Arts Council support for 12 Silk Handkerchiefs Tour
Photo by Rachel Snowdon
12 Silk Handkerchiefs, Reg Meuross’s thirteenth album inspired by Brian W. Lavery’s book The Headscarf Revolutionaries, opens a window on Hull’s Hessle Road fishing community in the aftermath of the Triple Trawler Disaster of 1968.
After three sellout performances in Hull that recreated and expanded upon the original song cycle, the singer-songwriter is now taking the show on a national tour this Autumn supported by public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Joined on stage by stalwarts of the Hull folk scene, musicians Mick McGarry and Sam Martyn, Reg’s powerful songs are interwoven with narration from author Brian W. Lavery and an audio/visual show that includes rarely-seen archive footage, photos and audio from the time of the disaster. Three Hull trawlers, the St Romanus, the Kingston Peridot and the Ross Cleveland perished and 58 men died in what became known as the Dark Winter.
Fighting fishwife Lillian Billoca’s subsequent successful campaign for improved trawler safety; sole survivor Harry Eddom who returned to sea just 11 weeks after the sinking; and the superstitions, lives and deaths of all those affected: all of these stories are contained within a fascinating and moving work of social and political history described as Meuross’s “most important work to date” by Pennyblack Music.
Reg himself says: “12 Silk Handkerchiefs is a classic tale of ordinary people doing extraordinary things, and the mighty strength of the human spirit. For years the Hull trawlermen and their families fought for survival in the harshest of working conditions: frozen seas with very little safety or protection. It took Lillian and her fellow revolutionaries to fight the companies who were exploiting this community’s poverty and need for work. They took on the Government itself until desperately needed changes in the safety laws were made.
"If ever there was a story of survival vs. greed, honour vs. entitlement, courage and bravery vs. careless exploitation this is it. I believe such a story in living memory needs to be told now, and remembered for the future."
Those fans of Reg’s music so accustomed to seeing his intimate solo performances at folk clubs and festivals across the land will be stunned by the power of this show, and those new to him will find it impossible not to be moved by this emotional and humbling tribute to the many, many lives lost to what was once the most dangerous industry in the world.
For further information and full tour dates, visit www.regmeuross.com/12SH
After three sellout performances in Hull that recreated and expanded upon the original song cycle, the singer-songwriter is now taking the show on a national tour this Autumn supported by public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Joined on stage by stalwarts of the Hull folk scene, musicians Mick McGarry and Sam Martyn, Reg’s powerful songs are interwoven with narration from author Brian W. Lavery and an audio/visual show that includes rarely-seen archive footage, photos and audio from the time of the disaster. Three Hull trawlers, the St Romanus, the Kingston Peridot and the Ross Cleveland perished and 58 men died in what became known as the Dark Winter.
Fighting fishwife Lillian Billoca’s subsequent successful campaign for improved trawler safety; sole survivor Harry Eddom who returned to sea just 11 weeks after the sinking; and the superstitions, lives and deaths of all those affected: all of these stories are contained within a fascinating and moving work of social and political history described as Meuross’s “most important work to date” by Pennyblack Music.
Reg himself says: “12 Silk Handkerchiefs is a classic tale of ordinary people doing extraordinary things, and the mighty strength of the human spirit. For years the Hull trawlermen and their families fought for survival in the harshest of working conditions: frozen seas with very little safety or protection. It took Lillian and her fellow revolutionaries to fight the companies who were exploiting this community’s poverty and need for work. They took on the Government itself until desperately needed changes in the safety laws were made.
"If ever there was a story of survival vs. greed, honour vs. entitlement, courage and bravery vs. careless exploitation this is it. I believe such a story in living memory needs to be told now, and remembered for the future."
Those fans of Reg’s music so accustomed to seeing his intimate solo performances at folk clubs and festivals across the land will be stunned by the power of this show, and those new to him will find it impossible not to be moved by this emotional and humbling tribute to the many, many lives lost to what was once the most dangerous industry in the world.
For further information and full tour dates, visit www.regmeuross.com/12SH
Jesse Marchant announces European tour dates
Jesse Marchant is a Swiss-Canadian multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and record producer based in New York City. Marchant, who has released four studio albums to date, is excited to announce a European tour - with UK dates in December, in support of his most recent album Illusion Of Love.
Illusion of Love is the sound of awakening and emergence, from crises both personal and political. It’s a farewell to isolation, ushering in an album full of buoyant, triumphant Indie–folk-rock anthems.
Jesse has completed numerous headline tours of the US and Canada, whilst performing high profile support slots for the likes of Mercury Prize-winning group Alt-J, Other Lives, Nathaniel Ratecliff, Sondre Lerche, Rogue Wave, Cloud Cult, Heartless Bastards, Local Natives, AA Bondy, Damien Jurado, and many more. Marchant's songs have also featured on several Emmy Award-winning shows including Grey's Anatomy, Parenthood, Shameless, The Blacklist, Eyewitness, and Bones.
Jesse also produced several of his own music videos, including two live in studio video albums and a trilogy starring Christopher Abbott and Amanda Seyfried. In 2018 Marchant produced the Official Video for Sister, I, directed by Brady Corbet, winner of two Golden Lions at the Venice film festival.
His short UK tour starts in London on Tuesday 10th December and concludes in Glasgow on Friday 13th December. For more information and full tour dates visit www.jessemarchant.com
Illusion of Love is the sound of awakening and emergence, from crises both personal and political. It’s a farewell to isolation, ushering in an album full of buoyant, triumphant Indie–folk-rock anthems.
Jesse has completed numerous headline tours of the US and Canada, whilst performing high profile support slots for the likes of Mercury Prize-winning group Alt-J, Other Lives, Nathaniel Ratecliff, Sondre Lerche, Rogue Wave, Cloud Cult, Heartless Bastards, Local Natives, AA Bondy, Damien Jurado, and many more. Marchant's songs have also featured on several Emmy Award-winning shows including Grey's Anatomy, Parenthood, Shameless, The Blacklist, Eyewitness, and Bones.
Jesse also produced several of his own music videos, including two live in studio video albums and a trilogy starring Christopher Abbott and Amanda Seyfried. In 2018 Marchant produced the Official Video for Sister, I, directed by Brady Corbet, winner of two Golden Lions at the Venice film festival.
His short UK tour starts in London on Tuesday 10th December and concludes in Glasgow on Friday 13th December. For more information and full tour dates visit www.jessemarchant.com
Canadian traditions brought to British Summertime
Storytelling through song is a fundamental duty of traditional music and Newfoundland, Canada’s Matthew Byrne does this brilliantly, including on his latest album Horizon Lines, released last year.
Matthew has now announced a string of UK tour dates this summer including performances at Warwick Folk Festival and The Sidmouth Folk Festival.
With parents who were both singers and song collectors, Byrne’s repertoire has been shaped by his musical upbringing while developing his own fascination with unearthing and reimagining traditional songs. He supports this tradition with powerful vocals, polished guitar work, and a presence that fills the room.
“I’m not a folklorist or ethnomusicologist, at least not officially. And I’m not a purist. I’ve poured over the nuances of the pub standards as much as obscure murder ballads. What attracts me to a traditional song is the right combination of melody and language, both of which have always fascinated me.”
But Byrne is also a student of history whose love of traditional music goes well beyond words and music. For him, songs are ways of understanding people... their lives, work, language, and worldview.
Matthew is currently supporting his newest release, Horizon Lines - a collection of traditional material from both sides of the Atlantic - that continues his journey through his own unique musical lineage. This album won Traditional Recording of the Year at the 2018 Canadian Folk Music Awards, duplicating the achievement of his previous release, Hearts & Heroes. Matthew is thrilled to bring his unique repertoire to UK audiences for the first time as he continues to establish himself as one of today’s most authentic and vital traditional voices.
For full UK tour dates and more information, visit www.matthewbyrne.net
Matthew has now announced a string of UK tour dates this summer including performances at Warwick Folk Festival and The Sidmouth Folk Festival.
With parents who were both singers and song collectors, Byrne’s repertoire has been shaped by his musical upbringing while developing his own fascination with unearthing and reimagining traditional songs. He supports this tradition with powerful vocals, polished guitar work, and a presence that fills the room.
“I’m not a folklorist or ethnomusicologist, at least not officially. And I’m not a purist. I’ve poured over the nuances of the pub standards as much as obscure murder ballads. What attracts me to a traditional song is the right combination of melody and language, both of which have always fascinated me.”
But Byrne is also a student of history whose love of traditional music goes well beyond words and music. For him, songs are ways of understanding people... their lives, work, language, and worldview.
Matthew is currently supporting his newest release, Horizon Lines - a collection of traditional material from both sides of the Atlantic - that continues his journey through his own unique musical lineage. This album won Traditional Recording of the Year at the 2018 Canadian Folk Music Awards, duplicating the achievement of his previous release, Hearts & Heroes. Matthew is thrilled to bring his unique repertoire to UK audiences for the first time as he continues to establish himself as one of today’s most authentic and vital traditional voices.
For full UK tour dates and more information, visit www.matthewbyrne.net
New album and UK tour for Le Vent du Nord
Long ago, Samuel de Champlain, the French explorer of what is now Eastern Canada, had a dream: that in the new territory he had explored, all might raise their voices together, indigenous and European, of all faiths, a chorus of different perspectives, cultures, and ideas. It was a dream forgotten, deferred, but one that resonates with where Canadians find themselves now.
Le Vent du Nord, feisty torch bearers of Quebecois traditional music, bring this dream (Le Pays de Samuel) and others to life on Territoires (Borealis Records) the group’s richest, most intriguing album to date. From the plight of New France (Louisbourg) to progressive social changes (Evolution Tranquille) a nod to the mid-century quiet revolution that led to Quebec’s rebirth, from mysterious monsters (Chaousaro) to love’s yearnings (Le Soir Arrive), the now five-person ensemble travels far and wide.
“We wanted to explore the quest for territories, physical or internal, or territories that don’t exist yet,” says fiddler Olivier Demers. “They are also impressions, colours and sentiments, a way of feeling, extreme joy or deep sadness.” The new album has sparked an entirely new show around these themes, a show that will be showcased at Folk Alliance International in Montreal. (the band was awarded Folk Artist of the Year at FAI in 2006!)
Le Vent du Nord’s dream has always been to bring a contemporary, highly original sensibility to the songs and melodies preserved in archives or treasured in family troves. Through thoughtful engagement with songs’ stories and artful arrangements, the ensemble pushes Quebec folk music forward, with an ear open to the world and its current travails. This means finding timely messages in long-lost tales, crafting tight and moving vocal harmonies, and getting whirling dance tunes still cherished in many towns and families to groove hard.
“We’re really added a bit of groovy stuff to this album,” says fiddler and foot tapper André Brunet, who recently joined the group after years with Quebecois legends La Bottine Souriante,“ and several songs have a riff with a bouzouki and bass. We’ve left things more open, skipping the answers in the traditional call and response sections and putting a bit of effects on the lead vocal. The sound turned out really rich.”
The richness has developed noticeably over time. With nearly 2,000 concerts, two Juno Awards, hundreds of tours across the globe, and ten albums to their credit, the band has had time to come into its own. “We are proud to call ourselves an established ensemble,” says Demers. “We’re mature and are creating at the peak of our confidence and power.”
The new album, Territoires is out now - and the band will be touring it in the UK this year. For more information and dates, please visit the website leventdunord.com
Le Vent du Nord, feisty torch bearers of Quebecois traditional music, bring this dream (Le Pays de Samuel) and others to life on Territoires (Borealis Records) the group’s richest, most intriguing album to date. From the plight of New France (Louisbourg) to progressive social changes (Evolution Tranquille) a nod to the mid-century quiet revolution that led to Quebec’s rebirth, from mysterious monsters (Chaousaro) to love’s yearnings (Le Soir Arrive), the now five-person ensemble travels far and wide.
“We wanted to explore the quest for territories, physical or internal, or territories that don’t exist yet,” says fiddler Olivier Demers. “They are also impressions, colours and sentiments, a way of feeling, extreme joy or deep sadness.” The new album has sparked an entirely new show around these themes, a show that will be showcased at Folk Alliance International in Montreal. (the band was awarded Folk Artist of the Year at FAI in 2006!)
Le Vent du Nord’s dream has always been to bring a contemporary, highly original sensibility to the songs and melodies preserved in archives or treasured in family troves. Through thoughtful engagement with songs’ stories and artful arrangements, the ensemble pushes Quebec folk music forward, with an ear open to the world and its current travails. This means finding timely messages in long-lost tales, crafting tight and moving vocal harmonies, and getting whirling dance tunes still cherished in many towns and families to groove hard.
“We’re really added a bit of groovy stuff to this album,” says fiddler and foot tapper André Brunet, who recently joined the group after years with Quebecois legends La Bottine Souriante,“ and several songs have a riff with a bouzouki and bass. We’ve left things more open, skipping the answers in the traditional call and response sections and putting a bit of effects on the lead vocal. The sound turned out really rich.”
The richness has developed noticeably over time. With nearly 2,000 concerts, two Juno Awards, hundreds of tours across the globe, and ten albums to their credit, the band has had time to come into its own. “We are proud to call ourselves an established ensemble,” says Demers. “We’re mature and are creating at the peak of our confidence and power.”
The new album, Territoires is out now - and the band will be touring it in the UK this year. For more information and dates, please visit the website leventdunord.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.
You can catch The Kilpecks on the road this year at: HowTheLightGetsIn Fetsival (Hay-on-Wye) - Sunday 26th May - 4:30pm; Tram Inn - Eardisley - Sunday 26th May - 7pm; Wessex Folk Festival - June 2nd; Folk on the Quay - June 29th; Square and Compass - Dorset - June 29th 9-11pm and Beer on the Wye Festival - July 6th
The Kilpecks are excited to add our 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.
You can catch The Kilpecks on the road this year at: HowTheLightGetsIn Fetsival (Hay-on-Wye) - Sunday 26th May - 4:30pm; Tram Inn - Eardisley - Sunday 26th May - 7pm; Wessex Folk Festival - June 2nd; Folk on the Quay - June 29th; Square and Compass - Dorset - June 29th 9-11pm and Beer on the Wye Festival - July 6th
The Kilpecks are excited to add our 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
A perfect introduction to Ben's music
Devon-based singer-songwriter Ben Morgan-Brown’s new E.P. Nameless Gold is a live in the studio, one guitar and one voice affair, capturing the moment of performance with no edits or overdubs.
With a summer of festival appearances booked the new record (due for release on May 3rd), will be the perfect introduction to Ben’s music for new fans, and for those that have seen him perform live in the 18 months since he left his job to pursue his music.
The ‘live in the studio, no edits, no overdubs’ recording style perfectly encapsulate the intricate, warm and honest nature of his music. Recorded between breakfast and lunch one chilly January morning, it features three songs and two instrumentals, all of which demonstrate Ben’s growing mastery of the acoustic guitar, a new confidence in his singing, and the continued development of his artistic voice.
Opening instrumental Windowsills sets the reflective mood that the E.P. takes - it’s open-tuned guitar and poignant melody a trademark of Ben’s music that fans of Nick Drake and Bert Jansch will enjoy.
The title track Nameless Gold was inspired by the moment Ben held his new wedding ring, recast using the gold from his late father’s ring, for the first time. Holding that piece of metal, now without a hallmark, thinking about all the time it had been on his father’s hand. The raw emotion of that moment is captured in his delicate guitar playing and plaintive vocal.
Ten Years Passing, an uncharacteristically upbeat fingerstyle blues in open C tuning, sees Ben reflecting on the passage of time and how a decade of one’s life can seemingly has in the blink of an eye.
The second instrumental Let A Sleeping Dog Lie Pts 1 & 2, with it’s shifting dynamics and tempo was, at one point, the only piece of music that Ben’s young rescue Border Collie Jake would settle down to and again it show Ben’s dextrous fingerpicking and ear for a tune that can be carried by guitar alone.
Closing track Only So Young, described by Ben as a ‘chipper but sad song’ again concerns the passing of time - inspired by two photographs of his father, one of him holding Ben the day he was born, the other father and son side-by-side just months before he died, Ben sings of ‘biding his time’ and realising that life is something that can pass you by whilst you are waiting for it to happen.
For more information about Nameless Gold, and to findout where you can catch Ben on the road in 2019, visit benmorganbrown.co.uk
With a summer of festival appearances booked the new record (due for release on May 3rd), will be the perfect introduction to Ben’s music for new fans, and for those that have seen him perform live in the 18 months since he left his job to pursue his music.
The ‘live in the studio, no edits, no overdubs’ recording style perfectly encapsulate the intricate, warm and honest nature of his music. Recorded between breakfast and lunch one chilly January morning, it features three songs and two instrumentals, all of which demonstrate Ben’s growing mastery of the acoustic guitar, a new confidence in his singing, and the continued development of his artistic voice.
Opening instrumental Windowsills sets the reflective mood that the E.P. takes - it’s open-tuned guitar and poignant melody a trademark of Ben’s music that fans of Nick Drake and Bert Jansch will enjoy.
The title track Nameless Gold was inspired by the moment Ben held his new wedding ring, recast using the gold from his late father’s ring, for the first time. Holding that piece of metal, now without a hallmark, thinking about all the time it had been on his father’s hand. The raw emotion of that moment is captured in his delicate guitar playing and plaintive vocal.
Ten Years Passing, an uncharacteristically upbeat fingerstyle blues in open C tuning, sees Ben reflecting on the passage of time and how a decade of one’s life can seemingly has in the blink of an eye.
The second instrumental Let A Sleeping Dog Lie Pts 1 & 2, with it’s shifting dynamics and tempo was, at one point, the only piece of music that Ben’s young rescue Border Collie Jake would settle down to and again it show Ben’s dextrous fingerpicking and ear for a tune that can be carried by guitar alone.
Closing track Only So Young, described by Ben as a ‘chipper but sad song’ again concerns the passing of time - inspired by two photographs of his father, one of him holding Ben the day he was born, the other father and son side-by-side just months before he died, Ben sings of ‘biding his time’ and realising that life is something that can pass you by whilst you are waiting for it to happen.
For more information about Nameless Gold, and to findout where you can catch Ben on the road in 2019, visit benmorganbrown.co.uk
Stroll On, Steve's acclaimed debut album, was first released in 1974.
In the early 1980s Steve made two albums for the UK Peace Movement called the 'Demo' Tapes. They were released on cassette only.
The 1990 album Mysterious Ways featured the Steve Ashley Band.
Stroll On, reissued in 1999 with a new cover and extra tracks.
Everyday Lives, album number seven, was released on Topic Records in 2001.
Time and Tide was Steve's ninth solo album, released in 2007.
Fire and Wine: An Armchair Guide to
Steve Ashley by Dave Thompson (Biography, paperback, published 2013) Covering Steve’s fifty year journey, the book includes interviews with many old friends, including Fairporters, Dave Pegg, Chris Leslie, Bruce Rowland and Maartin Allcock, plus Shirley Collins, Linda Thompson and Colin Irwin. Now he has a book to sell on gigs along with his many albums, and after successful duos with Al Fenn and Dik Cadbury he’s made a renewed commitment to live performance, pared down now to just the man and his guitar. For further details visit steveashley.co.uk |
Steve Ashley: still strolling on, 40 years on!
 Simon Nicol and Steve Ashley at Dave Pegg's 60th birthday concert
Steve Ashley is one of the most enduring singer-songwriters on the contemporary folk scene. It's now forty years since the release of his groundbreaking album Stroll On - a collection of thoughtful self-penned songs which drew on the tradition of English folk, but added a cutting edge and reached out to an entirely different audience.
Over the years Steve's material has been covered by many leading folk artists including Fairport Convention, Martin & Jessica Simpson, Anne Briggs, Maggie Boyle, Grace Notes, Wizz Jones, The Bushwackers, St Agnes Fountain, Phil Beer and The Owl Service. The songs are just as relevant today - and four decades on he is still writing, performing and considering recording 'one last album.' I first interviewed Steve in the late 1970s, before a concert in Cheltenham which previewed his forthcoming album Rare Old Men. He was still at the vanguard of the British singer-songwriter scene, yet the album was never released; after meeting him again forty years later, I found out why. "The first two albums, Stroll On (1974) and Speedy Return (1975) were put out on the Gull label, which was a subsidiary of DECCA. Then, to my great surprise, the company did a marketing and distribution deal with Motown in the USA. So both albums were released in the states through Motown. And two extensive tours of America were arranged for me.” said Steve. “I supported Gene Clark, The Chris Hillman Band, Tracey Nelson, Jimmy Buffet, Leon Redbone and many others. The gigs were mostly along the east coast and down into the south. There were also a couple of nights in Toronto.” "But just after the release of Speedy Return and immediately before the start of my second US tour, Motown pulled out of its agreement with Gull. Shortly after that the label had to cut back on its commitments, so along with others on the label I lost my contract with them and the project was shelved. But quite a few of the songs made it on to later albums." Yet his solo performances in the States didn't go un-noticed. After his 1975 solo performance in Greenwich Village, Variety Magazine said "Steve Ashley of London is a delightful surprise ... The performer not only sings his originals well, but has one of the funniest of dry stage raps. His voice is good. His originals are sensitive, ex-of the Albion Country Band, Ashley can hold an audience." But getting himself heard in America wasn't always easy. "I found myself in Dallas, singing a song about an English winter in a state where the seasons and weather patterns are very different . A few songs in, there was an awful lot of noise and I was beginning to wonder how I could get them to listen. I tried a blues number on the harmonica, but even that failed to cut through. Then I lowered the volume and quietly sang 'The Foggy Dew' unaccompanied. There was complete silence for that with solid applause at the end. From then on, once I’d got their attention, the rest of the songs went down well." Listening is the key to appreciating Steve's music. The songs are always delicately structured, under-pinned with a strong message delivered through thought-provoking lyrics. He was an active peace campaigner in the 1980s, and his gently persuasive messages still cut through his music today. His present live tour features a diverse set with songs about Iraq, Trident, racial harmony, atheism, apples, orchards and loving relationships, all couched in his irrepressible good humour. "Although many of my songs are controversial, I try to present them in a way that makes them accessible to everyone. But inevitably there are challenging moments. After one gig where I sang the Trident song, ‘Ships of Shame’ I was approached by a former submariner who had served on one of the subs and to my amazement he was very courteous and friendly. He said he felt no shame on board but then said he thought it was a very good song." After a career in which he secured the respect of his peers, played in various bands and wrote music for a number of projects - including television - Steve took an eight-year break from live performance in 1992. After his return one of his best-loved songs Best Wishes, was written as a blessing to his fellow musicians, many of whom had seen their careers grow and prosper during his long absence. "The folk scene had lost its edge for me at that time and I stopped recording and performing, turning my attention to writing and designing campaigns for various charities and pressure groups. But in the end, with the reissue of Stroll On I was drawn back to the stage and now I’m happy to be on it again. When I turned sixty I had a big concert party with many old musical chums. Just prior to their arrival I realised how important those friendships were to me and the value that live music held for us all and I managed to express that in Best Wishes." Fairport Convention later concluded two albums with the song, first on Sense of Occasion and then a live version on Live At Cropredy 08. In 1999, the re-issue of Stroll On was welcomed by the music press, especially Mojo, who said "The passing of time has confirmed two things about Steve Ashley's debut. First, it's up there with Liege and Lief, the first Steeleye Album and Christy Moore's Prosperous, a masterpiece of its kind. Second, it is still a best-kept-secret. A beautiful, rich and deeply atmospheric collection of songs, very English - like a musical impression of Dickens, Victorian Christmas cards and Thomas Hardy's Wessex..." Following the re-release of the album, Steve contacted Dave Pegg of Fairport Convention. "Peggy” - he said, I'm coming back. Can you put me on at Cropredy?" "I'm afraid we're fully booked, said Peggy, but why don't you join us on stage." "So I did...” Steve explained: "...first at the traditional warm-up gig in the Mill Arts Centre at Banbury, and then on the Saturday night headliner. After an eight-year break I was very apprehensive facing 20,000 people gathered in the field - but it was great to be up there with Fairport to sing Fire and Wine." Two years later, Steve's seventh album Everyday Lives was released on Topic. "I was pleasantly surprised when they took it on. I’d always admired Topic but it is the quintessential traditional label, and the purists hadn't always been open to my songs. In the early days it was very difficult for young songwriters to break into traditional folk clubs, and although things have improved, there is still a lot of daft prejudice towards original songs. However, Topic were very supportive and enthusiastic about both the albums I made for them and I think they are among the best I’ve made" The second one for Topic was Steve's ninth solo album in 2007 (the eighth was a live one, released the previous year). The ninth - Time and Tide - was described as 'a modern day masterpiece' by fRoots magazine. The Guardian said "... sturdy melodies are matched with a rare blend of emotion and anger. Ashley may not be prolific but his songs are worth the wait." A fresh interest in Steve's music generated thereafter and resulted in many more artists covering his songs. He marked forty years of recording with a special concert at Cheltenham Town Hall in 2009 - with strings arranged by Nick Drake’s arranger, his old friend Robert Kirby, a long-time musical collaborator, who sadly died later that year. In 2013 the respected rock author Dave Thompson published a musical biography called Fire and Wine - an armchair guide to Steve Ashley; the title taken from one of Steve's most popular songs. (See column left for further information). "I'm back where I was in the Stroll On days, just me and the guitar out on the road. But I’m 68 now, and like everyone at my age things aren't quite what they once were. I’ve developed a circulatory disorder called Raynaud's which affects the finger tips in cold weather. So it makes it difficult to play a full set during the winter." But Steve is on the road this side of Christmas - and will be out there again next Spring and through to the Autumn. That one last album seems to call. He played me his latest song, ‘People In Love’ which is quite wonderful. There are, I am convinced, a lot more where that came from. "I've been thinking of doing another album. And if I do it will probably just be me and the guitar; that's more or less how I play now. I've done many big productions on previous albums but the new songs are very direct and intimate and if I can, I’d like to present them in that way - stripped back, clear and simple." Finally: the state of the nation. Who is out there to take up the baton and carry it forward? "Oh, I don’t know. There are lots of hugely skilled young musicians out there and some talented songwriters too. There are college courses in traditional music now, and a high level of musicianship is emerging. In many ways these are exciting times for lovers of folk music. But a surprising amount of young folkies seem to focus on the past and disconnect from contemporary life. When I was young we were fortunate to have some brilliant elder song writers in the British folk scene like Ewan MacColl, Sidney Carter and Ian Campbell. All of them loved traditional songs as well. But they took on big contemporary issues in their songs and they inspired a passionate political and ethical engagement with the world. Our great traditional repertoire is still there of course but for the folk tradition to make any real sense in today’s world it needs to foster radical contemporary songs. From what I’ve heard in the clubs you’re still more likely to hear a song about Napoleon than a song about Iraq. There are some notable exceptions of course – and more power to them - but we are living in hard and dangerous times. And songs can bear powerful witness to them. Folk songs are songs of the people and we the people need new songs that engage with the real challenges we face today. I still believe that songs can make a real difference to the world and influence change. And we need them now more than ever.” Steve Ashley's influence is still powerful. His ability to write a song that will move your heart and make you think is as strong as it ever was. I, for one, can't wait to hear the next album (This Little Game - due for release in February 2015) Mike Weaver (August 2014) For more information visit www.steveashley.co.uk |
Bright Morning Star will shine again this Christmas
It's one of our favourite Christmas traditions (well, since last year): listening to Bella Hardy's wonderful album Bright Morning Star. The good news is that Bella is on the festive road again this December. She took time out of her busy schedule to talk to Armandaleg Music's Mike Weaver. (Interview: Dec 2013)
MW: For me, Bright Morning Star was one of the musical highlights of last Christmas, with some magical interpretations of classic songs. Will this year's tour feature any new material?
BH: Well that's very kind of you! Yes, there's some new material this year; I've actually finally managed to write my own original Christmas song! This is the fourth year of the tour, so it's taken a while…There's so many Christmas songs that I love, I try to include a few different ones each year so there's always something new. So many of them encapsulate the emotions of the season so well. I think Christmas itself causes a kind of concentration of feeling, be that positive or negative sensation. The job of any great song is to translate these feelings, so I think Christmas music has an amazing head start, and this results in very powerful songs.
MW: Battleplan seemed to take your songwriting into a new, more personal direction.Will the upcoming Christmas tour reflect this too, or are you sticking to a more traditional flavour?
BH: Battleplan is definitely more overtly personal than my previous records, but actually the songs I've recorded have always been very personal to me, I just tend to hide myself into lyrics so you can't tell! In every song, be it one of my own, traditional, or a cover, I'm putting myself into the character or the story, finding Stanislavski's 'chink in the armour'. If I can't do that, I don't sing it. I make every song about myself, I'm very egocentric! But hopefully I'm taking the listener with me as well, and they're putting themselves into the story too. I think it's the only way to achieve any suspension of disbelief. And nobody wants to watch a faker. I don't think I've every managed to sing 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' without fighting back tears.
MW: So, what influenced your choice of songs for Bright Morning Star? Are they tunes which remind you of family Christmas traditions or songs which have any particular nostalgic connections?
BH: There's a whole mix of influences when it comes to the Bright Morning Star songs. The first is definitely the festive traditions back home, the carols of South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire. Castleton is my local traditional carol village, it's just over the hill from Edale. I recorded 'Down In Yon Forest', collected in Castleton by Vaughan Williams in 1908, on my debut CD Night Visiting, and then another Castleton song 'All In The Morning' on 'In The Shadow of Mountains'.
It seemed only natural to take these carols on the road. Christmas and the singing that goes hand in hand with it is very much a community experience for me; we've always sung in the village choir, and done carols door to door back home; I'm really just trying to take this great feeling of community and home and belonging on the road with me. I pick any songs, old or new, that can communicate that.
MW: You've just returned from a grand musical tour of Canada; did you learn anything of Christmas traditions there?
BH: I'm afraid not! I was there September to October, I really missed the season! Well actually Cara Luft sang a couple of beautiful Canadian Christmas songs to me, so who knows what Christmas crossovers the future holds...
MW: The Bright Morning Star tour looks like a heavy schedule up and down the country, in a variety of different venues. Do you try and select more intimate settings to add to the atmosphere?
BH: There's always a great variety of venues, from front rooms to churches to formal theatre spaces. We create the intimacy with the music (of course), but I give it a helping hand with a ridiculous amount of baubles and fairy lights! I basically spend the whole month untangling the things! But that's an important Christmas tradition, right?
MW: Right! But will you be 'Christmassed Out' by the end of the tour, or will you still be up for more songs around the piano in Edale?
BH: I have never managed to get 'Christmassed Out'. Not a chance. I try and put off any festivities until advent starts to avoid over stretching it. Well, apart from tour preparations, plum brandy and Christmas Cake making in November that is. OK, who am I kidding!
MW: So is it back to Edinburgh for Hogmanay, and straight back to work in the New Year?
BH: New Year's Day 2013, I wrote a newsletter and made my sister Emma design the 'Battleplan' CD cover with me… maybe we'll take the day off this time!
MW: You will be 30 next year (sorry!) and I think a special milestone tour is planned to mark the occasion. Will there be a new album to go with it?
BH: Please don't be sorry! I'm not! I'm very excited about the whole thing. Yes, I turn 30 in May, and I'm hitting the road with my band The Midnight Watch for a tour called 'Thirty for 30'; thirty gigs for my 30th birthday! There won't be an album with it, I think you've all heard quite enough from me for a while! But I will have a little EP of birthday songs to celebrate the occasion.
MW: Thanks for finding the time to talk to us, Bella. Every success with Bright Morning Star and your future projects. (December 2013)
For more information and tour dates go to www.bellahardy.com
MW: For me, Bright Morning Star was one of the musical highlights of last Christmas, with some magical interpretations of classic songs. Will this year's tour feature any new material?
BH: Well that's very kind of you! Yes, there's some new material this year; I've actually finally managed to write my own original Christmas song! This is the fourth year of the tour, so it's taken a while…There's so many Christmas songs that I love, I try to include a few different ones each year so there's always something new. So many of them encapsulate the emotions of the season so well. I think Christmas itself causes a kind of concentration of feeling, be that positive or negative sensation. The job of any great song is to translate these feelings, so I think Christmas music has an amazing head start, and this results in very powerful songs.
MW: Battleplan seemed to take your songwriting into a new, more personal direction.Will the upcoming Christmas tour reflect this too, or are you sticking to a more traditional flavour?
BH: Battleplan is definitely more overtly personal than my previous records, but actually the songs I've recorded have always been very personal to me, I just tend to hide myself into lyrics so you can't tell! In every song, be it one of my own, traditional, or a cover, I'm putting myself into the character or the story, finding Stanislavski's 'chink in the armour'. If I can't do that, I don't sing it. I make every song about myself, I'm very egocentric! But hopefully I'm taking the listener with me as well, and they're putting themselves into the story too. I think it's the only way to achieve any suspension of disbelief. And nobody wants to watch a faker. I don't think I've every managed to sing 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' without fighting back tears.
MW: So, what influenced your choice of songs for Bright Morning Star? Are they tunes which remind you of family Christmas traditions or songs which have any particular nostalgic connections?
BH: There's a whole mix of influences when it comes to the Bright Morning Star songs. The first is definitely the festive traditions back home, the carols of South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire. Castleton is my local traditional carol village, it's just over the hill from Edale. I recorded 'Down In Yon Forest', collected in Castleton by Vaughan Williams in 1908, on my debut CD Night Visiting, and then another Castleton song 'All In The Morning' on 'In The Shadow of Mountains'.
It seemed only natural to take these carols on the road. Christmas and the singing that goes hand in hand with it is very much a community experience for me; we've always sung in the village choir, and done carols door to door back home; I'm really just trying to take this great feeling of community and home and belonging on the road with me. I pick any songs, old or new, that can communicate that.
MW: You've just returned from a grand musical tour of Canada; did you learn anything of Christmas traditions there?
BH: I'm afraid not! I was there September to October, I really missed the season! Well actually Cara Luft sang a couple of beautiful Canadian Christmas songs to me, so who knows what Christmas crossovers the future holds...
MW: The Bright Morning Star tour looks like a heavy schedule up and down the country, in a variety of different venues. Do you try and select more intimate settings to add to the atmosphere?
BH: There's always a great variety of venues, from front rooms to churches to formal theatre spaces. We create the intimacy with the music (of course), but I give it a helping hand with a ridiculous amount of baubles and fairy lights! I basically spend the whole month untangling the things! But that's an important Christmas tradition, right?
MW: Right! But will you be 'Christmassed Out' by the end of the tour, or will you still be up for more songs around the piano in Edale?
BH: I have never managed to get 'Christmassed Out'. Not a chance. I try and put off any festivities until advent starts to avoid over stretching it. Well, apart from tour preparations, plum brandy and Christmas Cake making in November that is. OK, who am I kidding!
MW: So is it back to Edinburgh for Hogmanay, and straight back to work in the New Year?
BH: New Year's Day 2013, I wrote a newsletter and made my sister Emma design the 'Battleplan' CD cover with me… maybe we'll take the day off this time!
MW: You will be 30 next year (sorry!) and I think a special milestone tour is planned to mark the occasion. Will there be a new album to go with it?
BH: Please don't be sorry! I'm not! I'm very excited about the whole thing. Yes, I turn 30 in May, and I'm hitting the road with my band The Midnight Watch for a tour called 'Thirty for 30'; thirty gigs for my 30th birthday! There won't be an album with it, I think you've all heard quite enough from me for a while! But I will have a little EP of birthday songs to celebrate the occasion.
MW: Thanks for finding the time to talk to us, Bella. Every success with Bright Morning Star and your future projects. (December 2013)
For more information and tour dates go to www.bellahardy.com