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331
Chloe Agnew / Social Media Gems
« on: January 09, 2019, 11:39:17 PM »
Dermy posted this fantastic quick video of Chloë using Superzoom in Instagram:
https://streamable.com/x943h

She is so good for the cameras!

You can either use the link to view it or if the link gets broken at some point in the future, I also attached a copy for safekeeping.

332
Chloe Agnew / Que Sera (featured briefly on Americas Got Talent)
« on: January 07, 2019, 09:35:50 PM »
Que Sera, the Hidden Citizens song featuring Chloë Agnew, was featured on the season premiere of America's Got Talent tonight.

Around 10 seconds or so of the song was played at the start of contortionist Sofie Dossi's act during the episode.

In case you're not into watching a two hour America's Got Talent episode for a 5-10 second clip of Chloë's voice, here's the full song the clip was from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pLjg6J47Ko

I'm really happy for Chloë that her song and her voice were featured on national TV!

You can buy the track on Bandcamp:
https://hiddencitizens.bandcamp.com/album/que-sera


Very brief comments below that may contain spoilers.



--- SPOILERS BELOW ---
.
.
.
.
.

Wow!

Like "The Thing About You" EP, this was something totally different than we've ever heard from Chloë! Her voice is haunting and the song is downright creepy! I could certainly imagine this being in the soundtrack to a horror movie or a trailer to just about anything spine-tingling.

I wish there was more of Chloë in the show than just a few seconds. I probably could have just waited to listen to the clip until after the show and saved myself a couple of hours.

But even if it was only for a few seconds, I'm so happy for Chloë that she got featured on national TV!

Over the course of 2 hours, I saw people balance up and down wobbly ladders, eat swords while plunging down a pole, and twist like a pretzel. But there wasn't an act they could put on that stage that could make me feel like Chloë does when she performs. She sounded beautiful. She always does.

333
Mairead Carlin / Áine Carlin
« on: January 01, 2019, 11:47:48 PM »
Áine Carlin


Áine (roughly pronounced "on-yah" or "awn-yah") is Mairéad Carlin's elder sister.

Áine left Derry at 18 to study music in London. She taught music and drama for a while and even dabbled in acting.

She started exploring vegan food in 2010 after moving to Chicago has been fully vegan since about 2011. Originally, the change was centered around health improvements. She later learned about the other potential benefits. She started a food and lifestyle blog in 2009 that eventually evolved into a vegan food blog.

Her blog is called Pea Soup:
http://www.peasoupeats.com

Áine has since moved to Penzance, Cornwall in the UK.

Her blog and books are about educating people and giving them an alternative to their normal diets, without being preachy or judgmental. She tries to make vegan eating accessible to everyone, not just people who are strictly dedicated to that eating lifestyle. Her emphasis is about making food with an appealing appearance and flavor.

As of January 2019, Áine has published 3 vegan cookbooks:

   Keep It Vegan (2014)
   The New Vegan (2015)
   Cook Eat Share Vegan (2018)

Her first book, Keep It Vegan, won the 2014 PETA Award for Best Vegan Cookbook and the 2015 Gourmand Award for Best UK Vegan Book.

Her books cater to a variety of levels of cooking expertise, from beginner to avid home chefs.



Personally, I'm not currently vegan. But I have great respect what Áine does and how she does it and I'll gladly help her share her message.

I figured that since it's the start of a new year when people are most motivated to pursue their resolutions, this would be a great time to help her expand her audience.

If any of you are vegan or know someone who is (even if you're not vegan and just want to give some of her recipes a try), her books and blog are certainly worth considering!



Articles

Here's some articles where you can read more about Áine and her work:

Meet the Irish vegan warrior who loves her food
https://www.independent.ie/life/food-drink/table-talk/meet-the-irish-vegan-warrior-who-loves-her-food-30539086.html

Vegan good: Áine Carlin on quitting meat and dairy
http://www.irishnews.com/lifestyle/2016/01/30/news/vegan-good-a-ine-carlin-on-quitting-meat-and-dairy-395295/

'The New Vegan' by Áine Carlin - a review
http://www.vegancyclist.co.uk/single-post/2016/02/07/The-New-Vegan-by-%C3%81ine-Carlin-A-review

Interview Series: Áine Carlin
https://www.chicvegan.com/interview-series-aine-carlin/

'Becoming vegan transformed my sleep pattern, my nails looked better and my skin cleared up'
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/food-drink/becoming-vegan-transformed-my-sleep-pattern-my-nails-looked-better-and-my-skin-cleared-up-36821028.html


334
Chloe Agnew / Whine Party (movie)
« on: December 31, 2018, 03:31:27 PM »
Back in 2016, Chloë was part of the cast of a movie called Whine Party (from Frantic Lounge Films).

Sources:
- Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/whineparty?source=feed_text&story_id=972132269547726)
- It was also previously posted on Chloë's old site, but that reference is no longer available.

Shooting started back in February 19, 2016 and wrapped on March 13, 2016.



Info

Chloë plays a character called Becky:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6040508/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6040508/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast


While looking for updates online in 2017, I stumbled across this synopsis and conceptual video for the movie from 2012 (over 6 years ago).

It's quite possible a lot has changed about the movie since 2012, but some may find this interesting:

    https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/whine-party#/

Here's a quote from writer/director Michael McAdam:

Quote
In a nutshell, the film takes place at a party.  Deb, who is throwing the party for friends and family (and a few uninvited guests show up), is making an announcement.  Everyone just assumes that she is announcing her engagement but that isn't it... It is a comedy with a little mystery thrown in for good measure.

The trailer video was shot with a handheld without fancy lighting / sound as it was just a demo for a fundraiser. It doesn't have Chloë as it was made several years before he was involved. It looks like the fundraiser didn't make it to their goal then, so it probably got delayed.




Trailer

Here is a more recent trailer that DOES feature brief glimpses of Chloë!!!

    https://vimeo.com/181705463/d598539613




Pictures of Chloë!

Here's some links to pics of Chloë from the movie shoot!

https://www.facebook.com/103063373121291/photos/a.985602941533992.1073741828.103063373121291/985603214867298/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/103063373121291/photos/a.985602941533992.1073741828.103063373121291/985603534867266/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/103063373121291/photos/a.985602941533992.1073741828.103063373121291/985603551533931/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/103063373121291/photos/a.985602941533992.1073741828.103063373121291/985603601533926/?type=3&theater




Status

They completed a rough cut back in 2017.

It has been in post-production for a long time. It was though to be releasing in 2017 (it was mentioned in Chloë and Lisa's Live Q&A in May: https://www.facebook.com/ChloeAgnew/videos/1333052316709971/), but didn't.

Now, in mid-2019, we're still waiting for an update.

I'm guessing they ran into funding issues.  :'(

It may not win any awards or anything, but I would really love to see Chloë acting on the big screen or even on a DVD. She is such an expressive person and if you've seen her in Celtic Woman or seen her live shows, you know what a presence she has as a performer.

Here's hoping that 2019 is the year we get to see Chloë on the big screen!

335
Mairead Nesbitt / Ormond Beach Celtic Festival (Feb 22, 2019)
« on: December 23, 2018, 03:52:22 PM »
Mairead is performing Friday, February 22nd as part of the Festival Fundraiser at the Ormond Beach Performing Arts Center (Florida).

Site:
http://ormondbeachcelticfestival.com/

I don't think tickets are available yet.

It doesn't overlap with the Ancient Land tour in Florida (it's a few weeks before the tour starts) and there's no realistic chance of me making it there for a single show that early in the year.

336
The Best of Christmas tour 2018 / Celtic Woman Christmas Bus
« on: December 22, 2018, 01:12:37 PM »
Megan and Caitriona decorated the Celtic Woman tour bus for Christmas and the results, as documented in Instagram stories, were epic!

https://streamable.com/m0ea0

337
Other Musicians / The Fitzgeralds
« on: December 21, 2018, 09:03:42 PM »
The Fitzgeralds

The Fitzgeralds are a musical group of siblings from Canada. Here's a little about the group:
http://www.thefitzgeralds.net/about

I've seen them twice live, both times with Nathan Carter, with whom Chloë was performing.

I got some of their work from the merch table before the show:

Albums:

   The Fitzgeralds (2016)
   Fiddle Beatz (2018)

DVDs:

   Everything Fitz (2013)


The Fitzgeralds (CD):

This first album reminded me quite a bit of Mairead Nesbitt's "Raining Up." It's an album of fiddle songs (with a few tracks featuring vocals as well). The songs have Irish influcence and a strong jazzy flavor to them.

Tracks:
1. Gould
2. Falun Fine*
3. Questions
4. Session*
5. My Dall*
6. Mary Ellen Carter*
7. The Dwyers
8. Danny Boy*
9. Step Dance
10. Red Rocket
11. Parting Glass

Falun Fine is a fun song to listen to, even if it isn't the catchiest melody. It reminded me most of The Butterfly (Mairead Nesbitt).

Session is fun too and it reminded me, not surprisingly, of some tracks on Mairead Nesbitt's Devil's Bit Sessions album. It has a mix of Irish and Canadian east coast folk music influences.

My Dall is a mixture of a sweeping melody and beat skips along engagingly. It has some pleasant violin harmonies, and an inspired piano accompaniment. The melody is totally different from Tara's Tunes, but that's what this song reminded me of when I listened to it. It's possibly my favourite track on the album. I really liked this one!

Mary Ellen Carter is a vocal song about rising a shipwreck from the bottom of the sea. The singing won't blow you away, but for a folk a song, the vocals are what they need to be. It's got a good pace and a nice melody. Some of the lyrics manage to really get to the heart. I liked it!

This arrangement of Danny Boy is a violin harmony. It's essentially the same one they played during Nathan Carter's show in St. Catherines, Ontario this year. The first half is really good and I'd say that's my favourite non-Celtic-Woman version of Danny Boy. It even gives Celtic Woman a run for its money. The second half of the song tries to be different. It abandons the gorgeous sweeping flow of the first half of the song in favor of stringing plucking accompaniment of a single violin that carries a variation of the melody. The song ends with an off-harmony arrangement that reminded me of old movie scores from the 30s-50s. Overall, I like the song, but for me, there was a definite difference in enjoyment between the two halves.

The Celtic Woman arrangement of The Parting Glass from Believe and Emerald is probably still my favorite song. There's no other verison of the song that could possibly compete with that and the recording on this album is no exception.

Overall, I enjoyed the album. I'd recommend listening to the ones I noted with an asterisk in the track list if you.

If you use open Spotify on a laptop or desktop computer, here's the link. You need a Spotify account but it's free:
https://open.spotify.com/album/0fwbIb8oeApg58RDdvGNEc



Fiddle Beatz:

While parts of this album reminded me of Raining Up, this one had more of a new age sound than it did an Irish feel. Nothing against the album or performers, but this one didn't overlap as much with my tastes as the first one did.

Tracks:
1. Gould
2. Shadow
3. Fiddle-beaTZ
4. Questions
5. Leave
6. Vague Words
7. Ready
8. Tofino
9. Lakehouse
10. Mem



Everything Fitz (DVD):

If you're going to get one of the three of the ones I write about today, I'd recommend the DVD. This vastly exceeded my expectations. The production value isn't super high. It's basically a performance on a plain stage at a small venue with basic lighting. The pickup of the dad's mike wasn't great, but he does have some funny jokes if you can hear them. The audio for instruments musicians is great though. The insanely talented performers in this family are the focus of the DVD, as they should be.

They all play multiple instruments, including fiddle, piano, mandolin, guitar, and even the bodharn. They're extremely good percussive step-dancers too (for an idea of what percussive step-dancing is like, think Lord of the Dance). They can fiddle and step-dance at an astonishing pace and do both at the same time! What Mairead Nesbitt or Lindsey Stirling do on stage is incredible but this might be even more impressive.

They also have some crazy violin tricks that I've never even imagined must less seen before, like:
- One person playing 3-part harmony (3 notes at a time) on a single violin
- One person playing two violins at once
- Playing opposite-handed
- Playing with the violin upside down and between their legs
- And my favorite, playing each others violins (one hand playing their own while they move the bow across the person's violin that's next to them).

This had plenty of fun songs and a lot of jaw-dropping moments.

I'm not going to say this is a "must-buy" DVD because there's so many excellent Celtic Woman related DVDs to get first. But there are probably clips of them doing some of this stuff on YouTube and that would definitely be worth a look.

I hope you enjoy!

338
Chloe Agnew / Across the Raging Sea
« on: December 18, 2018, 10:10:52 PM »
Across the Raging Sea is a song written by Joshua Spacht for one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies (my guess would be On Stranger Tides). It didn't get used in the movie, which is a shame, because it's a great song. I liked it a lot more than the songs they actually used in the movie.

There are two versions of the song. The original was performed by Ayana Haviv. She has a pretty voice and she does give of a sort of haunting siren vibe:
https://soundcloud.com/joshuaspacht/across-the-raging-sea-syrenas

The new version is performed by Chloë Agnew. It sounds incredibly spectacular with her performing it. Such breathtaking power!
https://soundcloud.com/joshuaspacht/across-the-raging-sea

Chloë's version definitely changes the flavor of the tune, transforming it from a nice love song into something that is just awesome to listen to in almost every way!

Chloë's recording was made long after Disney passed on the original version for the movie. It would have fit right in with the thunderous and exhilarating style Hanz Zimmer. I joke with myself sometimes that had Disney been able to use this version in their movie, Chloë would have been performing on stage at the Oscars and would have been on the stage to accept the award with Spacht.

But Disney's loss is still our gain.

I received word tonight that Chloë's version of Across the Raging Sea will be released as a single in early 2019!

I can't wait to help share this amazing song with even more people and to show off Chloë's insanely amazing voice all over social media!

339
The Best of Christmas tour 2018 / Eabha Sings Soprano
« on: December 18, 2018, 12:46:00 AM »
Now that is impressive!

(video attached)

340
Glenn & Ronan / Instagold (Ronan Edition)
« on: December 17, 2018, 11:12:09 PM »
A thread dedicated to the most awesome Ronan Instagram posts.

Wild Aisling
https://streamable.com/2wxpd


LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  :D

341
Amy Rivard / Silent Night Clip (2018)
« on: December 17, 2018, 11:03:10 PM »
A short clip of Amy Rivard singing Silent Night.

What a voice!!!!

https://streamable.com/yw2ph

342
Alex Sharpe / Beatlemania lives again!
« on: December 13, 2018, 10:19:34 PM »
Beatlemania is available again on the West End International site!

Starring:

Alex Sharpe
Jacinta Whyte
Dougal Irvine
James Graeme

Track List:

Magical Mystery Tour
Back in the USSR
The Long & Winding Road
Ticket to Ride
Fool on the Hill
Help
Revolution 1
I Want to Hold Your Hand
A Hard Day's Night
With A Little Help From My Friends
Penny Lane
Can't Buy Me Love
Yellow Sunshine
Yesterday
I Am the Walrus
Here Comes the Sun
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
When I'm Sixty Four


Availability

It took months of communications going back to the beginning of June, as well as bit of searching on their end, but they managed to find a few leftover copies of the Beatlemania CD and made them available on the site.

I have no idea how much of Alex is in the CD or how much her voice will stand out, but I've been looking for this one for years and it's finally great to know that a copy is on its way!

My contact over at West End International says there are no plans to do another pressing of the CD (or release it on digital platforms) so once this batch is gone, that's it.

So this is basically a rare collectors item now.  ;)


Ordering

Here's the site where it can be ordered:
http://www.westendinternational.com/recordings

The site only allows you to order with an address in the UK or Germany. So if you want one:
- You'll have to order with a German or UK address (I'm getting my copy through a friend in Germany), or
- Contact West End International through their site. Basically you'll need to mail them a cheque, then once they get it, they'll contact you and you give them your address, then they'll mail it to you.

I probably won't get my copy until January. I'll listen and post about it then!

343
Megan Photos & Graphics / Favorite Megan Photos
« on: December 13, 2018, 09:44:31 PM »
Aimée Murphy has done some pretty amazing work for Celtic Woman over the years but this is truly epic.

She's brought out every last bit of beauty in Megan with this hair and makeup.

344
Ancient Land / Ancient Land DVD (PBS): Codecs and Region Code
« on: December 12, 2018, 06:03:37 PM »
Here is the codec information I derived from the Ancient Land DVD (PBS version) using VLC:

Type: Subtitle
Codec: DVD Subtitles (spu)


Type: Video
Code: MPEG-1/2 Video (mpgv)
Resolution: 720x480 (480p)
Display resolution: 720x480 (480p)
Frame rate: 29.970030
Decoded format: Planar 4:2:0 YUV


Type: Audio
Codec: A52 Audio (AC3)
Channels: Stereo
Sample rate: 48000 Hz
Bitrate: 192 kb/s


For comparison, these codec specs are the same as the Homecoming DVD.

Seems pretty standard.

345
Celtic Woman / Celtic Woman on Blu-Ray
« on: December 10, 2018, 08:14:34 PM »
Is there really only 4 Celtic Woman concert specials that are available on Blu-ray?

Emerald
Home for Christmas
Destiny
Ancient Land  (to be available on Blu-Ray ~January 25, 2019)

Those seem to be the only 4 items in my entire Celtic-Woman-related concert DVD collection (including all the solo work) that are available on Blu-ray.

They seriously never released Homecoming on Blu-ray? That's odd...

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