Bluehorses news
The New Bluehorses Album - Thirteen Fires
Native Spirit Records Press Release - December 2007
The New Bluehorses Album - Thirteen Fires - Native Spirit NSBH CD007
They’re back with their first album in 7 years and they ain’t taking no prisoners! Welsh Celtic Rockers, Bluehorses, have gone back to their roots and come up with a new album ‘Thirteen Fires’ that’s dripping with metallic riffs, double kick-drums and soaring violin.
Fronted by Irish/Welsh Gothess, Lizzie Prendergast, whose storming electric-violin, electric-Celtic-harp and vocals provide the Celtic flavour, the band have come out of the closet - and brought some skeletons with them!
Founder member, drummer and arranger Nic Waulker says “Over the last 15 years we’ve played numerous festivals in every country in the UK, Europe and Scandinavia, but compared to the stuff we’ve jammed in the privacy of Bluehorse Towers, we’ve always toned things down quite a bit. Thanks to the delights of YouTube, we’ve discovered there’s a massive Folk Metal scene going on in Europe and Scandinavia headed up by bands like Korpiklaani and In Extremo and it’s made us realise there’s now an awful lot of people around who want to hear the kind of music we’ve always really enjoyed playing.
With Thirteen Fires we’ve let our hair down and are just being ourselves. I think this new stuff actually sounds more like us than anything we’ve recorded in the past, because with the dearth of out and out rock festivals through the 90’s, we managed to keep playing a lot of festivals by working within the folky infrastructure By following that route we’ve been doing as many as 20 festivals across the UK and Europe in some years, but the downside was we couldn’t put out anything too heavy or we’d have cut down the number of them who’d entertain us.
Even then, once we did the live shows, we still caused plenty of protest from the Folk-Police… “ ‘eavy Metal at Trowbridge Festival???! I never heard nothin like it...” and (shrilly) “I had to run out of the marquee to protect my hearing...” blah blah.
But no more will we be restrained from producing the most storming Celtic-flavoured rock and roll music possible by old reactionaries and Luddites!
Jay made a huge contribution to creating the sound of the album, far more than any other band member in the past. With previous work it’s always tended to be me driving the process along with Lizzie. This time I mainly worked with Jay on the basic ideas and Lizzie came in after to add violin parts and together we put together the vocal melodies and choruses. That way we ended up with a collection of tracks with a far more out and out rock sound which I think will appeal to a much wider audience.
The guitars are a lot more prominent than on anything we’ve done before and it’s a pretty wild and heavy beast, while still keeping all the familar elements that make Bluehorses music unique.
Here’s the tracklist:
1. Dance With Me
2. Ray of Light
3. Calling My Loves
4. The Ride
5. Chant
6. Raggle Taggle Gypsio
7. The Unknown
8. The Fool
9. Aberdulais
10. Waes Hael
You can snap up your copy of the new album (along with the CD back catalogue and DVD) from our online store here, or from amazon.co.uk
Posted by admin on Tue 1st Jan 2008 • Permalink
Comments
This has been playing constantly since the Xmas bash - THE best album ever. Rock on!
Posted by on Fri 18th Jan 2008 at 03:40 AM
Now... THATS the stuff!!
Have placed my order.
Posted by Clive E.R. Field on Sat 26th Jan 2008 at 12:08 PM
Nice one guys - I love your stuff - When are you playing near Banbury next?
Posted by sianfiddle on Sun 27th Jan 2008 at 02:53 PM
Hi guys, just got 13F and it's on now. Brilliant stuff, as usual, but love the new heavier sound. We'll be there at Trowbridge protesting again if you're not there with new T shirts this year just to p**s off the Luddites and "finger in your ear folkies!!
Pop along to the Saul festival an' have a beer with us again if you can.
Cheers,
The Trowbridge Protesters.
Posted by on Tue 12th Feb 2008 at 06:13 PM
BUSY LIZZY AT THE FIDDLE FESTIVAL OF WALES 2008
28-31 August 2008
The National Trust Stackpole Centre, Pembrokeshire, Wales.
The lovely Liz has agreed to be one of our tutors on the Junior Day but will be around for the weekend. So, as with most of the rest of the tutors - all questions fiddle/violin can be answered! We have over 30 workshops over 3 days on tunes and technique for junior to senior; absolute beginners to advanced.
Our guest concert on Thursday 28th August 2008, will be given by former Fairport Convention and Whippersnapper fiddler Dave Swarbrick with Kevin Dempsey and supported by Wales` newly adopted bard and Eisteddfod winner, Les Barker and his hilarious poems. Concert tickets are available NOW at £15.00 and selling fast already! Call David 01646 621269
Also see Tutors Showcase Concert and Welsh Celtic Fiddle Competition on our website.
Our tutors will be:
Cass Meurig (Cymru/Wales); Liz Doherty (Ireland); Lori Watson (Scotland); Pat Smith & Siân Phillips (Cymru/Wales); Goran Premberg (Sweden), Pete Cooper (England); Iolo Jones (Cymru/Wales); Rick Townend (Bluegrass, England); Liz Prendergast (Cymru/Wales); and John Carpenter (Cymru/Wales), our fiddle doctor will be on site holding surgeries! Kevin Dempsey will be giving two folk guitar workshops with Dave Swarbrick giving a 60 minute masterclass on Friday.
Contact details
For further information about the festival,
tickets for the workshops, concerts and competition, visit http://www.fiddlefestivalofwales.org.uk
email
or call David on 01646 621269
I'm sure that anyone with aspirations to be the fiddle player that Liz is, would benefit from this weekend!
Sorry Liz and Nick for my ruthless marketing!!! xx
Posted by sianfiddle on Tue 12th Feb 2008 at 07:41 PM
It's very rare that those bloggers commentors have anything decent worth reading anyway. I can just imagine if I had that on my website, especially what with being a despair member.
Posted by 89 on Thu 14th Feb 2008 at 11:12 AM
wb BlueHorses, always love to hear new, fresh music. Keeping my eyes out for this one.
Posted by mmo on Fri 14th Mar 2008 at 01:50 PM
Happy Friday.
Just a line to express huge sorrow at news of the cancelled gig at The Robin 2 in Bilston and to wish you all the best.
Loving Thirteen Fires.
Regards,
Richard in Brum
Posted by on Fri 4th Apr 2008 at 12:58 PM
I looked for this album in Walmart after a friend recommended it. Can you not buy it in the US ??
Posted by Hannah Montana on Fri 11th Apr 2008 at 09:57 AM
“Thirteen Fires” marks a clear departure from the bands traditional folk roots, with heavier guitar riffs provided by Jay MacDonald, more up tempo and more foot stomping than many previous offerings
Posted by arizona seo on Tue 6th May 2008 at 06:56 PM
Wonderful album. I can't stop myself to play it. Thanks
Posted by Music school on Fri 9th May 2008 at 08:56 AM
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It's so good I just can't stop playing it - brilliant!
Posted by on Tue 1st Jan 2008 at 09:39 PM