Braw / St Rock’s / Antz & Joe / The O’Cuilleans / Malcolm MacWatt / Roo Geddis and Neil Sutclifee
Braw Sun 17th Jan 2021
Braw are a folk pop brother duo based in Glasgow’s southside, specialising in close harmony vocals. Formed in 2019, Iain and Andrew Mundy have been performing across the Glasgow music scene. They released their debut single, Swing Door, followed by Piece by Piece, Home from Home and whisky in Hand. All songs set to feature on their 2021 debut album.
Whisky in Hand reached number 65 in the Official Scottish Singles Chart, and peaked at 50 in the Official iTunes Chart. It received substantial radio air play on BBC Radio Scotland’s The Afternoon Show, Celtic Music Radio, CamGlen FM, and single of the week on The Max and Chief Radio Scotland.
Braw’s unique vocal blend allows them to create innovative and original harmonies, while offering fresh takes on classic songs when playing live.
St Rocks Sun 17th Jan. 2021
Maths teacher Frank McArdle has been teaching Irish music to his pupils at St Roch’s School in Glasgow and to the youngsters of the “Glasgow Irish Minstrels” – a branch of the Comhaltas movement – since 1977. Having run a folk club in the school for several years, he felt the need to diversify. Volunteers to learn the accordion, fiddle and whistle were sought and the band was born. Their earliest engagements involved playing a few tunes for local community groups. Within a couple of years, however, they were playing their first ceili. They never looked back. They became much sought-after throughout the West of Scotland. Patricia McArdle is ‘instrumental’ in co-ordinating the group.
Working closely with Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann ( the tradional Irish music association), the music lessons started on Tuesday evenings, opening the band to pupils from all over the city. Nowadays around 200 converge on the school.
His “St Rochs Ceili Band” has launched the careers of several stalwarts of the traditional music scene including John McCusker, Gavin Pennycook and Clare McLaughlin. They have even managed to produce All-Ireland Champions.
The band still plays regularly for ceilidhs and are equally at home with Scottish or Irish dances. Demonstrations are given and dances called.
Liz talked to Patricia McArdle teacher and mentor to the group
Ants & Joe Sun 17th Jan. 2021
With soul folk songs pushing through the noise, Singer/songwriter Ant Thomaz is unstoppable. He began writing lyrics at the age of twelve. A self-taught musician, his rapid-fire vocal instrument depicts scenes from Louisiana to UK. Meeting Joe Djaelani busking in the streets of Glasgow they both decided to collaborate and make the perfect team with exquisite harmonies while tapping into a collective of genres helping execute their journey.
The O’Cuilleans Sun 17th Jan. 2021
The O’ Cuilleans began with songstress Sharon Collins and multi-instrumentalist Mario D’ Agostino forming as a duo 2019. Since that union, they have committed themselves to creating Scottish Music which is both a once modern, intriguing and holds true to a distinct Scottish lowland vocal. The erosion of Scots dialect and the attempts to correct it out of us is something they both want to correct back into our language and what better way than through the power of music. Through storytelling and poetry, the lyrics and the sound emerged in a range of tales from Scottish Witch trials, to Scottish Child Migration, to lost loves and Muchmore. The duo has collaborated with a power house of musicians including, Jar Henderson, Cormac Byrne and Roo Geddes to create their forthcoming EP and album, “Scotland’s Dark and Untold Tale”
Malcolm MacWatt Sun 17th Jan. 2021
Multi-instrumentalist Malcom MacWatt has already gained international press recognition with his powerful song writing. As a solo performer, swapping out his telecaster for an acoustic guitar, his storytelling comes to the fore, often with brutal clarity and his previous releases have received glowing reviews. Hailing from the North of Scotland he has worked on the North Sea offshore oil platforms, as a newspaper journalist, in education and now lives in London.
“Malcom’s sound is definitely American with fiddle, banjo and steel guitar but its roots are in Scottish balladry.” Folking.com
Roo Geddis and Neil Sutclifee Sun 17th Jan 2021
Roo and Neil are a duo based in Glasgow, Scotland. Both have grown up surrounded by Scottish traditional music, and this is a strong part of their musical identity. They combine their shared experience across Classical, Folk and Jazz to create original music for violin and accordion. Their compositions are inspired by landscape and people, and by how music can evoke a sense of place and community. Both musicians are in their final year of the classical Performance degree at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Throughout their studies they have developed their musical style and technique, drawing from the wealth and diversity of experience around them. In 2020 during the Covid-19 lockdown, they were selected as winners of a category in “In Tune with Nature”, a competition run by Feis Rois and Scottish Natural Heritage. They remotely composed, recorded and filmed a new piece which celebrated the wildlife and landscape of the magical Taynish National Nature Reserve.
While unable to go and see the artists live during lockdown they are still able to bring you their music via all their social media so please go and check out how busy they have been writing and performing their music during this difficult time for all artists
All enquiries to Liz Clark dkos.info@yahoo.com