Sep 4, 2010

A combination of one of the best songbooks in Scots acoustic music, and a feast of music, song and dance from Russia.

Don’t miss this chance to see world renowned, thrilling and colourful Russian traditional music, song and dance from the world famous “Don Cossack Balalaika” from Rostov on Don, in concert with the Ideal Band, one of Scotland’s most exciting recent line-ups.

You can catch them in St Andrew’s In The Square, Glasgow or Eastwood Park Theatre, Giffnock.

You can see this event tomorrow night (Sunday 5th Sept) at St Andrew’s In The Square. Concert starts at 8pm. Tickets are available from www.ticketsoup.com

Celtic Music Radio will be along at the Eastwood Park Theatre on Saturday 11th September from 8pm.
Why not come and join us? Tickets are available from the Box office 0141 577 4970.

Sep 4, 2010

The Celtic Music Radio Album of the Week this week is The Seedboat (Bàta an t-Sìl) by Maggie MacInnes and Colum Sands.

“The Seedboat sails from Barra shore, young Donald’s gone to Newry. And though he swears a swift return, til then she’ll miss him dearly.”

Lines taken from a beautiful bitter-sweet Scottish Gaelic love song. This song has inspired these two musicians, both extremely highly regarded exponents of their respective traditions, to recall an historic voyage between their homelands with a bi-lingual treasure trove of song and story, old and new, in celebration of the musical bridges between Ireland and Scotland.

“The Seedboat is a totally captivating experience of tunes, songs, stories and rememberings crafted together seamlessly by two master musicians, singer/songwriter and traveller Colum Sands and Gaelic singer and harpist Maggie MacInnes.

Maggie and Colum are superb performers individually: together they achieve a sweet harmony that transports you gently and effortlessly to another time and place.With such capable hands on the tiller, The Seedboat is a journey for the soul.” Jan Nary

We at Celtic Music Radio can’t argue with that quote!

Click here to purchase a copy of this excellent album for yourself!

Aug 30, 2010

The fourth Glasgow Americana Festival line-up will feature over fifteen acts at five different venues over five days, starting on October 6.

Grammy-nominated Tift Merritt, Eilen Jewel, Gurf Morlix, Girlyman, Kevin Welch and Frazey Ford from The Be Good Tanyas are among those heading to the city for the highly popular festival that has become a firm favourite on Scotland’s music festival map.

Tift Merritt has a growing fan base that admires the intimate story telling in her songs and her June 1 release “See You On The Moon” was included Paste magazine’s 25 most eagerly anticipated albums of the summer.

Eilen Jewell, who is a rising star in a new generation of roots musicians, made her Scottish debut in Glasgow last October and sparked off glowing reviews. She has a folk base but is equally at home with the blues, rockabilly and even garage rock.

Gurf Morlix, the Americana Music Association’s Instrumentalist of the Year for 2009, is a top-drawer songwriter and solo artiste while the likes of Lucinda Williams, Ray Wylie Hubbard and Mary Gauthier have all benefited from his expertise as producer.

Girlyman, who have never toured in the UK before, clocked up a biggest selling album accolade on CD Baby recently with current release “Everything’s Easy.” The Independent Music Award winners have enlisted JJ Jones, formerly drummer with Po’Girl, who played the festival last year, for their visit.

Frazey Ford, well known as one third of Canadian all-girl band, The Be Good Tanyas is a welcome addition to the line-up. She has a solo album “Obadiah” due for release next month.

Log cabin dweller from Texas, Kevin Welch, whose latest CD is “A Patch Of Blue Sky,” is highly rated, pipped only by the likes of Steve Earle, Robert Plant/Alison Krauss to top music awards in recent years.

“I am pleased these first-class, well-respected and hugely admired artistes have agreed to come to Glasgow for the 4th Americana Festival,” said Kevin Morris, promoter of The Fallen Angels Club.

“They join a roll call of great names who have graced the Festival since we started, like Mary Gauthier, The Wailin’ Jennys, Robbie Fulks, The Handsome Family and many more.

“We are staging the Festival in October for the first time, it is running over five days for the first time, we have more acts than ever before and we’ve attracted a class line-up that will satisfy the tastes of all roots music fans.

“Previous festivals have generated positive responses and I’m sure this will be the same. The Festival will be a musical boost before we head into the dark days of winter. Hopefully with continued support from the Scottish Arts Council and Glasgow City Council Glasgow Americana will grow year on year.”

Tickets for all shows available from Tickets Scotland 239 Argyle Street Glasgow 0141 204 5151 www.tickets-scotland.com

More details at the Glasgow Americana Website.

Aug 28, 2010

The Scottish International Piano Competition (SIPC) 2010 Recitals and other concerts and features will be broadcast around the Glasgow area on 106.6 FM and Online through an arrangement with Celtic Music Radio from Wednesday 8 September.

At certain times, Celtic Music Radio regular programming will be broadcast on 106.6 FM as a sustaining programme service.

Celtic Music Radio acknowledges the support of the Scottish International Piano Competition and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama to facilitate the broadcasts on 106.6 FM and Online.  Presentation and commentary is provided by Mark Sheridan and guests.

 The SIPC competition is well established as one of the leading events in the international piano competition calendar.  For 12 days from Wednesday 8 September 2010, the city of Glasgow will play host to some of the world’s most gifted young pianists. These aspiring soloists will come from around the world to compete for prizes totalling over £60,000 and the recognition that will set them further along the road to a successful international career.

For news and information, go to the Scottish International Piano Competition Website.

Broadcast programme schedule on 106.6 FM and Online. Subject to change. *approximate time.

Wednesday 8 September

08:00 as Celtic Music Radio

10:00 SIPC 2010 preview and archive Recitals from 2007

12:00 as Celtic Music Radio

18:00 SIPC 2010 Opening Reception at the City Chambers, Glasgow – preview and music

19:00 SIPC 2007 archive recitals and performances

23:00 as Celtic Music Radio

 Thursday 9 September

00:00 as Celtic Music Radio

10:00 SIPC 2007 archive recitals and performances

16:00 SIPC 2010 information and preview of the Open Recital

17:00 as Celtic Music Radio

19:00 Live with Mark Sheridan and guests – Opening Recital, Tom Poster, winner SIPC 2007, Concert Hall, RSAMD Glasgow, 7.30pm

22:00* as Celtic Music Radio

Friday 10 September

00:00 as Celtic Music Radio

10:00 Live with Mark Sheridan and guests – Stage 1 Recitals, Concert Hall, RSAMD.

21:00* Stage 1 Recitals (Rpt)

 Saturday 11 September

00:00 as Celtic Music Radio

10:00 Live with Mark Sheridan and guests – Stage 1 Recitals, Concert Hall, RSAMD.

21:00* Stage 1 Recitals (Rpt)

Sunday 12 September

00:00 as Celtic Music Radio

12:00 Live from the RSAMD – news and information, previews of the Masterclass – Idil Biret, at 1.45pm and Masterclass with Susan Tomes, RSAMD at 6.45pm

13:00 Stage 1 Recitals (Rpt)

15:00 SIPC 2007 archive

18:00 Stage 1 Recitals (Rpt)

22:00 as Celtic Music Radio

 Monday 13 September

00:00 as Celtic Music Radio

10:00 Live with Mark Sheridan and guests – Stage 2 Recitals, Concert Hall, RSAMD.

21:00* Stage 2 Recitals (Rpt)

 Tuesday 14 September

00:00 as Celtic Music Radio

10:00 Archive SIPC 2007

12:00 as Celtic Music Radio

16:00 Lecture “Performance as Polemic”, RSAMD, 5pm

19:00 as Celtic Music Radio

Wednesday 15 September

00:00 as Celtic Music Radio

10:00 SIPC 2010 selections

12:00 as Celtic Music Radio

16:00 SIPC 2010 selections

18:00 Live from the RSAMD Concert Hall – Final Part 1, Chamber Performances with the Brodsky Quartet

22:00 as Celtic Music Radio

Thursday 16 September

00:00 as Celtic Music Radio

10:00 Performance Workshop from the RSAMD, news, comment and information.

12:00 as Celtic Music Radio

Friday 17 September

00:00 as Celtic Music Radio

10:00 Carbeth Guthrie Day with previews and news.

12:00 as Celtic Music Radio

19:00 Celebrity recital (Schuman and Chopin) by Viktoria Postnikova, 7.30pm

21:00* SIPC 2010 selections

 *approximate time

 Saturday 18 September

00:00 as Celtic Music Radio

10:00 SIPC review and comment

12:00 as Celtic Music Radio

18:00 SIPC 2010 selections

19:00 Celebrity recital (Chopin) by Idil Biret, Concert Hall, RSAMD, 7.30pm

22:00* SIPC 2010 selections

Sunday 19 September

00:00 as Celtic Music Radio

12:00 SIPC 2010 selections and review of SIPC 2010

15:00 Preview of Final Part 2 – Concerto Performances with BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, City Halls, Glasgow, 4pm

16:00 as Celtic Music Radio

22:00 Closedown of service on 106.6 FM

Aug 28, 2010

This week, Ross Macfadyen talks to George Millar of Canadian/Irish band The Irish Rovers about their new CD album Gracehill Fair. (Saturday 12 noon; 12 midnight; Monday 18:00)

George Millar and his friend Jimmy Ferguson started out singing together as The Irish Rovers performing mostly Irish folk songs in Toronto. They traveled to Calgary where they met up with George’s older brother Will Millar who was singing children’s songs in the International House of Pancakes in Calgary. Will asked if he could join them and the core of the group was established. Will introduced the boys to Les Weinstein, who helped arrange for them to appear on television, and would later manage the group throughout the group’s career. They then invited George’s cousin Joe to join the group. Later, the boys became part of a popular folk club of the time called the Depression, a club that also kick-started the career of Joni Mitchell.

The Irish Rovers traveled to California in the USA, which at the time was the focus of many folk singers.  On the journey there their car broke down in Northern California, which is when they met some Irish pub owners and an agent who helped them secure a gig at the popular Purple Onion in San Francisco. The group subsequently began performing in folk clubs all over California. Wilcil McDowell joined the band in 1966, around the time the group was signed by Decca Records when “The Unicorn” became a global success.

The group is best known for their recording of Shel Silverstein’s “The Unicorn” (1967) and Irish ditties “The Orange and the Green” / “Whiskey on a Sunday” (1968). They also hosted several variety television programmes in the 1970s on Canadian television – the Pig And Whistle from Vancouver being one. 

Although they recorded many albums after that, they weren’t as successful commercially as “The Unicorn” until 1980 when the band had a crossover hit with a cover of Tom Paxton’s “Wasn’t That a Party.” The success of this, which was performed in a country-rock style rather than the band’s familiar folk style, led to the band rebranding itself as The Rovers and changing styles for the remainder of the 1980s, scoring follow-up hits with songs such as “Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy,” “No More Bread and Butter,” and the Christmas hit “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer.” By the 1990s, however, the band was once again known as the Irish Rovers.

Will Millar left the group in 1995 but George and the remaining members of the band have continued to have a successful career, touring in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.  They have recently release their latest album (Varese Sarabande) celebrating 45 years in the music business.   They are currently filming live on location in Ireland.

Founding member Jimmy Ferguson died in 1997.

More information and to buy the album, go to The Irish Rovers website.

Listen to Ross Macfadyen talking to George Millar on Saturday at 12 noon; 12 midnight (00:00) and on Monday 30 August at 18:00.