Còig releases new CD
David Francey left the Iona audience both happy and sad
Còig has a new CD on the go — a delightful 12-cut collection of driving tunes and carefully selected songs, a nice mixture with something for everyone.
Produced and arranged by Còig, “Rove” was done at Dave Gunning’s Wee House of Music in Pictou County. And Gunning is the only guest musician on the album, adding guitar and backing vocals to several cuts.
Band members Chrissy Crowley, Rachel Davis, Darren McMullen and Jason Roach all contributed material to the “Rove” project, either newly selfcomposed or dug up from older traditional sources.
It’s the combinations and arrangements that make things distinctively Còig, as tunes change timing and instrumentation in surprising ways, weaving in, out and around each other to create something greater than the sum of its musical parts.
A perfect example of this is “Franzke En Francais.” There is so much good music that it’s hard to point out the highlights. “O’Dowd’s #9/42 Beech Avenue” (a nicely matched pair of slow reels) shows a more sedate side of the group while the drive of “The P.F.P. Set” and “Whistled No. 1” will get your feet moving.
I truly enjoy the vocals (one in Gaelic and two each from McMullen and Davis in English). Of the five, I find McMullen’s version of Peter Gabriel’s “Solsbury Hill” to be quite catchy and I’m truly in love with Davis’ “Down The Road.” Written by Mary McCaslin, the song carries much sentimental value as it’s considered the last song performed on stage by the late Stan Rogers.
“Rove” will likely be the closest you get to Còig locally before their Celtic Colours shows in October as they deal with personal projects and work a New England tour in September. This is a terrific recording and you won’t go wrong by having it in your collection.
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I managed to catch more music over the past few weeks. Buddy MacDonald was at Governors on July 14, where excellent songs and stories were the priority before the packed house. Next, I attended RibFest where I filled up on food, but also enjoyed songs from High Society.
You can’t go wrong with good food and good music.
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Last Wednesday I was at Iona’s Folk & Frolic Pub for an evening of entertainment from Scottish-Canadian singer-songwriter David Francey.
A favourite on the East Coast, Francey has made many fans locally during trips to Celtic Colours. Backed by multi-instrumentalist Craig Werth, he pleased the full house with his songs (old and new) and his special brand of storytelling.
It was a marvellous show that ended with a somewhat sad note as Francey announced that he had cancelled touring for the remainder of the year because of ongoing throat problems. Hopefully things clear up quickly and he’s back on stage before too long. The Wednesday Concert Series continues through the summer, a great place to go for an intimate musical evening.
Last Sunday I took in the annual Big Pond Concert, as the community celebrated 53 years of music.
Most of the talent had strong Big Pond connections with the music including the Cape Breton Gaelic Choir, Donnie Campbell and Jinx O’Neil, All Fired Up, The Big Pond House Band, Brenda Stubbert and Doug MacPhee. There was even a flag parade to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday.
The highlight for me was watching Detroit resident Jimmy MacNeil on stage. His Big Pond roots run deep as his grandfather was involved in the original event and his father played there for many years. MacNeil carried on the tradition by having his two daughters (ages 10 and 12) share the piano chores while he provided the fiddle tunes. They were joined by guitarists Malcie MacPhee and Ken Hutchinson. All three men are married to MacInnis sisters from Big Pond. You don’t get more community than that!