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Damien Barber is one of the true innovators in folk music, always pushing at the boundaries between folk dance, music and performance. He is also a flag bearer for the sleeveless t-shirt, a garment that should have been allowed to die an undignified death decades ago. Energy, drive and spectacle are words that bubble to… Read more »
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My intros to these pieces generally involve me roasting the artist slowly over a gentle heat. There’s always something I can tease apart about them for a cheap laugh (What, you thought this was a high-brow view into someone’s inner psyche?). But Irish Mythen has stymied me with one short sentence – on her Twitter… Read more »
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He is one of ‘the best acoustic guitarists in the world right now’ according to Total Guitar magazine. So I was surprised, whilst doing my forensic research for this intro, that Fatea has described him as ‘obscene’. Digging a bit deeper whilst putting my glasses on, it became clear that they actually said ‘almost obscenely… Read more »
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Just look at that mugshot above. We obtained it from the Police in Tunbridge Wells after Mr Sweeney (the accused), had been detained after complaints from local residents. The full story seems a bit murky but details are emerging of a bout of random and uncalled for fiddling on residents doorsteps. Sam was reportedly babbling… Read more »
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Is Phil Beer the nicest man in Folk music? Very possibly, I’ve never seen him glum or miserable, even when he’d just had a stent fitted he still chatted amiably away (he was horizontal on a garden reclining chair at the time, for all I know he was paralysed and couldn’t get away). All of… Read more »
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So the story is that this duo named themselves after Nine Barrow Down in the Purbeck hills. I can in fact confirm that this is tosh, as you will see from the pic above the duo are afflicted by a rare condition called autocompostitis. This rural condition results in swathes of wild flowers, grasses and… Read more »
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James Delarre is the Yang to Andy Cuttings Yin, a balance to the cosmic power of folk music. Where Andy is quiet and introspective James is bouncing about all over the shop. This veritable Folk Tigger is an accomplished violinist and has appeared with Eliza Carthy, Jim Causley, Jim Moray, Lauren McCormick, Mawkin:Causley and of course… Read more »
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Bagpipes eh? I’ve been scared of the things since I sat too near an odious man who played the highland bagpipes indoors. The fact that he had a beard that started at his eyes didn’t help, and the maniacal glint in those eyes has stayed with me ever since. I filed the bagpipe under ‘weapon of… Read more »
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My personal challenge when writing these intro’s is to see how sarcastic I can get before I topple off a moral cliff and can’t get my (admittedly paper-thin) reputation back. So as you can imagine, I was rubbing my hands together with anticipation for Barnaby. With Bass player jokes running a close second to ones… Read more »
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It’s hard to think of a band that has achieved so much and made such an impact on the trad music scene in their first few years, as Glasgow based trio Talisk. As they head out on a UK tour (April 24-May 3), trio member Mohsen Amini, talks about being the current holder and youngest… Read more »
