A little bit of this and that…

In this edition: Damien McCarron of Mile High Celtic Radio, Karen Victoria Smith, Dan Coleman, Celtic Twist and Moxie!

Mile High Celtic Hour : You ultimate guide to Irish and Celtic music.

Got the feeling that you need to update you Celtic music collection? Work schedules and classes can sometimes take you away from what’s going on with the ‘scene’. Well worry no more.

Mile High Celtic Hour is guaranteed to put you ahead of things Celtic. This is a show based in North America, featuring a playlist  that is diverse. You get to hear bands from all over the world and get to sample their best songs plus video via livestream.

Damien McCarron grew up in Howth outside Dublin and was immersed with  Irish music and tradition. As a musician, he shared stage with amazing musicians  in the  field including members of Solas. This is a very exciting time for Irish music and the rest of  the Celtic world. Damien is definitely in the right track and the right time, with the right crowd

Damien talking between music. .

Here is the page where you can watch and listen to his show:

http://www.livestream.com/tradiovdenver

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Celtic Twist Autumn Renovations in Scotland.

Celtic Twist

The website of the duo Celtic Twist is updated! I met Phil Holland and Dave Palmley over a year ago and I have enjoyed their albums. They are doing  interesting things with their diverse musical backgrounds by mixing them up with Celtic style.

They moved to Scotland  from Italy around two months ago and Phil is taking her time drinking the sight of the beautiful Scottish landscape. This is where she grew up and Scottish music makes a huge part of her musical influences.

Dave Palmley’s pop rock influence creates a radio friendly balance for Celtic Twist. He likes experimenting with various instrument including the synths. Have you heard of a harp tune using the effects pedal?

If you are looking for something interesting on the web, do drop by their website: http://hollandandpalmley.wix.com/celtictwist and say hi.

Notes:

This piece was originally inspired by the native north American people and their loss of land and cultural identity, but it is really in homage to all people of all races and creeds wherever they may be in the world, past, present and future, who suffer the indignities of invasion and oppression.
Phil: Celtic harps, Violins, Voices and Piano.
Dave: Guitars, Voices and percussion.
This will be on our forthcoming album, to be released later this year.
More news to follow.
http://hollandandpalmley.blogspot.com/

Notes:

Dedicated to a dream come true,moving back home to the west coast of Scotland.This meditative and hypnotic piece of music is entirely written, arranged and performed by Celtic Twist (Phil Holland and Dave Palmley).We wanted to share with all our followers this beautiful place and its magical atmosphere.

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Dark Dealings Book Interview via Rock On Radio

Having a great time at the Draft House

Yes our musical culture has a literary friend in the form of Karen Victoria Smith. She wrote the book Dark Dealings which talks pretty much about Irish mythology, Wall Street  vampires, shape- shifters and what they like to listen to in their ipod. You might think I am kidding about that last bit but I am serious. There are a lot of r references to Irish music in the novel and I think she is doing an amazing job pushing the culture and mixing it with the hip, the supernatural and how the money world works. I had to reread the book after it is done because I can’t part easily with the characters. They stay with you like long lost friends.

My friend Christi and I had a blast listening to her interview via Rock on Radio hosted by Dan Coleman and the gang. It was a wacky show and Danny asked a lot of interesting questions about the book. There’s a chat room where listeners can interact with the hosts.  We also met Karen’s best pal Deedee who also happens to be part of an indie rock band Strumberry Pie. The internet made this world a better and smaller place. Christi’s in Michigan and I am in the Philippines. And we all had a blast!

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Introducing Moxie

Moxie

Genre:  Irish Contemporary Music / Jazz / New Age Bluegrass / Folk

Members : Cillian Doheny Tenor Banjo / Nylon & Steel String Guitar / Mandola

Jos Kelly Button Accordian / Keyboard

Darren Roche Button Accordian / Nylon String Guitar

Ted Kelly Tenor Banjo / Tenor Guitar / Mandolin

Paddy Hazelton Percussion

Hometown:   Limerick / Sligo

What Lies Behind the Wall has notes tapping with suspense at the beginning of the track. It is like watching a flower bloom in hyper speed. Like all remarkable Irish bands playing traditional music, Moxie offers fresh approach to a tradition that has been around and is determined to stay.

Their sound is vibrant and the arrangements are intricate. This is traditional music with a cool twist. Sophisticated style blends with rustic simplicity making them one of a kind Irish band. In Elixir’s Walts, they took advantage to pauses and trance like melodies to create a dramatic effect that blends organic percussion with luminous instrumental delivery. This is the music of a butterfly’s wings flapping in a near flight.

Bug and Bear’s further showcase the hypnotic capacity of the banjo and guitar especially when it is given to the right hands. There are three tracks available for sampling in the band’s site http://breakingtunes.com/moxie. I am sure what’s on the site is just the tip of the iceberg.

Band bio: Formed in late 2011 as part of the annual folk festival, Sligo Live, Moxie are a Sligo and Limerick based band that formed through years of musical friendships from playing together at certain festivals around Ireland. The band incorporates Irish music with other genres such as folk, rock and new age bluegrass. A vibrant new band playing an exciting mix of traditional based compositions with richly developed layers of fantastic harmony. The band includes JPTrio members, Ted Kelly (banjo, tenor guitar, vocals), Jos Kelly (button accordion, keyboard, vocals), Paddy Hazleton (percussion, vocals) and Limerick based musicians, accordion and melodeon powerhouse Darren Roche and virtuoso banjo & guitar player Cillian Doheny.

More here:

http://www.myspace.com/moxiemuso

https://twitter.com/#!/Moxiemuso

https://www.facebook.com/Moxiemuso?ref=tn_tnmn