Atlantic Edge Music Services

AEMS Artists @ Celtic Connections 2009

6 November 2008

Many of the artists represented by, or associated with, Atlantic Edge Music Services will be on the bill for next year's prestigeous Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow, which runs from the 15th January until the 1st Feb - over 200 event across 19 jam-packed days.

 

CHRIS STOUT

Chris is set to have an extremely active festival once again. On Sunday 25th January he will be appearing as a guest in one of the premier concerts of the festival, the 'Homecoming Scotland Suite'. An arranged marriage of classical and traditional music, this concert seeks to celebrate the close links that the two generes of music have had in Scotland over the years - this is the year of the Scottish Home-Coming.

The concert will feature new works by a number of artists, including Chris himself. Also on the bill will be a wealth of quite incredible names, including the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, legendary American saxophonist Branford Marsalis, the BBC Scottish Symphone Orchestra, Michael Marra, Tommy Smith, Aiden o Rourke, Patsy Reid and Brian Byrne.

For more details of this concert - CLICK HERE

Chris will also be appearing as a special guest with the hugely exciting 'Moshie's Bagel' on the final night of the festival - 1st Feb - at the Classic Grand

For more details of this concert - CLICK HERE

Of course Chris will also be in the ranks of Fiddlers Bid who play the Old Fruitmarket on the 29th January on the opening night of Showcase Scotland. More later on this page. 

CATRIONA MCKAY

Catriona McKay will also have a high profile concert of her own during the festival when her wonderful new album 'Starfish' gets the festivals 'Classic Album' treatment at the Tron Theatre on the 31st January.

For more information on this concert - CLICK HERE 

Catriona's latest album 'Starfish' has also been nominated in the category 'Album of the Year' in the Scottish Trad Music Awards 2008. To vote for Catriona's amazing album in the awards - CLICK HERE

Catriona will of course also grace the ranks of Fiddlers Bid when they make a one-off festival appearance in the Old Fruitmarket as part of Showcase Scotland on the 29th January. More on this gig below.

 

 J P CORMIER  

Standing over 6' 4" tall, and weighing in at over 300 lbs, it's hard to miss the amazing man-mountain that is Cape Breton musical legend J P Cormier. A huge name as well as stature in his native Canada, and the USA, he's also not one to miss when it comes to live performances. "Astonishing" is a word often bandied about when JP takes the stage, with his quite incredible guitar playing and cut-to-the-chase (not to mention the bone) songs.

For this years festival JP will join a throng of his fellow Cape Breton musicians in a special concert entitled 'The Cape Breton Connection' on the 15th January, the opening night of the festival, in the main auditorium of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. The concert aims to celebrate the historical and musical links between Cape Breton Island and Scotland, where many Scots found a new home over the decades (indeed centuries). So this concert will be all the more poingnant and relevant in 2009 - the year of the Scottish Homecoming events.

Joining JP on the bill from Cape Breton Island will be Jerry Holland, Kimberley Fraser, Ashley MacIsaac, Mary Jane Lamond and the Barra McNeils. In addition several Scottish artists who have performed at Cape Breton's international 'Celtic Colours' Festival over the years will also grace the bill, including Corrina Hewat, Margaret Bennet and David Milligan.

One not to be missed and no mistake. CLICK HERE for more info  

The following evening, 16th January, JP will head up his own concert, accompanied by his wife Hilda Chiasson-Cormier on piano, in the recital room of the City Halls in Glasgow

For more information on this concert - CLICK HERE

 

DEAN OWENS

Hailed as one of Scotland finest singer / songwriters Dean is inevitably no stranger to the Celtic Connections stage.

Hot from support slots with Nanci Griffiths and Eddi Reader, and with the title track of his recently released album 'Whisky Hearts' featuring on the soundtrack of a new Irvine Welsh film, Dean is climbing the ladder to a still higher profile and no mistake.

For the 2009 festival he will take the stage alongside American singer / songwriter supremo Kathy Mattea in the Grand Hall of Glasgow's fantastic new City Halls venue on the 24th January, in another concert to add to your 'not to be missed under any circumstances' list.

For more information on this concert - CLICK HERE

  

FIDDLERS' BID 

It really wouldn't be a Celtic Connections proper without Fiddlers' Bid in full flight at some point during the proceedings - so no worries, here they are.

The amazing surroundings of the the Old Fruitmarket on Thursday the 29th January will play host to a very special concert to kick off the Showcase Scotland element of the festival, in front of over 200 international music delegates from countries scattared across the globe.

Showcase Scotland is almost a festival within a festival and one designed to show of the best of Scottish talent to the wider world.

Also on the bill alongside the Bid will be other AEMS artists Bodega (more of them in a minute) harp wizard Corinna Hewat and Glasgow singer / songwriter Brendan Campbell.

For more on this concert - CLICK HERE

 

JOHN GOLDIE

Without any shadow of a doubt John is one of Scotland's finest contemporary guitarists. He has graced the stage with many great names including Martin Taylor, Tommy Emmannuel and George Benson, to name but a few, and has toured the world, taking in the USA, Canada and the Far East - and all points in between. 

He is a regular attender at guitar camps in the USA, including the one's that fly under the banners of Chet Atkins and Steve Kaufmann.

John is also in great demand as a composer, having recently composed the title and incidental music for the BAFTA award winning TV programme 'Dear Green Place', to name but one 'project'in this particular respect.

In his latest recording, 'Open 4 Closure', on Watercolour Music, John is joined by fellow Scottish luminaries Angus Lyon on accordion, Duncan Lyall on upright bass and Jim Drummond on drums. Together the band fuse traditional music with a Jazz tinge to create a dynamic band sound that ranges from the violently dancey ‘Back Door Creeper’ to the eloquently phrased ‘An Honorary Scot’. To read more about it, or to buy this album - CLICK HERE

His solo appearance at this years Celtic Connections is part of a 'Guitar Summit' to be held in the ABC Sauchiehall St on 28th January, which also features Russ Barenberg, Ian Carr, John Doyle, Tim Edey, Anna Massie and Tony McManus.

For more information on this concert - CLICK HERE

 

MARY ANN KENNEDY & NA SEOID

Scotland's latest Gaelic sensations are set to make their second appearance at Celtic Connections this year, having appeared on the final night of the festival last time around to officially launch their debut album.

The stunning seven male / one female line up features some of today's finest young Gaelic voices - coming at you from a very different perspective, a young male dominated line up.

Their debut album on Watercolour Music has just been nominated in the category 'Best Album of the Year' in this years Scottish Trad Music Awards. To vote for this stunnning album in the awards process - CLICK HERE  

Mary Ann Kennedy & Na Seoid will be appearing in the main auditorium of Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall on the 20th January on the bill alongside Portugal's superstar diva Mariza.

To find out more about this concert, or to buy tickets for what is certain to be an amazing gig and a very hot seller - CLICK HERE

 

BODEGA

Bodega are one of Scotland's happening young bands, with currently perhaps an even bigger profile in the USA and Canada than they have in the UK - and that's saying something.

Having undertaken no less than three visits across the pond in 2008, and performed at many of the continents biggest festivals, including Milwaukee, Chicago and Goderich in Canada, the band are set to make more of a mark on the UK and Europe in 2009, starting off with an appearance as part of the Showcase Scotland event in the Old Fruitmarket on the 29th January alongside Fiddlers Bid, Corinna Hewat and Brendan Campbell.

For more information on this concert - CLICK HERE

The band are also due to make a guest appearance with Scottish folk-singing legend Brian McNeill during his concert in the Strathclyde Suite of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on the 21st January. This should be a terrific musical reunion given that most of the band members studied under Brian when he was head of the Scottish traditional music course at Glasgow's Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

For more information on this particular concert - CLICK HERE 

Bodega have also been nominated in the 'Best Up and Coming Artist' section of this years Scottish Traditional Music Awards. The winners are decided by online voting, so please cast your vote for this exciting young band by clicking HERE

 

MAIRI CAMPBELL & DAVE FRANCIS

Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis (previously known as the 'Cast') are the latest artists to join the AEMS roster.

Well established on the Scottish music scene for a number of years, they have toured extensively throughout the UK, Europe, North America and Scandinavia as well as featuring on many national radio broadcasts.

Their deep love of traditional music was rewarded further in 2008 when their classic version of 'Auld Lang Syne' was featured on the soundtrack for the movie version of 'Sex and the City' - an international box office smash. Prior to this success the track had also featured on a US TV special honouring Sean Connery. Among the many special guests at that event were the then President of United States Bill Clinton and his wife Hilary.

Mairi is also due to perform the song this new year's eve in Liverpool, backed by the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, to close that city's status as the 2008 City of Culture.

Not surprisingly therefore they will feature in a special Celtic Connections 'Auld Lang Syne' concert aimed at celebrating one of our greatest songs in the main auditorium of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on the 24th January. They join an all-star line up that will include living legend Odetta, Eddi Reader, Dick Gaughan, Michael Marra, Dougie McLean, Emily Smith, John McCusker and Phil Cunningham. A truly one-off night of incredible music surely not to be missed.

For more information on this concert - CLICK HERE

During the festival Mairi can also be heard (and seen) in conversation with Radio Scotland's Iain Anderson in the Exhibition Hall of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on 28th January. for more information on this event - CLICK HERE

TICKETS FOR ALL THE ABOVE EVENTS CAN BE PURCHASED BY CLICKING ON THE CONCERT INFORMATION RELATED LINKS ON THIS WEB-PAGE OR BY VISITING THE CELTIC CONNECTIONS WEBSITE DIRECT AT WWW.CELTICCONNECTIONS.COM

All in all it's shaping up to be a very special Celtic Connections for Atlantic Edge Music Services and many of the artists currently assoicated with it. Can't wait!!!!