Tiny Little Instruments
Let's hear it for little things, for Snow White's friends, for dormice and for tin whistles, mouthorgans and Jew's harps. For spoons and piccolos...
Archives for October 2008
³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Electric Proms - Part 3
The 2008 ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Electric Proms Maddy Prior & FriendsÌýconcert came from Cecil Sharp House in
Before the show, I was talking to Malcolm Taylor, librarian of the there and Malcolm reckons there's an upsurge in interest amongst young people, more and more of them, he thinks, are coming to the library spurred on by people like , and ...
³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Electric Proms - Part 2
As a follow up to my last blog, here's a bit more about the 2008 ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Electric Proms - & Friends, Cecil Sharp House,
In addition to her duets with , Maddy paired up with for some classics like Grey Funnel Line and What Will We Do, and to hear their voices twining and spooling in such delicious harmonies was a pure joy.
³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Electric Proms - Part 1
2008 ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Electric Proms - Maddy Prior & Friends, Cecil Sharp House, London.
and were at the forefront of the folk revival in this country in the latter end of the 1960s. As well as being fine singers, they had the knack of unearthing terrific songs and breathing such life into them that they soon became part of the folk canon.
and were at the forefront of the folk revival in this country in the latter end of the 1960s. As well as being fine singers, they had the knack of unearthing terrific songs and breathing such life into them that they soon became part of the folk canon.
Ralph McTell - A National Treasure
I've always believed that people like , , , and (I could go on - there are many more names I can think of) are national treasures. In a fairer world, they would be seen for what they are: the carriers and definers of our culture.
Karine Polwart at Celtic Colours Festival - Part 2
Karine Polwart writes about the .
Earlier this month, I spent a week in a former convent in the pretty wee harbour town of Baddeck, Cape Breton, writing songs with fellow Scot, singer-fiddler and four Canadian songwriters: multiple Juno Award winning , who spent his childhood in Scotland and sings in a beautifully soft Scots-Canadian burr; the cerebral , a seemingly bottomless well of quirky tales and trivia; Nova Scotia's , possibly the nicest man in the world; and the honey voiced (why isn't she famous?) Prince Edward Islander .
Karine Polwart at Celtic Colours Festival - Part 1
writes from the
If you overlook a few details like 'beware of the moose' road signs and pumpkin pie - , off Canada's Atlantic coast, is a lot like Scotland in many ways.
One of the few Scottish Gaelic-speaking diasporas survives here, through families that can trace themselves back to west coast islands such as Eigg and Barra. Indeed, I remember on a previous visit, the lovely South Uist singer Mairi MacInnes saying she could tell which families and communities on her own home island that Cape Breton folks had come from by their looks alone.
Mike in the USA - Part 3
Well, it's been a strange old trip, what with all the Presidential stuff going on and the world economy going down the pan. I logged on to online every day just to check what's happening back home since the news there is aimed at people with the attention span of a wasp.
Mike in the USA - Part 2
I spent last weekend in
Mike in the USA - Part 1
Greetings from the
Julie Fowlis on social networking
writes:
The power of the internet in the modern music industry is incredible. The last ten years has seen a phenomenal growth in the social networking sites like , , and . It's a powerful tool for any musician...
Julie Fowlis in the USA
writes:
It has been an interesting few weeks for us, touring here is the US. For me - every city and show is an adventure as it is all shiny and new (this is my first ever proper Stateside tour). An interesting time too to be touring the US with the forthcoming election looming.
Julie Fowlis on Lon-dubh / Blackbird
comes from North Uist in the Western Isles and for those of you that don't know her work, she is a stunning singer and a world class musician, and sings almost entirely in .
Earlier this year at the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio 2 Folk Awards she was presented the Folk Singer of the Year Award by and has just made it on to the Radio 2 playlist with her stunning translation of the Lennon/McCartney song 'Blackbird'. Here she is to tell us a bit more about it...Ìý
