| Gog Magog | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 25 November 2022 | |||
| Recorded | Kerhonkson, USA | |||
| Genre | Folk | |||
| Length | 48:21 | |||
| Label | Fanatic Records | |||
| The Trials of Cato chronology | ||||
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Gog Magog is the second album by British folk band the Trials of Cato, released on 25 November 2022. It is named after the giant of Arthurian legend, and the Cambridgeshire hilltop, near to which much of the music was written, during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The album has received widespread praise and positive reviews.
Folk/Tumble, 2022. [1] 
"exciting and magical"
Folk Radio, 2022. [2] "packed with genre-defying music that will surely be greeted with as much enthusiasm and praise as their debut"
Bright Young Folk, 2022. [3] "Gog Magog confirms that the fame The Trials of Cato have gained in such a short amount of time is not only well-deserved, but likely to grow."
For Folk's Sake, 2022. [4] "The Trials of Cato have proven themselves equal to the task of matching and surpassing Hide and Hair. The real mystery of Gog Magog is how they continue to create such inspired and inspiring music."
"Ring of Roses" was released as a single on 18 November 2022.
The Trials of Cato
"Ring of Roses" is based on the popular nursery rhyme Ring a Ring o' Roses, whose meaning is unknown; yet is often conjectured to refer to the Great Plague. The song, written during the lockdowns of the Covid-19 Pandemic, is a nod to this theory.
"Aberdaron" is an adaptation of the Welsh poem by Albert Evans-Jones, in which the writer expresses their desire to retire to the town of Aberdaron in north Wales.
"Kerhonkson Stomp" is a set named for the town of Kerhonkson in New York, USA, where the album was recorded.
"When Black Shuck Roams" refers to the Black Shuck, a ghostly black dog of East Anglian folklore, of whom it is said that to meet is to be warned that your death will occur before the end of the year.
"Boudicca C. Ad 60" is an ode to Queen Boudicca of the Iceni tribe, who lead an unsuccessful revolt against Roman rule of England in the year 60 AD.
"Bedlam Boys" is based on the poem by Thomas d'Urfey, published in 1720, called Mad Maudlin's Search.
William Smith Monroe was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter, who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the "Father of Bluegrass".
"The Battle of Evermore" is a folk duet sung by Robert Plant and Sandy Denny, included on Led Zeppelin's untitled 1971 album, commonly known as Led Zeppelin IV. The song's instrumentation features acoustic guitar and mandolin playing, while the lyrics allude to J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings.
The story of Dhu al-Qarnayn, is mentioned in Surah al-Kahf of the Quran.
The Dillards are an American bluegrass and country rock band from Salem, Missouri. The band is best known for introducing bluegrass music into the popular mainstream with their appearance as "The Darlings" on The Andy Griffith Show.
Railroad Earth is a bluegrass-influenced Americana band formed in Stillwater, New Jersey in 2001. The band's music combines elements of progressive bluegrass, folk, rock, country, jazz, Celtic and other Americana influences. Recognized as "carrying on the tradition of improvisational, genre-spanning music laid forth by the Grateful Dead," Railroad Earth is known for lyrical songwriting and extensive live improvisation. The band takes its name from the Jack Kerouac prose poem "October in the Railroad Earth". The band also has a song of the same name.
Room to Roam is the fifth studio album by the Waterboys, released by Ensign Records on 2 October 1990. It continued the folk rock sound of 1988's Fisherman's Blues, but was less of a commercial success, reaching #180 on the Billboard Top 200 after its release in September 1990. Critical response continues to be mixed. Allmusic describes it both as "not quite as [musically] successful" as Fisherman's Blues, but also as a "Celtic rock classic". The front and back covers were designed by Simon Fowler based upon photography by Stefano Giovannini and Sean Jackson.
Will the Circle be Unbroken is the seventh studio album by American country music group The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, with collaboration from many famous bluegrass and country-western players, including Roy Acuff, "Mother" Maybelle Carter, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Randy Scruggs, Merle Travis, Pete "Oswald" Kirby, Norman Blake, Jimmy Martin, and others. It also introduced fiddler Vassar Clements to a wider audience. The album was released in November 1972, through United Artists Records.
Rose's Pawn Shop is an Americana, rock, folk and bluegrass band from Los Angeles, California. Their debut album, The Arsonist, was released in May 2006. The band tours several times each year throughout the United States.
Second Spring is the first album by country rock/folk rock musician Ian Matthews' band Matthews Southern Comfort, released on the Uni label in July 1970. It was Matthews' second album after his departure from Fairport Convention and was recorded with the touring band he put together following the release of his first solo LP, Matthews' Southern Comfort.
Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions is an American folk music album. It was recorded live by the band of the same name at the Top of the Tangent coffee house in Palo Alto, California in July, 1964, and released in 1999.
Alive Alive-O is a double album by the Irish Folk Group The Dubliners which was recorded live throughout several Evenings in December 1996 in Germany at the end of their European tour. After the departure of Ronnie Drew, The Dubliners were joined by the famous Irish singer Paddy Reilly who lends his voice to several ballads on the album. John Sheahan's daughter Ceoladh guests with her father, duetting on fiddle with him on his composition, "Among Friends". The album is notable for some mixed German-English song introductions by Sean Cannon, causing widespread laughter among the audience.
Los Stompers are an Irish music group based in Barcelona, Spain. Formed in 1997, the group refers to itself as post-Irish. They have established themselves as a point of reference on the Catalan music scene, developing from Irish folk beginnings towards a more personalised stance expressed by what they call the Barcelona Irish Sound. The group seek to demystify Irish Traditional Music and in general all forms of folk music by drawing on a variety of styles injected with a healthy dose of irony.
Elephant Revival is a folk music group from Nederland, Colorado, formed in 2006. The band consists of Bonnie Paine, Bridget Law, Charlie Rose, Dango Rose, Daniel Rodriguez, and Darren Garvey.
Shook Twins is a folk music group originally from Sandpoint, Idaho and currently based in Portland, Oregon, formed in 2004. The nucleus of the band consists of identical twin sisters Katelyn and Laurie Shook.
The Dubliners 50th Anniversary Tour was a tour in 2012 by The Dubliners celebrating 50 years. The group was awarded a lifetime achievement award by BBC Radio 2 in February. However, in April, founding member and tenor banjo player Barney McKenna died. Banjo player Gerry O'Connor filled his place until the end of the tour. In November the group released the album 50 Years charting in the Irish Top 10. John Sheahan after 48 years decided he could no longer continue with the band due to the death of Barney McKenna. In December the group played its final concerts at Vicar Street and were joined on stage by Jim McCann. The band met with President Michael Higgins in the presidential palace in Dublin. The group appeared on BBC's Jools Holland Annual Hootenanny on New Year's Eve. With the exception of John Sheahan, the rest of the group continues touring as The Dublin Legends - Spirit of the Dubliners.
Before the Dead is an album by Jerry Garcia. It is a compilation of early recordings of Garcia playing folk and bluegrass music with various other musicians. The recordings were made from 1961 to 1964, before Garcia co-founded the rock band the Grateful Dead. Produced as a four-CD box set, and also as a five-LP limited edition box set, it was released on May 11, 2018.
Songs of Our Native Daughters is the debut Americana/folk album by four North American singer-songwriters collaborating as Our Native Daughters. The group includes Rhiannon Giddens, Amythyst Kiah, Leyla McCalla, and Allison Russell. The album was released on the Smithsonian Folkways label in early 2019.
The Trials of Cato are a Welsh/English folk band that originally consisted of Tomos Williams, Will Addison and Robin Jones. Their 2018 debut album Hide and Hair won Best Album in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2019. In 2020, Will Addison left the group, and was replaced by Polly Bolton, a mandolin player and vocalist known for her work with The Magpies and Stillhouse.
Hide and Hair is the debut album by British folk band the Trials of Cato, released on 9 November 2018. It won Best Album at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2019.
El Pony Pisador is a musical group from Barcelona that mixes various styles of folk and traditional music from around the world, including Celtic music, sea songs, bluegrass, tarantella and yodel. The band's name refers to the J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings inn The Prancing Pony, called «El Pony Pisador» in the Spanish translation.