Among the Celtic-influenced bands of the 90's, Seanachie was a standout and this tape certainly shows why with their excellent arrangements and musicanship. Here's the Herald article on the eve of their album release: [center][img width=224]//7ca49eb9f67ba1319ef136f9d52cd8b8.cdn.bubble.io/f1754095725277x376612532447850000/richtext_content.jpeg[/img][/center] SEANACHIE [h2][b]McCulloch infuses music with passion[/b][/h2] JAMES MURETICH CALGARY HERALD Gordon McCulloch is holding court at a Calgary pub while knocking back a beer and enjoying his first scotch of the day. He drinks with a passion. In fact, McCulloch does everything with passion. Every sentence that comes from his mouth, layered in a thick Scottish burr, is imbued with passion. And the same goes for the songs he writes and the music he makes with Seanachie, the popular Calgary folk group which officially launches its new CD - A Quarrel with Whisky with gigs at Quincy's tonight and Friday. "So much of our lives, I'm telling you, there isn't any passion. So, when you get a bloke like Van Morrison singing, well, you tell me that's not going to bring tears to a glass eye," says McCulloch, who also was an emcee at the Calgary Folk Music Festival this past summer. "And that's what is hopefully at the heart of our music. "We're constantly rediscovering the wheel. There are always going to be constants, like writing about love. The key is how do make it personal? "And working within the folk form, well, it's like you're sucking the muse through a syringe You still have to play in the tradition which, in and of itself, narrows your choices and yet For you still have to make it new. "It's like minting new coin from old gold." The challenge appears to be well met by Seanachie. Its mu- sic is an evocative blend of Gaelic tradition and contemporary sensitivities. The group's new CD, and its second to date, deals with affairs of the heart as well as the "cheesey, Braveheart nationalism I have no time for," says McCulloch, who earns his daily bread as a detective on the Calgary Police force. The group's new release, which includes special guest James Keelaghan on acoustic guitar, balances new com- positions with traditional tunes. But what really gives Seanachie the edge over other like-minded folk acts is the vocal and musical talent of the five-member band. Jackie Bell not only "sings like a linty" (that's a small Scottish bird, folks) but is a remarkable fiddler. Ann Gray has won major competitions for her bagpipe playing. Percussionist Robin Tufts has worked with everyone from flamenco guitarist Peter Knight to poet Sheri-D Wilson. And Diane Kooch is already considered one of the city's top bassists for her work with Maud and Tariq. "The main instrumental voice is going to be Ann's great highland bagpipe, much maligned and much loved, and we've got a rhythm section that's constantly trading lyrics, expanding on things that should be straightforward...and I'm just the poor bugger stuck in the middle," says McCulloch. It's his habit to sell his songwriting and singing abilities short, laughing all the while. The truth is that Seanachie summons up the true spirit of Gaelic folk music, both old and new. "You know, a lot of people just think of Ian Anderson as the crazed flute player with Jethro Tull, who sang Aqualung, but he wrote one of my favorite lines ever: "If I can but make the words awake the feeling." "That says it all," says McCulloch, grinning,
