 Concerts We Have Been Too Recently |
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silverdragon  |
Posted: 23-Aug-2004, 10:39 PM
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Celtic Guardian
Group: Scotland
Posts: 397
Joined: 09-Sep-2003
Zodiac: Holly
Realm: Tarzana, CA
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I recently attended the Long Beach Celtic Festival, and got to hear (in order of appearance) Celtic Spring, Wicked Tinkers, Gaelic Storm, and Wolfstone. Click HERE for my photos! Here's a portion of my review (from my blog):
| QUOTE | ...I danced. I yelled. I wiped out my knees (again). I actually made a new acquaintance (gasp!). I bought two CDs and got them autographed. I spent too much money. I watched dogs rounding up sheep, ducks, and goats. I had to go home early  (see knees comment, above).
Celtic Spring: A one-family Celtic festival all by themselves, this Dad plus 5 offspring play traditional-style Irish and Scottish fiddle numbers, accompanied by bodhran drum. They also do traditional Irish dancing -- sometimes WHILE playing the fiddle! The dancing was excellent; the music is good, but not as polished as that of the other bands.
Wicked Tinkers: This is the only band whose CD I owned before attending the festival. They play Scottish traditional music, with pipes and drums -- and digeridoo, and Irish horn. They did not need amplification; they got it anyway, and just about blew the festival into the harbor... but it's all good stuff. Loved their "Bog" set, among others. They are definitely the most crowd-oriented of the bunch; one of the members actually jumped off the stage and went out into the crowd to get people dancing. Woohoo!
I should note that while their CDs contain some quieter numbers, they played strictly loud and energetic jigs, strathspeys, and reels at the festival. During their second set, they invited some local amateur champion Irish dancers onto the stage for a set of jigs. VERY good!
Gaelic Storm: An Irish-style band, with both Irish expatriate and American members, they have the widest musical range of the headline bands. A band that started here in Southern California, and clearly the crowd favorite, they played traditional Irish and Scottish dance music, original songs, and some traditional/pop hybrid numbers. Their stage presence was good, but not as strong as that of Wicked Tinkers.
Wolfstone: ...They are my personal favorite band out of this bunch, and they plus Wicked Tinkers are why I went to the festival in the first place. Of course, I took advantage of the opportunity to buy one of those elusive CDs!
Their music was superb, a wild blend of Highland jigs and reels with hard rock. They played (among others) two of my favorite numbers, "Queen of Argyle" and "Noose and the Gillies". And yes, they are the band who got me dancing and thereby was my knee wrecked. It was worth it.
However, the crowd did not respond nearly as well to them as to Gaelic Storm or to Wicked Tinkers. I think that's because the stage performance, while splendid musically, was not as visually engaging as those of the other two. Their speaking accents, as well, are harder for American ears to decipher. And when I asked one of the members when their next CD was coming out (their last was released in 2002), he said (approximately, allowing for accent) that there would perhaps, maybe, be a new CD in 2005. No doubt a question he was tired of answering, poor man, because it's not what the fans (including me) want to hear...
Well, and well. I'll just have to continue collecting their old albums, I guess. |
Oh yeah, I'm back...
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Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing?
Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing?
Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing?
They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow
The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow
Who shall gather the smoke of the dead wood burning
Or behold the flowing years from the Sea returning?
~ J.R.R. Tolkien
My blog: Almost, but not quite, entirely unrelated to filmmaking
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| MacAibhistin |
Posted: 25-Aug-2004, 10:18 PM
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Knight of the Round Table
Group: Celtic Nation
Posts: 166
Joined: 13-Aug-2004
Zodiac: Oak
Realm: northern Canada - somewhere between the treeline and civilisation
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Believe it or not, Dervish showed up in Yellowknife this past April. I couldn't believe it! If you don't know where Yellowknife is, you need to look at a map of northern Canada and then you'll understand my suprise. Anyway, I was very impressed. Cathy Jordan is the most fabulous singer I've heard in years. Physically beautiful to watch as well! Not just because she is pretty, but also because every inch of her moves with the music! Anyway, I loved this group. My only criticism was that their instrumentals were very "pre-programmed" so to speak. That is, they were exactly the same 3 or 4 tunes as found on their cds. I always like how the Cape Breton performers, such as Natalie MacMaster, John Morris Rankin, the Barra MacNeils, etc., would keep playing tunes as long as the crowd was into it (sometimes sets would go for 1o-15 mins.) Nevertheless, Dervish is a fabulous band.
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She's great live! She doesn't need any accompanyment to completely entrance with her words. NICE! 
..... i would see her again anytime..... also saw the mckrells..... and seamus kennedy (the ol dun cow)....... he was pretty funny.... the mckrells had a bad stage accustically and evidently a lousy sound man for the show.... could barley make out the words to "geraldine's thinking of galway" i would i highly recommend Milwaukee Irish fest for any of ya it would be worth the road trip 
........ 
. Anyways, she always puts on a fantastic show (not that I've seen her). 
.... the fiddle player we really had a nice thing going there for a few seconds.... then my wife gave me the elbow...... 
