Monday, July 07, 2014

A Mesmerizing Drummer att Celtfest

This was our eighth year to attend Almonte (with a silent 'e') Celtfest although our visit last year was pretty brief. This time, as in most years, we were in full attendance on Saturday from 12-10 and on Sunday from 12-6.

The first half or more of each day features local talent, and there is some excellent local talent in this area, so it's all good. The headliners this year were The American Rogues. Their only previous visit was in 2011, and I was pleased to hear them agan. They played the last session on both days and were quite wonderful both times.

New since last time was their drummer, Catherine Hauke, and she was absolutely mesmerizing. It was like she was dancing with the drumsticks and drum. Every time she came to the forward position, all eyes were riveted.

Naturally, I took a bunch of photos. For some reason many of my photos weren't very sharp this year, but I like them anyway. At the end, I will post a video in which I combined a number of little clips featuring Hauck. It's 2:33 minutes, and I hope that you will take the time to have a look. Obviously you can get a sense of the Rogues' sound as you watch Catherine do her thing. This kind of Celtic music with a bit of a rockish edge may be new to many of you.

I may or may not post more Celtfest stuff in due course, but I wanted to get this one done.

Oh ... remember that big monitor that I posted about last week. I discovered that it had a dead pixel, so I took it back. Now, I am back to my single 21" monitor while I contemplate whether to try again and what model to try.









8 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

her showmanship is quite engaging! a talented group, for sure. :)

sorry about the giganto-monitor!

ADRIAN said...

I've never seen anything quite like this....entertaining.

I have been using an
AOC i2352Vh. I'm very happy with it.
It's IPS but not wide Gamut.
You will also need a Spyder Pro to calibrate it. I calibrate every month. I can't advise on the pro editing monitors as I don't have the budget to buy one.
Good luck.

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

It seems you were quite taken with the drummer's skill and talents, John, which were very obvious in the video clip. Too bad the monitor didn't work out this time, but there's always another shopping trip.

Shammickite said...

Great stuff.... I love that pop celtic music. Catherine is marvellous, very animated and she obviously loves what she is doing!

Gail Dixon said...

I really like the portrait one of the drummer looking off to the side. Hard to get sharp shots when people are constantly moving around. I had that problem on July 4th with some little ones. :)

Mage said...

Goodness....I love stuff with passion. She's got it.

Unknown said...

I worked with Catherine for six years as a member of another Celtic "rock" group (more of a Celtic theatrical troupe) called Coyote Run, and she has always had a flair for showmanship. A very enjoyable time for me as a bassist, since the synergy between bass and drums is of paramount importance to any band. She is one of a kind.

Michele said...

The American Rogues are the finest example of Celtic Rock. Cat is an amazing percussionist and she mesmerizes the crowd. The American Rogues have a group of musicians with incredible individual talent. When you put them together, the result is magic. Anyone who experiences The American Rogues will never forget them.