"Eponymous" 2010
Brown Ale Serves Up “Eponymous”
It’s finally here! Over 2 ½ years in the making, this 16 track CD clocks in at an impressive 64 minutes, making it great value. Needless to say, it contains everything you expect in a typical Brown Ale CD, and then some.
In some ways, it picks up where our previous CD “Windsniffer and Other Assorted Legends” left off, with lots of original historical sounding songs spanning both sides of the Atlantic, done in various Celtic and East Coast styles, plus a few choice interpretations. There are plenty of lively pieces, dramatic pieces, fun pieces, instrumentals and our first dramatic oral recitation. In fact, there are some really interesting twists on this album!
We’ve included some stellar guests on the album, including Mike Ford, James Gordon, Howie Southwood (of Rawlins Cross), and harpist Moira Nelson, along with our friends Jon Grant, Mark Rolland and the English folk group Triangl. We’ve also included three tracks by our folk-rock trio Celteclectic (formed by adding art-rock guitarist Jon Grant to the mix).
All in all, it’s our best offering of Brown Ale yet. Enjoy!
Track Listing:
To hear a 30 second sound clip of each song. Please click on the song title.
1. Celtic Pride – barn burner Celtic Rock opener
2. Chicken Bones, Alpine and Dulse – uptempo Maritime waltz
3. Grope the Pope (The Throne Exam) – historical humourous ditty (may be considered offensive)
4. Peter Easton – historical piece, done in a Classic Rock style
5. Harry and Michael – medium tempo original jigs written in the County Claire style
6. Those Naughty Boys – fast polka style humourous ditty
7. Turlough O'Carolan – tender historical song with harp
8. Roderick MacKenzie – historical piece, done in Celtic Rock style
9. January Snows Set – ambient air on the flute, followed by two reels on the mandolin
10. Oh Boy, Danny – parody of Danny Boy. Here is the link for the video
11. Dulse! (The Maritime Treat) – uptempo happy song. Here is the link for the video
12. Petty Harbour Bait Skiff – slow Newfoundland instrumental played on the concertina
13. The Songs of Newfoundland (Omar Blondahl) – historical piece, Newfoundland style waltz
14. Lowlands Low – traditional Newfoundland ballad, performed with ambience
15. Frank and Tom – two uptempo Newfoundland jigs from the Battery District in St. John’s
16. The Ice Floes – dramatic recitation. Here is the link for the video
All songs are original except tracks 4, 9 (partial) 10, 12, 14, 15, and 16.
All songs are MAPL except track 10 (which is just production and artist).
“Windsniffer and Other Assorted Legends”(2007)
It was July, 2004, the last practice before Glenn headed back home to New Brunswick for his vacation. As he sometimes does, Les had just told Glenn another interesting story from his own home province of Newfoundland. This one was about Lauchie McDougall, a Newfoundland farmer who for 30 years was employed by the Newfoundland Railway to gauge wind conditions near Port Aux Basques, using nothing but his nose, and report if he felt it was safe for the trains to cross.
“Les”, says Glenn, “That’s a song if I ever heard one.” Two weeks later he returned back from New Brunswick with the song. After over a decade of writer’s block, Glenn had found his new calling. There were stories to be told.
After 15 years of playing mostly traditional music, Brown Ale has produced its first collection of primarily original historical Celtic and East Coast songs and tunes about such legends. Some are true, some are myths, but all of them are told with heart, in their own authentic style.
*There's a good degree of hum-ability across the album.* - Mike Beggs, Brampton Guardian
*Brown Ale's Windsniffer sounds excellent.* - Mike Ford
*McFarlane proves to be quite a remarkable songwriter.* - Roddy Campbell (Editor in Chief, Penguin Eggs Magazine)
Track Listing:
To hear a 30 second sound clip of each song. Please click on the song title.
1. Come to the Ceilidh - barn burner opener with reels at the end
2. The Saint Johns Wort - Tender Celtic Ballad from a 14th Century poem
3. A Toast to King Henry VIII - Morris Dance style sing-a-long
4. Bring the Cup to the Rock - Uptempo fictional story for Newfoundland hockey fans
5. She Moved Through the Fair - Well known Irish Air, sung to a piper’s drone
6. The Country Claire Set - Medium Irish jigs
7. The Heather Ale - Uptempo Scottish poem by Robert Louis Stevenson
8. Noel Dinn (Man of the Island) - Tribute to Newfoundland Folk/Rock group Figgy Duff
9. The Hammered Geese on the Mountain Set - An ammbient slow air and some jigs
10. The Shipbuilding Song - Sea song style sing-a-long
11. Windsniffer - Medium waltz ballad (title song)
12. Tunes from Harry Bradley - Reels and marches
13. My Life with the Vikings - Reflective dramatic ballad
14. The Sealers' Ball - Well known Newfoundland song and a reel
15. Yankee Privateer - Oral recitation
"Self Titled" (2003)
Track Listing:
To hear a 30 second sound clip of each song. Please click on the song title.
1. Howie Meeker's Jig/Up the Southern Shore - medium tempo instrumental (jigs)
2. By Peter Kerrivan - uptempo folk/rock song
3. The Kelligrews Soiree - humourous turn of the century song
4. Ode to Joy - well known classical piece, done minstrel style
5. King of the Faeries Set - high energy instrumentals (hornpipe, reel and jig)
6. Culloden's Harvest - dramatic Scottish ballad
7. Lannigan's Ball - extremely rocked up Irish patter song
8. The Death of Queen Jane - a cappella Olde English song
9. The Gathering of the Clan Set - folk/rock instrumentals (reels)
10. Fhear a Bhata - beautiful Scottish ballad
11. The Steggie - raunchy Olde English song done to a Bo Diddley beat
12. Emile's Set - Newfoundland fiddle tunes played on the flute (an air, followed by three reels)
13. Betsy Brennan's Blue Hen - humourous turn of the century song
14. Lukey's Boat / Du Pain, Du Beurre, et Du Caplin - well known Newfoundland song and a reel
15. I'll Hang my Harp on a Willow Tree - sparsely accompanied ballad
16. The Old Sod - uptempo folk/rock song
17. Petty Harbour Bait Skiff - slow instrumental on the 4-stop accordion
18. Stealin' the Holes - oral recitation
"Heads Up" (2000)
Track Listing:
To hear a 30 second sound clip of each song. Please click on the song title.
1. Banks of Newfoundland/Up the Hills of Down - medium tempo jig and reel
2. Rocky Road to Dublin/Sound Symposium Jig - fast, slip-jiggish song and a jig
3. The Ferryland Sealer - medium tempo, "electric" number
4. The Unquiet Grave - soft ballad
5. Glenn’s Set - fast original reels
6. Jack Hinks - quirky traditional Newfoundland song
7. Les Raftsmen - raunchy electric French song, with electric guitar and percussion solos
8. The Old Smite - a cappella traditional Newfoundland ballad
9. Maid on the Shore - medium fast waltz
10. The Gypsy - medium tempo reel
11. Lion Heart - bluesy a cappella song
12. Come Ye O’er Frae France - fast electric waltz, with bass solos
13. A MacFarlan’s Lament - medium/slow piece with plenty of ambience
14. The Willow Tree Set - an air, a hornpipe, and a strange original tune
15. I’ll Tell Me Ma - lively Children’s song
16. Carrickfergus - dramatic ballad
17. Follow Me Up to Carlow - high energy song, with acoustic guitar solo
18. Of Limericks and Days Past/MacPherson’s Lament - poem and Scottish air
19. Squarin’ Up Time - laid back waltz
Brown Ale
39 Windermere Crt., Brampton, Ont., L6X 2L5
brownalemusic@sympatico.ca
www.brownalemusic.ca
