Got
any newsy tidbits?
Let us know. E-mail them to: bernadette@celticcafe.comWe
started the "Buzz" section here at the Celtic Cafe as a means
of sharing some of the news and information posted to our associated mail lists,
which are devoted mostly (but not exclusively) to Irish dance and Celtic music.
For more detailed information, and to join in the discussion about "anything
Celtic," please sign up for our main list, large and very international.
Click on the following: Celtic
Cafe Yahoo Group • • •
Please
note:
A new page for Cafe Buzz items will appear approximately
every two weeks. To see our Buzz for May 25-June 7, click
here.
To see our Buzz for May 11-24, click
here.
To see our first page of "newsy tidbits," click
here. • • • June
21st RIVERDANCE
AT THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS WORLD SUMMER GAMES You don't have
to be one of the lucky folks at Croke Park in Dublin this evening to catch the
action... the Opening Ceremony of the Special
Olympics is being televised throughout Ireland, and internationally!
What a spectacular event! Not only are the games the largest sporting event in
the world, there are such wonderful folks involved -- official dignitaries such
as Ireland's President Mary McAleese and the most Honourable
Nelson Mandela (!), but also celebrities from the entertainment world such
as Bono and U2, the Corrs, Samantha Mumba, Ronan Tynan and more. Even Muhammad
Ali will be there! Not to mention the very special athletes themselves! The
Special Olympics movement honors the human spirit and athletes with disabilities,
and we celebrate with them. The Opening Ceremony, created by Tyrone
Productions, marks one of the largest television productions ever undertaken
in Ireland, with 21 cameras bringing pictures of the event to every town and village
in Ireland and around the world. This occasion also brings
together the largest number of Irish dancers for a chorus line! What's particularly
exciting for us at the Celtic Cafe is that the participants include many of the
original troupe who debuted Riverdance the Show at the Point Depot
in Dublin in February, 1995! AND that the rehearsals took place on the very stage
that they danced on over eight years ago -- that must have stirred some very powerful
memories among all these quite exceptional dancers! To see
our feature about this, including photos shot just today at rehearsal, including
identification of the original dancers in the accompanying photo on the right,
click here. To see
much more coverage next week about Riverdance
and the Special Olympics, go to the official site at Riverdance.com. We
at the Celtic Cafe send our very best to everyone involved in this nine-day event
-- enjoy the craic! • • • June
20th DOUGIE MACLEAN RETURNS
TO THE U.S. American fans of Scottish great Dougie MacLean
have much to cheer about -- Dougie returns to the U.S. for a couple of weeks,
and on the itinerary is a radio interview with the inimitable Fiona
Ritchie of the award-winning Thistle
and Shamrock. Listen
to the show on National Public Radio,
aired on 350 member stations in the U.S. and webcast by some. Click
here for a listing of the stations. Also, Fiona talks with fellow broadcasters
about emerging sounds in Celtic music. Sounds like a "can't miss" broadcast! This
weekend's show features as well the on-air debut of a very special, recently-recorded
version of Dougie's song "This Love Will Carry." There's also
lots of chat between Dougie and Fiona about his new CD "Who
Am I?" and tracks featured include, "Not Fall Down," "Mary
Queen of Scots," "Charlotte," and "Nothing To Do With It"
among other Dougie music. As of today, June 20th, "This Love Will Carry"
is offered as a free MP3 download from the Thistle
and Shamrock site, until September 15th -- in celebration of the 20th
anniversary! It's WONDERFUL!! Thank you, Dougie and Fiona! They
will each be at the 37th annual
Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C. which takes place
on the National Mall from June 25-29 and July 2-6th. Appearances Daily at the
Feis Stage and/or the Ceilidh Stage. During the Festival, call (202) 633-9884
to hear a recorded description of daily events. Dougie is
also appearing as a Special Guest on Friday, July 3rd, at the Kennedy Center
Concert with Phil and Johnny Cunningham. (6:00-7:00pm) Dougie's
site is at: DougieMacLean.com
and Fiona's at: NPR.org/Programs/Thistle Click
here for the Smithsonian
Folklife Festival site. The Scotland focus online offers three pages of
the other truly fabulous Scottish artists performing there (like Ishbel MacAskill,
Alasdair Fraser, Battlefield Band, William Jackson, the Wrigley Sisters,
etc.), so watch for a main page feature at the Celtic Cafe about the festival
very soon. • • • June
19th CELTIC CRUISE This
is the time of year when many folks are working on their summer vacation plans...
but how about some nice warm sun and hot Irish music next winter, January 25 -
February 1, 2004 ? The folks at
IrishTours.com have put together quite a line-up for this "7-night
Irish Extravaganza" -- Frank McCourt, The Black Family, Tommy Makem, Paddy
Reilly, Cherish The Ladies, Eily O'Grady Patterson and Ciaran Sheehan, Brigid's
Cross, Tom Sweeney, John Dillon, Jimmy Crowley, Al Banim, John Gleeson, World
Champion Irish Dancers, Rosemarie Timoney and more. From
their website: "Join us as we mingle Celtic and Caribbean f lavors on a tropical
hooley. Whether you are sipping a Piña Colada, a Jameson or a Guinness,
you'll enjoy the revelries of our upcoming Irish Festival Cruise.
You
can learn a jig, a reel or a hornpipe; or the cha-cha or rumba as we sail the
serene Caribbean Sea. Take your pick of a midnight buffet or a late night sing-along.
Challenge a friend to a game of shuffleboard or learn how to play the tin whistle. Enjoy
shopping, snorkeling or touring as we call on the tropical ports of Key West,
Progreso and Merida, Cozumel and Grand Cayman while unpacking just once. Brush
up on some Italian phrases or tackle some conversational Gaelic. While you will
certainly enjoy all the activities of a cruise, this sailing offers you the Irish
music you love so well. Delight in over 40 hours of Irish entertainment throughout
the week. In addition to evening concerts, take in Irish theatre, learn the harmonica,
bodhran or some Celtic mythology." Visit the website
for more information: irishtours.com
•
• • June 18th SOLAS
WELCOMES NEW BAND MEMBER One of the Celtic Cafe's very
favorites groups is SOLAS, headed
up by the amazing Irish-American Seamus
Egan. We learn from their website at SolasMusic.com
that they now have a new member in the form of Eamon
McElhom -- an accomplished guitarist, singer, songwriter, pianist and
cellist. Eamon is from County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, and for the last number
of years he has been heavily involved with well-known Irish band Stockton's
Wing. More recently he has worked throughout America and Europe with people
like Cathal Hayden, Dezi Donnelly and Michael McGoldrick. Solas
is soon heading out for their summer gigs, and you can find their tour schedule
at their site. If you'd like to hear some music samples, click
here for their page at Shanachie,
their record label. They are currently working on a new album (we can hardly wait!),
and Seamus is planning to start another solo one in upcoming months. His "When
Juniper Sleeps" is in our personal "Top 10" -- did we mention
he's amazing?! He and Winnie
Horan will also be instructors at the Rocky
Mountain Fiddle Camp in August. See our previous Cafe Buzz item about
that by clicking
here. Solas website: SolasMusic.com •
• • June 17th WORLD
MUSIC CONCERT SERIES AT EPCOT One of the best reasons to
plan a trip to the Orlando, Florida area is EPCOT.
Situation right next to Disney World,
it brings the world to visitors by way of its several pavilions devoted to various
countries. The multi-cultural aspect alone would be enough of a draw, but they
are going even a step further in bringing in World Music -- including some wonderful
Celtic groups! From
their website: Epcot® World Music Concert Series
High energy rhythms of the world performed by incredible musicians
from around the globe - from Russia to Africa, from Brazil to Australia! It's
live and onstage at the America Garden Theater in Epcot®!
Bering
Strait: June 13 - 29
The six young Russians who make up this country/bluegrass
group played the Grand Ole Opry, been the subject of a music documentary and been
nominated for a Grammy.
Richard Wood: July 1 - 13
From Prince
Edward Island on Canada's East coast comes fiddling dynamo Richard Wood. Richard's
high energy show is a combination of fiddling virtuosity and stunning showmanship.
He continues to evolve an innovative approach to traditional Celtic jigs, reels,
and strathspeys.
Brother: July 15 - 27
This Australian band's
sound is breathtaking in its vitality, confidence and innovation. Brother delivers
evocative lyrics, driving grooves and out-of-the-box instrumentation, in a chaotic
genre-bending musical experience.
Baka Beyond: July 29 - August 10
Top
musicians from six countries in West and Central Africa and the Celtic fringes
of Europe bring to the stage their uplifting mix of beautiful harmonies and exciting
rhythms.
Mestre Ambrosio: August 12 - 24
These musicians from
Brazil perform a breathtaking show that mixes the finest musical performance with
irresistible Latin rhythms and outstanding dance steps.
Vieux Diop with
Wassalou: August 26 - September 1
Vieux Diop takes the heart of West African
music into new territory, making it modern without losing its ancient vision.
The rhythm of Wassalou comes from the spectacular cultures of West Africa. Click
here to learn more at the EPCOT site.
•
• • June 16th JEAN
BUTLER AT THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS The Special
Olympics World Summer Games are held every four years, and this year will
take place in Dublin, Ireland, from June 20-29th. Click
here for our previous Cafe Buzz item about Riverdance's
involvement during the spectacular opening event on June 21st. Now
we learn that Jean Butler is also
involved! She joined Team Ireland athletes to work on a beautiful mural
which will feature as part of the Festival Village, an artistic and cultural
showcase taking place in the RDS Simmonscourt. The Village will provide a daily
program of free arts entertainment for both national and international visitors
of all ages. This will include performances by theatre groups, musicians, caricature
artists, story tellers, puppeteers and will be complemented by a range of daily
traditional workshops which invite visitors to listen, learn and take part in
Irish culture. The program will also feature a range of creative workshops, organised
by Rehab, which invite members of the public to participate alongside people with
special needs. Jean Butler is just one of many celebrities who will be practicing
their art at the Festival Village. She is scheduled to lead an Irish dance
workshop open to athletes and the general public on Friday, June 27. Other
special events include a "Share the Feeling" fashion show headlining
the collections of Ireland's leading fashion designers John Rocha, Louise Kennedy,
Peter O'Brien, Richard Lewis, Mairead Whisker and Lainey Keogh on Sunday, June
22; and a celebrity reading by Maeve Binchy, Joseph O'Connor and Marian
Keyes on Wednesday, June 25. Entry to the Celebrity Reading and the
'Share the Feeling' Fashion Show is by ticket only. However, tickets are free
and can be reserved online at www.ticketmaster.ie.
The Special Olympics site is at SpecialOlympics.org
and Jean Butler's is at JeanButler.com •
• • June 15th SCOTCH
WHISKY - ICON OF SCOTTISHNESS? The third Sunday in June
is celebrated in the United States as Father's Day, so Happy Day to all the fathers
and "father figures" out there! One of the more interesting celebratory
ways we heard about is the The
Glenlivet Trip Of A Lifetime -- A Scottish Highlands Adventure. Here's
part of the write-up:
"Make a dream come true with the Glenlivet
Trip of a Lifetime. Organized to include as much as possible of the beauty
and thrills of the Scottish highlands in five days, the package includes a canoe
trip on picturesque lochs, rafting the River Spey rapids, trekking through hills
and mountains and a coastal excursion by RIB Fast Rescue Craft. It also features
one of the world's finest rail journeys by steam train, an exploration of Scotland's
remote sandy beaches, sea caves and natural rock arches and a night of camping
on the Sandaig Islands. This trip will culminate with a hike along the famous
Smuggler's Trail. The Glenlivet Distillery offers special access to the trail,
legendary for its role in whisky-making history. Following the hike, the Glenlivet
will host a private distillery tour and tasting class, where the master distiller,
Jim Cryle,
will describe the nuances in Glenlivet Single Malts and explain the 200-year-old
traditions behind making the finest Scotch whisky in the world." It's set
for August 3, and more information can be found at Adventure-Scotland.com. You
can also put together your own Scottish whisky trip using the Scotland tourism
board's Malt
Whisky Trail to explore the five different whisky production sites within
Scotland, each with its own characteristics. The Tourist Board site is at VisitScotland.com. A
good place to learn more about whisky is the "Scotland
at the Smithsonian" page about Making
Scotch Whisky - the Art and Science: "A dram (small glass) of whisky
is traditionally an important part of Scottish hospitality and conviviality. Today,
whisky-making is also a significant component of the Scottish economy and an international
icon of Scottish-ness. 'Whisky' - spelled without an 'e' in Scotland -- comes
from the Scots Gaelic term uisga beatha (water of life), which was shorted to
"uiskie" in the 17th century." Click
here to learn more.
We raise a glass in toast to the fathers
today, not only in the U.S., but everywhere! • •
• June 14th THE
PILATZKE BROTHERS! A recent Cafe
Buzz
item was about the showing of the
Chieftains' "Down the Old Plank Road" concert on various PBS
stations this month. Little did we know that the dancing would easily equal the
outstanding musicianship on this special program! Very impressive were the Nashville
Irish Step Dancers (feature coming soon) and especially a couple of Canadian
brothers, Jon and Nathan Pilatzke.
The Pilatzke name is no doubt about
to become a household word in the Celtic community! These two are simply astounding.
Not only do these "maniacs" take the audience by storm via their energetic
and dynamic stepdancing style, but Jon plays the fiddle with the Chieftains at
times as well! The brothers hail from the Ottawa Valley of Ontario, Canada, where
they started stepdancing at the tender ages of 4 and 5. Jon then picked up the
fiddle at age 9 and he is adept in both classical and Celtic styles, having won
the Canadian Duet Fiddle Championships twice and been invited for two consecutive
years running to play in the Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Championships.
An accomplished stepdancer, singer, and actor, he appeared in Swingstep,
the Canadian mega-musical that played at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto during 1999
and 2000, and Fireweeds, which had a lengthy run at Toronto's Canadian
Stage. He was also in Bowfire. Nathan, aptly named "Crazy Legs,"
is one of the most respected instructors of stepdance in Ontario and also works
in Ottawa as a computer programmer for the Canadian government. Jon
and Nathan were first invited to join the Chieftains on tour in 2002 -- apparently
after Paddy
Moloney saw them perform at a pub! They have toured many countries since
then, and are about to rejoin the Chieftains in Washington, D.C. on a "mini-tour"
-- starting on July 4th and continuing through the 18th of July. Jon
is an active recording artist, playing lead fiddle, lead stepdance and both lead
and backing vocals with a Celtic band that earned the Canadian Fiddling Entertainer
of the Year award. He's toured with Celtic rock bands including Seven
Nations and the Prodigals,
and he's started his own Celtic Rock band, Quagmyre
-- check out the website at: Quagmyre.ca
There's a music video at the Quagmyre
site where you can not only hear their sound, but see the fiddling and dancing
we're raving about! Click
here to watch a video on the RCA Victor site about the "Making
of the Old Plank Road." Jon and Nathan are right at the end of the clip.
Great stuff! The accompanying photo of Jon and Nathan onstage
with the Chieftains was taken by
Jason Heym of Mary Moran's Nashville
Irish Step Dancers, and their site can be found at: NashvilleIrishStepDancers.com.
Full feature coming soon about them and the Pilatzke Brothers and their part in
the wonderful "Down The Old Plank Road" concert in Nashville!
Paddy Moloney sure has picked a lot of great
dancers to tour with the Chieftains...
starting with Michael Flatley
and Jean Butler! We think his
latest great discovery is the Pilatzke
Brothers, and if you can catch them at a Quagmyre
or Chieftains performance, don't miss them! Click
here for the Quagmyre site
for gigs later this month in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. •
• • Friday the 13th PARASKEVIDEKATRIAPHOBIA
Because
of this condition, there will be no Cafe Buzz item on this day. ;-) •
• • June 12 ANNE
BUCKLEY, CELTIC GODDESS The incredibly beautiful voice
of Anne Buckley was one of the
first "Celtic sounds" we became familiar with through
Lord of the Dance and then Feet
of Flames. Portraying Erin the Goddess, moving slowly across the
stage "one muscle at a time," Anne captivated countless fans around
the world who have been anxiously awaiting her new solo CD, Celtic
Goddess. Its official release doesn't take place until June 30, but great
news... you can hear samples at her official site right now! Go
to AnneBuckley.com and enjoy! •
• • June 11 COLIN
DUNNE TO TEACH WORKSHOP IN MUNICH Those lucky dancers in
Germany have the exciting opportunity to attend a very special "weekend summer
school" on July 5-6th, thanks to the folks at Irish
Dancing in Germany and Standingstone Productions! Colin
Dunne, the internationally-acclaimed star of Riverdance,
and choreographer and star of Dancing on Dangerous Ground, will start with
a talk on Friday evening about Irish Dance, his life as a dancer, his teaching
methods and where he believes Irish Dancing should be moving. He will also be
available afterwards for a question-and-answer session. The nine-time World Champion
who has been called "the greatest Irish Dancer of all time" by the Irish
Post, has taught Master classes throughout England, Ireland, North America
and Australia, but this will be his first time to teach in Germany, and indeed
anywhere in mainland Europe! The central parts of the
Colin Dunne Weekend Summer School are six hour Irish Dancing classes
on Saturday and Sunday on two different levels. In addition to these dance classes,
Colin will give a talk for the workshop participants on the Friday evening, and
they are planning to go out for some of that good German beer together on Saturday
night. Perhaps he will even give them a sample of the tango! Click
here for our earlier Buzz item about Colin's special 4-week radio show
about the tango on Lyric FM, premiering on Monday, June 16th! Colin says
"All the material taught will be appropriate to the level at which students
are at with the main focus being on technique and an overall sense of dance, fun,
and good old hard work!" Course registration has already started, and
please note, the "Early Bird Discount" is available only until this
Sunday (June 15)! To learn more, go to the workshop registration page by clicking
here. Colin's official site is at: ColinDunne.com
and Irish Dancing in Germany is at Irish-dancing.de.
• • •
June 10 ITALIAN
MAGAZINE "KELTIKA" Celtic music in Italy?
YES! We found the following in a recently-published interview with Alfredo
de Pietra, a contributor to the Italian Keltika
Magazine. "Keltika is a monthly magazine sold in all Italian newsstands
since 1996 and very popular among the many Italian lovers of Celtic music and
culture. Every issue comes with a compilation CD from the best international Celtic
artists. To give you a comparison, it is something like Folk
Roots in England, but the Folk Roots cd is only twice a year, whereas
with Keltika every issue comes with a CD. In this way everyone who buys the magazine
can read about (and listen to) the various artists featured on each issue - something
very similar to the software shareware magazines with CD-rom attached. But Keltika
doesn’t cover only music. Half of the magazine is involved with the history,
the social development, the culture, the art of all the regions and nations with
a Celtic heritage. And not many know, outside of Italy, that also a big part of
Italy – the northern regions – is partially Celtic in origin." To
read the full interview, click
here. Check out Alfredo's site here.
Keltika's website, unfortunately only in Italian, is here. Recently
the CD included with the magazine was none other than a special version of the
work of Sean Laffey's
photography project "Imagine
an Ireland." This not-for-profit venture by the Editor of Irish
Music Magazine features not only images of Ireland, but music tracks by
28 Irish groups... click
here for the page at Sean's site showing all the CD covers. Great stuff! Sean
Laffey's personal site is at: iol.ie/~didly-didly
and Irish Music Magazine is at: mag.irish-music.net
•
• • June 9 THE
FIRST AMERICAN FLEADH The American
Fleadh idea is so good, one wonders why it hasn't been done before now.
The brainchild of Black 47's gifted
Larry Kirwan, the tour starts on June
19th in Baltimore and hits 9 American cities in June and early July. The Fleadh
offers an amazing line-up of Irish and Irish-American musicians such as Eileen
Ivers and Immigrant Soul, Floggin'
Molly, The Saw Doctors, Hothouse
Flowers, The Prodigals, Black
47, of course, and special guest stars. There are no headliners
on this tour, as each band is a headliner in its own right, all with outstanding
live performance reputations. However, the fleadh is not limited
to music! It's a traveling extravaganza of musicians, writers and dancers spreading
Irish and Irish-American culture across the country. The American Fleadh will
also offer a literary tent featuring well-known authors and poets, and the festival
will also be joined by dance troupes and local performers from each of the different
cities. Every date for the American Fleadh is an all ages show and set
up to accommodate and entertain all the generations of the family. Cities
include Philadelphia, Boston, New York, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Milwaukee
and Chicago. Larry Kirwan is an artist, author, performer,
and all-around talented guy. See our recent Cafe Buzz item about his newly-released
novel, Liverpool Fantasy, by clicking
here. To read a special Celtic Cafe interview with him, click
here. And of course, check out the Black47.com
and AmericanFleadh.com sites
to learn much more! • • • June
8 MICHAEL FLATLEY'S SHOES
IN CHARITY AUCTION Lord
of the Dance Michael Flatley
has always supported worthy causes, especially children's charities. This
week he donated a pair of his dancing shoes in aid of the Irish
Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Funds from this special
event will go towards an ISPCC centre for children in Southern Ireland. As in
the past, this annual luncheon promises to be a great success owing to the generous
donations from local businesses and sponsorship received from companies nationwide. TV3
weatherman Martin King will preside over the ISPCC Annual Gala Luncheon
on Friday, 13th June, in Raheen House, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. This year a "Celebrity
Auction" has been added to the Gala event and there has been great excitement
with the response from Michael who has sent his dancing shoes, well-worn and much
travelled. Gay Byrne, Mary Kenny and Eileen Dunne, Michael Rocha, Lynn
Mar, Roisin Gartland, Joanne Hynes, and well-known and up-and-coming designers
from the Powerscourt Design Centre have all made contributions. Raheen
House will cater to those both in Ireland and abroad by organising a phone line
through which fans of Michael Flatley and the other contributors can cast their
auction bid. The number is 00353 5222140 and lines will be open throughout the
auction. We will add more specific information as we get the details. Tickets
are available at 00353 52 36241 and are priced at 35 euro. The website for
the ISPCC is at: www.ispcc.ie To
read our recent Cafe Buzz items about Michael Flatley in St. Peterburg, Russia,
click
here and here.
To keep up on the latest news and information about Michael Flatley and his
troupes, click here
to visit our CelticCafeFLATLEY
mail list/e-mail discussion group -- the largest on the Web for fans of Da Man.
See our MIKEroCosm for more. •
• • Read the first-ever Cafe Buzz items by clicking
here.
Read the second page of Cafe Buzz items by
clicking here.
Read the third
page of Cafe Buzz items by clicking
here. Feature: Bernadette
Price
Original Web Design: Alexander
Servas
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