Music That I Like

Last updated Oct 25, 2006

Most of what I listen is an eclectic mixture of traditional, semi-traditional, and trad-fusion music, originating from the British Isles. Some is from Eastern Canada, namely Nova Scotia and the island of Newfoundland. Some is from...way out there, all the way from Sweden and Finland, Quebec, and the Wasatch Front of Utah.

This is by no means a complete list, but is rather a short overview of some of the music I like. Occasionally I will make recommendations of albums to listen to, if you're thinking of giving them a listen. Note that in many cases, a search in your favorite search engine using the various names listed below will turn up additional information and sites that I don't list below.

Music from Scotland/Cape Breton

Capercaillie >This Scottish band is one of the most successful bands of the late 20th century folk-fusion genre. They put the first ever Gaelic hit in the British top 40 ("Coisich A Ruin"/ "Come My Love") in 1994. Capercaillie features the smooth, rich and beautiful voice of Karen Matheson, the fiddle playing of one of my idols, Charlie McKerron, and the cittern/bouzouki playing of Manus Lunny. The band arranges traditional songs and tunes, as well as writing their own songs. I much prefer their traditional arrangements, as I feel they are much stronger there. The songs they write themselves seem too much like a sub-genre of pop music. --Recommended works: I first heard their "Crosswinds" album in 1990 (CD from Green Linnet), and began collecting their work from there. Their strongest work begins with "Sidewaulk," then goes to "Delirium" and "Secret People." Once they lost their whistle player, and allowed Donald Shaw to write songs and play synthesizer, they begin to sound like most other Celto-pop bands. The next few albums after that are fair, with moments of brilliance, but "Nadurra" finally brings them back to what they do best.

MaryJane Lamond >Lamond has roots in the surviving Gaelic speaking culture of Cape Breton Island, in the north of Nova Scotia. She learned Gaelic in school, and then spent years researching tunes and songs from active Gaelic speakers and published sources. She performs these songs in her own style, in a modern interepretation, but is also equally able to perform them in the original style. I saw her in concert in Seattle, at the Tractor Tavern , a marvellous small venue in Seattle. --Recommended works: Suas E, Lan Duil, to begin with--they are the least traditional recordings she has done, thus making them easier for the uninitiated to appreciate. Watch the video to her "Stepping Song" for a sample of her work.

Shooglenifty >A kind of trance, "acid-croft" groove band, that mixes acoustic/electric folk with a modern dance groove. A strange mix, you may think, but wait till you hear it work. --Recommended works: I only have Solar Shears, so far, but I have heard selections from their other albums.

The Barra MacNeils >Another Cape Breton band, featuring the fiddle-based dance tunes from the region and elsewhere. They do a lot of traditional material in their own style, and some occasional original material. Their arrangements and instrumental skills are strong, and they have some wonderful work. They stay closer to their folk roots than other bands do. I saw them in concert late one night in St. John's, Newfoundland (where, I might add, I sat right next to Great Big Sea's Alan Doyle and his parents). --Recommended works:

The Poozies >An all-female ensemble from Scotland, who do music of...whatever they want! I prefer their folk-rooted stuff a lot more than their indie-folk sounding material. But you won't believe what they do with those electro-acoustic harps! It's an amazing sound. --Recommended works: try their introspective, greatest hits CD first.

The Wrigley Sisters >The Wrigley sisters, Jennifer and Hazel, play sometimes with Seelyhoo, and sometimes on their own. They do material in Gaelic, and some in English. They are from the Orkney Islands, to the north of Scotland, and thus have a distinctive sound to their fiddle playing and a unique set of traditional tunes to draw from.

Natalie MacMaster >MacMaster is a world-class Cape Breton style fiddler and Step Dancer (sometimes simultaneously!). She is wildly popular in Eastern Canada, and now tours all over the world. She's been playing fiddle and performing since she was young, and shows no signs of stopping yet. She's a very down-to-earth, personable performer who doesn't let stardom go to her head, keeping a genuine warmth that comes through, and likely contributes to her popularity. She's no prima donna. I saw her in concert in St. John's, and she was amazing--she can play, she can dance, and audiences love her.

Music from Ireland

Altan >Altan has been one of my favorite traditional style Irish bands for a long time. They don't ever bother to try to go fusion, or pop, or anything other than what they have been doing for years. Yet their material is always strong, their arrangements often stunning, and they have contributed mightily towards showing how traditional music is still alive, and still played today. They play a mix of instrumental dance tunes from the Northwest of Ireland, in a style identified with that region, along with songs in Gaelic and English. They have a wonderful, straight-ahead fiddle sound that I like a lot, and their two fiddlers are among the best I've heard. I saw them in concert in Tacoma, Washington, and they were great artists and cordial guests. They even replied to an email I sent to them thanking them for coming to the Pacific Northwest so I was FINALLY able to hear them live, after at least 10 years of listening to them via recordings:

Recommended works: The Red Crow, Harvest Storm, Island Angel.

Clannad (no official site?)(one of many unofficial websites is here)

Music from Newfoundland

Great Big Sea >Great Big Sea are a LOT of fun in concert! They do a pub-folk-rock style that works very well for a wide mixture of people; thus making them best selling artists in Canada and even very popular in the United States. I don't care for most of their pop/rock tunes, many of them self-penned or even covers, because they lose their unique identity that way,and just become one of thousands of bands. I like their traditional-based material the best, because it is so unique, and they treat it with respect even as they play it with modern sensibilities and instrumentation in mind. They do mostly songs, with some instrumental tunes, and though they don't claim to be the best, or the most true to their roots, they do what they like, and it shows. My wife and I attended a concert of theirs in St. John's, Newfoundland, their home stomping grounds, and it was pandemonium--everybody knew all the words to every song, and danced, and hollered--it was quite the time, I tell you. Everybody went home from that with a smile. Give them a listen--Great Big Sea are a lot of fun! --Recommended works: If you can get them, start with "Play", or "Up." I don't have Road Rage, their Live CD, and their newest release, "Sea of No Cares" contains more "pop" stuff than I really like.

The Fables >The Fables are a group similar to Great Big Sea, but not quite as popular yet. They are a mixture of players from other bands, some folk, some rock, and bring both to their music. They have a very polished sound that highlights the skill and background of their players. I skip over a lot of their rock oriented stuff--it's well done, but it doesn't resonate for me, it just sounds like the Fables playing somebody elses music. I saw them in concert in St. John's, and they were great! --Recommended

The Irish Descendants >These are the "old boys" on the block. They did Newfoundland-Celtic-Pop long before the Fables or Great Big Sea (and in fact, the musicians who began the Fables came from the Irish Descendants.) They sound and feel a lot more traditional than the other groups, and are thus less widespread in their popularity. They play music from Newfoundland and Ireland (which was the country of origin for quite a lot of Newfoundlanders).

Figgy Duff >Figgy Duff are the group that brought the Celtic Folk Revival style to Newfoundland in the early 1980s. Inspired by what the Bothy Band and others were doing for Irish music in the 70s, Figgy Duff began doing the same to Newfoundland music. They did albums containing everything from ballads to local songs to instrumentals, in a folk rock style reminiscent of the big Folk Rock acts from the British Isles (Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, the Bothy Band, and others). They are no longer together, but individual members of the band still play with other groups or as solo performers.

Shanneygannock (no website found) >This is a quirky group that plays pub-style Newfoundland music. Mostly they do traditional songs and tunes from the region, but re-casting them in a more modern style. I saw them live at O'Reilly's a couple of times, including their "Live at O'Reilly's" recording. If you listen really hard, maybe you'll hear me in the audience!

Celtic Connection >In their earlier career, they played more traditional material in a slower, more tentative manner. After a couple albums they really kicked into gear and became excellent performers. But in the late 90s, they became more pop-folk, in an attempt to broaden their market appeal. I am unable to tell if they are still together, because I can't find an official web-site or any current appearances.

Music from the Wasatch Front

Stonecircle >I was one of the founding members of this band, back in Utah. I'm glad to see that George and company are still around, having gone through a few personnel changes as people have moved away. Stonecircle plays its own eclectic arrangement and mixture of British Isles and Irish ballads, dance tunes, traditional songs (which are not ballads), French songs, and even some original tunes (I wrote one that made it onto the first CD, "Serendipity.") But it's not strictly folksounding anymore--it's pretty eclectic. Check out George's wonderful 12 string guitar work.

Ryan Shupe and the RubberBand >Ryan Shupe is a hot fiddler, who, with his band, plays a mixture of "postHeeHawFunkadelicHipHopNewgrass"...whatever that is! But whatever it is, it works. Their original material is great stuff, with strong songwriting and great musical skills showing through. They have even made it onto a couple of film soundtracks ("God's Army," and "Brigham City," where they actually appear live as the band in the background of one of the bar scenes). You may pass them over, thinking they're just a bluegrass/newgrass band, but you'd be mistaken. I HIGHLY recommend their work--it's top quality.

Eclectic Stuff that I think is Really Nifty(tm)

Gjallarhorn >Finno-Swedish music that I really think is groovy. It starts traditional, but then becomes something else--transcendental dance music, or something else, perhaps? Some great arrangements here, and mesmerizing sounds. Maybe a bit too post-modern and experimental in mixture for my tastes, but they make it work.

La Bottine Souriante >They sing in French, because they're from Quebec. But oh, are they GOOD in concert! We saw them live in St. John's, and they were having so much fun on stage, the audience couldn't help but have more fun! Where else will you hear a mix of traditional tunes played on brass, jaw harp, fiddle, accordion, percussion, and make it an infectious dance beat? Check out the magic feet--yes, the feet are a rhythm accompaniment to a lot of their songs.

The Arrogant Worms >You can keep Celine Dion, we'll take these guys from Ontario. They write excellent songs--strong, quirky lyrics, fun tunes, and they're a riot. We plan to catch them in concert in November.

Steeleye Span> More info to come on this British folk/rock group that began in the late 60s and are still going today.

Guilty Pleasures

ABBA's official site> No, they are no longer together. No, they are not a disco group. They were a pure pop group from the 70s who are still wildly popular. Check out this site for complete lyrics, album info, and other stuff you've always wondered.

Oingo Boingo> Boingo is, alas, no longer together. However, Danny Elfman still does a lot of film soundtracks. Boingo is one of the few groups that I have seen in concert.

Music Places

O'Reilly's Irish Newfoundland Pub, on George Street, St. John's, Newfoundland. A lot of Newfoundland music goes on down here, along with the traditional Saturday night sessions, pub atmosphere, and (since it's a pub) Guinness on draft. The fish and chips are pretty dang good, too.

The Red Shoe, in downtown Mabou, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Home of the Rankin Family, and a place where a lot of local musicians play.

O'Brien's Music, Water Street, St. John's. A great source for Newfoundland music. They specialize in the much more strictly traditional side of the music, so if you want it, this is the place to start. They also sell instruments, songbooks, strings, lessons...

Fred's Music, Duckworth Street, St. John's. Another great source for Newfoundland music. I could hardly ever go in here without seeing something I wanted.

Tidespoint. Online selection of a WIDE variety of music from out 'round da bay!