Gordon McLeod: Press

Gordon McLeod wins Americana Fest’s new Traditions Competition

Gordon McLeod’s song “Dog Year”, placed first in the Nacogdoches Americana Music Fest’s New Traditions Song Contest, garnering the Graland songwriter and member of the celtic-roots band Beyond The Pale a prime slot at the festival to showcase his talent, in addition to recording time at Encore Recording studio.

Waxahachie songwriter Jim Bush placed second with “Little Bitty Town” and Center songwriter Colby Miller took third with “Gorhart the Mighty”. Both will be recording at Encore and performing their winning numbers at the festival as well. Christy McLeod’s “The Music Plays Me”, The Mustn’ts “The Mermaid Song” and Jeremy Barber’s “Simply Complicated” earned honorable mentions.

Austin roots band The Gourds featuring former Nacogdoches resident Jimmy Smith, will headline the free, all-day festival April 12 at Festival Plaza in downtown Nacogdoches. David Olney, a legendary Nashville songwriter whose career spans four decades, opens. In addition to performances, the festival also features several music workshops, including a songwriting workshop by Olney.
For more information visit www.nacogdochesamericanafest.com

Let me compliment you on the beautiful and unusual instrumentation and way it all worked together. A superb example of imaginitive arrangement and production at its best. Other than that, the song is very catchy melodically in every section and the lyric tells an interesting story that conjures up visual images. Fine work!---Taxi review of Timbuktu Aug 2004

This is the Texas Beyond The Pale, and [their latest CD] The Music Plays Me is an enjoyable recording, with a warm, organic sound and an affable, relaxed way with songs and tunes. The traditionals -- mostly, not exclusively, instrumentals here -- are especially strong. The multi-instrumentalist Gordon McLeod, also the producer, is a splendid fiddler though he is, as well, perfectly capable on mandolin, whistle, bodhran and other instruments. McLeod also sings, as does everybody else: Christy McLeod (guitar and percussion), Betsy Cummings (accordion, bodhran) and John Delaney (flute, hammered dulcimer, saxophones, whistles, concertina).
BTP has a keen ear for out-of-the-ordinary material. Most of it will be fresh even to informed folk fans. And when it's something familiar, such as "Red Wing," it's done in an innovative arrangement. In fact, the medley of which that tune is a part (the other parts are "Cuckoo's Nest" and "Old French"), the 12th and last cut, is to my hearing the best of them all. Which is not to say anything on this amiable outing is ever less than satisfying and pleasurable.

Gordon McLeod (fiddle, guitar, mandolin) takes the lead on the album’s ( Queen of Skye) standout track – ‘Hester’, a poignant song of his own composition inspired by a gravestone in Quin Abbey.

Your music is better than the best!.
Wonderful!
Beyond Words! Truly professional.
My wife and I were listening to your cd in our car, and when we pulled up in the driveway we just sat there listening until it was over!
I can't say enough about you.

This is excellent work, very well- played and, as I say authentic to a fault. I will gladly forward this on and hope it is added to the company's library. Congratulations and best of luck!—

That was fun!!!! You guys where great and have such a joyfull energy.
Keep doing it OK?

I listened to your body of work quite a lot in the last couple of days. I swear I do not think I can get enough. I never get tired of listening to you. Never. I listen to you guys just about everyday.

You are truly a dynamic duo with a wonderful talent for relaxing people while sharing
your incredible talents. Thanks for sharing yourselves with us.

just wanted y'all to know i really love this album! you know, gordon n
christy gave me a copy before i went to ireland.

so i recently put it in, and i just can't stop listening to it! the
whole album is really good, but most of the tracks actually move me! the
vocals are wonderful, the arrangements are fantastic, and i just can't
get enough of it. (and you know
how much i love 'head tucked underneath her arm).

anyway, what y'all've done is really impressive. and i just thought you
should know . . .

Interview of Gordon McLeod by Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel, March 2008 Issue of Buzz Magazine
by Michele Marcotte

It began with a harmonica. Four-year-old Gordon McLeod had been exploring the contents of his grandfather’s junk room when he stumbled across the large Hohner harmonica, and instantly fell in love.
The future award-winning songwriter began to play and eventually used the wood instrument to compose his first song, “Marching to War.”
“I still remember the lyrics,” he said recently over lunch at the Luna de Noche restaurant near his Garland home. “They were easy, just the title repeated over and over.”
Since that time, McLeod has gone on to write many more songs, including “Dog Year,” which recently won the Nacogdoches Americana Music Festival’s New Traditions Song contest.
During our recent visit, the longtime musician dished on his Celtic-roots band Beyond the Pale, the songwriting process and memories of his first professional gig in Nacogdoches.


Q. Your song “Dog Year” recently won the American Music
Festival’s songwriting competition. What is the song about?

A : It’s in reference to the Chinese zodiac (in the Chinese calendar).
Every year is associated with an animal, and 2006 was the year of the dog. My wife Christy was born in the year of the dragon, and traditionally, dog years are very challenging for dragons. And it was. I wrote the song really for her.
Q What is the songwriting process for you?
A I usually write by myse1f. A lot of times something will just come out.
I’ll discover something and chip away at it until I see what’s there. It’s almost like it already exists and I just kind of find it.
Q So aside from gearing up for your upcoming performance at the Americana Music Festival what else do you have going on right now?
A

: I play at a lot of community concerts, municipal amphitheaters, libraries and conference centers with my band Beyond The Pale. Christy and I also perform at a lot of international festivals. Five years ago, I started playing with The Aisling String Trio, with cellist Dirje Smith. Christy plays the guitar and I play the violin It’s a strange mix of classical and folk music. The Texas Gypsies is another group I started playing with about a year ago. They’re a jazz band .

.

Q How did you get into the Americana-folk style of music
A
: It’s just the kind of music that I’ve always played. Acoustic music has an element of tradition. When I was a kid in the 1960s, my favorite artists were Simon & Garfunkel and Bob Dylan. I was always attracted to that stuff. I like the idea of expressing certain things in a structure that is based on traditional forms of music. It’s a similar reason why I like Irish music. It’s not commercial, and it’s not manufactured to sell. Irish musicians want to express themselves and just enjoy the music together.

Q Have you played at the Americana Music Festival before?
A

: Yes, I was the second place winner two years ago in the songwriting competition. And, actually, one of my first professional (music) jobs was in Nacogdoches at the Sheraton Hotel. My roommate from college was living here, and I drove up to visit him. When I got here I ended up running out of money and didn’t have enough to drive back to New Mexico. I must have been about 20- years-old. At the time, he was working at the Sheraton, and he got me a job performing there. Eventually I drove back to New Mexico, but I remember playing with Jeff (Lovett) at the Pine Knot, doing that a couple of times, and at Crossroads - this hole-in-the-wall place. I have a connection to Nacogdoches, and it’ll be nice to get to come back and play.