Ewan McLennan
Don't you love it when you come across music that is new to you and you find that it delights and excites you? I'm always chuffed when I stumble on a folk-nugget.
I felt like that the first time I heard Julie Fowlis and the evening I was walking through San Diego and heard the music of what would later become Crooked Still spooling out of a hotel room on the California air.
A listener emailed me to say I should listen to Ewan McLennan, a young Scottish singer and guitarist. So I did.
Comparisons are terrible and often used by bad journalists as a lazy way out of having to think. Well I thunk and thunk and the only way I can describe McLennan is as coming from the same stable as Dick Gaughan and Archie Fisher, while at the same time being truly original.
His voice is clear and strong with an appealing vibrato and his feeling for the narrative is strong and consistent. This is what the Irish call "the pure drop".
I'm going to be playing him on the programme in the weeks to come. Meanwhile, check out his website - I'm sure you'll like him.
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~58~RS~)
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Yes I do agree I love to hear new music some recommendations to you are Ger wolfe from cork and Bray Vista from Bray (surprise )co Wicklow maybe they are a bit too country for yo
ur show but Ger wolfe has a new cd out http://musicmail.ie/products.php?keyword=ger+wolfe
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Well Mike, there is quite a strong Folk scene in Leeds and Yorkshire, as I'm sure you are aware, with lots of exciting new and established talent.
A BrightYoungFolk review of Ewan's cd here:
http://www.brightyoungfolk.com/gigs/ewan-mclennan-ewan-mclennan/record-detail.aspx
and he is doing a Live Set, BBC Radio Manchester on 26 Oct 2009 at 20:00.
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A friend recommended I book Ewan for my music venue in West Yorkshire (Raggalds Acoustic) and when I checked him out immediately and booked him just as quick. Looking forward to seeing him there in February, though the Topic Folk Club also featured him a few weeks ago and he was excellent. He appeared in a double header evening with Andi Neate who is a superb singer and her new CD is excellent. Be good to hear her on the show too Mike. Try the track 'Tails from the Circus' - lovely!
Joe Grint
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As well as a fine musician and singer Ewan is a amicable bloke to boot.
Ewan is doing a free slot as part of the Raise Your Banner's festival in Bradford on Saturday 6th of November. As well as Ewan there is lots of other northern folk playing for free.
Details of the festival are at:- http://www.raiseyourbanners.org
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