In today’s review, we introduce the music of Gói, a young historical folk project Ilona discovered while roaming Bandcamp. Gói, a band from South Ostrobothnia – a region in the southwest of Finland – combine the well known Nordic legends with the much less known Sami mythology in their lyrics and music, translating it into wonderful Nordic style soundscapes with-a-punch. Now it would be easy to say Gói are jumping on a style that is becoming more and more popular, but that would be highly unjust to these talented young musicians.

If there’s one thing I found while digging a bit deeper into the subject before writing this review, is that Gói are really interested in the history of their homeland. Just read the liner notes accompanying their single Saivo on Bandcamp, and you will find their genuine passion for the Sami history right there.

I had so much fun talking to Rauni Hautamäki, founder, composer, musician and singer of Gói, about the Sami traditions, their place in history, and the relationship between the early Scandinavian people and the Sami culture. Through it all, I found a huge interest in the subject matter, but also a huge respect for the cultures involved.

The music of Gói got me really involved in a part of Nordic history I didn’t know up till now, and I’m hoping that, by introducing this lovely band to you all, more people will get as interested in the subject as I got. Did I make you curious? Good, then just follow the link right here! You won’t regret it.

My first introduction to Irdorath’s music was their ‘performance’ on the Castlefest home edition. It was a professional half-hour video the band recorded in the Belarussian woods and a video that made a huge impact on me. But not only on me. The Livestream exploded with positive responses with two general themes in them: ‘Who are those guys?‘ and: ‘They Are great!‘ People who saw them play on Middeleeuws Winschoten and several German festivals confirmed what we were all saying in the stream. ‘These guys are special.‘ So I decided right there and then I just HAD to introduce Irdorath’s music through a review.

During my research, I discovered that Irdorath is more than just a band. For them, it’s a way of living. They truly put their heart and soul in this project. Moving to an abandoned sanatorium in Kyiv to build a performance stage there, Marrying on stage, or more recently going on the streets to play for a better life for themselves and their fellow countrymen are just a few of the things I discovered researching the story behind the three albums We are going to introduce to you in this review marathon, Ad Astra (2012), Dreamcatcher (2015) and Wild (2017)

Before I post the link to the reviews I want to share one video. It is the making of video of Serca Raskolata, a new song Irdorath released in January. This video says so much about Irdorath, about who they are. Musicians; with a healthy interest in spiritual things and in history; with a good pinch of fantasy and theater in their performance; slightly mad with a lot of balls. That’s Irdorath! And I happily admit I fell in love with them, with their music and with them as people. I sincerely hope you will fall in love with them too.



The link to the reviews you find here.

France, a land with a huge folk scene. A land that gave us folk legends like Alan Stivell, Dan ar Braz, and Tri Yann. A land that hosts one of the biggest folk festivals: Le Festival Interceltique de Lorient. A land with a folk scene so interlocked in their culture that it even appears in mainstream music.
Sadly up till now, not that many French bands have reached the CeltCast headquarters, but luckily one has now, and what a special album it is! Grumpy O Sheep is a folk duo that mixes Irish folk, Spanish fury, and the French ‘joie de vivre’ together in a unique style. Their debut album East of Talisker will give you enough energy to last you a whole week. Want to know more? Just follow the link and you will!
Cliff

Grumpy O Sheep – East of Talisker (2020) review