breton

One of the biggest names in Gaelic song today, Mary Jane Lamond can just as easily be found at a small Gaelic community event on Cape Breton, at an academic conference in Scotland or thrilling an audience of thousands at a folk festival somewhere around the world. She sat down with Neil to talk about her unconventional journey and her thoughts on practicing a traditional art in the 21st century. 

www.maryjanelamond.com

Music: The Blue Mountains Lullaby (Jeff MacDonald and Brian O hEadhra) and a medley of traditional Puirt a Beul

Fiddler, pianist and tune writer Andrea Beaton caught up with Neil just before playing a dance at the Canadian American Club in Watertown, MA. She talks about growing up in Cape Breton as the child of Kinnon and Betty Lou Beaton, two giants of traditional music on the island and how her relationship with music changed from being embarrassed to be associated with the fiddle to recording her own albums and writing some of the most popular contemporary tunes. 

Boston based fiddler, stepdancer, singer and tune/songwriter Emerald Rae connects with Neil over their common experiences growing up around the Boston Scottish/Cape Breton scene of the 1990's and early 2000's and they delve into what it really means to become part of a culture--does one actually need to have the heritage in order to have a place in the community?

A driving force of the Scottish fiddling scene in the United States, Hanneke Cassel shares her story from discovering fiddle music through local competitions to travelling the world performing and teaching her own iconic compositions, which fuse Scottish and Cape Breton traditions with a sound all her own. She and Neil also chat about her tune writing process and what influence her travels to China and Africa have had on her music. 

An early summer hitch hiker is picked up by Paul, and songs and dicussion of the hobo ways are high-lighted from a Cape Breton park bench field recording. Featuring hitch hiker Mitch Mathews.

A major force in the New England music scene, Jeremiah McLane has had a significant influence on sound of contemporary folk music in the Northeast, from contradance bands to performing artists. In this episode, Neil and Jeremiah find a lot of common ground in their experiences as pianists who come to folk music with a Jazz informed perspective. Jeremiah reflects what drew him to focus on the accordion and how his creative goals have continued to shift with each new project. 

(Music credits: Sound of Sleat [Scottish pipe tune, played before conversation] and La Violette de Méne [Breton dance tune, played after conversation])

Master Nova Scotia fiddler and pianist Troy MacGillivray tells Neil about breaking the keyboard during is first gig when he was less than 10 years old, the similarities between Cape Breton Island and the island of Fanø in Denmark, and how he finds his own personal expression in the old traditional tunes. 

Neil sits down with legendary Cape Breton fiddler Wendy MacIsaac to play a few tunes and chat about growing up on Cape Breton, working with Mary Jane Lamond and Cape Breton supergroup Beolach, and passing the traditions on to the next generation. 

So we just got back from St Malo in Brittany, France where we've absolutely stuffed our faces and forgotten about all athletic aspirations for a week.

Today we review all the highlights on those indulgences, from meat, cheese and bread to dessert we cover it all. Top tip: maybe don't listen to this during a weight cut or training camp. Or maybe do? I guess it depends on what you're into!

As we recorded this the morning of the same day we released it, we also had time to catch up on the latest UFC events which saw Carlos Condit face Demian Maia as well as a few other highlights.

It's good to be back, and it's good to be getting a new episode out for you all!

First, a quick Computergate 2015 update, then, Adam travels back down the Marvel Hole.  Jon experiences "Weeds" for the first time.  Jon watched "What we do in Shadows", and both of the guys ponder taking a "naked final".  The Simpsons say saynoara to Harry Shearer, and Jon ponders his future in virtual reality.  Breton's email is answered a month late, and Adam ruminates about his Witcher 3 future.

Witcher 3 Wild Hunt,Harry Shearer,weeds,Jenji Kohan,Breton,VR,Oculus Rift,Project Morpheus,HTC Vive,nudity,Jermaine Clement,Vampires,What we do in shadows,computergate 2015,marvel

Apple enhanced version,

(with chapters, album covers, info & artist website links - IN the podcast) -

for iTunes, iPod, iPhone, iPad (& Android!) users.

Hosted by Raymond McCullough, in Belfast, Northern Ireland:  

with music from:

Maria Dunn, (Alberta, Canada) - 

'Katie Comes a-Callin'', (The Peddler) 

The Sarah Burnell Band, (Ontario, Canada) - 

'Les Reels Tziganes', (Return Ticket)

Kickin Grass Band, (North Carolina, USA) -

'Lay Down Your Weary Load', (On the Short Rows) 

Natalie Brown, (Iowa, USA) - 

'Lazy Days', (Violin Crossings) 

Dave Curtis, (Ontario, Canada) - 

'Schooners, Sloops, Brigantines', (Take Me Home) 

Judith Weikle, (Wyoming, USA) - 

'Rakes of Kildare/Óró, Sé Do Bheatha Bhaile', (Pirates, Poets and Patriots) 

Ken O'Malley, (California, USA) - 

'Westport Town', (ÓMáille) 

Jon McLurg, (Ontario, Canada) - 

'Someone Thinks of You', (The Auctioneer) 

Hosted by Raymond McCullough, in Belfast, Northern Ireland: 

with music from: 
Pol O'Ceallaigh, (Cork, Ireland) 
- An Babhla Snítheach, (Trí agus trí); 
The Elders, (Kansas, USA) 
- Moore St. Girls, (American Wake); 
Hobos In Limbo, (New Mexico, USA ) 
- Pretty Polly, (On the porch); 
The Barley Boys, (New Jersey, USA) 
- Me Father's Shoes (It's A Long Drive From Ireland); 
Pól O'Ceallaigh, (Cork, Ireland) 
- La Dernière Écuelle, (Trí agus trí); 
Green Man, (California, USA) 
- Mountain Walk, (Green Man); 
Rodney Cordner & Jean-Pierre Rudolph, (N. Ireland & France) 
- From Clare to here, (Milestones); 
The Merry Blacksmiths, (California, USA) 
- Athol Highlanders, Denis Murphy's, (Gan Aimn); 
and Shantalla, (Belgium) 
- Fine Flowers in the Valley, (Shantalla). 

Produced by Precious Oil Productions Ltd, for Celtic Roots Radio