Mudcat Recording Artists

Subject: Mudcat Reporting Artists
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Jan 99 - 03:22 AM

As many of us know, Art Thieme (click here) came out with a terrific CD late in the summer, and many of us have added it to our collections.
Well, another Mudcatteer has come out with a CD, and it's a good one. He's known to us as Liam's Brother, but his own name is Dan Milner. His CD, recorded with Louis Killen, Mick Moloney, Andy O'Brien, and others, is called Irish Ballads and Songs of the Sea, and it's available from Folk-Legacy Records (click here).
If you prefer, Dan says he can offer the CD for $15 (or GBP12) post-paid to Mudcatters who are interested. Just send him a personal message, and he'll write back and tell you where to send your check. Click here for a previous thread about this CD.
This is good, honest music - 15 darn good songs, mostly with a nautical flavor. Dan and his crew do a great job, and you're likely to want to sing along on every cut. Most of the songs are in the database - maybe we can cajole Dan to post the lyrics the Digital Tradition doesn't have. Click on the Folk-Legacy link for more information about this terrific CD.
Anybody else here who's trying to sell CD's they've recorded?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Mudcat Reporting Artists
From: Art Thieme
Date: 05 Jan 99 - 10:34 AM

I clicked here to see why Mudcat is "reporting" artists!!!?!

Joe,

Thanks, again, for your kind words. And thanks for sure to the Folk DJs who have been playing mine all over---Australia too.

DAN MILNER, (the artist formerly known as Liam's Brother)---I just listened to the clips at Folk Legacy and YOUR NEW CD SOUNDS WONDERFUL!! Everyone on it does. And it's great to hear Lou Killen behind you. Mick Moloney I recall from Chicago and at the Univ. of Chicago Folk Festival. What an artist he truly is.

Gonna run to the phone and call Sandy to order it as soon as I'm off line.

But is "Frank Woerner" a real person??

And does he have a son named Jeff? ;-)

Here's to HUGE success with this!

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Mudcat Reporting Artists
From: Dani
Date: 05 Jan 99 - 01:25 PM

Thanks for plugging, Joe! What fun to click and hear the music! It sounds great, brother of Liam.

Subject: RE: Mudcat Reporting Artists
From: Ian Kirk
Date: 05 Jan 99 - 01:29 PM

Paging Mr Milner and Mr Thieme. That's Mr Milner and Mr Thieme - to the shop counter please. You have a customer here.

Would you two gents be good enough to e-mail me with details of how I get your CD's in the UK. Where do I send you your crunpled dollar bills, pounds sterling, escudos, bhat or whatever.

I thangyew!

Ian
[e-mail].

Subject: Mudcat Recording Artists
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Jan 99 - 01:40 PM

Mudcat reporting artists? Did I type that? Gee, and I can't edit out mistakes in thread names. Oh, well, I guess you all found out I'm not perfect.....
but Dan and Art have near-perfect CD's. Those of you across the sea can be assured that Folk-Legacy (Dan's label) and Waterbug (Art's) accept plastic (a quaint American term for what is also known as a "credit card"). Both companies will ship anywhere in the world, and Waterbug has an outlet in the UK.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Mudcat Reporting Artists
From: Ian Kirk
Date: 05 Jan 99 - 02:16 PM

I can't type either. I've just seen my email address as [e-mail]. Must be my split personality showing through.

Regards

Ian

[e-mail]

Subject: Mudcat Recording Artists
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Jan 99 - 02:25 PM

I thought I'd post a list of the songs on Dan's Irish Ballads and Songs of the Sea, with links to those lyrics that I could find in the database or forum. I challenge Dan to come up with lyrics for us for the rest of the songs. Note that William Main Doerflinger himself helped Dan prepare the CD notes. Lou Killen sang on many of the cuts, and even the elusive Liam helped out. Gee, Dan brought in all the big guns to help on this production.
-Joe Offer-

Paddy West
The Banks of Newfoundland
Billy O'Shea and a direct transcription
The Loss of the Ship Jane Maria
The Harp Without the Crown
The Nightingale
Rosemary Lane
Poor Old Horse
Lovely Ann
Row, Bullies Row
Yellow Meal
Lord Bateman
The Girls of Valparaiso
The Lily of the West (different from the two [#1 and #2] database versions)
Leave Her, Johnny, Leave Her

Note that the database has several versions of many of these songs. Note also that these are traditional folk songs, so the lyrics in the database are rarely the exact same lyrics that Dan sings. So, Dan, about posting lyrics for those missing songs????

Subject: RE: Mudcat Reporting Artists
From: Barry Finn
Date: 05 Jan 99 - 05:02 PM

Another recent recording by a Mudcatter would be by Moira Cameron (haven't seen her as of late). I don't know what she has on it of even what kind of music she recorded, only that I saw a few months back that Dirty Linen gave her a really, really (Ed Sullivan here) great review.
Art, Frank Woener is a great singer of sea music out of New York City, Frank Warner has a son Jeff & we won't let him move out of southern New Hampshire. Barry.

Subject: RE: Mudcat Reporting Artists
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 05 Jan 99 - 05:04 PM

Joe:

When Dan and I first discussed keeping the CD insert affordable, he wondered about the possibility of posting all of the lyrics on Digitrad, so he ought to be eager to follow your suggestion. Enlarged Digital Tradition, reduced printing bill. Everybody wins!

Regarding "reporting" versus "recording" - it's nice to know you're able to goof, now and then, just like the rest of us!

Does Big Mick have an available CD?

Sandy

Subject: RE: Mudcat Reporting Artists
From: Big Mick
Date: 05 Jan 99 - 09:51 PM

Hi Sandy,
Thanks for asking. We are planning to head into the studio later this year. I will keep you posted.

All the best,

Mick Lane

Subject: RE: Mudcat Reporting Artists
From: Art Thieme
Date: 05 Jan 99 - 11:51 PM

Good folks,

Folk Legacy also recorded and put out 2 of my earlier records. As far as I know they are both still available, as CASSETTES ONLY, from that fine organizations website. Titles are "A.T--That's The Ticket" and "A.T.--On The Wilderness Road. Thanks for this chance to advertise for Sandy & Caroline.

Art

Subject: RE: Mudcat Reporting Artists
From: Will
Date: 05 Jan 99 - 11:56 PM

I'll add a quick plug for Art's CD (The older, the better). It's great stuff and it even has a nice picture on the back.

Subject: RE: Mudcat Recording Artists
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Jan 99 - 02:55 PM

Ah, I see Dan's hard at work posting lyrics. I suppose it might be too much to ask Dan for a tune at this stage of his computer expertise, but maybe some of our regular tune-posters can come up with tunes. Thanks, Dan, especially for the interesting notes you gave us with the lyrics. I'm adding links to the lyrics as you post them.
I found a thread with a version of "Lily of the West" that's close to Dan's rendition. I guess, Dan, that what you did is doomed to be forever known as the "Mark Knopfler version." One of the versions in the database is very close to the Peter, Paul and Mary version, and the other is an interesting surprise.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Mudcat Reporting Artists
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 06 Jan 99 - 05:40 PM

Good plug, Art, and perfectly legitimate, given Joe's generous query about Mudcatter's recording efforts. I'll bet there are a lot more who have yet to let us know of their recording efforts.

Let's all watch for Big Mick's CD release and give it a grand send-off when it arrives. In the meantime, what else have y'all wrought?

Sandy

Subject: RE: Mudcat Reporting Artists
From: Liam's Brother
Date: 07 Jan 99 - 03:01 AM

On Mondays, The New York Times has a column: "Famous to a Few." Quite an interesting concept and well suited to New York City. I mention this because I went out for lunch the other day and returned to find that Art Theime and myself are now "World Famous to a Few." Art more so than me, of course.

Anyway, Liam's Sister-in-Law was telling me earlier this evening that, perhaps, I should tell you how this recording came about. It does have a story.

21 years ago, Irish traditional music was not as popular in America as it is today. For example, I recall seeing Michael Flatley dance but I don't recall many people walking over to the stage afterwards to shake his hand, let alone mobbing him and trying to jump through the windows of his limousine. Everybody who made this kind of music knew each other.

I ran a folk club at The Eagle Tavern in New York and after my band, The Flying Cloud, broke up, I got the idea to make an LP. All my old friends with whom I'd done music jobs and who'd played at The Eagle wanted to help.

The first session was in Philadelphia in 1982 with the Irish Tradition (Andy O'Brien, Billy McComiskey & Brendan Mulvihill) and Johnny Cunningham. They had never met. We recorded 3 songs and, of the lot, "The Lily of the West" with just The Irish Tradition was the real keeper. Brendan, who has recorded a number of albums for Green Linnet, is quite a fiddler. He was an All-Ireland fiddle champion in every age group but Senior and he probably placed 2nd at least once in that category. On the recording, he played the viola and the lower pitched instrument gave his work a very conducive sound. I should tell you that, at that time, the Tradition was without question the finest Irish group in America, it was a great thrill for me (and very fraternal of them) that we could record together.

The second session was in 1983. I had always liked the sound of the concertina and mandolin played together. Lou Killen was on tour in the East and Mick Moloney lived in Philadelphia so Mick booked a studio there and we put down 3 tracks. Mick and Lou had never really met before and, certainly, never played and sung together. Of course, we all knew "Paddy West," "Row, Bullies, Row," and "Leave Her, Johnny, Leave Her." I think those 3 songs have magic in them - 2 great pros in their prime making great "straight on" folk music together.

The third session was with James Keane and Robbie O'Connell. James, a great button accordion player actually played the Anglo-concertina at the session. There were some technical problems and, afterwards, it became clear that we would have a myriad of problems using those 2 cuts

Then came the Big Freeze. The pressures at my job became such that I just had to file these tapes on a bookshelf for 13 years with no futher thought about their use. I didn't even sing in the shower.

I looked around one day and realized that nearly everyone I knew was getting a "package" from whomever he or she worked for. The ice started to melt. My old buddies from South Street Seaport encouraged me to join them for a singing session once a week and, one day, I started getting curious about those tapes.

It took some time to find someone with the kind of machine that could play the older format reel-to-reel tapes. Amazingly, when I did, they sounded very clean.

I got in touch with Lou Killen and sent him a cassette of some additional songs. I flew out to Seattle, spent a few days at his home in preparation and we recorded 5 more songs. Lou is a remarkable singer. Go anywhere in the English-speaking world and people who know unaccompanied singing admire Lou's work. I presented 500 concerts at The Eagle Tavern in 10 years. We had guys from Planxty, The Bothys, DeDannan, Martin Carthy, all of the Battlefields, etc. and, as I look back, Lou along with Joe McKenna the piper and the late Peter Bellamy certainly stood out as artists of tremondous ability and power.

Andy O'Brien and I have always been great friends. I was introduced to him about 5 minutes before he and Billy McComiskey met for the first time outside the old Bunratty Pub in the Bronx. Billy and Brian Conway (All-Ireland champions on accordion and fiddle respectively in 1986) used to sub for Andy McGann and the late Johnny Cronin when they were on break. Billy was about 19 and Brian about 12 at the time!

Andy, Billy and I put down 3 songs together in Washington in 1997: "The Harp Without a Crown," "Rosemary Lane," and "I am a Maid that Sleeps in Love." I decided not to use "I am a Maid that Sleeps in Love" after I learned that Solas had recorded the same version (from my my folk song collection, A Bonnie Bunch of Roses); it seemed unnecessary - so many songs, so little time!

The last sessions were in New York with Brian Conway and the guys from South Street Seaport (including Liam).

So, the recording which started as an LP was completed as a CD, thereby missing the entire cassette era! The Paton family were a remarkable help and support. All of us engaged in the project are delighted and honored to have the CD on Folk-Legacy which we regard as the label of Paddy Tunney, Archie Fisher and other great singers whom we admire.

Thanks to Joe Offer for kindly mentioning the CD.

All the best,
Dan Milner

Subject: RE: Mudcat Recording Artists
From: Wolfgang Hell
Date: 07 Jan 99 - 10:08 AM

I never would have bought (for lack of knowledge, no other reason) Art Thieme's CD (the older...) without all you Mudcatters reporting how good he is. Thanks for the advertising: I definitely would have missed a very good CD. Now I'm only waiting for the lyrics on that CD being presented so conveniently as for Dan's DC (which I'll buy next).

Don't forget Martin Ryan (thread Roscommon) and Frank McGrath (thread?) who also have their own CDs (which I'll also buy).

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Mudcat Reporting Artists
From: Art Thieme
Date: 07 Jan 99 - 11:11 AM

Someone once said, "Fame is proof that (some) people are gullible!"

Bobby Kennedy once said, "30% of the people are against everything all the time."

Just a reality check.

Thanks again for all the kind comments! Sure is a boost. But now none o' my hats fit!

Art

Subject: RE: Mudcat Reporting Artists
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Jan 99 - 02:05 PM

Hey, there's a nice page on Dan's CD at Folk-Legacy Records (click here). You will note above that there are now links to all of Dan's songs except "The Girls of Valparaiso." We've got a start on lyrics for Art Thieme's CD, but that project is progressing a little more slowly. Can't find that darn Pokegama Bear anywhere....
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Mudcat Reporting Artists
From: Peter T.
Date: 08 Jan 99 - 05:20 PM

One of the things that is interesting about this thread (from a non-recorded nothing) is that the Mudcat has on occasion been subjected to unsolicited advertisers, and they have rightly, politely told to get lost. And yet this is a terrific thread -- that's who Liam's brother is! It is funny how easy it is to tell "community" advertising from the other kind. Imagine what it would be like if there were no other kind (and isn't it interesting that the television advertisers are always giving you warm, fuzzy people who are pseudo-versions of what we are getting here: people telling you stories about how things got made, about something a friend heard and liked, and so on. It makes you think (and want to run out and get these records).

Yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Mudcat Reporting Artists
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 08 Jan 99 - 10:15 PM

I don't think it amiss for me to point out that our new Mudcatter (even newer that I!), Rick Fielding, who kicked off the thread about "Banned Songs," has a fine CD on, you guessed it, Folk-Legacy. The good news is that he is also working on a new one for the off-and-running new Canadian label, Borealis.

By the way, Max and Dick have been working today on a system that will enable interested Mudcatters to get Folk-Legacy's stuff and have a commission go to help support the Mudcat Cafe. It's all much too computer-complex for me to understand, but they are in touch with our Web-guru and are bandying various acronyms about like mad. We are delighted, of course. Stay tuned.

Sandy (Folk-Legacy's resident folk fogey)

Subject: RE: Mudcat Reporting Artists
From: Roger in Baltimore
Date: 09 Jan 99 - 10:22 AM

Liam's Brother,

You've mentioned before about "the big freeze." It breaks my heart everytime you do. I cannot imagine 12 years without a song passing across my lips. My heart goes out to you and I am so glad it is over.

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: Mudcat Reporting Artists
From: Big Mick
Date: 09 Jan 99 - 12:04 PM

Dan,
That is a pretty amazing piece of history there, and it points out the importance of your work. You should just sit back sometime, clear your own mind and read what you wrote. Let me just tell you, as a lifelong lover of the music of our people, that between just the book and the CD you have contributed mightily to the passing on of the heritage. The names and how it came about just blew me away. I canna wait to get my copies.
Go maire tu/, a cara! (Congratulations, my friend!)

Mick

Subject: RE: Mudcat Reporting Artists
From: Art Thieme
Date: 09 Jan 99 - 04:59 PM

Dan,

This old Chicagoan rarely got East, but when I did I'd usually do a gig for N.Y.Pinewoods Folk Club. One o' those was a concert on a beautiful night, outdoors, at the South St. Seaport. After the gig many o' us came to the Eagle Tavern. Joe Heany was there that night as I recall. Had to leave fairly early as I was travelling by bus on my tours then. Went over to the Port Authority bus station and the bus was late in going out. I sat down & fell asleep and some low-life tried to grab my guitar but I always kept my hand within a few coils of a strap attached to the case. The guy almost pulled my arm out o' the socket, but that was one Martin I managed to hold on to. Ah, fond memories of New York City.

James Keane and his son, Jimmy Keane were both on my old Flea Market radio show broadcast live from the Old Town School of Folk Music--Chi. James was a wonderful a capella singer of gaelic songs---similar to Joe H.

A question: Which one are you referring to when you speak of James Keane? Back in the 80s James was called James because he was the elder. He was also called "Horse"; Jimmy was the name of/for the younger of the two. And Robbie O'connell and Mick Moloney were with them too---or was that with Liz Carroll on a different Sunday afternoon's show? Harder and harder to remember as time goes by...

And thanks for your grand glimpses back to those times...

Art

Subject: RE: Mudcat Reporting Artists
From: Liam's Brother
Date: 10 Jan 99 - 09:24 AM

Hi Art!

Your note above has cosmic timing. I do a session a few nights a month (including last night) with Brian Conway. The New York City PBS TV station has a series on immigrants who've done well since their arrival in the USA. Last night they were filming footage for a show on James (Dublin) Keane, the brother of Sean Keane of the Chieftains, and Brian and I got some "face time" on camera as James played with us for about an hour and a half. It was James with whom I recorded and we talked about that last night.

I've met Jimmy (Chicago) Keane only once. As you very well know, plays the "stomach Steinway" as opposed to James' button accordion. I remember that Jimmy had the Lincolm Continental of accordions and had every "option" on the thing to the point he could make it sound like anything this side of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Mick gave me a "rough mix" copy of the studio tape of their first recording before the order, etc. was finally decided. There was some great stuff on there.

Liz Carroll used to play at The Eagle each time she came to New York. Quite a player! She can hold her own in any company. Jimmy and Liz recorded together and also with Moloney & O'Connell.

Liz also recorded 2 CDs with the aforementioned Billy McComiskey and Daithi Sproule as a group named Trian. The Trian cuts I've heard are exceptional. 1 + 1 + 1 = 5, if you get my meaning.

The Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan does not have a high reputation even in New York City.

Let's get together one day.

All the best,
Dan

Subject: RE: Mudcat Reporting Artists
From: Martin Ryan
Date: 11 Feb 99 - 07:08 AM

Some 'cats were interested in the Roscommon Singers Circle CD, if available through credit card payment.

John Moulden's Ulstersongs ( http://members.aol.com/jmoul81075/ulstsong.htm) now has a few copies and can deal with credit card orders. Tell him I sent you!

Regards