WHEN: Saturday, February 4th – 6:30 PM
WHERE: Alberta Street Public House
WHERE: 1036 NE Alberta Street – Portland, OR
ADMISSION: $5 at the door

We are proud to announce that Beltaine will be performing at the Alberta Street Public House on Saturday, February 4th at 6:30 PM.

Beltaine showcases the best of Acoustic Celtic Fusion in their music. Kris, Brian, Jamie, and John bring years of experience in ethnic, folk, rock and jazz music to their interpretations of traditional and tunes. Their new compositions and a new collection of traditional music brings together the best of old and new. So sit back, enjoy, and Slainte!

“I loved this album. It’s so easy to listen to, and the choice of songs so compelling, that I could hardly think otherwise. Lovers of the Celtic tune, take notice. This is a project you should acquire, and once having done so, spend time with. Lots of time. Delightful.” John C. McClure

Beltaine performs throughout the Northwest at many events including; The Highland Stillhouse, Irishtown, Portland Highland Games, The Bite of Oregon, Portland Rose Festival, Newport Celtic Music Festival, Yachats Celtic Music Festival, Tryon Creek State Park Summer Concert Series, Scappoose Concerts in the Park, Pittock Mansion Holiday Music Program, and many other local venues.

For More information please visit www.beltainemusic.com or http://www.facebook.com/pages/Beltaine/248366435593

Alberta Street Public House – Come in any night for a wide selection of drinks and house specialties from the kitchen on the bar side. And, come out and enjoy live music most nights of the week. For more information please visit http://www.albertastreetpub.com/

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WHEN: May 14, 2011 – 8:00 PM

WHERE: Artichoke Back Stage Cafe

WHERE: 3130 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland OR

ADMISSION: $20 (Includes a CD!)

RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED: Call (503)232-8845

Beltaine will celebrate the release of their fourth CD, Jump at Samhain’s Fire on Saturday, May 14th, 8PM at Artichoke Community Music’s Back Stage Café.

Jump at Samhain’s Fire is a collection of original and traditional music that fuses Celtic with folk, jazz, and rock influences of the members – featuring hammered dulcimer, guitar, flute, marimbula, and vocals.

There are 17 tracks that reflect the unique sounds of Beltaine. Different from the previous three CD’s, Jump at Samhain’s Fire includes both original and vocal songs. In addition to the trio of Brian, John, and Kris; guest musicians include Pat Dooney, Kathy Lee, Mike Spicer, and Dick Weissman.

The liner notes are extensive and they tell the history and stories of the original and traditional music performed. The cover is a painting by Julie Irmer, a very talented mixed media artist in the Northwest. It is the perfect picture to represent the music that is on the CD.

“Music is like water. It flows over the land with the movement of people, merging with streams and providing sustenance to those who perform or hear it. It crosses oceans to new lands, carried in the hearts and minds of people who travel there. As it moves across space and time, the music changes and evolves. If it becomes powerful enough, it can change the people who hear it, inspiring them to see themselves and the world in new ways.

For North Americans, the music of the British Isles has been a major influence. Appalachian folk music is a direct descendant of this tradition. Country music is the result of its fusion with African tradition. The eclectic fusion of styles that is called “New Age Music” relies heavily on its’ harmonies and modes. Even in its’ traditional pure forms, it touches something deep in many of us and reminds us of our European roots.

Beltaine showcases the best of acoustic Celtic Fusion in their music. Brian, Kris and John bring years of experience in ethnic, folk, rock and jazz music to their interpretations of traditional and tunes… Their new compositions and a new collection of traditional music bring together the best of old and new. So sit back, enjoy, and Slainte!” (A review by Kathy Lee)

Beltaine performs thoughout the Northwest at many venues including; Irishtown, The Highland Stillhouse, The Portland Highland Games, Newport Celtic Festival, The Bite of Oregon. To learn more about Beltaine and their music, visit their web site at www.beltainemusic.com or visit them on Facebook.

Julie Irmer’s paintings explore the layers of our lives- both physical and spiritual. The physical are the layers of found objects glued to the surface and then drawn and painted over with hints of flora and fauna. The spiritual are the nuances of relationships of all sorts, between humans, animals and all things on the earth. She hopes to peak the viewers curiosity and to hold ones’ attention for more than a moment; that the viewer will look at the piece and discover something new each time. For more information on Julie Irmer’s art, please visit; http://irmerart.googlepages.com/.

Artichoke Community Music is 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to build community through music one heart at a time. Artichoke offers concerts by some of the best local and national performers in folk music on our own wonderful, intimate Backgate Stage. Over the years, guests have included such luminaries as Dick Weissman, Anne Weiss, Dan Compton, Tom Paxton and Kevin Burke. For more information please visit www.artichokemusic.com.

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WHERE: Artichoke Music Back Stage
3130 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
Portland, OR 97124

ADMISSION: $10 at the Door

MORE INFO: Call 503-232-8845

Beltaine is proud to announce a great night of music with David Rogers on Saturday, March 19th, 8:00 PM at the Artichoke’s Backgate Stage.

Recently termed, ‘a prominent guitarist,’ by the New York Times, David Rogers fuses classical, jazz, early, and world music elements into powerful, moving and virtuosic performances based on both original compositions and traditional repertoire.

The Washington Post has praised his ‘astonishingly florid’ solo improvisational passage work. He has been called a ‘modern master of the classical guitar’ by 20th Century Guitar. Classics today.com has praised his ‘first rate instrumental artistry,’ and the Lute Society of America Quarterly has called his technique ‘formidable.’

He is an endorsing artist for GHS Strings and his music has been featured in major guitar magazines such as Fingerstyle Guitar in the United States and Akustic Gitarre, in Germany. David is also the guitarist for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and a music faculty member at Southern Oregon University. For more information, please visit www.davidrogersguitar.com.

Beltaine performs Celtic and traditional music featuring duel hammered dulcimers, guitar, flute, marimbula, and vocals. Their diverse musical background comes together for an energetic evening of music with a very rich tradition.

Hillary Fields of the Victory Review says of Beltaine; “The bright and festive sounds of acoustic guitar, hammered dulcimer marimbula, flute and penny whistle combine in folk-inspired arrangements, with dance-like qualities and a celebratory air throughout.”

Beltaine performs thoughout the Northwest at many events including; Portland Rose Festival, The Bite of Oregon, Portland Highland Games, Newport Celtic Festival and Highland Games, Irishtown, the Highland Stillhouse, , Cape Dissapointment Summer Concert Series, Pittock Mansion Holiday Music Program, and many other Northwest venues. For more information, please visit www.beltainemusic.com.

Artichoke Community Music is 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to build community through music one heart at a time. Artichoke offers concerts by some of the best local and national performers in folk music on our own wonderful, intimate Backgate Stage. Over the years, guests have included such luminaries as Dick Weissman, Anne Weiss, Dan Compton, Tom Paxton and Kevin Burke. For more information please visit www.artichokemusic.com.

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!

Beltaine performs throughout the Northwest at many events including; The Highland Stillhouse, Irishtown, Portland Highland Games, The Bite of Oregon, Portland Rose Festival, Newport Celtic Music Festival, Yachats Celtic Music Festival, Tryon Creek State Park Summer Concert Series, Scappoose Concerts in the Park, Pittock Mansion Holiday Music Program, and many other local venues. If you are in the Northwest be on the look out for them.

Here is a sample of their work. You can hear more at their website here and you can find them on facebook here Enjoy!

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The awesome and seemingly indefatigable Gaelic Storm fired their way through Portland, Oregon on October 10th and brought with them their trademark high-energy brand of Celtic music and hijinks.

The nearly sold-out Aladdin Theater was abuzz and I feared at times the plaster would chip off the walls as The Storm flew through their two hour show.

In support of their blockbuster newest CD entitled “Cabbage”, Patrick and his posse kicked off with “Raised On Black and Tans” and the show never let up after that. I won’t expound too much further other than to say this year’s tour is the best I’ve seen so far. Their energy, humor and musicianship are top-notch and as you will see from the video the audiences eat it up. If you’re one of the few who have not had the pleasure to see Gaelic Storm live, they are a must-see Band. At the time of this post they’re still in full tour mode, working their way down to California and points east, all the way through the New Year and ending up in Tampa and Wisconsin in March 2011. Keep an eye out for dates in your area and go see them, you will not regret it!

For more of Steve’s great photos of the show check out his flickr album here Here are some great videos that Steve shot of the show.

As you can tell by the vids, Gaelic Storm puts on a great show. Here are some places you can catch them for the rest of the month. If you have a chance to see them, do it!

14 Sacramento, CA Harlow’s
15 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
16 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
17 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern
18 Malibu, CA Pepperdine University
20 Tucson, AZ Rialto Theatre
21 Phoenix, AZ Mesa Arts Piper Theatre
23 Englewood, CO Gothic Theatre
26 Pella, IA Pella Opera House
27 Omaha, NE Slowdown
28 Kansas City, MO Uptown Theatre
29 St. Louis, MO Old Rock House
30 Elgin, IL Elgin Community College

There were three exciting additions to this year’s Games. Firstly were the Guest Band, The Simon Fraser University Pipe Band from Burnaby, B.C. These guys were fantastic! Simon Fraser is Grade One Band and have consistently placed in the top third in world competition since the early 90’s and have won Grade One Championships six times: 1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2008 and 2009. SFUPB is one of only three bands located outside of the UK that have won a World Pipe Band Championship, so this was a rare and impressive appearance to our Games this year.

Secondly is the addition of a Regimental Drum Major Competition. Often overlooked, the Drum Majors are an integral part of any band. Their colorful and elaborate dress must be worn to very high and exacting standards, and they must lead demonstrating dignity and control for their band. This was fun to watch.

Lastly was a very ingenious and exciting feature for the audience; Rob Barrick, owner of BarBarrick Music, made live recordings all throughout the day of all the Pipe Bands and made a cd available the very same day for purchase! I thought this was a great idea and proceeds of course went to help support the pipe band competitions in future years.

Moving on to another favorite part of the Games, (besides the Pipe Bands): the music! Once again this year, we were treated to our very own local fiddling champion, Rebecca Lomnicky. This young lady is amazing! Rebecca won the junior division of the U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Competition at 13 years of age, and has won numerous awards and accolades ever since. Last year in 2009 she won The 20th Annual Glenfiddich International Scottish Fiddle Championship. Wow! Not at all bad for someone so young. Joining Rebecca on stage also was the talented Peter Willis on guitar, and David Brewer from the Band Molly’s Revenge on pipes and flutes. David is incredible to watch!

Speaking of: Molly’s Revenge also made an appearance this year. This California based quartet has been around for over ten years and are an amazing band.

Another local trio, Beltaine, was yet another addition to the musical roster. These guys are great, too- dulcimers, guitars, flutes and marimba offer up a traditional celtic flavor and sound that takes one back hundreds of years. Lastly but certainly not least, Cathy Speer, guitarist and songwriter, performed her irish and Scottish tunes.

Finally, on a personal note, My Friend Alan suggested to me early on that he and I compete in “The Kilted Mile” race this year. For those unfamiliar, “Kilted Mile” is an ancient one-mile running race, ran in a kilt, (mandatory) to determine the fastest and most worthy warriors in battle. (Back in the day, not so much warrior these days!) Not having run any race at all since grammar school, I had my reservations to say the least. But with Alan’s coaching and support, and some training we both not only completed the race but we each took third in our respective categories. Thanks, Alan!

I had fun and it was quite an experience, however, don’t look for this blogger to be tossing any Cabers anytime soon.

There’s still time and a few Highland Games going on yet this summer. I encourage you to get out and go to one or more and enjoy what they have to offer. There’s something for everyone from 3 years of age to 93. Look for one in your community and go experience the “Spirit of The Scots”. You won’t regret it.

www.phga.org
www.sfupb.com
www.barbarrickmusic.com
www.rebeccalomnicky.com
www.mollysrevenge.com
www.beltainemusic.com

Post updated: Portland Highland Games added.

Colorado Irish Festival July 9-11 Littleton CO Musical guests include Natalie MacMaster, McPeake, Ennis, Pogey, The Elders, Seven Nations, & Colcannon http://www.coloradoirishfestival.org/

Irish American Heritage Festival July 10-12 Irish American Heritage Center Chicago IL Musical guests include The Elders, Eileen Ivers & Immigrant Soul, The Tossers, Scythian, The Makem & Spain Brothers, The Prodigals, The Kreellers, The Mickey Finns, Kevin Flynn and the Avondale Ramblers, The Larkin and Moran Brothers, The Sandcarvers, Kennedy’s Kitchen, Switchback, The Dooley Brothers, Dyed in the Wool, Finbarr Fagan’s Band and many, many more. http://irishfestchicago.com/

17th Annual Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival Saturday, July 17, 2010 9:00 am to 9:30 pm Look Park, 300 North Main St, Florence (Northampton), MA Musical guests include Enter the Haggis, Clandestine, Boston Blackthorne & Charlie Zahm http://www.glasgowlands.org/

The 11th Annual Adams County Irish Festival Saturday, July 17, 2010
10:00am – 7:30pm Gettysburg, PA Musical guests include Barleyjuice, Irishtown Road, Makem & Spain Brothers, Rigadoo, Raining Hearts, Kilshanny & more http://www.adamscountyirishfestival.com

Portland Highland Games 2010 July 17 Mt Hood Community College, Gresham, OR Molly’s Revenge and local artists Rebecca Lomnicky and Beltaine will be among the performers. Thanks to SláinteSteve for letting me know about this one. He will be at this festival wearing his new kilt for the first time! http://www.phga.org/

Cleveland Irish Cultural Festival July 23-25 At the Fairgrounds Musical guests include The Kreellers, The New Barleycorn, Susan McCann, The Screaming Orphans, Cherish The Ladies, Seven Nations, Eileen Ivers & Immigrant Soul, Homeland, Scythian, John McDermott, Maura O’Connell and many more. http://www.clevelandirish.org/

Great American Irish Festival July 23-25 Herkimer Ct Fairgrounds Frankfort, NY Musical guests include Enter the Haggis, The Elders, Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul, Derek Warfield and the Young Wolfetones, Glengarry Bhoys, The Prodigals, The Mahones, Hair of the Dog, The Killdares, McPeake, The Blarney Rebel Band and many more http://www.gaif.us/

Virginia Highlands Festival July 24 – August 8 (Celtic Weekend Aug 1 & 2) Abingdon VA Musical guests for Celtic Weekend Enter the Haggis, Uncle Hamish and The Hooligans. Tinsmith, Rathkeltair, Coyote Run,The Appalachian Highlanders Pipes & Drums and morehttp://www.vahighlandsfestival.org/

Dayton Celtic Festival July 30 -August 1 RiverScape MetroPark in downtown Dayton Dayton OH Musical guests include Gaelic Storm, Teada, The Elders, Scythian, The Rovers, Dulahan, Homeland, Knot Fibb’n, The Roving Rogues, 9 Castle Close, Fannigan’s Isle, Changeling and many more. http://www.unitedirishofdayton.org/Festival/

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!

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!

This year’s Festival is sure to be one of the best with the line up of talent they have on deck. The festival kicks off on Friday, March 12th in the pub at 11:30 AM and in the Festival tent at 7PM. There is a $5 cover in both locations after 7 PM. The entertainment in the pub that evening includes Grafton Street, Cul An Ti and Chancers. In the festival tent you can see The Maher Dancers, Tom May, Kells Pipers, St James’ Gate and Amadan.

On Saturday, March 13th both the pub and the festival tent are also busy. The pub opens at 7 AM and goes until 2 AM. The tent comes to life at 11:30 and goes till 12 AM. There is a $10 charge after 6 PM. In the pub you can see Chancers starting at 6:30 PM. Grafton Street, Amadan and St James’ Gate also play the pub that night. In the tent you can see The Murray Dancers starting at noon. Also appearing on Saturday are Tom May, Kells Pipers, Peter Yeats, Yeates Dancers, Cul An Ti, Thin Lizzie Dedication, Maher Dancers, Slate and Standard and U2 77.

On Sunday, March 14th, the pub hours are 7 AM – 2 AM and the tent will be open 8:30 AM – 6 PM. The evening in the pub kicks off with Irish Sessions starting at 6 PM. Chancers and Grafton Street perform later in the evening. In the tent things kick off at 10 AM with the Kells Pipers. Also performing on Sunday are Slate and Standard, Maher Dancers, St James’ Gate and Grafton Street.

On the weekend kid and family events are free all day. Minors are welcome in the restaurant and festival tent are until 5 PM

On Monday, March 15th events will be confined to the pub in preparation for the big Charity event in the tent the following day. The pub will be open 11:30 AM – 2 AM. Grafton Street will perform at 9 PM followed by Amadan.

Tuesday, March 16th marks the day of the Special Benefit Concert for Mercy Corps. Tickets are $16 in advance or $20 at the door. Advance tickets for this event only may be purchased through Kells website at: http://www.kellsirish.com/portland/festivalmusic.html All proceeds go to aid Haiti. The tent opens at 6 PM. Curtis Salgado will be performing at 7:30 followed at 9:30 by the Crazy Bs. The pub will be opened 7 AM to 2 AM. St James’ Gate will appear at 11:PM.

On St Paddy’s Day itself the events are non stop. The pub hours will be 7AM – 2 AM. The entertainment begins at 12:30 PM with Cul Ti An and continues all day with Tom May, Chancers, St James’ Gate, Grafton Street with Irish Sessions beginning at 10:30 PM. In the tent the festivities start at 10AM and run till 12 AM. Performers include The Maher Dancers, Kells Pipers, Grafton Street, Yeates Dancers, St James’ Gate, Imelda May, The Murray Dancers, The Portland Police Band (so be on your best behavior my Portland pals – you know who you are ) U2 77, Tualitan Valley FR Pipers and Thin Lizzie Dedication. I can’t think of a better way to spend St Paddy’s Day. Admission is $20 before and $25 after 4PM and includes a festival t-shirt. More information can be found at the festival page of the Kells website http://www.kellsirish.com/portland/festivalmusic.html

Kells pulls an excellent pint and can even be persuaded to make you a Nutty Irishman in a pinch. I couldn’t recommend them more highly.

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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.

-SlainteSteve

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

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On YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/sixtysevenmusic