Reviews
“This progressive Celtic group takes traditional Irish and American music
and sets it ablaze with wild improvisation and driving rhythm. Their music
has delighted audiences from Ashland to Seattle at festivals, dances, bars,
coffeehouses and live radio shows.”
-- Corvallis [Oregon] Gazette-Times, 6 August 1999
“This inventive crew has taken the festive traditions of Celtic music and
then added elements of jazz, funk and rock to create a new fusion that
sounds delightful and warms the spirit. The instrumentation is that of a
classic ensemble (pipes, fiddle, guitar, bass, tin whistle, drums and
percussion), but the playing is a thoroughly invigorating mix of
improvisation and exploration.”
-- Riffage.com, "Featured World
Artist"
“This four-piece band from Oregon isn’t just another Celtic knockoff band
playing ‘Ireland's Greatest Hits.’ No, The Nettles expand upon the theme,
mixing newer tunes in with obscure traditional ones, and adding in touches
of music from other areas, like the Balkans and Quebec...They play their
traditional music with a great deal of energy and mix in touches of jazz and
rock to keep things interesting and fresh.”
-- Dirty Linen, #90, October/November 2000
“Rimheach! [Gaelic: 'Superb!'] The combination of musical talent,
expertise of the instrumentation and the musical feeling, Celtic spirit,
makes it impossible to sit still. Everyone at the station was tapping their
feet, wiggling in their seats or dancing, and some were doing all three.”
-- Dave MacLean, Radio Scotland
“We have a rating system for CD's we receive so that DJ's in other genres
have some guidelines when they play a CD they may not be familiar with. We
rate 1 the worst and 7 the best. I rated The Nettles a 7. All music sent
to WVUD is catalogued into the station music library. I had a hard time
giving this one up. I found The Nettles CD to be exciting, fresh and alive.
Very enjoyable listening. And yes, I have played several cuts on my radio
show.”
--Ellen Ellis, “The Green Willow”, WVUD, Newark, DE
“Outstanding! A perfect fit for the sound of our programs of Celtic
music....It's in
heavy rotation right now.
”
-- Marty Scarborough, KASU-FM program director
“...this CD truly shines as a Celtic album! From the opening set...you’ll
think you’ve wandered into some small, crowded bar where the beer is cheap
and the music ever so sweet. Just make sure you put your soft-soled dancing
shoes on!”
-- The Green Man Review,
http://www.greenmanreview.com/nettles.html
“This album is really very nice. . . . A marvelous get-up-and-go album to play first thing in the morning.”
-- Victory Review, June, 2000
“[The Nettles' CD is] A delightful collection of energetic tunes. I’ll be
playing it again.”
-- Jan Vanderhorst, “Just Us Folk”, CKPC 92.1 FM, Brantford, Ontario,Canada
“Your CD arrived this week and I enjoyed it so much I made it the featured
album on today’s program. I reckon The Nettles would be great fun at pub
gigs and the like. There’s a lot of energy and I really like the direct
approach you take with the music. You mix up American and Irish tunes
delightfully through the album, as well as tossing in a couple of tunes of
‘other parentage’ sitting very well with
the rest. The album works well for my taste. It gives a strong indication
of your ‘live’ sound...I would love to see you guys live on stage...Thanks
for sending me a copy--it will continue to get airplay. ”
-- Bruce Cameron, “Come All Ye” (longest-running folk program on Australian
radio), 2MCE-FM, Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia
“Excellent, all-around. Great arrangements and musicianship! ”
-- Steve Jerrett, Sunday Morning Coffeehouse, KOPN, Columbia, MO.
“The Nettles lead a double life: by turns a kickin’ and innovative concert
band, and a vigorous but reliable contra dance band. ”
-- Frank Gosar, The Saturday Cafe, KLCC 89.7 FM, Eugene.
“Wow!...I’m loving this! This is one of the best evenings we’ve had in
a long, long, long time. ”
-- Pete Lavelle, The Back Porch, KLCC 89.7 FM, Eugene.
“The Nettles have developed a strong following of dancers and Celtic
music fans in their home towns of Corvallis and Eugene...They play
neo-Celtic music that blends Irish roots with blues and jazz influences.
The music is strong, layered and expressive. The band sets a tune in
place, gives dancers the strong rhythm they need and then plays with
improvisation. Brophy's fiddle occasionally soars over the tune with a
free flowing invention quite unlike most contradance music. ”
-- Footnotes, Jan/Feb 1999
“Portland dancers were wildly enthusiastic over
the Nettles at their Portland debut. Dancers were coming up at the end of the
evening raving and asking when they'd be playing again. Much hooting and
hollering was heard throughout the evening....vigorous, passionate playing
among folks who very clearly are having fun. ”
-- Judith Swinney, Portland Country Dance Community board member, 9 January, 1999
“Laura Brophy of The Nettles keeps the spirit of the contra dance
alive...”
-- Corvallis Gazette-Times, 23 October, 1998
“The Eugene Folklore Society dance features Peter Stix on a
west coast tour.
Backing him up will be The Nettles from Corvallis. This band has become a
local favorite in the past year. They are very HOT and have a great Irish
repertoire.”
--Laurie Buchanan, Eugene Contra Dance Coordinator, 19 September 1998
“Classically funky Celtic!”
--Charlie Johnson, Pub owner, 24 April 1998
“The neo-Celtic sound of the Nettles will be featured at the monthly
contradance at 8 pm today... The Nettles have garnered acclaim since
emerging on the local music scene in 1996. Their sound is based on Irish
roots, but blends blues and jazz influence into a rhythmic dance sound.”
Corvallis Gazette Times, 10 Apr. 1998
“The Nettles Celtic heartbeat music blends traditional fiddle and flute
leads with driving rhythms for dancing. ”
Corvallis Gazette Times, 12 Dec. 1997