Back in Glasgow after three years! Celtic Connections 2020 happened just before covid shook the world - little did we know then that we would not return here until 2023… Me and my wife launched our CC23 with quite a bang. This was our third Talisk show and by far the most epic. Musically I … Continue reading Celtic Connections 2023: Talisk & Project Smok
Tag: neofolk
Elizabeth Davidson-Blythe & Daniel Quayle: The Coast Road
I had never heard of Elizabeth Davidson-Blythe before and no wonder: she is a young American fiddler whose first album, The Coast Road, a collaboration with guitarist Daniel Quayle, was only recently released. But I will be very much surprised if I will not hear of her much more in the future, since The Coast … Continue reading Elizabeth Davidson-Blythe & Daniel Quayle: The Coast Road
“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
Some jaw-droppin’ musicians! Have mercy…
By pure chance I happened to listen to some dazzling albums over the past week - dazzling in terms of musicianship, that is. If you play an instrument and need some inspiration to fire up your own practising, check these out… The amazing debut album An Den Day Made Tae (2020) by the Shetland brothers … Continue reading Some jaw-droppin’ musicians! Have mercy…
Beinn Lee: Deò
The band full of still quite young Hebridean talent released their second album a year ago already but for reasons I cannot explain, I only listened to it now. This is weird because Osgarra, the debut album from 2018, was so ready and together for a young band’s opening salvo and I really liked it … Continue reading Beinn Lee: Deò
Niamh Dunne: Tides
The name Niamh Dunne did not ring any bells with me before I discovered her new album Tides - but I will definitely remember her name from now on. And, as it turned out, I had heard her playing before, as I learned that she is a long-standing member of the Irish band Beoga, which … Continue reading Niamh Dunne: Tides
The Magpies: Undertow
So… Today is October 24 in the strange and scary year of 2022 and I have decided to begin writing this blog using a dictation app, a speech to text app, which probably makes it a lot more fun and easy for me to say something about the music that I listen to. The album … Continue reading The Magpies: Undertow
Pipes galore! Ross Ainslie & Brigdhe Chaimbeul, Fraser Fifield
There is no piper culture here in Finland. Some of our Middle Age stone churches have wall paintings that do feature pipers - I have seen them myself - but the instrument seems to have pretty much left our country during the 16th and 17th centuries. The reason is not known to me and it … Continue reading Pipes galore! Ross Ainslie & Brigdhe Chaimbeul, Fraser Fifield
Listening Diary for May 30 – June 5, 2022: Liam O’Flynn, M G Boulter, Boxing Banjo, Faun
Not too many albums this time, been busy doing other things, but at least this much… The late master piper Liam O’Flynn’s 🇮🇪 two albums, The Green Note (1995) and The Piper’s Call (1998) were a great pleasure. Wonderful playing, excellent tunes, and the way he integrated electric instruments into the fabric reminds me of … Continue reading Listening Diary for May 30 – June 5, 2022: Liam O’Flynn, M G Boulter, Boxing Banjo, Faun
Kinnaris Quintet: This Too
After Free One (2018), we now have This Too, the much awaited new album from the dazzling all-female Scottish ensemble. Can’t wait to find out what their third album will be called! And waiting will probably be worth it because this new release is, in my opinion, even better than the debut that was so … Continue reading Kinnaris Quintet: This Too
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