Bluesmen's World(Music)

Maddy Prior has established herself, by dint of both talent and time, as one of the leading female singers in British folk (and folk-rock). Born in St. Albans, outside London, she developed an interest in traditional English music as a teenager and through friends, found her way to the treasure trove of material at Cecil Sharpe House and also to Ewan MacColl, the de facto leader of the folk revival. In the late '60s, she met Tim Hart, an accomplished singer and instrumentalist, and together they recorded three albums which made little impact at the time, not even setting the folk clubs buzzing. However, they had played some folk festivals, including Keele, where they met Fairport Convention bassist Ashley Hutchings, who was about to form a new band. Prior and Hart became part of the ensemble known as Steeleye Span, who would become an ongoing institution of British folk-rock, with Prior as one of its constants -- she even married Rick Kemp, the bass player who replaced Hutchings.

In 1976, she teamed with another young folk singer, June Tabor, under the Silly Sisters moniker, to record the first of what would be two albums, also remaining with Steeleye until the group officially disbanded in 1978. After that, she embarked on her solo career, her debut, Woman in the Wings, being produced by Jethro Tull leader Ian Anderson. She also began another career, as the mother of two children, but still joined a reunited Steeleye in 1980, continuing to juggle band and solo work and evening forming her own group, the Carnival Band, who've supported her on record and tour since 1987. When Prior experienced some voice problems in 1993, Gay Woods, who also been an original Steeleye vocalist, rejoined the band. Prior continued to record more frequently alone, including the albums Year, Flesh and Blood, and Ravenchild, many of which were concept records, before finally leaving Steeleye Span in 2000 to concentrate purely on solo work.

"Subtitled "A Cure for all Melancholy", this CD might just as easily be titled "Seventeenth Century Golden Party Greats"! Andy Watts leads the Carnival band on another musical adventure, mixing period and modern, even electric, instruments, but the Carnival Band still maintains an authentic spirit. Maddy Prior meets the challenge of singing in differing styles with her usual ability and grace.

The band bursts into The Prodigal's Resolution with the abandon of an Elizabethan whoopee band. It continues with a set of Playford Dances, starting with pipes alone, and building up to a folk-rock band. The Jovial Begger - yes, spelt "er" the insert insists - sounds like early jug band music!

There are pieces which are more simple. Maddy Prior has a showcase in Never Weatherbeaten Saile, with a plain lute backing, and period instruments accompany The World is Turned Upside Down throughout. Maddy shares in the two unaccompanied songs, "A Northern Catch" and "A Round of Three Country Dances in One".

There are also some more modern tempos - The Leathern Bottel has a hypnotic rhythm with electric bass and rich Hammond organ. Now O Now I Needs Must Part has the charm of a gentle Country and Western waltz, introducing strains of Somewhere Along the Road. Finally, Old Simon the King starts off sedately, but suddenly electric guitar and saxophone transform the beat into ska. This fusion of styles is truly a Cure for all Melancholy!"

Henry Peacock

01. Prodigal's Resolution (Anon 18th century)
02. 5 Playford Tunes (from Playford's "English Dancing Master")
03. The World is Turned Upside Down (Anon 17th cent)
04. Jovial Beggar (Anon 17th cent)
05. Leathern Bottle (Anon 17th cent)
06. Iantha (Anon English 18th cent)
07. An Thou were my ain Thing (Anon Scottish 18th cent)
08. Oh that I had but a Fine Man (Pelham Humphry)
09. Now O Now I needs must part (John Dowland)
10. Man is for the Woman made (Henry Purcell)
11. A Northern Catche/The Little Barleycorne (John Hilton/Trad)
12. Granny's Delight/My Lady Foster's Delight (Anon 18th cent)
13. A Round of Three Country Dances in One (Thomas Ravenscroft)
14. Youth's the Season Made for Joys (Words: John Gay/Tune: anon)
15. In The Days of my Youth (Words: John Gay/Tune: anon)
16. Never weatherbeaten sail (Thomas Campion)
17. Old Simon the King (Anon)

Maddy Prior: vocals
William Badley: baroque guitar, lute, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo mandolin, vocals
Andrew Davis: double bass
Giles Lewin: violin, recorders, hoboy, mandolin, vocals
Andrew Watts: Flemish bagpipes, shalmes, curtals, recorders, melodica, kazoo, vocals
Rafaello Mizraki: drums, percussion, cello, Hammond organ, vocals

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"Ah...where to begin? How about if I use one of their own quotes "Six Yanks dedicated to the preservation of fine drikin', fightin', courtin' and sailin' songs of Ireland and Scotland". That should just about say it all and yet there is much more to tell! There is so much diverse talent in these 6 musicians it's almost unfair to all the rest. They have singing/songwriting ability and are capable of playing just about any instrument known to man including bagpipes, fiddles, banjos, whistles, accordion, violin, bodhran, haggis (I have no clue what a haggis is) my favorite mandolins and of course all the usual everyday type of instruments that the rest of us struggle with. Most of all though they are just having a damn good time doing what they're doing and it shows whether in their songs or in their stage performance. This is old hat for some of them including singer Kyf Brewer who has been in the music business for a few years now.
He started back in the 80's with the Ravyns (the good old days!) then moved on to Company of Wolves and now he is again enjoying great success with Barleyjuice. Yes, there is still some time to work on some side projects for those of you who have followed his career. Keith Swanson or Swanny,another one of the founding members of the band was Pipe Major of the Loch Rannoch Pipe Band before starting up Barleyjuice a year later. I could go on and on with the individual talent in this band but the truth is if you throw these six guys in a pot, stir it round a bit, you have gold.

They have already done 3 albums starting in 2003 with "One Shilling" followed by "Another Round" and finally giving us "Six Yanks" in 2006.

So put on your kilts...don't tell me you don't own one! Alright you might have to find one...look on the Internet under "kilts" and get down to see the band. I promise you the time of your life, but after all the whiskey and beer I won't promise you that you'll remember it. Just an excuse to do it again!"

01. Misty Mornings Miss'd
02. Pretty Wild Bride
03. Modern Pirates
04. Love With A Priest
05. Real Old Mountain Dew
06. Beauty And The Rum
07. More Pipes
08. Tartan Is The Colour Of My True Loves Hair
09. Tim Finegans Wake
10. Dear Ould Ireland
11. Whiskey
12. A Bands A Band For A That

Kyf Brewer (vocals, guitar, accordion, harmonica, bagpipes, congas, bodhran, tin whistle)
Keith Swanson (vocals, guitar, bouzouki, mandolin, bagpipes, tin whistle, bass)
Billy Dominick (fiddle, vocals, violin)
Jimmy Carbomb (whistle, banjo)
Eric Worthington (bass, backing vocals)
Gregor "The Shredder" Schroeder (drums, vocals)

Link

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Please To See The King is the second album by Steeleye Span, released in 1971. A substantial personnel change following their previous effort, Hark! The Village Wait, brought about a substantial change in their overall sound, including a lack of drums and the replacement of one female vocalist with a male vocalist. The band even reprised a song from their debut, "The Blacksmith", with a strikingly different arrangement making extensive use of syncopation. Re-recording songs would be a minor theme in Steeleye's output over the years, with the band eventually releasing an entire album of reprises, Present--The Very Best of Steeleye Span.

The title of the album is derived from the "Cutty Wren" ceremony. A winter wren in a cage is paraded as if it were a king. This rite was carried out on December 26, Saint Stephen's Day, and is connected to early Christmas celebrations. The song "The King", appearing on the album, addresses this, and is often performed as a Christmas carol. Steeleye returned to this subject on Live at Last with "Hunting the Wren" and on Time with the song "The Cutty Wren". The custom of Wrenboys is mostly associated with Ireland, but it has been recently revived in England.

All songs appearing on the original album are traditional. "The False Knight on the Road" is one of the Child Ballads (#3), and concerns a boy's battle of with the devil in a game of riddles. Hart and Prior had already recorded a version of the song on their album 'Summer Solstice'. "The Lark in the Morning", one of their more popular songs, has the same title as a different song about a lusty ploughboy, though there are strong similarities. This version was collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams. "Boys of Bedlam", a variant of Tom o' Bedlam", is told from the perspective of a member of a lunatic asylum. Carthy and Prior open the song by singing into the back of banjos, producing a muffled effect. The band uses the earliest printed version of the song, from Wit and Mirth, or Pills to Purge Melancholy by Thomas d'Urfey.

Melody Maker made this their folk album of the year. Music journalist Colin Irwin in his book "In Search of Albion" describes it as one of his favourite folk-rock albums. It reached number 45 in the UK album charts, originally on B & C Records but before the year was out the rights were acquired by Mooncrest Records who re-released it the same year, with different cover art. It was issued in the US at the same time on Big Tree, when the small label was distributed by Ampex. It sold poorly and was deleted quite soon after release. Remaining copies were bought up by a couple of the 'cut-out' distributors and by that time, the band had signed with Chrysalis and the cut out original sold very well. When stock ran out, poor quality bootleg copies started to turn up in huge quantities.

Musically, this was their most electric, dense recording, with loud guitars and strong looping bass lines and no drums.

01. Blacksmith
02. Cold, Haily, Windy Night
03. Bryan O'LynnThe Hag with the Money [Jigs]
04. Prince Charlie Stuart
05. Boys of Bedlam
06. False Knight on the Road
07. Lark in the Morning
08. Female Drummer
09. King
10. Lovely on the Water
11. Rave On

Maddy Prior / vocals, spoons, tabor, tambourine
Tim Hart / vocals, guitar, dulcimer
Peter Knight / violin, mandolin, vocals, organ, bass
Ashley Hutchings / bass, vocals)
Martin Carthy / vocals, guitar, banjo, organ

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Israel’s Asaf Avidan and The Mojos are rapidly gaining recognition as one of indie music’s most interesting and original acts.
The group, centered on the talents of singer/guitarist Asaf Avidan creates a unique concoction of 70’s influenced folk-rock, blues and Americana with Avidan’s soulful vocals, eerily reminiscent of Janis Joplin’s, serving as the main driving force. Moving from acoustic, bluesy passages accompanied by some swaggering piano playing, to over-drive laden bursts of energy, the band’s latest album – released under two different titles, seamlessly combines 70’s American folk-rock, Garage and psychedia with a current indie-rock attitude and post-punk aesthetics. Anyone who enjoys such varied artists such as Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Janis Joplin, Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, Fiona Apple, James Brown, Arctic Monkeys and Jeff Buckley should take heed, because Avidan’s music combines the best of these into one unique package.

29 year old Asaf Avidan is a Jerusalem born & bred singer-songwriter.
He released his acclaimed debut EP, Now That You’re Leaving, in 2006.
Since then, he has continued to write and mold his experiences with broken love into personal, yet universally relatable songs.

Touring Israel solo, with just a guitar and harmonica, Asaf gathered a strong and devoted following across Israel, and in the process gathered also the musicians who would become The Mojos.

“Asaf Avidan is a genius… you might think you’re listening to Janis Joplin… but Asaf is a new messiah”

Rolling Stone magazine

“The birth of a legend”

Ha’aretz (Leading Israeli newspaper)

01. Brickman
02. Poor Boy Lucky Man
03. Got It Right
04. My Favorite Clown
05. Small Change Girl
06. The Ghost Of A Thousand Little Lies
07. Wasting My Time
08. Jet Plane
09. Little Stallion
10. Your Anchor
11. Losing Hand
12. Painting On The Past
13. Out In The Cold
14. My Latest Sin

Asaf Avidan – vocals, guitar, harmonica
Roi Peled – guitars
Ran Nir – bass
Joni Snow – drums
Hadas Kleinman – cello

Link

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