May 2005

My component stereo CD player finally bit the dust. I found it cheaper to use the DVD player that I had in its place. It made sense because the TV was right beside the stereo and I was used to playing DVD’s on it anyway. I guess that is the poor man’s "home theatre". I really had not tried it out yet when the new Ceili Rain DVD came into CatholicMusicNetwork.com’s headquarters. It was a great find to slip into the DVD player.

Ceili Rain (pronounced kay-lee..means party in Gaelic) have about 5 CDs to their name and the band members have all got their own stories to tell. It makes sense in this multimedia world that the band would want to do something visual for their collection. The DVD is called Anthology 1995-2005 and it's a great gift for their long time fans, as well as for people who are just starting to listen to their Irish rock music.
 
I started out with the concert footage from various events and venues in Ceili Rain’s past performances. It is almost more of a documentary of the band in songs. You have older footage from the early days of the band, then you are given the beauty of professional video direction in the newer venues. It's a great way to see how far this band has come. “Fighting Chair,” “666 Degrees,” “Jigorous,” and “That's All The Lumber You Sent” are just a few of the songs you will see performed live.  It really makes you want to see a whole concert by Ceili Rain live. (Maybe the next DVD will be a full performance in front of their fans.)  The DVD also includes interviews with the band and lead singer Bob Halligan Jr.

For the MTV generation comes the music videos done by Ceili Rain. The videos here are “Barely Stay Inside Of My Own Skin” and Ceili Rain’s new single “Like A Train.” The one thing you can say is that the videos are not boring at all and are not so far over your head with "deep artistic meaning" that you lose interest or consciousness. The video for “Like a Train” is electric in the way you are caught up in the music while watching the band perform around a large locomotive.

For the “Barely Stay Inside Of My Own Skin” video, Ceili Rain is dancing around a stage and having a blast filming and singing their songs. It is a lot of fun and in a way shows that “Christian” music can be exciting (despite what the world would tell you.)

Ceili Rain’s Anthology 1995-2005 shows that the band has not lost steam and shows no signs of slowing down after 10 years.



One of the best ways to meditate on the Passion of Christ is to follow the Stations of the Cross, also called the Via Crucis or and Via Dolorosa. The Stations constitute a miniature pilgrimage to the holy places in Jerusalem, using a series of pictures representing certain scenes in the Passion of Christ, each corresponding to a particular incident, or the special form of devotion connected with such representations. The origin of the devotion may be traced to the early days of the Catholic Church.

Popular Catholic singer Dana has taken this powerful devotion and with partner Fr. Kevin Scallon, C.M., leads us in prayer and meditation on the last moments of Jesus in her new CD The Stations of the Cross. Dana’s always beautiful voice captures the very essence of our Lord’s passion. Fr. Scallon’s tender and gentle voice guides us through each step of the way of the Cross. If you enjoyed their shared collaboration on the CD The Rosary, you will find joy in The Stations of the Cross, as well.