CEOL AGUS CRAIC: the Lull Before the Summer Storm of Music
By ERIN MULLAN
Ceol binn a bhaint as an saol! April is a bit of a quiet time after the annual madness that is mid-March. A big shout out of congratulations must go the fine folks from Celticfest who did an amazing job with this year’s festival. Slainte!
Concert listings:
Garnet Rogers plays St. James Hall on Easter Saturday, April 15 ........Vancouver-based fiddle player Oliver Schroer has a show April 22 at St. James to celebrate the release of his new album Camino........The North Shore and Coquitlam Celtic Ensembles with special guest Cara Luft (ex Wailin Jenny) play on April 28 at St. James........The May 12 show with Men of Steel is postponed to some time later this year ........Cape Breton singer Mary Jane Lamond will be touring on the west coast this summer........Scottish singer Karine Polwart (formerly of Malinky) will also be touring out here in July or August........Quebec's Le Vent du Nord may be back this way in August........Watch this space next month for more summer touring news........If it's music you want, you should go to Kerry for the inaugural World Fleadh in Ballbunnion August 14-20 with The Waterboys, Capercaillie, La Bottine Souriante, Lúnasa, Solas, Sharon Shannon Big Band, Flook, Four Men & A Dog and plenty more........The Rogue Folk Club tried to get the Fraser & Haas/Hayes & Cahill/Molsky show but the asking price was so high you might just have to drive down to Bellingham next March to see the show instead........Watch for great Scots bands Shoormal and Fiddlers Bid from Shetland next year.
Local motion:
The next Irish céilí dance is April 15 at the Victoria Drive Community Hall with tunes by Erratica. All the steps are taught and all the dances are called, with no partner needed and children very welcome. Details: www.vcn.bc.ca/ceili........The next Scottish ceilidh dance is April 28 at the Scottish Cultural Centre. Lesson 7 PM, dance 8 PM, for easy dances taught to live fiddle music with no partner or experience required. Info: (604) 436-3193........The Monday night Scottish dance classes at the Scottish Cultural Centre have finished now. Dancing in Stanley Park will start in June........For information on other Scottish Country Dance groups around the Lower Mainland: (604) 224-6838 or www.rscdsvancouver.org........The Irish Heather has an Irish traditional session on Thursday nights and its sister establishment the Limerick Junction has a Tuesday night session........The Wolf and Hound hosts traditional sessions on Monday and Wednesday nights.
Recording news:
New release are a bit scarce on the ground this month but there are a couple of standouts........Camino is a lovely album by local fiddle ace Oliver Schroer which was recorded while walking the Camino de Santiago, an 1,100 year-old pilgrim trail in France and Spain........The 10-year anniversary album from Irish-American band Solas, Reunion: A Decade of Solas, also contains a DVD of a reunion concert recorded in Philadelphia with guest appearances by founding band members Karan Casey, John Williams and John Doyle........Mozaik have a new CD called Changing Trains which will be available soon........The latest from Irish singer Cara Dillon is entitled After The Morning.
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Questions, comments, or complaints?
Write me c/o The Celtic Connection, #741 - 916 West Broadway, Vancouver V5Z 1K7, or email: maura@telus.net.
Erin Mullan hosts the Celtic music radio show In the Claddagh Ring, Friday evenings from 6:30 to 8 pm on CFRO 102.7.
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