Long Time Courting: road trip visits New Hampshire

Long Time Courting is a four woman band which features four equally strong instrumentalists, fine lead singing, inventive harmonies, and music which is based in the traditions of Ireland and includes original music as well as songs and tunes from Scotland, Appalachia, Quebec, and Cape Breton. Fast flying jigs and reels along with ballads and songs with soaring four part harmonies are the group’s trademarks.

It’s not as though any of the four women were exactly at a loss for things to do when they decided to join forces. Guitarist Liz Simmons [who provides the New Hampshire connection here; she grew up in the state and is still based there -- and LTC performs often in the state too] plays in the band Annalivia; Ariel Friedman teaches cello and performs in a duo with her fiddle playing sister Mia; Ellery Klein, for seven years fiddler with the top touring band Gaelic Storm, now teaches in a mother and child music program and is herself the mother of toddlers; and Shannon Heaton, who plays flutes, whistles, and accordion, tours internationally as a duo with her guitarist husband Matt. Founding member Klein will soon be leaving to group to move overseas, and Sarah Blair, top traditional Irish style fiddler who plays often for contra dances with her band The Sevens and also teaches, will join the group.

All that means that the women bring powerhouse musical and creative backgrounds to Long Time Courting. It also means they balance their work in LTC with other demanding commitments. That’s one of the reasons they have not, at this writing, as yet made an album. Their concert tours, mostly in the New England area, are short, focused, and well worth catching. You can find out more about the band and their tour schedule at their web site.

For a taste of what Long Time Courting is like live, check out the video here

photo courtesy of Long Time Courting

you may also want to see

Ellery Klein & Ryan Lacey: Kick into the Beat
Another Fine Winter's Night: Matt & Shannon Heaton
Cherish The Ladies: A Star in the East
Music of Maine: Lissa Schneckenburger

This is part of The Great American Road Trip, in which I originally partnered up with A Traveler’s Library to add musical ideas to the book and film suggestions for journeys through the regions of the United States which you’d find there. The Library is closed now, but I think you will still find the journeys through music interesting.

For more about this (and a look at some great road songs) see Great American Road Trip: Music begins

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Ellery Klein & Ryan Lacey: Kick into the Beat

Kick Into the Beat: modern Irish dance music, volume 2.


Loads of irish music is, or was originally, written for dancing. Today, there is a whole Irish dance music scene, with its own competitions, awards, magazines, and festivals. People doing a range of Irish dance styles often take part in less formal sessions and gigs around the world, too. There are also the immensely popular stage shows, Riverdance and Lord of the Dance.

With these things in mind, fiddle player Ellery Klein and percussionist Ryan Lacey have come out with Kick to the Beat, their second collection of material designed for Irish dancers, a selection of mainly original tunes in the proper style and beat for competition Irish dance. While the dancers among you will be delighted with new music with which to practice and prepare programs, in the main it’s just as good a listen for those who don’t dance at all. If you enjoy the music as a player, this crisp and clear recording, which focuses on fiddle and percussion with just a touch of backing from bass and guitar, could be a creative practice and learning situation for you as well --and especially so if you play for dancers. For listening, the performance set Step Into Christmas, is a lot of fun, with among other things, a Jingle Bell Polka. The Bloomin’ Hornpipes set and The Starry Slip Jigs are also especially nice for listening -- but watch out. Klein and Lacey, who met when they were both in the band Gaelic Storm (think the steerage band in the movie Titanic) may have you trying out dance steps yourself.


you may also want to see

Music Road: now playing: Athena Tergis

Hanneke Cassel: reels