We Have Moved !!!

Hi all. I hope you are all looking forward to the hols? And thank you for calling.

Please make a note that FTF has moved home for the time being. Our new details are folktalkinfolk@wordpress.com. All the usual folkieness will be found there. We are off to a bit of a slow start but will be full steam ahead come 2013. Annie will be reporting on any of the gigs she manages to see down south. Mr G will be keeping his usual eye on the ball and I will try to point out the obvious and the odd album I think may be of interest.

So hope to see you there and from us all have a super Christmas and Folkie New Year.

Regards from A, G and PJW.

Eleanor Shanley..........

At Last.......

Hi all and sorry for such a late posting but it is looking like the end of the road for my 'steam driven' laptop! It has served me well over six years so thumbs up for Toshiba!

I also have another preamble to this post. While doing the research as to the availability of this album  (lets face it it would be pointless suggesting an 'essential' album for your collection if you can't get your 'ears' on it!) I got quite a shock. I visited the usual places and boy do you have to dig. When you find it, the cover photo is 'not available' (I have included one for you) and the price seems to range from £9.99 to £49.99!!!! I'm sure if you want an mp3 download it would be cheaper but you can have the pleasure of the hunt.

When most 'folkies' hear the name Eleanor Shanley they think of that great Irish folk band DeDanan, to which she was the 'front lady' from 1988 to 1992, and a top job she made of it too. Lets face it, DeDanan have had their fair share of superb 'front ladies' with the likes of Delores Keane, Mary Black and Maura O'Connell, so know a great voice when they hear it! If I had been a betting man at the time I would have put money on a successful solo career being a mere formality. But it never seemed to turn out that way. Despite collaborations with Christy Moore and Sharon Shannon. Plus recording with Ronnie Drew, Eddi Reader and Delores Keane she never seems to get what she rightly deserved! So I am going to try my best to convert you to 'Shanleyism' with the album Desert Heart.

For all the 'finger in the ear' gang I'm afraid you will only find one traditional track (If I Were a Blackbird). The balance are offerings from other greats of the folk world. When I say "great" I mean Richard Thompson and several members of the MacColl dynasty and in my book they deserve 'great'. This could also be one of those albums you buy for one track (now come on we have all done it!). For me, every last 'pee' of your £9.99 is worth parting with for Mr Thompson's 'Galway to Graceland', just fantastic. If you are still in the mood for getting value for money add Mr MacColl's 'Sunday Morning, Holloway Road' then it only works out at a fiver a track! Joking aside, I cannot find a 'spanner in the works' anywhere. Check it out, you will be glad you did!

Dinner party trivia for you: She is the only female artist to record with The Dubliners. On the album '30 years of Greying'.

While on the subject of money. What can you get for £20 that lasts all day, could make you laugh, cry, dance and sing (that's cheaper than 90 Min's with Leeds United). Well a ticket to the 'Tanglewood Festival' over in Co Down could be yours and I call that value!.

It's on the 4th Aug so if you are lucky enough to be on your hols over there add it to your 'to do' list. Full details can be found at http://www.tanglewoodmusic.co.uk/. My ulterior motive for this 'plug' is to make sure you catch David Hope in 'A Certain Shade Of Green Acoustic Tent' at around 8pm. Giving it 'what for'!

I have a list as long as your arm regarding mentions re future gigs, CD's etc. So what I'm going to try and do for next time is put together a 'contact list' with a link to each artist then you can choose who to keep an eye on with the odd 'prod' from me. I will also TRY and keep it up to date!

Well you will be glad to know that's just about it for now. Next posting will have full details and a short 'bio' about our new boss (I think they call them CEO's in America?). We have got him in to 'point us in the right direction', 'keep our eyes on the ball' etc. We needed him here at FTF Towers, we were starting to slip! He's called 'Guinness' or Mr Guinness. As I said full details next time. You can drop him a line if you wish but I think it will be his PA (Annie) who deals with it for now, but feel free! I'm off, it's 'medication' time!!!

Contact, Email: folktalkinfolk@gmail.com. Twitter: @folktalkinfolk. Mobile Device: 07526504285

Posting mk 2, (Lets have another go!!

Miriam Donohue...........who?


Well, she, "Plucks verbs and strings and all pretty things"!!!

Hi everybody. Sorry for the delay in posting but this is Mk2. If your ever find Mk1out in 'interweb' land keep it, it may be worthsummat one day!!!!

This is going to be one of those, new artists, ones to look out for and contact details, etc etc.
And just to let you know the next posting is one of those 'Essential' albums for your collection. But back to now.

These days everything folkie that comes my way is via David P Hope (@DavidPHope) and more than welcome I am too. He's a super musician and a great 'ear to the ground'!  At the moment Ireland seems the place to be! Loads of new YOUNG talent (guess that's me not going over then?) playing because they enjoy it and the odd few Euro's help feed the cat!.....I have just realised that my laptop is so old it does not have a Euro key! Time for a new one, me thinks. Anyway back to Miriam.....

(thank you to the photographer they are great pics!)

She has quite a few tunes out on the Internet (you lucky people, good tunes and FREE). It's the Yorkshire man in me!
Follow the link to Miriam's website: www.miriamd.com. and you will find 'Magnolia Walls'. This was the first, (to me anyway). It was a 'get it on the list' from the off and that does not happen everyday! Next stop, Twitter and found her there too, (Christmas' coming at once!). She is also on that FB thing but I cannot seem to work it (my age). Last but not least get your mouse round to www.soundcloud.com/miriam-donohue. Where you can hear 'Street Car' another belter! Enjoy them and share them. I'm sure Miriam will be most 'gladified'!

I'm sure I will be back to rave about Miriam again. She had  a concert (10th May @The Crane Bar with the one and only David Hope). And it went down a storm, so get yersens off to the next one.

I am not going to do a gig list for Miriam. A trip to to the website will solve that one.

Lets all give her well deserved support.

I also need tips on being an 'Uncle'. My Mum only produced me so no nieces or nephews. Well I'm over the moon to find that Miriam has adopted me as an 'Uncle'. Now does that mean all those birthdays and things are still current? So Miriam what would you like for your 1st birthday?

Next time, Louise Hamilton @folkcircus, @flamingJune is taking a trip to the studio so goodies will abound in the not too distant future and the best of luck with it. PS.....no 'moshing'!!

Contact, Email: folktalkinfolk@gmail.com, Twitter: @folktalkinfolk. Direct: 07526 504285

Who's nicked mi blog?

It should be here............!

Sorry folks but finished my weekly 'ramble-on' last night while keeping an ear out for Mr Harding and his super weekly offerings (and suffering from 'man flu' (I was near death several times!)). So done and dusted, pressed 'Publish' with not a second thought. Went off to take my medication ( a nice bottle of red from Tesco) and watch the 'one eyed monster'. Thought I would have a look this morning and bugger me it's GONE!!! I have looked all over the place (in 'drafts' etc) but it has run away!
I will give it another go. I have my notes and pics etc.

It had some gig dates for David Hope (one tonight) so sorry to him. The 'body' of the posting was about a lady who I think will be taking us by storm in the very near future, Miriam Donohue. I had done a 'mini' bio of her, so will repeat that.

So will try and get it out over the weekend as the weather does not look very BBQ now does it!! TTFN.

Iris DeMent........Country or Folk?

Does it matter? She is great!!!

First off, you can be forgiven if you have never come across this particular singer/songwriter. You can also be forgiven that on your first hearing it will be love or hate. I think she could be called a 'Marmite' singer. I know of no other artist who can polarise a room of people on a first listening! You will have to make up your own minds and I hope you enjoy the journey!

Born in Paragould AR in 1961 she was a late starter when it came to both her singing and writing (at the age of 25). In 1988 she moved to Nashville where she 'teamed up' with Jim Rooney who helped her with her first record contract. Her first attempt 1992 was 'Infamous Angel' which at the time was a flop!

 The underground whisperings on the streets of Nashville brought her to the attention of Warner Brothers Records and in turn reissued 'Infamous Angel' in 1993 and followed it up in 1994 with the fantastic 'My Life'.

 1996 saw the release of 'The Way I Should'. And this album is a real dandy, very different to the first two and enjoyable as a 'stand alone' album with track after track that makes you think about our modern way of life.

This trio of albums is 75% of her total output (another following in 2004). In my opinion, three 'must haves' for your collection.

If you are the owner of Kate Rusbys album 'Sleepless' you can catch a cover of 'Our Town' on that. It's a good un!

And where did I first get an ear full? Series 1 of Transatlantic Sessions. If she's good enough for Aly Bain she's good enough for me!

You can also find her on You Tube so you can try before you buy. If your one of the 50% 'pro Iris' you can look forward to lots of great listening. If not, at least you tried and I cannot ask for more than that.

Three personal favourites from each album are:

Infamous Angel: 'Our Town, 'Let the Mystery Be' and 'Mama's Opry'.

My Life: 'No Time to Cry', Easy's Gettin' Harder Every Day' and 'My Life'.

The Way I Should: 'There's a Wall in Washington', 'Wasteland of the Free' and 'Quality Time'.

And my last tip is. If you are going to take the plunge get 'The Way I Should' first to test the water. Enjoy them all!!

Late News

Just found this great Iris link so you can have a listen while doing the cleaning! Some Iris Tunes 

Diary Dates

Louise Hamilton (@folkcircus) and her band Flaming June have gigs to go to and tracks to download. I also 'hear' through the 'Tweetvine' an album is on it's way for Aug. Anyway, here we have a few dates for ya.

June 9th, Golden Hind, Cambridge, (Louise Solo).

June 23rd, Relay For Life, (a charity event), Ickworth.

Aug 24th, Blyth Power Ashes, Peterborough, (Louise Solo).

Sep 29th, Cottenham Primary School, (a charity event), Cottenham, Cambs.

Oct 13th, Oxjam, (a weekend event), Bury St Edmonds.

Sorry but I do not seem to be able to find any phone numbers for tickets, info etc. I'm sure a touch of 'Google'in' would solve that.

Now David Hope's 'mini tour. I think the poster says it all (he's the one in the middle)! And dates are on a previous posting. Good luck to him and all the girls.

And last but by no means least is a 'listen and vote' for Tony Bowen (@tonybowenmusic). In my mind a super track and well worth your fingers doing the pressing! I hope this link works but if not get in the old Twitter and give him a follow. promo.xfm.co.uk/danny-wallace/, (looks like you may have to type it in yersens but it's well worth it.

Well that's all for now folks, hope you have a good wknd, TTFN.

PS, pet hate for this week......that American guy on TV who goes from one eatery to another trying to gobble down hot wings or 5lbs of steak in 10 mins! Don't know why he just gets to me!

Contact: folktalkinfolk@gmail.com, Tweet: @folktalkinfolk, Direct: 07526 504285.

Judy Collins...'Sweet Judy Blue Eyes'....

: My Life in Music..............

No tunes this time...It's a BOOK! Not known for having a 'Kindle' finger, books are not on the top of my 'must get this week' list. The same could be said for Judy Collins, I have never been the biggest of fans but own up to just the one CD in my collection and very nice it is too. This book was something of a serendipitous find while watching the 'one eyed monster'. Judy was on, talking about the book even though it was late promotion as it has been out a year. Anyway, I bobbed into Leeds to pick up some strings and called for a coffee (in a popular high street bookstore) and there it was, this very same book so onto the 'plastic' it went and it's a wowser!

Although I was born in '53 I was not of an age to take advantage of (what I'm told were) the hedonistic, free love, pot smoking thing that was going on in the '60's. I just missed out! But by all accounts it was the time to be 'around'! Reading this book, I'm glad I missed it! But it is a Who's Who of the folk scene at that time. From Judy's meeting with Stephen Stills to several stories and anecdotes involving Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen etc. To a very poignant meeting with Janis Joplin and recalling later that she was as 'near to the edge' as she was! She grew up with an alcoholic father and made several attempts at suicide while still very young. All in all a very interesting tale that will keep you page turning. It is also a book of hope to all that need it and a stark reminder of what can be, to those of us that don't! A good read!

Cover Photo by Francesco Scavullo.

ISBN: 978_0_307_71736_8.

£15 ish (hardback).

Home Studio Pt 1.

I think that at this early stage it would be a wise move to get your software installed. For one thing it's the FREE bit and another you can have a play around with it and follow some of the 'lessons' that come along with it.
For the recording side I have gone with 'Audacity' (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/). Also download the 'Plug-In's' (effects etc) that come with it. You will also find software that lets you export files in mp3 format when you have done editing. So download that as well.
You will be needing some file converter software and for this I have chosen a little number from NCH Software, (www.nch.com.au.) No surprise here as it's called, 'File Converter'!
As you play around and follow the tutorials you will need some data to play with. You can import any music track of your choice and practise cutting the length or section of a tune but will not improve on the quality etc. That's all been done. So get some 'raw' data. For that I used my mobile phone. Just turn on the voice recorder and play it a tune. Load that to your PC, convert it to a file type 'Audacity' is happy with via your file converter and you have your data to play with.
Next time we will look at how to get the signal from your instrument to the PC, then we can start some 'real' editing.

Top Tip: If you have never been very good at disc 'housekeeping' START NOW! Work out a system that suits you and stick to it! Every time you alter your track in any way and save it, it will create another file and you may want to edit a previous one so decide how you are going to name them and file them. It will pay off in the end!

Well I think that's enough for now? If you do have any idea's pls drop me a line but for now it's Ta Ta from me.

Contact: Email folktalkinfolk@gmail.com. Twitter @folktalkinfolk. Direct 07526 504285.

Just a quickie...............

Dates for your diary.............

Hi all! As I am sure you know by now what a keen fan and follower of David P.Hope I am. So I have a few gig dates for all those lucky enough to live over on the Emerald Isle. In his words, "a mini tour". That could mean the size of car he is driving or the length of skirt he will be wearing! Either way, miss him at your peril. To cap it all off his fellow entertainers on said tour are all ladies! Lucky bu*&er.

Yes, he seems to have hit the 'I'm a lucky man' spot with concerts with both Miss Paula Flynn and The Henry Girls!

Wed 9th May with Paula Flynn at 'The Bernard Shaw', Potobello, Dublin, (free entry).

Fri 11th May with Paula Flynn and The Henry Girls at 'The Model', Sligo.

Sun 13th May as Miss Paula Flynn's 'special guest' at Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival, 'The Black Box', Belfast.

More dates may be on the cards but at the moment these are all I have. You can keep an eye out at http://www.davidhope.ie/, or 'follow' him on Twitter @DavidPHope and 'Facebook' etc, etc. And I think his 'musicals' are available on iTunes etc.

Thats a pint you owe me David on your next trip 'over the water'!

Just afore I go, 'Masons Apron Radio' (http://www.masonsapronradio.co.uk/) have two new shows in the tubes which will be fun and if they do not make you smile you have no soul!

Bye for now but next time I will have Part 1 of the 'Home Studio', aka 'The Spare Bedroom'.

Contact, Email: folktalkinfolk@gmail.com, Twitter: @folktalkinfolk, Moan Line: 07526 504285.