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Last fall Mickey Coleman and Plunkett McGartland sat down with Malachi Cush on his Sunday Morning Jukebox radio program and discussed Mickey’s newest song and upcoming album, A Mothers Lullaby. During a lighter moment and as friends do, Malachi poked fun at Mickey about being referred to as the “next Irish folk sensation.” Obviously self-conscious about the reference, Mickey responded without hesitation; “talkin the talks one thing, but walkin the walks another.” Prophetic words…. With his A Mothers Lullaby, Mickey most certainly is “walkin the walk” in the footprints of the likes of Christy Moore and Bob Dylan. Mickey advocates for powerless abused children, innocent casualties of war having no escape from the devastation, loved ones left to cope with suicide, the end of political corruptness, the unemployed and those unfortunates caught up in the associated turmoil. For this album, Mickey has written lyrics guided by his conscience and from his heart. His fine voice lending so much power to the words they take your breath away. Having Plunkett McGartland accompanying Mickey on some of these songs is the perfect compliment to the richness and clean clear sound of the new songs.

A Mothers Lullaby is the next step in Mickey’s journey up the road to becoming one of the great folk singers both in Ireland and here in the states. He’s surely “walkin the walk” with A Mothers Lullaby!      Brilliant Mickey, just brilliant!!!

The reasons why Mickey wrote Mothers Lullaby have been explained eloquently by Mickey himself and would be diminished by any synopsis I could pen here. Visit his MySpace page and read his blog: Mothers Lullaby (why I wrote this song). http://www.myspace.com/mickeycoleman1

Locked Gates, a narrative written by Patricia Campbell, draws not so subtle parallels between County Tyrone’s recent past and present day Gaza. It is brilliant in its simplicity. Agree or disagree with Mickey’s recitation, where and when he spent his formative years makes him uniquely qualified to give voice to these words.

With Brighter Day Mickey describes the strife occurring in present day Ireland, both the Republic and the North. In three short verses Mickey covers dissention and hope for reconciliation, unemployment, alcoholism, corrupt politicians, poor or non existent services, wasteful excess and child abuse. Plunkett McGartland gives added depth to this piece with his considerable talents at the piano.

Mickey wrote Miss You More Than Words Can Say for a mother who had lost her 22 year old son to suicide. It has been included in a charity album, From The Heart, and performed by Mickey during a benefit concert last July to raise the profile of the Suicide Awareness campaign.  This song is beautiful and it’s great to see him share it with a wider audience.

Pillow of Tears gives a voice to faceless closeted children abused by clergy. The stark honesty of Mickey’s words strongly illustrate the almost unbearable pain suffered from these ugliest of acts.

This man writes, sings and plays from his heart whatever the topic. Don’t let his more serious songs overshadow the other touching, more traditional songs penned by Mickey for this album.

Writing, singing and playing from the heart is clearly illustrated  with Culdaff. (a village in Donegal on the Inishowen peninsula). In this one Mickey tells the sad story of high hopes, disappointment and resignation over what will never be, and almost unbearable loneliness for home.

Stranger in the City weaves a tale of youthful exploration, immaturity of decisions made and the wisdom of realizing what’s important in life.

Your Love Pulled Me In and Can Always Count on You are most obviously written for a special person. The first song is the story of finding love at the exact right time, the second a confirmation of love and commitment to a present and future together.

Judgement Day is a genuinely happy tune that’s unashamed by its tilt toward good old fashioned country and western. It’s a toe tapping sing along song that will bring a great big smile to your face. Hard to choose which is more fun, Mickey’s words or Plunkett’s honky-tonk piano style in this one.

A Mothers Lullaby song list:

Mothers Lullaby

Locked Gates

Brighter Day

Your Love Pulled Me In

Miss You More Than Words

Pillow of Tears

Can Always Count On You

Judgement Day

Stranger in the City

Culdaff

Purchase A Mothers Lullaby on Mickey’s website: http://mickeycoleman.com/index.html

Soon to be available at: cdBaby and iTunes

You may have seen the term Indie scattered throughout the site but you may not really understand what it means. Indies are Independent artists who put out their music themselves without going through a major record company. I am a big proponent of Indies. The more middle men there are between the artist and the audience, the more people get a say on the material and, of course, a cut of the profits. The final result is often pap that some committee has decided will appeal to the most listeners. These days radio stations, record labels, distributors and even the largest retail outlets are owned by huge corporations – often the same corporations. The bottom line is generally more important than the quality or variety of the music. This makes it almost impossible for a new artist or act to get a foot in the door unless they are practically a carbon copy of one of the corporate generated mega-stars. Even acts that do get signed can find out that they no longer own their music, have any say in where or when the tour and often they see very little profit even from a cd that sells fairly well. New acts will not be well promoted by record labels, distributors or tour companies. If there is any publicity at all the act often has to provide it themselves.

The alternative for musical acts is to put the music out themselves. This means that they have to come up with front money for studio time, pay any extra studio musicians that they may need, pay a producer, pay for the actual manufacturing of the cd, pay to store it and figure out how to distribute it. The internet and small run or even publish on demand cd companies have made it a little easier. Most acts also sell cds at their gigs, at festivals and specialty or local music and book shops. The more successful Indies write their own songs or do traditionals that are in public domain, this saves them the expense of paying for the rights to record someone else’s songs which is fine by me because heaven knows there are way, way too many covers around anyway.

The Indies are pretty much the last bastions of original music that actually has something to say which has not been “approved” by someone higher up the corporate chain. There are indies in every genre of music out there fighting the good fight. They deserve our full support and encouragement to keep the voice of the artist from being stifled by corporate interests. I will list a few that are from the genres we cover – Celtic, Irish and Folk. I will spotlight Indies in future posts also. Here are few we haven’t mentioned before.

Uisce Beatha is Irish for Water of Life but it is not referring to H2O It is pronounced ish keh ba ha and was anglicized into the word Whiskey. It is also the name of a great band from Glen Allen, VA. They can be found gigging in pubs in the greater Richmond area particularly at Rare Olde Times http://www.rareoldetimes.com/ and at festivals. For more info check out their website http://www.uiscebeatha.com and their myspace page http://www.myspace.com/uiscebeatharichmond Their cd is currently out of stock at cdbaby http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/uiscebeatha but is available at Itunes?

Switchback is a duo from Chicago made up of Brian FitzGerald and Martin McCormack. They bill themselves as having American roots and Celtic soul. It as a great combination. You can hear samples of their music at their myspace a page http://www.myspace.com/switchbacksince1993 or their own website http://www.waygoodmusic.com/ Tour info is also available in both places. Their latest album Ghosts of the River Folk is available at cdbaby along with their other cds and dvds. http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/Switchback

J Minus is a great band out of Seattle, Washington. They have both acoustic and rock versions of the band. I came across their acoustic page at myspace http://www.myspace.com/jminusband there is a link on the page to their rock page. They are a band made up of people with diverse interests herded into a slight cohesion by their founder Dylan Fant. There music is great. You can hear it at the myspace page and their website http://www.jminus.com/ They are one of the best bands I have come across in awhile and you really do need to go and give them a listen. This isn’t Celtic music but it is excellent and I’m sure you will like it. They gig in the Pacific Northwest and both their cds are available on cdbaby. http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/JMinus

Kevin Milner is a folk singer from Dayton, Ohio. His songs remind me of Dylan back in his hayday only with a bit more sense of humor and a better singing voice. You can hear a sample at his myspace page http://www.myspace.com/kevinmilner He gigs in the Dayton area so be sure to keep a look out for him there and he asked me to have my friends friend him so please do. The life of a folk singer can be a lonely one

Badly Drawn Boy is a folk/rock singer from Manchester, England. If you read his bio on my space you will find that he also has great sense of humor. You can hear samples of his music at his myspace page http://www.myspace.com/badlydrawnboy There are links on the page through which you can purchase his cd Is There Nothing We Could Do. It is also available through ITunes

Mick Duffy is a Rock/Pop indie from Dublin, Ireland. He goes by Mick at myspace http://www.myspace.com/mickduffy Mick’s first album Awakening is available at cdbaby http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/mickduffy. A second is either in the works or recently released but is not yet on cdbaby. The highest compliment that I can pay anyone is this: “He reminds me of the Beatles”. I don’t say that lightly but it is certainly true in this case.

Heads up to all our Aussie readers. The Saw Doctors are heading your way next month. This is a band that is absolutely not to be missed. Be sure to catch one of their shows.  This post has been updated to reflect the addition of the ADELAIDE date.

Thursday March 4
PERTH, FLY BY NIGHT
1 Holdsworth Street
Freemantle WA 6959
Box Office: 9430 5976
http://www.flybynight.org

Saturday March 6
Sunday March 7
PORT FAIRY FOLK FESTIVAL
NEAR GEELONG, VICTORIA
http://www.portfairyfolkfestival.com

Tuesday March 9
TASMANIA, REPUBLIC BAR
299 Elizabeth St
Hobart, Tasmania 7000
Box Office: 6234 6954
http://www.republicbar.com

Thursday March 11
MELBOURNE, CORNER HOTEL
57 Swan Street
Richmond 3121
Box Office: 9427 9198
http://www.cornerhotel.com

Friday March 12
FERNTREE, GULLY HOTEL
1132 Burwood Hwy,
Ferntree Gully, VIC 3156
Box Office: 9758 6544
http://www.ferntreegullyhotel.com.au

Sunday March 14,
CANBERRA, SOUTHERN CROSS CLUB
Top of The Cross Auditorium
92-96 Corinna Street
Woden, ACT 2606
Info: 6283 7200
Box Office: 6283 7289
http://www.cscc.com.au

Tuesday March 16
SYDNEY, MEAN FIDDLER
Cnr Commerical and Windsor Road
Rouse Hill, Sydney 2155
Box Office: 9629 4811
http://www.meanfiddler.com.au

Wednesday March 17
SYDNEY, METRO THEATRE
624 George Street
Sydney 2000
Box Office: 9550 3666
Ticketek: 132 849
http://www.ticketek.com.au

Thursday March 18
ADELAIDE, THE GOV
59 Port Road
Hindmarsh SA 5007
Box Office: 8340 0744
http://www.thegov.com.au/

Friday March 19
BRISBANE, THE HI-FI
125 Boundary Street
West End, QLD 4104
Box Office: 1 300 843 4434
http://www.thehifi.com.au

More info on the Saw Doctors tour schedule can be found at their website: http://www.sawdoctors.com I keep looking for news of the US tour but the best info I have yet is May-June 2010. Will post an update as soon as I get the info.

Congratulations to Spacerbunny. We have already contacted her so we know we can actually get the cd to her. The cd will be put in the mail asap.

When artists send us cds to review they often send an extra for us to share with the public. Sometimes it will be one we already have in our personal collections so we will pass the review copy along once we have done the review. We want to get this music into the hands of fans. We will be having periodic drawings for cds and other things from our memberlist so click the JOIN FANREALM link and sign up to be eligible and be sure and list fanrealm as an approved address so we don’t get caught in your spam filter. We will not be sharing your information with anyone.

This cd this time is one by Marc Gunn, my personal nominee as King of the Indies. Only Marc’s lovably twisted mind and superior musicianship could do an album like this and do it so well. I’m sure Spacerbunny and her family will love it. If you would like your own copy it can be purchased through cd baby by clicking below. Be sure to check out all of the other cds Marc has there also.

By SláinteSteve

Depending on where you live, there may or may not be much going on in the way of Celtic music or other related activities. Some places are hotter than others. Here in our area (the Pacific Northwest), things got a whole lot better for the local Celtic scene around February of ’09, when a transplant from Flint, Michigan started his very own Company, called 67 Music.

skOt Cranmore is his name. He arrived here in Portland, OR in 1997, and being a musician himself, played here for a while, and then eventually his focus was directed more toward the business aspect of music. He married and started a Family. After some thought of what and how he may proceed, it became clear that his Irish roots were coming to the forefront and ultimately, he had a vision; he wanted, somehow, to promote Celtic music and culture. How to do that? He thought. In the beginning he thought he might do a broadcast/podcast with any genre of music, but after some thought he decided it best to go all Celtic. A month after he started his company, the broadcast was born.

Here we are in early 2010 and both the website and the broadcast are still going strong. So much so that listenership for the live broadcast (each Saturday at 2pm Pacific) is now hovering around 10,000 persons globally, and hits on the website www.sixtysevenmusic.com average near as many, with more and more listeners checking in. Getting the podcast from iTunes certainly helped. Not a small feat for a one-man startup. In fact, there are talks in the works with interested parties for taking the show to other ‘traditional’ radio markets nationally.

If you haven’t yet tuned in, skOt ‘s approach to his broadcast is lean, cohesive and best of all, a well-rounded mix and features Celtic music from artists both locally and from around the globe. skOt estimates that he has made contacts with up to 500 artists from all over the world.

Not to be overlooked, the main website itself is growing, and with the addition of a new staffer, (yours truly), an events calendar has been added and even more staff are to be coming aboard soon, offering cd and show reviews. Efforts to expand our base and web presence are also in the works, all for preserving and promoting Celtic music and culture in our area and abroad.

We invite you to visit our website, and listen to the 67 Music Celtic Broadcast and see for yourself.

-SláinteSteve

Links:
info@sixtysevenmusic.com
events@sixtysevenmusic.com

67 Music on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/sixtysevenmusic
On Twitter: http://twitter.com/67music
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/67music
On YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/sixtysevenmusic

A month ago we had a drawing for a free CD. Unfortunately, we could never track down the winner via email. I suspect we are getting caught by a spam filter. To avoid this from happening to you, whitelist fanrealm.com in your email client. The way to do this varies from one to the next but what you want to do is get us into your approved address book so you get emails from us. This is especially important if you are a band contacting us so we can get back to you. We probably won’t be emailing anyone else unless they won something. Don’t miss out on a possible prize. We will be drawing a new winner tonight and notifying them both with an email and an announcement here at the site. On the bright side, this means that all the people who have joined since the first of the year are now eligible to win this CD.

Today, 29-Jan-2010, is a big day for singer/songwriter, Mickey Coleman, with the launch of his brand new album “Mothers Lullaby.” Mickey’s been called the next Irish folk sensation, and if the selections on his Myspace page are an indication of the quality and sound of the new album, he’ll have this title for the forseeable future. As part of the release, Mickey will also be embarking on a tour taking him to the cities of Belfast, Derry, Donegal, Dublin, Cork, Galway, Glasgow and London.

The Fanrealm staff would like to express its’ sincere congratulations and best wishes. Adh mor ort Mickey and continued success. Here’s hoping it goes platinum!

To order Mothers Lullaby or for tour details visit Mickey’s website: http://mickeycoleman.com/index.html

To hear a few of his new songs, visit Mickey’s Myspace page at: http://www.myspace.com/mickeycoleman1

Fanrealm continues to highlight great local Celtic bands and musicians with several excellent groups from the greater Chicago area.  Just outside the city and right up there close to the top in visits to Fanrealm are Naperville and Plainfield, both filled with Celtic music lovers. For these two towns and the rest of Chicagoland, here are several of my favorite groups. You’ll find them playing regularly all over Chicago, the surrounding suburbs & counties and several close by states.  

St. James Gate – This group is made up of three lifelong friends from Chicago’s South side who began their career as rockers and evolved into Irish folk singers. They’ve been making music for 30 years playing in and around Chicago. Known for their distinctive three-part harmonies and good time stage persona, St. James Gate is authentic Irish pub entertainment. Give them a listen on Myspace and if you’re in the Chicago area, be sure to take in a show.   http://www.myspace.com/sjgatechicago  

The Tossers – Are another outstanding group whose members hail from the South side of Chicago and are longtime friends. As a group, they’ve been around the area since the early 90’s singing and playing Celtic music that’s both traditional folk and punk rock fury combined. The name “Tossers” is derived from an old reference to commode, drunk or the British currency depending on who you ask. Huge favorites of Chicago’s Celtic music lovers, with a sound that is somewhere between rage and raucousness, they are known for playing anywhere, anytime and for or with anybody.  Their live shows are legendary for attracting all types of fans and are generally sold out. If you’re looking for a good time with a fun, fan loving group, see them when you have a chance and listen to a sample of their music on Myspace.    http://www.myspace.com/thetossers

Kevin Flynn & the Avondale Ramblers – I REALLY like this groups’ music. “A Chicago-Irish band” is how Kevin Flynn describes their Celtic inspired sound; Gaelic music reflecting all aspects of Chicago. The band’s sound is influenced by traditional Irish music but their songs tend to be more a rowdy pub type. Definitely not your average traditional Irish folk entertainers, they are so much more and well worth seeing; a memorable group of entertainers and definitely a fun night out on the town. http://www.myspace.com/kevinflynnandtheavondaleramblers

The Larkin & Moran Brothers – Have been around the Irish music scene in Chicago for 15 years. Comprised of six musicians and vocalists, they play their own brand of Celtic/Acoustic Irish folk music. Truly an energetic fun band to see live, the band is made up of:  
Dan Larkin– Their driving force, plays guitar and sings. He’s likened to a voice crossover of Christy Moore and Liam Clancy with just a touch of Davy Carton.

Mike Larkin– Plays a little of everything but mostly bodhran. He sings and enjoys telling a joke or two.
Joe Larkin – Described as raw energy, Joe plays harmonica, guitar and lends his voice to lead vocals. 
Terry Moran – A session veteran who plays the mandolin, tin whistle and banjo.
Kevin Moran –Bass vocals.
Mike Murphy – Seasoned mandolin and bass player.
http://www.myspace.com/thelarkinandmoranbrothers

Baal Tinne – (pronounced “Bahl Tinnuh”) is a five member Irish music group based in Chicago and founded in the early 1980’s. Playing flute, tin whistle, fiddle, bodhran, guitar and piano/keyboard, they transform Irish tunes into instrumental listening music without loosing the Celtic sound. Their goal is to explore and transform the traditional Celtic rhythms and they do this effortlessly. Baal Tinne’s sound is different and unique and yet totally familiar. They have several wonderful examples of their music on Myspace.   http://www.myspace.com/baaltinne

The 6th Annual Guinness Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival will be held Feb 24-28, 2010. 150 songwriters will take part in the event which will feature 20 seminars and 42 concerts. More information about the event can be found at their website http://www.belfastnashville.com/ Tickets may be purchased through the website. I wish I was on that side of the pond as I have a strong suspicion that Belfast today is as much a hot bed of music and creativity as Liverpool was in the 50s and 60s. Liverpool launched The Beatles and enough other great groups that what was known as the British Invasion landed on the shores of the US and the world and forever changed the face of music. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see a Celtic Invasion hit the world any time now with the talent coming out of Ireland and the UK and the talented people the world over who are making their music in Celtic style using traditional Celtic Instruments.

Our readers from the Belfast area should definitely take this event in. The next supergroup a la the Beatles might be right on your doorstep. Two of Fanrealm’s favorites are taking part in the festival. Mickey Coleman will be there on the 24th and Oracle will be playing on the 27th along with another band Oracle’s lead guitarist Chris Logan plays in called Exit. I have listened to them on my space too and they are excellent.

Thanks so much to David from Oracle for the heads up on this event. Oracle will be playing at 8PM sharp on the 27th. You don’t want to miss them (remember that whole Beatles warning above.. ).They are definitely a band to watch. This is a link to get tickets for the Black Box where Oracle will be appearing on Sat night Black Box tickets Black Box is at 18 Hill Street. Doors open at 8PM and Oracle is first up so don’t be late. Tickets are £5 plus P + P.

Since we have added google analytics to fanrealm we can see where our visitors are coming from. This will help us decide which areas are of interest to our readers. We will use this to highlight regional bands and events. The first region we will highlight is Virginia in the US because we get the most visitors from there. This surprises me a bit because I live in Virginia but we have a lot of readers in Charlottesville and they have, thus far, kept Virginia in the top spot. So here is a sample of some VA bands to seek out and enjoy.

The Celtibillies http://celtibillies.com/ Since I live in the south western corner of the state, the sounds of Appalachia are most prevalent here. There are a lot of similarities between Celtic Music and Bluegrass. Our area was settled by the Scots-Irish and they brought their music with them to the New World.

Iona – http://www.ionamusic.com/ This band bills themselves as a traditional pan Celtic Band and they are a perfect traditional Celtic music at its fines. They will be appearing at the Potomac Celtic Festival Jun 12-13 and at several other VA locations. Check their website for more details. Their music may also be purchased at their website.

Edsall Road is another traditional Celtic band based in Virginia. They play in the Northern VA/DC area. More info, including their appearance schedule, can be found on their website http://edsallroad.com Their cds can be purchased through cdbaby

Clan Haggis is from Central VA They perform Scottish, Irish and Celtic Sea Shanties which really bring the tall ships back to life in your mind when you hear them. More info on this entertaining and educational band can be found at their website. http://www.clanhaggis.com/

Coyote Run is a high energy celtrock band that almost defies description. They have taken traditional songs and given they a completely new spin that is their’s alone. Bending everything from bagpipes to didgeridoos to their will they have created a sound unlike any other. They tour the east coast of the US extensively and are absolutely not to be missed. More info can be found on their website http://www.coyoterun.com/ and their myspace page http://www.myspace.com/coyoterunband Their cds can be purchased through their website.

We have updated our contact us link. It now leads to a contact form so you won’t need to have default pop mail client to use it. Feel free to ask questions or make suggestions of bands to cover or events to list. Or just contact us to say hello. Just click the link in the upper right hand corner that says contact us in orange letters.

Andrew Huggan is a folk singer/songwriter from Central Scotland. He has been playing music ever since he was a small child but it’s only within the last decade that he started to take it more seriously.

During the Hebridean Celtic Festival in 2007 he got the chance to play his songs “Take Me Away Across the Sea” and “Lonely Lonely Night” live on BBC Radio nan Gàidheal.

In summer 2009 he was invited to play at Elphin Drift, an acoustic evening in Yorkshire. His performance went down well with the audience and he was invited back to play at the next Elphin Drift which was in November.

In February, Andrew will be performing at Skipinnish Ceilidh House, Oban, supporting folk rock band COAST on their debut Scottish tour.

You can sample Andrew’s music using the widget below. You can also find more info at these pages:

http://www.facebook.com/l/f09c0;www.reverbnation.com/andrewhuggan.

Andrew’s Facebook page