Bodhrans

You've heard of dueling banjos, maybe even heard some play. But dueling bodhrans? Good fun from the Rooney Family at the Celtic Connections festival. Hint: if you've enjoyed some of Fred's posts on Desi Arnaz, below -- well, it is a different thing, of course, but still you might like this. Whole lot of drumming going on.

St. Patrick's Eve: The Lilting Banshee

Mike Rafferty on flute, Mary Rafferty on accordion, and Donal Clancy on bouzouki on the jig The Lilting Banshee...

Emily Smith: rising Scottish singer

Emily Smith is a rising star of Scottish music, and she’s won international song writing notice too. One of the things she enjoys is taking on lesser known songs from the tradition and honoring their substance while setting them to fresh arrangements. In this clip she offers a ballad that has elements of star crossed -- sort of -- lovers, fleeing over the hills, and a few surprise twists. The song is called May Colven, and it’s from a gig Smith and her band played in the Strathclyde Suite at the Royal Glasgow Concert hall at the Celtic Connections festival this winter. If you like fellow Scots singers Karine Polwart and Corrina Hewat, then give Smith a listen. What, you've never heard of any of them? Okay, well, on the American folk side then, Lucy Kaplansky and Gretchen Peters, on the British side of things, Kate Rusby. If the songs or sound of these women intrigue you, then give Smith a listen. She has a new album due out in April and is planning a short US tour around that time as well.






I've just noticed while posting this that it is the one hundredth post at Series of Tubes. Thanks for staying with us through all the varied musical excursions Fred and I keep taking you on, from the many faces of Dylan and his musical tastes through rockabilly, Cuban Pete, Robert Burns, Ian & Sylvia, Johnny Cash, Cathie Ryan, Pam Tillis, Ruby Tuesday, daisy mayhem, Tommy Makem, and many others -- check out the list on the lower right of this page and see where we've been so far.