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 ALEX
BEATONThe 2007 release of Alex Beaton’s The Songs of Robert Burns CD is the latest offering from North America’s most popular and beloved Scottish folksinger. Alex’s impressive musical career spans four decades and includes the creation of Glenfinnan Music, which offers a collection of nineteen albums dedicated to traditional Scottish music and a triple feature DVD, Alex Beaton’s Scotland: A Musical Travelogue of Scotland. Everywhere Alex performs, this quintessential entertainer delights audiences with his rich baritone voice, virtuoso guitar playing and engaging stage presence. Alex’s talent is showcased by a body of music ranging from ballads such as “The Loch Tay Boat Song,” to rousing anthems like “Flower of Scotland,” to his classic children’s favorite “Coulter’s Candy.” During a performance, Alex may share some fascinating bit of Scottish history to bring the music to life, or he may sarcastically acknowledge the audience’s obvious appreciation of good music as they burst out in laughter when he sings a selection from his album Daft Ditties. His quick wit and passion for his audiences have endeared him to both young and old alike. Alex is acknowledged by many of the Scottish and Celtic musicians performing at the various Scottish gatherings as the person responsible for introducing traditional music to the festivals. “Alex is not only gracious enough to share his stage with other performers at the Scottish festivals,” says Dudley-Brian Smith of Smithfield Fair, a Celtic group from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, “he is the reason we get to be at the festivals. He is the trailblazer.” Already a successful entertainer in the 1970s, Alex recognized a desire among American audiences for traditional Celtic music. He knew that the natural outlet for his music was the Highland Games that take place nearly every weekend of the year all across the continent. After organizing Glenfinnan Music, he began focusing on establishing a market for the traditional singer in a venue long dominated by heavy athletics, pipers, and pipe bands. Now, due in large part to Alex’s efforts, the folksinger is there along with the athlete and the piper. Alex’s musical talents, awareness of Scottish history, and his ability to connect with his audience combine to create the Alex Beaton experience rather than just a concert. If you get the opportunity to attend any of his many concerts, he would love to see you. Whether you make it to a concert or not, you can, as he likes to say, “take him home with you” by picking up some of his many CDs or DVDs. Check out more at www.alexbeaton.com |
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 SEVEN NATIONSSeven Nations is not your father’s Celtic band. With a passionate, tender, and rollicking style that winningly veers from roots and folk to dance and fusion-rock, Seven Nations has earned a growing reputation as an adventurous band with a charismatic stage presence. “Seven Nations — the name refers to the seven original Celtic nations of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, Galecia, Isle of Man, and Brittany — officially began in 1993 in New York City with a standard line-up of drums, guitars, and bass,” notes lead singer and guitarist Kirk McLeod. “We soon introduced bagpipes into the show, and over time the number of songs utilizing bagpipes grew until it became obvious that they were integral to our emerging sound,” says McLeod. “Most of the band members grew up playing Celtic music, and we’ve been performing original compositions since we began. Our instrumentation, and bagpipes and fiddle mostly, give us a distinctive sound and that’s what makes us different.” Seven Nations has been touring full-time since 1994 with successful stops in Europe, Canada, Puerto Rico, and virtually every state in the US. The band has recorded a number of albums with over a quarter million units in sales. The band’s latest album, Time as the Enemy has been praised for “having the appeal of the original albums, yet a mature songwriting style. The lyrics are relatable, surprising, and the pipe/fiddle hooks stir a desire to listen to the album over and over.” Its versatile and dynamic style has stamped Seven Nations as a highly book-able band, with an ever increasing and loyal fan base. The group has performed at a variety of venues, from nightclubs and pubs to festivals and street fairs. They’ve done it all. Recently, garnering the attention of the Orchestra world by including dates with several American orchestras, most notably the multi-Grammy-winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Jacksonville Symphony, and the South Carolina Philharmonic. They also became the first Celtic rock band to bring this exhilarating collaboration to the stage at an outdoor Irish festival, when they performed an entire show with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra at the Dublin Irish Festival. Check out more at www.sevennations.com |
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MOTHER GROVE