Folk Festival
Posted: Tuesday, 02 May 2006 |
Scallowawife has already done an admirable summary of our weekend's festivities, but I'll add a few comments of my own.
I don't know how she missed them, but one of the Shetland's best home-grown bands played at a concert on Saturday night. Shoormal opened up the evening with their amazing vocal harmonies & fantastic instrumental bits (theres likly a proper word here but I dont ken it - bits is as good as I get!) We've followed Shoormal from the start and have always loved their songwriting (SO personal and thought provoking), and the voices of the three women blend so well together. Fredas is good strong n true, Donnas is a more gentle and relaxing sound, while Joyce has the most distinctive tone of all, a sound that has the hairs on the back o your neck standing up.
Session A9 was brilliant, Tim & Mollie O Brien amazing, Carmel Sheerin & the Ravens a real eye opener (ever heard Jolene in bluegrass?) and the Festival Club a great place for meeting folk, having a bit of a jamm, or just takin in more and more of the music. And of course, as Scallowawife said, you can always have cheese n chips at 2am!
The other thing I should mention is that I have created a monster. My oldest lass came with me and experienced the festival for the first time. She hasnt stopped talking about it since we came back, has been playing Fiddlers Bid and Dougie McLean cds at full volume (hopefully our neeburs are in a tolerant frame of mind), and is talking about taking up the guitar and fiddle to add to her piano and singing lessons.
I don't know how she missed them, but one of the Shetland's best home-grown bands played at a concert on Saturday night. Shoormal opened up the evening with their amazing vocal harmonies & fantastic instrumental bits (theres likly a proper word here but I dont ken it - bits is as good as I get!) We've followed Shoormal from the start and have always loved their songwriting (SO personal and thought provoking), and the voices of the three women blend so well together. Fredas is good strong n true, Donnas is a more gentle and relaxing sound, while Joyce has the most distinctive tone of all, a sound that has the hairs on the back o your neck standing up.
Session A9 was brilliant, Tim & Mollie O Brien amazing, Carmel Sheerin & the Ravens a real eye opener (ever heard Jolene in bluegrass?) and the Festival Club a great place for meeting folk, having a bit of a jamm, or just takin in more and more of the music. And of course, as Scallowawife said, you can always have cheese n chips at 2am!
The other thing I should mention is that I have created a monster. My oldest lass came with me and experienced the festival for the first time. She hasnt stopped talking about it since we came back, has been playing Fiddlers Bid and Dougie McLean cds at full volume (hopefully our neeburs are in a tolerant frame of mind), and is talking about taking up the guitar and fiddle to add to her piano and singing lessons.
Posted on Ruthodanort at 20:34
Summer in Unst too
Posted: Thursday, 11 May 2006 |
I've always remembered May having lovely sunshine, and this year is no exception. We've been sun worshipping at the beach, even going in for a 'swim' (although I did take the precaution of wearing a wetsuit), and had our first 'barbie' of the year. Apparently, some of the older lasses in the school have even been pier-jumping. We've been missing Mac, but see he's having a high old time with Herman.
Posted on Ruthodanort at 07:15