Category Archives: Music

Ronan O Snodaigh’s Tip Toe

Jennifer Byrne penned this lovely review. Ronan O Snodaigh is probably best known as the front man with Irish band Kila. A poet, songwriter, percussionist, vocalist, and landscape gardener, it seems the ridiculous O Snodaigh talent knows no bounds. He has … Continue reading

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Kila’s Tóg É Go Bog É

I’ve had this particular album sitting on my shelf and in my CD player for several months now. This is a lot longer than I usually let things sit, but it couldn’t be helped. You see, I couldn’t write any … Continue reading

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Various artists’ Hungarian Noir, A Tribute to the Gloomy Sunday

If you’re familiar with the song “Gloomy Sunday” it’s probably from Billie Holiday’s version of it, which popularized it in the U.S. in 1941. The BBC banned that record from the airwaves because its mood was deemed too somber for … Continue reading

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Steindór Andersen’s Rímur: A Collection From Steindór Andersen

If linguists can postulate the existence, sometime in the distant past, of an “ur-language,” a Mother Tongue from which all other languages have descended, can there not as well be an “ur-music” from which all of our modern music derives? … Continue reading

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Danú’s Think Before You Think 

It’s a great pleasure to begin the a new year with an album of Irish music that is filled with stellar arrangements, tunes and songs that don’t pop up on every second disc, fine musicianship and a one of those … Continue reading

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Interview with Danú at the Winnipeg Folk Festival

I spoke with Ciarán Ó Gealbháin (vocalist) and Donnchadh Gough (bodhrán and uilleann pipes) about the influences on Danú’s music, and the blending of new sounds with the old traditions. Their main stage set on Friday evening was one of the high … Continue reading

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Solas at Rosebud

Patrick O’Donnell penned this review. I went to bed with their music in my head, and when I woke up the next morning, it was still there. That’s just how good Solas’ March 21 show at Rosebud in Pittsburgh was. Strains of … Continue reading

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Fairport’s Cropredy Convention! August 2005

John O’Regan penned this epic review. ‘What We Did On Our Holidays’ was the title of Fairport Convention’s second album for Island records in 1969. To paraphrase said title a little, what I did this year on my holidays was go … Continue reading

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La Musgaña at First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church

You know that you are amid a dedicated folk audience when the audience applauds mid-tune as a musician sets down his whistle and picks up a set of bagpipes. Then again, this same audience was also in awe of a … Continue reading

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Mor Karbasi at the  Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall

Christopher Conder penned this review. Finding a hidden treasure on a compilation CD is one of the small pleasures of record collecting. Thus it was when I discovered Mor Karbasi singing “Rosa,” tucked in between Linda Thompson and Tarika Bé (good … Continue reading

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