Keltiac might be the next exciting thing after Afro Celt Sound System…or so much more? You be the judge.
After listening to the sample tracks of Chris Dawson’s project band Keltiac, I am convinced that buying the CD Out on the Edge is a good idea. If mp3 files can make you feel the extravagant sounds, think about what the richness of the CD recording is capable of doing. All the elements work together. The tracks sound like they have been rehearsed a hundred times before being recorded. The sound quality is excellent. The production bends towards slickness, yet every strand of sound seems wispy with detail.
Out on the Edge-radio edit is a testament to those excellent arrangements and production techniques. Most of the tracks like Dragon’s Breath and Road to Coimbra are winners. The band is approaching the territory of world music yet never losing their Irish and Scottish folk roots. I recommend Keltiac to listeners who love bands like Kila, Afro Celts Sound System and Dead Can Dance.
Jamie Smith’s MABON: Concerts, changes and the new album.
I posted my first article about Jamie Smith’s MABON in May 5, 2010. Back then the band were known as Mabon. They appeared in posts as it is hard not to notice them. Everyone was either tweeting about them or just posting status updates with youtube videos of the band.
The music is a mix of all the influences from the seven Celtic nations. That is why apart from being a Welsh band , they officially label themselves as playing original, Interceltic, world music. To quote from the band: ” it draws inspiration directly from the traditional folk music of the Celtic countries. This is not Welsh music, nor Scottish or Irish; this is Interceltic music, a true exploration of forms and styles found in Celtic music and their forging into something bold and new.”
It is interesting to observe how this band continue to grow in their sound. After three albums(one is alive concert) they are working on the latest album. It is an honor to catch up with Iolo Whelan the drummer and official spokes person for the band to gather thoughts that very few know about yet. I am glad to know one thing and that is(sound of trumpets)……the name of the new album!
Band members
Jamie Smith – Accordion, Oliver Wilson-Dickson – Fiddle, Adam Rhodes – Bouzouki, Matt Downer – Electric & Upright Basses, Iolo Whelan – Drums and Percussion: Calum Stewart (special guest) – Flute & Pipes
Iolo interview answers for The Celtic Music Fan, May 2012.
We are very fortunate in this band that we get to travel: as well as touring in the UK, which I love, we’ve also traveled in Europe, Canada, Australia and Mexico. When we travel, we meet so many wonderful people, and see so many amazing things. I always feel when you visit another country as a working musician, you see a very different picture than if you were a tourist.
As a brilliant example, I remember the first time we went to Poland: we were in the country for less than 24 hours, but by the time we left, I felt as though I had had an amazing insight into Polish life, Polish culture, Polish people’s lives, which will stay with me for ever. It’s the same everywhere we go.
And apart from the travel of course, there are two obvious but very important things which I love about working in this band – the friendship and the music! Playing with great musicians who are also your friends makes any performance a joy.
Tell us about the new project you are working on at the moment.
For us, this year is all about our new album, Windblown. We were preparing new material in the winter, and we’re recording it over spring and summer ready for an album release tour in the autumn. Our last album was recorded live, so it’s a while since we were in the studio, and it’s interesting to see how things have changed.
The biggest change is the inclusion of songs in our repertoire now as well as the established instrumental aspect. I was interested to see how the two things would sit side by side on the new album: and I think because we treat our songs the same way we treat our instrumental material, they form one unified collection very well.
We’re very excited about the way it sounds so far and can’t wait to get it out there for our friends and fans!
Has there been a change in the traditional Welsh music scene recently and what are they?
I think if there is a change in the traditional music scene in Wales today, it is a new confidence amongst musicians and bands. I feel that more bands are happy to do their own thing and chart their own course.
Some are returning to the roots of the music and further exploring that material at its oldest sources; some are still mixing traditional material with rock and pop influences; others are exploring new realms of fusion with a broader palette of genres. Our approach is to work without a specific niche or brief, and to make music as we fancy, taking in different influences from all the great music we hear, and seeking whatever sound we enjoy in our own original music.
Maybe that confidence in the Welsh folk scene is reflected in the appearance of more Welsh roots bands on the world music stage: Jamie Smith’s MABON, 9Bach, Calan, Burum, Catrin Finch and others are appearing more often on international stages now. Indeed, I think some of these bands receive more attention on roots and world music platforms internationally than they do in Wales – maybe with time that will change too!
How do you define the music of Jamie Smith’s MABON and what are the things we will be expecting from the band this year in terms of concerts and collaborations, if there are any?
We describe our music as original, Interceltic, world music. Original because, even though we work in a roots field and with trad music influences, our music is mostly composed by our accordionist and lead vocalist Jamie Smith; Interceltic because our primary influences are the cultures of all the Celtic nations; and world music because we do not feel we need to restrict ourselves to that field, and because our brand of original roots music sits so well on a world music stage.
Our main focus for this year is our new album, as I mentioned, and while that keeps us looking inward for a while, we will also be featuring several new and established collaborators on the recording. Old friends Calum Stewart and Will Lang will contribute on wooden flute and on bodhran respectively, but our friend and recent collaborator Tom Callister will be guesting on the album too, as well as some other very special musicians yet to be revealed.
We’re hoping, after some festival appearances this summer and our album launch tour in the autumn, to be taking plenty of bookings for 2013’s festival season. Hit our ‘Like’ button on Facebook or bookmark the concerts page of our website, and you can you can keep an eye out for a gig or a festival near you this year, next year and beyond!
You are the skins man and what can you tell us about the drums that we don’t know yet?
I often say that mine is the best seat in the house for any concert, but a Jamie Smith’s MABON concert in particular provides really interesting challenges. For me, I feel my task is to support the melodies and the songs without getting in the way. The sound of the accordion, fiddle and bouzouki is so full that it can be easy for the bass and drums to distract from that fullness, without adding anything special in its place.
So I tread a fine line between lifting the music and spoiling it, and I enjoy having to make those decisions from one moment to the next: I hope I get it right enough of the time! There are many challenging roles out there for a drummer, but I’ve been doing this gig for twelve years now, and it’s still constantly stimulating, and fresh and somehow different every time.
One of our most faithful long-term fans told me last year that he can listen to us play a piece of music which he’s heard countless times before, but will hear something new or different in it each time he sees us perform – that gives me great inspiration for every concert we play.
Congratulations to harpist friend Scott Hoye for releasing the album called Black Rose today! Listen and buy the album here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/scotthoye
Jenne Lennon answers our questions through Skype about her new project with fellow musician Liz Madden.
Photo taken by John Sisson
[3:46:07 AM] jose romel labatos: Hi Jenne, so new updates about your recording?
[3:47:56 AM] Jenne Lennon: Hello there Baxter. As a matter of fact, yes and thank you for asking.
[3:48:23 AM] Jenne Lennon: I was waiting to tell you until our recordings and press stuff and new photos are up, but I can give you a fair amount of details if you would like. 🙂 [3:49:13 AM] jose romel labatos: Sure 🙂 It would be a nice preview for the proper launching 😉 So how many tracks are we expecting here?
[3:54:00 AM] Jenne Lennon: 4 to be exact. It will feature myself and Liz Madden from Dublin. She and I have teamed up to form Shishonnah. We are a duo. We sing all of the vocal parts and play just about all of the instruments. We write all of our own music. It’s a fusion of Celtic and world music. Very similar to the style of my last single “Anam/Spirit”
[3:54:35 AM] Jenne Lennon: Our first 4 tracks will be on the site in November. A full length album in early 2011, and the european release in the summer [3:57:43 AM] jose romel labatos: Wow sounds amazing! How was the recording process like? Was it fun in the studio and did those tracks get a fair amount of time to get recorded?
[4:00:46 AM] Jenne Lennon: Well, so far we have only done initial demo recordings. A smaller amount of the instrumentation and vocal parts than we are planning, but it’s been an absolute joy to work with Liz. We are true partners. Writing and recording with her has undoubtedly been the most creatively fulfilling experience of my life [4:01:54 AM] jose romel labatos: I subscribe to your blog and I know you’ve been anywhere. You love to travel. Do we expect to hear autobiographical stuff in these recordings?
[4:03:18 AM] Jenne Lennon: Oh, definitely. Both Liz and I travel across the world and the U.S. on a regular basis, and both of us have been greatly affected by our travels and the people we have met. Every song contains bits and pieces of Jenne and Liz and our experiences
Liz Madden
[4:06:07 AM] jose romel labatos: How did you meet Liz?
[4:08:55 AM] Jenne Lennon: It’s a funny story. She used to sing with the successful Irish duo Rua. I was performed on the Chants Du Femmes concert alongside Rua at the Lorient Interceltique Festival in 2006. We tried staying in touch over the years, but always seemed to miss each other when I was in Dublin. Liz ended up marrying a wonderful man from Arkansas and she relocated to the states. We have been inseparable ever since. [4:18:21 AM] jose romel labatos: That’s very interesting indeed!I am now listening to Liz myspace page. I notice that both of you have powerful expressive voices! What will your fans expect in this album …vocally?
[4:22:52 AM] Jenne Lennon: Vocally, they will hear a very different use of style and technique from both Liz and I. We are both trained in many different styles besides classically, celtic, and musical theatre. Fans will hear native american, african, and eastern european inspired vocals, mixed in with the familiar styles that they normally hear from Liz and I. [4:24:42 AM] jose romel labatos: I am so crazy about world instruments. What will we be hearing from both of you instrumentally?
[4:25:56 AM] Jenne Lennon: many different types of world percussion, Asian, African, Celtic, and native american mostly. Some Spanish instrumentation and of course, native american flute. We will also be using extremely old instruments, like the hurdy gurdy and some renaissance inspired sounds.
[4:26:29 AM] Jenne Lennon: oh, and of course, the good old Irish instrumentation at points.
[4:30:44 AM] jose romel labatos: I love the hurdy gurdy! I am glad I will hearing that one here. this appears to be a rich musical treat for all of us. so how many tracks are we expecting to hear in the album when it’s finished?
[4:31:45 AM] Jenne Lennon: Lol. That’s the difficult part. Between the two of us, we have written about 3 albums worth of music. Narrowing it down will be tough. We’re hoping to do the standard 12-14 tracks, maybe 16 at the most. [4:33:13 AM] jose romel labatos: Sounds great! Yes because with the influences and discipline you both have , I am sure listeners will want more. Anything else we should know about this project?
[4:35:05 AM] Jenne Lennon: Thank you. Well, we are in the works to launch or own radio podcast in the new year. We are also working on an original score for Antigone, which will premiere in February, plus the release of a compilation album through our company Glencoe Records/Healing Sun Productions, along with several concerts in the U.S., Europe, and the U.K. in the Spring and Summer [4:35:57 AM] jose romel labatos: Sounds like this is going to be a blast for 2011.
[4:36:24 AM] Jenne Lennon: Indeed. I truly hope so. But, it’s always a blast with Liz.
My personal favorite Jane Sibbery made it to the top 20 as well as Lunasa,Solas and Riverdance.I think this is exciting because we now have our own little chart up there 😉 You can also listen to song samples so you’ll know what to expect.
If you want to know what’s hip and hot in Celtic world, then you got to check this out!
Celtic Music Fan 