*"Bring It All Home - Gerry Rafferty Remembered" Celtic Connections 2012

Many Voices and the Songwriter gave them One Voice

A stellar cast took to the Glasgow Royal Concert hall stage as part of Celtic Connections 2012, to celebrate the life and fine tunes of folk pop singer songwriter Rafferty. He gave us unforgettable songs that certainly stuck in our heads back in the 70s – among them his biggest hits with the soaring sax of Baker Street and the dancing rhythms of Stuck in the Middle With You. 

The concert was led by former Humblebum member and friend Rab Noakes and his daughter Martha Rafferty. The songs selected ranged from the Humblebums, Stealerswheel to Rafferty’s solo career. The Rafferty family, blended their perfect harmonies when they sang The Ark, Family Tree, and Whatever’s Written in Your Heart. Noakes commented that only siblings can produce this special sound. Three of Rafferty's regular band members - guitarist Hugh Burns, multi-instrumentalist Graham Preskett and saxophonist Mel Collins joined with the house band, Roddy Hart and the Lonesome Fire.

The Proclaimers gave a stirring performance of City to City. Ron Sexsmith had flown in from Canada, and with his strong vocal he sang Days Gone Down. Mark Rafferty sounded like Gerry on the wonderful song Mary Skeffington and former Cream bassist Jack Bruce finished the first half with a resounding version of Shipyard Town. There were spirited backing vocals from both Betsey Cook and Barbara Dickson.

This was a concert full of fine jewels. Other highlights were Noake’s accomplished rendering of Moonlight and Gold; Maria Muldaur’s beautiful blues-filled Another World; the soaring vocal of Songbird by James Vincent McMorrow; the Rafferty Family singing the moving The Ark. Martha said that this song best showed Rafferty’s philosophy about life.  

The rousing finale came with Paul Brady singing Rafferty’s biggest hit song Baker Street, after which the entire cast took to the stage for Stuck in the Middle With You which had the concert hall audience on it’s feet. These songs were led by the strong playing of lead guitarist Hugh Burns and saxophonist Mel Collins. Noakes gave the glue and character to the show with his stories about Gerry, the Humblebums, late night travels and more. He spoke of Rafferty’s intelligence and of his love of harmony; of his mystical and spiritual side; and of his strong will and self belief. He spoke of the poignancy yet hard core centre of Rafferty’s songs.I'm still singing Rafferty song two weeks later! His songs are spiritual and offer hope.

Rafferty’s songs cover the full spectrum of emotions, they express full-on-energy, questioning cynicism and mystical spiritualism. He was from Paisley Scotland and his music gave the folk song a new voice. He cared about the craft of the song and not celebrity or it’s trimmings. He was an artist in the true sense of the word and had a rare clarity of artistic vision. A wonderful celebration of one of Scotland’s greatest ever singer songwriters that did Gerry proud and a highlight of this years Celtic Connections.

All Photographs are copyrighted Pauline Keightley and are taken with the permission of the artists, the festival, and the venues involved. Please respect my copyright. Photos at Celtic Connections since 2008.

If you watch this wonderful program - you can see me taking photos on the Ron Sexsmith song! Fame at last!  http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/

Bring It All Home - Gerry Rafferty Remembered" Celtic Connections 2012 PHOTOS - http://pkimage.co.uk/Gerry Raffertyconcert 
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*SET LIST

Ran Noakes - Can I Have My Money Back

Proclaimers - Mattie's Rag

Ron Sexsmith - Right Down The Live

Maria Muldaur – Didn’t I

Mark Rafferty - Mary Skeffington

Rafferty Family  -  Family Tree

Barbara Dickson – Wise as a Serpent

Paul Brady - One Drink Down and Another to Go

Emma Pollock - To Each and Everyone of Us

James Vincent McMorrow – Songbird

Tom Robinson – Get It Right Next Time

Jack Bruce – Shipyard Town

(2)

Rafferty Family –Whatever's Written in Your Heart

Jack Bruce & James Vincent McMorrrow -  Waiting For the Day

Maria Muldaur – Another World

Ron Sexsmith – Days Gone Down

Rab Noakes – Moonlight and Gold

Emma Pollock - Late Again

Barbara Dickson – Steamboat Road

Rafferty Family - The Ark

Proclaimers -  City to City

Roddy Hart – Her Father Doesn't Like Me Anywore

Jack Bruce & Tom Robinson – Life Goes On

Paul Brady – Baker Street

Everyone – Stuck in the Middle With You

Artists included Rab Noakes, The Proclaimers, Ron Sexsmith, Barbara Dickson, Maria Muldaur, Jack Bruce, Paul Brady, Emma Pollock, James Vincent McMorrow, Roddy Hart, Tom Robinson.

*I lost my Heart to Joni Mitchell – Both Sides Now

I lost my Heart to Joni Mitchell – Both Sides Now 

It's life illusions I recall, I really don't know life at all.'

So I grew up on Joni Mitchell.

Her Voice. Well actually I first learnt to play and sing the stage musicals and Burns songs.  I can't remember when I first heard Joni's pure and touching voice but her personal and intimate songs became ingrained in my head, in particular Both Sides Now.

Her dreams and passion took me skyward when I was young and the sands of time stood still for those moments. She sang of her sorrows and offered us a voice. Most memorable was her pure soaring voice. She wrote of loss, of heartache and love with more creative insights than I'd heard before. 

I remember the deep blue colours on her 'Blue' album sleeve. I bought the sheet music and played it often. Like Dylan some of her lyrics are so true we never forget them.  For me Joni is at her best when her songs are lost in those confessional deeply felt emotions. 

Songwriting. By 1974 her songs had been hits for other artists - Both Sides Now for July Collins and Woodstock for Crosby, Stills and Nash.  She may have been known as an also ran folk artist with a cult following or as a folk confessional romantic but many of her songs also show clever wit,irony.   

Joni also states Debussy and classical as big influences on her music and her songs show harmonic complexity and melodic invention. 

"I want the full hyphen: folk-rock-country-jazz-classical, so finally when you get all the hyphens in, maybe they'll drop them all, and get down to just some American music."

Lyrics. She states that she is a painter first and a musician second  and certainly the words of her songs paint such clear honesty I was instantly captivated.....

 'I am a lonely painter, I live in a box of paints,'

'Tears and fears and feeling proud, To say I love you right out loud. ...

And dreams and schemes and circus crowds, I've looked at life that way,

But now it's just another show, You leave them laughing when you go,

So if you care don't let them know, Don't give yourself away.'  

'The times you impress me most are the times when you dont' even try.'

Discography. Her ALBUMS from 1971 to 1975 were her greatest output - Ladies of the Canyon 1970; Blue  ; For the Roses; Court and Spark, 1974, No Billboard chart; Miles of Aisles; The Hissing of Summer Lawns.

Help Me was her only top ten single from her Court and Spark album.  C & S was her biggest selling album (when she brought in a backing band). 

Her Blue album is autobiographical and its' narrative shows her as one the best at writing in the first person. Joni had a young pregnancy and gave away the child and the memory of this loss haunted her and she wrote of this in Little Green.

From 1975 Joni changed direction as she turned to jazz-infusion and sythn sounds, and her music felt less accessible for many fans. http://jonimitchell.com/

Was she too much the real deal and even too good to be popular?  What an intelligent and individual force of nature she is.  'We love our loving but not like we love our freedom.' 

*So Who is Lana Del Rey?

I thought I’d join the Lana Del Rey debate!  If art is measured by the controversy we create then she is already a winner!

Firstly the way the industry works today there is all this beavering away ‘behind the scenes’ in the studio writing and recording with producers. Fair enough. However there appears to be little emphasis on live music, even as live music and festivals become an ever bigger part of the music industry.

WHY do new artists such as Del Rey (aka Lizzy Grant) have to ‘pretend’ she sat at home playing guitar, when she simply was picked up by a label a few years back. This fairy story that it all happens by ‘magic’ is nearly non-existent these days. (unless you want to believe those pretend reality tv shows?) Many young people now ‘train’ at music colleges or study music at school. With instant Internet inspection the norm these days the minute an artist puts their music online there really is little room for any errors the way it was back in the 6os.  Back then it was even Ok to sing covers, goodness(!) while now to do so you have be a tribute act …..

All this good exposure online also has its drawbacks!  

Lana is clearly used to singing alongside a piano and on the Saturday Night Live YouTube clip she looked lost with the rock band. There are and should be all kinds of performers; those on the big stage and those on the small intimate stage. Lana plays the intimate stage perfectly. She has a unique husky subdued voice. Lovely. 

 Here she sounds pretty good with acoustic piano and one guitar -  actually strings would be good in there too!

(I also enjoy her retro fifties feel of her look and image.) 

*Celtic Connections Festival Glasgow 2012!

Held when we feel the winter blues, Celtic offers the warm glow of dancing fiddles, energetic guitars and free flowing singers....

In my twenties I dated a folk guitarist in Edinburgh and visited Sandy Bells and Arran folk festivals. The immediacy and passion of live traditional reels and folk songs were infectious and I was hooked. 
The recent successes of younger artists such as Mumford, Laura Marling and Bellowhead, show there is now renewed interest in the musical traditions worldwide. Aly Bain commented stated that there is little acoustic music on tv these days. Celtic started in 1994 when Aly Bain was the only professional fiddle player in Scotland and he wondered would they sell 100,000 tickets in January in Glasgow.....? Well yes they did and now in 2012 Celtic is one of the largest gatherings of folk music worldwide. 

My guitarist son and I take a front row seat every year at the Transatlantic Sessions, one of Celtics highlights which is led by musical directors Aly Bain and Jerry Douglas. This concert, which is held in the Glasgow Royal Concert hall, has an energetic impact where the folk traditions of close live collaborations and instrumental skills abound.

The mix of Scottish traditional lilting tunes alongside its' partner the fun rhythms of American bluegrass and country music works a treat. Nashville legend Dubro guitarist Jerry Douglas leads the Americans on the right if the stage and backing bands don't come any better then this!  Image, age and celebrity matter not one bit. What matters is the live music, nothing else. There are no flashing lights, gimmicks or egos - the music is simply down to the quality of the sound, instruments and playing skills. One of the main aspects I enjoy at Celtic are the very interesting and sometimes usual collaborations. 
 

The band includes veterans Danny Thompson on double bass, Bruce Molsky on guitar, Phil Cunningham on accordion, and also Michael McGoldrick, John McCusker, Donald Shaw, Darrell Scott, John Doyle, Russ Barenberg and James Mackintosh. 

After a couple of reels we have the pleasure of several singers from Tim O'Brien to the likes of Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis last year in a royal blue velvet dress.  James Taylor, Emmylou Harris and Nanci Griffith have also attended.  This year the sessions include Raul Malo, Ruth Moody, Declan O'Rourke, Eddi Reader and Karen Matheson. This concert is pure class - acoustic music at it's very best.  Long may it last!   Transatlantic now goes on tour after the festival, check for dates.  http://www.celticconnections.com/ 

 

The festival centres around the concert hall with open mic sessions, concerts and more, as well as many other Glasgow venues that include the Old Fruitmarket, City halls, The Arches, Classic Grande, the ABC, Oran Mor, more.   
This is one of my favourite festivals and 2012 will be my fifth year covering Celtic.

The Most Important Drumbeat Ever

Copyright Laws.

Too strict copyright is as bad as too little copyright laws.

Restrictive copyright laws stifle creativity and the freedom required for the progression of music.

The History of the ‘Amen Break’. Samples of this drum beats were used in hip hop and club dance music that has led to a massive industry and money maker for the music industry.  The industry ignored the sampling in the 80s...perhaps things simply need to renew.

As regulators in the US seeks to tighten copyright laws we should reflect that our culture is richer if our copyright laws are less strict. (and PS why do artists wish to ban fans from supporting their work, what is that about?)

Lana Del Rey's National Anthem

'National Anthem' is a song from Lana Del Rey's forthcoming debut album 'Born To Die'. . http://popcrush.com/lana-del-rey-national-anthem-tracks-girls-songs 

Lana Del Rey (formerly known as Lizzy Grant) has built up a huge following on YouTube in 2011 with her song ‘Video Games’ and was tipped for big things in 2012. She has appeared on the BBCs ‘Later With Jools Holland’ and she is on the cover of Q magazine January 2012.  

DIY Blog likens the song ‘National Anthem’ to the band All Saints and sees the song as a potential chart hit. Quote:” As a pop song, capable of breaking into the charts - and this is the context we should be putting Del Rey in… it’s a potential no.1 hit.”  

Quote Kicksnare blog – ‘Leak after demo after leak has hit the net. The latest ‘National Anthem’ is the first track to really catch me since ‘Video Games’….. Her beautiful and unique voice sometimes doesn’t seem to fit the tempo of her music, but ‘National Anthem’ is brilliant… Lana channels a westcoast vibe that takes me back to the days when slow, soulful and gritty westcoast hip-hop ruled my radio – perfectly showcasing her brazenly seductive attitude. So take into account this is a leak and know the final mix will only be even more spectacular Ok Miss Del Rey, you have finally done it, I am under your spell.’
http://kickkicksnare.com/2012/01/06/lana-del-rey-national-anthem/

 

2011 A Year of Resolutions and Turbulence.

A Year of Resolutions and turbulence.
A year of change, destruction and extremes, of questioning and uprising.

The Arab Spring and bloody times. Murder of ignorant dictators.

Did we ever see the like..? 

The Sun and Rupert Murdoch were told to answer for their Code of No Ethics.
The collapse of the Euro.
Japanese Tsunami.

Royal wedding, Global Warming.
Floods. Earthquakes. Hurricanes.

The Internet brought us close, yet kept us apart.

My wishes for 2012 . 

That education is not about 'mediocrity', what is average and multiple choice questions - but about individuality, creativity, questioning and higher standards. That the new religion is harmony, morality and freedom of thought.
More peaceful times.... 

*NEW YEAR Tv

Best on Jools Holland – Pokey Lafarge and the South City Three! and Aloe Blacc

BBC Scotland - Rab Noakes singing Gerry Rafferty’s ‘Get it Right Next Time.’

MUSIC 2011

I’m excited about music right now. Coldplay released their Paradise video which is another classic and they are bound to hold yet more stadiums mesmerised with their grand melodies.  

New Artists

Emeli Sande/  Emeli released her second single Daddy November 2011 and she supported Coldplay on tour. 

I saw her gig here for her first EP launch in December 2006 when she sang her own songs and a Nina Simone cover. I saw her again four years later at King Tuts December 2010 and she has had a busy time since then!  In 2011 she has had The Mobos, her debut single Heaven which reached No 2 in the UK charts in October. Her second single Daddy is due for release in November and her album, Our Version of Events, will be released early 2012. Emeli spoke of how wonderful the past year has been for her and of her present number one song with Professor Green titled 'Read all about It.

Her music is rocky and upbeat. It is also full of pathos and on the edge of our joys and sorrows. As Emily says herself.. This ain't no 'soft soul easy listening' but soul with a questioning edge.  I had a chat with her backstage at King Tuts December 2010 when she said her music was 'soul with a rocky edge' and influenced by the likes of Portishead, Massive Attack and Joni Mitchell.  

I am now excited for her album release and I expect her album to be a smash success!

Emeli drew attention for her big soul voice when only 16. She attended Glasgow medical school and after obtaining a medical degree in Neuroscience, she decided to focus on her music. I wish her well for her album release. It is clear she doesn’t do things by half measures!  Emeli has won the Brits Critic choice award for 2012.

http://www.emelisande.com/

Aloe Blacc - Aloe Blacc - King of the Soul singers. He captured the main stage at Glastonbury 2011. Check ' I Need A Dollar and Billie Jean' ( Highsnobiety TV: An Evening with Aloe Blacc at MADE - Berlin creative space MADE recently played host to singer songwriter Aloe Blacc, violinist composer Mihalj "Miki" Kekenj & painter Jaybo.

Rebecca Ferguson Reviews - Telegraph - After 12 years, reality TV has finally turned out someone who not only has the hallmarks of a real star, but is also an artist in her own right. "Syco have been really brilliant – as soon as I put my foot down they back off completely. I just wanted songs I'd written on the album. At first I was going into sessions with writers who'd pretty much got all of the songs done already. But I told management they needed to let me write it because otherwise no-one's going to think I'm a credible artist. Then they let me just go into sessions on my own – I couldn't believe it.

Billboard Music 2011 - http://www.billboard.com/news/the-best-of-2011

 GIGS – I’ve been very fortunate to see two music legends live who are my biggest inspirations  – Paul Simon and Bob Dylan. Both gigs were awesome. There is good interest in Bob Dylan oddly! this blog has had more hits than any other!  

I have also seen exciting new artists this year - Emeli Sande, James Blake, girl band Warpaint and Canadians The Low Anthem.

Musicfootnotes Blog - This has been my main focus the past year, and combines my writing and photography.  (Also Songbook, Poetrynotes Blog).