New Territoires for Le Vent du Nord
Internationally renowned traditional music group Le Vent du Nord will launch their tenth album on February 15th 2019. With unparalleled musicality, the five band members of Le Vent bring to life the stories, memories and tunes of Québec. From unaccompanied songs to sophisticated musical arrangements, Territoires brings new energy to the music of a valued and cherished heritage.
Ahead of the album, the band have released a new single from it, called Adieu du Village. This traditional song is another gem found by the band in Acton Vale in the Montérégie region of Québec. Uncovered in a research paper in 1984 the song tells the story of Pierrot, who kills his lover to please his mother.
He’s sentenced to death by hanging, but the hangman’s rope breaks and he survives. Pierrot is actually the story of all of us. We live with our lies, our violence, our wrongs, but life often grants us a reprieve. We’re confronted with clear cutting, pollution, and the destruction of our heritage, but we get a second chance to do better. Behind the dark tale of Pierrot, there’s the hope of a better world. This song from the past was modernised thanks to the melody of Nicolas Boulerice, as well as contemporary arrangements that notably include bouzouki and vocal effects.
Not only considered outstanding francophone ambassadors, Le Vent du Nord are driving the Québec progressive folk movement as well as being major contributors to the rebirth of traditional Québec music. Since their formation in 2002, the group have enjoyed a meteoric rise that never ceases to amaze. The group have performed more than 1800 concerts across five continents, released nine albums, and won several prestigious awards, including a GRAND PRIX DU DISQUE CHARLES CROS (France), two JUNO AWARDS and a FÉLIX award at ADISQ 2015 for their latest record, TÊTU. Most recently the band has been acclaimed on major international stages, including events such as WOMAD Chile, WOMADELAIDE and WOMAD New Zealand in the Southern hemisphere, as well as the Edinburgh International Festival in Scotland and the legendary Fairport’s Cropredy Convention.
They will be touring the UK this Spring, starting in London's Union Chapel on Thursday 4th April. For full tour dates visit leventdunord.com
Ahead of the album, the band have released a new single from it, called Adieu du Village. This traditional song is another gem found by the band in Acton Vale in the Montérégie region of Québec. Uncovered in a research paper in 1984 the song tells the story of Pierrot, who kills his lover to please his mother.
He’s sentenced to death by hanging, but the hangman’s rope breaks and he survives. Pierrot is actually the story of all of us. We live with our lies, our violence, our wrongs, but life often grants us a reprieve. We’re confronted with clear cutting, pollution, and the destruction of our heritage, but we get a second chance to do better. Behind the dark tale of Pierrot, there’s the hope of a better world. This song from the past was modernised thanks to the melody of Nicolas Boulerice, as well as contemporary arrangements that notably include bouzouki and vocal effects.
Not only considered outstanding francophone ambassadors, Le Vent du Nord are driving the Québec progressive folk movement as well as being major contributors to the rebirth of traditional Québec music. Since their formation in 2002, the group have enjoyed a meteoric rise that never ceases to amaze. The group have performed more than 1800 concerts across five continents, released nine albums, and won several prestigious awards, including a GRAND PRIX DU DISQUE CHARLES CROS (France), two JUNO AWARDS and a FÉLIX award at ADISQ 2015 for their latest record, TÊTU. Most recently the band has been acclaimed on major international stages, including events such as WOMAD Chile, WOMADELAIDE and WOMAD New Zealand in the Southern hemisphere, as well as the Edinburgh International Festival in Scotland and the legendary Fairport’s Cropredy Convention.
They will be touring the UK this Spring, starting in London's Union Chapel on Thursday 4th April. For full tour dates visit leventdunord.com
Rolling Stone favourite releases new album
Known for her prowess as a songwriter and tradition bearer who performs with “the skill of a folk-circuit veteran” (Rolling Stone), Grenadian-Canadian artist Kaia Kater took a decidedly different direction for her new album, Grenades.
Due for release on Monday 11th January 2019 (on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings), what started out as a search to discover the roots of her identity became a physical and emotional exploration of history. Her paternal ancestry, in particular, has led to the songwriter reaching bold new heights of imagination and creative expression.
Kaia's father Deno grew up in Grenada, fleeing to Canada in 1986 as part young speakers program, after the U.S. invasion. His voice can be heard recounting those events during the album's interludes — a way for the Canadian songwriter to tie her present with his past, in order to understand our current global climate of war, unease, immigration, and displacement. Kater revisits the past in songs like “La Misère” and “Grenades” touches on the present in “Canyonland” and “New Colossus” and looks to the future in “Poets Be Buried.”
To fully immerse herself in the story, Kater traveled to her father's homeland - her first visit as an adult. “Going home to Grenada felt like shining a light into a part of myself previously shadowed,” she says. She hoped to find the answers to a lifetime’s worth of questions: questions which found their way into these songs as she considered “the legacy of lineage and of fractured family trees.”
Kaia recently returned to the UK for a string of live shows, including a performance at Cambridge Folk Festival; hand-picked by Rhiannon Giddens who co-curated part of this years lineup. Kaia's previous album Nine Pin (2016) was fuelled by her rich low tenor vocals, jazz- influenced instrumentation; receiving 9/10 in Uncut whilst the Guardian/Observer's four star review described her music as “where Bluegrass meets Nina Simone”.
For more information, visit www.killbeatmusic.com/kaiakater
Due for release on Monday 11th January 2019 (on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings), what started out as a search to discover the roots of her identity became a physical and emotional exploration of history. Her paternal ancestry, in particular, has led to the songwriter reaching bold new heights of imagination and creative expression.
Kaia's father Deno grew up in Grenada, fleeing to Canada in 1986 as part young speakers program, after the U.S. invasion. His voice can be heard recounting those events during the album's interludes — a way for the Canadian songwriter to tie her present with his past, in order to understand our current global climate of war, unease, immigration, and displacement. Kater revisits the past in songs like “La Misère” and “Grenades” touches on the present in “Canyonland” and “New Colossus” and looks to the future in “Poets Be Buried.”
To fully immerse herself in the story, Kater traveled to her father's homeland - her first visit as an adult. “Going home to Grenada felt like shining a light into a part of myself previously shadowed,” she says. She hoped to find the answers to a lifetime’s worth of questions: questions which found their way into these songs as she considered “the legacy of lineage and of fractured family trees.”
Kaia recently returned to the UK for a string of live shows, including a performance at Cambridge Folk Festival; hand-picked by Rhiannon Giddens who co-curated part of this years lineup. Kaia's previous album Nine Pin (2016) was fuelled by her rich low tenor vocals, jazz- influenced instrumentation; receiving 9/10 in Uncut whilst the Guardian/Observer's four star review described her music as “where Bluegrass meets Nina Simone”.
For more information, visit www.killbeatmusic.com/kaiakater
Final word from songwriting legend?
Legendary singer-songwriter Steve Ashley is released his twelfth CD in September 2018, which he
announced will be his last.
'One More Thing' is due for release on September 28th from Market Square Records.
With twelve new songs it’s another stripped back solo production with just Steve, his Guild guitar
and his trusty harmonica. It marks the conclusion of a solo recording career that began back in the summer of 1971 with the first sessions for Stroll On at London’s Olympic Sound Studios.
Now, twelve albums later comes this final collection of Ashley originals.
“I’m very happy with the outcome,” says Steve. “Martin Mitchell’s done a great job of recording the songs. It’s a lively collection, right for the times I think, and for a number of reasons it feels like the right time for me to stroll off. I’ll continue performing live and I look forward to seeing people out on the road.”
For more about Steve's career, please see the interview at the bottom of this page. To order a signed
copy of the new album One More Day and keep updated of Steve's live performances, please visit his website www.steveashley.co.uk
announced will be his last.
'One More Thing' is due for release on September 28th from Market Square Records.
With twelve new songs it’s another stripped back solo production with just Steve, his Guild guitar
and his trusty harmonica. It marks the conclusion of a solo recording career that began back in the summer of 1971 with the first sessions for Stroll On at London’s Olympic Sound Studios.
Now, twelve albums later comes this final collection of Ashley originals.
“I’m very happy with the outcome,” says Steve. “Martin Mitchell’s done a great job of recording the songs. It’s a lively collection, right for the times I think, and for a number of reasons it feels like the right time for me to stroll off. I’ll continue performing live and I look forward to seeing people out on the road.”
For more about Steve's career, please see the interview at the bottom of this page. To order a signed
copy of the new album One More Day and keep updated of Steve's live performances, please visit his website www.steveashley.co.uk
New single and album from Benjamin Folke Thomas
Scandinavian-born Benjamin Folke Thomas' new album Modern Man (Autumn 2018) is a follow up to 2017s Copenhagen (8/10 Uncut), including new single Tasteless and Complacent.
The ten songs on Modern Man draw from Folk, Country and the blues, to reveal the inner thoughts of a songwriter torn between supreme self-confidence and fear of the future.
Folke Thomas was born in the coldest winter recorded in modern day history in Gothenburg; perhaps his obsession for sad, lamenting country songs was inevitable; and grew up on a secluded island off the coast of Sweden, populated by mainly evangelical Christians.
Ben never found God. He discovered grunge music instead, and at the age of 11 he was playing drums in a punk band before turning to Folk and Americana music after seeing Kurt Cobain’s performance of ‘In The Pines’ on Unplugged. Steeping himself in Leadbelly, Dylan, and Leonard Cohen, by the age of 20 he was an accomplished finger-picker, confident performer, and mature songwriter.
For further details visit benjaminfolkethomas.bandcamp.com
The ten songs on Modern Man draw from Folk, Country and the blues, to reveal the inner thoughts of a songwriter torn between supreme self-confidence and fear of the future.
Folke Thomas was born in the coldest winter recorded in modern day history in Gothenburg; perhaps his obsession for sad, lamenting country songs was inevitable; and grew up on a secluded island off the coast of Sweden, populated by mainly evangelical Christians.
Ben never found God. He discovered grunge music instead, and at the age of 11 he was playing drums in a punk band before turning to Folk and Americana music after seeing Kurt Cobain’s performance of ‘In The Pines’ on Unplugged. Steeping himself in Leadbelly, Dylan, and Leonard Cohen, by the age of 20 he was an accomplished finger-picker, confident performer, and mature songwriter.
For further details visit benjaminfolkethomas.bandcamp.com
Bellman's Songs Ring True
Songs from The Bellman is the first album from David Milton, the Bell Man of the Court Leet in Watchet, Somerset. Exquisitely produced by Ange Hardy, it is a collection of traditional and original songs which capture the true essence of folk music without overstating it.
It combines a selection of songs that David has learned from a lifetime in Watchet, documenting the events and lives of the town.
When David isn't performing the duties of the Town Crier he runs shanty nights at the famous Pebbles Tavern in Watchet, referees football matches, assumes the role of Punch & Judy man Mr Mommet and occasionally appears as Father Christmas on the West Somerset Steam Railway's Santa Specials.
He is also an accomplished sculptor in stone, with public work on display in the area.
David's fine voice is complemented on this interesting CD with guitar and double bass from Lukas Drinkwater, accordion from Archie Churchill-Moss, fiddle by Tom Moore and percussion provided by Olly Winters-Owen. Ange Hardy, who adds another feather to her cap with this fine production, also contributes backing vocals. For more information visit www.songsfromthebellman.co.uk
It combines a selection of songs that David has learned from a lifetime in Watchet, documenting the events and lives of the town.
When David isn't performing the duties of the Town Crier he runs shanty nights at the famous Pebbles Tavern in Watchet, referees football matches, assumes the role of Punch & Judy man Mr Mommet and occasionally appears as Father Christmas on the West Somerset Steam Railway's Santa Specials.
He is also an accomplished sculptor in stone, with public work on display in the area.
David's fine voice is complemented on this interesting CD with guitar and double bass from Lukas Drinkwater, accordion from Archie Churchill-Moss, fiddle by Tom Moore and percussion provided by Olly Winters-Owen. Ange Hardy, who adds another feather to her cap with this fine production, also contributes backing vocals. For more information visit www.songsfromthebellman.co.uk
Stroll On, Steve's acclaimed debut album, was first released in 1974.
In the early 1980s Steve made two albums for the UK Peace Movement called the 'Demo' Tapes. They were released on cassette only.
The 1990 album Mysterious Ways featured the Steve Ashley Band.
Stroll On, reissued in 1999 with a new cover and extra tracks.
Everyday Lives, album number seven, was released on Topic Records in 2001.
Time and Tide was Steve's ninth solo album, released in 2007.
Fire and Wine: An Armchair Guide to
Steve Ashley by Dave Thompson (Biography, paperback, published 2013) Covering Steve’s fifty year journey, the book includes interviews with many old friends, including Fairporters, Dave Pegg, Chris Leslie, Bruce Rowland and Maartin Allcock, plus Shirley Collins, Linda Thompson and Colin Irwin. Now he has a book to sell on gigs along with his many albums, and after successful duos with Al Fenn and Dik Cadbury he’s made a renewed commitment to live performance, pared down now to just the man and his guitar. For further details visit steveashley.co.uk |
Steve Ashley: still strolling on, 40 years on!
 Simon Nicol and Steve Ashley at Dave Pegg's 60th birthday concert
Steve Ashley is one of the most enduring singer-songwriters on the contemporary folk scene. It's now forty years since the release of his groundbreaking album Stroll On - a collection of thoughtful self-penned songs which drew on the tradition of English folk, but added a cutting edge and reached out to an entirely different audience.
Over the years Steve's material has been covered by many leading folk artists including Fairport Convention, Martin & Jessica Simpson, Anne Briggs, Maggie Boyle, Grace Notes, Wizz Jones, The Bushwackers, St Agnes Fountain, Phil Beer and The Owl Service. The songs are just as relevant today - and four decades on he is still writing, performing and considering recording 'one last album.' I first interviewed Steve in the late 1970s, before a concert in Cheltenham which previewed his forthcoming album Rare Old Men. He was still at the vanguard of the British singer-songwriter scene, yet the album was never released; after meeting him again forty years later, I found out why. "The first two albums, Stroll On (1974) and Speedy Return (1975) were put out on the Gull label, which was a subsidiary of DECCA. Then, to my great surprise, the company did a marketing and distribution deal with Motown in the USA. So both albums were released in the states through Motown. And two extensive tours of America were arranged for me.” said Steve. “I supported Gene Clark, The Chris Hillman Band, Tracey Nelson, Jimmy Buffet, Leon Redbone and many others. The gigs were mostly along the east coast and down into the south. There were also a couple of nights in Toronto.” "But just after the release of Speedy Return and immediately before the start of my second US tour, Motown pulled out of its agreement with Gull. Shortly after that the label had to cut back on its commitments, so along with others on the label I lost my contract with them and the project was shelved. But quite a few of the songs made it on to later albums." Yet his solo performances in the States didn't go un-noticed. After his 1975 solo performance in Greenwich Village, Variety Magazine said "Steve Ashley of London is a delightful surprise ... The performer not only sings his originals well, but has one of the funniest of dry stage raps. His voice is good. His originals are sensitive, ex-of the Albion Country Band, Ashley can hold an audience." But getting himself heard in America wasn't always easy. "I found myself in Dallas, singing a song about an English winter in a state where the seasons and weather patterns are very different . A few songs in, there was an awful lot of noise and I was beginning to wonder how I could get them to listen. I tried a blues number on the harmonica, but even that failed to cut through. Then I lowered the volume and quietly sang 'The Foggy Dew' unaccompanied. There was complete silence for that with solid applause at the end. From then on, once I’d got their attention, the rest of the songs went down well." Listening is the key to appreciating Steve's music. The songs are always delicately structured, under-pinned with a strong message delivered through thought-provoking lyrics. He was an active peace campaigner in the 1980s, and his gently persuasive messages still cut through his music today. His present live tour features a diverse set with songs about Iraq, Trident, racial harmony, atheism, apples, orchards and loving relationships, all couched in his irrepressible good humour. "Although many of my songs are controversial, I try to present them in a way that makes them accessible to everyone. But inevitably there are challenging moments. After one gig where I sang the Trident song, ‘Ships of Shame’ I was approached by a former submariner who had served on one of the subs and to my amazement he was very courteous and friendly. He said he felt no shame on board but then said he thought it was a very good song." After a career in which he secured the respect of his peers, played in various bands and wrote music for a number of projects - including television - Steve took an eight-year break from live performance in 1992. After his return one of his best-loved songs Best Wishes, was written as a blessing to his fellow musicians, many of whom had seen their careers grow and prosper during his long absence. "The folk scene had lost its edge for me at that time and I stopped recording and performing, turning my attention to writing and designing campaigns for various charities and pressure groups. But in the end, with the reissue of Stroll On I was drawn back to the stage and now I’m happy to be on it again. When I turned sixty I had a big concert party with many old musical chums. Just prior to their arrival I realised how important those friendships were to me and the value that live music held for us all and I managed to express that in Best Wishes." Fairport Convention later concluded two albums with the song, first on Sense of Occasion and then a live version on Live At Cropredy 08. In 1999, the re-issue of Stroll On was welcomed by the music press, especially Mojo, who said "The passing of time has confirmed two things about Steve Ashley's debut. First, it's up there with Liege and Lief, the first Steeleye Album and Christy Moore's Prosperous, a masterpiece of its kind. Second, it is still a best-kept-secret. A beautiful, rich and deeply atmospheric collection of songs, very English - like a musical impression of Dickens, Victorian Christmas cards and Thomas Hardy's Wessex..." Following the re-release of the album, Steve contacted Dave Pegg of Fairport Convention. "Peggy” - he said, I'm coming back. Can you put me on at Cropredy?" "I'm afraid we're fully booked, said Peggy, but why don't you join us on stage." "So I did...” Steve explained: "...first at the traditional warm-up gig in the Mill Arts Centre at Banbury, and then on the Saturday night headliner. After an eight-year break I was very apprehensive facing 20,000 people gathered in the field - but it was great to be up there with Fairport to sing Fire and Wine." Two years later, Steve's seventh album Everyday Lives was released on Topic. "I was pleasantly surprised when they took it on. I’d always admired Topic but it is the quintessential traditional label, and the purists hadn't always been open to my songs. In the early days it was very difficult for young songwriters to break into traditional folk clubs, and although things have improved, there is still a lot of daft prejudice towards original songs. However, Topic were very supportive and enthusiastic about both the albums I made for them and I think they are among the best I’ve made" The second one for Topic was Steve's ninth solo album in 2007 (the eighth was a live one, released the previous year). The ninth - Time and Tide - was described as 'a modern day masterpiece' by fRoots magazine. The Guardian said "... sturdy melodies are matched with a rare blend of emotion and anger. Ashley may not be prolific but his songs are worth the wait." A fresh interest in Steve's music generated thereafter and resulted in many more artists covering his songs. He marked forty years of recording with a special concert at Cheltenham Town Hall in 2009 - with strings arranged by Nick Drake’s arranger, his old friend Robert Kirby, a long-time musical collaborator, who sadly died later that year. In 2013 the respected rock author Dave Thompson published a musical biography called Fire and Wine - an armchair guide to Steve Ashley; the title taken from one of Steve's most popular songs. (See column left for further information). "I'm back where I was in the Stroll On days, just me and the guitar out on the road. But I’m 68 now, and like everyone at my age things aren't quite what they once were. I’ve developed a circulatory disorder called Raynaud's which affects the finger tips in cold weather. So it makes it difficult to play a full set during the winter." But Steve is on the road this side of Christmas - and will be out there again next Spring and through to the Autumn. That one last album seems to call. He played me his latest song, ‘People In Love’ which is quite wonderful. There are, I am convinced, a lot more where that came from. "I've been thinking of doing another album. And if I do it will probably just be me and the guitar; that's more or less how I play now. I've done many big productions on previous albums but the new songs are very direct and intimate and if I can, I’d like to present them in that way - stripped back, clear and simple." Finally: the state of the nation. Who is out there to take up the baton and carry it forward? "Oh, I don’t know. There are lots of hugely skilled young musicians out there and some talented songwriters too. There are college courses in traditional music now, and a high level of musicianship is emerging. In many ways these are exciting times for lovers of folk music. But a surprising amount of young folkies seem to focus on the past and disconnect from contemporary life. When I was young we were fortunate to have some brilliant elder song writers in the British folk scene like Ewan MacColl, Sidney Carter and Ian Campbell. All of them loved traditional songs as well. But they took on big contemporary issues in their songs and they inspired a passionate political and ethical engagement with the world. Our great traditional repertoire is still there of course but for the folk tradition to make any real sense in today’s world it needs to foster radical contemporary songs. From what I’ve heard in the clubs you’re still more likely to hear a song about Napoleon than a song about Iraq. There are some notable exceptions of course – and more power to them - but we are living in hard and dangerous times. And songs can bear powerful witness to them. Folk songs are songs of the people and we the people need new songs that engage with the real challenges we face today. I still believe that songs can make a real difference to the world and influence change. And we need them now more than ever.” Steve Ashley's influence is still powerful. His ability to write a song that will move your heart and make you think is as strong as it ever was. I, for one, can't wait to hear the next album (This Little Game - due for release in February 2015) Mike Weaver (August 2014) For more information visit www.steveashley.co.uk |
Bright Morning Star will shine again this Christmas
It's one of our favourite Christmas traditions (well, since last year): listening to Bella Hardy's wonderful album Bright Morning Star. The good news is that Bella is on the festive road again this December. She took time out of her busy schedule to talk to Armandaleg Music's Mike Weaver. (Interview: Dec 2013)
MW: For me, Bright Morning Star was one of the musical highlights of last Christmas, with some magical interpretations of classic songs. Will this year's tour feature any new material?
BH: Well that's very kind of you! Yes, there's some new material this year; I've actually finally managed to write my own original Christmas song! This is the fourth year of the tour, so it's taken a while…There's so many Christmas songs that I love, I try to include a few different ones each year so there's always something new. So many of them encapsulate the emotions of the season so well. I think Christmas itself causes a kind of concentration of feeling, be that positive or negative sensation. The job of any great song is to translate these feelings, so I think Christmas music has an amazing head start, and this results in very powerful songs.
MW: Battleplan seemed to take your songwriting into a new, more personal direction.Will the upcoming Christmas tour reflect this too, or are you sticking to a more traditional flavour?
BH: Battleplan is definitely more overtly personal than my previous records, but actually the songs I've recorded have always been very personal to me, I just tend to hide myself into lyrics so you can't tell! In every song, be it one of my own, traditional, or a cover, I'm putting myself into the character or the story, finding Stanislavski's 'chink in the armour'. If I can't do that, I don't sing it. I make every song about myself, I'm very egocentric! But hopefully I'm taking the listener with me as well, and they're putting themselves into the story too. I think it's the only way to achieve any suspension of disbelief. And nobody wants to watch a faker. I don't think I've every managed to sing 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' without fighting back tears.
MW: So, what influenced your choice of songs for Bright Morning Star? Are they tunes which remind you of family Christmas traditions or songs which have any particular nostalgic connections?
BH: There's a whole mix of influences when it comes to the Bright Morning Star songs. The first is definitely the festive traditions back home, the carols of South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire. Castleton is my local traditional carol village, it's just over the hill from Edale. I recorded 'Down In Yon Forest', collected in Castleton by Vaughan Williams in 1908, on my debut CD Night Visiting, and then another Castleton song 'All In The Morning' on 'In The Shadow of Mountains'.
It seemed only natural to take these carols on the road. Christmas and the singing that goes hand in hand with it is very much a community experience for me; we've always sung in the village choir, and done carols door to door back home; I'm really just trying to take this great feeling of community and home and belonging on the road with me. I pick any songs, old or new, that can communicate that.
MW: You've just returned from a grand musical tour of Canada; did you learn anything of Christmas traditions there?
BH: I'm afraid not! I was there September to October, I really missed the season! Well actually Cara Luft sang a couple of beautiful Canadian Christmas songs to me, so who knows what Christmas crossovers the future holds...
MW: The Bright Morning Star tour looks like a heavy schedule up and down the country, in a variety of different venues. Do you try and select more intimate settings to add to the atmosphere?
BH: There's always a great variety of venues, from front rooms to churches to formal theatre spaces. We create the intimacy with the music (of course), but I give it a helping hand with a ridiculous amount of baubles and fairy lights! I basically spend the whole month untangling the things! But that's an important Christmas tradition, right?
MW: Right! But will you be 'Christmassed Out' by the end of the tour, or will you still be up for more songs around the piano in Edale?
BH: I have never managed to get 'Christmassed Out'. Not a chance. I try and put off any festivities until advent starts to avoid over stretching it. Well, apart from tour preparations, plum brandy and Christmas Cake making in November that is. OK, who am I kidding!
MW: So is it back to Edinburgh for Hogmanay, and straight back to work in the New Year?
BH: New Year's Day 2013, I wrote a newsletter and made my sister Emma design the 'Battleplan' CD cover with me… maybe we'll take the day off this time!
MW: You will be 30 next year (sorry!) and I think a special milestone tour is planned to mark the occasion. Will there be a new album to go with it?
BH: Please don't be sorry! I'm not! I'm very excited about the whole thing. Yes, I turn 30 in May, and I'm hitting the road with my band The Midnight Watch for a tour called 'Thirty for 30'; thirty gigs for my 30th birthday! There won't be an album with it, I think you've all heard quite enough from me for a while! But I will have a little EP of birthday songs to celebrate the occasion.
MW: Thanks for finding the time to talk to us, Bella. Every success with Bright Morning Star and your future projects. (December 2013)
For more information and tour dates go to www.bellahardy.com
MW: For me, Bright Morning Star was one of the musical highlights of last Christmas, with some magical interpretations of classic songs. Will this year's tour feature any new material?
BH: Well that's very kind of you! Yes, there's some new material this year; I've actually finally managed to write my own original Christmas song! This is the fourth year of the tour, so it's taken a while…There's so many Christmas songs that I love, I try to include a few different ones each year so there's always something new. So many of them encapsulate the emotions of the season so well. I think Christmas itself causes a kind of concentration of feeling, be that positive or negative sensation. The job of any great song is to translate these feelings, so I think Christmas music has an amazing head start, and this results in very powerful songs.
MW: Battleplan seemed to take your songwriting into a new, more personal direction.Will the upcoming Christmas tour reflect this too, or are you sticking to a more traditional flavour?
BH: Battleplan is definitely more overtly personal than my previous records, but actually the songs I've recorded have always been very personal to me, I just tend to hide myself into lyrics so you can't tell! In every song, be it one of my own, traditional, or a cover, I'm putting myself into the character or the story, finding Stanislavski's 'chink in the armour'. If I can't do that, I don't sing it. I make every song about myself, I'm very egocentric! But hopefully I'm taking the listener with me as well, and they're putting themselves into the story too. I think it's the only way to achieve any suspension of disbelief. And nobody wants to watch a faker. I don't think I've every managed to sing 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' without fighting back tears.
MW: So, what influenced your choice of songs for Bright Morning Star? Are they tunes which remind you of family Christmas traditions or songs which have any particular nostalgic connections?
BH: There's a whole mix of influences when it comes to the Bright Morning Star songs. The first is definitely the festive traditions back home, the carols of South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire. Castleton is my local traditional carol village, it's just over the hill from Edale. I recorded 'Down In Yon Forest', collected in Castleton by Vaughan Williams in 1908, on my debut CD Night Visiting, and then another Castleton song 'All In The Morning' on 'In The Shadow of Mountains'.
It seemed only natural to take these carols on the road. Christmas and the singing that goes hand in hand with it is very much a community experience for me; we've always sung in the village choir, and done carols door to door back home; I'm really just trying to take this great feeling of community and home and belonging on the road with me. I pick any songs, old or new, that can communicate that.
MW: You've just returned from a grand musical tour of Canada; did you learn anything of Christmas traditions there?
BH: I'm afraid not! I was there September to October, I really missed the season! Well actually Cara Luft sang a couple of beautiful Canadian Christmas songs to me, so who knows what Christmas crossovers the future holds...
MW: The Bright Morning Star tour looks like a heavy schedule up and down the country, in a variety of different venues. Do you try and select more intimate settings to add to the atmosphere?
BH: There's always a great variety of venues, from front rooms to churches to formal theatre spaces. We create the intimacy with the music (of course), but I give it a helping hand with a ridiculous amount of baubles and fairy lights! I basically spend the whole month untangling the things! But that's an important Christmas tradition, right?
MW: Right! But will you be 'Christmassed Out' by the end of the tour, or will you still be up for more songs around the piano in Edale?
BH: I have never managed to get 'Christmassed Out'. Not a chance. I try and put off any festivities until advent starts to avoid over stretching it. Well, apart from tour preparations, plum brandy and Christmas Cake making in November that is. OK, who am I kidding!
MW: So is it back to Edinburgh for Hogmanay, and straight back to work in the New Year?
BH: New Year's Day 2013, I wrote a newsletter and made my sister Emma design the 'Battleplan' CD cover with me… maybe we'll take the day off this time!
MW: You will be 30 next year (sorry!) and I think a special milestone tour is planned to mark the occasion. Will there be a new album to go with it?
BH: Please don't be sorry! I'm not! I'm very excited about the whole thing. Yes, I turn 30 in May, and I'm hitting the road with my band The Midnight Watch for a tour called 'Thirty for 30'; thirty gigs for my 30th birthday! There won't be an album with it, I think you've all heard quite enough from me for a while! But I will have a little EP of birthday songs to celebrate the occasion.
MW: Thanks for finding the time to talk to us, Bella. Every success with Bright Morning Star and your future projects. (December 2013)
For more information and tour dates go to www.bellahardy.com