Thursday, December 29, 2011

Four Shillings Short concert explores eclectic music

Four Shillings Short, a Celtic/folk/world music duo, returns to Richmond on Jan. 12 as part of Indiana University East's Mindful Explorations programs.

Four Shillings Short performs traditional and original music from Ireland and Scotland, Indian Ragas, folk ballads, medieval and Renaissance instrumentals and a cappella numbers.

The husband and wife, Aodh Og O'Tuama and Christy Martin of San Diego, Calif., have been performing for 16 years. They recently released their eighth CD, "Pass It On -- Live in Boulder, Colorado." They previously performed in Richmond in 2008 and March 2011 at the West Richmond Friends Meeting.

On Jan. 12, they will perform a free concert, "Around the World in 30 Instruments," from 3:30-5 p.m. in Vivian Auditorium in Whitewater Hall. Mindful Explorations programs are provided courtesy of the William H. and Jean R. Reller Endowment.

The performance is expected to include music from Ireland, Scotland, England, Medieval and Renaissance Europe, the Americas and India using more than 30 instruments, including hammered dulcimer, mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, Medieval and Renaissance woodwinds, recorders, tinwhistles, banjo, North Indian sitar, bowed psaltery, the charango from Bolivia, bodhran, doumbek, spoons and vocals in English, Gaelic, Spanish and Sanskrit.

O'Tuama and Martin will introduce each instrument, talk about its history and follow with a demonstration in the form of a song or instrumental piece so the audience may experience traditional folk and world music.

Lee Ann Adams, a reading specialist and First-Year Seminar peer mentor coordinator at IU East, encourages anyone who loves traditional music to attend this performance

"I guarantee that you'll be tapping your toes some of the time and sitting completely still at others -- absorbed in the beautiful sounds of many instruments you've never heard before. They are both awesome musicians," Adams said in a press release. "Having heard Christy and Aodh Og twice before, I am so glad that Mindful Explorations is bringing their educational and entertaining performance to IU East and the Richmond community. I really love the way they introduce each instrument and song with a brief story that adds so much to the enjoyment of the music. You come away feeling like you've had a vacation to far-away places -- especially when you hear the sitar."

Og O'Tuama grew up in a family of poets, musicians and writers. He received his degree in music from University College Cork, Ireland, and received a fellowship from Stanford University in California in Medieval and Renaissance performance.

Martin grew up in a family of musicians and dancers. Starting at age of 15, she studied the North Indian sitar for 10 years as a student of master Sitarist Ravi Shankar. She began playing the hammered dulcimer in her 20s.

Four Shillings Short concert explores eclectic music | Palladium-Item | pal-item.com

Friday, December 9, 2011

Cherish the Ladies bring Celtic music and dance to Carlisle Theatre

Cherish the LadiesCover of Cherish the Ladies
Considering their name, which they take from the title of a traditional Irish jig, it is unsurprising that the Irish-American Celtic song and dance ensemble Cherish the Ladies is an all-female group.
Founded in 1985 in an attempt to showcase female talent in the male-dominated world of Celtic music and dance, the group has released fifteen albums, and their recording resume includes collaborations with the likes of Arlo Guthrie, Tom Chapin, Pete Seeger, and the Boston Pops.
Each member plays a variety of instruments. Band leader Joanie Madden plays the flute and tin whistle, and holds the record for the highest selling tin flute player in the world. The remaining ensemble members, hailing from Scotland, Ireland and the United States, play fiddle, bodhrán (traditional Irish drum), guitar, banjo and mandolin in addition to occasional singing, and of course no Celtic music would be complete without Irish step dancing.
The good humor and exuberance of Celtic music is a natural fit for the holiday season.

IF YOU GO
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Satuday
WHERE: Carlisle Theatre, 40 W. High St., Carlisle
COST: $40, $35, $30; $10 for students
INFO: 717-258-0666 or www.carlisletheatre.org

Cherish the Ladies bring Celtic music and dance to Carlisle Theatre | PennLive.com

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

A Winter’s Night: Ensemble Galilei

On December 10, Neal Conan, host of NPR ’s Talk of the Nation, narrates A Winter’s Night: Ensemble Galilei, a festive evening of traditional music, poetry, and stories. The lineup includes Liz Carroll on fiddle, Jackie Moran on banjo and bodhran, and whistler Kathleen Keane, along with hometown players Sue Richards (Celtic harp), Ginger Hildebrand (guitar and fiddle), and Carolyn Surrick (viola da gamba).

A Winter’s Night: Ensemble Galilei | Creative Alliance | Music, Words | Urbanite Baltimore Magazine

Monday, December 5, 2011

All ready for new year at Bridge

English: Ruth Moody performs in Ireby, England...Image via WikipediaTHE BRIDGE House Theatre in Warwick is already looking to the year ahead.
The varied spring musical programme ranges from a top Candian folk singer to American classical greats, plus drama both classic and modern.
Award-winning Canadian songwriter Ruth Moody starts her Garden Tour at the theatre - which includes later concerts at London’s South Bank Centre and Birmingham Symphony Hall - on January 13.
A founding member of the internationally renowned, Billboard-charting trio The Wailin' Jennys, she has performed around the world and made numerous critically-acclaimed albums.
The Garden, the latest solo album from the multi-instrumentalist - she plays guitar, banjo, accordion, piano, and bodhrán - has received widespread critical acclaim.
Opera Warwick’s Hansel & Gretel can be seen on January 20 and 21. The magical fairy tale opera is brought up to date and set in the Roma Gypsy community in a brand new translation featuring local schoolchildren.
A touch of Paris night life is brought to stage when Eve Loiseau when sings the songs of Edith Piaf on February 18.
The Little Sparrow's dramatic rise saw her go from Paris street urchin to a star of international renown and France’s most popular singer of the 20th century. Her life, however, was anything but ‘La vie en rose'.
As well as famous songs such as La vie en rose, and Non je ne regrette rien the show also features a narrative revisiting the key moments of Piaf’s amazing life story.
Shakespeare's comedy Merry Wives of Windsor, performed by Oddsocks, plays from February 20 to 24.
There’s a right raucous rumbustious romp going on in jolly old Windsor town as two merry wives give fun-loving Falstaff a shock he’ll never forget.
Baby Boomers, a piece of physical theatre, substitutes language for balloons, and blends mask, puppetry and extreme balloon modelling to tell stories of love, loss and regret. Scratch Built Productions & Proteus Theatre take to the stage on February 25.
Warwickshire Symphony Orchestra cross the pond on March 3. Americana features works by Benjamin Britten (An American Overture) and Dvorak (American Suite in A Major) pay tribute to the USA in this exciting celebration of classical music inspired by the States or written by American composers, including two pieces by Aaron Copland. Violinist Ruth Palmer also performs Samuel Barber’s haunting and witty Concerto for Violin.
There will be two productions during the season from Warwick School Drama.
They present Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party from February 1 to 3, and Elephant Man from March 7 to 9.
March ends with previews of Foundations Youth Theatre’s original adaptation of Alice, the classic Lewis Carroll story, on March 27 and 28.
For tickets and further information visit www.bridgehousetheatre.co.uk or call the box office on 01926 776438.
All ready for new year at Bridge | Entertainment Review From the Leamington Observer

All ready for new year at Bridge | Entertainment Review From the Leamington Observer

THE BRIDGE House Theatre in Warwick is already looking to the year ahead.
The varied spring musical programme ranges from a top Candian folk singer to American classical greats, plus drama both classic and modern.
Award-winning Canadian songwriter Ruth Moody starts her Garden Tour at the theatre - which includes later concerts at London’s South Bank Centre and Birmingham Symphony Hall - on January 13.
A founding member of the internationally renowned, Billboard-charting trio The Wailin' Jennys, she has performed around the world and made numerous critically-acclaimed albums.
The Garden, the latest solo album from the multi-instrumentalist - she plays guitar, banjo, accordion, piano, and bodhrán - has received widespread critical acclaim.
Opera Warwick’s Hansel & Gretel can be seen on January 20 and 21. The magical fairy tale opera is brought up to date and set in the Roma Gypsy community in a brand new translation featuring local schoolchildren.
A touch of Paris night life is brought to stage when Eve Loiseau when sings the songs of Edith Piaf on February 18.
The Little Sparrow's dramatic rise saw her go from Paris street urchin to a star of international renown and France’s most popular singer of the 20th century. Her life, however, was anything but ‘La vie en rose'.
As well as famous songs such as La vie en rose, and Non je ne regrette rien the show also features a narrative revisiting the key moments of Piaf’s amazing life story.
Shakespeare's comedy Merry Wives of Windsor, performed by Oddsocks, plays from February 20 to 24.
There’s a right raucous rumbustious romp going on in jolly old Windsor town as two merry wives give fun-loving Falstaff a shock he’ll never forget.
Baby Boomers, a piece of physical theatre, substitutes language for balloons, and blends mask, puppetry and extreme balloon modelling to tell stories of love, loss and regret. Scratch Built Productions & Proteus Theatre take to the stage on February 25.
Warwickshire Symphony Orchestra cross the pond on March 3. Americana features works by Benjamin Britten (An American Overture) and Dvorak (American Suite in A Major) pay tribute to the USA in this exciting celebration of classical music inspired by the States or written by American composers, including two pieces by Aaron Copland. Violinist Ruth Palmer also performs Samuel Barber’s haunting and witty Concerto for Violin.
There will be two productions during the season from Warwick School Drama.
They present Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party from February 1 to 3, and Elephant Man from March 7 to 9.
March ends with previews of Foundations Youth Theatre’s original adaptation of Alice, the classic Lewis Carroll story, on March 27 and 28.
For tickets and further information visit www.bridgehousetheatre.co.uk or call the box office on 01926 776438.
All ready for new year at Bridge | Entertainment Review From the Leamington Observer

Friday, December 2, 2011

Chapter and verse on music-making

John SpillaneCover of John Spillane
MAKING sweet music is an art. But making the instrument that can create stirring sounds is no less a skill.

Now the skill and traditional craft of instrument making has been brought to life in a new book.

More used to seeing those who play their instruments take the acclaim, the most sought-after bodhran and uilleann pipe makers in the country have been cast into the spotlight by Limerick author Stephen Power.

Mr Power, who is also a photographer, travelled nationwide and across Europe in researching his new book, 'Traditional Notes -- A celebration of Irish Music and Musicians'.

Uilleann pipe maker Michael Vignoles, who works out of Claddagh, Galway, tells of the time involved in his industry.

"Pipe making is a slow and painstaking business and it can take many weeks, if not much longer, to produce a full set of uilleann pipes," Mr Vignoles said.

Malachy Kearns, of Roundstone, Co Galway, is the best-known bodhran maker in the country.

"He is known internationally for his work and many people would have gone to him just to have their bodhran made. He is known as Malachy Bodhran," Mr Power said.

Malachy started making bodhrans in 1976. "He trained with Peadar Mercier of the Chieftains and made the bodhran for 'Riverdance'. Christy Moore also uses his drums," Mr Power said.

Among the musicians featured in the book are John Spillane, Paul Brady, Donal Lunny, John Carty and Micheal O Suilleabhain, and traditional Irish groups such as De Dannan and Lunasa.

The book will be launched at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick tomorrow at 5.30pm.

- Barry Duggan

Chapter and verse on music-making - National News - Independent.ie

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Celtic Christmas concert peppered with Irish lore

Harry O’Donoghue and Carroll Brown will offer a unique twist on the traditional Christmas concert – a Celtic one.

O’Donoghue and Brown each has a solo career as an Irish musician, but a few times each year they get together to share the beauty of a Celtic Christmas.
They’ll do it again at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2 at St. Mary on the Hill Catholic Church.
Brown plays guitar, O’Donoghue plays the bodhran, and together they swap stories and Irish lore between making music.
It’s an informal kind of thing. They’ll segue from an Irish tune to a traditional Christmas song, or perhaps a piece of Americana.
“Both of these guys have really good stage rapport,” said event organizer Jeff Ryan. “They do a lot of back and forth, but they also interact with the audience really well.”
O’Donoghue and Brown first took to the road in 2001 after their first Christmas album, A Christmas Postcard, became popular. This will be their fifth year presenting A Celtic Christmas in Augusta.
O’Donoghue said he and Brown really enjoy performing together. On Friday they expect to perform music from A Christmas Postcard and Nollaig: An Irish Christmas.
Listen for It’s a Snowy Night, which O’Donoghue wrote for the former, and the American country tune Pray for Me, which Brown wrote for Nollaig.
The duo performs about eight shows together each year, mostly around Christmastime, O’Donoghue said.
“(The audience) can expect to have a great time,” he said.
In concert

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2

WHERE: St. Mary on the Hill Catholic Church, 1420 Monte Sano Ave.

COST: $15, tickets at church office

WHAT: Harry O’Donoghue and Carroll Brown present an evening of traditional Irish, Southern and traditional Christmas music and stories

MORE: (706) 284-1531 or e-mail kilswah@aol.com

Celtic Christmas concert peppered with Irish lore | The Augusta Chronicle

Monday, October 17, 2011

Irish singer Fiona Molloy performs at Irish center Nov. 12

"Singer Fiona Molloy will perform with Dublin O'Shea for a 7:30 p.m. show Nov. 12 at the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center, 2133 W. Wisconsin Ave.

Also on the bill - bodhran player David Klawes, highland piper Sean Cavanaugh and the Kinsella Academy of Irish Dance.

Molloy is a native of Derry, Northern Ireland, who now lives in Wisconsin. She earned the nickname "songbird of peace" for performances during turbulence in Ireland in the 1970s.

Molloy and Klawes are both regulars at Irish Fest in Milwaukee.

Reserved seat tickets are $19. To order, visit www.ichc.net, or call (414) 345-8800.
"

Irish singer Fiona Molloy performs at Irish center Nov. 12 - JSOnline

Sample the best of Irish music and dancing at Southport Theatre

IRISH dance spectacular Rhythm of the Dance will be getting audiences in Southport on their feet this week.
Originally produced for a three-week tour of the US in 1998, the show has since visited 43 countries and sold over five million tickets.
Now the much anticipated production comes to the UK for its premiere tour.
This two-hour dance and music extravaganza contains a wealth of Irish talent.
The show is an inspiring epic, reliving the journey of the Irish Celts throughout history. Using modern art forms of dance and music, this richly-costumed show marries the contemporary and the ancient.
Combining traditional dance and music with the most up-to-date stage technology, the show continues to receive critical acclaim year after year thanks to the constant striving for perfection by the creative team to keep the show fresh, and full of the very best that the Emerald Isle has to offer.
With a wonderful, gifted young cast of dancers, musicians and three Irish tenors, featuring 100% live performances from the entire troupe, it is no surprise that Rhythm of the Dance continues to win over audiences wherever it plays.
For more than a decade the show has been delighting and enthralling live audiences across the globe. In China’s Shenzhen City, on the Eve of the new Millennium with a live audience at the Earth Dome, the show was also beamed to over 750 million viewers on syndicated National Television.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Michael Curran & Kieran Leonard

IONA to open 'Winterfest 31'

ONLEY --The Arts Council of the Eastern Shore presents the first performance of the new season, "Winterfest 31" on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. at Nandua High School. This will be the first of seven performances (one more than the season usually offers) which began in October and will end in April 2012.

The opener will be IONA, a Celtic band that has been at the forefront of the Celtic Music revival since the band's inception in 1986. Founded by Barbara Tresidder Ryan and Bernard Argent, IONA has evolved into what is probably the most comprehensive pan-Celtic band in the world. The band's mission is to present the rich musical elements of all the Celtic cultures-- Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Manx, Cornish, Breton, Asturian and Galician, blending them into New World cultures: Appalachian, Cape Breton and Cajun.

IONA is known for its ability to connect with the audience, for its professionalism and energy. IONA members have researched IONA's material by traveling to all the Celtic lands to excavate the traditions and learn from those from whom the music originated. The group's name comes from the island of Iona, the first landfall in Scotland out of the sight of Ireland. The founders decided to capitalize the name because another group subsequently chose the same name. The band consists of five performers: Barbara Tresidder Ryan, Bernart Argent, Chuck Lawhorn, Jim Queen, and Kathleen Larrick

IONA to open 'Winterfest 31' | The Daily Times | delmarvanow.com

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Féile Frank McCann

"Contrary to the view expressed by Seamus Ennis – that the best way to play the bodhrán was with a pen knife – the folks of Strokestown are girding their loins in anticipation of the ninth Féile Frank McCann this weekend, honouring the late bodhrán player and all-round traditional music aficionado.

This year’s gathering will include the irrepressible west Kerry box player and singer Seamus Begley, along with the TG4 Traditional Musician of the Year and Clare concertina master Noel Hill. Tomorrow, an afternoon session of music, song and tall tales will be hosted by radio presenter and box player Danny O’Mahony, fiddler MacDara Ó Raghallaigh and guitarist Paul Doyle.

An autumnal boutique festival to ease musicians and singers alike into the longer, darker evenings, this gathering is less about the cult of personality than it is about relishing the vibrancy of the tradition."

Féile Frank McCann - The Irish Times - Fri, Oct 07, 2011

Monday, October 3, 2011

In love, with the bodhrán

I have been playing the traditional drum set for six year. I love the set, don’t get me wrong, but lately I’ve been wanting to explore other percussion instruments. And thus began my relationship with the Irish bodhrán.

My drum teacher, Bob, is obsessed with the Irish culture. He visits Ireland every year, plays in an Irish band, and of course is a maniac on traditional Irish percussion instruments such as the bodhrán, the bones, and the spoons.

Growing up in an Irish family, I’ve been around these instruments all of my life. My grandfather is from Ireland and has a sick Irish accent, while my grandmother is from England and has an equally “bad ass” British accent. My mother came to America when she was four years old. So, these cultures have always been a big part of my life.

I spent countless hours watching my sister master the art of Irish dancing. We traveled from festival to festival watching her compete, and dominate. For a while I danced too, but it was short lived, due to my extreme dorkiness and lack of coordination.

Anyway, I always loved the Irish culture, as it is a big part of who I am. When Bob introduced me to the bodhrán, I fell in love.
In love, with the bodhrán - High School - timesunion.com - Albany NY

Saturday, October 1, 2011

The Latest in Irish and Irish-American Music | Irish America Magazine, Irish American | IrishCentral

How to Tune a Fish • Beoga

An exciting new release from Compass Records, How to Tune a Fish by Beoga is sure to be a lively hit amongst long-time trad fans and newcomers alike. Eamon Murray’s presence on the bodhran is a dominant one. Trad music is by its nature very percussive, but Murray, a former All-Ireland champion player, demands more than just toe tapping. On the title track he downright steals the show, no easy task in a band of two button accordions and a fiddle.

Beoga is a five-piece band, very appropriately named (‘beoga’ is Irish for ‘lively’) who met at an All-Ireland Fleadh. The five accomplished players turned heads in 2004 with their debut album and will certainly have heads bobbing with this follow-up.

With perfectly woven arrangements and an electric chemistry, How to Tune a Fish is a tongue-in-cheek album packed with life and energy. Tapping into the always welcome bluegrass crossover in “Home cookin,’” Beoga never seems to falter in their vacuum-sealed-tight playing. None of the quintet waiver, but each steps forward to shine on various tracks throughout the album, creating a true ensemble record.

Voices & Harps • Moya Brennan and Cormac de Barra

Cormac de Barra has long been the premier name mentioned among a sadly scarce breed: the Irish harpist. De Barra has played with many of Ireland’s best including The Chieftains and Julie Feeney. With roots in Cork, he is a studied and creative harpist, and his partner on this record, Moya Brennan is a fellow harpist and vocalist widely known as the “First Lady of Celtic Music.”

These two Celtic powerhouses come together for their aptly named album, Voices & Harps. The curt name of the album speaks to the very acoustic and sparing production choices throughout the album. And while the album has a simple feeling to it, as though the listener is seated in the room with the band, the intricacies of these expert players’ arrangements and skill of play is, as always, astounding. Brennan’s voice leads many vocal journeys into traditional Irish songs, flawlessly in the track “A Seanduine Doite.”

The album is a must have for any Irish-speaker or lover of the rhythm and beauty of the Irish language. Brennan’s performance of the classic “Taim Breoite Go Leor” is breathtaking and with added harmonies, it is stunningly tragic. De Barra is no vocal slouch himself. Lending harmonies to most of the record, he takes the reins on the haunting “Bean Duch A’ Ghleanna” and does it more than justice.

It is so rare that any piece of music gives the harp its fair dues and this album is entirely dedicated to it. Voices & Harps is a showcase of one of the most underrated and diverse instruments in the Irish trad genre.

Read more: http://www.irishcentral.com/IrishAmerica/Music-Reviews-The-Latest-in-Irish-and-Irish-American-Music-130724483.html#ixzz1ZVqr1P89


Music Reviews: The Latest in Irish and Irish-American Music | Irish America Magazine, Irish American | IrishCentral

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Globe’s heart-pumping fusion of music, dance, and percussion

AMONG THE highlights of the upcoming Baboró children’s festival is the pulsating music and dance production Globe which has been put together by bodhrán-virtuoso Robbie Harris and Dave McFarlane.

Globe is a theatre of cultures and a celebration of rhythms which are universal to music, dance, and singing in almost every culture. A heart-pumping, acrobatic spectacle, the show features brilliant individual performances and the combination of different instrumentation, movement, and percussion from around the world.

Blurring the line between performer and audience, the show features 10 world-class performers, who trade and fuse their music, dance, percussion, and singing skills to achieve an extraordinarily original, fresh, and energetic spectacle that challenges you to remain in your seat.

Globe features Punjabi drummer Johnny Kalsi; Congolese guitarist and singer Niwel Tsumbu; samba from Brazilian dancer Kelly Baldonado; South African singer Nono Madolo; Spanish flamenco from dancer Bernardo de Barros; Japanese taiko drummer Kumiko Suzuki; and the Capeoira styling’s of Brazilian dancer Adelson Maia. The cast also includes Daire Bracken on fiddle, Robbie Harris on bodhrán, and Seána Davey on harp.

Globe’s heart-pumping fusion of music, dance, and percussion:

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

MHM Brings Scottish Folk To Town

Mountain Home Music will present a special concert on Thursday, Oct. 13, featuring the Scottish folk band, North Sea Gas.

The show will take place at the Blowing Rock home of Sarah Borders, at 134 Lyn St. The event begins with a potluck dinner at 5:30 p.m., and the music will start at 7:15 p.m.

Advance tickets are required, and admission is $18 per person.

Going for more than 30 years and stronger than ever, the band entertains with guitars, mandolin, fiddle, bouzouki, bodhran, whistles, banjo and vocals, featuring tremendous three-part harmonies.

Over the years, North Sea Gas have recorded 17 albums and are constantly adding new material to their show. Their show consists of traditional, contemporary and self-penned material, all put together with a style of their own.

Continually touring the world, their stops include America, Canada, Germany, Austria, Scotland and many other destinations, including Estonia and Turkey, every year.

TV and radio appearances on both sides of the Atlantic include “Late Night Saturday,” “Bound for Glory,” “Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour” (shown on PBS in the U.S. South) and “Song of the Mountains” (also shown on select PBS stations in the U.S.).

In 2008, North Sea Gas recorded for Chinese television with an estimated audience of 800 million, a highlight of any band’s career.

To reserve your seat, contact Sarah Borders at (sarahborders@aol.com) Email is preferred, but interested parties can also call (704) 929-6527.

Because of limited seating for this concert, reservations and prepayment are required.
Please bring “light supper” food for the potluck. The host will provide lemonade, tea, coffee and Scottish shortbread.

MHM Brings Scottish Folk To Town - Mountain Times

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Accolade for centre near Broadway (From Evesham Journal)

"A BUSINESS near Broadway has been named Cotswold Leisure Break of the Year. Farncombe Estate, which runs a wide variety of leisure and study courses, scooped the business achievement award from the publication London & Home Counties Today.

Senior editor Joshua Holtom said: “Throughout the year, the directors at London & Home Counties Today select organisations that have best demonstrated a proven ability to go that extra mile in not only meeting but exceeding the needs of their clients. Our award programme recognises business excellence across a wide range of disciplines and the business achievement award is recognised both locally and nationally.”

Farncombe programme manager Mandy Morrison said: “We are delighted to win this award, which reflects our commitment to customer care and the many hours of work that go on behind the scenes.”

Popular programmes include Everyone Can Sing and Go Gospel and students can learn to be a guitar hero or play the Irish drum – Bodhrán. Other courses range from astronomy to the history of the Olympic Games."

Accolade for centre near Broadway (From Evesham Journal):

Standing ovation for Irish music legend (From Salisbury Journal)

THERE was standing room only in St Elizabeth’s Hall on Saturday night when legendary Irish musician Davey Arthur came to play.

Accompanied by his son Patrick on bodhrán and percussion and Steve Layton on guitar, he provided a great variety of music which had the crowd stamping and calling for more.

Many of the songs reflected the familiar Irish concerns of hardship, migration and homesickness, such as the Ralph McTell song From Clare To Here.

The sadness was leavened by some lively instrumental dance sets and some more romantic ballads including the Fureys’ popular success Sweet Sixteen.

Patrick Arthur’s bodhrán playing was sensitive and discreet, and he played a solo piece in which he almost made the traditional Irish drum sing.

Steve Layton’s guitar work was superb, from simple accompaniment to some lovely jazz-tinged frills which added contrasting colour to the songs.

There was no room to dance, but the rousing finale brought a standing ovation.

The evening opened with a short set from Salisbury singer Jadiie Pepperell accompanied by Ryan Whitston on guitar. Pepperell’s powerful soulful singing won the crowd over, and the duo were called back for an encore which they obviously weren’t expecting. They carried it all off with such confidence that it was a real surprise to learn that this was their first public performance.

The evening had been organised by Irish Music On Tour under Finbarr Sheehan, who swears that this will be his last Irish Music On Tour gig.

Sheehan has been bringing the best of Irish music to Salisbury for more than twenty years. The gigs have provided a showcase for many local musicians such as Pepperell and Whitston and have raised funds for several charities.

The beneficiary for the last few years has been the Salisbury Hospice, and Finbarr estimates that his concerts have raised more than £20,000. He is entitled to a rest after that, and this splendid evening with Davey Arthur was a fine way to bow out.

Review and picture by John Palmer

Standing ovation for Irish music legend (From Salisbury Journal)

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Album review: Beoga, How To Tune A Fish

Beoga IImage by Amber Wilkie Photography via Flickr
Compass Records 7 4561 2, £14.99

The Co Antrim quintet, fronted by twin button accordions and one female singer/fiddler, are dangerous, devious and a downright delight.

Their casually dynamic, tight, unstoppable grooves are driven by their masterful pianist and their All-Ireland Champion bodhran basher.

No trad purists, these five extract all the rhythmic juice and subtle harmony from this acoustic essay into the byways of Americana, fractured funk, music hall and, naturally, Irish trad.

Guests include Brian Finnegan whose heart-filled flute soars over and blesses their Ballymacaldrick.

Album review: Beoga, How To Tune A Fish - Scotsman.com News

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Catskills Irish Arts Week set for July 10-16

View of Catskills looking over Hudson River fr...Image via Wikipedia
This year’s Catskills Irish Arts Week (CIAW) has been set for the week of July10-16 and this year marks the 17th celebration of Irish art, music, language, and culture in the Catskill Mountains of New York.

The CIAW gives musicians and dancers a chance to learn and perform with their fellow artists. The organizers “have assembled another terrific faculty of teachers and entertainers who will continue to make the CIAW the place to be for serious fans of Irish traditional music and dance and for those who want to learn more and improve their skills in a wonderful social setting with an Irish Village atmosphere.”

The Arts Week offers classes in a wide variety of Irish art forms, culture, and music. Fiddle, uilleann pipes, button accordion, singing, bodhran, flute, tin whistle, piano accordion, concertina, tenor banjo, dance, painting, Irish history and language, storytelling are just some of the subjects that Arts Week faculty will offer classes on.

The visual arts and a variety of crafts have been included in the Arts Week for more than a decade and the program has been expanded this year. Included this year several types of Celtic jewelry, stone and wood carving, in studio painting and “en plein air” and a brand new class in St. Brigid’s Cross weaving.

The Arts Week culminates with the Andy McGann Traditional Irish Music Festival on Saturday, July 16th. It will be held on the M.J. Quill Irish Cultural & Sports Centre Pavilion Fields. It is still the biggest assembly of traditional Irish musicians and dancers performing in North America with more than 100 artists scheduled to appear. The Catskills Irish Arts Week Faculty provides much of the entertainment for the day but special guests will also be in attendance. Food and craft vendors and refreshments will be available for the entire day.

The Irish Emigrant - Catskills Irish Arts Week set for July 10-16

Friday, June 24, 2011

Versatile Beoga play two Galway gigs to celebrate new album

Bodhrán, Top-end style. The shadow of the left...Image via Wikipedia
The Groove Tube with Jimi McDonnell - tribunegroove@live.ie
Bodhrán player Eamon Murray is in ebullient form as his group Beoga celebrate the launch of their fourth album How To Tune a Fish.
“Keeping busy now,” he says. “It’s all go, thankfully. It’s a good way to be.

Beoga, who fuse world influences with Irish traditional music, play The Crane Bar this Friday and Saturday, June 17 and 18 as part of the Galway Sessions festival. Their band’s line-up is Eamon (bodhrán/percussion), Damian McKee (accordion), Seán Óg Graham (accordion/guitar), Liam Bradley (piano/keys) and Niamh Dunne (fiddle/vocals).

Having recorded the previous album, The Incident in regular studios, the Antrim based Beoga decided it was time for a new approach with How To Tune a Fish, says Eamon.

“From February we spent three months recording it – at home this time,” he explains. “Seán Óg, the accordion and guitar player, has a studio in his house. We literally recorded it in his living room, bathroom and kitchen, the whole lot. We took over his house for a few months and locked the doors!

“At home you can take your time and work a bit later, mess around a bit more” he adds. “You’re not under anyone else’s time. It’s a bit warmer and homely; we took our time with it and got it right.”

They experimented with how instruments sounded when played in different spaces, a process that yielded some interesting results!
“I spent a lot of time in the toilet with one of the lads with me,” he says. “That’s where some of the stuff happened, but other than that I preferred the living room – for obvious reasons! Between those two locations we hopefully got it right.”

A combination of geography and a competitive streak first brought Beoga together in 2002.

“Myself and Seán Óg grew up playing together and we always wanted to have a band,” says Eamon. “We got together with Damien and Liam at the All Ireland Fleadh there in Listowel in 2002. Seán knew the lads in a roundabout way and we just sat down and had a night’s craic, made big plans. One of those times where you hit it off musically; we sort of took it from there.”

Eamon was particularly successful at the Fleadhs – he is a three-in-a-row All-Ireland Fleadh bodhrán final winner. How does the competition work?

“You just get up and play a couple of tunes with a musician that you have provided,” he explains. “One of my sisters used to always play at the Fleadh so we’d go up and play. It was nerve-wracking. I decided to leave it for a while. I got a three in a row and I said ‘that’ll do me.’ Anything else would be pushing your luck.”

Beoga’s music has a real freewheeling feel to it and, though they write set-lists, the band can shake it up too.

“We kind of plan as best we can,” says Eamon. “You’d need to have a rough idea of what you’re doing and then sometimes, depending on the gig, you might cut something or throw something extra in. Depending on how you think everyone’s reacting; some people

love the faster stuff and some love the slower stuff. It’s horses for courses. We like to know, to some extent, what we’re doing.”
How To Tune a Fish is a peculiar, but memorable, title. Eamon recalls how it came about.

“Myself and Liam came up with that. We were sort of bashing around names, and that’s often the hardest thing. Whenever you listen to the way we play there’s a few unexpected turns in the music. We thought, you know, why not do something that’s a bit of craic and doesn’t box you in. We didn’t want to call it The Rolling Glens of County Antrim!”
The title of Beoga’s album reflects their desire not to be boxed in and Eamon feels the band don’t fit neatly into the ‘trad’ genre.

“I think it would be something else; I don’t know if you’d actually call it anything,” he muses about their music. “There are a lot of purists who say it wouldn’t be their cup of tea, put it that way. That’s grand, it’s not supposed to be a purist’s cup of tea – it’s supposed to be a bit of craic, and is what it is. There’s plenty of twists and turns, and well and good. It’s successful.”

“I don’t think you could call it trad, I don’t think you could call it folk,” he adds. “It’s something anyway, and I hope the people that are listening to it look at it that way too.”

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.

Versatile Beoga play two Galway gigs to celebrate new album | Connacht Tribune | galwaynews.ie

Gráda @ Monroe’s Live

GrádaCover of Gráda
GRÁDA IS to Irish music what Arcade Fire is to indie - informal, prodigious and full of spirit.” So said The Washington Post and Gráda play Monroe’s Live on Sunday at 8.30pm.

Gráda’s sound is deeply rooted in the Irish tradition, but also layered with Americana, jazz, and a diverse range of influences that, in the words of The Irish Times, “come together as if they were lifelong bedfellows”.

The band has a Galway connection with Galway native Nicola Joyce on vocals and bodhrán. The Wall Street Journal described her as “a magnificent vocalist who sings with sheer beauty and poignancy”.

The line-up is completed by Gerry Paul (guitar, banjo, vocals), New Zealand’s Andrew Laking (double bass, vocals, guitar); David Doocey (fiddle, concertina, whistle), and Stephen Doherty (flute, whistle, melodeon, piano, bodhrán).

Tickets available from Monroe's Bar or on the door or through monroeslivevenue@gmail.com

Gráda @ Monroe’s Live

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Festival features wide variety of world music

"From bouzouki to bodhrán, Chinese opera to Cuban salsa — if the SOUNDshift festival doesn’t have it, it probably doesn’t exist as a form of music.
The music festival is being held in St. John’s next month alongside the 2011 International Council of Traditional Music conference, marking the first time the event has been held in Canada since 1961. More than 500 delegates from 60 countries will visit Memorial University, taking part in workshops, discussions, lectures and concerts.
The conference and festival was launched Tuesday, with the help of university president and vice-chancellor Gary Kachanoski and Natural Resources Minister Shawn Skinner, who represented Tourism and Culture Minister Terry French."

Tannahill Weavers headed to Worcester

Tannahill Weavers Aberdeen 2007Image via Wikipedia"When The Tannahill Weavers released their first album “Are Ye Sleeping Maggie?” in 1976, they were about to rouse some people from a slumber.

While The Tannies, as they are known to many, perform Scottish traditional music, the traditional music scene was about due for a wake-up call, suggested original member and guitarist and vocalist Roy Gullane.

“I think we came along at a time when the traditional music was in need of a breath of fresh air. It was getting bogged down in the quasi-Scottish thing.” On the BBC (or more specifically, BBC Scotland), it was not uncommon to see performers “dressed in tartan and singing in an operatic manner. Young people were turning off,” Gullane recalled.

Enter The Tannies. “We took it back a step and added guitars,” Gullane said. “We were at the age where we could do something to it without getting away from the origins of it.”"

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Golygfa Gwydyr community centre open day in Llanrwst

LlanrwstImage via WikipediaA NEW community centre called Golygfa Gwydyr held an open day in its new premises in Plough Street, Llanrwst, recently.

Over 50 people went along to see what had been done in the building, previously the NFU offices. The building has been renovated for community use thanks to donations and grants.

The ribbon was cut by Maldwyn Davies, a regular at Golygfa Gwydyr’s job club and who volunteers on a regular basis.

Chair Rosie Evans thanked the community for their voluntary contributions to the building as well as the major funders and key partners.

Visitors were treated to bodhran drumming, displays of art produced by the community, locally produced hand stitched quilts as well as a range of home baked cakes, bread and jam.

One resident produced a homemade cake replica of the building itself, while others made bunting and many new friends came forward offering assistance in the future.

Golygfa Gwydyr also held its annual meeting and outlined its plans for the future. Four new directors came forward, increasing capacity to manage more local projects and service provisions.

The job club has moved from the Mind office to the new premises.

For more see golygfagwydyr.org

Golygfa Gwydyr community centre open day in Llanrwst - North Wales Weekly News

Friday, June 3, 2011

Wonderland: The Men Who Won’t Stop Marching, BBC Two

Not long after the Good Friday Agreement, BBC Northern Ireland broadcast a charming drama featuring a tale of two drums. An Ulster Protestant was too wedded to the marching season to join his wife on holiday in Donegal, so she wrought her revenge by destroying his bass drum and replacing it with its Catholic antithesis, a bodhrán. If last night’s The Men Who Won’t Stop Marching is any indication, that won’t be happening on the Shankhill Road any time soon. The drum, still clattered with percussive insistence by Protestant bandsmen, remains a powerful conduit for loyalty to Queen and crown.
After (almost all) the paramilitaries have laid down their weapons, what remains of the Troubles are memories (and of course a dirty great partition wall down the middle of Belfast). Fervent murals celebrate the fallen, which tourists flop out of taxis to capture on digital cameras before returning to placid homes where the past is very much in the past.

'This was a film about how a community suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder protects its culture while suppressing its memories'

"This is me uncle Stevie,” said Jordan, a plump pleasant boy with red hair and freckles a year or so off from puberty. The lens pointed to the portrait filling an end-of-terrace. “He died in ah think it was 2000 or somethin’? He’s my daddy’s brother. I think he was a military commander. That’s what it says up there.” He was asked if he knew what that meant. “I don't know. I don’t know how he died either.” Another mural depicted the Maze’s infamous H block. It turns out Jordan’s daddy Jackie had done time there. People were sent there, explained Jackie, for “murders, bombings, shooting. Different things”. Different things with the same outcome.

Wonderland: The Men Who Won’t Stop Marching, BBC Two - The Arts Desk | reviews, news, interviews

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

May plays June weekend

Imelda May performing in SpainImage via WikipediaROCKABILLY star Imelda May will play ‘Live in the Big Top’ at the Milk Market on Bank Holiday Sunday June 5. The recent cancellation of the Cold Pro Music & Surfing festival where Imelda was to play has meant that Miltown Malbay’s loss in Limerick’s gain. Since her appearance on Later with Jools Holland in 2008 playing bodhrán and singing ‘Johnny got a Boom Boom’ Imelda May and her band have shot to fame in Ireland and the UK. Her 1950s retro swagger and style and her authentic blues/jazz infused music has won her admirers and fans worldwide. May (real name Imelda Clabby) was born named in Dublin and raised in the Liberties. The youngest of five children she discovered the music of Elvis, Eddie Cochran and Billie Holiday from her older siblings. At age 14, Imelda’s first paying gig was singing about fish fingers for a Findus advert. At 16 years she was playing the pubs, clubs and functions circuit in Dublin.
She met and married renowned rockabilly guitarist/singer, Darrell Higham and sang on some of his recordings before releasing her first CD, ‘No Turning Back’ in 2005 under her own name. No Turning Back was home recorded and Imelda was never happy with the sound quality and re-recorded her vocals for the CDs re-release in 2009.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Journey into a new sound world »

"FIERCE, brave and a bit of a one for the ladies, Brian Boru (941-1014) earned the title of Lion of Ireland during his reign as one of the greatest kings to rule in the Emerald Isle.

Today a contemporary Irishwoman is being referred to as a “lioness” but, in her case, it was a title earned through her fierce bravery as a musician.

Think of Irish music and it is tempting to conjure up spirited Celtic reels punctuated by the beat of a bodhran, or perhaps a bit of Sinead O’Connor quirkiness or U2 stadium rock."

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

LIVE THEATRE REVIEW — The Cripple of Inishmaan

Book cover (Methuen)Image via Wikipedia"Written by Martin McDonagh and directed by Mitchell Cushman, Studio Theatre’s The Cripple of Inishmaan is intricate and ambitious in both its design and dialogue. A looming backdrop of rocky cliffs is beset by the sea, confining the main action of the play to a compact set in center stage. Scene transitions are made with live fiddle and the Bodhran drum, giving the feeling of being transported to Ireland."

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Dundonald kids to get free music lessons

A GROUP of kind-hearted musicians have teamed up to bring music to a new generation.
The village of Dundonald will host its own music festival at the end of the month, and the people behind it are not content with just performing to the public.
For the generous group will now give free lessons to the village primary pupils over the next school year.
The pupils will have the option to learn a wide variety of instruments like guitar, accordion and the hand held Irish drum called the bodhran.
Teacher Alison Armour said: “We’ll be teaching children right from primary one. They’ll probably be playing instruments like the penny whistle and recorder, but it’s about getting them interested in music.
“The primary one to three group will be called the Mini Music Makers and the primary four to sevens will be the Young Strums.”

Dundonald kids to get free music lessons - Ayrshire Post

Folk bands due to perform (From Worcester News)

"FOLK fans can see two of the region’s finest bands on one billing on Friday.

Meet on the Ledge and Greenman Rising are both performing tonight at the Marr’s Bar in Pierpoint Street Worcester.

The Ledge are back gigging after a two year break, combining a mix of original and traditional numbers to form what critics have called ‘a unique musical experience’.

Having played every major folk festival in the country, including the prestigious Cropredy festival, and top venues including Birmingham Symphony Hall.

Greenman Rising fronted by ex Worcester Royal pupil Steve Bentley and his son Woody are an eight-piece band built around the power house of melodeon, bodhran & guitar, supplemented by fiddles, sax, clarinet, flute and bass.

Greenman are performing after playing the sold-out Bearded Theory Festival.

For tickets ring 01905 613336."

Monday, May 16, 2011

Bruce Cockburn impresses at Berklee Performance Center - Brockton, MA - The Enterprise

Bruce CockburnCover of Bruce CockburnBruce Cockburn's stature as a folk-rock songwriter is well established, but his virtuosity as a guitarist, and skill as an arranger might be under-appreciated, even after all these years.

Saturday night's 110-minute show by Cockburn and his trio at Boston's Berklee Performance Center reaffirmed the fact that the Canadian (and Berklee College of Music graduate) continues to pen interesting, literate lyrics, but also could have served as a primer on the endless ways to reinvigorate guitar-playing, and arranging for small acoustic groups.

That's quite a trick for someone whose indelible songs have been covered from everyone from Jimmy Buffett to Tom Rush to the Barenaked Ladies.

Cockburn's band on this tour consists of himself on an array of (usually) acoustic guitars, Jenny Scheinman on fiddle and mandolin, and Gary Craig on drums and bodhran. To say that just those three filled the auditorium with layers of marvelous music would be an understatement, as Cockburn's intricate finger-picking and rock-edged chording worked amazingly with Scheinman's jazz-inflected support, and Craig's economic-but-visceral foundation.

Read more:

Thursday, May 5, 2011

De Dannan - Live at the Embankment

De Dannan - Live at the Embankment (1976) - tradschool.com: ""

Review: Riverdance opens in Regina

"REGINA — Riverdance, running at the Conexus Arts Centre this week, is a slick production full of talented performances by top-notch artists.

On opening night on Tuesday, people of all ages filled the arts centre to see the showcase of Irish and international music and dance. Riverdance premiered in 1995 and has earned fans around the world since then."

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Singing for your supper

Go Busking: ‘Have guitar, will travel’ has been JASPER WINN'S motto since he was a teenager and it has helped him pay for his travels around the world

THROUGH YEARS of travelling, my harmonica and guitar have proved far better than any credit card. They’ve done nicely almost anywhere in the world and in any currency, they never seem to get overdrawn, and have always been good for providing drinks, meals and – the one thing that money can’t buy – friendship.

It’s a cliché, sure, but music really is an international language. And, like all languages, whether you speak “music” fluently or stumble a bit through a simplified version – so whether you’re a jazz sax virtuoso or a three-chords-and-a-holler kind of musician – just making the noises with a bit of enthusiasm and joining in the musical conversation is enough to make you a part of other cultures.

That’s the thing about travel and music. Ending up somewhere foreign, or even at home, and being able to pick up an instrument and play a tune, or sing a song, or – better still – give a full-throttle performance with plenty of slots for sing-alongs can lead to all kinds of adventures. And one doesn’t have to be that good at music to grab a guitar at a party on a Spanish beach to get a song going, or bang out some boogie-woogie on a Berlin bar’s piano, or sit in with a club band. Just do it and you’ll certainly get your drinks on the house, and who knows what else.

I first started mixing music and travelling as a teenager in the late 1970s, heading off with a guitar I could barely play, on long trips across Europe. I was inspired partly by the free-wheelin’ hobos of American folk music, such as Woody Guthrie and Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, who made hitting the road with a guitar and a harmonica sound like a passport to adventure, adoring girls and free drinks.


Friday, March 4, 2011

Joy to the world

'WHOA," says a friend, putting up his hands as we enter Barbican Hall on a windy London night.

A tube strike has made us late for the official reunion by the Afro Celt Sound System, the group's first concert -- bar a storming warm-up gig at the WOMAD festival in Wiltshire last July -- after a three-year break.

Tickets have sold out in advance; internet chat has been anticipatory, excited. But with London at a virtual standstill the comeback has promised to fizzle rather than bang. Remarkably, against the odds, it goes off.

The heat in the auditorium is intense. Everyone has reached the venue somehow, then shrugged off their coats and danced. People aren't just dancing on the spot. They're dancing on their seats and in the aisles, up the back and down the front. Middle-aged men with goatees are grooving unself-consciously. Wild-haired women are pointing their toes and waving their arms. Teenagers -- the children of these long-time fans -- are whirling through the happy pandemonium. Even the Barbican's stewards seemed to be throwing shapes.

Onstage, older and a little craggier than when they first got together in 1995, the Afro Celts are delivering songs and instrumentals from their five studio albums and new retrospective CD, Capture. Everything from guitars and kit drums to whistles and uilleann pipes (the national bagpipe of Ireland) are vying and blending with African percussion and the cascades of the 21-string kora harp-lute. An Irishman wearing mirrored sunglasses is beating out rhythms on his hand-held bodhran drum. A tall West African in traditional garb has clamped the tama talking drum under his left armpit and is whacking it with a stick.

Joy to the world | The Australian

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

The Currach Honors Irish Music Traditions

"When the workweek ends and it’s time to start the weekend, The Currach is ready to ease that transition. Every Friday at 5:30, the trio (and usually a few friends) sets up near the bar at Brocach and welcomes visitors with lively jigs and reels—“the stuff that’s been played in Irish pubs for hundreds of years,” says fiddler Daithi Wolfe. Darl Ridgely, Josh Perkins and Wolfe have been jamming together for years—at Brocach for five and at the Coopers Tavern on Mondays for one. On St. Patrick’s Day, catch ’em at the Harmony Bar."

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Chieftains to bring Celtic, modern music to IU Auditorium

"The Chieftains will be appearing at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the IU Auditorium. Playing a mix of traditional Celtic and modern music, the band has become one of the best-known Irish bands in the world.

Originally founded in 1962 by Paddy Moloney, the band’s roots are in traditional Celtic instrumental music. In the beginning the band only played the fiddle, flute, tin whistle and bodhran, which gave the music a rustic and traditional sound.

Before becoming well-known around the world, the band’s early followers were folk audiences.

Now in its 40th year, the band includes vocals and modern music. It has gained world recognition, garnering 18 Grammy nominations and six Grammy awards.

“The Chieftains attract people who are interested in having a fun night,” said IU Auditorium Events Manager Maria Talbert."

Monday, February 14, 2011

Julie Fowlis: Live At Perthshire Amber

"Julie Fowlis has recorded three solo albums but her first live album - 'no gimmicks or extra help,' she declares - lets her wonderful, sweet voice invade your senses.
Fowlis, who grew up in North Uist, took the bold decision a few years ago to give up working in an office and try to be a full-time musician. There was no looking back.
She sings in Gaelic (her mother's family spoke it as a first language and she studied it at Skye College) but that does not prevent the non-Gaelic speaker from appreciating the beauty of her songs. For this concert, Fowlis is supported by some master musicians: Eamon Doorley (her husband) is on bouzouki and Tony Bryen is on guitars. Martin O'Neill is great on the bodhran but special mention goes to fiddler Duncan Chisholm - of Wolfstone - whose playing is both energetic and highly moving."

Monday, January 24, 2011

Monumental Scott

"'WE ALL know Sir Walter Scott was a fan of a dance,' noted our host Phil Cunningham from behind his accordion, celebrating the bicentennial of Scott's poem The Lady of the Lake, a piece very influential at the time of its composition and that also kick-started appreciation of its Trossachs setting as a tourist destination.

For the first and shorter of the pieces, Cunningham had composed a musical accompaniment to the poem (read by Bill Paterson) entitled The Trossachs Suite. The second section saw Cunningham and his nine-piece band, including various guitarists, a pianist, a flautist and a bodhran player, along with backing singers Eddi Reader and Karen Matheson, work their way through a selection of songs by Scott and others, interspersed with livelier instrumental pieces."

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Hear Ríl Og play their tune this Saturday

"A young group of musicians who have just recorded their own CD will finally get to launch it this Saturday night in Arva, after the initial date in December had to be cancelled owing to severe bad weather.

Ríl Óg are a fantastic group of musicians who are just breaking onto the trad circuit. They have been playing together for almost two and a half years now.

There are six members in the group, ranging in age from 11 years up to 16 years.

Ríl Óg are: Emmett Lynch (bodhran), Maria Matthews (flute, whistle, vocals), Cillian Hourican (fiddle), LiaM Doherty (banjo, bouzouki, guitar), Hannah McEntee (button accordion) and Laura Doherty (fiddle)."

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Firebrand fiddler promises foot tapping

FIDDLER Richard Wood will launch the new Where Good Music Matters Season at the Park and Dare Theatre in Treorchy next month.

Back in the spotlight after a break of more than 10 years, Wood is arguably one of the most entertaining and talented fiddlers from the Celtic world.

And despite his absence from the music scene, critics say he has lost none of his fire and zip in the intervening years.

Accompanied on guitar, bodhran and vocals by Gordon Belsher, the performance combines the best of jigs, reels and strathspeys with Wood’s own compositions.