Celtic MP3s Music MagazineThe Celtic MP3s Music Magazine is a free monthly Celtic music magazine featuring free music downloads of Celtic, Scottish, Irish music from around the world. Here, you will find free music downloads from independent Celtic artists. Some MP3s are time sensitive. So download them now. All of the latest MP3s are available for at least a month. As always, if enjoy the music, please help the artist out and buy their CD. Serving Celtic music fans since 2000! Don't just download. "The Wind in the Riggin'" by Eric Benson with The Boatrights
Celebrating his Celtic heritage, and with vocal nuances once called "Delightfully celebrative, and yet at times, wistful." Eric Benson has found himself singing with a swing orchestra, playing front man for a "techno-pop" band, and providing voice talent for various radio programs.
 The Boatrights have made their mark on the Celtic music circuit with an innovative musical and vocal style that brings a new element of Celtic inspired music to their audiences.Throughout their career, they have had the honor of sharing the stage with some of the most recognized names in Celtic music such as Alex Beaton, The Rogues, Wicked Tinkers, Men Of Worth, and 6 time Grammy award winning group The Chieftains. Hometown: Caledonia County, Vermont Similar Artists: The Boatrights, Tannahill Weavers, Woods Tea Company, Joe King, Cathy Ryan, Sydney Mac Ewen, Terry Scott Taylor, Bing Crosby Website: Eric Benson Download MP3: "The Wind in the Riggin'" Buy CD: "Stonework" by Eric Benson with The Boatrights
Posted by Marc Gunn, Friday, May 27, 2005. New to Celtic MP3s Music Magazine? Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or sign up to get email updates. Find free Celtic music downloads from Marc Gunn! "Sweetheart Reel" by Moonrakers
Moonrakers is a UK-based 3-piece Celtic band with harps, flutes, cittern, guitar and female/male vocals. They specialise in traditional and in-the-idiom contemporary tunes and songs, with a particular emphasis on harp music. Jon Bennett is also an award-winning songwriter. Their latest album "Both Sides" has had huge praise from many quarters, and was declared by Dai Woosman (Living Tradition) as "the best album I've heard this year".
 Hometown: Oxford, UKSimilar Artists: Poozies, Kim Robertson, Cheftains, Martin Simpson, Golden Bough, Incredible String Band Website: Moonrakers Download MP3: "Sweetheart Reel" Buy CD: Both Sides
Posted by Marc Gunn, Friday, May 27, 2005. New to Celtic MP3s Music Magazine? Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or sign up to get email updates. Find free Celtic music downloads from Marc Gunn! "Tolkien (The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings)" by Brobdingnagian Bards
Scottish and Irish folk songs combined with the Lord of the Rings music and a wee bit o'Celtic fun. The Brobdingnagian Bards (pronounced brAHb'ding-nAHg-EE-en) are The Original Celtic Renaissance music duo from Austin, Texas. Their unique brand of folk music on the autoharp, recorder, and mandolin has made them one of the most-popular Celtic music groups online where they give away thousands of free Celtic MP3 downloads daily.
 The Brobdingnagian Bards perform coast-to-coast, and in a given month might be at a Lord of the Rings Oscar Party, a Celtic festival, or a Science Fiction Convention. However, they are an absolute favorite at Renaissance Faires where they add high-energy and wit to make every show a memorable experience. Hometown: Austin, Texas Similar Artists: Marc Gunn, Bard, Andy M. Stewart, Ed Miller, Black 47, The Dubliners, The Corries, Joni Mitchell, Elvis Presley, Altan, Clannad, Enya, Martin Carthy, Bryan Bowers, Roger McGuinn, The Clancy Brothers, Ewan MacColl, Kingston Trio, Christy Moore, Dick Gaughan, Teh Chieftains, Baka Beyond, Fairport Convention, Dervish, Phil Coulter, The Fureys, Steeleye Span, Irish Rovers Website: Brobdingnagian Bards Download MP3: "Tolkien (The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings)" Buy CD: Memories of Middle Earth
Posted by Marc Gunn, Tuesday, May 24, 2005. New to Celtic MP3s Music Magazine? Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or sign up to get email updates. Find free Celtic music downloads from Marc Gunn! "Dante's Local" by Neil Anderson
If your only exposure to bagpipes has been watching the local 'pipe band march down main street for the Saint Patrick's Day parade you might easily make the assumption that you have witnessed the sum and total of bagpipe music. Fair enough... but if you come to one of THIS 'piper's concerts with such pre-conceived notions, prepare to have your point of view drastically rearranged!
 Neil Anderson, known to his friends as "The Antipypr," has been on the road since 1995 transforming audiences with unique, energetic interpretations of traditional and original Celtic and world music.Hometown: Irmo, South Carolina Similar Artists: RATHKELTAÍR, Seven Nations, Celtic Soul, Black 47, Paddy Keenan, John Whelan, The Chieftains Website: Neil Anderson Download MP3: "Dante's Local" Buy CD: Dante's Local
Posted by Marc Gunn, Friday, May 20, 2005. New to Celtic MP3s Music Magazine? Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or sign up to get email updates. Find free Celtic music downloads from Marc Gunn! "From Clare to Here" by Sligo Rags
SLIGO RAGS is a Celtic-oriented ensemble comprised of accomplished and versatile musicians based out of Long Beach, California. They are an upbeat, energetic amalgam of acoustic musicians and vocalists--coming from bluegrass,country, jazz as well as Celtic backgrounds--with an extensive repertoire of original, traditional, and cover tunes. While they specialize in Irish and Celtic music, their song list contains tunes ranging into the country, jazz and swing realms as well.
 They pride themselves on strong musicianship, powerful vocal harmonies, and engaging stage demeanor. While their stage production consists of a guitar, fiddle, and electric bass, the album--The Night Before the Morning After--is graced with mandolins, banjos and accordions as well. They were named the BEST FOLK BAND in Orange County at the 2004 and 2005 Orange County Music Awards. Their name is a tribute to the Celtic anthem The Irish Rover, whose third verse begins "We had one million bags of the best Sligo Rags." Hometown: Long Beach, CA, USA Similiar: Twilight Lords, Chieftains, Fenians, Tim O'Brien, Ken O'Malley, Bill Monroe, Pogues, David Grisman Website: Sligo Rags Download MP3: "From Clare to Here" Buy CD: "The Night Before the Morning After"
Posted by Marc Gunn, Friday, May 20, 2005. New to Celtic MP3s Music Magazine? Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or sign up to get email updates. Find free Celtic music downloads from Marc Gunn! Convert Your Band's CD into MP3s
Are you a musician?
Don't know how to make MP3s? Would you like someone to do it for you? It's fact of life. Many Celtic and folk musicians are not very internet savvy. Yet you are anxious to promote yourself online. You would LOVE to submit your band for a Celtic MP3 feature, but don't have MP3s to do it. Well, I'm here to help. I would love to take every CD someone mails to me and make MP3s for you, but I don't have that much time. So instead, I decided to offer this service to bands in need. You send me your CD. I will
So if you want to join the MP3 revolution and increase your CD sales in the process, then contact me today! You can also learn how Convert Your CD into MP3s yourself from Garageband, or from MP3DownloadHQ. Labels: articles_2005
Posted by Marc Gunn, Thursday, May 12, 2005. New to Celtic MP3s Music Magazine? Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or sign up to get email updates. Find free Celtic music downloads from Marc Gunn! "Kilkelly" by Moloney, O'Connell & Keane
by Phil Hall
Artist: Moloney, O'Connell & Keane Album: Kilkelly Year produced: 1988 The main reason to seek out this recording from the short-lived trio of Mick Moloney, Robbie O'Connell and Jimmy Keane is the title song. Written by Peter Jones, it follows a series of letters from a father in Eire and his son in America. The father's struggle to survive in the midst of famine and poverty are truly heartbreaking, and the distance (both geographic and emotional) between parent and child results in a shattering climax. This is easily one of the most compelling compositions in modern Celtic music, and it is impossible not to come away from it without sore tear ducts.  Beyond "Kilkelly," however, is a fairly strange and often lopsided recording. Another song, "Peter Pan and Me," details the loss of innocence during the seemingly endless troubles, but unlike "Kilkelly" it comes across as trite and mechanical rather. Two straightforward instrumentals, combining reels and jigs, are okay but not particularly memorable.But then there is the epic offering called "The Green Fields of America." Billed as an "operetta," this lengthy but excessively weird piece attempts to trace the experience of the Irish in America through various reels, dances, jigs, folk songs and ditties. It is not so much an operetta as it is a musical Mulligan's stew tossing in bits and pieces of "The Sailor's Hornpipe," "No Irish Need Apply," "The Night That Paddy Murphy Died" and even "The Notre Dame Fight Song" plus the Bing Crosby novelty tune "Two Shillelagh O'Sullivan." It is a mess, to be certain, and often it seems as if the Irish-American odyssey was a mix of treacly melodrama and bad vaudeville. Moloney, O'Connell & Keane only recorded another album before disbanding. It would seem the brilliance of "Kilkelly" was something of a fluke, albeit an extraordinary fluke. Celtic MP3s Music Magazine writer, Phil Hall is contributing editor for Film Threat, book editor for the New York Resident, author of "The Encyclopedia of Underground Movies" (MWP Books) and a proud child of Wales. Labels: cd_review_2005
Posted by Marc Gunn, Monday, May 09, 2005. New to Celtic MP3s Music Magazine? Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or sign up to get email updates. Find free Celtic music downloads from Marc Gunn! "The Well Tempered Bow" by Liz & Yvonne Kane
by Michelle Osborne
Artist: Liz & Yvonne Kane Album: "The Well Tempered Bow" Year produced: 2002 I had seen this album in my local Borders for many months before it was brought up in traditional folk music community. Someone recommended it and when I was looking to pick up a few new albums, this was one of the four I walked out of the store with. I was more than pleasantly surprised at this album (especially considering the classically-oriented title), I was completely amazed at the maturity and brilliance of these young women's playing.  Liz and Yvonne, who hail from the Connemara area on the west coast of Ireland, got their start through their grandfather, Jimmy Mullen (a leading figure in traditional music) and their teacher, Mary Finn McCrudden. Liz, who was into the competition scene, won several awards, including the prestigious All-Ireland senior fiddle title. The sisters have toured with Sharon Shannon and on their own, been guest artists on a number of albums, and have released two albums of their own playing.The Well Tempered Bow was the Kane sisters' first album. Filled with their brilliant unison South Sligo playing (heavily influenced by fiddle great, Paddy Fahey), every track on this album is beautiful and expertly executed, which is why it's so hard to pick out those that are the highlights. One favourite would be the Kye's Reel/Lenawee Reel set. Both tunes, which were composed by Liz, are darkly driving minor-based tunes and are certain to make you sit up a little further on the edge of your seat. Another favourite is the nostalgic waltz, Koesnacht. Written by Johnny McCarthy while in Switzerland, the title translates to "kiss in the night." A couple other highlights are the reel set, Paddy Fahey's/The Man of the House/Paddy Fahey's, which has a great minor tune surrounded by two of Paddy Fahey's well-known tunes, and The Girl From the Big House/Trá na mBan/Thank God We're Surrounded by Water, a jig set which features a tune by Liz (Trá nam Ban), and a Paddy Fahey setting of the final tune. Keep an eye on these girls. They're young and they're going to go very far. I highly recommend this album and anything else they might come out with. The Kane sisters can be found on the web at: http://www.thekanesisters.com/. Celtic MP3s Music Magazine writer, Michelle Osborne, is a native to the central New York region. She plays both high and low whistles regularly with the Syracuse Irish session. Besides being heavily involved in Irish traditional music, she is also a classical clarinetist and composer. Labels: cd_review_2005
Posted by Marc Gunn, Monday, May 09, 2005. New to Celtic MP3s Music Magazine? Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or sign up to get email updates. Find free Celtic music downloads from Marc Gunn! "The Golden Thread" by Mark Renburke (& Brogue & Blarney)
Mark Renburke is a New England based recording artist and performer blending roots and Celtic influences with more modern rock and pop elements. Originally from the Washington DC area, Mark performed in various roots and rock groups before moving to Japan in 1993.
He then spent several years as co-leader of the Celtic-infused group The Rising Pints, along with Irish singer/songwriter Brian Cullen. In the past half dozen years in New England, Mark has been developing his unique repitoire and fan base, and working on a new solo album. In addition to his live solo band, Mark performs traditional songs and tunes with the Irish/Celtic pub band, Brogue & Blarney.  Hometown: Providence, RISimilar Artists: The Cheiftains, The Pogues, Dropkick Murphys Website: Mark Renburke Download MP3: "The Golden Thread" Buy CD: Mark Renburke
Posted by Marc Gunn, Monday, May 09, 2005. New to Celtic MP3s Music Magazine? Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or sign up to get email updates. Find free Celtic music downloads from Marc Gunn! "Bog Songs" by The Blaggards
BLAGGARDS were formed in July 2004 by Dublin-raised Patrick Devlin (guitar and lead vocals), Minnesotan Turi Hoiseth (violin and screaming), New Yorker Chad Smalley (bass and lead vocals) and Bostonian Brian Vogel (drums and backing vocals).
They carry with the legacy of On The Dole, an earlier Houston band founded by Patrick. Like On The Dole, BLAGGARDS are known for knocking around the traditional with fists full of heavy metal and rockabilly. And they have a laugh or two while they're at it.  Hometown: Houston, TexasSimilar Artists: The Pogues, Patrick Devlin Band, Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash, The Devlins, Shane MacGowan, Ballybracker, Black 47, Flogging Molly Website: Blaggards Download MP3: "Bog Songs" Buy CD: Standards
Posted by Marc Gunn, Monday, May 09, 2005. New to Celtic MP3s Music Magazine? Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or sign up to get email updates. Find free Celtic music downloads from Marc Gunn! "Irish Heartbeat" by Van Morrison and the Chieftains
by Phil Hall
Artist: Van Morrison and the Chieftains Album: "Irish Heartbeat" Year produced: 1988 The Chieftains have collaborated musically with a wide spectrum of creative artists, ranging from James Galway to the Rolling Stones. But perhaps their finest pairing came when Van Morrison joined them for the 1988 album "Irish Heartbeat," which is my choice for the very best of the Chieftains' canon.  "Irish Heartbeat" consists of 10 songs, eight of them traditional Irish melodies which are performed with such depth and vibrancy that it is easy to assume they are all brand new. Morrison was in playful vocal form, sowing musical wild oats with the opening "Star of the County Down" and the raucous reel "I'll Tell Me Ma." The Chieftains' main vocalist Kevin Conneff does a grand vocal duel with Morrison on "Ta Mo Chleamhnas Deanta (My Match It Is Made"), with Morrison taking the English lyrics while Conneff keeps the Irish lyrics in play.The emotionalism of Irish folk music is heard with uncommonly graceful renditions of "Carrickfergus" and "She Moved Through the Fair." Morrison's decidedly mature and raw voice gives these renditions a tinge of time-weathered poignancy and rue which is frequently absent when the songs are performed by singers of a younger and finely-trained voice. The two new songs created for the recording, "Irish Heartbeat" and "Celtic Ray," are pleasant if not particularly stirring. But their inadequacies are easy to overlook, especially with the closing polka "Marie's Wedding," a sweeping and jolly swish of matrimonial celebration (and listen carefully for the lush back-up vocals from Mary Black, Maura O'Connell and June Boyce). Celtic MP3s Music Magazine writer, Phil Hall is contributing editor for Film Threat, book editor for the New York Resident, author of "The Encyclopedia of Underground Movies" (MWP Books) and a proud child of Wales. Labels: cd_review_2005
Posted by Marc Gunn, Saturday, May 07, 2005. New to Celtic MP3s Music Magazine? Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or sign up to get email updates. Find free Celtic music downloads from Marc Gunn! "Wild Kitty" by Marc Gunn & The Dubliners' Tabby Cats
The Dubliners' Tabby Cats forage their way out of the gutters of Ireland to create a musical menagerie that combines Irish drinking songs and the folk music stylings of groups like The Dubliners, The Clancy Brothers, the Irish Rovers, and "Weird" Al Yankovic to create a sound unlike any Celtic music group you've heard today. The songs will make you laugh and cry with delight or distension as this feline group reinvents traditional Irish folk music.
 Hometown: Austin, TexasSimilar Artists: Brobdingnagian Bards, The Dubliners, The Corries, The Clancy Brothers, The Fureys, Steeleye Span, Irish Rovers, Weird Al Yankovic Website: Marc Gunn & The Dubliners' Tabby Cats Download MP3: "Wild Kitty" Buy CD: Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers
Posted by Marc Gunn, Friday, May 06, 2005. New to Celtic MP3s Music Magazine? Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or sign up to get email updates. Find free Celtic music downloads from Marc Gunn! |
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