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Feb 14: Winnipeg,
MB Concert Review OLDER
PRESS: 2003 | 2002 | 2001 |
2000
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December
1, 2004
Believe it! To inaugurate the new and impressive building, home now to the Strait Pirates and the Port Hawkesbury Municipal staff, to ballet and the YCMA, to a quilt market and an art gallery, Marketing and Events Manager Paula Davis and Natalie MacMaster's brother, Dave, arranged a performance by the Troy fiddler and all her in-laws, the internationally acclaimed Leahy family. "You're going to have a good time whether you like it or not," Donnell Leahy told the sold-out audience in the Civic Centre arena and, joined by seven brothers and sisters, led the willing audience into a Celtic wonderland of music, song and dance. The Port Hawkesbury concert was only the second time these two Celtic forces, Leahy and MacMaster, had performed together, the first time being a couple of nights earlier in Halifax, but the Halifax performance, Donnell Leahy noted, "was only a dress rehearsal for tonight," which was in every way a homecoming. All of Cape Breton lays claim to Natalie MacMaster, the island's most exciting and endearing daughter, and since marrying Donnell Leahy a couple of years ago, he might also have been adopted except that Donnell and the whole Leahy clan can claim their own Cape Breton credentials, their mother, Julia (MacDonnell), being from Deepdale. With performances ranging from Cape Breton jigs to the standing ovation Leahy received for its spirited version of Orange Blossom Special, from dance numbers, to the tender lyrics of Borrowed Time, a Leahy song inspired by the death of friend's daughter, the audience was alive and clapping and tapping along. Fortunately, the audience was neither clapped nor tapped out by the time the evening's second show started. Natalie MacMaster and her band took the stage after a short intermission, opening with The Jig Party from her recording, Blueprint, and from there was a dazzling display of energy and talent. Dance routines by MacMaster may have comprised as much as twenty-five percent of her performance on Saturday, and we're not talking slow dancing to a waltz band. This woman rarely let up, Cape Breton fiddling with the passion that has earned her international fame, playing her instrument one-on-one against her band, Brad Davidge's guitar, John Chiasson's bass, Allan Dewar's keyboard, Matt MacIsaac's bagpipes, Miche Pouliot's drums. Moving from the fiddle to dance routines, featuring rapid taps while standing still, a hornpipe, and, of course, Natalie MacMaster's signature back-kick. When she wasn't fiddling or dancing, she was fiddling and dancing. For a breather, Natalie would approach the mike to talk to the audience in the fashion most cherished by Cape Bretoners, telling stories, at which she is as accomplished as she is with fiddle or feet. (Someday, get her to tell you about trying to qualify for funding for a music video, and how that led to a previously unrevealed MacMaster talent, songwriting!) And just when people thought it was over, it wasn't. After all, the lady from Troy is married now, so the audience wanted to watch them play together (which they did with proper decorum), the two fiddlers in a fascinating duet. And just when people thought it was over, it wasn't. Onto the stage came Natalie's band and the Leahy clan, forming a string of musicians nine fiddlers long on the Civic Centre stage. It took a long while for the applause to fade. Photo:
Frank MacDonald - Natalie and Donnell: The Leahy-Natalie MacMaster ......................................................................................................................................... November
30, 2004
MacMaster played faster, kicked higher and smiled wider than a stage full of Rockettes, and what made the show even more enjoyable was the fact that the audience of about 1,700 smiled back with gusto. A look around the packed arena revealed a crowd that was with MacMaster on every note she played, every tap she stepped and every story she relayed in her ever-the-Cape-Bretoner accent. MacMaster told the audience she was thrilled to come home and perform alongside her husband, Donnell Leahy, and all the rest of the Leahy clan. Anyone who has seen Leahy perform knows that their show is electric, but they seemed to put even more passion into Saturday's performance, perhaps in homage to their newest family member. "It's really great to be here in Port Hawkesbury, a little place I've come to know a little bit better over the past few years," Donnell told the crowd. "We ran this show a couple of times earlier in the week in Halifax, as just a warm-up, just a dress rehearsal for tonight, really." Their performance brought the audience to its feet more than once as they struggled to keep an eye on Donnell's flying bow. Photo:
STEPHENIE CAMPBELL ......................................................................................................................................... November
25, 2004 Will they play together?
And while the Grammy-nominated musician from Troy may have played it coy in interviews leading up to the historic show, when she gave a broad wink at the end of her "last blast of tunes" telling the audience it was the final number, they knew the moment they had waited for was about to occur. The duet, which came at the end of two hours of first-class fiddling, sizzling step-dancing and good-natured banter was every bit as magical as imagined. The capacity crowd was still on its feet as Donnell Leahy, who wed MacMaster two years ago in Cape Breton, returned to the stage to join his wife in a sweet, rich melody played with classical grandeur. After a quick kiss, the duo picked up the tempo and were joined by the other Leahy siblings in a rollicking nine-fiddle set. Donnell Leahy and MacMaster share passion and talent for the fiddle but their musical styles are vastly different. While she's a captivating, exhuberant player, whimsical, full of life and joy, the music lightly flowing from her fingertips, he's more driven, more precise, more intense, while dazzling with the lightning speed of his fingers and bow. And the audience loved both performances. The Lakefield, Ont., family, with Cape Breton roots on their mother's side, highlighted their opening set with the traditional Cape Breton Medley, spectacular stepping in Ottawa Valley style from Agnes, Erin and Maria - Siobheann, who had a baby just three weeks ago stuck to bass guitar - a plaintive ballad from pianist Erin about a women who lost her 21-year-old daughter to cancer, and the Orange Blosson Special. Call to the Dance which ended with step-dancing fiddlers, who twirled and kicked in unison as if taking part in a Broadway chorus line, brought the audience to their feet. MacMaster's band - guitarist Brad Davidge, Matt MacIsaac on pipes and whistles, drummer Miche Pouliot, bassist John Chiasson and Alan Dewar on keyboards - filled in the stage as Leahy exited in a seamless transition. MacMaster, clad in pink sparkly pants and bright fuschia tee, entered to MacIsaac's haunting tin whistle and soon had the audience in the palm of her hand with her humour and mile-wide smile. Her enthusiasm for playing at home was palpable, as was her joy at playing favourites like Blue Bonnets Over Scotland and demonstrating her skill at Highland dance and in a rare hornpipe. Later she got funky with a step-dancing moonwalk, followed by a sleek moonwalkthat would make Michael Jackson proud. It was a night to dazzle on all fronts. Photo:
TED PRITCHARD / Staff ......................................................................................................................................... November
24, 2004
Leahy drew the first set, as the four brothers and four sisters from Lakefield, Ont,. kicked into a rousing set of tunes. Fiddles and keyboards, guitars and a thundering drum kit cranked the energy - and the volume - into high gear. Donnell is a world-class fiddler, with an impressive command of the instrument. And sister Erin is an excellent keyboardist and compelling singer. But with so much sound and fury, the eight-piece band rarely let the soul of the music shine, overdriving their performance with frenetic energy. Leahy finally found its voice on their signature Call To Dance, which showcases the solid ensemble playing and culminates with the whole clan madly step- dancing in a line. No pause As Donnell introduced each of his sibs, the Cohn stage crew was quietly changing over the stage for MacMaster. Without a pause, her band took over as the lights dropped and eased into a moody tune built round Matt MacIsaac's low whistle. You could feel the room exhale and refocus. MacMaster skipped onstage in sparkly pink pants and a hot pink top, and launched into a sweet set of Cape Breton tunes. Her tone is gorgeous, and her playing is effortless. She seems almost disconnected from her instrument as the music flows out of her like warm breath on a cool morning. She kicked the band into the lilting Harvest Home hornpipe, with Brad Davidge adding some greasy electric guitar fills, then spilled into a driving set of reels. Seems the big rock on her left hand hasn't slowed her playing any. Last night's concert showed little of the bluegrass flavour from her recent Blueprint CD. She kept the music closer to home for the crowd, which was stacked with Cape Bretoners. And MacMaster was feeling the love, beaming as she played. She exudes a palpable joy in her music, adrift in the exuberance of her Celtic muse. She closed her well-balanced set with the stunning Blue Bonnets Over the Border, a staple of her live set, animating the ancient tune with a fresh arrangement. MacMaster has one of the finest Celtic bands in the world - Davidge, MacIsaac, bassist John Chiasson, pianist Allan Dewar and drummer Miche Pouliot. To no one's surprise, as the standing ovation roared, Donnell appeared from behind the wings to join MacMaster for a lovely unaccompanied violin duet. The swooping harmony parts wove round each other, creating an intense musical connection onstage. Sawing away Not unlike family dinner at the Leahy farm, the intimate mood was soon interrupted, as a pair of fiddling siblings arrived, followed by a couple more. By the time the band blasted into Alabama Jubilee, all eight Leahys and Natalie were sawing away on fiddles and step-dancing like mad. Welcome to the family, Nat. Photo:
Palpable Joy: Fiddler Natalie MacMaster performs last night at the Cohn ......................................................................................................................................... November
20, 2004 THE QUESTION "Who's on first?" may be the trigger for a classic comedy routine, but when you've got two powerhouse Canadian Celtic acts touring on the road together, it's no laughing matter. Keeping it all in the family, Cape Breton fiddler Natalie MacMaster is on her first tour with her husband Donnell Leahy's band of siblings delivering a one-two punch of high spirited, fiddle-fueled traditional sounds. The two Nova Scotia stops include a pair of shows at Halifax's Rebecca Cohn Auditorium on Tuesday and another at Port Hawkesbury's new Civic Centre on Saturday, Nov. 27. Usually it's a question of who's the headliner and who's the up-and-coming act who gets the support slot, but in terms of popularity, success and skill the MacMaster/Leahy pairing is a tough call (although it's a safe bet that the fiddling fireball from Troy has a slight edge on the East Coast). "I'll tell you this, we split it up evenly," says MacMaster from her home in Lakehill, Ont. "I go first half the shows, and Leahy's going first the rest of the time. It's hard, because I wouldn't want to have to close for Leahy, and Donnell doesn't want to have to close for me. I don't want to have to go on after Leahy, they put on a great show. And we both do similar things and have an energetic, highly spirited show, and it's really tough to keep that momentum. They just knock the audience out of their seats, and I think, 'What am I supposed to do now? Where's my ring of fire?' " "But we realized that sharing the bill makes a lot of sense, and the power of both bands together is something else. We're separate entities, but put us together and it's a whole new thing, and people who are interested in our kind of music will get a big dose of it. "And we're different enough that there's variety there. I'm more traditional and Leahy is a bit more rocking, so we just decided to stop worrying about it." Fans are also probably wondering if they can expect a Natalie/Donnell duet at some point in the show, since the two collaborated on My Love, Cape Breton and Me on her recent Blueprint CD, and the new Leahy CD In All Things includes their joint composition Wedding Day Jig. The pair actually did share the stage when MacMaster launched her doublelive CD at The Marquee Club, when they were still just engaged, and it's bound to be a highlight of this show. If it happens, that is. "I have to figure out how to answer that question, because it's come up before, and I don't want to give anything away," says MacMaster. "The best answer I could come up with is, 'What do you think?' " Hmmm . . . Will the sun rise tomorrow? Is the sky blue? Is the Pope Catholic? If I were a betting man, I'd lay odds on The Wedding Jig making an appearance in the show, a tune that means a lot to MacMaster for obvious reasons. "I was obviously a little more endeared to that one," she says. "You know how when you go to a wedding and you sit down to dinner and there's a little something there for the guests, like candles or a box of chocolates or something? We were wondering what to do, and we thought, 'Let's give 'em a tune.' "So we decided to write up a tune, put it on nice paper and roll it up and have it on the tables. Well two days before the wedding we realized we didn't have the tune! So we wrote the tune - I wrote the first half, Donnel wrote the second - ten minutes each in turn, and when we finished, we thought, 'Hey, that's good!' " But Wedding Day Jig nearly remained a secret between MacMaster's and Leahy's friends and family, until the Cape Breton native suggested to the Ontario-raised family band - whose mother was an islander - that they record a jig for In All Things. "Well, they thought that jigs tend to sound a little dorky - needless to say, I disagree," says MacMaster, before reconsidering her choice of adjectives. "OK, not dorky, that's a bad word for it, but he's very cautious with them. They have that 'dum-de-dum-dee-diddle-dee-dum' rhythm to them, and it's easier to make a great arrangement for a reel because of the rhythm, while it's a lot more thought provoking and time-consuming to come up with one for a jig. "But I thought we should try it anyway, and the arrangement came together so quickly, I loved what they did with it. There's nothing rinky dink about it at all, it's got a great groove." MacMaster doesn't have to sell Nova Scotians on the fine quality of jigs, their bouncy rhythmsare perfect for stepdancing and you can't hear one without smiling. Cape Breton music without jigs would be like classical music without minuets. "We grew up with jigs in Cape Breton, and it's such a major part of the music,"she says. "The jig was as popular in its way as the reel, and we love to play them. On my traditional record, I've got three sets of them, I just adore them. But you don't hear people play them as much up here (in Ontario). "They play breakdowns and clogs and reels and waltzes, they play lots of waltzes. They lovethe waltz like we love the jigs." Surprisingly, this is MacMaster's first Cohn show in four years - Leahy played there in 2001 - and while she figures she still plays about 100 shows per year with her band, most of that effort has taken place in the U.S. "Life continues to be exciting," says MacMaster, who notes the past year has included appearances on Good Morning America and Late Night with Conan O'Brien, onstage at Carnegie Hall and with the Boston Pops. Joined by her band - including guitarist Brad Davidge, Matt MacIssac on pipes and whistles, drummer Miche Pouliot, bassist John Chiasson and Alan Dewar on keyboards - MacMaster says her current shows are some of the best she's ever played, bolstered by the songs off Blueprint, which was recorded with some of the biggest names in traditional music in Nashville. Besides the concerts at home, MacMaster is also excited at the prospect of some time off once the current round of dates is over. "Yes, a whole month! Usually I play in December, but this is the perfect time to take off, with all the Christmas stuff." ......................................................................................................................................... November
18, 2004 When Natalie MacMaster glided down the aisle in the big Stella Maris Catholic Church in Creignish to marry Donnell Leahy, it was about as close as Nova Scotia gets to a royal wedding. Reporters and photographers stood in the October chill outside, waiting for the happy couple to emerge from the church. Two years later, the pair is living happily in a home on the Leahy beef farm in Lakefield, Ont. whenever the busy musicians find a little downtime in their careers."It's so gorgeous here," says MacMaster, from her home 20 minutes from Peterborough. "It's just like a little storybook." Donnell and Natalie bought a house on the property, but plan to build their dream house there in the near future. He works most every day on the farm with his father and brothers, tending to 300 head of beef cattle. "I find the farmwork such great balance from the music," says Leahy. "We grew up working, and it's in the blood. I actually have to pull myself away from it. I get caught up in the farm." On Tuesday night at the Rebecca Cohn, the two are doing something they've never done before: MacMaster and her six-piece band will share a concert stage with the eight-sibling Leahy band. "We wanted to make the Halifax show a little special," explains MacMaster, 31. "So we talked about it, and then Donnell went to Leahy with the idea, and I went to, uh, myself with it and it was a go for everybody." With 14 musicians plus crew traveling, it's a big entourage. But MacMaster loves having the family around. Both bands will split the evening down the middle, though MacMaster won't reveal who will open. And will the married fiddlers play onstage together? "What do you think?" she laughs. The acclaimed fiddler has scaled back her once-hectic touring schedule to about 100 shows a year plus another 40 days of traveling around those dates. As her star continues to rise on the international scene, MacMaster now plays major soft-seaters, festivals and the "odd specialty gig, like the Good Morning America show." The Grammy-nominated fiddler opened shows this summer for Don Henley and Faith Hill, played a PBS televised concert with the Boston Pops Orchestra, performed on Late Night With Conan O'Brien and participated in a marvelous fundraiser at Carnegie Hall with classical-music superstars Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Pinchas Zukerman and Joshua Bell. "I was hanging out backstage with Bobby McFerrin and Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman. These guys are kings in their fields, but they made me feel really good." The classical players were awed by MacMaster's ability at "cutting the bow," the rapid triple bow movement that gives the Cape Breton fiddle style its distinct drive. "They thought it was pretty cool, and were standing around trying to figure how I was doing it. I was laughing to myself, thinking all you have to do is go to a square set in Glencoe and you'll hear it." MacMaster's fan base continues to grow in the important U.S. market, where much of her touring is now centred. She's been performing in the States since she was 12 years old, flying south to play dances and festivals even while attending teachers college in Truro. MacMaster figures her Blueprint album, recorded in Nashville with some of the best acoustic musicians in the world, has helped boost her profile and reputation in the U.S. bluegrass stars including Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, Bryan Sutton and Viktor Krauss. The Cape Breton musician met many of the players over the years playing festivals across the U.S. "There are some musicians who have stood the test of time, who are the real deal," explains MacMaster. "There's a circle of those well-respected musicians, and part of that circle was on that album." Still, MacMaster continues to grow and evolve as a musician. She has opened the horizons of traditional Cape Breton music, incorporating elements of Latin and pop. "I'm learning all the time about how I like my music to sound." MacMaster has been recording some new tracks over the summer toward a new album. "I'm working a lot with (guitarist) Brad Davidge on the arrangements, and really finding a nice place. I write some music and get it to a place where I can't get any further, and then take it to Brad." Ironically, MacMaster has only begun writing in earnest in recent years. Like many fiddle players, she preferred to draw on the extensive canon of traditional fiddle music. "I remember thinking that I'd written some tunes but didn't like the experience and had no intention of becoming a writer. I didn't have the confidence before. But I've totally changed. "Now I'm really enjoying the creative process and trusting my instincts more." And when MacMaster isn't touring, she often hits the road with Leahy. "Why stay home alone? I might was well be out with him." But don't expect her on-stage "I enjoy the night off and play with the kids backstage." How is she enjoying married life? "I just love it, oh my gosh. I feel I am no longer restless in life. I give marriage a lot of credit. I didn't know marriage was such a beautiful thing until I entered into it." While she says her once-driven focus on her career may have softened since being married, "I am still so motivated. I am as excited about music now as any point in my life. But in terms of priorities in life, absolutely my marriage is number one." Leahy agrees that marriage has helped him find balance in life. "Natalie helps everything. She's really taken to married life . and we both understand the (demands of) the music career." You'd think with two of the best fiddlers in Canada sharing the same house, the rafters would ring with live music. But with their busy schedules, there's little time for playing music in their house. "I find we play a lot less at home than people would expect," says Leahy. "We get home and want some normalcy. Our tours are long, so when I come home, I don't really want to play the fiddle too much. When I come home, I want to be married and be normal, if there is such a thing." MacMaster is taking to the domestic chores that were never a large part of her single life. Living on a beef farm, she's becoming pretty handy in the kitchen. "Do I ever love it, boy oh boy. I have a new passion. If I wasn't a fiddler I'd be chef. One day I'll have a really good kitchen with cool ovens and fancy propane stove tops I can't wait." With a happy marriage, can children be far behind? "We'd
love a family," says MacMaster. "But we'll just have to let
nature take her course."
'Natalie is deeply rooted in the Cape Breton music," explains Donnell Leahy. "All the music she writes is grounded in that Cape Breton music. I've come from Ontario, and grew up without a fiddle culture. So I developed on my own. When I approach a piece of music, it's completely different from Natalie." Leahy's father was a renowned fiddler player, and the main musical influence on young Donnell. "I started playing the fiddle when I was three, and when I was 10, I was given four records Jerry Holland, Irish fiddler Sean McQuire, T-Jean Carignan from Quebec and Graham Townsend. I learned every tune on those records. I think God sent them to me. It happened at a key point in my music development. I had learned my own style, then was introduced to these great players." Donnell's stunning technique on the fiddle has long been the centrepiece of the Leahy band, which toured country fairs and festivals when all were young kids. In 1985, a documentary about the family band won an Academy Award as best foreign student film. Leahy has built its reputation on its showy concerts, with the eight siblings trading instruments, singing and stepdancing. It's a far different environment that breeds the fiddle players from Inverness County. "In the Cape Breton style, it's all about timing and rhythm and tunes, tunes, tunes," says Leahy. "They group 10 tunes into a medley and play and play. But we'd play one tune and stop." That Cape Breton tradition grew from the dance hall demands, where the driving jigs and blistering reels would set the rhythms for the square sets. A fiddler needed several tunes to keep the music flowing until the completion of the dance. ......................................................................................................................................... October
21, 2004 Bluegrass and Celtic music are close cousins," reads a publicity sheet for Natalie MacMaster's latest CD, Blueprint, "with shared roots hundreds of years old." But Natalie says that's not why she picked bluegrass artists, Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush and Edgar Meyer, to back her on this album. They were simply the absolute best musicians anywhere and their recent influence on her music will be heard during her concert tonight at 8 p.m. at Saint John's Imperial Theatre. Now 30, Natalie has been taking her Celtic based, pop and, recently, bluegrass influenced fiddle music to a steadily growing world audience since her teens, and this past year has been a busy one! She married, moved from Halifax to Lakefield, Ontario; accompanied Ireland's most prestigious music act, The Chieftains, on a US tour, was featured in an Evening of Pops in April at Washington Centre for Performing Arts, and played over 85 solo concerts. Easily North America's most recognizable fiddling personality: she's been featured in official NS tour guides, TV commercials for General Motors and Tim Horton's. A step-dancer since five, Natalie began studying fiddle at nine and toured Canada when she was only 11. ......................................................................................................................................... October
19, 2004 Natalie MacMaster is what you might call a globe-trotting homebody. The Cape Breton fiddling sensation has been on the road for half her young life and perhaps it's for that reason that she craves the simple things: like doing her own laundry, for instance. "I don't find anything mundane about being at home. I love home. Donnell (Leahy, MacMaster's husband, fellow fiddler and member of the Celtic family band, Leahy) is the same way I suppose. We are never at home. I enjoy doing the laundry, I enjoy cooking, I enjoy ironing. You know why? Because I never do it. It's like a little taste of real life," MacMaster said. "When you're on the road, you're staying in hotels and you don't have to make your bed every day." Not that she's complaining (who would?) but the celebrated fiddler cherishes her quiet time, especially as her star continues its ascent state-side. In the past year alone, since she last appeared in New Brunswick at Saint John's Festival by the Sea, she has appeared on Conan O'Brien, Good Morning America, opened for Faith Hill and appeared with the Boston Pops, among countless other concert dates. It has all been in support of her 2003 album, Blueprint, a breathtaking 13-song collection of strathspeys, jigs and reels played by MacMaster and a supporting cast of some of the best American pickers in the business. The album kicks off with Blast, a medley of strathspeys and reels, the first of which, Bishop Faber MacDonald's Strathspey, is a tribute to the Saint John religious leader. MacDonald and MacMaster go way back. She appeared on his debut CD a few years back to which she donated a tune. A devout Catholic, MacMaster said she just wanted to pay tribute to a man who opened up a world to her. "I met the pope," MacMaster said, still sounding amazed, "and the reason why I met the pope is Bishop Faber MacDonald. I said to (the bishop), 'I don't know what I'll do for you but I will write you a tune.'" Anyone hoping to see the two on stage together will be disappointed. MacMaster said MacDonald is out of town during her Saint John performance on Thursday. "He phoned me to tell me he couldn't be there." But the musician will be bringing with her a five-piece band, including a bagpiper who doubles on whistles to New Brunswick for three shows. In concert, she is as energetic as ever, her blonde mane flying as she stepdances and furiously fiddles. Her shows, she admitted, are about the only exercise she gets. "I will have to start working out at some point," said the 32-year-old. "The only exercise I get is on stage. I wouldn't describe myself as being a couch potato because I keep the house nice and have every day activities." Among the countless awards MacMaster has won are: two Junos, seven East Coast Music Awards and two Canadian Country Music Awards, as well as a Grammy nomination. A fiddler since age nine, MacMaster released her first album at age 16 at a time when very few musicians of any stripe in the Maritimes were putting out music. "I had a great start. It was just the right time. There weren't that many people going out and releasing records. When I put mine out, there were hardly any. I was 16. Now the market is flooded. For the future of Cape Breton fiddle, that is great. I am thrilled. (If you're starting out), it's a little harder to get noticed these days," MacMaster said. Of course it was MacMaster, along with Ashley MacIsaac, who helped bring the Cape Breton fiddle to the world, thrilling a whole new generation of fans. With digital recording and inexpensive ways to reproduce CDs, anyone can now put out CD, and scores of youngsters now do so, looking to become the next Natalie. But the market is changing again, little more than two decades after the CD's introduction. MacMaster doesn't sound too worried about videos completely overtaking music in popularity, given that DVDs are starting to dominate music stores over traditional music formats, like CDs. "I don't think the music will ever be lost. We all have the same human desires. Everybody wants to be loved. Just hearing music does that," MacMaster said. "We'll be okay. It's all about the live performance. If you can make your sales from performing, that's where the real true test of musicians will surface." ......................................................................................................................................... October
7, 2004 For the first time Leahy and Natalie MacMaster will perform together, with two full bands, at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in Halifax on Tuesday, Nov. 23 at 7:00 pm. Hailing from Lakefield, Ont., Leahy is the eight person musical collective, including Agnes, Angus, Donnell, Doug, Erin, Frank, Maria and Siobheann Leahy. The group released its third Virgin Records album entitled In All Things in February. It was recorded at their home studio, The Farm. Leahy's 1997 self-titled debut along with tour dates with Shania Twain grabbed the public's attention earning the group sales of double platinum in Canada. The group received two 1997 Juno Awards for Best Instrumental Group and Best New Group, and took home the Best Country Group or Duo trophy the following year. MacMaster, a 2000 Grammy nominee, returns to her home province to perform songs from her latest album Blueprint. The album fuses Cape Breton fiddling with the sounds of banjo, Dobro and mandolin. Recorded in Nashville with producer Darol Anger, Blueprint features some of the best of America's bluegrass community including Bela Fleck (banjo), Jerry Douglas (Dobro), Sam Bush (mandolin) and Edgar Meyer (bass). MacMaster has won numerous awards for her early traditional Cape Breton recordings and has taken Celtic music to new heights with albums like In My Hands, which featured elements of jazz, Latin music and guest vocals by Alison Krauss. Tickets are $35 and go on sale on Friday at noon. They are available at the Dalhousie Arts Centre box office, by phone 494-3820, 1-800-874-1669 or online at www.dal.ca/artscentre ......................................................................................................................................... September
3, 2004 If people are weary from an activity-filled summer, they can collect sparks from the high-energy fiddling and dancing of Natalie MacMaster, who will perform Friday in Atwood Concert Hall. "Even without hearing us, if you plug your ears, you can see the energy and spirit all over the stage," MacMaster told the (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger recently. The Grammy-nominated musician might jump away from her Celtic roots with a bluegrass spin, a familiar Bach tune or a splash of funk, pop or jazz. She spoke with us from her home in Lakefield, Ontario. Q. What's your creation process? Jamming in studio? Long walks with music in head? A. It comes in all sorts of different ways. For the most part, for me, it involves taking initiative, opening my mind, sitting down with the violin and being in focus in the zone. Rarely do I get inspired when grocery shopping. Things come or they don't; it might be a little snippet. Sometimes, a whole tune comes; then the next day, I realize it's not good. A couple weeks down the road, I realize it was great in the first place. I like the lucky breaks when it is great from top to bottom. Q. What's in the future for you? A. I'm always working on new projects. Even on the road, I'm working on stuff, with lots of plans to take over the world, starting in Anchorage (laughs) Q. You are being more selective in your touring schedule, though 100 concerts a year is still a lot. What brings you back to Alaska? A. The theater there was really nice. The audience was warm. It was a great market for us, and I want to nurture that. Also, what a neat place in the world. It is right on the back of our own country and similar to the north of Canada. I'm really into culture. Scottish culture has maintained through centuries where I grew up. (It) is very hopeful that the world is hanging onto its differences and individuality. We don't all look the same or sing the same or do things the same. Q. How do you distinguish Cape Breton fiddling? What does it mean to you? A. Cape Breton is Scottish in origin. It's more traditional and rooted in Scottish tradition. The dance style is different (from Irish Celtic dancing). We do speak Gaelic, but Scottish Gaelic dialect is different from Irish Gaelic, and that influences music; music sounds a lot like the language. Gaelic has a lot of throatal, rough sounds -- and the music reflects that too. We say it has lots of dirt in it. We have something called the cut, which is a triplet done more aggressively than an Irish triplet; it has a gritty sound. It's my most-requested technique. I doubt that what we play in Cape Breton is like what they played in Scotland 300 years ago, but it's the same style, only a little more refined. Q. For the record "Blueprint," you sought out a more refined sound. A. Nowadays, you can layer so much on music. It sounds really cool. (However,) this record was not about technology but about my fiddling with support instruments around ... more about musicianship. The record had more solos than any record I ever did. The record is very clean and pure and all about musicians. Q. How do your recordings and performances differ? A. I like having both because one helps you appreciate the other. If I didn't record, I might get sick of performing. In studio, you get to create, and anything you don't like you can redo. You get the best microphone in the world and add in luscious sounds. (Sometimes) I put headphones on and sound like a goddess. Onstage, you get one mike, so the sound of a violin is more raw, rougher than in the studio. But what you don't get in studio is that energy. Whatever goes off inside there you can't get by sitting in your house or anywhere but onstage. Then there's the thrill of the crowd, supporting you like a pat on the back, confirming everything you're doing. You can be having the rottenest day in the world, and as soon as that first chord is played, it's all good. In studio, you wonder, "Is this good? Maybe it sucks." Q. Are there songs you perform live that you don't record and vice versa? A. Certainly ... there's stuff on records that I don't do live, (thinking,) "Nah, that wouldn't translate." When playing live, I look for really intense pieces, where highs are really high, slows really tearful and fast pieces really energetic. In studio, I don't need the extremes. I find people like to listen, just sitting in their car. Onstage, there's nothing cute; it's all powerful. Q. What do you look forward to most when touring? A. I always hate leaving (home), especially now that I'm married (to fellow fiddler Donnell Leahy of the band Leahy), but as soon as -- and I mean instantaneously -- I'm on the bus, it's great. I'm excited and ready to perform. I enjoy creating on road, messing around with sound checks, putting together something new. Every now and then, we have an extra-special show. Those make you really feel like being alive. .........................................................................................................................................
August 26, 2004 Cape Breton fiddler extraordinaire Natalie MacMaster closes out the Grand Theatre's Hot August Nights concert series with an all but sold-out show tonight. In just the past six months, MacMaster has played Carnegie Hall on a bill of such classical music greats as Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman and Joshua Bell. She has opened for Faith Hill and Don Henley, played with Michael MacDonald of the Doobie Brothers and did a concert with the Boston Pops that was broadcast on PBS and has turned up on a span of American network shows from Good Morning America to Late Night with Conan O'Brien. And believe it or not, MacMaster insists things are slowing down for her a bit. Not that she's complaining. "As far as my career goes," MacMaster says, "I'm very content with the pace right now. I do about 100 shows a year. A few years ago we were doing 250 shows a year and that was bad for us. It was too much for me personally. That pace lasted for two whole years and I found out where my own threshold lies, what my quota is. I enjoy 100 shows a year and can really give myself to those shows and enjoy them instead of trying to get away from it all." MacMaster's career really started to take off around the same time that another Cape Breton fiddling sensation, Ashley MacIsaac, was going through a bit of a PR meltdown. At least in Canada, MacMaster was seen in some circles as the anti-MacIsaac. "I don't see it that way personally," MacMaster says, "but a lot of the papers played it that way. I was the angel and he was the devil. I like Ashley. We grew up a quarter of a mile apart. We trained with the same teacher. We're close in that regard, plus we're distantly related. So of course the papers were going to compare us and gossip about us." Far from feeling any competition or animosity, MacMaster is delighted that MacIsaac seems to have gotten his career back on track. One of MacMaster's biggest fans is the Canadian-born ABC News anchor Peter Jennings. "Peter's just a fan," she says with a laugh, obviously flattered by the attention. "He invited us on his program and he's phoned a few times. However he got my number I don't know. He and his wife were going to Cape Breton this summer and he called to find out where the hot spots were. I'm glad he feels like he can call me." MacMaster's less punishing concert schedule frees up the time and the mental focus to concentrate her energies in the best way. "I'm more creative now than I've ever been," she insists. "That's partly because of my marriage and my general contentment in life. I love the recording studio and am going to continue doing more of that. But as for plans and goals, I have to tell you that I don't really have any. I've always taken the attitude that I should go wherever paths open up and great things will happen. My only real plan is that I want to play music until I'm in the grave. If I can just do that -- and be reasonably happy doing that -- then that's all I want." Where earlier Cape Breton fiddlers such as Don Messer and MacMaster's Uncle Buddy were strict traditionalists, MacMaster and MacIsaac both came to the fore at a time of unprecedented mixing of genres. "We're surrounded by all different types of music now," MacMaster explains. "Plus people are travelling like never before. You put all that together and musicians are crossing boundaries and borders more and more. For me personally, I love all kinds of music. I don't just love Cape Breton fiddle music." Does she ever worry that different styles can be blended so much that the end result becomes some bland hybrid that speaks of nowhere? "No," she answers. "I happen to come from the rich tradition of Cape Breton music and that will always colour whatever I do no matter how much I mix things up. There's no fear of that dying out. I don't think I could lose it if I tried." MacMaster's show is always changing as new numbers get slotted in. That is particularly so now as she and her band head into the studio in October to cut their next album. In addition to her usual backup of guitar, piano, bass and drums, the newest member in MacMaster's band is a piper who also plays banjo and whistles. In addition to the new songs in development, MacMaster says London fans can expect four numbers from her last release, Blueprint, and a lot of older material from earlier albums such as My Roots Are Showing. "A couple of my band members sing as well so we've slotted in a couple of songs that highlight them. And there's a bit of dancing as well so this show will have pretty well the whole kit and kaboodle." ......................................................................................................................................... August
14, 2004 CREIGNISH - Cape Breton's queen of the fiddle, Natalie MacMaster, brought her king, Donnell Leahy, home to Creignish this week - and the two made beautiful music together during the first Pastoral Aires concert at Stella Maris Church on Thursday night. The setting was made all the more romantic by their memories of their wedding here almost two years ago. When Leahy's turn to perform came at last, he fondly recalled the day. " Also performing in the stellar lineup were Kinnon, Betty Lou and Andrea Beaton, Sandy MacDonald, Delores Boudreau, Mac Morin, Allan Dewar and Cape Breton Gaelic singer Jeff MacDonald. MacMaster told the audience that while the idea for Pastoral Aires is not new to Cape Breton parishes, it is the first time one has been held in Stella Maris Church. The plan for the concert was born from a conversation last fall between MacMaster and fellow organizer Peggy Burke, who agreed it would be an ideal fundraiser for the historic parish. MacMaster joked that she just wasn't used to taking care of all of the details for concerts, from helping with the sound to making sure there was enough to drink backstage (or in the vestry) for the performers. "Just water!" she quickly assured everyone. MacMaster's experience with the acoustics of her home church convinced her that it would be a perfect setting for a concert. "Stella Maris is such a great place to play," she said. "We've always enjoyed the acoustics here. So tonight the mics will be on low, and the acoustics will be on high." Truer words were never spoken, as the music did seem at times to be coming from "on high." The crowd, a blend of locals and tourists, sat enthralled despite the less-than-cushy wooden pews and the heat created by the late evening sun slanting in through the windows. People just fanned themselves with copies of Glory and Praise they found in the pews and let themselves be carried away on a wave of pure sound. The most magical moments of the night came when MacMaster and Leahy stood together and played, their fiddles in almost heartbreaking harmony. When they played a slow air, a tear came to more than one eye in the crowd and even the old church seemed to hold its breath and listen. When the last note was played and the crowd spilled out into the night, it was with a great hope that Pastoral Aires at Stella Maris will become a tradition. Peggy Burke says the concert was a great success, with more than 300 people attending, and bodes well for future events at the church. Music set within the wood-slatted walls of the century-old church, spilling out to Creignish Mountain and to the sea below, is just plain inspiring. "The music is really coming from their souls," Burke said. "It is a spiritual connection." ......................................................................................................................................... August
11, 2004 Celtic fiddler Natalie MacMaster (news | tickets) sets out on a late-summer/early fall North American tour that supports her latest album, "Blueprint." The run kicks off in late August, and dates are set through the end of October. The first few weeks focus primarily in the U.S., while most of the October shows are set in Canada. Details are shown below. MacMaster released "Blueprint" in September of last year. The set, which is her first studio recording since 1999's "In My Hands," features contributions from bluegrass pickers Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush and Edgar Mayer. Backing MacMaster during the tour is her band: Miche Pouliot (drums), Allan Dewar (piano), Brad Davidge (guitar, vocals), Matt MacIsaac (bagpipes, whistles, banjo) and John Chiasson (bass, vocals). A native of Cape Breton--an island off the east coast of Canada near Nova Scotia--MacMaster is the niece of Cape Breton fiddler Buddy MacMaster. "Irish music affects me the same way as Cape Breton music because those are the sounds and instruments that I've heard since I was a child," she said in a statement. "It's the same thing with bluegrass music, which has many of the same sounds and instruments. And, in a way, bluegrass musicians play reels, breakdowns and jigs too, so it's all very similar." ......................................................................................................................................... August
6, 2004 Faith Hill, with special guest Natalie MacMaster, is set to play Saturday, Aug. 7 at Base II on Blackcomb Mountain come rain or shine. Local personalities and musicians will also share the stage in one form or another. Whistler's very own Doug Craig, AKA Guitar Doug, and Kristen Robinson will MC the main concert along with the afternoon show. "I have had the pleasure being involved in many concerts in Whistler and look forward to announcing such incredible acts like Faith and MacMaster," said Robinson who was awed to learn she was invited to MC the event. Robinson, otherwise known as the infamous KR, is well known in the community as one of the producers of the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival for seven years and a familiar voice on Mountain FM and Whistler Resort TV. Having just returned from Toronto where she worked as a booking agent in the music industry, Robinson is happy to be home once again in Whistler. "I am super excited that these mountain concerts are back," she said. "As a music fan, we don't have to travel far." In addition to Hill and MacMaster, two Canadian artists from Vancouver will warm audiences up before the main concert for a late afternoon of picnicking, barbecuing and country/folk music. Gates open at 4:30 p.m. with the first music set beginning at 5:30. MacMaster begins fiddling at 7:30 p.m. with Hill striking up the night at 8:45 p.m. Vancouver's Rae Armour is one of the two late-afternoon acts who will share country-infused folk music with the crowds. A prairie girl from Calgary, country music has always come natural to Armour. The now real estate agent who took a break from her musical career of 17 years is back in full swing with the release of her most recent CD in February. The timing of the Faith Hill concert invite couldn't have been more perfect. "Having my music played to a larger venue, I would certainly hope will promote my music in the future. It may open doors that may have been previously closed," Armour said. "I'd
like to credit Faith and her people for choosing Canadian talent for
being Armour also has Dennis MacDonald to thank. He is president and executive producer for Shout Resort Concerts - the production company responsible for bringing Faith to Whistler. It was important to him that local talent be incorporated into the superstar-line-up concert. "I wanted to give locals the opportunity to have a platform to show what they can do," MacDonald said. In addition to Armour, Melanie Dekker , also of the Vancouver music community, will be performing for the all-woman concert. Dekker has shared stages with famed Canadians such as April Wine, Biff Naked,Tara Maclean and the Powder Blues. She's won numerous songwriting contests nationally and internationally and received national radio play for her hit singles "When I Think of You" and "I Said I". There are still Gold tickets available for the concert with seating provided. For Silver and Bronze tickets, there is no structured seating, and therefore, audiences are asked to bring blankets or low-seated beach chairs to sit on. All tickets are general admission, so seating is first come, first served. Tickets will be sold at the gate. There will be no debit machines available, so visit an ATM prior to coming to the concert. Wrist bands with corresponding colours to the gold, silver and bronze sections will be issued. Parking in the Whistler Day Parking lower lots one, two, three, four and five are free of charge. Concert-goers can then proceed to either the Whistler or Blackcomb base to take a free lift to the concert venue. Parking in upper lots six, seven and eight by Base II will cost $10.00 per car. Bus service will be available. Concert goers are reminded to bring sunscreen, a hat and jacket along with something to sit on. No alcohol, coolers, cameras, smoking or umbrellas will be allowed. Rain ponchos will be available for purchase. ......................................................................................................................................... July
29, 2004 Vivacious fiddle virtuoso Natalie MacMaster has played Carnegie Hall alongside Pinchas Zukerman, Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma and more. She's shared other stages with Pavarotti, Carlos Santana, Paul Simon, The Boston Pops and a host of symphony orchestras. When she felt drawn to the sounds of bluegrass she didn't quench her thirst with a Dolly cover or two. Not Natalie. She rounded up some of the most esteemed pickers in the genre including Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush and Edgar Meyer who were more than happy to collaborate on the acclaimed album that came to be 2003's 'Blueprint.' She harbours a secret ambition of playing fiddle in a funk band a la the P-Funk Allstars under deep cover of an alter ego - think Garth Brooks' rock 'n' roll fantasy character Chris Gaines only MacMaster claims she wouldn't tell a soul. And she dreams of collaborations with R&B icons like Prince and Stevie Wonder - the melody from Isn't She Lovely would sound especially sensational played by her fiddle, she enthuses. Amidst all the funk band alter ego scheming, R&B legend dreaming and bluegrass, country, pop, jazz, rock and classical collaborations rest assured - Natalie MacMaster knows exactly who she is. "Here's the deal: I'm a Cape Breton fiddler," she declares from her home in Ontario's lake country, punctuating the statement subconsciously with a tenacious regional accent that's held fast after years on the touring circuit and the move to central Canada. "Even if I play a tune that's not traditional Cape Breton, it doesn't matter. It might as well be - I'm a Cape Breton fiddler. "I just play my style. If I play a bluegrass tune it's still going to sound like my style. Let that be known." MacMaster's unshakeable foundation in traditional East Coast Celtic music has grounded her through her experimentation with a myriad of musical styles. "If you love something set it free" goes the familiar saying. MacMaster has applied the concept to her sound. Her current band consists of a jazz bass player, pop guitar player, and country drummer. "You put us all together and we just play music," MacMaster says. "We go where the music leads us, not where we think it should be, not where we think people expect it should be. We let it breathe on its own. What that ends up being is a combination of my Cape Breton fiddling and a band of players that sometimes can take on a bit of a funk overtone, or go a little bit poppy, or a little bit jazzy, or a little bit Irish, or a little bit whatever. "When it comes to me and recording and what I want to play it's not like I want to be something. I just let the music be what it needs to be; somebody can put a label on it after it's recorded." MacMaster attributes much of the creative freedom she enjoys both onstage and off to the fact that despite her success she has yet to record a "hit." "There's advantages and disadvantages to having hits. I'm sure people can't imagine the disadvantages, but one of them is that we can play anything, anytime, however we want it," she says. "Musically, it's very fulfilling. You don't have to play the same thing over and over in the same way." She differs in this way from All-American country-popstar Faith Hill, for whom MacMaster will play the opening set on Saturday, August 7 at Base II on Blackcomb. Hill will no doubt have the entire mountainside at the open-air concert singing along with radio favourites like This Kiss and Breathe. Even so, MacMaster couldn't be happier about the lineup, including the profile discrepancies between the two performers. "I'm going to complement her," the forthright fiddler declares. "I think it's a real smart pairing. I like opposite things. I would never have a Cape Breton fiddler open for me." With the upcoming gig squarely in her sights MacMaster's effervescent voice gains momentum. "I am going to take her crowd and I've got 45 minutes to stir them up and I'm not stirring them up with vocals, so when she comes on stage it's going to be the first time you hear vocals and it's just going to be beautiful because it's fresh." She pauses. "And, mind you, because she's awesome." More gold for that thar' Hill show. They weigh in at $118. Even so, the tier one "gold" seats for the Faith Hill/Natalie MacMaster show at Base II on Blackcomb are hot tickets. The original block of 750 sold out shortly after going on sale on Monday, July 12. Concert organizers added 250 more, which were declared sold out by Tuesday, July 13. As of Wednesday, July 27, 500 more gold tickets were put aside. The gold tickets provide general admission seating and the closest proximity to the stage. The remaining 13,500 tickets require concertgoers to bring their own seating -blankets or beach chairs are suggested. .........................................................................................................................................
July
22, 2004 Country-pop superstar vocalist Faith Hill's Aug. 7 outdoor concert in Whistler has been moved to the Base II area on Blackcomb Mountain from its original location at Creekside. Organizers Shout Resort Concerts cited several reasons for the move, including easier accessfrom Whistler Village by foot, transit or gondola, a higher automobile parking capacity, and a gentler slope. The concert set up will remain the same, with a stage at the base of the slope at Base II and the hill functioning as a natural amphitheatre. The new location also provides the opportunity to expand the capacity by 5,000 should the original 15,000 tickets sell out said Shout spokesperson Barb Fraser. Any extra tickets issued would be either the mid-range $86 "silver" tickets, or the $65 nosebleed section "bronze" tickets, neither of which provide seating. All 1,000 of the $118 "gold" tickets, which include seating and the closest proximity to the stage, are sold out. The concert is Hill's first major vocal performance in four years. MacMaster added to Hill bill. Cape Breton-born Celtic/bluegrass fiddler Natalie MacMaster was announced earlier this week as Hill's opening act. The vivacious virtuoso has toured all over the world and collaborated with celebrated musicians such as Bela Fleck, Sam Bush and vocalist Alison Krauss. MacMaster has won several Canadian Country Music Awards for Fiddler of the Year and heralbum My Roots Are Showing was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Traditional Folk Album Category in 2000. Her latest album is the bluegrass- themed Blueprint. MacMaster takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. .........................................................................................................................................
July 19, 2004 Natalie MacMaster to open for Faith Hill Saturday August 7, 2004 Creekside, Whistler, BC. Celtic fiddling virtuoso Natalie MacMaster has been confirmed as the opening act for Faith Hill, Saturday, August 7, 2004 in Whistler, B C. Thirty year old MacMaster is already a veteran of her instrument. She first picked up a fiddle at the age of nine and hasn't looked back. The niece of famed Cape Breton fiddler Buddy MacMaster, Natalie quickly became a major talent in her own right. After winning numerous East Coast Music Awards for her early traditional Cape Breton recordings, she began taking Celtic music to new heights featuring elements of jazz, Latin music and guest vocals by Alison Krauss. To her accomplishments, she has added a Juno Award for Best Instrumental Album and several Canadian Country Music Awards for Fiddler of the Year. With her latest release "Blueprint", MacMaster is once again pushing the boundaries for traditional music, fusing her brilliant Cape Breton fiddling with the sounds of banjo, Dobro and mandolin. This summer Natalie has been performing at outdoor festivals and events. Her addition to the Faith Hill date is a perfect fit. Gold seating, general admission tickets have sold out. Silver and Bronze general admission tickets (no seating, bring lawn chair) are still available. .........................................................................................................................................
July
14, 2004 Cape Breton fiddle virtuoso Natalie MacMaster loves performing live, and she especially enjoys doing New England shows. She’s particulary fond of New Hampshire and Vermont audiences. Talking by phone from her home in Ontario, MacMaster said “there’s some places where, I don’t know if they’re fiddle fans, or Natalie fans of if they just love Celtic music ... there’s just awesome crowds, like Lebanon and Burlington.” Asked if she recognizes individual fans after doing so many area shows (11 in 2003, 15 in 2004) she replies “I see the same faces coming through, yes.” MacMaster brings her high energy fiddling and step dancing to the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe tonight and the Lebanon Opera House Monday, as she continues touring in support of last year’s bluegrass-infused “Blueprint” CD. Inspired by musicians like Alison Krause, she recruited producer Darol Anger and top Nashville players, including Jerry Douglas and Bela Fleck, for a two-week session. The result was a very organic and spontaneous record. “The freedom happened when the players got together, and once we started things were allowed to bend and grow, ” she says, crediting producer Anger. “He’s very prepared but very flexible. If it moves, if it changes, he allows it to happen, he creates an environment where you don’t have to play by the book.” Though it was invigorating to work with improvisational masters like banjo player Fleck and mandolinist Sam Bush, MacMaster herself stuck to the book. “I hardly improvised at all, only on one track,” the rollicking “Gravel Shore’”. Of that song, she says, “there was no ending made for it, so we just kind of kept playing and it turned into this whole new thing. I just thought of this tune and everybody started playing, there were no chord charts, it was just amazing. What a thrill - I was pushed and pulled into places I’d never been before.” Expanding on this, she explained that “Gravel Shore” was not just a rare experience, but a sort of forbidden fruit. In the Cape Breton tradition she comes from, she says, “you practice and put something together beforehand, play it tune for tune. I didn’t grow up in an improvising environment. In fact, if you improvise in Cape Breton stuff, it’s considered very disrespectful to the tradition.” Discipline shapes her live shows. “I am very planned. I really place a lot of importance on the pacing of the show ... when I find what works, I just cling on to it, to creat |
Port
Hawkesbury's new Civic Centre received its official Celtic christening on
Saturday night when Natalie MacMaster and Leahy gave performances so hot
they may have melted the ice under the insulated floor.
[Excerpt]
Taking the Civic Centre stage on Saturday night was Leahy, along with the
girl from-up-the-road, Natalie MacMaster. The pleasure in playing to the
hometown crowd was written all over her face as she literally lit up
the stage in a white satin suit, her trademark blond curls flying.
That
was the question on the minds of fiddling fans when Natalie MacMaster and
her husband's band, Leahy, played their first joint concert at the Rebecca
Cohn Auditorium in Halifax on Tuesday.
Natalie
MacMaster came home to play the Rebecca Cohn last night and brought her
new family with her - her husband Donnell Leahy and his seven musical
siblings. The double-header concert marked the first time his family band
Leahy split the bill with MacMaster and her band.
It's
almost two years since Father and Natalie kept me waiting in the vestry,
and since that moment my life has changed in so many ways," he told
the crowd. "So here I am again, waiting in the vestry. I hope my
life won't change quite so dramatically this time!"