Martin Simpson on BBC Four
Martin Simpson writes:
Just removed myself from the banjo in order to compose this missive.
Archives for September 2009
Anna Esslemont on Pre-tour Madness
Anna Esslemont of Uiscedwr writes: There are lists everywhere....
Anna Esslemont on Passing It On
Anna Esslemont of Uiscedwr writes:
I love teaching, and next weekend I'll be heading to Farncombe Estate Education Centre in the Cotswolds where I'll be sharing my fiddle playing knowledge with a new group of unsuspecting students.
Cormac (Byrne) and I set up the folk music courses at the adult education centre five years ago, and they've been going from strength to strength ever since.
The centre is the perfect place for a weekend of music, learning and socialising. It sits in the lush hills of Broadway, far enough from civilisation for us to make music without disturbing anyone long after the official teaching sessions have finished.
Anna Esslemont: Aren't Us Folkies Lucky?
Anna Esslemont of Uiscedwr writes:
You'd be surprised at how many times I get asked "so what do you do for your real job?" when I tell people that I'm a folk musician.
That always makes me smile.
What other profession allows you to share your emotions so freely with complete strangers? To make an instant connection with people through music without speaking more than a courteous "howaya" before you get your instrument out and join in?
The Poet and the Piper
I am going to hear Seamus Heaney reading his poetry in the old Church of Ireland church in Clifden tonight.
Diamond Mountain
At the moment I am over in Connemara for a couple of days in the small cottage I renovated more than ten years ago.
Ewan MacColl
On Oct 27 at Peel Hall, Salford University, there will be a memorial concert and book launch celebrating the life and work of Ewan MacColl.
The Ballad of Britain
I'm part way through an interesting book at the moment, 'The Ballad of Britain (How Music Captured the Soul of a Nation)' by Will Hodgkinson.
Sara Grey's Latest Album
In the Hebridean Mist
I spent a week in mid-August fishing for salmon and sea trout on South Uist in the Outer Hebrides.
Sing a Song of Summer
Sam Carter writes:
Having largely taken a break from my own gigs over the summer in anticipation of the 'Keepsakes' album launch tour this September, I've had a chance to get my fingers into some other musical pies.
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