, London, on Wednesday 8th August 2012. Band personnel: Slim – vocals & guitar, Benn Cordrey – bass, Seb Wesson – guitar, jh – piano, Emma Bowles – backing vocals, Sam Kimmins – percussion, The Singology Gospel Choir conducted and arranged by Reese Robinson.

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Belated Happy Birthday to Scott Hoye

September 11 marks the birth of this wonderful singer/songwriter. Scott Hoye introduced me to the whole new world of harp music. There I met Rachel Hair and her Trio, Corrina Hewat and a whole lot more . These artists appeared in several editions of The Celtic Music Fan. I owe that all to Scott. I am still waiting for the physical release of his album which I am sure will be very interesting.

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Jeremy on Czech Radio talking about music, comparing life in CZ and in UK, etc.

http://prehravac.rozhlas.cz/audio/2721413

It is great to hear Jeremy King’s speaking voice. Although this is in Czech it is nice to hear him talk about music.

Czech band Poitín (Irish traditional music) at pub Balbínka in Prague
www.poitin.cz

Corrina Hewat: Between Life and Music (Interview)

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Plus: Nova Scotia singer/songwriter Layne Greene for our EP review, Lady of the Woods: New Single from Jamie Smith’s Mabon album Windblown and Cormac O Caoimh

https://www.facebook.com/corrinahewat

http://www.corrinahewat.com/

http://www.unusualsuspects.uk.com/

http://www.myspace.com/unusualsuspectsscotland

Corrina Hewat is our featured artist this week. She is a mom, a harp teacher, and a good friend to the harp community. She is promoting her project the Harp Village . “We have The Duplets, Maire Ni Chathasaigh and me and David the whole weekend, so it is a lovely mix of music and company!! The more people who come along, the better, so all publicity is great.”

Corrina Hewat has an eclectic sound. She walks between the world of traditional and avant-garde music. Listening to her album My Favorite Place  her project bands including  BACHUÉ give me a glimpse to her wide influences. Her music captures the Celtic sense of atmosphere and space while her refined style made her recordings at home with the urban world.

You have a huge catalog or recordings now. Do you have recordings you wish you could have improved? I am not saying they need improvement because your recordings sound polished but personally what do you think ?

All my recordings are purely ‘snapshots’ of where I was then. All the recordings are affected by where they were recorded, who was playing, how I was/we were at the time. I only ever set out to capture moments of time, and I believe that is what they all are. Every single one of them I would change and every single one of them I would keep the same as well. I don’t tend to listen to myself too much, and it only ever comes up on shuffle in the car mostly, so I can press ‘skip’ and move on. Or sometimes I listen and say ‘woah, what the heck was I thinking?!!’. Or ‘ooh that is a surprising bit’ or ‘wish I had done that instead’ or all sorts. Anyway, it’s all past stuff, so I don’t really have time to think about what I would have done better. I could have done it all better. And I will always think that.

So far, how is the experience working with BACHUÉ. Is there another BACHUÉ project in the making ?

I loved Bachue very much. It was a good fun thing and a happy thing. But it got swamped with all the other stuff that was going on, so it took a back seat for a while. I am going to do a duo gig with David Milligan in September at the Harp Village (28th – 30th September in Cromarty, The Black Isle in the Highlands of Scotland http://www.cromartyartstrust.org.uk/the-harp-village-2010.asp) and that will be the first time in ages we actually have done a gig together in such an intimate format. I’m looking forward to it. We play well together!!

You also teach harp. Does teaching come first and being an artist second?

 Being an artist/musician comes first. Not that teaching comes second, but at the moment for me, I still want to write music, play and perform music, and if I can fit in teaching as well, then I do. I took on the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Principal Scottish Harp Tutor job last year, and I have the help and support of Heather Downie. If I didn’t have that secondary support, then I couldn’t have said yes to it. I believe I need to continue to work towards being an inspired, creative musician and writer and strive to better myself and my work. My students will then have a happy, sharing, generous, inspired teacher. I have very few private pupils, due to my time constraints and time away touring or teaching workshops/week-long schools.

How has motherhood shaped your music and what is different now compared to when you were starting being a recording artist?

Motherhood changed me completely. Life is a joy, not a struggle now. (I used to think it was all so hard. And had a heap of crap I was carrying on my shoulders which I needed to unburden myself of, to move on.) And I lived a very ‘messy’ lifestyle but now there is no need for all that. The joy is in me and around me. Music is a joy – although finding time for it is slightly complicated sometimes. But I love being a mother so much. It ‘completed’ things for me which I didn’t realise needed completing! And I still believe my life, the traveling, the ‘being all consumed by music when in the middle of writing it’, and all that goes with being a musician, is still worth it, as I am a more fulfilled person. And if I am happy then I am a better mum.

What are the things you want to introduce to the harp scene? What is your grand vision?

I wanted to introduce a more relaxed approach to harp, and a more relaxed and creative approach to arranging. I found when I started playing that there were very few arrangements out there I even liked! Boring chordal movements, same patterns over and over again, as if that was all the harp could do! So pretty much as soon as I started learning the harp, (around the age of 12 or 13) I started writing music on the harp, arranging traditional tunes, putting mad sets together, learning music off tapes (remember them??!). I had a great teacher to start me off – Christine Martin (who is the book publisher Taigh Na Teud) – she gave me the basics, introduced me to the Clarsach Society (who I eventually hired a harp from for many years), and introduced me to the work of Savourna Stevenson. That gave me the impetus to keep writing and playing and trying to make more of the instrument. I have had amazing teachers, although sporadic. Christine for a year, then yearly weekend courses until I went to the RSAMD (now called the RCS) where i had Sanchia Pielou for a year. Then Maire Ni Chathasaigh when I was doing the jazz degree course. These three teachers gave me so much input and I thank them for it. I was a ‘wayward’ child, and they steered me well. Sileas also gave me inspiration as they were doing fun things with the harp in trad music.

My grand vision?? I want to inspire folk with my music. Inspire them emotionally, move them. Write music which people can live with and enjoy. Move them like I have been moved by others music.

Please visit the Harp Village project here: http://www.cromartyartstrust.org.uk/the-harp-village-2010.asp

Sample recordings:

A live clip of the Unusual Suspects at The Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow, 29 January 2011 as part of the Celtic Connections Festival. Featuring the tunes “Sandy Broon’s” & “Bogle’s Majority”.
Line-up:
Corrina Hewat (harp/vocal)
Ewan Robertson (guitar/vocal)
Eilidh Shaw (fiddle)
Anna Massie (fiddle)
Catriona Macdonald (fiddle)
Patsy Reid (fiddle)
Mairearad Green (accordion/ pipes)
Calum MacCrimmon (pipes/ whistle)
Donal Brown (pipes/flute)
Rick Taylor (trombone)
Nigel Hitchcock (saxophone)
Ryan Quigley (trumpet)
Colin Steele (trumpet)
Dave Milligan (piano)
Tom Lyne (bass)
Alyn Cosker (drums)
Donald Hay (percussion)

Here’s a clip of Scottish harp player Corrina Hewat playing a jig she wrote for Martyn Bennett. This is from Corrina’s online Scottish harp (clarsach) course at ayepod.net. Check it out at http://www.ayepod.net/webcasts/teaching/teaching.htm

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Lady of the Woods: New Single from Jamie Smith’s Mabon.

Album art for 'Windblown"

Ok I have heard the entire song and I like it! It is catchy, well crafted and the vocal harmonies are amazing. First time I heard a vocal track from the band that is known to perform great instrumental tunes. If you haven’t yet have  a listen here and also download the track for FREE: http://www.jamiesmithsmabon.com/windblown/ 

If you are a band I’d suggest you get a photographer this band has. The pictures do an amazing way to promote the music!

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Nova Scotia singer/songwriter Layne Greene with Live!EP

Tea buddies: Layne Greene-Vocals/Guitar
Alexander MacNeil-Guitar
Artwork by The Celtic Music Fan.

Carving the modern Nova Scotia with the stories of people and places.

Genre: Folk

Released  August 30, 2012

Personnel:
Layne Greene-Vocals/Guitar
Alex MacNeil-Guitar
Shawn Bisson-Mixing/Engineer
Andy Cunningham- Photography/crew

http://laynegreene.bandcamp.com

https://www.facebook.com/LayneGreeneFolk

Knox Presbyterian Church located in Blue Mountain, Nova Scotia

Recording a crisp clear album impromptu takes a lot of skill to achieve. But singer/songwriter Layne Greene has been mixing and arranging music for years. So the live EP was conceived out of the desire to come up with songs that he recorded and arranged in the past but wanted a different take on them. This  Business Administration major from St. Francis Xavier University(now in his sophomore year) juggles between making music and seeing himself producing them in the future. He even jokes that :” If worse comes to worse, I can work a crappy, well

paying, desk job”. Well I am sure it won’t come to that because he makes excellent songs that are well crafted.

One of the songs here called Working Man is dedicated to his grandfather who is a carpenter and builder of musical instruments. There are other songs that are biographical in nature. His lyrics show an introspective and philosophical nature. Although he admits that he isn’t much of a lyrics guy. He is more prone to think of songs like cathedrals with their intricate structures and designs.

Alexander MacNeil is a jazz musician who is also working with Layne on another recording. He adds his distinctive guitar style to this project. He  also did the backing vocals in Iron Town. He has his own jazz Trio and Quartet. You can tell that these two made a great tandem in this EP.

One of the things that I really appreciate about this EP is the atmospheric beauty of all the tracks.  I asked Layne if they used studio reverb and he said no. Everything in this project- especially the acoustic density -is through the interior of the  Knox Presbyterian Church located in Blue Mountain, Nova Scotia, Canada. Engineering/mixing credit goes to  Shawn Bisson who flawlessly captured the soul of the venue with such exquisite attention to detail.

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Music VLOG: Cormac O Caoimh – Just Love here

http://www.thecitadels.net/

http://itunes.apple.com/ie/artist/cormac-o-caoimh/id467679675

http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/CormacOCaoimh

I recent;y got acquainted with this wonderful artist who just released his album A New Season for Love. I am impressed with his vocal quality. I love it and his music is really worth your ears after  a long day’s work.

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More album reviews coming up in a few days!

Ghost Whistle..Anyone?

/ mrbaxteria2008 / Leave a comment

Calum Stewart is very active these days playing as part of the Scottish group Manran. He is fully booked with events like Samso Festival( July 20, Denmark with Manran), Spyfest (July 28 Moray, Scotland with Heikki Bourgault), and also on July 28 at the same venue with Manran.

This short video caught my attention because of this unique glass whistle. I haven’t seen anything like it.

Visit his website: http://calum-stewart.com/

His gears for the new Jamie Smith’s MABON album “Windblown”