Elana James and the Continental Two recorded at the Boddam Hall on the Thursday night of the festival.
This was an excellent line up for the first night and was definitley the pick of the bunch. Elana and the boys really got stuck into the sessions on the Sunday and Monday nights of the festival which were amazing.
I think I can say for certain that they will most certainly be back in Shetland for the festival at some point.
This is the first in a series of podcasts featuring some of the recordings I made at the 2006 Shetland Folk Festival.
We'll kick off with a set from Tom Ball and Kenny Sultan recorded on the 30 April 2006 in the Brae Hall. A beautiful night of weather with a clear sky and the sun creating a hue of deep reds, purples and oranges in the sky as it went down.
I'd like to thank the sound man for recording this for me and Tom and Kenny giving me permission to release it. Also thanks must go out to the festival committee for allowing me the access I had to the artists.
Tom and Kenny have been bringing their unique blend of guitar and harmonica blues, rags and good time music to widely diverse audiences for more than 25 years. Their live performances include concerts, clubs and festivals all over the world, and they were the only musical act in America to play all four venues of the 1984 Olympic Games.
Together and separately they have worked on countless film scores, TV soundtracks, commercials and sessions. They've appeared on television internationally, were featured on the "Levi's 501 Blues" commercials (which incidentally is banned from YouTube for copyright reasons, for shame ), have played for audiences of 300 million via Voice of America and are frequent guests of National Public Radio. Their eight duo albums have garnered much critical acclaim throughout the world, and their music from the film "Over The Edge" won the duo the prestigious Telly Award in 1994.
At home wherever they go, Tom and Kenny fit in at blues, folk, bluegrass and jazz festivals, and their extensive teaching backgrounds make them a natural choice for college campuses or venues which feature workshops. Because their music is a blend of American roots styles, they are regulars overseas, drawing rave reviews wherever they go.
