Celtic

Lankum: ‘Dublin folk miscreants’

~ Michael Stevenson ~ Leave a comment

Lankum, a four-piece group from Dublin comprised of Ian & Daragh Lynch, Cormac Mac Diarmada, and Radie Peat, is truly one of my favorite current acts.

They set incisive original songs with material taken from the traditional repertoire to fiddle, pipes, concertina, and guitar accompaniment.  The result is a thick and captivating sound with intense, penetrating lyrics that makes their website’s motto, “Dublin folk miscreants” as apt a description of the group and their music as you’re likely to see.A short while ago, Ian, the group’s piper, reached out to let me know that the band would be embarking on a short U.S. tour this January, with stops in Brooklyn, Vienna, Va., Sellersville, Pa., Cambridge, Mass, and Barre, Vt.  Longtime readers will remember my very enthusiastic reviews of their albums “Cold Old Fire” (which was recorded under the group’s former name, “Lynched”) in 2014 and “Between The Earth and Sky” last year, so you can imagine my excitement – it’s great that American audiences will have a chance to acquaint themselves with their music [ . . . ]

Read more at IRISH ECHO: Lankum: ‘Dublin folk miscreants’ | Arts & Leisure | Irish Echo

Caoimhín Vallely with Karan Casey

~ Michael Stevenson ~ Leave a comment

“Caoimhín Vallely’s consummate musicality and grasp of technique just naturally captivates. His solid grounding in Irish traditional music enables him to creatively and fruitfully explore the various moods, emotions, forms and styles the music has to offer, from classic jigs and reels to songs both sung and transcribed, the whole finishing on a brilliant (yet refreshingly non-showy) exercise in classical-style variations on The Independence Hornpipe. This is an outstanding album, one to play both to aficionados of Irish traditional music and lovers of the piano, as well as those listeners who are receptive to fresh perspectives on the traditional repertoire. A total delight, in other words.” [ . . . ]

Read Full Review at : FolkRadio

Laura Marling and Olivia Newton John to perform at Celtic Connections 2017 

~ Michael Stevenson ~ Leave a comment

The Mercury nominated and Brit award-winning singer songwriter Laura Marling will make her Celtic Connections debut leading an orchestrated performance of her songs at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Thursday 19 January for the Opening Concert.

She will be performing with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and special guests, and the orchestration will be written by by composer and instrumentalist Kate St. John.Roberta Sá, a Latin Grammy award-winning pop singer in Brazil, will make her first appearance at Celtic Connections at Drygate on Friday 27 January.

Olivia Newton-John, Grammy nominee Beth Nielsen Chapman and Amy Sky will perform music from their collaborative album Liv On live for the first time, at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Tuesday 24 January.

Source: Laura Marling and Olivia Newton John to perform at Celtic Connections 2017 (From Herald Scotland)