Spfld Irish Fest 2008 Ladies of Longford Lone Raven twins. Photo by Cindy Funk.
One of the great things about indie Celtic music that no one really talks about is the approachability of the Celtic artists. If you go to pop rock show, it’s highly unlikely that you will ever meet the lead singer face-to-face. You’ll be lucky if you meet the drummer who was only hired to fill in for one gig.
In the Celtic music world, it is completely different. Many times the only way you will not meet the artist is if they are surrounded by other fans. That’s what I learned when I asked that question last month on facebook. Most Celtic musicians love to meet their fans at shows.
In fact, when I posed this question on facebook, I was flooded with names of friendly musicians like Emerald Rose, Red McWilliams, Ed Miller, Mark Stone, Mark McMillan, Albert Alfonso, Alex Beaton, Emily Dugas of Clandestine, Deanna Smith Scotland of Jiggernaut, Wolf Loescher, Wade Harper, Linda Relph of Nine-8ths Irish, Constant Billy, The Tea Merchants, and Sean Orr.
Yet, when it comes to the internet, things are a wee bit different. Many traditional Celtic musicians who aren’t online at all. Some of those who are can take months to respond. But every now and then, you email an artist and something incredible happens. You get a response. I learned this nine years ago when I compiled my first Celtic compilation CD for the Celtic Music Magazine.
I was looking for a big name to attract contributors. I emailed two bands: Dropkick Murphys and Black 47. The Dropkick Murphys never emailed me back. Nor their manager. I have emailed them several times over the years. I’ve heard not a peep.
So I was blown away one hour later when Larry Kirwan of Black 47 responded to my email. He was kind, generous, and extremely personable. He’s that way every time I email him. I also hear he is just as personable on his Celtic Crush radio program on SiriusXM.
The only problem I have run into with my fans is time. I consider it essential to respond to every email I get. Unfortunately, it can take anywhere from two days to two months to respond. So I’m sure you can understand why this list is so much smaller.
Here are some of the most-accessible Celtic musicians online: Poitin, MacTalla Mor, Máirtín de Cógáin, Eric Bogle, Scrum, Black 47, Anne Roos, Diane Linn, Bow Triplets, and Mairéid Sullivan.
I am certain those lists are much bigger. So tell me. What Celtic musicians have you met at festivals and shows? What Celtic musicians surprised you surprised with an email back? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Marc Gunn is the Chief Editor of the Celtic Music Magazine at www.celticmp3s.com. He is an award-winning acoustic Celtic folk musician and was donned “The Celtfather” by the media for being a champion of indie Celtic music. He has given away over ten million free MP3s through his music and podcasts since he began his Celtic music career in 1999. His Irish & Celtic Music Podcast has won two awards for “Best Podsafe Music” in the annual Podcast Awards and is one of the most-popular music podcasts on iTunes.