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THE CELTIC CONNECTION • DECEMBER 1995/JANUARY 1996
0 The British Butcher Shop
(Formerly Kerrisdale Meats)
Robert Goodrick, Prop.
Place your Christmas order now for:
♦
♦ New York Free Range Turkeys ♦ Melton Mowbry pies
♦ English sweets
♦ Chocolates and H.R baked beans
♦ British groceries
♦ Batchelors mush peas
♦ Yorkshire pudding mix and dumpling mix ♦ Bisto gravy ♦ Cadbury-Jelly babies & sweets (the real ones)
♦ Marmite spread
♦ True English Gammon
♦ 31 Different types of English and European sausages ♦ Wiltshire & Ayrshire bacon
♦ Black pudding
♦ Haggis and lots more.
\*jt
Don't forget your Haggis for Robbie Burns Day!
ORDER YOUR HAGGIS EARLY Specially made from a 1500 year old Glasgow recipe.
Tel: (604) 985-2444
711 Queensbury Avenue, N. Vancouver, B.C. V7L 3V9
STOMPY'S CORNER
QUALITY CELTIC JEWELLERY
Beautiful Christmas Gifts for that someone special Claddagh rings, pendants, earrings, etc. Custom made jewellery. Any and all enauiries welcome Repairs guaranteed By Adrian O'Brien (Dubliner) Phone/Fax (604) 381-2174 '
An Exciting Month on the Celtic Music Scene
By TOM LANDA
VANCOUVER — Holy busy month, Batman! The Pacific Northwest was host to some of the Celtic music scene's greatest performers in November.
The Rogue Folk Club presented Andy Irvine's Eastern Wind trio, Old Blind Dogs and Scots singer/ songwriter Dougie MacLean among others. This was Dougie's first visit here in nine years and the crowd at the W.I.S.E. Hall loved every minute — from his opening to his second encore.
The combination of his superb songwriting, powerful voice, delivery, humour and charm drew everyone into his world for two hours or so. As he sang about his homeland, his life experiences, his culture and his travels, he made the Scots in the crowd homesick for Caledonia.
Although he was unaccompanied on stage, his songs were met with an enthusiastic choir as he encouraged everyone to sing along, with comments like "now that was pathetic — let's try again," until all joined in, singing the songs which have earned him the title "Scotland's Musical Ambassador."
Down in Seattle, another Scotsman headlined the Fleadh by the Ol' Canal, Seattle's first Celtic Festival. Andy M. Stewart and Irish guitarist Gerry O'Beirne played to a full house at the Tractor Tavern, on November 9.
I've been a big fan of Stewart since his Silly Wizard days and I believe him to be one of today's most gifted songwriters and although I truly enjoyed his concert, I found my eyes and ears focused on side-man O'Beirne, who at times overshadowed Stewart's performance.
O'Beirne is a fine singer/songwriter in his own right and amazed the crowd with his virtuoso guitar playing. Stewart was funny and articulate and pleased the crowd with songs like Take Her in Your Arms and Rambling Rover which have become pub favourites. Other performers at the festival were The Suffering Gaels, Keltoi, The Whyos, Paperboys and Barking Monkey among others.
Back in Vancouver, the Town Pump was host to Jimmy George and The Mahones, two Ontario bands who gave local fans a dose of their Celtic Punk. Jimmy George has a new album called Hotel/Motel and is available at stores everywhere.
Other new releases include Ashley Maclsaac's Hi. How Are You today! This young Cape Breton fiddler had a lot of hype to live up to with this long awaited second album. He certainly didn't disappoint me or the thousands or others who rushed out to buy it.
Maclsaac takes a lot of risks, not so much on his choice of fiddle tunes (they're mostly Cape Breton) but in the arrangements and in his choice of bandmates and producer. There's plenty of
JEREMY GREENHOUSE
musician who plays traditional music, the Celtic Musicians Directory needs your information. This will be a directory dedicated to providing services to all musicians involved in the genre, including places to play, sessions, fellow musicians, luthiers, instructions, books, etc.
You can contact them care of Stomp Productions. Also for those interested in Gaelic language and songs, Togaibh Fonn is a quarterly publication about Gaelic music, news, profiles of singers, reviews, lyrics and much more. Write to them at Togaibh Fonn, P.O. Box 3, Iona, Nova Scotia BOA 1L0.
•
If you have any news, comments, questions, suggestions, would like information on the directory or would like to submit something for review, send it to Tom c/o Stomp Productions, 158-1896 W. Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. V6K 2B8.
grunge, groove and speed throughout the 12 tracks. This is a refreshing change from the usual piano accompaniment found in most Cape Breton recordings, reminiscent of my grade five music teacher butchering otherwise pleasant songs with her piano.
Local band, Fear of Drinking released their second cassette It Could Happen to You, recorded live at the W.I.S.E. Hall. It includes more original material than their previous release, and proves once again they're one of Canada's best Celtic/folk bands. Mad Pudding is gearing up for their, new release in January, and Jeremy Greenhouse is also working on a second recording.
Greenhouse has just returned from a cross-Canada tour in sup-
?ort of his CD The Things That ou Believe, which features some great folk songs tinged with Celtic melodies and turnings. If you haven't gotten a copy yet, I strongly recommend it.
Also touring is Sarah McLachlan, who is getting in touch with her Celtic roots performing with the Chieftains in Australia.
On a closing note, if you are a
Ireland at MTV Awards
GAL WAY — Galway's Macnas group performed in front of a television audience, estimated to run into the hundreds of millions when they appeared in the opening sequence of the MTV music awards show in Paris, on November 23.
. Macnas brought their firbolgs, , as well as their more recent creations of spiders and dragonflies, while some of the performers appeared in giant caricatured heads of Bono, Madonna, Mick Jagger and Elvis.
1 The recipients of the awards were chosen by viewers of MTV Europe. U2 were considered the best group, while the Cranberries produced the best song with Zombie. In accepting the U2 award, Bono made some disparaging remarks about the French president over his attitude toward nuclear testing.
— The Irish Emigrant
WANTED
Solo musical acts for Saint Patrick's Day at the Unicorn in Vancouver. Call (604) 683-4436 for an audition.
ONE OF CANADA'S BEST CELTIC/FOLK BANDS
Mad Pudding are set to release a new album
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