ON-LINE
Folk on the web
The arrival of Celtic Connections seems a good time for a look at folk music on the web, beginning With the
Celtic . Connections 2001
festival's own site at www.9rch.com (click on the Celtic Connections button), The site had not been updated to include the 2001 listings when I looked, but should be now. The opening night extravaganza features a major new composition by Plqu Cunningham, who has his own site at www.philcunningham.com, complete With the unvutation to 'Come on in and Swung Your Pants!’ Apart from the usual info (although nothing yet on the new piece), Phil also features some of the schoolboy humour for which he is renowned Folk sites tend to be stronger on COntent than on flashy vusuals, but you Will fund something a little but different from Shooglenufty’s bassist, Conrad lwtsky. Conrad is also a bit of an artist, and you can see some of his sketches of fellow musuCians at www.realnet.co.uk/conrad A Iunk from that site \VIH also take you to Conrad’s section of the Shooglenifty homepage, but better to go direct and check out their cool entry button at www.5hoogle.com.
Most of the major folk and roots magazmes have websites, including Scotland's The Livung Tradition, found at www.folkmusic.net. The site uses frames, and features include news, album revuews, a look at the current issue of the magazine (usually wuth a c0uple of selected articles which can be read on-Iune), and a mail order servuce, They also maintain sites for many folk artists, which can be accessed from this page via the Folk Artists button.
The Traditional MUSIC and Song Assocuation has its own site at
www.tmsa.demon.co.ukltmsalhome, and you can also find some useful essays on recondite topics like puu'rt a beu/
(Gaelic mouth musuc)
'l‘ullocligorm
and plbeC/l (pipe music) at www.tullochgorm.com, an American- based sute dedicated to Gaelic musuc on both sudes of the Atlantic.
If buying CDs is what y0u need, try www.5cottish-irish.com or www.musicscotland.com, which not only offer massive on-line catalogues, but also have some mp3 files for downloading. The latter has a useful links page to various Scottish musuc organisations, including record labels like Greentrax and Culburnie.
Finally, if you really want to get into some serious Celtic music research, there are several big (but plain) websites crammed wuth information and links. Try the Ceolas Celtic MUSIC
($601618
Archive at www.ceolas.org (it is partucularly good on Irish 50urces), or Every Celtic Thing On the Web at www.og-man.net/, and browse to yOur heart’s content. (Kenny Mathieson)
Totally wired
The world of the web
Have They Got News
For You?
www.btinternet.com/ ~hignfyl /conten tsframesethtm
Round about thus time of year, fans of the hit BBCZ show may have received the latest book/Video tie-in in their Christmas stocking. Thus sute promuses a comprehensive list of shows and guests, and everythung you could want to know, including scripts of out-takes that are frankly almost unpruntable. A true Joy.
In 60 Dot Com
www.in60.com/
In a world full of 'dot com’ crashes, ut's great to find a local company promising servuces that only the internet can deluver. Thus is a company that can deliver a good time to your doorstep in Just 60 minutes — from video rental, DVD purchases, food, and the newly introduced ’booze and fags' — all With no deluvery charge. Maybe one day we’ll have no reason to ever go out again.
The Cliche Site
www.clichesite.com/
If you hate cliches you'll want to av0ud this Site like the plague. At the end of the day you can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube, so he who laughs last laughs longest, and thus Will have you laughing your socks off, And remember: it ain’t over till the fat lady sings.
INTERNET
internet@list.co.uk
Out-takes that are almost unprintable
Battle Of The Planets
www.bbcco.uk/cult/retro/vault/battl e.shtml
If you can't remember this cartoon, then you really won't be interested in this Site, However, if you can then it might be worth a quick look as it features footage of the original trailer, and you can grab some Zoltar wallpaper while you're at it. If you don't know what I'm talking about then don’t worry: nobody Will know Pokemon in twenty years either.
Hangover Stopper www.hangoverst0pper.com/
This is included only because at thus pount in time we may be suffering a collective national hangover. Anything to ease the pain/misery might be useful because, apparently, it’s not the alcohol that causes the trouble, but impurities called congeners. These pills allow you to drink yourself silly wuth no after effects the next morning. Stunning, but seek medical advuce.
Herd Of Sheep
www.herdofsheep.com/
This us Britain’s answer to The Oni'on’s wwwtheonuoncom, top satirical news reports billed as ’The news shepherd for news sheep’. Read all about how a group of white, middle- class intellectuals, drinking Cabernet Sauvugnon late into the night, solved world peace over some banoffee pie. Great stuff, wuth archives to pore over. (Steve Blair)
Grab some Zoltar wallpaper at Battle Of The Planets
SJan—l8 Jan 2001 THE “ST 105