December 19, 2006
Christmas traditions: The Barra MacNeils holiday spirit alive with new CD, tour
By; Andrea Nemetz, Halifax Herald

THE WORDS of At Last I'm Ready For Christmas may resonate with audience members at the Barra MacNeils' Christmas shows. But the Cape Breton siblings have had to be a bit more organized than the time-challenged heroes of the little-known Stan Rogers tune, which is included on the Barra MacNeils' recently released second Christmas album. Sheumas, Lucy, Kyle, Stewart, Ryan and Boyd MacNeil began their holiday tour in Oregon on Nov. 18, and are slated to perform more than 30 shows across the country before the tour wraps up with two shows at the Savoy Theatre in Glace Bay on Saturday.

"We're two-thirds of the way through," said Stewart MacNeil from an unseasonably mild Toronto which he described as bustling with shoppers and frantic drivers blowing horns.

The multiple ECMA-winning group had taken the previous day off to get a little shopping done in the big city as it will be Christmas Eve before they're done performing and Stewart was especially intent on finding things that would fit into his suitcase.

Rare snow in southern British Columbia marked the start of the Canadian tour on Nov. 20.

"It was a bit surreal, but great for Christmas shows. I think people enjoyed it a bit more. And when we got to Banff it was just magical. It was right after the powder snow fell and it was beautiful, clear and cool all the things that make Banff special."

The Barras were making Christmas special for their fans even before they released their first Christmas album in 1999. With the addition to the group of younger siblings Ryan (on uileann pipes, low whistles, piano and vocals) and Boyd on bouzouki, violin, guitar, tenor, banjo, vocals and percussion, it made sense to put out another seasonal album this year, says Stewart.

"Christmas is a season of traditions and it fits so well with what the Barras do. The album is really well-balanced with a lot of the high energy you expect from the Barra MacNeils, as well as the extra instruments, the extra voices and the new material. It feels similar to the first album it's a matching set."

Among the 15 tracks on the new album, recorded at Kyle and Anita MacNeil's home on the Mira and Soundpark Studio in Cape Breton, is an original from Ryan
called Christmas Together.

"It's a whimsical, homecoming song about coming east, the train trip, the sense of coming home, the greenery, enjoying the season. Ryan really captured that
feeling in song," says Stewart, who performs on accordion, wood flute, keyboards, whistle in addition to vocals.

The first track, I Saw Three Ships, is one people will remember from previous Christmas shows, Stewart continues.

"It's evolved over the years, it's very up with a jig-time feel and there's an awful nice mix of Cape Breton tunes in the arrangement that gives something
people can identify with the Barra MacNeils."

A Gaelic version of Silent Night closes the disc.

"There are four different Scots Gaelic versions of the song. The one we chose was pretty close to a literal translation and flows very nicely. It's
interesting that Silent Night been translated into so many languages since Franz Gruber wrote it.

"There are very few times in a year when things come to a halt. Christmas Eve is one of them. Most people stay home or travel to their homes if they're
working away. Silent Night is very much one of the most peaceful of all Christmas carols."

Midway through the album, the Barras' good friend Tommy Makem recalls yule times past in Childhood Christmas.

"I'm always mesmerized at his ability to tell stories and the stories he's handpicked here set the tone for the album," says Stewart.

The solemn recitation is followed by a showstopping version of Ave Maria in which Lucy's pure vocals literally send chills down the spine.

"It's not specifically a Christmas song, but one associated with Christmas. It's time-tested. Lucy gets a tremendous response when she sings it, that and O Holy Night. Both are otherworldly in many ways. They are pieces of music that have touched people for generations. Their power defies explanation."

The Christmas shows (which also include Jamie Gatti on bass) feature a mix of songs from both albums, instrumentals, stories and stepdancing.

"It's quite a mix. Usually at the end, people come up to us and say 'you made me laugh, you made me cry." It really brings out the emotion in people."

Christmas in Killarney is always an audience favourite, continues Stewart, noting people like to clap their hands and whoop it up a bit when the Barras play the rollicking tune. And personally, he enjoys singing Auld Lang Syne, which gives him a chance to reflect on the year that has just past.

This Christmas will bring a gathering at the home of their parents Columba and Jean.

"It will be fun to watch my parents watch their grandchildren playing with their Christmas presents," says Stewart, the proud father of three cats. Lucy has two daughters and Sheumas has a son and a daughter.

"There will be a little bit of music, some catching up on news and a few days to really relax after such a long tour. It will be nice to go home and have some peace and tranquility. Maybe we'll get some snow."

After a well-deserved rest, the Barras will be gearing up for 2007. Plans include a much-anticipated 20th anniversary tour.

"It's been 20 years since we recorded our first album (The Barra MacNeils). I just feel very fortunate that we've been able to do what we do," Stewart concludes.

The Barra MacNeils' show on Wednesday at Pictou's deCoste Centre is sold out. An 8 p.m. show Friday at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in Halifax is also sold out, as is an 8 p.m. show Saturday at the Savoy Theatre in Glace Bay, but there are tickets available for 4 p.m. shows on Friday at the Cohn and Saturday at the Savoy

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