na-mara are a St Albans (UK) based duo - Paul McNamara (Guitar and vocals) and Rob Garcia (Guitar and mandolin). Their repertoire is varied and ranges across the Celtic diaspora. It includes music from the British Isles, Brittany, Asturias and Galicia, and songs from the British Isles, Brittany and northern France for voice, guitars, mandola and mandolin. na-mara are increasingly including their own songs and music in their shows. The band has been playing around the folk clubs in Herts, Beds, Bucks, Cambs but are increasingly being invited to play at venues further afield. In August 2008, amongst other performances, they supported Cara Dillon at the main marquee at the Broadstairs Folk Week. Early that summer they played on two separate occasions in central London for gatherings to celebrate the Spanish Republic of the 1930s, and to remember the commitment of British fighters to the International Brigade in that conflict.
- Biography:
Rob Garcia: (mandolin/mandola/guitar) Rob was born in London of Spanish descent – his parents arrived in the UK as child refugees from the Spanish Civil War in 1937 – he trained as a professional musician and classical guitarist, studying at music conervatoires in the UK, Spain and Sweden. He has played solo and duo recitals in the UK and Europe and been a teacher. Rob plays a Fylde mandolin and mandola as well as a 1899 Giovanni De Meglio mandolin. Future projects include adaptations and arrangements of Galician, Asturian, Greek and Irish tunes for the mandolin and mandola. His musical tastes and influences range everywhere from Classical Baroque to Irish folk and Flamenco. Recent inspiration has been from bands like Tejedor and Niundes.
Paul McNamara: (voice/guitars) Paul's main love is traditional music from around the world and has built an extensive collection of French and Breton music. From the contemporary scene, he takes inspiration from the likes of Richard Thompson and many of those with whom the great man collaborates. Paul hails from Middlesbrough originally, but now lives in Hertfordshire and works in London. Paul spends considerable time researching, finding and then translating songs from the French and French Canadian traditions to make them more available to a British audience. Many of these songs have tunes of stunning beauty and seem rarely to be exposed to a British audience. Feedback from audiences has been very supportive.
- Reviews
The Milkmaid Folk Club: (Bury St Edmunds – March 2009) "Support by The Duo Na-Mara was indeed quite lovely. Their performance nicely blended with the main act. These guys are really going to make a mark in the folk world and deserve to have success in clubs and festivals" http://www.milkmaidmusic.co.uk/waffle09.html
Reading Folk Club: (Reading – February 2009) ""Na Mara gave us an amazing evening mixing musical dexterity on the mandolin and guitar with superb vocals; the set included songs ranging from traditional British ballads to Breton and Quebecois influenced arrangements." http://www.readifolk.org.uk/Readifolk_NL2.pdf
www.spiralearth.com: (2009) "their combined musical vision doesn't appear to have many limitations or boundaries. The duo's repertoire includes music from the British Isles, Brittany, Asturias and Galicia with plans to venture even further. The guys explorations of folk traditions beyond these shores has been gathering pace and 'Only For Three Months' is a four track EP that sets out to highlight some material from France and Northern Spain. They've certainly done their homework with detailed notes included that'll send anyone off in numerous directions, for music and reading matter, if they so wish. Making these tracks available to an English speaking audience is admirable enough but to infuse them with such life is a sure-fire way to leave us wanting more. David Kushar
NOUVEAU!!!! Disponible sur Myspace! Un morceau extrait du nouvel album du groupe Maltavern "Douce Tornade" Sortie prévue le 28 Juin 2008 Bonne écoute! A bientôt Et bon vent... Christo pour Maltavern
Our new EP "Lights! Camera! Action!" is now on myspace, and will only be available (in the meantime) at any of the upcoming gigs we're playing, the first being Thursday 12th June at Remix in Hitchin. See flyer below for details, and other gig dates..
12 Jun REMIX, Hitchin, UK 14 Jun SECRET SHOW, Shefford, UK 21 Jun CAMDEN BARFLY, London, UK 21 Jun THE EDGE BAR, CROYDON, London, UK 28 Jun THE TOGFEST MUSIC FESTIVAL, Milton Keynes, UK 2 Jul CORN EXCHANGE, Hertford, UK 12 Jul RIVER FESTIVAL, Bedford, UK 15 Jul CULT STATUS @ 333, Hoxton, UK 19 Jul THE HAT FACTORY, Luton, UK 8 Aug EARTHWISE 888 FESTIVAL, Berkshire Downs, UK 9 Aug EARTHWISE 888 FESTIVAL, Berkshire Downs, UK 10 Aug EARTHWISE 888 FESTIVAL, Berkshire Downs, UK 14 Aug THE HAT FACTORY, Luton, UK
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