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1. New Releases at Foot Stompin': Includes Battlefield Band DVD, Meantime, Talitha MacKenzie, Orain Gaidhlig 3
2. Book Feature: Gordon Mooney’s Collections & Scottie Books for children
3. Scottish Documentaries
4. Snippets: Foot Stompin' blog, Living Tradition Summer Schools
5. Reviews: includes: Farrar; The Long Notes at Leith Folk Club
6. Piping Live!
7. Foot Stompin' Celtic Music Discussion Forum: Can Anything be bad? & Gie’s a shot o yer Guitar mate!
8. Events
1.NEW ARRIVALS AT FOOT STOMPIN'
NOW YOU SEE THEM!! Battlefield Band in Concert DVD: The Battlefield Band, with their brand of fiery traditional music, have been thrilling audiences worldwide for more than 30 years. While it has been possible to hear them on CD (and very fine they are too!) at last with this DVD we have a chance to see the boys weave their magic in a live concert setting. £15.29 (£16.99 for first time customers). http://www.footstompin.com/products/dvd/battlefield_band_in_concert_dvd
MUSIC OF THE GAELS!! An Treas Tarraing – Meantime: This ever- popular Gaelic band have a new CD! Excellent songs and playing from a group who are making their mark in the Gaelic world by bringing new ideas to both their instrumental and vocal material. The sleeve-notes and song words are mainly in Gaelic but there are some English pointers to help the non speakers. This is an album to please their many fans and one which will surely earn them some new ones too.
£11.25 (£12.50 for first time customers).
http://www.footstompin.com/products/cds/an_treas_tarraing
MORE MUSIC OF THE GAELS!! Orain Gaidhlig 3: A grand compilation featuring some of the great Gaelic singers of the 1950s and 1960s. A special mention for Hamish Scoular - such a rich voice! and, listening to the tracks Fagail Lios Mor and Eilean Fraoich, one is reminded again of the beautiful gentle tone and wonderful range of Calum Kennedy's voice when he sung in his native Gaelic. Sublime! £11.25 (£12.50 for first time customers).
http://www.footstompin.com/products/cds/orain_gaidhlig_3
THE MELBOST BARD!! Dhachaigh (Home) - The Murdo MacFarlane Songbook: A new CD based on the songs and poems one of the most important and respected figures in Gaelic has been launched by the Stornoway Arts Centre, An Lanntair in partnership with the Hebridean Celtic Festival. Featured artists are Paul Mounsey, Isobel Ann Martin, Alasdair White, Fraser Fifield & Calum Alex MacMillan, Christine Primrose, Alyth McCormack with Lau, Ishbel MacAskill, Blair Douglas, Anna Murray, Brian Ó hEadhra & Fiona Mackenzie, Mary Smith, and Karen Matheson. £11.25 (£12.50 for first time customers).
http://www.footstompin.com/products/cds/dhachaigh_home__the_murdo_macfarlane_songbook
AMERICAN BEAUTY!! Indian Summer – Talitha MacKenzie: An excellent upbeat CD of contemporary and traditional material based round the distinctive vocals of Talitha MacKenzie of ‘Mouth Music’ fame. Track nine features the song 'Unelanvhi Uwetsi', considered by many to be the Cherokee National Anthem. The tune sounds familiar since this version is based on "Amazing Grace".£11.69 (£12.99 for first time customers).
http://www.footstompin.com/products/cds/indian_summer
RED LETTER DAY !! Dear Someone: Rachel Newton & Lillias Kinsman-Blake: Launched just this week, a fine debut CD featuring a combo of harp, voice and flute is a refreshing mix of Gaelic and English songs with traditional and contemporary melodies. £11.25 (£12.50 for first time customers).
http://www.footstompin.com/products/cds/dear_someone
FEMALE WARRIOR!! Love Songs and Fighting Talk – Janet Russell: Janet is a very fine singer indeed and this CD has a grand collection of songs, many of them Scots traditional. Great harmonies on the lively opening track 'Pretty Polly' a song which comes from the "Female Warrior" section of the Greig Duncan Collection. A particular favourite is the sad but lovely Waly Waly Up the Bank,learned by Janet when she lived in Edinburgh. .£11.69 (£12.99 for first time customers).
http://www.footstompin.com/products/cds/love_songs_and_fighting_talk
TRIPLE COMBINATION!!: Butt to Barra: And the Accordions Played; Langass: Three individual compilation CDs produced as fundraisers by Isles FM, the Stornoway – based volunteer-run community radio station for Scotland's Western Isles. The station -which broadcasts 24 hours a day and plays a varied mix of music and chat - started in 1998. They have plans to expand their coverage across all the Western Isles. Each CD has a selection of the most popular tunes and songs as requested by their listeners: Each CD costs £11.69 (£12.99 for first time customers).
Butt To Barra: Includes Rachel Walker, Skipinnish, Ann Martin, The Vatersay Boys.
http://www.footstompin.com/products/cds/butt_to_barra__isles_fm
And The Accordions Played: Includes Face The West, Skerryvore, Blair Douglas, Wolfstone.
http://www.footstompin.com/products/cds/and_the_accordions_played__isles_fm
Langass: Includes Runrig, Fergie MacDonald, Iain MacKay, Meantime,
http://www.footstompin.com/products/cds/langass__isles_fm
2. Book Features
Gordon Mooney’s Collections of Music for Lowland and Border Bagpipes (book)
The last twenty five years have seen a wonderful revival of interest in the music of the Borders and this is due, in no small part, to the pioneering work of Gordon Mooney. Gordon was one of the founding members of the Lowland and Border Pipers’ Society which has since done much to promote the playing of ‘Cauld Wind Pipes’.
Possibly the two most important of Gordon’s collections of Border music were ‘O’er the Border’ and ‘Choicest Tunes’. Both have been out of print for many years and the Society takes great pleasure in producing this combined collection. These were seminal works and deserve a place in any bellows piper’s library.
The book comprises 72 pages which include settings of 95 tunes as well as comprehensive background notes. £13.50 (£15.00 for first time customers).
https://www.footstompin.com/products/books/gordon_mooney%E2%80%99s_collections_of_music_for_lowland_and_border_bagpipes_book
More piping books: https://www.footstompin.com/collections/books/bagpipemusic
Scottie Books for Children
We have added some of this excellent series to our catalogue. 'Scotties' are exciting full-colour Scottish information books for young readers. Each title contains a wealth of interesting facts, stimulating activities and suggestions of places to visit:
Scottish Kings and Queens: traces Scottish monarchs from Kenneth McAlpin to the Union of the Crowns in 1603.
https://www.footstompin.com/products/books/scottish_kings_and_queens
Scottish Castles: Descriptions and illustrations of the most famous castles, the brochs, tower-houses and hill -forts as well as the grander castles such as Queen Victoria's Balmoral.
https://www.footstompin.com/products/books/scottish_castles
Festivals in Scotland: A colourful and informative book full of interesting facts about the seasonal festivals as celebrated in Scotland with glimpses into age-old customs still enjoyed today.
https://www.footstompin.com/products/books/festivals_in_scotland
Saints of Scotland : Paints a lively picture of the lives and legends of Scotland's saints and tells how the Christian Church came to Scotland.
https://www.footstompin.com/products/books/saints_of_scotland
The Clans: Find out how the clans and idea of clanship developed, where the clans could be found and when they flourished. Learn about their chiefs and how the clans were organised.
https://www.footstompin.com/products/books/the_clans
Exploring Scottish Seashores: The coastline of Scotland is over 11,800 km long. This is more than the distance of a return trip between Glasgow and New York!
https://www.footstompin.com/products/books/exploring_scottish_seashores
3. Scottish Documentaries
We have added a few documentary films to our ‘Scottish Film’ section.
The Sea Harvesters: A fascinating collection of six films giving an authentic record of work in the fishing fleets from the 1930s to the 1950s. These films are so interesting! In rare colour and black & white, here we have tales of the fishing fleets during the 1930s narrated in the voices of the fishermen themselves. £17.09 (£18.99 for first time customers).
http://www.footstompin.com/products/dvd/the_sea_harvesters
Night Mail / West Highland: The first is the John Grierson inspired classic 1936 film of the nightly postal express from London Euston to Scotland. John Gray, a BBC Scotland producer and sound engineer with the GPO Film Unit in the 1930s, made 'West Highland' as his tribute to Britain's most scenic railway. Perhaps the last of the lyrical documentaries. Quick fact - John Grierson was related to Foot Stompin's Elizabeth! £17.09 (£18.99 for first time customers).
http://www.footstompin.com/products/dvd/night_mail__west_highland
More films: http://www.footstompin.com/collections/dvds/film/documentary
4. Snippets
Foot Stompin' Blog
We've started a Foot Stompin blog (Foot Stompin’s Scotland Music Blog) at http://footstompin.wordpress.com/. We'll be keeping it updated regularly with many issues for todays Scottish musicians and other issues so keep an eye out for it. We would love to hear your comments on it so don't be shy!
Living Tradition Summer Schools - Music Technology and Performance Week
Still places available for this excellent ‘hands on’ course.. August 10th - 15th. At the end of the week there is the Bladnoch Folk & Blues Festival at the Bladnoch Distillery a few miles south of Newton Stewart and close to Whithorn. Course members who want to stay on for the weekend can join us for 'fun' or for some practical involvement in the 'technology of the festival' in a voluntary capacity.
http://www.glaisnock.org/htmfiles/week6_000.htm
New monthly music session in Dunoon
1st Sunday of the month, 2:30pm at the Crown Court Café Bar, 49-53 Argyll Street, Dunoon
More sessons: http://www.footstompin.com/public/article/session_pubs
Aboyne Highland Games Scottish Fiddle Championship
The 2nd of August 2008 will see the first Aboyne Highland Games Scottish Fiddle Championship in over 150 years with both junior and senior competitions taking place in a marquee tent within the games arena. As well as first prize money of £100 the senior champion will hold the title of "The Chieftain’s Fiddler” for one year and will be presented with the trophy in the games arena by “the Cock of the North” himself, the Marquis of Huntly.
http://www.footstompin.com/public/forum?threadid=106310
The Ceilidh Trails Are Underway!
The ever popular Cèilidh Trails return with bright young musicians and singers from all over the Highlands. A great project which gives teenagers the chance to work as professional touring musicians for the Summer. This is your chance to hear good quality Scottish traditional music – dances, concerts, open air sessions - in venues throughout the Highlands during July & August.
http://www.footstompin.com/public/article/festivals/july/ceilidh_trails
New Fiddle Composition Competition launched
‘The Niel Gow International Fiddle Composition Award’ is launched in 2008 to encourage creative fiddle composition. Based in Scotland, it seeks to attract entries from the global village of writers/fiddlers. The melodies composed need not be in the traditional Scottish style (jig, reel, strathspey, air etc), however they should in some way evoke the spirit of Gow and his Highland Perthshire homeland....
http://www.footstompin.com/public/forum?threadid=236646
5. Reviews
CD Farrar – Duncan Chisholm:; Reviewed by The Highland News
Fiddler Duncan Chisholm has spent half his lifetime developing his playing style and his solo albums have become as much of a pleasure as his work with Wolfstone, Ivan Drever, Julie Fowlis and his own compositions. To put it bluntly, the man's got a lot of strings to his bow. If you could choose just one album this year- whether you're a rocker, folkie, jazz buff or electro kid - Farrar should be it...
http://www.footstompin.com/products/cds/fiddle/farrar
Live Concert Review: The Long Notes at Leith Folk Club: Reviewed for the Scotsman. 5 stars
Fiddler Jamie Smith has been a musicians' musician on the Scottish folk scene for a good many years now. … The Long Notes is a newish name for his well-seasoned trio with Galway accordionist Colette O'Leary – formerly of the much-missed Bumblebees – and London-Irish banjo/mandolin ace Brian Kelly. They usually add a singer and/or guitarist to their live line-up, both roles occupied here by the current BBC Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year, Ewan Robertson. It's a line-up of copious strengths, and they played expertly to all of them. As each individual took their turn in the spotlight, highlights ranged from Kelly's astoundingly fleet-fingered picking, as wild as it was exquisite, to Robertson's audacious, jig-tempo version of Richard Thompson's Beeswing. Their ensemble playing, meanwhile, was nothing short of sublime.....Sue Wilson www.scotsman.com
http://www.footstompin.com/products/cds/fiddle/the_long_notes
CD Under the Counter – Bodega: Reviewed for Scotland on Sunday
Three gals and two guys partying among the booze barrels – Bodega's inner sleeve photo doesn't quite tell the truth. These young players have oodles of musical technique and have worked it all into this second album. Oban guitar talent Tia Files has written quite a few of the new tunes – along with Shetland fiddler Ross Couper, whose beautiful air 'Helyinagro' is named after the family home in Yell – amid the wide, generally up-tempo spread of accordion, harp, fiddle and pipe dance tunes. The songs are a varied bunch, both in style and vocal quality, so from reworked Gaelic tradition to American Tim O' Brian, there's something for everyone. Norman Chalmers www.scotsman.com
http://www.footstompin.com/products/cds/under_the_counter
CD/DVD Bho dhòrn gu dòrn – Bannal: Customer Review 5 stars
Bannal - great for young and old
Great for the auld yins wanting to learn the historical part of the songs, great for the young uns to learn the choruses and join in. I love it - and I'm an inbetweeny! …Pancake
http://www.footstompin.com/products/cds/bannal__bho_dh%C3%B2rn_gu_d%C3%B2rn_doublesided_cd__dvd
Live Concert Review: The Chair at Hebridean Celtic Festival
...Asked for their personal highlight as the weekend drew to a close – in perhaps the least scientific straw poll ever – a decided majority of people unhesitatingly nominated Orkney eight-piece The Chair, who stepped up on Friday ahead of this year's primary headliners The Saw Doctors and played a blinder to easily their biggest audience yet. Palpably well rehearsed and suitably on their mettle, their heavy-hitting line-up – twin fiddles, accordion, banjo, guitar, bass, drums and percussion – socked it to us straight and chaser for a triumphant 90 minutes, further fuelling the wildfire buzz kindled by their Open Stage award at last year's Celtic Connections...
www.scotsman.com
http://www.footstompin.com/products/cds/the_chair__huinka
6. Piping Live! 11th – 17th August 2008
Piping Live! 2008 has a brilliant programme of events lined up which will see Glasgow become the centre of the world stage for piping brilliance. It’s exciting and challenging, traditional and contemporary and very much alive.
Events happening morning, noon and night featuring today's newest talent plus an array of established musicians from across the globe. The venues are as varied as the performers, from workshops to masterclasses, ceilidhs to concerts, competitions, challenges and street performances. Its fast, fun, moving, informative and above all, entertaining!
Lots of free events including top-notch bands in George Square and concerts at the Live Music Café. Some great lunchtime recitals and at The National Piping Centre where there is also a late night Festival Club.
St Andrew’s in the Square has a Gaelic Piping Night with Daimh and Skipinnish. CLASP, Competition League for Amateur Solo Pipers will run the annual ‘World Solo Amateur Piping Championships’ on Thursday 14th and Friday 15th of August.
On August 16, more than 220 Pipe Bands from all over the world will compete at Glasgow Green for the coveted World Pipe Band Championship Title. The event,which can attract up to 40,000 spectators, is organised by the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association and Culture and Sport Glasgow. There’s a huge range of other events taking place throughout the day as part of the whole “Worlds” experience. There are European Highland Games which features events like hammer throwing, weight for distance and of course, caber tossing. There’s also a Kids “Come and Try” Highland Games and competition Highland Dancing. It all adds up to unique experiences which people come back and see year after year.
Piping Live! has more than a hundred separate events across the city in a week-long celebration of piping.
http://www.footstompin.com/public/article/festivals/august/obj150922/obj162828
7. Foot Stompin' Celtic Music Discussion Forum:
Our Discussion forum is a lively place! Here are some of the topics under discussion at the moment on our Foot Stompin' Celtic Music Forum. Feel free to join in! http://www.footstompin.com/forum?forumid=3
Can anything be bad?
.........Is it any good? Who knows. It tends on the perspective I suppose. From the performers point of view – if he is happy with it that is all that counts. I think you should only make music for yourself and if you believe in the end product that’s the most important thing. If the public like it and buy it in its millions that’s an aside....
http://www.footstompin.com/public/forum?threadid=236497
Gie's A Shot O' Yer Guitar Mate!
You’re sitting there in a session cradling your "baby," in your arms when some inconsiderate person, too lazy to take his own guitar fancies showing us how good he is. He looks around and his unfocused eye alights upon your cherished instrument. "Gie's a shotty yer guitar mate, " comes the request. What to do - do you meekly hand across your guitar, or do you refuse?
http://www.footstompin.com/public/forum?threadid=236321
8. Events
25th July: Donnie Munro Band in Concert ,8pm Tait Hall , Kelso . with support from Mary Kathleen Burke Tickets 01750 725480
http://www.footstompin.com/products/cds/donnie_munro_live__an_turas
25th – 26th July: Barrafest is an exciting community music festival on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean - next stop Canada! The remote location is idyllic with its beautiful unspoilt beaches and amazing scenery. Guests: include The Vatersay Boys, Shooglenifty, Albannach and more..
http://www.footstompin.com/public/article/festivals/july/obj150733
25th – 27th July; Lomond Folk Festival: Held annually during the month of July at Balloch on the shores of beautiful Loch Lomond. The Festival programme includes concerts, workshops, ceilidh, children's events, street entertainment, a busking competition and open stage.
http://www.footstompin.com/public/article/festivals/july/obj150758
26th July: Shetland fiddler Jenna Reid with guitarist Kevin MacKenzie are doing a wee concert 3pm at Coda Music at the Mound Edinburgh
http://www.footstompin.com/artists/jenna_reid
26th July: Edinburgh Argyll Association Ceilidh. 7.30pm – 10pm. Gaelic Singers Lyle Kennedy & Rena Gertz; Scots songs from Tom Brown with Elizabeth Stewart (Piano). Reels, jigs, and slow airs by Andrew MacIntyre (small pipes) and Gordon Wilson (fiddle).
http://www.footstompin.com/public/forum?threadid=236801
26th – 27th July: The Glasgow Show at Glasgow Green. 12.00pm - 5.30pm. This year the Folk and Acoustic Zone lineup is Christine Bovill and Catriona Molver, The Paul McKenna Band, Claire and Gavin Livingstone, Dave Gibb. Compere Jim King.
http://www.footstompin.com/public/forum?threadid=223950
27th July: Soup, Song and Swally in aid of Govanhill Swimming pool. McNeill's Bar in Torrisdale Street in Govanhill, Glasgow. Fraser Spiers, Alistair Hulett, Swing Guitars.
http://www.footstompin.com/public/forum?threadid=236400
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