Biography
Over ten years after Scottish harpers Patsy Seddon and Mary MacMaster first joined forces, their project Sileas—pronounced She-less—continues to stand as the only duo of its sort. Although the pair stays anchored in traditional Scottish folk music, their pairing of nylon-strung acoustic harp with brass-strung electro-harp produces an energetic, vibrant and modern texture. Seddon and MacMaster have lately directed most of their efforts toward the Poozies, the eclectic group they share with accordionist Karen Tweed and guitarist Kate Rusby, yet the harp duo still surfaces regularly in the Poozies’ concerts.
The idea for Sileas originated when Seddon, who spent four years studying harp with Alison Kinnaird, and MacMaster, whose training was largely self-directed, performed together inside the short-lived band Sprangeen. Taking its name from a seventeenth-century Gaelic poet, Sileas issued its debut album, Delighted With Harps, in 1986. Freeland Barbour produced the record, which highlighted the two musicians’ singular harp styles and their smooth vocal harmonies on material sung in both Gaelic and English. Their second album, Beating Harps, followed in 1988 and maintained the standard set by its predecessor. The third release, Harpbreakers, appeared in 1990 and marked their weakest outing by placing too much emphasis on electronically treated sound. Six years afterward came the fourth album, Play on Light, issued in 1996. Jim Sutherland handled production, steering the project back toward the acoustic approach of the duo’s first two records and including a medley of Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” with MacMaster’s instrumental composition “The Flawless Juggler.”
Seddon and MacMaster recorded an album, Sail On, with Clan Alba, a band of Scottish musicians assembled by Dick Gaughan, in 1996. Play on Light followed three years later.
The idea for Sileas originated when Seddon, who spent four years studying harp with Alison Kinnaird, and MacMaster, whose training was largely self-directed, performed together inside the short-lived band Sprangeen. Taking its name from a seventeenth-century Gaelic poet, Sileas issued its debut album, Delighted With Harps, in 1986. Freeland Barbour produced the record, which highlighted the two musicians’ singular harp styles and their smooth vocal harmonies on material sung in both Gaelic and English. Their second album, Beating Harps, followed in 1988 and maintained the standard set by its predecessor. The third release, Harpbreakers, appeared in 1990 and marked their weakest outing by placing too much emphasis on electronically treated sound. Six years afterward came the fourth album, Play on Light, issued in 1996. Jim Sutherland handled production, steering the project back toward the acoustic approach of the duo’s first two records and including a medley of Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” with MacMaster’s instrumental composition “The Flawless Juggler.”
Seddon and MacMaster recorded an album, Sail On, with Clan Alba, a band of Scottish musicians assembled by Dick Gaughan, in 1996. Play on Light followed three years later.
Albums