Comments | addedentry: Sell your computer, buy a guitar

addedentry

Sell your computer, buy a guitar

Aug 04, 2005 17:00

No, I haven't developed blog depression, I've just been busy.

The Cambridge Folk Festival is less scary than Glastonbury because a) with a gate of 12,000 it's a twelfth of the size, b) the drug of choice is mulled cider and c) you can go home every night when you live round the corner. The festival supposedly interprets folk music as 'music for ( Read more... )

music, cambridge

Comments 12

djw August 4 2005, 16:27:44 UTC

It is distinctly unfair that you got to see The Unusual Suspects live! I keep missing them. What did they play, if you can remember? Oh, and the lady with the Carmac electroharp would have been one of Corrina Hewat, Alyth MacCormack and Mary MacMaster. I can't remember which.

addedentry August 4 2005, 16:34:23 UTC

It was Corrina Hewat - we saw her hand in hand later with the keyboardist who'd sat at the far side of the stage from her. The opening piece was a marvellous, upbeat 'Donald MacGillavry', but I don't remember any other titles.

I was amazed how well-drilled they were. The last band I saw of that size was the Polyphonic Spree, who were appalling.

djw August 4 2005, 16:56:30 UTC

Ah. That's on their debut album, too. I hope they played some off-album stuff (Archie Fisher played a beautiful set they performed at Celtic Colours 2004 on one of his shows).

Allow me to tone down my previous enthusiasm - most of the stuff they do is amazing. Some stuff (mostly when they try to get bagpipes involved) just falls flat.

Unusual Suspects djw November 7 2005, 13:09:43 UTC

Hi. I am co-organiser and md of the Unusual Suspects. What do you mean when you say the pipes fall flat? I absolutely love the osund of the pipes with the brass section. I think the intruments sound amazing together.

I am a little late in replying, but I only just found this link.

Corrina

Thread 5

the_elyan August 4 2005, 18:12:18 UTC

Have you tried "Rough Music" by Eliza Carthy? No more than an "Airwick Hint of Cross-Over".

If you like both country and folk, I thoroughly recommend the American band Hem - both their albums (Rabbit Songs and Eveningland" are superb, and the singer is wonderful. www.eveningland.com.

addedentry August 5 2005, 08:58:25 UTC

Hem are New Yorkers as well as Laura Cantrell. It's pleasing that you don't have to pretend you grew up in a log cabin to play good country tunes.

gnimmel August 4 2005, 21:30:42 UTC

Oddly enough, I heard Blazin' Fiddles as they were playing at the Folk Festival -- I was visiting someone who had a garden right next to the site.
ISTR speculating at the time that there were almost certainly people I knew on the other side of the fence....

addedentry August 5 2005, 09:00:17 UTC

Music and fireworks, two forms of entertainment it's hard to restrict the audience for which. On the Sunday we left before the last performances and could hear them carried west on the wind as we walked home.

I am a Philistine, it's official vinaigrettegirl August 5 2005, 15:39:17 UTC

Ah, Mary Gauthier... I think this is the lady of whom we thought that having read the blurb in the programme we'd rather listen to a young and talented fiddle player, as opposed to someone who had had the whole slityerwrists drugs, booze, and jail song to sing... What's worse, 'II had occasion to wander past her set, came back saying he'd heard her sing a line sth like "I look around, there are babies in the jail" and we laughed until we cried.

But it's good that her work is appreciated and you make it clear why you did. Thanks!

Doom from a room addedentry August 8 2005, 14:30:48 UTC

I sometimes feel guilty for wallowing in someone else's misery, but she expressed it so well, and hinted that there was a sense of humour underneath it all, that it wasn't a case of 'I've suffered for my art, now it's your turn'. That said, she was sufficiently downbeat and lugubrious that you weren't misled by the programme notes.

It's a fallacy that art, or music, or whatever, can either be Cheering or Important but not both; just one that happens to coincide with my tastes.

The Ladies' No. 1 Detective Agency vinaigrettegirl August 8 2005, 14:44:37 UTC

Cheering and Important... interesting pseudo-dichotomy, you're right there. Notone I had remembered for a long time, though, having joined the ranks of the OFFS league about 15 years ago.

You know what happens when you play country music backwards, don't you? Your dog comes back, your woman comes home, the finance company releases your pickup truck, you get a job you can hold down, and you finally stop drinkin', playin' cards, and foolin' around on Sundays.