A Bard's Real World Blog
Journal, Blog, News, and Diary

Serious Kitchen CDs make those Kitchen Utensils Rattle

Last week, I ordered the rest of the serious kitchen CDs from their website. In general, I don't prefer to order music from overseas websites, but I made an exception, because this is, IMHO, one of the best Celtic music groups today who smoothly fuse traditional Celtic music with contemporary finesses. They are amazing.

Nick Hennessey is an amazing singer. Vicki Swan is a goddess on the Scottish smallpipes and flute, and Jonny Dyer just gets it all kicking with his guitar playing. I am totally in awe of this band!

You might remember them from MP3.com. Back then they were called Muckle Flugga. As I understand it, a corrupt MP3.com promoter, forced them into all sorts of legal problems and lead to the name change. But considering, I fell in love with their music when I heard them as serious kitchen, that's quite all right for me.

Right now, I'm listening to "On the Mash", their first CD after being renamed. It's all I remember from their MP3s and more.

What I love about serious kitchen is the way the music is recorded. Folk style. Up close and personal. Without all the nauseating effects that every Major Label Celtic band seems to blow over the top.

That's something about contemporary Celtic music scene, from Clannad to Altan, and of course every solo Celt. They seem to be brainwashed into thinking that more reverb makes them better. But the sadder state is that that is what sells.

Our music has largely defied that tradition. Yeah, we don't get the airplay, but the music is true to our sound. I like that. Yeah, a part of me loves the reverb too. But it's exciting to see people raised on heavy compression and overwhelming reverb embrace traditional music, performed like folk music was meant to be.

If you're looking for great Celtic music, don't bother with that Kate Bush, head over to serious kitchen's website

Red Dwarf on it's way! and Opus Fantasy Arts rocked!

Woohooo! Just got notice that the DVDs of the first two seasons of Red Dwarf that I ordered are on their way!

Course, it's, uh, purely for research mind you... I'm not fanatic or anything. I, uh, just need, uh, to do my research on Cat for my Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers album... Yeah, that's it...

Oh, it was too funny at Opus Fantasy Arts Festival this weekend. We had a late night show. Third song in was "Wild Rover". But as the excitement of the evening caught hold of me, the lyrics totally slipped my mind, replaced by... you guessed it, "Wild Kitty".

So I said, "What the hell!" much to Andrew's disgust.

But throughout the rest of the concert, the audience was meowing. tehe!

Also, got some good feedback in the folk room for "Catnipping Green" and "The Pleasant Peasant Pheasant Plucking Song". Andrew even said it was growing on him. So it may end up on an upcoming CD...

That, and we may have a CD before Real Men Wear Kilts... But no guarantees. Depends if we can really get working this summer...

Nine lives, nine cat songs

Been neurotically doing updates with my website. Especially promoting my Irish cat CD. Sure I've still a few months to finish it, but it's coming along.

I looked and saw I have Nine songs written already. A friend suggested that'd be perfect. Nine lives and whatnot. But no, I'd like a good sized CD. However, it did make me thinking that the whole album doesn't have to be Celtic Cat songs. I think I also want to add in a couple of Celtic tunes named after cats. Since I want 'em to be upbeat though, I need to find a someone to knock out some fast dance tunes... Got one person...

Oh! ...duh! Cedric... Hmm... Well, if he's around this summer. I'll email him. Since that might be easier than that fiddler I know in Houston.

Filk Interview?

I got invited this weekend to be involved in an interview for the Austin Chronicle. The topic is Novelty music, more specifically, filk. I'll let ye know how it goes.

Stinkin' PHP!
Well, I tried to some simple, wee editing of my web forum yesterday, and ka-bloo-ee! Next thing I know, it's dead. If ye know anyone who understands how to fix PHP, let me know. Meantime, I've setup a wee bardic forum on the Bards website.

On the Road, Again... Return to New York
Okay, not quite New York. Actually, Connecticut. I just confirmed last night that I'm gonna go visit my friend Kyara in New York on Memorial Day Weekend. And while I'm up there visiting, gonna see if I can pull together a wee solo performance somewhere.

So start telling your friends and let me know if there's a place ye think I should play?

DJ E-Mail from up North

Hey Marc- How's everything? I am writing to you today becuase I thought you might like to hear this.

I was a guest on my friend's radio show last night and he actually played "The Barrel Song" off "Harper..." not only does it make me feel good that somebody else is playing the world music I bring into the station, but it must make you glad to know you're being played at other times then Sundays 12-3pm. He commented to me that he liked the song and could actually picture the bricks falling!

I recommended all the other tracks off the album and hopefully, with any luck, your album will become a WWPV staple in a few years. Hope you and Andrew are well and I hope we can work together to get you guys to come up and play for the students. Best wishes, Edward from up North

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Well if you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer those as well.