CD Review - 2 Folkfestival, Gutenbrunn

Those of us familiar with European festivals can attest to at least two things, the professionalism of the organisation and the great audience responses. What festival in Ireland would have a choice of cold beers and various chilled waters before you perform? The hordes of independent back-packers arriving by the ferry load also attests to the attraction traditional music has with the youth of Europe (and would the tourist authorities treat them the music they love with the respect it deserves- it's a big money earner let alone a National Treasure).

This CD is taken from the Austrian folk festival held each year in Gutenbrunn. For sheer vibrancy, this live performance would be difficult to match. We are treated to some familiar faces of Irish folk (Dervish, Sean Keane, Sine É, Malin Head all giving it 110%) . Irish artists make up the bulk of the 16 tracks. There are spots from Europeans , Chudoba (Polish,) and locals(?) Die Interpreten, and Thomas Kleemaier, the Polish band seems closer to a rootsier tradition, with a fair dose of eastern European rhythms and modal tunes. Locals opting for American influenced material (which means it is easily accessible by the likes of us). If this is the expanded European Union, I'm all in favour of it.