SHONA LE MOTTÉE
Destination Grouville
Dynamic Vancouver Celtic fiddle player Shona Le Mottée released her debut solo album in March called entitled Destination, Grouville. Born on the Island of Jersey in the English Channel, Le Mottée started playing the fiddle at the age of seven. Her father lives in the beautiful beach and countryside setting of Grouville on Jersey, hence the title of the CD. Grouville is pronounced Groove-ville. The music on the album focuses on the driving rhythms and groove of Celtic music.
At age nine her family moved to Vancouver where she continued to develop her music under such fiddling greats as Alasdair Fraser, Buddy MacMaster, Bruce Molsky, Daniel Lapp and Martin Hayes...some pretty high profile names in the fiddling world.
In September 1995, Shona was chosen to join the internationally known Canadian Celtic-pop group The Paperboys. She travelled extensively throughout North America for two and a half years with the band playing at such festivals as the Boston Irish Festival; Toronto Harbourfront; Vancouver Folk Festival; Kentucky Folk Festival; Seattle Folklife; and the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco to name a few.
In 1997 Shona recorded the album Molinos with the Paperboys and it won the Canadian Juno Award in 1998 for The Best Roots and Traditional Album Group category. She has made appearances on numerous television and radio stations in Canada and the U.S.
In 1998/99, Shona performed with Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance at the New York, NY Casino in Las Vegas and at Disney World in Orlando in Florida. She has also performed and recorded with several local Canadian bands.
Shona has been teaching fiddle privately for 12 years and she is the founder and director of the Vancouver Scottish Fiddle Club. She is much in demand to teach fiddle workshops all over North America..
Shona Le Mottée’s fiddle style is a cross between Irish, Scottish, French Canadian and Acadian sounds. On the Destination Grouville track it sounds a bit French Canadian or Acadian, on Bog An Lochan Jam it’s a Scottish strathspey, and Exile Erin is a medley of Irish fiddle tunes.
It’s not surprising that Shona Le Mottee has performed with Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance, what I’m surprised about is that she hasn’t been to Nashville. Actually, the world is Shona Le Mottée’s oyster and she can choose where she wants to go with her music.
Musicians on the album are: Shona Le Mottée on fiddle and vocals; Tim Readman on vocals, acoustic and electric guitars; Boris Favre on bass guitar, keyboards, and foot percussion; Allan Dionne on drums and percussion; Paul Lawton on hand percussion; Keona Mundy on low whistle and flute; Che Dorval on backing vocals.
Tracks on the CD are Last Night’s Dream, Finbar Dwyer’s, Full Circle, The Red Gloves, Exile Erin, Faithful, Destination Grouville, Daldowny’s, Better Place, Bog An Lochan Jam, and Blood from Stone.
For more information about Shona Le Mottée and Destination, Grouville , visit www.shona.ca.
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TILLER'S FOLLY
A Fine Kettle of Fish
Like the bards of old, Tiller’s Folly are modern-day storytellers carrying the history of British Columbia and Canada back to the old country...where it all began.
The music of Tiller's Folly has been described as high-energy acoustic roots music with a Pacific Northwest flair - a blend of Celtic/folk/rock/pop and bluegrass. The local quartet has an impressive collection of CD’s to their credit. They have also logged numerous hours of touring.
In fact the boys will be back in Scotland this July for the Speyfest in Fochabers, where the Scottish press declared Tiller’s Folly one of the best bands in the 10-year history of the festival.
Tiller’s Folly has played on stages with some of the best known traditional Celtic bands in the Celtic circle. They opened the Wolftones at Portland’s huge Irish Festival this past March. They have also been invited to play with Will Miller (formerly of the Irish Rovers) at the Salmon Arm International Writer’s Festival on June 25. Band members Bruce Coughlan and Nolan Murray have also both played upcoming 40th anniversary CD for The Irish Rovers.
Sing Out! magazine wrote that Bruce Coughlan has one of the finest voices they’ve ever heard in folk music. Like most traditional music and songs, the best way to hear the words and music is at a concert. And, to truly appreciate the talents of Tiller’s Folly, you need to sit back and listen. The group often explain the origin and tradition of their songs, which is very informative, along with adding increased interest to that particular song.
A Fine Kettle of Fish is the most recent CD/DVD to be released by Tiller’s Folly. This combo was filmed and recorded live at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery, which is a National Historic Site in Steveston, British Columbia. I must say that from the presentation is very professional and first class. The CD has been nominated by The Indie Acoustic Project as the Top CD of 2004.
Tiller’s Folly are: Producer Laurence Knight on electric bass and vocals. Laurence has 30 years of professional performing and recording experience. Eric Reed on electric and electric slide guitar, mandolin, acoustic guitar and vocals. Songwriter Bruce Coughlan is on vocals, guitar, tenor banjo, wood flute, whistles and bodhran. Nolan Murray is on fiddle, mandolin, five-string banjo, guitar and vocals.
Tracks on A Fine Kettle of Fish are: John Tod, Mormond Braes, Steamboatin’ Jamiesons, Road ro Skidigate, As I Roved Out, Together; McCulloch’s Wonder, Ashokan Farewell, The Ghosts of Read Island, A River So Wide, A Ripple In Time, Electric RR Line, Cuckoo’s Nest, Chestnut Lane, Water At The Bar, Little Beggarman, and Auld Lang Syne.
Check out Tiller’s Folly informative website for the extensive list of their upcoming concerts at: www.tillersfolly.com.
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CALEDON & THE SCOTTISH FIDDLE ORCHESTRA
Starring Scotland's Three Tenors
A Beautiful Scottish Evening
The Scottish Fiddle Orchestra (SFO) is made up of around 130 of some of the finest players drawn from all parts of Scotland. Under the baton of their charismatic conductor and musical director John Mason and his deputy Andrew McGarva, the orchestra performs all over Britain and overseas. The SFO is fast becoming Scotland’s musical ambassadors around the world.
The SFO have made several appearances on PBS television where they are very popular and this is where many North American viewers first became aware of this Scottish phenomena. The SFO visited Vancouver a couple of years ago and they are making a return visit here to perform at the Orpheum Theatre on July 5 and the Bell Theatre in Surrey on July 6. One again, they are again being sponsored by the United Scottish Cultural Society of Vancouver.
The SFO is one of Scotland’s foremost traditional music organizations. The orchestra was formed in 1980, deriving it’s origins from Fiddler’s Rallies which are held throughout Britain. After one of these events, a group of enthusiasts met to consider the formation of an orchestra that would draw its members from all the arts, and would form a cohesive, vigorously rehearsed group of musicans.
The aim was to have a group of approximately 150 keen and interested musicians who would play together consistently. They would provide a series of concerts in the main Scottish cities and work together to create the finest possible standards of orchestra fiddle playing, without detracting from the strong traditional culture. And, they have done just that and the rest is history.
On A Beautiful Scottish Evening the SFO is joined by the Scotland’s Three Tenors Caledon. Tracks on this CD are: A Man’s A Man For A’ That, Last O’ The Lairds, My Love Is Like A Red Red Rose, Highland Cathedral, Grand March, Highland Barn Dance, Eriskay Love Lilt, The Braes O’ Balquhidder, Westering Home, Auld Scots Songs, Gay Gordons, Dashing White Sergeant, Dumbarton’s Drums, Auld Lang Syne, and a bonus track, I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).
The style ranges from the soft and gentle to the overwhelming, from the traditional to the modern. This is music that will appeal to both young and old because of the arrangements. The Scottish Fiddle Orchestra will raise the pride of Scots everywhere, and if you’re not Scottish you can sit back and enjoy the full rich traditions of Scotland in music.
To enjoy a beautiful Scottish evening with the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra on July 5 and 6, reserve your tickets early by calling Ticketmaster at (604) 280-4444. To purchase the CD A Beautiful Scottish Evening with the Three Scottish Tenors, call Island Music in North Vancouver at (604) 929-1802.
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