Charlie's new album explores what makes us tick
For her tenth album ‘Like Animals’, Charlie Dore turns away from the expansive science and space metaphors of 2017’s ‘Dark Matter’ to focus on the internal landscape of the human brain and just what makes us tick.
Although best known as a respected songwriter for others, Charlie enjoys a multi-faceted career that includes acting, comedy-improvisation, writing for radio and composition for film and TV as well as performing live with her band.
After drama school, regional rep and a stint in childrens' television Charlie formed a bluegrass band playing Monday nights in a west London pancake house.
The band, with school friend Julian Littman, graduated to the pub circuit from where she was signed by Island Records in 1978. She made her first album in Nashville and London and released a single, Pilot of the Airwaves, which became a hit in the US.
A new collection, sewn through with Dore’s trademark dark wit, lyricism, and distinctive melodic voice, Like Animals explores some of our most basic instincts and how we’re often hi-jacked by our emotional responses. Fear, anxiety and aggression figure but on the plus side, intense joy and love are in the mix as well.
Charlie says: “I’m the first to admit I’m merely an interested bystander when it comes to the workings of the human brain, but when I started reading about the Amygdala and how it shapes our emotional behaviour, decisions and even our memory I was completely riveted. You don’t need a degree in psychology to notice that however sophisticated we imagine we are, we haven’t evolved all that much. We’re still animals, it’s just that we wear suits and we know how to make gunpowder”.
Recorded with her long time co-producer-writer and friend, the multi- instrumental Julian Littman of Steeleye Span, the album also features contributions from folk icon Jackie Oates, esteemed double bass & cello player Gareth Huw Davies, leading UK trumpeter Quentin Collins and the highly celebrated violinist Jessie May Smart. Founding member of The Magic Numbers, Michele Stoddart is also featured, duetting with Charlie on ‘A Hundred Miles of Nothing’, which they wrote together.
The album'srelease date is 19th June 2020 and pre-orders (with a free one-track download for early birds) are now possible via Charlie’s website, charliedore.com
Although best known as a respected songwriter for others, Charlie enjoys a multi-faceted career that includes acting, comedy-improvisation, writing for radio and composition for film and TV as well as performing live with her band.
After drama school, regional rep and a stint in childrens' television Charlie formed a bluegrass band playing Monday nights in a west London pancake house.
The band, with school friend Julian Littman, graduated to the pub circuit from where she was signed by Island Records in 1978. She made her first album in Nashville and London and released a single, Pilot of the Airwaves, which became a hit in the US.
A new collection, sewn through with Dore’s trademark dark wit, lyricism, and distinctive melodic voice, Like Animals explores some of our most basic instincts and how we’re often hi-jacked by our emotional responses. Fear, anxiety and aggression figure but on the plus side, intense joy and love are in the mix as well.
Charlie says: “I’m the first to admit I’m merely an interested bystander when it comes to the workings of the human brain, but when I started reading about the Amygdala and how it shapes our emotional behaviour, decisions and even our memory I was completely riveted. You don’t need a degree in psychology to notice that however sophisticated we imagine we are, we haven’t evolved all that much. We’re still animals, it’s just that we wear suits and we know how to make gunpowder”.
Recorded with her long time co-producer-writer and friend, the multi- instrumental Julian Littman of Steeleye Span, the album also features contributions from folk icon Jackie Oates, esteemed double bass & cello player Gareth Huw Davies, leading UK trumpeter Quentin Collins and the highly celebrated violinist Jessie May Smart. Founding member of The Magic Numbers, Michele Stoddart is also featured, duetting with Charlie on ‘A Hundred Miles of Nothing’, which they wrote together.
The album'srelease date is 19th June 2020 and pre-orders (with a free one-track download for early birds) are now possible via Charlie’s website, charliedore.com
Live in Lancashire will quench the drought
Exeter-based contemporary folk artist Ben Morgan-Brown, winner of Purbeck Rising 2019 and described as ‘the brilliant Ben Morgan-Brown’ by Tom Robinson of BBC6 Music, is pleased to announce the release of ‘Live in Lancashire’, a seven track live album recorded at the beginning of March.
Ben Morgan-Brown is a singer songwriter and accomplished finger style guitarist who is quickly gaining recognition in the UK’s contemporary folk and acoustic scene.
Ben is also highly regarded within the online acoustic guitar community as the Editor and Presenter of Acoustic Review, a UK-based website focussing on independent reviews of acoustic guitars and associated products.
Since launching in 2018, his YouTube reviews have amassed nearly 400,000 views and, in January 2020, he was invited to attend the NAMM show in Anaheim, California where he was a guest at events hosted by, amongst others, C.F. Martin & Co and Taylor Guitars.
Like many musicians currently, Ben’s career has been hit by multiple gig and festival cancellations due to the escalating Covid-19 pandemic, but with this release he hopes to be able to connect with his fans until he is able to get back out on the road again.
Featuring five new songs, old favourite ‘No More Fooling’ from the 2017 Cold Rooms EP, and a driving reimagining of the Bob Dylan song ‘Blind Willie McTell’, ‘Live in Lancashire’ is a timely document and reminder of the intimacy and warmth of Ben’s live shows. It should help quench the thirst of gig-goers during this pandemic-induced drought.
'Live in Lancashire' is available as a high-quality digital download or as a Limited Edition CDR version of 100 signed and numbered copies from www.benmorganbrown.bandcamp.com
Ben Morgan-Brown is a singer songwriter and accomplished finger style guitarist who is quickly gaining recognition in the UK’s contemporary folk and acoustic scene.
Ben is also highly regarded within the online acoustic guitar community as the Editor and Presenter of Acoustic Review, a UK-based website focussing on independent reviews of acoustic guitars and associated products.
Since launching in 2018, his YouTube reviews have amassed nearly 400,000 views and, in January 2020, he was invited to attend the NAMM show in Anaheim, California where he was a guest at events hosted by, amongst others, C.F. Martin & Co and Taylor Guitars.
Like many musicians currently, Ben’s career has been hit by multiple gig and festival cancellations due to the escalating Covid-19 pandemic, but with this release he hopes to be able to connect with his fans until he is able to get back out on the road again.
Featuring five new songs, old favourite ‘No More Fooling’ from the 2017 Cold Rooms EP, and a driving reimagining of the Bob Dylan song ‘Blind Willie McTell’, ‘Live in Lancashire’ is a timely document and reminder of the intimacy and warmth of Ben’s live shows. It should help quench the thirst of gig-goers during this pandemic-induced drought.
'Live in Lancashire' is available as a high-quality digital download or as a Limited Edition CDR version of 100 signed and numbered copies from www.benmorganbrown.bandcamp.com
Nashville calling brings eleven new tracks from Ben
The Nashville Calling is the title of the ninth studio album by Irish artist Ben Reel. It was produced by Will Kimbrough and Tommy Womack and features Garry W Tallent, from the legendary E Street Band, on bass. The album contains eleven new tracks all written by Ben Reel.
It was recorded at Skinny Elephant Studios in Nashville. This album was done and dusted in just three days with all live takes. Following Ben's critically acclaimed experimental slow burner Land of Escape from 2018, this new record has a more Americana, rootsy rock, live band feel. Since his debut album
This Is the Movie back in 1999, Ben has reinvented himself from album to album, influenced by different styles of music over the years.
As one critic said, "He’s not afraid to throw in some folk, soul, reggae vibes, which in turn call to mind John Hiatt at his best". Another describes him as “somewhere in the middle ground between rock and jazz or a sound that is sometimes reminiscent of Dylan and the Band."
Ben Reel is a native of Silverbridge, South Armagh. Soon after high school at the age of 17 he started his musical career in 1989 performing and songwriting with local band “Trim The Velvet”’ before going solo in the late nineties.
In a solo career which now spans over twenty years, Ben has received worldwide critical acclaim with numerous high profile TV/Radio appearances like BBC, RTE and Dutch NPO Radio. Supporting Jools Holland, Alabama 3 and, The Cranberries he has also collaborated musically with such names as Hal Ketchum and The Blockheads. He has co-written and performed live with his fellow countryman Tony McLoughlin, and some of Nashville's finest such as David Olney & Irene Kelley.
In the past Ben was selected to play an official showcase at Folk Alliance in Memphis TN and has toured as double bill with Tommy Womack (Nashville) in the US and UK and also with legendary American folk singer/songwriter Eric Andersen in the UK & NL. While in Nashville he was invited to play the famous Bluebird Café on a number of occasions, most recently in September 2018.
For more information, visit benreel.com
It was recorded at Skinny Elephant Studios in Nashville. This album was done and dusted in just three days with all live takes. Following Ben's critically acclaimed experimental slow burner Land of Escape from 2018, this new record has a more Americana, rootsy rock, live band feel. Since his debut album
This Is the Movie back in 1999, Ben has reinvented himself from album to album, influenced by different styles of music over the years.
As one critic said, "He’s not afraid to throw in some folk, soul, reggae vibes, which in turn call to mind John Hiatt at his best". Another describes him as “somewhere in the middle ground between rock and jazz or a sound that is sometimes reminiscent of Dylan and the Band."
Ben Reel is a native of Silverbridge, South Armagh. Soon after high school at the age of 17 he started his musical career in 1989 performing and songwriting with local band “Trim The Velvet”’ before going solo in the late nineties.
In a solo career which now spans over twenty years, Ben has received worldwide critical acclaim with numerous high profile TV/Radio appearances like BBC, RTE and Dutch NPO Radio. Supporting Jools Holland, Alabama 3 and, The Cranberries he has also collaborated musically with such names as Hal Ketchum and The Blockheads. He has co-written and performed live with his fellow countryman Tony McLoughlin, and some of Nashville's finest such as David Olney & Irene Kelley.
In the past Ben was selected to play an official showcase at Folk Alliance in Memphis TN and has toured as double bill with Tommy Womack (Nashville) in the US and UK and also with legendary American folk singer/songwriter Eric Andersen in the UK & NL. While in Nashville he was invited to play the famous Bluebird Café on a number of occasions, most recently in September 2018.
For more information, visit benreel.com
New album addresses 21st century concerns
Alt-folk songwriter and fingerstyle guitarist, Chris Cleverley released his second studio album, contributing to activity surrounding World Mental Health Day 2019.
This body of new work addresses a selection of 21st Century society’s most pertinent, challenging concerns through Cleverley’s incomparable brand of contemporary folk music. Diverse lyrical themes from deteriorating anxious minds through to literary heroines blend with an experimental guitar fingerstyle, akin to Nic Jones & John Martyn, presenting a bittersweet yet uplifting listen.
The departure from debut ‘Apparitions’ (The Telegraph ‘Top 70 Folk Albums, 2015’) is evident in the bold, progressive song structures and influence of North American songwriters Jeff Buckley, Elliott Smith, Anais Mitchell and The Barr Brothers. With BBC Folk Award winning Producer and friend Sam Kelly at the helm, arrangements showcase an all-star cast of UK folk luminaries including Hannah Martin (Edgelarks) and Evan Carson (The Willows), as well as Cleverley’s bandmates from The Sunday Times-endorsed ‘Company of Players’ project.
Twelve original songs centre around a pervasive sense of anxiety afflicting our modern age. Whilst shining an honest light on visceral subjects, Cleverley maintains a balanced, compassionate and hopeful approach, revealing a brave new voice in the ongoing conversation around Mental Health Awareness. Whether offering candid insights into symptoms (A Voice For Those Who Don’t Have One), exploring environmental triggers such as damaging gender constructs (Happy And Proud) and ‘quick-fix’ solutions (I Can’t Take It), or discussing loss of NHS services vital for tackling these illnesses (We Sat Back and Watched it Unfold), a strong sense of frenzy is juxtaposed curiously with the album’s soaring melodic delivery and measured philosophy. And so the timing of the release was crucial to its message.
“It was important for me to release around #WMHD2019, said Chris. "While the album isn’t ‘about’ mental health exclusively, it is certainly the product of a thousand related conversations and testimonies. There’s a lot of lives in these songs and anxiety and panic underpin much of their imagery. It is an album to offer understanding and solidarity to these voices.” For further details visit chriscleverley.com
This body of new work addresses a selection of 21st Century society’s most pertinent, challenging concerns through Cleverley’s incomparable brand of contemporary folk music. Diverse lyrical themes from deteriorating anxious minds through to literary heroines blend with an experimental guitar fingerstyle, akin to Nic Jones & John Martyn, presenting a bittersweet yet uplifting listen.
The departure from debut ‘Apparitions’ (The Telegraph ‘Top 70 Folk Albums, 2015’) is evident in the bold, progressive song structures and influence of North American songwriters Jeff Buckley, Elliott Smith, Anais Mitchell and The Barr Brothers. With BBC Folk Award winning Producer and friend Sam Kelly at the helm, arrangements showcase an all-star cast of UK folk luminaries including Hannah Martin (Edgelarks) and Evan Carson (The Willows), as well as Cleverley’s bandmates from The Sunday Times-endorsed ‘Company of Players’ project.
Twelve original songs centre around a pervasive sense of anxiety afflicting our modern age. Whilst shining an honest light on visceral subjects, Cleverley maintains a balanced, compassionate and hopeful approach, revealing a brave new voice in the ongoing conversation around Mental Health Awareness. Whether offering candid insights into symptoms (A Voice For Those Who Don’t Have One), exploring environmental triggers such as damaging gender constructs (Happy And Proud) and ‘quick-fix’ solutions (I Can’t Take It), or discussing loss of NHS services vital for tackling these illnesses (We Sat Back and Watched it Unfold), a strong sense of frenzy is juxtaposed curiously with the album’s soaring melodic delivery and measured philosophy. And so the timing of the release was crucial to its message.
“It was important for me to release around #WMHD2019, said Chris. "While the album isn’t ‘about’ mental health exclusively, it is certainly the product of a thousand related conversations and testimonies. There’s a lot of lives in these songs and anxiety and panic underpin much of their imagery. It is an album to offer understanding and solidarity to these voices.” For further details visit chriscleverley.com
Unique improvisation from exciting new duo
The Ciderhouse Rebellion is an exciting new duo bringing together violinist Adam Summerhayes and master accordionist Murray Grainger.
The pair play traditional music, particularly from the North East, write their own tunes and specialise in creating music in the moment – it’s this unusually improvisatory focus that is uniquely magical.
Two albums will be released in 2020, the second (out in October) will be an ‘unpredictable and powerful’ look at old tunes.
The first, Untold (out 7th February), is unique: a fifty minute improvisation; three tracks, recorded live in three takes. The 'Untold Tour' will unfold from early 2020 and these gigs will be an exciting mix of the duo’s traditional material interspersed with ‘untold’ improvisation.
Adam Summerhayes has been described as a 'Paganini' of the traditional roots (fRoots magazine) and his remarkable playing has been lauded worldwide. The New York Times praised his 'astonishing, all-out virtuosity.'
Summerhayes tempted master accordionist Murray Grainger into a musical experiment - a quest to create music in the moment, with no conscious thought between conception and playing. To search for unexpected magic in the hope of finding a deeper and more revealing narrative. The result is Untold.
For more information, visit the website adamsummerhayes.com/the-ciderhouse-rebellion
The pair play traditional music, particularly from the North East, write their own tunes and specialise in creating music in the moment – it’s this unusually improvisatory focus that is uniquely magical.
Two albums will be released in 2020, the second (out in October) will be an ‘unpredictable and powerful’ look at old tunes.
The first, Untold (out 7th February), is unique: a fifty minute improvisation; three tracks, recorded live in three takes. The 'Untold Tour' will unfold from early 2020 and these gigs will be an exciting mix of the duo’s traditional material interspersed with ‘untold’ improvisation.
Adam Summerhayes has been described as a 'Paganini' of the traditional roots (fRoots magazine) and his remarkable playing has been lauded worldwide. The New York Times praised his 'astonishing, all-out virtuosity.'
Summerhayes tempted master accordionist Murray Grainger into a musical experiment - a quest to create music in the moment, with no conscious thought between conception and playing. To search for unexpected magic in the hope of finding a deeper and more revealing narrative. The result is Untold.
For more information, visit the website adamsummerhayes.com/the-ciderhouse-rebellion
Confessions from 'a scholar of roots music history'
Three-time Canadian Folk Music Award nominee, Sarah Jane Scouten's latest album, Confessions includies two of her popular singles 'Ballad Of A Southern Midwife' and 'You Are The Medicine'.
Originally written for Sarah Jane's first album ten years ago, first single, Ballad of a Southern Midwife (released in August last year) comes from the imagination of a young and naïve songwriter, cured with age, and once again released with more hell-fire than ever.
“It is also one of the most relevant songs I've written. ... This song is about the overlap of religious intolerance and sexual oppression and a woman's fight to live on her own terms, regardless of the consequences,” said Sarah Jane.
Like any songwriter worthy of the name, Sarah Jane easily explores love with a fine-toothed comb, although not limited to romantic love, she confesses ... Perhaps more than I'd like to admit, Confessions is a break up record. There was a quick change over from letting go of a past love and making room for a new one which would end up becoming my marriage. Her classic country soul epitomised in love song You Are The Medicine, an ode to her healing medicine, her husband.
Steeped in North American and British Folk music, Sarah Jane's music delivers a signature mix of vintage folk and country, with modern sounds and subjects. It has ticked boxes with folk and American press on both sides of the Atlantic. “Observant, outspoken, and at the top of her craft ... a gifted songwriter, a scholar of roots music history and travelling musician, ” said Folk Radio UK
Raised in a musical family on Bowen Island BC, where harmony singing was more common than watching television, Sarah Jane commits to her roots, using her warbling voice and knack for storytelling to captivate and transport her audiences. Her songs run the emotional gamut, creating a world of characters who come alive in her often haunting and equally whimsical ballads.
Sarah Jane's fourth album, "Confessions" was recorded in Toronto with veteran producer Andre Wahl (Light Organ Records), and is a further exploration of Americana sounds and song forms. It is a collection of revelatory songs -- a series of confessions -- which valorise, condemn and eulogise the most important relationships of her life to new harrowing heights.
For more information visit the website www.sarahjanescouten.com
Originally written for Sarah Jane's first album ten years ago, first single, Ballad of a Southern Midwife (released in August last year) comes from the imagination of a young and naïve songwriter, cured with age, and once again released with more hell-fire than ever.
“It is also one of the most relevant songs I've written. ... This song is about the overlap of religious intolerance and sexual oppression and a woman's fight to live on her own terms, regardless of the consequences,” said Sarah Jane.
Like any songwriter worthy of the name, Sarah Jane easily explores love with a fine-toothed comb, although not limited to romantic love, she confesses ... Perhaps more than I'd like to admit, Confessions is a break up record. There was a quick change over from letting go of a past love and making room for a new one which would end up becoming my marriage. Her classic country soul epitomised in love song You Are The Medicine, an ode to her healing medicine, her husband.
Steeped in North American and British Folk music, Sarah Jane's music delivers a signature mix of vintage folk and country, with modern sounds and subjects. It has ticked boxes with folk and American press on both sides of the Atlantic. “Observant, outspoken, and at the top of her craft ... a gifted songwriter, a scholar of roots music history and travelling musician, ” said Folk Radio UK
Raised in a musical family on Bowen Island BC, where harmony singing was more common than watching television, Sarah Jane commits to her roots, using her warbling voice and knack for storytelling to captivate and transport her audiences. Her songs run the emotional gamut, creating a world of characters who come alive in her often haunting and equally whimsical ballads.
Sarah Jane's fourth album, "Confessions" was recorded in Toronto with veteran producer Andre Wahl (Light Organ Records), and is a further exploration of Americana sounds and song forms. It is a collection of revelatory songs -- a series of confessions -- which valorise, condemn and eulogise the most important relationships of her life to new harrowing heights.
For more information visit the website www.sarahjanescouten.com
The Kilpecks - folk from the fringes of the Celtic World
The Kilpecks were formed from the splintered shins of folk-funk favourites the Lonesome Stampede. Although the Kilpecks are rawer and are keen to allow the stories to take the listener past the shadows of this world.
Their debut single; Haunted Man, does just that. It’s a song of betrayal and revenge, but these seemingly timeless themes hide the fact that it was penned in the wake of #MeToo Movement, for there still many modern stories to tell.
Their new single, Dead Drovers tells the story of two brothers, whose father dies at Cricklade, en-route to driving their cattle from the Welsh hills to an English market. They wish to bury him next to their mothers grave, so they tie his body to the bull, earning them the infamous name; the Dead Drovers.
Some of The Kilpecks members, the main vocalists and songwriter, dwell not far from our namesake, the incredible Kilpeck Church in Herefordshire, which is full of Norman Romanesque carvings that have to be seen to be believed. Other members, guitarist and violinist, live within in the warm embrace of the Celtic World of Wales and Cornwall.
The Kilpecks are excited to add their sound and stories to the folk and roots music of this varied and beautiful land. If you’re interested in playing their music or asking them to perform please email thekilpecks@yahoo.com or check out https://soundcloud.com/user-965355191
Their debut single; Haunted Man, does just that. It’s a song of betrayal and revenge, but these seemingly timeless themes hide the fact that it was penned in the wake of #MeToo Movement, for there still many modern stories to tell.
Their new single, Dead Drovers tells the story of two brothers, whose father dies at Cricklade, en-route to driving their cattle from the Welsh hills to an English market. They wish to bury him next to their mothers grave, so they tie his body to the bull, earning them the infamous name; the Dead Drovers.
Some of The Kilpecks members, the main vocalists and songwriter, dwell not far from our namesake, the incredible Kilpeck Church in Herefordshire, which is full of Norman Romanesque carvings that have to be seen to be believed. Other members, guitarist and violinist, live within in the warm embrace of the Celtic World of Wales and Cornwall.
The Kilpecks are excited to add their sound and stories to the folk and roots music of this varied and beautiful land. If you’re interested in playing their music or asking them to perform please email thekilpecks@yahoo.com or check out https://soundcloud.com/user-965355191
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