ÍMAR | INTERVIEW
Be prepared to be swept off your feet by the sounds of Glasgow-based traditional Celtic quintet Ímar, who’ll be doing two shows in Wales this month. The first is in south Wales at The Welfare in Ystradgynlais on Friday 15 Sept; the second on Sat 30 Sept at TRJ in Trelawnyd up north. The group are steeped in musical heritage like such legendary acts as Altan, Lunasa, Solas and The Tannahill Weavers. Traditional folk and roots music is enjoying a huge surge, not only in the UK but worldwide. It never really went away though – just witness the rise of mega folk-rock act Mumford & Sons. Ímar are joining the ranks of other popular folk artists such as The Unthanks, Kate Rusby, Breabach and Trio Dhoore spreading this sound to the masses.
As teens, Mohsen Amini (concertina), Adam Brown (bodhrán), Tomás Callister (fiddle), Ryan Murphy (uilleann pipes, flute, whistles) and Adam Rhodes (bouzouki) all participated in Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, the Irish traditional music network that stages the yearly schedule of Fleadh competitions, but were in other bands before forming Ímar in 2016. They have a notable pedigree, being current and former members of Barrule, Cara, The Lowground, Mabon, Mànran, Mec Lir, Rua MacMillian Trio, RURA and Talisk. Amini is from Scotland, Brown Suffolk, Murphy Ireland and Callister and Rhodes the Isle Of Man.
They are quickly making a name for themselves and have been on BBC Alba’s music and culture show Seirm, and performed on Mark Radcliffe’s BBC Radio 2 Folk show. Amini won the 2015 BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award with Talisk, a Danny Kyle Open Stage Award at the Celtic Connections festival and was the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year in 2016. He was a Musician of the Year 2017 nominee for Radio 2 Folk Awards, too, and Brown celebrated RURA taking top honours as Live Act Of The Year at the 2015 Scots Trad Music Awards. All the guys in Ímar have collectively won nine All-Ireland and eight All-Britain titles.
The band’s name is taken from the ninth-century Norse king who ruled over parts of Ireland, the Isle Of Man and Scotland, and their music is a combination of sound and history from those lands that once shared the same Gaelic language. Their debut video, a French-Canadian tune L’Air Mignonne, which was first shown during 2016 Celtic Connections, has been viewed over 300,000 times, and their first billed gig was at none other than the Cambridge Folk Festival. Ímar were also one of the headliners at Belgium’s Dranouter Festival, and they’ve since played at some of the UK’s biggest festivals, including the Sidmouth Folk festival, Underneath The Stars, HebCelt and the Shetland Folk Festival. After their tour here, they’re headed to Canada.
It’s very important for Ímar to keep musical traditions alive, and they play songs not only from the areas they’re originally from but Quebec and Scandinavia, too. Their debut album Afterlight, released in January, is a mix of new and old titles, including their own. The band will be showcasing compositions off that, so expect rousing, toe-tapping nights in Wales. In the meanwhile, Tomás Callister and Adam Rhodes gave Buzz the craic before they arrive.
Why did you choose your instrument(s)?
TC: My dad played the fiddle, and he would go to lessons with a great player called Morris who had 13 kids or something. Every time, Morris would give dad a ‘club’ bar to bring back for me. Positively predisposed me to fiddle! There’s fiddle playing on my mother’s side too. I love anything with strings on it!
AR: I’m originally a fiddle player and used to play classical guitar, too. In my late teens, I kept seeing bouzoukis in sessions and fancied giving one a go. Now, many years later, it’s my main instrument!
What’s a favourite traditional Celtic artist or piece of music (album or song) and non-traditional and why so?
TC: Bands like Dervish, Lunasa and Solas are amazing. My all-time favourite though is Cathal Hayden, a banjo and fiddle player from Tyrone! Great player with loads of taste and drive! Non-traditional… everyone likes a bit of the Chainsmokers?
AR: This is always a really difficult question to answer. I have a lot of favourites when it comes to trad music! The albums I’m currently listening to include an amazing singer-songwriter from Newfoundland called Matthew Byrne. Also, I’m really looking forward to the new album from the Canadian band The East Pointers. They’ve a couple of preview tracks out already, and it’s sounding
great! When it comes to non-traditional music, I have a guilty pleasure… really cheesy pop music. Especially anything involving synthy, bassy sounds with a beat to it! I’m a big fan of Zara Larsson for example… great music to put on in the van on long drives between gigs!
Where’s a favourite Celtic place, and a Celtic place you’d like to visit and why?
TC: Favourite Celtic place? The Isle of Man, because that’s where I’m from!
Celtic place I’d like to visit? Maybe… Patagonia? They speak Welsh there, don’t they?
AR: I’ve been pretty lucky in that I don’t think there’s many ‘Celtic’ places that I haven’t visited. I’d love to see more of Ireland, but my favourite Celtic place would have to be my home – the Isle Of Man.
What are some hobbies that don’t include music?
TC: Reading/watching and researching WW2 aircraft.
AR: I’m a big fan of binge watching series on TV! Not really a hobby, but there’s nothing I like more when I’m back from a tour than kicking my feet up on the sofa and making my way through a TV series.
Why did you choose to play traditional Celtic music?
TC: Brought up around it and for me, being from the Isle Of Man, it’s your duty to try and further the tradition as there aren’t heaps of players. It’s either in you or it isn’t in some ways.
AR: It’s something that’s pretty much always been in my life. Both my parents are also musicians, and I was brought up with trad music all around me. So it was almost inevitable that I’d find myself playing trad music as well, and I’m lucky enough to be able to do it for a living.
Are there any plans to feature vocals on your next album?
AR: We’re already working on album number two! I can’t say if we have any plans to feature vocals or not yet, but I wouldn’t necessarily rule anything out. It would have to be a natural progression, though. I’m not a fan of forcing vocals into a line-up for the sake of it, it’s never convincing. It’s better to focus on your strengths instead of trying to be something that you’re not. So if singing doesn’t feel right just now, we’ll keep doing what we’re best at, which is playing tunes.
Ímar, The Welfare, Ystradgynlais, Fri 15 Sept. Tickets: £12/£10. Info: 01639 843163 / www.thewelfare.co.uk
words RHONDA LEE REALI