Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Celtic Isles. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Celtic, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
We are a 4 piece Irish/Celtic/American Folk band. We each have our own musical background, so we love to bring new ideas to rehearsal. We keep the creativity flowing by listening to music we each like individually, and bringing those styles together (as a band). By listening to music in our (band’s) genre and seeing the way the same songs can sound so different by different artists. We LOVE to bring our own twists to music, whether that means improving our current repertoire by adding more instruments or changing the vocal harmonies, or combining songs and tunes that we haven’t heard other musicians play together before; making our own medleys or changing the style of a well-known song, making it unique.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
We are a 4 piece Irish/Celtic Folk band that plays many festivals and pubs around South East Michigan. Each of us plays multiple instruments, as well as can sing and harmonize together.
What we feel is most exciting or special about it:
It’s the way we see people’s faces light up when their favorite song is played; the way it makes people feel good and happy… Historically in Celtic culture, the music of the commoners or peasants is about the merry making or celebrating, and we feel that we are part of that continuity. There’s a specific comradery and connection we feel with the people who listen to us.
We have played at big festivals and small festivals, pubs, bars, weddings, churches, Irish and Scottish Festivals, Renaissance Festivals, and private parties around Michigan, and traveled down to Indiana once to play at an Irish pub. Fun Fact about Celtic Isles: We once played in an inflatable pub in someone’s back yard! And we played in someone’s house that is set up exactly like an Irish Pub. We even took official “band pictures” in their dining room!
We are looking forward to playing some local events this summer: Shepherd Highland Games in Shepherd MI, Arts Beats and Eats in Royal Oak MI (See Facebook for more details on both). We just played at Motor City Irish Fest and Canterbury Village Medieval Faire, both in June. We play regularly at O’Connor’s Public House in Rochester, and Gus’ Snug Irish Pub in Clawson on Sunday evenings.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. We each have some kind of musical background.
2. None of us started in the Celtic Genre, but we all love it and bring our individual backgrounds together to create a unique sound, while still being considered a “Traditional (Irish) Band” or a “Pub Band”.
3. All 4 of us always have “the next song or tune” on our minds. Our “To Do List” of songs/tunes is very long and it seems like as soon as we learn one off the list, we have already added 3 more to it!
Some advice would be that everyone can improve, so never stop working on your sound, as an individual and as a band. Find what music or artist that inspires you and draw off of their sound or their enthusiasm, or whatever it is that really moves you! Make other music friends who lift you up. Get in with a group of people who aren’t there as your rivals, but as your fellow musicians. Have friends who share your stuff on social media. Ask your friends and family to review you on social media. That can go a long way when getting your name out there! Always remember that Dreams are just Goals you haven’t reached yet. Seriously.
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
Our sound has matured over the last 12 months; each of us has been working to improve ourselves as musicians and it really shows as a band! Surprisingly, we have actually started playing songs off of the “To Do List” instead of only adding to it! We have been getting gig requests from events that hadn’t reached out to us before, and getting really positive feedback from them!
Contact Info:
- Facebook: www,facebook.com/CelticIslesBand
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@celticisles2053
Image Credits
Paul Siegmund
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
