Today is the shortest day of the year. From here onwards the days are getting slowly but surely longer. The Winter Solstice has been a big part of the Celtic culture since the dawn of the time. It has been celebrated long before the arrival of Christianity. Our obsession with the mistletoe also dates back to the Celtic times. The Druids would offer Mistletoes cut from an oak tree as a blessing. Oaks trees were sacred to the Celts. In the dark winter months, the fruit of the mistletoe symbolised life. We wish you all Happy Winter Solstice.
Darkest days
The three days around the 21st of December are the darkest days of the year. The sun seems to make its way up for a moment and set where back where it came from. But once we get past these dark days, the sun starts to make its way to the south and with it bring new season and bring the nature back to life. In these darkest days, the long summer nights we celebrate at festivals seems like a lifetime away. But in time the spring will bring the hope of the summer to come.
Thank you
2018 has been an important year to Sliotar. Our new album “Voyage” came out in October, and has got a very nice response. According to the Irish Music Magazine “There is diversity in repertoire on Voyage, with a fearless approach to effects and arrangement. The intensity of the tunes and passion in the songs are kept up throughout this Voyage from Sliotar, which certainly makes for a fine snapshot of a busy band still full of energy and enthusiasm after two decades in full throttle.”
The 67 Music said “The selections on Voyage are well laid out, there is an ebb and flow in the feel, instrumentation and arrangements. It’s a great listen with lots of great playing, emotion and plain fun at times as well.”
The Music From The Heart had this to say: “There is no better title than Voyage to capture all adventures and the history of the band. Those who are familiar with Sliotar’s music can expect the familiar sound with the well-crafted songs and the tunes that simply can’t keep your feet still. And what about those who just discovered the band? You’re hooked forever.”
We also got a fantastic review in Folknews.de, which our German speaking fans can read HERE.
We are super grateful for the great reviews, but most of all, you guys have been streaming the album on Spotify a lot. And at the end of the day, the most important thing is what you guys think. Without you, our “fans” we could not do what we do.
Looking ahead
We have been working very hard submitting Sliotar for festivals all around Europe for 2019. The response has been good, but only time will tell if we get to “seal the deals’. We will keep you posted as the news arrive. We hope to bring our live show to as many places as possible in 2019. The work has been put in, the rest of it is in the hands of the Celtic gods of old and new (and the festival organizers).
So as the holidays are here and the year winds to an end, we would just like to wish you all great holidays. We truly hope to see you all in the next year. And don’t forget to keep it Celtic!