Flying With the Spirits (Partial B) Copyright 2000

It's all about music and the magic of sound...

Nithmund's unique music style is creative meditation... as he journeys into the heart of the sound... reaching out to grasp new ideas... and laying them down before you as a sonic feast for the soul...

One of his favourite things to do is sit down and play a simple two or three chord arrangement until the repetition forces him to seek out the possibilities inside that arrangement... it's spontaneous and rewarding... He hopes you find listening as enjoyable as he finds playing...  :)

Nithmund writes, sings and plays...
* Acoustic, electric, bass and air guitars
* Banjo
* Harmonica
* Keyboard/Synth
* Sitar
* Percussion

Listen for new tracks / instruments / sounds coming soon...

All of Nithmund's tracks are available for free download here on SoundCloud... Help create new music by donating what ever you like here: http://nithmund.bandcamp.com/

All tracks are downloadable and licensed under Open Commons licensing... so feel free to download... add to... slice and dice... remix... whatever... have fun... Enjoy... :)

P.S.
Please let him know if you use any of his tracks so he can listen to the results and share in the fun... :)

P.P.S.
Writing about yourself in the third person is always interesting... :)

I was born and raised in Co. Cavan, Ireland. I moved to Los Angeles in the spring of 1987 and began working as a session musician. Many of these sessions included world-renowned artists including, Chet McCracken (Doobie Brothers), Albert Lee, Stuart Smith (Sweet), and Howard Leese (Heart). Working with musicians of this caliber, all of whom had toured the world, inspired me to find a band that I could tour with. In 1994 I joined world-beat band World Color, a multi-racial, multi-cultural band led by Pamela Whitman, great-granddaughter of Walt Whitman. The experience of working with musicians from all over the world combined with my upbringing, rooted in Irish traditional music, transported me to a new place, musically. I began to write music that would lead to the unique sound that is, Finn MacCool. I left World Color in 1999 to form the band Finn MacCool.

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Finn MacCool is a Celtic Fusion band based in Los Angeles. The band takes its name from the legendary figure in Irish lore, the warrior Finn MacCool. The music and songs are rooted in the Celtic culture from all seven Celtic nations**. The lyrics take the listener back in time and celebrate the history of the Celtic people, while the music combines traditional Irish scales and rhythms with elements of folk, blues, gypsy, world-beat, and funk. The music and stories help keep the spirit of this great culture alive and relevant in these modern times. "You will feel their presence and you will know their stories through the music of Finn MacCool".
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Fans often describe the music as reminiscent of Traffic or early Led Zeppelin, with a strong spiritual presence that sets it apart from other bands of this genre.
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Other popular fan comments include:

"This music is suitable for all ages"
"There is something for everyone"
"I felt a very positive vibe coming from the music and lyrics"

Jim McDonough, editor of the Irish News & Entertainment wrote the following after hearing the band for the first time:

..."Finn MacCool will take you on a journey from Ancient Ireland to Modern America"...

Jim Fowler of the Los Angeles Times wrote:

..."I was blown away by their live performance. They blended the instrumentation of Celtic folk music with rock music intensity"...

Orange County Register wrote:

..."Like NOTHING you have ever heard. You will feel the presence and you will know the stories of the Celtic people through the music of Finn MacCool"...
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I am in the process of writing and recording two musicals under the title Ancestral Voices* (the Famine Years) and Ancestral Voices (Voices Lost)

*Ancestral Voices (the Famine Years)

The Famine, also known as, an Gorta Mor, all but decimated the entire population of Ireland. During the years 1845 to 1852 five-sixths of the people died or emigrated. Ancestral Voices (the Famine Years) uncovers the true reasons behind why an event of such magnitude is seldom spoken of in Ireland.

Ancestral Voices (Voices Lost)

There was a time when women had an equal voice in society. What happened?  How did they lose their equal standing? Was it survival of the fittest, or did man wander from the path of equality, fairness, respect, and understanding? 

From Eve to Mary Magdalene, Joan of Arc to Lillian Hellman, there is one common thread, they were all vilified. Whether it was labeling them a witch, a whore, or a communist, the tactic was the same, dehumanize the target, turning them into symbols for lust evil and hatred. Buy why?
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**The Seven Celtic nations are: Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, Wales, Cornwall, Isle of Man and Galicia.
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Peter McGowan performs weekly in and around Los Angeles with his partner Suman Elizabeth Kirby (percussion - vocals) and longtime friend Marta Collier (pennywhistle - bodhran). He also performs with his six-piece band, Finn MacCool. depending on the size of the venue.

... when everyone is wide awake, who is left to dream up our future? ...

-michasto

My father, George Willis "Bill" Kellington, sang in the Portland Metropolitan opera as a young adult.  He used to sing, Danny Boy to me when I was a wee tad.  My mother sang on the radio starting at about 4 years of age.  I remember enjoying singing with my mother while we did the dinner dishes.  I have always loved music and my main influences were the popular songsters of the 50s and 60s.   I started playing the guitar at around age 20.  I should have had lessons.  My wife, Sharon, taught me basic chords and I learned some more  after that.  I've been writing my own songs since 2003 and I am thoroughly enjoying the process.   I still have my day job practicing law, but if time would permit I would be making music all the time.  
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     My favorite music site is Soundcloud because it enables comments and reposting and the ability to hear innovative, magnificent and magical, productions of brilliant independent musicians from around the globe. 
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     I have a home studio with a couple of Yamaha guitars, and a Yamaha MX49  keyboard.  I use AKG mics and Sonar software.  I like to get a lyrics idea, select guitar chords, then prepare lead sheets.  As I play and sing the tentative song, improvements in the rhythm, lyrics and melody almost suggest themselves.  
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     For me, a song is a project.  It can nearly always be improved with the passage of some time and replaying and singing.   With a melody in my head, I practice singing the song.  Adjustments to clarify the meanings of lyrics also suggest adjustments in the rhythm and the melody.  When I have an acceptable guitar and vocal track recorded, I can then add bass, percussion and other instrument tracks.  Finally, I can add backup vocals or whistling, or both.   I have about a dozen songs in process at any given time.  I will let the songs in progress settle in for a few days or weeks or months.  If I seem to be stuck on a particular song I will leave it for a while and get back to singing it.  Fresh ideas or approach come easier then and usually I get unstuck.  
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     I find I have to be careful that I not over correct.  Sometimes I'll find that a betterment wasn't really a betterment over time and I'll go back and resurrect the older lyric that then seems superior.  
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     My dream is to produce songs that have the power to move the emotions.  I find my songs are better if in the process I am moved to tears myself and unless I am moved by the sentiment of a song I don't consider it finished or acceptable.  I have to really feel what I am writing/singing.  I hope you like my music and I would be delighted if it moved you five degrees. ;-)