There's the usual eclectic mix, with the emphasis on "connections" rather than "celtic". June Tabor? The aural equivalent of watching paint dry. Annie Grace this Friday, with Karine Polwart and Corrine Hewat. That should be good. Gavin Marwick played on Sunday. Andy Irvine and Paul Brady still to come. Good programming this year though although that's a personal opinion. Most years it's like waiting for a bus. Nothing good for ages, then 3 good gigs at the same time at different venues.
nobody has a voice quite like june tabor's, and i think it is, at least in the recordings i've heard, quite astonishingly beautiful and expressive. of course, i wasn't there. it's easy to slam the ones who broke the trail.
June Tabor has done beautiful songs from the Irish and Scottish tradition- my favourite being 'The Dancing'- and what a fantastic voice she has. She also knows a hell of a lot about the history and meaning of the songs she sings. Watching paint dry?- well, OK, they can be a bit mournful- but who else sings with such feeling? My guess is that she is best suited to smaller, more intimate venues.
No, no, no, no, no.
Kate Rusby is the aural equivalent of watching paint dry.
June Tabor may deserve some criticism, but for being demanding on the listener, not anodyne. Never, ever anodyne.
June Tabor, a legend. And she cannot be mournful, as she usually sings songs full of angst and sorry, a bit like Cohen, and the words of these are truly uplifting.
Mournful songs are usually jolly, painting a false picture of reality.
I've been to a few gigs at the festival and have found no shortage of Scottish/Irish/Breton/Galician/Bluegrass music. In other words, "celtic." There's loads of stuff with looser connections as well, but whatever. I think that's just how that festival goes. I've been very pleased with what I have seen: Daimh, Old Blind Dogs, Chris Thile, Martin Simpson, Fiddler's Bid, Home Bru, and lots of other groups from Shetland, plus whatever has been on at the Festival Club.
For real hardcore Irish stuff like you'd find at Willie Week recitals, this is not the festival (it's not even trying to be), but it's great fun and the music is brilliant.
Hi TheSilverSpear - despite living closer to the festival than I did 5 or 6 years ago, I've been to it less frequently than when I stayed in Aberdeen. My problem with the festival, was the lack of informal sessions - I always found it too hit or miss in that respect. There are a few things I'd like to go to, but might not bother, as ideally I'd like a bit of a tune as well myself. So, has the festival improved on the session side of things at all?
Just a reminder that Celtic Music Radio are broadcasting live from Celtic Connections. We're in the exhibition hall from 11-7 every day, covering the Ian Anderson show, Gordon Hotchkiss's show (which includes various live performances) and the Danny Kyle open stage. Free entry for Gordon's stuff and the Dannys.
We're also broadcasting the "Songs of Scotland" series live from the Universal.
Our reporters are out and about at other gigs.
You can hear all this online at www.celticmusicradio.net, or on 1530kHz in Glasgow.
Just curious if anyone has seen/is planning to see/saw by accident an Italian quartet called Fiamma Fumana. No, not Irish, of course, but I saw a video of them in concert where they played a tune set that included, among other things, "The Silver Spear" and some other pretty standard reels.
Their band features a woman who plays an electronic rhythm device, and another young lady who plays flutes, whistles and bagpipes -- quite stunning, too.
Just to tag back to June Tabor once more, forget beautiful (although her work can be). She uses her voice as a percussive in ways most musicians can't. Listen to "Apples and Potatoes" for example, on Against the Streams,"or "Geordie" on Silly Sisters (oh how I wish there were more than 2 SS albums), or "Admiral Benbow" or "Number 2 Top Seam" or "Riding Down to Portsmouth" on A Cut Above.
Finally, but I didn't say it, check this out (to get to Tabor scroll to 1:42 or thereabouts). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo-cVXuDBLs Whew! Charismatic voice--and too right she knows the history of these songs and *why* they were and still are important. Ok, enough idolatry. Look, she may not have a charismatic *visual* presence. but stage presence does not equal vocal quality or passion.
Celtic Connections
Celtic Connections
Was anyone at this years festival?
Any good bands so far? Was looking for stuff on youtube but nothing yet. theres usually alot of once off stuff!
# Posted on January 23rd 2008 by eurbanjo
Re: Celtic Connections
It doesn't finish until 3rd Feb.
There's the usual eclectic mix, with the emphasis on "connections" rather than "celtic". June Tabor? The aural equivalent of watching paint dry. Annie Grace this Friday, with Karine Polwart and Corrine Hewat. That should be good. Gavin Marwick played on Sunday. Andy Irvine and Paul Brady still to come. Good programming this year though although that's a personal opinion. Most years it's like waiting for a bus. Nothing good for ages, then 3 good gigs at the same time at different venues.
Radio Scotland usually broadcast excerpts.
# Posted on January 23rd 2008 by bigdee
Re: Celtic Connections
nobody has a voice quite like june tabor's, and i think it is, at least in the recordings i've heard, quite astonishingly beautiful and expressive. of course, i wasn't there. it's easy to slam the ones who broke the trail.
# Posted on January 23rd 2008 by 'tinamatt
Re: Celtic Connections
June Tabor has done beautiful songs from the Irish and Scottish tradition- my favourite being 'The Dancing'- and what a fantastic voice she has. She also knows a hell of a lot about the history and meaning of the songs she sings. Watching paint dry?- well, OK, they can be a bit mournful- but who else sings with such feeling? My guess is that she is best suited to smaller, more intimate venues.
# Posted on January 23rd 2008 by Here Lyeth
Re: Celtic Connections
No, no, no, no, no.
Kate Rusby is the aural equivalent of watching paint dry.
June Tabor may deserve some criticism, but for being demanding on the listener, not anodyne. Never, ever anodyne.
# Posted on January 23rd 2008 by Guernsey Pete
Re: Celtic Connections
June Tabor, a legend. And she cannot be mournful, as she usually sings songs full of angst and sorry, a bit like Cohen, and the words of these are truly uplifting.
Mournful songs are usually jolly, painting a false picture of reality.
# Posted on January 23rd 2008 by bodhran bliss
Re: Celtic Connections
Ah well, that stimulated debate. Agree about Kate Rusby. The one time I went to see her she spoke for 80% of the time.
# Posted on January 23rd 2008 by bigdee
Re: Celtic Connections
"Mournful songs are usually jolly"- you've lost me there, I'm afraid.
# Posted on January 24th 2008 by Here Lyeth
Re: Celtic Connections
Are you all ill? How can you not like Kate Rusby?
# Posted on January 24th 2008 by dsndfkjasf
Re: Celtic Connections
I've been to a few gigs at the festival and have found no shortage of Scottish/Irish/Breton/Galician/Bluegrass music. In other words, "celtic." There's loads of stuff with looser connections as well, but whatever. I think that's just how that festival goes. I've been very pleased with what I have seen: Daimh, Old Blind Dogs, Chris Thile, Martin Simpson, Fiddler's Bid, Home Bru, and lots of other groups from Shetland, plus whatever has been on at the Festival Club.
For real hardcore Irish stuff like you'd find at Willie Week recitals, this is not the festival (it's not even trying to be), but it's great fun and the music is brilliant.
# Posted on January 24th 2008 by DrSilverSpear
Re: Celtic Connections
Mournful songs are usually jolly, painting a false picture of reality.
# Posted on January 23rd 2008 by bodhran bliss
Lost myself there as well. Mournful tunes, the words, are uplifting. Jolly tunes are usually mournful, painting the false picture of reality.
I really must pay attention.
# Posted on January 24th 2008 by bodhran bliss
Re: Celtic Connections
Bluegrass? Now there’s one celtic connection I have increasing trouble making.
# Posted on January 24th 2008 by Bob himself
Re: Celtic Connections
Never smoked it, hard to get here.
# Posted on January 24th 2008 by bodhran bliss
Re: Celtic Connections
I'll email you some. Not sure how to extract it into a smokeable form.
# Posted on January 24th 2008 by Bob himself
Re: Celtic Connections
Hi TheSilverSpear - despite living closer to the festival than I did 5 or 6 years ago, I've been to it less frequently than when I stayed in Aberdeen. My problem with the festival, was the lack of informal sessions - I always found it too hit or miss in that respect. There are a few things I'd like to go to, but might not bother, as ideally I'd like a bit of a tune as well myself. So, has the festival improved on the session side of things at all?
# Posted on January 24th 2008 by On Sabbatical
Re: Celtic Connections
Cheers, Bob. I'll look forward to that.
Anything I can do for you?
# Posted on January 25th 2008 by bodhran bliss
Re: Celtic Connections
Just a reminder that Celtic Music Radio are broadcasting live from Celtic Connections. We're in the exhibition hall from 11-7 every day, covering the Ian Anderson show, Gordon Hotchkiss's show (which includes various live performances) and the Danny Kyle open stage. Free entry for Gordon's stuff and the Dannys.
We're also broadcasting the "Songs of Scotland" series live from the Universal.
Our reporters are out and about at other gigs.
You can hear all this online at www.celticmusicradio.net, or on 1530kHz in Glasgow.
# Posted on January 26th 2008 by bruce1
Re: Celtic Connections
Just curious if anyone has seen/is planning to see/saw by accident an Italian quartet called Fiamma Fumana. No, not Irish, of course, but I saw a video of them in concert where they played a tune set that included, among other things, "The Silver Spear" and some other pretty standard reels.
Their band features a woman who plays an electronic rhythm device, and another young lady who plays flutes, whistles and bagpipes -- quite stunning, too.
# Posted on January 26th 2008 by sts
Re: Celtic Connections
Just to tag back to June Tabor once more, forget beautiful (although her work can be). She uses her voice as a percussive in ways most musicians can't. Listen to "Apples and Potatoes" for example, on Against the Streams,"or "Geordie" on Silly Sisters (oh how I wish there were more than 2 SS albums), or "Admiral Benbow" or "Number 2 Top Seam" or "Riding Down to Portsmouth" on A Cut Above.
Finally, but I didn't say it, check this out (to get to Tabor scroll to 1:42 or thereabouts). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo-cVXuDBLs Whew! Charismatic voice--and too right she knows the history of these songs and *why* they were and still are important. Ok, enough idolatry. Look, she may not have a charismatic *visual* presence. but stage presence does not equal vocal quality or passion.
# Posted on February 8th 2008 by notlarrymuphy