Transatlantic Sessions Celtic Connections 2012

The Mainstay of Celtic with it’s Winning Formula!

Transatlantic Band. Every January my son and I take a front row seat at the 'Transatlantic Sessions' Celtic Connections Glasgow. This is a very unique concert, and is about the band firstly - live bands don't come much better than this one!  I love the way the singers are centre stage vocally surrounded by these rich warm tones of the folk music. Singers include some of the most beautiful Celtic voices -   Eddi Reader, Karen Matheson, Cara Dillon, Darrell Scott, Tim O'Brien, Paul Brady, Julie Fowlis.  

This concert is all about the band and backing bands don’t come better than this! - they prove that an accomplished band makes all the difference to a concert. The band were introduced on stage. 

Musical directors were Shetland fiddler Aly Bain and dobro player Jerry Douglas.

Cast. Ruth Moody, Declan O’Rourke, Raul Malo, Eddi Reader, Karen Matheson, Tim O’Brien, Aly Bain, Jerry Douglas, Russ Barenberg, Danny Thompson, Michael McGoldrick, John McCusker, Donald Shaw, Darrell Scott, Bruce Molsky

Here’s my concert running list which I hope I’ve got mostly right!

The Concert. After the opening reels Tim O’Brien from West Virginia performed My Girls Waiting For Me and All I Want. Ruth Moody of Wailing Jenny’s sang Nest and Long Stars. Next was Scottish favourite Eddie Reader who sang Burn’s Green Grow the Rashes O. She was joined by Irish singer songwriter Declan O’Rourke and they sang his song Love Is the Way. Declan then sang Lightning Bird and Galileo. Then we had tunes with Scottish fiddler Aly Bain leading – Glass of Beer and Full Rigged Ship. Next the crystal voice of Karen Matheson as she sang the traditional song The Arka Mill. Followed by the Cuban Latino singer Raul Malo who sang Without You and Better Days. The first half was finished with a song by Woody Guthrie This Land Is Our Land led by Tim O’Brien.

The second half was started by the celebrated dobro player Jerry Douglas and he makes it looks effortless! Next was Bruce Molsky’s old time quartet style with an 80 year old tune called New Cut Road. Then Raul Malo sang an old corny song, I Have Found my World in You. Michael McGoldrick played a beautiful Irish Air. Ruth Moody sang Shine Back on Me. Guitarist Russ Barenberg played Rain on the Island. Declan O’Rourke sang Langley’s Requiem at the grand piano. John McCusker played some tunes. Eddie Raeder sang Footsteps Fall and Karen Matheson sang a Donald Shaw song Diamond Ring. Followed by Scottish reels and the encore of Raul Milo singing Hey Good Looking.  

Tip for next year. Why not let Aly Bain do something solo? He seems an unassuming musician, but I can see watching the set what a very talented player he truly is. Modest Aly Bain is one of our most accomplished ever fiddlers. I notice during the singer’s turns the way Douglas adds his countering melody and how much his playing adds to the concert. One ingredient missing this year is Aly’s side kick talented accordionist Phil Cunningham.  

This band fills the stage and they are so well led by Douglas and Aly Bain while added to the mix are the very talented singers. This is about the joy of an accomplished live band.  

*Fleetwood Mac live!

It was a thrill to see Fleetwood Mac live in 2010 at their Glasgow gig! I remember listening to their Rumours album often and I loved the edge and rock n roll in Stevie Nicks voice and songs, and the stirring voice and piano of Christine McVie. They consisted of two couples; English Mick Fleetwood and Christine McVie, and Americans Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks  - which brought together British rock and Californian singer songwriter cool. The ensuing sexual tensions led to their most successful and ‘before break ups’ album – Rumours.

(This was making me think of other renowned albums that were also written as bands were breaking apart – maybe emotions were running high! Bridge Over Troubled Water with Paul Simon and Art Garfunkle, the Beatle’s Abbey Road – I feel sure there are more!

They were simply such a cool band – and they are still out there touring today. Favourite Fleetwood Mac songs – Dreams, Go Your Own Way, Angels, Rhiannon, Songbird, 

Rab Noakes and Friends at Celtic Connections Celtic 2012

The last time I saw Rab play a gig ( at the Oran Mor Glasgow, review on my blog) the venue was not so busy, so it was good to see a full house for him tonight at Celtic. 

Friends of Rab’s joined him on stage. Rod Clements of Lindisfarne sang Turn a Deaf Ear with Rab.  Jimmy McGregor who was on Scottish television music shows in the 60s, talked of the Skiffle groups and he sang Mormond Breas and Freight Train with Rab. Noakes sang some of his older songs such as Eden’s Flow, Turn a Deaf Ear and Clear Day. He also performed a selection of his newer songs. 

Noakes sang his very deep Gently Does It when he talked about all those artists he’d lost in the past year, including Gerry Rafferty. Lyrics, ‘You’ve been n the road so long, Building a highway to take you home.’ Sang Noakes in Living in the Past, ‘The past is a nice place to visit but I wouldn’t want to live there. Old dreams tie you down.’ Nostalgia also came up in his song Memories.

He always includes one older song and tonight it was the classic Bye Bye Blackbird with Frazer on harmonica.

In between the songs Noakes talked about the story behind his songs. Noakes lets the songs come to him and he doesn’t force anything. He understands the meaning and depth of the songs he interprets and for him it’s all about the narrative. Noakes also talked about the movies that have inspired his work, such as 'Midnight Cowboy' inspiring his song 'I'm Walking Here.'

For his encore song he sang Dylan’s Mississippi. Many of his songs have strong blue grass and Americana influences. Rab has drawn on his Scottish Fife roots and taken on board American artists that he grew up with. I thought about how our music went over to America and then bounced back here! 

Rab took to the stage at the Strathclyde Suite concert hall 31st January. I was wishing there was a ‘Best of’ album of Noakes songs! http://www.go2neon.com/rab-noakes.htm

SET LIST

First Half

Wait a Minute

Slippin Away

What are you doing here?

Turn a Deaf Ear

Meet me on the corner

Eden’s Flow

Seeing is Believing

Mormond Breas

Freight Train

Living in the Past

One Dog Barks

Second Half

Gently Does it

No More Time

I’m Walkin’ here

Song to the Siren

Sleepless nights

Bye Bye Blackbird

Absense

Clear day

Wrong joke

Fallen Ones

Long Dark Night

A Day Away from here

Mississippi

A Brighter Blue

'Manran' at Celtic Connections 2012

Mànran entertained us with a fun set of tunes at the Late Sessions stage for the BBC Radio at Celtic Connections 2012 on Thursday 2nd February. Manran is a young Scottish band whose style of playing incorporates Gaelic traditions, Scottish folk music and rock  The members of the band are Norrie MacIver (guitar/vocals), Gary Innes (accordion), Ewen Henderson (fiddle/pipes), Calum Stewart (flutes/uilleann pipes), Ross Saunders (bass) and Scott Mackay (drums). The band made No 6 in the UK indie chart and in the Scottish Singles chart with their first single Latha Math.  http://manran.co.uk/