Cé

Between Words

Self Produced 12 Tracks running Time 42 minutes 10 seconds

“Veterans of the Midwestern Irish music scene, Cé belies their age with outstanding playing and musical ability. Led by flute player, Asher Gray, the trio has produced one heck of a great work in “Between Words”. It is one of those albums that is just track after track of well played, robust music, almost a throwback to the days before players had to stretch the envelopes of convention in order to get noticed. This work lets the musicians say all they need to, with fiddle, whistle, flute and banjo.

Devin McCabe and Gray team up on “The Old Man Rocking the Cradle”, a Leo Rowsome piece, in which McCabe’s fiddling pulls up all the melancholy a good slow air should, and is punctuated by a slightly more sprightly playing on whistle by Gray of the same tune. “Waltz Harry Lane/The Steampacket/Crowleys” highlights Randy Gosa’s guitar playing, as he switches from lead to rhythm seamlessly. “Maverick Angels/Wing Commander Donald MacKenzie’s” has Gray playing full bore, matched note for note by Gosa.

McCabe steps back into the forefront with the “Salamanca”, a well nuanced version of a long travelled session tune. On “Un Ivrogne a Table/Boules et Guirlandes/Mrs Crehan’s”, they start as a slow waltz, building to a faster dance, with all three of the band members adding their own layers to the cake.

The album ends with the Huey Lewis Reel”, recorded and written in three pieces, with Gray starting, Gosa putting in the second, and McCabe the final. Sounding nothing like a Huey Lewis tune, it was named in his honour, and it a perfect collaborative way to complete the album.

The tunes are well noted as to where they were found. This is an album that will be playable in ten, or thirty years time. I would dare say this is one for the ages. It may be “Between Words”, but sometimes words aren’t needed as on albums like this the music does all the talking.”

Brian Witt

Vital Souce Magazine

 “With Milwaukee’s strong Irish heritage, it’s no wonder that traditional Irish music is a fixture in this city. For proof, just check out Irish Fest, the Badger State Feis, the Cream City Feis, the renowned Celtic Irish Studies Program at UWM and the numerous pub sessions that occur on a weekly basis throughout the city. And prominent at each one of these Irish institutions is Milwaukee’s very own Cé. This local trio, made up of Asher Gray (flute, whistle, bouzouki, bodhrán), Randy Gosa (guitar, tenor banjo) and Devin McCabe (fiddle, concertina, whistle), play traditional and contemporary music from Ireland, England and Brittany. And while young, these three multi-instrumentalists have more than 35 years of musical experience between them and bring to this old-world craft a unique modern perspective, not to mention a level of skill often only seen in musicians twice their age. To hear more from Cé, check out myspace.com/cemusic or cemusic.net.

1. How did you three meet?

I (Asher) met Devin when I was 14 or 15 and we’ve been playing together in sessions and different bands like Anam Rí and now Cé. Around the time that Anam Rí was coming to an end we started playing tunes with Randy in sessions around Milwaukee. It just seemed right that the three of us start a new group because we all shared a common passion for the music.

2. How would you describe Traditional Irish music to someone who had never heard it before?

Traditional Irish music is dance music. It is directly connected to the roots in the dancing that accompanies it. Tunes provide a framework for dancing and for musicians to improvise over.

3. How does your young age affect your reception from either the audience or fellow Irish musicians?

People who aren’t familiar with the music are sometimes surprised to see three guys in their 20s playing traditional music. I think it gives a little edge and helps to keep the audience’s attention. Anyone that plays it, though, knows that it’s music for all ages. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an 8 year old playing with an 80 year old.

4. Who would Cé like to collaborate with and why?

We have always wanted to work with singers. As an instrumental band, our music yearns for that final element of vocal expression. Recently, Randy has been working with a singer from Boscobel named Andreas Transo, who would be a lovely addition.

5. What are your goals for Cé?

We’re focusing on getting more gigs around the country and in Europe. There are so many great festivals and venues all over the world that focus on world and Celtic music. We’re also going to record a new album and hopefully release it this summer.”

VS