Navanlog

Wow - updates!!

noreply@blogger.com (Navan) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 02:19:00 +0000

It's been a BUSY year - we've had the great joy and fortune of acquiring songstress extraordinaire Amy Curl as our new FOURTH!

Our summer efforts - herculean on Amy's part, as she in under 12 months absorbed and memorized Navan's entire, working Celtic-language repertoire PLUS some solos of her own - culminated in a two-week run as an integral part of WGBH Boston's annual stage program, Christmas Celtic Sojourn.

This is the longest run in Sojourn's history, and we were thrilled to be part of it again in 2008, with sold-out crowds in Boston, Worcester, and Providence, R.I.

The "high holy days" as we like to call them are fast approaching - March, of course - and with Madison's International Fest 2009 under our belts we're well-sung and ready for action. We welcome you to join us next at St. Pat's Eve, Sunday, March 15th at the High Noon Saloon, 701A E. Washington Ave. in Madison; Navan sings at 5:30 p.m., but the entertainment begins well before that at 3 p.m.

This summer will see us hard at work in the studio recording our fourth album - title to be determined!

Thanks for staying tuned, and hope to see you all soon!

local newspaper makes good

noreply@blogger.com (Sparrow) — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 22:36:00 +0000

After a rather warped (our personal opinion of course) online review of our cd release party last week, the Isthmus printed a fabulous article today, to be found on The Daily Page at: http://www.thedailypage.com/daily/article.php?article=6037

Have a read and see everything that NPR story has stirred up!

zoiks! (and thank you...)

noreply@blogger.com (Sparrow) — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 13:57:00 +0000

This has been an astounding 96 hours.

First I just want to say one more thank you to all of you who came out to our official CD release party last night at the High Noon - what a wonderful space and so good to see so many of our friends, family, and everyone else! Thanks too to Matt & Shannon, and Daithi for sharing their beautiful music.

So what's the 'zoiks!' you ask...
As of this morning all 3 of Navan's CDs are in the top sellers this week on CDBaby, and if they're running their page from the database the way I suspect they are then Lowena is in the number one spot, and Mairneas & An Cuimhin Leat are in 5 & 6 respectively. We have more shipments already in transit headed for CDBaby so if you're dreaming of your own copy, hang in there (CDBaby is still taking orders, but it will be 3 or 4 extra days before your package arrives).

I know there was a little confusion for some of you where you were able to place the order, but then you received an email saying it was out of stock - don't worry - your order still went through. That's an automated note that doesn't take into account that the CDs are very close to being counted in and shipped out to your door!

Our NPR story stayed around in the Most Emailed Stories list until sometime yesterday, and it's now the Pi Guy's turn for some email glory.

For now we can just bask in the sweet notes we've been receiving from so many of you!

list heaven

noreply@blogger.com (Sparrow) — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 19:41:00 +0000

As of 2pm on Monday, thanks to all of you, we're still sitting at the top of NPR's 'Most Emailed Stories' list, and we've made the top sellers this week at CDBaby! Yee-hoo!

Here's the update for CD availablility:
Lowena is available for immediate order. Mairneas & An Cuimhin Leat are still currently out of stock at CDBaby but this should be rectified by the end of the day today, or certainly by tomorrow! The chance for the NPR interview came up so quickly that we didn't have a chance to get them restocked - thanks for making it an issue for us! If you click on the links for each of the CD titles there you'll see the CDBaby page that lists their current stock status.

I'll also post something here and on the front page to let y'all know when things are flying free.

For anyone in the range of Wisconsin Public Radio (that makes all of you if you go to listen online at wpr.org) the scheduling spirits are doing a fantastic job of letting things fall into place in time for our Wednesday release party. We'll be on WPR from 3-4pm (central time) with Jean Feraca tomorrow (Tuesday, 3/13) on Here on Earth.

To whet your appetite a bit for Matt & Shannon, joining us at the High Noon, you can check out their website.

that documentary!

noreply@blogger.com (Sparrow) — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 15:10:00 +0000

Hi all - we've had quite a few emails since the NPR story asking about the details for that documentary, so here they are:

The fellow's name is Manchán Magan. The documentary is called “No Béarla” and the link to his story, including YouTube broadcasts of each episode is:

http://www.manchan.com/pb/wp_f4b21f7c/wp_f4b21f7c.html

Just for fun here's the first part of the first episode:

The rest are all on available from his site.

Enjoy!

great swarms

noreply@blogger.com (Sparrow) — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 19:53:00 +0000

Hi all, and thank you so much for coming to take a look at us today. I know a lot of you ended up here thanks to the interview that aired on NPR today with Liane Hansen. It was a pleasure to talk to her and even more fun to hear from all of you!

I know a lot of you have had troubles with the links or other things related to trying to get your order through CD Baby today. They were on the ball and noticed the enormous number of hits coming in and were kind enough to get the website sorted out to keep taking orders today. (Thanks Tycona!!)

CDBaby has been great to us over the years and we're very happy to be working with them. If you had troubles getting Lowena earlier today, give it another go

I'll also be updating our website today with functional clips for Mairneas, and getting rid of the real audio bits for An Cuimhin Leat. We have a gig later this afternoon at the High Noon, so I'll try to get it up before I have to head over there!

Today is the fund raiser for the Madison Celtic Cultural Center - dancing, music, more dancing, and of course we hope to see all you local types on Wednesday back at the High Noon for our official CD release extravaganza with Matt & Shannon Heaton here all the way from Boston.

...now available for sale!

noreply@blogger.com (Sparrow) — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 21:31:00 +0000

We got word from CD baby today that they have Lowena available for purchase. You can go and hear clips of everything and they can still promise delivery in time for Christmas. If you're local we'll be taking a nice big stack over to Strictly Discs on Monroe Street or you can get in touch with us directly! We'll be happy to ferry in time for the holidays as needed. We're all working on a combined total of perhaps three and a half hours of sleep from last night and just got back to Madison so we'll pop back in and make more sense soon!

to the sweet Wisconsin folks in Boston...

noreply@blogger.com (Sparrow) — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 03:29:00 +0000

It was a pleasure to meet you after the show this afternoon, and I'm sorry we lost you in the crowd. Our offer still holds true - if you didn't pick up a CD this afternoon we'd be happy to send one your way, and if you did pick one up after we lost you, then let us know where you'd like us to send a Christmas gift! So glad you made it to the show!

big bugs

noreply@blogger.com (Sparrow) — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 01:23:00 +0000

The great bug of '06 is settling in to the whole crew here in Boston. We were afraid we were bringing it with us from Madison but arrived only to find out that at least 2 other people here are just recovering what sounds like the same 24 hour misery. So far of the three of us only Sheila is down for the count. We got an announcement tonight that there is a doctor friend of the show who has agreed to be the doc on call for the cast and crew! Apparently there's also a cot coming in for anyone who needs it. Oy!

1... 2... THREE!

noreply@blogger.com (Sparrow) — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 23:35:00 +0000

Check the pre-release announcement for our soon to be released third CD. Are you as excited as we are?

Christmas in July?

noreply@blogger.com (Sparrow) — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 16:42:00 +0000

Wow, that was bizarre. I just poked past our home page only to discover that at some time in the (hopefully very recent) past it reverted to an old version - from before last Christmas! I hope to be working some magic on the site in the near future, but in the meantime at least we're not claiming the arrival of snow...

trading grass for stone

noreply@blogger.com (Sparrow) — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 13:08:00 +0000

Someday I'll get to my plan of posting little bits leading up to big fun things... odd little back stories and the like. In the meantime it always occurs to me to drop a note in after shows to say thank you to all of you who were there. So, following that plan:

Thank you so much to everyone who came out last night to see the Concert on the Square! It was definitely a trip to be on the other side of the white stone railings, having been grass-side on and off for years since I was about 8. And what a rush to feel the power of an orchestra fill the entire space behind you on stage. I only wish we could have worked out more joint things with the orchestra, or with just a cello here or there. But with just two rehearsals leading up to the show, at least we had one joint piece!

When I was in Germany I had a great fun little concert with a local Irish band and a string quartet. Michael, the fiddler in the Irish group, worked up an arrangement of Toutouic for the string quartet. The concert was just a small amusement for an audience of about 30 at most. Last night was like the giant oak from that little seed, so thanks much and I hope we can do more things like this as time goes on.

Bonnie

noreply@blogger.com (Sparrow) — Sat, 10 Jun 2006 07:24:00 +0000

The whole place is starting to look more and more like rainforest but the music is brilliant. If you're debating coming out you should absolutely come!

And if you're hanging out in this part of the world and looking for breakfast, get yourself to Bonnie's in Brockton. The breakfast here at the hotel shuts down too early for anyone who's staying up late. We got ouselves out to Bonnie's and had an absolutely perfect diner breakfast, chatting away with Bonnie, her son, a few other customers, and the waitress. And then we were waiting for a slow taxi when finally Bonnie yells out "Are you wait'n for a TAXI?! Sh**, I'll drive you back there myself!" so we got loaded into her car and shuttled back to the hotel. Serious service for a little place.

We told her we'll see her in the morning...

Paul Brady...

noreply@blogger.com (Sparrow) — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 03:42:00 +0000

...is the kind of musician who can enter a room and make you forget you ever knew anything aside from the sound of his voice and the people you love most in the world. -E

on the road again

noreply@blogger.com (Sparrow) — Thu, 08 Jun 2006 22:37:00 +0000

We just soundchecked for the fundraiser show tonight at Club Passim. It's monsoon season in Boston at the moment which yesterday meant lashing almost undrivable rains, and lot of delayed/cancelled flights. We rushed like nuts to Milwaukee airport arriving a whopping 45 minutes before our 7:40 pm flight was supposed to take off, ran to check-in, and learned that it was delayed until after 11:30. With a bit of good luck they got us in the air around 9:30 and we had a not too choppy flight.

One long taxi ride later we had a good long sleep until 11 today and had falafel for breakfast (lunch?) at the middle eastern-based hotel restaurant. Paul had the winning combo of OJ served in a Miller Light pint glass :-).

Now we're just dreaming of sun and looking forward to seeing all you MA locals at the festival this weekend. Come on by and say hello!

and now for our feet...

noreply@blogger.com (Sparrow) — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 20:22:00 +0000

A local blogger caught this shot of us at this year's International Fest at the Overture Center. I swear, those really are our feet down there in the glowing lights!

photo credit

Tá fáilte romhat! Welcome!

noreply@blogger.com (Navan) — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 08:23:00 +0000

Hello and welcome to a newspace for Navan, the Hardest-Working-Celtic-Traditional-Singing-Group-
In-America's-Heartland-Performing-Exclusively-
In-The-Native-Languages-Of-Ireland-Scotland-
Cornwall-Brittany-Wales-And-The-Isle-Of Man!!

Well, maybe the only ones. But just when you think you're unique, you find that SOMEONE IN FIJI has gone and done the SAME EXACT thing. Though they'd be hard-pressed to do it in the heartland of America, so HA!!!

This blog is a big, warm, comfy ramshackle space where you can meet us after the show to stoke up a fire, sip pints, ponder life, and sing the night away. There's a time and place for Sunday clothes, but this is--well, this is where you come to rip them off, or at least get them noticeably dishevelled. So let your hair down, strike up a tune, and let the dance begin!!

rehearsals conducted by cat

noreply@blogger.com (Navan) — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 03:33:00 +0000

We're sitting here killing a bit of time while two test tracks get mixed down at our new studio attempt for this recording. Unfortunately due to illnesses (not ours) and the holidays our first attempt at #3 was delayed, but now we're off to the races again with two new arrangements ready to go as well.

Sheila had a good laugh while we were warming up earlier back at my house. We were mid-run of one piece when Fionn (the ever-industrious tabby) got himself into trouble with an open window (yes, that's the same open window from the last post). Without any of us missing a beat, or even losing the blend too badly I launched myself toward the window, rescued Fionn and returned to the table... and couldn't figure why she was almost cracking up. Apparently we think nothing of singing three part harmony in Cornish while rescuing cats and checking text messages. (E)

insulation

noreply@blogger.com (Navan) — Sat, 04 Feb 2006 01:55:00 +0000

It's probably a good thing we live in Wisconsin. It means that thanks to the weather we are sheltered for some of the year from having our oddities exposed to strangers. We bring it on ourselves in the summer by practicing outdoors whenever possible but it's probably a good thing we're indoors more often than we'd like. Yesterday at rehearsal we were mucking about with arranging a new song when I got all arrangement intoxicated and said excitedly "oh! If you go down on tusa you have to you up on ag!" This makes perfect sense to us. The thing is, the weather has been unseasonably warm and I think the window in the next room was open. So we're probably not as insulated as we should be. (E)

official mantra

noreply@blogger.com (Navan) — Mon, 09 Jan 2006 22:00:00 +0000

"When in doubt, sing."

(The full story relates to a wedding we recently sang for where our line of sight to the ceremony was fully obscured by copious amounts of foliage... but we figure it's not a bad theory in general!)

(E)

live broadcast from Boston

noreply@blogger.com (Navan) — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 17:18:00 +0000

And it turns out the show will be broadcast on Saturday this weekend - available through the live web radio too...

On WGBH at 2pm eastern time
Go to www.wgbh.org, click on 'Radio' and then 'Listen Live'

(edited version will be broadcast during Brian's A Christmas Celtic Sojourn soon)

Boston Globe

noreply@blogger.com (Navan) — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 17:15:00 +0000

Hi folks - If you're curious to see a bit more of what this show is about you can have a read of the article published in the Boston Globe this morning

Note Sheila's nice comments about swimming!

(E)

video clip

noreply@blogger.com (Navan) — Thu, 15 Dec 2005 15:19:00 +0000

the intrepid Adam has just told us that the video clip from this morning's segment is available online at:
http://www.boston.com/news/necn/Shows/gml/ (scroll down and click video to watch)

enjoy!

thanks!

noreply@blogger.com (Navan) — Thu, 15 Dec 2005 14:37:00 +0000

a big thanks to everyone we met this morning at NECN!

The tv bit went smoothly and Paul even had a few minutes freetime (photo coming later) afterward to order his new projector. Impressive!

can you ever have too much food?

noreply@blogger.com (Navan) — Thu, 15 Dec 2005 03:20:00 +0000

...wherein Navan discovers that they have just ordered 3, if not 4 plates of curry chips in addition to their meals...

It's impressively cold here in Boston - saying a lot considering we just came from snowstorm land. Our plane was one of the few that left on time today even though we were hoping for a delay by the time we were still in the car just 45 minutes before departure time. (And we weren't even the last ones to get on the plane but we did get to hear our last names called over the airport loudspeakers.)

More updates as the weekend continues...