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Messages - CWazyTom

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946
Alex Sharpe / Re: Alex EP
« on: August 18, 2019, 04:09:59 PM »
Alex says the EP has 5 tracks and should release by the end of August (possibly in September), 2019.

947
Celtic Culture / The Celtic Knot
« on: August 18, 2019, 03:30:36 PM »
Inspired by the most recent Celtic Collections newsletter, this series of posts covers the Celtic Knot, its history, and its various forms.

Knots are interlace patterns, a style that originated in the artwork of the late Roman Empire around the 3rd or 4th century AD or perhaps even further back, in Byzantine Constantinople. Although the knot appears in several key religious texts, the knot actually wove its way (pun intended) into Celtic culture even before the Christian influence emerged in about 450 AD.

The exact origins of the Celtic Knot lie beyond a distant fog though, because the Kelts weren't exactly known for their writing. When stories are passed down from one generation the next verbally, they tend to become distorted pretty quickly. However, the Irish Celtic knot, a style known as Ultimate La Tene or Hiberno-Saxon Insular art surfaced around 650 AD when Gaelic monks in monasteries of Ireland and Britain put together biblical manuscripts. This type of artwork found extensive use in the Book of Kells, an 8th century manuscript and one of the treasures of Irish history, preserved in Trinity College in Dublin.

Celtic Knots are known as "endless knots" (also known as "mystic knots"): a series of overlapping and/or interwoven knots that have no clearly defined beginning or end.

Stay tuned. More to come...

948
Celtic Culture / Re: Name of the Day
« on: August 18, 2019, 11:34:53 AM »
Niamh (pronounced “neev" or "nee + iv")

It means "brightness," "radiance," or "lustre."

In Celtic lore, Niamh is the daughter of the sea god Manannan (who was also known as "Manannán mac Lir," who was referred to in a certain song in Celtic Woman: Ancient Land  ;) ).

Niamh was said to have had golden hair. She lived with Fionn’s son Oisin (a human hero) in Tir-na-nOg ("Land of the Young"). For us sci-fi nerds here, Tir-na-nOg existed in a state of temporal displacement with our normal perception of space-time. For example, for every 3 years in our time, 300 years passed in Tir-na-nOg ... kind of like Narnia in the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Oisin was said to have gotten homesick after a while in Tir-na-nOg. Niamh reluctantly allowed Oisin to return home on a magical horse, but cautioned him to never again touch the ground. Unfortunately, Oisin one day fell from the hours. The years quickly caught up to him and he died of old age, never again to be reunited with his lover Niamh.

949
Fun and Games / Name That Tune
« on: August 18, 2019, 11:10:31 AM »
The objective of this game is to guess the name of the song based on clues.

There were a number of variations of this game on the old forum. I thought it might be fun to leave the format for this wide open.

The tune has to be a Celtic Woman song or a song performed by a current/former lead CW performer, choir member, or guest performer. But aside from that, you can fashion your clues in any way you wish.

Here's one to start the ball rolling.

Name a tune that has the following words:

heart, valleys, endless

950
Ancient Land / Re: Ancient Land deluxe digital album to be released!
« on: August 16, 2019, 07:55:29 PM »
I love the Celtic Woman: Ancient Land Deluxe album cover design.

951
Celtic Woman News / Re: They are recording something!
« on: August 16, 2019, 04:36:33 PM »
This is, of course, amazing news - but Mairéad said she was learning a new song!

Indeed. I think there are more songs coming in a few months (the ones they just finished recording before Brazil). We'll likely hear those for Christmas or before the next spring tour.

952
Ancient Land / Re: Ancient Land deluxe digital album to be released!
« on: August 16, 2019, 04:22:50 PM »
O...M...G!!!!!!!! Yaaaaaasssssss!

Expected to release Sept 6, 2019.

You can get "Over the Rainbow" now on various digital music platforms!

953
Celtic Woman News / Re: They are recording something!
« on: August 16, 2019, 04:22:21 PM »
I think this is the answer to what they were recording - an Ancient Land deluxe digital album!!

https://www.celticwoman.com/news/celtic-woman-announce-ancient-land-deluxe-album/

Partly. I think this is what they recorded this year before the Ancient Land tour started.

I'd be surprised if they got the tracks they recorded just before Brazil mixed and mastered already. I think we'll be hearing those later. :D

954
Mairead Nesbitt / Re: Tim Janis's Celtic Heart: Album Writeup
« on: August 15, 2019, 05:40:14 PM »
Caution: The writeup below may contain spoilers!


Album Packaging

The album came in thin 6-panel gatefold wallet. Essentially, that's a thin cardboard case instead of a plastic jewel case. Both the front and back panels swing open so you essentially have 6 lovely panels. I usually prefer jewel cases because they're more durable and replaceable than cardboard with the album artwork printed directly on it. The cardboard is "environmentally friendly" and easier to recycle (it's made of 15-point recycle board stock and printed with vegetable-based inks). But let's be honest, I'm probably never going to want to recycle this thing of beauty.

The cover is similar to the DVD. It features images of the principal performers on the album: Eimear McGeown, Mairead Nesbitt, Lynn Hilary, The Harp Twins (Camille and Kennerly Kitt), and Tim Janis. The performers are wearing their outfits from the PBS special and have their instruments with them (Lynn's instrument being her voice). Behind the performs is a backdrop of a dark green hill with rocky peaks and a lake behind it. Above the hill and the lake are the warm, soothing gold and orange hues of either a sunrise or a sunset. It's by far my favourite Tim Janis album cover (and he has some really nice ones). This is a legitimate contender for my all-time favourite album cover.

The back cover features a picture of Tim Janis and includes the set list. If you read my writeup on the Celtic Heart DVD already, you may recall that the set list on the DVD was a bit hard to read, since there wasn't much contrast between text and the background. The album, in contrast to the DVD (pun shamelessly intended), has a track list that's far more legible. The CD comes in a cardboard sleeve inside the back panel.

The cover at first swings open in the typical way, but then folds out a second time to create a 6 panel spread. The other panels include:
- One of Mairead, playing her heart out in the violin
- A 3 panel spread that features a wide photo of the other lead performers on the rocky seaside in Maine where they filmed a bunch of the scenes for the PBS special / DVD. The spread also includes singer Ella Roberts, a quote by Yeats, and the "credits."

The credits list Lynn's contribution as "vocals." Even though it doesn't explicitly credit her for arranging the vocal arrangements in some of the songs, I think it's pretty likely that she did arrange a bunch of these, since many of the vocal arrangements sound like her style.

The album doesn't come with an insert, but it doesn't really need one.

The CD includes 19 tracks. It doesn't contain additional tracks compared to the digital version of the album. As I mentioned in my review of the digital album, these tracks are all beautiful, soothing, and thoroughly satisfying. If you're into this type of music at all, I'd certainly recommend this album for your collection!

955
Celtic Woman / Re: Songs You Wish Celtic Woman Would Perform
« on: August 14, 2019, 05:38:29 PM »
It's not exactly Irish, but I think it would connect with a lot of people in the Celtic Woman fan base:
Make Your Own Kind Of Music

956
Hayley Westenra / Re: Hayley's New Album?
« on: August 14, 2019, 05:31:04 PM »
Hayley mentioned today on Instagram that she made an album with her fiancee.

This isn't "new" news but it's easy to miss things on social media, so I'll re-post it here in the forum:

Quote
I said yes to this one <3. We’re two crazy kids in love and he makes me feel alive. We also wrote and made a record together which makes us even more crazy. Let’s do this, baby. @chris_gaelan

957
Mairead Nesbitt / Re: Celtic Heart: PBS Special and DVD (writeup)
« on: August 13, 2019, 09:21:37 PM »
-- SPOILERS BELOW --
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.
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"Tim Janis: Celtic Heart" DVD Writeup

I received my Celtic Heart DVD from PBS today!

Packaging and Contents

The front DVD cover is really pretty. It's almost the same as the album cover, but the graphics are spread across more vertical space on the DVD cover. The backdrop of the album cover consists of a dark green hillside with majestic rocky peaks and a lake beneath a warm sunset or sunrise. Over top of the background is the title and the and the images of the principal performers: Eimear McGeown, Mairead Nesbitt, Lynn Hilary, Camille and Kennerly Kitt (The Harp Twins) and Tim Janis.

The back DVD cover has some photos from the concert of the principal performers, including singer Ella Roberts, who has a fantastic voice! There's also an image of nice green hillside. The back cover also has a little description of the PBS special and the track list. The colour of the text is very similar to the hillside background though, so it's challenging to read.

The DVD didn't come with a booklet inside.

I was actually a bit concerned when I first took out the DVD. The shiny side of the DVD looked like it had been mauled by a tiger or something. I can't imagine I caused that many scratches taking it out of the case. Fortunately, it didn't seem to affect the playback quality at all.

DVD Contents

The video on the DVD looks fantastic! A few of the Celtic Woman DVDs had some pretty significant differences in quality between the PBS special / Blu-ray (full HD) and the DVD. The scenery and performers looked great on this DVD! There weren't a lot of long-range shots of the performers. But even the mid-range shots of the whole stage and the scenes of the performers on a rocky shore in Maine looked better than I was expecting from a DVD. Not nearly as pixelated or blotchy as the Songs from the Heart or Ancient Land DVDs.

The DVD includes all 16 songs from the PBS special in the same order.

But it also includes a satisfying assortment of bonus material!

As suspected, there are 3 extra songs on the DVD in the bonus material:
- The Ring of Brodgar (Lynn + Mairead)
- Light on the Sea (neither Lynn or Mairead)
- Spirit of the Trees (Lynn + Mairead)

The songs are on the CD as well and they're really pretty. My favourite of the three bonus tracks is Spirit of the Trees, which features the hauntingly beautiful humming of Lynn Hilary.

But there are also interviews with the lead performers, including:
- Eimear McGeown
- The Harp Twins
- Tim Janis and Mairead Nesbitt together, and
- TWO interviews with Lynn Hilary!

The interviews were all done at the venue in Maine. They were originally recorded for PBS rather than specifically for the DVD. They include portions where Jim Masters, one of the personalities for Connecticut Public Television (CPTV), urges the viewers to visit their website or pick up the phone and call their local PBS station to pledge their support. It wasn't the same interviews I saw on Detroit PBS (those were done in the PBS studio and only featured Tim and Mairead). But I suspect the interviews from the DVD were the ones that aired on the CPTV PBS special.

The information in the interviews was good, although not necessarily earth shattering, but there was more to the interview segments than the questions and answers. The interview segments had the soothing music from the PBS special playing in the background and had some scenes from concert inserted. The best part though, was the super-adorable way Mairead and Lynn came across in those segments. Mairead projected a lot of joy and enthusiasm. I loved Lynn's warmth and her charming hint of shyness.

P.S. No, the actual audience at the DVD recording wasn't one of the special features.  ::) ;D

Overall Impression

This is a really good DVD! The music is soothing and absolutely gorgeous. The scenery is also very pretty and relaxing. The special features on the DVD were quite satisfying too. If you get any DVDs beyond the Celtic Woman group DVDs, this one needs to be near or at the top of your list (along with Chloë's DVD, Orla's two DVDs, and Feet of Flames). This DVD, its tranquil music, and its lovely landscapes.reminded me most of Chloë's DVD, my favourite of the solo DVDs. I hope you all have a chance to enjoy this fantastic DVD!


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-- SPOILERS ABOVE --

958
Mairead Nesbitt / Re: Celtic Heart CD / DVD / PBS special release date
« on: August 13, 2019, 08:21:20 PM »
I suspect we'll be hearing something soon.  ;)

959
Mairead Nesbitt / Re: Tim Janis's Celtic Heart: Album Writeup
« on: August 13, 2019, 06:43:08 PM »
In case anyone's wondering the physical CD (which I received from PBS today) has the same 19 amazing songs as the digital version of the album.

960
Celtic Woman News / Re: They are recording something!
« on: August 12, 2019, 05:01:19 PM »
I don't know what to think about it at this point.

They posted some clips from inside Windmill Lane Studios. We don't know if those video clips came from today or even from this year. Did they really try to rush in an album at the last minute before packing to leave for Brazil? I know some of the girls just came back from vacation, but wouldn't they have timed it differently if they knew they were going to record something? The timing is odd.

And what was recorded earlier in the year? Did they really record part of an album before the Ancient Land tour in the US and the other part just before the Ancient Land tour in Brazil? It almost seems like those 2 recording sessions were unrelated. Separate albums? Tour promos? Singles? If they were singles, doesn't it seem strange that over 5 months later, we still haven't heard what they recorded earlier this year?

If they recorded anything this week, it's probably too late to be a Christmas album. It might be for next year. But they recorded a whole non-Christmas album without a DVD recording? It would be unusual for them.

I'm just going to have to wait and see if they announce something, because this isn't adding up yet.

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