Some new musical directions, June 2007

Given Rob's background, with his parents having been evacuated from the Bilbao area in 1937 as the city was increasingly under threat from Rebel troops, he is very interested in the Spanish Civil War and the evacuation of the Basque children.

With a new tune that Rob has composed, I have written a song called 'The Bite' dedicated to a man called George Wheeler who fought with the International Brigade in the Spanish Civil War. The song takes its name from the small piece of wood that some soldiers used to place in their mouths before going into battle, as something they could bite on to help contorl the terror when fighting. The Guardian did a series of excellent interviews with Spanish Civil War veterans in 2001 and, amongst many amazing tales, the interview with Mr Wheeler is particuarly remarkable.

On a recent business trip to Madrid, I took the opportunity to go shopping for some Galician and Asturian music. I had seen the name of a few bands in folkie magasines and thought I would treat myself. I have been bowled over by how good the material of bands like Tejedor is. (Go and research this material - you will not be disappointed.)

Consequently, and in the desire to write something to, in some way, honour the memory of Rob's parents' experiences, I have taken one of the really beatiful tunes I found on one of the albums I brought back, to use as a base for a song called 'Solo Por Tres Meses' - (Only for three months) which is what the parents told their children when persuading them to leave Bilbao for Southampton. I am using a DADGAD tuning to play the accompaniment and, once I have wrestled a couple of remaining lyrics to the ground, I would hope to introduce it to the repetoire.

So, with some dances and a couple of songs, we are adding a Spanish as well as a French flavour to the mix. I'll report on responses later - but if Danza Prima is any guide - they are going to like it.

13th May 2007 St Albans Folk Club, Rose and Crown

Like a football team playing on home ground, we were buoyed up by playing in our home town, having a little bit of local press coverage and being cheered along by a healthy crop of our mates. Just as well, because we were both absolutely shattered after the fun and the late night up in Piddling the night before. But we put together a couple of good 40 minute sets and club organiser Alison MacDonald and her friends did some excellent tunes and songs to round off a great weekend for us.

Simply through tiredness, we made a couple of small mistakes which we noticed more than anyone else - but everyone was very complimentary at the end - and we made a lot of new friends in the town.

We return to the Rose and Crown on Sunday 17th of June to play at its other folk club - the Wandering Windward club.

Investing in the Future

Well, we've both gone and done it! Rob and I have both invested in more instruments. Non musicians are often puzzled why someone might want two guitars or two mandolins - but musicians know why - the different textures to the sound, etc. (I have a lawyer friend who has guitars as his pension fund - he has over 80 and a very understanding wife!)

Rob and I went down to Hobgoblin Music in central London to check out a new Fylde Mandola - to replace my rather less sturdy Ashbury Bouzouki he has been playing recently - which has the potential to play the odd Sproing Flat in the middle of a sensitive tune (more of which later).

After discovering a dangerous hairline crack on getting it home in the first Mandola he bought, Hobgoblin were happy to replace it, and Rob has been playing the new one with a Cheshire Cat grin, ever since. A nice bit of kit, matey!

As part of our desire to maintain a higher tempo when playing, we have also been looking at Drop D and DADGAD tunings for me, as a guitar accompaniment. Given that we didn't want to be tuning and retuning instruments, I started to think about getting a new guitar to keep in DADGAD or Drop D tuning for gigs. A lot of internet searches later and, one recent Saturday, I headed up to the really excellent Coda Music shop in Stevenage to look at some guitars. I had spotted a second hand Lowden there at a decent (if more than I set out to pay) price. Whilst there, I played a few other guitars but had already fallen for the Lowden. Then, because the other second hand Lowden that Coda had advertised on their web site was actually in their Luton branch, they made me an offer I couldn't refuse on one of the new Lowdens in the Stevenage shop - and, I confess, I then went on to bust my already bust budget. (I too have a very understanding and patient wife!) What a guitar - I just love it. It rings like a bell. I am now trying to learn a lot more about DADGAD and Drop D tuning, and if the day-job wasn't so pressing, I'd be making more progress. But, I'm getting there.

So, we are truly suited and booted now and, furthermore, on getting the Ashbury bouzouki back, I took it to the Music Box in St. Albans for a once over by the team there - and it is now sounding pretty good. I will attempt to restart my learning process on it, which stopped when I had it on loan to Rob, so that I can better support (?) Rob and Tam Lin when required. It looks like Rob's son's view that Rob 'plays too many instruments' is going to strengthen - I'm not sure we are going to have space to put all this stuff in some of the clubs we play in. (The loft room is looking a bit crowded now too!)

The Saddest of News

The reason why Rob and I have been helping Tam Lin is that their guitarist and vocalist, Paul Gunningham, had been involved in an extremely serious car accident earlier in the year. It is with great sadness that we heard that, after what appeared to be a hard fought recovery in hopsital from dreadful injuries, Paul has passed away.

Rob and I only had the pleasure of meeting Paul once and had both been struck by his friendliness towards us.

Our condolences go to his family, but also to our friends in Tam Lin who are, naturally, devastated by the news of the loss of their frined and fellow bandmember.

12th and 19th May 2007, Wedding Bells

Not our wedding bells but those of others.

Our friends from the Letchworth and Baldock Folk Club, Alan and Sue, core members of the band Tam Lin, have approached Rob and I to help out with a few of their ceilidh and social gigs. and following a rehearsal with them and their other fiddler Georgina up in Bedfordshire, we had our first outing in the charmingly named Piddling in Cambridgeshire on 12th May.

Quite a learning curve! As a band - because in the end, neither Sue nor Georgina could play - we were bolstered and led by two other professional musicians, invited from Sheffield and Colchester(Dave Shepherd - of Blowzabella!). Having the opportunity to play dance music guided by the safe hands of these other, highly experienced, folk musicians and having the chance to learn from them, was a great experience for us.

Similarly, the experience of being at a wedding that one is not personally involved in (and being sober) was also very interesting - to watch the British at play - and a very good time was had by all! Alan and I had the chance to do a few songs when the revellers needed to get their breath back.

A week later, we were playing at another wedding at Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire. This time it was a definite Tam Lin and Na-Mara line up. A beautiful house, a beautiful day and a beautiful wedding - very nice to play through a set of lively tunes on a bright sunny day, while guests had pre-dinner drinks. Rob and I were able to play our new tune - including the Spanish Tune 'Danza Prima' - a real cracker. Less easy to do songs, and a bust string on my Taylor, left me strumming on my 'reserve' Baby Taylor looking rather like George Formby. But again, a great experience for us. We intend to do more of this with Tam Lin.