Enigmatic new album from Devon duo Harbottle & Jonas
Delving into innermost thoughts, dreams, and prayers, Harbottle & Jonas traverse the realms of the mystical, spiritual, and supernatural with their latest offering.
The eight songs on ‘Wild Goose’ feature full-band arrangements, atmospheric laments, and a song about the norse god of mischief, Loki. It’s an album of intricacy reflecting themes of family life, deep connection with nature, mind-over-matter, and mind-bending societal shifts.
Recorded in their home on Dartmoor over the course of a year, Dave (Harbottle) and Freya (Jonas) worked with lauded Cornwall-based producer Josh Best-Shaw (who also produced their acclaimed album “The Beacon”) in what has been their most fulfilling recording process to date.
As Freya explained: “we allowed the songs and sound to evolve naturally. Working with Josh in this way was a joy, and his ability to mirror the themes of the songs through his production methods was really important to us. Given the esoteric nature of some of the songs this felt fundamental.”
Dave added : “we feel totally relaxed writing and recording at home. There is no time pressure and we can tend to our daughter Rosalie and our dog Murphy with ease - the whole process was seamless! Josh totally gets us and our sound. Working in a studio can sometimes feel a bit mechanical with the repeated takes, but Josh allows space to pause, listen and reflect.”
Album number 5 of their odyssey together under their current moniker (album number 11 including previous incarnations) 'Wild Goose' moves - as always with the duo - between Freya and Dave as individual songwriters and Josh arranging as well as producing. Guests on the album include Cornish bard Richard Trethewey on violin / vocals and Jamie Gould of Long For The Coast on drums.
This much anticipated album follows on from 2021’s folk-chart top 25 hit 'The Beacon', the same year they were awarded FATEA’s band of the year.
For more information visit www.harbottleandjonas.com
The eight songs on ‘Wild Goose’ feature full-band arrangements, atmospheric laments, and a song about the norse god of mischief, Loki. It’s an album of intricacy reflecting themes of family life, deep connection with nature, mind-over-matter, and mind-bending societal shifts.
Recorded in their home on Dartmoor over the course of a year, Dave (Harbottle) and Freya (Jonas) worked with lauded Cornwall-based producer Josh Best-Shaw (who also produced their acclaimed album “The Beacon”) in what has been their most fulfilling recording process to date.
As Freya explained: “we allowed the songs and sound to evolve naturally. Working with Josh in this way was a joy, and his ability to mirror the themes of the songs through his production methods was really important to us. Given the esoteric nature of some of the songs this felt fundamental.”
Dave added : “we feel totally relaxed writing and recording at home. There is no time pressure and we can tend to our daughter Rosalie and our dog Murphy with ease - the whole process was seamless! Josh totally gets us and our sound. Working in a studio can sometimes feel a bit mechanical with the repeated takes, but Josh allows space to pause, listen and reflect.”
Album number 5 of their odyssey together under their current moniker (album number 11 including previous incarnations) 'Wild Goose' moves - as always with the duo - between Freya and Dave as individual songwriters and Josh arranging as well as producing. Guests on the album include Cornish bard Richard Trethewey on violin / vocals and Jamie Gould of Long For The Coast on drums.
This much anticipated album follows on from 2021’s folk-chart top 25 hit 'The Beacon', the same year they were awarded FATEA’s band of the year.
For more information visit www.harbottleandjonas.com
Pure Glass - Dan Whitehouse announces 2024 touring
Over the past two years, acclaimed Black Country singer-songwriter Dan Whitehouse has been in a transparently reflective mood with three albums all themed around the physical and metaphorical nature of glass.
On The Glass Age, produced by Swedish multi-instrumentalist Gustaf Ljunggren and inspired by keeping in contact with his young son living in Japan, he explored how, in terms of communication - both positively and negatively - we have become a screen-fixated society exchanging virtual emotions with an emoji or a coded text, our smartphones as indispensable an appendage as an opposable thumb. As the song Campfire succinctly puts it, “When you change the way you look at things/ Watch the things you look at start to change”.
This was followed by Voices From The Cones, a folk charting, award-nominated album that approached glass through a different lens, an Arts Council funded radio ballads styled project commemorating the history and legacy of glassmaking in Stourbridge in the heart of the Midlands, the epicentre of the nation’s glassmaking industry for over 400 years. A social history song cycle, the songs drew on both interviews and oral archive material, both playful and poignant, from some 100 former glassworkers who had been the industry’s molten heart. Then came Reflections On The Glass Age, a mirror image of the electronic pulses of the first album refracted through acoustic reinterpretations, intimately sung and played to distil the sweet melancholia of the material.
Songs from these projects have now been gathered together for ‘A Night Of Glass’, a simple but hypnotic live experience in which, variously behind a piano or on guitar and joined on some dates by Ljunggren performing music from his own Floreana album, he takes audience deep into the heart of glass in its myriad manifestations, his expressively nuanced crystalline vocals, a hint of Bowie here, a touch of Cohen there, effortlessly mining a wealth of emotions and ideas. This is where the light gets in.
George Bernard Shaw said “You use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul”; a testament to Dan’s intoxicating songwriting, consummate musicianship and quiet, unassuming charisma with songs like Rainbows Never End, Thin Blue Line, the anthemic Hands Heart Head and the infectious, crowd-friendly New Love and Work, A Night Of Glass is the melting point where art transforms.
Touring April to October 2024: for more details see dan-whitehouse.com/live
On The Glass Age, produced by Swedish multi-instrumentalist Gustaf Ljunggren and inspired by keeping in contact with his young son living in Japan, he explored how, in terms of communication - both positively and negatively - we have become a screen-fixated society exchanging virtual emotions with an emoji or a coded text, our smartphones as indispensable an appendage as an opposable thumb. As the song Campfire succinctly puts it, “When you change the way you look at things/ Watch the things you look at start to change”.
This was followed by Voices From The Cones, a folk charting, award-nominated album that approached glass through a different lens, an Arts Council funded radio ballads styled project commemorating the history and legacy of glassmaking in Stourbridge in the heart of the Midlands, the epicentre of the nation’s glassmaking industry for over 400 years. A social history song cycle, the songs drew on both interviews and oral archive material, both playful and poignant, from some 100 former glassworkers who had been the industry’s molten heart. Then came Reflections On The Glass Age, a mirror image of the electronic pulses of the first album refracted through acoustic reinterpretations, intimately sung and played to distil the sweet melancholia of the material.
Songs from these projects have now been gathered together for ‘A Night Of Glass’, a simple but hypnotic live experience in which, variously behind a piano or on guitar and joined on some dates by Ljunggren performing music from his own Floreana album, he takes audience deep into the heart of glass in its myriad manifestations, his expressively nuanced crystalline vocals, a hint of Bowie here, a touch of Cohen there, effortlessly mining a wealth of emotions and ideas. This is where the light gets in.
George Bernard Shaw said “You use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul”; a testament to Dan’s intoxicating songwriting, consummate musicianship and quiet, unassuming charisma with songs like Rainbows Never End, Thin Blue Line, the anthemic Hands Heart Head and the infectious, crowd-friendly New Love and Work, A Night Of Glass is the melting point where art transforms.
Touring April to October 2024: for more details see dan-whitehouse.com/live
Urban Folk Quartet release fourth studio album
Urban Folk Quartet's much-anticipated fourth studio album, True Story, is released on Friday 22 March 2024, via SAE Records.
Featuring the recent singles Solsbury Hill, Coal Minin' Man, Indian Tea and Turning Point, the eight-track collection is arguably UFQ's most accomplished record to date, expertly embracing the visceral energy of a live performance with the technical precision that comes with studio recording.
True Story also sees the quartet divide their time equally between their trademark blazing instrumentals and vocal-led material.
As you'd expect from such a highly accomplished (and knowledgeable) band of musicians - multi-instrumentalist and producer Joe Broughton, Galician fiddle player Paloma Trigás, cajón king Tom Chapman, and banjo maestro Dan Walsh - the musical influences are joyously varied
Take Coal Minin' Man, as a prime example - though built on bluegrass roots, the distinctive arrangement's rhythmic drive comes via funk and early-00s jazz influenced hip hop (impressing US roots/bluegrass bible, Bluegrass Today).
Elsewhere, The Whiplash Reel is informed by Bangladeshi folk songs, and the sounds of the sitar and sarangi, as much as traditional Irish/ Scottish jigs and reels - a combination that’s served with what Dan describes as "a pretty strong dose of Birmingham heaviness."
Work initially began on the collection around the time of UFQ's 2019 tenth anniversary – an event the band marked with a series of lauded live shows and profile festival appearances, all featuring an expanded eight-piece line-up. That experience opened the door to the idea of invited guests, with True Story’s tracklisting welcoming several notable close friends as well as family members.
Fairport Convention legend Dave Pegg lends his bass to album opener, and live favourite, Solsbury Hill, and elsewhere Chris While and Kellie While guest, as do UFQ's long-standing live sound engineer Ben Broughton (slide guitar) and Joe and Paloma's daughter, Sabela - nine-years-old and already an accomplished fiddle player.
Poignantly, the album also features the last ever performances from Sal Broughton (bass), who sadly passed away in December 2022, aged just 30.
"It became a real thing for me to get family and honorary family onto this album as it is the last musical appearance from Sal," says Joe. "It’s great that all these people are on the same album with him."
UFQ's seventh LP overall, True Story follows 2015's studio album, The Escape (featured in The Telegraph's Best Of Folk 2015 list), and 2016's in concert Live III ("fun, fast, frenetic" reckoned Bright Young Folk).
Since forming in 2009, Urban Folk Quartet have played everywhere from rural UK arts centres to 30,000 capacity European festivals, igniting audiences wherever they go. Though rooted in ‘folk’, the accomplished quartet defy easy categorisation. With a distinctive and refreshing global outlook, they call on sounds from Galicia and the Mediterranean, Asia and Europe, as well as American bluegrass, Celtic traditions, Middle Eastern melodies, and rhythms from Africa, North India and South America.
Urban Folk Quartet's True Story is available via major streaming platforms, and on CD, from Friday 22 March 2024. See: www.theufq.com
Featuring the recent singles Solsbury Hill, Coal Minin' Man, Indian Tea and Turning Point, the eight-track collection is arguably UFQ's most accomplished record to date, expertly embracing the visceral energy of a live performance with the technical precision that comes with studio recording.
True Story also sees the quartet divide their time equally between their trademark blazing instrumentals and vocal-led material.
As you'd expect from such a highly accomplished (and knowledgeable) band of musicians - multi-instrumentalist and producer Joe Broughton, Galician fiddle player Paloma Trigás, cajón king Tom Chapman, and banjo maestro Dan Walsh - the musical influences are joyously varied
Take Coal Minin' Man, as a prime example - though built on bluegrass roots, the distinctive arrangement's rhythmic drive comes via funk and early-00s jazz influenced hip hop (impressing US roots/bluegrass bible, Bluegrass Today).
Elsewhere, The Whiplash Reel is informed by Bangladeshi folk songs, and the sounds of the sitar and sarangi, as much as traditional Irish/ Scottish jigs and reels - a combination that’s served with what Dan describes as "a pretty strong dose of Birmingham heaviness."
Work initially began on the collection around the time of UFQ's 2019 tenth anniversary – an event the band marked with a series of lauded live shows and profile festival appearances, all featuring an expanded eight-piece line-up. That experience opened the door to the idea of invited guests, with True Story’s tracklisting welcoming several notable close friends as well as family members.
Fairport Convention legend Dave Pegg lends his bass to album opener, and live favourite, Solsbury Hill, and elsewhere Chris While and Kellie While guest, as do UFQ's long-standing live sound engineer Ben Broughton (slide guitar) and Joe and Paloma's daughter, Sabela - nine-years-old and already an accomplished fiddle player.
Poignantly, the album also features the last ever performances from Sal Broughton (bass), who sadly passed away in December 2022, aged just 30.
"It became a real thing for me to get family and honorary family onto this album as it is the last musical appearance from Sal," says Joe. "It’s great that all these people are on the same album with him."
UFQ's seventh LP overall, True Story follows 2015's studio album, The Escape (featured in The Telegraph's Best Of Folk 2015 list), and 2016's in concert Live III ("fun, fast, frenetic" reckoned Bright Young Folk).
Since forming in 2009, Urban Folk Quartet have played everywhere from rural UK arts centres to 30,000 capacity European festivals, igniting audiences wherever they go. Though rooted in ‘folk’, the accomplished quartet defy easy categorisation. With a distinctive and refreshing global outlook, they call on sounds from Galicia and the Mediterranean, Asia and Europe, as well as American bluegrass, Celtic traditions, Middle Eastern melodies, and rhythms from Africa, North India and South America.
Urban Folk Quartet's True Story is available via major streaming platforms, and on CD, from Friday 22 March 2024. See: www.theufq.com
Late comer Bill’s debut album gets closer
A retired railway driver and keen cyclist from the North East of England, Bill took solace in music during the pandemic and has been dedicated to the craft of songwriting ever since, creating an enduring collection of heartwarming folk songs.
Bill Dodds has always felt drawn to explore and is one of the very few people to have completed an around the world bike ride, passing through 18 countries and clocking up 22,000 miles, mostly travelling solo. Bill lives in his native Newcastle, where he spent 34 years working as a railway driver. For 20 years Bill was also an elected local government councillor on Newcastle City Council serving his community with a smile, but not yet with a song.
Despite having been a music lover for years, Bill first put pen to paper during the pandemic - attending online songwriting workshops with artists he had long been a fan of such as Reg Meuross, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Mary Gauthier, Gretchen Peters, Saskia Griffiths-Moore, Boo Hewerdine and Stu Hanna.
When folk clubs opened up again after lockdown, Bill stepped out tentatively, acoustic guitar in hand, to perform his new work. Encouraged by a very warm welcome, he pressed on and spent 2023 honing and refining his work with producer Dan Whitehouse. Bill is now on the cusp of releasing his debut album, Closer (due 15th March 2024)
Closer is a delicate collection of songs that pay tribute to his songwriting heroes (Vin Garbutt and Pete Seeger get a tribute song each). They tell political and historical stories as well as tales of love and loss.
Inspired by the war memorials Bill often stops at whilst out cycling, ‘The Kaiser and The King’ is a moving tribute to young men lost at war. Bill says: “Unlike my grandfather who fought in trenches at the Somme, neither King George V or his cousins Kaiser Wilhem and Tsar Nicholas of Russia played a front line role.
Album highlight ‘Fools and Princes’ features a guest performance from the Viola virtuoso Alison D’Souza. The song was inspired by a trip to Verona and a moment shared on that very balcony with his own partner Sally. Though interestingly, Fools and Princes focuses on the fateful moment when Romeo kills Tybalt... on the twist of fate - a unique ‘way in’ to the well told story.
Recording took place in Bill’s living room in Newcastle, with Dan Whitehouse producing as well as playing lead guitar and backing vocals. Dan and Bill initially met online during the pandemic on one of Dan’s online songwriting workshops. During the course of the recording sessions, several of Bill’s friends and family popped by for tea and a chat, each contributing to this personal and intimate collection of songs.
French speaking Christine Durand reads poetry on ‘Incroyable’. Kathy Wesolowsk lends operatic vocals to ‘The Kaiser and The King’. Bill’s grand daughter Chloe Weston is the lead voice you can hear on the song ‘I Am A Woman’ - written by Bill on a songwriting retreat lead by Gretchen Peters and Mary Gauthier.
The recordings were beamed up into the ether and shared with Gustaf Lljunggren (Boo Hewerdine /John Grant / Eddi Reader) who added Pedal Steel, Accordion and Rhodes Electric Piano from his Copenhagen studio. Next stop on the album’s journey was London where Harriet Harkcom added haunting harmonies to ‘Goodnight Vin’, and Alison D’Souza contributed a courtly string arrangement to ‘Fools and Princes’.
Mixed and mastered by John Elliott (The Little Unsaid) ‘Closer’ is a stellar body of work and testament to a life well lived and lessons learnt, with stories rich in both romance and reflection.
The album cover of Closer’ is an oil painting by Tyneside artist Ruth Bond called “Silver sands of Eilean Siar” (Gaelic for ‘The Western Isles’). Last year Bill cycled the length of the Outer Hebrides Trail (185 miles).
To listen or purchase Closer, check out billdodds.bandcamp.com/album/closer
Bill Dodds has always felt drawn to explore and is one of the very few people to have completed an around the world bike ride, passing through 18 countries and clocking up 22,000 miles, mostly travelling solo. Bill lives in his native Newcastle, where he spent 34 years working as a railway driver. For 20 years Bill was also an elected local government councillor on Newcastle City Council serving his community with a smile, but not yet with a song.
Despite having been a music lover for years, Bill first put pen to paper during the pandemic - attending online songwriting workshops with artists he had long been a fan of such as Reg Meuross, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Mary Gauthier, Gretchen Peters, Saskia Griffiths-Moore, Boo Hewerdine and Stu Hanna.
When folk clubs opened up again after lockdown, Bill stepped out tentatively, acoustic guitar in hand, to perform his new work. Encouraged by a very warm welcome, he pressed on and spent 2023 honing and refining his work with producer Dan Whitehouse. Bill is now on the cusp of releasing his debut album, Closer (due 15th March 2024)
Closer is a delicate collection of songs that pay tribute to his songwriting heroes (Vin Garbutt and Pete Seeger get a tribute song each). They tell political and historical stories as well as tales of love and loss.
Inspired by the war memorials Bill often stops at whilst out cycling, ‘The Kaiser and The King’ is a moving tribute to young men lost at war. Bill says: “Unlike my grandfather who fought in trenches at the Somme, neither King George V or his cousins Kaiser Wilhem and Tsar Nicholas of Russia played a front line role.
Album highlight ‘Fools and Princes’ features a guest performance from the Viola virtuoso Alison D’Souza. The song was inspired by a trip to Verona and a moment shared on that very balcony with his own partner Sally. Though interestingly, Fools and Princes focuses on the fateful moment when Romeo kills Tybalt... on the twist of fate - a unique ‘way in’ to the well told story.
Recording took place in Bill’s living room in Newcastle, with Dan Whitehouse producing as well as playing lead guitar and backing vocals. Dan and Bill initially met online during the pandemic on one of Dan’s online songwriting workshops. During the course of the recording sessions, several of Bill’s friends and family popped by for tea and a chat, each contributing to this personal and intimate collection of songs.
French speaking Christine Durand reads poetry on ‘Incroyable’. Kathy Wesolowsk lends operatic vocals to ‘The Kaiser and The King’. Bill’s grand daughter Chloe Weston is the lead voice you can hear on the song ‘I Am A Woman’ - written by Bill on a songwriting retreat lead by Gretchen Peters and Mary Gauthier.
The recordings were beamed up into the ether and shared with Gustaf Lljunggren (Boo Hewerdine /John Grant / Eddi Reader) who added Pedal Steel, Accordion and Rhodes Electric Piano from his Copenhagen studio. Next stop on the album’s journey was London where Harriet Harkcom added haunting harmonies to ‘Goodnight Vin’, and Alison D’Souza contributed a courtly string arrangement to ‘Fools and Princes’.
Mixed and mastered by John Elliott (The Little Unsaid) ‘Closer’ is a stellar body of work and testament to a life well lived and lessons learnt, with stories rich in both romance and reflection.
The album cover of Closer’ is an oil painting by Tyneside artist Ruth Bond called “Silver sands of Eilean Siar” (Gaelic for ‘The Western Isles’). Last year Bill cycled the length of the Outer Hebrides Trail (185 miles).
To listen or purchase Closer, check out billdodds.bandcamp.com/album/closer
New single and new signing for Ruth Theodore
Ruth Theodore has released a nws single, ahead of her new album launch in May. She has also become the latest signing to Ani DiFranco's Righteous Babe Records.
Known for her playful, insightful, poetic lyrics and memorable melodies, ‘Hold on Me’ is the beautiful new single from UK songwriter and multi instrumentalist, Ruth Theodore. Taken from her eagerly awaited new album ‘I Am I Am’ due for release on May 3, 2024, today also marks the announcement of Ruth signing to Ani DiFranco’s renowned record label, Righteous Babe Records. Speaking of the signing, DiFranco says:
“The last time I played the London Palladium Ruth Theodore was on the bill with me. I watched from the wings and was inspired by her authenticity, her connection with my audience, and her free artistic spirit. That night I saw her as a true Righteous Babe. Last fall, when she reached out with her new album, it seemed the perfect time to reunite and help introduce her to North America.” - Ani DiFranco
‘Hold On Me’, is a laid back, wistful track drenched in soulful harmonies and whilst more conventional than a lot of Theodore’s songs, it’s packed with her instantly recognisable character. A captivating mix of folk and soul with a textured jazz sound throughout; it’s a tease of a song, about a relationship that hangs in the balance. Full of sexual energy this sweet song of longing is interrupted by urgent lustful lyrics, raspy trombones and bitter sweet ultimatums.
“This song follows Thompson in that it continues the same theme of intimate disconnect. At the time of writing this song I’d been given a grant from Arts Council England and was writing choral arrangements for a gospel choir in London, and since that’s where my head was at, this song definitely received a good dose of vocal arrangements.”
Theodore’s music reflects her naturally transient personality, avoiding being pinned down in all aspects of life from sexuality to physical location; Theodore’s compositions, like their creator, delve deep into various realms and genres whilst never lingering long enough to become entangled in the details. With this panoramic vista, Theodore creates and performs with a unique and instantly recognisable style that effortlessly pushes the boundaries of gender and genre and defies the confines of the conventional "singer-songwriter" archetype.
‘I Am I Am’ follows on from her last album Cactacus, which was released in 2016 and produced by Grammy award winning producer Todd Sickafoose. The album gained support from the UK national media, ranking #1 in fRoots album of the month and launched to a sold out Borderline show in Soho, followed by a string of UK tours and a successful European band tour in 2019. It was on returning home from Europe that Ruth was diagnosed with breast cancer. Successful chemotherapy treatment followed that spanned the worst of the pandemic and beyond. However, Ruth channeled her energy into what she loves, creating music every day and in early April 22 flew out to rejoin her US collaborators Todd Sickafoose (Ani DiFranco/Anais Mitchell) and Mathias Kunzli (Regina Spektor) to record the new material. The new record ‘I Am I Am’ is the first of the fruits of this productive and collaborative period to be released and was recorded in Woodstock, New York.
For more information visit ruththeodore.com
Known for her playful, insightful, poetic lyrics and memorable melodies, ‘Hold on Me’ is the beautiful new single from UK songwriter and multi instrumentalist, Ruth Theodore. Taken from her eagerly awaited new album ‘I Am I Am’ due for release on May 3, 2024, today also marks the announcement of Ruth signing to Ani DiFranco’s renowned record label, Righteous Babe Records. Speaking of the signing, DiFranco says:
“The last time I played the London Palladium Ruth Theodore was on the bill with me. I watched from the wings and was inspired by her authenticity, her connection with my audience, and her free artistic spirit. That night I saw her as a true Righteous Babe. Last fall, when she reached out with her new album, it seemed the perfect time to reunite and help introduce her to North America.” - Ani DiFranco
‘Hold On Me’, is a laid back, wistful track drenched in soulful harmonies and whilst more conventional than a lot of Theodore’s songs, it’s packed with her instantly recognisable character. A captivating mix of folk and soul with a textured jazz sound throughout; it’s a tease of a song, about a relationship that hangs in the balance. Full of sexual energy this sweet song of longing is interrupted by urgent lustful lyrics, raspy trombones and bitter sweet ultimatums.
“This song follows Thompson in that it continues the same theme of intimate disconnect. At the time of writing this song I’d been given a grant from Arts Council England and was writing choral arrangements for a gospel choir in London, and since that’s where my head was at, this song definitely received a good dose of vocal arrangements.”
Theodore’s music reflects her naturally transient personality, avoiding being pinned down in all aspects of life from sexuality to physical location; Theodore’s compositions, like their creator, delve deep into various realms and genres whilst never lingering long enough to become entangled in the details. With this panoramic vista, Theodore creates and performs with a unique and instantly recognisable style that effortlessly pushes the boundaries of gender and genre and defies the confines of the conventional "singer-songwriter" archetype.
‘I Am I Am’ follows on from her last album Cactacus, which was released in 2016 and produced by Grammy award winning producer Todd Sickafoose. The album gained support from the UK national media, ranking #1 in fRoots album of the month and launched to a sold out Borderline show in Soho, followed by a string of UK tours and a successful European band tour in 2019. It was on returning home from Europe that Ruth was diagnosed with breast cancer. Successful chemotherapy treatment followed that spanned the worst of the pandemic and beyond. However, Ruth channeled her energy into what she loves, creating music every day and in early April 22 flew out to rejoin her US collaborators Todd Sickafoose (Ani DiFranco/Anais Mitchell) and Mathias Kunzli (Regina Spektor) to record the new material. The new record ‘I Am I Am’ is the first of the fruits of this productive and collaborative period to be released and was recorded in Woodstock, New York.
For more information visit ruththeodore.com
Bring Me Sunshine at GTSF 2024
There are already great expectations for this summer's Gate To Southwell Festival (July 4th to 7th).
The GTSF organisers have confirmed high-quality international headliners such as multi-award winning American folk legend Rhiannon Giddens (pictured, nominated for two more Grammys in 2024), celebrated Scottish band Manran, traditional Irish music stars The Haar and a triumvirate of acclaimed Canadian artists including The Fugitives and singer/songwriters Catherine McClellan and Tara MacLean.
New Year additions to this already strong line-up feature a welcome return to Southwell for “one of the greatest live acts around” (Americana UK) in Ross Wilson aka Blue Rose Code who will perform with his Big Caley Soul Band. And the festival will open with “wildly thrilling” (The Guardian) headline act Northumbrian piper Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening – a very welcome return as Kathryn performed at the first GTSF back in 2007. Plus there’ll be another award-winning Scottish act in the unique An Dannsa Dub who manage to fuse folk with reggae and dance music.
Adding to the typically eclectic and international music mix over four days at GTSF 2024, there’ll be Americana stars Campbell/Jensen featuring Glen Campbell’s daughter Ashley, Sheffield’s folk supergroup the Melrose Quartet (feat Nancy Kerr, James Fagan and Jess and Richard Arrowsmith), Gambian kora player and percussionist Suntou Susso, English folk troubadour Reg Meuross, the Australian sister duo Charm of Finches and many more artists. Thursday July Fourth will also be marked by The Great American Songbook on the Folk Stage.
Plus there’ll be dance, comedy, spoken word, great food, drink, craft fairs and family entertainment, with camping and glamping, all in a beautiful rural location just outside Southwell (England’s most perfect market town according to the Daily Telegraph in 2023).
Tickets are selling fast, despite the recent wet winter weather, mainly because the last three years at GTSF have been splendidly hot and sunny. Nevertheless, prophets of doom will be relieved to hear that there will definitely be a rain cover for the main Lake Stage in 2024. This will offer the best of both worlds with open sides so audiences can enjoy the inevitable July sunshine without missing any of the musical action onstage.
This will be the seventeenth Gate To Southwell Festival and the Nottinghamshire international roots and acoustic music event has had glowing reviews in recent years. R&R magazine described it as “a great favourite with an excellent cast list” and “possibly the best small folk and roots festival in the UK”.
For latest details of artists, events and tickets visit gtsf.uk
The GTSF organisers have confirmed high-quality international headliners such as multi-award winning American folk legend Rhiannon Giddens (pictured, nominated for two more Grammys in 2024), celebrated Scottish band Manran, traditional Irish music stars The Haar and a triumvirate of acclaimed Canadian artists including The Fugitives and singer/songwriters Catherine McClellan and Tara MacLean.
New Year additions to this already strong line-up feature a welcome return to Southwell for “one of the greatest live acts around” (Americana UK) in Ross Wilson aka Blue Rose Code who will perform with his Big Caley Soul Band. And the festival will open with “wildly thrilling” (The Guardian) headline act Northumbrian piper Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening – a very welcome return as Kathryn performed at the first GTSF back in 2007. Plus there’ll be another award-winning Scottish act in the unique An Dannsa Dub who manage to fuse folk with reggae and dance music.
Adding to the typically eclectic and international music mix over four days at GTSF 2024, there’ll be Americana stars Campbell/Jensen featuring Glen Campbell’s daughter Ashley, Sheffield’s folk supergroup the Melrose Quartet (feat Nancy Kerr, James Fagan and Jess and Richard Arrowsmith), Gambian kora player and percussionist Suntou Susso, English folk troubadour Reg Meuross, the Australian sister duo Charm of Finches and many more artists. Thursday July Fourth will also be marked by The Great American Songbook on the Folk Stage.
Plus there’ll be dance, comedy, spoken word, great food, drink, craft fairs and family entertainment, with camping and glamping, all in a beautiful rural location just outside Southwell (England’s most perfect market town according to the Daily Telegraph in 2023).
Tickets are selling fast, despite the recent wet winter weather, mainly because the last three years at GTSF have been splendidly hot and sunny. Nevertheless, prophets of doom will be relieved to hear that there will definitely be a rain cover for the main Lake Stage in 2024. This will offer the best of both worlds with open sides so audiences can enjoy the inevitable July sunshine without missing any of the musical action onstage.
This will be the seventeenth Gate To Southwell Festival and the Nottinghamshire international roots and acoustic music event has had glowing reviews in recent years. R&R magazine described it as “a great favourite with an excellent cast list” and “possibly the best small folk and roots festival in the UK”.
For latest details of artists, events and tickets visit gtsf.uk
Three new stand-alone singles from Rob Jones
Following the success of last years' four-track EP 'Trees', Rob Jones & The Restless Dream announced the release of three standalone singles, with the second single, Wherever We Go, coming out on March 8th.
Wherever We Go is a simple song about unconditional love; the sort we’d all like to find but rarely do. Written years ago, Rob struggled to find the right tempo and arrangement with a number of different producers until he finally took it to SloeFlower Studios in Chester in the autumn of 2023.
Produced there by James Wyatt, it features Restless Dream regulars Danny Wellens on piano, Josh Cavanagh-Brierley on bass. In addition, Kiwi singer-songwriter Grace Kelly provides backing vocals whilst another outstanding musician from New Zealand, Shimna Bridget, plays strings. Drums are played by Dave Orsmby and Chris Hillman is on pedal steel.
First of the three singles, January Man, released on January 1st 2024, received plays from BBC Radio Scotland’s Iain Anderson show as well as on BBC Radio Wales’ Celtic Heartbeat show hosted by Frank Hennessy. January Man tells the story of a lonely, drunken New Year's Eve in Copenhagen, in which the speaker comes to realise that he will always belong to the love he thought he had left behind.
Releasing their debut EP 'Castles' in 2022 and follow up EP ‘Trees’ in 2023, Rob continues to showcase his ability to blend introspective lyrics with memorable melodies on the upcoming trio of singles. EP ‘Trees’ included the release of two singles in the summer of 2023, beginning with unforgettable pop tune ‘Ballerina’, and 'Cut So Deep' as heard on BBC Radio Scotland’s Iain Anderson show.
Produced by Mark Lewis of The Northern Cowboys, ‘Trees’ brims with introspective lyrics about life, love, and universal feeling of disillusionment and hope. It features special guest appearances including Chris Hillman on pedal-steel, Grace Kelly on backing vocals, and Alan Keary on strings.
For further information, please visit www.robjonesandtherestlessdream.com
Wherever We Go is a simple song about unconditional love; the sort we’d all like to find but rarely do. Written years ago, Rob struggled to find the right tempo and arrangement with a number of different producers until he finally took it to SloeFlower Studios in Chester in the autumn of 2023.
Produced there by James Wyatt, it features Restless Dream regulars Danny Wellens on piano, Josh Cavanagh-Brierley on bass. In addition, Kiwi singer-songwriter Grace Kelly provides backing vocals whilst another outstanding musician from New Zealand, Shimna Bridget, plays strings. Drums are played by Dave Orsmby and Chris Hillman is on pedal steel.
First of the three singles, January Man, released on January 1st 2024, received plays from BBC Radio Scotland’s Iain Anderson show as well as on BBC Radio Wales’ Celtic Heartbeat show hosted by Frank Hennessy. January Man tells the story of a lonely, drunken New Year's Eve in Copenhagen, in which the speaker comes to realise that he will always belong to the love he thought he had left behind.
Releasing their debut EP 'Castles' in 2022 and follow up EP ‘Trees’ in 2023, Rob continues to showcase his ability to blend introspective lyrics with memorable melodies on the upcoming trio of singles. EP ‘Trees’ included the release of two singles in the summer of 2023, beginning with unforgettable pop tune ‘Ballerina’, and 'Cut So Deep' as heard on BBC Radio Scotland’s Iain Anderson show.
Produced by Mark Lewis of The Northern Cowboys, ‘Trees’ brims with introspective lyrics about life, love, and universal feeling of disillusionment and hope. It features special guest appearances including Chris Hillman on pedal-steel, Grace Kelly on backing vocals, and Alan Keary on strings.
For further information, please visit www.robjonesandtherestlessdream.com
Something for everyone at Bradford Green Man Festival
The Bradford on Avon Green Man Festival, a vibrant, family-friendly community gathering featuring traditional dance, music, song, and folklore, comes to this quaint Wiltshire riverside town on Saturday 11th May 2024. Events run throughout the town centre, and best of all, it's free!
Visitors can witness over 40 dance groups, including 320 dancers and 100 musicians, featuring Morris dancing and diverse European styles.
You can join the whimsical journey of the 10ft tall Jack in the Green and Jill in the Green, visiting twelve town centre venues with bands and fantasy beasts.
You can also discover the kid's zone, artisan market, community hub, pagan arts and crafts.
Groove to a samba band, experience a mummers' play, the Folk Club stage, Wiltshire Music Centre stage, Blues@The Shoes stage, live pub music, buskers and much more. The Bradford on Avon Green Man Festival has something for everyone – so why not dress up for the day and really get into the swing of things? The festival is from 9am to 5pm. Please use public transport if you can, but there will also be festival parking at BA15 1LF.
There will also be a Festival launch party at the Wiltshire Music Centre on Friday 10th May, featuring folk-rock legends Lindisfarne.
For more information and the full programme, visit the festival website boagreenmanfest.org Image: copyright Coin Rayner Photpgraphy
Visitors can witness over 40 dance groups, including 320 dancers and 100 musicians, featuring Morris dancing and diverse European styles.
You can join the whimsical journey of the 10ft tall Jack in the Green and Jill in the Green, visiting twelve town centre venues with bands and fantasy beasts.
You can also discover the kid's zone, artisan market, community hub, pagan arts and crafts.
Groove to a samba band, experience a mummers' play, the Folk Club stage, Wiltshire Music Centre stage, Blues@The Shoes stage, live pub music, buskers and much more. The Bradford on Avon Green Man Festival has something for everyone – so why not dress up for the day and really get into the swing of things? The festival is from 9am to 5pm. Please use public transport if you can, but there will also be festival parking at BA15 1LF.
There will also be a Festival launch party at the Wiltshire Music Centre on Friday 10th May, featuring folk-rock legends Lindisfarne.
For more information and the full programme, visit the festival website boagreenmanfest.org Image: copyright Coin Rayner Photpgraphy