Andrea Beaton

Andrea’s third independently released CD of traditional Cape Breton fiddle music is as warm and glowing as the red and orange tones of its package. Recorded live in an evening at The Tap Inn, a pub in Birnam Scotland where she has worked for two consecutive winters, this 20-something fiddler from the famed Beaton family of Mabou puts down a selection of jigs, strathespeys, and reels that are as old as the hills, with a few of her own compositions mixed in, including a lovely clog she wrote for her dad’s 50th birthday and a co-write with Gordie Sampson called The Bush Administration Reel.

Troy MacGillivary’s incredibly innovative piano accompaniment would impress even the jazz-afficianado, and one of his more experimental passes earn one set the title The Airplane Landing. Whoa! Andrea’s fondness for switching from major to minor mid-tune give these sets alot of ‘oumf,’ not to mention her jumpy, ornamented playing. The last track, a duet with small-piper Fin Moore is sheer musical ecstacy. Between song giggles and liner notes are so endearing, and this cd is so upbeat that you will want to hug Andrea and Troy after each cut. And you may think you can, live sound and all.
- MaryBeth Carty, Penguin Eggs-October 2006

Andrea’s third independently released CD of traditional Cape Breton fiddle music is as warm and glowing as the red and orange tones of its package. Recorded live in an evening at The Tap Inn, a pub in Birnam Scotland where she has worked for two consecutive winters, this 20-something fiddler from the famed Beaton family of Mabou puts down a selection of jigs, strathespeys, and reels that are as old as the hills, with a few of her own compositions mixed in, including a lovely clog she wrote for her dad’s 50th birthday and a co-write with Gordie Sampson called The Bush Administration Reel.

Troy MacGillivary’s incredibly innovative piano accompaniment would impress even the jazz-afficianado, and one of his more experimental passes earn one set the title The Airplane Landing. Whoa! Andrea’s fondness for switching from major to minor mid-tune give these sets alot of ‘oumf,’ not to mention her jumpy, ornamented playing. The last track, a duet with small-piper Fin Moore is sheer musical ecstacy. Between song giggles and liner notes are so endearing, and this cd is so upbeat that you will want to hug Andrea and Troy after each cut. And you may think you can, live sound and all.
- MaryBeth Carty, Penguin Eggs-October 2006

BADDECK — Take 10 talented musicians, a picture-perfect setting, and Flo Sampson’s home cooking and you have all the ingredients needed to make musical magic. For the past four days some of the best Canadian and Scottish roots/traditional artists have been holed up in a Beinn Bhreagh home sharing their own songs and collaborating on new material and tunes which will be performed publicly for the first time tonight at Strathspey Place in Mabou, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

The New Tunemakers is a special project of this year’s Celtic Colours International Festival and features well-known local musicians Glenn Graham, Andrea Beaton, Troy MacGillivray, Ryan J. MacNeil, Colin Grant, Prince Edward Island’s Patricia Murray, Metis fiddler Sierra Noble and the three members of Scotland band, Lau, - Aidan O’Rourke, Martin Green and Kris Drever.

O’Rourke said the project was devised by Celtic Colours co-director Joella Foulds and inspired by Scotland’s Burnsong project where a dozen artists spent a week together collaborating on new material.
With just four days to prepare for tonight’s show, O’Rourke said Sunday was the icebreaker day where everyone got to know each other and one another’s music during a jam session, and Monday and Tuesday were full days of writing and practising new tunes. The group will hold a final day of rehearsal today at Strathspey Place.
“It’s quite interesting for us as a band to work under this kind of pressure,” he said, noting he, Green and Drever typically spend a lot of time fine-tuning new songs before performing them.
With a wall of windows overlooking the Bras d’Or Lakes as their backdrop, a fireplace keeping things toasty and lots of good food and snacks to keep the creative juices flowing, Green said the past few days have been a unique experience.

“It’s been fantastic,” he said. “We’re in a beautiful spot and that never hurts.”
O’Rourke said working with other musicians and creating new traditional tunes makes the time and effort required worth it.

“It’s really rewarding to know these quality new tunes are being written,” he said, adding, “The atmosphere is good, morale is high.”
October 9, 2007 - LAURA JEAN GRANT, The Cape Breton Post

BADDECK — Take 10 talented musicians, a picture-perfect setting, and Flo Sampson’s home cooking and you have all the ingredients needed to make musical magic. For the past four days some of the best Canadian and Scottish roots/traditional artists have been holed up in a Beinn Bhreagh home sharing their own songs and collaborating on new material and tunes which will be performed publicly for the first time tonight at Strathspey Place in Mabou, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

The New Tunemakers is a special project of this year’s Celtic Colours International Festival and features well-known local musicians Glenn Graham, Andrea Beaton, Troy MacGillivray, Ryan J. MacNeil, Colin Grant, Prince Edward Island’s Patricia Murray, Metis fiddler Sierra Noble and the three members of Scotland band, Lau, - Aidan O’Rourke, Martin Green and Kris Drever.

O’Rourke said the project was devised by Celtic Colours co-director Joella Foulds and inspired by Scotland’s Burnsong project where a dozen artists spent a week together collaborating on new material.
With just four days to prepare for tonight’s show, O’Rourke said Sunday was the icebreaker day where everyone got to know each other and one another’s music during a jam session, and Monday and Tuesday were full days of writing and practising new tunes. The group will hold a final day of rehearsal today at Strathspey Place.
“It’s quite interesting for us as a band to work under this kind of pressure,” he said, noting he, Green and Drever typically spend a lot of time fine-tuning new songs before performing them.
With a wall of windows overlooking the Bras d’Or Lakes as their backdrop, a fireplace keeping things toasty and lots of good food and snacks to keep the creative juices flowing, Green said the past few days have been a unique experience.

“It’s been fantastic,” he said. “We’re in a beautiful spot and that never hurts.”
O’Rourke said working with other musicians and creating new traditional tunes makes the time and effort required worth it.

“It’s really rewarding to know these quality new tunes are being written,” he said, adding, “The atmosphere is good, morale is high.”
October 9, 2007 - LAURA JEAN GRANT, The Cape Breton Post

Andrea Beaton has just released a new CD in conjunction with her father. Just called “Kinnon & Andrea Beaton”, it contains 11 powerful duets, well-selected and carefully paced. This is Beaton music at it best, giving you a good cross-section of old and traditional tunes, mixed liberally with contemporary material, including several of their own compositions, as well as tunes from other members of the extended Beaton family.

Other than the two fiddles, the only instrumentation is Betty Beaton (Kinnon’s wife and Andrea’s mother) on piano and Sandy MacDonald on guitar. The playing is well matched, particularly on the older Mabou Coal Mines-style tunes. Only occasionally does their variance in style show, though, and you can hear slight differences in bowing or ornamentation that allow you to tell one from the other.

This is a great CD, produced by Kinnon and Andrea and recorded at Lakewind Sound Studios by Mike Shepherd. For fiddle fans, this is a winner, and will likely be a welcome gift. If you want to hear them live, Andrea, Kinnon, Betty Beaton and Joel Chiasson are playing for a dance at the Boisdale Firehall, Dec. 26.
December 14, 2007
- DAN MACDONALD, The Cape Breton Post

Andrea Beaton has just released a new CD in conjunction with her father. Just called “Kinnon & Andrea Beaton”, it contains 11 powerful duets, well-selected and carefully paced. This is Beaton music at it best, giving you a good cross-section of old and traditional tunes, mixed liberally with contemporary material, including several of their own compositions, as well as tunes from other members of the extended Beaton family.

Other than the two fiddles, the only instrumentation is Betty Beaton (Kinnon’s wife and Andrea’s mother) on piano and Sandy MacDonald on guitar. The playing is well matched, particularly on the older Mabou Coal Mines-style tunes. Only occasionally does their variance in style show, though, and you can hear slight differences in bowing or ornamentation that allow you to tell one from the other.

This is a great CD, produced by Kinnon and Andrea and recorded at Lakewind Sound Studios by Mike Shepherd. For fiddle fans, this is a winner, and will likely be a welcome gift. If you want to hear them live, Andrea, Kinnon, Betty Beaton and Joel Chiasson are playing for a dance at the Boisdale Firehall, Dec. 26.
December 14, 2007
- DAN MACDONALD, The Cape Breton Post