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What's new in CD's
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Fraid Knot - Hoist the Sails
Now here's a treat for St. Paddy's Day. Celtic music, rich in ima...Fraid Knot - Hoist the Sails
Now here's a treat for St. Paddy's Day. Celtic music, rich in imagination, has the intrinsic ability to sweep listeners into another place, as Calgary band Fraid Knot demonstrate so well on Hoist the Sails - an outstanding mix of originals and traditional gems.
The guys (Byron Eddy, Glenn Webster, Danilo Terra, Ed Williamson and Lael Johnston) pour every bit of energy and passion they can collectively gather into the boisterous project (check out the rollicking, thundering title track and the upbeat, luminous 'Beautiful').
Traditional favourites 'Tell Me Ma', 'Jack (Was Every Inch a Sailor)' and 'South Australia' continue in a similar lively vein.
There's much that effectively runs along melancholic tones as well. The disc opens with the beautiful instrumental 'Island Lament'.
Slow, mournful and melodic at first, the tune quickly escalates into energetic intensity without losing a shred of poignancy.
Other highlights include the simply-crafted 'Seagull's Cry' and the gentle disc closer 'Wild Mountain Thyme'.
Anyone who loves contemporary Celtic pop/rock tunes that don't abandon the warmth and textures of traditional styles will enjoy the skills and heart reflected on "Hoist the Sails".
Rating: 4 out of 5
- Mark Weber
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Top 30 Megatunes
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Fraid Knot - Hoist the Sails
If its east coast sea shanty tunes you're looking for, I'm afraid so b...Fraid Knot - Hoist the Sails
If its east coast sea shanty tunes you're looking for, I'm afraid so but Calgary has not exactly been a hot bed for the sea-fairing and fairly-fiddly-heavy set (in the western prairies? who knew?). But fear not because Fraid Knot (pause for knowing chuckle here), the Calgary-by-way-of-the-maritimes five piece, is about to move the ocean to Cowtown with their earth-moving debut album "Hoist the Sails" (not literally, don't adjust your house insurance). Certainly an album of interest to those who are fans of Great Big Sea (the band, or just great big seas in general), totally boss accordian solos, and movies where Johnny Depp wears mascara....On Sale Now.
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Food Network Quote
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“When shooting an episode for our series “Eat, Shrink, and Be Merry” (Food Network) we were looking...“When shooting an episode for our series “Eat, Shrink, and Be Merry” (Food Network) we were looking for a band to provide a kitchen party atmosphere at Boyd’s Seafood in Calgary. It was one of the coldest nights of the winter, but once these boys started crankin’ the tunes, the room was downright steamy. And that was in an “unplugged” setting... I can’t wait to see them with amps, a P.A., and a dance floor!”
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Celtic Jam-o-rama
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"What's a Caper out of water to do? Liane MacNeil fishes for a ceilidh"
[Excerpts]....
No mat..."What's a Caper out of water to do? Liane MacNeil fishes for a ceilidh"
[Excerpts]....
No matter where they end up, Maritimers don't have to go home. They just need a fiddle and a song....This home feeling is also one of the driving forces behind the Atlantic Trap & Gill, known around Calgary as a top venue for live Celtic shenanigans. It seems a good 90 percent of the Trap's crowd on any given night claims roots in either Newfoundland or Cape Breton, and the fish nets and lobster traps on the walls recreate that dirty pub ambiance so common in Scotian bars....The guys of Fraid Knot, a Trap favourite, keep their music more on the traditional side. "East coasters are coming to Calgary all the time,' says lead singer Byron Eddy. "They're looking for a flavour of back home, and that's where we fit in." Their regular gig at the James Joyce isn't as loud and rowdy as shows at the Trap, but that's fine by the regulars. And while these jams are a good way to fight homesickness, I recommend taking the music into your own hands.....After scoping out sessions, listening to Celtic radio and even joining a jam myself, I revel in the fact that a Celtic connection is never hard to find, even on the prairies.
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Calgary Culture Club Music Feature - Fraid Knot
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This month, the Calgary Culture Club's music feature takes a Celtic twist with the band Fraid Knot. ...This month, the Calgary Culture Club's music feature takes a Celtic twist with the band Fraid Knot. Fraid Knot is a Celtic rock/east coast music band based in the heart of cowboy country. But with so many imports from other parts of Canada, it's no surprise that they are loved out west. After years of playing pubs to rabid fans, they finally released a CD called Hoist the Sails (available at Megatunes). In addition to band members Byron Eddy, Glenn Webster, Danilo Terra, Lael Johnston, and Ed Williamson, Karl Lingwood adds banjo to the traditional songs The Leaving of Liverpool and South Australia. Gloria Kae co-writes and plays the violin on the opening instrumental number, Island Lament, and adds keyboards to other tracks.
Hoist the Sails is a mixture of original songs written by the band members and traditional Celtic numbers. The CD is fast-paced and rocking from beginning to end, with only Segaull's Cry and Wild Mountain Thyme as slower songs. Byron Eddy (the only remaining founding member) stays true to the band's traditional east coast sound while adding a bit of modern flavour to the original Beautiful.
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Fraid Knot to highlight Drake's Ceilidh
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Dave Whitfield - Canmore
From the land of rocky shores, seabound mists, Screech and lobsters comes ...Dave Whitfield - Canmore
From the land of rocky shores, seabound mists, Screech and lobsters comes the sound of...
Wait - make that from the land of short grass prairie, skyscraping buildings and cowboys comes the Celtic sounds of Fraid Knot.
Fraid Knot, who have dubbed themselves Western Canada's hardest-working ambassadors of contemporary Celtic music, will bring their Maritime/Prairie Celtic sound to Canmore, Sept. 2, as part of the Drake Inn's wrap-up for the Highland Games. Fraid Knot will appear with the Red Deer Legion Pipe Band.
"She'll be a rockin' good time," said frontman Byron Eddy, with the lilt of Newfoundland in his voice. "We've done a bunch of work with that pipe band at annual ceilidhs and if it doesn't turn into a good time, it's a really bad time."
The multi-talented and multi-national Fraid Knot is Eddy from Newfoundland, Glenn Webster (backing vocals, guitar, mandolin, etc.) from Lahr, Germany, Ed Williamson (bass, backing vocals) from Edinburgh, Scotland, Lael Johnston (drums, percussion) from Calgary and Danilo Terra (accordion) from Rome, Italy.
All have day jobs, but all are dedicated to Fraid Knot and the sound they've developed which is traditional Celtic, with a difference.
Their CD 'Hoist the Sails' (2007 release) is getting airplay on radio stations as diverse as Alberta's CKUA and a station in Florida. The band has been interviewed on CBC radio while in Montreal for a St. Patrick's Day gig and the Fraid Knot sound is, "starting to trickle across the country," said Eddy. "We're working on the East Coast, playing festivals and a couple of the guys have been to Europe."
For the summer of 2008, Eddy said the band will concentrate more on the festival circuit and they are presently working on a second album, with two songs recorded in the studio and another eight or 10 to go.
"We try our best to cover Celtic material, but we also try to squeeze in our own material," said Eddy. Songwriting is a relatively collaborative effort among Fraid Knot, and songs can range to the odd, as in "Captain Morga", a drinking song with verses featuring rum, gin, vodka and other drinks sung to Don McLean's "American Pie." Lyrics run to "heavy on the spice rum, easy on the ice," said Eddy. "We needed a drinking song, so we threw in a bit of flavour for a kind of tradional song."
Fraid Knot also ranges to the traditional, such as the Scottish ballad "Wild Mountain Thyme". Other songs were inspired by TV's Irish Rovers, songs band members were familiar with growing up.
Fraid Knot's origins run to about three years ago when Eddy, Williamson, Terra and Johnston got together. Partially, said Eddy, the band was formed because they like the name. "We have Irish, Scottish, English, Protestant and Catholic backgrounds and collectively, we've come together for a common cause. All the threads of a rope have come together."
Fraid Knot is a hard-working band that played 188 shows last year. They've opened for Spirit of the West, even Tropper and they set a record in Calgary by playing 75 consecutive Thursdays at Ceili's Irish Pub. At the time, they were virtually the house band; these days they play often at the Atlantic Trap and Gill when in town and have been known to prowl St. James's Gate in Banff.
"We've played the Drake before," said Eddy, "and it's always a great crowd. With our music, if you're a Celtic fan, great, but you don't need to feel limited if you're not. If you can dance, polka or two-step, you can dance to it. You don't need to be Lord of the Dance, although one night Michael Flatley showed up a Ceili's and we had girls dancing on the tables and on the bar."
"We just like people to come out and have a good time. We've got Celtic in our blood and we were lucky to bump into each other. We enjoy getting together to tell stories and shoot the breeze. Putting the music together just adds to the enjoyment.
"Glenn's played with Prism, Tom Cochrane and tribute bands, Ed's been around for 30 years and comes from the hometown of the Bay City Rollers and Danny's won accordion championships in Kimberley, B.C."
"I'm likely the junior, as far as experience goes, but I've worked on a couple of albums and had several nominations with the band Muldow. The Fraid Knot symbol is kind of a symbol for everybody being from different walks of life and backgrounds."
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CKUA RADIO TOP 30
Music Charts
2007 - 01/15 to 01/28
January 15 - 18, 2007
#28. Fraid Knot - Hoist the Sails
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Band naming made easy
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Metro News - Calgary, AB
Date: Oct. 2/08
By: Heather Setka
The only thing more difficult than ...Metro News - Calgary, AB
Date: Oct. 2/08
By: Heather Setka
The only thing more difficult than naming a child is naming your real baby: your band.
Fledgling musical acts beware. Imagine the torture of regurgitating the same nauseating story about something one of you used to say as a Starbucks' employee. Consider this wisdom from local long-timers.
1) "Keep it simple," says Dennis Davies. "But then, I'm old." and by old, he means experienced. The vocalist/drummer has been playing in bands for 40-ish years.
His latest project, the simply-named Dennis Davies Jam, rocks the Shamrock Hotel (2101-11 St. S.E.) tonight. He'll also be backing up Big Cat Daddy at Murrieta's (200 808 1 Street S.W.) Friday and Saturday. But Davies didn't name that one.
2) "Don't jump on the flavour of the day," says Fraid Knot's accordion player Danny O'Malley. His band's name sprung from a joke about a string walking into a bar: Since their inception eight years ago, the "frayed knot" has tied in many meanings for the non-traditional Celtic band. "It's a complex thing," O'Malley says. But he insists there's no science to it. "You may wake up in the middle of the night with it. Sometimes you need 18 beers, " says O'Malley, the man behind the squeeze-box at the Atlantic Trap and Gill (3828 MacLeod Trail S.W.) this weekend.
3) Can't stomach 18 beers? Visit www.bandnamemaker.com. For example, "hummingbird" generates names for a death metal band (Hummingbird Tears), a hip-hop act (Phat Hummingbird) and even a emo group (Hummingbird Channel).
4)Go for The.... Somethings. It's worked for generations (ie., The Beatles, The Breeders), and it's working for The Trophy Wives, The Sublinguals and The Exploding Pigs. Well, at least they're on Friday's Broke City (613-11th Ave. S.W.) bill.
5) "Nothing derogatory," says Doug Charters, Pistol Noon guitarist. His band's name was thieved from a western flick; there's a tavern sign proclaiming "Drink 'til 2, Pistol Noon." "I don't have an opinion on (this name) anymore, because it's like my left arm now," Charters says.
Unless you're catching Pistol Noon at th Riverstone Pub on Northmount Dr. this weekend, forget those 18 beers. Charters offers this sobering advice. "Any name you come up with, if the band does well, you're going to be stuck with it for a long time."
Wonder what Nickleback would say about that.
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Venue Bursting With Entertainment Morning Till Night
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Excerpt:
"...The headliners for the evening ceilidh are Calgary-based Fraid Knot whose members br...Excerpt:
"...The headliners for the evening ceilidh are Calgary-based Fraid Knot whose members bring a rich blend of musical taditions and style from diverse backgrounds. They were a huge hit last year with their traditional Scottish and Irish songs and century-old sea shanties, along with their original East Coast and Celtic rock."
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Drake tied up with Fraid Knot
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After events wind down at teh canmore Highland Games, the Drake will be the place to be. Fraid Knot...After events wind down at teh canmore Highland Games, the Drake will be the place to be. Fraid Knot, a Calgary-based Celtic rock band, will return to the local watering hole, Sunday (Sept. 4), for a night of music and good times. Danny O'Malley, the group's accordion player, spoke on behalf of the band.
"We're an east coast Celtic rock band, and coming to Canmore to do the Sunday at the Drake,' he said. "The show's not affiliated with teh Canmore Highland Games, but they throw a big bash at the drake every year that's very popular, so we're going there to put on a party."
The band has played this event a number of times before, said O'Malley.
"We've just been playing around, doing our own version of high energy Celtic rock with an east coast flare," he said. "We've actually been doing the Sundya of the Canmore Highland Games at the Drake for quite a few years now and eneded up breaking some of their bar sales records, so it's a pretty good time.
'I think a lot otheir competitors come down and unwind after a weekend of competition. It gets pretty crazy, they keep it lively and it's fun."
Playing the Drake is the best party, said O'Malley. "WE just like the mayhem there, to tell you the truth," he said. "We start quite late, so if people start at the Games beer garden and then venture over to the Drake, people know that we're there and there's a really good later party, and we see a lot of kilts and the dance floor is absolutely packed.
"There's been times in past years when on break we didn't even leave the stage because it was so packed, so that's the kind of mayhem that it is. We just give it our all and go nuts - that's what we like to do."
For the show, the band will play a mix of stadard Celtic covers and some of their own tunes.
"We're doing the covers everybody loves and we rock it up a bit, and throw in this and that, and the guys on stage are partying along with everybody else," said O'Malley. "People do love the covers and we're there to provide a party.
"But we do have our own music. Our first album had a number of originals and we do have a following and we get some requests for them, so we'll definitely throw out those out there."
O'Malley got involved with the group eight years ago. "My mum's side of the family is Scottish, and I played accordion, a very traditional instrument, and they wanted to replace another accordion player, so I just got into playing with them", he said. "The lead singer is originally from Newfoundland. "We have a couple of players from the east coast and the bass player is from Scotland originally. Iw as born in Europe, but grew up in Canada."
"This summer has been good for the band." Said O'Malley. We've had a good summer, played a bunch of folk festivals, went up to Iqaluit, Nunavut -that was amazing, that part of the country - we've played for the troops coming home from Afghanistan, then up oin Fort MacMurray for some fo the camps with all the east coasters," he said. "We're looking to get back to the Drake and put on a good pub show. It's an intimate venue and we love that kind of thing."
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Fraid Knot brings edge to Celtic music
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The feisty fivesome known as Fraid Knot, will be bringing their eclectic Scottish-Celtic-rock sound ...The feisty fivesome known as Fraid Knot, will be bringing their eclectic Scottish-Celtic-rock sound from Calgary to Cochrane on Jan. 28 to entertain the haggis-bearing, kilt-wearing scotch-drinkers who will be dancing until the wee hours of the following morning.
“We’re not super heavy by any means — we tailor it from show to show,” said lead guitarist, mandolin and bouzouki player, Glenn Webster.
Each member of the band comes steeped in rich musical experience and history — but only one member comes dressed.
“I’m the only one who wears a kilt and even that depends on my mood,” laughed Webster.
The final eve of 2011 marked 11 years as a solid unit for Fraid Knot, who released their second full-length album last St. Patrick’s Day, A Pint O’ Trad, and is gearing up to release their third this coming March 17.
“It’s done really well for us — it’s getting good media coverage and radio play,” said Webster of their 2011 release, adding that being a Celtic band and releasing an album on the annual day dedicated to green beer certainly did them some favours.
Their sound covers the traditional elements of Celtic sounds — including instrumentation such as the accordion, bouzouki, mandolin and tin whistles — but can get edgier and rockier than many of the folk-rooted Celtic groups on the market.
A self-proclaimed ‘rocker from way back’, Webster settled on Celtic music as his favorite to play, not only because it’s a challenging genre — played very fast and with guitar progressions that are opposite from other genres, such as blues, country or rock — but also because of its ability to strike a chord with so many.
“It’s really fun and up-tempo,” explained Webster. “I like the international ties and the way it almost brings people home. I’ve had people come up to me at shows with tears in their eyes and tell me how homesick they are.”
With the recent addition of bassist Norm Rooke, who replaced their former bass player (who retired a couple months ago), the band will continue to perform with no end in sight.
“It’s a fantastic event,” said Webster of playing for Cochrane’s Robbie Burns Night. “It’s one of our favourite gigs of the year.”
Robbie Burns Night takes place at the Cochrane RancheHouse on Jan. 28; doors open at 6 p.m.
Learn more about the band at fraidknot.ca.
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Guitarist Glenn Webster Endorses John Page Guitars
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John Page Guitars is pleased to announce its first official artist endorser, Glenn Webster of Canada...John Page Guitars is pleased to announce its first official artist endorser, Glenn Webster of Canada’s Celtic rockers Fraid Knot. Webster is a Canadian native who comes from a long line of professional musicians. From his youth in the prestigious Brandon University Classical Guitar program, over a decade performing and recording with various groups throughout Western Canada, to his current role as a key member of this much celebrated band, he has always been the consummate performer.
In 2001 Glenn joined the then relatively unknown Celtic-Rock band Fraid Knot. The combination of personalities and opportunity to stretch himself as a multi-instrumentalist was too good to pass up. The group has achieved a great deal of notoriety and media coverage across North America and abroad. Their debut album Hoist the Sails has received strong radio play internationally with feature specials being done on the band across Canada, the United States and into Europe.
Collaborating with John Page on his new P1-SV (aptly named “The Celt”) has really been the opportunity of a lifetime for the musician. “I have no idea how many instruments I’ve owned in my life and to be honest it takes me a while to figure out how many I have now, but no matter how much I loved a specific one, there was always something missing until now. This guitar is my Grail. It’s what I’ve been searching for and every time I pick it up, she just feels better and better. I can’t begin to thank John enough; he absolutely nailed it. It plays and sounds unbelievable, and everywhere I go it turns heads...” says Webster. “I can’t wait to start working on the next album just so I can get her in the studio!”
John Page says that the process of creating The Celt was a great experience for him as well. “I have dealt with hundreds of artists over the years, from the biggest to the not-so-big, and working with Glenn was one of the most pleasurable and resulted in one of my best instruments. He’s an excellent musician and an even greater guy. The music he plays evokes a lot of emotion and stirs the audience… it’s really exciting for me to have one of my guitars play a role in those performances.”
For more information on Fraid Knot, visit www.fraidknot.ca.
For more information on John Page Guitars, visit www.johnpageguitars.com or e-mail info@johnpageguitars.com.
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The Atlantic Trap & Gill
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An East coaster docking in Calgary will likely get asked two questions: "So, you came out here for w...An East coaster docking in Calgary will likely get asked two questions: "So, you came out here for work?" and "Have you been to the Trap?"
The Atlantic Trap & Gill has been a lighthouse beacon for East Coasters ever since Tracy Johnson and her sister, Jill, founded it in 1999. The Calgary establishment followed on the heels of Vancouver's Newfie Trap and Grill, the Johnson sisters' first foray into the hospitality business. They shifted the "r" to change the bar's name to "Trap & Gill" after the B.C. liqour board expressed its displeasure about the word "tap" in the name.
the Trap's picinic-table seating, foot-stomping Celtic music and nautically themed decor has proven to be a winning formuula for the bar that's essentially become a community hall for Maritimers. "It's not a big surprise that there would be a lot of East Coasters and they would get together somewhere,' says longtime patron Byron Eddy. "I think the biggest export the East Coast has is their people."
in 2000, Eddy was one of the thousands of easter Canadians who move to Alberta every year to find work (14,716 in 2009, but down to 10,500 in 2010, accordion to Statistics Canada). Within days of arriving from Trinity Bay, Nfld, he had a job and an invitation from friends to visit the Trap. That visit set in motion the founding of his Celtic band, Fraid knot, which plays the bar ever sixth weekend.
The beckong light of teh trap doesn't just hit Calgary. Whenever Johnson, born and raised in Halifax, goes back home to visit, people ask her what she does in Calgary. "I say, 'I acutally own an East Coast--' 'The Trap & Gill? Oh my God. We've heard all about the Trap & Gill."'
As the reputation of the Trap grows, so do the amazing run-ins. Citizens of a small P.E.I. town shake hands after not seeing each other for 20 years. Grade-school classmates share a drink after losing track of one another for decades. Eddy has had schoolmates show up at the bar. "They didn't know I was in the band, and I didn't know they were in the crowd. Finally, we'd bump into each other and look at each other in amazement."
That said, the bar isn't just for landlocked Maritimers. Johnson estimates that on any given night split is about 30 per cent East Coasters and 70 percent otherwise. But expect to hear more than a few lilted voices.
"It's like a magnet for East Coasters," says Eddy. "It pulls them in."
