Bodega (band)
Encyclopedia
Music of Scotland
Scotland is internationally known for its traditional music, which has remained vibrant throughout the 20th century, when many traditional forms worldwide lost popularity to pop music...
band based in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, formed in March 2005. Its members met while they were studying together at the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music in Plockton
Plockton
Plockton is a village in the Highlands of Scotland with a population of 378 .- Details :Plockton is a picturesque settlement on the shores of Loch Carron...
, Scotland, from which they all graduated. The group was originally called Fiddle Dee Fiddle Dum.
Membership
The group has five members:- Gillian Chalmers (from FraserburghFraserburghFraserburgh is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland with a population recorded in the 2001 Census at 12,454 and estimated at 12,630 in 2006. It lies at the extreme northeast corner of Aberdeenshire, around north of Aberdeen, and north of Peterhead...
), border pipesBorder pipesThe border pipes are a type of bagpipe related to the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe. It is perhaps confusable with the Scottish smallpipe, although it is a quite different and much older instrument...
, low whistleLow whistleThe low whistle, or concert whistle, is a variation of the traditional tin whistle/pennywhistle, distinguished by its lower pitch and larger size. It is most closely associated with the performances of modern Irish musicians and groups such as Riverdance and Davy Spillane, and is increasingly...
, and fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music... - Ross Couper (from Shetland), fiddle
- Tia Files (from ObanObanOban Oban Oban ( is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. It has a total resident population of 8,120. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William and during the tourist season the town can be crowded by up to 25,000 people. Oban...
), steel-string acoustic guitarSteel-string acoustic guitarA steel-string acoustic guitar is a modern form of guitar descended from the classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound...
, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, djembeDjembeA djembe also known as jembe, jenbe, djbobimbe, jymbe, yembe, or jimbay, or sanbanyi in Susu; is a skin-covered drum meant played with bare hands....
, and vocals - Norrie MacIver (from CarlowayCarlowayCarloway is a district situated in the parish of Uig on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides. The district has a population of around 500.- The District :...
, Isle of LewisLewisLewis is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The total area of Lewis is ....
), lead vocals, accordion, steel-string acoustic guitar, and djembe - June Naylor (from the Isle of Skye), gut-string clàrsachClàrsachClàrsach or Cláirseach , is the generic Gaelic word for 'a harp', as derived from Middle Irish...
A sixth member, Sandie Forbes (fiddle and vocals) played with the group until 2006. The group's members were all born between the years of approximately 1987 and 1989.
Career
The band have performed at the festival Celtic ConnectionsCeltic Connections
The Celtic Connections festival started in 1994 in Glasgow, Scotland, and has since been held every January. Featuring over 300 concerts, ceilidhs, talks, free events, late night sessions and workshops, the festival focuses on the roots of traditional Scottish music and also features international...
for two years in a row now, and have also played at large festivals such as The Shetland Folk Festival and the HebCelt Fest.
The group performs traditional Scottish and Irish music, as well as newly composed material by its members, combining improvisation and eclectic influences from jazz, rock, funk, and other non-traditional genres. It also performs American repertoire, such as "Wagon Wheel
Wagon Wheel (song)
"Wagon Wheel" is the title of a song originally sketched by Bob Dylan and later completed by Old Crow Medicine Show. Old Crow Medicine Show's version was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in November 2011.-Content:...
" by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
which has also been performed by Old Crow Medicine Show
Old Crow Medicine Show
Old Crow Medicine Show is an old-time string band based in Nashville, Tennessee. Their music has been called bluegrass, Americana, and alt-country, in addition to old-time. Along with original songs, the band performs many pre-World War II blues and folk songs...
. The lead singer, Norrie MacIver, sings in both Scottish Gaelic (including waulking song
Waulking song
Waulking songs are Scottish folk songs, traditionally sung in the Gaelic language by women while waulking cloth. This practice involved a group of people beating newly woven tweed rhythmically against a table or similar surface to soften it...
s and puirt à beul
Puirt à beul
Puirt a beul is a traditional form of song native to Scotland, Ireland, and Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.-Name:The Scottish Gaelic for such a tune is port à beul: "a tune from a mouth—specifically a cheerful tune—which in the plural becomes puirt à beul...
) and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
In late 2005 the group won the 2005/2006 BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
Young Folk Award. They have toured Europe and the United States several times.
Discography
- 2006 - Bodega (GreentraxGreentrax RecordingsGreentrax Recordings are a Scottish record label for Celtic and celtic fusion bands.- History :Greentrax Recordings is an Edinburgh-based record label specialising in Scottish traditional music. They were founded in 1986 by former police inspector Ian Green. In 2001 he acquired the license to...
) - 2008 - Under the Counter (Greentrax)
External links
- Bodega page on Atlantic Edge Music Services
- Scottish band win the 2005/6 BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards from BBC website 14 Dec 2005
Listening
- Bodega audio samples from Atlantic Edge Music Services
- Bodega page on Myspace.com
- Bodega live performance (now redirects to Sandie Forbes Facebook page)
- Bodega audio samples from musicscotland.com (may no longer be available)