The Druids are an Irish Rebel Band. For those unaware of the meaning of the term, these men sing, play and recount the history of Irish rebellion and resistance to outside rule over the past centuries. They “sing songs which have meaning in terms of peoples every day life…”     

Starry Plough is The Druids latest anthology of these momentous accounts.  To this excellent selection of popular and well known rebel songs, Mick O’Brien has added his most recent self penned work, Starry Plough. In which he relates the story of James Connelly’s activist life and dreadful execution by firing squad in Kilmainham jail.

Although Starry Plough is serious in its content, The Druids present an upbeat and quite brilliant performance. Coupled with the unrivaled mandolin playing of Paddy Mangan, and pulsating beat of Mick O’Brien’s Bodhran the lyrics come alive for the listener.  Gary Lawlor’s lead vocals and fine acoustic guitar in the song Farewell to Bellaghy are soft and sincere but definitely deliver their message. Darren Egan, the “newest recruit,” is outstanding with his rendition of Highland Paddy. 

It would be hard to choose a favorite among all the favorites on this album, but if pressured, I would have to say I am especially fond of Let the People Sing. Call me an optimist but this one makes me feel good. The Legend is another favorite of mine, quietly telling the stories of long passed martyrs to the cause. I must also say that it was not possible for me to listen to these songs in the course of writing about them and not become engrosed and educated in the history of Ireland’s recent turbulent past.

This is an extraordinary album performed by talented, creative men who are passionately engaged in their cause. I would recommend it to anyone interested in outstanding Rebel music, Irish history and a great performance.  Starry Plough is meant to be enjoyed again and again and in the listening, learned from.  It definitely delivers on all counts. Great stuff Druids! 

 The Druids will launch Starry Plough on 01-Aug-2010 in Kildare.

Starry Plough

Back Home in Derry / Bobby Sands

Farewell to Bellaghy / Gerry O’Glacain

The Weeping Wind/The Lonesome Boatman / Bobby Sands/Finbar Furey

The Helicopter Song / Brian Warfield

The Legend / Dan Hannon

Starry Plough / Mick O’Brien     (scroll down to watch video of this song )

George and Pop / P. McGlinchey/G. Breslin

Highland Paddy / Sean McCarthy

Let the People Sing / Brian Warfield

Mick O’Brien – 5-String Banjo, Bodhran, Tin Whistle, Vocals

Paddy Mangan – Banjo, Mandolin & Vocals

Gary Lawlor – Acoustic Guitar, Lead Vocals

Darren Egan – Base, Vocals 

Alan Donohue – “The man that looks after us on and off the stage.”

Albums available at cdBaby:

Starry Plough (the week of launch)

From Bodenstown to Boolavouge

Visit The Druids at:

Bebo:  http://www.bebo.com/Profile.jsp?MemberId=8598844388

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-DRUIDS/138321612153?ref=search

Myspace:  www.myspace.com/thedruidsrebelband

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Gaelic Storm will be celebrating the release of their new album Cabbage at Milwaukee Irish Festival. Friday, August 20 – Sunday, August 22, Southwest Airlines would like to send one lucky winner and their guests to the festival to see Gaelic Storm LIVE! One Grand Prize winner will receive two round-trip tickets compliments of Southwest Airlines to Milwaukee Irish Festival and a VIP Meet & Greet with the band backstage. For more info visit – http://www.gaelicstorm.com/southwest.html

Plus, see a behind the scenes video of the band in the studio here

Cabbage is available in stores August 3!

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Blaggards

The Blaggards have just released their 2nd cd Live in Texas The cd is currently available at cdbaby and will be available at ITunes and Amazon later this month. This cd is said to capture the high energy style of their live shows. This is one band who can take a classic and make it uniquely their own. This cd includes such favorites as Leaving of Liverpool and Wild Rover done in Blaggards’ unique Irish/Texan way. Your collection is just not complete without this cd. Follow the link below to hear samples and purchase the new cd.

For those who would like to catch the band live here is their gig schedule for the near future.

* Jul 17 – Austin, TX @ Fado Irish Pub
* Jul 23 – College Station, TX (US) @ O’Bannon’s Tap House
* Jul 24 – Austin, TX @ Fado Irish Pub
* Jul 31 – Houston, TX @ The Continental Club – “LIVE in TEXAS” CD Release Party
* Aug 5 – Urbana, IL @Rose Bowl Tavern – the Whip Concert Series
* Aug 6 – Livonia, MI @ St. Andrew’s Society 2010 Highland Games
* Aug 7 – Livonia, MI @ St. Andrew’s Society 2010 Highland Games
* Aug 19 – College Station, TX (US) @ O’Bannon’s Tap House
* Aug 20 – Austin, TX @ Fado Irish Pub
* Aug 27 – College Station, TX (US) @ O’Bannon’s Tap House

Coyote Run

Coyote Run is another high energy Celt Rock band that takes traditional songs and makes them uniquely their own by using every thing from bagpipes to didgeridoos.

They have been going strong for 10 years, which is fantastic for any band. Their latest cd, 10 Years and Running, celebrates this rare event in the music business. It is a 2 disk set that is a retrospective that covers their career. This cd is available on their website in their store. Click here to purchase it.

Like any really great band, they are best appreciated in a live show and they are holding a special concert to celebrate the new album and the band’s long run. The concert will be held at the Kimball Theatre in Williamsburg, VA on July 16 and 17. Former band members will be joining in the fun and it should be a monumental event. If you are in the area you absolutely can’t miss this one. Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-HISTORY or by clicking here You will need to put in the date you want tickets for and scroll down to Kimball Events and Films. This is the ticket outlet for all of Colonial Williamsburg which is great vacation destination. There are lots of great things to do and you can immerse yourself in Colonial History, ghost walks and local shopping (lots of nearby outlets.) It would make a great weekend get away and then you can enjoy Coyote Run in the evenings. Okay commercial over, I am a Virginian so I have to share our attractions with the world, right?

You can also catch Coyote Run at the Virginia Highlands Festival in Abingdon, Virginia at the end of the month. For more info on this festival click here

Oracle

I am delighted to be able to let you know that the debut album by Oracle, Jewels of the Sky, is now available. I have been a huge fan of this band for quite some time. This EP was produced by Chris Logan, who plays lead guitar with the band, and is a sound engineer in his day job. He did an amazing job on it taking the unique Oracle sound to a whole new level. I couldn’t be more thrilled with the results and I liked the way the songs sounded before. My personal favorite, Best Days, is even more fantastic now. If you listened to their music before you have to go back and listen to the final studio versions.

You can hear samples and purchase the EP on the band’s myspace page here Problem with the link at myspace is all fixed and I was able to order the album with no problems. This link will take you to paypal and they can do the currency conversion for buyers outside the UK. If you don’t have a paypal account you can pay by credit card.The ep is now also available at ITunes. Click here for the direct link

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“I wish to thank everyone for a fantastic show last night! Very rarely does so much talent share one stage for such a great cause. The ever-popular Damian McGinty brought his best with some great songs, and we had many talents such as Niamh McGlinchy, Stephen Barr and Michael Doherty.

A last thank you must go out to our many American friends and supporters, particularly DianeS, whom I met long before the Facebook program began. Thank you all, there was as many people at the show in spirit as there were in the seats. Hopefully somewhere along the line, we can all meet in person, but From The Heart 2 has brought many people together. We did not foresee support from so far, but greatly appreciate it!”

—Cathal Lynch
—From The Heart 2

Cathal, the videos were wonderful. Those of us over here sure appreciate your middle of the night tenacity. Thank you back. DianeS

Here are some videos from the concert.

Mickey Coleman singing Miss You More than Words Can Say. He wrote this song for the first concert.

Damian McGinty singing Ronan Keating’s Hold On

Micheal Doherty doing Boy George’s Karma Chameleon

To read more about this concert click here. You can find more videos from the concert at Cathal’s YouTube Page

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Following the success of last years “From The Heart” concert in The Millennium Forum, a second will take place to raise awareness of suicide and honor Eamonn’s memory. 

DATE:                    Saturday, July 10, 2010

Time:                     8:00pm – 11:30pm

Location:              Millennium Forum, Derry

Many musical talents will be on show for the concert. Among them are:

Ben Kelly

Damian McGinty (of Celtic Thunder)

Maureen Campbell

Michael Doherty

Mickey Coleman

Niamh McGlinchey

Plunkett McGartland

Stephen Barr

May McFetridge will also be the hilarious host for the evening, plus much more to be announced!

Tickets: £12.50, £15.00, £16.50

All proceeds go to Foyle Search & Rescue: http://www.foylesearchandrescue.org/

Tickets available online:
http://gcldvsh.sed2.info/index.php?view=details&id=178%3Afrom-the-heart-memorial-concert&option=com_eventlist&Itemid=3

Or by telephone: 028 71 264 455

The following is an excerpt from a statement by SDLP Foyle MP Mark Durkan:
“The marked incidence of suicide in Derry – in particular among young people – is devastating the families and friends of victims and shocking the whole community. We are all left struggling with perplexing questions. No one on their own can establish or express adequate answers. This is a profound issue where we literally have to come together – different agencies, churches, professionals, community groups and families. We have to admire and applaud so much good, hard, sensitive work which is being done and so much of it led by those who have been bereaved by suicide.
Through this follow up concert, Bebe Johnson is determined to do just that. This is a warm way to bring people together to talk openly and honestly about suicide and mental health issues, so that we can encourage our young people to do the same. Bebe has put her heart and soul into the organisation of this concert. In support of her courageous efforts, I would urge people throughout the North West to support this concert, the proceeds of which will go to Foyle Search & Rescue.”

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Now that that business is taken care of time for some music. I will showcase three bands who each represent one of our musical interests – Celtic, Irish and Indie Music.

Celtic Music

In this case it’s Celt Rock but we also follow bands and artists who play more traditional Celtic Music.

Seven Nations

I have been a fan of Kirk McLeod forever so becoming a fan of Seven Nations was a no brainer. This great band is from Orlando, Florida and play a lot on the east coast and at festivals. If you get the chance to see them live, don’t pass it up.

The band members are: Kirk McLeod, Struby, Crisco, Victor Gagnon, Will MacMorran

Here is their bio from ReverbNation:

The story of SEVEN NATIONS is that of a truly original and determined band based in Orlando, Florida. They have for years booked their own tours,and have had their own PBS and CNN specials. Throw away any preconceived notions you may have about Celtic music…this is a band that has invented its own sound and attracted a prodigious national and international following.

Through its touring schedule and dynamic live performances, SEVEN NATIONS has become one of the fastest growing live acts nationwide. They have logged in more than 300,000 touring miles trying to make the music universal for old and new fans alike. To the five member band, that means being on tour 85 percent of the year, melding guitar and vocal elements of American pop and rock with Highland bagpipes and fiddle. The result is a high-energy performance that has fans jumping out of their seats, and has sparked interest industry-wide.

Equally at home in front of 40,000 cheering fans at an international festival, with the widely recognized, Grammy award winning, symphony orchestras, or with 300 fans in a small Midwest club, SEVEN NATIONS has created a truly hybrid sound and transient live show. The depth and complexity of SEVEN NATIONS’ music is astounding, each listen reveals a deeper layer of intricacy that has been embraced by an ever growing audience. “We are lucky,” says McLeod, lead singer/songwriter and founding member of the band, “because we come from two unique cultures. We love American pop and rock and roll, but we also love our Celtic roots. We want to touch everybody with our music,” he continues, “and so far, we have been very, very fortunate.”

Enjoy their music!

Irish Music

We feature a lot of bands and solo singers from Ireland. There is a lot of musical talent in Ireland in all genres but since I am in a rock mood today, I will showcase an Irish Rock band.

The Plea

I discovered this band when they sent me a friend request at MySpace. They are from Ballyliffen, IE. The band members are brothers Denny and Dermot Doherty, Paul Toland, and Gerry Strawbridge.

The Doherty brothers started their first band when they were in their teens. They eventually relocated to London to follow their dream and then onto Boston all the while working day jobs and gigging at Irish pubs at night. Fate took them to Minnesota where they recorded an album that the record company never released. This kind thing happens more than you might think in the record business. Disgusted by record company promises that proved to be fairly empty,they returned to Ireland to regroup. There they were joined by bassist Paul and drummer Gerry. They began to write new music and post them on their myspace page. Fan interest was immediate and other record companies began to take notice. The band finally accepted an offer from R & S records to release a cd on their Indie offshoot label Apollo Records. Their debut cd Nothing But Trouble was produced by Cenzo Townsend, who has worked with U2, Snow Patrol and many other top bands. The Plea is definitely a band on the move up.

Here is a sample of their music, not included here is the beautiful song Windchime. You can hear that one at their myspace page – http://www.myspace.com/thepleamusic

Indie Music

The early experience that The Plea had with record companies was not that unusual for new and unknown bands. This is why more and more bands prefer to start out as Indie Artists. With the internet and all the social networking sites a band can build up a pretty good following and can record their own cds and sell them directly to their fans.

Sienna

I literally stumbled upon this band at ReverbNation and I am already a huge fan. They are an indie band out of Augsburg, Germany. They classify their music as Rock/Brit Pop/Indie. The band members are: Sascha Schütz, Stefan Spoo, Chris Höfle, Christoph Elwert. Here is their bio from ReverbNation:

Sienna – four musicians on a quest for a common goal, driven by the simplicity and the purism that modern music so often lacks. Sienna is the yearning, the lust for life and the pain; it is the impulse and the reaction at the same time, and the unquenchable thirst for grand melodies that life holds for you after letting off the hand-brake. The band draws on familiar sources, relying on an effortless economy of sound without over-stretching their ideas, combining the various musical backgrounds of four guys on a single quest for that one perfect song.

The band will simultaneously put you in mind of a casual busker and Wembley Stadium reverberating with delayed distortion. Oasis’ “Definitely Maybe” meets U2’s “Achtung Baby”, The Verve’s “Urban Hymns” meet Coldplay’s “Parachutes”

Bringing together members of three southern German bands, Sienna was founded in the summer of 2009 by singer/guitarist Sascha Schütz (The Monument), guitarist Stefan “Spoon” Spoo (Jeffrey), bassist/backing singer Chris Höfle (Purblind) and drummer Christoph Elwert (Jeffrey).

Here is a sample of their music:

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Despite the frigid weather here in Chicago last weekend, Millennium Park and the Pritzker Pavilion were set afire and energized  by The ROGUES, a combination CeltRock, folk, classical band performing a mishmash of high energy, soulful wail, classic and rousing traditional music, switching between each without missing a beat. They took to the stage enthused. Kilted, booted and marching to the pounding of drums and wail of bagpipes, their unique sound filling the venue and surrounding audience with anticipation of the performance to come.  They did not disappoint.

 They drummed, they piped, they fiddled, they strummed and for a few fun numbers even hauled out the old accordion. You know you’re in for a good time when the bands lead singer wears a kilt and totes an accordion. And, I don’t mean one of those wee squeeze boxes. This was a full fledged, mother of pearl, straps across the back, 50’s instrument. Gotta make you smile!! For the entire time they were on stage there was a sense of excitement and humor in everything they did and said. There were times I could swear I saw Nelson Stewart channeling Elvis; lip quiver, hip swivel and all. Nelson mugged and grinned for a lovely smiling woman at the corner of the stage taking pictures who he later introduced as his wife. Said she was an American and he stole her away and took her back to Canada as payback for NAFTA. Somehow it all works.

Experiencing this group live is something not to be missed if they tour in your area. The individuals make this band what it is both with their exceptional musical abilities and their charming anything for a laugh persona.  For me personally the highlight of the evening occurred when the entire band took to the aisles, marching up and down between the audience playing Scotland The Brave to cheers and applause loud enough to compete with the bagpipes and drums. I loved this moment! I loved this show!

Look for The ROGUES version of the traditional tune Bonny Portmore, on their album Roguetrip, to be featured in the movie “The Irishman” being released Summer, 2010. The film, starring Christopher Walken, Val Kilmer and Vinnie Jones is the true story of Danny Greene, an Irishman who fought the Italian mafia in the 1970’s.

The ROGUES have been making music together since 1994, performing at festivals, theaters, highland games, clubs and pubs throughout America and Canada.  They are:

Nelson Stewart:  Lead vocals, piano, electric/acoustic guitars, accordion, mandolin, bass guitar, bodhran, tenor drums, doumbek, djembe.

Randy Wothke:  Bodhran, Scottish snare drum, doumbek, djembe and other percussion, keyboards, vocals.

Lyric Todkill: Vocals, highland bagpipes, whistles, electric/acoustic guitars, piano, bass guitar.

Corey Walden: Electric/acoustic fiddles, vocals.

Jimmy Mitchell: Highland bagpipes, Scottish smallpipes.

Doug MacRae: Highland bagpipes.

Michael Kenney: Highland bagpipes.

Tyson Kipfer: Bass guitar.

Visit their website: http://www.therogues.com

 Listen to samples of their music at: http://www.myspace.com/houstonrogues

The Rogues’ CDs

The Rogues’ DVD

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They have a wonderful weekend planned with Highland Games, Kids’ Activities, great shopping at their vendor area, Piping, Dancing, Clan info, swordsmen, horsemen, kilts and traditional May Pole (Beltane Pole) activities. There will also be great food and great entertainers. On the bill are some of my favorites – Switchback and the Indulgers. It is a great chance to immerse yourself in tradition. It would be a great experience for kids too. Give them a chance to get up close and personal with Clydesdales and Highland Oxen and spend a bit of time in a world they haven’t seen before.

For more info check out their website at: http://www.thgatherin.com/

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The Script’s debut single We Cry was released in April 2008 and reached # 13 in the UK charts. Like any really good band they pour their hearts and souls into their music and their life experience adds to the strength of the songs both lyrically and musically. These are not the bouncy June Moon Spoon pop songs. These songs have depth and they have something to say. This is a band to watch. They recently appeared on the Jimmy Fallon show and Late Night with David Letterman. They are scheduled to appear on the Today show on May 21st. If you can’t watch it live you will want to TiVo it.

They will be touring the US this fall.

10/11 San Diego, CA – House of Blues
10/12 Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
10/13 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
10/15 Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
10/16 Seattle, WA – Showbox at the Market
10/19 Denver, CO – Ogden
10/20 Dallas, TX – House of Blues
10/22 Minneapolis, MN – State Theatre
10/23 Chicago, IL – Riviera
10/24 Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
10/26 Indianapolis, IN – Egyptian Room at Murat Center
10/28 Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
10/29 Orlando, FL – House of Blues
10/30 Tampa, FL – Jannus Laning
11/01 Norfolk, VA – Norva
11/02 Washington, D.C…

Get tickets here:

Looking for Hard to Find Tickets? Find Tickets at Ticketmaster.com

I will post the Ticketmaster Widget when it is available for this group. In the meantime, enjoy their music.

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I was there for the music. We were a bit late arriving and local folksinger Robin Rich was already on stage performing and I do mean performing. You can tell a master at work when he not only sings for you but draws you into each and every song. As the first act up he had a small, restless and not yet fully caffeinated group mingling around but his strong voice and skilled story telling was piped all over the festival and even those not under the pavilion had no choice but to stop and listen. We did wander about at this time also because it was warmer outside when the sun began to peek through the clouds.

The next act up was the Virginia Highlands Pipes & Drums who marched into the pavilion in formation. They did several numbers and the head of the organization explained the difference in various types of pipe and drum bands and they demonstrated the various types of drums and gave a history of them.

The other act on the bill was Enter the Haggis. It’s just a strange coincidence that they, we and the beer truck all arrived at the same time. You can actually see them setting up behind the pipers and drummers in the photo above. They also had the class to stop what they were doing and applaud after every number the Highland band did.

We dropped off our canned goods at their merchandise table as they were setting it up. Canned goods can get heavy but I didn’t really mind toting them. At every show, Enter the Haggis asks fans to bring canned goods to their merchandise table. The food is turned over to a local shelter or food pantry to help feed the hungry as part of the Enter the Haggis Community Initiative. What a great way to direct exuberant fan activity in a way that helps people!

At noon it was their turn and they took the stage as most of the festival goers filed into the pavilion to hear them. It didn’t take long for them to get people on their feet. Several took to the dance floor to move to the music. Enter the Haggis puts on a lively show with a good deal of variety. Many of the members played several different instruments.

The band members are left to right Craig Downie, Trevor Lewington, Brian Buchanan and Mark Abraham. James Campbell is the drummer but like any really great drummer, he is never still so getting a blur free photo of him is no mean task. All the band members were outstanding but the joy of hearing someone play the bass who knows it is a musical instrument not a weapon of mass destruction really made my day. Kudos to Mark! Their set ended way too soon for me but as they had two more to play that day I guess I can’t really complain.

We did stay for Robin Rich’s second set. This time he was joined onstage by his wife, also named Robin. This did make me wonder how confusing mail at their house must be but obviously all the bills are for him and all the checks are for her They did many of my favorite tunes adding their own style to each one. They were a joy to listen to. You can hear samples for yourself at their myspace page http://myspace.com/robinrichandfriends Be sure and friend them and let them know you read about them at Fanrealm. If you like good old fashion folk music in the tradition of the Clancy Brothers and the Dubliners, you will love Robin Rich (both of them).

Sadly, we had to leave as the Virginia Highlands Pipes and Drums were marching back to the pavilion for their second set. We did notice several members of Enter the Haggis playing soccer with some kids on the lawn in front of the center as we left. The fact that the lawn was right outside the lovely smelling Whiskey Seminar room was surely just another of those strange coincidences.

It was a great festival and anyone in central Virginia should surely make plans to attend the next one. The festival website is: http://www.sedaliacelticfestival.com If you are interesting in folk arts check out the Sedalia Center at http://www.sedaliacenter.org

Robin Rich’s cds are available through cd baby and through

I will post an update of the Enter the Haggis tour later in the week. They tour extensively so they will surely be in your area eventually. You will want to get yourself to one of their shows. Don’t forget the canned goods!

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