Notes from Celtic Connections 2020, part 5

Fri 31 The final Friday of CC2020 was also the Brexit day for UK - and Scotland but no sign of anything out of the ordinary was to be seen as we trod across the Glasgow city centre to St Luke’s for another Finnish-Scottish night. An oh lordy what a show our countrywomen and men … Continue reading Notes from Celtic Connections 2020, part 5

Notes from Celtic Connections 2020, part 4

Tue 28 Our only concert of the day was the 35th anniversary celebration of Cherish The Ladies. The for all purposes sold out Royal Concert Hall was eager to welcome the core ensemble and their numerous guests. And the people certainly got their money's worth as the event stretched to over three hours, including a … Continue reading Notes from Celtic Connections 2020, part 4

Notes from Celtic Connections 2020, part 3

Sat 25 An evening at City Halls, and a very busy one - musically speaking. Both artists on stage displayed a staggering level of virtuosity - the notes per second index was at times through the roof - but never at the expense of the tune. Always about music, never only about showing off. New … Continue reading Notes from Celtic Connections 2020, part 3

Notes from Celtic Connections 2020, part 2

Tue 21 The Big Fling aka Scottish Dance Band Extravaganza: hugely entertaining evening, expertly hosted by Gary Innes himself. At some points felt like in a time machine with the music evoking mental images of dance halls and cèilidhs long gone. Tom Orr's Mega Cèilidh Dance Band, put together for this event and with a … Continue reading Notes from Celtic Connections 2020, part 2

Notes from Celtic Connections 2020, part 1

Jan 18-19 Our second CC adventure began on Sat 18th, two days after the launch of this year's festival. Having left Finland on a morning flight on Fri 17, we arrived in Glasgow on Friday afternoon but had no gigs to go to that day, as we had realized too late Duncan Chisholm was giving … Continue reading Notes from Celtic Connections 2020, part 1

A look back to last summer…

It has been quite a few weeks since I last wrote anything in this blog. The usual end of the year things at work, Christmas planning, Christmas rest and so on.... No time really to listen to new music; The Outside Track’s and Còig’s great new Christmas albums notwithstanding, of course. And, surprise surprise, I … Continue reading A look back to last summer…

Music Musings: Our nine days in Celtic Connections 2019

This year, me and my wife didn't just dream about it or talk about it. Already in the spring of 2018, we decided we have to go to the next Celtic Connections in Glasgow, whatever it takes. So we saved some money and moved some vacations days to 2019 and made a plan to spend … Continue reading Music Musings: Our nine days in Celtic Connections 2019