'Imar'
There are many reasons to be excited about new Glasgow-based five-piece Ímar – not least a line-up featuring current and former members of Mànran, RURA, Talisk, Barrule, Cara, Mabon and The Lowground, whose collectively crammed trophy-cabinet includes a BBC Young Folk Award and several All-Britain/All-Ireland titles. By far the best and biggest reason, however, is how excited the band are themselves. “As soon as we all sat down to play together properly, it just worked,” says bodhrán player Adam Brown (RURA), originally from Suffolk. “We were a bit stunned, to be honest; all looking round at everyone else, thinking, ‘Is it just me, or was that really good?’” “It’s definitely more of a pure-drop trad sound than most of the other bands we’re involved in,” adds Cork-born uilleann piper, flautist and whistle player Ryan Murphy (Mànran), “but I think that’s partly why it feels so natural. We’re going back to the music we started out playing – which is ultimately the reason why we’re all here as musicians.” Ímar’s formation also embodies a more personal reconnection with its members’ formative years, dating back long before their recent camaraderie around Glasgow’s justly celebrated session scene. All five of them – also including fiddler Tomás Callister and bouzouki ace Adam Rhodes (Barrule/Mabon), both from the Isle of Man, plus Glasgow native Mohsen Amini (Talisk) on concertina – originally met as teenagers through Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, the Irish traditional music network that tutors budding players throughout the British Isles and beyond, and stages the annual schedule of Fleadh competitions. Mairead Stewart was born and raised in the village of Upper Coll on the Isle of Lewis, where song and poetry surrounded her as a child. This fostered her great love of Gaelic song and she later went on to win the coveted Gold Medal at the Royal National Mod in Airdrie in 1993. Since then her reputation as a singer has spread far and wide. Ewen Henderson hails from the Scottish West Highland town of Fort William and has been naturally steeped in the traditional music and Gaelic culture of the area from an early age. Now in his twenties, Ewen started learning the fiddle at five years of age and since then has mastered an impressive array of instruments, having had the privilege of learning from many of the true masters of West Highland traditional music such as Aonghas Grant Snr. on fiddle and Angus MacColl on bagpipes, whilst also being influenced by his strong family musical heritage. Over the years, Ewen has been fortunate enough to play all over the world from Shanghai to the Isle of Skye with a host of top Scottish and global cross-genre bands including the world-renowned Battlefield Band, with whom he toured for several years.Date: 18/04/17
Start Time: 20:00:00
Venue: Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, TDC main hall
Audience Numbers: 150
Type: Music Traditional