Music

Esme’s Adventure Beats Charity Target, And Then Some!

karen
17/07/2015
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Esme’s Adventure Beats Charity Target, And Then Some!

 

Esme Morris Macintyre sadly passed away in 2013 at the age of 18 after battling a brain tumour. A tribute CD, Esme’s Adventure, was created with contributions from many of Scotland’s top harp players, and a fundraising page was set up on the Just Giving website. The original goal of this fundraising campaign was £10,000, with all money being donated to the Teenage Cancer Trust. At the time of publishing this post, that fundraising page has amassed £22,855. A massive well done to everyone involved!

 

Esme wrote a searingly honest account of the challenges she faced through her Facebook page, facebook.com/EsmesAdventure, and she worked tirelessly to raise funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
She made a wish list of people to meet, things to do and for harp tunes to be written for her. The result is Esme’s Adventure, demonstrating the great diversity and talent that abounds in Scotland’s harp community today. It is a fitting tribute to a remarkable teenager and is being sold in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust.

 

The Just Giving page is still active and accepting donations. Please consider donating to this wonderful cause. Esme’s Adventure is available from our shop. All profits from the sales of this CD are being donated to the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Live Music

Mairi Orr’s Album Launch

karen
25/06/2015
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Mairi Orr’s Edinburgh Album Launch

 

On Saturday the 20th of June, I attended the first launch concert for Mairi Orr’s debut album Jenny Does Burn along with Martin and a very eager friend of mine. I say that it was Mairi’s first launch concert as the singer held a second on the 28th of June in Glasgow. The concert we attended was in Edinburgh at The Voodoo Rooms, a venue I had never visited before, but one that I fell in love with straight away. The concert was in a cosy room covered in dark drapes and illuminated by candles burning from each table as well as tiny lights dotted around the coverings. It was a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

Mairi and her band elected to do a straight run-through of the album for their live set. Opening number The Drover gently lulled the audience into the evening. Don’t You Wed Another Man Maggie took things up a notch with its fast-paced brand of bluegrass. Title track Jenny Does Burn told the tale of the last woman to be burned as a witch in Scotland to an oddly charming tune, given the subject matter. By the end of the set, and subsequently the album, Mairi had very effectively demonstrated her grasp of a variety of genres with no song sounding like the one before it.

Following rapturous applause from the audience (and then some), the band returned for a rendition of Dirk Powell’s take on traditional song Moonshiner. Feet were tapping, hands were clapping, it was a great concert from start to finish.

Mairi’s debut album Jenny Does Burn is available now from Birnam at our own shop, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com. It is also available digitally through prominent platforms such as iTunes, Amazon MP3 and Google Play.