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  Kev Boyle – Palestine Grove

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  Kev Boyle – Palestine Grove

  Kevin Boyle follows up his cult classic of 1997 Bon Cabbage with his latest statement of intent, Palestine Grove named after the recording studio of master producer and multi instrumentalist, Gerry Diver.

  For many years the Boyle family have been the mainstay of the brilliant London Irish music scene. Driven on by their father Paddy they studied the traditional music of his native Donegal. Kevin became a multi instrumentalist, his sister Maggie the flute and bodrhan and using her brilliant voice to adorn many’s a great song. Younger brother Paul was a brilliant young fiddler until his very sad passing. Kevin carved a great reputation as a musical accompanist firstly on piano and then guitar. He started at the top by accompanying the fiddle maestro Sean Maguire on piano when 16 years old. Kevin has mastered this art and is most sought after accompanist in London, bringing comparisons with the mighty Paul Brady.

  He became a regular at The Favourite and The legendary White Hart, Fulham Broadway playing with Raymond Roland and Liam Farrell and seat once filled by the ample rear of Christy Moore. He was the driving force behind the super group Le Cheile which featured several musical heavies who regularly played in The White Hart . They released two classic & much sought after LPs, Lord Mayo and Aris. They built up a mercurial reputation for fiery Irish music. Later Kevin was a founder member of Carrig, an outfit which produced one LP. Kev has recorded with Maguire, Seamus Tansey and Ralph McTell who much admires Kev’s work. The Boyel family Kev also did some playing for The Ballet Rambert’s production of Sergeant Early’s Dream.

  For while The Boyle Family were residents at Hammersmith’s Riverside Studios where they made many friends among the artistic community including on one memorable occasion Irish playwright and whistle player, Samuel Beckett.

  As one who has played a lot with Kevin, he has a priceless ability to make everybody sound good.

  This pervades his music and now his songwriting, his love of his fellow man and his care for the future as the father of daughters. In recent years he has thrown himself into the current affairs and delved deeply into the shadowy parts of politics and their masters. This surfaces on many of the songs on Palestine Grove which attacks the trivia obsessed press of 2009. His Randy Newmansque Death of Martin Isreal. Kevin also has a whimsical side, which we enjoy greatly at Coppeprlate ably demonstrated on Blue Sky Blue and Sunny Little Avenue his take on domestic utopia in Norwood. And Bon Cabbage in Catford.

  These days Kev plays regularly with fiddle master and composer, Brendan McGlinchey, also a regular member of Give Me Your Hand a loose collection of session players much favoured by Guy Ritchie and his ex! But he is just as likely to turn up at your local session with guitars and banjo and quietly sit in.

  Press Reviews

  Kev Boyle

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  Palestine Grove BLUE SKY MUSIC

  His gruff voice can make Tom Waits sound like a choirboy and his maverick songs dart erratically between the anger of the title track, moving narratives, charged anthems, adapted traditional tunes and a knockabout return to one of his best-loved songs Bon Cabbage, but this London Irish stalwart could be the British Isles’ answer to Tom Russell. Outstanding multi-instrumentalist Gerry Diver helps smooth the edges on an album brimming with character. Colin Irwin

  R2 Rock ‘n’ Reel * * * Sept/Oct.09

  When someone of Ralph McTell’s stature tells you that Kev Boyle’s songs deserve your attention, you listen. A kingpin of the London Irish music scene, Boyle’s been a little slow in following his cult 1997 classic, Bon Cabbage, but it’s been worth the wait.

  Palestine Grove is a model of perceptive songwriting that radiates compassion for humanity and shimmers with a pure spirituality, nowhere more so than on The Walls Of Eden’ where’… earth is just and man is free/And every living soul can see/There are no walls in Eden’.

  And then there’s lines On The Death Of Martin Israel’, a paen to the pathologist, former lecturer at the Royal College of Surgeons and a priest in the Church of England who passed away

  in 2007. Or ‘Big Blue Train’, a contemporary take on ‘This Train Is Bound For Glory’ where’… the age that is awaiting/Might not be the one you see/For when Jesus comes the demon runs/And from the body flees’.

  Boyle is a throwback to when the song offered hope in a cruel world. The same crusade indeed that McTell’s been on for close on five decades. David Burke

  Fatea Magazine

  Kev Boyle strikes me as a complex man with a raging spirit. I get the feeling that had he been born to another generation he would have become a renown poet or author, but he was born to a generation where music joined those words and his muse delivers songs. It’s a muse with a wicked sense of the world, because whilst all the words come from within, some of the tunes are borrowed, but you can’t fault the genius of doing a song called “Liar” to the tune of “The Battle Hymn Of The Republic”. “Palestine Grove” can be gritty, spiritual, emotional, it can’t be ignored.

  The Irish World

  London-Irishman Kev Boyle was the man behind Bon Cabbage, a cult classic of 1997 vintage, and now he’s back to make another statement with new release ‘Palestine Grove’.

  Music, as the man says, is a great form of therapy. Surrounded by the sounds of traditional music from children, he has been a mainstay in the London Irish traditional scene for many years and was a founding member of the legendary Le Cheile.

  Boyle began recording ‘Palestine Grove’ at weekends in 2008, in ‘The Tunehouse’, studio of talented multi-instrumentalist Gerry Diver. As a result, Drever can be heard on nearly every track on the album. Martin O’Leary’s bass makes an appearance in a few tracks, and Boyle’s daughter Lucy was roped into contributing harmonies to four songs.

  The gravely, well-travelled and atmospheric voice that fans of Boyle will be all to familiar with is one that brings real tangibility and passion to each song, and also lends them a rough, Dylan-esque quality that works on both traditional and non-traditional tracks

  Boyle also plays guitar and piano, and his fine group of fellow-musicians add faultless layers to a smoothly produced and eclectic set of songs, ranging from the light and upbeat (‘Sunny Little Avenue’ and ‘So Summertime’) to the slow and rousing. Boyle’s voice, of course, is not the only striking about this album, it’s the lyrics too.

  ‘Palestine Grove’ is the loving work of a man with a talent, not only for music but songwriting. He writes about the search for our soul, how we should treat our fellow humans. Each song is a little source of joy on this album, but Lines on The Death of Martin Israel’ took me to a special place; beautiful tune, beautiful lyrics.

  ‘Come All You’, a paean to youth and avoiding its trap-falls, is another quietly gorgeous track urging us to never stop dreaming; ‘Liar’ takes the listener into bluesy territory as we are drawn into the lonely world of an alcoholic, while the title track is a traditional number whose lethargic pace belies the unflinching message of the lyrics: ”We keep our peace and get on with our little lives/Abd close our minds and hide our eyes..’

  From toe-tapping fun to heart-wrenching message, this album has all the hues of an album that grows on you the more you hear it, and which the listener will go back to time and time again; full of strong yet well-balanced musicianship and, often, moments of pure poetry. Shelley Marsden

  WWW.NETRHYTHMS.COM

  The Boyle family from Donegal have for many years been mainstays of the London-Irish folk music scene, latterly embracing residencies at Hammersmith’s Riverside Studios and even playing for

  Ballet Rambert’s production Sergeant Early’s Dream. Throughout the 60s and 70s, father figure Paddy had inspired and encouraged his three children Kevin, Maggie and Paul, nurturing their undoubted musical talents. Paul (who sadly was to die young) was by all accounts a brilliant fiddler, and Maggie, whom we know from her many wonderful ventures including harmony trio Grace Notes, is one of the country’s finest singers and a flautist and bodhrán player of no mean stature.

  Kevin, on the other hand, is a multi-instrumentalist who carved an early reputation as skilled (piano) accompanist for fiddle maestro Sean Maguire, moving on to become the driving force behind the fiery supergroup Le Cheile which was built around the talented musical regulars at Fulham’s White Hart. But I first encountered Kev’s music over ten years ago in quite another context, on his very unusual CD Bon Cabbage, which was (less than helpfully) credited to Movies CB (the initials somewhat perversely standing for Ceili Band, which the contents of the CD itself most definitely did not reflect

  SKU: 767 Categories: Guitar, Vocals Male

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• 

  Lorcan MacMathuna – Rogaire Dubh

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  Lorcan MacMathuna – Rogaire Dubh

  Personal Details of Lorcán Mac Mathúna

  I have been singing sean-nós songs for the past ten years over which time I have regularly competed in and attended festivals throughout the country. I am on the organising committee of sean-nós cois life, an annual festival in Dublin which promotes this type of singing.

  I have collected a repertoire of sean-nós songs through listening to the exponents (past and Present) of Gaeltacht areas from around the country. I am not biased toward any particular style or local repertoire of singing or songs. My repertoire comes from Connemara, and the three Gaeltachts of Munster. I like to think that I have my own approach to all of the songs I have collected and my rendition of sean-nós is customised to my interpretation of the empathy between the lyrics and mood of the music.

  Like all sean-nós exponents I have built a relationship with the songs I sing my style of presentation reflects the story in the cadence of the music and phraseology. Songs which exhibit the potential for this include: Cath Chéim an Fhia, Tuireamh Mhic Fhinghin Duibh, An Clár Bog Déal, An Scailpín Draighean, Johnny Seoighe, Na Táilliúirí. The list could include many more.

  Collaborating musicians

  Caoimhín Ó Raghaille

  Caoimhín has been described as an eclectic musician. He has a love of and very intuitive appreciation of sean-nós and identifies the patterns of the music with great sensitivity. He has already recorded a solo album and another in conjunction with Mick O’Brien entitled Kitty Lie Over.

  Mick O Brien

  Mick O’Brien is a name recognised in Irish music circles as one of the finest pipers of his generation. His albums include “Kitty Lie Over”, and ” May Morning Dew

  Jane Hughes: Jane is a professional musician who works with the RTE symphony orchestra. She has been playing professionally for over ten years.

  Helen Lyons: Helen is a young harper with a background in classical and traditional music. A fine exponent of the instrument.

  Conor Lyons: Conor plays the bodhrán. He has played on tours with Comhaltas and with various bands as far a field as Lorient.

  The CD: Introduction

  The concept of the CD “Rógaire Dubh” has been in my head for many years but I never had the opportunity to explore its potential. However, an opportunity arose recently for me to work with two very good musicians (Caoimhín O Raghaille -traditional, on fiddle and whistle, and Jane Hughes -classical, on cello) who were flexible enough to try something completely new.

  The opportunity arose because of a recital we did in Bantry this St. Patrick’s Day which was a sort of cross pollination of sean-nós singing and traditional and classical music.

  It was my intention to work with musicians with both classical and traditional styles to present some, or, most of these songs with a backing that is compatible with the songs. Songs such as:

  SKU: 703 Categories: Uilleann Pipes, Vocals Male

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  Le Cheile – Out of the West

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  Le Cheile – Out of the West

  Le Chéile was formed from musicians who played regularly in The White Hart, Fulham Broadway in the early 1970’s. The 1960s and ’70s were golden years for traditional Irish music in London when musicians played before packed audiences and sparked the revival which went on to spread back home and around the globe. Le Chéile were the cult trad Irish group of 1970s London, producing some of the most memorable recordings of the time. The 1970s album Lord Mayo, was reissued on CD in 2006. To coincide with that release the surviving original band members — master fiddler Danny Meehan, Liam Farrell (banjo), John Roe (piano) and Kevin Boyle (guitar) — reformed alongside new recruits, flautist Paul Gallagher and Andy Martyn (box).

  So now they’re back, adding powerful momentum to the revivalist movement within Irish music today with their exciting new big band mix of back to basics traditional Irish music from Donegal and Galway.

  In March 2008 the boys began recording their long awaited third album which has now arrived.

  This is the first new ‘Le Cheile’ album since 1977. A CD re-release in 2007 by Limerick University of a compilation of albums made in 1974 and 1977 reignited the band and with new members, Andy Martyn and Paul Gallagher, we returned to the studio in 2008 to put together recently developed selections of music. Though once entirely instrumental, we now incorporate songs into our repertoire.

  We would like to thank our producer and engineer Gerry Diver for his great skill and remarkable patience during the recording of this album. Also, thanks to all of those who have supported and given endless encouragement to Le Cheile and the ‘Scene’ over the years. Particular thanks to the Cartys (Maureen, James & John), Annette Roland, Alan O’Leary, Austin Dawe, Bill Walsh, Lisa Knapp, Steve Dent, Karen Ryan and Noel & Mary at the ‘Kilkenny’ South Wimbledon. A particular thank you to Brendan Mulkere who is largely responsible for getting the band back together after all these years and to Niall and Sean Keegan of Limerick University for their work in releasing our 2006 CD ‘Lord Mayo’.

  Also to our families and friends whose inspiration and encouragement helped us capture our music in this album.

  Also available from Copperplate

  Danny Meehan: The Navvy on the Shore

  Kevin Boyle: Palestine Grove

  Gerry Diver: Diversions

  Press Reviews

  Chicago Irish News

  This group is a London-based quintet sent to us by Alan O’Leary at Copperplate Distribution and Promotions. Copperplate is the best and only handles the best. Le Cheile is wonderful. These guys make you feel that they are right there with you in an incredible session. They have a ball, and just play it ahead. Lay it out, and “Bob’s ‘yer uncle”. This is the stuff we all love. The vocals are not to be believed. Every now and then we hear an album and smile through the whole thing. This is one of those. Terrific, wonderful music. Bill Margeson

  SKU: 773 Categories: Accordion, Banjo, Fiddle, Groups, Guitar, Piano, Vocals Male

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  Tim Dennehy – Between the Mountains and the Sea

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  Tim Dennehy – Between the Mountains and the Sea

  Press Reviews

  The Irish Post 4.06.05

  THIS beautiful production has been in the making for 20 years and has put the enthralling words of one of Ireland’s most talented ballad poets to music.

  Sigerson Clifford was born in 1913 and christened Edward Bernard Clifford. Aged six he went to live with his mother’s father Edward Sigerson and stayed for four years. He never forgot his grandfather’s fund of stories when the winter nights were gathering in he would sit with his cronies around the kitchen fire telling tales of weird and ghostly happenings.

  Later Sigerson would remember them in a poem “Where the old men thatched their dreams with adjectives”.

  At school with the Christian Brothers his essays and poems won praise. Schooldays over he joined the civil service where “they chained my bones

  to an office stool and my soul to a clock”.

  In 1985 some months after his death the good people of Cahersiveen decided to honour his memory with a monument built of local stone. The

  inscription reads: “Whispering across the half-door of the mind, for always I am Kerry”

  In 1973 Tim Dennehy encountered Tim Dwane who had met Sigerson Clifford on several occasions and then he discovered The Ballad Of The Tinker’s Daughter in an English book. He put a melody to it and sang it for the first time at the Goilin Singers Club in Dublin.

  It was broadcast by Harry Bradshaw on a radio programme The Long Note and since then Between The Mountains And The Sea has been an ongoing project.

  This 12-track CD is accompanied with a 48-page booklet giving extensive background on the composer Sigerson Clifford.

  The Boys Of Barr na Staide is undoubtedly Singerson’s most popular composition and it captures beautifully the essence of Cahersiveen.

  The Ballad Of The Tinker’s Daughter is a spellbinding story and in the best traditions of the ballad it allows the story to unfold.

  I am Kerry is a fitting conclusion to the album as it touches on most of the poet’s favourite themes of stories and legends, the wild beauty of south Kerry, youth and old age, and the mental merging of music and rhythm of the place he loved.

  This CD is guaranteed to soothe the troubled brow and should have a space on every Kerryman’s CD collection.

  By any standards Tim Dennehy has done a beautiful presentation of the songs of Sigerson Clifford. MALCOLM ROGERS.

  The Folk Diary

  It quickly becomes obvious that here is one of the great west of Ireland voices with all the qualities that the high art of this tradition demands;

  light, pure of tone and carefully and highly decorated.

  Yet, these are not traditional songs that we are listening to; they are all the compositions of the late Sigerson Clifford of Caherisiveen on the Ring of Kerry. He was a poet, ballad and song writer who was rooted in the background and traditions but on this evidence, despite their local settings they have a great universality. From the careful observation of a light piece like “The Races” to the passion of “The Ballad of Johnny Golden” we hear a varied and high quality programme beautifully performed. The highlight of the album is the exquisite “The Boys of Barr Na Sr

  SKU: 523 Category: Vocals Male

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