Kyle Carey (born 1988) is a Celtic Americana musical artist who creates a synthesis of music called 'Gaelic Americana'.

Biography

Born in

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

to schoolteacher parents, Kyle lived in

Yup'ik The Yup'ik or Yupiaq (sg & pl) and Yupiit or Yupiat (pl), also Central Alaskan Yup'ik, Central Yup'ik, Alaskan Yup'ik ( own name ''Yup'ik'' sg ''Yupiik'' dual ''Yupiit'' pl; russian: Юпики центральной Аляски), are an I ...

native communities in the

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U ...

n bush until the age of seven, before her family re-located permanently to New Hampshire. She attended Holderness School and

Skidmore College Skidmore College is a private liberal arts college in Saratoga Springs, New York. Approximately 2,650 students are enrolled at Skidmore pursuing a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in one of more than 60 areas of study. Histo ...

, where she studied English literature, and spent the weekends as a waitress at Caffè Lena - receiving the prestigious President's Award upon her graduation. Afterward, she traveled to Cape Breton in Nova Scotia on a

Fulbright Fellowship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

to study

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

song and traditional music. In 2009-2010 she attended

Sabhal Mòr Ostaig Sabhal Mòr Ostaig () (Great Barn of Ostaig) is a public higher education college situated in the Sleat peninsula in the south of the Isle of Skye, with an associate campus at Bowmore on the island of Islay, Ionad Chaluim Chille Ìle (th ...

on the

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated b ...

for a year, obtaining a certificate in Scottish Gaelic language and music and becoming a fluent Gaelic speaker.

Recordings

Kyle began her professional career in music when she traveled to Dingle, Ireland, in 2011 and recorded her debut album ''Monongah'', a mix of Celtic, Appalachian folk, and literary elements that would become the trademark of her unique 'Gaelic Americana' style. The album was produced by Lùnasa guitarist Donogh Hennessy and the title track inspired by a poem of the same title by Appalachian poet

Louise McNeill Louise McNeill (9 January 1911 – 18 June 1993), also known as , was an American poet, essayist, and historian of Appalachia. She began teaching in a one roomed schoolhouse in West Virginia and would eventually move on to teach at other univ ...

. Among the musicians who contributed are Irish singers Pauline Scanlon, former

Cherish the Ladies Cherish the Ladies is an American female super group that plays Celtic music. The band began as a concert series in New York in January 1985. It was the brainchild of Mick Moloney who wanted to showcase the brightest female musicians in Ameri ...

member Aoife Clancy, former

The Cottars The Cottars are a Canadian Celtic musical group from Cape Breton Island formed in 2000. The group's current members are Ciarán MacGillivray, Fiona MacGillivray, Bruce Timmins, and Claire Pettit. History The Cottars were founded in late 2000 wh ...

member Rosie MacKenzie, as well as bassist

Trevor Hutchinson Trevor Hutchinson is a Northern Irish bass player and a founding member of Lúnasa. Born in Cookstown, County Tyrone, in Northern Ireland, he played with numerous bands before Lúnasa, including The Waterboys and Sharon Shannon. Discography ; ...

. ''Monongah'' was well received by reviewers and included by respected music critic Patricia Herlevi at World Music Central in her choice of "Top 10 World Music albums of 2011". In 2012 Kyle toured the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

with Dutch guitarist Bart-Jan Baartmans. In 2013 Kyle released an EP of traditional May carols called ''One Morning in May'', a collaborative project with English BBC Folk Award-winning duo Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker. The collection contains three traditional British May carols, as well as an arrangement of the well-known folk ballad " One Morning in May". In September 2014 Kyle released her second full-length album, ''North Star''. Produced by

Séamus Egan Séamus Egan is an Irish-American musician. Early days Séamus Egan was born in Hatboro, Pennsylvania to Irish immigrants Mike and Ann Egan. At the age of three his parents moved the family back home to County Mayo, Ireland. He learned accor ...

, the album features nine originals, two songs in Scottish Gaelic, and a cover of "Across the Great Divide" by

Kate Wolf Kate Wolf (born Kathryn Louise Allen; January 27, 1942 – December 10, 1986) was an American folk singer and songwriter."Kate Wolf", pp. 533–534, in ''All Music Guide'', 2nd edition (1994), edited by Michael Erlewine. San Francisco: Miller ...

. Artists who contributed to the album include

Dirk Powell Dirk Powell (born 1969) is an American fiddler, banjo player, and singer. Powell was born in Oberlin, Ohio into a family with deep Kentucky roots. He has lived in Louisiana since 1992. He is considered one of the world's leading experts on traditio ...

, Natalie Haas, Pauline Scanlon,

Chris Stout Chris Stout (born 1976) is a Scottish fiddle/violin player from Shetland, now based in Glasgow. Stout grew up in Fair Isle and lived there until 8 years of age before moving to Sandwick on the Shetland Mainland, then on to Glasgow in the 1990 ...

and Scottish percussionist James MacKintosh of

Capercaillie ''Tetrao'' is a genus of birds in the grouse subfamily known as capercaillies. They are some of the largest living grouse. Taxonomy The genus ''Tetrao'' was introduced in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of hi ...

. ''North Star'' was ranked #7 in the "Top Albums of September 2014" by the Acoustic Music Scene. In January 2018 Kyle released her third full-length album, ''The Art of Forgetting'' on the

World Music Network World Music Network is a UK-based record label specializing in world music. The World Music Network website features news, reviews, live music listings, and guide sections on world music. It also features an online "Battle of the Bands" competit ...

, record label 'Riverboat Records'. The album was produced by

and includes eight originals, three songs in Scottish Gaelic, and a cover of "Trouble in the Fields" by Nanci Griffith. Literary influences in Carey's original songs include the poetry of

, Edna St. Vincent Millay,

Elizabeth Bishop Elizabeth Bishop (February 8, 1911 – October 6, 1979) was an American poet and short-story writer. She was Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 1949 to 1950, the Pulitzer Prize winner for Poetry in 1956, the National Book Awar ...

Robert Frost Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in the United States. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American collo ...

and

W.B. Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

, as well as the prose of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian er ...

. Guest artists on the album included

Rhiannon Giddens Rhiannon Giddens (born February 21, 1977) is an American musician. She is a founding member of the country, blues and old-time music band the Carolina Chocolate Drops, where she is the lead singer, fiddle player, and banjo player. Giddens i ...

John McCusker John McCusker (born 15 May 1973) is a Scottish folk musician, record producer, and composer. An accomplished fiddle player, he had a long association as a member of the Battlefield Band beginning in the 1990s and was later a band member and p ...

Mike McGoldrick Michael McGoldrick (born 26 November 1971, in Manchester, England) is a folk musician who plays Irish flute, uilleann pipes, low whistle and bodhran. He also plays other instruments such as acoustic guitar, cittern, and mandolin. Bands ...

, Sam Broussard, Kai Welch and James MacKintosh.''The Art of Forgetting'' landed at #3 on the January 2018 Folk DJ Charts and #24 on the February 2018 Euroamericana Charts. Influential Webzine 'PopMatters' named it one of the '20 Best Folk Albums of 2018'. In December 2020 Kyle released a holiday EP entitled 'Ash & Amaryllis: Songs for a Winter's Night'. The album was recorded in Woodstock, NY and produced by Julie Last. The EP was originally conceptualized as a duet between voice and double bass and features Lou Pappas on the upright bass.

Personal life

Kyle is based in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. She is the daughter of non-fiction writer Richard Adams Carey and a direct descendant of the Adams and Quincy Adams families. In 2017 she became engaged to Italian philosopher and 2016 'Gaelic Learner of the Year' Carmine Colajezzi.

Discography

* ''Monongah'', 2011 * ''One Morning in May'' EP, 2013 * ''North Star'', 2014 * ''The Art of Forgetting'', 2018 * ''Ash & Amaryllis: Songs for a Winter's Night'' EP, 2020 * ''Mo Dhuilichinn'' Single, 2021

References

External links

* *
Kyle Carey
o
Google Play
*

Reviews

www.folkradio.co.uk
by John Atkin 2012-05-01

by Kerry Dexter 2014-10-27

by Neil King 2014
www.americana-uk.com
by Matthew Boulter, 2014-11-10
www.folkradio.co.uk
by Alex Gallacher 2014-12-01 ''(Review + Song of the Day)''

Interviews

BBC Radio
with Iain Mac 'ille Mhìcheil], 2014-02-24 ''(in Gaelic)'' ( 6min clip from a much longer interview and country music program)
wglt.org
with Bruce Bergethon 2014-09-16 ''(main feature of 20min program on ‘kickstarting’ )''
World Music Central
with Angel Romero 2014-11-02
Allegheny Mountain Radio
with Kelly Taber 2014-12-05 (4min) {{DEFAULTSORT:Carey, Kyle Living people American folk singers American women singer-songwriters Scottish Gaelic singers American folk guitarists 1988 births Holderness School alumni Skidmore College alumni 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women guitarists 21st-century American guitarists Fulbright alumni