Smart Like Tractor

An Nuacht: May 2012 (Part 1)

A big go raibh maith agut (thank you) to everyone who has already donated via Celtic Sunday Brunch to WDVR's spring fundraiser--

• Namely: Jeff, Pete, Linda, Wolf, Nancy, John, Megan, Joanne, Jethro, Brad, Don, Joanne, Cathy, Joan, Rosemary, Grace, Jerry, Kathy, and Bernice.
• What's that? You say you don't see your name listed? I'm sure it's just an oversight-- I mean, you DID send in a pledge or contribution, right?
• Tell you what: I'll be hosting this Sunday, May 6, from 11am to 1pm US ET (GMT -5). Give me a call at 609.397.1620 x5, or email me at host@wdvrfm.org, and we'll sort it all out. Or just head over to the website and make a donation anytime.

Thanks also to everyone who downloaded The Ferryman last month and/or shared the link with others. If you haven't yet, it's still there, and it's still free. If you know anyone who likes this stuff, please spread the word. And stay tuned-- the album (Chance of a Start) is tumbling towards completion and a summer release; lots to talk about in the meantime.

I'm late getting this out, so I'll keep it short this time around, and just wish a Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers with such unerring taste in music. (Hey, if you're in the area, join us at the Frenchtown seisiun that afternoon!)

Keep reading for:

• New Video
• New Music
• New Writing
• New Radio Shows
• Events
• Recommendations

New Video

The Ferryman From the album, Chance of a Start, to be released Summer 2012.

More at my YouTube channel: youtube.PatrickClifford.com

New Music

The Ferryman: The River Liffey made a man of me....

More at my Bandcamp page: bandcamp.PatrickClifford.com

New Writing

	The Ferryman: When life sets us back on our heels, there's no better cure than to remind ourselves where the right foot and the left foot go.... Read more
	Musicians, DJs, and the Thing About Your Luck: Thoughts on being a musician and radio host; originally appeared in the WDVR-FM newsletter.... Read more

More at my blog, Smart Like Tractor: blog.PatrickClifford.com

New Radio Shows

	Celtic Sunday Brunch, April 29, 2012: Set 1: The Canny Brothers Band, Finbar Furey, Matt and Shannon Heaton, Orla Fallon... Read more
	Celtic Sunday Brunch, April 29, 2012: Set 2: The High Kings, Brian McNeill, Teada, Altan... Read more
	Celtic Sunday Brunch, April 29, 2012: Set 3: Comas, Burning Bridget Cleary, Cherish the Ladies, Mick Moloney, Heidi Talbot... Read more
	Celtic Sunday Brunch, April 29, 2012: Set 4: Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, Celtic Thunder, Shilelagh Law... Read more

More at my blog, Smart Like Tractor: blog.patrickclifford.com/radio-shows/

Events

Current info on all scheduled events is always available, as a list: events.PatrickClifford.com (Facebook users only, it seems) and as a calendar: calendar.PatrickClifford.com

	Celtic Sunday Brunch is a two-hour radio program that broadcasts every Sunday from 11am to 1pm ET (GMT -5), on the air at 89.7 FM and streaming live at wdvrfm.org. I host the first show of every month (and the fifth, when the calendar falls that way). I keep Facebook and Twitter open during the show; feel free to send thoughts and requests! Next show: Sunday, May 6, 11am: Full info...
	WDVR's Spring Pledge Drive: Irish and Celtic CDs; gift certificates from restaurants, shops, and stores; and more, and more, and more; have been pouring in, just waiting for your tax-deductible donation. Until Monday, May 7: Full info...
	The Red Mill in Clinton NJ hosts a series of fundraising Irish Music Seisiuns now through August. Come one, come all, and contribute your musical and/or financial support. Sunday, May 20, 1pm: Full info...

Seisiuns

I do my best to attend these, but you'll have a great time regardless.

Frenchtown NJ: Second and Fourth Sundays at the River Blue Cafe, 1pm to 4pm.

Lambertville NJ: First and Third Wednesdays at Mitchell's Cafe, 8:30pm to 11pm+

Remember: Cancellations happen—please check in before heading out!

Recommendations

• The Mists of Avalon Podcast: The first episode of Walt Haake's new web venture. Includes Loreena McKennitt, Cantiga, Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Mediaeval Baebes, Danny Carnahan with Robin Petrie, Thomas Loefke & Norland Wind, Yuval Ron, Malicorne, Clannad, Angels of Venice, Cherish the Ladies.
• Folk College: Be careful how you pronounce this, or you may get yourself expelled. Seriously, I've never been, but my friend, Judy, says it's a blast.

*

Thanks as always for being on my mailing list; I know how much email we all get, so I'm grateful for the opportunity to stay in touch like this.

Till mid-May, sl�n agat.

---

CDs and Downloads

All of my stuff, new and old, solo and collaborations, is available for purchase at all performances or online. Remember: Members of my mailing list get a 20% discount on everything I have for sale online at Bandcamp. Join the mailing list to find out how.

	AMERICAN WAKE: http://www.AmericanWake.com
	NEAT LITTLE STILL (Bootlegs; an album-in-progress)*: http://www.NeatLittleStill.com
	S� GO D� (fundraiser for HMA)*: http://patrickclifford.bandcamp.com/album/s-go-d
	LO, ABOVE THE EARTH (Christmas Songs; an album-in-progress)*: http://patrickclifford.bandcamp.com/album/lo-above-the-earth
	TO THE FRAY (by Hobnail): http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/hobnail
	ANOTHER SON (by Four to the Bar): http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/4tothebar
	CRAIC ON THE ROAD* (by Four to the Bar): http://4tothebar.bandcamp.com/album/craic-on-the-road

* Digital only

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Source for heading banner photo: Creative Commons: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vegaseddie/845383641/.
Except where noted, all images are licensed via Creative Commons (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).

Celtic Sunday Brunch on WDVR-FM, April 29, 2012 (Set 4)

The Set List

• Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill: "John Naughton's Green Mountain/ Welcome Here Again" (Welcome Here Again (2008))
• Celtic Thunder: "The Dutchman" (Heritage (2011))
• Shilelagh Law: "The Parting Glass" (One and Nine (2009))

The MP3

Click to listen now; right-click to download for listening later:

Celtic Sunday Brunch, April 29, 2012: Set 4 (20:22)

Celtic Sunday Brunch on WDVR-FM, April 29, 2012 (Set 3)

The Set List

• Celtic Sunday Brunch Theme [The Pogues: "The Broad Majestic Shannon" (If I Should Fall from Grace with God (1988))]
• Comas: "Tom McGinley's/The Rub/Fisher Street Reel" (Comas (2011))
• Burning Bridget Cleary: "The King and the Fair Maid" (Totes for Goats (2011))
• Cherish the Ladies: "Shoot When the Ducks are Flying / The Mullingar Lea / O'Connor Donn's" (Country Crossroads (2012))
• Mick Moloney: "If It Wasn't for the Irish and Jews" (If It Wasn't for the Irish and Jews (2009))
• Heidi Talbot: "Sally Brown" (The Last Star (2010))

The MP3

Click to listen now; right-click to download for listening later:

Celtic Sunday Brunch, April 29, 2012: Set 3 (28:43)

Celtic Sunday Brunch on WDVR-FM, April 29, 2012 (Set 2)

The Set List

• The High Kings: "The Rising of the Moon" (Memory Lane (2011))
• Brian Mc'Neill: "The Sidewalk Reels" (The Busker and the Devil's Only Daughter (1994))
• Teada: "The Bog of Allen/Eanach Dhúin/Bill the Weaver's (Jigs)" (Ceol agus Cuimhne (Music and Memory) (2010))
• Altan: "The Lancers Jig/The Further in the Deeper" (Gleann Nimhe (The Poison Glen) (2012))

The MP3

Click to listen now; right-click to download for listening later:

Celtic Sunday Brunch, April 29, 2012: Set 2 (25:25)

Celtic Sunday Brunch on WDVR-FM, April 29, 2012 (Set 1)

The Set List

• Celtic Sunday Brunch Theme [The Pogues: "The Broad Majestic Shannon" (If I Should Fall from Grace with God (1988))]
• The Canny Brothers Band: "The Green and Red of Mayo" (One Drop of Whiskey (2010))
• Finbar Furey: "Oro, Oro" (Finbar Furey (2009))
• Matt and Shannon Heaton: "Golden Glove" (Lovers' Well (2009))
• Orla Fallon: "Mo Ghile Mear" (My Land (2011))

The MP3

Click to listen now; right-click to download for listening later:

Celtic Sunday Brunch, April 29, 2012: Set 1 (24:57)

Musicians, DJs, and the Thing About Your Luck

Your throat is tight, your mouth is dry, your palms are wet. All you can think about are all those people, out there, all focused on you. Will they not like your music? Worse, will you choke, forget everything you’ve rehearsed? You take a deep breath, lean in to the microphone and…

Sing? Speak? That depends on your job.

For me, being both a working folk musician and a radio host has not only made it easier for me to appreciate each role, it’s made it very clear what they have in common: Each is both entertainer and curator.

The Entertainer

We use the same word, “entertainer,” to describe everyone from Borscht Belt comedians to documentary filmmakers. On Celtic Sunday Brunch—airing on WDVR Sundays from 11am to 1pm— the entertainment includes everything from timeless tragic songs such as “Four Green Fields”... through orchestral performances of eighteenth-century melodies by famed blind harpist Turlough O’Carolan... through mid-twentieth-century field recordings from the Celtic hinterlands... to comic drinking songs recorded by contemporary bands in all-digital studios.

Moreover, “entertainment” is a more complicated concept than the narrow way that it’s commonly used today; I like to think that it manifests the observation I’ve heard attributed to Tom Waits, that (I paraphrase) “the thing about your luck is that it’s always about to change.”

During tough periods such as economic recessions and wartime (both of which we’ve seen in the past decade), light entertainment reminds us that there’s something better waiting at the end of the struggle.

On the other hand, during happier, more prosperous times, art often deals with darker themes, as though we’re reminding ourselves that linings are only silver in contrast to their dark clouds.

As entertainers, on the air or on the stage, part of our job is to sense and provide what people need, whether that’s diversion or engagement. We may start with a plan, but we always end up “reading the room.”

The Curator

And ask “what’s Irish music” to four people, and you’re likely to get five answers. Drinking songs. Sentimental ballads. Ethereal, new-age harp music. The theme to a Lucky Charms ad. Or Google the question, and you’re likely to end up reading about U2 or the Cranberries.

Clearly this is a discussion in need of moderators, and the music itself a collection in need of curators. A radio host and a musician share this opportunity and responsibility, to guide the discussion, to have a voice in the history of this music that matters so much.

All cultures have music; it’s one of the things that makes us human. It’s a rare privilege to play a vital role in that, to entertain and curate: To encourage and enable not only immediate enjoyment— but also long-term preservation, to ensure the same enjoyment for others later.

This article originally appeared in the April 2012 issue of the WDVR-FM newsletter.

An Nuacht: April 2012 (Part 2)

OhBoyOhBoyOhBoy. Lots to report this time around:

• WDVR's Spring Fundraiser has kicked off. Be sure to show your support for true musical diversity (yes, that means Irish/Celtic); see "Events," below.
• The Seisiun Series at the Red Mill in Clinton begins this weekend; see "Events," below.
• Tomorrow night, I'm going to see Masters of Tradition on Tour, with Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill. You should, too.

But the biggest news by far is... the release... of the first track... from the project that is... slowly, reluctantly, with much weeping and gnashing of teeth... becoming my second album.

The track is "The Ferryman," otherwise known as "The Strawberry Beds," by Pete St. John-- the same songwriter who brought us the legendary "The Fields of Athenry."

"The Ferryman" is a deceptively simple song: First time through, you'll hear the "can't not sing along" chorus; next you'll hear that it's about unemployment; then you'll hear that it's really about resilience, hope, and the healing power of devotion. It's been one of my favorites for a long, long time, and now it's all yours:

• As a free download (click here).
  PS: While the suggested price is $0, financial support is always welcome.
• As a bit of a promotional video .

Now, I think that, for the most part, I've been low-key and restrained in my requests; wouldn't you agree? Well, that ends today. PleasePleasePlease:

• Forward this email to just one friend who might like this kind of music, or at least forward this link to the free download.
• Wasn't that easy? Why not do it for another friend, while you're at it?
• If you're on Facebook, click here and Like my page, to receive ongoing news, to alert your FB friends to this nice little thing we have going, and to have a bit of a laugh between newsletters.

PS: The album has a working title of "Chance of a Start," and I'm working hard to have it out this summer. I'll keep you posted on developments, of course.

Keep reading for:

• New Video
• New Radio Shows
• Events

New Video

The Ferryman From the album, Chance of a Start, to be released Summer 2012.

More at my YouTube channel: youtube.PatrickClifford.com

New Radio Shows

	Celtic Sunday Brunch, April Fools Day, 2012: Set 1: Hayes & Cahill, Altan, Shilelagh Law, Burning Bridget Cleary, Cherish the Ladies... Read more
	Celtic Sunday Brunch, April Fools Day, 2012: Set 2: Four to the Bar, Patrick Clifford (who?), Altan, Beannacht, Long Time Courting... Read more
	Celtic Sunday Brunch, April Fools Day, 2012: Set 3: Cherish the Ladies, Hayes & Cahill, Burning Bridget Cleary, Heather Mulvey, Jennifer Johnson... Read more
	Celtic Sunday Brunch, April Fools Day, 2012: Set 4: Turlough, Bua, Comas, Loreena McKinnett... Read more

More at my blog, Smart Like Tractor: blog.patrickclifford.com/radio-shows/

Events

Current info on all scheduled events is always available, as a list: events.PatrickClifford.com (Facebook users only, it seems) and as a calendar: calendar.PatrickClifford.com

	WDVR's Spring Pledge Drive has begun! Irish and Celtic CDs; gift certificates from restaurants, shops, and stores; and more, and more, and more; have been pouring in, just waiting for your tax-deductible donation. Happening NOW: Full info...
	The Red Mill in Clinton NJ hosts a series of fundraising Irish Music Seisiuns beginning April 15. Come one, come all, and contribute your musical and/or financial support. Sunday, April 15, 1pm: Full info...
	Celtic Sunday Brunch is a two-hour radio program that broadcasts every Sunday from 11am to 1pm ET (GMT -5), on the air at 89.7 FM and streaming live at wdvrfm.org. I host the first show of every month (and the fifth, when the calendar falls that way). I keep Facebook and Twitter open during the show; feel free to send thoughts and requests! Next two shows: Sunday, April 29, 11am: Full info... Sunday, May 6, 11am: Full info...

Seisiuns

I do my best to attend these, but you'll have a great time regardless.

Frenchtown NJ: Second and Fourth Sundays at the River Blue Café, 1pm to 4pm.

Lambertville NJ: First and Third Wednesdays at Mitchell's Café, 8:30pm to 11pm+

Remember: Cancellations happen—please check in before heading out!

*

Thanks as always for being on my mailing list; I know how much email we all get, so I'm grateful for the opportunity to stay in touch like this.

Till May, slán agat.

---

CDs and Downloads

All of my stuff, new and old, solo and collaborations, is available for purchase at all performances or online. Remember: Members of my mailing list get a 20% discount on everything I have for sale online at Bandcamp. Join the mailing list to find out how.

	AMERICAN WAKE: http://www.AmericanWake.com
	NEAT LITTLE STILL (Bootlegs; an album-in-progress)*: http://www.NeatLittleStill.com
	SÉ GO DÓ (fundraiser for HMA)*: http://patrickclifford.bandcamp.com/album/s-go-d
	LO, ABOVE THE EARTH (Christmas Songs; an album-in-progress)*: http://patrickclifford.bandcamp.com/album/lo-above-the-earth
	TO THE FRAY (by Hobnail): http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/hobnail
	ANOTHER SON (by Four to the Bar): http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/4tothebar
	CRAIC ON THE ROAD* (by Four to the Bar): http://4tothebar.bandcamp.com/album/craic-on-the-road

* Digital only

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Source for heading banner photo: Creative Commons: http://www.flickr.com/photos/accidentalhedonist/6134847811/.
Except where noted, all images are licensed via Creative Commons (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).

The Ferryman

Pete St. John is one of modern Ireland's great songwriters. Within the past 40 years or so, he's created many of those songs that you probably imagined your great-grandparents sang on the boat coming over-- including "The Rare Old Times" and "The Fields of Athenry." This timelessness is the gold standard of folk music, and Pete St. John has met and exceeded it time and again.

I also hear this quality in his song, "The Ferryman," otherwise known as "The Strawberry Beds."

Years ago, while playing this song with Four to the Bar, I'd often think it was a bit strange that, of all the songs we'd perform, the one that never failed to fill the dancefloor was this one, about a guy worrying about being out of work.

Now, with a little more of life behind me, I understand that there's nothing ironic about it at all, because St. John understands what the speaker of the song does not yet: When life sets us back on our heels, there's no better cure than to remind ourselves where the right foot and the left foot go.

Fact is, there's nothing simple about this song, though it's tempting to think so. The first time through, you'll hear the "can't not sing along" chorus; next you'll hear that it's about unemployment; then you'll hear that it's really about resilience, hope, and the healing power of devotion.

I can't think of a better reason to cut up a rug.

The lyrics are:

The little boats are gone from the banks of Anna Liffey
The ferrymen are stranded on the quays
The Dublin docks is dying and a way of life is gone
And Molly, it was part of you and me

Where the strawberry beds sweep down to the Liffey
You kiss away the worries from my brow
I love you well today, and I'll love you more tomorrow
If you ever loved me, Molly, love me now

It was the only life I knew, it was hard but never lonely
The River Liffey made a man of me
Now it's gone without a whisper, forgotten even now
It's over, Molly-- over, can't you see

So now I'll tend the yard and I'll spend my days in talking
And I'll hear them whisper, "Charlie's on the dole."
But Molly, we're still living, and darling, we're still young
And that river never owned me heart and soul.

For this recording, the first release from an album I'm planning to have out this summer, I enlisted the help of some of my favorite collaborators:

• Randy Decker, on bodhran and vocals
• Peter Kane, on fiddle
• Mark Stewart, on bouzouki, and
• "Team Clifford" -- Jane, Grace, and Bennett-- on vocals

"The Ferryman" has been one of my favorites for a long, long time, and now it's all yours, as a free download. PS: While the suggested price (for a limited time) is $0, financial support is always welcome.

There's also a video, if you prefer: http://youtu.be/xWCg4riK4NA

Celtic Sunday Brunch on WDVR-FM, April 1, 2012 (Set 4)

The Set List

• Turlough: "NY for Paddy"
• Bua: "The Blacksmith, The Charleston, and the Rakes of Invercairn" (Spealadoir (2009))
• Comas: "Tom Ginley's, The Rub, and Fisherstreet Reel" (The Comas (2005))
• Loreena McKinnett: "The Parting Glass" (Troubadours on the Rhine: A Trio Performance (2012))

The Transcript

Turlough
"NY for Paddy"

Ah, yes, the trouble it takes to find a decent pint of stout; it would drive any man in his right mind out. That was “New York’s for Paddy,” written by David Yeates, formerly of Four to the Bar, a band from New York, NY, currently of Turlough, a band from Dublin, Ireland.

This next band is from Chicago IL, though you wouldn’t know it to listen to them—and they’re young, though you wouldn’t know that, either. I mean yoooooung. And they were named Irish Music Awards’ “Top Traditional Group” in 2009. Really, it’s just unseemly to be that young and that talented. The band is Bua (the Irish word for “victory”), and the tunes are “The Blacksmith, The Charleston, and the Rakes of Invercairn.”

Bua
"The Blacksmith, The Charleston, and the Rakes of Invercairn"
Spealadoir (2009)

One more announcement: The Red Mill in Clinton will be hosting a series of Irish music seisiuns, and the first one is on April 15 at 1pm. This is a fundraiser, so come on out to help support this local non-profit.

If you couldn’t quite believe that Bua is from Chicago, then you really won’t believe that this next band is from Belgium. I’m telling you, people, this Irish music thing is taking over the world. By the time our grandchildren are listening to and running WDVR there won’t be a Van Halen record left. Here’s Comas, from Belgium, performing Tom Ginley’s, The Rub, and Fisherstreet Reel.

Comas
"Tom Ginley's, The Rub, and Fisherstreet Reel"
The Comas (2005)

Well, folks, it’s that regrettable moment in the show where I say “Well, folks....”  Thanks for joining me today, whether over the air or over the web.

THIS has been Celtic Sunday Brunch, I have been, and will remain, Patrick Clifford. I am here on the first Sunday of every month, and – AND—do you still have your pencil and paper out? Write this down. I am also here on the fifth Sunday of every month; I think they gave it to me because that’s the lucky Sunday or something. And April 29 IS a fifth Sunday, so I’ll be here. And the following Sunday, May 6, is a FIRST Sunday, so it’ll be our first double header together, and I am looking forward to it.

Plus, April 29 will also be three weeks into WDVR’s fundraising drive. I KNOW I’ll return to glowing reports on how you have all phoned in your support, especially when your tax-free donations will get you copies of this breathtakingly awesome Irish and Celtic music we’ve been listening to.

These artists have not only willing donated these CDs—and I can tell you, those cost real money-- they themselves have also paid for shipping them to us. And you’d be shocked at what THAT costs. My point folks, is that there are A LOT of people working hard and spending hard-earned money to ensure that we can continue to bring you shows like Celtic Sunday Brunch every week here at WDVR. I hope that you're willing and able to do the same.

Meanwhile, do not forget that Celtic Sunday Brunch is here even when I'm not, EVERY Sunday at 11am US ET here at WDVR 89.7FM in Delaware Township, 91.9 FM in Lawrenceville, Princeton, and Trenton NJ, and of course we're streaming online throughout the world at wdvrfm.org.

Meanwhile, as always feel free to reach out to me personally at PatrickClifford.com; there you'll find links to my mailing list, my facebook page, my blog, all sorts of things like that.

Taking us home today will be a song that has closed many a concert and many a tavern over lo these two or three hundred years. The song is “The Parting Glass,” and this version is from Loreena McKinnett, from her latest release “Troubadours on the Rhine.”

Slan agut;  God Bless.

Loreena McKinnett
"The Parting Glass"
Troubadours on the Rhine: A Trio Performance (2012)

Celtic Sunday Brunch on WDVR-FM, April 1, 2012 (Set 3)

The Set List

• Cherish the Ladies: "Boat to Bofin" (Country Crossroads (2011))
• Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill: "The New Post Office, The Pigeon on the Gate, The New Custom House" (Welcome Here Again (2008))
• Burning Bridget Cleary: "The Elfin Knight" (Totes for Goats (2011))
• Heather Mulvey: "Shady Grove" (Flowers from the Mountain (2008))
• Jennifer Johnson: "Midnight Blue" (Midnight Blue (2012))

The Transcript

Cherish the Ladies
"Boat to Bofin"
Country Crossroads (2011)

Welcome back to the second and final hour of this episode of Celtic Sunday Brunch. I’m your host, Patrick Clifford, and that was another track from Celtic Crossroads, the new album from Cherish the Ladies. It was a set of tunes called “The Boat to Bofin.”

For those of you just joining us, today we are featuring the artists who have contributed CDs and other goodies toward WDVR’s pledge drive, coming up in just over a week.

I’d like to turn back to the shockingly talented fiddle-guitar duo of Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill. Q magazine has said about their music: “sparsely accompanied fiddle music has rarely sounded so complete and so essential.” We heard their rendition of "Jennie’s Welcome to Charlie" earlier in the show. Now we’re going to hear “The New Post Office, The Pigeon on the Gate, and The New Custom House.”

This is a nice long set, so I want you to use that time to go get a pencil and paper; at the end of this track I’m going to give you information on where you can go to see Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill perform along with more of the best trad players in the business. Back in six minutes and 27 seconds; meanwhile, enjoy.

Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill
"The New Post Office, The Pigeon on the Gate, The New Custom House"
Welcome Here Again (2008)

That was Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, two masters of traditional music. And they’re currently on tour with—well, what a coincidence!—a show called Masters of Tradition on Tour. It features some of the best trad musicians working today; it’s going to be a great show. I myself will be attending the one in New York on April 13. They’ll also be in Philadelphia on April 15. For our listeners on the Web, the other dates are:

•             Boston on April 14

•             Alexandria, VA on April 16

•             Olympia, Washington on April 18

•             Denver, Colorado on April 20

Details about each show would be too much to read over the air, but you can find everything you need at MartinHayes.com. You did get a pencil and paper like I told you, I hope? Write that down. You will not be sorry.

Burning Bridget Cleary
"The Elfin Knight"
Totes for Goats (2011)

That was once again local artists Burning Bridget Cleary, giving us a bracing splash of Celtic Rock, with the auld electric guitars and the drums and the cymbals, like. The song was called “The Elfin Knight,” and it was off their latest album Totes for Goats.

Here’s another artist, even more local to us here in Hunterdon County, Heather Mulvey, performing “Shady Grove.”

Heather Mulvey
"Shady Grove"
Flowers from the Mountain (2008)

You can find out more about Heather at HeatherMulvey.com. “Shady Grove” is an old American folk tune I guess, though it’s also popular with many Irish and Celtic bands.

Now I’m going to break protocol a bit, and play you a bit of music from *another* American genre, namely jazz. And this is from *another* local artist, namely Jennifer Johnson. Her latest album is called “Midnight Blue,” and I want you to hear a bit of the title track, because Midnigh Blue is one of the CDs that you can receive as our gift to you for your generous donation to WDVR during our pledge drive starting next week. I just want you to hear a little bit, just so you know what you’re missing.

Jennifer Johnson
"Midnight Blue"
Midnight Blue (2012)

That was an appetizer from “Midnight Blue” the new jazz album from Jennifer Johnson. Now here’s something from her more Celtic-flavored first album, “My Secret Garden.” This is “Fall at Your Feet.”

Jennifer Johnson
"Fall at Your Feet"
My Secret Garden (2004)

So we’re just about to start the last half-hour of Celtic Sunday Brunch. I’ll be with you until 1pm at which time I’ll hand over the airwaves to Barb Zentner and Tin Pan Alley, where you’ll hear some great music from the Roaring Twenties and the Jazz Age. Stick around, it’s great stuff.