Well, I hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday season and that all my Scots brothers have recovered from Hogmanay. I hope all your first-footers were tall dark men carrying gifts of salt, bread and coal and I hope that all your lums continue to reek, preferably with someone else’s coal.
Want to start out talking up a new solo bagpipe recording that I was informed about by Mike Cole, a great friend, superb drummer, and music enthusiast extraordinaire. He clued me in that he’d been working with a piper from Seattle named Jori Chisholm on a CD called Bagpipe Revolution that was really worth listening to, especially the drum parts. So I contacted Jori Chisholm, he sent me a stack of CDs, and I found that Mr. Cole was right on the money. This is the best solo effort I have heard in quite awhile. Jori Chisholm plays Highland pipes and Scottish small pipes and he is joined by Ed Littlefield, Jr. on pedal steel guitar, Gerry O’Beirne on guitar and ukulele, Orville Johnson on guitar and dobro, Igor Abuladze on guitar and bass, Andrew Boscardin on guitar, Suzanne Taylor on piano, Duncan Millar on drums and, oh yeah, Mike Cole on drums. There’s a bunch of really fine new tunes to wrap your ear around, recorded and mixed with skill. Jori himself was the producer and he certainly turned out a CD to be proud of. I think my favorite piece on the CD is the last cut, a piobaireachd called “Too Long in This Condition.” Jori arranged it with harmony for two pipers and plays both parts himself. It is a beautiful mesmerizing piece of music. For all you pipers who appreciate good music, Jori will be at the Winter Storm gathering in Kansas City where, I understand, he’ll be teaching. For all you folks who appreciate good music and want to see the scope and range of the bagpipe expanded and developed, get a copy of Bagpipe Revolution and see for yourself what a great solo pipe recording sounds like.
Burning Bridget Cleary Rides Again
One of the most exciting bands I’ve seen in the last couple years is a trio out of the Philadelphia area called Burning Bridget Cleary. Named after the “last witch burned in Ireland,” this group features Genna Gillespie on fiddle, Rose Baldino on fiddle and Lou Baldino on guitar, keyboards and bass. All three sing and very well too. Their first CD was good but didn’t capture the fire of their live performance but they’ve corrected that on their new CD called Everything is Alright. The new release grabs your attention and keeps you listening with blazing fiddle duets, great songs and a mix of music that’s away from the ordinary and downright inspirational. This is trad music at it’s best, alive, vibrant and lyrical. Don’t miss seeing this band if you’re given the chance and until you can, pick up a copy of their independently produced CDs and listen to the future of trad.
Ed Miller, Only the Best Voice
As I was sitting at the keyboard banging away on this edition, the mailman arrived (bless him on a cold miserable day like this) and brought me a box of CDs from the finest Scots singer there is. Just my humble opinion, but I’ll put Ed Miller up against anyone for voice. I often joke that there’s few performers I’d pay to listen to but Ed is one of them. The only thing I like better than listening to him sing, is listening to him talk about the songs.
Just in time for the anniversary of Robert Burns’ birthday (January 25th), Ed has released the latest in a long list of great CDs. Lyrics of Gold is made up of songs written by or collected by Robert Burns. Some of the songs here are among my absolute favorites, “A Man’s a Man,” “My Love Is Like a Red Red Rose,” “The De’il’s Awa’ Wi the Exciseman.” I gotta tell you, I’ve been waiting a long time for Ed Miller to record a CD of Burns’ songs and this one is worth the wait. Ed doesn’t perform alone on here, oh no, he’s assembled a collection of some of the finest talents in Scottish music to assist him, including Rich Brotherton, Brian McNeill, E.J. Jones, John Taylor and Karine Polwart, to name a few. Man, if that isn’t a lineup of talent that any performer would want backing him up! I have occasionally been asked what was so special about Burns’ songs, now all I have to do is let them listen to Ed Miller’s Lyrics of Gold and they’ll understand. Burns would buy this CD!
Off to Valley Forge
Time soon for us to head off to one of the finest music festivals anywhere, the 17th Annual Greater Philadelphia Mid-Winter Scottish & Irish Music Festival and Fair, Friday, February 13 thru Sunday, February 15, 2009 at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA. The name gets longer each year and so does the list of great performers that promoters Bill and Karen Reid put together. One of the best organized festivals featuring, literally, something for everyone. Last year some of our good customers from the Chicago area flew out to Philly for this show. They needed a good dose of music, you see, and boy did they get it. This year the list of performers is even longer, you can get the whole lineup at www.eohebrides.com. I will mention that a couple of my favorite bands, Screaming Orphans, The McDades, Tannahill Weavers, Searson and Hadrian’s Wall will be performing but I have to admit that I always look forward to seeing the kids from Ian MacLeod’s fiddle school. Ian is the father of Ashley MacLeod, who’s red hot fiddle graces Hadrian’s Wall these days. He’s also a dairy farmer who’s taught kids in the front room of his home for a number of years now and is, in my book at least, one of the unsung heroes of Scottish traditional music. After putting in a rugged day of farming, this man works to share his love of the music and his talent with local kids thereby ensuring that another generation will know and cherish the music. This is a great festival, all indoors, of course, and great fun. Worth the trip.
Reenactor Fest
Another great festival coming up in February, and a wee bit closer to home, is the 5th Annual Reenactor Fest at the Westin Chicago North Shore in Wheeling, Illinois, February 5-8, 2009. My son does reenacting, Civil War, WWII, etc. and he took me to this show a couple years ago and it was great! “What is it?” you ask… It’s a convention for people interested in military history as well as historical reenactors of all time periods, spanning from the Roman Empire to Vietnam. I walked around with my jaw hanging open, just gobsmacked at all the uniforms, costumes, antiques and other stuff I was seeing. This year I’ll be there as a vendor, selling bagpipe music and other Scottish military cds and dvds. Check out their website at www.reenactorfest.com.
This is a great show to take the kids to. They’ll have a blast seeing all the folks in period outfits and everyone loves to talk about their historical impression. How about that, a show where you can have fun and learn something? I’ve had fun there in the past and I’m really looking forward to this year. It will be the biggest and best yet.
Well, there’s a couple of things to look forward to in February, this time of the year I find it helps to have things to look forward to. I expect this will be an interesting year. There’s talk about a new book, music & art festival at the Irish American Heritage Center in the Fall plus all our usual festivals thru the year. Keep smiling, Spring will be here soon.
One more bit of news, I finally got an email address for the column. You can send your input to me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it slowly but surely edging into the 21st century. You can still reach me at Rampant Lion Celtic Traders, 47 South Villa Avenue, Villa Park, IL 60181 or call me at 630-834-8108. Slainte!
