Irish, Scottish, folk, and country music from many different neighbourhoods, and sometimes, from behind the scenes
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Fiddle Players: 3 to discover +bonus ideas
Fast paced dance tunes, quiet slow airs, thoughtful backing of singers, classical orchestras and string quartets, bluegrass bands and ceilidh bands: fiddle players show up in all these, other places too.
Whatever your choice of style, spring and summer make especially good times to hear the fiddle. Many festivals are underway or upcoming.
In mid May each year World Fiddle Day is on the calendar, too, to remind about exploring the creativity to be found in the work of fiddlers. And violinists. It's the same instrument,
Ideas to get you started on that exploring, some players you may know and some artists who may be new to you.
Alasdair Fraser, from Scotland, began his career as a scientist. That career took him to California. One day, as he found himself writing out a fiddle tune when he was meant to be focusing on his science work, he realized what he really wanted was to play the fiddle, compose tunes, and share with others his joy in music.
These days, Alasdair does all those things, through a range of musical experiences and partnerships, and as founder and instructor at several top class fiddle camps..
One of his musical partnerships is with cellist Natalie Haas. They've appeared all over the world, and though they've recently announced that they will be working on individual projects going forward, they've made many fine albums still to be enjoyed.
There's a bit more to the the ongoing fiddle story for each of them too: Alasdair's son, Galen, plays in the duo San Miguel Fraser with his wife Maria San Miguel,. Natalie's sister, Brittany Haas, is part of the band Hawktail, and plays with other bluegrass and Americana groups and artists including the Punch Brothers, Crooked Still, and Carrie Newcomer.
Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh grew up in and Irish speaking area of Donegal in Ireland's northwest. Mairead learned fiddle early, and trained as a teacher, thinking that she and her husband, flute player Frankie Kennedy, would teach through the school years and in summers follow their love of playing music.
Call of music proved too strong though -- and also, they were really good at it.
Mairead on fiddle (she is a singer and composer too) and Frankie on flute formed the band Altan with several friends.
Band members came and went, Frankie took ill and passed on at a young age. Mairead, though, is still one of Ireland's top fiddle players and composers, leading the band Altan in sharing Donegal music across the world, and working on other projects, including String Sisters, T with the Maggies, and teaching lessons over the internet. Mairead's daughter Nia Byrne, herself a fine fiddle player, sometimes plays with Altan.
>Hanneke Cassel is based in Massachusetts in the US. Her music is grounded in the sounds of Scotland (she's studied and taught there) and Cape Breton, with now and then hints of her US background and of other places she's traveled as well.
There are so many great fiddlers, from Ireland, Scotland, Cape Breton, the US who work in Celtic styles. If this sort of music is new to you, the work of the artists named above is a great place to started exploring. You will find more in the archives here, and I'll have more to share in future too
It has been a bit quiet here. With all the noise going on in the world perhaps that’s been needed.
Time for a bit of catching up though. I do have great music coming up to write about for you here and in other places.
Right now, though: if you are new here, welcome. If you are regular reader, thanks for sticking with me. Music Road turned nineteen this past summer.
First, you’ll want to know about great concnerts you can tune in to live this week (10-18 October) or watch on replas through 31 October.
These are happening at the Celtic Colours International Festival on Cape Breton in Nova Scotia. Lots of Cape Bretoners, of course, and artists from Ireland, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the US, England, and many places across Canada also.
Next, a few greatest hits and stories you may have missed here at Music Road, followed by news of and several links to other related projects.
Over at Substack, I’ve begun a newsletter. It’s called Along the Music Road. Different or additional perspectives on artists you’ve met here and others you’ve yet to meet here, along with other related stories. There are subscriptions at no cost and paid ones if you’d care to support my work (hint: you can subscribe for as long or as short a term as you’d like) and you can also follow if you do not wish to subscribe.
At Wandering Educators, I write a once a month (usually third Monday of the month, though this can vary slightly) series called Music for Shifting Times.
I’ve also several other sorts of stories in the archive at Wandering Educators, among them an interview with Rosanne Cash, a look at the story of Putumayp World Music, and a conversation with Scottish fiddle player and composer Sarah-Jane Summers.
At Perceptive Travel I write three stories a month, usually.
Travel as seen through music, history, and the arts, most often.
I hope you will enjoy exploring the archives here and learning about these others projects. Thank you for being here. Whether you are new to Music Raod or a long time reader, I invite you to stay tuned as explorations continue.
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John McCusker: perhaps you’ve seen him play his fiddle on stage backing up folk singer songwriter Eddi Reader or rocker Mark Knopfler.
Could be if you follow Scotland’s music, you may recall his longtime stint as a member of the Battlefield Band as is career began, or his continuing presence as part of the ’hoose band’ backing musicians at Transatlantic Sessions at the Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow and on the road.
McCusker is in demand as a producer and composer as well. He’s worked with Roddy Woomble, Eddo Reader, Heidie Talbot, Cathie Ryan, and others as producer and composed music for soundtracks for Heartlands and for Billy Connolly’s Tour of New Zealand, among other projects.
John has composed tunes for his own recordings as well. Among those recordings are Goodnight Ginger and Hello Goodbye.
Thinking about all these experiences and aspects of his work went into John’s thinking as he chose tracks for the recording John McCusker -- The Best Of.
It’s an interesting journey. There are tunes and songs, four newly composed pieces along with well known favorites and lesser known pieces, all sorts of collaborations alongside solo work.
There’s a lot to listen to and take in, to be sure. If you do not know John’s work, taking the tracks as he’s set them out will serve you well. Seeking out pieces which included your favorite guest artists is also a worth while way to begin.
That said, I’ll point out the sets Brian’s Jigs and Sadenia’s Air/Baron’s Air (Eddo Reader guests on that) as two varied ways to enjoy waht John does. ‘s Tusa Thilleas with Julie Fowlis is another to look out for, as is The Wishing Tree Set from the trio of McGoldrick, McCusker, Doyle. Listen out for the solo track Leaving Friday harbour, too.
There’s a lot more to explore of John McCusker’s work on this recording and in his other work.
I was fortunate to attend the release cocnert for this recording in Glasgow. It both was amd was not as expected. Was: a lot of great music, many guest musicians who appeared on the recording joined in. Was not: didn’t follow the list of tunes that appeared on the album at all -- which you’d rather expect of John anyway, in truth.
Some pieces from the recording, to be sure, but favostures from the guests. John persuaded Eddi Reader to sing her classic hit Perfect, for instance, with everybody on stage at City Halls and most in audience joining in.
It turned out to be a fine celebration of music, creativity, talent, and friendship.
You could say that of the album John McCusker: The Best Of-- as well.
You may also like to know that there’s a book called John McCusker: The Collection which includes 100 of John’s tunes.
Photographs by Kerry Dexter. made with permission of the artist and the venue. Thank you for respecting copyright.
Your support is welcome, and needed, as Music Road is a reader supported publication. Thank you for considering...
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Eight Songwriters and a Scientist: The Darwin Song Project
Eight somgwriters were invited to take on a creative challenge...
When you think of Charles Darwin — should you think of him at all — you might call up images of the tropics in the Galapagos Islands, or the harsh climate of Tierra del Fuego at the tip of South America, or possibly monkeys and courtrooms in Tennessee.
All of those have connections with the nineteenth century scientist, but with the exception of five years spent voyaging around the world on the HMS Beagle, Darwin spent most of his life and did most of his groundbreaking thinking and writing at home in rural Shropshire, in the English midlands, not far from the border between England and Wales.
It was there that eight songwriters gathered, in a farm house that was already old in Darwin’s time, to create a group of songs to mark the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth.
That in itself would have been challenging enough. Added in to The Darwin Song Project: although each musician was an accomplished writer and performer in the folk music world, for the most part they did not know each other at all.
In addition, they’d have to perform the songs at an already sold out concert at the end of the week they’d spend together, a concert which would be recorded for an album and taped for a program to be broadcast on the BBC.
A full set of challenges, then...
It seems only right that the song they decided on to open the concert and the recording was called Trust in the Rolling Ocean. It finds Darwin jumping head first into voyages to unknown lands.
That song was a collaboration among four of the writers, Karine Polwart, from Scotland, and Jez Lowe, Rachael McShane, and Stu Hanna, all from England.
Many of songs the group created are collaborations, while a a few, such as American Krista Detor’s meditation on time, change, and mystery called Clock of the World, were written by a single artist.
The flourishing strangeness and attraction of tropical lands comes up in another song, Turtle Soup. Darwin is on the run in the western outlaw style ballad We’ll Hunt Him Down, and From Miss Emma Brawley finds an indignant woman setting Darwin straight on man and monkeys.
Deep questions of faith, family, and facing change come into play beyond the science and the controversy, as well.
Mother of Mysteries, written by American Mark Erelli along with Karine Polwart, puts Darwin the questioner front and center. Erelli has a master’s degree in evolutionary biology, “but I felt that stuff was tangential to any songs we were going to write. It was really more about the man than the theory,” he said.
That’s a conclusion to which all of the artists came, although they each did differing sorts of research while preparing for the project.
“I wasn’t too bothered by the science side of things,” Emily Smith said. “I don’t grapple with evolution, it’s not really bothered me about where we come from or how old we are and what not.”
Smith, from Scotland, mixes both traditional material from Scotland and her own original songs in her work. “I was much more drawn to his personal life,” she said, “and his relationship with Emma and the children.”
Darwin and his wife Emma shared a deep love, and deep differences over ideas of faith.
Smith, along with Stu Hanna and Jez Lowe, get to the heart of that elegantly yet directly in Save a Place :
Farewell my love Close though you be Your mind is many many miles away From your children and me
The world you spent traveling is here at your feet: Is there a way to make it all complete?
At the end of the week, all the songs, styles of collaboration and co writing, and differing voices and instruments came together for the live concert, and live recording at Theatre Severn, in Shrewsbury.
“The stage was brand new, too, and the day we had the concert, the theatre staff, the sound guys, us, the music — everybody was literally finding their feet everywhere, “ Smith recalled.
“There was such potential for things to go wrong, but I think there was such huge hope in all our hearts for things to go smoothly — and I’m still amazed at how good the recording sounds. If we’d gone into a studio, you wouldn’t have gotten that energy to it.”
A fine energy, indeed, excellent leads, creative backing vocals and instrumentation, and a range of thought provoking songs which reach beyond the specific details from which they arose.
Whether science, family, history, or creativity is your focus, the songs these musicians created for The Darwin Song Project will make good companions.
Another version of this story first appeared at Perceptive Travel. It is no longer available so it seemed a good time to bring The Darwin Song Project here, especially as you’ll find other stories about several of these artists here at Music Road.
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If you’ve spent time in Scotland, you will likely hav seen Joy Dunlop presenting weather on BBC Scotland and on BBC Alba.
Perhaps you are learning Gaelic? Then you may have come across Joy’s work as a presenter of the the broadcast and online series Speak Gaelic. Perhaps you’ve heard her present award shows and other programs in Gaelic and in English, or leraned of her work developing Seachdain na Gàidhlig/ World Gaelic Week, a time celebrating Scottish Gaelic language and culture.
Maybe you’ve heard that she created and conducted the Alba Choir, Scotland’s entry in the Eurovision Choir competition.
At the heart of all this, Joy is a musician, an award winning singer and stepdancer.
She grew up in the traditional music community of Connel in Argyll in the west of Scotland, studied on the isle of Skye, and has traveled the world with her music.
With all that she’s got going on, she takes her time in releasing albums.
Caoir is pronounced koor. In Scottish Gaelic the word means a blaze of fire, fiercely burning, flames or flashes.
That idea comes through in the warming, welcoming sound of Joy’s vibrant soprano, and in the music she has chosen to record.
It also follows through in the connection and creativity shared by the musicians who join Joy on the recording: who are Ron Jappy on guitar, Ifedade Thomas on drums, Gus Stirrat on bass, Mhari Marwick on fiddle, and Euan Malloch on electric guitar.
It is a connection that evolved into an album.
It began, Joy said, “as a jam session with four fantastic musicians, and soon grew into something more -- a selection of music that we all loved and a real friendship and bond between us all. I think that sense of joy comes across in the music.”
It does indeed.
Dunlop’s sense of adventure and creativity, as well as her musicianship anchor the music she and her collaborators create.
Caoir begins with a lively set of jigs to draw listeners in with both music and rhythm.
Rhythm and beat are present through the music on Caoir. This is the first time Joy has brought drums and bass into her music. In the hands of these musicians, these additions work well within the ten tracks of traditional music.
You will hear this in subtle fashion as Joy explores the gentler side of her voice and music as she sings Am Braigh/The Braes. This is a song Malcolm Gillis wrote in praise of his home area of Margaree in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Joy spent some time living and working in Mabou in Cape Breton. She writes in her notes on the song “Cape Breton is a place dear to my heart... I can confirm that it’s just as beautiful as the song describes.”
Cape Breton is also one of the few places outside the Highlands and Islands of Scotland where you will find Scottish Gaelic in daily use.
You will also hear that beat and rhythm in several of the faster paced songs on Caoir. Among those is Mo Nighean Donn Ho Gu/ My Brown Haired Girl.
Waukling songs for working the tweed, puirt a bheul to celebrate and keep alive dance and piping music through the voice of the singer, story songs of legend and history, love songs -- all these are part of the music on Caior, presented with creativity and thoughtfulness as much as with celebration.
“I’ve always loved music that pushed the boundaries of what was considered trad without losing the soul of the songs,” Joy Dunlop said. “As a Gaelic singer, I’m always trying to make my music accessible to those who don’t speak the language.
“With this recording I wanted to capture the sentiment of the songs, whether the listener understands Gaelic or not.”
Another aspect that comes across clearly is the connection and creativity Joy and the artists who join her bring to the music.
Reflecting on this, Joy said “That mix of trust, creativity, and drive for exploration eventually emerged as an album that will hopefully resonate with trad fans and those who just love music.”
Whether you have Gaelic or not, give Caoir a listen -- more than one, really, to explore all the musicians have to offer. You are bound to enjoy the journey.
...and mention must be made of the visual aspect of the album, which really carries through that
theme of flashes of fire while serving both the music and the artist. Photography is by Euan Robertson and album design is by LOOM Graphics.
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Haar. In the northeast of Scotland that is the name for a mist that often comes in across the coast. It lends a feeling of uncertainty as one walks about and tries to find one’s way.
Musician Lauren MacColl had some of the grimmer aspects of what haar can suggest on her mind as she began writing music for an album, and working on music commissioned for Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters., MacColl’s instrument is the fiddle.
She found her way through the fog, though, to peace and hope.
“This music was written during a year of huge personal loss, when it often felt that the haar had engulfed me and those closest to me,” she said.
“Working on this album has been a solace,” MacColl continued, “and at the heart of it is a strong pull towards the coast both its fragility and its strength. Haar --- tor me-- is a reminder that that after the mist always comes the light.”
That idea appears that more than once in the music MacColl has composed and has chosen for the album she named Haar.
Most of is inspired by landscapes, seascapes, and stories of the place she calls home, the Black Isle in the northeast Highlands of Scotland.
The Black Isle is not an island, though it has a good bit of coast as it is a peninsula bounded by the Cromarty Firth, the Beauly Firth, and the Moray Firth. It lies just a bit north of Inverness. People have been coming to settle there, to work the waters and the land, since the time of the Picts and before.
Several of the tunes Lauren MacColl offers on Haar were inspired by histories of shipwrecks and lives lost at sea, and the effect these had on the communities left behind. In these tunes, MacColl has a gift for evoking hardship, change, and resilience through the music of her fiddle.
There are happier stories in the journey on which she tales her listeners as well.
One such is the set which pairs the tunes The Lost Bell and Women of the Shore. The fast paced opening tune is inspired by the true story of two bells cast in Holland for churches on the Black Isle back in 1624. They both almost made but...one lies beneath the waters to this day. That, Lauren decided, warranted a lively tune.
She pairs it with a tune of history and resilience honoring the women who had such a large part of in the lives of fishing communities in the Black Isle and all along Scotland’s coasts and waters.
Another story of resilience is honored and illuminated in the tune Culbin. The town of Culbin, east of Nairn, was overcome by a great sandstorm in 1694. Residents fled and did not return.
About a hundred years ago, Scotland’s Forestry Commission began planting trees, and now, as Lauren writes in her sleeve notes
”Culbin is a thriving home to nature.It is an ever changing place where shifting sands continue to remind us of the power of our coasts. A place full of dragonflies and singing seals.”
That love of and respect for nature, and a view of changing life along the coast both cleared eye and poetic come through clearly in Lauren’s work. Whether she is writing a tune inspired by the northern lights, or changes in spring weather, or a memory of how her grandmother’s love for the area her family calls home inspires her own love of the place and her work to share its stories through her music, without speaking a word Lauren evokes history. community, and landscape.
It is MacColl’s clear storytelling with her fiddle that anchors and informs the music on Haar.
She has gathered a group of musical friends to come along with her on the journey too, several of them with their own ties to the area. You will hear Rachel Newton on harp and spoken word, James Lindsay on bass, Alice Allen on cello, Jennifer Austin on piano, Anna Massie on acoustic and nylon guitars, and Mairearad Green on accordion.
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Scotland's music:Elan from Rachel Hair and Ron Jappy
Elan: that’s the name Rachel Hair and Ron Jappy have chosen for their most recent album.
As it is a word meant to describe something done with energy, style, and enthusiasm, it makes a description reflacting f the duo’s music.
Rachel plays the harp. Ron’s instrument is the guitar. The two thus bring together Scotland’s oldest instrument and one that is newest to the music of Scottish tradition.
They each bring love, respect, and knowledge of that tradition to the ten tracks on Elan.
Eight of the ten tracks are sets in which several tunes are linked; six of the ten include original compositions from Rachel. Other tunes come from traditional sources and from the work of contemporary musicians who draw on Celtic traditions.
Harp and guitar are in good conversation all through the sets and single tunes.
There’s the lively set Tom Toi’s Polka, for instance, with the title tune by Rachel written for a harp learning friend, followed by Battle of Augrim from Irish tradition, and another tune which they write in the sleeve notes “we found when sourcing new material; it obviously caught our eye because of its name!” It is called Harper’s Frolics and comes from English tradition. The light notes of Rachel’s harp dance against the upbeat rhythm of Ron’s guitar through the tunes. Adam Brown adds the beat of bodhran to the mix.
MacLeods of Waipu is a reflective tune that hold stories of journeys and discovery within its notes. When Ron and Rachel were on tour in New Zealand, people kept telling them they needed to go to Waipu as it it s place important to people from Scotland who emigrated to New Zealand.
On a day off they worked in a visit, and sure enough upon visiting the town’s museum, they found connection not only to Scotland but to Ullapoll, the very town in the northwest Highlands where Rachel was born.
Turns out that a school teacher (MacLeod of the tune’s name) during the time of the Highland Clearances led folk from Ullapool first to Cape Breton in Atlantic Canada and several years later to Waipu in North Island.
Cape Breton. comes in for further reference on the album, too: the Cape Breton Jigs set comprises three tunes by three Cape Breton fiddlers, set over to good effect on on harp, guitar, and bodhran.
Daybrak is a quieter set, also taking inspiration from landscape. The title tune comes from famed Shetland fiddler Tom Anderson. The duo pairs it with Rachel’s Dinan Dawn. That is “a Breton style tune inspired by early morning walks to teach harp in the beautifully medieval town of Dinan, Brittany,” she said.
The engaging music on Elan goes to show why Rachel and Ron each have many projects on the go in addition to their duo gigs and recordings.
Ron comes from a coastal village in Scotland’s northeast. He’s been involved in music since he was in primary school and holds a degree from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He’s in demand for recording and touring in folk and traditional music projects.
Rachel is one of the top folk musicians in Scotland, known for her teaching as well as her performance. These skills and her love for the music of Scotland take her to countries across the world. Rachel has released six solo albums to date and often works on collaborative projects as well.
Rachel’s regular travels take her to teach harp once a month to the Isle of Man; it’s also where her husband comes from. So it’s natural that there’s be a nod to music of the Isle of Man on Elan.
The set Rachel and Ron have chosen to close the album references the Isle in its title, To the Rock, and in its tunes, which include music from Manx tradition and from contemporary Manx writers. That good conversation between harp and guitar (with Adam Brown’s bodhran again joining in) continues through the set.
Clarity, grace, creativity, and, yes, elan inform the tunes themselves and the playing of them through the album.
All the tracks on Elan are well worth your attention, worth your repeated listening in fact.
Lively sets and reflective ones, traditional tunes and newer ones, the music Rachel Hair and Ron Jappy have created becomes soemwhat like enjoying a conversation with good friends, a conversation to which you will want to return
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Lossan: Ruth Keggin & Rachel Hair explore music from the Isle of Man
Lossan: that’s a word in Manx Gaelic that means shimmer, flicker, particles of light in darkness such as you might glimpse when looking at light reflecting on water at night.
It is also the title that Ruth Keggin and Rachel Hair have chosen for their duo album.
“It felt very fitting to title the album this way,” Ruth said. “The word also has connections to sea and sky and it’s these things that connect us both and are so important to our homelands.”
Ruth is a singer, native to the Isle of Man, and an artist who has played a part in the resurgence of interest in the Manx Gaelic language in recent times.
Rachel Hair’s instrument is the harp. She is from Scotland, currently based in Glasgow. Her music has taken her as far afield as Japan, the United States, and Australia. She’s been visiting the Isle of Man for a number of years to teach and play.
Ruth and Rachel met more than a decade ago at an after hours session one night on Man. Off and on since then, they have been playing together, including a gig at the Edinburgh International Harp Festival.
“For years now I have been inspired by the culture on the Isle of Man and its music, song, and language,” Rachel said. “I’m so grateful to those involved in the cultural scene on the island for welcoming me.”
Ruth’s and Rachel’s collaboration on Lossan adds to the creativity of Manx music in both song and melody -- and there are a few tunes from Scotland and Ireland in their set list as well, tunes which help illuminate connections among Celtic traditions, and the work of those who bring those traditions forward.
The whole of Lossan is well worth repeated listenings; indeed the balance of intricacy and simplicity that marks the duo’s arrangements and choices of music readily invites that.
That said, tracks to listen out for especially include
Graih Foalsey is a traditional song from the Isle of Man about about a lover who has proved false to her man. If you know other Celtic tales of false lovers you might hear hints of those in word and melody both. In this tale, though man knows of the circumstance, he remains hopeful. That likely explains why the song is reflective in tone rather than angry or sad It’s a piece Ruth and Rachel each enjoy performing when they are working on their own, so it made a natural choice to include in this duo project.
For the Tri Nation Harp Jigs Set, Rachel features on her own with a set that moves from a traditional Scottish tune to a Manx one to one from Ireland; Ruth similarly has a track on her own with an a capella take on the traditional Manx song Arrane Saveenagh, a song which has similar lyrics in the same vein as Rock-a-bye Baby.
You might at this point be wondering a bit about Manx Gaelic and Manx music and where they come from. They’re Celtic: if you have Scottish Gaelic or Irish a few words might catch your ear .
The Isle of Man lies in the Irish Sea, about halfway between Ireland and Scotland. Through history it has had connections and influences to the cultures of both countries, and to the Nordic lands also, as it made a good way station for traveling Vikings.
The Isle of Man has remained its own country, though, and being an island a bit out on the sea, has developed its own languages and culture from all those elements.
Another set to listen out for on Lossan is Eubonia Soilshagh, which comprises a lively collection of drinking songs, several with trad Manx lyrics set to contemporary melodies by Manx musician Annir Kissack. This is also a track on which guests join the duo: Adam Brown on bodhran, Adam Rhodes on bouzouki, and Isla Callister on fiddle.
The whole of Lossan offers a way to explore an aspect of Celtic music and Gaelic song that’s perhaps lesser known than others.
It also offers a master class in how singer and instrumentalist can work together to explore song and melody.
All that comes together especially in another track: Arrane Oie Vie, also known as the Good Night Song. It too is a traditional Manx song, one which is often used to end an evening of music.
Ruth Keggin and Rachel Hair have chosen this song to draw their duo album Lossan to a close, as well.
There’s much more to enjoy on Lossan. Take time with what Ruth Keggin and Rachel hair have created; you will be well rewarded.
Ruth and Rachel each have other albums in release, which you may find out about at their respective websites.
For English language lyrics of the songs on Lossan, go to the media tab of Ruth’s website.
Photographs of Ruth and Rachel by Amore du Plessis Photography
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Scotland's music: Breabach celebrates nature and hope with Fàs
Fàs: in Gaelic, it is word that means growth, developing, and sprouting.
It is also the name Breabach have chosen for their recent album. Both musically and in outlook, those ideas are good descriptions for what they’ve been exploring
The music most often holds connection to the natural world and ideas of change. That parallels a bit what is going on with Breabach’s musical evolution, too: staying true to their love of and expertise with tradition, they continue to take tradition forward and add to it in thoughtful and creative ways.
The five members of Breabach are well qualified to do this individually. One of the fine things about listening to the tracks on Fàs (and seeing the band live, too, which you need to do if ever you have the opportunity) is enjoying their excellence at collaboration, too.
Breabach are Calum MacCrimmon on Highland pipes, whistles, bouzouki, vocals; James Lindsay on double bass, Moog, vocals; Ewan Robertson, who plays acoustic and electric guitar in addition to singing; Megan Henderson on fiddle and vocals, and newest member of the band (this is his first time recording with the group) Conal McDonagh, on Highland pipes, uilleann pipes, whistles, and vocals.
The ten tracks on Fàs find the band offering a fine mix of trad and original music, with song in both English and Gaelic, balanced with a good range of tunes as well.
The opening set, The Old Collection, holds three traditional tunes along with one composed by Calum. It offers good introduction to the band’s way with honoring tradition as well as adding their own spark. That’s lightly done, adding just a t touch of something a bit different to the band’s imaginative work.
Part of that spark comes out now and then through touches of synth from guest Keir Long and percussion from Inge Thomson, too -- just enough to add in to mix at times. Thomson produced the album, and given her fine ear for connection electronic and acoustic elements in her other work, it’s no surprise she does it well here.
Ewan Roberson wrote and takes lead voice on Revolutions. which he remarks was inspired by reading about renewable energy and making a visit to a wind farm. “A love song to a wind turbine,” he calls it. It is that, and there’s more thoughtful stuff going on in its lyrics, too and in the video the band has made to go along as well.
Megan takes lead for the Gaelic song Eadar An Dà Bhraigh, written by her brother Ewen Henderson. It’s to celebrate the sustaining of a woodland ecosystem just south of the Cairngorms. That might not at first sound a likely subject for a lovely song, but in the writing of Ewen and the voices and instruments of Breabach, it becomes just that.
Another favorite is the set Brog to the Future, which comprises three tunes celebrating the promises of nature and of the coming generations. There’s one from Cape Breton fiddle player Kinnon Beaton, one from Megan, and one from Conal, to make a lively and engaging set.
Megan composed the title tune after taking part in a Fridays for Future march with Ewan and their young daughter at the COP26 climate meeting in Glasgow. Brog means shoe in Gaelic, and Conal’s tune also has to do with shoes, while Kinnon’s is a reel for a school graduating class. Steps to the future, perhaps.
Another excellent set is Dear Green, with tunes composed by Megan in honor of Glasgow and its green spaces, and by James in honor of the Global Seed Vault in Norway, which also provides hope for future. Not subjects every musician would choose or would be able to bring off, but these two, along with other band members and guests Long and Thomson, do it with class.
Class is a fair description all that’s going on in Fàs, There’s the title track, which brings together trad and contemporary in good style, Megan’s fine singing in a song sourced frm Cape Breton, a cover of a Jim Malcolm/John McLellan piece, and a march from Calum.
To draw the album to a close and to draw the threads of ideas of nature and future together, Breabach offer song from Calum -- he takes lead voice, too -- called Changing World. This thoughtful and thought provoking piece was inspired by Calum’s reflections during lockdown, looking out his window and seeing natuee flourishing in the absence of human activity.
Fàs is an album weLl worth the listening, worth repeated listening. Every time you do so you will hear new colors, voices, and ideas. It is a great next step for the top class musicians of Breabach.
...and in case you were wondering about sustainability, the disc comes in a sleeve of FSC certified stock, printed using all vegetable inks.
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It has been a bit quiet here of late; there will be more say about upcoming and current projects coming along.
In the meanwhile, have a look and listen to those stories and albums noted above, and take a look throught the archives here at Music Road too. A good lot of music and ideas to explore within.
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Third week in Advent: Music, friendship, connection
Winter can be a season for connection of many sorts.
There could be gathering with friends and family we see often, and with those with whom we visit just a few times in a year, or do not see for several years.
It can be a time for thinking of an connecting with freieds at distance, too, those we may not see in person but whose love and connection yet is a vital presence in our lives.
Whatever form connection may take, the winter season is a good time -- a good excuse, if one is needed -- to connect, to reconnect, to reach out to people you’ve not seen in some time, or that you see of and say: I was just thinking of you.
Music to go along with these ideas
Carrie Newcomer’s song Gathering of Spirits is an honoring of friendship, of lasting love and respect.
Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh wrote a song in Irish (she is from Donegal and a native Irish speaker) for her daughter called Mo Nion O. Cathie Ryan, who is also a mother, translated the words into English and uses both languages in her version of the song.
In both languages, it is a blessing for the present and an idea of hope for the future.
In Shannon Heaton’s song Fine Winter’s Night, she contrasts the cold bright of stars and snow with warmth and connection beckoning within. Shannon and her husband Matt, who joins her in the song. chose the song for title of their winter themed album.
On her album Songs of Christmas. Scotland based musician Emily Smith brings in a lively version of a contemporary carol you may or may not know. It is sure to bring a smile though, and perhaps you will join in singing it with thosoe near and far. It is called Little Road to Bethlehem.
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Second week in Advent: Music from Spell Songs, Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem, Ruth Keggin and Rachel Hair
Celebration in winter months may be lively. It may also be quiet. Music can align well with both of these circumstances.
In the second week of Advent, here are ideas to go along with your lively celebrations and your quieter ones.
This song, Oak, is a good one to get thinking about nature, about time, about connection -- all good things to contemplate in the winter season.
Kris Drever, who comes from Scotland, sings lead here, accompanied by other members of the Spell Songs ensemble, who are Jim Molyneux, Seckou Keita, Rachel Newton, Karine Polwart, Beth Porter, and Julie Fowlis. You will find Oak recorded on Spell Songs II: Let the Light In. Learn more about the here is a way to do that, Spell Songs albums and artists in this story
Whether or not you like the drink hot buttered rum or indeed if you have never heard of it, there is good reason to listen to the song of that name.
Hot Buttered Rum the song celebrates and reminds of the healing possibilities of friendship, love. connection, and hope in the midst of dark and cold. New England based band Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem (who are, in addition to Rani, Scott Kessel, Andrew Kinsey, and Anand Nayak) recorded on their album Wintersong.
Arraneyn Cadlee is the name of a set of two Christmas lullabies which start off the album Lossan from Ruth Keggin and Rachel Hair. Ruth is the singer for the track; Rachel plays harp.
The words of the songs are in Manx Gaelic, the language of the Isle of Man. That is Ruth’s native place. Rachel, who is one of the top harp players in Scotland, has been visiting the Isle of Man for a number of years to perform and to teach. The women met at a session some ten years ago and from time to time performed together, eventually deciding to create a duo album. Lossan is the result. Look for more to come about Lossan here along the music road.
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The range of Celtic tradition and new dimensions for its present and future: all that is part of the work of the musicians of The McDades, based in Alberta in Canada and Maran, based in Glasgow, Scotland.
It’s always g balance to draw inspiration from music of a tradition, play song and tune handed on and handed down, while putting your own mark on it, at the same time staying true to this spirit of those who have handed it on.
Another way to do that, one that arises naturally from loving and being immersed in traditional styles, is creating new music which respects and draws on tradition, while placing one’s own voice within its story.
Manran and The McDades, in differing yet related ways, are really good at this. The tradition, in the case of both bands, is mainly music of Scotland, with touches of other influences of several places and sorts now and again.
Manran has been part of the Scottish traditional music scene for elven years at this writing. Known for high energy trad rock that has listeners up on their feet as often as not, the seven member group is also well skilled at interpreting and creating quieter, more reflective pieceso.
Both these aspects of the band’s music arepresented in their album Urar. That’s a word in Gaelic which means flourishing. That well suits the character of the music on offer.
The material is largely written or arranged by members of the band, with each artist contributing to the project. Founding member of Manran Gary Innes plays accordion. Ewen Henderson is on fiddle, Highland bagpipes, vocals, piano, and synths. Ross Sanders handles bass guitar and Moog. Ryan Murphy is on uillean pipes whistle, and flute. Mark Scobie adds in drums, Aidan Moodie brings in guitar and backing vocal, and Kim Carnie is on vocals.
Kim and Aidan are the most recent members of the band, having both joined in 2019. Urar is the first Manran recording on which both of them appear. They joined up to create the song Crow Flies, which they co-wrote over distance during lockdown. The substance of the song is about supporting one another during uncertain times and being willing to take risks.
Those are ideas which recur in varied ways across the music on Urar, in tune and in song and in Gaelic and in English. Each of the band members knows well how to create and to collaborate in telling stories through music.
There is Manran’s trademark high energy present as part of such storytelling.
While that may at first seem an unlikely way to treat a song of grieving those lost at sea, the song Ailean proves an excellent way to appreciate this aspect of the band’s creativity. The Black Tower set, comprising a tune written by Ewen paired with a piece based on ancient legend and geography written by Mischa MacPherson, offers another way to appreciate how well these artists use instrument and voice both tell story..
The tunes are equally engaging. In addition to that first tune in The Black Tower set, listen out especially for the reel Creamery Cross, named by Ryan for a place near his mother’s home in County Clare in Ireland, and for The Loop, a set of three tunes, one from Ryan, one from Gary, and another from piper Peter Morrison of the Peatbog Fairies.
There is a set of Puirt, a song in Gaelic about a ridiculous pair of trousers, a tune in tribute to a favourite surf beach, a Gaelic song from a poem by Ewen honoring the tradition fo planting saplings for those who are gone too young, a song in English celebrating connection across distance, and other musical adventures to explore..
To draw things to a close, the band chose Griogal Chride. This is lament dating to 1570. Again it shows the fine way Manran works as a band to honour music and story, briging together ideas they’ve been sharing across the music on the album, with excellent playing and a memorable lead vocal from KIm.
The McDades well know how to honour story through their music, too.
The heart of the band are brothers Jeremiah McDade, whose instruments are whistles, guitar, bansuri, saxophone, and and vocals, and Solon McDade who is on bass and vocals, and sister Shannon Johnson, whose instruments are fiddle and voice. Alongside the siblings are musical friends Andy Hillhouse on guitar and vocals and Eric Breton cajon, darbouka, and other percussion.
The McDades are known for being based in Celtic tradition and for drawing on other styles on genres for inspiration and exploration.
That’s true of what they offer on The Empress.
You will find, for example, a lively version of the traditional song Willie Reilly.. It finds Shannon telling the tale about star crossed lovers and a man’s day in court with her lead vocals, alongside creative and fast paced percussion and instrumental backing.
The energy continues and picks up pace a bit with the original tune The Oak, Ivy and Ash, which may well have you up and dancing, or at least, tapping your feet as you listen.
Sundown, written by fellow Canadian Gordon Lightfoot, is a classic of contemporary folk song. It stands up well to treatment by the McDades which both honours that aspect of the song and intersperses the verses with breaks which include jazz flavored saxophone lines.
Blues and jazz come into play as The McDades offer a haunting cover of Plain Gold Ring, which was written in the 1950s by Jack Hammer. They head back into Celtic direction at first with the title track The Empress, but if you want to name other genres The McDades include in their music, you will find several of those in the tune as well.
About that title, The Empress? There are reasons behind the choice.
The heart of the band is the collaboration among Jeremiah, Solon, and Shannon. In the tarot, The Empress is the third card, meant to represent power and productivity of the subconscious, and said to open doors for creative and artistic energy. The band points out in press material about the album that they were drawn to these ideas, to the symbolism of the number 3, and to connections to the ideas of creativity growth, and expression.
With both of these albums, you will find stories directly and indirectly drawn from earlier times. You will find instrumental creations and collaborations as complex as any you’ll find in classical or jazz. Engaging and expressive singing carries the stories and traditions forward as well.
Manran and The McDades each offer material for inspiration, reflection and celebration -- musical journeys well worth the taking.
You may also wish to see
Urar was produced by Calum MacCrimmon. You will know him as a member of Breabach Ewen Henderson has a solo album out Steall/Torrent. Kim Carnie is also lead singer withe the band Staran. Learn about Staran’s debut album Kim has a solo album out soon as well, bout which more to come.
An earlier album from The McDades, Bloom Shannon Johnson has produced many of Maria Dunn’s albums, including the Juno winning Joyful Banner Blazing. Jeremiah and Solon play on this and other of Maria’s albums as well.
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