Celtic Colours International Celtic Festival’s ‘Roots to the Future’ concerts this week

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PHILLIPS – New England Celtic Arts will play host for Cape Breton’s Celtic Colours International Celtic Festival and present “Roots to the Future” in a select few theaters throughout Maine. At Phillips Area Community Hall in Phillips,  on Tuesday, Sept. 11; at Skye Theatre in So. Carthage on Wednesday, Sept. 12; and at UCCPA in Unity on Thursday, Sept.13 and at The Portland Stage Company on Friday, Sept. 14. Curtain at Phillips, and Skye is 7 p.m. and at UCCPA and Portland Stage is 7:30 p.m.

Carmel Mikol

In 2010, Cape Breton songwriter, Carmel Mikol brought forward the idea of pairing up young songwriters with young tune makers to see how our traditional music influences their contemporary work. The resulting concert was so much more than the sum of its parts that they decided to do it again. This year Celtic Colours is revisiting the concept with some new faces and some new approaches to creation. Carmel, will be touring in Maine with participants Rachel Davis and Darren McMullen, who have made a name for themselves in Maine over the past two years.

After triple East Coast Music Award nominations for her debut In My Bones, Carmel Mikol released her follow-up album “Creature” with a unique companion book/ebook titled “Creature of Habit.” Since its 2011 release on Sound of Pop/Fontana North, the “Creature” album and book has received rave reviews from both sides of the Canada-US border, cementing Carmel’s reputation as one of our brightest up-and-coming songwriters.

Rachel is a fiddler from Baddeck Cape Breton. She picked up the fiddle when she was 12, first taking lessons from her grandfather, Clarence Long. She continued on to learn from Karen Beaton, and also from Stan Chapman and Kyle MacNeil through her studies at Cape Breton University, where she is a recent graduate. Rachel has performed at many ceilidhs, concerts, and festivals throughout Cape Breton, mainland Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI, and the Eastern United States. During the 2007 Celtic Colours International Festival, she was presented with the Tic Butler Memorial Award, for outstanding contribution to Cape Breton culture.

Darren McMullen is a highly sought after multi-instrumentalist based out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. His list of instruments includes mandolin, bouzouki, tenor banjo, whistles, guitar and bass. Darren started young on piano and then guitar and played his way through the popular pub band scene until he landed a gig with J.P. Cormier in 2004 which took him throughout Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. Since then he has released three solo albums and been busy touring and performing with a wide range of bands including the Rankins, Pogey, Dave Gunning, Matt Andersen, Bruce Guthro, Matt Minglewood, David Francey, Gillian Boucher, Troy MacGillivray, Andrea Beaton, Rachel Davis, Anna Ludlow, Chrissy Crowley, and is a regular member of the popular Progressive Celtic band Sprag Session.

The Phillips Community Center is on 21 Depot Street in Phillips. Skye Theater is located 3 miles West of East Dixfield village at 2 Highland Drive off Winter Hill Rd and US RT. 2 in South Carthage. UCCPA is at 42 Depot Street in Unity. The Portland Stage Company is at 25A Forest Ave Portland. Ticket price is $15 at the door at all locations. For reservations call Skye Theatre at (207) 562-4445 or UCCPA at (207) 948-7469, in Phillips at (207) 639-3717 and in Portland at Phone: (207-774-0465) . Reservations are strongly suggested at all venues.

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