Tracy Sands- Enchanted
Tracy Sands is a traditional Irish singer and Contemporary Irish Vocalist. She was born in Mayobridge, a small village in County Down, Ireland where she began singing at the age of eight for her hometown. She had the honour of being trained over many years by a well known local teacher, Una McArdle and competed in and won countless local and national singing competitions under Una’s guidance. Her family comes from a long line of Traditional Irish folk music performers, including the very famous “Sands Folk Family”, who are known all over the world. “Tracy has a beautiful voice”, Charles Passey PB Post.
Tracy played at many festivals and concerts in Ireland, including the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, before coming to America, where she was the only woman to be invited as the guest singer for the W.B Yeates International Festival in 1994. She has also appeared at the Fiddlers Green Festival, Rostrevor Co. Down.
Now living in Florida, Tracy has performed on many local stages for over ten years and has participated in the West Palm Beach Irish Festival and South Florida Folk Festival, and the Bad Abbotts Irish Festival, Boston. She also appeared at the hugely popular “Sunfest”, in West Palm Beach. She has taken the stages of Milwaukee, Cleveland, Ohio, Pittsburgh, and Augusta GA at their Irish Festivals.
Her debut album “Voice on the Line” was recorded in Florida in early 1997 and Tracy wrote and produced the title track. The CD is a collaboration of well known Irish songs, and was praised for its “contemporary kick”, as described by Charles Passey, of the Palm Beach Post. Her second album, “Enchanted,” also available gives us those beautiful vocals with Irish ballads and contemporary songs that would warm your soul.
Tracy can be seen performing all over Florida, as well as at venues throughout America. tracysands.com
1. Life in a Bottle (written by Bob Noble and Judie Tzuke)
2. Enchanted Sight (written by Jimmy McCarthy) [Download MP3]
3. I’m Still Waiting (written by Tracy Sands) [Download MP3]
4. Women of the World (written by Rod MacDonald)
5. A Stor Mo Chroi (Traditional)
6. Falling Down (written by Tracy Sands)
7. For the People (written by Rod MacDonald)
8. One Man Woman (written by Paul Hardy Kennerly) [Download MP3]
9. Twilight Eyes (written by David Schnaufer & Herb McCullough) [Download MP3]
10. He Belongs To Me (written by Rosemary Woods)
11. Lightning Over the Sea (written by Rod MacDonald)
12. All That You Ask Me (written by Kieran Goss)
From today Tuesday’s Newry Democrat 21st August
TRACY SINGS ANOTHER TUNE
MAYOBRIDGE ex-pat, Tracy Sands, is .set to make waves in the US with the release of her new music album, ‘Enchanted’. Featuring original songs and guest writers, including fellow Mayobridge native, Kieran Goss, the release has been billed as “an album of more contemporary sound. Expect to hear quieter tones of traditional style…” The record is the second release from the Co. Down artist who recorded her debut album, “Voice On The Line’ in Florida, 1997. The release also marks yet another milestone on the road of Tracy’s musical career. She began singing at the age of eight and since then competed in, and won, many local and national competitions. During her time she has played at Abbey Theatre, Dublin, where she was invited as the guest speaker for the WB Yeats International Festival in 1994. She has also appeared at the Fiddler’s Green festival in Rostrevor, bringing the house down in 1995, Following her move to Florida, she played at events such as the West Palm Beach Irish Festival and the South Florida Folk Festival, for three years running, Last year saw her appearing at the huge ‘Sunfest 2000’ gig on Palm Beach. Her latest offering marks a move towards giving traditional Irish ballads a contemporary kick and, with critics hailing this new album, how long will it be until we see the triumphant return of one of Newry and Mourne’s best success stories?
Jennifer is an exceptional vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who plays the piano, guitar, and bodhrán (Irish drum). By living and touring all over the world Jennifer has not only experienced a variety of cultural traditions, but she has also developed a passion for the preservation of these traditions. When you listen to Jennifer perform, you are reminded of your roots and you feel like you belong. “We all want to belong to something bigger than us” says Licko, “the truth
is that we all DO belong. We just need to stay connected to our traditions. I hope my performances help bring audiences to that place.” jenniferlicko.com
2 Peggy and the Soldier
3 Fear A’ Bhata
4 Ready for the Storm
5 Lizzie Lindsay
6 Buain Na Rainich
8 Uamh an Oir/Amy’s Dance
10 Wild Mountain Thyme
11 Singing Land
George E. Manosis – “Love and Other Disasters”
the annual South Florida Folk Festival, and he and his original songs can be heard at various clubs, festivals
A collection of stylistically diverse songs (Folk/Pop/Blues/Easy Listening/Country)that share a common thread, with tales of love from the innocent to the illicit.
Who Cares About Apathy?
A Soft Lullaby
What They Do in the Dark
Mom & Dad
Crazy ’bout Each Other
Have a Happy Holiday
A Grand Cayman Wedding
A tenor with a clear voice and wide range, MacDonald is often cited for both his musicality and the content of his songs about political and social events: “Rod MacDonald is a brilliant folk singer and composer. His melodic songs possess words that go straight into your heart and soul.” The Press Of Atlantic City….“A poet with a lot on his mind who has never allowed himself to make points at the expense of making music.” The Boston Globe….“True to the folk tradition, MacDonald is not afraid to get political, take chances, and perhaps shock some people….MacDonald’s place in the folk hall of fame is assured by his ‘A Sailor’s Prayer,’ a hymn-styled tune that many people have mistaken for a traditional song.” All-Music Guide.Although usually labeled a folk singer, his musical styles include rock, pop, country, light jazz, and blues. In addition to his work in Greenwich Village, he has written extensively of experiences on US Indian reservations and in Europe, living in Italy from 1989 to 1992.
MacDonald has released 11 solo recordings on several record labels in the US, 8 in Europe on the Swiss label Brambus, and 21 songs with Smithsonian Folkways (through the Fast Folk Musical Magazine), and appears as lead singer of Big Brass Bed, a Palm Beach County rock and roll band, on 3 cds of Bob Dylan songs and originals. As with many independent artists, his recordings are often sold directly at concerts, and at online sites. His current label is Blue Flute Music.
MacDonald has appeared on stage with fellow artists, including Pete Seeger, Peter Yarrow, Odetta, Tom Paxton, the Violent Femmes, Suzanne Vega, Shawn Colvin, Dave Van Ronk, Emmylou Harris, Richie Havens, Ani DiFranco, Tom Chapin, Jack Hardy and David Massengill. He has performed at festivals in Philadelphia, Winnipeg, Florida, South Florida, Riverhawk, Boston, Kerrville, Greenwich Village, Falcon Ridge, New Bedford Summerfest, Port Fairy (Australia) and Trowbridge (UK), and on the radio program Mountain Stage. He was reportedly the first American singer to tour the newly independent Czech Republic in 1991, and has made 35 tours in Europe since 1985, nearly all of them with NYC bassist Mark Dann.
He remains active, touring in Florida, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, the Pacific Northwest, New York and New England in 2012, 2013 and 2014. In May 2011, Brambus Records and Blue Flute Music released Songs Of Freedom, a collection of 16 previously unreleased songs, in Switzerland and the US; Blue Flute also released Big Brass Bed’s “Dylan Jam + 2”, a new set of 9 Bob Dylan compositions and two originals. In May 2014 Blue Flue Music released a new Rod MacDonald collection, “Later That Night”, as well as “Big Tent”, a new cd by Big Brass Bed; Blue Flute also re-released a remastered version of his 1983 album “No Commercial Traffic.” He appears locally as a guitarist-singer, and with the Bob Dylan cover band Big Brass Bed, with the Humdingers, with Irish singer Tracy Sands, and with songwriter George Goehring’s show “My Life In The Brill Building”. The Palm Beach Post has called him one of the “Ten Magnificent Musicians of Palm Beach County”. In June 2013 New Times Broward-Palm Beach named him #6 of “Ten Greatest South Florida Folksingers Of All Time.” Since 2006 he is also an instructor for the Florida Atlantic University (Lifelong Learning Center), hosting the lecture and performance series “Music Americana”, and was given the Distinguished Faculty Award in 2012
Seven Days No Problem
Days Of Rain
Here’s A Song For You
Tough Life 6 Strings & A Hole Big & Round
The Aucilla River Song
Deep Down In The Everglades
Lightning Over The Sea
Into The Blue Fear
The Cure For Insomnia
Produced by Mark Dann & Rod MacDonald at Mark Dann Recording, NYC
Additional Recording at Voiceworks, W Palm Beach, FL
HUGH O’NEILL – Searching for Shadows
“Hugh O’Neill is one of those rare discoveries that bring confidence and assurances that great landscape painting is still alive and flourishing” Bruce Helander is a noted writer on art and the former provost of Rhode Island School of Design and a writer for New Yorker Magazine
“He is a multitalented artist ‘Grier Clarke, owner of the prestigious Clarke Galleries, Stowe, Vermont, dealers in important American paintings
The Songwriter’s Solstice: “A Celebration of South Florida Songwriters” was recorded before a live audience at the Rinker Playhouse, The Kravis Center, West Palm Beach, FL, June 21, 1998. Presenting 14 songs from this diverse group of south Florida’s top original artists,
By Bill Meredith(Originally appeared in the Free Press, West Palm Beach, FL, 3/99)
Summer in the county
For better or worse, the 1990s made the compilation CD unto an ultra-commercial art form. So it’s not surprising that there’s finally a compilation CD for Palm Beach County. Songwriters’ Solstice is well-recorded, well-produced, and it’s available at a music store near you for $12. With 14 songs on the disc, that’s less than $1 per tune.
Songwriters’ Solstice was recorded live last June at the Kravis Center Rinker Playhouse during a concert to benefit the Connor Moran Childen’s Cancer Foundation in West Palm Beach. The CD sounds like the show (I know, I was there). South Florida singer/songwriter/guitarist Rod MacDonald was instrumental in setting up the event, and his Neil Young-like “Days of Rain” is one of the solo-performer highlights. Others include Marie Nofsinger’s tongue-in-cheek “I Am Blue,” Amy Carol Webb’s soaring ballad “With You Without You,” and James London’s “The Road Not Taken.”
Area duos and trios are also well-represented. Mad Dogs & Irishmen’s “Hustle & Bustle” is traditional rich Irish poetry; Ron & Bari’s “The Lion’s Den” is a biographical tale of the very different neighborhood that used to inhabit the Kravis Center site; and Legacy’s “At Last” wraps expert vocal harmony, guitar, and mandolin playing into the disc’s most upbeat tune.
Two full bands are in effect here: Boxelder shows its unplugged side with the shuffling “Lately,” and Human Beings provide the Solstice centerpiece with their serpentining eight-minute epic “Stairwell From Heaven.” Jim Collier & friends offer an audio snapshot of the crowded cover photo with the gospel-tinged finale, “You Are The One.”
Kudos to recording engineers Marty Gauthier, Duane Engstrom, and the Kravis’ own John Wurm. Ditto for the production by Gauthier, Engstrom and MacDonald. The sold-out concert raised $1,000 for Conor Moran, which receives an additional $1 per retail CD sold. Songwriters’ Solstice is available at all Peaches and Borders locations, and this purposeful compilation is an accurate soundtrack to the lighter side of the south Florida music scene.
(Originally appeared in the Free Press, West Palm Beach, FL, 3/99)