Category Archives: Music

Shooglenifty’s Venus in Tweeds and A Whisky Kiss

Chuck Lipsig penned this review. Shooglenifty’s Venus in Tweeds starts out with “The Pipe Tunes” (John McKenzie’s Fancy/ The Kitchen Piper); never mind that there are no pipers in this band. A minute-long intro gets a nice beat going, courtesy … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged | Comments Off on Shooglenifty’s Venus in Tweeds and A Whisky Kiss

Kíla’s Live in Dublin; Shooglenifty’s Live and Radical Mestizo; Ronan O’Snodaigh’s The Playdays

This reviewer anticipated both of these live releases with great pleasure, while the solo effort from Kíla frontman Ronan O’Snodaigh came as a pleasant surprise in the post. I’ve enjoyed both bands live on several occasions, and sought out their … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged | Comments Off on Kíla’s Live in Dublin; Shooglenifty’s Live and Radical Mestizo; Ronan O’Snodaigh’s The Playdays

Brendyn Montgomery and Mike Considine’s Permanent Resonance

Pat Simmonds penned this review. New Zealand has produced very few examples of Irish Traditional Music through the years. Sure, there are the locally known players who play at the ceilidhs and bush dances. There are the long established immigrants … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Comments Off on Brendyn Montgomery and Mike Considine’s Permanent Resonance

Dervish’s decade

Brendan Foreman penned this review. Since forming in 1989, Dervish has been building a reputation as one of the premiere neo-traditionalist Irish bands. Emphasizing competence and musicianship over pyrotechnics and novelty, the music of Dervish is really as good as … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Comments Off on Dervish’s decade

Pogues’ The Ultimate Collection

The Pogues have a lot to answer for. I blame them for every half-assed Celtic Rock band filled with musicians who learned to play on stage and couldn’t make it at a slow session to save their lives. As GMR … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Comments Off on Pogues’ The Ultimate Collection

Peatbog Faeries’ Faerie Stories

Chris Woods penned this review. When I first heard this album, I assumed the Peatbog Faeries were from the Northern Isles of Scotland. Somehow, probably because of Shooglenifty and the slightly less trance-styled Drop the Box, I have come to … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Comments Off on Peatbog Faeries’ Faerie Stories

Peatbog Faeries’ Mellowosity

Adam Lipton penned this review. Mellowosity, the debut CD from the Scottish band the Peatbog Faeries, is wonderfully misleading in its packaging. A quick glance at the credits on the back reveals a synthesizer alongside all the usual traditional instruments … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Comments Off on Peatbog Faeries’ Mellowosity

SUSS’s Promise

In the mid-90s I happened upon a used copy of a disc by a Tucson-based band called Friends of Dean Martinez in my favorite CD store. It was The Shadow of Your Smile, a record of instrumental lounge jazz in … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , | Comments Off on SUSS’s Promise

Elina Duni and Rob Luft’s Lost Ships

I was utterly beguiled by Elina Duni the first time I heard her sing, which was on the ECM debut of her longtime quartet, 2012’s Matanë Malit. On that first album and the follow-up Dallëndyshe with Colin Vallon, Patrice Moret … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Elina Duni and Rob Luft’s Lost Ships

Jan Vogeler’s The Secrets of Dvorák’s Cello Concerto

Antonín Dvorák began a cello concerto in 1865, but left it, among other reasons because he claimed that the cello was insufficient as a solo instrument. The composer finally wrote a concerto for the cello in 1894, while Director of … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged | Comments Off on Jan Vogeler’s The Secrets of Dvorák’s Cello Concerto