Celtic Fiddle Fire

Ive been a fan of acoustic music all my life and have been privileged to hear some amazing fiddle players live from the time I was very young. In my not at all humble opinion, Duncan Chisolm is the absolute best Celtic fiddle player in the world. He plays with the amazing Scottish Folk Rock band Wolfstone, but his solo work is where his playing gets a chance to shine...here is a 2007 performance with Ivan Drever, one of the founders of Wolfstone

Over the Hills and Far Away

!!MUSIC BREAK!!
Its been far too long since I had some music on my blog...so to remedy that, here are three different songs with the same name. I was looking for something to post from You Tube when I came across the Gary Moore song Over the Hills & Far Away-a wild and wonderful celtic rocker. Then, looking at the links I realized that there were at least two other songs with the same name that I love just as much, so here they all are:



This is the Gary Moore song...the video is pure 80's, but the drumming is mesmerizing and the guitar is incredible!



One of my absolute fave Led Zeppelin songs with a nice memory attached...one night a long time ago after a Robin Trower concert, a girl friend and I were invited to a party by a beautiful TALL exotic-looking guy (I found out later he was from Turkey) that I had only just met and sort of had a bit of a crush on (guys taller than me are hard to come by, lol). Not being the sort of girl who follows guys to parties in neighborhoods she's never been to, I was a bit nervous at first. To my delight, when we got there it was actually one big jam session with a lot of really great guitar players, no orgies or scary drug dealers & the lovely Turkish lad played this song~I was definitely in love then;)



From the BBC television series Sharpe. This one is totally Ian's fault..I never would have discovered Sean Bean if it hadnt been for Ian and his Napoleonic wars fixation...but this is a great series and here is a delightful set of snapshots of the actor who is right up at the top of my "sorry honey, but I will always love a few Englishmen" list.

A Lovely Evening

Ian & I are honored to be able to host Ian's friend Jim Malcolm in concert this evening. Jim is a scholar and a gentleman and has an AMAZING voice...not to mention his guitar playing, etc. We have had a fun couple of days hangin with him and talking history, folk music and life in general. Here is a video from You Tube of Jim singing one of my all time favorite Robert Burns songs celebrating the common man:



I love the whole song, but especially the last verse:

Then let us pray that come it may
(As come it will for a' that)
That Sense and Worth o'er a' the earth
Shall bear the gree an' a' that!
For a' that, an' a' that,
It's comin yet for a' that,
That man to man the world o'er
Shall brothers be for a' that.

~so be it:)

Look Mum We Have a Music Myspace

UPDATE (June 26, 2013)~ we have pretty much abandoned Myspace, but you CAN find us at our alive and kicking Glenfinnan Facebook page- please stop by;)

Glenfinnan is a village in Scotland famous for many things~ Bonnie Prince Charlie's gathering of the clans at the start of the Jacobite uprising of 1745, the rail viaduct featured in the Harry Potter films, the opening line of Highlander "Im Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod from the village of Glenfinnan on the shores of Loch Shiel", and other great and wonderful events in Scots lore. Its also the place I always had in my mind's eye when I dreamed of visiting Scotland as a teenager. AND its easy to pronounce, so it made a great name for our Celtic band when we decided to switch from Tandragee (try it, if you are from Kansas you will never pronounce it correctly)

Our piper, Liam has been working on our Myspace and it actually has music on it!! Now I just need to get the band website up to speed...sigh. Anyway, go and have a look if you are interested in very homegrown and pretty rough around the edges Celtic folk music from the Heartland.

NOTE: Ian made the banner from a photo I took when I finally got to Glenfinnan. We arrived just before sunset, and it looked just like the photo in the book I dreamed over when I was a young girl. Yes, I did cry and hug Ian~ a lot;).

Best Jewellery in a Folk Rock Video

Well, okay...maybe the ONLY jewellery I've really noticed in a Folk Rock video...but probably the title I actually want to award John Jones of the Oysterband is the "one of the most amazing voices in Folk Rock and the voice most likely to make me happy"

This video is Where the World Divides, a song from their most recent album Meet You There. Its hauntingly catchy and a new favorite of mine!



When Ian and I first met we lived 4,000 miles apart (Edinburgh to Kansas), and since we were both musical beings to the core, one of the intitial ways we got to know one another was through the music we loved. The first mix tape he sent included this band.

It is difficult to explain the exhilarating feeling I had when I first heard John Jones sing "I am the fountain of affection, the instrument of joy..." and the rest of the band rip into the amazing instrumental that opens When Im Up I Cant Get Down . Its very "dancey", that song. I knew when I heard it for the first time that my life was about take an amazing turn for the better, and I have been living one big delightful adventure ever since.

Thanks for the soundtrack boys:-)!!

Runrig: Fanciful Magick-ing Inspiration

RUNRIG is an amazing Scottish band from the Western Isles. They make great music to create by, such incredible passion!!

If you have never heard them before, give yourself 10 minutes and enjoy this magical set...there are actually two songs on this video, and the second is even more incredible than the first so listen all the way through:)



If you are in Europe this year you may have a chance to catch them live...visit their official website here:

www.runrig.co.uk

Music To Make Jewelry By

Did I mention that my muses travel in groups? This particular group Oysterband, is a wonderful muse for a cold rainy day (which we still seem to be having, even though it is Kansas and supposedly spring here!). The video below features Osterband's lead singer, John Jones and Ray "Chopper" Cooper on Cello (yes, he's rocking a CELLO;) Im off to create...enjoy the music:-)