Some of you know my day job in Michigan is announcer/producer at WMUK, Kalamazoo’s public radio station/NPR affiliate. So sometimes I get to do really cool things in the name of duty. Most of the people I interview are classical artists, but in this case, the Chieftains came to town.
Mr. Molloy gave me a rare interview after the show, in the London Grill Singapore, a downtown pub that supports the music. He was the only original Chieftain to come out, although Carlos Nunez and other Galicians touring with the band also showed (for those of you who are Nunez fans, I also interviewed him and will broadcast that at a later date). The music and shouting in the pub were intense, so we actually walked to the back of the restaurant and found a stairwell that was quieter, and I just asked him everything I could. “What are your favorite performing environments?” “Advice for flute players?” “Is there a common theme in folk music throughout the world?” “What do you do when you don’t feel like playing and you have to go on?”
He answered these questions and more, both of us stuttering quite a bit, but through the miracle of CoolEdit, I cut us down to about 10 minutes. It will air on the station’s website, www.wmuk.org, at 8 pm Eastern on Sunday, Feb 13, during our Irish hour, “The Pure Drop,” hosted by myself and a local fiddler, Dave Marlatt.
It’s very much an “in the field” recording, with pub noises and doors slamming, but I tell myself it just gives it character. Hope you enjoy it.
Again, it’s this Sunday night on www.wmuk.org at 8 pm Eastern. It will fall somewhere during an hour of Celtic music.
What? Hey! Why doesn’t my local NPR station air The Pure Drop! I thought Thistle & Shamrock was the only public radio show with irish (‘celtic’ they say, but mostly irish and scottish) music out there (and I always miss that one anyway, due to busy weekends, wish they’d air during
my commute ).
Well, at least it’s webcasted (The Pure Drop, I mean, though T&S is also).
There’s at least one more show out there, Celtic Connections. I’ve never listened (don’t think we get it up here), but I have played in sessions several times with the host, and he’s a fine flute and whistle player.
The Pure Drop is purely local, within an 80 mile radius of Kalamazoo, MI. And it should be. I’m learning with the audience as I go-- pronunciations, styles, player biographies-- there are much more knowledgeable hosts out there who have national shows, like Fiona Ritchie. I’m doing the best I can because there’s a need for this music in west Michigan, and I’m willing. That said, you can still tune in Sundays on the web. I’d be tickled if you did.
Colomon-- it’s been too long. Hope to run into you soon. I’ll be in Ann Arbor next month, i’ll shoot you a email with the details.
Cara
P.S. I listen from time to time to “A Celtic Sojourn,” a 2-hour show archived on Boston’s WGBH site. wgbh.org, I think. The host features many of the newest recordings out there. Likes the “airy synthesizer” sound a bit too much at t imes.
A little bump to say it’s now available online on the station’s website for a short time.
Brian: Heh-heh. Carlos will look like Riff Raff eventually, but he’s still got a that Latin Lover thing going for him, I think. But I noticed on his CD that his pictures never show his hairline. Aren’t we all a little vain.
I just recently discovered “The Pure Drop”! Man, what a relief – it’s been a long time since Elizabeth King and “Gaelic Salt”.
Can’t believe I missed a Chieftains concert that was right in Kalamazoo. Ah well, at least the Kalamazoo [cough, cough] Scottish Festival is coming up in August . . .
).