The Beaton Sisters

[TheOfficialBren]

A lot of times I'm a sucker for this sort of thing but to be honest it seemed to be largely filler to occupy their timeslot. The arrangement seemed to wander a lot and didn't ever completely find its way.

I'm with Jock on this one. There are enjoyable bits but not my overall cup o' joe.

[Singlemalt]

A lot of times I'm a sucker for this sort of thing but to be honest it seemed to be largely filler to occupy their timeslot. The arrangement seemed to wander a lot and didn't ever completely find its way.

I'm with Jock on this one. There are enjoyable bits but not my overall cup o' joe.

Bren, I understand that you are a musician and I will without hesitation admit that I am not. However, I do understand the roots of this traditional music and "time slots" had nothing to do with it. The foundation of Cape Breton Celtic music has nothing to do with the time contrainst imposed by commercial radio or MTV. The roots are in the kitchen ceilidh, which I feel priviledged to have participated in a few. In that area and culture it seems almost everyone is a musician (humbling for me) and they all take their turn in the attention of the assembled audience. While there is no sense of formal "competition" neither does anyone want to reduce their moment in the "spotlight" to a single 2 minute 40 second song. Carefully selected medelys and "sets" are well rehersed and presented to impress all who have gathered. Time contraints are only the dawning of the sun or when the rum runs out. I suggest you listen again within this context.

[CMcG]

For those people who didn't enjoy this: did you give it a fair shake and actually listen to the whole thing? If not, then shhhhhh If you did listen to the whole thing and still didn't dig it, then you should brush up on your Gaelic musical aesthetics or we may have to confiscate your kilts It's not to say that everyone who wears a kilt needs to be a fan of traditional music, but rather that they should at least be able to recognize a good performance when they hear it and to appreciate that style of music, even if they don't necessarily like it.

The introduction was a bit moody, but once they got into the tunes, they killed it (in a good way). Their set progressed nicely, with good variety in the transitions, but what really struck me was the way they dug into the groove. Those folks are embodying step dancing on their instruments in a way that is sometimes absent from folks who play tunes but either don't dance, don't play for dancers, or both.

[TheOfficialBren]

Singlemalt, perhaps I judged it too harshly, my friend. I will have another listen with a more open mind.

[MacGumerait]

For those people who didn't enjoy this: did you give it a fair shake and actually listen to the whole thing? If not, then shhhhhh If you did listen to the whole thing and still didn't dig it, then you should brush up on your Gaelic musical aesthetics or we may have to confiscate your kilts It's not to say that everyone who wears a kilt needs to be a fan of traditional music, but rather that they should at least be able to recognize a good performance when they hear it and to appreciate that style of music, even if they don't necessarily like it.

The introduction was a bit moody, but once they got into the tunes, they killed it (in a good way). Their set progressed nicely, with good variety in the transitions, but what really struck me was the way they dug into the groove. Those folks are embodying step dancing on their instruments in a way that is sometimes absent from folks who play tunes but either don't dance, don't play for dancers, or both.

Perhaps I liked it and perhaps I didn't . In truth , I did like certain parts of it . However , the shusshing and lecturing are not necessary . We get your point . A point to remember , this is not the faculty lounge , it's the real world .

Some of us have been listening to Gaelic music both past and present versions for a long , long , time ( decades ago and still current stuff ) and we still may not be overly impressed . Enough said .

[TheOfficialBren]

[QUOTE=MacGumerait;1160741]Perhaps I liked it and perhaps I didn't . In truth , I did like certain parts of it . However , the sushing and lecturing are not necessary . We get your point . A point to remember , this is not the faculty lounge , it's the real world .

Some of us have been listening to Gaelic music both past and present versions for a long , long , time ( decades ago and still current stuff ) and we still may not be overly impressed . Enough said .

I knew who Eric Rigler was before I'd ever heard of Ozzy Osbourne.

[neloon]

I had already bookmarked this, Nathan.
I'm still hoping that some weird tectonic plate shift will get Cape Breton back east to where it should be!
Alan

[Father Bill]

Didn't know of them. Instant fan! Thanks for posting!

[CMcG]

Perhaps I liked it and perhaps I didn't . In truth , I did like certain parts of it . However , the shusshing and lecturing are not necessary . We get your point . A point to remember , this is not the faculty lounge , it's the real world .

Some of us have been listening to Gaelic music both past and present versions for a long , long , time ( decades ago and still current stuff ) and we still may not be overly impressed . Enough said .

Actually, this isn't the real world. It's the Celtic Music sub-forum of Xmarks. I would assume that everyone who posts here does appreciate Celtic music, otherwise they are in the wrong area.

My shushing was intended as gentle teasing, not a lecture, and I'm glad you grasped my point about listening to something in its entirety before making comments dismissing it. I thought it would be obvious that my comment about confiscating people's kilts if they don't like this music was a joke, but as often happens, perhaps something was lost in the text rendition. Sorry if I offended anyone.

People are certainly entitled to their opinions, but if all we did on Xmarks was say "aye" or "nay," we wouldn't have very much discussion. Furthermore, people's taste in music is often intimately tied up in their cultural background, so casually brushing off someone's music can actually be offensive. To that end, would you care to elaborate on what you liked or disliked about the music? Perhaps offer a comparison to something that does impress you?

[pbutts]

I think I've heard them on Prairie Home Companion before. I was surprised to see them sitting down (Chieftains style). I know some people have mixed feelings about the use of electronic keyboards in Celtic music ( a la Battlefield Band, Silly Wizard, etc.), but the arrangement seemed pretty traditional to me (that's a good thing).

Thanks for sharing....