CEL
MARY GAUTHIER...
Mary Gauthier’s songs are as colourful as her backg

round. Originally from New Orleans, she survived TIC CONNECTIONS
jail, drug problems, living rough, various thankless jobs, the pressures of running a Cajun restaurant
and intolerance of her lesbian lifestyle…and has the tales to prove it. After writing her first song at
the age of 35, she has developed the art of turning her torrid experiences into brilliant narratives like
Drag Queens In Limousines, Christmas In Paradise, Evangeline and I Drink. All feature on the arresting
compilation of her early work, Genesis, an ideal introduction to her startling work. Oh and in case you
were wondering, it’s pronounced Go-shay.
SALSA CELTICA...
Edinburgh and Glasgow were fertile ground for some visionary musical fusions through the 1990s
– none more so than at Edinburgh’s La Belle Angel, where – fired up by a visit to Cuba and the weekly
Club Latino – a few enthusiasts forged the exciting clash of Cuban and Scots music that morphed into the
magnificent Salsa Celtica. Paying no heed to convention, logic or musical barriers, their ever-expanding
line-up of folk, jazz and world musicians turns every gig into a joyous massive party with audiences
invariably goaded into a dance frenzy involving brass, bongos, bagpipes and all points beyond. If you
need to know why, their dynamic most recent album El Camino has most of the answers.
SHARON SHANNON...
You can barely set foot in a bar or even pass a busker in Ireland these days without hearing Galway Girl,
the Steve Earle song turned into a national institution by Sharon Shannon – whose dancing accordion
brought the song to international attention in collaborations with both Earle and Irish singer Mundy.
Included on the Galway Girl: Best Of… compilation, it has been used on telly to flog truck-loads of
cider, but Sharon – not a Galway girl at all, but from Clare – was an inspirational figure long before this
track, breaking new territory by blending her traditional roots with everything from reggae and dub to
rock, country and jazz
BLAZIN’ FIDDLES...
Blazin’ Fiddles are a sight – and sound – to behold. Put five of Scotland’s top fiddle players (Catriona
MacDonald, Aidan O’Rourke, Allan Henderson, Iain Macfarlane and Bruce Macgregor on a stage with
guitarist Marc Clement and keyboard player Andy Thorburn and watch those sparks fly. Life is always
a knees-up with Blazin’ Fiddles, currently celebrating their 10th year bowing up a storm in their own
inimitable manner. To get their full impact you have to hear them live…which is maybe why their latest
album was recorded over two nights in the local Village Hall in the remote village of Glenuig in the
north west of Scotland and is cunningly titled Live.
BOO HEWERDINE...
Very possibly the tallest man to wield an acoustic

guitar, Boo Hewerdine is a consummate song
craftsman, whose work is in constant demand by others. So much so that, despite productive spells in
various bands – notably the fabled The Bible – Boo’s songs (like the Eddi Reader hit Patience of Angels)
may be more famous than he is. He’s written plenty of other stuff for Eddie – not to mention the likes
of Natalie Imbruglia and Mel C! – and is also a gifted producer but, with his gentle voice and warm,
evocative songs, remains a classy performer in his own right, as his entirely solo recent CD Toybox No
2 comprehensively proves.
GURF MORLIX...
Gurf Morlix has been compared to Robbie Robertson, Tom Russell, Warren Zevon, Joe Ely and virtually
everybody else with a gruff voice, a sharp couplet and the manner of one who’d happily bite your ear
off without blinking. The former bandleader, guitarist and backing singer with Lucinda Williams, Morlix
has emerged from the shadows of his celebrated collaborators to start 2009 with the blinding Last
Exit To Happyland. Originally from Buffalo, New York, he’s now a firmly adopted Texan and has the
cowboy hat, long hair, craggy looks and weather-beaten songs to prove it. A treat for Celtic Connections
audiences…and anybody who buys his new album.
Click on any ALBUM COVER to buy now
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37