First single from Daisy's forthcoming debut album
Daisy Chute is an American-Scottish folk singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, and a popular figure on the London live circuit.
Daisy's musical roots are born out of her transatlantic heritage, and she writes award-winning intelligent songs with stories, performing them with spine-tingling vocals and intricate instrumentation.Following the release of her critically acclaimed EP 'Songs of Solace' (Nov 2021) and 'Cradle Songs' (Jan 2022), Daisy is excited to announce the release of her new single Lion Eyes. This is first single from her forthcoming debut album due for release later in the year, in collaboration with co-writer/producer Tim Baxter.
Mixing folk and indie influences, the track layers vocals with piano, cello, banjo and a full band sound.
Like with a lot of the new album, Lion Eyes was inspired by a mix of literary and personal stories. Daisy explains, "The initial ideas were composed after reading an Oscar Wilde short story 'The Master' which wryly flips a parable on its head. The song quickly turned into something more personal, reflecting on the egos in a failing relation- ship and finding the optimism and resolve to move on."
The music video, directed by Bartek Podkowa, was filmed in Poland and Iceland and follows a woman's journey to rid herself of her emotional baggage and start anew.
Daisy spent Spring 2022 touring the UK with multiple sell-out shows, including Kings Place (London), The Met (Bury) and Bear Club (Luton). Over the summer, Daisy is excited to play some of Britain's best folk and roots festivals, including Ramblin' Roots, Bristol Folk, Cambridge Folk and the legendary Glastonbury festival.
Daisy's original work gained support from BBC Radio London/Bristol/Kent/Coventry/Surrey/Sussex, BBC Scotland, BBC Ulster, C4, BBC 1, 2 and 3, Sky, ITV, CNN, Bob Harris' Under The Apple Tree series, Lon- don Live and globally across 900+ Caffe Nero and Tesco playlists.
Whilst still at school Daisy signed to Universal/Decca as one quarter and the lead vocalist of multiple platinum-selling band All Angels. A mix of Celtic, American, Classical and Jazz backgrounds has since seen her feature across Film/TV/Game soundtracks ranging from The Sims 4, Shaun The Sheep the movie, 47 Ronin and Yesterday to David Attenborough documentaries (A Perfect Planet) and Radiohead albums (session vocalist on A Moon Shaped Pool).
Recent projects have garnered support from the likes of her songwriting mentor Sir Ray Davies who describes her as a 'committed, professional and creative songwriter', and from music journalist Paul Sexton who recommends Daisy as one of his ‘Top Tips!’
For more information, visit www.daisychute.com
Daisy's musical roots are born out of her transatlantic heritage, and she writes award-winning intelligent songs with stories, performing them with spine-tingling vocals and intricate instrumentation.Following the release of her critically acclaimed EP 'Songs of Solace' (Nov 2021) and 'Cradle Songs' (Jan 2022), Daisy is excited to announce the release of her new single Lion Eyes. This is first single from her forthcoming debut album due for release later in the year, in collaboration with co-writer/producer Tim Baxter.
Mixing folk and indie influences, the track layers vocals with piano, cello, banjo and a full band sound.
Like with a lot of the new album, Lion Eyes was inspired by a mix of literary and personal stories. Daisy explains, "The initial ideas were composed after reading an Oscar Wilde short story 'The Master' which wryly flips a parable on its head. The song quickly turned into something more personal, reflecting on the egos in a failing relation- ship and finding the optimism and resolve to move on."
The music video, directed by Bartek Podkowa, was filmed in Poland and Iceland and follows a woman's journey to rid herself of her emotional baggage and start anew.
Daisy spent Spring 2022 touring the UK with multiple sell-out shows, including Kings Place (London), The Met (Bury) and Bear Club (Luton). Over the summer, Daisy is excited to play some of Britain's best folk and roots festivals, including Ramblin' Roots, Bristol Folk, Cambridge Folk and the legendary Glastonbury festival.
Daisy's original work gained support from BBC Radio London/Bristol/Kent/Coventry/Surrey/Sussex, BBC Scotland, BBC Ulster, C4, BBC 1, 2 and 3, Sky, ITV, CNN, Bob Harris' Under The Apple Tree series, Lon- don Live and globally across 900+ Caffe Nero and Tesco playlists.
Whilst still at school Daisy signed to Universal/Decca as one quarter and the lead vocalist of multiple platinum-selling band All Angels. A mix of Celtic, American, Classical and Jazz backgrounds has since seen her feature across Film/TV/Game soundtracks ranging from The Sims 4, Shaun The Sheep the movie, 47 Ronin and Yesterday to David Attenborough documentaries (A Perfect Planet) and Radiohead albums (session vocalist on A Moon Shaped Pool).
Recent projects have garnered support from the likes of her songwriting mentor Sir Ray Davies who describes her as a 'committed, professional and creative songwriter', and from music journalist Paul Sexton who recommends Daisy as one of his ‘Top Tips!’
For more information, visit www.daisychute.com
City move inspires new work from Miriam Jones
British Columbia native Miriam Jones returns with a brand new single Room In My House, the first track from her forthcoming electric guitar-driven album Reach For The Morning due for release June 17th,
When talking about the new single, Jones explains; "Around the time I began latching on to my electric guitar, rooting around in some old spirituals, my husband Jez and I moved to London for a new job and spent several weeks looking for an affordable place to live.
"Inexplicably, we ended up in an extraordinary Victorian terrace near the Thames with three floors and glorious windows. Our first day in the place I lay down on the bed and cried with amazement, gratitude and immense relief. I hadn't realised how much my spirit had been quietly bracing for the loss of space and privacy which I assumed this move to the big city would require—and here was this gift.
"It was a short leap in my imagination from that feeling of space which had been created for me, to thinking about what it means to let ourselves be shaped in ways that make room for people - people who may be hard to love, even our 'enemies'. What good is it to live in comfort if we are inhospitable with our lives?"
Room In My House is the first taste of new music since Miriam’s well received album Between Green and Gone, produced by Simon Edwards and released in 2015. The album brought her to the attention of the national media and gained support from BBC Radio 2’s Bob Harris show, BBC Scotland as well as BBC London’s Robert Elms, whilst also being featured in The Independent On Sunday.
The new album Reach For The Morning features twelve songs of faith, hope and self-revelation, and was very much the product of lockdown strictures. The album was recorded in Miriam’s pop-up home basement studio in Canada, over the course of 2020 and 2021 with Jones producing and playing all of the instruments herself, bar a handful of percussion overdubs.
For more information, visit miriamjones.com/
When talking about the new single, Jones explains; "Around the time I began latching on to my electric guitar, rooting around in some old spirituals, my husband Jez and I moved to London for a new job and spent several weeks looking for an affordable place to live.
"Inexplicably, we ended up in an extraordinary Victorian terrace near the Thames with three floors and glorious windows. Our first day in the place I lay down on the bed and cried with amazement, gratitude and immense relief. I hadn't realised how much my spirit had been quietly bracing for the loss of space and privacy which I assumed this move to the big city would require—and here was this gift.
"It was a short leap in my imagination from that feeling of space which had been created for me, to thinking about what it means to let ourselves be shaped in ways that make room for people - people who may be hard to love, even our 'enemies'. What good is it to live in comfort if we are inhospitable with our lives?"
Room In My House is the first taste of new music since Miriam’s well received album Between Green and Gone, produced by Simon Edwards and released in 2015. The album brought her to the attention of the national media and gained support from BBC Radio 2’s Bob Harris show, BBC Scotland as well as BBC London’s Robert Elms, whilst also being featured in The Independent On Sunday.
The new album Reach For The Morning features twelve songs of faith, hope and self-revelation, and was very much the product of lockdown strictures. The album was recorded in Miriam’s pop-up home basement studio in Canada, over the course of 2020 and 2021 with Jones producing and playing all of the instruments herself, bar a handful of percussion overdubs.
For more information, visit miriamjones.com/
If We Turn Away - Devon duo release debut album
Suthering (the folk duo formally known as Julu & Heg) have been making waves for years throughout the UK’s folk and acoustic scene with their fresh and feminist interpretations of traditional and self-composed songs.
Following their “strong and hopeful” (PRSD) single release ‘Gather’ in Spring 2020 (beautiful video filmed on Dartmoor) the duo, partners in life and music, released their debut album ‘If We Turn Away’ in February. They are touring the music throughout 2022.
Recorded at Polyphonic Studios and produced by Suthering with Lukas Drinkwater (Emily Barker, Jacob & Drinkwater), If We Turn Away sees the duo expanding their sound with double bass and percussion from Lukas, and violin from Aaron Catlow (Hawes and Aaron Catlow).
From the first dramatic notes of Black Bull of Norroway, written by Julu based around a Scottish fairytale, to the final beautiful echoes of Boatman, born from a desire for compassion and companionship, the listener is led on a complex journey, across ten songs - eight original and two traditional, through Suthering’s beloved home of Dartmoor via an emotional portrayal of feminine strength and triumph. The duo have distinct, yet richly harmonising voices combined with an unusual mix of cascading, dramatic piano; intricate, fingerstyle guitar; flute, whistles and harmonium. They have been described as “Excellent musicians, beautiful harmonies and a fresh approach to traditional music” by Tony Birch, FATEA Magazine.
For further information visit www.suthering.com
Following their “strong and hopeful” (PRSD) single release ‘Gather’ in Spring 2020 (beautiful video filmed on Dartmoor) the duo, partners in life and music, released their debut album ‘If We Turn Away’ in February. They are touring the music throughout 2022.
Recorded at Polyphonic Studios and produced by Suthering with Lukas Drinkwater (Emily Barker, Jacob & Drinkwater), If We Turn Away sees the duo expanding their sound with double bass and percussion from Lukas, and violin from Aaron Catlow (Hawes and Aaron Catlow).
From the first dramatic notes of Black Bull of Norroway, written by Julu based around a Scottish fairytale, to the final beautiful echoes of Boatman, born from a desire for compassion and companionship, the listener is led on a complex journey, across ten songs - eight original and two traditional, through Suthering’s beloved home of Dartmoor via an emotional portrayal of feminine strength and triumph. The duo have distinct, yet richly harmonising voices combined with an unusual mix of cascading, dramatic piano; intricate, fingerstyle guitar; flute, whistles and harmonium. They have been described as “Excellent musicians, beautiful harmonies and a fresh approach to traditional music” by Tony Birch, FATEA Magazine.
For further information visit www.suthering.com
An album of reflection and optimistic anticipation
Lockdown might have been a time of few physical journeys, but for Simon Mayor & Hilary James, free of concert commitments, it was a chance to journey back to their roots and revisit favourite songs and tunes, as well as to write new material.
For Simon, it was a time to rosin up the bow with a passion. His treasured 1740 violin (yes, it’s that old!) had long played, err... second fiddle (sorry!) to his international reputation as a mandolinist, but, as a diversion from his Russian studies, he’d been inspired to teach himself both instruments (the two don’t look related but they're tuned identically) in his late teenage years. Here, the violin is heard on intricate arrangements of the traditional songs Sumer Is Icumen In and Lovely Joan, on his own swing-tinged composition Jerry & Tom, but perhaps most strikingly on The Buttermere Waltz, a frequently requested mandolin piece on gigs, now heard on violin for the first time.
But there’s no shortage of mandolin too, or its big sisters the mandola and mandocello. All three feature on the starkly beautiful arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s Barcarole, and on the original tunes The Kissing Gate & The Strawberry Tree, written for the Classical Mandolin Society of America’s annual convention 2020 held ‘in the clouds'.
For Hilary, revisiting the title track When Summer Comes Again, a song she wrote and recorded some thirty years ago, seemed an appropriately optimistic way to hail the emergence from lockdown. It’s re-recorded here with her sister Janet Giraudo's harmony vocals arriving from France courtesy of cyberspace!
For all her reputation as a singer, it’s a little ironic that Hilary’s unusual taste in bass instruments attracts as much attention. Her mandobass (bass mandolin) was made by luthier Robin Greenwood in Bournemouth; she found it selling second-hand quite by chance just a week before the duo started their mandolin quartet The Mandolinquents. It’s become something of a calling card ever since, although she plays double bass on the album too.
No surprise that traditional songs, Hilary’s first passion, feature too. There’s also an excursion into Italianate opera in JC Bach’s Al Mio Bene, and a live recording of the duo’s own setting of William Barnes’ beautiful poem Linden Lea. Oh, and on the subject of poetry, Simon makes his spoken word debut with his own The Stick (possibly the only poem about a stick).
For more information, visit mayorandjames.com/
For Simon, it was a time to rosin up the bow with a passion. His treasured 1740 violin (yes, it’s that old!) had long played, err... second fiddle (sorry!) to his international reputation as a mandolinist, but, as a diversion from his Russian studies, he’d been inspired to teach himself both instruments (the two don’t look related but they're tuned identically) in his late teenage years. Here, the violin is heard on intricate arrangements of the traditional songs Sumer Is Icumen In and Lovely Joan, on his own swing-tinged composition Jerry & Tom, but perhaps most strikingly on The Buttermere Waltz, a frequently requested mandolin piece on gigs, now heard on violin for the first time.
But there’s no shortage of mandolin too, or its big sisters the mandola and mandocello. All three feature on the starkly beautiful arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s Barcarole, and on the original tunes The Kissing Gate & The Strawberry Tree, written for the Classical Mandolin Society of America’s annual convention 2020 held ‘in the clouds'.
For Hilary, revisiting the title track When Summer Comes Again, a song she wrote and recorded some thirty years ago, seemed an appropriately optimistic way to hail the emergence from lockdown. It’s re-recorded here with her sister Janet Giraudo's harmony vocals arriving from France courtesy of cyberspace!
For all her reputation as a singer, it’s a little ironic that Hilary’s unusual taste in bass instruments attracts as much attention. Her mandobass (bass mandolin) was made by luthier Robin Greenwood in Bournemouth; she found it selling second-hand quite by chance just a week before the duo started their mandolin quartet The Mandolinquents. It’s become something of a calling card ever since, although she plays double bass on the album too.
No surprise that traditional songs, Hilary’s first passion, feature too. There’s also an excursion into Italianate opera in JC Bach’s Al Mio Bene, and a live recording of the duo’s own setting of William Barnes’ beautiful poem Linden Lea. Oh, and on the subject of poetry, Simon makes his spoken word debut with his own The Stick (possibly the only poem about a stick).
For more information, visit mayorandjames.com/
Musical response to a haunted valley of iron
In-the-moment improvisers, The Cider House Rebellion erleased their album Genius Loci 2: The Valley of Iron in April 2022.
Master accordionist Murray Grainger and award-winning fiddle player Adam Summerhayes have recorded a collection of spontaneous tunes, inspired by the Rosedale Valley and its incredible industrial history. The album forms part of a wider multi-media project, Ironstone Tales, to be rolled out throughout 2022.
With backing from the Arts Council of England, the album is their fourth since 2020 and its story has already gained traction after being featured on Matthew Bannister’s Folk on Foot podcast.
Rosedale (the Valley of Iron) lies at the heart of the Yorkshire Moors. Genius Loci 2: The Valley of Iron is The Ciderhouse Rebellion’s musical response to the valley as it is today - lonely, haunted and beautiful. Adam and Murray drew inspiration from the sense of history, the ironstone industry now gone and the imagined lives of the thousands of people who worked there.
For over a year (and in all weather) the pair visited and re-visited the valley, exploring the moors and the visible remains of its industry. They sought the Genius Loci - the ‘spirit of place’ that inspired each track - each one created and recorded on the moors edge. Drawing from the innate energy of the landscape that surrounded them, they performed and recorded on the open moor. Sometime inside an old kiln, or clambering over the once fortress-like walls in order to stimulate a response to the post-industrial landscape.
This is improvised music of the moment - as though spun from the wind and weather, drawn from the whispers of history, and as if created from the very stones of the valley itself.
Genius Loci 2: The Valley of Iron once again demonstrates how The Ciderhouse Rebellion’s instinctive compositional method draws seemingly timeless melodies from thin air. The toll of industry on people and landscape; the ghostly remnants of buildings; the echoes of the souls who lived, worked, and died within them; the smell of the landscape; and the call of its birds.
For more information, visit theciderhouserebellion.com
Master accordionist Murray Grainger and award-winning fiddle player Adam Summerhayes have recorded a collection of spontaneous tunes, inspired by the Rosedale Valley and its incredible industrial history. The album forms part of a wider multi-media project, Ironstone Tales, to be rolled out throughout 2022.
With backing from the Arts Council of England, the album is their fourth since 2020 and its story has already gained traction after being featured on Matthew Bannister’s Folk on Foot podcast.
Rosedale (the Valley of Iron) lies at the heart of the Yorkshire Moors. Genius Loci 2: The Valley of Iron is The Ciderhouse Rebellion’s musical response to the valley as it is today - lonely, haunted and beautiful. Adam and Murray drew inspiration from the sense of history, the ironstone industry now gone and the imagined lives of the thousands of people who worked there.
For over a year (and in all weather) the pair visited and re-visited the valley, exploring the moors and the visible remains of its industry. They sought the Genius Loci - the ‘spirit of place’ that inspired each track - each one created and recorded on the moors edge. Drawing from the innate energy of the landscape that surrounded them, they performed and recorded on the open moor. Sometime inside an old kiln, or clambering over the once fortress-like walls in order to stimulate a response to the post-industrial landscape.
This is improvised music of the moment - as though spun from the wind and weather, drawn from the whispers of history, and as if created from the very stones of the valley itself.
Genius Loci 2: The Valley of Iron once again demonstrates how The Ciderhouse Rebellion’s instinctive compositional method draws seemingly timeless melodies from thin air. The toll of industry on people and landscape; the ghostly remnants of buildings; the echoes of the souls who lived, worked, and died within them; the smell of the landscape; and the call of its birds.
For more information, visit theciderhouserebellion.com
The role of nature, myth and superstition
The Last Inklings (Leonardo MacKenzie and David Hoyland) are both accomplished multi-instrumentalists with a solid folk background having both previously been members of Kadia.
The band's innovative sound crosses genres, centred around cello, mandolin and vocal harmony, layered with guitar, piano, strings, synths and percussion. With vibrant backstories and creative musicianship, their songs have a modern flavour that is rich with imagery and narrative, exploring at their core what it is to be human.
The 12-track debut album, ‘The Impossible Wild’, explores the role of nature, myth and superstition in the modern world. The album is a wonderful celebration of storytelling that uses symphonic arrangements and narrative lyrics to conjure up a variety of themes and imagery. Through the lens of music and metaphor, The Last Inklings explore modern life contemporary issues including mental health, personal wellbeing and growth, and our impact on the environment.
“Story and myth have always helped us to define who we are”, say Leonardo and David, “and they are just as relevant today. In many ways, these old stories have lost their meaning in society and have been replaced by consumer narratives in TV and film.
Our detachment from true myth and meaning could be a reason why we have become so far removed from our natural state, which has left us more vulnerable to mental health is- sues. Yet we have the power to shape our own lives if we can learn to live outside our ego, whilst recognising and rebalancing our place in the world. All stories have power, but the stories we tell about ourselves have the most”
For more information and tour dates, visit www.thelastinklings.co.uk
The band's innovative sound crosses genres, centred around cello, mandolin and vocal harmony, layered with guitar, piano, strings, synths and percussion. With vibrant backstories and creative musicianship, their songs have a modern flavour that is rich with imagery and narrative, exploring at their core what it is to be human.
The 12-track debut album, ‘The Impossible Wild’, explores the role of nature, myth and superstition in the modern world. The album is a wonderful celebration of storytelling that uses symphonic arrangements and narrative lyrics to conjure up a variety of themes and imagery. Through the lens of music and metaphor, The Last Inklings explore modern life contemporary issues including mental health, personal wellbeing and growth, and our impact on the environment.
“Story and myth have always helped us to define who we are”, say Leonardo and David, “and they are just as relevant today. In many ways, these old stories have lost their meaning in society and have been replaced by consumer narratives in TV and film.
Our detachment from true myth and meaning could be a reason why we have become so far removed from our natural state, which has left us more vulnerable to mental health is- sues. Yet we have the power to shape our own lives if we can learn to live outside our ego, whilst recognising and rebalancing our place in the world. All stories have power, but the stories we tell about ourselves have the most”
For more information and tour dates, visit www.thelastinklings.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