#Arachne5 thank-you’s: Musicians

With the 5th Anniversary celebrations heading into view I was thinking about the thank you speech, and like the Oscars it is in danger of going on, and on. And on. So I thought I’d blog it instead, a section at a time.

What does a publisher need with musicians? Well, our regular events Solstice Shorts Festival (always), and The Story Sessions (usually), some of our launches and some of our writing workshops have included music – always acoustic, often folk, sometimes original, mostly but not exclusively songs, because we love the narrative power of a song.

Our most frequent collaborators are Ian Kennedy and Sarah Lloyd who have performed in just about every capacity we offer them.

 

Next most regular must be Annalie Wilson, who also reads for us and was our artist in residence for the last four Story Sessions..

Annalie Wilson

 

After that it’s our choir friends, in various guises, (there’s a lot of cross-over in choirs!) most frequently as Summer All Year Long, but also Vocal Chords and Raise the Roof

Will Evererett singing with Summer all Year Long

Summer All Year Long

© Ben Mueller-Brown benhasphotos.wordpress.com

Vocal Chords at WGL

more vocal chords (by Katy Darby)

Vocal Chords (by Katy Darby)

Vocal Chords Wassailing

For Solstice Shorts we really push the boat out, with (sometimes) music written for the occasion AND multiple musicians: Shadrack Tye, Pepper & Shepherd, Rosemary Lippard, Melanie Harrold, Juliet Desailly, Peter Thomas & Piotr Jordan (playing original music by Zac Gvirtzman), plus everyone already mentioned!

And finally… Lester Simpson, who runs singing workshops for us once or twice a year and teaches us amazing songs that find their way into our events, and the repetoire of choirs all over London; and has become a friend along the way.

Will there be music at the Anniversary celebrations on the 8th September? Of course there will! Book your free ticket now!

Time for Man Go Home – A Few Minutes of Your Time Solstice Shorts final Video

Video

So here it is, the last of our videos from the festival,

Ray Newe reads David Turnbull‘s story A Few Minutes of Your Time in which the audience is held spellbound, but only for a few minutes

This story is one of 16 read at the festival and featured in the book Solstice Shorts: Sixteen Stories about Time 

and Shadrack Tye tell us to go home. A fitting end to the online element of the festival. Thanks for watching.

http://youtu.be/kP4BmUIHJd4

Our BSL interpreters wish it to be known that this is not what they consider performance standard signing, they needed a chance to rehearse with the performers for that, but you will be able to follow the story/song.

Our thanks to Royal Observatory Greenwich and West Greenwich Library for hosting.

Relationships in story and song Solstice Shorts Festival Video

Video

Sarah Feathers reads Sarah Evans‘ story, Stone Baby, in which Eleanor looks back on as a choice made years earlier. This story is one of 16 read at the festival and featured in the book Solstice Shorts: Sixteen Stories about Time


Our BSL interpreters wish it to be known that this is not what they consider performance standard signing, they needed a chance to rehearse with the performers for that, but you will be able to follow the story.

and three different takes on relationships:

Shadrack Tye The Task

http://youtu.be/A85_I-MfNoE

and The Lovers’ Tale

http://youtu.be/UEEj5GGpQlM

and Pepper & Shepherd with Courage

http://youtu.be/dre81wGcXWE

 

I Thought I Had More Time Solstice Shorts Festival Video

Video

I Thought I Had More Time – something that cropped up a lot in our Solstice Shorts story competition, but Helen Morris‘ story, read here by Jonathan Rice, really wowed the judges, winning her one of the five special accolades, Judges Favourite. This story is one of 16 read at the festival and featured in the book Solstice Shorts: Sixteen Stories about Time
Our BSL interpreters wish it to be known that this is not what they consider performance standard signing, they needed a chance to rehearse with the performers for that, but you will be able to follow the story.

To complement the story, a song from the magnificent Shadrack Tye, Another Way.

http://youtu.be/gZLntZV_uQo

Sundial Sunday Solstice Shorts Video

Video

As it is Sunday what better story to share than The Largest Sundial in the World, by Anita Sethi, one of our judges for the Solstice Shorts Time themed writing competition?

This story deals with family, horoscopes and finding your own way in the world. Pairing with today’s song, The Pilgrimage from Shadrack Tye. which also deals with family and making your own way.

http://youtu.be/toWWOtKdwYU

This story is one of 16 read at the Solstice Shorts Festival and featured in the book Solstice Shorts: Sixteen Stories about Time
Our BSL interpreters wish it to be known that this is not what they consider performance standard signing, they needed a chance to rehearse with the performers for that, but you will be able to follow the Story and the Song.

 

A Winter’s Evening in Bekescsaba Solstice Shorts Video

One of the Judges’ five favourite stories, Pippa Gladhill‘s devastating tale of a moment that changes a life and all the lives surrounding it, and the impact of a photograph seen in a restaurant, read by the talented Sarah Feathers.

And a couple of songs from the festival that really chime with the themes and mood of the story:

Have You Ever Thought, from Shadrack Tye

http://youtu.be/u3af3bfE7Ro

and

Annie from Pepper & Shepherd

http://youtu.be/kiDaJXgah9k

[A Winter’s Evening in Békéscsaba is a real photograph by Zoltán Berekméri. We did ask a museum that seems to have the copyright if we could display it on our website but they never came back to us. You can find it here.]

Usual Sign Interpreters’ modest denial of their skills. I am only putting this because they insist. It would all have been absolutely beautiful if they’d had a chance to rehearse with the performers. Planning a signed event yourself? Read and LEARN!

Solstice Shorts Folk Music Videos (with a nautical influence)

Video

Possibly being in Greenwich and so close to the National Maritime Museum turned our musicians minds to the joys of the sea, but there were quite a few songs about or influenced by the sea and ships. These are just some of them.

 

Pepper & Shepherd play Another New World (Josh Ritter)

http://youtu.be/KtrbIoSI9eM

 

Summer All Year Long sing Padstow Farewell (Traditional Sea Shanty)

http://youtu.be/MI_hO29GQMc

 

Shadrack Tye sing Quiet Joys of Brotherhood (Words Richard Fariña Tune Traditional arranged by Sandy Denny)

http://youtu.be/O4275pYReeM

Shadrack Tye talk about playing music together as a family

Solstice Shorts Musicians Shadrack Tye are a family group. Here they talk about how they each input into the song writing process and how they started performing together.

Solstice Shorts Musicians Shadrack Tye talk about Songs on Time

I met Tina, Paul, and Sam from Shadrack Tye the other day, to talk about songs and time, in the run up to Solstice Shorts Festival. This is what they had to say…

Solstice Shorts Folk

Some people might be wondering why what is essentially a literature festival has so much music in it, and folk music at that. You can find out the thinking behind it on Cherry Potts’ blog.

Let’s introduce you to the musicians who will be performing if we get the funding:

Ian Kennedy and Sarah Lloyd

Ian and Sarah are local musicians who delight in blending their voices in live unaccompanied harmony. Their repertoire covers traditional folk songs, including nursery rhymes and the occasional long ballad. Having warmed their vocal chords at The Goose is Out Singarounds, they now regularly sing floor spots at the Goose club nights in Nunhead, Tooting, Sharps and Islington folk clubs and as far afield as the Towersey Festival. In the last year, they have supported both Thomas McCarthy and the Copper Family for sell out nights at the Ivy House Community Pub in Nunhead. Earlier this year, Ian and Sarah performed as a duo at Cecil Sharp House for the launch of the EFDSS Yan Tan Tethera textiles and song project. They are also founder members of the Dulwich Folk Choir.

Shadrack Tye

Shadrack Tye have won critical acclaim from audiences and promoters alike for their performances at venues and festivals in London and around the country. All members of the same family, they perform folk arrangements and original songs bringing to both a multitude of musical influences.Tina and Paul have had long careers playing for top London orchestras and as music educationalists, while Sony artist Sam also sings with vocal jazz harmony group Vive, recently featured on both BBC television and radio.

I look forward to hearing some more of their stuff because it’s different and very, very interesting…..like it very much …

Mike Harding- Folk Show

In their first year out Shadrack Tye were invited to play in the Folk Rising series at Cecil Sharpe House and also performed at the Purbeck, Wessex and Folk Thing festivals.In 2013 they debuted debuted most successfully at the Rochester Sweeps and Broadstairs folk festivals, while this years firsts included Gate to Southwell and  the London Folkfest at the Bedford, Balham as well as an invitation to return to the main stage at the Wessex Festival. More recently they have headlined at venues in London and the south, most notably at the famous Bush Hall in west London.

Last year they achieved multiple radio plays on the Tom Robinson Show, BBC Introducing Mixtape and Mike Harding Folk Show and in addition, after being heard live by the producer of the International Ronnie Scott’s Radio Show, they were given the opportunity to record their much-loved cover of “Big Yellow Taxi” for the Joni Mitchell Special aired in the UK, USA and Canada.

They were also the featured band for Spiral Earth’s “Introducing” article in November 2013.

Their self-released EP – “The Lovers Tale”, was described by Mike Harding as “damn fine” and they are currently creating their next album due for release in 2014.

Rosemary Lippard

Rosemary has been singing British Traditional Music in folk clubs for nearly 3 years now. She often sings unaccompanied but is also in folk duos, with consummate guitarist Tim Graham, and as Country Parish Music with Steven Collins, founder of the Owl Service and Stone Tape Recording. She has played at gigs for The Goose Is Out in South East London, Leigh On Sea Folk Festival, Oxford Folk Weekend, The Islington Folk Club (from whom she won the Trad2Mad award in 2012) and the Green Note Cafe, Camden supporting artists such as Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick, Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin, Ewan McLennan, Long Lankin, The Askew Sisters, and Jim Causley. Rosemary hopes to be doing a few gigs this September, with Tim Graham, around England and potentially Wales… and for there to be enough gigs to call it a tour…

Pepper and Shepherd

Pepper and Shepherd are James Pepper and Anthony Shepherd. They play intricate, honest folk music on mandolin, guitar, ukulele and harmonies. They formed in 2009 and both live in Peckham, South London.
Their second album, Kings on the Rye was released on last August Bank Holiday. A bittersweet collection of eight original folk songs, written, recorded and produced in a tiny flat on Peckham High Street in the spring of 2013.

(Help us get the festival to happen – contribute to our crowd fund – think of this as the chorus)

And finally, Summer All Year Long

Summer All Year Long (SAYL) is a group of friends who meet in Cherry’s living room to sing for the pleasure of it, and sometimes do this in public, usually in connection with an Arachne Press event.

Since January they have been ploughing through what seems like thousands of songs about or related to time, trying things out and rejecting them, or making up arrangements. Not all of them started out as folk songs, but they are now!

(Help us get the festival to happen – contribute to our crowd fund – We’ll be very grateful and there are loads of fun and interesting rewards…)

Big thanks to Sue & Nyge at The Goose is Out for suggestions and contact details