Artists Archive

Brandi McCarthy

May 14, 2012
BrandiMcCarthyCape Breton

Brandi McCarthy is a fiddler and step dancer from Port Hawkesbury who began dancing at the age of 6 and fiddling at age 9. She has further developed her style and repertoire by attending workshops, ceilidhs, and square dances around Cape Breton. She also teaches locally and abroad. While in University, Brandi spent a year living in Ireland, busking and attending traditional music festivals, workshops and sessions. She has studied Irish Dancing in Galway, Limerick and Dublin, and continues to pursue her interest in Irish Dancing, recently attending the Stanford School of Irish Dance while living in Fredericton.

Cape Breton artists, Dance, Fiddle
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Allan Dewar

May 11, 2012
AllanDewarCape Breton

Allan’s background in the Cape Breton musical tradition allowed him to accompany fiddlers like Jerry Holland for dances and ceilidhs and new generation fiddlers like Troy MacGillivray, Andrea Beaton and Shelly Campbell. Allan started playing guitar, but by the age of 8 he began to follow along on piano while his mother was playing solos and to tunes on the radio. At 13, he moved to Antigonish where he soon became a regular at dances, filling in for sets to give the piano player a break. Since then, Allan has toured around the world with Jerry Holland, Ashley MacIsaac, Natalie MacMaster and Troy MacGillivray.

Cape Breton artists, Piano
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Alan Kelly Gang

May 11, 2012
AlanKellyGangIreland

Fronted by Ireland’s piano accordion maestro, The Alan Kelly Gang has been taking their audiences by storm with music from throughout the Celtic regions and original compositions that stem from a deep traditional sensitivity. Each a highly respected artist, the four members of The Alan Kelly Gang — Alan Kelly (accordion), Maureen Browne (fiddle), Steph Geremia (flute & vocals), Tony Byrne (guitar) — combine their individual virtuosity with unparalleled musicianship and group empathy to produce a sound that pushes the conventional boundaries of traditional music yet remains sympathetic to the past, present and future of it. The Alan Kelly Gang was a big hit at the Festival last year and we’re really excited to see them back.

Accordion, Irish artists
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Abby Newton

May 11, 2012
AbbyNewtonUSA

Abby Newton is well known for her groundbreaking work in the revival of cello in American and Scottish traditional music. She began recording in the seventies and has produced and performed on over a hundred folk recordings, including 16 with Scottish singer Jean Redpath. Abby’s solo CDs, “Crossing to Scotland” (1997) and “Castles, Kirks, and Caves” (2001), have earned her critical acclaim both in the US and abroad, and her influence on the folk cello movement has been the subject of a feature on National Public Radio in the US. The tunes from each recording are also available in book form. Abby first came to Celtic Colours with Ferintosh in 2003. She returns this year as part of the Fiddletree project.

USA artists
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Brakin’ Tradition

May 11, 2012
BrakinTraditionCape Breton

In the early 1990s, Brakin’ Tradition released three albums–Music Man (1992), Powerfolk (1993), Presence in the Past (1995)–and were nominated for an East Coast Music Award. Their music is diverse, with hints of Bluegrass, Celtic, Acadian and Folk music and tight harmonies, simple rhythms, and interesting and fun lyrics. The band broke up in the late 1990s, but this spring, Cyril MacPhee, Ray Legere, Louanne Baker, Roger Stone, Harold Davidson, Doug Sampson, and Scott MacDonald reunited for some shows and so we invited them to get together again this fall to play at Celtic Colours.

Cape Breton artists, Vocals
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Boyd MacNeil

May 11, 2012
BoydMacNeilCape Breton

Boyd MacNeil, the youngest of the “Barra” MacNeils, grew up in a musical environment in Sydney Mines. After spending a number of years recording and touring with Slainte Mhath, Boyd and his brother Ryan joined their siblings in The Barra MacNeils. Multi-instrumentalist Boyd plays mandolin, fiddle, guitar, banjo, percussion, and step dances.

Cape Breton artists, Fiddle, Guitar
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Ben Furey

May 11, 2012
BenFureyCape Breton

Ben Furey grew up in Coxheath, Cape Breton Island. A graduate of St. Francis Xavier’s music program, he writes and performs songs on his own and with bluegrass rowdies Crowdis Bridge. Quickly becoming an accomplished guitarist, mandolin, and banjo picker, Ben is establishing himself as a quality utility player in multiple genres, most recently being called to play alongside Darren McMullen, Chrissy Crowley, Sprag Session, and J.P. Cormier. After playing festivals in the United Kingdom and France this summer, Ben is excited by the possibilities and looks forward to creating similar opportunities in the future.

Banjo, Cape Breton artists, Guitar, Special Projects, Vocals
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The Belkolora Quintet

May 11, 2012
TheBelkoloraQuintetCape Breton

The Belkolora Quintet, one of Cape Breton’s newest ensembles, features Katheryn Gordon on piano, Laurie Gorman on clarinet, Richard MacAulay on flute, Barb Stetter on oboe, and Jenny Tingley on harp and flute. Each has an active passion for music of all sorts, as demonstrated by their work as both educators and talented performers in their own right. Now they’re arranging and performing music together – creating and developing their multi-coloured, beautiful Belkolora Quintet sound.

Cape Breton artists, Harp
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