Marc Gunn's "Celtic MP3 Music Magazine"
http://www.celticmp3s.com/


Changing the way you hear Celtic Music
A weekly ezine of legal free Celtic MP3 downloads
January 12, 2005 5000+ subscribers


HIGHLIGHTS....
- Celtic Music News
- Feature: Pol Mac Adaim
- CD Feature: Solas
- Feature: Jeremy Kittel
- New Links
- Manage your subscription

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Latest News
http://www.celticmp3s.com/magazine/



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1. Celtic Music News
=========================

Greetings friends,

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. Mine was amazing
as I traveled around Europe playing music all along the way. I
had the opportunity to join some amazing sessions with Heid and
Stef of Bow Triplets (http://www.bowtriplets/). This band once
dominated on MP3.com for good reason. Now they're still the #1
Celtic band in Switzerland. Amazing group. You can also listen
to their music at SoundClick.com where they continue to knock
the shoes off of listeners.

Down in Italy, I had another session opportunity with The Light
Spirits and members of F.I.M., two brilliant Celtic groups down
by Rome. It really seems amazing to me how much great Celtic
music there is outside of the Celtic nations, but it flourishes
and is loved throughout filling concert halls in the most
unlikely of places.

That's a great sign of all that's to come.

---

Download Traditional Celtic Music Easily

I've had a couple opportunities to use TradTunes.com, and I must
say I LOVE it. Unlike iTunes, which is catching heat for anti-
competition practices, TradTunes.com is, well, my style of music--
Celtic music. And you get MP3s, the universal standard for digital
music.

I downloaded a couple CDs including Flook's latest and uploaded
it to my Archos Gmini 400. That was awesome! I watched movies,
transferred pictures from digital camera, and I had lots of great
music as I traveled around Italy. Oh! I was also able to record
some of our sessions. I'll try to make some of those available
in the near future.

TradTunes.com
http://www.celticmp3s.com/cgi-bin/celtic_music/jump.cgi?ID=838

Archos Gmini 400
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002U0JPE/thebards

Read my Review
http://www.magenetwork.com/2004/12/archos-gmini-400-review.shtml

Pictures from Italy Session in Labro
http://www.marcgunn.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=27

Rough Recording with Gmini of "Wild Kitty" (cat parody)
http://www.soundclick.com/pro/?BandID=106407

---

Oh, one more personal note. I was pretty psyched to see after
my vacation that Fark.com found my Irish Drinking Songs for Cat
Lovers website and had a heyday with it. If you're in the mood
for a laugh and haven't seen the site yet, check out
http://www.catdrinkingsongs.com/

Slainte!

---

If ye like what you read and hear,
please forward this newsletter to your friends.



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=========================
CELTIC BAND FEATURE #1
=========================

"If We Don't Help Them" by Pol MacAdaim

Pól MacAdaim is 30 years old and was born in Belfast. He first
became involved in playing music at the age of 9. Through the
years he has learnt to play in a wide range of styles including
Folk, Appalachian, Cajun, Rock, Soul and Contemporary. He is also
skilled in a variety of instruments ranging from tin whistles,
Traditional Irish flute, Low whistles, Uilleann pipes, harmonicas,
guitars (acoustic/Bass), Mandolin, and the Tenor banjo to Bodhran
and general percussion in rhythm section. He has also developed
vocals in backing and lead modes.

He tours throughout Europe playing mainly traditional Irish music
and has also toured in America.His music addresses various issues
and his lyrics carries a radical punch like in the song "If We
Don't Help Them Now." Pol MacAdaim's voice is so pleasantly filled
with passion it begs for action in support of Human Rights.
Outstanding!

Hometown: Belfast, Ireland
Similiar: Woody Guthrie, Christy Moore, Planxty, Dick Gaughan.

Homepage: http://www.polmacadaim.com/
Download: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0006V4LQW/thebards
Buy: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/plmacadaim/from/celtic/



=========================
CELTIC CD FEATURE
=========================

Artist: Solas
Album: The Hour Before Dawn
Year produced: October 2000

I happened upon this album somewhat by accident. After looking
through the entire Celtic section, I found some albums by Solas
and 'The Hour Before Dawn' instantly drew my eyes. Without
having ever heard anything by this group, I bought the album,
a decision I have never regretted.

Founded by Seamus Egan (a talented multi-instrumentalist who
plays flute and tenor banjo, among others), this quintet of
brilliant Irish musicians has been hailed as one of the best
in the genre. Since their inception in 1995, Solas has produced
six albums and a live DVD, as well as several solo albums.
They have also toured throughout the world.

The Hour Before Dawn (2000) was the fourth album put out by
this group. The opening is a rollicking song in gaelic, sung
by Deidre Scanlon (who replaced Karan Casey as Solas's main
vocalist). While her voice is not as light and flexible as
Karan's, her darker alto brings a new sound to Solas's songs.
The second track, a set of reels, was what made me really sit up
and take notice of what this group is doing.

"Granny Quinn's" is a celebration of Winifred Horan's fiddle
playing, with all the drive and accentuation she is capable of.
Seamus Egan takes over with "The Lilac Reel" and one can only
gawk in utter awe at the brilliance of this young man's flute
playing. This reel set is fast, it's furious, and it's what
defines Solas's sound. Other highlights include Deidre Scanlon's
"Last of the Great Whales" (a lament about the slaughter of these
animals), "A Miner's Life," sung by John Doyle, and Boy/Girl Tune,
a Mediterranean-influenced tune by Mick McAuley.

The final track is a joy all its own. Originally an instrumental
tune written by Seamus Egan and rewritten with Sarah McLachlan
for the movie Brothers McMullen, it is recorded here with Deidre
Scanlon singing and a purely traditional group backing her up.

While not pure-drop trad, this group is well worth a listen (or a
thousand) and this particular album is a definite must-buy. Solas
can be found on the web at http://www.solasmusic.com. They have
just finished recording their latest albums and it is expected to
be available in the spring of 2005.

Read the Review Online at
http://celticmp3s.com/magazine/

Buy "The Hour Before Dawn"
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004Y9VH/thebards

Find out more about Solas at
http://www.celticmp3s.com/bands/solas/

---
Celtic MP3s Music Magazine writer, Michelle Osborne, a native
to the central New York region, plays both high and low whistles
regularly with the Syracuse Irish session. Besides being heavily
involved in Irish traditional music, she is also a classical
clarinetist and composer.



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=========================
CELTIC BAND FEATURE #2
=========================

"Stairwell Time/The Slipping Jig/Sky Paint" by Jeremy Kittel

Jeremy Kittel is a phenomenal fiddler, equally adept at a wide
range of styles including Scottish, Irish, jazz and bluegrass.
He is a three-time US National Scottish Fiddle Champion and has
won national awards for jazz and improvisation. Jeremy's
performances include the Kennedy Center, "Prairie Home Companion,"
Chicago Celtic Fest, Milwaukee Irish Fest and Bethlehem Musikfest.
Jeremy's CDs have received rave reviews in newspapers and magazines,
and he recently won 2nd place for Celtic Instrumental Album in a
national competition of 10,000 CDs.

You can hear is toe-tapping blends of styles in this powerful
set of tunes--a great introduction to some amazing fiddling.

Hometown: Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Similiar: Liz Carroll, Solas, Martin Hayes, Alasdair Fraser,
Jerry Holland

Homepage: http://jeremykittel.com/
Download: http://jeremykittel.com/music/stairwelltime.mp3
Buy: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/kittel1/from/celtic



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NEW TO CELTIC MP3S MUSIC MAGAZINE
=========================

Rowan: Celtic Music from the Heartland (added: 27-Dec-2004)
http://www.RowanCelticMusic.com
Rowan is a Celtic trio from Lawrence, KS. We are listed in
the Heartland Arts fund catalog and are on the Kansas Arts
Commission Touring Program. We play at weddings, parties,
festivals, schools (we have a school program for K-12
students), house concerts, you name it. And we're pretty
good, so they say.

psalterbook (added: 5-Jan-2005)
http://www.psalterbook.com
Psalterbook is a Christian band whose sound is an engaging
blend of folk, celtic, pop, bluegrass, and classical styles

SCYTHIAN - Celtic with an Edge (added: 7-Jan-2005)
http://www.scythianmusic.com
Band of four 20-somethings feature dueling fiddles and
driving drum beats. Scythian is known for its ecclectic
repertoir ranging to gypsy and Klezmer with strains of
Zydeco as well.

RATHKELTAÍR (rath-KELT-ur) (added: 17-Nov-2004)
http://www.rathkeltair.com
RATHKELTAÍR (rath-KELT-ur): n. 1. acoustic trad mixed with
spine-tingling Euro-pop as performed by jaded ex-rockstars;
2. Celtic world fusion;
3. the new ROAR in 2004!



=========================
6. ABOUT THE CELTIC MP3s MUSIC MAGAZINE
http://www.CelticMP3s.com/
=========================

"Celtic MP3s Music Magazine" is a weekly publication by
Bard Marc Gunn of the Brobdingnagian Bards, The Original
Celtic Renaissance. Help spread the word about great
Celtic Music Online!

Learn more about
http://www.marcgunn.com <-- Bard Marc Gunn
http://www.thebards.net <-- Brobdingnagian Bards

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