July 5, 2011 - Celtic Radio Contributor - Burning Bridget Cleary joined the world of Celtic music on St. Patty's Day in 2006 when, by what I would like to think was divine intervention, a group scheduled to play at a house party was unable to make the gig and father/daughter duo Lou and Rose Baldino stepped up to the plate. The duo was joined by Genevieve (Genna) Gillespie, Rose's childhood friend. Funny enough, it was Genna's family's group, Gilly's Hedge, who couldn't make it to the gig that fateful night.

The trio has embraced what I like to think of as a North American phenomenon wherein the Irish Celtic groups on the west side of the pond sound "more Irish" than the Irish groups do. This is certainly not meant as an offense to any Irish groups playing Celtic music, but is just a personal observation. I believe this stems from the Yanks, et al, striving to stay true to their roots, whilst the Irish, their feet already planted firmly in the cultural soil of their homeland, feel they have more freedom to musically explore their musical fence lines.

BBC certainly makes excellent use of those Celtic roots, as "Totes for Goats" clearly proves in each track. From hauntingly vocal-sounding fiddles to the deep heartbeat of the bodhrán and soul-wrenching D whistle, the very best in musical Ireland is represented here. BBC also has a recent welcome percussive addition of Canadian Peter Trezzi, who is heard on about half of the songs on "Totes for Goats." In prior works, Lou had the added duty of providing percussion when featured artists weren't available. By adding the explosive talent of Peter, Lou is now a bit freer to compose and concentrate on exploring his considerable talent for the guitar.

Oh, and let's not forget that this is the group who won the 2009 Celtic Music Radio award for their album "Everything is Alright." I fully expect "Totes for Goats" to follow closely in the success of that album.

A few comments on each of the album's tracks:

1. Where's Pete, The New Copper Plate, The Old Copper Plate, The Scholar
(featuring Nate Godshall on the bodhrán)
The first track on the album is a dance set that grabs you and makes you realize you are going to have to set aside the next forty-five minutes to listen to the album in its entirety. Typical of the traditional Irish dance sets, each song effortlessly flows into the next so you really aren't sure where one ends and another begins. This set showcases the wonderful fiddling talents of Genna and Rose.

2. The Elfin Knight
A traditional Scots ballad, this updated rendition is a foot-tapping endeavor and you quickly find yourself singing along. Mid-song, the tempo picks up with a southern rock element being added with drums and electric guitar, offset by the lilting voices of Genna and Rose. This is one of my favorites.

3. SLOPPY SET: SLOPPY'S SLIP JIG, THE NIGHT POOR LARRY WAS STRETCHED, Booley House
(featuring Nate Godshall on the bodhrán)
The second dance set on the album, this one includes a quiet jig. The set brings to mind lords and ladies dancing a quadrille in a gilded ballroom while the wallflowers sip punch on the sidelines, hoping for their chance at a spin around the floor.

4. The King and the Fair Maid, Moses the Goat
When Genevieve and Rose harmonize on this track, you feel like you've been transported to the edge of a faerie glen, peeking through the bushes to secretly witness a sacred celebration filled with twirling dances and foot-stomping joy. This is a hundreds-year-old song with such humorous lyrics as, "Farewell my king, you've been generous and fine. What has been between your legs is now between mine," and is sure to become a favorite.

5. The Unfortunate Rake Set, The Unfortunate Rake, The Boy in the Boat, Jimmy' Groove
Number three of the album's dance sets features acoustic guitar that seems to sing unwritten lyrics. The Unfortunate Rake truly highlights Lou's amazing talent. This is the most haunting of the dance contained in this album.

6. Nead Na Lachan Sa Mhuta ("The Duck's Nest In The Moat")
Nate Godshall earns his keep on this one with the necessary addition of his bodhran. Siddharth Bhaskar joins in with the haunting D whistle. With Lou's guitar, the fiddles and the girls' Gaelic harmonizations, this is a toe-tapper that makes you wish you could riverdance.

7. Jigs for the Gangly Sort: Cameron's Twinkle, Trip to Spektor
This dance set starts out with lilting fiddle with acoustic guitar accompaniment that is quietly unassuming in the background, yet the instruments trade off, with the guitar becoming the focus while the fiddle seems to relegate to the background. Joseph Plowman once again joins the group with his throaty bass. These jigs have an edge that make them something fun to dance to.

8. Lament for Emil
Haunting soul-filled fiddle from Genna and Rose impregnate this song with a depth that needs no lyrics. In listening to this heart-wrenching song, I could imagine a Jane Austen moment as the heroine stands upon a rocky overlook, her long skirts and hair whipping behind her, watching the sea hopelessly for signs of her long-lost love who will never return.

9. The Blacksmith
The edgy guitar melody at the beginning of The Blacksmith sets the stage for the haunting vocals that tell the age-old story of love found and then lost. Rose and Genna harmonize beautifully in this rendition of an old English folk song.

10. To My Wife, Short and Sweet
Very beautiful and, true to its name, short and sweet at only thirty-nine seconds. This tune says "I love you" in the best possible way. It definitely leaves you wanting more, so you'll have to put this one on repeat.

11. The Fort: Are You Ready Yet, The Return to Miltown, The Fort of the Daft Woman
The last dance set on the album is probably the most fun. With acoustic guitar off-setting the fiddles, this one has a rock feel to it. Warning: With the addition of electric bass, this becomes a knee-slapping foot-stomper that could cause accidents if you listen to it while driving.

12. The Connemara Shore
This is the only song from "Totes" with Lou singing the lead. This track is reminiscent of sipping a pint in a quiet pub while being lulled by James Taylor in the background. Lou has a very pleasant voice, although it seems the melody is in a key a bit too high for him, lending a near-falsetto to his vocals. This is a beautiful song, however, and if you listen closely, you could swear you can hear the sea spray as it shatters against the crags along a lonely seashore.

13. The Cuckoo
When the song starts with the sweet notes of the fiddle, you might think it's a Celtic rendition of "How Great Thou Art," but the upright bass talents of Joseph Plowman intrude and catch you off-guard, and soon you find yourself swaying in your chair, eyes closed, wishing you had lyrics to sing along to.

No matter which song becomes your favorite, this album is certainly one you will do well to grace your Celtic collection with. Who can go wrong with fiery fiddlers, rocking guitar riffs, a percussion plethora and smoking vocals?

Foot-stomping Irish fun from Burning Bridget Cleary

Categories: Concert Reviews, Music

Posted by Jodi Duckett at 04:58:43 PM on March 13, 2011

 

By Steve Siegel Special to The Morning Call

Celtic group Burning Bridget Cleary delivered a lively, foot-stomping show at Godfrey Daniels Saturday night, as bubbly as the celebratory champagne that was passed around the sold-out audience. Call it a release party for the group's third disc, "Totes for Goats," a celebration of the group's fifth anniversary or just a head start on St. Patty's Day revelry, Burning Bridget Cleary sounded as fresh and vibrant as always.

The band has gained a member, with percussionist Peter Trezzi joining fiddlers Rose Baldino and Genna Gillespie, and guitarist Lou Baldino.

The performance was rich in youthful energy and spontaneity. Most groups perform a carefully planned set. Yet Burning Bridget Cleary keeps things fresh with a charming sense of playful chaos.Rose Baldino and Gillespie get so lost in their giddy anecdotes they forget what song comes next, or even who's supposed to be onstage. Like a great party, fun stuff just happened, including tossing Mardi Gras beads and stuffed plush goat toys into the audience.

It's a good thing, a few bars into "Jigs for the Gangly Sort," they remembered to call acoustic bassist Joe Plowman onto the stage to join them.  The addition of a bass line gave the collection of toe-tappers an added dimension, with Plowman either doubling Baldino's guitar lines or contributing his own percussive element.

In the midst of lots of lively jigs and reels was an occasional sweetly soulful number, such as the lovely Scottish "Achindoon Set," ironically performed after an hysterical exchange of dead cat jokes and champagne-induced giggles. Yet the group gained its composure and tackled the sad set without missing a single break or chord change.

Trezzi's djembe playing was always solid, pumping up a few notches the group's already high energy level. Nate Godshall on bodhran joined in for a jig or two.

The band fabulously performed a pair of Celtic/rock group Steeleye Span covers, giving an exotic Middle-Eastern twist to "Saucy Sailor," and a harder, grainier edge to "The Blacksmith," in one of the best arrangements of the evening.

For a rousing conclusion, Gillespie and Baldino stepped offstage and pranced through the aisles with fiddles flying in a vivacious "Burning Bridget Cleary," even sitting on a lap or two along the way.

To conclude my St Patrick’s Day festival, here is the new album from Burning Bridget Cleary, Totes for Goats.

Somewhere, there is a rulebook for putting together an album of traditional Irish music. It says that there should be sets of dances, jigs, reels, strathspeys, hornpipes, and the like, and these lively instrumentals should alternate with songs featuring vocals. Then more instrumentals, chiefly a slow air or two, can be worked in. This is a good set of rules, and Burning Bridget Cleary followed them in putting together their new album. So here are five songs and five dance sets, plus two slow airs and one other instrumental. But otherwise, Burning Bridget Cleary breaks as many rules as they follow, and the resulting album is a delight.

Genevieve Gillespie and Rose Baldino each sing and play fiddle and banjo; I’m not sure which one I’m hearing where, because the album notes do not say. But both women have beautiful clear voices, one alto and one soprano, and they trade off lead and harmony vocals, depending on the song. The interplay of their voices is just one of the many pleasures here. Both women play the fiddle with a beautiful clear tone; that’s what I said about their voices, and indeed, their fiddle playing has an amazing vocal clarity to it that one rarely hears outside of classical music. This quality is one of the highlights of the band’s sound. Lou Baldino plays electric and acoustic guitar and electric bass, and overdubbing is used so that he can play more than one on the same song. Lou Baldino provides a solid rhythmic foundation, but he also takes a couple of solo turns here that show off his fine work as a lead player. When last I heard the group, they were a trio, but now the have added Peter Trezzi on djembe and drums; he plays on perhaps half of the album’s songs, so I wonder if he may have joined the band after they started work on the album. Then again, not every song here needs percussion, so it could be as simple as that. These are not selfish musicians; some songs have only one fiddle, or just guitar. Cleary does not need to add instruments to make sure everyone has something to do; rather, they excel at giving each song just what it needs. Guest musicians on a few tracks add bodhran, stand-up bass, and pennywhistle.

The treatment of the five songs here is unusual. Three of them are traditional songs, while The King and the Fair Maid is a cover of a song by the German Celtic band Cara, and The Connemara Shore is a traditional poem with original music by Lou Baldino. As recorded, The King and the Fair Maid sounds the most traditional, while the three traditional songs get varying degrees of folk-rock treatment. In the lyrics, The King and the Fair Maid has a “Did she really just sing that?” moment; yes she did, but it’s not quite that simple. I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but this is a moment of good humor that only makes the band more appealing. The acoustic instruments always dominate the arrangements, but they are used in ways that can border on Steeleye Span territory. It is a sound that Cleary makes work for them. The Connemara Shore is the ringer here. This is the first time I have heard Lou Baldino sing. He uses the high end of his tenor range, almost in falsetto territory, and it limits his expressiveness. It also gives this song a 70s pop vibe that doesn’t fit the sound of the rest of the album. That said, the song does have its own beauty. I would like to hear Baldino sing lower in his range next time, however; I think that would fit the overall sound of the band better. Let me also say that Lou Baldino has written two other songs on Totes for Goats, and they are both stunning instrumentals. One is a brief solo guitar piece, (just 39 seconds!) called To My Wife, Short and Sweet. Based on this song, she is lucky to have found him. How do you say “I love you” without words? You play the notes you need, and then you stop. The last of Lou Baldino’s tunes is called Jimmy’s Groove; this one is placed in the dance set called The Unfortunate Rake along side two traditional tunes, and it sounds right at home. I confess that I can not tell the difference between a jig and a reel, but whatever this one is, it is a fine example.

I mentioned that there are five dance sets. Each one has great energy, and the transitions within each set are executed perfectly. In Irish dance music, these sets are constructed in such a way that one tune stops and the next picks right up, with no break in the music. The dancers keep going as if nothing happened, but the knowledge that it did makes the dancing that much more enjoyable. There is no transitional music to get from one tune to the next. Cleary executes these transitions perfectly, making each one an exciting moment. There are, as I mentioned, five dance sets here, and each has a different flavor. The first, Where’s Pete? leads off the album, and features twin fiddles dancing over Lou Baldino’s strong rhythm lines and great propulsion from the bodhran part. Sloppy Set starts with a heartbeat on the bodhran, but the treat here is the interplay of the two fiddles. There is also some banjo on this one, but strictly as a rhythm instrument. The Unfortunate Rake is two guitar parts overdubbed, with no other instruments. This is Lou Baldino’s shining moment, and he delivers a wonderful set. Jigs for the Gangly Sort is a fiddle and guitar duet; the guitar plays a rolling rhythm with single-note runs on top, and the result is a wonderful musical conversation. Finally, there is The Fort. This one is for guitar, fiddle, and electric bass, and it has a mostly acoustic sound but a rock feel.

This is one of my longer reviews, but I must take a moment to talk about the two slow numbers. I don’t know if they qualify as slow airs, but they are two of the most emotionally powerful moments on the album. On Lament for Emil, twin fiddles keen over a drone that I think is played on an electric guitar. There was an ancient Celtic custom of sending the bodies of dead nobles out to sea in funeral barges; I get a mental image of that as I listen to this song. This is clearly a song about honoring the departed and seeking comfort in shared mourning, and I have never heard it done better. The album closes with The Cuckoo. It starts with fiddles played in a rougher, more folky style than elsewhere on the album, accompanied by a bowed bass. Half way through, the bass player switches to plucking and the fiddle sound smoothes out and gets back to that vocal quality we’ve been hearing. This style shift does not break the mood at all. This one has a wonderful aura of peaceful contemplation, and it is a great way to end a beautiful program of energetic dances and beautifully performed love songs.

INTERMISSION: FOCUS ON…Burning Bridget Cleary

By

Walter Bender

– March 24, 2011Posted in: Intermission, Reviews

What better choice for St. Patrick’s Day than going to a CD Release Party for a Celtic band? I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend the event at the World Café Upstairs in Philadelphia, where a fabulous band, Burning Bridget Cleary, was celebrating the release of their third album, Totes for Goats.

Burning Bridget Cleary consists of 4 main performers…Genevieve Gillespie and Rose Baldino are featured as the dual (and dueling) fiddle players and vocalists, Lou Baldino plays guitar and backs up on vocals and Peter Trezzi plays the Djembe (African drums.) Genevieve and Rose have been friends for years and collaborators for about 7 years (Rose mentioned last night that one song they played was the first song they wrote together…when they were 13-14!) They have been performing together since 2006, giving literally hundreds of performances throughout the East Coast. Their second CD, “Everything is Alright” was named 2009 Album of the Year by Boston-based CelticRadio.net. They have been featured performers at various music and Celtic Festivals, and in May of 2011 are scheduled for a lengthy musical tour of Ireland.

Their latest album, “Totes for Goats” is a journey of sorts in its own right…the various tracks are old songs and new, some classics, some new pieces. What the songs have in common is the spirit of BBC…the energy and enthusiasm of Genna and Rose is throughout all of their music. As the ladies get older (Rose is now 21, Genna 20) their music also matures, their techniques more refined. They are both amazing fiddle players, their fingers dancing over the strings seemingly with ease. And their voices blend beautifully together, the timbre perfect for Irish folk tunes.

What separates BBC from other similar groups is the chemistry among the performers…the interplay between Genna and Rose as well as their constant banter with members of the audience keeps everyone involved and enjoying themselves. Add in Lou’s jokes (some quite horrid, but funny in context) and there is a light-hearted joyful feel to the entire evening. There is a story for every tune, a tune for every story…and the good natured jabs the girls take at each other and the others is a lot of fun for everyone in the audience.

BBC has a very full schedule leading up to their Ireland tour. You can find out more about this wonderful group at http://www.burningbridgetcleary.com, including tour dates, more of their history, how to purchase their CDs, and the big question…who the heck is Bridget Cleary anyway?

Burning Bridget Cleary Revels in Irish Energy

On St. Patrick's Day in 2006, two teenage fiddlers backed by a dad on guitar stepped up to perform as last-minute substitutes at an annual house party.

The threesome named their new band Burning Bridget Cleary, after a 19th-century Irish woman burned by her husband who believed her flu symptoms were evidence of witchcraft.

Within a couple years, they became a favorite of regional audiences captivated by their boundless energy, jolly stage presence and effervescent charm. They performed at venues such as Bethlehem's Celtic Classic, the Green Lane Scottish-Irish Festival, the Shawnee Mountain Celtic Fest, and many more. And they didn't just perform, they partied, and everyone was invited.

Now, five years later, the group has matured without losing any of its youthful energy. It is now a foursome, with the addition of Canadian native Peter Trezzi on djembe and drums. And just in time for St. Patrick's Day, it is celebrating its fifth anniversary with its third recording, "Totes for Goats."

It is holding CD release parties both March 12 at Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem, and March 17 — St. Patrick's Day — at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia. The World Cafe Live gig is a coveted one. The group will perform upstairs while internationally renowned band Solas performs downstairs.

Burning Bridget Cleary has been a treat to watch as much as to listen to. Fiddlers Genna Gillespie and Rose Baldino spontaneously break into frenzies of giggling and step-dancing, grounded by the solid guitar lines of Rose's father, Lou.

Gillespie, with her endearing teenage perkiness, and Baldino, with her more staid presence complement each other with a chemistry born of both friendship and love for the music they so passionately perform.

The band has a lot to celebrate. Last April its second CD, "Everything is Alright," was named Album of the Year by the Celtic Radio Music Awards of Highland Radio, a 24-hour Internet radio station at CelticRadio.net.

Earlier this month the group made its fourth appearance on WXPN's popular "The Folk Show," with host Gene Shay, and recently taped a half-hour interview and performance segment on the syndicated cable program "Horses Sing None of It," which airs in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area. They'll be touring Ireland in May, with appearances in Dublin and County Clare.

"Totes for Goats" shows just how far musically the group has come since its first release, "Catharsis," in 2006. It has the group's typical mix of traditional foot-stomping jigs and reels along with enchanting ballads and original material. But there is more musical introspection, more sophistication, more diversity of style — and even more fun.

"I think the new album offers more of a variety than the others — there are some traditional things, really intricate and beautiful, and other things that are just fun and peppy," says Gillespie, daughter of Tom and Alison Gillespie of Blackwater, a locally based Irish band. "It actually has a light sort of attitude, and is entertaining with a lot of funny, upbeat songs. And we're also using a drum set for the first time."

The addition of a percussionist is welcome. When the group was formed, Lou Baldino, a veteran guitarist who had traveled and recorded with several bands from the 1960s through the 1980s, including the Platters, had to provide the percussive ground. Now, he's freer to supply dynamic rhythms and distinctive chording, especially evident in such tunes as "Connemara Shore," which he composed to the setting of a traditional poem, and sings in a sweet, near-falsetto.

The group's songwriting is a shared task. "Gen and I write a lot of the tunes together, sometimes one of us will write half a song and the other will finish it. My dad also helps with writing tunes and arranging," says Baldino, who, along with Gillespie, attends the School of Communications and Theater at Temple University.

One of the most passionate tunes on the disc is Baldino's "Lament for Emil," which she wrote in memory of Emil Godshall, the grandfather of her boyfriend Nate, who designed the album's graphics and performs on the bodhran with the group. In it, Baldino's fiddle morphs into a bagpipe and speaks with haunting beauty over a bittersweet, plaintive drone.

The most noticeable thing in "Totes for Goats," in addition to the fierce fiddle playing, is the maturity of the girls' tightly woven vocal harmonies, which have acquired both depth and resonance. In "The King and the Fair Maid" the vocal lines bubble and sparkle around each other, like water running over pebbles in a stream. They meld together in the breezy ballad "The Elfin King."

The girls have a long relationship.

They met as preteens. Gillepsie was a performer with her family's Celtic music trio Gilly's Hedge. Baldino performed with her father and had just switched from classical violin to fiddle. When Gilly's Hedge couldn't make it to a gig at a St. Patrick's Day house party in 2006, Baldino and her father were asked to substitute, and Gillespie joined them. Becoming a band was a natural evolution.

Despite lots of forays beyond the traditional, Burning Bridget Cleary at its heart is a traditional Celtic band, with deep respect for the roots of Celtic music. "We really like the ancient stuff, the old Gaelic songs and the old tunes that nobody knows who wrote them because they've been around for so long. They're very beautiful and melodic," says Gillespie.

Burning Bridget Cleary breathes as much life into traditional ballads, jigs and reels as it does with its own arrangements. In "Everything is Alright" the group gives the English classic "Saucy Sailor," made popular by the British folk rock/Celtic group Steeleye Span, an exotic Middle-Eastern flavor.

In "Totes for Goats" the group again pays homage to Steeleye Span with an equally provocative and hauntingly mysterious arrangement of "The Blacksmith," one of the strongest tracks on the album.

Where does the disc's unusual title come from? "Well, that's really kind of bizarre," says Gillespie. "Rose's boyfriend Nate just started using that expression. Like instead of saying 'yes, totally,' he would say 'totes for goats.'

The funny thing about it is that Rose and I had been contemplating names for a long time, and we went from serious to kind of lighthearted, but nothing completely silly like that." "But," adds Baldino, "it kind of works out. When Gen and I play we're often compared to mountain goats, the way we're always climbing on things, like on chairs and the bar."

While the girls have matured, they don't take themselves too seriously. Says Gillespie, "Instead of us both becoming more serious, I think we both have got a bit more crazy. Rose and I go to the same college now, and that gives us tons of time to spend together, so sometimes I kind of feel like we're one person."

Steve Siegel is a freelance writer.

BURNING BRIDGET CLEARY – TOTES FOR GOATS CD
Review by Michael McKenna 3/22/11

The birth of Burning Bridget Cleary took place on St. Patty's Day in 2006 when Genevieve Gillespie joined forces with the father-daughter duo, Lou and Rose Baldino. The combination sparks a blaze of Celtic sound that is perceived way beyond the sum of its parts!

The girls front the band with their fiery fiddles, bringing a lively flair of youthful intensity and exuberance to traditional tunes. Lou‘s guitar bestows the dynamic rhythm and bass end, tastefully embellished with distinctive chording. Weaving in some choice vocal numbers and building the energy with some spirited step dancing, Burning Bridget Cleary has wowed packed audiences at the Scottish-Irish Fest in Green Lane (2006 and 2007), the Celtic Classic (2006 and 2007), the 2007 Celtic Winter Classic, the Mayfair Festival of the Arts (2008), the Spring Gulch Folk Festival (2008), the Shawnee Mountain Celtic Fest (2008) and many more popular venues.

Rose and Genna met five years ago at Granny McCarthy’s Irish music sessions in Bethlehem PA- both have been first-place trophy winners in the Celtic Classic fiddle competitions. Their debut CD, Catharsis, was released in September, 2006 and"Everything is Alright", was released November 25, 2008

Their influences include: Liz Carroll, Steeleye Span, Tony Demarco, Martin Hayes, Solas, Natalie MacMaster, Kevin Burke, John Doyle, Aoife Clancy, The Beatles, Alela Diane.Burning Bridget Cleary is Genevieve Gillespie (Genna) on fiddle, vox & banjo, Rose Baldino on fiddle, vox & Banjo, Lou Baldino on vocals, guitar and bass and peter trezzi on djembe & percussions.

Their new CD “Totes for Goats” includes 13 eclectic tracks. “Where’s Pete” reminds me of the some of the music that was in the John Wayne movie ‘The Quiet Man’ features upbeat and peppy violins by Genna and Rose which dominate this track. “The Elfin Knight” is a traditional Scottish ballad dealing with supernatural occurrences. The song also forms the basis for both the melody and lyrics for Bob Dylan’s “Girl from the North Country” first recorded on The Freewheeling Bob Dylan in 1963. “Sloppy Set” features Sloppy’s Slip Jig, The Night Poor Larry Was Stretched and Booley House in an Irish/Folk instrumental masterpiece. It breaks down into 3 separate entities that are very refreshing to listen to!
“The King and the Fair Maid” features the guitar of Lou Baldino and of course the violins in a story about a young and fair woman and the king and his knights riding in the forest. Versified into a song, it has probably been circulating for a long time before Disley of St Giles, London, printed it on a broadside c. 1860. The chorus & hook are very happy sounding! “The Unfortunate Rake” is a British folk song from the 18th century and is one of 20 of the rake cycle of ballads.
“Nead Na Lachan Sa Mhuta” (The Ducks in the Moat) is a traditional Irish Tin whistle tune that is sung in Gaelic by the ladies.”Jigs for the Gangly Sort” is a nice guitar and violin duet that is gay makes one feel like he is in County Cork. “Lament for Emil” reminds me of the music played at the ancient funeral pyres. It gives one the feeling of sadness connected with the passing of a loved one. “The Blacksmith” talks about the man and his work who leaves home and goes across the sea and his lady laments at his not being near.
“To My Wife, Short and Sweet” that was written by Lou Baldino starts with a laid back guitar and morphs into an energetic violin that pervades throughout this cheerful tune. “The Fort: Are You Ready Yet, Return to Milltown, Fort of the Daft Woman” is another traditional Irish favorite that spans many years. This trilogy of tunes is masterfully linked together and performed flawlessly. “The Connmara Shore” features Lou Baldino’s vocals that are a bit falsetto and give this number an Easy Listening/Folk feeling that was popular in the 70’s. ‘The Cuckoo” ballad is the Irish ballad- Bunclody (Streams of Bunclody/ Maid of Bunclody/ Bunclody) Bunclody (meaning the bottom of the Clody) is located at the foot of Mount Leinster, County Wexford. It is the meeting place of the Clody and Slaney Rivers where there are many cuckoo birds, hence where the song originated from.
This refreshing CD full of traditional Irish/Scottish music is well composed, performed and produced and would make a nice addition to one’s library of Celtic classics. I give this TWO THUMBS UP!

April 11, 2010

Burning Bridget Cleary wins Album of the Year by CelticRadio.net

Categories: Music, Music News

Posted by Jodi Duckett at 10:47:01 PM on April 11, 2010

 

“Everything is Alright,” an album by Lehigh Valley-based Burning Bridget Cleary, has been named Album of the Year by the Celtic Radio Music Awards of Highland Radio, a 24-hour Internet radio station at CelticRadio.net.

The award acknowledges “musical creativity and extraordinary work on an album which provides recognition of exceptional contributions to Celtic music.”

Burning Bridget Cleary was formed five years ago by teen fiddlers Rose Baldino and Genevieve Gillespie, along with Rose’s father Lou on guitar. They have since been joined by Peter Trezzi on djembe. The group was named after Bridget Cleary, a vivacious young Irish woman burned as a witch in the late 19th century after catching the flu. She was the last witch burned burned in Ireland.

“Everything is Alright” is the group’s second CD. It’s a high-energy romp of 13 original and cover songs.
“This CD has the depth and character of musicians many years advanced to their young ages and we will are very much anticipating their future recordings,” said the station.

In addition to album of the year, the station awards honors in individual categories of Celtic music. Nominations are made throughout the year by listeners and members of Highlander Radio. The station considers the nominations, along with ratings, requests and other radio statistics and chooses three for public vote in each category.

Two of the songs on Burning Bridget Cleary’s “Everything is Alright” also won awards — “Three Set” in the jigs and reels category and “Soldier, Soldier” in the contemporary category.

Other winners include Enter the Haggis, for Celtic rock, with “Murphy’s Rock” from “Gutter Anthems”; Celtic Thunder for traditional, with “Caledonia” from “Act Two”; Jim McRae for bagpipes, with “The Queen’s Piper Medley” from “Global Gathering,” and Celtic Thunder for roots traditional, with “Raggle Taggle Gypsy” from “Act Two.”

Rose and Genevieve are now in college, so their performance schedule is limited. Here’s what’s on tap.

8 p.m. next Saturday, The Colonial Theater, Phoenixville, with Coyote Run and Tempest
8 p.m. May 8, Molly Maguire’s Irish Pub and Restaurant, Phoenixville
8 p.m. May 15, DCP Theatre Concert, Telford
May 29, 30: Shawnee Mountain Celtic Festival, Shawnee-on-Delaware
May 31: Mayfair Festival of the Arts, Allentown
3 p.m. Aug. 8: Musikfest, Bethlehem
Sept. 11, 12: Green Lane Scottish-Irish Festival, Green Lane

A Twist on the Traditional


Don’t let the name fool you.

Yes, the infamous tale of Ireland’s Bridget Cleary — burned in 1895 by her husband, who believed her flu symptoms to be evidence of her possession by evil fairies — is indeed a gruesome one.

But there’s nothing dark about the band that is her namesake.

Burning Bridget Cleary, in fact, prides itself on serving up a sprightly blend of traditional and original Celtic music with the primary goal of working audiences into a toe-tapping, hand-clapping frenzy.

The foursome, comprised of Lou Baldino, his 19-year-old daughter Rose, her longtime friend Genna Gillespie, 18, and Pete Trezzi, is known for its exhilarating shows and the driving beat that anchors most of its music.

“Rose and I like things that make us and other people get up and dance,” says Gillespie, who fronts the band with Rose, both of them fierce fiddlers, while Lou plays guitar, keyboards and bass, and Trezzi percussion. “The music has to have a certain vitality to it.”

But when it came to choosing a name for the Upper Salford-based group, she says, “all those things like Fiddle Chicks sounded too cheesy.”

When Lou and his wife Cheryl, who manages the band, discovered the story of Bridget Cleary — often referred to as “the last witch burned in Ireland” — the girls were intrigued, as much by Cleary’s spunk and independence as they were by her unfortunate fate and the folklore surrounding it.

That her murder trial helped set a precedent protecting others from such heinous acts made her a heroine of sorts in their eyes, and so Burning Bridget Cleary became both name and tribute.

The group has even recorded two pieces in her honor, the instrumental “Burning Bridget Cleary,” from their 2006 CD “Catharsis,” and “Ah Tusa Shi/Killavil Jig,” which tells her tale in ethereally lilting song, from their most recent CD “Everything is Alright.”

On a trip to Ireland several years ago, they made a point to visit her home, “the fairy cottage,” in County Tipperary, as well as the site of her unmarked grave.

“She was really very spirited, and it’s kind of an inspirational story even though it’s morbid,” says Gillespie.

Burning Bridget Cleary also seemed apt given the band’s interest in the music of that era and their search, according to Lou, for a name that was “kind of mystical and eerie.”

For while the girls obviously enjoy displaying a more electric, boundary-blurring musicianship, they also are adept at evocative ballads that brim with quiet mystery and plangent beauty. They sing in English and in Gaelic, though Lou occasionally takes the vocal lead.

The band has been a fan favorite at area festivals as well as venues such as the Tin Angel and Colonial Theater since forming on St. Patrick’s Day 2006.

“What separates them from other Celtic bands that I’ve seen is the fact that they’re young and when you see them live, they’re not just standing there. There’s lots of movement and they get into the crowd,” says Trezzi, a newcomer to the group in the last year.

Advertisement For Rose, it’s important that the group — despite her and Gillespie’s first-place trophy wins at the annual Celtic Classic Fiddle Competition held in Bethlehem — not take itself too seriously, which is why interacting with the audience is such an essential part of their live shows.

In many ways, those elements of naturalness and spontaneity can be traced back to the roots of the band, which in addition to performing Sunday at the 13th annual Celtic Day at Bristol Lions Park in Bristol has scored a coveted slot at the Philadelphia Folk Festival in August.

Gillespie already had experience performing with her family’s Celtic music group Gilly’s Hedge (her parents also are founding members of Celtic band Blackwater) when she met Rose at age 12, while Rose had always been drawn to Irish culture. Both have since attended the prestigious Swannanoa Gathering in Asheville, N.C., which boasts a teaching staff of a veritable who’s who of Celtic music and fiddle greats.

Lou, who traveled and recorded with several bands from the 1960s through the ’80s, including The Platters, began accompanying Rose’s fiddle-playing on guitar initially just to help her out when she switched to the fiddle from classical violin. When they were asked to play at the Green Lane Scottish-Irish Festival, with nine months’ notice, Lou figured they might as well put together a CD to sell at the event.

In the interim, father and daughter were asked to sub for Gilly’s Hedge at an annual house party where the band had long provided the entertainment. Gillespie joined them for the gig.

“That St. Patty’s Day was a high for all three of us.” says Lou.

Becoming a band was a natural evolution. But for all of Burning Bridget Cleary’s adventurous forays beyond the traditional. Rose and Gillespie have a deep respect for the roots of Celtic music.

“A lot of Irish music can be very hokey and I’m not into that and neither is Rose,” says Gillespie, who also began her training on classical violin. “We really like the ancient stuff — the old Gaelic songs and the old tunes that nobody knows who wrote them because they’ve been around for so long. They’re very beautiful and melodic.”

Still, they appreciate the freedom to embellish.

“With classical music, you don’t have any deviation from what they’re telling you to do,” Gillespie adds. “The Irish are, like, ‘Here are some tunes. Do with them what you will,’ which is really great. It keeps the music alive and fresh, and it never gets old.”


June 26, 2009 09:53 AM

"Burning Bridget Cleary Rides Again"

One of the most exciting bands I’ve seen in the last couple years is a trio out of the Philadelphia area called Burning Bridget Cleary. Named after the “last witch burned in Ireland,” this group features Genna Gillespie on fiddle, Rose Baldino on fiddle and Lou Baldino on guitar, keyboards and bass. All three sing and very well too. Their first CD was good but didn’t capture the fire of their live performance but they’ve corrected that on their new CD called "Everything is Alright". The new release grabs your attention and keeps you listening with blazing fiddle duets, great songs and a mix of music that’s away from the ordinary and downright inspirational. This is trad music at it’s best, alive, vibrant and lyrical. Don’t miss seeing this band if you’re given the chance and until you can, pick up a copy of their independently produced CDs and listen to the future of trad.

 

Band Burns up the Stage at George School

As the buzz of conversation and lights dimmed in the auditorium, students knew nothing of the day’s performers: a group of Irish fiddlers.

 Upon this description, bodies sank a little deeper into seats and students settled in to listen mindlessly to a genre of music that is not typically on their iPods.  But by the end of the assembly, the energy was completely reversed, and the entire student body enthusiastically supported a new view of this “Irish music.”

 The band, Burning Bridget Cleary, was not the type of music a group of tired teenagers would expect to fall in love with on a Friday morning, but they did.  The Burning Bridget Cleary phenomenon swept George School off its feet, and opened up a sudden new perspective to fiddling and the world of Celtic music.

 

Rose and Genna, the two young, energetic leaders (on fiddle and vocals) of Burning Bridget Cleary are talented musicians who magnificently bring their compositions to life on stage.  Accompanied by Rose’s father on guitar and Peter Trezzi on drums, the group’s music was not the typical Celtic band that students expected to perform that day.  Because of Rose and Genna’s lively and genuine personalities, they are masters of captivating an audience.  By the end of the assembly, they had all of George School’s students on their feet, and even some on their chairs, clapping and jumping as the girls danced their way through the auditorium. 

 “We began playing together as a band by accident,” said Rose as she told the story of how BBC was created.  She explained that she and Genna met when they were twelve and thirteen and had a lot in common.  They leapt upon the opportunity to play for the first time at a gig that Genna’s parents couldn’t take, and the rest is history.  The group’s fifth anniversary is this Saint Patrick’s day, and their popularity is growing and growing.

 Stephanie and Bob McBride recommended BBC to Judy Bartella after seeing them perform at the Shawnee Mountain Celtic Festival in 2008, knowing that they should perform at GS.  Because of scheduling complications, it was only until this year that BBC and George School were able to coordinate a date to the O’Neill Music Assembly. 

 “The group had a lot of high energy, and was fun to watch,” said Emily Alexander ’12.  Jake Kaplan ’12 added that he has both of Burning Bridget Cleary’s albums on his iPod now, and his favorite songs are “Soldier, Soldier,” and “The Faeries.”

 But George School isn’t the only place that is recognizing Burning Bridget Cleary’s talent.  Cheryl Baldino, the band’s manager, was pleased to share that on January 15^th, two songs from BBC’s album “Everything is Alright” have been nominated for the Celtic Radio Music Awards (the songs Three Set, and Soldier, Soldier).  The awards are international, and out of 127 nominations, only eighteen were selected as finalists.  In addition, their music is being played on Pandora.com, the popular Internet radio that creates playlists based on one’s taste in music.   BBC is also presently recording their third album, which George School will greatly anticipate. 

 Burning Bridget Cleary had never performed at a high school before, but felt confident when “[they] saw how rich in culture and intellectual all of the students were.”  Sure enough, George School responded to them fantastically: BBC CD’s were emptied out of the bookstore and the Facebook comments are endlessly being posted, that Rose said are read and greatly appreciated. 

 “I honestly had the absolute best time at George School, and I know Genna and my Dad did too.  On the ride home… we were all smiles and talking about how awesome of a gig that was,” she said, “Everyone was so incredibly nice and wonderful, and it was so great to connect with people our age through music.” 

Scene and Heard: Burning Bridget Cleary Announce "Everything Is Alright"

There's lots of so exciting I think I wanna jig around the office news coming out of the Burning Bridget Cleary camp today.

Namely, they've finally laid the pipes for their highly anticipated new CD--Everything is Alright. And after 9 months of writing & recording it--it's safe to say it's their baby. The album, which is sure to be ripe with cheer, will be out just in time for the holidays. They also announced a fresh batch of upcoming holiday shows including their CD Release Party & Holiday Show Extravaganza on Dec 13 at the ol' Steel City Coffeehouse.

"Views and Reviews"

Traditional music just got younger and prettier with the arrival of Burning Bridget Cleary, a band as exciting and charming as their name is unusual. (It seems that Bridget Cleary was the last witch burned in Ireland. She was done in by her hubbie and his side of the family. You'll be glad to know that divorce is now legal in Ireland).
17 year old, Genna Gillespie, Irish singer, dancer and champion fiddler is joined with 18 year old, Rose Baldino, Irish singer, dancer, whistler and champion fiddler and Rose'd dad, guitarist, Lou Baldino.. Their debut CD, "Catharsis", is a winner and I bet you will like it but I can't wait to see these kids perform I know they are local and that they work a lot. Maybe, they have a website. http://www.burningbridgetcleary.com

BBC (If you think I'm typing "Burning Bridget Cleary" a lot, you don't appreciate my sloth) features the depth and texture of double fiddles and the haunting beauty of voices that blend like coffee and cream. Their songlist is impressive but mysterious due to tiny print (theirs) and aging eyes (mine). This is an enchanting performance that deserves a place in every celtophile's collection.

Local Soundtrack

Burning Bridget Cleary
"Everything is Alright"

In just over two years, the high-energy Celtic band, Burning Bridget Cleary, has established itself as a favorite at such performance venues as Bethlehem's Celtic Classic, the Green Lane Scottish-Irish Festival, the Shawnee Mountain Celtic Fest, and more.

Its second CD, "Everything is Alright", shows just how far musically the group has come. The foot-stomping pyrotechnics of teenage fiddlers Genevieve Gillespie and Rose Baldino, backed by the solid guitar of Rose's father Lou, are all still there. But, what has been added is more musical introspection, more sophistication, and more diversity of style.

The fiddle playing has become more contemplative without losing its passion. In "Bunch of Green Rushes," Gillespie weaves a Martin Hayes intricacy into her own youthful style. Lovely vocals prevail throughout the disc, especially in the softly mysterious "Ah Tusa Shi", a self-penned homage to the band's namesake, a young out-spoken 19th century woman murdered by her husband who thought she was a witch.

The album mixes original material with traditional ballads, jigs, and reels, but even these get the band's own special twist. They give the English classic "Saucy Sailor" an exotic Middle-Eastern flavor, and the slow ballads glow with bittersweet beauty, enhancd by the lovely guitar work - and voice - of Lou Baldino.

Here are old-time guitar solos, harmony singing, and traditional fiddling cast into a lively new mold. The band's passion for making music and stretching its boundaries is evident in each carefully-crafted arrangement.

"Cleary a Don't Miss"
. . . Above all plan to hear (and see) a local band that recently packed Godfrey Daniels with a sell-out crowd at the group's CD release party for their first recording, "Catharsis".
The group appeared at last year's Celtic Classic and the Green Lane Scottish and Irish Festival in Montgomery County, where they will be a mainstage attraction this year. According to the rather laid-back Baldino, "We do a real high-energy show."
If seeing them at Godfrey's is any indication, he's got that right. The girls are pretty, charming, and lively, and often break into spontaneous step dancing and fits of giggles, as the mood swings them.
Sweeney (Executive Director of the Celtic Cultural Alliance), himself sounds like a proud parent when speaking of the girl's accomplishments. "They're both products of our fiddle competition and scholarship winners. Now they're moving into performanace and really carrying the Celtic tradition forward," he said. "It's gratifying to see what we're doing is working."

Week In Reviews
BURNING BRIDGET CLEARY

The name — honoring a stong-willed Irishwoman burned to death by her husband — draws you in. The bio — two teenage fiddlers backed by a dad — piques further interest. The spirited music brings it all home.
Burning Bridget Cleary — Genna Gillespie (daughter of Blackwater's Tom and Alison Gillespie) and Rose Baldino, along with Rose's father, Lou — gave a sold-out CD release show at Godfrey Daniels last Sunday that revealed a group with talent and places to go.

The girls worked their fiddles with skill and style, like youthful Natalie MacMasters. Lou, joking that ''If you haven't noticed by now, I'm the young and beautiful one,'' added drama with his rhythmic guitar. The trio conveyed an aura that was at once sweet and spicy.

The two sets contained originals and classics — foot-stomping, hand-clapping reels and jigs and enchanting ballads — many merged into single numbers. Energetic step dancing by the girls completed the package.

Genna, the perky, chatty one, and Rose, a little quieter with a mature air, complemented each other with a chemistry born of friendship, respect and love of Irish music.

There wasn't much singing in the first set, until Lou's heartful solo on the traditional Welsh hymn, ''The Miner's Life,'' with lovely backup harmonies and fiddling by the girls.

The girls brought out their voices on the second set. Genna's sister, Fiona, assisted on a fun, drinking-song sing-a-long, with their father Tom on the bodhran.

There wasn't any singing on (their original) ''Burning Bridget Cleary,'' but the lilting drama of the original song, which transitions into fiery fiddling, make it memorable like its namesake, past and present.

Burning Bridget Cleary

" . . . Listening to their lively Celtic reels and jigs had my foot and heart tapping. Their ballads were warm and beautiful.
The group was having a party on Sunday at Godfrey Daniels to celebrate the release of their first CD. Titled "Catharsis," it truly is an emotional release through music. . .
Their on-stage energy is infectious and their mastery of the fiddle borders on brilliant . . .
The trio has been performing as a group for seven months, but from the way they complement each other on stage and in the music, one would think it was seven years. They wowed the massive crowd at the 2006 Scottish-Irish Festival in Green Lane . . ."