Tag Archives: Celtic music

Elias Alexander & Bywater Band’s Bywater

Elias Alexander hails from Ashland, home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. But this piper, singer and songwriter has lived in a lot of places including Scotland, where he apparently worked as a tree planter, and New Orleans, and Vermont where … Continue reading

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Martin Stokes and Phillip V. Bohlman’s Celtic Modern: Music at the Global Fringe 

Celtic Modern, subtitled Music at the Global Fringe, examines the phenomenon that is Celtic music in its many varied strands. While on the surface this volume looks at Celtic music from a number of different standpoints, the content is academically inclined, … Continue reading

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MacKeel’s Plaid 

Nova Scotia’s MacKeel have figured out a way to be heard over the din of the Maritimes’ many Celtic bands: Turn it up. On Plaid, the Celt-rock newcomers’ debut album, fiddles and bagpipes intertwine with distorted electric guitars and punchy drums.It’s … Continue reading

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Ashley MacIsaac’s  hi, how are you today?

Duke Egbert wrote this review. Occasionally you can tell almost everything you need to know about a CD from its cover art — or, in the case of Ashley MacIsaac’sAmerican debut CD, the artist’s photo. In full colour glory on … Continue reading

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McKrells’ Merry Christmas

Chuck Lipsig penned this review, Based in Saratoga Springs, NY, the McKrells are a bluegrass group comprised (in this recording) of Kevin McKrell (lead vocals, readings), Chris “Bullets” Leske (banjo, mandolin, and guitar), Craig “Laz” Vance (Flatpick guitar), Brian Melick (percussion), … Continue reading

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Various Artists’ A Thistle and Shamrock Christmas Ceilidh

Chuck Lipsig penned this review. Despite its title, I hesitate to call A Thistle & Shamrock Christmas Ceilidh a Christmas album. The liner notes describe a Christmas eve shindig, ending with the announcement that the local radio station would be playing a program … Continue reading

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Victor Prieto’s The Three Voices

Victor Prieto was born in the town of Ourense in Galicia, an ancient Celtic homeland in Spain. But he grew up partially in Venezuela and has lived in New York for the past 20 years. His mother insisted that he … Continue reading

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Boiled in Lead’s 17 March 2001

Boiled in Lead are, without any doubt, one of the best live Celtic/punk/balkan fusion bands on the planet bar none. Confused yet? Well, let’s have Chuck Lipsig in his essential Boiled In Lead omnibus give a go at explaining them: ‘The problem … Continue reading

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Boiled in Lead’s Silver 

Before commenting on Boiled in Lead’s Silver, CD, let me stress one point: “punk” is a general descriptive term denoting, most often, a subgenre. Thus we have celtopunk, Christian punk, glam punk, and any number of other punks in music. In … Continue reading

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Boiled in Lead’s Alloy 

Gut reaction: keeper. Alloy is the “Greatest Hits” collection of Boiled in Lead,a collection of tracks mostly culled from previous albums leavenedwith a few previously unreleased tunes and new versions. This isquite a ride, since Boiled in Lead has evolved through … Continue reading

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