The CD can be found, among other places, at:
http://www.verticalrecords.co.uk
http://www.celticnote.com
http://www.hmv.co.uk
http://www.hmv.com
http://www.amazon.co.uk
http://www.amazon.de
It is also becoming available in more and more "brick and mortar" stores such as Saturn, WOM, and HMV.
raining up
Artwork
by
Caroline Nesbitt @Acrobat Design
Thank you, it's a pleasure.
Your
new CD is entitled "Raining Up", you told me. Is there a
story behind
that, a particular interpretation?
Well,
"Raining Up" is the name of the CD and the title track of
the album
written by my brother Karl. He was at the Cliffs of
Moher one day. While walking
along one notices evaporation from
the water in the distance. This looks like
drops of water going
upwards into the sky, this is where he got the name.
I
am certain that your musical training began, as so often the
case, at home
within your family. That's correct, isn't it?
Yes,
that's correct. My parents John and Kathleen are well known
music teachers
and all my family are musicians. They never
pushed music on any of us, but
with them playing all the time it
was natural that we'd want to join in! We
learnt a lot at home
listening to them and to tapes, records and CDs of great
musicians.
I
know that Irish musicians generally begin learning very
early, just as do
Irish dancers. At what age did you begin
and what did you first begin to play?
We
all started playing at an early age. I started the piano at 4
years and fiddle
at 6, playing both traditional Irish music and
classical. I played the whistle
a lot at that time and tried
other instruments, the flute and pipes, but didn't
keep them up!
And where did you continue after that training at home?
I
carried on at College with a degree, H. Dip. and post graduate
studies at
Waterford, Cork and London with the fiddle and piano,
studying mainly classical
music.
I know
of course, that you took part in competitions, but the
question only now occurs
to me - does that normally take place
shortly after completion of formal training,
or does one first
gather experience in playing with various groups?
That's
a good question. For me, I played in competition from a
very young age in
solo and group competitions. I have to say,
even though it can be nerve wracking,
that you gather great
experience and confidence as a child doing this.
You
meet, interact and work with kids your own age and that's
great fun! If you're
lucky, you get to play with them and, more
importantly, the more mature players
in sessions. You listen and
learn how they play the tunes and get to know
the different
styles.
You
told me one day after my return from a stay in Co. Clare,
when I enthused
about the music sessions I had experienced in
the pubs there, that you used
to play in Doolin. Were you a
member of a certain group, or were those sessions
in which the
musicians come and go all evening? Have you taken part in
both sorts?
Like
a lot of musicians in Ireland and abroad, I do visit Doolin
to have the few
tunes and visit people there. Whether or not
you're a member of a band or
whatever else wouldn't be an
issue. You'd listen, have respect for the music
and for who's
playing it. If it is okay with the musicians, you join in and
contribute in a positive way. It's very spontaneous, the best
sessions are
usually not organised, they just happen!
I
know that Doolin is often called the music capitol of
Ireland (I DO wonder
what the rest of Ireland thinks of
that!). Have you participated in such sessions
in other
places as well?
There
are sessions like this happening all over the country, not
just in the well-known
places. People of all ages join in, most
of them of a very high standard with
tunes one wouldn't hear very
often. These are the sessions that happen consistently.
Then
there are the festivals, e.g. the Willy Clancy week (or
two!) in Miltown,
the All-Ireland Fleadh, the Fiddle Weeks in
Donegal, etc. The sessions are
always great at these and you
bump into people you haven't seen in ages!
I've
also had good sessions in Paris, Melbourne, Manchester and
the US, so there
are great musicians and sessions everywhere.
Did
your participation in such sessions precede your
engagement with more formal
organizations, orchestras, other
groups, etc.?
Yes,
they preceded and then also ran concurrently with the more
formal work. While
working with other bands, with the R.T.E
Concert Orchestra and doing formal
session work in studios, it
was and is good to keep playing other music, both
solos and in
sessions. It keeps your playing up and and keeps you in touch
with new tunes.
You
participated in the original soundtrack of Riverdance.
Did that lead to your
engagement with Lord of the Dance, or
was there no direct connection.
I
did participate in the original soundtrack but there was no
connection between
that and Lord of the Dance.
It
seems very certain that the lion's share of visitors to the
CelticCafe web
site are familiar with you because of your
engagement with Lord of the Dance
and Feet of Flames. You and
Cora Smyth have been called Rock Stars in that
connection,
which was undoubtedly meant as a compliment. Is that a
direction
which you had followed or engaged in, before you
joined Lord of the Dance.
God,
Rockstars! We're just glad that people enjoy the show and
our contribution
to it!
To answer
your question, I did do gigs and studio session work
with a lot of Rock musicians
and musicians of different styles
and I hope to keep doing that when I can
because it's great to play with people from different genres of music, and it's
good fun also!
Quite
apart from Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames, you do
find time and opportunity
to engage in several other projects.
Please tell me about those you are currently
engaged in.
Yes,
the shows are a priority as they are busy all the time.
Over the past two
years. I was lucky enough to do different
things also.
And
now we have your new solo CD, Mairead! Please tell us
about it and about the
content.
It's
called "Raining Up" and it's mainly instrumental, there's
one vocal
track. It has a strong leaning towards Irish and
Scottish music. There are
some newly composed tracks also that
have a slightly Latin feel and have string
arrangements.
"Raining
Up" conveys to an extent the different styles that I've
been involved
in, so I hope there's something there for everyone!
Manus
Lunny and Colm Ó
Foghlú are involved, I've been told.
When did you begin it and
how long has it taken to complete?
Yes,
it was fantastic having Manus Lunny and Colm Ó Foghlú
involved.
Manus produced nine tracks and Colm five; Colm also composed four of those tracks.
We began in October 2000 recording at Secret Music Studios in Glasgow and Solitaire
Recording Studios in Dublin. It took about three months to complete.
Mairead,
there are members of your family playing with you on
the album, aren't there?
Yes,
two of my brothers, Seán and Karl, my mother Kathleen and
sister Frances.
I'll
have to rope in my father and my other two brothers for the
next one! My sister-in-law
Caroline did the artwork and design.
So there was great involvement and support
from my family.
Your
mother Kathleen has also been busy with her own project
at the same time as
yours.
That's
right, she has written and recorded her fiddle tutor of
Irish traditional
music. It's called "fidil" and consists of
the book and the double
CD. It is expected to be released in October.
And
finally - can you give ordering information, beyond the
title "Raining
Up", for those of us who live far from the
pulsebeat of Irish music?
Yes,
the CD will be available on the 'Net through
www.verticalrecords.co.uk
and at record shops also.
Thank
you very much Mairead, for the chance to chat with you;
always to my great
pleasure!
Interview with Máiréad Nesbitt
by Bruce Somers