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It was an INCREDIBLE 2002 for The Cottars: a new CD, 7 trips to the USA, huge receptions at prestigious festivals, a CBC-TV Special, national radio & TV appearances, US radio appearances, the taping of a US TV Special, working with Senator Kennedy, fundraisers & telethons, being acknowledged in The Nova Scotia Parliament, ECMA Award nominations, and much, much more. Here are some of the details...
The year began
with the preparation and recording of the band’s first CD, “Made In
Cape Breton”. This was followed by a St. Patrick’s Day tour of the
Boston and New York areas, which included—among other things—a) a
visit to Sleepy Hollow in Peekskill, b) a tribute-night for Mick
McCarthy (coach of Ireland’s World Cup Soccer team), c) “The Ray
Flynn Radio Show”, and d) performances for Senator Ted Kennedy. Following CBC radio and TV appearances, it was back to the US for the great Irish Stonehill Festival, where the group met Irish folk-legend Andy Irvine, formerly of Planxty. More concerts in Nova Scotia, and then a string of terrific folk festivals (where The Cottars consistently received standing ovations during both workshops and mainstage appearances): The Stan Rogers, The Big Pond, Iona, Yarmouth, The Lunenburg Folk Harbour, The Hector, The Ottawa, and THE NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVAL (the same afternoon as Bob Dylan’s concert). The next evening after Newport, members of the band saw Peter, Paul & Mary in concert. July & August brought the Borders Book & Music tour of New England and Rhode Island, then back to the Maritimes for concerts with The Men Of The Deeps and The Barra MacNeils. In Toronto, The Cottars had a wonderful evening at Hugh’s Room, and then went “live” across the nation on CTV’s “Canada AM”.
It was back to
Rhode Island then for The Waterfront Festival, in the company of
PEI’s great group, Barachois.
Besides
performing, The Cottars had the opportunity to do major sightseeing:
The JFK Library (MA), The Canadian Parliament Buildings (ON), Sleepy
Hollow (NY), The CN Tower (ON), The Hockey Hall of Fame (ON),
Niagara Falls (ON), Fenway Park (MA), The Fleet Center (MA), The Air
Canada Centre (ON), Ground Zero (NY), Times Square (NY), Harlem (NY),
The Dakota (where John Lennon was shot, NY), Washington DC,
Arlington Cemetery (JFK’s grave, DC) , The Smithsonian Institute
(DC), Gettysburg National Historic Site (PA), northern Virginia, Old
Deerfield (MA), deep-sea fishing at Cape Cod, and too much more to
mention. And so, THE COTTARS would like to thank McDermott Entertainment, Bob Jensen International, Pat Garrett Agency, Warner Canada, the publicists, the media, the stage crews, Lakewind Studios, all contributors to “Made In Cape Breton”, the venues, fellow musicians, friends, family and fans for making 2002 something very unforgettable!
December 26, 2002 The Cottars have made 'The Chronical-Herald' 2002 HONOUR ROLL—a small list of artists chosen who 'took giant steps forward during this year' and recognized for their 'outstanding contribution to our entertainment scene.' Results published in the paper's December 26/02 edition name the young Cape Breton band as one of only sixteen artists selected to be so distinguished.
December 11, 2002
THE COTTARS have
just received two nominations for the upcoming East Coast Music
Awards, to be held in Halifax, NS, during February, 2003. The group
was nominated in both the Best New Artist and the prestigious Group
Of The Year categories. The band was also awarded two showcases.
December 10, 2002 The COTTARS have just returned from another successful tour of the Eastern United States. After a brief stay in Virginia, the group did some sightseeing in both Washington DC (The Smithsonian, Arlington Cemetery etc.) and Pennsylvania (Gettysburg). In the midst of a snow storm, two appearances were made in Connecticut, and then it was on to a sold-out concert in Old Deerfield, MA. Next, over to Boston for another sold-out appearance at The Blackthorne Tavern in Easton. On the final day of the tour, The Cottars made a school appearance, then played at Passim's Coffeehouse in Cambridge, a former hangout of folk-music stars Bob Dylan and Joan Baez.
November 26, 2002
Due to the success
of their recent CD 'Made In Cape Breton', THE COTTARS can boast a
number of celebrity fans, including Senator Ted Kennedy, British
folk-rockers Fairport Convention, the family of Hollywood star Kevin
Bacon, and singer Robbie O'Connell (nephew of the famed Clancy
Brothers of Ireland).
November 25, 2002 Warner Music has released a CD to radio stations which contains THE COTTARS' 'The Briar And The Rose'. Also included on the CD are tunes by Faith Hill, Phil Collins, Hot Chili Peppers, and several other internationally-known music stars.
September 4, 2002 "Bunnygee Music Inc., a traditional music label owned by Canada's famed tenor, John McDermott, has signed a distribution agreement with Warner Music Canada. The first release under the agreement is "Made In Cape Breton", the debut album by The Cottars."
April 30, 2002 On April 29th, 2002, THE COTTARS launched their new CD, "Made In Cape Breton", at The Auld Triangle Pub in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The pub was filled to overflowing as fans and friends gathered to help the young quartet celebrate the release of their first recording. Excellent sound for the evening was provided by Al Strickland, a revered sound technician in the Halifax area. Guest performer Jimmy Sweeney, a friend of the group, warmed the capacity crowd up with 30 minutes of rollicking ballads and stories. Then Charlie Cahill of New Scotland Pictures (producer of band's CBC-TV Special "Meet The Cottars") paid tribute to the group and formally introduced them to the audience. The Cottars then performed a 1-hour set of songs and tunes which earned a number of standing ovations. Meanwhile, outside the pub, fans unable to get inside the building were content to dance on the sidewalk to the lively music which poured into the street. Television cameras were in evidence, gathering footage for a local news programme. As part of the launch, articles in The Halifax Herald, The Daily News, The Advertiser, The Cape Breton Post, and What's Goin’ On praised both The Cottars and their new CD. And the children did extended interviews on several regional television shows.
February 15, 2002 The Cottars, Cape Breton's fastest rising Celtic band, has just released its first CD, entitled "Made In Cape Breton". The disk, produced by Allister MacGillivray & Brigham Phillips, was recorded at Lake Wind Studios in Point Aconi, Nova Scotia, and features 13 tracks of songs and instrumentals by the youthful Nova Scotian quartet. John McDermott guests on the CD, duetting on 2 cuts with The Cottars' lead vocalist, Fiona MacGillivray. The CD features songs/instrumentals from The Cottars' latest tours, including Suilean Dubh, The Briar & The Rose, I Know Who Is Sick, Scarlet Ribbons, The Captain Campbell Medley, The Boy's Lament, etc.
February 10, 2002 The young Cape Breton band, The COTTARS, went into Lakewind Studios in February of 2002 to record their first CD/cassette. A collection of 13 vocal & instrumental tracks, the session was co-produced by Allister MacGillivray (the group's musical director) and by Brigham Phillips, arranger and accompanist for tenor John McDermott. The recording-engineer was Gary Gray, who has mixed and engineered albums for Gordon Lightfoot. Assistant engineer was Mike Shepherd of Lakewind Sound. The Cottars recorded many of their concert hits—including "Briar and The Rose", "Sùilean Dubh", The Boy's Lament Medley", and "Captain Campbell"—as well as a few surprises such as "Ballinderry", "Two Brothers", and "Here’s To Song" (written by Ciarán & Fiona’s dad). John McDermott makes a guest appearance by performing two moving duets with lead-singer Fiona MacGillivray. Additional recording was done at Manta DSP in Toronto, and the string parts (arranged by Brigham Phillips) were played by members of The Toronto Symphony Orchestra. The album's design and photography are courtesy of Carol Kennedy, award-winning Cape Breton photographer. The album is titled "Made In Cape Breton" and can be obtained through this website.
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