Q: What is “Exile and Adventure, Irish Song of the Pampa and Farther Afar?” A: “Exile and Adventure" is an upcoming album that combines traditional Irish music with the spirit of the Argentinean pampa. Eight of the eleven tracks come from a forgotten newspaper printed in the countryside of Buenos Aires in the 1870's. Two others tracks are Spanish translations of old Irish ballads. The album will feature local Buenos Aires musicians Facundo Flores and Fernando Killian, as well as Dublin fiddle player, Aidan Connolly. This album takes these Argentinian-Irish songs from the archives where they have languished and places them back into traditional Irish music idiom they were first written in.
Q: What is “The Trackless Wild?” A: The Trackless Wild is the name of an hour long documentary film that follows the crossing trails, both physical and emotional, between myself, folk singer, Charlie O’Brien, and the anonymous author of the 19th century Irish Argentine song “The Trackless Wild.” We will record four of “A Wandering Tip's” songs in various filming locations pertinent to the Irish-Argentine community, as well as interview a handful of the people met along our trip, including, a present day Irish gaucho, local historians and Irish Argentine musicians. Besides this, archive footage of the Pampa’s from the early 1900’s would also be employed to evoke something of the long gone era our writer lived in. Graphic motion design segments incorporating the actual prints of the 19th century newspapers his songs resided in will also be interspersed amongst the rest of the footage. Resurrecting these lyrics of old, he time travels to our timeline as I muse and sing my way into his past.
Q: Have you received any other funding? A: I've spent the past year or more looking for official funding for the album, applying for grants on three separate occasions (and all the form filling and waiting that implies). None of the applications were successful. That is, “not a mango,” as they say here in Argentina, was collected.
Q: Whats the craic with the price of the vinyl? A: Each record will be hand-made by Phonocats Vinyl in Wexford. This "lathe-cutting" process gives a better sound quality than factory produced records. It is, however, labor intensive work, carried out by one person in real time. Essentially, each one of the records will be like the one master record that all others are copied off in conventional factory printing methods. Hence the hefty price.
Q: How can I contribute to the crowdfunding campaign? A: To support this crowdfunding campaign for "Exile and Adventure, Irish Song of the Pampa and Farther Afar," simply click on the "amount" or "add to cart" button links next to each item above, then select an amount to contribute (there is a suggested minimum amount, you can also pay more). You will be given two options for payment, paypal or credit card.
Q: When can I expect to receive my rewards? A: I will fulfill all rewards once the album production is completed in April/May 2024. You'll be updated throughout the process. The album will be officially launched in July 2024, the film may take a few months longer.
Q: What if I have further questions or need assistance? A: If you have any additional questions or require assistance with the "Exile and Adventure" crowdfunding campaign, reach out through the contact form on this website. I'll be more than happy to run through whatever questions you have personally.
beir bua,
Cha
