Jon Boden accepting his award

The BBC Radio 2 folk awards took place last night with awards for many of the leading new and traditional folk artists. Jon Boden won both the Folk Singer (see review of Songs from the Floodplain) and, as part of Bellowhead, Live Act awards. Cara Dillon won the Best Album award for Hill of Thieves, and solo debutant Sam Carter won the Horizon Award – see the Everything Folk review of his album Keepsakes. Show of Hands also went away with two awards, best Duo and Best Original Song for Arrogance, Ignorance and Greed, which is released as a single on the 22nd February. Below is the new video, shot in and around the City of London:

The full list of awards is below:

Lifetime Achievement Awards:

Nanci Griffith and Dick Gaughan

Good Tradition Award:

Transatlantic Sessions

Folk Singer of the Year:

Jon Boden

Other nominees were:

Cara Dillon
Jackie Oates
Martin Simpson

Best Duo:

Show of Hands

Other nominees were:

Belshazzar’s Feast
Damien Barber & Mike Wilson
Megson

Best Group:

Lau performing at the Folk Awards

Lau

Other nominees were:

Bellowhead
Mawkin:Causley
The Unthanks

Best Album:

Hill of Thieves – Cara Dillon

Other nominees were:

Here’s The Tender Coming – The Unthanks
Hyperboreans – Jackie Oates
True Stories – Martin Simpson

Best Original Song:

Arrogance Ignorance and Greed – Steve Knightley (performed by Show of Hands)

Other nominees were:

Home Again – Martin Simpson
One Day – Martin Simpson/Martin Taylor (performed by Martin Simpson)
The Testimony of Patience Kershaw – Frank Higgins (performed by The Unthanks)

Best Traditional Track:

Sir Patrick Spens – Martin Simpson

Other nominees were:

Cutty Wren – Mawkin:Causley
Spencer the Rover – Cara Dillon
The Isle of France – Jackie Oates

Horizon Award:

Sam Carter

Other nominees were:

Hannah James and Sam Sweeney
Katriona Gilmore and Jamie Roberts
Nancy Wallace

Musician of the Year:

John Kirkpatrick

Other nominees were:

John McCusker
Martin Simpson
Saul Rose

Best Live Act:

Bellowhead

Other nominees were:

Edward II
Lau
The Bad Shepherds

Folk Club of the Year:

The Magpies Nest

Everything Folk was launch in September 2009, and as we enter 2010 it seemed right to provide a brief rundown of the music reviews featured in the first few months of our existence.

No Mans Fool – Rachel McShane

Songs from the Floodplain – Jon Boden

Kill it Kid – Kill it Kid

Sarah Jarosz – Song up in Her Head

Jackie Oates – Hyperboreans

Julie Fowlis – Uam

Show of Hands – Arrogance, Ignorance and Greed

Rev Simkins – Lions

Sam Carter – Keepsakes

Light Song EP – Kevin Pearce

The major UK folk festivals have started to reveal their 2010 line-ups in anticipation of early ticket sales:

Shrewsbury Folk Festival

In the few years since Bridgnorth Folk Festival transferred to Shrewsbury it has established itself as one of the best run and attractive summer festivals, consistently pleasing the growing crowds with breakthrough artists, the big names and a (now trademark) selection of the best North American folk musicians. This year the acts so far announced include:

• Billy Bragg
• Cara Dillon
• Michael McGoldrick Big Band
• Dervish + Special Guests
• Heidi Talbot  & Boo Hewerdine  with Drever, McCusker, and Woomble.
• Mawkin/Causley
• Adrian Edmondson & the Bad Shepherds
• Genticorum
• Kristina Olsen & Peter Grayling

Trowbridge Village Pump Festival

The well-established Wiltshire-based festival is now in its 37th year. This year’s acts announced so far:

• Show of Hands
• Bellowhead
• Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain

Sidmouth Folk Week

The week-long folk holiday that is Sidmouth has announced a substantial part of its line-up already:

• Show of Hands
• Bellowhead
• Blue Murder
• Cordelia’s Dad
• Andy Cutting
• Eliza Carthy & Saul Rose
• Julie Fowlis
• Jackie Oates
• Mawkin:Causley
• Breabach
• Kerfuffle
• Brass Monkey
• Belshazzar’s Feast
• Martin Simpson
• Chris Wood
• Belinda O’Hooley & Heidi Tow
• Nancy Kerr & James Fagan
• Barry Coope and John Tams
• Fay Hield Trio
• Shooglenifty
• Salsa Celtica

More festivals and acts to follow over the next few months (and please let us know if you want something posting) …

Canadian singer/songwriter Andrew Vincent visits this side of the Atlantic this month for a tour to coincide with the release of his album, Rotten Pear, on the 1st February. In anticipation, click the link below for a free copy of Going out Tonight:

Going Out Tonight Free MP3

His tour dates are below, but here is another great treat – Andrew performing the Don Henley song Boys of Summer on the trusty Uke:

January

Netherlands
Tues 19          Amsterdam
Weds 20        Leiden
Thurs 21         Rotterdam
Fri 22              Groningen (venue tbc)
UK
Sat 23             London Shh! Festival @ Cecil Sharp House 0870 264 3333
Sun 24            Leeds The Northern Monkey 0113 242 6630
Mon 25           London The Slaughtered Lamb 0870 600 100
Weds 27         Coventry The Tin Angel 024 7655 9958
Thurs 28         Glasgow Brel 0141 342 4966
Fri 29              Edinburgh Sneaky Pete’s 0131 225 1757

February

Ireland
Mon 1             Dublin Isaac’s Hostel
Tues 2            Dublin Isaac’s Hostel

Leddra Chapman is one of a new breed of young women producing a more thoughtful brand of acoustic folk/pop than can be currently found by the industry mannequins found in the charts.

The opening track, Story, makes a statement of intent, grabbing the listeners attention with a 5/4 time signature in the verse and brass band backing (with particularly good horn arrangements), bringing in more instrumentation that complements the mixture of whimsy and wistfulness in Leddra’s voice. This is followed by more familiar territory in A Little Easier, which wears the pop sensibility with pride. A driving rhythm, good string arrangements and using the falsetto break in her voice to good effect.

The tracks follow a steady flow that guide the listener through the various ‘tales’ that constitute the narrative of the album, from the pathos of Eddie, the acoustic fun of Summer and the meditative piano and voice combination on the final track, Wrap me Up. The other stand-out track for me was Jocelin, which blended Leddra’s own acoustic playing with some sensitive piano from producer Peter John Vettese and a set of wonderfully plaintive lyrics.

Well-crafted songs, a distinctive, pleasing voice and sensitive production combine to create a superb debut from Leddra.

Live music performances for 100 people or less will no longer need to be licensed, under proposals announced today by licensing Minister Gerry Sutcliffe.

An exemption from the Licensing Act for small live music events would make it easier for a wide range of venues to put on live music, and help musicians who want to play to a live audience. “Going to see a band, musician or singer is a very important part of many people’s lives and we’re keen to do what we can to support audiences and musicians,” said Sutcliffe. “An exemption for venues with 100 people or less would benefit many small venues, particularly unlicensed premises such as village halls and cafes, which may currently be put off by licensing requirements. But we are also proposing that the exemption can be revoked at individual premises if there have been problems with noise, nuisance or disorder.”

Currently anyone wanting to put on live music must have a premises licence, a club premises certificate or a temporary event notice, although there are some exceptions for incidental, background music. The exemption means that all licensed premises such as pubs and clubs would be able to put on small scale live music, as would unlicensed premises such as cafes, restaurants, village halls and record shops. However, the exemption would only apply to performances that are indoors, and take place between 8am and 11pm, and the exemption could be revoked.

Martin Rawlings, director of pub and leisure at the British Beer and Pub Association said: “The BBPA welcomes any measures that can help pubs overcome existing barriers to putting on live music, helping aspiring and established musicians to reach audiences while at the same time boosting business, particularly during these difficult economic times.”

I am so sorry for the absence on this blog. Family illness has meant something of a change in priorities. However, things are back to normality now so regular service should resume.

Many thanks

One of the moments of teenage musical epiphany that has stayed with me was the day that I first heard the transformation in the Jesus and Mary Chain from Psycho-billy Goth rockers to dark acoustic outfit with the release of their second album, Darklands. There is something in the voice and of Kevin Pearce and the overall mood of this EP that reminds of that time over 20 years ago.

It opens with the plaintive love song, For Her, with the repetitive chord movement between root and relative minor that, coupled with Pearce’s fragile and occasional falsetto, complements the somewhat obsessive lyrics. His delicate finger-style acoustic guitar continues on the second track, Light Song, but with a gentle and welcome addition of Bass and Piano. The influence of Nick Drake and the contemplative edges of 1970’s prog rock can be felt in the space in the song, allowing the notes to breathe.

The tempo picks up a little bit with the third track, Older Times, with the same trademark sparse arrangements. The wistful tale of longing and unfulfilled love, along with the musicianship reminded me of American singer-songwriter Richard Shindell, and this musical pedigree is something that continues in the next song, Healthy State of Mind. The final track, Vultures, feels like it was born somewhere around Memphis and Essex – a wonderful, hypnotic blend of Johnny Cash and British angst-rock.

Overall, a moving, meditative musical journey in just five songs. Looking forward to hearing a full album from Kevin Pearce.Find him on My Space

Keepsakes

Sam Carter comes from a folk pedigree that makes this an album worth taking the time to listen to. From touring with Bellowhead, studying guitar with Martin Simpson through to his time as Emerging Artist in Residence at the Southbank Centre he has ‘paid his dues’ as a musician and a songwriter.

His debut full-length album opens with some very Simpson-esque guitar picking and a slightly disturbing song of working-class domestic violence, imprisonment and how life moves on. This is followed by a wonderfully wry song of unrequited love that showcases Carter’s ability as a wordsmith, with the best refrain “You flatten me like a pheasant on a country lane”  and a most accurate description of package holidays to the mediterranean, “There in the midst of sunbathing Brits/ Determined to burn”.

It isn’t all singer-songwriter fare though. Carter’s interpretation of Oh Dear, Rue the Day with moody guitars, driving double bass and expressive percussion (with some great fiddle work from Bellowhead’s Sam Sweeney) accompanying the tale of love and betrayal. A different flavour is given to Captain which is dominated by a stand-out string arrangement by Sam Carter with Kit Massey.

The dividing line where folk music begins and ends is difficult, and probably rightly so. If it is, simply put, music from and about ordinary people then an album such as Sam’s certainly fits. But it is also much more than that, and folk music is developing an artistry all of its own in this current revival, and the musicianship, the creativity and the lyricism of a work of art such as this does the genre proud.

With the current folk revival going on in the UK – from the most traditional to the pop/folk crossover – every so often an artist comes along that inspires a mixture of awe, confusion and joy in equal measure. Rev Simpkins did just that with his latest album, Lions. From the blasting “state of the nation address in Bb major” originally released as a single to coincide with the Queen’s official birthday, Elizabeth, through the blues-gospel of Daniel and the Lion (with some nice guitar work) and the New Orleans-style jazz of I Was England’s Last Honey Bee.

Simpkins wears his religion on his sleeve, but in a peculiarly English way that endears and fascinates (and is a welcome change to the bigotry of much US-inspired fundamentalism) – even with the American-roots musical inspiration. This is the gritty Christianity of Graham Greene’s whiskey-priests rather than the cringe-worthiness of Cliff Richard, and in that respect is reminiscent of Richard Thompson’s Islam.

After a whirlwind journey through patriotism, despair, environmentalism, temptation and a wall of chaotic sound the album finishes with what sounds like a complete reinterpretation of the gospel ‘John the Revelator’ which gives Simpkins the chance to showcase what an excellent guitarist he really is, and is a fitting end to a challenging and satisfying album.