Quebec-based Ad Vielle Que Pourra (Daniel Thonon, Luc Thonon, Gilles Plante, Alain Leroux, Clement Demers) utilizes traditional French instrumentation and music and fuses it with elements of Gypsy polkas and Venezuelan waltzes.
Quebec-based Ad Vielle Que Pourra (Daniel Thonon, Luc Thonon, Gilles Plante, Alain Leroux, Clement Demers) utilizes traditional French instrumentation and music and fuses it with elements of Gypsy polkas and Venezuelan waltzes.
Capercaillie is –
Throughout their career Capercaillie have drawn on two great strengths to inspire them. The first of these is the astonishing musical dexterity of the various fiddle, whistle, flute and pipe who have performed with them over the years, lead by the accordion and keyboards of band founder Donald Shaw. The other foundation of the band has been the peerless voice of co-founder Karen Matheson, described by Sean Connery as having “a throat that is surely touched by God”. Universally recognised as one of the finest Gaelic singers alive today, Karen’s exquisite voice has been at the centre of the band’s music, whether breathing new life into 400 year old Gaelic songs or bringing her luscious vocals to the band’s contemporary compositions…
There have been many milestones for a band who have sold over a million albums world wide. These include three silver and one gold album in the UK, the first Gaelic Top 40 single, writing the music for, and appearing in the Hollywood movie “Rob Roy”, and performing in over thirty countries including Iraq, Macedonia and the Sudan.
Capercaillie have been credited with being the major force in bringing Celtic music to the world stage, and their unique fusion of Gaelic culture and contemporary sound has always stretched boundaries in their quest to keep the music evolving.
It is a mighty long way from Oban High School to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in Baghdad, but Capercaillie have made this journey and stopped off at many other exotic locations along the way . However, their greatest achievement has been to mould a central strand of their Gaelic heritage into a fresh, new sound, capable of reaching out to the ears and hearts of people all over the world.
Altan is one of the most iconic bands in Irish music. The band delivers on their reputation as among Ireland’s most important cultural ambassadors with their new release DONEGAL. Irish-language songs and dynamic twin-fiddling, both hallmarks of Altan’s sound, framework the new album which tributes Altan’s native County Donegal and its rich musical heritage, breathtaking landscapes and vibrant culture.
Bandleader, lead vocalist and fiddler Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh is in fine form thoughout, lending her angelic voice to “Liostáil mé le Sáirsint” and “The Barley and the Rye” and contributing “Port Árainn Mhór/Port Kitty Rua Mooney”, an outstanding set of jigs, to the project. Altan’s newest member, Clare Friel, shares vocal duties with Ní Mhaonaigh, most notably on the track “Faoiseamh a Gheobhadsa” and adds her fiery twin fiddle playing to great effect. Accordionist Martin Tourish brings his formidable chops and compositional sense to the medley “The House of Baoithín” which pays homage to the mid 6th century Saint Baoithín. Dáithí Sproule (guitar), Mark Kelly (guitar, harmony vocals) and Ciarán Curran (bouzouki, mandolin) round out the band which is augmented by special guests Jim Higgins (percussion), Steve Cooney (bass) and Graham Henderson (keyboards) on select tracks. Taken as a whole, the music transports listeners to a bygone time in rural Ireland while simultaneously forging a connection between the past and modern times.
Recorded by Manus Lunny at Stiúidió na Mara (“Seafront Studio”) in County Donegal, DONEGAL captures the essence of the region which has inspired Altan since the band’s inception and further cements Altan’s legacy as one of the great cultural treasures of Ireland.
No Irish traditional band in the last thirty years has had a wider impact on audiences throughout the world than Altan. Formed in County Donegal in 1987 by lead vocalist Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and her late husband Frankie Kennedy, the group’s music is influenced by traditional Irish language songs and tunes from Donegal. Over the course of their career, Altan has sold over a million records.
Shooglenifty is one of Scotland’s most unique musical exports. This six-man band is credited being the originators of ’acid-croft’, a fiery and infectious blend of Celtic traditional music and dance grooves that band members decribe as “hypno-folkadelic ambient trad.” The Chicago Tribune described their trippy blend as “a bit like a jam between the Tannahil Weavers, Phish and The Chemical Brothers.” While their sound is difficult to put into words, audiences from around the world have fallen under their musical spell.
A supremely dexterous and witty live band, their energetic live performances have kept them in constant demand around the world. The Evening News in London, England said of a Shooglenifty live performance, “This virtuoso band started building crescendos from the start, each one higher than the last, until the final, shuddering chord left the crown breathless and cheering wildly.“ Once some of those fans regained their composure, they began asking (or begging and pleading, depending on who you talk to) the band to record a live album. Shooglenifty, whose members include: Malcolm Crosbie, acoustic and electric guitars; Garry Finlayson, banjo and banjax; Angus A. Grant, fiddle; Luke Plumb, mandolin, banjo and bououki; Quee MacArthur, bass and percussion; and James Mackintosh, drums, machines and darabuka, happily complied.
Radical Mestizo, to be released on June 28, 2005 is the band’s third release on the Nashville, TN-based Compass Records. The ten tracks on Radical Mestizo were recorded in Mexico City, Mexico; Cumbre Tajin, Mexico; Glasgow, Scotland; Bloomington, Indiana; and Lochailort, Scotland. Now more than a decade old, Shooglenifty has played for Prince Charles and Nelson Mandela, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, has performed at the Bumbershoot festival in Seattle, WA alongside Cornershop and Beck, and back in 1996, became the first band ever to incite a stage invasion at Sydney Opera House.
Radical Mestizo features fan favorites, “She in the Attic.”, “Arms Dealer’s Daughter” and “A Fisful of Euro”, but each of the ten tracks marries traditionally based Scottish tunes with a rich pallette of influences including Africa, Arabic, funk, electronic and Latin sounds. Radical Mestizo displays the band at their very best: immediate, raw and inventive.
Renowned composer, producer and arranger Bill Whelan has worked extensively in theatre, film and television. His grammy winning album of music for Riverdance The Show is certified Platinum in the US, Ireland and Australia. His orchestral work, The Seville Suite was specially commissioned for Expo’92. The Spirit Of Mayo was first performed in 1993 by and 85-piece orchestra in Dublin’s National Concert Hall. As a producer, Whelan has worked with U2, Van Morrison, Kate Bush, Richard Harris, The Dubliners, Planxty, Andy Irvine, Patrick Street, Stockton’s Wing, Davy Spillane and Bulgarian/Irish band, East Wind. His recently completed trilogy of pieces for chamber orchestra: Inishlacken, Carna and Errisbeg are included on his latest CD, The Connemara Suite.
