sarahillis's blog

It was St. David's Day on March 1, Wales's day to revel in its culture and to generally have a great time being Welsh. So, who are we to ignore this fact at Come by the Hills? Well, we, in fact, is me, and since I didn't ignore it, that means that you will be treated to three hours of absolutely awesome music from Wales and mostly in the Welsh language, or, yn Cymraeg. You will also be treated to my attempts to explain at least some of the songs and to pronounce their artists and titles correctly while using a thoroughly Amaerican screen-reader to read them.

Anyone who knows anything about me and my love for Celtic music will know that it all started when I heard the music of Canadian artist Loreena McKennitt back in my teens. If it hadn't been for her music, I likely would have enjoyed the Celtic music I heard, but would never have had the courage to try singing it for myself. I can't exactly say why this is, but it is. She was my doorway.

It's still the same show: a great mix of music from the 50s through the 80s, and it's still on at the same time: noon and midnight Eastern from Monday to Friday, but it's getting a new name. As of this Monday, the Sara Hillis Show will be known simply as Sara Smiles. I've decided to stop taking myself so seriously and surrender to the truth that I do have a smiley sort of voice. So, don't worry if you hear a different promo or see a different title in the schedule. It's still me, only now, I'm officially smiling! And thanks to Hall and Oates, I even have a theme song! How exciting is this?

Since Valentine's Day is coming up in a few days, I thought we'd devote this week's Come by the Hills to music about love. There will be songs about romance, seduction, and even marriage. We won't have any of our usual features this week, just lots of music in honour of Valentine's Day. So if you're feeling romantic, tune in on Sunday night after The Early Years or on Friday morning following The Daily Fibre!

Well, it's a new month and another weekend, and it's time once again for Come by the Hills, the Celtic Music Show! We'll have three hours of great folk music from hither and yon, and we'll have all our usual features as well. so, if you're keen for Celtic music this week, then join me on Sunday after The Early Years, or catch the replay on Friday morning after Jonathan's Daily Fibre!

Grooves? Well, alright, so I'm borrowing a bit from Paul Simon perhaps, but I think that Celtic music is groovy, so if you're tired of kicking down the cobble-stones and aren't getting anywhere talking to lamp-posts, and if you're looking for good solid folky fare, then tune in this week for Come by the Hills! I've recently purchased a few of the "Rough Guide" compilations and so have infused my Celtic collection with some interesting artists I have never heard before. We've got our usual features back again this week, and well, it'll just be a fun time, I tell you.

Yes, Robby Burns Day is this coming Thursday, so we're celebrating it tonight on Come by the Hills! We'll have Burns and Burns-esque music, some information about Scotland's national poet along with some of his most well-known poetry, and we'll even pipe in the Haggis! But don't worry. It's only a virtual haggis. the point is that we're going to have a great time celebrating the life and work of this man who has become over the years a very important cultural, even global, figure.

Yes, Come by the hills is back for another week, and in our "Celtic Covers" feature, we'll be exploring the ballad of The Cruel Sister. We'll explore the more mythical version of the song which involves transformation and other interesting things, and we'll play a version by Old Blind Dogs and another song based on that ballad by Loreena McKennitt called The Bonnie Swans. We've also got a bit of a musical education for you in "Fiddlin' Around," and lots of great music from amazing artists as always.

Well, the holidays are over and a new year has begun, but some things never change. If it's Celtic music you're looking for, then look no further than mushroom FM and Come by the Hills, the Celtic Music Show! Our usual features are back again this week and of course there's lots of amazing music! So join me on Sunday at 8:00 Eastern right after Steve Cutway and The Early years, or catch the replay on Friday at 4:00 AM Eastern, 9:00 AM in the UK and Ireland!