1-2-3 , It's as easy as BBC for Celine Carroll in the UK

1-Growing Fan Club , 2-High Profile Gigs, 3-Radio Interviews
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CELINE CARROLL’s visit to the UK at the end of October 2010 witnessed her tending the airplay crops from her impressive list of radio stations in North West England. There was also a small matter of 2 gigs at established music venues, coupled with press releases across the full spectrum of media publication platforms.
This 5 day tour of Merseyside and Cheshire was always going to be unforgettable – the fun started straight after she left home. Ryanair Flight FR445 was still on the Dublin tarmac at the time it was due to arrive in Liverpool.
Fortunately for Ernie Welch and Roger Westwood at Winsford’s Cheshire FM (Wed 8pm-10pm), their guest, Celine Carroll, was only delayed by about an hour. So there was plenty of time to hold an interview , perform a couple of live songs and plug the forthcoming gigs in Liverpool and Chester.

The following morning saw Celine visit Andy Wrob at 7 Waves Radio(Mon-Fri 7am-10am) to say thank you to the weekday breakfast show presenter for all his support and airplay.

Two UK radio stations supporting an Irish independent musician is good going in many people’s eyes, but the best was yet to come. There was a small matter of an interview and 2 song set with Billy Butler on BBC Radio Merseyside on the agenda. This Liverpool based station proudly boasts the largest local radio audience outside London. An impressive coup indeed, especially as this was her 2nd appearance in 12 months. More importantly, the letters BBC stand out like an honours degree on anybody’s CV. Even major musicians are flattered by a return visit to BBC Radio Merseyside’s legend, Billy Butler !

The third radio interview and live set fell between Celine’s gigs. And like many a feast it was rather fitting that the best was saved until last. Tony James has been playing Celine’s music week in week out for the past 12 months or so. So it was fitting that Celine should be afforded airtime on 7 Waves Radio(Sat 7am-11am & Sun 7am-10am). Both discussed their in depth knowledge about the music world as a whole as well as Celine’s music and forthcoming gigs in particular. Between them they provided a refreshing escape from the same old same old which has now become the tiring monotony of UK radio output.

Celine’s two gigs were at high profile music venues. The first of which saw her headline a Liverpool Acoustic show at the View Two Gallery in Mathew Street, just about opposite the Cavern Club. The show was listed as part of the annual Liverpool Irish Festival.

Her other gig was at Alexander’s Jazz Club, Rufus Court, Chester. This particular venue is a nationally recognised music venue.
The gigs at each venue were well publicised on several websites as well as their respective press releases. The write up for the View Two Gallery made its way to the Liverpool Irish Festival annual brochure, while Alexander’s gave Celine a full column in the Chester Chronicle.
Gig reviews will duly warrant the same enthusiasm as those that have been previously published because her quality never waivers. Couple the pre-gig publicity with the fact that both of the aforementioned venues and radio stations have no hesitation over welcoming her back, then the result is without question. Celine Carroll has well and truly announced her arrival in the UK.

Click here for Celine Carroll's website

The week after her visit to the UK Celine headed off for a tour of The Netherlands. Here is Celine singing All I Want Is You at Hardewijk.

Nothing Rhymed ? ..... more like Nothing Changed !

Nothing Rhymed - Gilbert O'Sullivan

40 years or more ago the inequalities of this world inspired Gilbert to compile this classic line.

"When I'm drinking my Bonapart shandy eating more than enough apple pies, will I glance at my screen and see real human beings starve to death right in front of my eyes".

And yet still this remains a familiar story.

I bet the word "Genius" was included amongst the foremost of your thoughts.

Please please get me Don't Get Me Wrong ! Right?

I'm looking for CD album by Frances Black called Don't Get Me Wrong. The title track was written by Celine Carroll.
It was released in 1998 on one of those big conglomerate record labels. For reasons best known to themselves this big record company has decided to sit on it.
You can buy the original song from Celine - please do so by the way. It's on her debut album called Catch You As You Fall, (Produced by Declan Sinnott) from iTunes or Celine's website
I can't tell you what Frances' version sounds like , but it looks a bit like this

Celine Carroll - Amazing Musician ! So Tell Everyone Regarding Debut At Mulligans

CELINE CARROLL
Mulligans
Amstel 100
Amsterdam
Thursday 3rd - Friday 4th June 2010
(The initials in the title after Celine Carroll spell Amsterdam)

As for spelling ....
Think Netherlands, think artists and Van Gogh and Rembrandt will appear somewhere near the top of your list. So when the Dutch received another fine artist into their midst , it wasn't too difficult to forge a connection with one of the above. Mr Rembrandt was renowned for such beautiful use of light when creating his pictures. Celine created Such a Beautiful Light,which is now an integral part of her musical tapestry.
Overlooking the River Amstel , within a paintsplash of the Rembrandt Museum , Mulligan's Bar witnessed the first live Celine Carroll performance on the European mainland.
Mulligan's is an Irish Pub where musicians are invited to play and the public enter and depart freely, as opposed to a music venue with a bar where people pay and stay to see musicians perform. So with a pub it is almost certain that the audience at the start of the gig will be a somewhat different one than that at the end. A quick glance at the setlist it may appear that some songs were repeated, but a closer examination will reveal that different instruments were played the second time around. It may be also worth noting that at an average gig you will probably get to hear about 12 songs plus an encore. Celine's performances contained an unprecedented 28 songs on the first evening and an even more astounding figure of 37 on the second night.
The 65 song epic got under way somewhere between 9 and 9:30 when Celine addressed a healthy , somewhat chatty, gathering comprising a balanced mix of both new and established Mulligan's customers.
The discomforts of a humid evening were more than compensated by a perfect pint of Arthur's finest coupled with the sight and sound of Celine stood singing against a dusk-time display of the dominating sun descending over the 'dam.
All was not entirely perfect, however. There was the inevitable pub chatter causing occasional disruption to one's aural pleasure, but that is par for the course. Something a little more irksome was about to disturb proceedings. A electrical glitch was beginning to perform an increasing number of simulcasts over the PA system.
After many traces through Mulligan's wiring web the finger of blame was beginning to aim towards Celine's guitar. Her disappointment was clear to see over the fact that her prized instrument had fallen victim to Aer Lingus baggage handlers. After all, this was just the first day of a 5-date tour.
When Daisy Lady eventually signalled the time to put her suspect strings to grass, she hopped over to the piano to console herself with a beautiful delivery of Elvis Presley's Wonder Of You. Somehow this crisis seemed to focus the attention of those who weren't so previously and a couple of songs later the entire pub were singing with her on I'll Get By With A Little Help From My Friends.
Her piano set closed with Apologise , once again dedicated to yours truly. This song seems to gather more in sentimental weight each time she sings it.
A welcome sigh of relief greeted the arrival of a replacement guitar, and just when all appeared to be settling into an all round cozy state , with an attentive audience and an interference-free sound system , an eccentric yet pleasant individual decided to entertain us with her dancing skills, her entrance was rather aptly timed as she joined us during Standing On My Own Two Feet Again.
The surprises just kept on coming , whilst still reeling over this chick's (turkey to be closer to the point) jigging skills , Celine threw in her own surprise. Nothing surprising about a couple of Beatles songs , but the debut appearance of her Ukelele certainly was.
The evening's entertainment ended with the opener from her current album , You're Every Beat Of My Heart. An entertaining and most definitely eventful evening came to an end in the early hours of Friday morning. But just before we headed back to our hotel I bumped into a couple of blokes at the bar. One of whom had salt 'n' pepper coloured shoulder length hair and the other was a little more follically challenged. To the latter , I jokingly called him Christie Moore , while the former chipped in with a comment "And I'm Rick Parfitt". Little did I realise at the time that there was a certain relevance about this encounter.
And so to Friday.... Friday afternoon... Our relatives came over from Den Haag to say hello and catch up on a few missing years over a meal. Sadly, it was revealed that they had to return before the start of the gig, and they really would have loved to hear Celine play live. No problem for Celine, she promptly played a 6 song set on acoustic and our relatives headed back for home armed with 2 CDs, beaming smiles and a promise to attend at least one of Celine's gigs on her next scheduled tour of the Netherlands in November.

From a fan's viewpoint Friday evening didn't get off to the best of starts. The offices were empty , and in customary fashion the weekend started down at the pub. And for a group of about half a dozen , occupying the chairs and tables immediately in front of Celine, this was the case. Totally oblivious to the finer points of common etiquette and the realisation that several people had travelled considerable distance to support and appreciate our musician, this obnoxious group were convinced that the sounds of their enjoyment should be set to maximum volume.

The professional entertainer's motto is , The Show Goes On, and rather than let this minority spoil the night, Celine played with ,as well as to them. In an act of an equal pretence of interest she asked them what type of music they liked. One asked for a Cranberries song while another replied, "He just likes cheesy songs".Returning the wit, Celine replied that she didn't know too many Jesus songs , but I'll dedicate the next one to you,and reeled off Plastic Jesus Sitting On The Dashboard of My Car. Such a pity there wasn't a banjo close to hand to deliver the song in its fullest splendour.

A few songs later the ignorant individuals decided it was time to go. They couldn't even wait until the end of a song before their goodbye hugs and Kodak moments, revenge is so sweet when served up cold and they were given the ultimate send off - Show Me The Way To Go Home. A thoroughly enjoyable sing-along for the rest of us.

An uninterrupted Daisy Lady was heavenly but the air of contentment was somewhat short lived. A couple of songs later, mid-way through Heart Of Gold, who should walk through the door but our wannabee Rick Parfitt with Fender Strat in hand. He rested it on stage and ordered a pint of Guinness. As Celine strummed the opening bars of You And I , the simplicity of which makes it so beautiful, he picked up his "axe". As he felt for the strings I feared the worst.
My apprehension was short-lived this guitarist listened intently and complemented Celine perfectly. Little jams at the end of the occasional song resulted in a distinct lift in Celine's mood. She had found herself a great ally and a quality musician. His name, Alan McLachlan.
He played on every song to the end of the show , except one, Bird in A Cage, a special dedication to her niece Michelle who had travelled over from Prague, listened intently throughout and took all the official photographs.
All too soon the show had reached the end , I was so immersed in the final 16 duets that I forgot to take notes beyond keeping the setlist. However, I do recall that the audience participation on O Bla Di O Bla Da reached almost football crowd proportions.

Sweet Heart of Mine drew the curtain on this epic leg of Celine's 5 date tour of The Netherlands and dates are being finalised already for a November tour. I'd love to be there for that one, but if circumstances prevent me from being in attendance I'm confident that there'll be someone else who'll be eager to fill my seat.

So at the closing of two gigs in the Famous Mulligan's Bar in Amsterdam, we witnessed Celine performing with a Scottish guitarist (Alan McLachlan) in an Irish Bar in the Capital of the Netherlands. Numbered amongst the happy audience were her niece and her student friends from Prague, a couple of new Dutch fans from The Hague, a couple who had flown in from England and there were a couple from Germany who would have loved an encore. Add to that a numerous retinue of new Dutch fans, also some Turkish and African fans who met her on later dates of the tour. we have gathered a bit of a World Party. And to coin the words from World Party's epic song, the message is Celine Carroll, and the word is , "Put the message in the box, put the box into the car....." you know the rest !

Finally , well , as for Mr. Van Gogh , if he were alive today, he would have thought twice about chopping his ear off after hearing Celine.

SETLIST -
Thursday 3rd June - Part 1
[Acoustic Guitar]
1. Itch
2. Home
3. Yeah
4. I'd Rather Be In Jail Than To Be In Love With You Again
5. Bird In A Cage
6. Slow My Wheels

[Piano]
7. Grey Sky Blue
8. I Believe In Love
9. Better Than This
10. Sweet Heart Of Mine

Thursday 3rd June - Part 2
[Acoustic Guitar]
11. Fence
12. Daisy Lady

[Piano]
13. Wonder Of You
14. Nothing Rhymed
15. Laugh While You Can
16. With A Little Help From My Friends (pub joined in)
17. Apologise

[Acoustic Guitar2]
18. So Wrong
19. You And I
20. Don't Just Sit And Call Me Honey
21. On The Water
22. Standing On My Own 2 Feet
23. Heart Of Gold
24. I Love You I
25. Sweet Heart Of Mine

[Ukelele]
26. 'Til There Was You
27. O Bla Di O Bla Da

[Acoustic Guitar2]
28. You're Every Beat Of My Heart

Friday 4th June - Part 1
[Acoustic Guitar]
1. You've Got A Friend
2. You And I
3. I'd Rather Be In Jail Than To Be In Love With You Again
4. I Will
5. Stay (Just A Little Bit Longer)
6. O Bla Di O Bla Da
7. Itch
8. Plastic Jesus (Sitting On The Dashboard Of My Car)
9. I Believe in Love
10. Laugh While You Can
11. I'll Never Fall In Love Again
12. Grey Sky Blue
13. Better Than This

Friday 4th June - Part 2
14. Sweet Heart Of Mine
15. Show Them The Way To Go Home (a parting shot for the noisy feckers who decided to go at last}
16. Daisy Lady
17. Yeah
18. Don't Get Me Wrong
19. Heart Of Gold
(Enter ALAN McLACHLAN on his Fender, who featured in all the following except No.36)

20. You And I
21. I Love You I
22. On The Water
23. Standing On My Own 2 Feet Again
24. Slow My Wheels

Friday 4th June - Part 3
[Piano]
25. We'll Always Have This Song
26. I Believe In Love
27. Nothing Rhymed
28. This Guy's In Love

[Acoustic Guitar]
29. Danny Boy
30. Fence
31. I'd Rather Be In Jail Than To Be In Love With You Again

[Ukelele]
32. 'Til There Was You
33. O Bla Di O Bla Da

[Acoustic Guitar]
34. Itch
35. Stay (Just A Little Bit Longer)
36. Bird In A Cage (Solo -Especially for her Neice, Michelle who came up from Prague)
37. Sweet Heart Of Mine

Celine Carroll's Charismatic Cinematic Cameos

Choose from
On The Water|You And I


ON THE WATER feat TEXAS

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YOU AND I .... (shot on a windy day)

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Rich pickings at the Cherrytree for Celine Carroll

CELINE CARROLL
The Cherrytree
Walkinstown
Dublin
Saturday February 27th 2010
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Carlsberg don't do gigs at The Cherrytree in Dublin , but if they did, then this was the one.
Without a shadow of a doubt it was Probably the best gig I've ever attended. Celine Carroll was en forme, in both playing to , as well as with, the audience. There wasn't even a moment, let alone a song, in the entire set which lost the attention of those in front of her.
Essentially , Celine Carroll has just entered 2010 in the same vein as she left 2009 with another full house at The Cherrytree. Those who were lucky enough to be there are hoping that those less fortunate will get to hear about Celine pretty soon.
Returning to a venue just 2 months after a successful gig might appear to be a bit of a gamble to some, especially when spare cash is at a premium at this time of year. Not so for Celine Carroll and her band.
Audience figures were at least the same and there were many new faces in that number.

Little needs to be explained about the fact that Celine's music is the reason why she can command such a healthy following. Her biggest critic is her dear mother, Maureen, who won't hold back if things aren't right in her world. So when the hardest one to please gives the nod of approval in the direction of her beloved, no one can complain.... except Celine and her devoted followers. The reason for the air of unrest is the inability of the music media to do anything to stop such talent passing them by. There are more radio stations than RTE Radio 1, BBC Radio Merseyside and WDAR. There are other venues besides the Cherrytree and there are agents and promoters with blank pages in their diaries. But rest assured, there is but one Celine Carroll, and if she doesn't find any of you this year , her growing army of fans certainly will.
Celine's music possesses some peculiar attributes, one of which is that her albums refuse to stray from my CD player. New material will come and go but Celine will return to sound even better.
The same can be said for her live performances. Just two months previously , her set began with Home and Slow My Wheels. But it didn't matter , these two openers still lifted me back into the clouds just where she put me but a few weeks before.
To balance the previous statement , there was some new material to feast the ears upon too. One of which was so new that Celine had to have it written out on a couple of sheets of A4. Rather than make use of a music stand , she invited the subject upon to the stage to hold those sheets before her while she sang it to him. (The song title : Hey John). Needless to say electricity filled the air afterwards. So what happens straight after, she focuses the hearts and minds of the masses upon another new one (We'll Always Have This Song) before hitting them with a very successful single , Sweet Heart of Mine, which launched her latest album, Such a Beautiful Light.
This little cluster of songs just provides a window into a well planned setlist which even kept the most experienced Celine Carroll fan curious as to what might come along next.
There was also a couple of borrowed ones amongst the older and the new in the form of Gilbert O'Sullivan's Nothing Rhymed and Daisy Lady by Leo Kelly. The former being a solo by Celine , the latter featured Siobhan taking the lead.
Even the encore threw in more than the odd surprise, the Gilbert O'Sullivan song for one was an unexpected cover. Apologise was once again dedicated to yours truly and every time I feel the throat muscles tense when she does. Celine played guitar for Bird in a Cage while the album version sees her playing piano , and I doubt that many noticed the difference, such is the sheer quality of the song.
Two and a half hours came and went in what felt like two and a half minutes, yet it only took a fraction of the shorter time for everyone present to stand and applaud another fabulous evening in the company of Celine Carroll and her band at The Cherrytree. And to a man, each one in that audience will give you the same message, Celine Carroll's music must not remain Ireland's biggest secret any longer !!
PS: Carlsberg is available on draught at The Cherrytree.

THE BAND
Celine Carroll - Lead Vocals , Acoustic Guitar, Piano
Jerry Fehily - Drums
Johnny Campbell - Bass
Paul Seymour - Keyboards
Siobhan Lennon - Backing Vocals


SETLIST
Home
Slow My Wheels (See Video)
Itch
Yeah
Grey Sky Blue
I Believe In Love
I Won't Be Your Fool Anymore
Before You Go
Fence
Standing on My Own Two Feet Again

INTERVAL

You're Still Here
So Wrong
You And I
Hey John (See Video)
We'll Always Have This Song
Sweet Heart Of Mine
The Wheels Fall Of Our Love
Love Disappear
Better Than This
Heart Of Gold
Daisy Lady (See Video)
You're Every Beat Of My Heart

ENCORE
Apologise
Bird In A Cage (See Video)
Nothing Rhymed (See Video)
Laugh While You Can (See Video)
I Love You I (See Video)

ALBUMS
Celine Carroll's latest album , Such A Beautiful Light , is available on iTunes, and for those who prefer to paw their way through the sleeve notes, this CD is available from the following Dublin outlets : HMV in Grafton St, Tower Records in Wicklow St and Celtic Note in Nassau St. You can also email Celine via her website, Ask nicely and you might get an autographed copy. Her previous albums, Itch and Catch You As You Fall are also available from her online sources.

PHOTOS
Baz O'Brien
Graham Ashmore
John Loughlin

SUPPORT
Peter Fitzpatrick
The very least that this guy deserves is a mention on this review . The support act is usually one of the loneliest places in the house , but Peter certainly kept what was approaching capacity in attentive silence throughout his half hour slot.
Judging by what he provided during his timeslot , it won't be long before he commands his own full houses, especially when he lists George Harrison as one of his influences.

ALSO PRESENT
A little bit of namedroppping , but while the camera still had room on the memory card ....
CELINE and FIONA LOONEY (The Irish Daily Mail, RTE 2FM, playwright and author)

ANDREA SMITH (Sunday Independant) and CELINE

FRANK PHELAN (WDAR) and MIKE MOLONEY (MOLONEY After Midnight)


SLOW MY WHEELS
Cherrytree Feb 27th 2010 (Part 1 Song 2)

Back to Setlist


HEY JOHN
Cherrytree Feb 27th 2010 (Part 2 Song 4)

Back to Setlist


DAISY LADY (Leo Kelly)
Cherrytree Feb 27th 2010 (Part 2 Song 9)

Back to Setlist


BIRD IN A CAGE
Cherrytree Feb 27th 2010 (Encore Song 2)

Back to Setlist


NOTHING RHYMED (Gilbert O'Sullivan)
Cherrytree Feb 27th 2010 (Encore Song 3)

Back to Setlist


LAUGH WHILE YOU CAN
Cherrytree Feb 27th 2010 (Encore Song 4)

Back to Setlist


I LOVE YOU I
Cherrytree Feb 27th 2010 (Encore Song 5)

Back to Setlist

My idol called ME a Legend !

Picture by Brian Greene

Amidst this cluster of Celine Carroll tributes I would like to thank a very special person. His name is Mike Moloney. He had a show on Ireland's RTE 2FM called Moloney After Midnight. He knew all about quality music, and he conveyed that knowledge to the listener in such a way that made them want to be a fan of just about everything he played. There was no script to be read from , nor did it appear that he was given a playlist to stick to.
Because of his detemination to support the independant musician he had established a cult following which stuck by him for around 15 years.
If I had to select an example of a musician who would be likely to say thanks to Mike , it would be David Gray. Of course . over 15 yrs , there are hundreds more who owe him a bit more than a thank you.
Sadly , for reasons best known to themselves , RTE 2FM parted company from Mike. I, for one, was bitterly disappointed to see him go.
That man was responsible for about half of my CD collection.
Thanks to Google, I managed to find Mike over at Sligo & Donegal's Ocean FM. One Sunday evening he played Apologise by Celine Carroll. I followed it up , got myself the album and a best pal , and when Mike showed up at the same Celine gig as me, I was absolutley gobsmacked when he greeted me and called me a legend ..... talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
Check this link

Celine and Jerry plus others in The Cherry

Such A Beautiful Light is a blinder

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For an independant, launching an album into the public domain requires a far greater leap of faith than someone who has got the funding and distribution power of a big conglomerate behind them.
For Celine Carroll, Such A Beautiful Light is the third such leap and it's high time that this Beautiful Light is dazzling , let alone dawning upon, the fogbound blinkered ones sat in the offices of the likes of Sony, EMI. Warner & Co.

To make matters easier still for them lot upstairs , this album has been mastered by award winners in the USA, the sleeve notes have been graphically designed and even the front cover shows Celine playing jazzy B minor on a Gretsch. She keeps good company. Duane Eddy , Chet Atkins and Ted Nugent are also noted Gretsch players.

And needless to say that when so much meticulous work has gone into achieving the finished product, the content should warrant the expense incurred. Well, if reassurances over that particular issue were needed, her previous albums , Itch and Catch You As You Fall have barely been away from my CD player for almost 5 years. Such A Beautiful Light carries the same hallmarks as its predecessors.

This album took about a month to get through its initial recording, but the rest of year was spent in listening remixing and adding bits here and there before release. This painstaking journey in pursuit of perfection is best summed up in Celine’s explanation of Sweet Heart Of Mine. This song set out with the intent to give the feel of Paul McCartney’s O bla di O bla da. , it evolved into something akin to C Moon and it was just wanting that final hook. Along came the brass section which was added to the top of the song for the final mix. The end product bathes you in Caribbean sunshine and will lift you out of the foulest of moods.

The key to any form of true entertainment is to experience emotional highs and lows. One of those highs has already been accounted for , the lows are in there too in the form of at least two tracks, namely The Wheels Fall Off Our Love and you’ll pause for reflection with I Remember A Time.
This album is a friendly passenger in your car , a bit of company with your glass of wine or someone to call up on your iPod. It’s safe to take anywhere. In fact, there is only one thing lacking on this album and that’s monotony.

There are names to conjure with as well. Apart from Celine herself, you will find Jerry Fehily , ex Hothouse Flowers on drums and Fiachra Trench, famed for string arrangements on Fairytale Of New York and one or two surprises in the list of thank yous.

Such A Beautiful Light is available on iTunes, and for those who prefer to paw their way through the sleeve notes, this CD is available from the following Dublin outlets : HMV in Grafton St, Tower Records in Wicklow St and Celtic Note in Nassau St. You can also email Celine via her website, Ask nicely and you might get an autographed copy.

WEST DUBLIN ACCESS RADIO
Check out Celine Carroll's appearance on WDAR (West Dublin Access Radio). Interviewing her is Frank Radio ....