A new concertina album from Ciaran O'Grady in the pipeline

[Cogsey]

Hi

For anyone interested, I’ve just come back from an intense and fun weekend in Chewton, Victoria rehearsing for a new concertina album. I’ve teamed up with Kate Burke (an amazing multi-instrumentalist and singer – see TroubleintheKitchen.com or Kateandruth.com), Aifric Boylan (a great fiddle player and partner) and Graeme Newell (a jewel of a guitar player from Melbourne). I’ve been promising myself that I’d record a concertina album for many years but never made the time and I didn’t really feel comfortable recording a straight-trad album – there are already too many great ones.  

We’ve worked through 15 sets of original compositions – some in an Irish traditional vein and many others leaning on other folk music influences - Hard to define - probably best left to someone else.

I’ll be playing a custom anglo C/G concertina made by Colin and Rosalie and John Dipper. It has a lovely range and tone with some great baritone sounds to boot. To be honest, many of the tunes wouldn’t exist without that concertina.

Anyway – we’re recording in April in Melbourne and I hope to have something to share a few months after. I’ll keep you posted.

All the best

Ciaran

 

P.S. And for anyone that might make it to the National Folk Festival in Canberra at Easter, Aifric and I will be playing (with Graeme) – sort of launching the album, “The Hunting Room”,  that we recorded in 2013 and then lost  -and then emigrated to Australia  - and then found… Long story.

[Steve Wilson]

Fantastic, great to hear about this upcoming album.  Shall look forward to it.  I'll be seeing Kate at the end of the week (she lives just 25min away) and maybe get a little insight into what's coming.  Unfortunately I'm not going to get to NFF this year Ciaran, you have a great weekend.

[Cogsey]

Many thanks for that, Steve.

 

A shame you wont make the NFF. Hopefully we'll catch up again before too long.

 

Cheers

Ciaran