Feb 28 2005

Check out the new news page. You can leave comments now. I will be moving this content to archives shortly.

Feb 21 2005

Photos from the Chris Langan Weekend are up.

I've put together a short list of some of my favourite recordings. I'll be adding to this over time. I've also added to the teachers page.

Feb 14 2005

Updated the events page, and added some links to music camps in the teachers page.

Feb 12 2005

Piper Martyn Bennett is dead at the age of 33. Born in Newfoundland, raised in Scotland, he mixed samples and urban beats with the pipes to produce a unique blend of Celtic and urban sounds. CBC's Global Village has one of their audio postcards available here (RealAudio - may not play on Macintosh). His CDs Bothy Culture and Grit are available through Amazon.

Feb 9 2005

As some of you know, I moved from Geocities (now Yahoo) to these pages in October of 2004, when the opportunity arose to have better hosting (better tools, less restrictions on downloads, etc.) with no cost to me for the initial interval. Of course, the question comes up - what will I do when and if I have to pay for the hosting? I could go back to Geocities, but there Yahoo gets to use my content for ads with my only choice to pay them to not have ads. I think if I'm doing a useful job here, I should be able to provide enough content that will make it possible for me to host my own ads. I don't have the time to solicit them myself, and I would also like to be free to comment on anything in the area of Celtic music around here, so I don't want to be worried about annoying my advertisers. So after thinking about it for a while, I've decided to put Google Ads on these pages. I've done so because I think Google provides a good balance of relatively low-key ads while giving me the option of cutting the cord if it isn't working. We'll see.

I am also contemplating putting links to Amazon.ca for CDs and so forth, although most of what I would prefer to recommend is not available on Amazon. Again, we'll see.

Jan 31 2005

Another Chris Langan weekend come and gone - this year's highlight was the young extraordinary piper Jarlath Henderson. And he can sing, too...

Just minor updates this time. See the events page.

Jan 12 2005

A reminder that Chris Langan Weekend is rapidly approaching. There'll be sessions and concerts, music into the wee small hours. Hope to see you there...

I'm too cheap to shell out real money for web-site maintenance tools (at least so far) but I've just downloaded Bare Bones Software's TextWrangler, which is now available for free download. I had been using SubEthaEdit, which is still an outstanding tool for collaborative development, but I think I'm going to stick to TextWrangler for my site editing from now on. A very nice interface and integrated sftp support. (excuse my momentary excessive geekdom...)

I've put a few words in about abc on the Macintosh. Abc is a simple text-based music notation that can be read and written without the aid of a computer, but can also be used to print standard music notation and play back or save MIDI files. There are freeware, shareware and payware music notation programs available for Macintosh, Windows and Linux.

Jan 6 2005

Happy New Year to all. Rebecca Barclay tells us she still has some room in her singing classes starting in January.

Dec 14 2004

Dan MacDonald tells us that the next Cape Breton session at Dora Keogh's has beeen postponed until January.

I've started updating the teachers page, with a note from Maureen Mulvey-O'Leary that Karen Light will be starting a whistle class. Teachers please contact if you want to be listed.

Johnny Cunningham, who looked like a Hell's Angel and fiddled like one of the other kind, passed away suddenly a year ago. I had the privilege of lending Johnny my fiddle once, years ago in a Boston-area pub session. Just received this:

December 15th, 2004
Dear Friends and Family,
The outpouring of love for Johnny has been like the Night in That Land of the Isle of Skye. Simply Magnificent. It is the sign of a Man of Wisdom and Wizardry to manifest such abundant love. For it is in his passing that his own words best served him, "What you give to others will come back to you someday."
Thank you all for your words in sharing a part of Johnny that he shared with you.
Thank you Johnny for all your love.
~ Trisha
www.JohnnyCunningham.com continues its updates on the News, Memorial and Photo pages.

Dec 8 2004

Pat Simmonds sent word of a new session on Monday nights. As well, Dan MacDonald wrote

the Dora Keogh Cape Breton ceilidh will be happening once a month instead of twice a month. We are looking at Dec. 15th for the nest one. Thanks very much.
Dan MacDonald

A couple of new events - thank you to those who used the events form!

Bob Gardiner reminds us of the fundraising for the Chris Langan Weekend

we are selling bottles of Ontario Maple syrup in glass fiddle bottles as a fundraiser. The 250ml bottles are $10 and the 500ml ones are $15. They would make great Christmas gifts or stocking stuffers. If you can't get to the Tranzac for pickup this Wednesday I can make arrangements for pickup at The Tranzac at some date between now and Christmas or at Dora's on Sundays from 28th November on. No limit to how much you can order. :) email your orders to ruairibeag at rogers dot com.

I've moved the old reviews over from the old site. I'm working on some new ones, and would be delighted to have contributions from others.

Nov 28 2004

I have done some work to make the site display better in Internet Explorer. My apologies to those who had a hard time making out the titles...

Charlie Cares, who's a fine musician and singer in his own right, writes from Paris Ontario:

As most of you know, I've been preparing to open my own CD shop here in Paris. Well the moment has arrived - we are now open for business!

If you've enjoyed the concerts at Paris Plains Church, the Burford Armoury and the Edgar Farm and have wondered where to find recordings of great roots music, this is the place! Come down and check it out. We think you'll like what you find.

Ground Floor Music
31 Grand River St. N.
Paris, ON N3L 2M3

(519) 442-0040

-- Charlie Cares charlesc at sentex dot net

Nov 20 2004

Maureen Mulvey O'Leary updates us on ceilis, music and sessions .

The dates for the Chris Langan Weekend have been set.

I've added a new web form for submitting events.

I've started adding to the links page

Nov 9 2004

Eva McCauley (no relation!) let us know of a couple of sessions in Guelph and Elora.

Shelly Romalis let me know about an exciting house concert coming up with Tony McManus - what can more can you say about a guy that John Renbourn calls "the greatest Celtic guitarist in the world"?. Tony's recently moved to Southwestern Ontario, and we're privileged to have him playing and teaching here.

Hi folks, the great Celtic guitarist, Tony McManus is giving a house concert at my place in Toronto Saturday, November 27, at 8 pm...$12 Please come along for a lovely evening.

He'll also be offering a workshop from 2-4 for intermediate/advanced players on Celtic guitar arrangement and alternative tunings. $25

To reserve a space for either or both of these, please phone 416 657 1708

Nov 4 2004

A couple of coming events worth mentioning:

from Anne Lederman:

EARLY HOME MOVIES ARE A TIME MACHINE AT PORT DOVER "FOLK FILM" FESTIVAL

Live Music By Anne Lederman, Ian Bell, Allison Lupton, Denis Rondeau, Bruce Milner

Imagine stepping into a darkened room and being magically transported back in time. That's just what the Port Dover Harbour Museum has planned for its second North Shore Home Movie Festival. Sunday November 14th - 2:00 PM at the Light house Festival Theatre. When the images begin to flicker on the screen, the audience will be there - with sand between their toes on the beach at Turkey Point in 1935, getting their socks wet in the great storm of 1955 and saluting the veterans of the Great War, as Sir Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon (then Governor General of Canada) lays a wreath at the Carillon Tower in 1929. The past will live again - thanks to the old-time home movie makers of Norfolk County.

Out of the Closet & Onto The Screen

HOME MOVIES - THE FOLK MUSIC OF FILM MAKING

These 16mm and 8mm films were made by amateur moviemakers between the 1920s and the 1950s, and cover an amazing range of activities, events, and Norfolk County locales. Bathers in black woollen suits cavort on the beach in front of the Summer Garden in 1929 - A wooden boat is launched with a team of horses in 1930 St. Williams - The L,E & N crosses the high-level bridge in Waterford - Fish tugs break through harbour ice in the 1950s. - The citizens of Simcoe march in a parade, alongside their brand new Model A Fords - and in a amazing reel of colour film from March 1955, the whole lower section of Port Dover is flooded under four feet of water as youngsters raft up Walker street. Other films take us out on the boats for a day of trap netting or gill netting on the lake. There are street parades and boat parades, farmyard frolics, and a spectacular, thrill-packed soapbox derby from July 1st 1957 (Not for the faint of heart!)

The films people have brought to us are, of course, silent movies, but a group of talented musicians will be on hand to provide live accompaniment for them on stage, both in the form of songs and instrumental music.

The musicians will include Anne Lederman - vocals, fiddle, piano, Allison Lupton - vocals, flute, Ian Bell - vocals, guitar, button accordion and mandolin, Denis Rondeau - string bass, Bruce Milner, vocals guitar. Bruce is a former Port Dover fisherman and a great singer-songwriter.

This event is a fund-raiser for the Port Dover Harbour Museum. It will be begin at 2:00 PM on Sunday, November 14. Tickets are $15.00 and are available from the Lighthouse Festival Theatre box office (519) 583-2221.

Also: FALL MUSIC WORKSHOP on Sunday November 21st at the Guelph Youth Music Centre 75 Cardigan St., Guelph, Ontario.

from Linda Wright:

Just wanted you to know that we are starting a Cape Breton Style Fiddle and dance school beginning the march break of 2005, in Barry's Bay Ontario. Near Algonquin Park ( 3 hrs from Toronto) Our place has a motel, restaurant and Music Store www.pinewoodinn.barrysbay.on.ca We are having Sandy Mcintyre and special guests teaching at our first week long session. I was hoping you might be able to get this info out on your website some how, if you can't thats okay maybe you can give it a little blurb...lol If you want more info you can call me at 1-800-339-8554 Linda Wright

Fiddles & Frets Music Productions Presents: "GIVE ME WOOD AND I'LL MAKE IT SING FOR YOU" An Intimate and Interactive with GRIT LASKIN

What: A Lecture, Slide Demonstration and Concert by Award Winning Luthier, Grit Laskin.

When: Fri. Nov. 26/04, 7:30pm

Where: The Arts and Letters Club 14 Elm St. - Downtown Toronto

Tix: $25- By Reservations

Info/Reservations: 416-264-2235

Oct 31 2004

Happy Hallowe'en! As you can see, the site has a new look, and I will be moving things over in the next few weeks. I started with the sessions page, since there is a new Cape Breton session at Dora Keogh's, every first and third Wednesday.

Oct 27 2004

New look, new host, new URL. You can find us at celticmusic.ca.