vote in Ireland's Music Awards

This is the inaugural year for Ireland's Music Awards, an event which will take place in Castlebar, County Mayo, on 1 August, accompanied by a concert with Sharon Shannon and the High Kings among the performers.

You can vote for your favorties in a number of categories

here.

Many of the musicians you've met -- and a few you'll meet soon -- here along the music road are in the ballots. Heidi Talbot, Mary Black, Altan, John McCusker, Michael McGoldrick. Le Vent du Nord, Sean Keane, Alison Brown, and Eddi Reader are just a few of those -- so I'm not telling you who to vote for, though I do encourage you to search for information about the nominees here at Music Road.

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Music Road: ten songs

Music Road: fourth of july and music, 2009

Eddi Reader, Emily Smith, Robert Burns

Come along the music road for trip to Scotland for a bit of a live show that's a study in songwriting and harmony singing as well. Eddi Reader sings Leezie Lindsay, a song she and Boo Hewerdine made from a fragment of a Robert Burns song. Emily Smith joins on harmony, and you may see a few familiar faces in the backing band too. From a celebration of the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns' birth, January 2009 at the Royal Glasgow Concert Hall during Celtic Connections.




you may also want to see
Eddi Reader sings more of the songs of Robert Burns

Emily Smith:Too Long Away

Music Road: words, music, and poetry

also, stay tuned here along the music road for news of other music events in Glasgow, and more from Celtic Connections

Saturday Sessions: Adrienne Young on focus

With her second disc, The Art of Virtue,
singer and songwriter Adrienne Young included a copy of Ben Franklin’s small booklet with short explanations of the thirteen virtues he thought to practice daily. She wrote a song about them as well, a lively piece that celebrates the positive gifts of doing good. That is typical of Young.: Though she believes deeply in the power of community and the necessity of co operation and the causes of social justice, she celebrates these things rather than preaching about them. She writes original songs and chooses traditional ones that point out and reinforce this path. Sometimes the songs she writes and chooses to cover are funny, some times thought provoking, sometimes just fun. “Just remember when you get too overwhelmed, just take it bit by bit and say what did I do today, or what could I do, to make things better, and what have I learned? That was the whole point of the booklet, and the theme of the record,” Young explains. Counting a whole range of musicians from Duke Ellington to Barbra Streisand to the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Willie Nelson as influences, as well as writers from Emerson to Norman Vincent Peale to Wendell Berry, Young draws on a cornucopia of ideas to shape her work. “For me, it’s always been a very spiritual endeavor,” Adrienne Young said. “Hopefully a communication of feeling and a connection with people.”

you may also want to see

Music Road: Saturday Sessions: Del Suggs on teaching

Music Road: reflections with Adrienne Young

Music Road: Alison Krauss: Live from the Tracking Room: A Hundred Miles or More

Alison Brown: The Company You Keep

The Company You Keep

The thing about listening to Alison Brown play is that she paints whole landscapes and holds whole conversations without saying a word. Brown plays banjo, and sometimes guitar. Her preferred company to keep while doing that include bassist Garry West, piano player John R. Burr, and fiddler/mandolinist/crazy man Joe Craven. There’s also usually a percussionist along, in this case bluegrass drummer Larry Atamanuik and drummer of all trades Kenny Malone. Top Irish guitarist and producer John Doyle joins in as well.

It’s Brown’s playing and imagination which center this good company, however,
leading them through music that brings in sounds of bluegrass, folk, jazz, swing, and Celtic music, without ever losing focus -- creating focus rather, with a music that moves like a fresh breeze from the composer’s imagination to yours.

There are ten tracks on this album, one written by Burr, one written by ace Irish box player Mairtin O’Connor, one a folk tune, and seven composed by Brown with input from West, Doyle, and Burr on various cuts. The titles of the tracks themselves suggest an interesting story, all the way from Crazy Ivan to Rocket Summer, The Road West, Drawing Down the Moon, and Under the (Five) Wire through Rain or Shine, Over Nine Waves, Forky on the Water, The Clean Plate Club, and Waltz for Mr. B Brown regards composing music as both an individual and a collaborative act, starting with the composer's idea and shaped by the ideas of those who play the music. That process is in full and lively force here. That’s something you can see clearly if you get the limited edition ‘Two Makes Company’ version, which includes a dvd of a concert the group played at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Watching or listening , it’s fine and original music played with grace and creativity, well worth repeated visits.

For a taste of what the album and the dvd are like, here’s some video:




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Music Road: Alison Brown Quartet: Evergreen

Music Road: Liz Carroll & John Doyle: Double Play

Music Road: now playing: Athena Tergis: Letter Home

creative practice: the music of what happens

There is an old folk tale from the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology, in which the Fianna-Finn are talking of music. "What is the finest music in the world?" asked Fionn of his son, Oisin. "The cuckoo calling from the tree that is highest in the hedge," he answered. They went around the room, and each told what music they believed to be finest. One said the belling of a stag across the water, another the baying of a tuneful pack heard in the distance, and others believed the finest music to be the sound of a lark, the laughter of a girl, and the whisper of a loved one. "They are good sounds all," said Fionn. "Tell us," one of them asked him, "what do you think?" "The music of what happens," said Fionn, "that is the finest music in the world."
-Cathie Ryan


The Music of What Happens



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Music Road: Cathie Ryan: Irish and American

Music Road: Matt & Shannon Heaton: Fine Winter's Night concert

Music Road: late summer: two for the road

fourth of july and music, 2009

It’s the fourth of July. Whether that’s your holiday or not -- about half of those who join us along the music road come from the United States, and about half from other parts of the world -- I hope you’ll join in a mood of celebration and reflection, and while you are doing that, take a look at these thoughts:

from the fourth of July last year
Music Road: now playing: Angels Unaware

music and politics
Music Road: listening through the changes

music and connection
Music Road: creative practice: being there


take guess...
Music Road: creative practice: laughter

celebrate! Wilderness Plots has been nominated for an Emmy. congratulations and good wishes to all involved
Music Road: Wilderness Plots: the dvd

Saturday Sessions: Del Suggs on teaching

Del Suggs is a singer and songwriter whose work in music has led him back almost full circle these days to the interests he had while studying for a master’s degree in education at Florida State University. Through his music, he’s had opportunities to work with college students and staff not only on developing music programs but in such areas as career planning, leadership, and goal setting. Here, he talks about what he does to get better at his teaching practice.

“The best things I've found to improve my teaching are reading and teaching,” Suggs says “Reading keeps me plugged into the views of others and helps me learn new concepts and ideas. And when I say reading, I don't just mean ink and paper. I spend a great deal of time reading on line, and it reminds me of my childhood in the library. I've always loved libraries, and loved the serendipity of just wandering the aisles and picking up any book that caught my eye. It's even easier on line. I'll 'Google' something of interest, and an hour later I'm a world away from where I started, just following tangents.

“Teaching also makes me a better teacher. I've always felt like doing something is the best way to improve at it. Not practicing doing it, but actually doing it. It goes back to my early days as a performer. I might practice a melody or fingering for hours and not be able to play it. But once I starting attempting it in a real performance, I was suddenly able to do it. I know that the practice helped, but not as much as actually doing it.”

Suggs is a Florida native who calls what he does saltwater music. You may keep up with his music and speaking gigs at his website, and look for
him at the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities Conference in New York City (Aug. 24-26), Univ. of Connecticut (Aug. 14), Univ. of Akron (Aug. 15), and Edinboro University of Pennsylvania (Aug. 26).
.
you may also want to see

Music Road: saltwater music: del suggs

Music Road: Saturday Sessions: Emily Smith on songwriting

Music Road: creative practice: laughter

Celtic Colours 2009 on the way

It’s time to begin thinking about October on Cape Breton. Your mind might be more on Canada Day or the Fourth of July just now, it’s true. but the people of Celtic Colours International Festival have just announced a stellar line up of artists who will be appearing across the island in venues ranging from concert halls to school houses to churches to community centers -- Celtic Colours is a true community event, and that community is the whole of Cape Breton.

Artists from Ireland will be featured this year at the festival, which runs from 9 through 17 October. Though artists from Ireland often take part in the festival, this year a full two dozen will be on hand through the days of the gathering. “These Irish artists represent the best of the various traditions, including Donegal fiddling, the Irish harp, uillean piping, Irish and sean nos singing, accordion, sean nos dancing, and story telling,” says festival artistic director Joella Foulds. Harper Laoise Kelly from the popular group Bumblebees, fiddler and singer Maireád Ní Mhaonaigh of Altan, and sean nos singer Liam ó Maonlaí, who was a big hit at last year's festival, are among the Irish musicians who will participate.


Cape Breton’s roots run deep into Scottish tradition as well -- it is after all, part of Nova Scotia -- and this year adventurous harp player Catriona McKay and equally daring fiddler Chris Stout will make return appearances at the festival, as will fiddler Sarah McFayden from Orkney, who has played with Harem Scarem as well as Celtic big band The Unusual Suspects and is well familiar with Cape Breton, as she attended the Gaelic College at St. Ann's. Abby Newton and Kim Richardson are among the artists from the United States who will appear, and Le Vent du Nord, who nearly blew the roof off the festival club with a high energy jam a few years back, travel from their native Quebec again this autumn.

Cape Breton may be a small island in the northern reaches of Atlantic Canada, but its music and musicians have been heard around the world, and for Celtic Colours, many of them come home to join the party. This year, those artists include Kimberly Fraser, Wendy MacIsaac, and the Barra MacNeils.

In addition to the music, there will be workshops, art exhibits, talks on music, history, and culture, outdoor activities, and community meals. It is is time to begin thinking about October on Cape Breton. Details, schedules, links to to tourism information, and a lively discussion forum may all be found at the festival’s web site.


Tickets will go on sale July 6 at 9am Atlantic Daylight Time. They can be purchased online through the web site noted just above or by phoning the Box Office at 567-3000 on Cape Breton locally or 1-888-355-7744 (toll free in North America).


you may also want to see

Music Road: songs of place: Canada

Music Road: ceol chairlinn: sharing music in winter

Music Road: now playing: Cape Breton Radio Live take 02 there’s a slide show from Celtic Colours 2005 along with this post

Saturday Sessions: Emily Smith on songwriting

Thoughts on songwriting from Scottish singer and songwriter Emily Smith


“When I first started out, I would write songs using kind of the template of a traditional song, a story that you might find recurring in traditional songs,” Smith says. “I’d write my own version, or I’d take the traditional lyrics and write new melodies, which I still do quite a lot. But as the years are passing by I guess the subjects are becoming a bit more contemporary.”

“Some times I can write a song in a night and it’ll be a complete song and I’m quite happy with it. Others are spread over months and months. I have a little book,” she said, “and If I have an idea I write it down in the book if I don’t have time to sit down and finish it, or sometimes I’ll just get an opening verse, and I’ll write that down. Usually I can remember the tune. Quite often I’ll get words and melody at the same time. I know everybody seems really different on that but with me it usually comes simultaneously.”




This is part of the series Saturday sessions, which focuses on ideas about learning, teaching and creating music. Please add your own tips about all that below, and stay tuned for ideas from saltwater music specialist Del Suggs, guitarist Matt Heaton, folk Grammy winner Tim O’Brien, and others.

you may also want to see
Emily Smith: Too Long Away
Saturday Sessions: Matt Heaton on playing for others
Music Road: best music, 2008