Monday, August 3, 2015

June, July and August updates

My last blog was way back June 4th. so it's about time for an update! So much has been going on since my last blog, vacation in Vermont in June, back home to Kutztown then a quick turn-a-round to head of to Grandfather Mountain games then another quick turn-a-round to head of to Washington State for two festivals a week apart with a 3 day trip to visit my old friend Patrick Hughes and his family in Victoria BC.
A bit rainy in Burlington but did get enough sunny days to enjoy golf with my brothers-in law and spend quality time with my sisters-in-law and my nephews Andrew and Stephen.
Grandfather Mountain was great as usual, great weather the whole weekend for a change except for the strong winds that destroyed my tents early Thursday morning but the with the help of good neighbors and a tent supplied by the grandfather Mountain people we recovered to have a fine and profitable time. I won the Lochaber Harp (Jew's Harp) contest this year which came with bottle of single malt whisky, Old Pultney, and a first place medal.
Couldn't have better friends in the world than Randy and Jenny White out there in Buckley WA, near Enumclaw for the Pacific Northwest Scottish Festival. Randy accompanied me on my visit to the Hughes family. Victoria is such a beautiful place to visit. Pat donated a great set of shuttle pipes to me, being 92 years young he doesn't have the "blaw" for them anymore. Finally got my Pirate Songs, Sea Songs and Shanties Volume 3 released and coming soon volume 4 and a CD of two vynal albums I recorded whilst living in Montreal, aptly retitled My Montreal Years. 
Hey, I need to stop and think of what else is going on so I'll get back to this in a day or so. Thanks to the internet and social media sites like Facebook I'm making contacts with old friends and acquaintances  as far back as my primary school, the Mearn Street School in Greenock.
Back at you soon.
Cheers, Carl   

Thursday, June 4, 2015

June update

Better late than never since my last blog and a lot is going on. First this weekend coming up (June 6th & 7th) a little Scottish Festival at Stepping Stone Farm Museum at Havre De Grace, MD. Small but relaxing, weather looks good for this weekend so far.
I have just recently finished Pirate Songs, Sea Songs and Shanties Volume 3. 18 songs including: 15 Men On A Dead Man's Chest (Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of rum), Kishmul's Galley, A-roving, All For Me Grog and so on. Now working on volume 4.
I have 3 other recent releases, kind of a time line for me including a CD called The Montreal Years which includes 2 vinyl LPs that I recorded in Montreal during the 70s. A Man With A Song In His Heart (1972) and Folksongs (1974) both on 1 CD. Also a CD version of the early 1970s Patmacs that was on Capitol Records which includes 2 songs that were on a single, Puff The Magic Dragon and Whiskey In The Jar. Finally a CD  from recordings in the early 60s, 4 songs with the original Patmacs a number of songs with Johnny Forrest, a Scottish singer living Edmonton at the time. Johnny went on to star on the Don Messer Jubilee TV show from Halifax, Nova Scotia. The original Patmacs were Pat Hughes from Dublin, Ireland, Ken Linbeck and Irene Ball from Edmonton and myself Carl Peterson. The later reformed Patmacs were myself again with Bill Hailey from Scotland, Steve Fearns from England, Larry Lyons from Ireland and Carol and Karen Tripp, twins from Edmonton, Alberta.

Coming up in July we have the Grandfather Mountain Games in NC, and the Pacific Northwest Games in Unemclaw, WA. Check my schedule for later games.
Cheers, Carl

Saturday, February 21, 2015

The Alamo 1836

The anniversary of the fall of the Alamo is coming up on March 6th. Very few people know just how the events in Texas in 1836 were heavily influenced by the Scots. Of those who died at the Alamo there were 13 from England, 9 from Ireland, 4 from Scotland, and 1 from Wales. 80% of the others were of Scotch-Irish ancestry, and mostly from the Southern U.S. states.

The works of Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott were favorites that were widely read by the early Americans, including Sam Houston and William Barrett Travis. Houston often quoted Burns in letters he wrote to his son in the years following the Alamo. Music heard in the Alamo during the siege was played by John MacGregor, a bagpiper from Scotland, and Micajah Autry, a fiddle player from North Carolina.

From the Library of Congress I collected English, Irish and Scottish poems, songs and tunes that were found to be in Texas at that time. I recorded the original versions on one CD and then recorded the Texas versions of the songs on a second CD. The double CD also includes fiddle and bagpipe tunes that could have been heard at the Alamo in 1836.

Buy the Scotland Remembers the Alamo CD

Most people didn't make the connection between Scotland and the Alamo so I followed up with a book explaining all. The book is titled "Now's the Day and Now's the Hour", which is a quote from Robert Burn's song "Scot's Wha Hae". Sam Houston used this quote to encourage volunteers to come to Texas to help in the fight. Houston's message start's with "Freemen of Texas, To Arms, To Arms, Now's the Day and Now's the Hour".

The book is currently available on Amazon.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

St David's Day, March 1

St David is the patron saint of Wales. Don't forget!
March 1st is a national day of celebration in Wales since the 18th century.

St David's Flag
Visit our Cafepress Shop for apparel and gifts with the St David's Flag.

Or get Welsh flags, stickers, lanyards, bandanas and more!

Monday, January 19, 2015

Moving ahead into 2015

Well Christmas is over for another year and we are now into 2015. I have no Burns Suppers to perform at this year, one concert in February and still working on the Pirate/Sea Songs CDs volumes 3-4 and my book "A Touch Of The Fae". My first Scottish Festival will not be until May and this may be my last year doing the festivals. I am probably going to get back into doing just concerts across parts of the country, about 20 to 30 a year starting in 2016/17 but we'll see.  I will be stepping up the use of social media sights including more videos on YouTube. That's it the noo so to speak. I will try to be more diligent with my Blogs to keep you all up to date.
Cheers, Carl