Celtic 2012 Review

One of the joys of Celtic Connections is that there are so many top class musicians of all genres in town for the two weeks. Although for me highlights are the Scottish Ceilidh bands, unique collaborations, emerging talent, American bluegrass, traditional singers and singer songwriters, Gaelic singers, 

This year I’ve been busy with reviews and with being unwell the first week I’ve not covered as much as usual. Saying that though the Bring It All Back Home: Gerry Rafferty Remembered provided one of the best concerts I’ve been to at Celtic – I am still singing Rafferty songs 2 weeks later!

I also had a lovely trip to the Fruitmarket, the ABC and I enjoyed a few nights at the Late Sessions and the open mics at the concert hall. The Rab Noakes concert was also highly enjoyable. Celtic finished for me with the ever wonderful Transatlantic Sessions.

This year was about the craft of the Songwriter with many concerts - one for the 100 year centennial for Woody Guthrie; an outstanding concert to commemorate and celebrate one of the best songwriters Gerry Rafferty organised by Rab Noakes; 
the protest song with Scottish songwriter Karine Polwart and Justin Currie; The Transatlantic celebrated several gifted writers and musicians among them the extraordinary Jerry Douglas from Ohio, Shetland fiddler Aly McBaincand guitarist Russ Barenberg  Other concerts included – Scottish songwriter Rab Noakes, Irish troubadour Luke Bloom, Thea Gilmore sang songs written by iconic English folk singer Sandy Denny, Mercury nominated King Creosote and John Hopkins; and younger artists Rachel Sermani, Breabach, Manran, Madison Violet, Admiral Fallow,and James Vincent McMorrow. 

Celtic encourages new artists via several routes – the BBC Young Traditional Musician, the Danny Kyle open stage, Showcase Scotland, (with Celtic artists worldwide), and with BBC broadcasts.

I would have wished to attend more but was unable to due to my very heavy cold the first week. Even so it was a delight as usual to attend the concert hall, fruitmarket and other venues for Celtic 2012. Another successful festival and as the girl from Madison Violet put it – how lucky we are to have a festival like this in Glasgow. 
MY CELTIC PHOTOS GALLERY - http://pkimage.co.uk/celtic

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

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/

Piper Fred Morrison performed at Celtic Connections 2012

Scottish piper Fred Morrison performed a very enjoyable set of Scottish tunes at Celtic Connections 2012, the Late Sessions stage for the BBC Radio on Tuesday 31st January with Tim O'Brien. Morrison plays the Great Highland Bagpipes, the bellows-blown reel pipes, the Irish Uileann pipes, and the low whistle. He is one of the world's leading pipers and is a renowned composer of music for the bagpipes. His father taught him through the traditional method of canntairachd, the sung vocables used to convey pipe music before notation. "I hear that singing in my head every time I play."  He has played with Clan Alba with Dick Gaughan and also with Capercaille. He co-arrange the music for the film Rob Roy.  In 2006 he formed the Fred Morrison Band with Paul Jennings, Duncan Lyall, Douglas Miller and Innes Watson. Morrison's album Outlands was released in 2009.http://www.fredmorrison.com/

Madison Violet at Celtic Connections 2012

Two Canadian girls took to the Late Sessions stage for the BBC Radio 3 show hosted by Mary Kennedy at Celtic Connections Glasgow 2012, on Tuesday 31^st January after their sold out ABC gig. They sang their song The Ransom off their 2009 third album No Fool for Trying, which won the John Lennon Songwriting Award. They spoke of what a fabulous event Celtic was and how lucky we were to have it. I was impressed with the quality of their songs and their bright artistic sound.
Their 2011 follow-up album The Good in Goodbye has received major attention.  http://www.madisonviolet.com/
http://www.celticconnections.com/ 

*Lana Del Rey - 'Born To Die' album Review

'Hollywood sex kitten siren via a very carefully grafted persona.' 

Lana Del Rey - 'Born To Die' album released Janaury 2012 review.

.. of Lolita glasses, flowered petticoat dresses, waved Rita Hayward hair and pouty red lipstick. Her image takes me back to those soft sell fifties days of high-winged Buicks, neat furniture and men in ties....

I'm all for imagery as an artist and many of the best musicians in the past (while not all!) have created art around their music - the best examples are the Beatles album covers, Dylan's freewheelin, Queen's opera, Radiohead's videos, more I am sure... 

Her music is full of cinematic strings and her distinctive caressing voice.  

Some good moments in her album Born To Die with songs such as Diet Mountain Dew, National Anthem, and her singles Video Games and Blue Jeans. Weaker moments too with the slightly soft pop of Carmen, Radio and Dark Paradise. Also in my view the production at times can be somewhat stitled and overdone.  

She shouldn't feel the need to emulate Amy Whinehouse as on Million Dollar Man. Her music works best when she has the sexy purr of Video Games and the slow husky voice she does so well. Plus there is no doubt that she has taken such a cool name! This is a good debut and I wish her well. ‘Born To Die’ is presently at No 1 worldwide. 

"Born To Die" is the major-label debut by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey was released on January 30, 2012 through Interscope Records and Stranger Records. Del Rey's first single from the album, “Video Games” received huge interest on Youtube, now with over 40m hits, and brought about the singer's popularity. Born to Die reached No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart and became one the fastest-selling albums of the year selling 116,745 copies, the biggest first-week sales of 2012.

My BLOG

My blog has reached 10,000 hits this week! I’m very grateful for all who’ve come over and enjoy reading my posts. An especially big hello to those from Russia and other far away places who also love music. I hope you enjoy Scottish music too! My passion is obviously for good music. That is what motivates me with my writing and photography. It’s the music that makes me want to travel miles and to spend hours sorting and editing photos. The Music that inspires ….

I grew up in Edinburgh and now live north of Glasgow (as well as living ten years in the States) - which I hope gives me some unique perspectives. I also play piano and my children are all musicians.
I started my Blog in 2007 with a few reviews. Last year in 2011 I started to take my Music Blog more seriously.  I’ve been a serious music photographer since late 2007 and I concentrate on portraiture. While social photography interests me, my main focus is in portraits. 

I attend Celtic Connections Glasgow each January and Edinburgh Book festival in August, as my two main events.

The rest of the year my main interest is in new artists coming up.  I’m excited that Emeli Sande, who I took photos of in 2007, is releasing her first album in February. I've taken photos at Milngavie Folk club and some wonderful artists there, while 'folk music' at times needs to shake itself up?  Still tradition and heritage matter hugely too. While the past year my main focus has been my writing work for which I hope my book (or books) may be evolving… I live with dreams and hopes…

My photography site -  http://pkimage.co.uk/
And many thanks to all those who've encouraged my work and believe in me (some who are not still here with me, my friends June and Helen) - my friend Carole and to my son Ross. 

Kris Drever PHOTOS Celtic Connections 2012

Kris Drever performed with Eamon (Salsa Celtica) on banjo and Megan Henderson (Breabach) on fiddle.  Kris has a rich vocal and he is a top rhythm guitarist. He sang among other songs Burn’s Parcel of Rogues.  The band also performed a few upbeat reels. They proved an accomplished band and I enjoyed their set. 

Kris is from Orkney Scotland, and he is a Scottish contemporary folk musician and songwriter, who came to prominence in 2006 with the release of his debut solo album, Black Water. 
He also plays in the folk trio, Lau, alongside Martin Green and Aidan O'Rourke and has worked with numerous other British folk contemporaries - including Kate Rusby, John McCusker, Eddi Reader and Julie Fowlis. Lau won Best BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards - Best Group 2008 and 2009. Kris is the son of Ivan Drever, a former member of Wolfstone.

Thea Gilmore Fruitmarket Celtic Connections 2012

The Fruitmarket is one of the most atmospheric venues with its old world wooden balconies, where one feels as if we may be transported to Victorian times. I always enjoy my visits here during Celtic, although I notice there are no images lining the walls now.  I chose to see Gilmore as I enjoyed her at the Dylan concert at Celtic last year. 

Kris Drever supported, with Eamon (Salsa Celtica) on banjo and Megan Henderson (Breabach) on fiddle. Kris has a rich vocal and he is a top rhythm guitarist. He sang among other songs Burn’s Parcel of Rogues and they also performed a few upbeat reels. They proved an accomplished band and I enjoyed their set.

Gilmore is a quiet performer with a beautiful voice. She was supported by Nigel Stonier (her long-time collaborator, producer, husband and co-songwriter) and a full band that included cello and violin strings. She has recorded an album of Sandy Denny songs called Keep On Singing and she has put music to Denny's lyrics.  One of my favourite songs ever is Denny’s ‘Who Knows Where the Time Goes’, she has a voice with subtle natural depth and highs.  Gilmore does a convincing job as to emulate an iconic voice such as Denny’s is a very brave task!  I particularly enjoyed her moving versions of Long Time Gone, Georgia, and Goodnight. 

She is releasing the song London as a single. 

http://www.theagilmore.net    

"Bring it All Back Home: Gerry Rafferty Remembered" PHOTOS

 

 

CELTIC CONNECTIONS 2012 - GERRY RAFFERTY Rembered; Bring It All Back Home - PHOTOS.
REVIEW below. 
More PHOTOS PKImage site - http://pkimage.co.uk/celtic2012

*"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.)