Monday night, Gaelic songstress Julie Fowlis will perform at the Highdive at 8 p.m. If you’re not familiar with her work, here’s a quick video to get you up to speed:
Doors are at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 on Monday. Tickets are available for $20 in advance.
Ms. Fowlis was kind enough to answer our questions by email.
Smile Politely: Have you ever performed in Champaign-Urbana before, as far as you know?
Julie Fowlis: No, my first time! I am really looking forward to it.
SP: It looks like you’re playing a lot of festivals on this tour. Is it unusual for you to perform in a bar or nightclub? How is that different for you, as a performer?
JF: With the kind of music we play (folk or traditional music) it is as usual for us to be playing concert halls and theatres as it is to be playing wee bars, clubs, or smaller venues. We enjoy the variation that gives us. There is a different vibe and feel in smaller venues, and no matter what — it’s always fun.
SP: Is it common for there to be Gaelic speakers in the audience at your U.S. shows? Are you ever tempted to just sing all curse words?
JF: Ha ha — no never, I promise. The reason being there is always a Gaelic speaker in the audience. Every time! It never fails to amaze me. Whether it’s Germany, Holland, or the US, someone will always come up and speak Gaelic to me after the show. It’s great and very encouraging.
SP: How many people will be on stage for your show? Who plays what instruments, and what can you tell us about them?
JF: There will be four of us — myself singing, playing whistles and pipes, my husband Éamon Doorley, from Dublin, playing bouzouki, Tony Byrne, also from Dublin, playing guitar, and Shetland Isles fiddler Jenna Reid. We have a good healthy mix of Irish and Scottish music — they blend very well together.
SP: Is it common for English to be spoken in North Uist? What would be the first thing you would tell someone about North Uist if they’d never heard of it? What did/do your parents do for a living? Do you live there when you are not on tour?
JF: The Gaelic/English mix in Uist is about 50/50 to the untrained ear, although the majority do speak Gaelic as a first language. We live in the Highlands of Scotland now (on the mainland) but get to Uist several times a year, when touring permits! It’s a beautiful island — white beaches, blue blue sea, and wonderful people.
SP: How many times have you been to the U.S.? How do you like the life of a touring musician?
JF: This is our third proper tour, but I have visited on several occasions. We also have a lot of family here, descended from my great-uncle who was from Uist, so we are hoping to catch up with some of them on this trip.
SP: What sort of music did you listen to growing up?
JF: Lots: Gaelic, dodgy pop music, and country and western.
SP: Have you ever been compared to another singer or musician that you didn’t think that the comparison fit at all? Can you say a little about that?
JF: Mmmm. I don’t think so — most people don’t know where to “put” me as I sing in a non-English language, and when they do it’s just their way of describing me musically — perhaps when they don’t know the tradition or understand the words I am singing. If it’s complimentary, I don’t mind!