News
Here's another track from Woven. This is a very old Northumbrian song that I'd been aware of for many years but never tried singing until this project came along! An old man talks to an oak tree, lamenting his lost youth. As the tree ages, it gets bigger and stronger, where the man is becoming more feeble.
Thanks also to Roddy Hart for giving the song a spin on his BBC Radio Scotland show last night.
Last week, I had a really enjoyable chat with Alan Morrison about the story behind Woven; you can read the results in today's Sunday Herald magazine and online here.
Thank you to Rob Fearnley at Bright Young Folk for this great review of Woven:
'The past may be evident in the songs and themes of Woven but its composer and creator is very much a part of the present and most importantly, the future. An absolute triumph!'
Well, I've had a productive morning, making a short video to go with a happy reel from Woven. It's called Mill Race. Enjoy!
Delighted to announce that I've been nominated in the Composer of the Year category at the Scots Trad Music Awards. It's a real honour to be listed alongside such brilliant musicians. Voting is open now and the ceremony takes place on 5th December in Dundee. The full list of nominees can be found here. Looking forward to our folk scene 'work night out'!
Over on my Facebook page I've been sharing some background information about some of the music from Woven. Here's an update with the two most recent posts...
This set begins with a very well-known song, Deep In Love. The words will be recognisable to lots of you; it shares 'floating verses' with the likes of The Water Is Wide and Waly Waly. Then we go straight into a jig which I've named The Daffodil. The tune is about new beginnings, and the title links with one of my favourite memories of Warkworth, the village I grew up in. Every spring, the hill below the castle is carpeted in these flowers - if anyone I know has any photos of this, feel free to share them here! After that comes an Irish song, Greenwood Laddie, with bits of the jig tune winding through it.
Widely thought to originate in Lancashire, it's a song about extreme poverty and hardship, taking up a similar thread (sorry!) to the Jute Mill Song - hard work for little gain, a daily struggle for basic needs, and anger at the powers that be. I kept the original melody for this one. Thanks also to Max Reinhardt for playing it on BBC Radio 3's Late Junction last week. Catch up here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06j14rp (50'30)
The image on Woven's cover is a piece by Georgie Meadows, taken from her Stitched Drawings series. I discovered it whilst searching for artwork relating to dementia, and thought it was a perfect fit for the music and its overarching theme. I'm very grateful to her for allowing me to use it. Here are Georgie's words about her work:
"I spent many years working as an Occupational Therapist specialising in mental health, and for the last 14 years working with elderly people coping with mental and physical difficulties as well as a diminished role in our society. I was always making and drawing in my spare time but in 2003 I took ten months off work to do an Art Foundation course at Hereford College of Art and Design, where I began experimenting with the translation of pencil drawings of the people I worked with into machine stitch on fabric. I returned to work but two years later retired from Occupational Therapy to concentrate on my art practice.
To offer good compassionate care, indeed to simply care for each other we need to be able to see each person as a unique individual. This is often made difficult by people’s inability to make logical verbal communication. But so much communication is visual rather than verbal. Sight is such a powerful sense: we spend so much time making fast decisions based on what we see. Looking and seeing can make us more informed and more creative in what we do, but it can also mislead – especially when loss of identity and control are involved.
I always felt that the importance of the imagination – how we interpret what we see when caring or just being with people – is neglected. I try to use my images to practise ‘looking’ in a more reflective way, to try to avoid hasty assumptions or categorising. I have also found them useful teaching aids for those working in the caring professions. I hope to encourage empathy and inclusion as well as to celebrate the courage of those older people who find life a struggle.
None of these images is intended as a portrait of a specific individual."
Hello from my brand new site! I think it looks really swish. You'll find information about Woven, news, gigs and much more. Head over to the contact page to get in touch, and feel free to subscribe to the mailing list for (infrequent) email updates.
I have been ably assisted by the marvellous Heather Almond Design and many, many web support forums.
Very pleased to unveil a full album stream of Woven here:
To hear it as a playlist of separate tracks, please visit my soundcloud page.
Thank you also to Folk Radio UK for featuring Jute Mill Song as their Song of the Day. The words were written by Mary Brooksbank. She was born in Aberdeen, and worked in the jute mills of Dundee from a young age. Hers is a fascinating story; here she is talking to Hamish Henderson about her early family life. Lots more to be explored in the related links, too.
This is my first solo album! It'll be released on my own label, Night Vad, on 20th November. More information and a brand new website coming your way very soon...
