Altan, an Irish band fiercely dedicated to their traditional heritage, is the Arden Theatre’s feature entertainment on Tuesday, March 17.
Retooled from a virtually unknown duo in the mid-1980s to one of Ireland’s Celtic ambassadors, the six-piece has never stopped developing and progressing.
Their ballads are touching and the reels and jigs lively. Having produced a series of award-winning albums, their fame has outstripped the Emerald Isle with many more fans residing across the waters.
After 35 years in the business, Altan may have been tempted to hit cruise control. Instead they stopped by Nashville and invigorated their sound.
In the 2015 recording The Widening Gyre, Altan has produced a hybrid that fuses Irish music with American roots, particularly the Appalachian bluegrass fiddle.
It is a skilful exploration of music that goes beyond the pure Irish traditional boundaries with celebrated American guests such as Jerry Douglas, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Tim O’Brien.
Altan returns to the Arden with a collection of the old and new. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $38. Call 780-459-1542 or purchase online at ticketmaster.ca.
The upcoming blues harmonica of Harpdog Brown and Travelling Blues Show is a much-anticipated event for music lovers.
Tonight the Vancouver-based musician and his three hellhounds – Jordan Edmonds (guitar), Pat Darcus (bass) and Grant Stovel (drums) are getting down and bluesy at LB’s Pub.
Raised in Edmonton, Brown has been part of the Canadian blues scene since 1982. His 2014 release What It Is just won the Maple Blues Award for Best Harmonica Player of the Year. It was his first Maple Blues award.
“It’s nice to get some national recognition. It’s nice to see the rest of the country is taking heed for what I am doing,” said Harpdog from Red Deer. He is on a 10-stop tour of Alberta and British Columbia taking advantage of the momentum from his album.
“It ranked in at number 32 in the top 100 blues albums in the world. There were only seven artists from Canada and only four of us were actually born in Canada. It was number one in other Top 10 lists. Not bad for an Alberta white-boy. Huh.”
He is committed to the ’40s and Æ50s Chicago blues style, a more soulful form of blues than today’s “hammerhead” fusions. Since his early days in Edmonton, blues has been a primary driving force, especially with influences from black artists such as Muddy Waters, Little Walter and Sonny Boy.
The ramblin’ dog invites blues fans to take a walk through history with him.
“It beats the hell out of watching The Bachelor on TV. It’s all about the entertainment factor. It’s not just the songs. It’s the engagement of honest music. It’s not smoke and mirrors. Every song resonates with the honesty of real blues.”
