Jamie Smith's MABON are Wales' finest purveyors of original InterCeltic music. As comfortable on a world music stage as in a folk setting, theirs is a music that travels beyond borders to explore the forms and styles of the Celtic traditions and work then anew.

Through songs and melodies, from thoughtful lyrics to joyful jigs, graceful mazurkas to ecstatic muñera, here is a band that can take you on an emotional journey. More than just a show, more than inspired composition and skilful arrangement, you can expect to witness the joy of creating music expressed in dynamic, virtuosic performance.

Tunesmith, accordionist and lead singer Jamie is joined at the front of the stage by fiddler Oliver Wilson-Dickson (of Ian Macmillan Orchestra and Zsapora renown) and by Adam Rhodes on bouzouki. Recordings and occasional concerts also feature special guest Calum Stewart, Scotland's leading exponent of the wooden flute.

These are musicians whose intimate relationship provides a rich and flexible soundscape, where delicate touch and driving tune are instantly interchangeable; where lush, textural harmonies can underpin lyrical song, or swift, slick rhythms can propel lightning melodies.

Behind them are two consummate accompanists, Matthew Downer on electric and upright basses and percussionist Iolo Whelan at the drum kit. Between them they create a fluid yet undeniably solid and groovy foundation, tastefully supporting the front line through gracious airs, cantering songs and dancey reels alike.

Jamie Smith's MABON is a band that draws readily on the vast range of its members' influences, but does not attempt to make 'fusion'; instead it is a constant pursuit of integrity in seeking to explore the music that gives them - and their listeners - joy.

Their most notable performances in recent times include WOMAD, Womex, Fairport's Cropredy Convention, Celtic Connections, and the massive Festival Interceltique de L'orient, as one major festival after the next becomes unable to ignore the band's quality, sheer exuberance and ever-increasing profile.

Autumn 2012 sees the release of a new album - a studio release to surpass all four of their previous albums in taste, musicianship, breadth and style. The more established instrumental sound has expanded to include songs: the two aspects co-exist happily, tied together by their similar treatment - a genuine pursuit of beautiful, original music through inspired composition, skilful arrangement and exceptional performance.



HISTORY

The band first formed in 1999 when Jamie Smith, his father Derek, Iolo Whelan and his brother Gareth began exploring the more dynamic side of traditional Welsh and other Celtic dance music in an acoustic quartet of fiddle, accordion, guitar and percussion.

Soon, Jamie started to experiment with composition, and the traditional Celtic tunes of Mabon's early days gradually made way for his own creations, influenced both by traditional music and by other, more contemporary Celtic artists: the band's first album, Lumps of Mabon, is half each traditional and original music, wheras the second consists nearly entirely of Jamie's original music.

The second major shift in sound came with the addition of bass to the line-up, originally by Jason Rogers, and Iolo's move to drum kit: and through various permutations, expansions and contractions, the band's core instrumental make-up remained the same until 2011.

At that point, with Derek's departure from the band, guitar made way for bouzouki in the capable hands of Adam Rhodes, the band's newest and most northerly permanent member, hailing from the Isle of Man and based in Edinburgh. This most recent choice of instrumentation has further fused the bond between rhythm section and front line, placing the sound in a remarkably versatile space where the band can exploit the melodic, harmonic and rhythmic elements of the music to the full.

Jamie - The Starting Point

Jamie's compositions make up the vast majority of the band's repertoire: thus, he is the starting point for much of what we do. He plays the accordion in the band and sings lead vocals too.

Being the primary creative force and MD in a band like this one is no joke. As well as having to produce a steady stream of material to feed to the band and its audiences, and be forthright enough to call a pretty cheeky bunch of musicians to order, he then has to tread the fine line when things go well, between being genuinely pleased and seeming overly smug.

Seeing as the first ideas are usually Jamie's, he also gets the last word when musical opinions collide - someone has to, especially in a group where everyone else has a wealth of influence, imagination and ingenuity to offer too. Happily, his last word is usually pretty astute.

A lover of music from across a wide range of genres, Jamie has a particular soft spot for folk after (or perhaps despite) a childhood of trailing around music and dance festivals with his parents.

While his peers engaged in various teenage pursuits in their darkened bedrooms, Jamie vented the early portion of his existential angst on an accordion: not with a knife, but teaching himself to play one, largely by means of listening to and emulating the tunes and techniques of Sharon Shannon, Michael McGoldrick, Shooglenifty, Lunasa and many others. Happily, he had enough existential angst left over to sustain a career as a musician later on.

When he, his father Derek, and two brothers Gareth and iolo Whelan began to play as an acoustic folk quartet in 1999 (behold, Mabon is born!), he unknowingly set out on a long, steady journey which expanded his instrumental, compositional, personal and performance skills to the level you see today. He continues to strive for constant improvement, and can be at least as cross with himself as with any of the other band members if a particular performance is not up to scratch.

These days at the grand old age of 29, Jamie lives outside Newport, South Wales, in an old miners' cottage in a small town named Risca, with his wife Grainne and their two young children.

As well as working with the Mabon boys, he works extensively performing in schools, old folks' homes and hospitals, and also plays in an acoustic trio 'Barrule', where alongside bouzouki player Adam and occasional Mabon fiddler Tom, he plays traditional and contemporary folk music from the Isle of Man. This way he gets to have his cake and eat it, as he enjoys both the purity of the acoustic experience and the breadth of the full band sound.

Popular theory postulates that he will gravitate inevitably towards the Isle of Man during the course of his life, and by the time the hair on his ears is denser than the hair on his head, he will be glued to a chair in a steaming trad session somewhere on the island, squeezing his Stomach Steinway for all its worth.

All musicians need other interests too, and as well as books and films, current affairs amd technology, Jamie has a real passion for eating good food. If you had married Grainne, so would you.

Oli - The Icing

If you've got a really good cake, you don't need icing. But if you've got a really good cake, AND icing...

Enter Oliver Wilson-Dickson, who shares the footlights with Jamie and coats jsm's performances with extra flair, grace and style. Oli plays the fiddle, and sings backing vocals too: though maybe the term 'fiddle' doesn't quite do justice to the breadth of his playing ability.

Able to read Jamie's playing like the back of a soup carton and match his fiddle sound to the subtlest nuances of the accordion, he finds his space in the music, weaving between crisp unison tune-playing and tight harmonies, between open textural sounds and soaring improvised lines.

It is surely a cruelty to your mother to be born with a fiddle in your hand, but Oli came pretty close. Despite also being able to get a tidy tune out of a whole bunch of other instruments (and we won't even mention some serious circus skills!), he is made to fiddle, and radiates when he plays.

He recalls as a child being constantly immersed in music: his parents play (and how!), his siblings play, his whole family oozes music and Oli could not resist the calling.

His passion for folk music reaches out both east and west from the Celtic field: he loves country music, swing, balkan tunes, Russian melodies... whatever means by which he can express his passion.

[Oli shares his musical talents amongst several groups; he plays with The Devil's Violin Company and with his new group Alaw, and also works on Welsh TV. Thus, occasionally he is replaced in the Mabon line-up for certain concerts - that'll be because someone else has nabbed him sooner than us!]

Having been brought up outside Cardiff, Oli has put down strong roots in the Monmouthshire area, and now lives in the borders with his wife and their two boys, all of whom he adores openly: a fine quality in a man!

As well as his music and his family, his other interests mean he can talk at length about gadgets, technology and automobiles, and like everyone else in the band, he is a proper food fan. Oh, and did I mention the circus skills?

A lady at a concert a few years ago, when we were playing a totally instrumental repertoire, asked us why we didn't sing. Her friend turned to her and answered: "they don't need to sing. They've got Oliver, he makes his fiddle sing".

These days we've still got Oli, AND we sing.
Cake. Icing. Cherry on top. On a unicycle if you like.

Adam - The Fulcrum

You can't really justify including someone in the band just for his killer one-liners. Good job that Adam Rhodes is also a mean musician: possibly the most subtle and understated member of the band, he stands on the fulcrum between an acoustic, melodic front-line and an electric, groove-based rhythm section. He plays bouzouki and also sings backing vocals.

He first played with Mabon years ago as a fiddler, but stepped deftly into the regular line-up with his bouzouki early in 2011. He has forged a unique part in the band's sound, making tuneful contributions to the melodic soundscape alongside the accordion and fiddle, but also providing drive and lift in the rhythm section, welding the two facets of the band into a seamless unit.

Hop into the minibus for a band road-trip when Adam is at the stereo controls, and you will realise that his bouzouki style reflects a truly diverse taste and a wide range of influences which inform his playing.

Brought up on the Isle of Man and imbued there with his love of music, Adam now theoretically lives in Edinburgh. In practice, he gets to go there only occasionally, for a few nights in between work projects; and rarer still, he lands in Scotland at the same time as his lovely girlfriend, who is also a touring musician. If you need a bed in Scotland sometime, chances are Adam's will be empty.

Lest he should be bored on long journeys, Adam also has a web design company: his laptop is his constant companion. One day, the Intergalactic Society for the Protection of Hapless Musicians will award him a special website-makers' honour for the number of artists whom he has helped to present to the world as slick, organised professionals.

Even apart from those one-liners, Adam is also a very amiable chap who is always ready to laugh at other people's jokes, even when they are inferior to his own. Surely that warrants inclusion in any band.

Matt - The Groover.

Playing bass creatively and in good taste in a Celtic music band is a tough gig. Specialising in an instrument some people don't even notice is a tough gig. Looking sharper than a waistcoat-toting front line is a tough gig. Matthew Downer is up to the task: he plays bass guitar and electric upright bass and is also the band's most flamboyant dresser.

When his parents named him Matthew, they could surely have had no inkling that his moniker would rhyme with his favourite apparel: Matt "the Hat" Downer is too irresistible a nickname. Even "Matt the Spats" nearly rhymes, though "Matt the Ruffles" is clearly taking it too far.

Matt joined the band in 2007, taking up the reins from the band's original bass player, Jason Rogers. He met iolo while they were both studying jazz at the Welsh conservatoire, and was inexorably drawn into the band, seemingly to his great delight.

His versatility has been carefully cultured and is no natural accident: it means he can draw from any source and influence to support the music in the best way he can. He enjoys the fruits of his labours, and a review comparing his playing to "the more lyrical moments of Jaco Pastorius" was as close as most bands come to seeing their bass player cry.

Such is Matt's worth in low-frequency gold, there appeared to be a real danger of his being poached one day by succesful musicians in better-paid genres. This was cunningly resolved by Matt meeting his future wife at a Mabon gig, thus indebting him to this band for life. They're happy, we're happy - everyone's a winner!

The pair live in Bristol now, where Matt thrives on pimping himself around the busy local jazz scene, but his spiritual home is probably Nashville, where the bass-slapping gods of rockabilly reside on high. Originally though, he comes from a farming background in West Wales, and his rustic roots left a thread in his personality which binds him to the band with an unexpected but fundamental connection: yes, Matt is a proper foodie too. Good result.

Iolo - The Quiet One.

iolo Whelan plays drums and percussion in the band, and very occasionally sings backing vocals. So how on earth can you introduce the band's drummer as the quiet one? Well, he fits the counter-intuitive theory about shy people gravitating towards the drums as a form of expressing themselves: he is compelled to make loud noise to survive, and starts to go slightly mad if he goes too long without playing.

One of the band's original members, he was 24 when Mabon formed in 1999, and played acoustic percussion. During Mabon's 13-year development, he moved towards the drum-kit as the main tool of choice, and also accidentally became 37.

Not being at all impressed with being the oldest and squidgiest member of the band, he is forced to keep his youthful good looks by means of clean living, eating salads and shunning hard drink. The most consistent exception to this rule is his addiction to cheese, which is the surest way to entice him from the straight and narrow these days.

Having been taught classical percussion as a boy, and drifted into a professional music career in his twenties, iolo decided he should learn to play his primary instrument properly, and opted to study a post-grad conservatoire course in jazz performance. This formative experience, which he cites as terrifying and exhilarating in equal measures, better equipped him for the subtleties of playing the drums on a Mabon gig.

His constant aim and favourite challenge is to accompany, and he often doubts whether he is a proper drummer at all - he can sing you the lyrics, guitar solos and horn parts from most of the songs he's ever heard, but often has no idea how their drum parts go. He's learning them all gradually, mainly by teaching them to his students: he is a keen and devoted drum tutor and has about forty students with whom he delights in sharing the constant wonder of music. Occasionally, he remembers to teach them some beats and stuff too.

The few hours a week when he is neither teaching nor playing, iolo is lucky enough to have a home in the Rhondda full of his loving family - his wife (whom he met on the Isle of Man at the tender age of seventeen, and dragged over to Wales many years later), his three-year-old daughter who generously but mistakenly thinks he has played the drums on every record she's ever heard, and a jack russell terrier with an over-developed work ethic. He claims this three-girl team is what keeps him busy, grounded, laughing and sane.

He has a passion for the environment too, and has built several low-impact dwellings, one of which he considers one of the most beautiful things he's seen, apart from the aforementioned family members.

If you catch a Mabon gig sometime, iolo will be floating around as soon as he can afterwards, chatting to folks and meeting friends old and new. If he is indeed socially inept as he claims to be, then evidently a load of adrenaline and a good talking point go a long way towards covering that: the only problem then is to get him to stop talking.

Let's face it, they're funny creatures, drummers - ours is no exception.

Tom - Bonus!

Tomás Callister very kindly stands in for Oli at some of our gigs, playing the fiddle. The youngest musician who plays with the band, he has racked up only nineteen years so far, and has spent most of that time playing the fiddle. If you took out sleeping, eating, driving and playing or listening to trad music, he's only two years old: the first three of these pursuits he considers mere necessities to facilitate the last two.

Born and bred on the Isle of Man - yes indeed, yet another Manx connection! - Tom asked his dad to teach him a particular tune on the fiddle at a very early age. His passion for music then lasted throughout his childhood and later drew him to study in Lews Castle College on Uist, where his natural enthusiasm and talent were further honed and backed up with technique to match.

Living back on the Isle of Man for now, he plans to tear himself away from his beloved homeland again at some point soon and chase the tunes to live in Scotland. It's a tricky wrench: he loves his Island almost as much as his fiddle.

As well as some shockingly good tune-playing, Tom brings a few surprise talents to the table. He packs some very cool fiddle-chopping skills (ask him to play you a Michael Jackson riff!); he plays a mean banjo too; he is a most entertaining raconteur with a seemingly boundless store of anecdotes; and he can make both Jamie and Adam look a curiously short on stage, which is no mean feat!

He is convinced he was made for a slightly bigger planet, and was put on this one by accident. Lucky for folk music, we reckon: certainly lucky for us.