Track Listing: 1. The Turkish Revery 2. Le Voyage 3. Silvy Silvy 4. Swerving for Bunnies 5. The Jubiliant Goat 6. Caroline of Edinburgh Town 7. Belladrum Outhouse 8. Malcolm's New Fiddle 9. Blackbirds & Thrushes 10. Madam, Madam 11.Panic! 12. Farewell Song Click on underlined titles to hear MP3 sound bites

We are delighted to announce our release of this fine CD.

THE OUTSIDE TRACK
Curious Things Given Wings.
LORRCD02

A stunning synthesis of virtuosity and energy, The Outside Track's marraige of Canadian, Scottish and Irish music has been rapturously received around the world. Hailing from Scotland, Ireland and Cape Breton and Vancover, its five members are united by a love of traditional music and a commitment to creating new music on its foundation. Using fiddle, accordion, harp, guitar, flute, step-dance and vocals, these five virtuosos blend boundless energy with unmistakable joie de vivre.

Each player within The Outside Track is a master of their chosen instrument with the band stacking up an impressive amount of international awards. This amount of talent alone would be enough to recommend the band but in this case the end result is so much greater than the sum of the parts.
The band have enjoyed 5 years of extensive touring in the UK, Europe, Canada and the USA, including appearances at Celtic Connections, Celtic Colours, Goderich, Mission, Memoire et Racines, Sidmouth, and Whitby Festivals.

The line up comprises of:
NORAH RENDELL: Flute (Canadian trad singer of the year nominee)
MAIRI RANKIN: Fiddle (a member of the famous Rankin Family also Beolach)
AILIE ROBERTSON Harp. (Live Ireland winner, BBC Young Trad Finalist)
FIONA BLACK. Accordion (BBC Fame Academy Winner)
CILLIAN 0'DALAIGH: Guitar

"I loved it and it gets a definite ten out of ten from Folk Radio UK!" Alex

"Wow and Wow again! This is the best new group we have heard in quite a while". Tradition in Review

"the blend of individual talent ensures that this CD will most certainly be a success". Eileen McCabe, Irish Music Magazine


www.liveIreland.com The Livie Awards 2012

Vocalist of the Year - Norah Rendell
The Minneapolis-based singer has done it perfectly with her group, The Outside Track. Her voice is made for the powerful arrangements of the group. It makes no difference here that she is also a superior wooden flute player. She is a killer singer. We don't know how or when she got this good. Maybe it has always been so. The important thing is that this is a woman at the top of her game and she is set for a long run in this business. With this album, Norah has established herself among that top class of the top elites. An easy choice this year.

Vocal/Instrumental Group of the Year - The Outside Track
Two albums now from this multi-national contingent have stamped them not only as yet another new force in the music, but among the top groups in the world. The Outside Track is traditional, creative, and brilliant on every cut. A stunning collection of taste, musical ability and incredible depth of knowledge for ones so young. We won't list each of the musicians by name. Suffice it to say that they all join singer, Norah Rendell in producing incredibly creative and vibrant music. This group tore it up at Irish Fest in Milwaukee this past summer. It has been a long time since we have seen three new groups make such a splash in one year, as have The Outside Track, Full Set, and Chicago Reel. They are here. They are now. They are fantastic.

More detail at www.outsidetrack.com
Email the band: theoutsidetrack@gmail.com

Also available from Copperplate Distribution: LORRCD001 Ailie Robertson: First Things First


The Outside Track have a busy touring schedule.

2012 Schedule

Jan 28th Hepworth Live Hepworth, England
http://www.hepworthlive.com/

Jan 29th Celtic Connections St Andrews in the Square, Glasgow, Scotland
http://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/events/Pages/default.aspx?link=/event/1/celtic-connections-sultans-of-string-and-the-outside-track

Feb 2nd Bridgwater Arts Centre Bridgwater, England
www.bridgwaterartscentre.co.uk/

Feb 3rd Muni Arts Centre Pontypridd, Wales
http://muni.rct-arts.org/

Feb 4th Galeri Caernarfon Caernarfon, Wales www.galericaernarfon.com/

Feb 6th The Green Note Camden, London, England www.greennote.co.uk/

Feb 8th Edinburgh Folk Club The Pleasance, Edinburgh, Scotland http://www.edinburghfolkclub.co.uk/

Feb 9th Birnam Arts Centre Birnam, Scotland
http://www.birnaminstitute.com

Feb 10th Buccleuch Centre Langholm, Scotland
www.buccleuchcentre.com/

Feb 11th Mellorbrook Centre Mellorbrook, England
http://www.mellorbrook.org/events/upcoming-events.html

Feb 12th The Tin Hut Sessions Gartley, Scotland
http://www.tinhutsessions.co.uk/

Feb 16th The Barn at Baston Baston, England
http://community.lincolnshire.gov.uk/traditionalmusicandsonginbaston/section.asp?docId=98269

Feb 17th Playhouse 2 Oldham, England
http://www.playhouse2.com/

Press Reviews

www.LiveIreland.com Christmas Recommendations
8.Outside Track is a group of Irish, Scottish, American and Canadian musicians who are pure magic. The name of this album is Curious Things Given Wings. It is another contender for virtually every award next month, including Female Vocalist of the Year for their singer, Norah Rendell. Just think. One year brings us the Chicago Reel, Full Set, and Outside Track. The future of the music has never been brighter. We love Outside Track. We adore Outside Track. We would drive their bus. But, they won’t ask. What we ask is that they keep recording and performing together forever. Well, maybe not forever, but you know what we mean.

The Irish World 11.3.11

INTER-CONTINENTAL ADVENTURES IN SOUND

This album, follow up to their 2007 debut, showcases the incredible virtuosity of The Outside Track's star musicians; Scot harpist Ailie Robertson, piano accordion and fiddle player - BBC Fame Academy winner Fiona Black, fiddler and vocalist Mairi Rankin (Rankin Family, Beolach), Norah Rendell, Canadian Trad Singer Of Year nominee) and Gillian O'Dalaigh on guitar and flute.
But these guys are more than an easily-marketeable supergroup - the end result of this fathering of top talent is even etter than you might expect, with a band that is more familiar with each other and tighter than ever; and all fantastically produced by Mattie Foulds.

The band incorporate a delicious mix of music and songs, approaches and influences from Canada, Scotland and Ireland, reflecting the provenance of its five members - Ireland, Scotland, Cape Breton and Vancouver and the five-piece clearly get as much of a kick out of this mix as we do listening to them.
They come together incredibly smoothly and reflect the musicians' passion for keeping both their own traditional music alive and commitment to forging brave new paths in the music they make.
'Curious Things Given Wings' is striking in its ability to make you want to get up and dance, so full is it of passion and energy. No wonder The Outside Track, at their host of live performances over the last five years in the UK and further afield, have amassed such a fervent following.
There is talk, incidentally, of these guys playing The Cambridge Folk Festival this year, and I hope they do - because they'll go down an absolute storm. Check them out at www.outsidsetrack.com. Shelley Marsden

The Boston Irish Reporter
The Outside Track: “Curious Things Given Wings” -- Fairly bursting with creative energy, yet possessing enough restraint to channel it effectively, this five-member band combines musical traditions from Canada, Scotland, Ireland, and Cape Breton in fun, adventurous, and tasteful fashion.
The Outside Track is particularly distinguished by its vocalists, Canadian Traditional Singer of the Year nominee Norah Rendell — who is lead singer — and Mairi Rankin, from the legendary Canadian music family. Their potent rendition of “The Turkish Revery” (this version, believe it or not, traces back to a Burl Ives LP) opens the album — their second release — with a resounding bit of drama, and Rendell closes it with Julie Henigan’s “Farewell Song,” full of familiar sentiments but no less poignantly beautiful, especially with her respectful treatment. “Silvy, Silvy” — a New Brunswick ballad about an unusual means to determine whether your man really loves you — is thoroughly charming, and their handling of the tragic “Caroline of Edinburgh Town” is sensitive, rather than over-wrought.
Rankin (fiddle, step-dancing) and Rendell (flute, whistle) are outstanding instrumentalists as well, as are Fiona Black (accordion), Cillian O’Dalaigh (guitar, backing vocals) and Ailie Robertson (harp). They careen through “The Jubilant Goat,” a set of polkas primarily from Cork and Kerry, with gusto — Black’s accordion at the beginning evokes the organ intro to J. Geils’s “Freeze Frame.” O’Dalaigh and Robertson gently usher Rendell’s whistle into “Doberman’s Wallet,” the start of a brilliant jig trio titled “Swerving for Bunnies.” Rankin and Black kick off “Belladrum Outhouse” (the set and tune names are priceless) with a brisk strathspey that is followed by a surging blast of reels. O’Dalaigh gives a heady oomph to another set of reels “Crusty the Clown” and “The Panic.”
If anyone might have wondered whether the well of hot young Celtic bands was running dry, “Curious Things Given Wings” should allay all such concerns. Sean Smith

www.liveireland.com

The hottest new group in Irish music is Outside Track. We need a lot more space than we have here. They are young, from Canada, America, Ireland and Scotland. The album is Curious Things Given Wings. Ailie even won an Award a couple years ago from us for a GORGEOUS air she wrote and performed on her solo debut album. Ailie Robertson is one of the new breed of harpists on the scene and she is wonderful. But, radio partner, Maryann Keifer and I are in love with Norah Rendell’s vocals and flute playing. Wait, we said we don’t have space, and we don’t. This is a new powerhouse on the scene. Over the years we have alerted you to many great new acts. None better than this. Find the album. Find them in concert at this year’s Irish Fest in Milwaukee. New. Trad. Fab. The whole wonderful waterfront in one terrific group. Stunning. Bill Margeson

Irish Music Magazine
The standout on this, the second release for The Outside Track, is definitely the stunning instrumental arrangements that weave an intricate web around the distinctive voice of Canadian Norah Rendell. Along with Norah, we have Mairi Rankin on fiddle, harpist Ailie Robertson, Fame Academy winner Fiona Black on accordion and Cillian Ó’Dálaigh on guitar. Drawn from the pool of talent on display at University of Limerick, The Outside Track’s Curious Things Given Wings is a combination of a variety of musical influences exhibited in twelve tantalising tracks.
With an equal balance of tunes and songs the band commence with Turkish Revelry taken from the recording of Burl Ives and passed on by guitarist and singer, Dáithí Sproule. It’s a quirky song that requires a wide ranging vocal which Rendell provides and it’s driven further by the clever use of instrumentation that is forcefully compelling. The Swerving for Bunnies set starts with Frankie Gavin’s Doberman’s Wallet and with the whistle at the forefront switches into Peter Byrnes’ Jig culminating in a crescendo with Ailie’s uplifting composition named for an incident in the Highlands of Scotland involving a rabbit and a ditch!
A beautiful jig in the shape of Malcolm’s New Fiddle is presented eloquently by the group concluding with Dance of the Mermaid penned by their guest guitarist Alan Jordan. This is followed by Blackbirds and Thrushes learned from the singing of Niamh Parsons and again instrumentally arranged to a high degree. That’s the common highlight throughout this album, the arrangements, and none so much as the musical accompaniment on Farewell Song which blends brilliantly with the vocal harmonies. In fact it is a fitting finish to a highly polished CD that delivers on all levels.
The Outside track have infused style and energy into Curious Things given Wings and the blend of individual talent ensures that this CD will most certainly be a success. Eileen McCabe

www.netrhyms.com
I was very favourably impressed by this pan-Celtic band on the evidence of its debut CD of a little over a couple of years ago, and much desirous of catching them live. Sadly I've still not managed that, and such is the way of the musical world that The Outside Track now sports a slightly revised lineup, with Nova Scotian musician Mairi Rankin (one of the Rankin Family) taking over the fiddle role from Tricia Clark (and throwing in a spot of stepdancing too). And Alan Jordan is now only credited with "guest appearances", which rather implies that The Outside Track is now regarding itself as a five-piece (the remaining nucleus of accordionist Fiona Black, flute/whistle supremo Norah Rendell, young harpist Ailie Robertson and guitar/bodhrán merchant Cillian Ó'Dálaigh is retained).
But no matter, for the key features that marked out the band's debut offering - a scintillating energy of execution, a real flair for keen instrumental arrangement and a responsive, yet tightly woven internal balance - are even better focused, and more persuasively showcased, on this intriguingly titled followup disc. No explanation for that title is proffered anywhere in the package, but the musicians' playing certainly takes flight at every available opportunity. The Outside Track's specific instrumental blend still makes it hard to resist a Poozies comparison, but this is a superficial impression only and any fears of copycat mode are quickly banished by the distinctive virtuoso musicianship of each member of the crew.
This time round, the band presents us with a well-rounded mix of instrumentals and songs - half a dozen of each. Norah takes all the lead vocals here, and she seems to have gained in power and strength since the band's debut. There are some interesting choices among the songs: Madam, Madam, with its convoluted time-signature, seems to belong more to the Balkans than Nova Scotia or Scotland, whence it first originated (and comes complete with a brilliant rendition of Lauren MacColl's tune The Dealer, by the way), while Silvy Silvy is also sourced from Helen Creighton, this time from her collection of Songs From New Brunswick. The album's opener, the pirate song The Turkish Revery, is a variant of Lowlands Low from a mixed lineage of Burl Ives and Dáithí Sproule, while the closing track is an inspired rendition of Julie Henigan's beautiful Farewell Song, with some gorgeous vocal harmonies from Mairi in counterpoint to Norah's lead. Blackbirds And Thrushes is more well-known of course, and while charming and pleasing on its own terms, perhaps lacks the final ounce of distinction.
The instrumental tracks are an invigorating bunch, with the energetic reel Le Voyage (penned by Québecois accordionist Éric St-Pierre) and the snappy Highland strathspey Belladrum Outhouse (from the Simon Fraser Collection) ideally complementing the irregularly funkier Panic! and the bustling Cork and Kerry polka-set The Jubilant Goat. And jubilant is something The Outside Track have every right to be now, as they are destined for even greater honours within the Celtic fraternity upon the release of this joyfully accomplished record. David Kidman January 2011


The Irish Post 29.1.11
THE OUTSIDE TRACK is a five-piece hailing from Scotland, Ireland, Cape Breton and Vancouver with their love of traditional music as the unifying factor. They have been together five years and have come a long way from their formation when music students in Limerick.

This is their second album and it should push them further up the ladder on the ever growing international Celtic music circuit. The individual members are all cracking musicians in their own right, but combine brilliantly to produce a fresh energetic sound with great innovative arrangements and you can hear the sheer joy in their playing.

They have the added advantage of a fine vocalist in-Irish Canadian flute player Norah Rendell (Canadian trad singer of the year nominee) who sings the six songs on this 12-track CD. The other members are Mairi Rankin on fiddle (a member of the famous Rankin Family), Ailie Robertson on harp (BBC Young Trad Finalist), Fiona Black on accordion (BBC Fame Academy Winner) and Gillian O'Dalaigh on guitar. Joe Giltrap

www.folkradio.co.uk

Album of the Week Review: The Outside Track – Curious Things Given Wings

As in any young musical relationship time allows musical familiarity and a chance to explore, experiment and tighten up that sound which first gave good reason to playing together. The Outside Track are no exception, after releasing their self-titled debut in 2007, their follow-up album, Curious Things Given Wings has certainly evolved into something more wondrous and exciting!

The Outside Track exude an energy that will catch your attention. This is partly down to their individual virtuosity but also their musical arrangements and interplay. During their time together and extensive touring they have developed and matured their style. They have experienced and fed off the reactions of the audiences to whom they perform. Amongst these five young musicians their is a unifying spark that invigorates and drives them, this has to be the marriage of their traditional roots which originate from Scotland, Ireland, Cape Breton and Vancouver. You can only begin to imagine how exciting it must be for them to play together and the kick they must get from connecting those influences with eachother. The icing on the cake is how they interpret those traditions. Something that makes modern traditonal music so wonderful is the flourishes and other influences that come into play in shaping their sound. This is where The Outside Track come into their own and it’s where the accordion, guitar, bodhran, fiddle, flute, whistles and Sievert Harp interlope and make their magic!

The opening track The Turkish Revery was band member Norah Rendell’s choice. Norah, a Canadian Traditonal Singer of the Year nominee, learned the track from guitarist and singer, Daithi Sproule, who found it on his mother’s Burl Ives LP! The track opens to a simple Harp plucks (Ailie Robertson) before the guitar introduces a catchy driving rythmn. Once they’re in full swing you can hear very clearly the contribution of each musician, no one musician takes over. The arrangements are exciting and captivating and there is a live session feel to the recordings in as much that their energy comes across really well on the album.

The selection and diversity of tracks as well as their sequence adds a nice listener expectation as to what may be next. Le Voyage, a fast moving tune, follows the opener. This Quebecois tune, written by Eric St-Pierre, highlights the breadth of roots of the musicians on this album. Norah provides lead vocals with great harmony from Mairi Rankin.

There is plenty of diversity to enjoy, the amusing titled Swerving for Bunnies, is a lovely spritely set kicking off with Doberman’s Wallet, a Franke Gavin tune and ending in Ailie’s own composition. The stand out vocal track for me is Caroline of Edinburgh Town, a lovely but very sad song which was found by Norah’s husband, Brian Miller. According to the source singer, Michael C. Dean, he was sung this song by his Irish immigrant mother as a lullaby…it’s enough to give any child nightmares if they understood the words, as poor Caroline throws herself off a cliff as a finale! Such is folk music.

Belladrum Outhouse is a fantatstic set. According to the sleeve notes, Belladrum House is near Beauly in the Highlands of Scotland where Fiona Black (accordion) lives. The second tune in the set: De’il Tak’ the Breeks (I Hate Trousers) is a pipe reel referring to the time of the Highland clearances when the native kilt was prohibited and men were forced to wear ‘breeks’ or trousers.

There is a lovely version of the classic song Blackbirds and Thrushes, this version slows the pace down for more great singing from Nora who learned this version from Niamh Parsons which I also first heard for the first time on Niamh’s same titled album from 1999 (Green Linnet GLI 1197). The album wraps up nicely to Farewell Song which is a beautiful tune and song written by Julie Henigan, a scholar, poet and interpreter of traditional songs from Missouri.

There is no doubt that The Outside Track’s latest release has proven that they are not only fine exponents of their musical traditions but that they are fine musicians who can enthuse and bring those traditions to a wider audience! This is a great album and brilliantly produced by Mattie Foulds! I loved it and it gets a definite ten out of ten from Folk Radio UK! Alex

The Living Tradition
A lot has changed since The Outside Track released their debut CD a couple of years ago. From a loose collection of Limerick music students, this quintet has evolved into a powerful focused group. Take the first track here: The Turkish Revery, an uncommon song learnt from Daithí Sproule who got it from Burl Ives, a clear combination of Irish and North American influences. Norah Rendell sings this and the other five songs on this recording in a strong voice which reminds me of Touchstone' s performances, another transatlantic collaboration. Norah is an Irish Canadian who drifted south, and she's joined by the formidable firepower of fiddler Mairi Rankin from Nova Scotia, forming the New World side of The Outside Track. The other three members are from Edinburgh, Easter Ross and Limerick, giving this group their rather broad focus on Irish, Scottish and North American Celtic music.

That focus is stretched slightly for the first of six instrumental tracks, but it's a justified departure: Eric St-Pierre is a box-player from Quebec, and his swirling reel Le Voyage is worth bending a few rules. Norah's flute is joined by the piano box of Fiona Black and the versatile harp of Ailie Robertson, while guitarist Cillian O'Dálaigh strums solidly behind. This track like many others shows the arranging skills of the band, weaving instruments tightly together. The second song Silvy Silvy is a New Brunswick version of a well known ballad, and in traditional Canadian fashion it's paired with a complementary melody on fiddle. The next set brings us back to Europe with three splendid jigs: a lovely inventive version of Frankie Gavin's tune Doberman's Wallet which hasn't had too many outings since he recorded it on A Jacket of Batteries, then the flowing Peter Byrne's Jig, and Ailie's soaring composition Swerving for Bunnies.

And so it continues. A stirring set of Sliabh Luachra polkas shows off those great arranging skills again. Caroline of Edinburgh Town sees the band in sad and gentle mood. The following two medleys are back to the core of Celtic dance music old and new, with melodies by Jerry Holland and James Kelly. The traditional songs Hares on the Mountain and Madam Madam are paired with a fabulous version of The Maids of Galway and Fiona's interpretation of Lauren MacColl's reel The Dealer. Cillian's tune Crusty the Clown starts a distinctly funky pre-final track. The album finishes with the haunting Farewell Song, written by Missouri's Julie Henigan and introduced by a charming fiddle air. Curious Things Given Wings - an intriguing title for an enthralling CD which sets The Outside Track on a very promising course, highly recommended. Alex Monaghan