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THE TÜNA CASSEROLE
"Montreal Urban Celtic"... ...three words you probably haven't seen grouped together. But there is a sub-culture of Celtic music and art that thrives among the French and English influences that dominate Canada's largest city. As far as the music goes, it is no better exemplified by the existence of a band name "Tüna" -- umlaut ( ¨ ) and all. The band features Connie's trusty traveling concert companion Bill Gossage, Hart Rouge's Davy Gallant, Bill's brother David, Alex Kehler from Nova Scotia and Jonathan Moorman from England. However this was not just another band playing Irish drinking songs and ending with an obligatory rendition of "Danny Boy". These gentlemen had been educated through musical conservatories and universities, and have had much experience playing for orchestras and producing for diverse artists across North America (for full bios, visit Tüna's "about" page). Much of Tüna's repertoire came from the mind and pen of David Gossage, whose original instrumentals were inspired by the traditional airs and jigs of old-time Eire. The band decided to to record the best of their traditional renditions and David's compositions. It was one year after their formation, around -- you guessed it, Saint Patrick's Day, 2000 -- that "Montreal Urban Celtic" was released. The album is mainly instrumental -- including a touching tribute to sixteen schoolchildren and their teacher who were senselessly murdered in Scotland, 1996 ("After Dunblane"). There are a couple of traditional songs with lyrics: "Bridget O'Malley" and "Van Diemen's Land" sung respectively by special guests Kirk Macgeahy and Michelle Campagne. Also lending two very capable hands to the project is Michel Dupire.
In their numerous projects, the band members haven't managed to play together often. However, David Gossage and Jonathan Moorman hook up many Thursday nights at Montreal's Hurley's Irish Pub to perform as a 'downsized' version of Tüna, aptly named Smelt. When in Montreal, stop in for the Thursday night happy hour for a helping of Smelt -- and maybe just one or two Tartan Special Ales. The band's next project, "Winter's End", was slated for a March 2004 release, but scheduling conflicts have delayed the project. We'll keep you informed of any progress. In the meantime, if you'd like to purchase "Montreal Urban Celtic", you can e-mail your request to: ...or call (450) 661-8532.
MONTREAL URBAN CELTIC
1. Og Rua 2. Dog Days 3. Bridget O'Malley SONG CLIP 4. Sitna Lisa 5. Annoying Priest 6. After Dunblane 7. Adana 8. Bank Of Ireland 9. Van Diemen's Land SONG CLIP 10. Glenn To Glenn 11. Mountain Music
Click here for MP3 sound clips of all the tracks. Click here to visit Tüna's website.
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All of the accomplished musicians
mentioned have separately excelled in a variety of song styles and have worked
with an array of musical talent. But it was their common affection for the
lilting melodies and unconventional rhythmic timing ( 7/8th's time, for example)
that make up Celtic music that brought them together around the time of -- what
else, Saint Patrick's Day -- in 1999.
We have samples and lyrics from the
aforementioned songs available through the album playlist provided below.
You can hear MP3 clips from all of the album's songs at 