I got a great recommendation from musician Sean yesterday. It’s about this UK electronic group Above And Beyond. Check out this wonderful live performance. It features amazing vocalists.
I hope you have a great Friday. Mine is just starting here. I’m posting this in bed and coffee is waiting. I better go. Catch you tomorrow.
Before Alexander B MacNeil embarked in a serious Jazz career, he was part of the local creative scene in Pictou Nova Scotia. They are talented young men who are film makers, singer/songwriters, painters and just every creative kind of job you can think of. Some are still in college, some have already graduated. But they get together every now and then, to make good music. My friend Layne Greene introduced me to the music of MacNeil. They both collaborated on various recordings which can be summed up through this video.
There is that sunny air around him. He is friendly and supportive of other musicians. A comedian at times. He fronts a jazz quartet that plays all over eastern Canada. There is that wildness in his style. And take a look at him when he plays. That facial expression alone is priceless! I am really excited to introduce you to someone as talented as MacNeil. Hopefully we will get more youtube uploads from him, a website or perhaps an EP (if a full-length album is too much at this early stage of his promising musical career).
I bet my blogging fingers that he has a bright future ahead. He has the looks, the flair and most of all the talent to captivate listeners.
This will be John Adorney’s 7th release and while he is already well known in the Yoga/therapist community, when he’s not making music, he is also a certified music therapist, which obviously translates well to his music.
Influences:
Mark Knopfler, A.R. Rahman, William Orbit, Loreena McKennitt, Enya, Corelli, Handel, Deep Forest, Joni Mitchell, John Lennon, Bach.
Genre:
New Age – acoustic electronic
I started my day with high spirits while listening to The Wonder Well by John Adorney. He knows both the human soul and ears. The Wonder Well is his latest album. There are 11 tracks. I think what’s different about this one compared to his past albums is the emphasis on pop hooks and lively beats. It is the music of activity and finding inner peace in an urban landscape. There is still that spiritual John Adorney but with a more radio-friendly approach.
Vocals, keyboards, cellos, guitars, banjos, dulcimer and bamboo flute take you to a cultural journey all over the world. The beautiful vocals of Daya surround this project, sometimes as backing and as lead (If A Rose Could Speak). There are pulsing electronic loops and beats. Reverb embellish some tracks. This is New Age for the new decade.
Spiritus opens the track with wispy vocal overdubs singing:
Spiritus est Deus(Breath is God)
In Spiritus est Deus(God is in your Breath).
The phrases repeat all throughout the track like a mantra. Never Alone has a faintly Latin flavor. I think what differentiates Adorney from the likes of Enigma and Vangelis is his love for intimate acoustic sounds. This one showcases deft acoustic guitar talent on top of chill out beats. There are many memorable tunes in The Wonder Well including the title track. Yes too many to mention. But I think the album title speaks for itself. It is a cornucopia richness for its material and the talents involved. The production is superb. The presence of the autoharp really completes this album!
The Wonder Well is something that will continue to flourish as you listen all the time. It has a timeless appeal because of its artful craft. And heavenly melodies.
Visit:
Buy the album here: http://www.johnadorney.com/#!store/c11l7
Sampler:
It’s a Sunday and I am listening to Numbers & Shapes by Rebecca Brandt. The album gives me a floating and jolly feeling. Perhaps it’s the way she chooses her chords. Perhaps it’s the interplay of instruments and how she creates magical sounds with them. It is rare to find orchestral music these days as everything can be reproduced electronically. But Brandt managed to use the old school way in her recordings. There are also electronic instruments but her emphasis is more on world, classical, jazz and 60s pop styles. 
The whole album plays like a soundtrack. It is a journey to different places, moods and era. With albums like this, I am tempted to write long posts but then again it is hard to find more words. The word ENJOYABLE sums up everything!
She is certainly an artist I am curious about. I mean with this talent wouldn’t you be?
Buy Numbers & Shapes here: http://rebeccabrandt.bandcamp.com/
I sent Patrick “Paddy” Brazel jr an email sometime within this week for an interview. It’s for my radio show called The Baxteria on Radio Happy. He was cool in replying me asap about Friday as a perfect day. Since I live in the Philippines, it took place Saturday morning around 10 A.M. my time. He’s currently in New York, still in the middle of their American tour. Everything was doing fine until I discovered the audio was not working. That was a crappy situation considering this never happened before. I then found out the problem. It’s my USB mic that was not configured correctly. He said it’s ok and I should not make a big deal of it. But I was making a BIG deal of it because that’s Paddy of Von Shakes! I mean hey this band is really fantastic and I’ve been a supporter since they got introduced to me two months ago. So I did some fidgeting then I look for my old headset and wala! It worked.
The guy was really awesome. The interview was like a normal conversation that you would have with someone young, knows his stuff and likes many things. We had this nice rapport talking about the super storm that hit my country recently, and how they were worried because their friends experienced Sandy when it hit the east coast of the United States. Then we talked a bit about Ireland and I love how he tested my basic knowledge in common Irish phrases. He said he would be recommending more Irish alternative rock bands when he has the time and would email me the list. I told him that would be awesome!
The interview covered things I meant to ask about the band that was not covered in my email interview. It was a wonderful moment and yes I am so excited putting the audio on my show. I am going to edit it after posting this blog and see what happens later. Check out that new video of their latest single above.
More from their official site: http://www.vonshakes.com/
Buy Bohemia from: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/von-shakes/id351879465
Visit my websites:
www.celticmusicfan.com www.spheremusic.me
My podcast channel: http://www.mixcloud.com/thecelticmusicfan/
and also www.radiohappy.eu
The indie music blog 