Monday, November 27 2006
Barra MacNeils set tone a month before Christmas

The family that sings together does not bicker with one another.  At least, not often.

So it is with Cape Breton natives The Barra MacNeils, returning to Victoria this weekend. Stewart MacNeil, the Celtic band's step-dancing vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, says he and his five siblings rarely argue.

"And most of the time, the differences are on artistic issues," he said from a tour stop in Ashcroft in the Interior.

Once again, The Barra MacNeils -- Stewart, Kyle, Lucy, Sheumas, Boyd and Ryan -- are set to bring their popular Christmas concert to Victoria. The show will feature seasonal songs from their new disc, The Barra MacNeils -- Christmas Album II. Performed in traditional Celtic style, it includes familiar carols such as I Saw Three Ships and Good King Wenceslas as well as more obscure selections like Stan Rogers's At Last I'm Ready for Christmas.

What makes it stand out from the usual tsunami of Christmas recordings (ranging from the new Twisted Christmas disc by hard-rocking Twisted Sister to those annoying singing cat albums) is the Barra MacNeils' traditional music stamp. The tin whistle and ullian pipes in particular give it a distinctly Scots/Irish feel.

"It goes from having very rollicking music to stuff that's more spiritual. It's certainly a mixed bag," said Stewart MacNeil.

Recorded at Kyle MacNeil's home in Sydney, Cape Breton, the album also contains a recitation, Childhood Christmas, delivered by the famous Irish folksinger Tommy Makem. MacNeil was also thrilled to include contributions from senior singers -- some in their 80s -- from his mother's hometown of Washabuck, N.S.

While proud of their new disc, MacNeil and his siblings (all classically trained) were saddened to learn of the death this week of their friend, John Allan Cameron, from bone cancer. Known as the Godfather of Celtic Music in Canada, Cameron was a longtime supporter of the Barra MacNeils' approach to music. The band had participated in several projects to help with Cameron's medical expenses, including playing on the two-disc set: Yes! Let's Hear it for John Allan Cameron.

"He was always a support when we needed him, for sure. He really thought a lot of what The Barra MacNeils did and encouraged us to keep doing it and be true to what your music really is," said MacNeil.

"John was a pioneer in taking the traditional music and realizing its value. There was no pretense; he loved the music he grew up on ... He paved a path for people like The Rankins and The Barra MacNeils and Natalie MacMaster and Ashley [MacIsaac] and all others who have come behind him. There are numerous solo performers who have emulated his style."

At a time when frenzied consumers are madly hunting down Playstation 3 video games, the Barra MacNeil Christmas concerts are viewed by fans as an oasis of sanity.

"It's not a glitzy type of show," said MacNeil. "For some people it's a Christmas that used to be, in many ways."

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