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They do everything big in the lonestar state and Celtic music is no different. They have so many bands they won’t all fit into one post. So I will start off showcasing my personal favorite Celtic Rock. Some of these bands have had cds on my shelf for quite a while, others were recommended by friends from Texas and still others I stumbled upon on myspace. Together they add up to a sound as big as Texas itself and just as bold. If you haven’t listened to these bands before now is the time and for those of you lucky enough to live in the area be sure to take in a show. Most of them have their gig schedules listed on their myspace pages.

Seamus Stout The name of this band caught my eye while I was browsing at cdbaby a year or two ago. The samples lived up to the promise of that great band name so I ordered and have been enjoying them ever since. They are from the Dallas/Fort Worth area and play a lot locally. You can also catch them on the festival circuit. They have 4 cds on cdbaby You can also purchase their music at Itunes

Website: http://www.seamusstout.com
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/seamusstout

THE KILLDARES are a Celtrock band out of Dallas, Texas. They gig a lot in Texas but can also be seen on the festival circuit. This band blends 100% Celtic with 100% rock and throws in a taste of pop which adds up to well over 200% entertainment value. Their cd The Killdares SECRETS OF THE DAY, along with 2 others are on sale at amazon and Itunes

Website: http://killdares.com/site/
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/killdares

Needfire is another Celtrock band from Dallas. This is a very high energy band. I love their song Young, Free and Celtic This is a must see band. Their gig schedule is on their myspace page. If they cone to your area, don’t miss them. They currently have 4 cds out. All of them can be purchased through their website http://www.needfire.com, myspace page http://www.myspace.com/needfiremusic or ITunes

Murder the Stout bill themselves as First Ever (Modified) Celtic Boy Band!! They are a Houston based band that is all about having fun and not taking anything too seriously. They blend Scottish and Irish traditional music with good old down home Texan rhythm section creating a sound that is uniquely their own. Their self titled cd Murder the Stout is available through cdbaby

Website http://www.murderthestout.com/
My Space http://www.myspace.com/mtsband

Blaggards are another Houston band. They call what they do Stout Irish Rock and you can’t argue with that description. They gig mainly in the Texas area but a doing a brief tour of Ireland later this month. Their cd Standards is available at cdbaby.

Website: http://blaggards.com/
My Space: http://www.myspace.com/blaggards

The Rogues also call Houston home. If you want heavy pipes in your Celtic Rock music the Rogues are the band for you. They have an impressive discography of 8 albums. Their music is available at both cdbaby and ITunes.

Itunes cdbaby

Website:http://www.therogues.com/fr_index.cfm
My Space: http://www.myspace.com/houstonrogues

 “Hope to see some of ye in the very near future folks. Slan..”

The Druids are a four-piece Irish REBEL band made up of three Kildare men and a Wexford man… Paddy Mangan from Johnstown Bridge on banjo, mandolin and vocals; Gary Lawlor from Clane on acoustic guitar and lead vocals; newest recruit Darren Egan also from Clane on bass, a great musician, he will also be singing when he gets settled in; and the one and only Mick O’Brien originally from Wexford but now living in Newbridge on five string banjo, bodhran, tin whistle and vocals. The group has recently taken onboard a manager, Adrian Moran from County Westmeath, who aims to take them “to the highest point of their careers.”

The Druids played their first gig on 9th May 2009 and since then have toured Ireland and Scotland where they play again in April. They are supporting the Celtic band Charlie and the Bhoys in the famous Barrowlands Glasgow to a sellout crowd of 2000 Celtic fans and returning  to the Brazen Head in Glasgow where they perform on regular occasions. On St.Patricks Day The Druids are playing in Belgium and have ten dates in Santa Ponsa in Spain for the annual Celtic Convention in May. Over 30,000 Celtic supporters will be there. They have had enquiries for American and Australian tours for late 2010 and early 2011. Currently they are working on their second album which should be available in early March, 2010. Writers as well as singers and musicians, The Druids have already written four of their own Rebel songs.

The Druids can be seen and heard at:

BEBO:   www.bebo.com/druids32

MySpace:  www.myspace.com/thedruidsirishrebelband.com

Youtube:  www.youtube.com/thedruidsband

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

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.