From: owner-oppositeview-digest@smoe.org (oppositeview-digest) To: oppositeview-digest@smoe.org Subject: oppositeview-digest V4 #5 Reply-To: oppositeview@smoe.org Sender: owner-oppositeview-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-oppositeview-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk oppositeview-digest Wednesday, January 9 2002 Volume 04 : Number 005 Today's Subjects: ----------------- OV: This may be of interest to you. From todays Times [Hopping James W Subject: OV: This may be of interest to you. From todays Times Piper dreams BY ROBERT DAWSON SCOTT Celtic Connections started life as a programme filler. Nine years on, it has become a fully-fledged festival Readers present at the opening of the new British Council offices in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, last year - and who knows: Times readers are a cosmopolitan lot - may have been surprised to find a wild six-piece folk band from Scotland providing the music. Then again, you may have been tapping your feet far too energetically to be surprised; Deaf Shepherd, the band in question, have that effect on their audiences. They were doing the same thing on home territory at Edinburgh's Hogmanay last week and will be doing it all again later this month in Glasgow when they return to that city's Celtic Connections festival. And that will bring things neatly full circle. For it was because of Celtic Connections that they ended up in Bulgaria in the first place. When this annual "celebration of Celtic music" began nine years ago, it was little more than a programme filler for the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall in an otherwise quiet month. Since then, however, it has expanded to fill several other venues, sells nearly #400,000 in tickets and has become an important cash generator for the city's leisure industry. In the past two years, it has also turned into a handsomely dressed shop-window for Scottish music. The British Council and the Scottish Arts Council got together to put up some cash to establish a "showcase", enabling agents and bookers from around the world to see and hear what is on offer. Last year a British Council music officer spotted Deaf Shepherd and passed them on to the Bulgarian office. For Rory Campbell, Deaf Shepherd's piper, it was a real stroke of luck. "To get yourself known you have to work very hard," he explains, "and play places you might not want to play. Without the showcase it would have taken much longer - if ever - to get heard by people like that." Campbell's tale is far from unique. The increase in bookings, tours and sales for Scottish musicians and their music has been a cause of quiet satisfaction all round. As Martin Coull, manager for a number of bands, says: "It is a fairly valuable export from Scotland. Once bands get an opportunity, invariably they end up playing all over the world. It has given a bit of polish to the traditional scene." So what kind of music are we talking about? A flick through this year's programme highlights its eclecticism rather than its coherence, embracing everything from Tony Benn (yes, that one) to Mike Scott and the Waterboys. There are plenty of artists from the soi-disant Celtic nations: Ireland, Brittany, Galicia in Spain, including the Gaelic- speaking parts of Nova Scotia. But there are also Kate Rusby and Mike Harding, neither of whom is feted for a Celtic bloodline, not to mention the brilliant concertina player Kepa Junkera who, just to further muddy the water, is a Basque. There are plenty of singer-songwriters, with or without backing groups, but that hardly covers Scotland's sophisticated Capercaillie, or Quebec's rabble rousing La Bottine Souriante, although both have their roots in traditional rhythms and tunes. The Irish contingent this year runs from Mary Coughlan to the Dubliners via Shane MacGowan. There are dance-bands and ballad singers, and pipers and fiddlers, rock and blues, acoustic and electric. It's almost easier to say what it is not. One thing binds it together, though, and that is the sheer quality of the musicianship in the chosen forms and the uncomplicated pleasure both players and audience get from it. "It speaks volumes," says Lisa Whittock, who organises the showcase, "that the musicians who come don't just fly in and fly out. They stay two or three days, go and see other bands, make connections of their own." In the end that, rather than hitching Scottish music to the export drive, useful though it is, is what underpins the surprising success of this unlikely festival. As Campbell says: "In the end, we are not playing for the record company. We're playing to the crowd. That's who matters." Celtic Connections, from Jan 13 to Feb 3. Tel: 0141 353 8000 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Jan 2002 13:11:02 -0800 (PST) From: Debbie Cushing Subject: Re: OV: This may be of interest to you. From todays Times Deaf Shepherd!? Muah ha ha! What a GREAT name for a band! I'll have to check them out. - --- Hopping James W wrote: > Piper dreams BY ROBERT DAWSON SCOTT Celtic > Connections started life as a > programme filler. Nine years on, it has become a > fully-fledged festival > Readers present at the opening of the new British > Council offices in Sofia, > the capital of Bulgaria, last year - and who knows: > Times readers are a > cosmopolitan lot - may have been surprised to find a > wild six-piece folk > band from Scotland providing the music. > Then again, you may have been tapping your feet far > too energetically to be > surprised; Deaf Shepherd, the band in question, have > that effect on their > audiences. They were doing the same thing on home > territory at Edinburgh's > Hogmanay last week and will be doing it all again > later this month in > Glasgow when they return to that city's Celtic > Connections festival. And > that will bring things neatly full circle. For it > was because of Celtic > Connections that they ended up in Bulgaria in the > first place. > When this annual "celebration of Celtic music" began > nine years ago, it was > little more than a programme filler for the Glasgow > Royal Concert Hall in an > otherwise quiet month. Since then, however, it has > expanded to fill several > other venues, sells nearly #400,000 in tickets and > has become an important > cash generator for the city's leisure industry. > In the past two years, it has also turned into a > handsomely dressed > shop-window for Scottish music. The British Council > and the Scottish Arts > Council got together to put up some cash to > establish a "showcase", enabling > agents and bookers from around the world to see and > hear what is on offer. > Last year a British Council music officer spotted > Deaf Shepherd and passed > them on to the Bulgarian office. > For Rory Campbell, Deaf Shepherd's piper, it was a > real stroke of luck. "To > get yourself known you have to work very hard," he > explains, "and play > places you might not want to play. Without the > showcase it would have taken > much longer - if ever - to get heard by people like > that." > Campbell's tale is far from unique. The increase in > bookings, tours and > sales for Scottish musicians and their music has > been a cause of quiet > satisfaction all round. As Martin Coull, manager for > a number of bands, > says: "It is a fairly valuable export from Scotland. > Once bands get an > opportunity, invariably they end up playing all over > the world. It has given > a bit of polish to the traditional scene." > So what kind of music are we talking about? A flick > through this year's > programme highlights its eclecticism rather than its > coherence, embracing > everything from Tony Benn (yes, that one) to Mike > Scott and the Waterboys. > There are plenty of artists from the soi-disant > Celtic nations: Ireland, > Brittany, Galicia in Spain, including the Gaelic- > speaking parts of Nova > Scotia. But there are also Kate Rusby and Mike > Harding, neither of whom is > feted for a Celtic bloodline, not to mention the > brilliant concertina player > Kepa Junkera who, just to further muddy the water, > is a Basque. > There are plenty of singer-songwriters, with or > without backing groups, but > that hardly covers Scotland's sophisticated > Capercaillie, or Quebec's rabble > rousing La Bottine Souriante, although both have > their roots in traditional > rhythms and tunes. > The Irish contingent this year runs from Mary > Coughlan to the Dubliners via > Shane MacGowan. There are dance-bands and ballad > singers, and pipers and > fiddlers, rock and blues, acoustic and electric. > It's almost easier to say > what it is not. One thing binds it together, though, > and that is the sheer > quality of the musicianship in the chosen forms and > the uncomplicated > pleasure both players and audience get from it. > "It speaks volumes," says Lisa Whittock, who > organises the showcase, "that > the musicians who come don't just fly in and fly > out. They stay two or three > days, go and see other bands, make connections of > their own." > In the end that, rather than hitching Scottish music > to the export drive, > useful though it is, is what underpins the > surprising success of this > unlikely festival. As Campbell says: "In the end, we > are not playing for the > record company. We're playing to the crowd. That's > who matters." > Celtic Connections, from Jan 13 to Feb 3. Tel: 0141 > 353 8000 Send FREE video emails in Yahoo! Mail! http://promo.yahoo.com/videomail/ ------------------------------ End of oppositeview-digest V4 #5 ********************************