The times that Celtic Thunder will be appearing (and their cds up for purchase) will be at the kick off of the show at 12:00 Midnight EST tonight followed by performances at 11:00 AM EST, 2:00 PM EST and 9:00 PM EST on the 8th. QVC also sells through their website at http://www.qvc.com/

UPDATE This cd is onsale now Click here to purchase

The song list for the QVC edition only is as follows:

Celtic Thunder Christmas

1. Winter Wonderland
2. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day
3. Let It Snow
4. All I want For Christmas Is You
5. Silent Night
6. Our First Christmas Together
7. It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
8. Going Home For Christmas
9. Baby It’s Cold Outside
10. Last Christmas
11. Ave Maria
12. The Most Wonderful Time of The Year/We Wish You a Merry Christmas
13. QVC Bonus Track: Christmas Morning Donegal

Another great Christmas album Celtic Thunder fans will want to add to their collection is I’ll Be Home For Christmas, the solo Christmas album Paul Byrom released in 2008. It is still available through cdbaby. You can order it now although it is currently out of stock. Just click the link below to hear samples, order or sign up to be notified when it is once more available for purchase. I have this one myself and even though I am not especially a fan of Christmas cds, this one is really outstanding. You will want to have it, so sign up so cdbaby can convince Paul to send them some more. To read a review of this cd click here

Song List

1. The Christmas Song
2. Let It Snow
3. The River
4. I’ll Be Home For Christmas
5. Happy Holiday
6. The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot
7. Its Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
8. A Winters Tale
9. O Holy Night
10. Saviour’s Day
11. Silent Night (Duet with Paul Byrom as boy soprano)
12. Bonus Track – The Christmas Medley

If you found this post by way of a search engine, please click on the word HOME in the upper left hand corner to visit the rest of the site. Welcome to Fanrealm!

Click on the links below (in red) for more info on the shows selling tickets now. I will post updates as more cities are added. I have only added links for cities that are actually selling tickets or will be this week. For those with pre-sale dates the pre-sale code is DUBLIN.

BTW if you are getting tickets to these shows from Ticketmaster we would really love you forever if you clicked through this page so Ticketmaster would kick back a wee part of the ticket price to Fanrealm. It won’t add anything to the cost of the ticket for you, they share a bit of their profit with affiliates who promote their ticket sales (like us)

8/8 I know it’s hard waiting for tickets to go on sale when you are looking forward to going to a show. I have just checked the cities not yet selling and found 2 that actually were and added them to the schedule below. I did want to warn you that it’s best not to rush to buy tickets from an exchange or reseller that claims to have tickets before official sites are selling. You really only want to work only with an official ticket outlet or the box office. There are ticket scams out there so you would be safer waiting for tickets at official sites. Don’t worry if your box office is not yet listing Celtic Thunder. Many will wait until PBS turns their unsold tickets back so they don’t have to deal with people buying tickets now and wanting to exchange them when better seats become available. Also, if your venue is a large one with both a theater and an arena don’t panic if another act is scheduled for that day and Celtic Thunder is not mentioned. The other act may be in the other part of the venue. Celtic Thunder shows are always better in a theater. Arenas are better for sporting events, ice shows etc but theaters are better for shows.

UPDATE 6/29 added link for several shows that are now selling tickets or will be soon.
UPDATE 7/1 updated this list to match the one at the Celtic Thunder Website
UPDATE 7/5 Added direct link to Baltimore ticket sales
UPDATE 7/9 added link to Melbourne FL ticket sales
UPDATE 7/13 Pre-sale date added for Manchester show. On sale now in Thousand Oaks
UPDATE 7/16 Sales dates added for Charleston SC and Detroit
UPDATE 7/21 Tickets now selling for St Louis and Durham. Pre-sale for Eugene 7/22
UPDATE 7/23 Tickets now on sale for Everett. I added the link but you may have to enter Oct 30 in the date search box if this event doesn’t come up
UPDATE 7/24 Chicago pre-sale set for 7/26 10 AM
UPDATE 7/29 Norfolk now selling pre-sale tickets St Louis pre-sale is 7/30
UPDATE 7/30 Erie PA and Charlotte NC added to tour list Pensacola Pre-sale set for August 5
UPDATE 8/3 Pre-sale for Columbus set for 08/04/10 09:00 AM
UPDATE 8/4 Just wanted to let you know that even though the first page you get to when you click the link for the Wilkes-Barre show says they aren’t selling they really are. Just click on more info I was just able to get orchestra seat tickets to come up although they were in the back.
UPDATE 8/8 Jacksonville & Sacramento selling now
UPDATE 8/11 It has come to my attention that the ticket give away promo that Celtic Thunder is doing lists Ft Wayne IN as the Dec 1st show and our list and the one at the Celtic Thunder website has Grand Rapids MI on that date. There is no mention of Celtic Thunder at either of the venue sites. It may be too early to list a December show. I have no info on that and can only suggest you email info@celticthunder.ie for the correct info. There has been some progress here Dec 1 is now removed from the tour schedule on the CT site. I am assuming the correct info will be posted as soon as they have it.
UPDATE 8/12 Tickets for Charlotte will go on sale 8/27 See link below. Added Uniondale and Waukeegan shows to list
UPDATE 8/16 Tickets for Roanoke on sale now
UPDATE 8/18 According to the Celtic Thunder Website Pre-Sale for Atlanta is Aug 24 and the pre-sale code for Fox Theater sales only is Ireland you can use DUBLIN at Ticketmaster. They are not yet listed at Ticketmaster but they are on the calendar at the the theater which is giving 8/27 as a general sales date. I will add the Ticketmaster link but they are not yet on the Ticketmaster schedule at this time. They should be added soon.
UPDATE 8/19 Tickets for taping of Christmas Show on sale tomorrow – see link below. Detroit and Spokane now selling! I updated this list to match tour page at the CT website
UPDATE 8/20 Yesterday Morning Ticketmaster said the tickets for the Christmas Taping would be on sale this morning at 10 AM Now it says currently not on sale. I would advise you keep clicking the more info link anyway as they have been known to say they were not currently selling when in fact you could order tickets. I expect they will be selling very soon. Password for this one is christmas Tickets on sale 8/20 4 PM EDT
UPDATE 8/25 Pre-sale for Connecticut show happening now. Codeword DUBLIN see link below
UPDATE 8/27 Erie now on sale
UPDATE 8/28 Ticket sales for the 11/22 Show in Clearwater on sale to the public today
UPDATE 8/29 Added link for West Point show but they are currently only selling season tickets. Individual show tickets on sale Sept 20. You can sign up at the link for their mailing list to get the best info
UPDATE 8/31 Anaheim pre-sale today 10AM local time See links below. There are 3 shows here be sure and order tickets for the show you want to attend
UPDATE 9/1 Rochester show says it’s not selling yet on the Ticketmaster site but try using the interactive map. I was able to get as far as billing on a 2nd row seat. I didn’t continue but I think I probably could have. If this is your city give it a try. Let me know if it works and we can tell other fans. Melbourne no longer selling online through ticket outlet PBS still selling here Also removed canceled shows from the list to avoid confusion
UPDATE 9/2 Added the link to order the Christmas cd at the very end of the post. Just scroll down and click. It will be released on 10/12 so put your order in
UPDATE 9/3 Ft Wayne IN set for pre-sale 9/16. Updated most of the Ticketmaster links and they now lead directly to the actual event page. That was a lot of links so please let me know if you find a problem with one. All cities are now selling or set to sell except Ft Smith Arkansas, Providence RI and Binghampton NY The latter two are supposed to sell through Ticketmaster but do not yet appear on their schedule. I will keep checking and update asap
UPDATE 9/8 The Binghamton show has just been added to Ticketmaster. The Tickets go on sale to the General public Friday Sept 10 No word on the Celtic Thunder site on if there is a pre-sale. They are generally the day before they go on sale to the public with the code DUBLIN. Also for those on the fence about attending the taping of the Christmas show Sept 17 a new incentive has been added – they will also be taping for Heritage, their Irish show, during the same session so it’s two for the price of one – how can you go wrong? There were still good seats available when I last checked a few days ago so just click the link below to get yours. You know you want to go.

June 21, 2010 Thunder Bay, ON (Canada) Thunder Bay Community Auditorium Get Info here
Sep 17, 2010 Poughkeepsie, NY Mid Hudson Civic Center Get Tickets Here – Tickets on sale NOW
Sep 21, 2010 Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada) Halifax Metro Centre Get Tickets Here
Sep 23, 2010 Hamilton, ON Hamilton Place Theatre Get Tickets here
Sep 24, 2010 Orillia, ON Casino Rama Get Tickets here
Sep 25, 2010 Buffalo, NY Shea’s Get Tickets here
Sep 26, 2010 Columbus OH Palace TheaterGet Tickets here
Sep 28, 2010 Baltimore, MD Hippodrome France-Merrick Performing Arts Center Get Tickets Here
Sep 29, 2010 Pittsburgh, PA Benedum Center Get Tickets Here
Oct 1, 2010 New York City Radio City Music Hall Get Tickets here
Oct 2, 2010 Philadelphia, (Upper Darby) PA Tower Theatre Get Tickets here / VIP tickets now on sale – not that much more money but great seats and lots of perks
Oct 3, 2010 Hartford, CT Mortensen Center — Matinee Get Tickets Here – Pre-sale going on now
Oct 3, 2010 Hartford, CT Mortensen Center Get Tickets Here – Pre-sale going on now
Oct 4, 2010 Manchester, NH Verizon Arena Get Tickets here
Oct 6, 2010 Springfield, MA Symphony Hall Get Tickets here
Oct 8, 2010 West Point, NY Eisenhower Hall Theater Individual Tickets go on sale Sept 20 Get Tickets here
Oct 9, 2010 Boston, MA Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theater Get Tickets Here
Oct 9, 2010 Boston, MA Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theater — Matinee Get Tickets Here
Oct 10, 2010 Reading, PA Sovereign Center — Matinee Get Tickets here
Oct 10, 2010 Reading, PA Sovereign Center Get Tickets here
Oct 13, 2010 Hershey, PA Hershey Theater Get Tickets here
Oct 14, 2010 Wilkes-Barre, PA Kirby Theater Get Tickets here
Oct 15, 2010 Erie, PA Warner Theatre Get Tickets here
Oct 16, 2010 Norfolk, VA Chrysler Hall Get Tickets here
Oct 17, 2010 Roanoke, VA Roanoke Civic Center — Matinee Get Tickets Here
Oct 17, 2010 Roanoke, VA Roanoke Civic Center Get Tickets Here
Oct 19, 2010 Indianapolis, IN Murat Theater Get Tickets here
Oct 21, 2010 Kansas City, MO Independence Events Center Get Tickets Here
Oct 22, 2010 St. Louis, MO Fox Theater Get Tickets here
Oct 23, 2010 Chicago, IL Chicago Theater Get Tickets here
Oct 23, 2010 Chicago, IL Chicago Theater — Matinee Get Tickets here
Oct 24, 2010 Minneapolis, MN State Theater — Matinee Get Tickets here
Oct 24, 2010 Minneapolis, MN State Theater Get Tickets here
Oct 26, 2010 Denver, CO First Bank Center Get Tickets here
Oct 28, 2010 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theater Get Tickets here
Oct 29, 2010 Eugene, OR Hult Center Get Tickets Here
Oct 30, 2010 Everett, WA (Seattle) Comcast Arena Get Tickets Here
Nov 1, 2010 Portland, OR Theater Of The Clouds Get Tickets here
Nov 2, 2010 Spokane, WA INB Theater Get Tickets Here
Nov 4, 2010 Sacramento, CA Memorial Auditorium Get Tickets Here
Nov 5, 2010 San Diego, CA San Diego Civic Center Get Tickets here
Nov 6, 2010 Anaheim, CA The Grove Get Tickets here
Nov 7, 2010 Anaheim, CA The Grove Get Tickets here
Nov 7, 2010 Anaheim, CA The Grove — Matinee Get Tickets here
Nov 8, 2010 Thousand Oaks, CA Fred Cavali Theater Get Tickets here
Nov 10, 2010 Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theater Get Tickets here
Nov 12, 2010 Grand Prairie, TX Nokia Theater Get Tickets here
Nov 13, 2010 Houston, TX Verizon Wireless Theater Get Tickets here
Nov 14, 2010 Fort Smith, AR Arkansas Best PAC
Nov 16, 2010 Charleston, SC North Charleston PAC Get Tickets here
Nov 17, 2010 Durham, NC Durham PAC Get Tickets Here
Nov 19, 2010 Pensacola, FL Saenger Theater Get Tickets Here
Nov 20, 2010 Atlanta, GA Fox Theater Get Tickets Here Pre Sale 8/24
Nov 20, 2010 Atlanta, GA Fox Theater — Matinee Get Tickets Here Pre Sale 8/24
Nov 21, 2010 Jacksonville, FL Time Union Center Get Tickets Here
Nov 22, 2010 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckhard Hall Get Tickets Here
Nov 23, 2010 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckard Hall Get Tickets here
Nov 26, 2010 Melbourne, FL King Center Get Tickets here
Nov 28, 2010 Charlotte, NC Blumenthal PAC Get Tickets here on 8/27
Dec 1, 2010 Fort Wayne, IN Embassy Theatre Get Tickets HerePre-sale 9/16 10 AM -10 PM Eastern Time. Gen sales 9/17 10AM
Dec 2, 2010 Detriot, MI Fox Theater Get Tickets here on sale now
Dec 4, 2010 Atlantic City, NJ Taj Mahal Get Tickets here
Dec 5, 2010 Montclair, NJ Wellmont Theatre Get Matinee Tickets Here / Get Evening Show Tickets here
Dec 7, 2010 Providence, RI VETS Memorial Auditorium
Dec 8, 2010 Rochester, NY Broadway Auditorium Theater Get Tickets Here
Dec 9, 2010 Binghamton, NY Broome County Arena Get Tickets Here 9/10

Celtic Thunder Christmas CD comes out October 12th. Pre-order yours now!

Song List

1. Winter Wonderland
2. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day
3. Let It Snow
4. All I want For Christmas Is You
5. Silent Night
6. Our First Christmas Together
7. It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
8. Going Home For Christmas
9. Baby It’s Cold Outside
10. Last Christmas
11. Ave Maria
12. The Most Wonderful Time of The Year/We Wish You a Merry Christmas

If you found this post by way of a search engine, please click on the word HOME in the upper left hand corner to visit the rest of the site. Welcome to Fanrealm!

First off, I will start with the upcoming tour. As of this morning no further info is on their site but I will keep checking. Like most bands they do have a pre-sale date that supposedly offers good seats to fans. This is sometimes the case but not always. Most of the time the very best seats are blocked out and are only available by making a pledge to the PBS station in the city in which the show will be performed. I have been to four Celtic Thunder shows so I will share a few things I have learned. Their show is much better in a theater than an arena. There are a lot of really bad seats in an arena where you will need binoculars to actually see and you miss a lot watching this way. Arenas are fine for sporting events where the action moves but not that great for this kind of show. The acoustics are better in a theater also. I will tell you that no matter how far away you are sitting you will always hear every note that Paul Bryom sings. That man has a set of pipes that you can only really appreciate in a live show. He sounds great on a recording but he will knock your socks off live.

You can make a pledge to the PBS station via the station’s website at any time. You don’t have to wait until the show is aired and call in your pledge. Just put the city + PBS station into Google to find their website. The downside of this is that you won’t know what seat you actually got until they mail the tickets out a few weeks before the showdate. If you go through ticketmaster or another ticket outlet you will know which seat you are buying. Always check with the seating charts first so you are familiar with the layout of the venue. I have only gotten one really good seat during the pre-sale day. It is sometimes better to wait until it’s closer to the show and the pbs station releases their unsold tickets to the ticket agent at which time the floor or orchestra seats will go up for sale to the general public. The closer you are the better with this act. If you can swing it, PBS is the way to get the best seats.

This upcoming tour is the closest they have ever come to my location. There are a lot of cities on this tour list that they have never been to before. Many are not major market cities and I think they should do well in most of them. Unfortunately this particular show is a bit less geared to fans of Irish and Celtic Music than their original outing or the show that they toured last year. But they are adding a whole first act of Irish music that will, hopefully satisfy our expectation that a show with the word Celtic in it would actually include Celtic or Irish music.

The main singers in Celtic Thunder are: Paul Byrom, George Donaldson, Keith Harkin, Ryan Kelly and Damian McGinty. This year the main line up has been extended to include Neil Byrne. Neil has been with them from the beginning as part of the band but is being brought forward now as a soloist. Neil has long been a fan favorite and has actually clocked more time on stage during the show than any of the others.

Now on to other questions in no particular order:

When was Keith Harkin born? June 10, 1986 (I only remember the year for him because my daughter was born the same year). Damian will be 18 next Sept. George’s birthday is in Feb, Ryan’s is in November and Paul’s is in April and Neil’s is also in Sept.

Bio on Neil Byrne. There is a short one at the Celtic Thunder website. I can add that he used to be with a band called Hipple Street which is now defunct but you can still buy their EP at cdbaby and they still have a myspace page so you can hear samples there.

Celtic Thunder Sheet music — They do have a songbook which includes sheet music many of their songs. It is available through their shop and I have also seen it on the merchandise table at their shows. Speaking of buying merchandise at shows, it is always wise to bring cash to anyone’s show. Those credit card swiping machines are very temperamental and you don’t want to be caught short if the show you go to is the one it decides to not work for.

What are the names of the back up musicians? They are, as a group, called the Celtic Thunder Players or All Stars. They sometimes change from one tour to the next. The ladies in the string section are Ruth and Joyce O’Leary (who are sisters who also perform as Sephira), Nicole Hudson and on the cello, Megan Sherwood. The drummer is Declan O’Donoghue The bass player is Conor McCreanor. Pipes and other Celtic instruments have been played by Barry Kerr and Brendan Monaghan on different tours and dvds. The piano player/musical director (who is the only one who is introduced to the audience during the show) is either Phil Coulter, who is the musical director for the entire production, or Dave Cook. Neil Byrne has always been the guitar player for Celtic Thunder since the original show. He has also done percussion and anything else Phil has thrown his way. Not sure how his status will change now that he has been brought forward into the main line up.

Have Celtic Woman and Celtic Thunder performed together? No they haven’t. The producer of Celtic Thunder was also the original producer of Celtic Woman but they have always been two separate shows and entities. It is not likely they will ever perform together but nothing is impossible.

Do any of the members of Celtic Thunder have websites? Yes. Paul Byrom and Keith Harkin have their own websites http://paulbyrom.ie/home.php and http://www.keithharkin.com/

Do any of the members of Celtic Thunder have solo cds? Yes Paul Byrom has two cds and a single out. All are available through cdbaby. He is working on a third which is not yet out. Paul had the highest profile professional life before Celtic Thunder and has maintained it along with appearing in Celtic Thunder. I have heard rumors that all the other members will be releasing cds during this year and I hope that is the case. Keith Harkin is a songwriter and musician as well as a singer and fans have been waiting several years for his cd.

This is one that comes up a lot which is the only reason I am mentioning it. “Are Keith Harkin and Ruth O’Leary dating?”. This is clearly in the private life not professional life category and is not something we will address here. Frankly, we don’t care. It is all about the music for us and both of them do a great job in the Celtic Thunder show. That is all that matters to music fans.

If you have a question not answered here feel free to contact us through the CONTACT US link in the upper right hand corner of the page and we will try to answer them for you.

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It should be noted that this is not a concert and Celtic Thunder is not a group. It is a show more akin to Riverdance than a concert performed by singing groups you may be more used to. You can catch bits of the show they will be touring on PBS this month. They will also be adding Irish songs to the first act which, I have to admit, appeals to me much more than their tribute to music throughout the 20th century that is apparently the idea behind It’s Entertainment According to the cast members who were doing promos at my PBS station last week, the Irish songs they will be doing will be released on cd before the tour.

Celtic Thunder will appear on QVC’s St Patrick’s Day special which begins just after midnight March 16 and runs till midnight March 17 so you can catch them several times throughout the day there. They will be providing a musical interlude between all the merino sweaters and Connemara Marble. Their cds and dvds will most likely be for sale also.

See updated schedule here

Sep 24, 2010 — (City not listed on their website) Casino Rama
Sep 25, 2010 — Buffalo, NY Shea’s
Sep 28, 2010 — Baltimore, MD Hippodrome
Sep 29, 2010 — Pittsburgh, PA Benedum Center
Oct 1, 2010 — New York City, NY Radio City Music Hall
Oct 2, 2010 — Philadelphia, PA Tower Theatre
Oct 3, 2010 — Hartford, CT Mortensen Center
Oct 4, 2010 — Manchester, NH Verizon Arena
Oct 6, 2010 — Springfield, MA Symphony Hall
Oct 8, 2010 — West Point, NY West Point Academy
Oct 9, 2010 — Boston, MA Citi PerformingArts Center
Oct 10, 2010 — Reading, PA Sovereign Center
Oct 13, 2010 — Hershey, PA Hershey Theater
Oct 14, 2010 — Wilkes-Barre, PA Kirby Theater
Oct 16, 2010 — Norfolk, VA Chrysler Theater
Oct 17, 2010 — Roanoke, VA Roanoke Civic Center
Oct 19, 2010 — Indianapolis, IN Murat Theater
Oct 21, 2010 — Kansas City, MO Independence Events Center
Oct 22, 2010 — St. Louis, MO Fox Theater
Oct 23, 2010 — Chicago, IL Chicago Theater
Oct 24, 2010 — Minneapolis, MN State Theater
Oct 26, 2010 — Denver, CO First Bank Center
Oct 28, 2010 — San Francisco, CA Warfield Theater
Oct 29, 2010 — Eugene, OR Hult Center
Oct 30, 2010 — Everett, WA (Seattle) Comcast Arena
Nov 1, 2010 — Portland, OR Theater Of The Clouds
Nov 2, 2010 — Spokane, WA INB Theater
Nov 4, 2010 — Sacramento, CA Memorial Auditorium
Nov 5, 2010 — San Diego, CA San Diego Civic Center
Nov 6, 2010 — Anaheim, CA The Grove
Nov 7, 2010 — Anaheim, CA The Grove
Nov 7, 2010 — Anaheim, CA The Grove (Matinee)
Nov 8, 2010 — Thousand Oaks, CA Fred Cavali Theater
Nov 10, 2010 — Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theater
Nov 12, 2010 — Dallas, TX Nokia Theater
Nov 13, 2010 — Houston, TX Verizon
Nov 14, 2010 — Fort Smith, AK Arkansas Best PAC
Nov 17, 2010 — Durham, NC Durham PAC
Nov 20, 2010 — Atlanta GA Fox Theater
Nov 21, 2010 — Jacksonville, FL Fox Theater
Nov 23, 2010 — Clearwater FL Ruth Eckard Hall

The above dates are the ones on their official website which is not always completely up to date. I have seen other cities on other lists and at PBS station websites so they may be added to this schedule in the future. I will update as needed.

Celtic Thunder Website Tour Page

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Fanrealm's temporarily headless marketing maven with Marc Gunn's CD

On a recent trip to Portland, OR the intrepid Fanrealm staff was invited to take a tour of CDBaby, the center of the Universe in the Indie Music world. From the minute we walked in the door we were impressed with the atmosphere.  That same fun feeling that goes into their famous emails was in the air. It was clear that the people who work at CDBaby love their jobs. They are all enthusiastic about music.  This may be because so many of the employees are also musicians and have their own CD’s for sale at CDBaby.

During the course of the tour, the whole process of what happens to a CD when it arrives till it is placed on sale at the CDBaby website was explained.  When a CD arrives the first stop is the digitizing dept. Here the digital copies of the songs are created.  These are used as samples so the customer can hear a bit of the CD before purchasing it. Also, if the artist wishes to sell mp3 versions of his songs the files are created here. One copy of the CD is kept in this department to serve as a master copy.  Next the info is sent to the web wizards so they can put all the info about the artist and the samples onto the CD’s page at the CDBaby website so we can purchase it.

The CD is then added to the collection where it can be “gently taken

This is where the CD's are gently removed from shelves to fill an order

from our CDBaby shelves with sterilized contamination-free gloves and placed onto a satin pillow” and delivered to you when you order it.  As anyone who has ordered from CDBaby knows, the shipment notice emails are hysterically funny and one of the best things about ordering from CDBaby.  Another great thing is the fact that CDBaby really supports the artist and wants each one of their artists to succeed. To that end they have entered into a corporate partnership with iTunes and give their artists the option of selling through that venue as well. CDBaby helps the independent artist level the playing field in terms of getting the artist’s CD’s into the hands of customers. They can offer the artist more exposure than most artists can afford on their own. It is a win-win situation both for artists and for music lovers looking for something other than the often over produced and carefully handled music the major labels are turning out. I know I, personally, prefer music the way the creator of it intended over the decisions made by some focus group.

More CD's ready for new homes

CDBaby had CD’s from 300,000 to 500,000 artists in stock and that number is steadily growing.  Because they stock so many artists they can only ask for a small number of CD’s from each artist until they know how well the CD is going to sell. In order to know that, they need to understand the demand for each of the CD’s from each of the artists.  If your favorite artist is out of stock be sure to contact CDBaby via their website and let them know that you want to order the CD but it is out of stock. Just click the contact us link in the footer at their website.  This will take you to a page where there are several contact options including homing pigeon but that one might take a while.  As demand picks up, CDBaby will ask for more CD’s at a time from the artist and be out of stock less often which will make everyone happy.

If you want to support independent artists and get some great music in the process, be sure and go to the CDBaby website http://www.cdbaby.com and jump right in.  It’s likely you will find several must have CD’s, and if you order several at once, CDBaby will erect a statue in your likeness as you will find out when you get the email from them.

If you are an artist and would like to get your CD onto CDBaby you can get more info about the process at http://www.cdbaby.net

We toured the main facility. There are also two satellite warehouses in which more CDs are stored. We found the people at CDBaby to be both dedicated to the artists and a lot of fun to be with.  I know I will continue to support Indie artists and CDBaby.  If you have never been to their website it’s a great time to go.  Music makes a great Christmas gift.  I’m sure you will be able to find something for everyone on your list in their inventory.  They are also a great source of Christmas music to get you into the mood.  When I went to the site today I was happy to see Paul Byrom’s I’ll Be Home for Christmas CD on the front page. This is one I highly recommend.

If you found this post by way of a search engine, please click on the word HOME in the upper left hand corner to visit the rest of the site. Welcome to Fanrealm!

We want this to be a place where Celtic music fans can discover new music to love and where musicians can get their music out there in front of new fans. To us, Celtic music covers a wide spectrum from traditional Celtic music, Irish tenors to rowdy drinking songs and also contemporary music made by musicians in today’s Ireland. We won’t all like the same thing but from the classically beautiful to Celtic Rock and everything in between, Celtic Music fans can find something new and exciting out there. Our goal is to cover as much as we can and post it here so it’s easier for fans to find.

Generally speaking we tend to like Indy bands who don’t have the backing of a major record label to help them. Not that major record labels are really all that helpful to a lot of acts that have been signed these days either but Indy bands are really on their own. It is hard for new bands to get established. It can be hard to get gigs and when you do, you seem to spend most of your time on the road so you don’t have time to record or promote a cd. Sometimes real talent can slip through the cracks. Since our niche is Celtic music we want to try and promote great Celtic musicians to fans who might not otherwise find them. As fans, we are always hungry for more great music so hopefully this is a win-win situation.

So we ask you to take a few minutes and click on that Join Fanrealm link and become a member. Members can participate by commenting on posts, suggest bands and events for us to cover, take part in polls and be eligible for periodic drawings to win cds and other prizes. We will not sell or give away your private information. We have no clue how to do it to begin with and as spam haters ourselves we would never inflict that on anyone. Bands should also feel free to join. It’s the best way to keep us updated on your gigs, appearances and upcoming cds.

We have a lot of plans for the upcoming year. We will be putting together a page for Celtic Festivals and we will try to organize a battle of the band videos open to all Celtic and Irish musicians so stay tuned for more info on that. We have a few more events planned also so keep checking back and join up to participate. The more fans we have registered the more tempting it is for bands to participate in our events and the more music we all get to share.

If you are on the staff of a festival or just know of a good one please send info on it to fans @ fanrealm . com (remove the spaces) and we would be happy to include it on our page. If you own or know of a great Irish pub, especially one with live entertainment let us know that too. If you are in or know of a Celtic band or solo act let us know about them especially if they have a cd and it is for sale at cdbaby so we can link to it and sell a few copies for them.

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Paul’s first album Velvet is also available at cdbaby

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Written by Stacey Parker

Celtic Thunder rolled its way into Portland, and the Theater of the Clouds, and so did I. My friends and I went to the show, knowing what to expect, but we were looking for the unexpected too.

The weather forecast given at the beginning of the show always makes me laugh. I have seen Celtic Thunder 3 times now, and each time there is rain, snow, or freezing weather. But this is Portland. If it isn’t raining or misting, then you aren’t really there.

Heartland starts off the show, and I know that I am going to be hooting and hollering with my friends, just enjoying the experience.

After the first song, Keith Harkin missed handing his duster off to George, but he hands it to a prop guy, and grabs his guitar to start the next song, Castles In The Air. Not one of my favorites, but he improves on it over the original artist, Don MacLean.

Harkin performs another cover, Homes Of Donegal, by Paul Brady. If Harkin has to do covers, Mr. Brady’s songs seem to fit him to a tee.

Mr. Harkin is in his element when he is singing along with playing his guitar. He also has one of his own compositions in this show. Lauren &I. The only way this song could be better, is if he were playing his guitar with it. This artist really needs to do more of his own songs, instead of a bunch of cover songs. He is good enough. It is time to let him soar.

George Donaldson has several serious ballads, and while I like them, especially Working Man, I really prefer the fun of his performance in 500 Miles. The audience participates with Mr. Donaldson, and I can’t help but love it.

Ryan Kelly sings Ride On, a Christy Moore song. He has made this song very memorable for me. You see, I saw him performing this song 2 weeks previously. I had seats near the front, and there was a little girl there that made a poster for him. She was worried he wouldn’t see it, so somebody gave her a glow stick to light it up. Ryan saw the poster and acknowledged the little girl with a grin, and a bit of a wave. This little girl could have gone to Miley Cyrus, on a trip to Disney, or see Celtic Thunder. After the show, she told us it was the best show ever. It is this memory that comes to mind every time I hear this song, and see Ryan perform it. From the bottom of my heart, Mr. Kelly, THANK YOU for treating your fans so well.

The other songs in Mr. Kelly’s repertoire are also tops in my book. Desperado, Heartbreaker, and Every Breath you take, to name some.

Damian McGinty’s serious songs are my favorites of his. Come By the Hills, and Bird Without Wings have always moved me, but now that his voice has deepened, they are even better. His cute songs are great because of his clowning with the band.

Paul Byrom, the classically trained tenor sings heartfelt love songs, and shakes the house with his strong voice. Because We Believe, by Andrea Bocelli, is my newest favorite of his offerings in Celtic Thunder.

That’s a Woman, Mr. Byrom’s duet with Mr. Kelly is also a highlight for me. The dueling pair both describe what a woman is, and Zara Curtis, dancer, is great with the both of them.

The group songs are all my favorites. I can’t pick just one, whether it is Danny Boy, Ireland’s Call, Raggle Taggle Gypsy, or one of the others. Most are wonderful. Take Me Home is a bit too reflective for the age of the group. They are way too young for this song. Give them 20 years or so before they sing this.

I absolutely can not forget about the band members. Musical Director/pianist, Dave Cooke, Ruth O’Leary and Joyce O’Leary, on violins and Nicole Hudson on the viola. Cellist, Megan Sherwood, Neil Byrne on guitar, and backing vocals, (a bit of drum playing as well) Connor McCreanor on bass and backing vocals and Declan O’Donoghue, percussionist. On whistle, pipes, guitar and bodhran, Mr. Brendan Monahan. They have interplay on stage with each other and the main attractions, not to mention communicating with the audience. I have become a fan of all of them.

The only real drawbacks to this show were the sound not being quite right, and glitches with the visual screen behind the band. None of this was the fault of the people on stage. They had a way of making you forget there was something that was supposed to be on the screen, and they kept going no matter what the sound system did.

After the show, my friends and I decided to go to the stage door to see what we could see. We did see the buses, all five of the main performers and some of the band members. We weren’t allowed to see them up close, which is somewhat understandable. But they weren’t allowed to do any real kind of communication with us. This was the policy of the venue, Theater of the Clouds.

The recap? Performers were tops. Sound system needed some work, and stage doors sucked. But for me, the Portland Experience was the tops because of my friends.

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This is their third North American tour. The second time touring Take Me Home, which is their 3rd cd. They have made a few national appearances like the the Today Show and the NYC St Patrick’s Day parade but have been shown mostly on PBS. I keep hoping they will do more national tv so the rest of America can discover them. The show is actually a good time and not as formal as you might expect because of their association with PBS. The word Celtic in the show title refers to their countries of origin. It does not mean it is all classic Celtic music. They have a variety of songs in the show including an original number written by one of the members, Keith Harkin. There are also covers of more familiar tunes that we all know and love.

They are in Minneapolis tonight and Chicago tomorrow night. The tour continues into November as follows:

11/1/09 – Detriot, MI
11/2/09 – South Bend, IN
11/3/09 – St. Lousi, MO
11/5/09 – Denver, CO
11/7/09 – Sand Diego, CA
11/8/09 – Los Angeles, CA
11/10/09 – Seattle, WA
11/11/09 – Seattle, WA
11/12/09 – Portland, OR
11/16/09 – Grand Prairie, TX
11/17/09 – Houston, TX
11/18/09 – Little Rock, AR
11/19/09 – Nashville, TN
11/21/09 – Orlando, FL

Tickets for most shows can be purchased through ticketmaster but you can check here for more details.

You can see a sample of the show here

MP3 downloads also available at Amazon and ITunes.

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But, as usual, I digress. I am here to talk about Paul Byrom’s new single If I Could Cry This song is from the play Sleeping Beauty, in which Paul appeared. Paul is a tenor and the drama he delivers in the song drags you right in to it. It is a powerful and romantic song and Paul does it perfectly. If you are into things in the vein of Phantom of the Opera, this song is your cup of tea.

This song is available in all the usual outlets including Amazon. Click through here to have a listen and if you decide to buy it please use this link and Amazon will toss a few coins our way too which we will use to pay the cyber landlord.

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