Author: dafyddroberts
Guardian Folk Album Winners to play at Gwyl Ffynnon Sant Caron this Saturday 5th March
Some good news!
Alula Down are playing this Saturday in Tregaron at Y Banc. These Guardian Folk Album winners have drawn attention for their inspired folk and ambient moves.
Playing traditional and self written songs using sound collage and semi-improvisation. They “conjure their vision with fields of minimalist sonic repetition and tell whispered tales of the people who wander by.” Stewart Gardiner, Concrete Islands
The duo of Mark Waters & Kate Gathercole are praised by Jude Rogers in the Guardian who writes:
” Echoing rain blends with shuddering drones and lyrics…. Post-rock and ambient fans will relish the shape-shifting textures… Gathercole’s voice is featherlight and meaningful, recalling Vashti Bunyan and late 60s private-press folk”
This is high quality stuff. Be sure to get yourself a ticket for the Saturday concert:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gwyl-ffynnon-sant-caron-st-carons-well-festival-tickets-243477316207
Here’s snip of their treatment of Master Kilby to whet your appetite!
Playing alongside Rhodri Davies, Ceri Rhys Matthews & De Louet savour the gestalt effect.
Sad News, Sad news—–
Dear Friends—alas, Debbie is unwell and thus Burd Ellen will not be with us on this occasion. Let’s wish her the swiftest of recoveries! Fret not though, we still have a full kit of sounds to inspire and delight……
De Louet—–Take the Drovers’ road to Tregaron
De Louet is an electronic acoustic performer from Llanon in Ceredigion. Former drummer for the avant-garde pop artists Son Capson has since experimented with using loops and textures inspired by the landscape of his native Ceredigion.
De Louet will kick off the proceedings on Saturday 5th March at Y Banc the venue for this afternoon’s concert. They will traverse an improvised piece inspired and in reaction to the journey back to Ceredigion over the old drovers’ route from Bristol to Tregaron.
http://www.soundcloud.com/delouet
Get Tickets for this concert. Saturday or the weekend here….
Ritualistic Hymnals-Pefkin play in Tregaron Saturday 5th March—-Only 20 Tickets Remain
I am so happy to introduce you to the marvellous world and sublime musicality of Pefkin. All of these acts playing are simply fantastic and brought together will truly knock your socks off. Do consider buying tickets—it will be impossible to do this next time if You don’t come!!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gwyl-ffynnon-sant-caron-st-carons-well-festival-tickets-243477316207
Pefkin is the alter ego of Gayle Brogan, Ayrshire-based creator of slowly-unfolding, ritualistic hymnals that draw heavily on the landscape and natural world.
Pefkin emerged after the retro-futuristic psych / electronic duo Electroscope went into hibernation in 2000. Influenced by Nico, Hood, Movietone and Syd Barrett, she created a fragmentary, more stripped-down version of Electroscope’s bedroom psychedelia but retreated from live performance in 2001. Pefkin has released 14 albums on labels such as Morc, Wild Silence, Reverb Worship, Digitalis, Pseudoarcana and Siren Wire as well as several sold-out lathe cuts on Sonido Polifonico. Pefkin returned to live performance in 2013 and has played across the UK and Europe, including Fano Free Folk Festival and Woolf II in 2019.
Her sound comprises a mesmerising and enigmatic layering of vocals, violin, analogue synth, zither, psaltery, harp, guitar, found objects and field recordings. She records at home in North Ayrshire.
Something akin to what it must have been like hearing Nico’s ‘Marble Index’ when it was released; alien yet curiously familiar, beautiful yet stark, hypnotic yet troubling. (Grey Malkin / Active Listener)
Gayle is also a member of Burd Ellen and Meadowsilver.
Try this great collection to whet your appetite!!!
St Caron’s Well Festival-Program
This is a brief overview of what’s planned to happen. I’ll try and neaten it up and send direct to anyone who’s bought a ticket. But distillation may help you plan your visit and which ticket to buy—-if you can, please get by advance as it helps me plan exactly what to expect! But for Friday and Saturday Night tickets (cash) on the door is an option. We could really do with selling 30 more tickets 🙁
Friday Night kicks off at Oriel Rhiannon (doors 7pm) with a St Caron’s Eve taster with: itdreamedtome & Alan Holmes & Zoe Skoulding (tickets on the door or in advance)
Saturday Morning: Welsh bagpipe-led procession to St Caron’s Well-meet at 10.15 at Riverbank Cafe courtyard. We’ll start the short walk at 10.30 with dressing the well thereafter (FREE) Come and dress the well, rags, flowers, garlands, woven shapes, poetic fragments, bright threads, geometric devices
Saturday 1pm-5pm: head to Y Banc in the centre of Tregaron, opposite the church, arrive earlier to ensure a ringside seat. The bands playing in this afternoon slot are: De Louet, Rhodri Davies, Ceri Rhys Matthews & Aula Down (advance tickets only)
Saturday 7.30-10.45pm: Acts are playing in the Memorial Hall (just down from Y Banc and adjacent to the Spa), tickets on the door or advanced (preferred!): Carausias Arise!, Pefkin, Burd Ellen AND Moon Goose
Sunday Morning 9.30am: Local walk (FREE) to a denuded Bronze Age cairn. GARN FAWR – TREGARON. Distance 5.5 miles. Ascent 1240ft.Meet outside Y Talbot (By front porch). This walk will start by road but will soon ascend to boggy uplands with off path walking. Walking boots/ wellingtons advised. Please also bring waterproofs and something to eat/ drink. The walk should take around three hours.
The walk will take us to a summit with a denuded bronze age cairn and trig point with spectacular views of Tregaron and surrounding hills and forests.
(Please note that the walk may be cancelled due to poor weather conditions and that any activities are undertaken at your own risk! )
For those who are more sedate (me), you may want to hang out in Coffi a Bara who tell me they will be creating a special St Caron Cinnamon Bun….
Sunday 1pm-5pm: (FREE) Modular Synth Meet-and introducing the HUMBOX, with . this will be a very informal meeting of modular synth fans some of whom will bring their synths, it can be an informal opportunity to find out and hear more. During the session there will be at least one impromptu performance.
The view from Garn Fawr is impressive!
Jethro Toe Moment
Hi All, Ian Fraser has kindly pointed out that the Carausias T shirt should have 3 ns—my proof did but somewhere in transmission we dropped one. Doubtless those early few sold will become sought after collectables…Here below (I hope) is the link to the correctly spelled T Shirt….
Thanks Ian!
https://www.streetshirts.co.uk/sell-t-shirts?PFC[SSDKlcshLEPtOQBKamo4b4WNR9k5mN]
Modular Madness Synth Meet- Sunday 6th March 1pm, Tregaron Memorial Hall
I’ve had a few queries about this one…I haven’t got a synth can I still come to this? I have no idea what a modular is, can I still come? For sure, please do! The idea is to be a kind of olde world nerd fest church jumble sale coffee morning type-vibe, if anyone remembers those?
This does remain something of a a flaky proposition still…The idea is that those fans of modular, hardware , music software, home made electronics sound devices, laptop musicians or etc will congregate, set up on a table (book first with me), maybe with their own powered monitors, or use the small PA….and everyone can mingle, listen, (jam?) ask questions like “Why can you never have enough VCAs?”, ” What is a VCA anyway?” or “What is a Wogglebug?”, maybe have a go at patching, and just , to purloin a phrase, share and enjoy…It’s definitely about finding out, maybe swapping modules, maybe even getting the ‘bug’.
So come and spectate, browse, chat, try etc and if you want to set up a table please let me know so I can check we have enough to accommodate you!
Introducing the HUMBOX!
During proceedings there will be at least one impromptu performance. I am really pleased to introduce you to Mike McInerney and his Humbox….
“The Humbox is a primarily analog synthesiser which doesn’t do much except hum. However there’s some nice subtle control over frequency spectrum and pitch, and lots of VCAs. Mike McInerney is also a shakuhachi player. He likes natural textures and subtle noises and still thinks of himself as a composer, though most of what he’s been doing lately has been in-the-moment or collaborative. Drone Study 1 is a kind of return to type. The patch is fully notated, and there is a pre-ordained plot for how the drone’s sound evolves.”
Sounds intriguing, huh? Mike’s promised to show us some of ‘its’ tricks. Great Stuff!
Fire And Ice-Listen to the Extraordinary Harpist Rhodri Davies!
Fantastic! The consistently extraordinary Rhodri Davies-long time supporter of LVOF and all round inspirer-is playing in our inaugural St Caron’s Well Festival of Folk and Strange Music
—yes, we are genre agnostic and these labels are unhelpful, especially with some one whose work spans so many zones….Rhodri is playing along with a host of great acts on Saturday in Tregaron’s new Bistro, Y Banc- so yes, cakes, food, fine coffees and probably other repasts can be had whilst you sit up close and watch dexterous hands create skeins of strong and strange music. Details to follow on the other stand outs coming to a sleepy mid Wales town near you….
But, not wanting to sound too desperate, part of this project-part funded by Ty Cerdd, was to show that there could be an audience of music curious folk in the region for this vibrant new music-and one located not in the central ‘usual suspects’ territories, those well served urban/larger town arts centre bases (mentioning no names…)….and I want to show those funders that there is an audience. If there is not then…come and be part of a one off speciality!
You can get tickets for Saturday in advance, and we really need you to come! Do yourself a favour: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gwyl-ffynnon-sant-caron-st-carons-well-festival-tickets-243477316207
Rhodri Davies is immersed in the worlds of improvisation, musical experimentation, composition and contemporary classical performance. He plays harp, electric harp, live-electronics and builds wind, water, ice, dry ice and fire harp installations and has released six solo albums.
His regular groups include: HEN OGLEDD, Cranc, Common Objects and a duo with John Butcher. He has worked with the following artists: David Sylvian, Jenny Hval, Derek Bailey, Sofia Jernberg, Lina Lapelyte, Pat Thomas, Simon H Fell and Will Gaines.
For the last ten years Davies has been closely associated with the pioneering composer Eliane Radigue performing seventeen of her pieces. She composed OCCAM I for Davies in 2011, the first in an ongoing series of solo and ensemble pieces for individual instrumentalists in which a performer’s personal performance technique and particular relationship to their instrument function as the compositional material of the piece.
New pieces for solo harp have also been composed for him by: Christian Wolff, Carole Finer, Philip Corner, Phill Niblock, Ben Patterson, Alison Knowles, Mieko Shiomi and Yasunao Tone. In 2008 he collaborated with the visual artist Gustav Metzger on ‘Self-cancellation’, a large-scale audio-visual collaboration in London and Glasgow. In 2012 he was the recipient of the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Grants to Artists Award, he was a Chapter Associate Artist (2016-19) and in 2017 he received a Creative Wales Award. He is a co-organiser of the NAWR concert series in Swansea. www.rhodridavies.com
News from Nowhere-No News is Good News
Brief update…
Moon Goose- Coming to a sleepy rural town in mid Wales
Morning all! Super excited to tell you that Moon Goose are playing at the St Caron’s Well event here in Tregaron…..come along for some of the finest psychedaelia. A little bit Hawkwind, a little bit Magic Mushroom Band or Nukli-love ’em….
Orthodox historical records note about the band…
Comprised of a group of established Pan Welsh French musicians (including Des Davies of the Lo-Fidelity Allstars) with a passion for Rapa Nui stone heads & dragons. Traditional tradesmen and arthouse web designers by day, astounding musos by nightfall, their hypnotic and metamorphic psychedelic ‘rock’ described by the band themselves as the “sound of a dragon colliding with an asteroid”, by Stuart Maconie (BBC 6Music’s Freak Zone ) as ‘Cambrian Psychedelia’ & Bethan Elfyn (BBC R Wales) as “big & boisterous”, has indeed plenty of Devonian old red sandstone within. There is also, if you know where to find it, gneiss…
You will need a ticket for Saturday of course…
Whet your appetite….. every track a winner-I am listening to Edible Druid as I type
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