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Folk and World music with an Irish flavour
Steve Wickham: Violin
Anna Houston: Cello, Mandolin
Felip Carbonell: Guitar
Eddie Lee: Double Bass
also featuring Oleg Ponomarev: Violin
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Sligo based group NoCrows are making waves in the folk and world music circuit this year with appearances at two major European festivals starting with Glastonbury’s acoustic stage last June, sharing the stage that day with such luminaries as Ray Davies (The Kinks), Fairport Convention, Jason Mraz and Hugh Cornwell (The Stranglers).
The band, which plays a unique blend of Irish traditional, classical and world music, is a quartet of Sligo musicians from very different backgrounds: Steve Wickham (of Waterboys fame) on violin and vocals, moved to Sligo from his native Dublin in the early nineties and has been an integral part of Sligo’s music scene ever since. Mallorcan maestro Felip Carbonell, on Spanish guitar and vocals, has resided in Strandhill for over 15 years, as has Swiss multi-instrumentalist Anna Houston, who is as comfortable playing cello in Sligo Baroque Orchestra as banjo and mandolin in local trad sessions. The quartet is completed by double bassist Eddie Lee, the band’s only Sligo native, who has been part of Sligo’s modern music scene, performing with rock, soul, folk, jazz, world and classical groups since 1981.
NoCrows repertoire is truly global as their music ranges from Portugal to Moldova, from Brittany to Russia, from Venezuela to Greece and beyond. Always on the lookout for a good tune, the band borrows from the classical oeuvre as it does from jazz, trad, folk and world music.
The group has two CDs on their own label Crows Records and Dervish’s Whirling Discs. Their live debut CD, Live at the Strand was recorded in late 2006 and released in 2007 to critical acclaim. (“Swing rarely felt this good”- Siobhan Long of The Irish Times). Last year’s Magpie, described by The Irish Times as “A beautifully wrought selection of instrumental music” caught the public imagination once more. “I think Magpie is one of the reasons why the band has started to gain international recognition”, says Eddie Lee, “it’s an album we are very proud of and contains original material written by each member. We have been mixing genres for a few years now, so, in a way, Magpie is NoCrows just beginning to discover our own voice.”
NoCrows, who played in Mallorca, Switzerland and Belgium in 2008, also played some of Europe’s biggest folk festivals this year, Dranouter Folk Festival and Dranouter aan Zee in Belgium, sharing stage with Buena Vista Social Club among others.
Irish, German, Belgian and Swiss dates follow in the autumn before the band records its next CD. In the meantime members of the band can be heard performing an acoustic session every Wednesday, in what they describe as the band’s’ “birthplace”, ‘Shoot the Crows’ pub in Sligo. The band’s two CDs, distributed by Claddagh records, are available in good record stores and online at Townsend Records (UK) and CD Baby (worldwide).
STARTING OFF. NoCrows is an eclectic gathering of musicians from different cultures and influences. Steve Wickham, Anna Houston, Eddie Lee and Felip Carbonell met up initially for an informal weekly session in Shoot the Crows pub in Sligo in September 2005, which is still ongoing every Wednesday night. Coming from very different musical backgrounds, they decided to mix it together and see what would come out. NoCrows repertoire is truly global as their music ranges from Portugal to Moldova, from Brittany to Russia, from Venezuela to Greece and beyond. Always on the lookout for a good tune, the band borrows from the classical oeuvre as it does from jazz, trad, folk and world music.
Mallorcan guitarist Felip Carbonell with his flamenco/manouche style guitar provides the engine for the band’s exciting and stylish music. The quartet’s melodies arrive on the wings of the violin, mandolin and cello. The cello and mandolin are played by Anna Houston. Anna’s Swiss/Celtic roots are apparent in her intricate and soulful playing. Steve Wickham of ‘the Waterboys’ is the violinist and his energetic style and repertoire adds spice to the quartet. Eddie Lee provides the hot grooves on his double bass. Eddie is a well respected musician and well known for his work with the Cafe Orchestra among others.
The band had a successful summer ‘06, performing at Sligo Live Festival as well as at the Feile Iorras in Mayo, Sliabh an Iarann in Leitrim, the Tain Festival in Dundalk and the Westport Arts Festival. Every concert performance provoked requests for CDs of the band’s music and eventually NoCrows duly obliged. Being such an energetic act, it felt right to record the first album in a live setting. They found the time and the space in The Strand Bar in Strandhill in September ‘06 where three live performances were captured by Swiss producer Urs Lanz and became NoCrows debut album.
Torhout, Belgium by Lieve Boussauw - Jun '08
LIVE AT THE STRAND. The long awaited CD NoCrows Live at The Strand, the first album by NoCrows was released to critical acclaim on Whirling Discs (Dervish’s label) in December ‘06 with the official launch held in The Strand Bar in Strandhill in the same room where it was recorded. Live at The Strand is available online on CD Baby and distributed in Ireland by RMG/Chart and in France by Keltia Musique.
NoCrows had a very successful and hectic 11 dates/11 gigs tour in May-June ‘07 to promote their album in Ireland. Since then they appeared at several festivals and prestigious venues around the country and recently performed their first concert abroad at the Festes de San Sebastià in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
Their willingness to mix and match from such a wide palette, from Brahms to O’Carolan, from Abba to Rumba, makes for an enchanting musical experience that often surprises, transporting the listener through a myriad of exotic places.
MAGPIE. NoCrows second CD, entitled “Magpie”, was recorded between January and April 2008, again with Swiss producer Urs Lanz in his studio in the West of Ireland. This time the album features original tunes from each band member as well as the band’s arrangements of traditional tunes from all over the world. The new CD also features a tune written specially for NoCrows by Dervish’s Cathy Jordan; some marvellous Mallorcan music brought to the group by Felip and a beautiful treatment of South American composer Astor Piazolla’s “Chiquilín de Bachín”. The CD also features some fantastic guest performances including a couple of gems from Oleg Ponomarev, the Russian violin virtuoso with whom the band has a long association. MAGPIE was officially launched during Sligo’s Cairde Festival on July the 8th 2008. The group performed on the night along with the many guest musicians who appeared on the CD, including Oleg Ponomarev, Galway resident-Mallorcan multi-instrumentalist Miquel Barceló, percussionist Peter Crann and saxophonist Steve Hanks.
Click here for Magpie track list and additional information.