Have you ever watched your favorite Celtic band try to top the charts?

It is not an easy thing to do. My old group, the Brobdingnagian Bards, was able to do that on CD Baby. We promoted our CD Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales. At the end of the week, we broke #1 on the entire website. We were ecstastic. I’ve never been able to duplicate that mission. But I’m ready to try.

This time, I’m not promoting one band. I’m promoting two: FIMM and Poitin. These are two of the hottest indie Celtic bands on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. I love their music so much, I decided to create a special compilation CD featuring just their music called Irish Celtic Music. The album is now on sale.

I want you to buy this album, but please don’t buy it yet!

You see, I’ve decided to make this the second Top the Charts special feature. In particular, I am asking people to Buy just ONE SONG from the CD. It’s a song by Poitin that I named “Memories of Ireland”. It’s a beautiful track that will get your blood pumping.

Heck, the whole album will do that, but again, I just want you to buy the song tune on a specific date, Wednesday, May 23rd.

There are 22,000 people on this mailing list. If even one percent of you bought this one 99 cent tune on May 23rd, that song would be #1 on bothiTunes and Amazon. That would mean greater visibility for the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. It would me more fans for FIMM and Poitin. And it would show the world that Celtic music is something that is loved on more than just St. Patrick’s Day. It’s something we Celts hold in our hearts all year long.

I won’t kid you. This is not an easy task. But I firmly believe that together we can get enough people to buy that one song on Amazon or iTunes that we can tear up the charts and show the world that there’s something much better than American Idol, Carrie Underwood, Adele, B.o.B., and Silversun Pickups. (I have no idea who most of those folks are, but they have top 10 singles on iTunes)

What does it take to help?

It only takes 99 cents. Or just share this idea with your friends on your social networks. Just tell your friends to go to

http://www.celticmusicpodcast.com/topthecharts/

Ask them to share the link with their friends. Invite them to join the mailing list there. Share. Share. Share.

It doesn’t take 20,000 people to make a hit. A tenth of that on one day would obliterate the competition.

You can give back to your love of Celtic music. Help us Top the Charts!

Celtic Music CD Store, in conjunction with the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, is proud to release a brand new CD of Irish Celtic Music.

The CD is released under the name Marc Gunn’s Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. It is a new compilation to promote the award-winning, hit podcast, plus the incredible music of two of the podcast’s most-amazing bands: Poitin and FIMM.

I can’t say enough great things about these two bands. They have some absolutely brilliant music! Neither is signed to a record label. Neither are from the U.S.. Poitin is an awesome, award-winning group from the Czech Republic. FIMM is an incredible, all-female group from Rome, Italy.

Who are these indie Celtic musicians?

If you’ve never heard of these two amazing and obscure Celtic group, I won’t hold it against you. Neither has a big budget to promote their music. Poitin is fairly active online. I’ve followed their career for many years now. FIMM is currently on hiatus. I’m hoping we can change that.

But you won’t see them on PBS, like Celtic Thunder or Celtic Woman. You won’t hear them playing for a smash hit show like Riverdance.  In fact, you can’t even buy FIMM’s album at all…right now.

YOU can change that with the power of social networking!

I love these bands and I want you to fall in love with them too. So I want you to buy this CD… but NOT YET.

I need your help to Top The Celtic Top 10

On Wednesday, May 23, we are going to rocket this album up the charts on iTunes and Amazon.

Here’s how it works. On May 23rd, I will ask you to buy the song , “Memories of Ireland” on either iTunes or Amazon. You will tell all your friends to do the same. Then we will watch as Irish Celtic Music gets the attention it deserves.

It will skyrocket up the charts. That will offer it more visibility, which will in turn equal more sales, which will ultimately offer more visibility for the podcast, Poitin, FIMM, and all of the other amazing indie Celtic music groups online that we promote.

But to make that happen. I need your help.  Here’s how:

1. Go to http://www.celticmusicpodcast.com/topthecharts/ and sign up to the mailing list so I can send you a few notices on the 23rd. Yes. I will be sending several emails that day and as we approach that day. So be ready.
2. Share this post with your friends. Start talking about the compilation, this initiative and your plan to help.

Thank you so much for all your help! I look forward to seeing a smashing successful Top the Celtic Charts initiative.

Oh! Wanna listen to some of the album? I featured it in show Pub Songs Podcast #101 – Irish Celtic Music.

 Marc Gunn “The Celtfather” is an award-winning acoustic Celtic folk musician.  He riotously combines Irish drinking songs and Sci Fi fanaticism into a satirical jam session between Weird Al and The Clancy Brothers.  It’s Celtic music, the Traditional and the Twisted.  Gunn hosts the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, the most-popular Celtic podcast online.  He is also Chief Editor of the Celtic Music Magazine.  Find out more at www.celticmp3s.com.

Jim O’Connor from the band Boston Blackthorne here again to relate our exploits over the Irish High Holidays, 2012.  Faced with a daunting schedule of 5 gigs in 3 days on either side of the great state of Massachusetts it was the best of years and the worst of years!  Heading out on the road, the disabled list for our 5 piece Celtic band read like the Boston Red Sox last September right down to the beer and chicken in the clubhouse.  This included a broken leg (mine), a recently repaired rotator cuff (bass), a thrown back (guitar) and our fiddler and drummer, Hear no Evil and Speak no Evil.  Now some would think that an acoustic Celtic band leaves the heavy metal at home but we pack upwards of 10,000 watts of power and 15 instruments to most gigs.  And the roadies left with the groupies years ago.  It was all on us and certainly no country for old Irishmen…

Our first gig was on Friday morning at the Lowell Chamber of Commerce Irish Breakfast- first call was at the ungodly hour of 4 A.M!  When the gentleman from the chamber first contacted me for the gig, he started to go through event program.  I told them to hold it right there- so long as the breakfast is decent and the jokes are fresh we’re your men.  I know about these things- for over 30 years my father was the Master of Ceremonies for the Irish Breakfast in Northampton MA.  I remember how he would start preparing a month in advance; taking down all of his accordion files filled with jokes and all the joke books friends gave him as presents over the years and spreading them out on the spare bed.  He would point to the books and shake his head, “There is not one decent joke between those covers but they keep giving them to me.”  Then after carefully perusing the bits of paper on which countless jokes were scribbled he would begin to put his show together, “This one’s funny, and I haven’t told it in 4 years…”

My father never missed a breakfast in over 30 years and performed in front of 500 each year well until he was nearly 90.  He almost missed his last year sidelined with a persistent bloody nose, one of the many indignities of age.  But my niece who was helping him get ready was quick with a solution.  She reached into her purse and grabbed a product guaranteed to stop the flow and packed it up his nose- it worked like a charm.  There was a picture that day of my father on the front page of the paper laughing hysterically at his own joke (his trademark).  Only if you get out the magnifying glass can you see the telltale string.

Well the Lowell breakfast was great fun, honestly the level of humor was very high- the Lowell pols really know how to tell a story.  The room was electrified by the presence of celebrity adversaries Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren, both running for the Senate seat.  We played the Irish National Anthem and the crowd sang along to Danny Boy- it was like old times.

Then back in  the truck and the trip from the gritty mill city, home of the industrial revolution, to the tiny town of Westhampton MA, a place in many ways unchanged since those times.  We had a concert in the newly constructed library and it was beyond sold out.  This was partly due to my niece’s preschool-age son and daughter who each sent a personal invitation to every student in their school.  From toddlers seated at the foot of the stage to senior citizens in the Boston Blackthorne t-shirts it was a real celebration and a special night for the band.  Many of our families are from the area and the place was packed with old and new friends.

Despite admonishments to get an early start and a good night’s sleep since we had another 2 gigs the next day and after all had been working since 4 A.M. it was back to Jon’s house down the road where the sessuin began and continued on until the small hours of the morning.  We can’t help it- we love to play and it is a great time to try out new songs or ones we haven’t played in years but somehow remember like we last played them yesterday.

The next day was another study in contrasts.  First an elegant Irish wedding in the afternoon then a mad dash down Mount Tom to Holyoke MA, home of the oldest St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the nation.  Holyoke is a “sister city” to Lowell with mills and canals from the same era, and in many ways fallen on hard times.  But once a year thousands descend on the city to celebrate and the Mecca is my Cousin Pat Brennan’s pub on High Street.  We played Saturday night and Sunday right after the parade.  For an Irish band there is nothing like the St. Patrick’s Day crowd in a real Irish pub.  The place is full of local characters, not all of them related to me, and cops and firefighters from all over the region there to march and celebrate.  My brother Tom and his friend drove all the way from VA each having finished recent stints in Afghanistan.  Cousins came out of the woodwork after the house party ended and acquaintances we only know for this weekend each year celebrated and sang with us like long lost comrades.

And in a flash it was over for the year, the equipment packed away for the long ride home.  The following week a few of the lads played at a reading of Kevin O’Hara from his great book “The Last of the Donkey Pilgrims”, a must read about his trip around Ireland in a donkey cart in the 1970′s. Chetz played the jig based on the book that was featured on our last album, County Kerry to Kerry Park.

It will be quiet for a few weeks, time to woodshed on the fiddle, take in a sessuin, and maybe even write a song. Then it usually gets busy over the summer with outdoor town center concerts and festivals.  Here’s to the lads in the band, another fine year to look back on and another fine one to come.   Come out and join us just as soon as you can!

Judging from the song, we learn a few things about the guy in the story. First, it is safe to say this guy is a regular drunk. Whiskey, gin, tequila, and brandy are a few of his favorite drinks. He manages to down those in just the first verse. Next, he sucks at poker. Apparently he was in a game of poker, more than one in this song. Every time he plays, he’s left with nothing but the shirt on his back, minus his coat, which he also seemed to lose. Last, he likes to drink.

Boat Train, the first time I heard it, sounded almost like an Irish drinking song. It has an upbeat happy pitch and cadence that you would expect in most drinking songs. Of course, most Irish drinking songs don’t involve singing about flashlights being inserted in anal cavities.

MacGowan’s performance of the song actually goes along with the theme. You can barely make out what he is singing mos- of the time. Granted, MacGowan is well-known to have a few drinks, exhibited by the fact that many think it is an accomplishment when he goes through a set on stage sober.

If you are easily offended or are not a fan of drinking songs, then this song is not for you. If on the other hand you like the random drinking songs that could be made into a equally as random comedy, then Boat Train could be right on track.

James Guill enjoys a good round of poker and drinking songs.

I just downloaded a free app of Irish toasts from the Stout Pounders.  For some strange reason, I have the absolute worst memory when it comes to remembering toasts.  So I’m geeking out with this app.

I can imagine it now.  I’m standing on stage during my shows at Shamrockin’ in Five Points.  I raise my Guinness high and shout, “A TOAST!”  I shake my app.  Reading it, I shout above the raised pints, “We think of all the friends we know and drink to all worth drinking to”.  Then I’m back playing more of the best Irish drinking songs!

Free Irish Music

That’s what today’s article is all about.  Six years ago, I started an annual column for the Celtic Music Magazine–”17 free Celtic MP3s for St. Patrick’s Day”.  Through it I share 17 Irish songs and tunes that you can download for free for St. Patrick’s Day.  I like to think of it as a special gift from the Celtic musicians of the world to you for celebrating this great day.

This is a highlight with my readers every year.  You get some great free Irish music.  With any luck these bands gain a few new fans.  So download the music.  Listen to it.  Enjoy.  Tell your friends to download the album too.  It’s all free and legal.  Our gift to you.

Please share!

How to Download Your Free Celtic MP3s for St. Patrick’s Day

The music is all easily compiled into one large ZIP file.  To download, right-click the link below.  “Save as” to the folder you choose.  Then unzip the file.

Download: 17 Free St Patrick’s Day MP3s for 2012 (ZIP file, 91.1 MB)

Listen to the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast St Patrick’s Day music specials for more great St. Patrick’s Day music.

If you enjoy the music, please show your support of the bands you enjoy.  See their shows.  Buy their CDs and swag.  You can also download music from all of these artists from Amazon, iTunes or CD Baby.

20 Great Celtic Bands Featured in This Year’s Free St Patrick’s Day MP3s

Yes.  I tricked you.  I’m sharing TWENTY MP3s this year instead of 17.  Click the band name to find out more about the artists.  Click the album name to buy from CD Baby.  Enjoy!

“Limpin Gobbler/Crippled Turkey” by Sean Orr
from Celtic Texas

“Where’s Pete?” by Burning Bridget Cleary
from Totes for Goats

“Cardiff Rose” by Rambling Sailors
from Ports of Call

“The Durty Konway/Hogans Hill” by Jameson’s Revenge
from While yer Up

“The Rocky Road to Dublin” by Jesse Ferguson
from The Parting Glass

“Whiskey in the Jar” by Tuatha Dea
from Tuatha Dea

“Flogging The Dolphin/The Succulent Maiden/Ye Bastards March” by Stout Pounders
from 3 Drinks Minimum

“A Drop of Nelson’s Blood” by Marc Gunn
from Songs of the Sea EP

“Flying To The Fleadh” by Leah Jorgenson
from Peace – Love – Harp

“St Patrick’s Day Anthem” by Danny O’Flaherty and Noel Nash
from St. Patrick’s Day Anthem

“Red Haired Boy/Kitchen Girl” by NeidFyre
from Anatidaephobia

“Pat and Bridget” by The Makem and Spain Brothers
from Up the Stairs

“Merry Sisters Set” by Vintage Wildflowers
from Lovely Madness

“Over Here Over There” by Derek Warfield & The Young Wolfe Tones
from On The One Road

“Happy Are the Dead” by Sons of Malarkey
from Sons of Malarkey

“Pass the Tankard, Wench” by Sylvia Platypus
from Sylvia Platypus

“Drill Ye Tarriers, Drill” by Trip McCool
from The Traveler

“Winnipeg Forger” by The Rogues
from 3 LBS. OF RAGE

“Six o’ Clock Swill” by Murder the Stout
from Murder the Stout EP

“Wild Mountain Thyme” by Abby Green
from Fig for a Kiss

 Marc Gunn “The Celtfather” is an award-winning acoustic Celtic folk musician.  He riotously combines Irish drinking songs and Sci Fi fanaticism into a satirical jam session between Weird Al and The Clancy Brothers.  It’s Celtic music, the Traditional and the Twisted.  Gunn hosts the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, the most-popular Celtic podcast online.  He also Chief Editor of the Celtic Music Magazine.  Find out more at www.celticmp3s.com.

Long ago, in a dark period of human history, St. Patrick’s Day was not celebrated at all.  Soon small gatherings grew into large ones.  Large ones turned into parades.  Parties coursed through civilizations around the globe.  Now you can find St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in every nook and cranny of our world.

I asked members of my Celtic Musicians News to tell me where you could hear them.  Here are a few responses:

Cookstown, Ontario, Canada
The Sheridan Band
www.thesheridanband.com
9:00pm-1:00am  Iron Horse Bar & Grill

—

Torino, Italy
MaterDea
www.materdea.com
Magazzino di Gilgamesh, P.za Moncenisio 13
16th March, 10:00 – 12:00 pm

below the mists, above the brambles…

Favorite beer…
Menabrea and Moretti  (Italian beers)

Cats or dogs…
Marco Strega: 1 dog (Jana) 2 cats (Fabula and Melusina)
Simon Papa: 2 cats (Morgana and Kimbo)
Elisabetta Bosio: 1 dog (Bredo)

A Must-See inyour town..
Egyptian Museum of Turin

The most-rewarding aspect of playing music is…
Magic, friendship, love and… Rock!!!

—

Birmingham, AL
Marc Gunn, The Celtfather
www.marcgunn.com
12:00-5:00pm Shamrockin’ in Five Points

Describe your music in the third-person in One sentence…
Celtic music, the traditional and the twisted

Favorite beer…
Guinness

Cats or dogs…
Cats, of course!

A Must-See in your town…
I’m still getting to know Birmingham, but I do love the new Red Shamrock Pub!

The most-rewarding aspect of playing music is…
I’m a creation junkie.  I love creating new things and seeing how people respond to those things.

—

My first gigs playing on St. Patrick’s Day were in the beautiful city of Northampton, MA in the late 1970′s.  I was playing with a trio called St. James Gate (what Irish band in that era didn’t use that name?  But we were the first!)  Tom Murphy, now a dairy farmer in upstate New York played mandolin and double bass.  If you have ever seen “A Mighty Wind” with the scene with the trio and double bass all in a Volvo that was us, except it was Tom’s Peugeot.  Joe Edelburg was our fiddler, Joe for many years has been playing violin in the San Francisco Opera orchestra and playing and touring with the likes of Van Morrison and Linda Rondstat. We were the house band at Sheehan’s Cafe, famous as the oldest bar in continuing operation thanks to a secret window to the restaurant next door.

Eventually I ended up in New York City in the early 1980′s.  I remember one St. Patrick’s Day gig at a place in the West Village called the Ear Inn.  I got the gig through my friend Ed Vadas (google him if you love the blues!) and it was, like many NYC gigs, a flat fee of say $20 and pass the hat.  My roomate at the time, Steve Toll, was a 6 foot 3, 300 pound Jewish kid from Philadelphia.  Steve was a fabulous musician- he played electric guitar with the Lester Lanin Orchestra, Philadelphia’s version of Guy Lombardo.  Steve had a local hit with a dance novelty song called “The Freeze”, you know, a disco beat than then “OK now Everybody FREEZE!”  Steve played some violin too and offered to come down and sit in.  He was no aficianado of Celtic music but Steve could play anything so I said great.

The first set was about halfway finished and no Steve.  Finally he came through the door looking a bit disheveled.  He took out the fiddle, sat down next to me and started to play.  What a cacophony!  “Steve, I thought you knew how to play that thing.  At least tune it up!”  “Sorry man, I’ll explain on the break.”  We limped through the set with Steve constantly trying to keep the violin in tune and on the break Steve told me his story.

He was taking the A train down from 110th and of course being St. Patrick’s Day in New York the car was full of drunken revelers.  Three denizens of the Jersey Shore were particularly obnoxious and as the ride continued, more threatening.  Just before the last stop push came to shove with these clowns shouting “Look at the fat freak with the fiddle!” or some other alliteration.  Just as the first punch landed Steve went into “Batter Up!” mode using his precious violin and case in lieu of a Louisville Slugger.  And it’s one, two, three strikes you’re out and in the blink of an eye the Jersey boys were sprawled on the subway floor, nursing their wounds courtesy of Steve’s Stradivarius.  Well it was OK for him but not so much for the fiddle and it wasn’t until the last set that Steve was able to get that violin to settle down and stay in tune!  It made for a memorable gig for sure!

Several years later out of the blue I got a call from an agent who was at that gig and asked was I still playing.  She got the band a gig at Church Street Station in Orlando FL as the headliner’s for their St. Patrick’s Day street party.  We kept that gig for 10 years  until Church Street closed, a victim of the continuing process of Disneyfication that threatened much of Orlando’s music scene.  It was a very cool place, with several themed clubs, Gay Ninety’s, Country chic, 1950′s and each decked out in an unbelievable array of stained glass, brass, silver and woodwork imported by the owner from his travels throughout Europe.

It was kind of like being the Beatles for a week.  They would pick us up at the airport in one of their fleet of vintage cars- they had Bentley’s, Rolls Royce, Jaguars, from the 1940′s.  One year the driver suggested he drop us off at the Cheyenne Saloon, part of the complex.  He said he would drive our equipment to the hotel and we could check out the Hawaiian Tropic swimsuit contest going on inside.  How could we say no- a contest featuring some of the most beautiful women in the world?  It turned out one of the judges was O.J. Simpson.  Out on the sidewalk we chatted with him briefly until the limo door opened and his wife Nicole urged him to get into the car because they were late to get somewhere.  A chilling memory now  for sure.

We got to the hotel and while standing in line I turned around and was realized I was standing in front of none other than the Champ, Muhammed Ali.  What a great honor to shake his hand and what a huge hand it was.  Sadly his Parkinson’s made it difficult for him to speak but what a thrill to meet him.

The gigs at Church Street were always fun- the whole street closed off and nearly 20,000 people in the audience.  There is no describing the feeling of absolute power and control that comes when you get 20,000 people clapping the refrain to “Wild Rover”!  Sadly in the midst of the 10 years we played their on St. Patrick’s Day, we lost our accordian player, Keene Hahn, to cancer.  It has been a tradition of the band every St. Patrick’s Day since to dedicate his favorite song, “Fields of Athenry” to Keene. He was a larger than life character with a heart of gold.  He was famous in the 1960′s in Western MA among the hippies.  Keene never missed a love-in, be-in or protest and always showed up in his Studebaker personally outfitted with a Cadillac engine.  He would haul his Farfisi organ up to the roof of the car, hook a line to the battery and play on! The Soundtrack of the 60′s.  Truly a legend in his own time.

Certainly my worst St. Patrick’s Day was the one 7 years ago where I broke my leg quite seriously skiing and was sidelined in a cast as Don McLean would say. The St. Patrick’s Day that wans’t.  In a feat that can only be described as “Luck of the Irish” this year, 7 years almost to the day, I went out and broke it again!  But thanks to modern medical technology I have returned, playing seated, B.B. King style for the time being.  You can’t keep a good Irishman down on his holiday.

Boston Blackthorne will be playing St. Patrick’s weekend in Holyoke MA at Brennan’s Pub.  The city hosts the oldest St. Pat’s parade in the country, and certainly one of the best.  If you are anywhere near W MA on the high holiday stop in to hear us and say hello.  The craic is sure to be grand!

In the meantime, I recorded a video to highlight five great indie Celtic CDs that I’m listening to right now.

5 Celtic CDs You Should Own

1. 3 Drink Minimum by Stout Pounders
2. Fortified by Dun Aengus
3. Ports of Call by Rambling Sailors
4. Celtic Chamber Music by Samantha Gillogy & Tim Maurice
5. IV by Rising Gael

Drinking songs for those who like to LOL!  Marc Gunn riotously combines Renaissance festival fanaticism with Irish drinking and Sci Fi fandom into a satirical jam session between Weird Al and The Clancy Brothers.  Marc Gunn is an award-winning acoustic folk musician rooted in the American Celtic song tradition–-Celtic music, the Traditional and the Twisted. His musical instrument of choice-the autoharp-continues to surprise musical veterans and fans a like for it’s unique sound and spirited energy. Find out more at www.marcgunn.com.

I played a festival in Monroe Louisiana a few years ago. I believe it was the Northeast Louisiana Celtic Festival, run by my friend Doyle Jeeter. During a concert at the festival I played a song about a young girl who was killed accidentally by cannon fire during the Civil War and about the black nanny who cared for her. The story was told by an Irish immigrant soldier. He was broken hearted by the incident, though he knew none of the people involved. It is a true story that I found in the Irishman’s diary. I turned this story into a song called, Mama’s Lily.

After the show I was speaking back stage with a black man who was there working for the festival organizers. He was intrigued by the song, and the story and he shared with me some of his family’s history from the slave era. One of his ancestor’s had been a nanny and lived in the home of her master and loved the family. He had a picture of her. After a few minutes of conversation, it dawned on me that the ball cap he was wearing had a Confederate battle flag embroidered on the front. Now I know in this part of the world, you see that flag so often that it is rarely out the ordinary – but when I remarked about his flag he sat right up and spoke out with pride. He pointed to his flag and said, “That’s my heritage. I had ancestors, black and white who fought for that flag and I wear it with pride!” “Wow,” I thought. “I am sure you do!” We talked a bit more about the Irish immigrants in the US Civil War and about the blacks who fought alongside, or against them. But his point about the flag stuck with me.

I’ve long had a keen interest in the stories of my ancestors, coming from Ireland to America, just in time to go and fight for their new country – and in such huge numbers those new immigrants volunteered to fight. They had many motivations, of course, but in large part they wanted to prove that they were valuable and loyal citizens. They had escaped tyranny in Ireland. They believed in the ideals of this new land and they would fight for them; north and south, depending mostly upon where the boat that carried them landed!

They brought with them their songs, and tunes, and humor and they made a lasting impact on the Americans with whom they fought. I’ve enjoyed years of finding their stories in history books, reading the diaries and memoirs, or reading their poetry and song lyrics. I’ve always carried with me their songs and stories and play them to every audience I see, keeping those songs and stories alive.

Maybe it is because I’m a transplanted northerner who loves the south, maybe it is because I too favor personal responsibility and self-reliance, two truly Southern virtues that I admire, or maybe it is because these are just the best stories, but I have a keen interest in the story of the South and how my Celtic ancestors have contributed. That interest has shaped my music, over the years. When I play for the big Irish or Scottish festivals, and I perform my favorite traditional Irish or Scottish ballads – I always play a few of my favorite Civil War songs, as well. I take my Civil War song to Celtic audiences, and I take my Irish songs to my Civil War audiences. No one seems to object and it all makes sense to me!

So, when I decided to roll up the themes of my next Celtic/Civil War album into a song, I decided to use a beautiful old Irish melody, one that I have loved for years called The South Wind. Then I determined to relate the themes back to Scotland’s best loved poet, Robert Burns and his famous poem, A Man’s a Man For A’ That.

I recorded a quick song demo video of the new song, and posted it on YouTube. I hope you’ll take a look and listen to it here:
The South Wind

If the Robert Burns themes of self worth and classless society are one side of the coin, then the other side of that coin has the Southern themes of self reliance and personal responsibility … all of these are ideals I find most strongly lived in the south, hence my choice of the old Irish tune, THE SOUTH WIND for the melody.

At this point, I intend to name the new album, The South Wind, and use this song as the title track. The album will have several original songs, and a few period favorites and couple of well loved period hymns. Funding for the project is unsettled, at the moment, but I will find a way to get the album out this year. I will put out more news regarding the project as time unfolds, but I wanted to share the title track – and I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject Celtic Music and Civil War history!

Band Name: Burning Bridget Cleary
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Called “the Allman Brothers of Celtic fiddle bands, only prettier, Burning Bridget Cleary perform high-energy, traditional Celtic music with a twist of folk.

Kat Watson just joined the band on fiddle.  We asked lead singer, Rose Baldino, and her to answer a few questions to get to know them better.

What Celtic countries have you visited or do you dream of visiting?

We have been to Ireland and Canada, and want to go everywhere.  Last May, we traveled with a tour bus full of fans to Ireland where we played at seven different venues in Dublin, Killarney, Dingle, Galway, and Bunratty.  We also had the amazing opportunity to visit the cottage of our band’s namesake, Bridget Cleary, in Co. Tipperary.   BBC has an October 2012 tour planned to Brittany, the Celtic province of France, and the southwest of Ireland.

What instruments  do you play and what do you wish you know how to play?

We mostly play the fiddle and sing.  Rose plays a little tenor banjo and Kat plays some cello.

Rose:  I wish I knew how to play concertina, Irish flute, guitar, bouzouki, and most importantly, the kazoo.  But that last one would  take decades to master.

Kat: I would love to learn the Irish flute, the bass, mountain dulcimer, and most definitely the bagpipes.

If you were an animal, what animal would you be?

Rose:  If I were an animal, I would probably be a cat. I’m goofy, and love to eat and nap. Also, as most people know, many cats play the fiddle.

Kat:  I wish I could say cat! Sadly, when I fall I don’t land on my feet. I would have to say a horse, a filly to be exact.  I am very spirited and playful, and have been known to kick up my heels a bit on a nice sunny day.

What do you do in your downtime?

Rose:  In my downtime, I learn tunes, hang out with friends, watch movies, go bowling, nap, and occasionally play “Call of Duty”.  Nothing very exciting!  I save my crazy moments for stage performance.

Kat: I enjoy listening to music, playing my violin, reading books, riding my horse, enjoying time with friends and family, running races, doing Tough Mudders, and playing some pick-up ice hockey on occasion. Oh, and napping. I love nap time.