Relaxing on Jonathon Crouse’s farm before the show.

Beautiful Sky

Showtime!

It is unusual to see the bass player also singing lead. The bass line and melody must both be in mind, and be expressed, and this is tricky!

The audience was wonderful!

Kassia on cello.

Sisters

Chen Meng Photos

Enjoy an evening out at the port of Yarmouth, located in the heart of the world’s largest lobster fishing grounds. DRUMLIN’s showcase begins at 5:15 pm at Rudder’s Seafood Restaurant & Brew Pub, 96 Water Street, Yarmouth, NS.  Experience Nova Scotia’s finest live music, excellent food and great company!

“We would like to thank everyone who came out to see us at Privateer Days this year! A special thank you to our photographer Chen Meng and also the Privateer Days entertainment director, Kevin Page, for his kindness and dedication.”

Thank you CFBX 92.5 FM and radio listeners!

On Canadian Jukebox, Broadcaster Gilda Salomone of Radio Canada International’s Brazilian section dropped by with her selection of some of the best new music by Canadian recording artists.

<http://www.drumlin.ca
<http://www.valeriemilot.com/
<http://www.samrobertsband.com/

SONG: Cries
ARTIST: Drumlin
ALBUM: Paper Flowers

SONG: My Dearie
ARTIST: Drumlin
ALBUM: Paper Flowers

SONG: Sonata For Solo Harp – Germaine Tailleferre
ARTIST: Valérie Milot
ALBUM: V

SONG: Sonatine – Maurice Ravel
ARTIST: Valérie Milot
ALBUM: V

SONG: Without a Map
ARTIST: Sam Roberts Band
ALBUM: Collider

SONG:  The Last Crusade
ARTIST: Sam Roberts Band
ALBUM:  Collider

DRUMLIN had a terrific time visiting with talented and warm-hearted Jonathon Crouse, host and producer for the ECMA nominated broadcast “That East Coast Show” heard on CKBW, Sunday evenings, at 6:00pm. The band talked about their music and the stories behind the songs recorded on “Paper Flowers”.

by Robert Hirtle

Popular Celtic-rock band Drumlin will launch their latest CD, “Paper Flowers,” May 13 at 7 p.m. at Best Western Bridgewater.

The group, comprised of Dal Gilbert on acoustic and electric guitar and vocals; Anya Gilbert on violin, mandolin, tin whistle and vocals; Kassia Gilbert on vocals, cello and bass guitar; and Liam Gilbert on percussion, have been playing together for over a decade.

Compared in some circles to the likes of the Barra MacNeills, Great Big Sea and the Rankin Family, Drumlin has been nominated for numerous prestigious Canadian musical accolades, including an East Coast Music Award in 2009 and a 2008 Canadian Folk Music Award.

They were also presented an An’R International Award of Excellence in 2009.

Their first CD, “Mackerel Skies,” which was released two years ago, featured a collection of Nova Scotian folksongs from the Helen Creighton collection.

The album, which aired on college and community radio stations as well as the CBC, received impressive reviews and ultimately gained international airplay.

Their latest venture leads the group in a new direction, as it is almost entirely comprised of Drumlin’s own songs reflecting feelings of romance, hope, loss, adventure and connection, including a single adaptation of a heritage song fragment found deep within the Nova Scotia Archives.

The release of “Paper Flowers” is presented by the Bridgewater and Area Performing Arts Society.

You can visit http://www.bapas.ca for more information on this up-coming special event!

Drumlin’s great-great grandparents, Elven and Carolina Sorenson, moved to Alberta, Canada from Sweden over a century ago. In Sweden, Elven unloaded freight boats and Carolina was a dress maker. Carolina also sold candy, nuts and popcorn in the park to help make a living. Unable to afford to keep their eight daughters, they dressed them in their finest clothes and and brought them to the Swedish “government office”. Elven and Carolina were told that if they kept their daughters, the Swedish government would pay half of an immigrant ship’s fair to Canada for them. The Sorenson’s accepted the offer and eventually purchased a homestead in Alberta for $10 in 1910.

“It is great to be charting on the Canadian National Campus and Community Radio Report in the beautiful province of Alberta!” ~Dal

CJMQ Radio FM 88.9 in Sherbrooke, Quebec has added Paper Flowers to the station’s rotation!

Thank you CKUW 95.9 FM for adding Paper Flowers to your rotation.  The C.A.R.P, hosted by Christopher Friesen, broadcasts from Winnipeg, Manitoba every Sunday from 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM.

The mandate of Radio Canada International is to offer a Canadian perspective to the world.  Songs from DRUMLIN’s Paper Flowers were included in the Spanish language program, EL CASTOR MENSAJERO 10-04-2011. It was broadcast to Venezuela, Mexico, Columbia, Argentina, and Canada!

Venezuela

México

Colombia

Argentina

Canadá

“The province’s best known folklorist was Dartmouth-native Helen Creighton (1899–1998) who collected folk songs and tales across the province and further afield for over fifty years. She wrote 13 books on the subject and collected over 15,000 songs and ballads.

In 2008, Bridgewater-based family band Drumlin (www.drumlin.ca) released Mackerel Skies, an excellent CD of twelve of the heritage songs collected by Helen Creighton.”

~author David Orkin

Isabel Pagan (ca. 1740 – 1821) was a Scottish poet of the Romantic Era.  Her poem Ca’ the Ewes to the Knowes was brought to Nova Scotia by early Scottish immigrants and was preserved orally for centuries. DRUMLIN found a fragment of this song, collected by folklorist Helen Creighton, in the Nova Scotia Archives. Just as Robbie Burns was fascinated with this song centuries ago, Drumlin also found the haunting lyrics and lingering hope it contained intriguing and recorded an Eastern Canadian version. They called it “Dearie”.

Thank you Joe Reilly and Dave Alburger for adding Isabel Pagan’s song to the  CKCU 93.1 FM playlist!  

Sunday Coffee House, a weekly radio program based in Ontario, Canada and hosted by Greg Schatzmann, featured Paper Flowers!

Paper Flowers is now available at Maple Music, as well as CD Baby, iTunes, Amazon and other fine online stores.

Paper Flowers is the “Album of the Month” for April at the Museum of Canadian Music!

In Nova Scotia, Ontario is still often referred to as “Upper Canada”, or in French, province du Haut-Canada.

“Louie” from Paper Flowers is receiving airplay in Maine! Maine is Nova Scotia’s close neighbour. We are only a short ferry ride apart and share the same salty breezes, white sand beaches and grassy dunes of the wild Atlantic Ocean.
“What if I said
I believe in mystery
It’s history
What if I told you
I don’t want to leave
I want to live forever
In this world we’ve made.”
(Lyrics from “Louie” by Kassia Gilbert)

“Cries” from Paper Flowers has been added to the rotation of Radio Agora 105.5 FM Austria! Here is a peek of the lyrics…

“There are people starving in poor countries
While we put satellites in space
There are people eating dirt
While the government officials
Eat swordfish steak
There is a man in my town
And I see he’s crying without a frown
Who knows why he smiles?”

DRUMLIN tells the greatest love story of all time this Saturday, March 19th at 5 past 5 on CBC Radio One and on the internet at www.cbc.ca/atlanticairwaves. “Annabel Lee” based on a poem written by Edgar Allan Poe, and found on DRUMLIN’s new release Paper Flowers, will open Atlantic Airwaves. This song tells the provoking love story of a town by the sea and the untimely death of a beautiful woman.

“In my opinion, “Annabel Lee” is one of the most endearing love stories of our time. If love is true, it will prevail through all obstacles.”
~Anya Gilbert, violin, mandolin, whistle and vocals

DRUMLIN is gearing up for April 13-17 in Charlottetown, PEI!!! “We are thrilled to be showcasing at EAST COAST MUSIC WEEK!”

www.ecma.ca

“…a wondrous wee trip through the very best music of the Celts and beyond.”

Hey folks, DRUMLIN music was played across Alberta this evening on The Celtic Show with Andy Donnelly on the CKUA radio Network. The podcasts are available here:
 http://www.mocm.ca/Podcasts/Podcasts.aspx

The 2009 summer concert season has been wonderful! Dal and Anya are now heading back to the science department of Dalhousie University, while Kassia and Liam will be scrutinizing small town public school. The band is enthusiastic about their plans for another album, to be released next year. This new pop/folk album will feature modern interpretations of intriguing folk song fragments, while also bringing out Drumlin’s own thoughts and stories in original compositions.
Photo: Chen Meng

Drumlin is excited be heading back to Feswick Productions over the next few months to work on their new material!

Drumlin Featured in the August 2009 edition of Capital News Australia!

India Intrigued by Canada’s East Coat Sound!

Drumlin has been selected to be featured on the W.O.A Records India Tour 2009 Compilation CD. This CD will be promoted worldwide with TV, Radio and Press support and will be available worldwide via retail and online.

Drumlin has also invited to perform at the W.O.A Music Festival this year in Goa on the 31st of October 2009.

Don’t miss this chance to see Drumlin perform LIVE during this year’s festivities!

Drumlin Will Be Showcasing at NSMW 09!
Friday, November 6th, in Yarmouth, NS.

Stay posted for details about this performance by visiting the MNS web site www.musicnovascotia.ca/mnsw

Drumlin has enjoyed performing at events across the province this summer!

Four Fathers Festival
Drumlin enjoyed celebrating the second annual Four Fathers Festival in Amherst, NS.

Privateer Days
Privateer days has always been one of Drumlin’s summer favorites, in Liverpool, NS.

Happy Birthday Middleton!
Drumlin performing at Middleton’s Centennial Celebration

Tall Ships in Lunenburg
Drumlin felt right at home performing Nova Scotia Sea Shanties on the Lunenburg waterfront, surrounded by spectacular tall ships.

Drumlin performed their repertoire of Maritime tunes to top off the perfect world-famous Maritime experience! Students from Western Canada enjoyed a fabulous World Famous Lobster Dinner (prepared by the Shore Club, in Hubbards, Nova Scotia) and enjoyed listening to Nova Scotia Heritage Tunes performed by Drumlin. Many of these students were able to bring a little bit of Nova Scotia home, leaving the party with tin whistles and Drumlin’s latest international award winning recording Mackerel Skies.

It was a kitchen party at its best!

“I just wanted to thank you very much for performing for the Brandon University Symphonic Band last week. I just finished my first year as a French Horn performance major, and your performance was definitely a highlight of the trip. I know we all enjoyed your concert, and your music touched me very much. I bought your CD and I’m so thrilled with it! I’ve been listening to it over and over since I got back to Brandon. I’ve been letting all my friends/family know about Drumlin!

Thanks again for a fantastic and inspirational performance Your music fills me with such hope and joy!”

Holly Bryan

“Mackerel Skies” hit the airwaves this April in Paris, France on Radio Libertaire 89.4 with Thierry Laplaud and “Folk à Lier”.

…and in the United Kingdom on BBC Essex with host Tom Foster

… and also in Northern Ireland on Celtic Roots Radio with host Raymond McCullough