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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 »
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Andy Cutting is one of those truly great musicians who is content for his music to speak for itself. Quietly spoken and deeply modest he is a pleasure to talk to, not least for his depth of knowledge of the history, tunes and personalities within the English Folk Tradition. This modesty is part of his… Read more »
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Paul Hutchinson was persuaded by his father to take up the accordion at the age of 17, the young Paul formed a ceilidh band and never looked back. His father never had the heart to tell him that it was a practical joke. Then one day in a field Paul formed Belshazzar’s feast with Paul,… Read more »
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Paul Sartin is a prolific musical marvel, he is the the brains behind Faustus, the brawn behind Bellowhead and the beauty at the heart of Belshazzar’s Feast. A man for whom the very idea of only having one pot on the boil is a sign of weakness. Rumour has it that he travels everywhere with piano,… Read more »
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An exclusive interview with Ashley Hutchings about his new album by Simon Jones. In September 1987 Ashley Hutchings released a truly remarkable and strikingly personal album, By Gloucester Docks I Sat Down & Wept. Detailing a love affair with painstaking references to his own feelings and the ensuing fallout it was the last thing you’d expect… Read more »
