Irish Music Stories Podcast

The show about traditional music, and the bigger stories behind it.

Episode 49-The Naming of Birds 01/12/2021

Episode 49-The Naming of Birds After a horrific week of social unrest in the U.S., and as Irish Music Stories begins a major overhaul, host Shannon Heaton offers a meditation on how cataloging and organizing can soothe the soul. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/17510216

Episode 48-Between the Tunes 12/08/2020

Episode 48-Between the Tunes What’s up with stage banter? And why all the joking around between tunes in a session? Host Shannon Heaton explores the on- and offstage chat that surrounds traditional music with Máirtín de Cógáin, Paddy League, Joanie Madden, Rus Bradburd, Liz Carroll, and Jean-Michel Veillon. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/17080979

Episode 47-The Myth of Tragedy 11/10/2020

Episode 47-The Myth of Tragedy How do composers conjure melodies in traditional Irish and Scottish styles? Where do the tunes come from, and what do they carry? Composers Liz Carroll, Dáithí Sproule, and Katie McNally discuss creativity, resilience, and the myths behind the music. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/16749962

Episode 46-Ancient Tongues, Modern Times 10/13/2020

Episode 46-Ancient Tongues, Modern Times Learning just a few words in Gaelic is mannerly when visiting Ireland and Scotland. And it can be a way IN to cultural values and humor. Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Séamus Ó Flatharta, Ciarán Bolger, Michael Coult, Julie Fowlis, Mary Jane Lamond, and Brian Ó hAirt help me understand connections between language and music. And how songs in Irish and Scottish Gaelic transmit emotion, carry history, and lift people up. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/16375058

Episode 45-Trad in the Classroom 09/08/2020

Episode 45-Trad in the Classroom There’s no definitive Irish or Scottish music method book. A lot of seasoned practitioners learned their music in kitchens and pubs. So how do they bring that immersive, social learning approach into the classroom? The latest IMS episode features traditional musicians who share ideas about teaching and learning traditional music. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/15921347

Episode 44-Not Easy Playing Green 08/11/2020

Episode 44-Not Easy Playing Green The topic of sustainable travel for touring musicians has been reframed, as Covid-19 has cancelled most music live music events for an unforeseeable amount of time. But as activity kicks up again, conversations about responsible, viable, grateful travel—and conservation—remain vital. The latest IMS episode features traditional musicians who advocate for marine ecosystems, planet conscious travel, and the health bees. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/15557357

Episode 43-From the Fringe to the Fore 07/14/2020

Episode 43-From the Fringe to the Fore Hear how the banjo came into common acceptance in Irish circles from Daniel Neely, Enda Scahill, and Martin Howley… and check in with the joys and challenges of outsider status from harpist Maeve Gilchrist, cellist Natalie Haas, and saxophone players Susan Lindsay and Isaac Alderson. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/15187847

Episode 42-The Long Arm of the Irish Tradition 06/09/2020

Episode 42-The Long Arm of the Irish Tradition Persistent infections like Covid-19 … and social injustice.. and racism… loom large. And still, these little Irish jigs and reels are forming bridges across oceans. What happens when people fall in love with a foreign music culture and pull themselves out of their comfort zones to travel and learn to play? Learn about the perspective Irish music has offered players on five continents. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/14747762

Episode 41- Transplanting Tradition in the Land of the Trees 05/12/2020

Episode 41- Transplanting Tradition in the Land of the Trees What do rampant evictions, military ship collisions, and Christmas trees have to do with jigs and reels? Learn how Gaelic culture resonated in Canada’s “New Scotland,” and down in the Boston States, from singer Mary Jane Lamond and fiddle players Troy MacGillivray, Andrea Beaton, Alasdair Fraser, Katie McNally, and Lee Cremo. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/14377859

Episode 40-Irish Tunes in the Key of C-19 04/14/2020

Episode 40-Irish Tunes in the Key of C-19 How are traditional musicians and dancers continuing creative careers and group music events during the Covid-19 pandemic? How is social distancing affecting the jigs and reels? In this unexpected open of Season Four of Irish Music Stories, musicians from Ireland, England, Belgium, Sweden, and the U.S. address on and offline strategies… from a safe distance. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/13977566

Episode 39-Tune Tale with Eileen Ivers 03/10/2020

Episode 39-Tune Tale with Eileen Ivers What’s a soccer ball, a school uniform, and a wedding dress have in common? New York-based fiddle player Eileen Ivers helps jar memories and connections, with a jig she wrote for her granny, in this month’s off season installment. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/13372649

Episode 38-Tune Tale with Jimmy Keane 02/11/2020

Episode 38-Tune Tale with Jimmy Keane Are all traditional tunes created equally? And if they aren’t, what happens to the, um, lesser tunes? Do they end up like lost dryer socks? Chicago-based accordion player Jimmy Keane reflects on the room of bad tunes, and shares one of his loveliest compositions in this month’s off season installment. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/12949256

Episode 37-Tune Tale with Helen Kisiel 01/14/2020

Episode 37-Tune Tale with Helen Kisiel What do you do when language just can’t capture how hilarious—and important—an encounter in Ennis, County Clare was? Write a tune about it. That’s what Brendan Tonra did. Pianist Helen Kisiel recounted one of those tune memories in this month’s off season installment. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/12596522

Episode 36-Tune Tale with Billy McComiskey 12/10/2019

Episode 36-Tune Tale with Billy McComiskey Where do the tunes come from? When does inspiration hit? Host Shannon Heaton learns that it's all about timing, in this short story about a jig by accordion player Billy McComiskey. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/12306683

Episode 35- Last Night’s Food 11/12/2019

Episode 35- Last Night’s Food What’s up with the endless cups of Irish tea? Is there something genuinely nourishing about a pile of french fries and melted cheese? Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Matthew Olwell, Jamie McClennan, and Matt Heaton help host Shannon Heaton digest the meaning behind the menu. Additional tasty tales from Kevin Doyle, Liz Carroll, John Williams, and Kathleen Conneely. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/11869349

Episode 34-Fairy Forts and Changelings 10/08/2019

Episode 34-Fairy Forts and Changelings Are Irish fairies REAL? And if so, could there be Sí folk living in New England?? Fiddle player Martin Hayes, singer Emily Smith, and storyteller Máirtín de Cógáin help me and this month’s co-producer Nigel Heaton investigate songs, stories, and possible gateways to the Otherworld. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/11546429

Episode 33-The Irish Woodshed 09/10/2019

Episode 33-The Irish Woodshed What do the Irish music and dance worlds think about practicing? Fiddle players Fergal Scahill, Finn Magill, and Rose Flanagan; banjo player Martin Howley; cellist Natalie Haas; flute player Nicole Rabata; and dancer Kieran Jordan share thoughts about woodshedding in the trad world. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/11186555

Episode 32-Cuppa Tea with Len Graham 08/13/2019

Episode 32-Cuppa Tea with Len Graham Why learn old songs from your neighbors, when the airwaves are brimming with NEW music? And how can a rooster’s crow affect singing technique? Hear stories behind Len Graham’s life of song in this month’s Cuppa Tea chat. No matter the aperture, apertoire, or repertoire, Len’s got a story (and a song) to suit the situation. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/10765274

Episode 31-The Scottish Connection 07/09/2019

Episode 31-The Scottish Connection How do Scottish and Irish music intersect? How are they distinct? And why do so many trendy tunes come from Scotland? Host Shannon Heaton talks with Aaron Jones, Ed Pearlman, Natalie Haas and Hanneke Cassel to learn what it means to be a traditional Scottish musician today—in Scotland, and in the States. Warning: this episode contains very few mentions of haggis… or kilts. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/10450316

Episode 30-GMT Plus Nine 06/18/2019

Episode 30-GMT Plus Nine What's the story with speaking Japanese, removing your shoes, and then tucking into a set of Irish reels? Host Shannon Heaton travels around Japan to learn more about Irish and Celtic music in the Land of the Rising Sun… and discovers heaps of common ground, social culture, and cake. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/10184528

Episode 29B-Travel Update from Tokyo 06/11/2019

Episode 29B-Travel Update from Tokyo After hitting a small snag in the SECOND Tuesday publishing schedule, IMS will seize the opportunity to launch The Travel Series! Starting next week, host Shannon Heaton will take listeners on a very traditional music tour of Japan, Scotland, and Cape Breton. Just one week to go: start packing your bags for Irish and Celtic music from far-off lands… and the bigger stories behind it. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/10104157

Episode 29-Trad on Canvas 05/14/2019

Episode 29-Trad on Canvas How do artists paint trad? And how do they capture the sounds and feelings—and the bigger stories behind Irish music and dance—in two dimensions? In conversations with Brian Vallely, James Gurney, Vincent Crotty, and Catharine Kingcome, host Shannon Heaton explores Travelling pipers, a dilapidated hotel in the Hudson Valley, Dudley Street dance hall in post WWII America, and a country home in County Clare. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/9766475

Episode 28-Travel Update from Thornhill 04/15/2019

Episode 28-Travel Update from Thornhill What happens when songs are written with the backdrop of moss covered trees, hillside cottages, and ravens on top of stone walls? And what happens when people play tunes together for hour after hour? (Hint, they need to eat…). Travel with host Shannon Heaton to the charming crow-filled Scottish town of Thornhill. And meet Emily Smith, Jamie McClennan, whom you’ll hear in later IMS episodes. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/9404981

Episode 27-Touching Down on Different Fields 04/09/2019

Episode 27-Touching Down on Different Fields Irish Music Stories digs into universal stories through an Irish music and dance lens. This month, host Shannon Heaton talks to ‘trad’ players who are ALSO fluent in non Celtic traditions, to find out how they manage different cultures without fumbling or getting sacked (especially on Super Bowl Sunday). /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/9320834

Episode 26-Kitchen to Concert Stage 03/12/2019

Episode 26-Kitchen to Concert Stage What happens when old traditional music and dance move onto modern concert stages? Do Celtic traditions get a big boost? Do they lose anything on the road to the performing arts center? Journey with host Shannon Heaton as she speaks with Jean-Michel Veillon, Matthew Olwell, Steph Geremia, Kevin Crawford, Herschel Freeman, Eileen Ivers, Mick Moloney, Brian O’Donovan, and Rory Makem about how ‘trad’ continues to change, dissolve, evolve, and inspire. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/8962715

Episode 25-Season Three Overture 02/12/2019

Episode 25-Season Three Overture What’s on tap for IMS 2019? Host Shannon Heaton talks to trad world movers and shakers about instruments on the fringe of the session; Scottish, Cape Breton, and Irish music connections; the long (global) reach of Celtic traditions; practice habits of traditional players and dancers; the intersection between food, drink, and traditional music; and musical connections to the Overworld…. all in Season Three of Irish Music Stories! /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/8600720

Episode 24-Joe Cooley Meets Clark Kent 01/08/2019

Episode 24-Joe Cooley Meets Clark Kent What was the earliest Irish music live streaming event? Billy McComiskey revisits the night TWO accordion giants gave a concert in the Catskills while a landlord in NYC tuned in; and Rose Flanagan remembers how her dad and his buddy learned tunes on their bikes, for this short between-season installment. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/8137856

Episode 23-IMS Playlist 12/11/2018

Episode 23-IMS Playlist What’s a sure-fire way to make your season bright? Check out this PLAYLIST and collection of mini-stories from Laurel Martin, Kevin Crawford, Daithi Sproule, Maeve Gilchrist & Nic Gareiss, Trad Youth Exchange, Liz Carroll, The Makem and Spain Brothers, and Cherish the Ladies. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/7838531

Episode 22-Jigs in the Key of P 11/13/2018

Episode 22-Jigs in the Key of P What’s the secret formula for parent-performers? With Chicago-based box player John Williams and Boston guitarist Matt Heaton share two unique approaches to keeping the music and the insight factory going strong, while still tucking in to family. (Hint: it works for non-parents, too.) /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/7468784

Episode 21-Fifty Shades of Gender Equality 10/09/2018

Episode 21-Fifty Shades of Gender Equality What do Benjamin Moore paints have to do with Irish bands, modern performance practice, and gender balance? Insights from Karan Casey, Brian Ó hAirt, Laura Cortese, Nic Gareiss, Ellery Klein, and Dr. Lisa Coyne uncover different shades of inclusivity in the Irish tradition, 150 years after house paint titans Benjamin and Robert Moore emigrated from County Monaghan to Brooklyn, New York. /episode/index/show/irishmusicstories/id/7141736

Irish Music Stories Podcast

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