Sarah's first live St Buryan Sessions releases
Released worldwide on Friday 29th January 2021, “The Silence Above Us” is the first single from The St Buryan Sessions, filmed and recorded live (with no audience due to COVID-19) last summer in the beautiful church of St Buryan, Cornwall, parts of which date back to the 11th century.
A second single, “Charlie’s Gone Home,” was released on Friday 19th February. The roll-out of singles and videos will continue throughout the year, and Sarah hopes to release the full 15-track, 72-minute album on CD and double LP in late summer.
“I was in Germany, two weeks into a four-week European tour, when the whole Covid thing hit,” Sarah recalls, “and we had to quickly reschedule our ferry tickets, cut the tour short and hightail it home before all the borders closed.
“Then my April-May UK and Ireland tour had to be cancelled as well, and suddenly I was at a loose end, with no gigs and no income. A lot of my musician friends were live-streaming concerts from home, but I wasn’t keen on the idea, mainly because of dodgy Internet and the potential for technical disasters.
“I’d been thinking for a long time about making a live album – I’ve always believed that there’s an element of magic in a live concert that’s really difficult to replicate in a studio, plus a lot of my songs have evolved and changed since I originally recorded them.
“I also felt like the standard of my own performances had really turned a corner in the last year or so, and I wanted to capture that on video — but with multiple cameras and high production values, not just somebody’s random film on a phone from the back of the room.”
Sarah set up a crowdfunding campaign on the FundRazr platform, and by the end of June 2020 it had reached over 100 percent of its £5,000 target, enabling her to hire an impressive team consisting of her longtime manager and sound engineer, Martin Stansbury, who produced, recorded and mixed the project; mastering engineer Stuart Bruce; Cornish filmmaker and director Mawgan Lewis of Purple Knif, who worked previously with Sarah on videos for her 2018 album If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous; and Eden Sessions veteran camera operator John Crooks.
“We wanted to try and somehow re-create what anyone would hear and see at a typical show,” Martin explains. “Of course, what we wouldn’t have was an audience, so we looked for key factors that would influence Sarah’s performance. We decided to use her local church, a space she’d been singing in as part of the choir ever since she moved to Cornwall. We set her up as if it were a regular gig: no flash studio mics, just the same touring PA and monitors she’d walked onstage to a thousand times, so it would be truly home territory. There was a set list and she was to play her set and we would record it.”
There were a few concessions, such as refreshment breaks and pauses between songs to move and reset cameras or wait for a lorry or airplane to go by (some passing vehicles made it onto the recording nonetheless, as did the squabbling swallows in the church porch – and at one point somebody’s mobile phone, making it an even more authentic replication of a live concert). Martin also placed ambient microphones around the soaring space to capture its natural acoustic and intensify the listener experience of “being there”.
“I’m totally thrilled with the result,” says Sarah. “I feel like we achieved what we set out to do, and I’m so glad that we were able to do it in a place that’s been so special to me on a personal level – plus, the church itself had a huge impact on the overall sound, as well as on the visuals. I’m really grateful to Canon Vanda Perrett and the St Buryan Parish Council, and to the St Buryan Male Voice Choir for letting me use their lovely grand piano, and most of all to the 184 individuals who contributed to the FundRazr campaign, because we couldn’t have done it without them.
“What I’m hoping is that I can eventually do a big album launch concert in the church, whenever that becomes possible given the Covid situation, as a benefit for the church restoration fund. But in the meantime we’ve got the video series, and I hope people do tune in for the YouTube and Facebook premiere events – I’ll be on hand in the chat to answer questions and comments, so it’ll be nice to have some company!”
“The Silence Above Us (The St Buryan Sessions)” is available for streaming and download via Spotify, iTunes/Apple Music, Amazon and other services and also as a pay-what-you-want download.
A second single, “Charlie’s Gone Home,” was released on Friday 19th February. The roll-out of singles and videos will continue throughout the year, and Sarah hopes to release the full 15-track, 72-minute album on CD and double LP in late summer.
“I was in Germany, two weeks into a four-week European tour, when the whole Covid thing hit,” Sarah recalls, “and we had to quickly reschedule our ferry tickets, cut the tour short and hightail it home before all the borders closed.
“Then my April-May UK and Ireland tour had to be cancelled as well, and suddenly I was at a loose end, with no gigs and no income. A lot of my musician friends were live-streaming concerts from home, but I wasn’t keen on the idea, mainly because of dodgy Internet and the potential for technical disasters.
“I’d been thinking for a long time about making a live album – I’ve always believed that there’s an element of magic in a live concert that’s really difficult to replicate in a studio, plus a lot of my songs have evolved and changed since I originally recorded them.
“I also felt like the standard of my own performances had really turned a corner in the last year or so, and I wanted to capture that on video — but with multiple cameras and high production values, not just somebody’s random film on a phone from the back of the room.”
Sarah set up a crowdfunding campaign on the FundRazr platform, and by the end of June 2020 it had reached over 100 percent of its £5,000 target, enabling her to hire an impressive team consisting of her longtime manager and sound engineer, Martin Stansbury, who produced, recorded and mixed the project; mastering engineer Stuart Bruce; Cornish filmmaker and director Mawgan Lewis of Purple Knif, who worked previously with Sarah on videos for her 2018 album If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous; and Eden Sessions veteran camera operator John Crooks.
“We wanted to try and somehow re-create what anyone would hear and see at a typical show,” Martin explains. “Of course, what we wouldn’t have was an audience, so we looked for key factors that would influence Sarah’s performance. We decided to use her local church, a space she’d been singing in as part of the choir ever since she moved to Cornwall. We set her up as if it were a regular gig: no flash studio mics, just the same touring PA and monitors she’d walked onstage to a thousand times, so it would be truly home territory. There was a set list and she was to play her set and we would record it.”
There were a few concessions, such as refreshment breaks and pauses between songs to move and reset cameras or wait for a lorry or airplane to go by (some passing vehicles made it onto the recording nonetheless, as did the squabbling swallows in the church porch – and at one point somebody’s mobile phone, making it an even more authentic replication of a live concert). Martin also placed ambient microphones around the soaring space to capture its natural acoustic and intensify the listener experience of “being there”.
“I’m totally thrilled with the result,” says Sarah. “I feel like we achieved what we set out to do, and I’m so glad that we were able to do it in a place that’s been so special to me on a personal level – plus, the church itself had a huge impact on the overall sound, as well as on the visuals. I’m really grateful to Canon Vanda Perrett and the St Buryan Parish Council, and to the St Buryan Male Voice Choir for letting me use their lovely grand piano, and most of all to the 184 individuals who contributed to the FundRazr campaign, because we couldn’t have done it without them.
“What I’m hoping is that I can eventually do a big album launch concert in the church, whenever that becomes possible given the Covid situation, as a benefit for the church restoration fund. But in the meantime we’ve got the video series, and I hope people do tune in for the YouTube and Facebook premiere events – I’ll be on hand in the chat to answer questions and comments, so it’ll be nice to have some company!”
“The Silence Above Us (The St Buryan Sessions)” is available for streaming and download via Spotify, iTunes/Apple Music, Amazon and other services and also as a pay-what-you-want download.
Take a moment with Ben Morgan-Brown
Though Ben Morgan-Brown has been described as “a singer-songwriter that can grab your attention from the first chord” by The Living Tradition, he has always included solo guitar instrumentals on his releases.
With work on his debut album of songs (due spring 2021) continuing remotely during lockdown, Ben wanted to create music without the pressure of singing, and with deliberate swiftness:
“I won’t lie - I wanted to make this quickly. I didn’t want to spend weeks or months agonising over choices that I only I would ever know I’d made. I didn’t want to allow my ego to get in the way of what I had created. I wanted to make it and then respect what I had made.”
The result is Moment, a collection of ten solo guitar pieces that were recorded in a single January afternoon (with the exception of an improvised take on Scarborough Fair which was recorded in May 2020).
Taking cues from Ben’s folk-revival heroes and contemporary players alike, Moment moves from the joyful Old Hemp (named for the first Border Collie), through the chiming legato phrasing of Sketches, to dark blues The Banks of the Old River Platte (named for the river that guided immigrants west in 19th century America).
Some of these tracks are several years old, some are new compositions, and some have only ever been played at the moment they were recorded for this album, but they all demonstrate that Ben’s inherent melodic ear is always present, and that he can translate it to the fretboard as much as he can it the voice.
“So often I stress and worry about each and every little thing but there are many moments when I play guitar that all that worry leaves me; I am in and of the moment. In contrast to when I sing a song, playing instrumental music allows me in some way to bypass the inner critic, the internal filter that anticipates and then checks an upcoming mistake or emotional lapse. Playing instrumental music renders this filter transparent, invisible, vanished.”
We all need a little solace right now - take a Moment with Ben Morgan-Brown.
Moment is available from benmorganbrown.bandcamp.com/album/moment from Monday 5th February with a wider digital and streaming release coming in March.
For more information on Ben Morgan-Brown visit his website at www.benmorganbrown.co.uk and find him on socials at @benmorganbrown.
With work on his debut album of songs (due spring 2021) continuing remotely during lockdown, Ben wanted to create music without the pressure of singing, and with deliberate swiftness:
“I won’t lie - I wanted to make this quickly. I didn’t want to spend weeks or months agonising over choices that I only I would ever know I’d made. I didn’t want to allow my ego to get in the way of what I had created. I wanted to make it and then respect what I had made.”
The result is Moment, a collection of ten solo guitar pieces that were recorded in a single January afternoon (with the exception of an improvised take on Scarborough Fair which was recorded in May 2020).
Taking cues from Ben’s folk-revival heroes and contemporary players alike, Moment moves from the joyful Old Hemp (named for the first Border Collie), through the chiming legato phrasing of Sketches, to dark blues The Banks of the Old River Platte (named for the river that guided immigrants west in 19th century America).
Some of these tracks are several years old, some are new compositions, and some have only ever been played at the moment they were recorded for this album, but they all demonstrate that Ben’s inherent melodic ear is always present, and that he can translate it to the fretboard as much as he can it the voice.
“So often I stress and worry about each and every little thing but there are many moments when I play guitar that all that worry leaves me; I am in and of the moment. In contrast to when I sing a song, playing instrumental music allows me in some way to bypass the inner critic, the internal filter that anticipates and then checks an upcoming mistake or emotional lapse. Playing instrumental music renders this filter transparent, invisible, vanished.”
We all need a little solace right now - take a Moment with Ben Morgan-Brown.
Moment is available from benmorganbrown.bandcamp.com/album/moment from Monday 5th February with a wider digital and streaming release coming in March.
For more information on Ben Morgan-Brown visit his website at www.benmorganbrown.co.uk and find him on socials at @benmorganbrown.
Next Time Around from Forty Elephant Gang
Forty Elephant Gang released their new album Next Time Round on January 29th 2021 including the single Songs Of Praise which is out now.
Forty Elephant Gang take their name from a notorious gang of female pickpockets from The Elephant & Castle. The band features Andrew White (Lead Vocals and Guitar), Seam Mannion (Mandolin and Backing Vox) and James Bachmann (Guitar and Backing Vocals). Since their formation they’ve taken their unique sound to large and varied audiences throughout London and the UK; from ad-hoc rooftop parties to Folk and Acoustic nights to rock bars and back again to back-street boozers. The boys have even received social media endorsements from such diverse artists as Damian Lewis, Matt Willis and Plan B.
Songs Of Praise (out now) is the exciting first single taken from the bands eagerly awaited forthcoming new album. The track is about someone at low ebb searching for a light at the end of the tunnel and trying to find the right channel to get answers. Featuring a pulsing bass-line, soaring and distorted guitars and killer melody, this track touches on issues of spirituality, religion, addiction, isolation, love, sex, despair and social pressures.
The eleven songs on Next Time Around as an exciting mix of contemporary folk and blues with touches of gospel and even a tilt at a ‘60s ballad. The songs are beautifully structured around fine mandolin and slide guitar, and also feature cello and accordion. There is a good mix of pace with the very bright and breezy (‘Beside You’, ‘Better Man’), nestled alongside very traditional folk numbers (‘Young Man’s Game’, ’Sweet Marie’). The bands musical influence include the Beatles, the Verve and Blue which you can hear in both the music and lyrics; further enhanced by references to milk floats, bringing in the washing, throwing sickies.
FEG’s debut EP, 'Slow Down The Days’ received support from Bob Harris BBC Radio 2 as well as BBC Essex and independent stations such as Resonance FM. A track from the EP, ‘In This Place’, was featured in the documentary film ‘Love in a Time of Crisis’ which told stories from the Greek unrest. Off the back of the release the boys performed at several festivals including headlining Home Farm festival in Dorset, Strawberry Fields in Cambridge and the Ramsbottom festival amongst others.
For more information, visit the website www.fortyelephantgang.com
Forty Elephant Gang take their name from a notorious gang of female pickpockets from The Elephant & Castle. The band features Andrew White (Lead Vocals and Guitar), Seam Mannion (Mandolin and Backing Vox) and James Bachmann (Guitar and Backing Vocals). Since their formation they’ve taken their unique sound to large and varied audiences throughout London and the UK; from ad-hoc rooftop parties to Folk and Acoustic nights to rock bars and back again to back-street boozers. The boys have even received social media endorsements from such diverse artists as Damian Lewis, Matt Willis and Plan B.
Songs Of Praise (out now) is the exciting first single taken from the bands eagerly awaited forthcoming new album. The track is about someone at low ebb searching for a light at the end of the tunnel and trying to find the right channel to get answers. Featuring a pulsing bass-line, soaring and distorted guitars and killer melody, this track touches on issues of spirituality, religion, addiction, isolation, love, sex, despair and social pressures.
The eleven songs on Next Time Around as an exciting mix of contemporary folk and blues with touches of gospel and even a tilt at a ‘60s ballad. The songs are beautifully structured around fine mandolin and slide guitar, and also feature cello and accordion. There is a good mix of pace with the very bright and breezy (‘Beside You’, ‘Better Man’), nestled alongside very traditional folk numbers (‘Young Man’s Game’, ’Sweet Marie’). The bands musical influence include the Beatles, the Verve and Blue which you can hear in both the music and lyrics; further enhanced by references to milk floats, bringing in the washing, throwing sickies.
FEG’s debut EP, 'Slow Down The Days’ received support from Bob Harris BBC Radio 2 as well as BBC Essex and independent stations such as Resonance FM. A track from the EP, ‘In This Place’, was featured in the documentary film ‘Love in a Time of Crisis’ which told stories from the Greek unrest. Off the back of the release the boys performed at several festivals including headlining Home Farm festival in Dorset, Strawberry Fields in Cambridge and the Ramsbottom festival amongst others.
For more information, visit the website www.fortyelephantgang.com
Reg releases retrospective record collection
Six titles from Reg Meuross’s back catalogue of albums, which had been out of print for a while, have been officially re-released via Proper Records (Friday December 4th 2020).
The re-issued titles are The Goodbye Hat (1996), Short Stories (2004), Still (2006), Dragonfly (2008), All This Longing (2010) and Leaves & Feathers (2013). New cover artwork brings this ‘retro’ collection together beautifully as a set.
Reg’s clever and imaginative lyrics have earned him the title of “Master Storyteller” (PennyBlack Music) and led Mike Harding (Mike Harding Folk Show) to welcome him on to the stage at The Royal Albert Hall as “one of the finest singer-songwriters this country has produced”.
Whatever the venue size, Reg brings to the stage a collection of extremely beautiful songs, performed with humour and depth, and sung with the voice of an angel.
Reg has that rare gift of being able to touch people, through his songs and performance, on a really human level. His words and music paint pictures that remain with the listener long after the song has been sung.
The breadth and depth of Reg Meuross’ material is now unparalleled in contemporary folk; if something needs to be sung about then Reg Meuross has a song for it. You’ll find most of his most respected tracks here on this collection - a must have for lovers of well-crafted and poignant songwriting.
For more information, please visit www.regmeuross.com
The re-issued titles are The Goodbye Hat (1996), Short Stories (2004), Still (2006), Dragonfly (2008), All This Longing (2010) and Leaves & Feathers (2013). New cover artwork brings this ‘retro’ collection together beautifully as a set.
Reg’s clever and imaginative lyrics have earned him the title of “Master Storyteller” (PennyBlack Music) and led Mike Harding (Mike Harding Folk Show) to welcome him on to the stage at The Royal Albert Hall as “one of the finest singer-songwriters this country has produced”.
Whatever the venue size, Reg brings to the stage a collection of extremely beautiful songs, performed with humour and depth, and sung with the voice of an angel.
Reg has that rare gift of being able to touch people, through his songs and performance, on a really human level. His words and music paint pictures that remain with the listener long after the song has been sung.
The breadth and depth of Reg Meuross’ material is now unparalleled in contemporary folk; if something needs to be sung about then Reg Meuross has a song for it. You’ll find most of his most respected tracks here on this collection - a must have for lovers of well-crafted and poignant songwriting.
For more information, please visit www.regmeuross.com
Improvised and unplanned new single from The Haar
The Haar should have been enjoying a year of live gigs, playing together and exploring the extraordinary connection they found recording their eponymous first album which they released in June this year.
Instead Adam Summerhayes, Murray Grainger and Cormac Byrne found they could not even meet up with Molly Donnery without either her or them having to spend a month in quarantine - not a great time to be an Anglo-Irish band!
Nevertheless they were keen to release something new, and to find a way to make it just flow - improvised and unplanned - as with their previous tracks.
True to form they came up with a mad plan: Molly would send Cormac a rough vocal track, he’d find a groove that lit up the music and send her his bodhrán track - recorded in one take to video. Molly would then sing over it, leaving space for what she imagined Adam and Murray would do. Over to Murray to add his accordion improvisation. And finally it came to Adam, who listened through a couple of times before adding the final layer.
Murray lined up the audios and Adam pulled together the separate videos into one. Somehow the connection was as strong as ever and the improvisations meshed perfectly, despite the distance. It’s a Haar track and could not be anything else.
"We need more music like this; spontaneous, alive and affecting, The Haar will take you on a journey and have you appreciating the purest of life’s pleasures. Wonderful stuff.” Folk Radio UK.
The is available on Bandcamp - see thehaar.bandcamp.com
Instead Adam Summerhayes, Murray Grainger and Cormac Byrne found they could not even meet up with Molly Donnery without either her or them having to spend a month in quarantine - not a great time to be an Anglo-Irish band!
Nevertheless they were keen to release something new, and to find a way to make it just flow - improvised and unplanned - as with their previous tracks.
True to form they came up with a mad plan: Molly would send Cormac a rough vocal track, he’d find a groove that lit up the music and send her his bodhrán track - recorded in one take to video. Molly would then sing over it, leaving space for what she imagined Adam and Murray would do. Over to Murray to add his accordion improvisation. And finally it came to Adam, who listened through a couple of times before adding the final layer.
Murray lined up the audios and Adam pulled together the separate videos into one. Somehow the connection was as strong as ever and the improvisations meshed perfectly, despite the distance. It’s a Haar track and could not be anything else.
"We need more music like this; spontaneous, alive and affecting, The Haar will take you on a journey and have you appreciating the purest of life’s pleasures. Wonderful stuff.” Folk Radio UK.
The is available on Bandcamp - see thehaar.bandcamp.com
The Beacon shines for Harbottle & Jonas
Dynamic Devon-based contemporary folk duo Harbottle & Jonas, have a new single
The Beacon, available from all digital outlets from 20th November 2020.
Written and recorded at home, and featuring collaborator Annie Baylis on violin and backing vocals, The Beacon is the title track from Harbottle & Jonas’s forthcoming album, which is due for release in Spring 2021, and will be available to pre-order in conjunction with the single release.
The Beacon itself refers to Ugborough Beacon, an ancient site that looms over South Brent, the Dartmoor village that David Harbottle and Freya Jonas call home. The home to which they hurriedly returned from a cancelled tour of Germany, rushing to make it back to Devon before the UK entered lockdown in mid-March.
During the weeks that followed, the duo escaped the monotony by walking the moors with their dog, Murphy, connecting with their fanbase via streamed concerts and their ‘Saving the Good Stuff’ Facebook video series (with 300,000 views and counting).
After eighteen months of touring with 2019’s album ‘The Sea is my Brother’ the enforced period of calm was, in their own words: “a journey of discovery, that has taught us the importance of love, compassion and empathy, whilst discovering the needs and delights of our inner creature”
The new album, their fifth, (to be released in Spring 2021) is a collection of songs that seeks to bring comfort, and questions what fire of intention we will light so that our future paths might be more steadfast, clear and community-spirited.
The Beacon (single) is the first spark to fly from this album of hope and new beginnings. Much like the beacons of old that served as a warning with flaming fires, Harbottle & Jonas hope that their new collection of songs written during this period in our history will encourage us to reflect, adapt and sing together once more.
The Beacon (single) will be available from all digital outlets from November 20th 2020 and harbottleandjonas.bandcamp.com - The Beacon (album) will be released on March 26th 2021
The Beacon, available from all digital outlets from 20th November 2020.
Written and recorded at home, and featuring collaborator Annie Baylis on violin and backing vocals, The Beacon is the title track from Harbottle & Jonas’s forthcoming album, which is due for release in Spring 2021, and will be available to pre-order in conjunction with the single release.
The Beacon itself refers to Ugborough Beacon, an ancient site that looms over South Brent, the Dartmoor village that David Harbottle and Freya Jonas call home. The home to which they hurriedly returned from a cancelled tour of Germany, rushing to make it back to Devon before the UK entered lockdown in mid-March.
During the weeks that followed, the duo escaped the monotony by walking the moors with their dog, Murphy, connecting with their fanbase via streamed concerts and their ‘Saving the Good Stuff’ Facebook video series (with 300,000 views and counting).
After eighteen months of touring with 2019’s album ‘The Sea is my Brother’ the enforced period of calm was, in their own words: “a journey of discovery, that has taught us the importance of love, compassion and empathy, whilst discovering the needs and delights of our inner creature”
The new album, their fifth, (to be released in Spring 2021) is a collection of songs that seeks to bring comfort, and questions what fire of intention we will light so that our future paths might be more steadfast, clear and community-spirited.
The Beacon (single) is the first spark to fly from this album of hope and new beginnings. Much like the beacons of old that served as a warning with flaming fires, Harbottle & Jonas hope that their new collection of songs written during this period in our history will encourage us to reflect, adapt and sing together once more.
The Beacon (single) will be available from all digital outlets from November 20th 2020 and harbottleandjonas.bandcamp.com - The Beacon (album) will be released on March 26th 2021
First studio album for singer-songwriter Mike
Worcestershire singer-songwriter Mike Weaver released his first studio album this September. After a break of over twenty years, Cheltenham-born Mike return to songwriting and performing live in 2013. Since his 'come back' he has opened for several leading performers on the contemporary folk scene, as well as appearances at clubs, events and festivals throughout the English Midlands and South West.
Too Soon It's Time To Fly is a six track mini album, produced, recorded and mastered by Lukas Drinkwater, who also plays double bass, guitar and piano on four of the songs.
"The world changed dramatically and without warning in 2020, and many of us were left reflecting upon what had gone before - tempered with the realisation that life might never be the same again," said Mike.
"Somewhat improbably, I found myself immersed in a state of unexpected calm, underlined with a feeling that time really does move more quickly as we take one more step towards the great unknown. Too soon, it's time to fly. Initially I'd planned to record six tracks from my back catalogue to mark by sixtieth birthday, but the events of 2020 made me look at the album from a fresh perspective.
"I'd already written two new songs: firstly, Balcarras Road - which is a journey back to my childhood and nature walks we took from Charlton Kings' infants and junior schools, getting on for fifty years ago. Heart of Reunion - the second new composition - is a shimmering tune inspired by becoming re-acquainted with valued and near forgotten pals from those days, and the joy that shared memories can bring. Ties never broken, just loosened.
"The time seemed right to blend these musical bedfellows with some previously unreleased material, and songs re-worked to reflect upon the shifting patterns of my life.
"In March I lost Daisy, my constant canine companion of thirteen years. Chasing Squirrels remembers the simple shared pleasures of a symbiotic relationship that will never be forgotten, but frequently lamented. Century Caught is a song I wrote back in 2014, which imagines how a house might view the generations of lives lived within its walls, and its eventual return to nature. Ashes to ashes, and all that.
"The Richness In You was written in 1996, when I discovered I was to become a father. I didn't realise then that I was to share the pleasurable parenting of twins - nor did I imagine what fine, caring and compassionate young ladies they would grow up to be. They first flew the nest in 2015 - to study at universities in Lancashire and Gloucestershire. It was for Megan and Alice that I then wrote Pembrokeshire Fair. Five years later, equipped with impressive respective degrees in Korean and English Literature, they boldly moved to Asia to take up teaching positions at a Primary School in Korea. A re-worked version of their parting song brings the album to a fitting close.
"Finally, I would like to thank Lukas Drinkwater for helping me to bring these songs to life at his Polyphonic Recording studio. I'm indebted to his skill as a producer, musician and engineer - but also to his musical intuition. I wanted to retain the live feel of my previous recordings, with more polish and depth through the addition of additional instruments. Lukas helped me to reach this goal - and then some. Check out Lukas's own music by visiting his website www.lukasdrinkwater.com"
Too Soon It's Time To Fly can be downloaded and streamed from the usual digital platforms and Bandcamp (£5.00)- where you can also order a physical CD (£7.00 inc P&P in the UK): mikeweaver.bandcamp.com. For more information about Mike and his music, visit www.mikeweavermusic.com
Too Soon It's Time To Fly is a six track mini album, produced, recorded and mastered by Lukas Drinkwater, who also plays double bass, guitar and piano on four of the songs.
"The world changed dramatically and without warning in 2020, and many of us were left reflecting upon what had gone before - tempered with the realisation that life might never be the same again," said Mike.
"Somewhat improbably, I found myself immersed in a state of unexpected calm, underlined with a feeling that time really does move more quickly as we take one more step towards the great unknown. Too soon, it's time to fly. Initially I'd planned to record six tracks from my back catalogue to mark by sixtieth birthday, but the events of 2020 made me look at the album from a fresh perspective.
"I'd already written two new songs: firstly, Balcarras Road - which is a journey back to my childhood and nature walks we took from Charlton Kings' infants and junior schools, getting on for fifty years ago. Heart of Reunion - the second new composition - is a shimmering tune inspired by becoming re-acquainted with valued and near forgotten pals from those days, and the joy that shared memories can bring. Ties never broken, just loosened.
"The time seemed right to blend these musical bedfellows with some previously unreleased material, and songs re-worked to reflect upon the shifting patterns of my life.
"In March I lost Daisy, my constant canine companion of thirteen years. Chasing Squirrels remembers the simple shared pleasures of a symbiotic relationship that will never be forgotten, but frequently lamented. Century Caught is a song I wrote back in 2014, which imagines how a house might view the generations of lives lived within its walls, and its eventual return to nature. Ashes to ashes, and all that.
"The Richness In You was written in 1996, when I discovered I was to become a father. I didn't realise then that I was to share the pleasurable parenting of twins - nor did I imagine what fine, caring and compassionate young ladies they would grow up to be. They first flew the nest in 2015 - to study at universities in Lancashire and Gloucestershire. It was for Megan and Alice that I then wrote Pembrokeshire Fair. Five years later, equipped with impressive respective degrees in Korean and English Literature, they boldly moved to Asia to take up teaching positions at a Primary School in Korea. A re-worked version of their parting song brings the album to a fitting close.
"Finally, I would like to thank Lukas Drinkwater for helping me to bring these songs to life at his Polyphonic Recording studio. I'm indebted to his skill as a producer, musician and engineer - but also to his musical intuition. I wanted to retain the live feel of my previous recordings, with more polish and depth through the addition of additional instruments. Lukas helped me to reach this goal - and then some. Check out Lukas's own music by visiting his website www.lukasdrinkwater.com"
Too Soon It's Time To Fly can be downloaded and streamed from the usual digital platforms and Bandcamp (£5.00)- where you can also order a physical CD (£7.00 inc P&P in the UK): mikeweaver.bandcamp.com. For more information about Mike and his music, visit www.mikeweavermusic.com
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