Shannon Heaton launched Irish Music Stories in 2017 with podcasts, essays, and bonus content to explore Irish, Scottish, and other Celtic traditions.
đđŠđ Season 9 is an IMS SIDEQUEST. Episodes 81-86 feature music from Heaton’s Perfect Maze album, along with stories that helped her navigate the project. Tune in for tales about pollinators and old kings; Aristotle, Greek tragedies, and fairy tales; old world paint techniques and primate research facilities; Argentine tango and butterfly migration; and royal roses and humble lotus flowers.
How tyrants and sages bloom from the same soil
How Brian OâDonovan set Bostonâs stage for connection and community
Cuppa Tea chat with Passimâs Matt Smith about Bostonâs Celtic Music Festival
How language, landscape, and industry have shaped music in Wales
How banjo got to Irish music, while other instruments have been slower to the fold
How jigs and reels have inspired people outside of Ireland
How old Scottish tunes bloomed into Cape Breton traditions
How traditional musicians and dancers stay social in isolation
Fiddler Eileen Ivers talks soccer balls, wedding dresses, and jigs
Accordion player Jimmy Keane talks missing socks and enduring tunes
Box player Billy McComiskey shares a wee tale and a tune
Antrim singer Len Graham on old songs and friends who sang them
Musicians who play more than one style of traditional music
How two Irish musicians modulated their careers through parenthood
Reharmonizing Irish music and dance, one room at a time
Derry-born DĂĄithĂ Sproule on beauty, respect, and mindfulness
How two Irish pubs were built on music, faith, and four forks