PREVIEW
Celtara
Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 2 p.m.
St. Albert Community Hall
17 Perron St.
Tickets: $15 Call 780-459-1542 or at www.ticketmaster.ca
When Celtara came together in 2004, it was by sheer accident. Lead vocalist Tami Cooper quickly cobbled together a band to play a wedding. Now three albums later, they are considered a premiere Prairie Celtic ensemble.
As part of the Arden Theatre’s afternoon series, Celtara rolls into St. Albert Community Hall for an intimate one-set, afternoon concert on Tuesday, Feb. 19.
The Edmonton-based fivesome will perform music from their eagerly awaited third album, Seven Long Years. In addition they will test out a few new folk tunes and play several favourites from past albums.
As musicians they draw on influences from Ireland, Norway, Brittany, Scotland and Sweden, and wrap them up into a unique identifiable Canadiana Celtic sound.
Sharing lead vocals are Cooper (flautist/whistle) and Bonnie Gregory (fiddle) backed by Steven Bell (accordion/keys), Andreas Illig (guitar/bouzouki) and Mark Arnison (percussion).
“When we started out, we were learning to play with one another. We learned a lot since then. I feel like we groove now. We play as one unit. The only thing that will give you that is experience and we still find joy in playing with one another,” said Cooper.
Seven Long Years (2018) follows the release of two previous albums, More Than One True Love (2011) and Until the Morning Light (2007). Enthusiastic fans wondered why it took seven years to release a third CD.
It turns out life got in the way. But with a shared artistic vision and similar personal values, they found strength, support, artistic independence and enough momentum to keep going in down times.
“The five of us said goodbye to parents. Between us, we raised eight Celtara kids and a couple of us had to move houses. I can’t believe what happened in the last few years. I’m hoping for smoother sailing in the future,” Cooper said, chuckling.
“To bring out the album now – it feels like ‘Wow! We pulled it off.’”
Sound engineer Scott Franchuk from Riverdale Studios produced the 12-track as a spirited live-off-the-floor album with an even mix of songs and instrumentals.
One of Cooper’s favourites is John Riley.
“I heard it 30 years ago on one of Joan Baez’s early albums. It was tucked in my noggin and we had the opportunity to arrange it.”
Bonnie Gregory, who posses an encyclopedic knowledge of music, wrote Man of High Degree, a bluegrass-tinged dating song about good men. She also took the traditional song, Just One Kiss, and gave it a fresh twist.
Another of the ensemble’s contemporary songs is James Grant’s I Will Not Wear the Willow, a feisty, high-spirited and upbeat murder/whodunit.
In essence, Celtara fits many of the typical traditional conventions, but it also challenges perceptions and goes beyond by using modern stylings.
“We follow what our interests are. We follow our noses in different directions to find good songs that are interesting, whether old or new. We want to find our own take and typically we don’t do songs that are done a lot.”
