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Attic Lights
CELTIC CONNECTIONS SHOESHINE SHOWCASE ABC, Glasgow, Sat 17 Jan
The Shoeshine imprint isn’t so much a label (although it’s that too) as it is a catch-all umbrella term for any venture which Francis Macdonald has a hand in. The Glasgow-based musician, producer, manager and musical entrepreneur’s involvement in his home city’s scene has extended from the 086 era right up until the present day, and this showcase-come- celebration will demonstrate precisely how. There will be sets from Attic Lights, who he produces and manages; BMX Bandits, whom he’s a sometime member of; and Norman Blake, who he plays alongside in Teenage Fanclub. Blake will also be unveiling his new musical collaboration with Euros Childs of Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci fame here too.
‘The first Shoeshine releases came in 1996’, says Macdonald. ‘I brought them out because I was playing part-time with BMX Bandits, and I decided to fill the rest of my time with releasing, recording and championing music. So I guess the label was intended as a kind of Lanarkshire version of Creation.’ Since then, Shoeshine artists have included The Beauty Shop, Schwervon! and Alex Chilton, while its younger, folk-focused sister label Spit and Polish has championed John Peel favourite Laura Cantrell and currently handles Scots singers Julie Fowlis and Emily Smith.
‘l’m very pleased with some of the special artists we’ve handled and albums we’ve released,’ says Macdonald, ‘but it’s been a learning curve that I’ve gone through while the business of running an independent label has become harder. So it’s a very natural thing for me to move towards management now, to try and use what I’ve learned in my time to help steer the careers of other musicians’. (David Pollock)
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CELEBRATION OF SORLEY MACLEAN
City Halls, Sun 18 Jan
A gathering of Gaelic musical talent will celebrate the work of Sorley MacLean (Somhairle MaCGiII-Eain) in this concert, which will feature both vocal settings of the poet 's work and instrumental pieces inspired by it. The show takes its title from his great long poem Hal/a/‘g, and that is also the title of a new piece commissioned for the
CONFLICT AND occasion from lnverness-born RESOLUT|ON composer Stuart MacRae.
The Skye-based poet, who died in 1996. was a key figure in the development of modern Gaelic poetry. The concert is a commission by the Sorley MacLean Trust, in pursuit of their aim not only to celebrate 1 MacLean's poetry. but also to share his work and his artistic legacy with a wider audience.
Some of the music that will figure here had an initial airing during the Highland 2007 celebrations. but MacRae's commission is a major new
City Halls, Glasgow, Sat 17 Jan
The life of Scottish architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh will be celebrated in unusual fashion in this concert featuring a specially commissioned new work for musicians from Scotland and Catalonia. with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. The original idea came from Scottish filmmaker Robin Crichton, but Celtic Connections turned to composer Dave Heath to realise it in music.
Although English, Heath lived for several years in Edinburgh, and has . something of a track record in this ; kind of project. An eclectic musician with a passionate interest in jazz and folk, he composed a violin concerto | for Clio Gould and the Scottish I Ensemble called The Celtic in 1990. and orchestrated Phil Cunningham's Highlands and Is/ands Suite at this festival in 1997.
The new work will feature soloists from both Classical and folk traditions in Catalonia and Scotland. Heath describes the musical structure — after an orchestral overture that gives a taste of subsequent themes — as opening 'in opposition, a clash of cultures or a musical war' that reflects the distinct musical traditions of Catalonia and Scotland. which develops firstly in competition and then are interwoven in a triumphal coming together and resolution.
The great Catalonian cellist Pablo Casals is another major influence on the music. and all of these strands will come together in the piece.
(Kenny Mathieson)
addition. One of the leading lights of contemporary composition, he is know for a strong and boldly expressive style that - like MacLean’s poetry - has often been inspired by the Scottish landscape.
The song settings and instrumental pieces will be performed by an array of leading musicians. including singers James Graham, Jenna Cumming, Alasdair Whyte and Kirsteen MacDonald. and a stellar band featuring Clarsach player Mary Ann Kennedy. fiddler Gordon Gunn, piper Dougie Pincock. accordionist Brian McAlpine and cellist Christine Hanson. (Kenny Mathieson)
PREVIEW CELTIC CONNECTIONS MAL Concert Hall: Strathclyde Suite, Glasgow, Sat 17 Jan
In many ways the ever-growing success of Scottish folk outfit Malinky mirrors that of Celtic Connections. a festival the band have become inextricably linked with over the last decade. The band formed ten years ago from the vibrant Edinburgh folk scene, meeting up in pubs like Sandy Bell's and The Royal Oak and coalescing around the songs of original member Karine Polwart.
Within six months the band had won a prestigious Danny Kyle Open Mic Award at Celtic Connections. going on to sign with pre-eminent folk label Greentrax and establish themselves as a major touring act on both sides of the Atlantic. In the years since. the band have released four acclaimed albums which have seen their profile rise around the globe, and in many ways the band have been ahead of the curve when it comes to the current vogue for all things folky in Scotland.
The band have had an ever-changing line-up, but that revolving door has never dampened their spirits nor affected the continuity of their sound, and the Malinky of 2009 is just as thrilling as they always were.
Blending a love of traditional Scottish songwriting with a youthful verge and energy, the band have gained award nominations and commercial success in equal measure, and this tenth anniversary show promises to be something special. with all five former members of the band. including Karine Polwart. joining the current five-piece line up for a hootenanny to remember. (Doug Johnstone)
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