‘A musician in her landscape’: An interview with Julie Fowlis

Julie was delighted to chat to Steve Gladwin over at An Awfully Big Blog Adventure  recently – here’s the blog, ‘A musician in her landscape’.  Hope you enjoy.
 

Julie performing at Celtic Connections 2021

From Julie:
“It had been one full year since I last stood on a stage, at Celtic Connections 2020. Fast forward twelve months and it’s actually difficult to put into words how it felt to take to the stage with some of my favourite people on the planet at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall recently to perform for

Celtic Connections 2021. So, so emotional. I hadn’t realised just how much I missed it.
Despite the hall being empty, there was a special energy in the room and it was such a privilege to be part of the festival – especially knowing how much everyone is missing Glasgow and this event right now. HUGE applause to Donald, Lesley, the entire CC team and first class crew who have taken this iconic international festival online ❤️
The festival started last Friday night and you can still watch the entire programme if you grab a festival pass ticket (which are amazingly priced, and you can watch from anywhere in the world) – here is the link for more info and to buy tickets:
Julie will be performing as part of the Transatlantic Sessions concert on January 29th & for the

Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum and Arts Centre Ceòl Uibhist a Tuath / North Uist night on Monday February 1st.
There is so much amazing music happening at this festival – get your tickets now if you haven’t done so already!

New merchandise range announced

Julie has launched a new range of merchandise today! Cosy organic hoodies, ocean blue organic and vegan friendly t-shirts and funky retro ringer tees – all of which have the ‘alterum’ insignia.  All garments have been carefully and ethically sourced, and there is also now an opportunity to purchase a high-definition download of alterum with an item of clothing at a special bundle price.

All garments are unisex, and sizing guides can be found on the shop.  Thanks for supporting independent musicians!

An Gealladh / The Promise

Julie is delighted to be involved in this beautiful project – The Promise.  Written by Nicola Davies, with illustrations by Laura Carlin, Julie was invited to read the Gaelic version of this powerful story which examines our connection to nature and the importance of green spaces in our urban landscapes.  It is a story of hope for change, and also includes readings of the Acorn poem by Robert Macfarlane with accompanying music from the Lost Words Spell Songs.

For educators – there are resources available here: https://www.thepromise.earth/screening

A’ Ghàidhlig le Raghnaid Sandilands.  Nach sgaoil sibh an naidheachd?

The thoughtful Gaelic translation is by Raghnaid Sandilands. Please share the story, and enjoy!

 

TV alert! 📺

Julie and Éamon will be playing a song for Susan Calman tomorrow night on BBC Scotland alongside Janey Godley, Ashley Storrie, Robert Florence and Joe MacFadden on her new show, Socially Distant.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000hd2h

Tune in at 8.30pm.

Folk on Foot Front Room Festival

**Watch from 2pm today at the Folk on Foot YouTube Channel**

Julie is delighted to be part of this amazing virtual folk festival on Easter Bank Holiday Monday. Supporting UK musicians whose livelihoods have been decimated by the coronavirus lockdown, 50% of all the proceeds will go to the charity Help Musicians UK.

You can donate here: https://www.folkonfoot.com/festival

The festival will have performances from Bella Hardy, Beth Porter plus the Bookshop Band, Jon Boden, Karine Polwart, Kerry Andrew (You Are Wolf), Kris Drever, Lisa Knapp and Gerry Diver, Martin Simpson, Nancy Kerr and James Fagan, Peggy Seeger, Rachel Newton, Sam Lee, Seth Lakeman, Steve Knightley plus Julie and Éamon Doorley. Folk on Foot will stream back to back on their YouTube channel and Facebook page in a virtual festival hosted by Matthew Bannister starting at 1400 on Monday 13th April. You’ll be able to kick back with a foaming pint or a cuppa in a front row seat in your front room and enjoy the show.

Seirm, BBC ALBA

Julie recorded a session with husband Éamon Doorley, Zoë Conway and John Mc Intyre in the stunning Mackintosh Church, Glasgow for the BBC ALBA series ‘Seirm’, from Celtic Connections last month.  You can watch the first programme of the series here  plus you can also catch a clip of one of their songs here.

BBC World Service: The Cultural Frontline

Julie was recently invited to talk to The Cultural Frontline on the BBC World Service about Gaelic language and song.

Faodaidh sibh èisteachd ris a-rithist aig a’ cheangal gu h-ìosal.

Unlike other BBC services, anyone worldwide can listen at this link below.

Upstream

Tonight on BBC 4 TV at 2030:

Upstream is a new film by the writer Robert Macfarlane and the director Rob Petit. The film, which is shot entirely from the air, follows the course of the River Dee in Scotland all the way to its source in the Cairngorm mountains, the highest of any river in Britain. With a prose poem written especially for the film by Macfarlane (and voiced by Julie) and an original score by the Oscar-nominated composer Hauschka, the film takes as it epigraph the words of the Scottish writer Nan Shepherd (1893-1981): “One cannot know the rivers till one has seen them at their sources”, wrote Shepherd, “but this journey to sources is not to be undertaken lightly.” (The Living Mountain, 1977).

Eerie, hypnotic and experimental, this groundbreaking polyphonic film weaves together field-recordings of the river, and the birds and creatures which live along it, the place-names and stories – dark and light – of the Cairngorms, creating a ‘songline’ that draws the viewer up, against the flow, into wildness, winter and strangeness.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0008z3c

New single release: Selkie-boy

A new song has been released into the wild today – ‘Selkie-boy’ by Spell Songs, the collaborative musical response to the incredible book by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris.  The full backstory to the writing of the song can be found on Julie’s Facebook page  and you can listen from today on Spotify

The stunning book and album combo is available to pre-order here.  Watch out for performances from the Spell Songs group at Folk by the Oak on July 14th and at the Albert Hall, London during The Proms on August 25th.