CEOL AGUS CRAIC
Local Talent Busting out like May Flowers
By ERIN MULLAN
Ceol binn a bhaint as an saol! I couldn't help but notice how much of the content of this month's column involved local music here on the wet coast. You can help foster our fine music scene by buying discs and attending gigs-support your local musicians!
Concert listings:
There is some amazing fiddle action to be found at St. James Hall on May 18 when Finnish/Norwegian group Frigg hit town
• Up-and-coming local act Tarkin have a CD release party at St. James on May 19
• June 1 there's a CD launch for the fine Victoria band Outlaw Social
• English poet and "Professional Idiot" Les Barker returns June 6 for a house concert
• Whiskey Hollow Bound is a feista of six B.C. string bands on June 17 at St. James. Acts include The Breakmen, Plough, Mountain Bluebirds, Dyad, Viper Central and Redgrass
• Harrison Festival of the Arts (July 7-15) has Cape Breton's Beolach and Quebec's Les Tireux de Roches
• Scottish singer Dougie MacLean returns to B.C. this summer to play Island Musicfest and the Vancouver Folk Music Festival in July
• Battlefield Band play the Mission Folk Festival, also in July
• Watch this space next month for a summer music festival preview
• English guitar whiz Martin Simpson returns in August
• The great Irish band Dervish kicks off the next Folk & Roots Series at Capilano College in September
• Cap College is also the venue for Scots fiddle ace Alasdair Fraser with cellist Natalie Haas on November 3.
Local motion:
• The Jericho Folk Club, located at the Jericho Sailing Centre, has started its summer season of Tuesday night sessions and concerts. There's Celtic content on May 15 with The Maenads and May 22 with Nora Rendal & Brian Millar. Phone: (604) 222-4113 for more information. The summer Scottish Country "Dancing in the Park" runs Monday evenings (weather permitting) starting June 18. The dancing moves for this season only to Queen Elizabeth Park and will be back in Stanley Park in 2008
• For information on the ceilidhs or Scottish country dance groups and classes around the Lower Mainland call (604) 536-9481 or visit www.rscdsvancouver.org
• For information on the Irish Set Dancing and Social Group call (604) 984-8261 or (604) 731-9513
• The Wolf and Hound has traditional sessions on Monday and Wednesday nights
• The Irish Heather has an Irish traditional session on Thursday nights.
Recording news:
Plenty of great Canadian content in this month's new releases
• Great Stuff - The Songs of Paul "Lolly" Lawton is a compilation of material written by the late and much-missed Vancouver musician. It features many musicians that Lolly played with over the years, all of whom poured their hearts into recording his songs for the album. The disc also features some of his original acoustic recordings and is available through CD Baby: cdbaby.com/cd/paullollylawton
• Local band Tarkin release their debut disc this month entitled The Ghost of That Whisky
• Poor Angus, who call themselves "a traditional Celtic and East Coast music ensemble," have just released their self-titled first recording
• Blue Light Cheap Hotel is the third album from California's Wake the Dead. They call themselves the "World's First Celtic All-Star Grateful Dead Jam Band."
Questions, comments or complaints? Write me c/o The Celtic Connection, #452 - 4111 Hastings Street, Vancouver V5C 6T7, or e-mail: 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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