Mouth Music

[gb10@gte.com (Gregory Bossert)]

hey, all!

well, i saw the Scottish group "Mouth Music" twice this weekend:  
saturday at the sommerville theater, near boston,  and sunday 
at the iron horse, in northampton, MA.  

i attended the sommerville show with love-hound Mark Semich. 
(we saw |>oug there, but couldn't get over to say hi!)
the show was very good, but it was the sunday night show that
really wowed me.

sunday, l-h Mark Midura and i met ecto-goddess Jessica Dembski (who 
drove up from new jersey!), and we ran across l-h Bob Krovetz at the 
club.  (sheesh, sounds like the love-hounds social page...)  
the iron horse is a fairly small club, packed to capacity on sunday 
night;  the feeling was much looser and warmer than at the theater.

i bought the Mouth Music CD at the saturday gig, and listened to it
between shows.  those of you who know the group from the recording
would be astounded by the live show!  the CD features the same traditional
scottish vocals, and african-based percussion, but the live group trades
Martin Swan's delicate synth textures for a *stone* funk groove.
i have *never* danced so much...  i'm still sore  ;-}

anyway, the live group is Martin on fiddle, a drummer, a bass player
(these two are *tight*), a keyboardist, and two female vocalists.
the vocal parts are based on scottish "waulking"  music and 
"puirt-a-beul" (literally, "mouth music").  the former is a style
of 'call-and-response' music sung by women while waulking, or beating,
tweed (to loosen/soften the just-woven cloth).  the puirt-a-beul style
was developed when the english outlawed bagpipes -- people simply made
up words to the old pipe tunes, and sang while they danced.  the vocal
style is filled with odd hiccups and whoops, and the two singers
traded parts back and forth -- the effect, as demonstrated by
(new) singer Mairi MacInnes' solo, is rhythmic enough without the backing
instruments.  when the band kicked in, it was devastating!

i spoke with Martin a bit on saturday, and with Mairi and Chic 
Medley (who recorded and co-produced the CD) at some length on
sunday -- they are wonderful people!  no real word on whether
they would record as a band, or when they might tour again, but
if they do i *highly* recommend them!

a highlight of the show for me was meeting Happy Rhodes and Kevin
Bartlett.  it was Happy's recommendation, via a circuitous route,
that convinced me to go to the show in the first place.  as it turns
out, the band had heard Happy's music in dallas, and loved it!
tiny teeny world...

some data:
        Mouth Music, "Mouth Music" -- Rykodisc RCD10196 (USA)
        Mairi MacInnes, "Causeway" -- Lismor LCOM9018 (Scotland)

Mairi's album is reminiscent of Capercaillie, with whom she has
worked.  both albums are highly recommended...

footah!
-greg -- gb10@gte.com --
	"a woman drew her long black hair out tight
	 and fiddled whisper music on those strings
	 and bats with baby faces in the violet light
	 whistled, and beat their wings" -- T.S. Eliot

o