Folk and Roots presents 'Monday Monday', a night of the best of the folk and roots scene which will be held on the first Monday of the month in central London as from October 2009. See 
Albion Christmas Band - Snow On Snow (Talking Elephant Records TECD135)
I don’t know what it is about Christmas but it always brings out the best in me particularly the seasonal songs. It seems that I’m not the only one either as this is the latest in a long line of several albums that the Albion Band have released on the theme. The band’s choice of material would appear to be inexhaustible and to prove the point they incorporate traditional fare such as “The Seven Joys Of Mary” and standards “In The Bleak Mid Winter” and “Hark The Herald Angels Sing” (each with their original melodies still intact) alongside more contemporary songs “Frozen Man”, “Comfort And Joy” and Dave Goulder’s classic “January Man” which are blessed with titles that settle nicely within the framework of the concept. As ever, Ashley Hutchings along with Simon Nicol, Kellie While and squeeze-box maestro Simon Care provide the core backing and vocals augmented by Guy Fletcher (violin/drums), David Tobin (cornamuse/recorder) and Mark Hutchinson on keyboards/percussion and production.
Finally, perhaps it’s my age (or maybe as it’s a Christmas recording and I’m in Scrooge mode) but my only gripe with an otherwise blemish free production is that I’ve had to take up ‘squinting’ as a hobby because I can just about read the sleeve notes…sleeve designers please note 4pt as your choice of font size is not exactly ideal (!) That aside this is a recording that should be on every ‘folk’ enthusiasts Christmas wish list.
Contact www.talkingelephant.com for more details.
Pete Fyfe
Albion Christmas Band
Hitchin Folk Club, Sun Inn, Hitchin
21st December 2008
The Albion Christmas Band (Ashley Hutchings, Simon Nicol, Kellie While & Simon Care) - can there be a better pre-Christmas folk event ? A near perfect blend of Christmas/winter songs - a mixture of traditional carols in lively arrangements (such as First Noel, Hark the herald Angels) and songs which are just on a wintry theme - blended with evocative or humorous readings and even a little solo Morris dancing from Simon Care.
Much thought has obviously been put into the selection of the songs and readings for example - Joni Mitchell’s “River”, well sung by Kellie While, evoking a frozen river as a means of escape from emotional turmoil blended seamlessly into a description of a 17th century frost fair on the frozen Thames - with merchants taking advantage of the crowds on the ice to ply their trades, and a suitably macabre description of a sunken vessel frozen deep in the ice.
Mix this in with the convivial atmosphere of the Sun Inn, plentiful of opportunities for audience participation especially with the carols, add the similarly plentiful supply of free mince pies, and it really would have to be the hardest of hearts that wouldn’t find itself put into a “Christmassy” mood.
Can’t wait for the next Albion Christmas !
Jonathan Aird
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Nicky Swann – Matches and Dispatches (WSR)
Nicky’s a Devon-born songwriter who’s lately received the ready endorsement of performers like Phil Beer and Jackie Oates with whom she’s played at festivals and on radio, as well as winning the Artsbase singer-songwriter award. She released an EP Burning Bright a short while back, the positive reactions to which convinced her of the merit of pushing ahead with a full-lengther: hence Matches And Dispatches. It’s simply described by Nicky herself as a collection of songs about love and death, and its restless and uneven nature mirrors those states. Over half of the album is quite bewitching, with Nicky’s gorgeously tender vocal matched and dispatched by equally tender, gently sensuous backings that pair her own acoustic guitar with Alan Cook’s ever-sensitive pedal steel, Bethany Porter’s luscious cello lines and Rick Foot’s double bass.
Tracks like Long Time, Tuesday’s Lament, Amy’s Waltz, In Too Deep and Wheels Keep Turning are charming and piquant examples of stripped-down folky acoustic-Americana styling, with Nicky’s voice conveying all the necessary passion with minimal resource and plenty in reserve, while the delicate opener Little Bird and a new-look take on the Beatles’ hit I Want To Hold Your Hand also convince, as does Nicky’s closing lullaby treatment of the traditional Welsh poem All Through The Night. But then there’s the wild-card tracks that disrupt things, mood and expectation-wise: the tumbling yeh-yeh-yeh rock’n’roll of Crash And Burn, the sparky country-rockabilly of One Step Up, the crazy jazzy bossanova Hold On and the smouldering soul-strut of You Got Me Boy may all provide a necessary contrast to the slower and more pensive numbers, but the last two-mentioned in particular don’t always immediately spark, well though they’re performed. In the end, it’s probably that very restlessness of expression that counts most against the cumulative impact of the album and (probably unintentionally) signals a kind of uncertainty of purpose. The accompanying booklet doesn’t help, for half of the song lyrics are wilfully omitted and some of those that are included are virtually unreadable due to the registration and colour-scheme adopted. Even so, the musical content of the album is all beautifully recorded by Tom Joyce, and there’s more than enough must-hear music on Matches And Dispatches to cause me to keep an eager weather-eye out for Nicky’s next recording.
David Kidman
Nicky Swann - Burning Bright - EP
Nicky Swann is a Devon based Country Folk influenced Singer Songwriter who has been playing around the acoustic scene in the South West over the last few years and has been increasingly noticed further afield. In preparation for the release of her debut CD she has released an EP consisting of 4 self composed tracks, three of which were recorded in the studio and the final 'Time Stands Still' recorded live during a sound check by a certain Phil Beer at Torquay's Blue Walnut Cafe.
Even in these four tracks the diversity of Swann's songwriting and stylistic influences is evident, Swann cites amongst her influences Carole King, Patsy Cline and Lucinda Williams, whilst these and indeed others are clear enough but despite starting her career in a covers duo Swann is certainly no clone.
Almost immediately with the opening track 'Good Advice' you are drawn into the words weaving gently but firmly with the accompanying fiddle and guitar. Throughout the EP there is a subtlety combined with genuine passion in these four songs which leaves you looking forward to the full product (CD), and the forthcoming tour to coincide with the said release.
For more details and news of the forthcoming album etc see www.myspace.com/nickyswann.
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Under One Sky at The Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank, London - Saturday 6th December 2008
Under One Sky is a huge piece of work written by John McCusker; it was commissioned by Celtic Connections/ Cambridge Folk Festival and first performed at Cambridge in 2007.Comprising twelve musicians , six from Scotland and six from England ; the calibre of these musicians is a reflection, if one were needed, on the brilliance that is John McCusker.
The twelve musicians in question, described by John Tams as 'a box of brilliance' are Roddy Woomble [Idlewild],Ewen Vernal [Capercaillie], Julie Fowlis, James Macintosh [replaced for tonight by Roy Dodds, Eddi Reader's drummer] Iain McDonald [Battlefield Band], Graham Coxon [Blur], John Tams, Emma Reid, Andy Cutting, Ian Carr, Jim Causley and last, but by no means least, John McCusker.
Most of the tunes in this work were written by John McCusker, with contributions from Ian Carr and Andy Cutting. Words were added by the people who sang them, so there were songs from Julie Fowlis, John Tams and Roddy Woomble. Traditional jigs, strathspeys, reels and ballads alongside brand new sounds from Graham Coxon.
Queen Elizabeth Hall was full tonight, formal theatre style seating in part of the South Bank complex overlooking the Thames. Very different to the Fruitmarket in Glasgow, or the Cambridge Folk Festival- the hall lent a formal, classical mood to the evening, which only enhanced the magic of the music. The production had a lush rich feel in this setting; the swooping orchestral sound had been great at Cambridge, but some of the true impact had disappeared out through the sides of the marquee and into the open air. Here it was unstoppable, soaring upwards to the roof, by turns ambient and hypnotic, frenzied and frenetic. A glorious instrumental sound with ten musicians on the stage, Graham Coxon dancing in the wings and Roddy Woomble watching from the side- so much talent that Jim and Julie provided backing vocals, rather than taking centre stage.
What had started as a single commission became an album and finally a proper tour 'with a van and everything!' and I'm delighted. I feel privileged to have seen this show- to witness modern composing at its best, a compendium of talents from all fields brought together under one sky.
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Artist: Lucy Kaplansky
Venue: Memorial Hall
Town: Sheffield
Date: 14/12/08
Website: http://www.lucykaplansky.com/site.html
It takes a consummate professional to respond positively to requests from the audience; not to whinge and refuse on the grounds that the singer can't remember the song, but to just play it, almost as if it had been planned that way. This happened not once, but several times tonight. That same professionalism can be found in a performer who deals with a bad throat, again, not by moaning and cancelling the show, but by re-assessing each song, dropping the key down a notch or two and coming up with an alternative melody whilst all the while, sucking on cough drops. Only those intimately familiar with Lucy Kaplansky's repertoire would have noticed a difference tonight at the Memorial Hall in Sheffield, but even so, not a single dodgy moment to be heard anywhere. On the contrary, Lucy's last performance in the country before returning home was in a class of its own and for the first time in a long while, by the end of the show, Lucy made me want to turn back the clock by an hour or so to listen to it all over again.
Opening with a sensitive reading of Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe", 'one of the greatest songs ever written' we were informed, Lucy went on to alternate pretty much between her own self-penned material and songs she has picked up along the way. Originally from Chicago, now resident in New York, this troubadour, songsmith, psychologist and mother appears to have it all. Choosing material from the last five of her six solo albums, Lucy presented an evening of finely crafted songs, interspersed with intelligent and engaging conversation. Lucy speaks of motherhood with a pure delight. Missing her five-year-old daughter, but excited to be seeing her on her return to the States tomorrow, Lucy radiated warmth as an old friend would, and to some, that's exactly what she is.
The Memorial Hall in Sheffield provided a suitably intimate setting for some of Lucy's better known songs such as "Ten Year Night", "Amelia" and "Five In The Morning", which earned some praiseworthy comments from the stage; 'this is one of the best venues I get to play anywhere', Lucy pointed out, going on to admit that she doesn't say this every night. Citing her influences as firstly The Beatles, then Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris and finally Steve Earle, Lucy performed a handful of covers during the course of her two sets including Earle's "Somewhere Out There", Nick Lowe's "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace Love and Understanding", Richard Thompson's "A Heart Needs A Home" and the Johnny Cash classic "Ring of Fire". The most poignant tribute tonight though came when Lucy took to the piano to perform "Let It Be"; 'I'm so moved by this song, I can't stop playing it, and it's the first time I've gotten to play it in a place where The Beatles actually played, you know that right?'
Although Lucy produces faithful adaptations of familiar songs written by arguably the best writers in the business, it's with her own songs that our attention is held. "Brooklyn Train" brings to this Sheffield audience a tangible essence of New York, you can almost smell the pretzels. A couple of new songs were introduced tonight, "Mother's Day", a song Lucy reckons 'isn't quite done' but invites the audience to be the judge, and then two back to back, "Sleep Well" and "When You Love Someone".
Finishing the set with the requested "For Once in Your Life", a tribute to her 85-year-old mom, Lucy was pleased to have got through the night with her voice still intact. Returning to the stage to rapturous applause, Lucy Kaplansky left us with a seasonal rendition of "White Christmas", reminding us of what a beautiful song it actually is, before a final encore of "This Is Home".
Allan Wilkinson
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Various Artists - Not In Our Name (Songs For Change)
In light of the recent announcement that British troops are to be taken out of Iraq by the end of May 2009, only then presumably to be redeployed in Afghanistan, makes the songs on 'Not In Our Name' even more poignant. The title itself is a simple statement that needs no elaboration, and the artists who have contributed to this collection are no stranger to protestations of political and human injustice. If it comes as no surprise that long-term supporters of freedom, equality and justice (Dick Gaughan, Jim Page and Roy Bailey) make appearances here, then the collection of songs may also serve to introduce some newer voices that are willing to speak out against the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
With contributions from British, American and Australian artists, there comes a widespread and united voice, crossing genres and cultures but maintaining a rootsy feel. Opening with the bluesy "Man of God" courtesy of Eliza Gilkyson, the album sets out its statement of intent from the get-go, with a thinly disguised portrayal of John Dubya Wayne getting us into this fix in the first place.
Leon Rosselson's lyrics have long been his familiar weapons of mass construction, and "General Lockjaw Briefs the Troops as Reported by a Sceptical Soldier" once again reveals a songwriter who likes to get straight to the point, no messing. The subject of the relationship between oil and the war, most impressively realised in Jim Page's "Petroleum Boneparte", unfortunately not included here, is suitably addressed by Emma's Revolution with "CodePINK" and Rory McLeod in his "No More Blood For Oil", which features bodies dropping at each regimented shot to an infectious Latin rhythm. David Ferrard on the other hand, who wrote the sleeve notes to this collection and who is very much behind the project, contributes a live version of his song "Hills of Virginia", which offers a more tender approach to protest that wends its way to the listeners' conscience through a whisper rather than a yell.
Whilst most of the recordings here are gathered from previously released albums, Roy Bailey and Martin Simpson's reading of Jim Page's "Collateral Damage", with its homage to Woody Guthrie's "Deportees", was one of the songs recorded specifically for the album, as was Jim Page's own performance of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home", a poignant song recently performed by Roy Bailey at his 50th Anniversary concert in Sheffield. Two other contributions, "Home Injured" by Amy Martin and "Dear John" by Jose were winning songs in a 2006 Songs for Change competition and worthy additions to this collection, with all proceeds going to the Stop the War Coalition.
As with most intelligently devised collaborations dealing with the sensitive subject of world conflict, the only way to conclude with any sense of humility, is to end with a song of hope. Mark Erelli's country inflected "The Only Way" points us all in the direction of hope in light of 9/11 and speaks for all the songwriters and musicians involved in this project with the final verse: 'I won't tell you what to believe, but I'm too young to be cynical and too old to be naive; every action breeds a reaction, so let this be mine'.
Allan Wilkinson
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Martyn Joseph - Evolved (Pipe Records)
Twenty-five years and thirty albums along from his debut in 1983, Martyn Joseph has trod a consistent path, producing some of the most uncompromising and often hard hitting songs from the Welsh valleys. The Springsteen comparisons will always be there, but this matters little with such a prolific outpouring of consistently high quality material. It's a rare thing to appeal to both newcomers and fans alike with the release of a career retrospective; with fifteen revisited songs of universal quality, Martyn Joseph has managed to present a snapshot of what he's all about, to those just discovering his songs and at the same time, making the performances so good as to please his established fans, who no doubt have all these songs knocking about somewhere already.
"Proud Valley Boy" sets a precedent, a yardstick for the others to match up to, and fortunately, they so often do. We hear deeply felt narratives on social injustice and our continuing inhumanity towards each other as well as ballads of love and loss, and the occasional look at other alien cultures, such as "Arizona Dreams", a rare peek westward and with a keen eye on where the American Dream may have wandered off to this time.
Historic localised events are brought to mind in songs such as "Dic Penderyn" a song about the ill-fated martyr Richard Lewis, an innocent man who was sent to the gallows purely as an example, and "Sing To My Soul", which addresses the infamous Abefan disaster, ever present in the hearts and souls of the Welsh to this very day, but also to anyone who remembers that fateful October morning in 1966, the year for which the English generally prefer to remember another historic event. As a contemporary schoolboy, my memories of the former incident are still vivid and this song serves as a timely reminder.
Almost every song on 'Evolved' is presented in it's stripped down acoustic form, with curiously, just the one electric guitar foray ala Billy Bragg in "Strange Way", yet each song hangs onto its individual power and loses none of its intensity. After all, one assumes this is precisely how they sounded when they were first written; raw and intense. With a predominant trademark growl at the world, Joseph also has a tenderness which he turns to occasionally, and with startling effect. "Turn Me Tender" and in particular "Can't Breathe" are as soulful as they could possibly get and I really can't imagine even Al Green doing a better job with them.
Allan Wilkinson
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Jennifer Crook - A Few Small Things (Get Real Records)
Putting aside the Celtic harp for a moment, Jennifer Crook embarks on a basic singer songwriter excursion with ten accessible songs of considerable merit. Beautifully packaged, 'A Few Small Things' offers a glimpse into Jennifer's world, opening with some home thoughts from abroad in "A Stranger in Love", with Alan Burton's duduk solo, bringing to it a distinctly Armenian or North African feel, presumably Moroccan, which wouldn't be out of place on the 'Hideous Kinky' soundtrack. The metaphorical "A Bicycle in Need of Repair" shows a thoughtful, almost melancholy viewpoint of a lonely heart, which fits in perfectly well with the accompanying rustic artwork.
With cameo appearances from Clive Gregson, doing an Al Kooper on 'A Rose In Morning' and then again on "Jane" with Miranda Sykes on double bass, one of the more radio friendly songs on the album, Jennifer Crook enters country territory, with a song that wouldn't be out of place on CMT, whilst "Everything Changes" has a classic 'Songs of Love and Hate' period Leonard Cohen feel, which Jennifer carries off perfectly well. Robert Harbron's English concertina and Bethany Porter's cello embellishments bring this acoustic album out of the run-of-the-mill folk mould and a little nearer to the Nick Drake model. Perhaps it's the never failing acoustic guitar/cello combination, or maybe just the specific Englishness that evokes 'Five leaves Left'. It's a little bit dreamy in places but has the necessary credentials to hold the listeners' attention throughout and I would hope this isn't simply an excursion, but a new direction.
Allan Wilkinson
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Artist: Jo Freya's Lal Waterson Project
Venue: NCEM
Town: York
Date: 02/12/08
Website: http://www.freyamusic.co.uk/LalWatersonProject.html
Sometimes it takes either a younger audience with fresh ears to songs, or older artists paying tribute to their own contemporary heroes, to help uncover English song writing gems that have been there for some time. We've had younger artists getting together with their mentors and peers alike to unite in celebrations of songs by Ray Davies (This Is Where I Belong), Nick Drake (Poor Boy and Brittle Days), Richard Thompson (Beat the Retreat) and more recently, the likes of James Yorkston, Alasdair Roberts and Charlotte Greig have contributed to a celebration of Lal Waterson's songs (Migrating Bird: The Songs of Lal Waterson). None of this is coincidental; the songs that Lal Waterson wrote, whilst being not so much overshadowed, but obscured for so long by the veil of traditional songs her family band The Watersons were in so much demand for, are now revealed as hidden treasures of English contemporary song writing.
Although I am fortunate to have seen Lal in full swing with her family band on more than one occasion, and can confirm there ain't no sound quite like it, Blowzabella's Jo Freya was fortunate enough to have known Lal personally and worked on two of her later albums. The Lal Waterson Project was born out of respect for Lal's work and a hunger to arrange and perform a selection of some of Lal's lesser known songs as well as to apply a fresh approach to some of her better known songs such as "Some Old Salty" and "Midnight Feast". 'They don't get enough airing' says Jo, who fell in love with these songs a long time ago.
Joining Jo at the National Centre for Early Music tonight were Jo's sister Fi (The Fraser Sisters - Jo having changed her name to Freya, presumably to avoid constantly being mistaken for a heavyweight boxing champion), Jim Boyes (Coope, Boyes and Simpson), Mary Macmaster (The Poozies) and three current or former members of Chumbawamba, Jude Abbott, Neil Ferguson and Harry Hamer. Transforming the NCEM's stage into a music shop window display, with various brass instruments, Mary's harp, Harry's tablas and Cahon, as well as a few guitars of the acoustic and electric variety, the Lal Waterson Project got underway with "Stumbling On" an up tempo, almost pop/gospel version of a song Jo originally sang with Lal on the 'Once in a Blue Moon' album.
Throughout the performance Jo encourages the audience to go out and listen to Lal Waterson, to seek her out on YouTube and get to know the material better and states that the idea behind the project is to rekindle the love of the songs for those who already know them and to create a new love for those who don't. Some of the songs are very personal to Lal, "Song for Thirza" for instance, a lament for a family member sadly missed.
Focusing on Lal's later work rather than the earlier 'Bright Phoebus' period songs, the musicians on stage swapped and changed instruments in order to present a different sound and feel to each of the songs. Sometimes fiddle led, but often with a predominant brass section including trumpet, alto and tenor saxophone, the songs were treated as if they were all a favourite child. Jo clearly couldn't make up her mind which was her favourite Lal Waterson song, there seems to be just so many.
For the recording of "Some Old Salty", Lal Waterson asked Jo to play the piano even though she doesn't consider herself in any way to be a piano player. Tonight the song closed the first set and once again we were reminded of the originality of some of Lal's lyrics with particular emphasis on the use of imaginative language. Jo pointed out that although a line such as 'He had a head like a toy shop' is unusual, we somehow know exactly what it means.
The Fraser Sisters reunited for a duet on "Young Billy Brown" to kick start the second set before the rest of the band rejoined them for more of Lal's repertoire touching upon themes such as depression ("The Bird"), politics ("Party Games") and family love and kids ("Bathtime"), before bringing the performance to an end with the beautiful lullaby "Migrating Bird", with Jude Abbott's dreamy cornet solo; confirmation of Lal's poetic song writing, and for now, my particular favourite.
Allan Wilkinson
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The inclusion of standards such as “Hark The Herald” and “The Holly And The Ivy” nestle snugly amongst new songs (to me anyway) and have re-awakened my interest in carols. On a production shared between Kate and brother Joe the crisp sound and energy is to be applauded, as is the digital dexterity of all the musicians involved. This is a recording that should be savoured much like the dinner I’ll be playing it at on Christmas Day. As Scrooge might have said “God bless us everyone!”
Pete Fyfe
I've been an admirer of Kate's music for a long time - first coming across her on tracks on the Music from Sharpe CD, produced by John Tams. She was clearly then worthy of further investigation, and in the years since has been something of a folk phenomenon. Her days of folk club appearances seem to be well behind her now - no more intimate appearances for a couple of hundred people, it's theatres all the way on this tour. So being seated in the front row is a distinct advantage.
There's a support - Damien O'Kean (I think!) on guitar and tenor banjo with Ian Carr from Kate's band also on guitar. He's pretty good - sings a fairly good version of Lough Erin Shore , which he says he learnt from a Paul Brady record - although it's actually the Andy Irvine - Paul Brady album (which incidentally has been recently re-released, and well worth getting). Some of the time I found his vocals a little unclear, but he's very personable and a good opener for Kate and her band.
Kate and the band come on to huge applause as Kate finds somewhere to leave her shoulder bag and cup of tea. And I'm pleased to say that from the off the between song chat has lost most of the girly tweeness that had started to irritate me the last time I saw her live (about a year previously also at the Alban Arena). This time it's more relevant and therefore more interesting, mostly being about the music and why certain songs got written. I'll draw a veil over Andy Cutting's recipe for roast parsnips - it seems to amuse a lot of people, but I really can't say why.
A number of the songs tonight are from her last album - Awkward Annie - a highlight for me is Planets, which is a very pretty song about loneliness and despair. With her own song writing much more strongly featured than her previous championing of traditional material many of my favourite songs from her earlier albums Sleepless and Hourglass are missing from the setlist. The good news is that she has added some songs - The Blind Harper and I Wish, for example - to the live repertoire that previously they just hadn't got round to doing on stage.
It's a given, but it should be mentioned, that Kate's sings beautifully, clutching the microphone and often with eyes closed as she delivers all the emotion through her voice alone, her body language when she sings seems incredibly tense and whilst she's counting off bars before she comes back in again she always looks nervous, with just the occasional smile.
Kate comes out alone after the interval. "We've all been eating quiche and having a cup of tea", she tells us, adding "very rock'n'roll". It's nice to hear Kate on her own, accompanying herself on guitar which also gives me time to reflect that this is something she has almost given up on - no keyboards anymore, and not very much of her guitar either. The band, who soon rejoin her, of course give a fuller sound, and are further augmented by Damien O'Kean on a couple of songs, but Kate on her own is something special - a reminder of why I liked her in the first place. An enjoyable band showcase of tunes is slipped in midway through the second set.
The evening closes out with a wonderful encore of Sandy Denny's Who Knows Where The Time Goes - made over into Kate's wistful melancholy rather than Denny's striding confidence or Judy Collins' exquisite high notes. An excellent end to a very good concert.
Jonathan Aird Return to the Reviews Contents Page
KATE RUSBY – Sweet Bells (Pure Records PRCD33) 
The distinctive, almost waif-like vocals of Kate Rusby opens this seasonal recording (now re-packaged using a suitably Christmas themed painting by Marie Mills) with a bright and breezy “Here We Come A-Wassailing” featuring the rhythmic/lead interplay between Anna Massie’s cittern and Ian Carr’s guitar, joined by squeezebox maestro Andy Cutting and the gently pulsating bass of Andy Seward. It’s gorgeous stuff particularly the precision of the cleanly picked high notes Carr infuses leaving the listener with an almost visual image of gently falling snow. Clever and imaginative re-workings of predominantly traditional songs incorporating that oh, so Yorkshire sound of brass bands (I’m thinking Peter Skellern here for those old enough to remember) provides the recording with some real ‘meat’ although not too heavy as to distract or offend delicate ears. If you hadn’t guessed it already, I’m totally smitten with this wonderful addition to my favourite time of year and I just wish I could transport this sound along with a church choir to regale a residential home or two.
Kate Rusby, Alban Arena, St. Albans, 14th November 2008
Artist: Karine Polwart Trio
Venue: Drill Hall
Town: Lincoln
Date: 27/11/08
Website: http://www.karinepolwart.com/
Once again, Lincoln's Drill Hall played host to a class act tonight. On a stage where just about anybody would look and sound good, with specific attention to detail afforded to both sound and lighting equally, the Karine Polwart Trio were presented by Old Bakery Promotions in a manner befitting such a quality combo. The plaudits poured upon Karine since the release of her debut solo album 'Faultlines' in 2003, have been numerous and I doubt there is much room left on the mantlepiece for the awards she could possibly pick up in the forthcoming months, particularly at the BBC Folk Awards in February, where she has been nominated for the Best Folk Singer award as well as having her current album 'This Earthly Spell' nominated in the best album category. There seems to be no stopping her.
For their Lincoln debut, the trio opened with "River's Run", a song specifically written for Karine's 'wee boy' Arlo. Performing much of the current album, with a few well chosen songs from her two previous albums 'Faultlines' ("The Sun's Coming Over The Hill") and 'Scribbled in Chalk' ("Daisy", "Hole In The Heart" and "I'm Gonna Do It All"), the trio demonstrated how tightly-honed their arrangements have become in preparation for this short Winter tour. Joining Karine on stage were brother Steve on guitar and Inge Thomson on just about everything else. The contribution of these two musicians should not be underestimated both in terms of their musical integrity and vocal dexterity. Their combined harmony singing on "The Good Years" for instance, brings an almost celestial beauty to the arrangement, which wouldn't be out of place in the Angel Choir of the imposing Cathedral just up the lane.
Alternating between standard guitar and tenor guitar, and interspersed with Steve and Inge's name guessing game, prompted by Inge's use of the house lectern to rest yet another interesting new instrument upon; 'it's like a thumb piano with its own wah wah pedal' we were informed, Karine brought to Lincoln some of her most beautiful songs such as "Waterlily" and "The Good Years".
"Sorry" with its discordant tenor guitar motif, reflecting the songs' discordant subject matter, of whom Karine refers to as 'the most important man in the world', reminded me once again of the quality of song making that Karine is capable of. Aside from writing and recording songs for her own solo albums, Karine has always found time to engage in valuable side projects, which are treated with just as much focus and attention as her own projects. "Well for Zoë" is the opening song from a new CD in aid of the Irish-Malawian rural water development organisation of the same name, which Karine wrote especially for the project, collaborating specifically with Tim O'Brien and sharing contribution credits with the likes of Heidi Talbot, Michael McGoldrick and Beth Nielsen Chapman. Choosing such songs as this to play tonight, together with "Firethief", one of the songs written for the 2006 Radio Ballad series, shows just how important these songs are to Karine, and just how important it is to keep singing them.
Towards the end of the night, Karine turned to a droning musical laptop, presumably from the ancient family of harmoniflutes, and invited the audience to join her on an infectious lullaby, the chorus of which was made up of two words 'beo beo' meaning 'life, life' in Gaelic. If this is generally the last sound little Arlo hears before nodding off at night, then I dare say the wee little chap is in a very privileged position indeed, and with regard to much of his mum's recent output, proves once again that his namesake wasn't the only fellah to have a brilliant wordsmith for a parent.
Allan Wilkinson
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Mike Markey & Nick Jones - debut CD 'Heads of the Valley' I discovered Mike & Nick at the Bluefront Bluesroom Guy Davies concert last week. Mike & Nick played the support slot and were a total surprise for me, and judging by the overwhelming response - the whole audience. They tore through six songs (at the bluefront, support acts have a 25 minute slot) ranging from searing dirty slide guitar blues, bittersweet bluegrass, along with some wonderful inuendo ridden amusing ragtime - and left me wanting more. A whole gig at the Bluefront maybe?
Both of these fine musicians were keen to talk and I discovered that their highly polished performance is down to them both having quite a prolific background in the music scene covering many genres and styles....So I bought their debut CD 'Heads of the Valleys'.
We start with 'Let me squeeze your lemons'. The title here speaks for itself launching the album with a raucous and refreshing variation of the 'Walkin' Blues' tune. It features some wonderful vocals and aggressive harp accompanied by Nick's intricate picking and solid basslines. Fishin' Blues is a blatant cover version of the original 1920's tune..as opposed to the diluted Taj Mahal song..worthy of note here is the tight solo that Mike & Nick play together so well it's as if they were Siamese twins! The album continues with more syncopated rhythms that are a genuine 'shot in the arm'. Yes this is pre-war blues/ragtime/bluegrass, but it is so beautifully executed and modernised that nearly every song has Mike & Nick's stamp all over it.
Gems amongst the tracks on this CD are 'Back to California' with it's driving rhythm and wailing harmonica and 'Too much alcohol', a bottleneck guitar Rory Gallagher tune. Let's hope we don't have to wait too long for their second album.
www.mikemarkeyandnickjones.com
Elina Everson
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Maeve Mackinnon at The Magpie's Nest
Thursday 13th November
The Magpie's Nest is held upstairs at the Queen's Head, Essex Road. It's the brainchild of two talented musicians in their own right - Sam Lee and Joe Buirski - whose booking slogan 'New folk, old folk, no folk' describes this club succinctly. Joined later by Lauren McCormick, the three of them have created a real gem in the crown that is smaller venues.
A large room upstairs, with a fireplace at each end and four floor to ceiling shuttered windows running along one wall, it's furnished like a Fifties' living room, with settees, lamp standards and even chandeliers. The multi coloured fabric bunting which hangs from the ceiling looks like something from the Queen's Coronation and it all gives a relaxed easy going ambience, where similar schemes appear contrived and false.
All three founders were present for Maeve's gig, delighted to have booked her. I was equally delighted to be there, having briefly heard her at Celtic Connections' Festival Club in the New Year. Instead of being a full band there was just Maeve, dark haired this time, and Innes Watson on guitar. Sitting on high bar stools on the stage in front of the fireplace, their images reflected in the mirror above the mantel piece behind them, they played 'Wild Rover', a song about the McDonald clan, and a beautiful haunting elegy about Uist, the room so quiet that ice cubes in a neighbour's drink seemed too loud.
After the interval, which included songs by Sam and Lauren, as well as a member of the audience, Maeve and Innes returned. A varied set list, songs by Dolly Parton, lyrics by Robert Burns, tunes by Duncan Lyall- all enhanced by Maeve and Innes' interpretation. Unbelievable to think that Maeve only began to learn Gaelic as a young adult, she sings puirt a beul from Uist in her rich warm voice with its distinctive tone as if she's a native to the island. Unassuming, with a relaxed manner, Maeve gives a rainy November night in London a warm glow, and leaves her audience with a sense of grace.
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Julie Fowlis, Uam (Shoeshine Records, 2009)
I've been following the career of Julie Fowlis for a few years now, and I greet each album release and gig with a certain degree of anticipation, and a fear that Ms Fowlis may slip from the undoubtedly high standards that she achieved from the outset, with her beautiful debut album, mar a tha mo chridhe, and her bolder follow-up, cuilidh. Julie's third album, Uam, puts me firmly in my place, with a slap round the face for having even the faintest of doubts! With Uam, Julie has indeed created another album of much finery, yet one that is distinct from her earlier releases. If the beauty of mar a tha mo chridhe was rooted in its fresh innocence and naivety, and the beauty of cuilidh owed much to an exuberance, buoyed by the interest generated by her debut album, then the beauty of Uam comes from a feeling of assurance; there is a sense that Julie is very much at ease here.
So, what's changed? Well, in many ways, nothing has changed. The strength of Uam still lies in the beauty of Julie's voice, and the manner with which she is able to instil in a song the subtler nuances of character and emotion, that reach out to the listener regardless of their linguistic grasp of Gaelic. One change that lends the album a certain degree of consistency, and doubtlessly adds to the feel of ease and togetherness, is the presence of the musicians that have formed Julie's touring band since the release of cuilidh: Éamon Doorley (bouzouki), Duncan Chisholm (fiddle), Tony Byrne (guitar), and Martin O'Neill (bodhrán). These guys are all fine musicians, with a dexterity and subtlety that do much to lift Julie's voice and further illuminate the songs and tunes.
Over the last few years, the success that Julie has enjoyed has allowed her the opportunity to be involved in various music projects, that have meant working with some of the folk scene's celebrated and legendary monikers, a few of whom appear on Uam. So we have the delights of Phil Cunningham, Eddi Reader, Jerry Douglas and Sharon Shannon making cameo appearances with their distinctive contributions, though with a modesty typical of Julie Fowlis, none of these contributions could be considered gratuitous, with each performer fitting seamlessly on Uam.
Of all the musicians who contribute to Uam, there is none more worthy of particular attention than Mary Smith. A generous acknowledgement of a singer that Julie much admires, Julie and Mary come together on "Hé gràdh, hó gràdh" and "Bodachan cha phòs mi." To hear two generations of singers sharing these songs is to witness the tradition being kept alive, by the sharing and passing on of songs and tunes.
It is still an arresting experience to hear Julie singing against minimal accompaniment, and there are a number of such moments to savour on Uam. "A Mhic Dhùghaill 'ic Ruairidh" finds Julie's voice pitted against the brawn of Allan MacDonald's highland bagpipes for an intense tale of love and tragedy, whilst on "Hò bha mi, hé bha mi," Julie sings together with Mary Smith and Allan MacDonald on a stark a cappella night visiting song. Songs like these lend Uam a traditional feel, whilst the punchy "Thig am bàta" allows for a more current feel, courtesy of Martin O'Neill's pulsating bodhrán rhythms.
Whether your preference is for the more traditional sounds, or the subtle contemporary leanings, one cannot deny that Julie exudes sheer class in whatever she tackles. For me, "Bothan Àirigh am Bràigh Raithneach" has to be the prime exemplar of Julie's elegance on Uam. Sung over the most delightful Phil Cunningham piano arrangement, and lifted from the conventional sounds of the tradition by the rare sound of Julie's oboe, this really is a song of outstanding allure.
The rest of the album bears the fruit of a diverse selection: a lively Gaelic/English duet with Eddi Reader on "Wind and Rain," the Breton flavours of "Rugadh mi 'n teis meadhan na mara," and a sprightly tune or two to lift the spirits.
Uam translates as 'from me' and the choosing of this name is just one small, but thoughtful reminder that Julie's music remains a personal and precious gift that she wishes to share with us all. The importance of this to Julie is further highlighted by the extensive liner notes with plentiful translations and explanations. It's unlikely that there are many better gifts that one could receive.
Mike Wilson
Emily Smith and Julie Fowlis
Brighton Komedia
27th October 2008
Not a duet, but support and main act, and as Emily walked onto the stage at the beginning of her set to sing a cappella I was impressed by her confident start. So were the appreciative audience, falling silent at her voice. Dressed in a little black dress and boots, her hair pulled back in a pony tail, she was dwarfed both by her accordion and guitar/fiddle ace Jamie McLennan, who joined her. Fast toe tapping tunes like 'The Demon Ducks of Doom' and beautiful ballads like 'Winter Song', with harmonies from Jamie, this was a varied set, both in voice and use of instrument. Emily's voice in tone reminds me of Cara Dillon- a gentle delicateness that is heard through all her songs, though her delivery is more Karine Polwart! I enjoyed this set, and look forward to seeing her again, hopefully with a full band, at Celtic Connections.
I thought Emily was good, but when Julie walked onto stage in a black dress to sing a cappella, looking effortless, graceful, and chic with her short bobbed hair, the game was fairly raised. Joined by husband Éamon, Duncan Chisholm, and Tony Byrne, Julie has a band that have evolved and grown with her; these boys have always been talented, but now they look confident and sophisticated too! I loved the changes that have occurred since last time- I think they show the band's maturity, and their constant evolution. Julie playing whistle, but also pipes and accordion; Tony and Éamon singing backing vocals on several songs including the Lennon/McCartney 'Blackbird'-currently on Radio2's play list.
The set of reels [ Soup dragon/Night we had the goats…] was incredible; fast paced fantastic rhythm, all four instruments taking turns to play singly or in duos before finishing in a frantic finale.
The second set continued in similar fashion. Ballads like 'My Love is On The High Seas', puirt a beul ('S Toigh Leam Fhìn Buntàta 's Ìm/Tha Fionnlagh ag Innearadh/Hùg Oiridh Hiridh Hairidh) and the charming Òganaich Uir a Rinn M' Fhàgai with the boys singing on the chorus. Add to this the 'Humorous tales from the road' section, as well as obligatory derisory comments about each other's choice of instrument, and this was a top evening!
www.emilysmith.org
www.juliefowlis.com
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Artist: Katriona Gilmore and Jamie Roberts
Album: Shadows and Half Light
Label: Self Release
Tracks: 12
Website: http://www.gilmoreroberts.co.uk/
I'm still undecided, even after all this time, about which is the most satisfying; to listen to an album by a relative unknown, then once it's been on the playlist for a good few runs-through and I've become accustomed to the sounds within, to then go out and catch the artist live as soon as possible; or whether it's visa versa, or t'other way round as we like to say around here, I don't know. I'm still on the fence with that one.
I first saw Katriona Gilmore and Jamie Roberts live, happening upon them in the Sandygate Hotel last May, as part of the 2008 Wath Festival, when they got up to play a short set, which in turn, and quite unexpectedly, resulted in my jaw dropping onto my lap. Questions were going around my head during their short set, like for instance, what's Kathryn Roberts doing here in the audience? Ah, I thought, Jamie must be her brother. Well done Sherlock. Now answer this; how does one so young learn to play the guitar like that? Jamie plays in an unorthodox manner, by resting his instrument upon his lap, whereupon he embarks on a festival of slapping, thumping and plucking away like a madman, whilst Katriona, an exceptionally tasteful fiddle player, adds the melody with a graceful stoicism. I must point out that when Katriona got up for this festival appearance, she could've been, for all intents and purposes, a fifteen-year old protégé for all I knew; the backlight flooding the Sandygate bar created just a silhouette of this tiny tin lady, but the standard of her playing betrayed her age by a good margin.
Having first encountered the duo at Wath, I caught them soon after in a Sheffield pub, where I bought up all their recorded output, basically a couple of EPs, which served to put me on until the release of this, their first full blown studio album and I must say it was worth the wait. Comprised completely of self-penned songs and tunes, with the exception of the one traditional song "Among The Barley", 'Shadows and Half Light' is not only a suitable taster for what this duo get up to on stage, but also serves as a pretty tasty debut album.
Cutting their teeth in well known young (and current) bands, both Katriona and Jamie are used to performing and touring as well as popping in and out of the studio. In Tiny Tin Lady and Kerfuffle respectively, together with the shared experience of attending Leeds College of Music, where the couple met, Katriona and Jamie have managed to develop their individual styles of playing which now comes together and dovetails neatly in an album that accurately describes what they are all about.
There's a nice balance between Jamie's introspective questioning songs and Katriona's ability to tell a story. Katriona's "Hunter Man", the opening song, evokes the same spirit as Jonathan Kelly's "Ballad of Cursed Anna", with strange goings on in the woods, told with the aid of probably the best instrument for conveying fear and suspense, the violin. For those of us who assumed the duos' musical prowess was limited to an expressively played guitar and some ethereal fiddle solos, then it may come as a surprise that there is also some additional mandolin, cajon, percussion and very effective trombone work, courtesy of Jamie Roberts, which adds an almost mariachi feel to "Stopped Clock" as well as popping up in other choice places on the album.
Katriona's update on the Stephen Foster classic "Suzanna" provides the album with one of the most memorable chorus songs that I can imagine being heard in folk clubs up and down the country before too long. For the sensitive ballads we have Jamie to depend on. "Pleased to Meet You" and "I Don't Want To Say Goodbye" convey depth of feeling and sensitivity in equal measure, and finally, let's not overlook Katriona's delightfully ambient "Travelling In Time", which concludes the album.
Although the songs provide a major contribution to 'Shadows and Half Light', the instrumental pieces are not to be overlooked for a single moment. The inventiveness and dexterity of the duo's playing ability is highlighted throughout the album but nowhere better than in "Middle of May" incorporating the jazzy "Big Nige", with it's instantly memorable, if hardly dancer friendly, time signature.
Finally a word about packaging. To this reviewer, who has been known to put CD packaging in Room 101 ahead of bananas and traffic calming schemes, the music industry has finally settled on an excellent design for CD album sleeves that finally match up to the late lamented (but not quite extinct) gatefold LP sleeves and the beautiful music on 'Shadows and Half Light' has thankfully been given some suitably deserving packaging. Sounds good on the ipod, looks good on the shelf.
Allan Wilkinson
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Tad Marks - Callin' in the Dogs
Crop Circle Records CC044
www.bighillbillbillybluegrass.com OR www.tadmarks.com
Tad Marks is an eclectic Baltimore-area fiddler with a diverse repertoire with bluegrass, old-time, Cajun, Celtic, folk, calypso and Americana tunes. Even his original tunes (nine on this album) show that he favors no one genre over another, and he appears equally comfortable writing "Flamingo Gringo" as he is "The Cajun Hop." Equally impressive, Tad is also an accomplished multi-instrumentalist who accompanies himself on mandolin, guitar, bandolim, octave mandolin, tenor banjo, banjo cumbus, cuatro, bass and steel drums. A few of the 14 tracks on his fourth solo album enlist the instrumental support of Merle Johnson, Stefan Custodi, Pete Kelly, Mike Munford, and Cheryl Prashker. The only vocal selection, "Freight Train," features Charlie Zahm, a folksinger that Tad regularly performs with when he isn't on State Dept. tours through central Asia with Big Hillbilly Bluegrass. Tad's music exudes copious amounts of charisma and personality. He is clearly a likeable character who also knows what it takes to produce a creative and extremely enjoyable fiddle album. I'd like to see his compositions outlive this generation and become our future fiddling standards played by festival attendees in the next century.
Joe Ross
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Artist: Jon Redfern
Album: What Else But Love?
Label: Reveal
Tracks: 9
Website: http://www.myspace.com/jonredfern
The first song I heard on this, the third solo offering from Jon Redfern, was the ethereal "Don't Worry", featuring a duet with one of this country's most distinctive voices, Becky Unthank, posted to me by a fellow Unthank aficionado as a matter of great urgency. The song, albeit barely two minutes long, was the prompt that brought me to the rest of the album; that and the eagerness to hear the third installment of this songwriter's solo recorded output.
Much drivel has been written about Jon Redfern, particularly with regard to this unfounded notion that any singer-songwriter to emerge over the last decade must be a Nick Drake clone, which is utter nonsense. The opener to 'What Else But Love?', "Spark in the Sky" owes more to Meddle period Floyd than to anything from the late lamented Tanworth-in-Arden Bard.
Redfern is a maverick, a self-styled song maker of ambient sonic experiences and if he belongs in any pigeon hole at all, it's the one occupied by a handful of folk-based artists who are unafraid to explore folk music's' fringes and borders and cross those barriers in a spirit of adventure, rather than mischief. 'What Else But Love' is an unashamed outpouring of emotion that concentrates more on self-discovery and self-analysis than on anything remotely resembling instantly accessible folk/pop meandering. It's not an album to be rushed, rather to be afforded a little time to get to know.
"Play for Fear" is probably the most accessible song on the album if the more introspective yet soulful outpourings becomes a little too 'late Saturday night' than 'early Sunday morning' for the listener. "Troubadour" is a cross between Carole King's "It's Too Late" and Man's "Kerosene" in its distinctly jazzy late night feel, but with an autobiographical tale of lost friendship caught between the groove.
With a carefully assembled cast including Patrick Durkan, Sam Murray, Anna Rogers and Pete Tickell and with former Tarras band mate Joss Clapp handling all bass parts as well as manning the mixing desk and taking care of production and last but not least, the aforementioned Mercury Prize nominated Becky Unthank providing not only her unique voice but that unmistakable 'presence' that comes with it, 'What Else But Love?' provides a suitable insight into Jon Redfern's highly personal songwriting and fits perfectly well into a steadily building body of work.
Allan Wilkinson
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Artist: Ben Parker
Venue: NxNY, Basement Bar
Town: York
Date: 06/11/08
Website: http://www.myspace.com/benparkermusic
Once again The Basement Bar in the centre of York, just tucked beneath the City Screen Cinema, became the place to be tonight, with four more delightful sets hosted by Rudie and Ian of NxNY, whose collective good sense and impeccable taste once again provided us all with a full evening of outstanding music from both local singers as well as musicians from further afield, Wales for example.
Whilst feet shuffled above our heads, as the mass exodus from the cafe bar to the theatre seats took place, deep beneath all this cinematic activity, a bunch of musicians congregated and moved amongst ordinary audience members made up of York locals and visitors alike, all here with the one objective, to enjoy some good well-crafted songs.
Starting off the night was local singer-songwriter Lizzie Vince, who opened with a short set of her own self-penned songs dealing with themes of love, loss and introspection, accompanying herself on the piano. Keeping the between-song patter to a minimum, Lizzie's Lionheart-era Kate Bush inspired vocal and clear and precise piano treatment gave us a brief peep into her world through the songs alone.
Holly Taymar on the other hand, gleefully fills her set with lots to say and lots to sing about; an open diary for those of us intrigued with her infectious personality. Joined on guitar by Carl Hetherington, Holly brought us up to date with songs and stories from her neck of the woods, which is coincidentally, just down the road. "Toes" could quite easily be a journal entry for just another ordinary and uneventful day, but as in the case of most of the best songs around, the delicate arrangement and exquisite playing together with an assured vocal delivery, turn those whimsical fleeting thoughts into engaging poetry.
Bringing us up to speed in Holly's World, we learn that she buys chocolate by the boxful, is clumsy with cardboard (cutting herself in the rush to get at the goodies), owns a couple of lesbian pet guinea pigs (Jonathan and Ray!) and is possibly attracted to the new President elect. Holly's world is a hoot, that's for sure. "Bush Song" has absolutely nothing to do with George Dubya, but once again details the everyday commonplace aspects of life in general, in this case, tidying up the overgrown garden, with pleasing results even to the non-green fingered amongst us.
Alun Tan Lan is a Welsh singer-songwriter and former member of the band Seain, who sings exclusively in his native tongue. Accompanying himself on 12-string guitar, standard guitar and banjo, the multi-instrumentalist brought to York a taste of the Welsh language, with a handful of songs including "Gwaed ar yr Eira Gwyn" and "Plant y Tonnau", with the one English language exception thrown in, albeit with a German title ironically enough, the standard "Fraulein", famously recorded by the late Townes Van Zandt. Fortunately, the introductions were in English, so we had some understanding of what the songs were about.
Ben Parker was one half of the duo Ben & Jason (with songwriting partner Jason Hazeley, now writing comedy scripts) whose heights were neither lofty nor dizzy, but unfortunately in the hands of a handful of faceless radio executives, who decided the fate of such acts around a table littered with releases by the likes of Puff Daddy and Michael Jackson. Such was the lot of most artists in the days before the music world decided to return to DIY, with social networking, downloading and the ipod generation suddenly realising there's more to life than the Hit Parade. At least Ben & Jason experienced a 3000-strong crowd at Glastonbury in 2000, 'one of the best days in my life' says Ben, before the duo decided enough was enough.
With a vocal range reminiscent of Jeff Buckley and a plethora of brooding singers who have emerged in the wake of 'Grace', Parker takes command of the stage with no shortage of self-confidence and determination. Songs such as "Emoticons" and "Air Guitar", both previously residing with no small measure of pride in the Ben & Jason repertoire, come back to us like they've never been away.
Both relaxed and assured, Parker brought to the Basement Bar songs both old and new which awakened memories of vague familiarity, such as "A Star in Nobody's Picture", songs that really shouldn't have slipped off the radar in the first place. One of the outstanding songs of the night was "Dream Painted Gold", which stands up alongside the best of any bedsitter troubadour songs you care to mention.
Kate Aumonier joined Ben for the final few numbers of the night, showcasing songs from a collaborative project the pair are currently working on. Taking up electric guitar for the remainder of the set, Ben returned to the duo format accompanied by a voice that compliments his perfectly well and between the two of them, delivered a memorable debut with passionate performances of a handful of new and exciting songs.
Allan Wilkinson
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Artist: Seth Lakeman
Venue: The Leadmill
Town: Sheffield
Date: 05/11/08
Website: http://www.sethlakeman.co.uk/
As Seth Lakeman laboured his four strings relentlessly, on both fiddle and tenor guitar, and as sweat poured from his beaten brow, a certain fRootsy magazine editor whispered in my ear 'what's wrong with this crowd, why are they so subdued?' Perhaps it's because a predominantly middle-aged Cambridge Folk Festival audience just wouldn't allow themselves the pleasure of getting too excited this Summer, even though it must be said, the thumping rhythms that pounded upon Cherry Hinton's freedom fields that afternoon had even the Sunday Telegraph brigade on their feet at last.
A different story within the confines of the much smaller, darker, sweatier blacked-out rock stage of The Leadmill tonight, where the people of Sheffield were certainly up for excitement; nothing subdued about this crowd. Playing for around ninety minutes, Seth Lakeman's band, consisting of brother Sean on guitar, Ben Nicholls on bass and Andy Tween on drums, brought to Sheffield a few selections from all four of Seth's solo albums; yes even one from the largely forgotten 'The Punch Bowl' of 2002, with "How Much" coming out to play.
It's easy to forget with such driving rhythms, almost every song a thumper, that this is still an acoustic band. The almost frenzied style which Lakeman has developed over the past few years has become his trademark and there's now this niggling thought, that there's a danger he might be stuck with it forever. This is what the people want and what his fans want.
Kicking off with "The Hurlers" with it's tribal drum opening, always highly functional, not least to get the crowds' collective heartbeat aligned and going at a purposefully increased rate, the band appeared tight and ready to rock, albeit in a folksy rootsy way.
Through all the highly stylised playing, Seth maintains a faithful allegiance to both the myths and legends of his homeland of Devon and Cornwall and the West Country in general, as well as more contemporary local themes, such as the tragic Penlee lifeboat disaster of 1981, chronicled suitably well in "Solomon Browne" from his current 'Poor Man's Heaven' album. "Have you all got Poor Man's?' Seth enquired from the stage. The response informed him that the concessions stand had probably been busy during the support act.
There was a large contingency of young teenage girls at the Leadmill tonight that was noticeably absent at, let's say, the Roy Bailey gig I attended in the same city a month ago. Despite their loyal presence, Seth refuses to be groomed into the 'folk poster boy' that the industry would love to embrace, and continues to be a deliberately dedicated jeans and t shirt sort of bloke. No frills, no pop pretense, just your regular Devon lad having fun and making a difference.
I first encountered the young Seth Lakeman when he, along with his brothers Sean and Sam together with Luke Daniels, became the sweethearts of the 1995 Cambridge Folk Festival as The Equation, where Kate Rusby had just departed before the band really got off the ground and with whom Cara Dillon made a memorable guest appearance. Most of this went largely unnoticed as my attention was drawn to a young Kathryn Roberts in a little black number as I recall, and I make no excuses in remembering little of Seth, whom I only vaguely recall as a nose sticking out of a pair of curtains. The boys and girls grew up and the hairstyles changed but I think those present at that gig realised there was something special about this young band and probably more in its component parts than the collective equation, and it's come as no surprise that a decade or so later, Seth is trailing a blaze in the cross over folk/acoustic/inde music world.
As with most popular artists and bands, not just now, but throughout the history of popular music, it's the hits that bring out the most excitement and even though they can hardly be described as 'hits', the most familiar songs in Seth's repertoire, "Kitty Jay" and "The Lady of the Sea" created a sea of bouncing heads, a great atmosphere and a damn good night. Well worth missing all the fireworks outside for.
Allan Wilkinson
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Will Kaufman - Woody Guthrie: Hard Times & Hard Travellin'
University of Central Lancashire 29th October.
The first really cold night of the year and city centre of Preston wasn't so much Guthrie's `dustbowl' but more of a cold-damp `ice bucket' and probably because the tickets had been issued free and I didn't know what to expect at the university's Darwin Lecture Theatre, I had to fight the temptation to stay home and get close to the fire. However the warmth soon penetrated the frozen brain cells and thankfully I came to my senses.
"Woody Guthrie – Hard Times and Hard Travellin"– a presentation by Will Kaufman" was the message on the email that whet my appetite to find out more about this event. I didn't know whether to expect a concert, a slide show or a film so I emailed the contact at the `Uni' and, explaining that I was the secretary of Gregson Lane Folk Club, asked for a dozen tickets which promptly arrived next day complete with accompanying leaflet and map showing me how to find the venue.
Arriving at the 400 seat venue, 15 minutes or so before the start, it was obvious from the numbers that had turned out on this cold night that I was not the only one intrigued by the invite. We were shown into the country's largest 3D theatre and took our seats which were central but close to the back – it was difficult to judge numbers but I would guess at least 240 people (probably more) were there.
Sat at the front (behind two microphones) intently tuning a Martin guitar, with fiddle and banjo at the ready, was the Fedora-hatted figure of Will Kaufman – I really didn't know anything about this guy but that first impression had me and everyone else in the audience hooked and there was no doubt, in my mind, that `reeling us in' for the rest of what was to come would not be a problem to this charismatic American lecturer.
A short intro, from an official at the university, and we were on the road – Huge Monochrome images, projected onto the enormous screen, not only depicted the depression (the subject that inspired many of Guthrie's songs) they seemed to take you there as Will picked out `Blind Willie Johnson's 'Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground' on his guitar. The tune ended and the picture froze on an image of Guthrie playing his guitar with the inscription "This Machine Kills Fascists" emblazoned across the body. This image stayed there for the remainder of the 90 minute experience. I say experience because labelling this a `Lecture, Concert, Presentation, Documentary or Show' would not do it justice. It was all of these things and more.
We were taken on a journey from Oklahoma – through the Dust-Bowl to California. Wills' narrative was not only `thought provoking' it was informative and very entertaining – the politics were there but by no means rammed down anyone's throat. Punctuated by songs (mainly Guthrie + one by Joe Hill and one by Yip Harburg) played live and exceptionally well by Will, we experienced the many lows and the not so many highs of life in Hooverville. On a personal note I became aware of the meanings behind some of the familiar songs that I have previously `Taken for granted.'
Throughout the hour and a half (which passed in no time at all) the audience were spell-bound. I never heard anyone utter a word or do anything other than listen intently to the music, the songs and the talk.
I'd like to think that I'd get the chance to see this again – looking at Wills' My space page http://www.myspace.com/willkaufman he has another nine lined up (some of them in Europe) over the coming months. I'd thoroughly recommend "Woody Guthrie – Hard Times and Hard Travellin"– to anyone looking for a crowd pleaser that is quite unique, at their festival and I would hope that Will may consider bringing `Woody' to smaller platforms- such as Folk Clubs – in the not too distant future.
WILL KAUFMAN is a Professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of Central Lancashire, England. He comes from a musical family - his brother, Steve Kaufman, is one of America's most celebrated bluegrass guitarists. In 2008, Will was awarded the Woody Guthrie Research Fellowship from the BMI Foundation and the Woody Guthrie Foundation.
Graham Dixon
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The Rawmarsh Mashers - DELIBERATE MISTAKE (Own Label)
Who on earth? What on earth? What the hell? Answers to all these and many other burning questions are available on the below-mentioned MySpace link, but as for the basics, The Rawmarsh Mashers are (is) best described as a good-time folk (-ish) duo based near Rotherham (deep in the fair Republic Of South Yorkshire), whose totally admirable credo is to play live, to entertain and to have fun.
No fancy arrangements, no pretensions to great art or deep philosophical statement: just good honest old-fashioned fun-folk - supremely raw, loud, lively and above all ultra-enthusiastic -and yet not without a certain level of right-on political stance that appeals greatly to my own nature and sensibilities.
Together, the redoubtable Mashers - Richard (lead vocals and rhythm guitar) and Myke (lead guitar and backing vocals) - provide the necessary antidote to the sides of folk that continually threaten to become over-serious. They've a distinct kinship with groups like the (Liverpool) Spinners or Fivepenny Piece, or at any rate how they were before they got too "popular" (and too polished and too sentimental). And although based in Rotherham, they're both exiles from further south (the Gosport and Portsmouth area being Richard's early stamping-ground, whereas Myke hails from Cheshire) and clearly they love the North (sensible fellas!).
You might say the Mashers' choice of material is unashamedly populist, but in the nicest possible way. Aside from a host of 60s pop classics (not represented on this CD), they trade mostly in songs irreverently reflecting the vagaries and idiosyncrasies of life itself, whether directly comedic or genially wistful, and generally of the pub-singalong variety, with a smattering of crowd-pleasers (traditional fare like Two Recruiting Sergeants and Whip Jamboree, and the Dambuskers' Drink Down The Moon) nestling in amongst a deceptively canny selection of modern-day works loosely in the folk-satire category, from the pens of often underrated writers like Matt McGinn (Three Nights And A Sunday Double Time), Jon Isherwood (My Health Dear), Robb Johnson (Be Reasonable) and Tony Miles (Bloody Rotten Audience). The Mashers even have a theme song that sets out their stall pretty directly and persuasively (perhaps that should've been placed first on the CD?)!
They also creditably exhume the traditional tale of Jessie Munroe and do a nice line in justified righteous anger with a passionate take on Peter Hames' Ordinary Man, while on the other hand who can possibly resist their customised "slight corruption" of Bernard Wrigley's The Martians Have Landed In Rawmarsh?!…
And so what if some of the jokes are at times toe-curlingly predictable?! This CD, a totally WYSIWYG affair, although "produced" by Brian Bedford, is unadulterated Mashers - by which I don't mean it's childish, but that it's utterly devoid of any studio enhancements. It's exactly as the Mashers sound live, down to every last "deliberate mistake".
Actually (and the Mashers probably won't like me for saying this!), there's a bigger degree of accomplishment here than I've heard in some "professional" recordings, it's just that it's unassumedly worn and kept under wraps somewhat, for the Mashers' overriding concern is that both they and their audience enjoy themselves.
They're good at what they do, they have their niche, they stick to it - and good for them! So any critical review that might castigate them for a few wrong words here or a duff chord-change there, an off-key vocal or a crap entry, is just not appropriate - and in any case, anything in the first-mentioned category (most likely mis-hearings or mondegreens!) is all part of the time-honoured folk process in the end, right?
And anyone who through the Mashers' brazenly brash and purposely no-frills presentation gets the impression that they're just taking the p*** and have no respect for their material or their audience, well they're missing the point entirely: they do care, and to a perhaps surprising extent.
Don't expect jaw-dropping instrumental technique, cutting-edge musical adventures or sensitive expression - instead, just go with the flow (yes, there is one!) and you'll have a great time. Just like I did. And nowt wrong wi' that, guv!
And what's more the entire 19 Tracks can be Down Loaded in high quality MP3s at an amazing low price direct from their Myspace page.
http://www.myspace.com/therawmarshmashers
David Kidman
The Rawmarsh Mashers "Deliberate Mistake" Launch Concert
The George and Dragon, Wentworth
12TH OCTOBER 2008
A damp rural Yorkshire Sunday evening in October, hardly the sort of evening to leave the fire side to listen to a little known duo launch an album. Yet when I arrived at The George and Dragon, Wentworth, the pub was already at standing room only status. Not having seen The Rawmarsh Mashers before I had no idea what to expect other than what I had read and heard on their lively Myspace page.
Comedians who try to be folk singers or visa versa have not been my cup of tea, having seen the definitive performance of this genre by Jasper Carrot when he performed in the Folk Clubs - goodness that seems a very long time ago, Jasper had hair in those days.
The Rawmarsh Mashers are what could be described as a duo singing popular folk music, the component parts being Dickie Masher (Millard) who takes the lead vocals and Myke Masher (Barratt) who provides lead guitar and backing vocals.
The opening to the first set was unusual to say the least, but stunningly effective. With no prior introduction Dickie launched into Tom Paxton's "If I Were a Troubadour" which instantly gripped the audience, and then without hesitation ignited the bar with what I later discovered to be a favourite standard Masher song "My Old Guitar" written by John Isherwood.
The Mashers then took the audience on a journey of Rotherham and Rawmarsh with songs they have collected and changed to fit their home Town. "The Martians Have Landed In Rawmarsh" a corruption of Bernard Wrigley's song about Wigan bringing much laughter, and for me a highlight of the evening with Dickie encouraging Myke to produce spaceship sound affects with his guitar. But there was more serious material to. Their rendition of "Ordinary Man" standing out for it's anger and rawness.
In fact the range of material performed by The Rawmarsh Mashers was remarkable with traditional songs like "Two Recruiting Sergeants" and "Jessie Munroe" being punctuated by light Musical Hall numbers "Signora" and "Shine", or contemporary songs from the like's of Robb Johnston, and you really have to hear their treatment of "Be Reasonable" which has you demanding "the impossible NOW!".
Without a doubt this was a fun night of songs, many of which I had not heard before or had not heard in a very long time and I take my hat off to The Mashers for collecting and researching such an unusual song book. Matt McGinn's "Three Nights and Sunday Double Time" I had not heard for years.
A note to for Phillip Hartley who gave wonderful support to The Rawmarsh Mashers material, with his rich voice and contemporary songs he wrote himself, from his own Album "Words and Music" and available for down load from CD Baby. The evening belonged to The Rawmarsh Mashers though, who provided us with great entertainment, and at the end of the evening a big smile on my face.
This was not clever serious folk and The Mashers made it clear from the outset that anyone expecting soft classic traditional folk tunes would be disappointed. But no one could be disappointed with this performance, it was both sharp and witty and certainly a refreshing change from many concerts I attend. This was music simply for fun, right up to the final song, where joined by Phillip Hartley the Mashers sang out their farewell with "Bugger Off You Bastards" and all done with a huge smile on their faces The Mashers album "Deliberate Mistake" is available direct from their Myspace page or for download from Napster, Itunes or AmazonMP3. Why "Deliberate Mistake"? you'll have to check out a Mashers Gig for yourself to find out.
S. QUINN
www.myspace.com/therawmarshmashers
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Artist: Ralph McTell
Venue: Memorial Hall
Town: Sheffield
Date: 26/10/08
Website: http://www.mctell.co.uk
Traditionally, on the last Sunday before Halloween, Sheffield City Centre plays host to the UK's largest Halloween party, which attracts somewhere in the region of 30,000 visitors, most of whom come suitably dressed for the occasion. Pushing my way through more Gouls than the House of Lords and more Goths than Whitby seafront, I made my way towards the City Hall, and at one point, being so totally disorientated with all the goings on, I found myself walking in completely the wrong direction. I had to ask Frankenstein the way, as you do.
As the "Time Warp", courtesy of the sing-along-a-rocky-horror-show taking place inside the City Hall, filtered through the front gates, where a ludicrously colourful 12-seater fairground ride swung majestically through the air, missing the hall's imposing Doric columns by less than a metre, Ralph McTell was taking the last of his three guitars out of its case ready for his appearance at the venue tonight.
You almost feel sorry for a songwriter who is forever plagued with requests for that one hit, that one song that everyone remembers, even though there's almost a thousand others to choose from. As a member of the ever increasing bunch of people who's had a crack at writing songs, I personally wouldn't mind a "Streets of London" under me belt. Truth is, Ralph is no one trick pony at all and he has dozens of great songs in his repertoire, a handful of which came out tonight.
Dipping into a back catalogue that stretches back to the late Sixties, Ralph sang a variety of songs including "The Mermaid and the Seagull" from his very first LP 'Eight Frames A Second', the sleeve of which credits one Henry VIII on jug and a Whispering Mick on washboard. Besides all the kitchen utensils, the guitar has always featured pretty high up on any Ralph McTell recording and he claimed tonight that he has now lost count of exactly how many guitars he owns. Less than Keef though, he admits.
As a guitar player, McTell still holds his own, whether it's on blues standards such as Blind Blake's "Georgia Bound" and Big Bill Broonzy's "Guitar Shuffle", both of which were played tonight on a National Steel guitar, or as fine accompaniments to contemporary ballads such as "Maginot Waltz" and "Lunar Lullaby", all of which benefit from his fine and assured touch. The very name the singer goes by indicates precisely where his musical loyalties lie; half folk (the Ralph coming from Vaughan Williams) and half country blues (his surname borrowed from Blind Willie McTell, the wonderful 12-string blues guitar player from Georgia) and throughout his long career that spans four decades at least, McTell has maintained his love for this sort of music and has never lost sight of his debt to the great blues guitarists who went before.
Performing songs from much of his back catologue of albums, McTell remained on form throughout the performance. When it did eventually come round to the inevitable "Streets of London", McTell admitted that 'it's hard to get past this one' but still lives in the hope that he didn't actually peak at around twenty-two when he wrote it, or indeed just thirty when he had the big Top of the Pops hit with it.
Finishing with "Michael in the Garden" and a final encore of "Lost Boys", Ralph McTell rounded off an evening of good well crafted songs, written by a writer who settles for nothing less than songs of outstanding quality and timeless beauty.
Allan Wilkinson
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Artist: Roy Bailey and Friends
Venue: City Hall
Town: Sheffield
Date: 19/10/08
Website: http://www.roybailey.net
After tonight's' 'Rolling Home' show, celebrating '50 years of dissent', James Fagan said to me that it felt like we'd all been invited to a big house party around at Roy's house. I felt somewhat privileged to be a part of it, albeit sat amongst the couple of hundred or so friends and admirers in the audience, beneath the imposing City Hall in Sheffield, in the impressive Ballroom, which for tonight only, turned out to be an ideal extension of Roy's house just down the road, where this many people just wouldn't quite fit.
A few guests had gathered in the wings, each awaiting a call from the stage in order to join Roy for this very special celebration of fifty years of singing songs that matter, and of course, to assist in helping to celebrate fifty years of a life well spent, not least on a variety of worthwhile socialist causes.
With an introduction that included the quote 'I attribute the fall of Mrs Thatcher to Roy Bailey', Roy's friend of the past thirty or so years Tony Benn, led a round of thunderous applause, welcoming the singer onstage to get proceedings underway with Si Kahn's anthemic "What You Do With What You've Got".
The first guest Roy invited onstage was John Kirkpatrick who joined him on his trademark accordion, to play Tom Paxton's "How Beautiful upon the Mountain", a song with a hymn-like quality and an uplifting chorus that had the hall filled with communal singing in no time.
The last time I saw Seattle-based songwriter Jim Page around these parts, Roy Bailey was in the audience, no doubt taking note. A couple of Jim's songs were performed tonight, tribute to Page's excellent songwriting, "Anna Mae Aquash" was sung and played by Roy and John and "When Johnny Comes Marching Home", which had none other than son-in-law Martin Simpson on guitar.
Roy introduced Martin with a reminder of something he said at his daughter's wedding, that he didn't feel he was losing a daughter as such; rather he was 'gaining an accompanist'. Each of the guests Roy invited up on stage tonight was given the opportunity to perform a song of their own choice. John Kirkpatrick chose his own song "In the Dreamtime", sharing each of the lines of the song with Roy, with an Aboriginal-influenced droning accordion accompaniment, and Simpson chose the brilliant "Come down Jehovah", one of many stunning songs to come from the pen of Chris Wood.
Martin Simpson could be seen variously during the evening, either side-stage watching intently as his father-in-law celebrated with his friends or alternatively up and down the hall with his daughter attached to his shoulders. This was a family gathering after all, with each of its generations represented in one form or another.
Tony Benn's contribution to the evening came in a short extract from 'The Writing on the Wall', a collaboration he did with Roy, which resulted in the two friends winning the Best Live Act Award in the 2003 BBC Folk Awards. In eloquent prose, Tony Benn addressed the room with factual accounts of the struggles against war and violence, in the words of those most affected. Both moving and with some good humour thrown in, Benn's gift for delivering speeches with honesty and integrity as well as with great personal conviction, managed to bring the audience to silence for a few moments, in order to reflect on the real reasons we are here.
The second half of the celebrations started with a few children's songs such as "Skin" and "Busy Bee", somewhat justifying why the children had been dragged out to sit in the company of a lot of 'old people' of a Sunday night with school in the morning. I'm sure Roy's celebrations would have an integral part of his life missing had the kids not been there too.
From the Elias Quartet, violinist Donald Grant joined the celebrations with some beautiful violin playing on Ian Campbell's "Old Man's Song", which Roy has resurrected after a rare recording was discovered recently of him singing the song at the Bothy Folk Club in Southport.
Introducing the Scottish/American David Ferrard with the words 'his father gave him his home, his mother gave him his accent', Roy invited the Edinburgh-based songwriter up onstage to accompany him on "Visions of Our Youth" before he was left to sing "Hills of Virginia" with some extraordinary violin playing by Donald Grant.
Roy Bailey has known Nancy Kerr all his life and together with husband James Fagan, the couple represented Australia with their performance of Alistair Hulett's "Sons of Liberty", which has been a popular song in the duos' repertoire since it appeared on their 2006 album 'Strands of Gold'. The duo stayed on stage to help Roy out on Graham Moore's "Captain Swing", one of the songs from Moore's musical Play 'The Tolpuddle Man'.
Chumbawamba joined Roy onstage in order to perform a couple of songs from their current album 'The Boy Bands Have Won', starting with the gorgeous "Word Bomber", which Roy was himself invited to sing on the album version. That was followed by one of the most talked about songs on the album that is getting much airplay since the albums' release; the cringingly accurate "Add Me", that potentially has all of us myspace folk sinking in our seats. For this special occasion, Chumbawamba added a new verse especially for Roy, which alludes to Tony Benn stalking Mr Bailey, our national treasure.
With everyone gathered onstage for a finale of "Rolling Home", Roy Bailey would not only have one heck of a memorable 50th jubilee to store in his memory, but also one of the best birthday parties to boot. The final song of the night was one in which everyone joined in, and in perfect harmony too. Happy Birthday Roy.
Allan Wilkinson
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Artist: Stacey Earle and Mark Stuart
Venue: House Concert
Town: Wombwell
Date: 11/10/08
Website: www.staceyandmark.com
Hedley Jones introduced his special guests tonight with a story of some random email exchanges between himself and agent Bob Paterson, whereupon they found a free night between two gigs on the couple's current tour. If Stacey Earle and husband/musical partner Mark Stuart were in Edinburgh one night and Leeds a couple of nights later, then surely Mr and Mrs Jones' hospitality would be much more appealing than a night watching Strictly Come Dancing in some Edinburgh hotel room.
Stacey pointed out that before leaving the States at this crucial moment of political excitement, the couple had filled out their absentee ballot papers before they left and secretly deposited them in tightly sealed envelopes in order not to give away who they'd be voting for. So, with the name Obama emblazoned across her chest, a pair of denim jeans and a pair of Converse sneakers, without laces I might add, Steve Earle's kid sister and guitarist/brother-in-law, brought to Wombwell an absolute gift of a night in Hedley's garden.
Raised in San Antonio, Texas, Stacey followed in her brothers' footsteps, actually picking up one of his abandoned guitars and leaving home to try her hand at what has proved to be good for Steve. After the birth of her first child and a failed marriage, which had temporarily postponed her dreams of making music and hitting the road, she picked up the guitar once again, met Mark Stuart at Jack's Guitar Bar in Nashville and the rest as they say is history.
Mark says the best thing you can do if you are a budding songwriter suffering from writer's block, is to steal other peoples' songs. Stacey and Mark both admit to stealing from one another down in Jack's Bar and some of the resulting songs were performed exquisitely well tonight. Opening with "Are You Ready" with it's Western Swing lilt and brilliant guitar fills courtesy of Mark's vintage Gibson, Stacey brought a flavour of Nashville to this little street in Wombwell, and rather than the prospect of complaints from the neighbours, you imagine them all out on their back porches, gently rocking in their chairs, with a glass of wine as the duo serenade them with the beautiful "I Don't Wanna Have To Run".
Stacey and Mark compliment each other remarkably well, both in their harmonies and their guitar playing technique. Mark's voice reminds me so much of Happy Traum, one of the true unsung heroes of American folk music, and that voice rings out true and clear in songs such as "Ragged Suitcase" and "Lorraine".
The duo can flit from contemporary sounding modern songwriting efforts such as "Makes Me Happy", "Looking For Fool's Gold" and the Bobbie Gentry inspired "Wedding Night" whilst at the same time turning on an authentic 1950s feel to songs such as "Spread Your Wings", where you could easily imagine these songs being juke box hits in another era.
Mark claims there are two kinds of songs in the world, the Blues and Zip-a-dee-doo-dah. Stacey's "It Must Be Love" falls under the latter category and the couple had fun singing it tonight, with the audience fighting off the urge to sway along and it must be said, failing miserably. How could you not tap your foot to this stuff?
During the set each of the musicians took a 'union break' allowing each other to spread their wings in a couple of solo sets. Mark sang songs from his new album 'Left of Nashville', starting with "Gladden", followed by the title track from the album and concluding with one of Paul McCartney's rare country songs "Sally G".
Stacey Earle is a fine singer who knows exactly how to put over a story. During the performance she told a story of mothers' intuition, which was certainly the most compelling portion of the show tonight. In a monologue telling of what it feels like to lose a child, even though in this case it resulted from a piece of misinformation, for fifty minutes there was the belief that our singer lost a child to an accident. Such storytelling puts Stacey right up there in a lineage of great Texan storytellers such as Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt.
Mark and Stacey played tribute to the quiet Beatle in a heartfelt rendition of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" with an outstanding coda of "Within You Without You", once again showcasing a remarkable guitar player at work. Once you hear these two musicians together you tend to find it difficult to imagine them without each other. Like how would it be if Gillian Welch didn't have Dave Rawlings? Same thing here.
Before Stacey and Mark took to the stage, their current tour guide, roadie, companion and friend, the American singer-songwriter Kathleen Haskard sang a few songs to kick off the evening. With a voice not only reminiscent of k.d. lang, but judging by tonight's performance, just as good, Kathleen sang three songs from her latest album, the Chuck Prophet produced 'Don't Tell'. Dividing her time between her native California and adopted home of London, Kathleen seems to have been taken under the wing of the UK country scene and is currently receiving good reviews across the country. Kathleen started with "Play Me", followed by the title track from the album "Don't Tell" and finally "Leave to Remain", a song inspired by the 'permanent residency' note on her passport, which actually reads 'indefinite leave to remain', which in turn means she's welcome here, for now anyway. I'm sure she would be welcome to a permanent residency in Hedley's back garden with a voice like that.
Rounding off the night with a rousing version of Dylan's "You Ain't Going Nowhere", Stacey and Mark brought another stunning and most memorable night in South Yorkshire to a close.
For further details of Hedley's invitation only House Concerts, please contact Hedley Jones on 01226 752901 or email at wombwell.folk@blueyonder.co.uk.
Website: www.wombwellfolk.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk
Allan Wilkinson
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Chris Wood – Handmade Life (RUF Records RUFCD. 12)
Having already won two separate BBC Folk Awards (singer of the year and album of the year), you’d guess that maybe Chris couldn’t now cap those achievements. But I’m absolutely convinced that his new record, Handmade Life (officially released next March but available in advance at gigs and via mail order) will be a front-rank contender for next year’s awards. It’s brilliant. It’s also entirely distinctive and simply sounds like no-one else. With Chris, words and music are in perfect symbiosis. His confidential delivery may be low-profile and low-key, but it’s so very compelling: it draws you in from the moment he voices the first words of a song, and holds you there transfixed for however long it takes to communicate his vision, whether unfolding a narrative or conveying a vital thought-stream or philosophy.
The new album’s very title is supremely apt, for you could well say that Chris lovingly crafts each and every one of his original songs (by hand as it were) from life observations. One of his personal trademarks is to take what sounds like deeply traditional source material (notably well-worn phrases or near-quotations or paraphrases) as his starting-point for engaging with true-life, either as a springboard for creative updating or reinterpretation or simply drawing a parallel in expounding his own unique brand of urban legend. Chris’s songwriting, always sharp and laconic, retains its tightly focused quality, while nowadays also broadening its scope to encompass evocative personal reminiscence and genuine (if not necessarily rose-tinted) nostalgia as well as the more overtly political commentary for which he’s become known. All knitted together, of course, with some gloriously apposite turns of phrase and piquantly memorable wordplay.
No Honey Tongued Sonnet takes an ambivalent view of the twisted nursery-rhyme situation that was schooldays, whereas Spitfires combines a skewed kind of nostalgia with a barbed commentary on the jingoistic nature of ordinary folk’s response to war. The album’s central focus comes with Hollow Point, set in the badlands of Brixton and Stockwell and retelling (with devastating impact) a notorious news story. Political corruption is paraded circus-style on Caesar, while the disc’s final salvo, The Great Correction, indisputably enters the pantheon of top-drawer contemporary political song. My Darling’s Downsized presents a rather gleefully triumphant take on the curse of work, in effect playing the employers at their own game thankyou, and then when venturing down to the proverbial allotment (on early retirement?) Asparagus is itself downsized in the sense that it’s a decidedly terse, cryptic little “frozen moment” of realisation. One of the many standout songs is the imagery-rich Turtle Soup (which will be familiar from the Darwin Song Project, in which Chris had a key involvement earlier this year), while the delicate memorial Sleep Johnny Sleep (which uses words by Hugh Lupton) is equally masterfully portrayed, yet also not without its sinister overtones (it has something of the aura of Crow On The Cradle). And the picture painted by the enigmatic Two Widows is certainly both timeless and potently thought-provoking in its eerie inevitability.
Throughout the album’s ten songs, the emotions being expressed or examined may be every bit as stripped-bare as Chris’s vocal delivery, and this combination is extraordinarily powerful, especially when set to his own characteristic guitar playing. And yet, in another masterstroke of judgement, Chris has assembled a small backing band for the Handmade Life tour, and these musicians also play on the album. Danny Wood plays guitar (subtly complementing Chris’s own terse stylings), while Barney Morse Brown (from the current Eliza Carthy Band), plays cello, Andy Gangadean (of The Bays) occupies the drum stool and Robert Jarvis (from the London Improvisers’ Orchestra) plays trombone.
This really is one hell of an important album, yet its paradox is that its very nature – its conversational, almost casual air of understatement belying its uncompromising confidence – generates a subliminally overwhelming impact and is thus all the more impressive on greater acquaintance. And therein lies Chris’s gift of expression, QED his genius.
David Kidman
Artist: Chris Wood
Venue: Drill Hall
Town: Lincoln
Date: 23/10/08
Website: www.englishacousticcollective.org.uk/cw
I suspect that if you stick two leads into a Martin guitar, you get a much better sound. I'm not up on the technicalities, but tonight I noticed that after doing just this, the guitar in question sounded absolutely amazing. It might also have something to do with open tunings, good wood from good trees or just that on this occasion it was in the hands of Chris Wood. For an intimate performance in the company of Chris Wood, you need the guitar to sound good, and he was at pains to point out that he'd driven all the way up from Kent, and the least he could do was put the guitar in tune and make it sound good for us.
This Summer, getting up on the main stage at the Cambridge Folk Festival, directly after an enthusiastic Orkney fiddle band, Chris was determined to bring some 'church bells music' to the fields of Cherry Hinton. I knew exactly what he meant, and tonight, I had returned specifically to hear some more church bells music, delivered by one of England's finest singer-songwriters.
From the start, Wood wanted to get a feel for exactly who his audience was; what could he get away with and who would he upset? Uncompromising in his attitude and conviction to his beliefs, Chris Wood cares not one jot about whose toes he might or might not tread on. This is one of Wood's great strengths; that he can fearlessly speak his mind as he enlightens those of us who hadn't noticed, that there's a lot more to our history than 'they' let on.
Chris Wood is involved in a number of projects and appears to be a very busy man. One of those projects that he's involved in is the Imagined Village, the 17-piece multi cultural 'revue' which has been making its appearance at festivals and concert halls throughout the year, attempts to explore what Englishness is all about. Describing "Cold Haily Windy Night" as a 'very sexy little song', Chris performed a stripped down version of the song in the manner it was first intended, with a gentle touch, but at the same time losing none of its power.
Wood speaks about our hidden heritage with an air of authority, but you're always under the distinct impression that he's still uncovering little treasures of English history on an almost daily basis, and is in turn fascinated by each newly upturned stone. Referring to John Ball as a sort of cross between Winston Churchill and Ian Dury, the Lollard priest friend of Watt Tyler, who was a thorn in the side of the authorities, came to a sticky end, which was graphically described by Wood through almost gritted teeth. Sydney Carter's beautiful song "John Ball" brings home some of the history we in this country are sometimes afraid to face, accompanied by one of Woods' most inspired guitar accompaniments with some chords that haven't been invented yet.
Claiming that the subject matter of "One in a Million" is essentially a true story, albeit with an unknown origin, Wood re-told the story of Billy Smith and Peggy Sue, which held this silent audience transfixed throughout. Chris and storyteller Hugh Lupton, who wrote the lyrics to this compelling story, picked up the BBC Folk Awards Best Song Award in 2006 for the song that never fails to tug at the heartstrings.
Known to play two fiddles at the same time, Wood saved his party piece for another day and played "Princess Royal" using the conventional method instead. A tasteful fiddle player, Wood plays gently and sensitively, whether on an instrumental Morris tune or accompanying himself on a song such as "True North", a song from a new project about Parliamentary enclosures entitled 'On Common Ground' again with Hugh Lupton.
Inspired by watching Jonathan Miller's A Brief History of Disbelief, "Come Down Jehovah" describes Wood's stance on religion in a song he refers to as an 'atheist spiritual, which basically points out to those who tend to forget, that we already have Paradise here on Earth, and we'd better start enjoying it whilst we can. Amen to that. Abandoning the ritual encore, Chris introduced his last song of the evening as a song about everything; a song that for him, puts everything into context. "Summerfield Avenue" is the opening song on Chris Wood's outstanding current album 'Trespasser', which I imagine ten minutes after this performance was out of stock at the concessions stand, and rightly so.
Allan Wilkinson
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Artist: Rotherham Open Arts Festival
Venue: Spiegeltent
Town: Rotherham
Date: 11/10/08
Website: http://www.rotherhamculture.org
Last week the Spiegeltent returned to All Saint's Square in the centre of Rotherham for another week of cultural events, courtesy of the Rotherham Open Arts Festival, and once again we got the opportunity to see and hear some live folk music in this unique setting. As we seem to have skipped Autumn and gone straight to Winter this year, before the leaves have even dropped, there was an unexpected chill inside the mirror-lined boudoir, but those of us who huddled inside were well wrapped up for the music provided, and the artists performing endeavoured to keep us warm with some healthy bouts of applause after each song.
This year the festival went for a more localised programme, the emphasis clearly being on home-grown talent. On Sunday, the main guests played host to what turned out to be a showcase evening of not only local folk quartet Toein' In The Dark, whose eclectic mix of folk standards and contemporary songs soon warmed the cockles of our hearts, whilst our toes were busy been nipped by frost, but also a couple of local singers, on the cusp of something special. Toein' In The Dark comprises four local musicians, Jenny Fox, Andy Hoult, Carmel O'Toole and Bob Meakin who have all been part of the folk scene locally for more years than they care to mention. Andy Hoult seems to have something of a bottomless pit of a song repertoire upon which he draws with relish, everything from Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly to Beth Nielson Chapman and Nanci Griffith are all in there somewhere.
In all fairness, Nanci Griffith was probably over subscribed tonight, with no less than three and almost four songs represented during the evening. Though I tend to usually feel that more than a couple of songs by a particular absent artist borders on 'tribute', in Nanci's case it's forgivable, as her songs are generally beautifully written, and suitable for most occasions. "Gulf Coast Highway" for example, was a fine duet shared between Carmel and Andy during the band's first set and the impressive "Love at the Five and Dime", was beautifully retold by the first of the showcase performances, sixteen-year-old Catherine Binden.
Catherine was not only the youngest person onstage last Sunday, but probably the youngest person in the room. Her voice captures all the youthful vibrancy of a sixteen-year-old who has been amongst people who know what good music is all about. The daughter of Toein' In The Darks' Andy Hoult, Catherine has picked up some of her dads' taste in good songs, which include here, Dixie Chicks' "Wide Open Space" and Karine Polwart's "Sun Coming Over The Hill" as well as a delightful reading of the standard "Blue Moon" which she cleverly attached to KTB's "Bluebird" with interesting results.
Toein' In The Dark's eclecticism was explored in full for this occasion with a programme that included Woody Guthrie's "Do Re Mi", Beth Nielsen Chapman's "Deeper Still", The Beatles' "You Can't Do That" which had Ray Hearne and myself providing a rowdy chorus from the bar, and even at one point, Abba, with their take on the Swedish bands' instrumental "Arrival", which when you think about it, could easily have been especially written for an accordion/whistle/fiddle combination. Jenny's arrangement of Billy Taylor's jazz standard "I Wish I Knew What It Feels Like To Be Free" had us all swaying gospel-like as if we were right there in the church next door. And why not? as Barry Norman would say!
The second showcase performance came from young Barnsley singer Steph Shaw who manages to take songs from diverse sources and make them her own. Whether it's a standard like "You Belong To Me", a classic pop song such as "First Cut Is The Deepest" or something contemporary like Nizlopi's "JCB Song", Steph applies the same attention to detail and puts a new slant on it.
Towards the end of Toein' In The Dark's second set, everyone returned to the stage for a lively take on "Midnight Special" before a final encore of Andy Hoult's own "I Used To Be A Blues Singer" bringing the evening to a close, and really, on a high.
The second part of the folk section of the festival came almost a week later with Ray Hearne taking to the stage on Saturday. Ray handles topical songs with a casual flair and delivers them in his own inimitable style and with that all too familiar accent; familiar around these parts at any rate. Whether writing about social injustice, the local steel industry, the recent floods or the story of a man with an ice cream van and the lolly pop lady, Ray manages to tug at the heartstrings, bring out our communal frustrations and anger or just make us giggle. He likes to sing about 'Us' with a capital 'U', making him, dare I say, a real bone fide folk singer.
One of the most difficult things a folk singer of Rays' stature has to face at an event like this is the Saturday afternoon shoppers of Rotherham, whose curiosity brought them in, popping their heads in and out of the Spiegeltent during his performance just to check up on where the songs were coming from. With some interesting heckling from the adults and some minor disturbances from a bunch of giddy kids, Ray displayed true professionalism and took command of his stage, a stage that really did belong to him. A song like "I've Got Things To Say" lays Rays' cards on the table in no uncertain terms.
Ray had already appeared at the festival earlier in the week leading poetry and song writing workshops and it is in his song writing that Ray excels. He can be playful with words as demonstrated in his opening song about playing on a Saturday afternoon to the people of Rotherham, which you imagine had only just been written moments before the show, or as a considered lyricist as exemplified in "It's Time To Point the Finger at the Emperor" and "Manvers Island".
Allan Wilkinson