Listen to our feature programme, with Patsy talking to Ross Macfadyen from 12 noon and 12 midnight on Saturday and from 6pm on Monday 6th February.

Patsy Matheson has come a long way since 1991, when, as a young singer/songwriter, she entered a song writing competition, and was chosen as the winner by none other than Maddy Prior and Clive Gregson .

Her first solo album, ‘With My Boots On’, 1996 featured just her voice and that instantly recognisable guitar and received much critical acclaim (Froots described ‘an angel voice’) Along the way, she supported such names as John Martyn , Glenn Tilbrook , Dick Gaughan , Nick Harper , Al Stewart , Roy Harper etc and toured the UK alongside Christy Moore as well as Gordon Giltrap. In 1997, she appearanced solo on the acoustic stage at the Glastonbury Festival.

In 2003, she took on the challenge of putting together a female vocal harmony group and Waking the Witch was formed. The band rapidly went from strength to strength, releasing three groundbreaking albums and a live DVD. They completed numerous tours of the UK, played at many of the major festivals, including Cambridge, Trowbridge and Glastonbury and made countless radio appearances, including live sessions on BBC Radio 2 for both Janice Long and Bob Harris . Patsy’s song ‘Rock n Roll’ was featured on Mike Harding’s Radio 2 Folk & Roots show.

Following the farewell tour of Waking the Witch in spring 2008, and armed with a bunch of brand new songs, Patsy set about recording a solo album, ‘Little Piece of England’ . Over the last 3 years, she has toured the length and breadth of the UK, ccompanied by legendary songwriter/guitar player, Clive Gregson and also can be heard singing on his latest album ‘Bittersweet’ (Spring 2011).

In May 2011, she contributed her version of Bob Dylan’s ‘One More Cup of Coffee’, as part of an album of Dylan songs which also features Martin Simpson , Chris & Kelly While , Christine Collister, Jez Lowe, Dave Burland etc, to raise funds for Oxfam. Froots described ‘a unique, almost spaced but addictive rendering – she gets right inside the song and turns it into a blues for sensitive souls with a vocal that’s half spoken and half seduction.’

Her new album, Stories of Angels & Guitars features her playing guitar and mandolin, with guest musicians Hugh Whittaker ( The Housemartins ) on drums and Jon Short (double bass). Along with Becky Mills, another ex member of Waking the Witch, she will be touring throughout the UK in February, March and April to support the release.

Buy a copy of Patsy Matheson’s Stories of Angels & Guitars from Amazon and support Celtic Music Radio.

Listen to our feature Album of the Week programme with Ciaran Dorris on Saturday 28th January from 12 noon and 12 midnight.

Tom says: “These two CDs have been almost four years in the making and there are lots of people to whom I owe a big debt of thanks for having helped, encouraged or inspired their creation and a significant amount of people participated in their production as well. I really am very proud of them and I would hope that you would all enjoy listening to them.”

“I attempt to write lyrical, melodic and intelligent songs and try to make the best use of my guitar skills to provide sensitive uncluttered arrangements. I often gig as a part of The Travelling Waverlies, who perform a mixture of poetry and song and who released their first cd Speaking In Tongues to really good reviews.

The Waverlies compromise four poets…Bob Shields, Billy Cornwall, Mike Dillon and myself although the group has grown to be more inclusive and performers such as Mark Barnett, Martin Boland, Nancy Somerville, Jane Fairnie and Kenny Vass have all contributed. We have toured the Netherlands and performed at various festivals including the Edinburgh Fringe.

I often collaborate with Bob and we are steadily building up a catalogue of songs. Our joint efforts feature on birthmarked, Speaking In Tongues, The Harbour At Symi, Companions, War On War, The Journeyman and As Eden Lay In Darkness.

My style cuts across folk, country and blues but I simply try to write the best songs that I can. On my last CD, The Journeyman, I was lucky to have the support and help of singers and players like Kathy Stewart, Arthur Wilson, Kenny Vass, Martin Boland, Ken Kennedy, Killian Playthell-Steele, Gill Reid, Pamela Halpin, Peter Kavanagh, Mark Barnett, Jane Fairnie and others.”

Tom also organises the Foakies, which  is an evening devoted to singer songwriters and poets performing their own original songs and writing. It takes place on the first Monday of every month (except August and January) in the downstairs lounge of The Royal Oak at 1 Infirmary Street in Edinburgh. Entry is just £5 entry.

“It has, at times, been absolutely magical and it has never been less than a great evening,” says Tom. “We’ve had a wealth of talent at Foakies and, after a couple of years out, we are back with the help of fellow songwriter, Simon Kempston.”

You can purchase Banishment & As Eden Lay in Darkness from Tom Fairnie by clicking this link.

Each CD is just £10, or buy both for £15!

Listen to our feature programme from 12 noon and 12 midnight on Saturday 21st January.

Kissin’ Is the Best of A’ – Bruce MacGregor, Christine Hanson & Friends: This lovely new album from Blazin’ fiddler Bruce with Christine Hanson on cello could be a follow up to his 101 Reasons To Do Nothing, albeit 10 years later, since Christine also featured on that album. Bruce writes in the sleevenotes that this CD is “a collection of tunes that we enjoy playing” . Included are the ancient air ”Gin Ye Kiss My Wife I’ll Tell the Minister’, The rather lovely ‘Sunday River Waltz’ and of course ‘Kissin’ Is the Best of A” from the mighty Athol Collection of 1884. Joining Bruce and Christine are Tim Edey on guitar and box, and Brian McAlpine on piano.

Taught the fiddle by the wonderful Highlander, Donald Riddell CBE, Bruce MacGregor never anticipated playing music for a living. As a graduate in Byzantine and Medieval Italian History at Edinburgh University, he discovered that conversations in bars never moved towards this topic and so decided to chance his hand on a Business post grad. at Napier University. It was here that he discovered he hated accounts and computers, and so that was two career paths crossed off the possible list. A return to his hometown of Inverness led to him to try and sell cars at his father’s garage. He quickly discovered he was pretty hopeless at this and he didn’t really like cars – he either drives a red one or a blue. So, he took his fiddle and went busking on the High Street with a pal instead.

A freak accident whilst being an extra in “Chasing the Deer”, one of the worst films ever made, resulted in him becoming a Researcher at the BBC in Inverness (it’s a long story…) A few years working there and moving on to being a Producer led to him making documentaries on famous Scottish fiddlers, which some folk obviously liked as they won two awards at the Celtic Media Festival. He made many feature programmes for BBC Scotland, including programmes on historical figures and landmark events.

However, the seven year itch had set in and he decided to set up Blazin’ Fiddles as a showcase band for a one-off tour. Fourteen years on and the band is still touring to packed houses throughout the country, having played at the Albert Hall, Buckingham Palace, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and hundreds of village halls in between.

Music has taken Christine Hanson from touring Canada’s High Arctic with a tango trio to playing traditional music in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.

While classically trained, Christine in her many roles – cellist, composer and sound designer – is eclectic in her musical explorations. Her experiences include compositional commissions, arranging, studio work, theatre work, and performing as an ensemble musician with a variety of groups that play classical, folk, pop-jazz, and experimental music. She is also an experienced instructor, teaching professional master classes in workshop settings on both sides of the Atlantic.

Christine also appears with the Amati trio in Canada.

Click here to buy a copy of Kissin Is The Best Of A’ from Amazon and support Celtic Music Radio

The Saw Doctors formed in 1986 in Tuam, County Galway have achieved 18 Top 30 singles in Ireland, including three number ones.

Their first number one, “I Useta Lover” topped the Irish charts for nine consecutive weeks in 1990 and still holds the record for the country’s all-time biggest-selling single.

Renowned for their live performances, the band has a cult following, especially in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. On 15 February 2008, they received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Meteor Ireland Music Awards.
They describe themselves as a band who were ‘Born into a repressed, catholic, conservative, small-town, agrarian, angst-ridden and showband infested society we’re trying to preserve the positive elements of our background and marry them to the sounds which have culturally invaded our milieu through TV, radio, 45′s, fast food restaurants, 24 hour petrol stations and electric blankets!’

They were recently on tour in Scotland and lead singer Davy Carton dropped in to studio 2 a few hours before going on stage at the Glasgow Barrowlands for a chat with our own Edmund.

Album of the Week with Edmund McKay, Saturday 14 January at 12 noon and 12 midnight and Monday 16 January at 6.00pm. 

Click here to buy a copy of The Further Adventures of The Saw Doctors from Amazon

Bill Morris talks to Alasdair Roberts about his new CD and his music on our Album of the Week programme on Saturday 7 January 2012 at 12 noon with a repeat at 12 midnight and on Monday9 January at 6.00pm.

Alasdair Roberts has been based in Glasgow for the past ten years. His first releases consisted of home-made four-track recordings of his songs under the name Appendix Out.

The new CD ‘Too Long In This Condition’ features 10 ballads and one tune which have been in Alasdair’s live repertoire for the past three or four years and wich he has been keen to record for some time.

Alasdair has a few appearances in Glasgow during the Celtic Connections 2012 festival period in Glasgow in January 2012, some connected with the festival and some not.

On 25 January Burns Night, he’ll be appearing with Naomi Bedford at the Mitchell Theatre Glasgow.  Naomi’s recent album Tales from the Weeping Willow recorded by Gerry Diver in London, features some vocal and guitar contributions from Alasdair and a host of other collaborators. Later that evening he’ll be appearing at The Old Hairdresser for a ‘Byrne’s’ Supper which will celebrate the life and work of Talking Heads’ David Byrne as well as of the fellow who must be Scotland’s most celebrated poet, Robert Burns.

On 27 January he’ll be joining RM Hubbert for the launch of his new album Thirteen Lost and Found, recorded by Alex Kapranos in the Scottish Borders. The album features many collaborators including Alasdair on a vocal its closing track.

Then on 28 January, Alasdair will be joined by Shane Connolly, Rafe Fitzpatrick and Ben Reynolds to play at a tribute concert to Alistair Hulett at St Andrew’s in the Square, Glasgow.

Album of the Week, Saturday 12 noon and 12 midnight and Monday at 6.00pm

Listen to our feature programme presented by Ross Macfadyen with interviews from the band on Saturday 17 December from 12 noon and 12 midnight and on Monday 19 December from 6.00pm.

Eclipse is Matt Wilkie and his twin sisters Nell Malyszka and Trish Keil.

They were born and raised in Edinburgh where the trio performed throughout Scotland. In 1975 they moved to the United States of America where they performed acoustic music along the east coast.

In 1986 Andy Lafreniere joined the band bringing his experience as an acoustic and electric guitarist as well as his skills as a composer and arranger. The group then evolved into a seven piece band playing a variety of popular music of the 1970s and 1980s.

With this new Christmas recording they are now going back to their roots by performing original acoustic and traditional music. All members of Eclipse now make Connecticut their home. Andy and Nell are co-directors of the Suzuki Talent Educational School of Sandy Hook, Connecticut where they teach early music programmes as well as lessons in piano and classical guitar.

Trish also teaches in the early music programme.  Matt runs a successful contracting business called Scotia Contracts at Southbury, Connecticut, USA.

Download a copy of It’s Christmas Now! from Amazon and support Celtic Music Radio!

Album of the Week, Saturdays at 12 noon and 12 midnight and Monday at 6.00pm and also on Catch Up anytime.

Eclipse performing live on Saturday Night (left) at the Newton Meeting House for Kevin’s Community Center, Free Medical Clinic.

This week’s Album of the Week is Celtic Christmas, a compilation CD from Putumayo World Music.

Listen to our feature programme on Saturday 10th December from 12 noon and 12 midnight and on Monday 12th December from 6pm.

Listen into Celtic Music Radio each day Monday to Friday for your chance to win one of five copies of Celtic Christmas – one each day!

Putumayo announces the release of Celtic Christmas, an enchanting collection of Celtic music from Ireland, Scotland, England, Canada and United States. Celtic Christmas follows previous successful Putumayo Christmas releases such as A Jazz & Blues Christmas, New Orleans Christmas and Christmas Around the World, which combined have sold over 1 million copies.

Celtic Christmas offers Celtic interpretations of Christmas classics along with an original recording.

The collection begins with the joyful singing of The Albion Christmas Band on “Here We Come A-Wassalling,” and moves into Charles T. Cozen’s instrumental version of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.’”

The Gothard Sisters update the classic “Little Drummer Girl” with fiddle and guitar, while DruidStones’ rendition of the French carol “Noel Nouvelet” features harp and harmonious vocals.

David Huntsinger adds an original Celtic twist on the classic “Angels We Have Heard On High” while Charles T. Cozens returns with a flute-driven take on “Good King Wenceslas.”

Next comes Lasairfhíona Ní Chonaola’s original Irish Gaelic recording of “Nollaig Bhan, (White Christmas).” Steve Schuch & The Night Heron reinterpret the seasonal classic “Joy To The World” with playful sounds from the mandolin, while Áine Minogue incorporates the harp and mandolin on “Jezebel Carol.”

David Arkenstone’s “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” features flute and strings, and Dougie MacLean closes out the collection with a soulful Scottish rendition of “Auld Lang Syne.”

Buy a copy of Celtic Christmas from Amazon, and support Celtic Music Radio

Kristan Harvey: Kristan started learning fiddle at the age of 9 in Orkney’s Traditional Music project. Having graduated from the RSAMD with an honours degree in B Mus Violin in 2011, she is currently enjoying performing as a solo fiddler as well as part of upcoming folk band The Sanna. In September, Kristan made her television debut, performing as a soloist alongside the Scottish Symphony Orchestra at Proms in the Park. She takes the title of BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2011.

Daniel Thorpe: Dan, from Inverurie, won the 2010 Award. He has been brought up with traditional music and was involved with many groups including the Garioch Fiddlers. He studied traditional music in Plockton before graduating with honours from the RSAMD. He has recently been playing throughout Europe & the USA with folk band Malinky as well as releasing his debut album “The Curiosity Shop” in January 2011.

Lorne MacDougall: Lorne is a product of the renowned Argyllshire piping scene and is adept on Highland Pipes, Smallpipes, Border Pipes and Whistle. He has made frequent radio appearances including live sessions on Travelling Folk and Pipeline and released his first solo album, “Hello World” in 2010. His pipe band career has led him to the very top of Grade 1 playing with the cream of Scottish pipe bands, the Scottish Power Pipe Band.

Tina Rees: From Glasgow, Tina has always been surrounded by traditional music. She has played the piano and danced from a young age. She attended Limerick University in 2006 to study a BA degree and transferred to the RSAMD in 2008. It was there that she became engrossed in traditional piano playing. Among her many performances, Tina has played at Celtic Connections with The Chieftains.

Mairi Chaimbeul: Mairi, from Skye, has been performing and competing from a young age and is currently at St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh where her tutors have included Catriona McKay. She was a finalist in the 2010 & 2011 BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award and the 2010 BBC Scotland Young Jazz Musician Award. She has performed all over the UK & Europe, and was a member of Danny Kyle Award-winning band, Kilairum.

Andrew Waite: Andrew, from the Scottish Borders, learnt accordion from Iain Lowthian. He then performed with the Small Hall Band which gave him a platform to perform with other musicians. In 2007, he joined The Sage Gateshead “Folkestra” which allowed him the opportunity to perform some of his own compositions in their sets. In 2008, Andrew took part in the first ever folk day at The Proms. He plays in the band Tyde, finalists of the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards.

Alistair Ogilvy: Alistair comes from Strathblane and has been singing ever since he can remember and has been influenced by his surroundings, family and artists from the folk reveival. Alistair is booked for many prestigious events, festivals and radio shows, solo and with a band: Moniaive Folk Festival; Auchtermuchty and BBC Radio Scotland‘s Take The Floor, to name a few. Alistair is the “TMSA Young Singer of Merit 2011” and is currently signed to record label ‘Greentrax’ collaborating with Mattie Foulds, Steven Polwart and Aly Macrae

CD available on www.tmsa.org.uk

CD Album of the Week presented by Liz Clark, Saturday 3 December 12 noon and 12 midnight and Monday 5 December at 6.00pm.

Listen to the band chat with Ross fron 12 noon and midnight on Saturday and 6pm on Monday.

There has been a lot of malarkey building in Scappoose, Oregon over the last 20 years and now the Sons of Malarkey are bringing it to the rest of the world.

Coming from a city named Scappoose you have to have a sense of humor and the Sons of Malarkey’s humor is created by the strong friendships between its members. The first spark of what would later become the Sons began with a trip Jason took to Ireland in 2004. His interest in Celtic music became an obsession after a second trip in 2007.

While performing in a duo, Jason started incorporating traditional Irish and Scottish music into their shows which caught the ear of their friends, Josh and Jereb. The three of them decided to form what became the Sons of Malarkey.

The group’s shared sense of humor and location helped determine the name of the band. “We wanted to go by the Malarkeys but it was already taken. Someone threw out the Sons of Malarkey and we felt it had a good Irish feel plus it’s a bit silly and that’s what we were looking for.” Jason continued, “Plus, there’s a Malarkey Lake and Malarkey Ranch out here in Scappoose.”

As the newly formed band began to find their sound, their influences from groups such as the Dubliners, the Pogues, Christie Moore, the Waterboys, the Young Dubliners, and Gaelic Storm created a desire for a fuller sound.

“We wanted to start playing pubs and rocking out a bit more so we contacted our old friend Dave”, who Jason has known for 20 years. Dave brought his passion for music to the Sons and blended in his Americana feel.

The Sons began fine-tuning their strong harmonies and incorporating detail dynamics within classic, fun pub songs while introducing audiences to more obscure songs. “A lot of these folk songs deal with tragedies or a longing for times past which are very universal feelings. We also look for more emotional lyrics like in Galway Bay (Francis Fahy version) or Ordinary Man.”

The Son’s first big break came when they were invited to perform at Sixty Seven Music’s Anniversary Party in Portland. This resulted in an ongoing friendship with Sixty Seven Music (67music.net) who has graciously continued to promote the Sons of Malarkey.

Jason’s brother Nathan, who had been playing accordion, had to leave the band and the Sons started looking for that “final piece to the puzzle.” Josh introduced them to one of his friends, a 20 year old classically trained fiddler named Tatijanna. “She had never played Celtic music before but was a fast learner.” Two months after joining the band, she was on-stage with the Sons at the 2010 Galway Bay Celtic Music Festival as they performed in front of hundreds of fans throughout the weekend.

“I had never played in front of so many people,” Jason remembers. “It was so awesome to hear so many other bands versions of Irish music. I remember being a little nervous before the “Battle of the Battles” because the other band, Maggie’s Fury, had been playing together for nine years whereas we were very new on the scene.”  However, the Sons of Malarkey had nothing to worry about as the audience loved their music. “That’s when I knew we were heading in the right direction.”

With so many Celtic bands out there, what is it about the Sons of Malarkey that audiences latch onto?  Most noticeably is the interaction between the band members. “We didn’t want to place an ad on Craigslist for members or just find someone by word of mouth. One of the most important things about our group is that we’re friends first and a band second.” That friendship translates into their fun, upbeat shows where their rocked-up versions of traditional Celtic folk songs are blended with other World music genres and incorporate a variety of instruments such as guitar, banjo, mandolin, tin whistles, harmonica, steel guitar, bass, drums, fiddle and accordion. “We have all played in various styles of rock, grunge, synth, pop, and electronic. We want to play the music we love with the people we love. For a few hours each night, we want the audience to feel the happiness we do while we’re playing.”

Listen to Eilidh talk about the album with Ross Macfadyen from 12 noon and 12 midnight on Saturday and 6pm on Monday 21 November.

Eilidh (pronounced I-Lee)Patterson is a Scots-Gaelic name meaning ‘ray of sunshine’.  This Derry girl has been delighting audiences across the UK and the States for the last few years with her beautiful, captivating songs – truly a ray of sunshine to the soul.

Derry has often been called the Music City of Ireland and for Eilidh  there was no escape from music, particularly within her own family.  Her first experience of singing in public was as a member of her family gospel music trio aptly called ‘The Patterson Family’.  Here, she explored her love of harmony singing and became accustomed to performing on stage.  When the family group disbanded in 2000, Eilidh started experimenting with songwriting and shortly afterwards joined The Foyle Folk Club, where her newly composed songs were received with great appreciation.

It wasn’t long before Eilidh was being offered opportunities to perform further afield and in March 2008 she was invited to sing in Nashville TN and at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas to help promote the Sister City link between Belfast and Nashville.  Two months later she was invited back to the USA, this time to Seattle WA, where she was the only non-American artist in attendance at an exclusive songwriting retreat in the North Cascade mountains.

Eilidh is now a regular visitor to Nashville (a.k.a. Music City, USA) where she co-writes, performs and meets with music industry professionals.  On her most recent trip, she was asked by her friend and mentor Beth Nielsen Chapman to record harmonies on Chapman’s new album and since then has performed with Beth at the Cambridge Folk Festival (2009); Celtic Connections  festival in Glasgow (2010) and for the duration of her autumn 2010 UK and Holland tour.

Eilidh’s debut album, When The Time Comes is a previous Album of the Week on Celtic Music Radio.

Eilidh is back with her second album This Is Now, released exactly two years since her debut.  This Derry girl has been delighting audiences across the UK and the States in recent years with her beautiful and captivating songs.

Recorded in Nashville TN with a stellar cast of guest musicians, This Is Now explores the genres of folk, bluegrass and pop, whilst maintaining throughout the pure, clear vocal which has become Eilidh’s trademark sound.

Eilidh writes about life and love; and as life is moving on for her, so is her music:  “It feels like a natural progression for me to branch out with a little bit more confidence into the genres which have been such a strong influence on my writing and music.  With my debut release, I felt I was tip-toeing at the edge, but now I’m swimming and loving it.”

12 songs recorded over 12 days and produced by multi-instrumentalist Lee Holland, Eilidh’s new material is further enhanced by some of Nashville’s finest players gracing the tracks.  Ron Block (Alison Krauss and Union Station) makes a subtle contribution on banjo to the earthy ‘Chances Are’ whilst Jeff Taylor (Elvis Costello, Vince Gill) lends his graceful touch to several tracks on accordion, whistles and pump organ.  Guest vocalists include singer/songwriter Julie Lee and the legendary Tim O’Brien, whose distinctive old-time fiddle playing can be heard on the plaintive ‘You’ll Soon Be Home’.

Solid arrangements and the simple yet stylish production approach throughout, blend seamlessly with Eilidh’s songs and performance, creating an overall product which exudes both a quiet confidence and raw honesty.

“Eilidh Patterson’s voice is velvet and air. The richness of her sound and her songs is something beautiful to behold and she is definitely an artist to watch!” – Beth Nielsen Chapman

Listen to Eilidh talk about the album with Ross Macfadyen from 12 noon and 12 midnight on Saturday and 6.00pm on Monday 21 November.