By Julia Beauregard
Hometown Weekly Editor
Westwood community members were transported to the Celtic lands through the tunes and tales relayed by the talented multi-instrumentalist, Jeff Snow.
“This afternoon, we’re going to touch on all of the Celtic land.. We don’t leave any of it out!” The performer told the crowd. Snow combines music, personal anecdotes, and bits of history from Ireland, Scotland, and England within his performances.
Snow is the son of a drummer in a bagpipe band and his youth was filled with the sounds of Celtic tunes. “Everything you hear today will be pieces of music that I heard as a child,” he shared.
As the first-born son, he was expected to be a drummer in a bagpipe band, just as his father before him was. However, he elected to walk a different path. He now plays six and twelve string guitars, an autoharp, a Celtic bouzouki, and a bodhran, as well as singing.
As much of the history within the Celtic lands was recorded and preserved through song, Snow shares the stories that were embedded into these tunes to both educate and entertain his audience. He is truly a talented performer as he effortlessly transitions between playing these enchanting and ethereal pieces of music and sharing their stories in such great detail.
“When we think of Celtic tunes, we think of a ‘spill beer all over yourself’ type of song… but there is so much more that doesn’t get played and so many more stories that do not get told,” Snow invites the listeners to hear the untold tales of lesser played Celtic tunes. The ones that are rich in history and display the softer side of Celtic culture.
Snow’s mission was clear: he wanted to share the rich and fascinating history of the Celtic lands with his audience, just as these stories were preserved. His passion for the subject matter was plain to see, as all of his audience members sat on the edge of their seats. They hung onto every word, regardless of if it was spoken aloud or sang in a song.
Some of the music that was played included songs such as: “Star of the County Down,” “Green Sleeves,” “Hush, hush,” “Spancil Hill,” and “The Hills of Argyle,” just to name a few. Snow covered historical topics such as the exiles in Scotland, the potato famine in Ireland, and the immigration from the Celtic land to America.
The afternoon was filled with various tunes both familiar and ethereal and many stories, both personal anecdotes from Snow and tales from the Celtic lands. It was a beautiful tribute to the softer side of Celtic history.
For further information about the performer, his website can be found at: http://www.jeffsnow.net/concerts.html
