Artist description A four-piece modern celtic band from Caithness Scotland

Music Style Modern Celtic

Musical Influences Traditional Celtic

Similar Artists Skara have a unique sound

Artist History Formed in 2000 and have released highly acclaimed debut album "Through Celtic Eyes"

Group Members Gloria Swanson,Mark Wright,David Tashinizi & Alec McKintosh

Instruments MARK-Drums,Percussion,bass,rythym,lead and slide guitar,piano,keyboards,bandolin and backing vocals.ALEC-Rhythm and lead guitars.GLORIA-Vocals.DAVID-Vocals,bass,accoustic and lead guitars

Albums Through Celtic Eyes

Press Reviews Press Releases of ‘Through Celtic Eyes’ Album by Skara Press Release of album review by Steven Cashmore: Caithness Courier Wednesday 9th January 2002 Skara CD captures the musical moods of the Far North IN its primal sense music is older than humankind. Before our earliest ancestors shambled across this earth the daylight air was filled with birdsong, animal cries pierced the night, there were rainbeat rhythms, wavebreak on lonely sandspars, thunderstorms, gales tearing through tree�tops, Nature’s many moods and nuances. All these things have inspired the music we make. So, too, has our everyday environ�ment. Is there not urban music, rural music, city sounds and country tunes? And - to add another bar to this thesis - do specific loca�tions not have there own unique musical associations? One example will suffice: Tamla Motown. That irresistible beat in all the best Motown records is nothing if not the musical equiva�lent of a General Motors production line hammering away full throttle. Our Far North lands have their own melodies that, year after year, spin their subtle spells in our innermost recesses. Winter, when a full moon lights up a frozen landscape and the midnight silence is trou�bled only by the rumble of the flow-tide run�ning in and out of some distant geo. Or those midsummer nights when the sun dips below a cloudless horizon, to reappear but a brief moment later, reborn like a lover’s spent desire. Only sterile spirits remain unmoved by such things, which stand aloof from any artistic concepts. Yet some folk, consciously or otherwise, manage to translate this magic into music. Through Celtic Eyes is the title of an 11-track CD by Skara, a band of local musi�cians assembled, recorded and produced by Mark Wright at his Thurso studio. A drummer by trade, this recording shows Mark to be a talented guitarist and keyboard player, too. He is ably abetted by three other top-drawer music-makers: Alec McIntosh, better known for his lead guitar work with the Howlin’ Gaels; fellow Gael guitarist David Tashinizi; and Gloria Swanson, whose vocals are made to measure for Skara’s brand of melodious folk rock. The album opens like a fresh spring morning with “Travellin’ Through Scot�land”, a Mark Wright song that will touch a chord in anyone whose spirit rises along with the road over the Ord. It’s one of those uncomplicated tunes, smooth and seamless like a seagull’s glide across a northern sky, that sings in your ears all day long. “Celtic Eyes” showcases the vocal talents of David Tashinizi, co-writer of this yearn�ing ballad, close kin to those ancient Gaelic songs in which fate-struck lovers entwine their affections across melancholy oceans. This memorable track is followed by two instrumentals. “Kate Martin’s Waltz” is a Blair Douglas number that will be familiar to Runrig fans, while “Another Rainy Day” belongs to Alec McIntosh, whose guitar paints a musical picture of a soft grey sky shedding tears on a sodden land. Scenes like these are the wellsprings of true northern poetry. Track five is, arguably, the most appeal�ing song on this fine album. “The Caithness Shore” was composed by Mark and Gloria, whose distinctive voice carries us away to a lonely northern beach, kissed by a gentle ebb tide while magic shadows gather in the gloaming. Whether you belong to Caithness, are an incomer or an exile, matters not; if this music fails to stir you then you should seriously consider a life-proving test. After this outstanding track, what else is on offer? A trio of instrumentals - “Mar�garet’s Waltz”, which is just as it says; “The Eagles’ Glen”, Mark’s sound painting of a wild northern landscape hemmed in by frowning mountains; and “The Islands”, which evokes those great aerial vistas one sees when looking across the Pentland Firth on days when strong winds seem to stretch the sky and set the waves a-dancing. And three songs, including a fine version of the classic “Wild Mountain Thyme”. “Not Too Late”, written and sung by David, is probably the nearest thing on the album to a mainstream song. The final track, “Gloria’s Snowfall”, is short and lightsome. Advice to readers: take the hard-earned cash you were going to squander on some talentless “tribute” band and invest in a copy of Skara’s ‘Through Celtic Eyes’. Believe me, it’s the right thing to do. Steven Cashmore Press Release: The Press and Journal (Highland Edition) Thursday November 8th 2001 Caithness Band in Celtic Net success CAITHNESS group Skara has topped the British Celtic charts with a song from their yet-to-be-released debut album. Their upbeat version of the traditional Scottish ballad ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ is one of three tracks which has featured in the top 10 of the specialised MP3 Internet listing. The Thurso-based four piece band, spearheaded by full-time musician Mark Wright, are surprised but de�lighted by the interest they have attracted. The charts, compiled by the number of hits on the 700 or so entries on the Celtic site, are constantly updated, with Skara having this week lost out on the UK Number 1 spot. But ‘Wild Mountain Thyme remains in the top 10 along with the band’s other tracks ‘Celtic Eyes’ and ‘Travellin' Through Scotland’ The band, which is busy preparing to launch its maiden CD, has attracted over 6,000 hits since it put its music on line about six weeks ago. Thirty-six-year-old Mark has his own recording studio at his home near Thurso, which is called Skara. He and fellow members, Alex McIntosh (songwriter/gui�tarist), Gloria Swanson (lyri�cist/vocals) and David Tashnizi (lyricist/guitarist/vocals) have been delighted with the re�sponse from Celtic music surfers. “It’s been an exciting time for us,” Mark said yesterday. “We went screaming up the chart and got to number one last week. We seem to have got a lot of hits from America where there is a lot of interest in Celtic music.” Skara are making final prepa�rations on their debut CD, ‘Through Celtic Eyes’ which is to have its first run pressed at Grampian Records in Wick. Most of the 10 tracks are originals written by Mark, who has spent the past two years producing the work. Press Release: John O’Groat Journal Friday December 21st 2001 Debut Album by Caithness Band FOUR-piece Caithness band Skara have just released their debut CD. ‘Through Celtic Eyes’ contains a mix of punchy and haunting tracks with their roots in both the traditional Scottish and the Celtic rock streams. The group are hoping the CD will end up in many Christmas stock�ings in the Far North, given that it is an all-local creation. Nearly all the 11 tracks were written by Mark Wright, who re�corded and produced it in his studio at his home near Thurso. The group enjoyed a little bit of fame last month when their up-tempo rendition of the popular Scots ballad “Wild Mountain Thyme’ briefly topped the UK Celtic charts compiled on the MP3 Internet list�ing. Two others, “Celtic Eyes” and “Travelling Through Scotland”, the opening track on the CD, also featured for spells in the top 10. The latter is one of three written specifically about Caithness, though the band say all their work is heavily influ�enced by their surround�ings. Professional musician Mark (36), who started working on the CD two years ago, plays a dozen instruments heard on the tracks. Others in the band are Alex McIntosh (songwriter/guitarist), Gloria Swanson (lyri�cist/vocals) and David Tashnizi (lyricist/gui�tarist/vocals). The CD, being distrib�uted by Muir of Ord� based Highlander Music, is available in a number of outlets throughout the Highlands and Orkney.

Location Thurso, Caithness - United Kingdom

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