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CD reviews
The Counterfeit Bards Bard From This Hall Self-released Period music can be dangerous. It not only pigeonholes the group into a certain genre, it also carries a stigma liable to label it as “uncool” even before one hears the music. That’s how I felt about this album: Traditional Celtic music? I had my doubts. But after listening to it (several times in fact) I realized it wasn’t just period music, but good music. The Counterfeit Bards mostly play traditional Celtic tunes and some originals in a Celtic vein. The bards (Lee Agnew, Anna Holloway, Lesser Keller-Kenton and Leah Kenton) stick with traditional instruments to lend their songs authenticity. Tin whistle, recorders, bodhran (the traditional Celtic drum) and guitar lay down the melodies like gently rolling heather while the ensemble takes turns singing solos, duets and in unison. A hammered dulcimer also lends atmosphere and credibility to the Celtic aim. Besides the talent evident in the performance of traditional songs like “Cruel Sister,” “The Gardener/Star of Munster” and “Jesuitmont/The Reel to Lisdoonvarna,” a striking trait emerges in the darkness of each. They wind through minor chord progressions like midnight carriages through mist and feature haunting refrains like the echoes of moor banshees. Not to mention the subject matter: murder, betrayal and the making of harps from breast bones. These traits belie the album’s humorous cover, which depicts the group in period dress and looking dejected because a sword-wielding guard has “barred” their entry to a tavern. However, on the back cover, the group is shown in front of a hearth and looking very satisfied as a tiny sidenote explains, “...but they let us in anyway.” The Counterfeit Bards’ album can be found in Norman at Raven Feathers, 106 S. Crawford Ave., and in Oklahoma City at Borders Books and Music, 3209 NW Expressway, Full Circle Books, 50 Penn Place, and Once Upon a Silver Moon, 2419 N. Classen Blvd. — Josh McBee |
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