Whoa - an entire month has flown by without any blog posts. Good excuses, though: day job hassles, preparing for some gigs with my band (rock, not folk) and - most of all - a nine-day visit to the Southern and Inner Hebrides + one day in Oban. Loved Islay, adored Iona, was blown away … Continue reading Finally checking out some fine music on my checklist
Category: Artists – K
Celtic Connections 2023: Dreamers’ Circus, with Frigg and the Kinnaris Quintet
It was essentially a Nordic - or Northern - night at the RCH main hall on Saturday night, Feb 4. With Denmark and Sweden represented in Dreamers’ Circus and Finland in the shape of Frigg, Scotland’s own Kinnaris Quintet fitted in nicely as another member of the Nordic family - premonition of times to come, … Continue reading Celtic Connections 2023: Dreamers’ Circus, with Frigg and the Kinnaris Quintet
Celtic Connections 2023: Duncan Chisholm, with Kim Carnie
The evening of Thursday, Feb 2, saw a magnificent concert in the Royal Concert Hall. I usually find big scale concerts predictable and a bit distant, even as they may be most enjoyable otherwise. This was not the case last night when the performers and their music filled the hall and reached out to everyone … Continue reading Celtic Connections 2023: Duncan Chisholm, with Kim Carnie
“Namer of Clouds”: a belated discovery
Somerset folk singer-songwriter Kitty Macfarlane’s debut album came out in 2018 and I saw her brilliant solo gig supporting RURA in Celtic Connections 2020 but only now did I listen to the album, Namer of Clouds. And hear me: it’s a stunning achievement, especially as it was her first solo outing. Great tunes, wonderful lyrics … Continue reading “Namer of Clouds”: a belated discovery
Listening diary for May 23-29, 2022
If anything here seems interesting, go to your streaming service and try it out. And if you really, really like it, go to the artist’s web site or Bandcamp or iTunes or Google Play or Amazon or wherever and buy it in your preferred format - musicians need food too 😉 The Halton Quartet: Based … Continue reading Listening diary for May 23-29, 2022
Album Review / Karine Polwart & Dave Milligan: Still As Your Sleeping
It's always a special moment when a new album by one of your big favorites comes out. When I was a teenager, it was the new Rush or Peter Gabriel or Iron Maiden for me; that was a long, so long ago (I do still love Rush and Gabriel, though) and these days, it's a … Continue reading Album Review / Karine Polwart & Dave Milligan: Still As Your Sleeping
Album Review / Karen Matheson: Still Time
Two years ago was the first time we finally got to be a part of Celtic Connections - only in the audience, of course, but still. It was a stupefying 10 days and one of the big moments came right after Blazin’ Fiddles had ended their blast of a gig. As we were leaving King’s … Continue reading Album Review / Karen Matheson: Still Time
Xmas Album Review / Kate Rusby: Holly Head
Kate Rusby must be THE Christmas fan in the entire British-Scottish-Irish folk scene. This is her third seasonal album, and she’s been busy with them, too: The Frost Is All Over came in 2015, Angels And Men in 2017 and now this. Looking forward to 2021 already 😉 Or perhaps she’s been doing a Christmas … Continue reading Xmas Album Review / Kate Rusby: Holly Head
Quick Take Album Review / Crawford, Farrell, Doocey: Music And Mischief
Just a quick a very and non-analytical note on an album. Music & Mischief by the excellent Irish musicians Kevin Crawford, Colin Farrell and Patrick Doocey is brim full of the most delightful and spirited trad I have heard in a while! There’s no attempt to upgrade or modernize the material in any notable way … Continue reading Quick Take Album Review / Crawford, Farrell, Doocey: Music And Mischief
Quick Take album reviews: An Irish double take
Quick takes on two very, very nice Irish albums, one quite recent and the other from 2018. Kyle Macaulay and Nicole Ní Dhubhshláine’s Barra Taoide is brim full of Irish trad and, I believe, some original stuff as well. His string instruments and her whistles and flutes are complemented by a very good band, with … Continue reading Quick Take album reviews: An Irish double take
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