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Coming Soon!
New Album 'Live in Brittany' Released On Loftus Music, May 20th 2013 Track Listing:
Kevin Burke
Live In Brittany (2013 Kevin Burke, Christian Lemaître, Andre Brunet, Nicholas Quémener) See Tour Dates for May June in the UK + Artist Roster
Track Listing: 1. Lady of Light 2. Everything Must Grow Or Die 3. I Am A Life 4. You Tube Where Winds Never Blow 5. You Tube He Was The One (Burning Bad Things Away) 6. Long Ago 7. When We Were Young 8. Blue Retreat 9. Morning Hymn 10. On Behalf of Maesllyn Trees 11. Alan Superman 12. We Are Just Beginning Musicians: Richard Ellin & Harvey Summers Vocalist Ina Williams Additional Vocals Cecilia Jones & Joan Franclova.
Hello and welcome to And Did Those Feet’s fifth album. With only one instrumental track it’s our most song based release so far and features a new singer Joan Franclova and songwriter Bryan Ritz. 'Long Ago’ is like the reverse side of the coin from ‘When We Were Young’ as they are both about childhood but from different perspectives. I wrote it originally as part of an unfinished comedy musical called ‘Stanley Stanley and his family’ a tale of everyday northern folk. Apart from ‘When We Were Young’ , ‘Alan Superman’ and ‘Long Ago’ all of the songs were written within the last five years. The latest was ‘On Behalf of ‘Maesllyn Trees’ which is part of a new attempt at giving a voice to that which may not have one. Others in this new (for me) way of writing include someone who is trapped inside North Korea, someone whose pension is devalued and someone who is terminally ill from chronic arthritis. Hopefully some of these will be on the next release. Mention also goes to Harvey Summers whose arrangements always give good foundation to the songs. Final mention must go to the philosophical writings and teachings of Raymond Armin.
Over the years Richard Ellin’s group “And Did Those Feet” have developed enormous interest in their mysterious yet very spiritual music. It’s as if the composer found a channel into the past and fused it with the present. About the CD Image: Richard Ellin had always wanted to write a message on his working guitar in a similar vein to how Woody Guthrie labeled his instrument. So he started to experiment and whilst in the process of taking a picture of one of his scriblings his friends daughter entered the frame.
You Tube Dream of the Mountains + You Tube 'Mil Harddach Wyt'
We Are Just Beginning
Burning Bad Things Away Distribution: Proper Music Distribution All images used in the video Burning Bad Things Away are from the wonderful NASA
Colgarra brings together two very different musicians from the Irish music scene. Eugene Teevan, button accordion and flute and Joe Giltrap, vocals, guitar, bodhran and harmonica combine to produce a distinctive sound and repertoire that will keep those feet tapping. Eugene Teevan was born in Luton, to parents from Cavan and Monaghan. He started Eugene has competed in Fleadh’s all over Britain and Ireland. His proudest moment came at the 1988 Kilkenny Fleadh; when he won All-Ireland titles on flute and accordion - resulting in an invitation to tour Canada and the US with Comhaltas. A regular performer at sessions and festivals, Eugene has played with a number of bands down the years.
Kildare born, singer/songwriter Joe Giltrap, started his musical life on the folk and ballad scene in Ireland, before heading to London in the early 70’s where he teamed up with Malcolm Rogers to form Irish Mist. A Lifetime Achievement was later awarded to Joe, by The Irish World newspaper; and more recently he was honoured by his home town of Leixlip, Co. Kildare, for his services to folk music.
Brian McFadden knows what it’s like to have a hit, as part of Westlife he had seventeen top five singles and as a solo artist he’s had four number ones, however McFadden who is also a judge on Australia’s Got Talent used a brand new TV show called The Hit to find his latest release.
Songwriters sell their songs to established music stars; it’s the most important pitch of their lives. For the stars, getting the best song for themselves is the business of having a Hit. This is the basis for a new prime time TV show that will be seen for the first time on Irish Television.
David Francey - from carpenter to songwriter. Since leaving the construction business to record Torn Screen Door in 1999, Scottish-born Canadian David Francey is now recognized as one of today’s finest singer-songwriters. Francey’s straightforward songs tell honest stories of real people and real places. Poetic perception and a keen eye for the heart of the matter are trademarks of Francey and his music. His songs and stories are a direct connection for audiences seeking depth and meaning in the day-to-day. David has released nine CDs to date. His most recent, Late Edition, has garnered much praise receiving two Canadian Folk Music nominations. A three time JUNO award winner David Francey has also had the honour of receiving the prestigious SOCAN Folk Music Award. In the last few years he took home the Grand Prize in both the International Acoustic Music Awards and in the Folk category for the John Lennon Songwriting Awards. David Francey was born in 1954 in Ayrshire, Scotland where he got his first taste of the working life as a paperboy. At the age of ten he was devouring the newspapers he delivered, establishing a life-long interest in politics and world events while developing the social conscience that forms the backdrop of his songs. David was twelve when he and his family moved to Toronto. His love of the landscape, the history and the people of his adopted country can be traced back to family weekend drives exploring Southern Ontario. Music played a large part in these family outings. The Franceys sang traditional Scottish tunes as they drove through the Canadian countryside. David’s dad and sister sang melody while David and his mother sang harmonies. David’s attachment to Canada grew with his travels. He hitchhiked across the country three times and then thumbed his way to the Yukon. This attachment surfaces in his songs of rail lines, farms and the St. Lawrence Seaway. His understanding of the people grew as he worked in Toronto train yards, in the Yukon bush and in construction in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. In concert David Francey is a singer and a storyteller. His wry humour and astute observations combined with his open-hearted singing style have earned him a loyal following. Amongst the many artists who have recorded Francey songs are, The Del McCoury Band, Tracy Grammer, The Rankin Family, James Keelaghan, Raylene Rankin and Harvey Reid.
"Walking west along the road I heard a fairground carousel. I danced a tango. I sang a lullaby. I demanded a better future. I remembered young love. I spoke to a man who had little to say. I talked to the devil. I looked at the stars. I watched a man find courage.
Broadcaster - Songwriter - Musician - Playwright Eamon Friel is the son of a Mayo mother and Derry father. He writes about his life, experiences and his observations of the ever changing world that he sees around him. Born in London’s Stockwell with childhood summers spent in Ireland, the family left Stockwell and returned to his father’s troubled hometown of Derry, Londonderry, Stroke City call it what you will. " Summers were spent in County Mayo among my mother’s people on a farm. Like James Joyce in Paris murmuring the names of Dublin streets I still walk those fields of childhood in my mind…Maighne Mor, Ruan, Garrett’s Land, Cnoc An Chonai, The Noggan and Grawn. For a townie like me it was like living in the garden of Eden." Eamon Friel Friel is one of the few artists around that can say he was actually paid by radio to write topical, comic and satirical songs to order. He was at one time commissioned to write songs for BBC Radio Ulster’s “Talkback” the lunch time inter-active news programme. A task he often had to carry out at the drop of a hat to meet the changing political and social demands of the day. Full Pictorial bio with music
The Streets Forget (2012) THRCD 1008 Smarter (2009) Thran THRCD 1006
The Music Makers (2011)
The Harmogram Suite is the sixth album from the British modern classical - ambient composer Marvin Ayres. This two-disc CD-and-DVD package, recorded in 5.1 surround-sound consistent with the holographic concept, is in the best tradition of his diverse back catalogue of minimalist albums incorporating special soundscapes and psycho-acoustics. Harmogram is Marvin Ayres’ term to describe his hybridizing harmonics, harmony and hologram. His initial idea for the piece was that the ‘delivery’ of sound (i.e.: 5.1, 7.1 surround, etc) now seems to be almost as important as the ‘musical’ content and instrumentation involved. With Harmogram Suite, Marvin takes his listeners on a hugely emotional and dramatic journey in a musical piece written in six movements, over-dubbed with one hundred and forty layers, with every instrument and every part, played by Marvin, excepting the fifth movement which utilises a choir. During the recording process, different playing techniques, recording set ups and textures were used to produce an authentic full live orchestral sound. The result is a unique, modern classical musical sound composition. It was at a meeting towards the end of recording the album Harmogram Suites that Marvin met with Martyn Ware (Human League/Heaven 17). So enthusiastic was Martyn about the piece that he suggested to Marvin that the album should be mixed in 3D, with the intention of giving live performances, in combinations of players and 3D Sound System Orchestra. The release of Harmogram Suite comes as Marvin continues work on his latest project, Sacred Spaces: an ongoing and evolving performance/recording project, which visits both secular and non-secular places in search of the “sonic beauty” of each environment. Assisted by sound engineer Alex Siddall, Marvin’s instruments are randomly tuned to complement each environment and microphones used to pick up the full ambience of the space once excited by the cellos, violins and violas. His initial idea progressed from an unusual way of playing cello in the 'live' recording room: aiming towards being spiritual (in a non-religious sense), to discover how the randomly tuned cello “felt and breathed” with the player and the environment and responding to how the instrument played and resonated in the live room, with the criteria to create warm, beautiful and vibrational sound. Marvin states: “I found that by detuning my cello and improvising, it made the experience similar to playing a totally new instrument, enabling me to play with completely fresh ideas”. For more information about Marvin go to Artist Roster or visit Marvin's own website
“Dala seem bound for a loftier place where substance stands equal to style.” Juno nominees and winners of the 2010 Canadian Folk Music Award for Vocal Group of the Year, Amanda Walther and Sheila Carabine of Dala write and sing in harmony best described as angelic. These two best friends met in their high school music class in 2002; they have since released five albums and toured extensively across North America. Darlings of the Canadian music scene, Dala are now poised to bring their fresh brand of acoustic pop music to the world. “There’s nothing pretentious about Dala’s music; it’s stripped down and laid bare. That’s not to say it is without polish – far from it. Sheila Carabine and Amanda Walther have worked hard to exploit every facet of their extraordinary musical blend, which would be just as at home in a 1960s coffeehouse as it is now on the contemporary concert stage”. The sheer joy with which they perform is infectious, turning first-time listeners into instant fans. Dala are equally entertaining between songs, telling funny and down to earth stories that make every show unique. Dala’s album “Everyone Is Someone” was released in 2009 to critical acclaim. It earned them their fifth Canadian Folk Music Award nomination, a Toronto Independent Music Award for Best Folk Group, and it was touted by The Irish Post as the Album of the Year. The song “Horses” was nominated by National Public Radio in the US as one of the “Top Ten folk songs of 2009″. “Dala can sing! What beautiful flights of melody and harmony, reminiscent of the Everly Brothers, the Louvin Brothers, Emmylou Harris and associates; though Dala can trade a melody line and leave one wondering who is taking the lead and simply leave one behind when the harmonies kick in.” Peterborough Examiner Ontario For more information about Dala go to Artist Roster or visit Dala's own website.
Quebec’s progressive folk band Le Vent du Nord return with their seventh album entitled ‘Tromper Le Temps’ which translates as cheating or deceiving time! Renowned as ambassadors of Francophonie, Le Vent du Nord are also largely acknowledged as one of the key groups in Quebec’s traditional folk music revival. Since their formation in August 2002 the band has enjoyed great success which in turn has allowed them to take their music to other countries. Le Vent Du Nord (Wind from the North) perform traditional Québécois music in French which is heavily influenced by Celtic music from both Ireland and Brittany. The group use a very diverse range of musical instruments augmented by Québécois Foot Percussion presented via a most entertaining, energetic and engaging stage show. Tromper Le Temps “Cheating Time” is as much a statement as an observation. The album Tromper le Temps sees Le Vent du Nord pushing their own limits and exploring their vocal harmonies and musical textures. Through the course of the thirteen tracks the band takes us on a trip through several historical periods. The lyrics and poetic scenes that have marvellously survived the passage of time are wonderfully pertinent to our present day realities, socially, politically and personal. Like all artists Le Vent du Nord are not afraid to take chances and experiment in new musical areas. They thumb their nose at the passage of time and proudly continue to anchor their musical traditions in the present with fluid arrangements, great instrumentals and vocals, and the best in contemporary production. Le Vent du Nord have been the recipients of numerous awards. The latest arrived in the Spring of 2011, when they received their second Juno Award for their previous studio album La Part du Feu. Nicolas Boulerice (vocals, hurdy gurdy, piano, piano accordion) Olivier Demers (fiddle, electric guitar, clogging, mandolin, vocals) Trained as a violinist and also as a guitarist, Olivier started out in chamber music and Réjean Brunet (basses, diatonic accordion, jaw harp, piano, vocals) Réjean grew up in the village of Lacolle, Québec playing Quebecois traditional music as a very young boy. After performing with his brother (André, well-known for his work with La Bottine Souriante and the Celtic Fiddle Festival) as a duo and recording three albums, Réjean joined La Volée d’Castors. He toured with them for eight years releasing five albums whilst performing in Europe, Canada and the U.S A. Réjean is also frequently invited by traditional musicians such as Sabin Jacques, Richard Forest and Gaston Nolet to join them on stage or in the recording studio. he now showcases his great talent around the world. Simon Beaudry (vocals, bouzouki, guitar) Hailing from Saint-Côme, Québec, an environment where tradition is still very much alive.
Mike Donaghy has been making a name for himself in Ireland and the UK ever since releasing his first EP “January Never Came This Year” back in 2009. His music and writing has a very unique sound, occasionally being linked to folk, Americana and bluegrass. He remembers vividly sitting round the fire at home joining in and learning songs with such legends as the Clancy Brothers, June Tabor, Ralph McTell, Keiran Goss, Sonny Curtis and long time friends the Sands Family. His on stage instrumentation stems from his passion for music at a young age, and his eagerness to learn all types of music. At present, Mike plays guitar, piano, mandolin, lap steel, pedal steel, banjo, ukulele and saxophone. The variation of the music and collective skills of all his talent didn't go to waste on the young Mike. It's what he wanted to do, and he did. Mike has been a professional musician for some five years now, and spends most of his spare time writing. Since beginning his musical career he has gained many credits, including having a top ten in the folk download chart in New Jersey in 2010, five times number one in the NI and top twenty in Irish download chart four times, as well as writing music for film and TV. In 2011 his song ‘Brighter Days’ was used as a United Nations peace song and from there Mike and the band went on to perform at the World Peace Concert in Dublin during December of that year. Later this year they will play at another World Peace concert to be held in Rome.
Mike Donaghy: Vocals/Guitar/Mandolin/Piano/Drums Jody Headley: Backing Vocals --- Brian McClean: Backing Vocals/Whistles Richard Hodgen: Drums/Percussion --- Nick Scott: Bass Guitar/Drums/Percussion Rik Gay: Drums/Percussion --- Ivan McLernon: Dobro/Pedal Steel
The Plum Tree and the Rose is the third album by Sarah McQuaid, a gifted and captivating performer whose warm, haunting alto is delicately cradled by her “sparkling guitar” (Sing Out!). She is both song crafter and song collector, equally at home with traditional Irish and Appalachian folk songs, Elizabethan ballads and 1930s jazz numbers. Her musical output is a direct and unfolding reflection of her own eclectic background: Sarah was born in Spain, raised in Chicago, holds dual US and Irish citizenship, and currently lives in rural England. While the genre, era and geographical location of her songs may change, at their core is a musician who has soaked it all in – and, luckily for us, is able to eloquently express the stories she’s gathered. “Hardwick’s Lofty Towers” introduces a set of sister themes – spiritual questioning and the relationship between soul and place – that inspired a trio of originals dedicated to this topic: title track “The Plum Tree and the Rose” (track 12), “In Derby Cathedral” (track 5) and “Kenilworth” (track 4). “Living in the UK, I’m constantly struck by the powerful imprint made on the landscape here by thousands of years of human habitation,” Sarah explains. “And I think we all wonder at times about the big questions – why are we here, where are we going, does any part of us remain after we’ve gone. I’ve tried to address that in these songs.” A folk album is not complete without comment on our current socio-political climate, and Sarah does excellent justice to the global economic downturn on “The Sun Goes on Rising” (co-written with producer Gerry O’Beirne). As percussionist Liam Bradley’s shuffling snare sets a tone of relentless perseverance, the fear of debt and poverty is embodied in the proverbial lurking “wolf at the door” – but, as the chorus points out, there’s hope for the patient. Also co-authored with O’Beirne are “So Much Rain,” a rumination on lost love and the changing of seasons, with Sarah’s plangent guitar and string-like vocal harmonies embellished by gossamer piano backing from Rod McVey, and “What Are We Going To Do,” an old-fashioned ‘first kiss’ song in the Golden Age style of Rodgers & Hart, George Gershwin and Cole Porter. Sarah’s cover of “Solid Air,” the late John Martyn’s tribute to Nick Drake, is delivered here as a soulful duet, this time with Bill Blackmore on trumpet; other surprises include “S’Anc Fuy Belha Ni Prezada,” a 13th century “alba” or dawn song sung in Old Occitan, a sparse arrangement for voice and DADGAD-tuned guitar of Elizabethan composer John Dowland’s “Can She Excuse My Wrongs,” and “New Oysters New,” a three-part canon published in 1609 by Thomas Ravenscroft, featuring guest vocalists Niamh Parsons and Tom Barry. The album closes with Sarah’s original six-part canon of Thanksgiving, “In Gratitude I Sing.”
The Plum Tree and The Rose was released in March on the US-based Waterbug label (www.waterbug.com) and reached No. 3 on the Folk Radio Chart, No. 4 on the UK Roots Radio Airplay Chart and No. 5 on the Euro Americana chart! Release Date: March 2012
The Sun Goes On Rising + Solid Air + The Duke of Somersette's Dompe 3-Track Single - Release Date: February 2012 Label: Waterbug Records The Sun Goes On Rising is the first single from The Plum Tree and the Rose, the forthcoming third album by Sarah McQuaid, featuring two tracks from the album plus a bonus guitar instrumental. Sarah McQuaid is a gifted and captivating performer whose warm, haunting alto is delicately cradled by her “sparkling guitar” (Sing Out!). She is both song crafter and song collector, equally at home with traditional Irish and Appalachian folk songs, Elizabethan ballads and 1930s jazz numbers. Her musical output is a direct and unfolding reflection of her own eclectic background: Sarah was born in Spain, raised in Chicago, holds dual US and Irish citizenship, and currently lives in rural England. While the genre, era and geographical location of her songs may change, at their core is a musician who has soaked it all in – and, luckily for us, is able to eloquently express the stories she’s gathered. A folk album is not complete without comment on our current socio-political climate, and Sarah does excellent justice to the global economic downturn on “The Sun Goes on Rising,” co-written with Gerry O’Beirne (Midnight Well, Patrick Street, Sharon Shannon Band), who produced The Plum Tree and the Rose as well as its two predecessors. As percussionist Liam Bradley’s shuffling snare sets a tone of relentless perseverance, the fear of debt and poverty is embodied in the proverbial lurking “wolf at the door” – but, as the chorus points out, there’s hope for the patient. Up next is Sarah’s cover of “Solid Air,” the late John Martyn’s tribute to Nick Drake, delivered here as a soulful duet with Bill Blackmore on trumpet. The single’s final track is a bonus download-only release, not included on the album, of “The Duke of Somersette's Dompe,” a 16th century lute piece that Sarah (author of The Irish DADGAD Guitar Book) has arranged for DADGAD-tuned guitar. The Dolmetsch Music Dictionary defines the “dump” or “dompe” as “a sixteenth- and seventeenth-century slow, melancholy old English dance form usually in 4/4 time, ... the title’s meaning possibly that mentioned in Ralph Roister Doister, the comedy written by Nicholas Udall (1504-1556), namely a melancholy induced by love.” The Plum Tree and the Rose represents a departure from Sarah’s previous albums, which focused on her arrangements of traditional material, in that nine of its thirteen tracks are originals. Although a thread of personal experience is woven into the material, Sarah truly shines as a teller of parables. Whether she’s recounting the life of 16th century businesswoman Bess of Hardwick or standing in a cathedral and pondering the immortality of the soul, the specific detail subtly manifests a universal truth. These are songs that linger in the listener’s imagination. Sitting surprisingly comfortably alongside the self-penned numbers and the “Solid Air” cover are “S’Anc Fuy Belha Ni Prezada,” a 13th century “alba” or dawn song sung in Old Occitan, a sparse arrangement of Elizabethan composer John Dowland’s “Can She Excuse My Wrongs,” and “New Oysters New,” a three-part canon published in 1609 by Thomas Ravenscroft, featuring guest vocalists Niamh Parsons and Tom Barry. The album is due for release on March 5th. Sarah McQuaid Catalogue
Label: Runner Records -- Catalogue No: P I09 -- Publisher: Jim Reynolds Music ‘If Only’ is an album of all my own compositions. It features some fine musicians including Jim Reynolds is a guitarist and singer who writes and plays an eclectic mix of music. Having played abroad and around the U.K. especially in Bristol, the South West, Wales, the Midlands and more recently in the South East, at clubs, pubs and festivals, Jim has honed his singing and playing resulting in a rich cohesive sound. His finely crafted songs and guitar playing are a pleasure to listen to and live performances are always memorable. Despite the rarity of happy tunes, the wry observations and descriptions of people’s experience are somehow uplifting, delivering a sense of humanity and intimacy. Jim has performed with many respected icons of the present day acoustic circuit, including: Steve Tilston, Maggie Boyle, Mike Silver, Wizz Jones, Isaac Guillory, Chris Newman, Phil Beer and the late George Melly. Not forgetting the Pigsty Hill Light Orchestra and the ever-popular Smile. See Artist Roster & Tour Dates for further information
Label: Undiscovered Classics - Catalogue Number: SS1612AL You Tube Video: ‘Whats the Problem’ Directed by Julian Doyle. “Having left Dexy’s Midnight Runners I spent years in London knocking on various record company doors. I finally secured deals with Hit & Run Music and Atlantic Records in New York. My manager asked me who I would like to produce my first album. Being an avid Beatles fan I said, ‘George Martin' – so we sent George a tape of my songs. To my amazement and utter delight George called back saying he was ‘knocked out by the material and would love to produce the album’. I was on cloud ten! A few months later after various meetings we started recording “Say Something” (1988) with the great man behind the recording desk at Air Studios in London. It is I believe the only debut album of original material that George Martin produced since the Beatles.” – Andy Leek
Track Listing: 1. What’s The Problem 2.Golden Doors 3. Holding On To You 4. Attitude 5. Carry Me Away 6. Say Something 7. Prelude 8. All Day Long 9. Please Please 10. Sailors Song 11. Interlude. 12. All Around the World 13. Reprise - Produced by George Martin Musicians: Bass – Mo Foster, Drums – Stuart Elliot, Guitars – Clem Clemson, Alan Murphy, Steve Howe, Keyboards – Peter Vettesse, Percussion – Luis Jardin, Martyn David Backing Vocals, London Community Gospel Choir, (For additional musicians and arrangers see booklet) Why All These Years Later? After 1990 when I returned to the Midlands I couldn’t even bear to play ‘Say Something’ let alone contemplate resurrecting my career. I was so down at the failure of ‘Say Something’ to set the world alight I just wanted to hide away to forget all about Andy Leek, the artist. Everyone was into Britpop and guitar bands like Oasis and my classy balladeering orchestral pop didn’t fit in with the fashion. Also I didn’t realise I could have the master tapes of ‘Say Something’ returned to me until Carol Impney offered them to me two decades later. I had never till then entertained the concept of remixing or re-releasing the album as I was penniless and I thought my dreams were totally broken. Consequently I formed The Blue Angels party band to distract myself from failure and boost the empty coffers.
Taken from Andy’s Time Line Bio – Full Bio www.pattynanmedia.com/452/552811.html 2008: One day Carol Impney of Hit & Run Music phoned me asking if I would like to own the master tapes to my original album ‘Say Something’ which had sat in their loft for twenty years or so. I was surprised and delighted to receive the master tapes and the many photos of my time in the studio with George Martin. The tapes had deteriorated somewhat so they had to be cleaned by hand and baked for several days in order to transfer them to CD. I then added one new song ‘All Around The World’ to complete what is now ‘Say Something Revisited.’ You Tube Video: “What’s The Problem” Directed by Julian Doyle. You Tube Video: “What’s The Problem” www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpXGU3k0lVU Images from the actual recording with George Martin at Air Studios in London Single: What’s the Problem/Say Something/Golden Doors/What’s the Problem with intro by George Martin Album: Say Something Revisited.
A CD released to raise funds for The British Computer Association of the Blind
Les Barker + Skuffle + Julia Hills + John Conolly + Bernard Cribbins + Nonny James Bob Williamson + Jon Briggs + Linda Bellingham + June Tabor + James Bolam Gaynor Faye + Mrs Ackroyd Band + Eric Allen + Toyah Willcox + John Scott Cree Mrs Ackroyd Band + Elaine C Smith + Jeremy Irons + Tom Bliss + Sue Jameson Alex Lester + Ken Galipeau + Cindy Kent + Norma Dixit + Michael Palin Eileen McGann + Ann Widdecombe + John Tams with Coope Boyes and Simpson Edward de Souza The Guide Cats for the Blind album series is produced to raise funds for a project run by the British Computer Association of the Blind (BCAB). Guide Cats Volumes 1 to 4 enabled the Association to create EyeT4All, a programme of life changing computer workshops for blind and partially sighted people. Our vision doesn’t stop there. With funds from Vol. 5 ‘Herding Cats’ we will empower community centres for blind and partially sighted people throughout the UK to hold EyeT4All workshops for themselves. Guide Cats and EyeT4All ‘Skill Share’ will transform and enrich people’s lives! These projects are increasingly important to blind people as more and more services are being made available online only. Les Barker A Short Biography from the Age of Three Until Nearly Teatime Les Barker writes strange poems and comes originally from Manchester, but he's now Welsh. He was an accountant before he became a professional idiot. A well known style icon Les always cuts a dash in the world of fashion where he is much respected as the leading exponent of the cardigan in all its splendour. On the poetry front and in spite of the poetry police his most famous works include The Shipping Forecast, Jason and the Arguments, Cosmo the Fairly Accurate Knife Thrower, Captain Indecisive, Spot of the Antarctic, An Infinite Number of Occasional Tables, Stamped Addressed Antelope, Have You Got Any News of the Iceberg, What Is The British Computer Association Of The Blind?
You are invited to visit the BCAB web site for further information. How You Can Help The BCAB will benefit from any media exposure you can offer via press, radio play or word of mouth. Benefits will come to the BCAB and its members in two ways. The first benefit will be financial as all proceeds other than the manufacturing and the very minimum administration costs will see the bulk of all earnings going to the BCAB. The association will also be able to sell the CD direct to the public through their many fund raising activities. The British Computer Association of the Blind wishes to thank all the artists and everybody involved for your total support of this project in your own time and at no cost. We would like to thank all those performers who contributed to the previous albums which have now raised in excess of £50,000. Catalogue: Distributed by Osmosy’s Records & The BCAB
A celebration of English rural life, landscape, weather and seasons in traditional song and new settings of poems by Thomas Hardy, A E Housman and William Shakespeare Guest musicians include Nick Cooper (cello) Paul Hutchinson (accordion) Simon Mayor (guitar, violin, mandolin, backing vocals) Simon Price (drums) Ed Quick (backing vocals) Paul Sartin (oboe) Phil Fentimen (double bass) David Pether (pipe organ) Richard Collins (bass guitar) Track Listing: 1 A Song & Jig For Good Measure 2. The Bold Fisherman 3.The Two Ravens 4. Beneath the Willow Tree 5. Young Benjie 6. The Bellringing Song 7. Weathers 8. Winter 9. Can Love Be Controlled By Advice 10. Spring 11. In Summertime on Bredon 12. The Lady and the Prentice 13 A Song & Jig For Good Measure (reprise) Bonus Track: A Song & Jig For Good Measure (Complete track 7.35 mins) In the 1890s, Sabine Baring-Gould, one of an army of late-Victorian collectors of traditional song, noted down a Devonshire dance tune called The Mallard. It had probably found its way over from France, but once in England had acquired a brief nonsensical refrain celebrating wild duck meat, an associated ritual of gluttony, and so its title. The collectors of that era, while deeply respectful of the material they were preserving were still not averse to occasionally cleaning up lyrics they deemed unacceptable for their Victorian target market. In this case, Baring-Gould went a little further by writing some new words of his own and giving the resulting song the more generic title A Country Dance. Here, in a medley with Simon Mayor's A Jig For Good Measure, it serves as both overture and, in extended form as a reprise. The fruit of Baring-Gould's labours in Devon and Cornwall, a collection of 120 songs, was published as Songs Of The West, first in 1889, with other editions over the next few years. It served as source for other songs on this recording: the jovial The Bell Ringing, arranged for voice and mandolin quartet, and the poignant Lady And The Prentice, here with guitar, 'cello and oboe. The Two Ravens, known in Scotland as The Twa Corbies, is a well-known border ballad and has many lyrical and melodic variants. Set here to a new tune, its gruesomely inventive lyrics give us a bird's eye reminder that we humans are not always top of the food-chain. From the same part of the world comes Young Benjie, a tabloid tale of love, rejection, murder, revenge and the supernatural belief that corpses may rise to betray their assassins. The Bold Fisherman, in hypnotic 5/4 time, has been found widely throughout Southern England and East Anglia. The collector Lucy Broadwood suggested it could be laced with Christian symbolism, but it's performed here at face value as a simple, romantic love story. Can Love Be Controlled By Advice is from The Beggar's Opera, written in 1728 by John Gay and first performed that same year. Beneath The Willow Tree, accompanied here by just mandolin and 'cello, is taken from Chappell's Popular Music Of The Olden Time, a collection of songs, dances and airs from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, published in 1857. There are several thematically similar but essentially quite different American and Irish songs. Four new settings of English poems complete this album. The rich colours of Winter and warning words of Spring are both taken from Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost. The initially optimistic but ultimately dark Bredon Hill is a setting of the poem by A E Housman, first published in 1896 as part of his collection A Shropshire Lad. In a 1933 Cambridge lecture Housman cited both border balladry and the songs of William Shakespeare as influences on his writing. He further explained that Bredon Hill, actually located in Worcestershire, was written before the Shropshire setting of the collection had been conceived. Like Housman, his contemporary Thomas Hardy frequently focused on themes of the English countryside. In the two stanzas of Weathers he describes the changing seasons and how all flora and fauna, including we humans, are swept along with their flow.
Celebrated musician Eamon Friel's much anticipated new musical was hailed as a roaring success at The Playhouse Theatre The response has just been overwhelming, and it’s a real tribute to the hard work by Eamon and all the actors, who have worked tirelessly to bring this phenomenal musical to life.” . Extra rows of seats were put in the theatre to accommodate the large crowds queuing to see the premiere of THE MUSIC MAKERS. Pauline Ross, artistic director of The Playhouse said: “I just love to see the work of such a great talent as Eamon thrive on stage here at The Playhouse. I have loved every minute of this project, and it was just fantastic to see people come out in their droves to see it!” Playhouse general manager Niall McCaughan said “ Eamon Friel’s musical comedy The Music Makers was staged at The Playhouse in Derry, Northern Ireland in the autumn of 2010. It was an outstanding success.
Track 1. Such a Night of Stars is a duet from the first act. The lovers find themselves alone beneath the vastness of the starry sky. What does the future hold for them? They vow to stay true to each other no matter what. Sharon Duffy and Keith Lynch bring much of their stage chemistry to their romantic singing of this lovely duet. Track 2. Jerusalem Today is very different. For its writer Eamon Friel it is as much an anthem as a song. “It has intentional echoes of William Blake’s Jerusalem”, says Friel:- The Music Makers is a piece of theatre that works on a number of different levels. It is a tale of redemption. It is a love story too. But most of all it is a comedy. The comedy ranges from broad farce to subtle satire. Friel says, “Yes it’s a comedy first and foremost but a song like Jerusalem Today has some serious points to make. I was confident about the songs because I knew they were strong. But comedy is a strange commodity. You never know till the opening night. The audience laughed a lot. I knew then it was a winner! Ironically The Music Makers, a comedy about culture, was holding auditions when it was announced that Derry/ Londonderry was designated as UK City of Culture for the year 2013. Just a coincidence? Friel says,” I was conscious of the campaign in the city for the accolade and when we won I thought to myself how uncanny it was. But the subject matter of the musical and the winning of the culture award are totally coincidental. Weird!” What isn’t a coincidence is that The Playhouse is to stage the musical again during 2013 and there are plans as well for this intimate (seven characters), tightly written, song driven comedy to be filmed in the near future. Meanwhile enjoy two of the best songs from a wonderful score. Eamon Friel’s Catalogue (Thran Records www.eamonfriel.com)
“Arising from the Troubles offers a more eloquent and expansive account of our awkward reality than any shelf load of academic analyses.” Eamon McCann Special Guests: The Sands Family: Anne, Ben, Colum & ‘Dino’ + Pete Seeger “Through the swirl of smoke and sulphur came the rebel songs of Tommy Sands. Not in the sense of whooping it up for violent struggle, but in rebellion against the hatred which has pockmarked our history and shredded the happiness of successive generations. This collection provides a soundtrack for days of darkness, days of hope, days of weary peace: soul songs telling our troubled story with a deft eye for exact detail and pitch perfect appreciation of political nuance. Track Listing: 1. Song of Erin 2. A Stone's Throw (featuring Moya) 3.The Mixed Marriage (with Dolores Keane) 4. We'll Sing It All Over 5. Bloody Sunday (featuring Moya) 6. Have You Seen Joe Cahill 7. The Road to Aughnacloy 8. A Call To Hope 9.You Sold Us Down The River, 10.Troubles 11. Bessbrook Lament (featuring Moya) 12. All the Little Children 13. Sailing Through the Sky 14. A Quiet Man (The Ballad of John Hume) 15. Music of Healing (with Pete Seeger) 16. Carry On 17. Silent No Longer (featuring Moya) 18. The Lagan Side History can relay the facts but sometimes it takes a song to sing the feelings. Such feelings when ignored can all too easily be repeated by another generation. The Irish Tour "I have been travelling the world of late from the Mid West to the Middle East from the West Bank to West Bengal. This Autumn I want to reconnect with old friends that I have known all around Ireland. I have missed seeing them due to all my far off travels... and I am looking forward to all the new friends that I have yet to meet on this very special journey of my homeland. This Autumn I want to play in every single one of the counties of Ireland North and South in a month and a day. I will sing new songs about the ravages of the so called Celtic Tiger and also songs about the spirit that has withstood much greater pain from the past. I am going to play in large theatres like the National Concert Hall in Dublin and more intimate venues of all shapes and sizes across Ireland. I can't wait for the journey to begin." Tommy Sands Tommy Sands Discography: 1995 The Hearts A Wonder (Green Linnet)
And Did Those Feet www.anddidthosefeet.co.uk Song notes by Richard Ellin.
Chorus Composer Richard Ellin Soloist Ina Williams -- Ina has won most singing competitions that exist throughout Wales including the prestigious "Blue Ribbon" at the National Eisteddfod.
A single released to raise funds for the International Glaucoma Association When I'm not sticking knives and forks in people's eyes, I still love to sing. About a year ago, I recorded a few of my songs, with a view to raising funds for a good cause and doing something meaningful and worthwhile with my music. The IGA (International Glaucoma Association) seemed the ideal charity - luckily, they were enthused by the idea and so my single 'Through My Eyes' was conceived. Hopefully through all our efforts we will raise a significant amount of money for this excellent organisation dedicated to eradicating blindness from glaucoma. Jay Menon Mr Jay Menon - Consultant Eye Surgeon - was raised during the seventies in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. As a teenager he showed great musical promise resulting in the offer of a recording contract from EMI when he was fourteen years of age. His parents however, somewhat alarmed by this prospect promptly sent him far away from such distractions to their homeland of Kerala in Southern India in 1980 to complete his studies. The story goes that his mother having seen Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull performing on TV - and to her horror recognising the song from being played on the stereo in her son’s bedroom!!! - decided there and then, that her son was not going to take any part in any such musical shenanigans. After completing the formative part of his education whilst at the same time maintaining a keen interest in music Jay returned from India in 1996 to sit his fellowship exams for the Royal College of Surgeons. Having passed, he explained to his bewildered professor that he intended to give up ophthalmology and return to music. His youthful assumption was that this would be okay; after all he had satisfied his parent’s wishes by obtaining a Royal College Fellowship. He immediately sought membership of The Musicians’ Union and also Equity only to find out a week later that his applications to both parties had been refused. Having been away from the UK for seventeen years his right of abode in the country had lapsed. Dejected, Jay turned back to ophthalmology, returned to his professor and asked him for a reference. He then continued to train, qualified as an eye surgeon and was appointed to a consultant post at the Royal Glamorgan and Prince Charles Hospitals in South Wales; the same area where he grew up. He also serves as the Programme Director for the All Wales Postgraduate Ophthalmology Training Rotation. Today Jay specialises in the medical and surgical management of glaucoma. The condition affects two per cent of people aged over forty and we are only aware of about half of the people with this eye condition, the other half remain undiagnosed! Jay says, “After many years of working in the medical profession I felt very strongly that I wanted to do something positive and worthwhile with my music. The day job as an ophthalmologist rewards me well and gives me a decent wage – and it was time to put something back... When I'm not sticking knives and forks in people's eyes, I still love to sing. About a year ago, I recorded a few of my songs, with a view to raising funds for a good cause and doing something meaningful and worthwhile with my music. The IGA (International Glaucoma Association) seemed the ideal charity - luckily, they were enthused by the idea and so my album 'Through My Eyes' was conceived. Hopefully through all our efforts we will raise a significant amount of money for this excellent organisation dedicated to eradicating blindness from glaucoma. I would very much like to raise awareness about Glaucoma and its implications. This is a condition that left untreated can cause irreversible damage to vision, resulting in blindness – this can often be prevented with early and appropriate treatment. All the funds raised from sales of my single will go to a professorial fund at Moorfield’s Eye Hospital and will be used to fund research into the pathology and management of Glaucoma.” International Glaucoma Association (IGA) The IGA is a patient-based organisation which works to prevent glaucoma blindness by providing information, literature and advice. We provide support to thousands of glaucoma sufferers. We are a UK based non-governmental organisation, a charity registered in England & Wales. We are committed to preventing unnecessary loss of sight through the condition, which is one of the most common eye disorders. We arrange meetings in the UK open to all twice a year and provide a regular newsletter to our members and friends as well as overseeing a network of support groups and fund research into the causes and treatment of glaucoma and disseminate the results to appropriate audiences About Glaucoma Glaucoma of some type is found in about two per cent of the population over the age of forty. It can also affect children and young adults, although much less frequently. It is estimated that more than half a million people suffer from glaucoma in England and Wales alone, with more than seventy million people affected across the world. The great majority of those with glaucoma have a chronic (slowly developing) form of the condition, primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), and studies have demonstrated that half of all cases remain undiagnosed. People of African-Caribbean origin have about four times the risk of POAG as whites. Close blood relatives of patients with POAG have at least a four-fold increased risk of glaucoma compared with those without a family history of glaucoma. People from families in which a member has glaucoma should be tested for glaucoma from the age of thirty five onwards. People with other glaucoma risk factors in addition to the family history (e.g. being of African-Caribbean origin or having diabetes) should be tested from an even earlier age. The treatment of glaucoma has developed considerably over recent years and new, more potent drugs with fewer side effects than earlier medications are now available. Surgical techniques have also improved and it is estimated that around ninety five per cent of those diagnosed early with glaucoma in the UK will retain useful sight for life. POAG usually affects both eyes, but initially produces few symptoms. Eventually, if untreated, sufferers may become aware of a severe restriction of their field of vision or even loss of central vision in the worse eye. Although blindness from glaucoma is uncommon, it is responsible wholly or in part for thirteen per cent of those on the blind register in England and Wales and is the leading cause of preventable blindness in the UK. A significant risk factor for glaucoma blindness is advanced loss of vision when the condition is first detected. Appropriate examinations during a routine eye test are, therefore, essential to detect glaucoma early and prevent significant sight loss.
Chloe Hall and Silas Palmer met at Wintermoon Festival, a favourite of many Australian musicians, in Queensland’s North. During a festival jam, they started a musical conversation that continued into the night, and kept going after the festival tents had been taken down. Their sound is confident, mature and delicate. They have now captured their unique sound by creating the album Spring Hill. The album was recorded in - and named after - the miner’s cottage in Central Victoria where Chloe’s dad lives; she spent a large part of her childhood there.
Chloe Hall is an engaging, intriguing, and charismatic young artist from Australia. She makes you laugh, cry, sigh and dream; and that voice! To date she has built up a loyal following from her numerous live performances in Australia and more recently on the Canadian & European acoustic music scene. Her album “Outside" introduced Chloe to UK & Ireland where she has already played over sixty shows.
Whether for recording projects, live shows or theatre or musical arrangements, Silas Palmer is the go-to fiddle and piano player in Brisbane. He studied at the Queensland Conservatorium and Queensland University of Technology, earning a Bachelor in Music Performance and a Bachelor in Music Jazz Studies (Piano and Violin). You Tube ‘Outside’ + ‘I’m Still Here’
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