tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64958418255502540792024-03-05T06:00:00.222-08:00The Young Folk Young Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870289071076758400noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495841825550254079.post-33584984307520498242014-08-21T13:04:00.000-07:002014-08-21T13:37:07.125-07:00FolkEast Festival 2014 <span style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">This year was the third FolkEast festival, set in the grounds of the magnificent Glemham Hall, Suffolk, for the second year running. I have attended this festival every year so far, as it is in my home county, and it never fails to bring joy.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Midday, on Friday 15th August, we set off to this wonderful festival, not camping for the weekend (though that is definitely a desire of mine) but staying for the day. The rain which we had driven through failed to dampen our spirits and we arrived excited as ever, to soak up the long awaited FolkEast atmosphere. This festival somehow has the ability to seem very small and intimate and yet has so much to offer and explore. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px;">Arriving at a time when there was presently no music on the two main stages, we took the opportunity to explore the stalls of crafty and foody delights. Everyone was so friendly and we came away having printed our own FolkEast t shirts - a fine idea, I think you'll agree! We then headed to the Broad Roots stage to find it nicely full up with lots of people enthusiastically dancing to the sounds of The English String Band.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px;">The Soapbox stage is a big part of FolkEast, based in a cosy tent in the woods, showing off the wealth of local talent from the surrounding areas. We saw young singer/songwriter Tilly Dalglish play this stage, this time with multi-instrumentalist Finn Collinson. This was an absolute treat - Tilly has a beautiful voice, combined with her mandolin playing and Finn's talent over various instruments, it made for a fantastic set.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px;">Next up we saw the John Ward Band play the Broad Roots stage. Now, I have seen him play before - a fantastic local musician and singer/songwriter, but I had never seen him play with his full band. We were not disappointed. They played a mixture of classic traditional songs, for example Byker Hill and then some written by John as well. Almost all followed a nautical theme reflecting their passion for the East Anglian coast's heritage. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">We caught the end of The Rails after seeing John Ward and I wish that we had been able to see the whole set. They were excellent, taking a more folk rock approach to the music - their debut album 'Fair Warning' is out now and definitely worth a listen.</span><br />
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px;">Now, before this day, I had not listened to much Blowzabella at all, so we approached seeing them through a veil of mystery. They are all exceptional musicians and played some incredible tunes, many written by them, they sang some traditional songs as well. As the sun was setting over Glemham, crowds assembled and much dancing was taking place. I absolutely loved them and would definitely take up an opportunity to see them again, if one arose.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px;">Finally, the name that was on every man, woman and child's lips; Bellowhead.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">We spent the hour before Bellowhead's set among other passionate fans, with the atmosphere of anticipation building. By then, the sun had well and truly set and everyone was eagerly awaiting them to finish the (actually rather intriguing) setting up process. The set was, as expected, absolutely fantastic - so entertaining and energetic. They played quite a few tracks from their latest album "Revival", opening with 'Let Her Run'; some maybe less well known ones such as 'Fakenham Fair' and 'Hopkinson's Favourite'; and some of the old classics including 'Sloe Gin' and 'New York Girls' - those ones that get literally everyone prancing madly around (dancing in some shape or form).</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">What I'm trying to say is that FolkEast is an incredible festival, getting better and better every year. We had a brilliant time and will definitely be back next year.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ATzII05QsFVteHacU-Lbh8xGdJojT63pEoWUXgEHjQLpNl-kcczXtuSITKIIcbwyDiUr_QMz1gIG87R0SHitmC4URckip_27OFF-0Gvrzdv9gNX3VEbLk2xN0dq3IWWY9r_0_n1YitQ/s1600/FolkEast2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ATzII05QsFVteHacU-Lbh8xGdJojT63pEoWUXgEHjQLpNl-kcczXtuSITKIIcbwyDiUr_QMz1gIG87R0SHitmC4URckip_27OFF-0Gvrzdv9gNX3VEbLk2xN0dq3IWWY9r_0_n1YitQ/s1600/FolkEast2.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Z6q1OtbQ3bATl0AsKvyJKhQu992X0GIBgBKyjRZOWC36WXq4Kx5lQBtLycE9NngxTw_VsUbOu3DOJSL45HYf9y9T2N28vstmwbrrwKMTC5P_GxVoYS-Tz2bPHXZPn_7xR5eord5t9xg/s1600/Blowzabella.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Z6q1OtbQ3bATl0AsKvyJKhQu992X0GIBgBKyjRZOWC36WXq4Kx5lQBtLycE9NngxTw_VsUbOu3DOJSL45HYf9y9T2N28vstmwbrrwKMTC5P_GxVoYS-Tz2bPHXZPn_7xR5eord5t9xg/s1600/Blowzabella.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5dGzYnkv5PIjP4wKeXFgUfJBxsWxCieFckOOmceMbBqaC6ICCOAb_-WxHDFmTZejbK2YzCZLbmGB8X_iLPGdoznaybL4HMzap5-QoIXYreVn87dzWXa9y2cWL7fl4jPlNC_eISo9epTs/s1600/Bellowhead1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5dGzYnkv5PIjP4wKeXFgUfJBxsWxCieFckOOmceMbBqaC6ICCOAb_-WxHDFmTZejbK2YzCZLbmGB8X_iLPGdoznaybL4HMzap5-QoIXYreVn87dzWXa9y2cWL7fl4jPlNC_eISo9epTs/s1600/Bellowhead1.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">http://www.folkeast.co.uk/</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">http://www.englishstringband.co.uk/</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">https://soundcloud.com/tilly-dalglish</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">http://www.johnward.org.uk/</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">http://therailsofficial.com/</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">http://blowzabella.co.uk/</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">http://www.bellowhead.co.uk/</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>Young Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870289071076758400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495841825550254079.post-24063138520697739182014-08-20T00:35:00.001-07:002014-08-20T00:38:50.880-07:00Ange Hardy - "The Lament of the Black Sheep"<p class="s5" style="text-align: -webkit-auto; margin: 0px 0px 10px; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">Somerset singer, songwriter and musician, Ange Hardy</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> - </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">winner of the FATEA Magazine's award for "Female Vocalist of the Year" </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">- </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">release</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">s</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> her second album "The Lament of the Black Sheep" this September. Her debut album</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> "</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">Bare Foot Folk" </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">was released last year and contains 14 beautifully crafted songs. From these foundations, Ange has used her second album to explore her own roots and the heritage of her homeland of West Somerset. It is a very personal approach to music, with many songs inspired by her own family and experience. The album</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">features talented guest musicians</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">: </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">James Findlay on violin and vocals</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">; </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">Luckas Drinkwater </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">contributing</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> double bass and his voice</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">;</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> Jon Dyer</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">, </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">an expert flute and whistle player</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">; </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">Alex Cumming on accordion and vocals</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">;</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> and percussionist Jo May. These musicians add complex music</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">al</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> arrangements to Ange's beautiful songs.</span></span><span class="s4" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> </span></span></span></p><p class="s5" style="text-align: -webkit-auto; margin: 0px 0px 10px; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s4" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"><br></span></span></span></p><p class="s5" style="text-align: -webkit-auto; margin: 0px 0px 10px; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">The album opens with </span></span><span class="s4" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> "</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">The Bow to The Sailor", </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">a song about the hardships of working at sea. This catchy song has many fantastically layered vocal passages, an example of Ange's ability as a producer. The vocals and percussion give the song</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> a very fitting</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> feeling of a sea shant</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">y.</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">A particularly</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> atmospheric aspect of this song is Jon Dyer's whistle playing</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">,</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> which perfectly complements</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> the melod</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">y.</span></span></span></p><p class="s5" style="text-align: -webkit-auto; margin: 0px 0px 10px; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"><br></span></span></span></p><p class="s5" style="text-align: -webkit-auto; margin: 0px 0px 10px; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">The song "</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">The Daring Lassie" </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">is a particular favourite of mine. It is about Ange's journey to Ireland where she lived on the streets of Dublin for several months after running away from a care home in Somerset. This is an amazing story</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">,</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> especially as Ange was only 14 at the time. It begins with Ange singing alongside sparse guitar accompaniment</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">; </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">James Findlay then sings the rest of the verse. This works really as their voices are a stark contrast. The song has a memorable chorus</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">and </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">a </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">varying texture that make it really interesting to listen to. Like all of Ange's music</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">,</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> it is a song you can listen to over and over again just to hear the different layers.</span></span><span class="s4" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> </span></span></span></p><p class="s5" style="text-align: -webkit-auto; margin: 0px 0px 10px; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">The title track for the album, "</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">The Lament</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> of the Black Sheep", is a retelling of the nursery rhyme "Baa </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">Baa</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">Black Sheep" </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">inspired by Ange's son Luke, who as a toddler simplified the song </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">and</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">happened to reveal the sadness of the story. This song sympathises with the sheep that gives away its wool and incorporates many wonderful harmonies</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">,</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> but is quite s</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">tark</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> in its presentation with only a simple guitar line running alongside Ange's layered vocals.</span></span></span></p><p class="s5" style="text-align: -webkit-auto; margin: 0px 0px 10px; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"><br></span></span></span></p><p class="s5" style="text-align: -webkit-auto; margin: 0px 0px 10px; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">Also inspired by her son, Ange wrote the song "</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">The Lullaby</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">". This song has a wonderful accompaniment consisting of layers of Ange's voice </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">alongside the melody</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">. The song i</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">s a Capella, </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">and</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">,</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> as you would expect</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">, </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">very calming despite </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">having an upbeat rhythm.</span></span></span></p><p class="s5" style="text-align: -webkit-auto; margin: 0px 0px 10px; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"><br></span></span></span></p><p class="s5" style="text-align: -webkit-auto; margin: 0px 0px 10px; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s4" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">"The </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">Gambler's Lot</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">" is about the generations of farmers it sometimes takes to build up a successful bu</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">siness, </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">and </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">is </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">based on Ange's homeland of Somerset. The song comments on how mistakes of individuals can ruin the farm for those in the future. The topic of farming is particularly important to Ange as generations of her family worked in agriculture. This is a strong theme throughout the album represented on the cover by a picture of Ange</span></span><span class="s4" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">’</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">s great-grandfather farming. This picture was taken at the same farm as the pictures of Ange in the sleeve notes.</span></span></span></p><p class="s5" style="text-align: -webkit-auto; margin: 0px 0px 10px; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"><br></span></span></span></p><p class="s5" style="text-align: -webkit-auto; margin: 0px 0px 10px; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">Other tracks range in theme from librarians to a woman who sends her husband to steal riches for her. Testimony to Ange's superb song writing </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">are </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">the lyrics</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">, reproduced in the sleeve notes,</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">that read like a story</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">. </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"></span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">Furthermore, </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">through the arrangements of her songs</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">,</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15"> she creates atmospheres that suit the tale</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">s </span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">the songs tell</span></span><span class="s3" style="direction: rtl; "><span class="bumpedFont15">.</span></span></span></p>Young Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870289071076758400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495841825550254079.post-54816127961720114292014-06-14T02:36:00.001-07:002014-06-14T02:36:47.715-07:00Bella Hardy<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Writing
this on a school bus, the irony is not lost on me</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">: </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Bella
admitted last night </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">just </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">how many of her first songs were
written on </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">the</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> one and a half hour long journey to and from school.
However, despite this slightly weird song writing</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> circumstances</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">,
Bella wrote some brilliant songs in this setting such as </span><span lang="IT" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">‘Jenny Wren</span><span lang="FR" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">’</span><span lang="DE" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">. So let</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">'s</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">
hope this journey has a positive effect on my writing too.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">..</span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Singer
songwriter and fiddle player, Bella Hardy, first became a recognised figure on
the folk scene when she </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">was</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> a finalist for the BBC Radio 2 Young
Folk Award in 2004. Her first album</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span><span lang="IT" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‘</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Night
Visiting</span><span lang="FR" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: FR;">’ </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">was released in 2007 and</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">,</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">since
then</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">,</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Bella has become one of the most influential female
folk artists. She has released a total
of six solo albums, including the Christmas themed </span><span lang="IT" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‘</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Bright
Morning Star</span><span lang="FR" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: FR;">’</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">. She gained a BBC Radio 2 Folk award
for the song </span><span lang="IT" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‘Herring
girl</span><span lang="FR" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: FR;">’ </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">in 2012 and this year she was crowned Folk Singer of
the Year at the </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Folk Awards</span><span lang="IT" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">,</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> a </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">huge achievement.</span><span lang="IT" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I
first encountered Bella</span><span lang="FR" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: FR;">’</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">s music on Mike Harding</span><span lang="FR" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: FR;">’</span><span lang="IT" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">s </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Folk Show</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">
on BBC Radio 2, when I was perhaps 11 years old. In fact </span><span lang="IT" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‘</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Night
Visiting</span><span lang="FR" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: FR;">’ </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">is one the first albums I ever
purchased. Since this time I have been very fond of Bella</span><span lang="FR" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: FR;">’</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">s
music. I also think over the years her music has gone from strength to strength</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">,</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">
especially her voice</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> which</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> has become even more lovely. </span><span lang="IT" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Bella
Hardy has also appeared in various collaborations such as Carthy, Hardy,
Farrell and Young (</span><span lang="IT" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“it</span><span lang="FR" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: FR;">’</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">s not an estate agent</span><span lang="IT" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">” Bella joked). I saw t</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">hem</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">
perform last January and I remember being utterly blown away by the amazing
blend of stringed instruments and voices. </span><span lang="IT" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‘Laylam</span><span lang="FR" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: FR;">’</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">,
the album they created, to this day remains one of my favourites. Recently
Bella has taken part in the Elizabethan Session alongside Jim Moray, Nancy
Kerr, Martin Simpson, Emily Askew, Hannah James, Rachel Newton and John Smith.
In this unique project artists were invited to write songs based on the
Elizabethan era. </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">An</span><span lang="IT" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> album </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">is due for release,</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> and there
will be a final performance of these songs at Folk By the Oak Festival on 20<sup>th</sup>
July at Hatfield House. </span><span lang="IT" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Additionally
Bella appears on the album </span><span lang="IT" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‘</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The Liberty to Cho</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">ose</span><span lang="FR" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: FR;">’ </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">with
James Findlay, Brian Peters and Lucy Ward. This album contains songs from The
New Penguin Book of English Folk </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Songs and includes </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">a
beautiful </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">a Capella </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">duet of the song </span><span lang="IT" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‘</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The Trees
they do Grow High</span><span lang="FR" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: FR;">’ </span><span lang="DE" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: DE;">sung by Bella and Lucy. </span><span lang="IT" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I have seen Bella perform on one other
occasion which was at Jim Moray</span><span lang="FR" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: FR;">’</span><span lang="IT" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">s 10</span><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">th</span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">
anniversary party at the Union Chapel where she performed </span><span lang="IT" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‘</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Three Black
Feathers</span><span lang="FR" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: FR;">’</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">. This song is the first track of
Bella</span><span lang="FR" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: FR;">’</span><span lang="IT" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">s album ‘</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Night
Visiting</span><span lang="FR" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: FR;">’ </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">and also appears on Jim Moray</span><span lang="FR" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: FR;">’</span><span lang="IT" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">s album, ‘Low Culture</span><span lang="FR" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: FR;">’</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">.
Therefore seeing them perform this song together was particularly special. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Bella
is currently on tour for thirty shows for her 30<sup>th</sup> birthday with her
band, ‘The Midnight Watch’. The band consists of Anna Massie on guitar,
Angus Lyon on keys and James Lindsay on bass.</span><span lang="IT" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On
Wednesday evening I had the privilege of interviewing Bella. Here is our
conversation: </span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Me: What are your main influences when writing
songs?</span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US">Bella: Well, I try not to write songs in any
particular style. I tend to just write whatever comes to me that day and for
that reason basically everything I come in contact with ends up influencing me
in some way. I am a really big lover of books and stories and it</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s really that
that makes me love folk songs, I think. I really love the stories and the
ballads and all</span><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US">of that...</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="EN-US">because when I was a
teenager I was singing unaccompanied ballads and things</span>; <span lang="EN-US">I kind of came
through that tradition... Quite often I find starting points like ‘</span><span lang="NL">Goodman</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s Wife</span><span lang="FR">’ </span><span lang="EN-US">which is on my
album ‘Battle Plan</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">. That</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s a kind of retelling of the ‘</span>Raggle Taggle<span lang="EN-US"> Gypsy</span><span lang="FR">’ </span><span lang="SV">ballad. And I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">ve got a song called ‘</span><span lang="DE">Sylvie Sovay</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">, which I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">ll sing tonight, which is from [the ballad] ‘Sovay, Sovay</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">.</span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US">I absorb all the music I listen to. I love
Carole King and Jodie Mitchell... Tom Waits and Paul Simon and all of these
things I think all influence me. Especially Carole King I think because
I...have lots of her songs ingrained in my head. I think all of this comes into
play when you</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">re writing songs and I don</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">t try and edit them while I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">m writing them... I just
write whatever song comes into my head and then work on it from there
really...I tend to start with a lot of books as well. Angela Carter is one of
my favourite writers. She wrote lots of short stories... So, I tend to read
those when I need inspiration. </span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: red;">Me: How long does it take you to write a song on
average?</span></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US">Bella: Ooh, well you see, it can be anything
from 2 hours to five years, I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">m afraid... I have many notebooks, and I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">m always jotting
down thoughts that come into my head. And I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">ll end up with pages and
pages of notes. And sometimes if I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">m thinking</span>,<span lang="EN-US">‘Oh I would like to write a song about this</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">, if I found one
line I like and I think</span>, 'Oh<span lang="EN-US"> that</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s a good starting
point</span>.'<span lang="EN-US"> I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">ll go back and
look at all the notes I made and get lines from them that tie together. A bit
like jigsawing a song together. So those
songs take a really long time... Sometimes, I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">ll come across something
I really enjoy the concept of such as ‘</span><span lang="DE">The Herring Girl</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">... there was a documentary on BBC 4, which I missed. But somebody
told me about it and because of that I went and researched </span>herring girls<span lang="EN-US">... I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">d written [a]
tune and I hadn</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">t found any lyrics to go with it yet and I wrote ‘</span><span lang="DE">The Herring Girl</span><span lang="FR">’ </span><span lang="EN-US">in probably an afternoon</span> -<span lang="EN-US">probably 3 or 4 hours
I imagine it took me</span>. <span lang="EN-US">And sometimes very,
very occasionally that happens and I just write it. And actually that</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s been the case
with ‘</span><span lang="DE">The Herring Girl</span><span lang="FR">’ </span><span lang="EN-US">and with ‘Three
Black Feathers</span><span lang="FR">’ </span><span lang="EN-US">which are two of the songs people like the best. So maybe I should
try and make myself do that more often</span>. When<span lang="EN-US"> it
happens like that it</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s just wonderful because it feels like you</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">ve channelled something
that wasn</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">t necessarily yours and was just floating around in the eth</span>er <span lang="EN-US">and you</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">ve managed to get
it out into the world. So that</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s a really lovely feeling.</span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Me: And how does that relate to projects like
the Elizabethan Session? </span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US">Bella: For that one I think we all did different
things to kind of get our brains jolted and get thinking about it... My sister
Beth, when I was seven and</span> she <span lang="EN-US">was thirteen she was in a play at Hatfield House and it was a kind
of youth production. We</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">re not from near there, it was like a national thing and she played
Queen Elizabeth the First in a play. And so I have a memory of her having a big
orange wig on and a big Queen Elizabeth the First dress. So I wrote a song
about that memory first. I got out my A4 jotter and I wrote down all the
memories I had about it and all the ways I felt about those memories</span>; <span lang="EN-US">all the connotations,
all the things they</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">re connected to</span>; <span lang="EN-US">and looked at how my sibling relationships were similar to Elizabeth</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s or very
dissimilar to Queen Elizabeth the First</span>'s<span lang="EN-US"> sibling relationships and had a look at the
childhoods... So my very first song I did for the Elizabethan session was
through that way. And that</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s called ‘Hatfield</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">. </span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US">I did a second song for that project. I
thought I couldn</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">t do anything from the Elizabethan era without doing a bit of
Shakespeare because I love the stories and I did English literature at
university and I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">ve always really loved Shakespeare</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s plays. So I went back
and re</span>-read<span lang="EN-US"> ‘A Midsummer</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s Night</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="DE">s Dream</span><span lang="FR">’ </span><span lang="EN-US">and I wrote a song just
called ‘Love in Idleness</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">...</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="EN-US">using kind of Shakespearean language to
write a ballad. </span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US">Me: What are your favourite places to perform?
Do you prefer bigger venues or mor</span>e
intimate locations<span lang="EN-US">? </span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="IT">Bella: I don</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">t. I always say</span>, 'Favourites<span lang="EN-US"> is a fool</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s game</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">, because I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">m useless at
picking favourites... I played [at Theatr Mwldan] before and it</span><span lang="FR">’s just terrific. It’</span><span lang="EN-US">s a lovely theatre... I love the arts centres and I love that so
many of them have this kind of audience of support and you can really feel the
kind of love for a place and a community spirit... The festivals are so much
fun because every</span>one's<span lang="EN-US"> in that kind of jolly festival mood. But they all have their
different challenges. Because </span>at <span lang="EN-US">festivals you quite often are just really running in, running on
stage and doing it. And the sound on stage might not be the best... </span>It's<span lang="EN-US"> a lot of fun in a
different way. But here you get to make everything sound tiptop and get to work
on everything so you</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">re really happy with it and give a really quality</span>...<span lang="EN-US">sounding
performance. And I still just love standing up and singing unaccompanied songs
as well so folk clubs and small clubs</span><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US">make me very happy because you can do that and
just get to the story and the root of things and you </span>are <span lang="EN-US">usually in the
company of people who enjoy that too. So I love that too.</span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Me: And does the novelty of touring ever wear
off? Especially on long tours like this...</span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US">Bella: ... I say I do enjoy touring once I get
into it. But it usually takes me few days to get into the flow of i</span>t because of<span lang="EN-US"> leaving home when you know you</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">ve got a few
weeks away and you</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">re moving everyday...And then you get into a good book and you see
beautiful places and meet so many friendly people that you realise why it</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s so enjoyable.
So touring is a lot of fun but it</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s always an adventure every day [and] never dull. </span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Me: Yes, I can imagine you get to visit lots of
really beautiful places.</span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US">Bella: You do! And there is a sad side to it
sometimes and I always really look forward to travelling abroad and and touring
abroad. But touring abroad, you</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">re quite often in hotels and then in theatres and
conference suites. You don</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">t actually get to experience the place very well. And I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">ve just started,
now I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">ve turned 30, </span>to <span lang="EN-US">try to take time to actually travel without working and really get a
feel for a place because it</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s quite different from when you need to stay on top </span>of it - when <span lang="EN-US">you need
to make sure your energy levels are up so you can give a good performance in
the evening and you don</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">t necessarily get to explore in the same way. </span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Me: What do you think of Wales in general? </span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US">Bella: I love Wales because I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">m from the Peak
District and we used to come to Wales on our holidays. So it really is a place
for me which I associate with family and holidays and time off and it</span>'s<span lang="EN-US"> just a beautiful
area, you know. I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">m also from a hilly area and we used to go to Snowdonia and North
Wales and Cricciath and things and Pembrokeshire as well.... I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">m actually going
to do a song called ‘Good Friday</span><span lang="FR">’ </span><span lang="EN-US">tonight which I wrote down... in a harbour down
in Pembrokeshire. So I love it here and I think there</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s a really great surge of
Welsh music at the moment, with bands like Calan</span>; <span lang="EN-US">they</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">re fantastic. They</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">re really good</span>.</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Me: I love Calan! </span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US">Bella: There seems to be a real excitement with
the music at the moment too and that</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s lovely to hear. It</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s such good music that
comes from here, the traditional music, so I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="PT">m a fan.</span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Me: Why did you choose to perform folk songs and
folk music? </span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US">Bella: Well, I will tell you very honestly that
I always sang, and I always tell people I am a singer, it</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s just who I am. I was
always pottering round singing and driving everybody crazy and I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">m only happy when
I get to sing. I worked in an office briefly and was just driving everyone mad
singing and I hated not being able to do it. It turns out you can</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">t be paid to sit
at home and sing so I started going out and performing and things. Before that
I played the fiddle. My granddad</span>'s<span lang="EN-US"> fiddle was knocking around our house and my mum, my sister and me
all play it, and I wasn</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">t a huge fiddle fan. I was a pretty bad young person, I didn</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">t want to practi</span>se,<span lang="EN-US"> and all the rest of
it. And then I joined the school ceilidh band and that was a lot of fun...</span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US">When
I was 13 I went for the first time to a thing called the Folkwork</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s Summer School
up in Durham... I absolutely loved it and I met a 100 young people who really
liked folk music but more than that, [they] really liked each other and </span>[there was] <span lang="EN-US">a real
community spirit. I absolutely loved them all and I really wanted to see them
all and have time with them and get to be their friends... And the only way
which we could see each other, because we all lived all over the country, was
by going to festivals. But we couldn</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">t afford to buy tickets to festivals because none
of us had any money. So we could only go to the festivals if we got free
tickets and we could only do that if we played in bands. So, we started playing
in bands. And that is why and how I became a professional performer. Well, it</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s certainly why I
became a performer and I spent my teenage years playing in bands at festivals.
I started building up from that and then became professional when I actually
realised that</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s how I was happiest – just singing </span>- <span lang="EN-US">and in order to do that then I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">d have to get on
stage to do it.</span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Me: So,
do you ever regret going down the folk music route compared to other more
mainstream types of music? </span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US">Bella: I
never chose to go down any routes</span>.
<span lang="EN-US">I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">ve just do the music that I want to do. And for me I love folk music
because it</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s timeless and it</span>s <span lang="EN-US">stories are beautiful and it</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s all about integrity and it</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s all about honesty and
about trying to communicate something that you</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">re feeling...without
artifice and without trying to turn it into something unreal. And I really like
the honesty of folk music... I am a folk musician but I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">ve never gone</span>, '<span lang="EN-US">I am only going to
make this type of music,</span>' <span lang="EN-US">which is why I write as many different types of songs as I can. I
just write whatever I want to write. I certainly think you can never regret
being true to whatever music you want to make and I think that is really
important.</span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US">Me: What is your favourite album that you</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">ve created?</span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US">Bella: Ooh. No, no that</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s like choosing children.
I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">ve
done six solo records now including a Christmas one. And I certainly really
enjoy the newest one which is Battleplan which came out last April because, on
that one, I am probably as honest as I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">ve ever been. I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">ve tended to start</span><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US">out to
write lyrics about myself and hide them in [songs about other people]...So it
was kind of my emotions and my feelings but given to other people to explain
their situations. So Battleplan I enjoy for that reason. I like ‘In the Shadow
of Mountains</span><span lang="FR">’ </span><span lang="EN-US">which is my second CD because it was the second one and the last one
I produced by myself. And it</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s very honestly from the Peak District. I can kind of feel my home
there and my whole family sings on the record...And for me that feels like a
very personal album, an album that I felt came from somewhere that</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s very honest and
really intimate. And I could never choose a favourite. I have favourites for
many different reasons. ‘Songs Lost and Stolen</span><span lang="FR">’ </span><span lang="EN-US">was the first one I
wrote all the songs for and I just enjoyed that so much. ‘Night Visiting was my
first record and I wouldn</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">t be here without it. </span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Me: What is your favourite traditional song?</span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US">Bella: I have so so many. I love the ballad of ‘Tam
Lin</span><span lang="FR">’</span>;<span lang="EN-US"> it</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s not one I sing
but I absolutely love it... ‘Rosebud in June</span><span lang="FR">’ </span><span lang="EN-US">has always been a
favourite. There</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s ‘the Bold Fenian Men</span><span lang="FR">’ </span><span lang="EN-US">an Irish song... There</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s something about the
tune of it that just hooks me right in every time. ‘When I was on Horseback</span><span lang="FR">’ </span><span lang="EN-US">which I do</span> as<span lang="EN-US"> ‘True Hearted </span>Girl<span lang="FR">’ </span><span lang="EN-US">has always been one of my favourites. Such a
beautiful lilting melody so it was lovely to finally get sing that one... I do
love all the ballads, so any of the ballads will do for me. </span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US">Me: So you won BBC Radio 2 </span>Folk Singer<span lang="EN-US"> of the </span>Year<span lang="EN-US">...How do you feel
about that?</span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US">Bella: I feel very happy about that because it
was totally lovely and really unexpected. On the night I was totally shocked
because I thought it was wonderful to be nominated and it</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s a terrible cliché because
everyone says</span>,<span lang="EN-US">‘</span>Oh <span lang="EN-US">I never expected to win</span>,<span lang="FR">’ </span><span lang="EN-US">but I really
didn</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">t...it
was a lovely feeling because we all...work really hard on the folk scene and it</span>'s<span lang="EN-US"> lovely that the Folk
Awards are there to provide an access into our world to people who might</span> not<span lang="EN-US"> notice it
otherwise. And for that reason I think it</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s a really good thing and it was just a lovely
honour to get to go on that stage in my dress. </span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US">Me: Is</span> it <span lang="EN-US">as good to be nominated as to win? </span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US">Bella: I definitely think so with the Folk
Awards. I think it</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s such a community event. It feels like a social event for us and it</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s just a way for
us all to celebrate all the music made in the last little while together. </span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Me: What did you want to be when you were younger?
</span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US">I wanted to be a lamb or a lollipop. I remember
answering that question and they were my answers. I think I got to the ‘L</span><span lang="FR">’ </span><span lang="EN-US">section of the
alphabet when somebody asked me that... After that, when I got a bit older I
never really was very good at settling on what I wanted to be. I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">m still not
entirely sure what I want to be when I grow up to be honest. But I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">m quite enjoying
being a musician so I think I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">ll stick with that for a while. </span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Me: Sounds like a good idea. Tell me a bit about
the reasons behind this tour.</span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US">Bella: Well its my 30<sup>th</sup> birthday</span>; <span lang="EN-US">that</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s the reason
behind this tour. And I really wanted to find a way to kind of celebrate with a
lot of people who I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">ve met over the years and to connect with the audience I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">ve been building
over the seven years I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">ve been touring. So, I decided that I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">d visit 30 of my
favourite venues ... and just really connect with everybody again and connect
with the promoters and...just do a bit of a retrospective. I</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">m singing songs
from the whole of my back catalogue. So it</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s nice to just get to go
nipping back into all those CDs and so</span>: 'Thirty <span lang="DA">for </span>Thirty'<span lang="EN-US">: 30 gigs for my 30<sup>th</sup>
birthday. </span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Me: And what future plans do you have?</span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US">Ah... well that would be telling. But I have
been writing a lot of songs in the last year and I don</span><span lang="FR">’</span><span lang="EN-US">t like resting on my
laurels so you shall be hearing a new album probably very soon. </span></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
It was certainly lovely to be able to talk to Bella Hardy and I would really recommend trying to catch her on her current tour. </div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
Young Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870289071076758400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495841825550254079.post-29785071309300429692014-04-06T06:25:00.005-07:002014-06-14T02:38:56.906-07:00SongChain (Clych Canu) – Theatr Mwldan 03/04/14<div class="MsoNormal">
SongChain
incorporates ten of Wales’ most talented musicians and singers who deliver a
unique and exciting tour enriched in Welsh folk music and tradition. Robert
Evans, Dylan Fowler, Gwyneth Glyn, Delyth Jenkins, Beth Williams-Jones, Stephen
Rees, Gwilym Bowen Rhys, Patrick Rimes and Jamie Smith; all known for their
solo work as well as contribution to bands such as Calan and Jamie Smith’s
Mabon; collaborate in this inspiring project mostly based on the heritage of
folk music in Wales. During the performances there is, in my opinion, a lovely
balance between English and Welsh spoken. Also, Songchain is made special by
the leaflets which contain set lists with details of the songs (in both English
and Welsh).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As the
concerted started, to the distinctive sound of the pigorn, all eyes were drawn
to the back of the auditorium to watch the dramatic entrance of Partick Rimes,
Stephen Rees and Gwilym Bowen Rhys. They walked down the aisle whilst Patrick
and Stephen played the pibgorn and Gwilym played bagpipes. The modern tune ‘Y
pibydd Llon’ (‘The Joyful Piper’) was followed by the traditional tunes ‘Beth yw’r
Haf I mi?’ (What is the Summer to Me?’ The use of these instruments created a
really unusual yet distinctively Welsh sound and at times there were some
really beautiful harmonies. During this piece the rest of the musicians
congregated on stage in silence. They sat in a semicircle behind an area where
the musicians performing could stand. This gave the concert a very intimate
atmosphere and all the musicians were visibly enjoying watching each other
perform. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Patrick,
Stephen and Gwilym stayed at the front of the stage for the next piece, the sea
shanty ‘Mae’r Gwynt Yn Deg’ (‘The Wind is Fair’). The harmonies created during
this lively song were particularly enjoyable especially as they sang it
unaccompanied, taking it in turns to sing the individual verses. This is just
one of multiple songs with a naval theme. Later on in the first half Gwyneth
Glyn beautifully sang the song ‘Yn Harbwr San Francisco’ accompanying herself
on guitar alongside Jamie Smith’s wonderful accordion playing. This is a very
pretty song in which a sailor laments about Wales. The addition of Jamie’s
whistling late on the song made it particularly memorable and enjoyable. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was
particularly interesting to see Robert Evans play the crwth, which is a
stringed instrument played with a bow like a violin but worn round the neck, ‘like
a punishment’ as he explained. Robert pointed out that its importance in Wales
for 800 years – twice as long as the violin. He played and sang ‘Ar Mhwys Dan
Wyro ‘Mhen’ (‘As I Surveyed the Wood Alone’) and the sound of the crwth was
very fitting to the melody and Robert’s voice. Another distinctively Welsh form of music that
was played was Cerdd Dant. A cerdd dant (or penillion singing) is a form of
sung poetry accompanied by the harp. Gwenan Gibbard played ‘Calon Drom’ (‘Heavy
Heart) comprising both old and new lyrics. Gwenan Gibbard has a very pleasant
voice which really suits this slightly unusual music form. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Beth Williams-Jones,
Gwyneth Glyn and Gwennan Gibbard opened the second half with the attractive
song ‘Adar Man y Mynydd’ (‘The Small Birds of the Mountain’) notable for their harmonies.
This was followed by Beth Williams-Jones singing ‘Aderyn Pur’ (‘The Pure Bird’)
and ‘Gwcw Fach’ (‘Little Cuckoo’). Although I have heard Beth sing with Calan,
I have never heard her sing as well this. She has a very clear voice and the
song was particularly engaging when, during ‘Gwcw Fach’, she incorporated
rhythmic clogging to go with the lively melody. Dylan Fowler accompanied her
with intricate guitar playing. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The
concert ended with the whole group standing up to sing ‘Carol y Swper’ (‘The
Carol of the Supper’). This song was often sung at the end of Plygain services,
church services that are held early on Christmas morning. It was a lovely and
fitting way to end the concert and one of my favourite moments of the concert. </div>
<br>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The
Songchain tour continues for the next week and will visit various places in
Wales. After that, let’s just hope a CD incorporating these beautiful songs and
tunes is released. If I were able to, I would certainly go and see them perform
again. The most disappointing aspect of the concert at Theatr Mwldan was that
very few people attended even though the concert was fantastic. Therefore, I
really recommend that you go and see this unique collaboration. </div>
<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI5MBZ6V6PcNm0vUC7nN_ZIOoC7Q6vginLiID2zmn9kSNiEkm-2MJQtlXWH5_uVyhufzcTtsE52sTr_lHxdi_26jeJr_xRGWPHKPKvhDLeMV949OaRBPKX8YxdP5KLdpC36Hgz1XEDGvk/s640/blogger-image-1786621092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI5MBZ6V6PcNm0vUC7nN_ZIOoC7Q6vginLiID2zmn9kSNiEkm-2MJQtlXWH5_uVyhufzcTtsE52sTr_lHxdi_26jeJr_xRGWPHKPKvhDLeMV949OaRBPKX8YxdP5KLdpC36Hgz1XEDGvk/s640/blogger-image-1786621092.jpg"></a></div>Young Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870289071076758400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495841825550254079.post-87403843194119591642014-02-28T12:24:00.002-08:002014-02-28T12:24:35.409-08:00The Dammed Nations TourOn Thursday I had the privilege of watching a rehearsal for the
‘Dammed Nations’ Tour at Theatr Mwldan. This is a collaboration between Nubian
and Welsh musicians commemorating similar events that have happened in both
countries. It is 50 years since the village of Capel Celyn was flooded to make
way for the Tryweryn Reservoir. Nubia experienced a similar fate when the area was
flooded to make way for the construction of the Aswan High Dam which displaced
1,200 Nubians. Welsh harpist and singer Siân James and guitarist and singer Gai
Toms work beside the Nubian band Nuba Nour in a unique collaboration to
remember these two places that were both destroyed in similar ways.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This
project began last summer when it was suggested by project director Graham
Breakwell that Capel Celyn should be commemorated. The decision was then made
to combine this with music from the lost Nubian Homelands. However, this
collaboration is not just about the history of these places but also the sound.
It is certainly an unusual project and the music that is created is beautiful.
Nuba Nour, as well as providing vocals, contributes rhythm through the use of
percussive instruments but also wonderful melodies played on the oud. An oud is
a stringed instrument with a pear shaped body that is played in the same way a guitar.
This is not dissimilar to the Welsh musician’s use of sometimes rhythmic and
sometimes melodic guitar and harp playing. The result is united with lovely
vocals and more percussion instruments. Therefore, it seems as though the sounds
produced are not as different as it appears at first glance. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
During
my conversation with Tour Manager, Michael Whitewood, it was revealed that this
was the second set of rehearsals for the tour. He told me that he was very
grateful that the funding had been enough to ensure the musicians had
sufficient time to fully prepare for the tour. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was
given the fantastic opportunity of speaking to Siân James, who was able to tell
me a little more about this collaboration which she described as ‘two cultures
remembering history together’. I asked her about how it was like working with a
group of people from such a different culture and she said that is was an ‘eye
opener’ but ‘interesting’ and ‘great fun’. She spoke about the differences in
music between the two cultures. Siân explained that whilst Welsh musicians
communicated music through naming chords and learning from sheet music, the
Nubian musicians mostly learnt by ear. I mentioned how the Nubian music was
very rhythm based and Siân spoke about the song called ‘Forgive Me’, which they had
been rehearsing that afternoon. She mentioned that although the subject matter
was ‘melancholy’, the sound produced was still ‘joyous’ due to the Nubians’
rhythmic frame drum playing. This song incorporates Siân’s singing in Welsh alongside
Nuba Nour’s singing in Nubian. Although the use of two different languages is
rather unusual, it was effective. I do not speak either of these languages, but
it was still possible to understand some of the emotion of the lyrics being
sung. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of
the most enjoyable things about watching these musicians perform was that, although
there was a language barrier, they still had their own special ways of
communicating with each other. When I asked Siân about this, she mentioned how
four different languages were spoken in the group: Welsh, English, Nubian and
Arabic. However, despite this barrier, they were able to ‘communicate humanity
through music’ and, despite not being fluent in each others’ languages, they
are all good friends. She mentioned how they had found other ways to
communicate, through actions rather than words. It is certainly a subject that recurred
during my conversations with other members of the tour.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I also
had the opportunity to speak to Hamoudi, Nuba Nour’s excellent oud player, and
Mamdouh Elkady, who works at the El Mastaba Centre for Egyptian folk music in
Cairo and who was helping to translate between English and Arabic for the
musicians. I inquired about what it was like working with the Welsh musicians
and was told that they had the same objectives in the project: they were
nostalgic about the lost places, they wanted to preserve tradition and keep
their own languages, and therefore it all fits together naturally. I asked
Hamoudi what it was like being in Wales and Mamdouh translated his response
which was that he felt very comfortable in Wales and that he felt at home: the
other musicians were like a family to him. He mentioned the friendship amongst
the group and because it is his second visit to Wales, he also had other
friends here. He also spoke about how Wales is very different from England and
that he probably preferred Wales (obviously!). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We also
discussed how the process was very complex due to the difficulties in language.
Hamoudi responded to this by saying they shared a ‘common spirit’ and therefore
they were on ‘common land’ despite the different techniques and background of
all these instrumentalists. I think that is one of the most beautiful aspects
about this collaboration is how people can be united through music.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This
tour kicks off tomorrow in Neuadd Buddug, Bala, before touring throughout Wales
and South England. By what I have seen of this collaboration it is destined to be
a brilliant tour and definitely worth seeing. </div>
Young Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870289071076758400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495841825550254079.post-91764231641397671222014-02-24T11:20:00.000-08:002014-02-24T11:20:00.545-08:00The Furrow Collective – 'At Our Next Meeting'<div class="MsoNormal">
The
Furrow Collective comprises Emily Portman, Alasdair Roberts, Lucy Farrell and
Rachel Newton. Together, these four fantastic musicians and singers have
uncovered some beautiful ballads and have compiled them on this wonderful CD.
Perhaps this is a slightly strange direction for Alasdair Roberts and Emily
Portman, who are known throughout the folk scene for their traditional
influenced song-writing: however, this album showcases their thoughtful interpretations
of traditional songs. Additionally, the album is centred around dark folklore
and storytelling through song, which is certainly something these four
musicians do incredibly well. This is further highlighted through the
instrumentation which is fittingly sparse at times. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The
album opens with the song ‘Wild and Wicked Youth’, also known as ‘Newry Town’.
It has a beautiful melody and the blend of Farrell’s and Roberts’ voices with a
sparse guitar accompaniment draws attention to the narrative. The ballad is
about a highwayman who steals to provide gifts for his wife. He is finally
caught and the consequences are significant. Most songs on the album contain
these simple arrangements which invite the listener to take note of the story rather
than musical complexities.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Perhaps
the most interesting song arrangement on this album is the overlapping of the
ballads ‘Handsome Molly’ and ‘Our Captain Calls’. As is pointed out in the
sleeve notes, these songs basically tell the same story but from different
‘sides’. It is therefore an incredibly clever arrangement. ‘Handsome Molly’ is
told from a man’s point of view about Molly who promised to marry him but reneges.
This is similar to ‘Our Captain Calls’ as the persona in ‘Handsome Molly’
wishes to ‘sailing on the ocean’, whilst ‘Our Captain Calls’ contains the story
of the woman who is left behind whilst
her partner goes to sea. She claims that he deceived her to gain her money. Lucy
Farrell sings ‘Handsome Molly’, and Emily Portman lends her voice to ‘Our
Captain Calls’ but the addition of other voices creates poignant harmonies which
enhance the sad nature of both songs. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The wonderfully catchy ‘Hind Horn’ is a
particular favourite of mine because it contains a lovely refrain. Alistair’s
skilful guitar playing adds a rhythmic element to the song which heightens the
mood. ‘I’d Rather be Tending my Sheep’ is, as the title suggests, a reflection
on the joys of being a shepherd. It is a song in which other options for life
our dismissed for a simple pastoral life. It contains a lovely chorus with
beautiful harmonies. No instruments play on the track, and it therefore
highlights the power of A’cappella singing. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The
album showcases ballads and indicates their importance in the folk scene. ‘The
Furrow Collective’ certainly has a unique approach to these songs which
emphasises the interesting stories they contain.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
‘I’d rather be Tending my Sheep’ - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utHPUSvUJNw">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utHPUSvUJNw</a></div>
Young Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870289071076758400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495841825550254079.post-49892918104109143382013-12-03T10:30:00.001-08:002013-12-03T10:30:26.090-08:00Jamie Smith's Mabon - Theatr Mwldan - 30/11/2013<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Jamie Smith's Mabon comprises five of Wales' finest folk
musicians. Together Jamie Smith, Oliver Wilson-Dickson, Adam Rhodes, Iolo
Whelan and Matthew Downer create a sound that is traditional yet
original. Known for their lively tunes and fantastic original material,
this Welsh band is definitely one to see live. The evening included tunes and
songs influenced by music styles from all around the world intertwined with
Welsh Celtic music. Their 'Taith Adre' tour has visited venues only in Wales
and is therefore a celebration of the welsh roots of the band.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">The evening began with the toe tapping tune set ‘Huzzah’. The
rhythmic bouzouki accompaniment blended perfectly with Jamie Smith’s expert
accordion playing. It was masterfully played and a lovely way to start the set.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Jamie Smith possesses a smooth and distinctive voice, that
complements his songwriting perfectly. He sang the song ‘Summer’s Lament’ which
is very fitting for this time of year in Wales. The song is all about the
disappointment of winter and is an incredibly pleasant and relaxing song to
listen to, although it does not contain a poignant message. Jamie also sang the
song ‘Lady of the Woods’ and requested audience participation. A large
proportion of the audience joined in with the catchy chorus which definitely
added to the song. The song is about fantasy stories and contains lovely lyrics
and a very memorable tune.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">They played the atmospheric tune ‘The Tale of Nikolai’ which
Oliver claimed he notated on a piece of bark using stones whilst listening to
it being played in a cave in Russia! This tune is very dramatic sounding and
Oliver’s intricate violin playing is delicate yet powerful. This was followed
by the best musical sales pitch I have ever heard, reminding the audience of
the merchandise for sale. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">It is a shame that there was a lack of space for dancing
otherwise I’m sure many people would have been inclined to get on their feet
during the very lively, danceable tune sets. ‘The Gordano Ranter’ is certainly
one of these tunes. One of Jamie’s finest compositions, in my opinion, this
tune was written after an interesting incident in a service station in Gordano.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">My favourite track played during the evening was ‘Caru Pum Merch’.
This beautiful song in Welsh is about loving a women through the five stages of
her life. Its mysterious instrumentation makes the song very atmospheric and
interesting to listen to. The song begins acoustically with Oliver on violin
and Jamie’s clear vocals. The addition of percussion instruments by Iolo Whelan,
and Matthew Down’s bass playing, counterpoint this very traditional sounding
melody but do not create a fusion sound. Instead they are more subtle in
creating a dark backdrop for the melody. Overall, it creates a rather beautiful
effect. <span style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Link to Jamie Smith's Mabon website : </span><a href="http://www.jamiesmithsmabon.com/">http://www.jamiesmithsmabon.com/</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Young Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870289071076758400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495841825550254079.post-65268145990099422682013-11-11T09:56:00.002-08:002013-11-11T09:56:17.825-08:00Jim Moray - Union Chapel 10th Anniversary Party - 9/11/2013<div class="MsoNormal">
Jim Moray described the event as a ‘Party’. This is
certainly the first party I have attended that involved sitting on a pew for three
hours. However, it was a truly special event. The Union Chapel is a beautiful
building with spectacular architecture. Even with such a large audience, the
event still felt intimate and friendly. The venue was very cold though, which
is expected, given that it is November. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
During the first half of the concert Jim Moray performed
songs from his debut album 'Sweet England’ in order to celebrate the tenth
anniversary of its release. He seemed a little nervous as he took to the stage,
though he needn't have been, given the enthusiastic and supportive nature of
the audience. Throughout the set, there was a string quintet, ‘The Dorset
Ensemble’, on stage adding beautiful accompaniments to Jim’s wonderful singing
and guitar playing. Furthermore, the talented musicians Nick Malcolm (trumpet),
Nick Cooke (melodeon) and Dave Burbridge (drums), normally called ‘the Skulk
Ensemble', contributed to many of the songs giving them a much fuller sound.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jim began by playing the song ‘Early One Morning’, a natural
choice given it is the first track on ‘Sweet England’. This song included a
beautiful accompaniment by the strings. Furthermore its upbeat melody and
punchy vocals made it both enjoyable and exciting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jim Moray admitted that he had not performed some of the
songs from 'Sweet England' since the first tour. However, it was particularly
nice to hear these songs that are so often overlooked. One of the highlight was
the performance of ‘April Morning'. The arrangement of this song is more simple
compared to some of his new material; however it is also very beautiful. A
heavy drum beat was not necessary to compel the audience to listen. The simple
melody and delicate guitar accompaniment were very fitting to be played in such
a striking building.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jim utilised many pre-recorded backing tracks and aural
embellishments during the first half in order to replicated the sound of the
album ‘Sweet England’. Although it seemed a little strange initially, it was
very effective. ‘Seeds of Love’ is an example where Jim used his intricate
sound engineering skills to create a dark setting for the words. This really
suits the song and makes it stand out as being very unusual compared to other
versions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jim Moray seemed more confident for the second half.
Furthermore, I think the sound quality had been improved during the interval,
so there was not so much of an echo effect around the chapel. He appeared on
stage with his talented sister, Jackie Oates, before playing the Folk Award
winning Song ‘Lord Douglas’. Jackie Oates has a very pure voice that complements
Jim’s perfectly, and is a lovely addition to this fantastic song. Jim’s brilliant
guitar playing was also very noticeable, and although he does not make it look
as effortless as some musicians, the sound he creates is lovely. He varied the
volume and speed of his playing to fit the narrative of the song and this
maintains interest as it is quite long and contains a rather complex plot.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This was followed by Jackie singing ‘the Death of Queen
Jane’, which she claimed she sang in order to mark the birth of the royal baby.This
is an incredibly slow and depressing song and a very strange choice for the
‘party’. However, Jackie has a beautiful and haunting voice that reverberated
around the chapel.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Following this, Ben Walker and Josienne Clarke took to the
stage to play a song from their latest album which Jim has contributed to massively.
Josienne has a pleasant and relaxing voice and Ben Walker played guitar
wonderfully whilst Jim Moray played piano. Jim and Josienne sang the
broken-token ballad ‘Jenny of the Moor’ with Jim singing the part of ‘Denis’
and Josienne singing the part of ‘Jenny’. The idea of splitting the narrative
of this song is very effective to convey the story. Additionally, they made a
brilliant duet and Ben Walker played guitar on the track, although this was
slightly overshadowed by Jim’s guitar playing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maz O’Connor’s appearance on stage was a slight surprise,
although a very welcome one. Jim Moray has been producing her latest album, so
it was pleasing that she contributed to the ‘party’. She played a very pretty
song called ‘London lights’ which Jim Moray understandably described as his
favourite. Jim admitted that they had only practised the performance three
times previously. Maz played piano and Jim played guitar on the track and
together the song was powerful and beautiful.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bella Hardy was invited on to stage to sing ‘Three Black
Feathers’, which she claimed she started writing during her GCSE maths exam. It
is beautiful night visiting song that Jim Moray “stole” and recorded on his
album ‘Low Culture’. The song has an incredibly traditional feel which suited
the gentle accompaniment. Bella and Jim singing together was perfect; certainly
another highlight.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next came the Keston Cobbler Club bringing rhythm and
harmonies. They were certainly the most energetic group of the evening. The
addition of tuba and trumpet created a lively atmosphere.. They remained on
stage to play the night visiting song ‘Seven Long Years’ and were joined by all
the performers of that evening. This song is just perfect for such a large
group of talented artists. Jim clearly enjoyed this moment enormously and so
did the audience. The vocal harmonies, lively instrumentation and
rhythmic beat made it a brilliant finale. The song ended with a standing
ovation and unbelievably enthusiastic round of applause from the audience. Jim
seemed relieved that his music had gained such a great reaction from the
audience. He raised his glass to the audience as a thank you before departing
the stage.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But the audience would not let him off that lightly. Jim,
Jackie and Nick Cooke returned to the stage for one final song – ‘Wishfulness
Waltz’. This song was written by Jim for Jackie and it is recorded on her album
‘the Violet Hour’. However, Jim Moray recently “stole” it back and now regularly
plays it at his concerts. The audience was invited to sing along to the chorus.
It was incredibly affecting to hear it sung by Jackie and Jim together and was
the perfect ending to the evening. I do not want to overuse the word
'beautiful', but this moment really was beautiful.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jim Moray’s Website : <a href="http://www.jimmoray.co.uk/">http://www.jimmoray.co.uk/</a></div>
</div>
Young Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870289071076758400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495841825550254079.post-44967260853621108592013-11-02T07:04:00.000-07:002013-11-02T07:04:00.490-07:00Gilmore & Roberts (+ Jess Morgan and Phillip Henry & Hannah Martin) – Norwich Arts Centre – 31/10/2013
Well, I will admit that
I bought tickets to this gig to see Gilmore and Roberts, but I can
safely say that I am now consequently a fan of Phillip Henry,
Hannah Martin and Jess Morgan as well. I was expecting Gilmore and
Roberts to be more of a headliner, but they all played equal 45
minute slots, which serves me right for not reading the information
properly. Nevertheless, it was a fantastic evening and I loved
everything that was played.<br />
<br />
The evening was kicked
off by Jess Morgan, a local singer songwriter playing songs that tell
stories about “women and men, life and death, work and play; the
adventures of the real and the imaginary”, I quote from her
website. She has, in my opinion, a gorgeously distinctive voice, one
which I could have listened to for the whole evening, in fact! Her
percussive guitar playing is all the accompaniment that her songs
require – simple but effective. Memorable songs from the evening
were 'The Missionary', 'Modern World' and 'Travelling Song', all
beautiful examples of what she does.<br />
<br />
Next up were Phillip
Henry and Hannah Martin. Now, I hadn’t really listened anything by
this duo before the gig, so I wasn't really sure what to expect, but
I certainly wasn't disappointed! They have an amazing sound with
influences from traditional British roots to Indian classical and
American blues with instrumentation including the dobro, guitar,
vocals and beatbox harmonica from Phillip Henry and fiddle, banjo and
vocals from Hannah Martin. As I'm not too familiar with them, I
unfortunately can't remember many of the names of the songs that they
played, but I know for a fact that they played a version of Death and
The Lady and it was incredible. I'm very familiar with the versions
by both Bellowhead and James Findlay, and this was unlike anything
I've heard before, in a very good way! Roughly during the middle of
the set, Hannah Martin left the stage, leaving Phillip Henry to play
a harmonica solo, which truly was incredible. It was a combination of
what you might call 'normal' harmonica playing, with beatboxing and
vocals, it got the previously sedate crowd bobbing up and down and
clapping, which was excellent.<br />
<br />
15 minutes later,
Gilmore and Roberts began. Katriona Gilmore and Jamie Roberts to be
precise. They started with 'The Stealing Arm' with amazingly skilful
lap tapping guitar playing from Roberts and mandolin from Gilmore. It
is a brilliantly catchy song, a favourite of mine, about an arm
transplant that goes terribly wrong. They then went straight into
'Seven Left for Dead' which again, included immaculate, precision
playing on guitar and fiddle. In between songs, they told of
Katriona's sat-nav theft when leading into 'Silver Screen' and
humorous Halloween facts, as it was indeed the evening of Halloween.
They ended with 'Scarecrow', the first track on their latest album
(The Innocent Left), which is a brilliant song with forceful,
dramatic playing from both. It seemed to me that the set was over too
soon, they were fantastic, and fortunately the rest of the crowd
thought so too – demanding an encore. They came back with 'Poison',
a cover of Alice Cooper would you believe and the B-side to their
single 'Doctor James' (out now), it worked amazingly well with
guitar, mandolin and powerful vocal harmonies from both. A success
all round I'd say.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAv8O4ncQAT2WYPfMMr8MCGzgas61RG_Sq860CdObrzTlSB3c2O-1RJW5fXIRtjQFxK2ZMZmiBMUwdyzblPf1T5bkLw1FHHTn68-FjOhhfYFterljOXZIv88NRAkXCULRR0pNFT38H-rE/s1600/gilmoreroberts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAv8O4ncQAT2WYPfMMr8MCGzgas61RG_Sq860CdObrzTlSB3c2O-1RJW5fXIRtjQFxK2ZMZmiBMUwdyzblPf1T5bkLw1FHHTn68-FjOhhfYFterljOXZIv88NRAkXCULRR0pNFT38H-rE/s200/gilmoreroberts.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Jess Morgan</div>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPSmXTZhDfE&list=UUieQDoeyKS9yZnqPosDaw8A">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPSmXTZhDfE&list=UUieQDoeyKS9yZnqPosDaw8A</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jessmorgan.co.uk/">www.jessmorgan.co.uk</a><br />
<br />
Phillip Henry &
Hannah Martin<br />
<a href="http://www.philliphenryandhannahmartin.co.uk/">http://www.philliphenryandhannahmartin.co.uk/</a><br />
<a href="http://youtu.be/zQYj38cOROQ">http://youtu.be/zQYj38cOROQ</a><br />
<br />
Gilmore & Roberts<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4blWxd0HHNQ">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4blWxd0HHNQ</a><br />
<a href="http://www.gilmoreroberts.co.uk/">www.gilmoreroberts.co.uk</a><br />
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Young Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870289071076758400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495841825550254079.post-28142062544677810442013-10-30T12:11:00.000-07:002013-10-30T12:27:29.870-07:00Eliza Carthy and Tim Erikson – Rhosygilwen – 29/10/2013<div class="MsoNormal">The
incredible Eliza Carthy was destined to make music. Her incredible natural
ability and many years of experience have made her one of the best British
fiddle players and singers of all time. Constantly on the road with new ideas and material, Eliza is certainly someone to admire. Tim Eriksen
is a supreme multi-instrumentalist and singer from Massachusetts; he also leads
the band <i>Cordelia’s Dad</i>. Tim’s music
focuses on new interpretations of traditional American tunes and songs. He is
also an excellent composer of unique and interesting songs.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: 36pt;">In a sense, this creates the
perfect duo as they both have a similar approach to traditional music. Furthermore the sound they make
together is beautiful. Rhosygilwen has to be one of the most
fitting venues for this type of music. The acoustics are wonderful and the
building is beautiful as well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Unfortunately
we arrived a little late, after getting reasonably lost on the way, and
therefore missed most of the performance from a local concertina and melodeon
player (actually a busker the organiser found in Cardigan Town Centre). I am
afraid to say I am unsure of his name; however, from what I saw, he was very
good and played some lovely tunes. He played some more during the interval as
well, and I thought his performances were a lovely edition to the evening. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First of
all, Tim took to the stage and sang accapella. He did not reveal the title of
the track. This was followed by Eliza singing ‘the Trees they do Grow High’
again with no accompaniment. Both these songs were sung beautifully and
emotionally and were a wonderful start to the gig. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypm48WV0LBhtAb896iC2YH18MTQ4d3_426o18p9gpZnoxEyNhYMlOystZIPkE8qqwvjl8d3mQRXp1dpxBaLAVheSzsCdjU0IaIA92cOXa7lt4-KVP6qkm0I6RygNNE7bVSms2srrUXgw/s1600/IMG_2677%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypm48WV0LBhtAb896iC2YH18MTQ4d3_426o18p9gpZnoxEyNhYMlOystZIPkE8qqwvjl8d3mQRXp1dpxBaLAVheSzsCdjU0IaIA92cOXa7lt4-KVP6qkm0I6RygNNE7bVSms2srrUXgw/s320/IMG_2677%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eliza Carthy and Tim Eriksen </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One of
my favourite aspects of the duo was the harmonies they created. They sang a
version of ‘Banks of Sweet Primroses’ and ‘The May Song’ in harmony with no
instrumentation. This was brilliant and their voices work wonderfully together.
For me, this was a particular highlight, even if ‘May Song’ was not very
seasonal. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tim and
Eliza played the song ‘Castle by the Sea’. For this, Tim skilfully played
acoustic guitar and Eliza played fiddle. This American song combines a lovely
tune and very narrative lyrics. The listener is drawn to the lyrics and the
instrumentation worked fantastically. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I very
much enjoyed the song ‘Friendship’. This demonstrated the musical talented of
the duo, with both Eliza and Tim playing fiddle. The two violins created a
really beautiful sound. The lyrics to the song were written by Tim but the tune
is apparently a famous old American one. It is catchy toe-tapper and the
singing fitted really well; it is a very pleasant song to listen to, and one of the only happy songs of the set. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQDqGobKxJNrd8NN0Uq68pJBD__r34xS0J9m6UGTt23qF9CCFVoepp41P8XTE7FKVM5BnYAtCt50TsvpBatQ0s3Gh_SPzrXn-kNYl60qpRzUIc7p5SHyQGvdsy1EY1SYo9H2se9rOjT8/s1600/IMG_2704%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQDqGobKxJNrd8NN0Uq68pJBD__r34xS0J9m6UGTt23qF9CCFVoepp41P8XTE7FKVM5BnYAtCt50TsvpBatQ0s3Gh_SPzrXn-kNYl60qpRzUIc7p5SHyQGvdsy1EY1SYo9H2se9rOjT8/s320/IMG_2704%5B1%5D.JPG" width="240"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eliza Carthy </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The most
touching song of the set was ‘Logan’s Lament’. Logan the Orator was a Native
American war leader whose family and village were all murdered in a massacre in
1774 by white settlers. It is supposed that he wrote the song. Therefore, as
you would expect, the song is poignant, yet beautiful. I do not think this song
could be made more perfect then Eliza and Tim’s version.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In
perhaps a more modern style, Tim Eriksen played electric guitar a lot during
the set. Furthermore, this more contemporary style was added to by Eliza’s bass
drum which made the duo sound much bigger and more like a small band. One song
in which both these were incredibly effective, but not a usual combination was
during the song ‘The traveller’. This song is a sacred harp hymnal, but this
modern treatment really suited it. Who said folk music can not be cool? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One
thing that is brilliant about the two performers is the way that when they are
on stage they look like they are enjoying themselves, especially Eliza. It is a
visual performance and this captures the audience’s attention. They played the
song ‘Sailor’s Wedding’ in which they invited the audience to sing along. It is
a very catchy with a memorable chorus and a lively tune which Tim wrote. Tim
demonstrated his amazing banjo playing during this piece, with Eliza playing
fiddle wonderfully.</div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
The encore song was another hymnal from ‘Pumpkintown’. ‘Pumkintown’ is a fictional
place which Tim claims certain songs come from when he does not have a full
back story for them. This may sound slightly odd, and maybe it is, but it
amusing and it is nice when songs have a story, regardless of whether the story
is true or not. Again, this was a catchy song with a lovely chorus in which
lots of the audience joined in. It was the perfect way to end the wonderful
evening.<br>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">YouTube video of Eliza Carthy and Tim Eriksen singing together: </div>
</div>
</div>
<a href="http://youtu.be/K9p1i374nZw">http://youtu.be/K9p1i374nZw</a><div><br></div><div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYsvqVu3SuqB5lnPTQhJePJEBeKcIZVYEWzvTFuInF_NcfXxvc1QwDl00SrB5I1mvrMecshHoeR22NgguR0pUjeIfJNy5Td158ZGOhM1Vk7l0brbyBqrjdNM5payUqTpc49MfvaD-XrwA/s640/blogger-image-199128520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYsvqVu3SuqB5lnPTQhJePJEBeKcIZVYEWzvTFuInF_NcfXxvc1QwDl00SrB5I1mvrMecshHoeR22NgguR0pUjeIfJNy5Td158ZGOhM1Vk7l0brbyBqrjdNM5payUqTpc49MfvaD-XrwA/s400/blogger-image-199128520.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The set list with a beautiful illustration of Eliza, drawn by Tim <br><br><br></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>Young Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870289071076758400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495841825550254079.post-47860606435976901812013-10-28T02:58:00.001-07:002013-10-28T02:58:16.986-07:00Ralph McTell – Theatr Mwldan 25/10/2013<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ralph
McTell is, well, Ralph McTell. His genius song writing ability has gained him recognition
throughout the world and his voice and skilful guitar playing are still as
immaculate as ever. His current ‘One more for the Road’ tour, in which Ralph is
touring both old and new material, is going to venues all over the UK. The
concert at Theatr Mwldan was sold out and most of the audience, as far as I
could tell, were long term fans or Ralph’s music. Armed with 6 guitars (although
he did not use all of them) and a grand piano, he did a two hour performance
without an interval during the middle. I am not sure of the motive behind this;
however it seemed to work effectively.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: 36pt;">He began by singing a song called
‘The London Apprentice’ from his album ‘Somewhere down the Road’ which was
released in 2010. The song was immediately attention grabbing and catchy and a
brilliant way to start the gig. I really enjoyed the traditional feel to this
song and the fitting guitar accompaniment. It had a very different feel to some
of Ralph’s earlier material; however, it is a lovely song and was incredibly
enjoyable to listen to. He did a few other songs with a similar folk feel later
on in the set. One of these was the song ‘Girl from the Hiring Fair’ which
Ralph wrote for Fairport Convention to play. It is a song about a man who falls
in love at the Hiring fair with a girl who he ends up working with. It is a
rare folk song with a happy ending. Again this song has a distinct memorable tune
that made it stand out to me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ralph
mentioned for each venue he plays a different set list, including requests that
he has been given. Every time he played a song someone had requested he would
start by saying how long it is since he played the particular song, this was
normally several years. Remarkably, he still managed to play the songs
perfectly and beautifully, proving his tremendous talent. His guitar skills are astonishing and his
voice is strong and very pleasant to listen to. His songs are comfortable and
relaxing. Even though I can not distinguish every single song he sang, it was a
lovely, enjoyable evening. One of my favourite songs of the evening was ‘Dreamtime’.
This song was written about Australia for Billy Connolly’s tour there. The song
focuses on the ecosystem of Australia and how, although how everything is burnt
to the ground during forest fires, the country recovers and forests spring up
again. It is a really beautiful song. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The best
moment of the performance has to be when he sung ‘Streets of London’. He
suggested that the audience may like to join in during the chorus. Not only did
everyone do this, many people sung the verses as well. This was truly magical
and poignant, as it is clear how much the song means for so many people. Although
this song was written over 30 years, it is still shockingly relevant today. For
this, Ralph got a tremendous round of applause. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ralph
McTell showed of some different styles of guitar playing. He spoke about
Reverend Davies and his guitar playing influence. He played a song which he had
written using Rev. Davies’ style and I have to say incredibly different to any
of his other songs. His masterful guitar playing really suited the lyrics and
tune. It was very different but a style that suited him. Ralph also showed off
some of his ‘noodling’. Noodling is when you play an instrument casually and
improvise a piece and Ralph has recently just recorded an album of tunes he has
created from noodling. The tune he played was called ‘Housewives’ Choice’. It
was a catchy tune and showcased Ralph’s amazing guitar playing. </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think
my favourite song though was the encore song which was ‘Around the Wild Cape
Horn’. Like the first song he played it had a very traditional feel, as the
name suggests. This song has not yet appeared on any of Ralph’s albums, but it
has a lovely, rhythmic guitar accompaniment and Fairport Convention have again
done a version of it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Link to Ralph McTell's website - <a href="http://www.ralphmctell.co.uk/">http://www.ralphmctell.co.uk/</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
YouTube video of Ralph McTell playing 'Streets of London' - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COkya7N3pB8">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COkya7N3pB8</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
YouTube video of Ralph McTell playing 'Dreamtime' - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbfQF4MB3d0&feature=youtu.be">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbfQF4MB3d0&feature=youtu.be</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
YouTube video of Ralph McTell playing 'Girl From the Hiring Fair' - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7SUvQRV-yM&feature=youtu.be">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7SUvQRV-yM&feature=youtu.be</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
YouTube video of Fairport Convention playing 'Girl From the Hiring Fair' - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHWRYzXG9sU&feature=youtu.be">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHWRYzXG9sU&feature=youtu.be</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
YouTube video of Ralph McTell playing 'Around the Wild Cape Horn' - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoolPwZ8Kz0&feature=youtu.be">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoolPwZ8Kz0&feature=youtu.be</a></div>
Young Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870289071076758400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495841825550254079.post-62631664072580249522013-10-25T09:58:00.001-07:002013-10-25T09:58:31.207-07:00The Foxglove Trio – Like Diamond Glances<div class="MsoNormal">
The
Foxglove Trio comprises of Ffion Mair, Cathy Mason and Patrick Dean. Their
debut EP was released in March of this year, and contains five beautifully crafted
songs in English and in Welsh. Ffion possesses a brilliant voice and sings with
so much clarity that it is natural for the listener to be drawn to the story
telling aspects of the songs. Furthermore, for someone like me, who speaks a
small amount of Welsh, Ffion’s voice is ideal for trying to follow the story
lines in the Welsh lyrics. Cathy Mason, who is a talented multi
–instrumentalist, plays guitar and cello on the EP. Patrick Dean is a brilliant
melodeon, cello and concertina player. Both Cathy and Patrick sing on some of
the tracks.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The EP
contains the wonderful song ‘Newry Town’. The words are set to a new tune and,
although I really like the old one, this version suits the lyrics incredibly
well. The story contained in the song is about a highway man who robs the rich
in order to supply his wife with gifts. However, this has severe consequences
when he caught and serves as a warning against thievery. Ffion’s whistle
playing on the track is also fantastic.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My
favourite song is ‘The Sign of the Bonny Blue Bell’. This is probably the most
catchy and cheerful songs on the EP. Although the lyrics have very little
meaning, the tune is lovely. Furthermore, I particularly like this
instrumentation on this track and the vocal harmonies. This, combined with
Ffion’s fantastic singing, create a really enjoyable song to listen to.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
‘Betsy
Bell and Mary Grey’ is a song about a man who is in love with two women. In the
song the merits of the two women are compared. The song has a rather dramatic
tune and accompaniment, containing rhythmic melodeon playing by Patrick. The
song finishes with the traditional tune ‘Morrison’s Jig’ which shows off the
musical talents of the trio and is certainly a toe tapper of a tune. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The
song ‘Cariad Cyntaf’ (First Love) begins with a haunting cello line played by
Cathy Mason. Patrick plays the melodeon
the track which creates a more joyful element to the song during the second
verse that suits the lyrics more than the initial haunting accompaniment. According
to the sleeve notes the lyrics contain a story about two lovers discussing
their plans for getting married. The second song in welsh on the EP is ‘Bugeilio'r
Gwenith Gwyn’. This, again, is a song about two lovers; however, it certainly
does not have a story in which everything ends happily. It was written by Wil
Hopcyn, in the 18<sup>th</sup> century, about his love for the daughter of a
wealthy land owner, Ann, who was forced to marry a different man against her
will. Wil supposedly wrote these lyrics ones he had left the village. It is
said that at this time Wil had a dream about the man Ann had married dying and
he rushed back to Ann in the hope of being able to marry her, to find that the
dream was wrong, and it was in fact Ann who had died. The song contains a
wonderful guitar accompaniment. Both these songs are sung with a lot of emotion
and it is certainly not necessary to comprehend Welsh in order to understand
some of the emotion behind the lyrics. </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Considering
this is a debut EP, I am sure we can expect more fantastic music from this trio
in the future. Also, it is incredibly clear that they are all fantastic
musicians.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Link to their website : <a href="http://www.thefoxglovetrio.co.uk/">http://www.thefoxglovetrio.co.uk/</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
YouTube video of Cariad Cyntaf: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7063zFY_jc">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7063zFY_jc</a></div>
Young Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870289071076758400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495841825550254079.post-28960784187687127442013-10-13T13:43:00.000-07:002013-10-13T13:52:15.805-07:00Paper Aeroplanes and Martyn Joseph – Theatr Mwldan – 11/10/13<div class="MsoNormal">
Paper Aeroplanes and Martyn Joseph are Welsh singer
songwriters, making a natural combination to tour together. Martyn Joseph is
renowned across the globe for his distinctive, skilful guitar playing and
thoughtful songs. Hailing from Milford Haven, Paper Aeroplanes, comprising Sarah
Howells and Richard Llewellyn have just released their third album as duo and
have built a large fan base for music, especially in this area of Wales. Furthermore,
Theatr Mwldan is a natural venue for such a tour, as it is incredibly committed
to the promotion of Welsh music. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The
first half of the gig was a set from Paper Aeroplanes. Sarah Howells has an
incredibly distinctive, haunting voice and Richard Llewellyn added wonderful
harmonies to the duo and is a great guitar player. However, the songs lack
distinct features and, to me, are not wonderfully catchy. Their tunes do not
compel you to listen to the words; instead, they sound pleasant and are
relaxing. In a sense they are quite introverted, like the performers themselves,
as though background knowledge is needed to understand them and the emotion
behind them. However, overall I really
did enjoy the set. Additionally, I enjoyed
the instrumentation. The two guitars worked really well together; however, I
preferred the addition of the mandolin as it introduced a different sound into
the mix.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: 36pt;">One of my favourite songs of the
set was ‘My First Love’. This song was probably the most memorable, with a
reasonably catchy tune and sweet lyrics to accompany it. I really like the way
in which Sarah uses the higher register of her voice in this song. Also the
rhythmic guitar accompaniment really fitted the song giving it a more cheerful
atmosphere. Furthermore, I especially enjoyed the haunting quality of the song
‘Circus’. This song matches Sarah’s haunting voice and its slightly creepy tune
was intriguing and compelling. </span><span style="text-indent: 36pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After
the interval, Martyn Joseph took to the stage with much enthusiasm and energy.
He truly is a master of making his wonderful guitar playing look effortless. He
is certainly a performer as well as a musician. His set was full of energy and
excitement, as well as audience interaction, quite the opposite to the style of
performance from Paper Aeroplanes. Throughout the set Martyn mostly played his
own catchy, upbeat material. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Martyn
has recently released an album of his versions of Bruce Springsteen songs. He
is often referred to as the Welsh Springsteen. Therefore, it is not surprising
that during the set he allowed the audience the opportunity to select two Bruce
Springsteen songs from a list of six for Martyn to sing. The audience chose for
him to sing his version of ‘The Ghost of Tom Joad’ which I thought was
incredibly beautiful. The second song he sung ‘No Surrender’ had a very
different feel to it. He accompanied himself on ukulele which was not amplified
and therefore Martyn had to hold it up to the microphone. However, the quietness
of the ukulele was a foil for Martyn’s strong singing voice. Also, although the
ukulele was perhaps an unusual choice for the song, it was really effective and
gave it an incredibly acoustic feel. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The most
affecting song of the set has to be ‘Five Sisters’ which is a true story about casualties
from the conflict in Palestine. The conflict in Palestine is clearly a subject
that Martyn cares about greatly and this comes through in the song, in the
beautiful and poignant melody and the lyrics which tell a sombre story.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of
my favourite songs of Martyn Joseph’s was ‘I’m on my way’ which has a really
catchy chorus and is very enjoyable to listen to. The audience were encouraged
to join in and definitely did so, which always adds to the enjoyment of a song
for me and shows that the audience were enjoying the gig as much as I was. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of
the best moments of the set was when Martyn Joseph stepped of the stage and
into the audience. Although his guitar playing was still being amplified, he
managed to sing over it. It was a lovely moment that proved he has a natural
talent for being heard acoustically as well as through an amplifier. Furthermore,
this, and his constant habit of walking about the stage, made it a visual show
as well as something to be listened to. As I said, he is a performer, not just
a musician, and that takes real skill.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The best
part of the gig has to be the encore. For this, Martyn Joseph and Paper Aeroplanes
all took the stage. Paper Aeroplanes sang the song ‘Newport Beach’ which has
local connections to the area so it went down incredibly well. I think it is my
favourite Paper Aeroplane song, as it carries a catchy tune and engaging
lyrics. Furthermore, the instrumentation was really appropriate and exciting,
especially with Martyn Joseph playing guitar and harmonica on top of Paper
Aeroplanes two guitars. There were many lovely harmonies incorporated into this
song as well. After this, the three of them sang Martyn’s song ‘Still a lot of
Love’ which was the perfect way to end such a lovely evening. Again, the
audience joined in on the chorus and it felt as though every single person in
the room was part of the performance in some way. </div>
Young Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870289071076758400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495841825550254079.post-2361186315549093872013-10-06T11:35:00.000-07:002013-10-06T11:35:35.960-07:00Faustus – Theatr Mwldan - 04/10/2013<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1EsyaRj_c69Yea5zlYoZzYHzSv4AGDcLaEfV9tZPerzFCnwpgg4jWR12Y2SNiyzpr0AmVHIYf1p98bW_HGHDqRvo92_Ihsf9XiTZGY0OoP7Ly27FkguRJMi9HqBX85w_o2iQGd74fz4E/s1600/IMG_2176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1EsyaRj_c69Yea5zlYoZzYHzSv4AGDcLaEfV9tZPerzFCnwpgg4jWR12Y2SNiyzpr0AmVHIYf1p98bW_HGHDqRvo92_Ihsf9XiTZGY0OoP7Ly27FkguRJMi9HqBX85w_o2iQGd74fz4E/s320/IMG_2176.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="text-indent: 36pt;">Faustus is a folk trio comprising
Paul Sartin, Saul Rose and Benji Kirkpatrick, all of whom are amazing musicians
and singers; together they make a wonderfully big sound for such a small group.
They could be described as a very democratic band as individuals share lead
vocals in different songs. This is the
first time I have ever seen Faustus live, although I am quite familiar with
their music and am massively fond of the band Dr Faustus, which Faustus was formed
from. Furthermore, Theatr Mwldan is a
lovely venue for folk and acoustic gigs; the acoustics are wonderful and it has
a very friendly atmosphere.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a
witty introduction by Benji and Saul, ‘Broken Down Gentlemen’, the title track
of their brilliant new album, was sung by Benji, with Saul on Squeeze box and
Paul on fiddle. This is an incredibly catchy song about a young man who is
careless with money and reaps the consequences. Although the message of the
song is serious and it is hardly a happy story, the tune that accompanies it is
rather jolly, making it a very appropriate start to the light hearted
atmosphere of the set. This was followed by Saul singing the lively song
‘Prentice Boy’ set to a merry morris tune called ‘Highland Mary’. The story concerns two young lovers
discussing their wedding plans, when unexpectedly the boyfriend decides to murder
his lover!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJRzDpe3j1u3zEzHwa_zAqiTWlsn0gMrJEQrwCNpM2lqs_HRaL0BGfcXvUMl8ZHLSWCnsDCnAE2kHANamKz51QvUZJyRzdZ3Vi-FXkTVr8Ps7sARrMcbC6auPoZ0IaJYYTZurtKZ1kQuM/s1600/IMG_2183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJRzDpe3j1u3zEzHwa_zAqiTWlsn0gMrJEQrwCNpM2lqs_HRaL0BGfcXvUMl8ZHLSWCnsDCnAE2kHANamKz51QvUZJyRzdZ3Vi-FXkTVr8Ps7sARrMcbC6auPoZ0IaJYYTZurtKZ1kQuM/s320/IMG_2183.JPG" width="240" /></a>The song
that followed, ‘American Stranger’, I thought was incredibly beautiful. The
words are set to a tune called ‘Princess Waltz’ that Paul wrote for a friend’s
wedding. It is a lovely tune and suits the words which are a love song. Then
came my favourite song of the first half, ‘Blow the Windy Morning’. This
wonderfully catchy song is about a lonely Sheppard who finds a woman at a brook
and takes a liking to her. I particularly like the rhythmic element of this
song, added to by Saul’s melodeon playing, and a chorus that begs to be sung
along to. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another
highlight for me was the song ‘Lovely
Johnny’, which was described as an ‘anti-love’ song. It about a woman who is
intent on marrying to Johnny, however, Johnny is not so keen. Again it has a
very catchy refrain and a wonderfully fitting instrumentation that add to the
angry feeling of the song.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRSRECCnHy4WDtWieno0lRSraEhef1yK7c9B2n3fHEKFkL0DnIk_BtCAlLf6MDfS3ZiFH9vAsigjYaq5oQiza-cql1PRMVF7ctXpIPRac41-cM4vGbWMZ9-ArOCcgifelUFuH9xSVGk0/s1600/IMG_2194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRSRECCnHy4WDtWieno0lRSraEhef1yK7c9B2n3fHEKFkL0DnIk_BtCAlLf6MDfS3ZiFH9vAsigjYaq5oQiza-cql1PRMVF7ctXpIPRac41-cM4vGbWMZ9-ArOCcgifelUFuH9xSVGk0/s320/IMG_2194.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="text-indent: 36pt;">The most affecting song of the
set for me was ‘the Captain’s Apprentice’. This is a tragic story about a boy
who is apprenticed to a cruel captain but the point of view is the captain’s.
Apparently it was written after a series of real events making it more
poignant. Paul Sartin sang lead vocals and it began with a rather sparse
accompaniment to his singing appropriate to the sombre theme. At the end of the song there was an
instrumental part in which Paul played the tune on the fiddle. There was
distinct pause whilst the last not of this resonated in the air before the applause
started indicating that the audience was as affected by the song as I was. The
singing and instrumentation was just so powerful and emotional, yet beautiful
and delicate. It was the sort of moment that could never come across on a
recording of the song; it relied on the audience as well as the musicians.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: 36pt;">However, this solemn atmosphere
did not last long. Faustus continued by
playing a wonderfully lively tune set. It was masterfully performed, showing
what skilful musicians they are. Furthermore, it was very much a toe tapper of
a tune set which incorporated some beautiful instrumental harmonies. I am sure
if there had been room there would have been dancing. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: 36pt;">The set finished with ‘The Og’s
Eye man’ which is a catchy sea shanty, with a chorus that begs to be sung along
to. My favourite feature about this song
is the vocal harmonies that make the song compelling to listen to. Also, it is
another lively song, especially with Benji’s powerfully rhythmic guitar playing
added to the mix. After an astounding loud round of applause, they played the
song ‘Brisk Lad’ as an encore. This was a song collected from Paul’s relative,
as he proudly explained, pointing out the miserable theme of the song. This
song was sung so beautifully and was the perfect ending to a wonderful gig. It incorporated
some incredible vocal harmonies and was sung with limited instrumentation
adding to the misery of the song. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div style="text-indent: 48px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-indent: 48px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="text-indent: 36pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWIjvtQZTz6mX2fP6cffNLCxpjEaotI0ry-mSRWGPueP4rj6P0CQtn0_D4INcNsQfA6BxyiUuRf5yLcsgpKO3bvDi-FsipTa0b-h0iD0Wv_mgM7rP_s_sqBCJ3i0GHv5_xe0P1QoEOL4/s1600/IMG_2178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWIjvtQZTz6mX2fP6cffNLCxpjEaotI0ry-mSRWGPueP4rj6P0CQtn0_D4INcNsQfA6BxyiUuRf5yLcsgpKO3bvDi-FsipTa0b-h0iD0Wv_mgM7rP_s_sqBCJ3i0GHv5_xe0P1QoEOL4/s320/IMG_2178.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul Sartin </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvgZhA27qZ20BOoKLszLQmAoEo0maR0I_NZNnxmb0ZTok9tc-_FlZRvYTWIVoEw1-diuTsU47LnPus9L3Dl9v1smC4sjmOvrayz7g8zpinAVDqL80p9bgb-Z-l6eW-4PsBSI93BgzZ9s/s1600/IMG_2179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvgZhA27qZ20BOoKLszLQmAoEo0maR0I_NZNnxmb0ZTok9tc-_FlZRvYTWIVoEw1-diuTsU47LnPus9L3Dl9v1smC4sjmOvrayz7g8zpinAVDqL80p9bgb-Z-l6eW-4PsBSI93BgzZ9s/s320/IMG_2179.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Benji Kirkpatrick </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguW7pdKjP9zk0JcQIxt1k5pASliTpMkpp6BnAeMb_IctAoNB9Iyo2XomV6cOTBSSI0li3H_kvpsNn3VBXFtIPjGphOIYqRcLor18n2RMJ9IVDOeXG0hIQ1tTGlmCLmu6N7aU7-FwBW0PE/s1600/IMG_2189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguW7pdKjP9zk0JcQIxt1k5pASliTpMkpp6BnAeMb_IctAoNB9Iyo2XomV6cOTBSSI0li3H_kvpsNn3VBXFtIPjGphOIYqRcLor18n2RMJ9IVDOeXG0hIQ1tTGlmCLmu6N7aU7-FwBW0PE/s320/IMG_2189.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saul Rose</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 48px;">
Faustus' website: <a href="http://www.faustusband.com/Home.aspx">http://www.faustusband.com/Home.aspx</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 48px;">
Youtube video - 'Brisk Lad' : <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK6n7kptojU">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK6n7kptojU</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 48px;">
Youtube video - 'Blow The Windy Morning' :<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh3nI49tWaM">http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=eh3nI49tWaM</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 48px;">
Youtube video - 'Broken Down Gentlemen' :<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnTwGHQqqZI">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnTwGHQqqZI</a></div>
Young Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870289071076758400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495841825550254079.post-56767039528688673052013-10-05T09:08:00.002-07:002013-10-05T09:08:29.263-07:00Folk Song in England Day At the British Library - 21/09/2013<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
Recently I participated in a day
of volunteering for EFDSS at a ‘Folk Song in England’ day in the British
Library in London. The event was part of the EFDSS’ ‘Full English’ project, in
which EFDSS have put the collections of 12 song collectors on to an online
archive that anyone can access. This momentous project has led to these ‘Folk
Song in England’ events happening all over the country. Although I assisted at the
event, I had the privilege of listening to the speakers and I would like to
share some of the amazing things that I learnt. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The day
began with Steve Roud, a historian with a passion for and vast knowledge of
folklore and folk song. Steve Roud has been involved in publications such as
the ‘New Penguin Book of English Folk Song’ and ‘A dictionary of English
Folklore’. He started by playing a version of ‘the Hungry sung by Ron and Bob
Copper. Steve firmly pointed out that the day was about English Folk Song and
did not apply to Welsh, Scottish or Irish folk song. To me, this was slightly
disappointing as I tend to think of all British Folk Music as incredibly
interlinked and as a unit rather than to be separated by country borders. This
is probably due to the fact I live in a distinctively English part of Wales.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Steve
discussed the definition of folk music and how a song becomes traditional. He
spoke in terms that a folk song must have been learnt from someone and passed
on. Also it is to do with selectivity – learning the songs you want to as
opposed to every single one. The third element which he mentioned that makes a
folk song is how it is mutable with people’s different interpretations of the
same song. He pointed out that it is impossible for the same singer to sing a
song exactly the same every time, and therefore it is impossible for songs to
be passed on the same every time. Later on he proved this by playing a mother
singing a song and then her son singing the same song. The two versions were
sung incredibly differently; the mother sang in a delicate, gentle way, whereas
her son sung in a loud strong voice,
illustrating his point as the son had learnt the song from the singing of his
mother. Steve called the attributes of a folk song ‘continuity, selection and
variation’.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The
other context that was given is that folk songs are non-commercial and sung
face to face. He pointed out that, before the 1940s, if you wanted to listen to
music then you had to hear it from someone; there was no way of putting on an
album and listening that way. This discussion led to theme of where these folk songs
were sung. Steve briefly discussed how folk sessions would work. It was
mentioned how the younger people in the session would sing the ‘modern’ songs
from the time. These would mostly be from musicals. However, the older
generations would sing the old folk songs. Everyone had their own songs to sing
and no one ever sung each other’s – almost as though singing a song gave you
the ownership of it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were
shown some clips from ‘Here’s a Health to the Barley Mow’ which is a series of
various dvds containing archival footage of folk customs. The clips we were
shown were of a folk session happening
from the mid 20<sup>th</sup> century. Steve explained that it is the nearest
we’ll ever get to seeing a ‘proper’ folk singing session, although obviously
people would have been wary of being filmed. The footage was fascinating, and,
at times, amusing. The people singing were clearly having an amazing time and
everyone in the pub, from the pub owner to the people sitting in the corner,
seemed involved in some way. Also, it presented a lot of songs I previously had
not heard. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of
the main topics of conversation during the event was how songs weregathered by
collectors. Steve spoke about how Percy Grainger’s collecting methods differed
from those of Cecil Sharp. He spoke about how Grainger would record songs on a
wax cylinder and then Grainger would take these recordings home, slow them
down, to work out every single detail about them. This is fairly incredible
considering the accuracy and the muffled quality of the recordings. This
differs to Sharp, who would write down the tunes and word on site. No one quite
knows how he did this or whether he was pitch perfect, but it is true to say
that his manuscripts are probably far less accurate than Grainger’s. Vaughan
Williams used a similar method to Sharp but he was more interested in the tunes
than the words. He therefore normally the people singing the song to write the
words down and he would collect the tune; alternatively he often got his wife
to write down the lyrics.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then we
went to see some of the manuscripts that Vaughan Williams and Grainger had
recorded. It was wonderful to see these! Many of them are still in brilliant
condition and it was fascinating to see fragments of manuscript from different
stages of their lives. Furthermore, there were lyrics written down by people
that Vaughan Williams had collected from, which were all beautifully presented
showing how much these collections meant
to the people they were collected from.
Additionally we were able to see some pictures of Vaughan Williams and his
wives and some wax cylinders that held some field recordings. We were also told
about the vast collection of recordings that the British Library holds. You can
listen to some recordings here : <a href="http://sounds.bl.uk/World-and-traditional-music">http://sounds.bl.uk/World-and-traditional-music</a>
. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After
lunch Julia Bishop, who is an expert on folk music and another contributor to
the ‘New Penguin Book of English folk Songs’, spoke about the musical side of
folk music. She mentioned how must songs have a really similar tune. She also
spoke about modes – which are an alternative sort of scale, and how they were
frequently used in folk songs. She demonstrated this by playing ‘The First
Noel’ on the recorder in different modal scales. This helped us all notice how
much the modes changed the piece of music. Instead of the music sounding flat
and ordinary, it had a new exotic sound that is a key aspect of folk songs. However,
it was pointed out that when folk singers were becoming more popular, people
complained that folk singers couldn’t sing in tune. That Is the main reason why
the modes were thought up. This was all rather fascinating to me as I had
previously not understood the theory behind modes. However, I think that if I
hadn’t been able to read music then I would have struggled to understand some
of it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Towards
the end of the event, Steve spoke about how and why people began collecting
folk songs. He told us that, during the late 18<sup>th</sup> , century poets in
Scotland had been interested in the lyrical side of the ballads, and therefore
had begun collecting the words for their poetical element. He spoke about how,
in the mid 19<sup>th</sup> century, people really began writing down the tunes.
These collectors normally just collected in the local area. Towards the end of
the 19<sup>th</sup> century people were trying to search for a distinctively
British music. They did not have many great composers like other countries so
they began to turn towards folk music as encapsulating something patriotic. However,
the war put an end to this collecting. Even if the songs were still being sung,
some of the collectors had been severely hit by the war. Steve mentioned how Sharp organised a morris
dancing side and, out of all of the young men in the side, only one survived.
Therefore, you can see the impact this must have had on Sharp. Thus, there were
only a few song collectors between then and the folk revival of the 1950s. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was a
very enjoyable day and I would really recommend getting as involved as possible
in these Full English projects. I am very sorry that this is so late after the
actual event; I have had a very busy few weeks. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
Young Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870289071076758400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495841825550254079.post-54085104500104660252013-09-15T05:28:00.001-07:002013-09-15T05:58:00.821-07:00Up Through The Woods - David Gibb and Elly Lucas, Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
David Gibb and Elly Lucas are a wonderful young folk duo from Derbyshire. When I first heard that they were soon to be releasing a new album, I was really quite excited. I knew that if it was anywhere near as good as their debut – ‘Old Chairs To Mend’, then it would be something special. And I certainly was not disappointed.
The album artwork is really rather wonderful, featuring Elly Lucas' unique photography. Furthermore, I think the ‘Thank Yous’ at the back of the sleeve notes have to be the most amusing I have ever read. Something I particularly like about Gibb and Lucas’ work is that they are incredibly good song writers and all their songs have rather interesting stories. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The album begins with the track 'Jackwire' which is a fantastic toe tapper with a catchy chorus and incredibly beautiful harmonies from David and Elly. It really drew me into the album and I knew immediately that it was going to be good. The song is about Luddites who wrecked many weaving frames during the early 19th century to protest against the modern technology that had rendering many weaver unemployed. This is a brilliant example of David Gibb’s supreme song writing skills. Furthermore, the song is enhanced by David’s rhythmic guitar playing and Elly’s bouncy fiddle playing.
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
One of my favourite songs in the album is ‘Four Poster Bath’. It is a slightly strange love story between a woman who loves to bathe and a man who is willing to do anything to gain her love. I think it is a rather sweet song and I really like the tune that so fittingly accompanies the lyrics as well as Gibb’s delicate guitar playing on this track.
The title track of the album is ‘Up Through The Woods’ which is about walking through a woods and all your cares departing. I particularly like the ending of this song where it is sung as a round. It is set to the tune of ‘Old Tom Of Oxford ‘which is a morris tune and gives the song a very traditional feel. This is especially due to the rhythmic element of the song enhanced by Jim Molyneux's percussion playing. Again it is a David Gibb creation and is just a wonderful, short, catchy song.
On a similar theme is ‘The Way Through the Woods’ which is a poem by Rudyard Kipling that also features on the album. David Gibb has written a new tune for the poem to be set to which brings out the beauty of Kipling’s words and matches so wonderfully. The song is about the woods going back to nature. The instrumentation on this song is just perfect – it contains wonderful clarinet playing by Oli Matthews which makes the song very affecting. This is a particular highlight on the album for me.
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Each and every song tells a memorable story or has a memorable message, from a man who fought at the Battle of Waterloo to the redevelopment of Derby city. If I were to choose a favourite track from the album, it would have to be 'Lovely Molly', with moving vocals from David. It tells of young men going off to war leaving the women behind. It's one of those songs, that is sort of unexpected but makes you want to listen to it over and over. Each song has a distinct quality to it, with immaculate musicianship from both David and Elly. What I'm really saying, is that I can tell that this is going remain one of my favourite albums for many years to come.</div>
<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxtVYP0JMp8vHHjTYZ73diEfjPpqX68eziMrE5Cu0EuEZNYnxW7QNoGmsoKKF9YJKZvuWHdYFaRG89J1VarfO5jeCRb9h2RVp7jtifULBJbyQ01MshL4tA98ZtI4Ka_QDfpBHS7XcOds/s1600/DSCF7861two.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxtVYP0JMp8vHHjTYZ73diEfjPpqX68eziMrE5Cu0EuEZNYnxW7QNoGmsoKKF9YJKZvuWHdYFaRG89J1VarfO5jeCRb9h2RVp7jtifULBJbyQ01MshL4tA98ZtI4Ka_QDfpBHS7XcOds/s320/DSCF7861two.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.gibbandlucas.tumblr.com/">www.gibbandlucas.tumblr.com</a></div>
<br />Young Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870289071076758400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495841825550254079.post-60130720396202072982013-09-05T11:13:00.005-07:002013-09-05T11:13:52.846-07:00 'Bare Foot Folk' - Ange Hardy <div class="MsoNormal">
Ange Hardy is well known for being a brilliant songwriter
and singer. Her second album, ‘Bare Foot
Folk’, is a collection of 14 beautifully crafted songs written by Ange. All her songs contain interesting and engaging
lyrics set to wonderfully fitting tunes, mostly accompanied by her delicate
guitar playing. Although none of the songs are from traditional sources, many
of them narrate tales and are set to tunes that could easily be mistaken for
traditional. The aim of the CD, for me, is very clear – and that is to present
stories simply but beautifully and not concentrating on the instrumentation but
the tune and the words. Her guitar playing is immaculate and very fitting
for the album, with the vocal harmonies at times enhancing the messages that
the songs convey. Furthermore, Ange has
a beautifully clear voice which is ideal for the story telling aspects of her
songs as well as being incredibly pleasant to listen to.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB_RfJqp_IJymg-d9YAeWTzeXkjxkU6cRccNmMdeJrjFx7vQBXsbDK0pSP4LP3MlQjYF68Lj5U50avMO0RnkGLI0e8wwEVPpFPPxyDhX4AccQ2StOjvWvv_dGrYiWI3lk892F2Up4NaPg/s1600/bare-foot-folk-ange-hardy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB_RfJqp_IJymg-d9YAeWTzeXkjxkU6cRccNmMdeJrjFx7vQBXsbDK0pSP4LP3MlQjYF68Lj5U50avMO0RnkGLI0e8wwEVPpFPPxyDhX4AccQ2StOjvWvv_dGrYiWI3lk892F2Up4NaPg/s1600/bare-foot-folk-ange-hardy.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of my favourite songs on the album is ‘Crafty Father
John’. Ange’s catchy tune gives the song a very traditional sound; however, her
witty lyrics carry a very modern message about Facebook and inappropriate
status updates. It sounds like one of those songs that you heard before, but it
is completely original in words and in tune. I particularly love the guitar accompaniment
for this song, as it adds a strong rhythmic structure. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another song in which Ange demonstrates exceptional song
writing is ‘White As Snow’. It is
inspired by a scene in the film ‘Another Earth’ which is an incredibly strange
fantasy about a second planet Earth
appearing in the sky. Anyway, in the song I think Ange has really captured the
abstract, surreal mood of the film. The harmonies in this song are absolutely
beautiful. It is sung unaccompanied which gives the song an incredibly icy,
eerie feel that matches the lyrics and the story the song tells. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
‘It Can't Be So’ is a song about impossible love but uses
many images from traditional songs. It is very clear that Ange Hardy enjoys
these traditional images. I really like how Ange paints the scene at the
beginning of each verse. The chorus for this song is particularly catchy,
guaranteed to get you singing along. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfd6h9vUwXLJuAPufp03YXvshleHvyS1nzeZR7vuz0UHRWYPv9H55t_pZ_O0BOxKusDBBlXqr7KZ25gaCbcw2qDhyw4oHjzDoJI_fJwLAachyDglrWh2rq7A08b1I4m7Ba7hvpnJwCxk/s1600/Ange.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfd6h9vUwXLJuAPufp03YXvshleHvyS1nzeZR7vuz0UHRWYPv9H55t_pZ_O0BOxKusDBBlXqr7KZ25gaCbcw2qDhyw4oHjzDoJI_fJwLAachyDglrWh2rq7A08b1I4m7Ba7hvpnJwCxk/s320/Ange.jpg" width="320" /></a>Furthermore, Ange's impressive harmonies add texture to the
tracks. I have to say that I was amazed
by the 10 part harmony during the chorus of the song ‘Forlorn Land’ which is
extremely effective in transforming the song into a battle cry. Also, it
enhances the idea that perhaps to be heard you need to be many voices which is
sort of what the song is about. ‘The Storm Has Now Begun’ is a sea shanty with
overlapping lyrics, making it really interesting to listen to. It has a very
traditional feel due to the rhythmic bodhran drum accompaniment. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
One great aspect about the CD is how the songs link
together. Sometimes the links are obvious, (especially if you read the sleeve notes),
such as ‘Away With You Lassie’, ‘The Old Maiden’ and ‘The Storm Has Now Begun’
which are about life and tragedy at sea as well as the people left behind. But
other connections are more subtle like ‘Young Martha's Well’ and ‘Stop Your
Crying Son’ which both have associations with parenthood – a natural subject
for Ange, a mother herself. I think these links gives the album a sense of completeness,
suggesting it should really be listened to in sequence rather than on
'shuffle'. It is certainly true to say that no song disappoints and I am fond
of every single one!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Youtube video of White As Snow : </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2SCXCBIQX8">www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2SCXCBIQX8</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
YouTube video of The Storm Has Now begun:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk47ay6B0dM">www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk47ay6B0dM</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Link to Ange Hardy's Website:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.angehardy.com/">www.angehardy.com/</a></div>
</div>
Young Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870289071076758400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495841825550254079.post-27556409841694528972013-08-29T13:27:00.002-07:002013-08-29T13:27:32.978-07:00FolkEast - Saturday 24/8/2013, ReviewNow I say this is a review of the Saturday at this year's FolkEast festival, but truth be told, I was only there from about six o'clock onwards, but I will review what I can from what I saw. <br />
<br />
Firstly, the location, Glemham Hall, was a perfect setting for the festival. With the large house overlooking the site, and small coloured lights amongst the dotted trees, it looked incredible in the darkened light.<br />
<br />
So, Monster Ceilidh Band (main stage) were the first people I saw when I arrived. I have to admit that, before the festival, I had never really listened to them, but I really enjoyed them all the same (and have listened to them quite a lot since). They really got the crowd going considering there really weren't that many people there, and their catchy tunes got a few dancing as well.<br />
At risk of this sounding like a story, we then went in search of food, and had a rather good pizza. The food section of FolkEast really was great, as I later had a fantastic crepe, but anyway, back to the music.<br />
<br />
Next up, I saw Sam Lee & Friends (broad roots stage), though unfortunately I only caught two songs. From what I saw though, Sam Lee has an incredibly strong voice live, and the arrangements amongst the instruments were hypnotising.<br />
<br />
We then headed up to the main stage to see the Wayward Band. This was what I had been looking forward to out of the whole weekend lineup. We arrived a few minutes early in time for the sound check and to witness Sam Sweeney singing a few verses of 'The Voice' which was fantastic and got cheers from the audience even before the show had begun. As they began, a thick mist descended on the Glemham Estate, making the whole show even more exciting and memorable. And when they did begin, they didn't disappoint. They started with two songs sung by Jim Moray, and then invited on Eliza Carthy to sing the rest of the songs (if my memory serves me correctly). They played just about an hour, including favourites, 'Mr Walker', 'Gallant Hussar' and 'Willow Tree'. The whole band are excellent musicians, making everything they do look easy but sounding incredible. Once they had finished, cries of 'encore' were heard from the crowd and everyone wanted more. Clapping and cheering went on for ages until people sadly realised that they weren't coming back - this was the last gig of the Wayward Tour - and I was so glad that I was there to see it.<br />
<br />
I then went to see Spiro, with a cup of tea in hand, and enjoyed their beautifully complicated tunes for a little while until The Dhol Foundation were due to come on. Like Monster Ceilidh Band, I had never listened to TDF before, but I knew that they would be good from articles that I have read and the fact that they were headlining! And what a show it was, they really were amazing. Everyone was dancing and at least attempting to sing along, shouting out whatever we were told to and jumping around. Seeing as I had never listened to them before, I couldn't tell you what they played, but I can say that it was very good indeed. Half way through the set, Eliza Carthy and Jim Moray were invited back on stage to sing a song with TDF, which everyone was delighted by, as they hadn't played for extremely long with the Wayward Band. This was amazing, we then all sang Happy Birthday to Eliza Carthy as it had very recently been her birthday, and they play some more 'dancy' tunes. They really were incredible - I'd definitely see them again if given the chance.<br />
<br />
Acts that I would love to have seen if I had been there earlier or on a different day would have been: Spiers & Boden, John Ward & Mario Price, Sam Carter & The Big Sky Choir, Ahab and The Young'Uns.<br />
<br />
Anyway, it was a fantastic festival, definitely living up to last year.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6O2xteszvxFQ238Vlxz5p8iDBqqIPJIiutrigTkBz27SSvhqwls1PnZ6ta_DXQaHTzm92A16gZT_LcDabyUYR8qR2SIGp6pgn-vqMGnQUjfAtDOlXmNne7eoH092us6GLisTZ7NXUI3Q/s1600/DSCF7712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6O2xteszvxFQ238Vlxz5p8iDBqqIPJIiutrigTkBz27SSvhqwls1PnZ6ta_DXQaHTzm92A16gZT_LcDabyUYR8qR2SIGp6pgn-vqMGnQUjfAtDOlXmNne7eoH092us6GLisTZ7NXUI3Q/s320/DSCF7712.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
Monster Ceilidh Band</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6aJu1SKM_AUcCmZMuQOylRvCmiMT6PlrMar3KrD93I8aM6Y-C3TXkUSDlEnaGJSPZ4C3hnoPgL9lN3d0IVllbhIAo-xIuclnDVa-qAtuEbOxqeFYmf_Jt0DTRTUCso-mEEHP3PjwTrik/s1600/DSCF7713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6aJu1SKM_AUcCmZMuQOylRvCmiMT6PlrMar3KrD93I8aM6Y-C3TXkUSDlEnaGJSPZ4C3hnoPgL9lN3d0IVllbhIAo-xIuclnDVa-qAtuEbOxqeFYmf_Jt0DTRTUCso-mEEHP3PjwTrik/s320/DSCF7713.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
Sam Lee & Friends</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqw2fViYx8qbbd4X8mZ9TkPyhG93L23hCe0lgYJUX6EbEmbGQNrBqfzBnZIaUYb_2gHaiRuDD-zFCHoW4FyYI3FrCJm4by1G_gGTzaxTdX6eDT6xlrKcE9i78D5iQ4mIxbcIhnHJw-j2g/s1600/DSCF7726.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqw2fViYx8qbbd4X8mZ9TkPyhG93L23hCe0lgYJUX6EbEmbGQNrBqfzBnZIaUYb_2gHaiRuDD-zFCHoW4FyYI3FrCJm4by1G_gGTzaxTdX6eDT6xlrKcE9i78D5iQ4mIxbcIhnHJw-j2g/s320/DSCF7726.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
Wayward Band - Eliza Carthy & Saul Rose</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNWOmIMEyhy4cmaeNxSe8fV2C6OXmU67Tay3knjVMbPHa8S_mQpvPBiKYqQOCchxa45xOXlmjUa2qyYXnv5Sraq1HdW7FG9TX31IJlZ7Q5DEQeofsypUM2cC2ag6Frfn4KR27SnJ4zuJc/s1600/DSCF7748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNWOmIMEyhy4cmaeNxSe8fV2C6OXmU67Tay3knjVMbPHa8S_mQpvPBiKYqQOCchxa45xOXlmjUa2qyYXnv5Sraq1HdW7FG9TX31IJlZ7Q5DEQeofsypUM2cC2ag6Frfn4KR27SnJ4zuJc/s320/DSCF7748.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Wayward Band - Jim Moray & Eliza Carthy </div>
Young Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870289071076758400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495841825550254079.post-3545616264824602722013-08-23T10:43:00.002-07:002013-08-23T10:50:35.522-07:00Jim Moray and Eliza Carthy - The Wayward tour - Mac, Birmingham 22/08/20013For those of you who do not know, Eliza Carthy has been touring and recording music for 21 years, and Jim Moray has been touring and recording music for 10 years, and in order to celebrate this they have created a band of amazing musicians whom they have worked with during their careers. After having mainly toured during May and June, they have a couple more tour dates this summer mostly at festivals.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGC3j5ufe7lIJd6MFc55uGxu2bqwdDYYR56EBjT82NQ89CLCdSkaiAFKtY32jygABeCj1fkMhEMxpj_oxHt3N0n6VSWgVAy0YxK0eN_ShIOyTKjy7gl4quAERwwl2ovH6PhFP6s-vp31U/s1600/WAYWARD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGC3j5ufe7lIJd6MFc55uGxu2bqwdDYYR56EBjT82NQ89CLCdSkaiAFKtY32jygABeCj1fkMhEMxpj_oxHt3N0n6VSWgVAy0YxK0eN_ShIOyTKjy7gl4quAERwwl2ovH6PhFP6s-vp31U/s320/WAYWARD.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Jim Moray began by singing "Poverty Knock" which he accompanied with his own piano playing. This was a very appropriate start to the gig as the song appeared on one of his first albums and is an affecting song about the hardship in cotton mills. This was a lovely, relaxed way to start the concert, and he continued by inviting Lucy Farrell on to stage to sing "Lord Douglas" with him, accompanied only by acoustic guitar.<br />
<br />
When he invited the whole band on stage, the atmosphere changed drastically. They performed a dynamically loud version of "William Taylor" with brilliant drum playing by Dave Burbidge (who was standing in for Willy Moleson) adding volume and a dark atmosphere to the song. I also very much enjoyed the duet of the broken token ballad "Jenny of the Moor" that Jim Moray sung with Lucy Farrell, although it was clear that they were slightly out of practice as they both looked unsure of which parts they were meant to be singing. Another highlight of Jim Moray's set has to be "Leaving Australia". I really liked the introductory xylophone (?) playing by Laurence Hunt and the unusually quiet Sam Sweeney.<br />
<br />
However, I have to say my favourite song from Jim's set has to be "Seven Long Years". The instrumentation is just beautiful and I really loved the addition of Sam Sweeney, Beth Porter and Lucy Farrell singing. It is a song that works brilliantly well with such a big band.<br />
<br />
After the interval, Eliza began in a similar sort of way to Jim. She sung a beautiful song accompanying herself on piano. I can not remember the name of the song, but it was accompanied about by the string section of the band, and I remember thinking that it was incredibly powerful.<br />
<br />
When she had the complete band with her, the material was far more upbeat and Eliza was clearly enjoying herself enormously - dancing across the stage and interacting with the other musicians. I very much enjoyed seeing the interactions between her and the other musicians. They did a wonderful version of "Cold, Wet and Rainy night" where they invited the audience to sing along (however, very few did join in). They also sang "Turpin Hero", about a "chicken murderer".<br />
<br />
A particular highlight for me has to be "Mr Walker" which is the sort of song you can not help yourself from singing along to! The story is about a man wanting to marry a women who is really ugly, just for her money. Anyway, it is a very funny song and brilliantly introduced by Eliza and Saul.<br />
<br />
<br />
The tone of the gig changed when Eliza began talking about her uncle Mike. She spoke with emotion about how Mike was a decorator and he used to come round for lunch and tell them little silly things he had thought of during the day. She then passionately sang Mike's song "Jack Frost" which was just beautiful! It was completely incongruous for the warm evening but its icy words and icy melody put a sudden chill in the air. I think this was my favourite of the songs performed.<br />
<br />
This icy atmosphere did not last long as they continued with songs such as "Rolling Sea" which, as Eliza, pointed out has a strong Pirate theme. I particularly love the the brass section of the band during this song!<br />
<br />
Sadly the band had to cut the set short as there was a curfew. This meant they were not able to complete the already shortened set list. They finished with " Willow Tree" but did not have time for an encore. Maybe without Saul's Purple joke, they may have been able to fit another song in but...<br />
<br />
Although, the Wayward band is certainly not going to last much longer (there are only a few more chances left to see it), I would also recommend seeing any of the musicians that were involved at any other form of gig, whether with a band or solo. And I hope that maybe in 10 or 11 years time perhaps the Wayward band may get back together to celebrate some more anniversaries.<br />
<br />
A couple of good youtube videos of the Wayward tour:<br />
<br />
Mr Walker - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9keoSbv8ld4">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9keoSbv8ld4</a><br />
<br />
Worcester City - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jh6iPqTlTD4">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jh6iPqTlTD4</a><br />
<br />
Willow Tree ( they have cool hats in this one ) - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCyKrNloIUA">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCyKrNloIUA</a><br />
<br />
Jim Moray and the Skulk Ensemble - Seven Long Years ( I couldn't find a version recorded on the Wayward Tour - but this is brilliant regardless) - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMrNLgdUeEw">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMrNLgdUeEw</a><br />
<br />
<br />Young Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870289071076758400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495841825550254079.post-76203137459746729352013-08-21T12:37:00.001-07:002013-08-23T13:55:52.186-07:00Bellowhead (& AYMs) - Snape Maltings Concert Hall, Review<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1377111367724_2558" style="line-height: 24px;">
On Thursday 15th August, Bellowhead
played the Snape Maltings Concert Hall to a sold out audience, joined by the
Aldeburgh Young Musicians. It was an unforgettable gig for everyone there. The
show began, not with a song from Bellowhead, but a with a beautiful rendition of
the song 'General Taylor' from the band with the AYMs. From the back of the
darkened hall, they slowly came down the steps lead by Bellowhead's own Sam
Sweeney and Paul Sartin, making their way to the front, below the stage, where
they stopped and stood under spotlights to finish the song. It was quite a
performance to experience, and I'm so glad I was there to have seen it. </div>
<br />
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1377111367724_2503" style="line-height: 24px;">
Bellowhead began by playing '10,000
Miles Away' (their first single from their latest album 'Broadside') which got
most people clapping along, and many singing as well - which is obviously expected
with Bellowhead's infectious choruses. After this, frontman Jon Boden expressed
his wishes for people to stand up, which a few did and as soon as they started
'Whiskey Is The Life Of Man' a few songs later a few more audience members had
made their way forward bouncing and dancing at the bottom of the stage (myself
included). Unfortunately not as many people were dancing and clapping as the average Bellowhead fan would have liked, but what can you do, people go to seated venues to sit down! . </div>
<div style="line-height: 24px;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 24px;">
The second half (yes, there was an interval!), Jon Boden said, would involve a lot of dancing, and it definitely did! The foot stomping 'Yarmouth Town' was popular and known by many in the audience, as Great Yarmouth is not far from where we were. After each song, more and more people made their way to the front to join in the dancing and singing along. </div>
<div style="line-height: 24px;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 24px;">
Well into the second half, the hall went dark and a group of the AYMs appeared and beautifully sang a part of 'Thousands Or More', hypnotising and captivating audience until Bellowhead suddenly began playing, making everyone jump and start madly dancing again.</div>
<div style="line-height: 24px;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 24px;">
Every song Bellowhead played was faultless and utterly incredible, everything you would expect from one of their shows. Highlights for me, included 'What's The Life Of A Man' where Jon Boden's magnificent voice was particularly shown off; 'London Town' where even those who didn't seem to be major fans were clapping along; and frankly, anything involving the AYMs. The energy on that stage, with all that talent, was unreal, something I feel very lucky to have experienced.</div>
Young Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870289071076758400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495841825550254079.post-10246490746850833042013-07-25T08:01:00.001-07:002013-07-25T08:01:34.468-07:00Review - Cecil Sharp Project CD <div class="MsoNormal">
So, I thought as I have no written anything for a while and
we have now received over 1,000 views on our blog (yay!), that I would write a
review of one of my favourite CDs ever – ‘The Cecil Sharp Project’. The CD
brings together the wonderful musicians Steve Knightley, Jackie Oates, Andy
Cutting, Caroline Herring, Jim Moray, Patsy Reid, Leonard Podolak and Kathryn
Roberts. In March 2011 these talented musicians were placed in a house in
Shropshire for 6 days with the purpose to create song about the life and work
of the famous folk song collector Cecil Sharp. </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cecil
Sharp, as many of you will know, collected songs during the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. He is particularly noted for collecting songs and lecturing in the Appalachian mountains in America. If you would like to view some of the songs he collected I would really recommend looking at the Full English digital Archive ( <a href="http://www.vwml.org.uk/vwml-projects/vwml-the-full-english">http://www.vwml.org.uk/vwml-projects/vwml-the-full-english</a> ) where you can also read his diaries, if you can understand his handwriting! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyway, these amazing musicians wrote many amazing songs to do with Cecil Sharp and arranged some of the songs that Cecil Sharp collected. They then performed their work at several gigs and festivals and a live CD was made out of there performances at The Cecil Sharp House and Shrewsbury Folk Festival. A DVD was made from their set a Shrewsbury Folk Festival. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
I guess I ought to talk about the songs. I love them all. But I have to say the highlight of the CD for me has to be 'Dear Kimber'. It has such an amazingly catchy tune despite its slightly strange subject matter. The song is mostly sung by Jim Moray and is about Mary Neal inviting some Headington Morris Men to teach girls to dance. This was not a popular idea with Cecil Sharp or with William Kimber who led the Headington Morris Men. The song is inspired by a letter that Cecil Sharp sent to Kimber on the subject where Mary Neal is called 'Little Miss N'. Anyway, it is a wonderful song, which you will feel yourself singing a long to. It is also the most listened to song on my iTunes. I once got Jim Moray to sing 'Dear Kimber' at a gig - it was amazing, although he couldn't remember it very well.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the subject of Jim Moray, you know that song that won him the folk award this year (Earl Brand/ Lord Douglas), well that masterpiece was created during the Cecil Sharp Project. It also wins the prize for being the longest song on the album and the song containing the most complex story.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another song that really stands out of the album is 'The Ghost of Songs'. I guess it has a completely different atmosphere to 'Dear Kimber'. It was mostly written by Steve Knightley and is also sung by him and Kathryn Roberts. It is one of those songs that will make you stop and think and/or make tears pour from your eyes. It is a song that has the ghosts of the people Cecil Sharp collected from. There is no way of wording that in a coherent way, but you will understand if you listen to it!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the most beautiful tracks on the album has to be 'Cecil's Greatest Hits Vol.1'. This is an arrangement of three songs that Cecil Sharp collected during his life. It is wonderfully sung by Jackie Oates and Kathryn Roberts! I would really appreciate it if someone would give me the name of the second song in the track - I have unsuccessfully tried to search for it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the funniest songs on the album has to be 'Veggie in the Holler'. This is about Cecil Sharp being a vegetarian in a time where some people thought that a chicken was a vegetable! I think Cecil Sharp must have appeared completely insane to the people he met in the Appalachians! Anyway, the song outline his struggle to gain a proper vegetarian meal. It is wonderfully sung by Leonard Podolak and the words are rather amusing. 'Maud and Cecil' is also hilarious. It is about the idea that Cecil Sharp's and Maud's relationship may not have been entirely innocent. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I could go on about every song on the album but they are ALL wonderful! It contains the most beautiful version of 'Barbara Allen' I have ever heard and the wonderful song 'Mining for Songs' about Cecil's search for songs in America. Well, just listen to the whole CD - you will certainly not be disappointed! </div>
Young Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870289071076758400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495841825550254079.post-55861140397816665162013-06-29T10:26:00.003-07:002013-06-29T10:26:37.279-07:00Four - Cupola:Ward'Four' is the name of Cupola:Ward's wonderful new EP. Both the name of the band and the name of the EP are pretty self explanatory, however, in case you are unaware, Cupola:Ward is made up of the wonderful band Cupola (which brings together the brilliant musicians Sarah Matthews, Doug Eunson and Oli Matthews) and the talented, young folk singer Lucy Ward. 'Four' contains four songs, created by four musicians, so it is a pretty practical name.<br />
<br />
The EP opens with the song 'Cotton Mills at Cromford'. It was that was written in 1778 for an annual street party for the workers at Richard Arkwright's mill (according to the sleeve notes) and celebrates the positive aspects of working in a mill. Ironically, the words are set to the tune of 'Hard times (of old England)' which is an incredibly famous song that details how gloomy life is for tradesmen. Cupola:Ward have created there own wonderful arrangement for this song that creates a joyous atmosphere which is really fitting for the image the words portray.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5juMThQ4B9TjbYuMK8Ce0aorUbkZxQJdA4me4VrBBjMv-6r19tH2KszDdJqk93U-R44Lq9jgLqojfI5lWC3sxir-GCCZGcmz0Ze5WzvKv7jToBCcjgBZFGGhb94Q68UT64v3_bSIuRw/s255/Cupola+ward.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5juMThQ4B9TjbYuMK8Ce0aorUbkZxQJdA4me4VrBBjMv-6r19tH2KszDdJqk93U-R44Lq9jgLqojfI5lWC3sxir-GCCZGcmz0Ze5WzvKv7jToBCcjgBZFGGhb94Q68UT64v3_bSIuRw/s255/Cupola+ward.png" /></a></div>
'The Bone Lace Weaver' follows 'Cotton Mills at Cromford' and has a far more reflective, solemn tone. It is about the way of life for 'Bone Lace Weavers' and is said to be written by <span style="background-color: white;">Leonard Wheatcroft, of Derbyshire, in the 17th century. Wheatcroft seems to be an interesting character who seems to have been a tailor, parish clerk, orchard planter, and soldier during the Civil War. Furthermore, it appears he was not a wealthy man as he was imprisoned three times for debt. He wrote various famous poems and may have been inspired to write this due the apprenticeship of his daughter to a bone lace weaver. The song is set to Roy Harris' tune. It is mostly sung by Lucy. I love the use of percussion on this track as well as the instrumentation which really bring out the beautiful melody. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">'When God Dips his Pen of Love in my Heart' has an incredibly different feel to it compared to the other songs. It is a bluegrass hymnal with a very upbeat tune and was written by Alison Krauss. It is beautifully sung and arranged by Cupola:Ward. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
'King of Rome' is the final song and contains the most extraordinary story. It includes some amazing four part vocal harmonies. The song was written by Dave Sudbury. It has no musical accompaniment which really focuses the listeners attention on the wonderful story about someone who keeps. It is a truly beautiful song.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, I recently saw Cupola:Ward live at Gower Folk Festival, and they were the most amazingly energetic performance I have ever seen. I really recommend going and seeing Cupola:Ward live as well as buying this new EP and I am sure in the future we will hear a lot more about them.<br />
<br />
(pic - Lucy Ward at Gower Folk Festival 2013)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVC7q6GU3kyb04PJPSZOmGbOOC3Ziu_B7dq7WtJk5nVhFJPt4nXgF0siW432sImLl-q6E1ni5ft_hxN0aglS5MY07OHUhNLTvGrEbEneng5oXAW1VpjNXOzQrSuG-V8tcY9htjF6sjbjQ/s1600/DSC00131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVC7q6GU3kyb04PJPSZOmGbOOC3Ziu_B7dq7WtJk5nVhFJPt4nXgF0siW432sImLl-q6E1ni5ft_hxN0aglS5MY07OHUhNLTvGrEbEneng5oXAW1VpjNXOzQrSuG-V8tcY9htjF6sjbjQ/s320/DSC00131.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Young Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870289071076758400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495841825550254079.post-64736283556687154712013-06-20T08:09:00.001-07:002013-06-20T08:09:26.860-07:00The Liberty to Choose - James Findlay, Bella Hardy, Brian Peters and Lucy Ward<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This CD
is made up from selected tracks from The New Penguin Book of English Folk
Songs. As an owner of this fantastic book of songs, I know of the wonders it
contains and I understand why it is described by many as a ‘bible’ to English
Folk Music. It is also very obvious why they chose this book to make a CD of songs from. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The CD
brings together the four individually talented folk singers and musicians James
Findlay, Bella Hardy, Brian Peters and Lucy Ward. I am sure many of you will be aware of these talented people and know that they are all highly regarded on the folk scene. Brian
Peters musically directed the three other young folk musicians in order to
create this wonderful album. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBAcFvFozMQlq3mso5yNjQBRiWOfKvDA2F5slnBcxMHfTgbaKtTF4MwyQgKkaviIrd3ywZ2Lzia4QGQ6P7NxqNV9DOu77hAknf4d2YBXxNxeiS6mLDRfxb23v9YIa5qBOqYHLR7Z-Hi0w/s1600/DSCN6509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBAcFvFozMQlq3mso5yNjQBRiWOfKvDA2F5slnBcxMHfTgbaKtTF4MwyQgKkaviIrd3ywZ2Lzia4QGQ6P7NxqNV9DOu77hAknf4d2YBXxNxeiS6mLDRfxb23v9YIa5qBOqYHLR7Z-Hi0w/s320/DSCN6509.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The
opening track, ‘The Baffled knight’ (often referred to as ‘Blow the Windy Morning’), is mostly sung by Lucy Ward and it is a brilliant, upbeat track to start the album with. It has a really catchy tune and is accompanied by violin, melodeon and guitar which really bring out the melody. I think it is a really wonderful version of this well known song and it is a massive contrast to the solemn version of 'The Seeds Of Love' which follows. 'The Seeds Of Love' is such a famous, important song within the folk tradition. It is the song that supposedly inspired Cecil Sharp to begin collecting songs after hearing John England, a gardener, sing it whilst going about his work. In this version, Bella Hardy sings it unaccompanied and it is truly beautiful. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another astonishingly beautiful song on the album is 'The Trees They Do Grow High' which is sung by Bella and Lucy. It contains beautiful harmonies which highlight the sad tale within the song. For me, this is a particular highlight of the album. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I love the way the album includes many different sorts of songs with many different stories within them. It includes the transportation song 'Van Diemen's Land' and a song which is called 'The Molecatcher', which is basically about a molecatcher. Both of these songs are brilliantly sung by Brian Peters and are wonderfully arranged. 'The Molecatcher' has a really catchy, memorable chorus which you will find yourself singing a long to.<br />
<br />
Another highlight of the album for me is 'The Jolly Waggoner' which is sung by James Findlay, who also plays the guitar and fiddle on the track. It is a song that highlight James' amazing talents and it is another song that will get you singing along. James Findlay's version of 'Barbara Allen' is also wonderful and is beautifully arranged with James playing guitar. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
The final song on the album is 'The Moon Shines Bright' which is a New Year carol. It is sung by Bella, Lucy, James and Brian. and contains no instrumental accompaniments. As you would expect, it contains really beautiful harmonies and is the perfect ending to a wonderful CD. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSiF58YcuvxEUTNbbGpcxiDHuNKvQFL72IV4BnexEL6N4-nmCELlLW1TvWaXDBQ7mFw2x0w1AurgQiIp3qfeRqYdZyZkU1B62a-D73k6dOmLyZTHyEqYp_pn0DuHiFeJgeW8Hv2eLCec/s1600/DSCN6511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSiF58YcuvxEUTNbbGpcxiDHuNKvQFL72IV4BnexEL6N4-nmCELlLW1TvWaXDBQ7mFw2x0w1AurgQiIp3qfeRqYdZyZkU1B62a-D73k6dOmLyZTHyEqYp_pn0DuHiFeJgeW8Hv2eLCec/s320/DSCN6511.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Young Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870289071076758400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495841825550254079.post-7482042679794406852013-06-19T14:26:00.001-07:002013-06-19T14:26:38.779-07:00Songs From The Floodplain - Jon Boden // Review<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Set in a post-apocalyptic world, where folk song is one of the few things that has prevailed, this album puts itself forward as a perfect setting for storytelling. As a follow up from Jon Boden's solo debut, Songs From The Floodplain is set to be a promising album before one has even begun listening.</div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">The first track 'We Do What We Can' really draws the listener in with the memorable chorus and upbeat melodies and as each track gently flows into the next, the listener is left feeling a great sense of melancholy but at the same time an overwhelming feeling that this could really happen. </div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">As each song passes, one is taken deeper and deeper into the post-apocalyptic world and Boden's lyrics really make you appreciate what you take for granted in our current world. </div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Each track is superbly arranged with excellent musicianship. From 'Don't Wake Me Up 'Til Tomorrow' to 'Beating The Bounds', two very different songs, where Boden's powerful voice comes through with beautifully meaningful and poetic lyrics striking the listener to the core.</div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">www.jonboden.com</div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgejFaoSYio6AnHKXXrhfuned_cNCIvGCRUGLzPvxFyktaN3TW7b_TKU8w2-fwQ-1L7EyHd0eHAE0897lHZAvvrifY5YX_guSOYUwvXO-04H0O62cwL2FUiy2_F8kRwfeb5TcHQ2sEroko/s640/blogger-image-1629492002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgejFaoSYio6AnHKXXrhfuned_cNCIvGCRUGLzPvxFyktaN3TW7b_TKU8w2-fwQ-1L7EyHd0eHAE0897lHZAvvrifY5YX_guSOYUwvXO-04H0O62cwL2FUiy2_F8kRwfeb5TcHQ2sEroko/s640/blogger-image-1629492002.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Young Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870289071076758400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495841825550254079.post-50716082357862869982013-06-19T14:06:00.000-07:002013-06-19T14:06:27.605-07:00So I thought that we should begin by writing something to explain this. We are three folk obsessed teenagers from all over the UK - well England and Wales. On this Blog we plan to review CDs, gigs and festivals and discuss anything folk related.<br />
<br />
We would appreciate any feedback you have and we are also really interested in what you have to say on folk related topics, so please feel free to add comments!<br />
<br />
Furthermore, if you enjoy reading what we have to say, please spread the word as we would really like this to be successful!<br />
<br />
I hope you enjoy!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Young Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870289071076758400noreply@blogger.com0