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WHEN: February 17-21, 2016 WHERE: Kansas City, MO, USA
Plu - Folk Alliance International
Saturday February 20 2016, 10:00 AM
@ Pershing South Ballroom, Kansas City, MO
The Gentle Good - Folk Alliance International
Saturday February 20 2016, 7:15 PM
@ Roanoke Ballroom, Kansas City, MO
Lleuwen Steffan - Folk Alliance International
Saturday February 20 2016, 7:45 PM
@ Pershing East/West Ballroom, Kansas City, MO
Calan - Folk Alliance International
Saturday February 20 2016, 7:15 PM
@ Century C Ballroom, Kansas City, MO
About Folk Alliance International
AmeriCymru: How would you describe the Folk Alliance International event.? What is its mission statement?
Aengus: Folk Alliance is the world’s largest gathering of the folk, roots, world and traditional music community, bringing together artists, managers, agents, media, and presenters for 5 days of networking, professional development, and showcases.
Our year-round mission as a 501c3 is:
"...to nurture, engage and empower the international folk music community — traditional and contemporary, amateur and professional — through education, advocacy and performance."
AmeriCymru: What kind of audience figure does the event attract?
Aengus: About 2500 delegates attend from over 20 countries.
AmeriCymru: Do you think Wales has something unique to offer to a folk audience?
Aengus: Wales absolutely has something incredibly unique to offer in that there is a distinct musical tradition that has a very contemporary scene that is quite successfully preserving, promoting, and presenting a language and culture that is surrounded by others that could easily eclipse them, and yet music specifically has a power to curb the tide.
AmeriCymru: Are plans already in motion for next year's event?
Aengus: 2017 is well underway (in fact we’re negotiating our 2019 contract in Canada already). The theme for 2017 is Forbidden Folk, exploring the more political, socially conscious, and labor oriented role of folk music over the years.
AmeriCymru: Any final message for the readers and members of AmeriCymru?
Aengus: Folk music is alive and well, booming more than ever in fact, and we hope to welcome more artists, presenters, and fans of Welsh (and other) folk music at our future annual events.
Folk Alliance International website
( In previous years the Folk Aliance International event has featured Welsh folk artists including, amongst others Chris Jones and Martyn Joseph )
Aug Stone is an American musician, writer and producer from Connecticut who has recently been spending time in Wales with Gwenno and Ani Glass amongst others. His article in The Quietus - Tongue Of The Dragon: A Look at Welsh Language Outsider Pop focuses on contemporary Welsh language popular music and its challenges and opportunities. AmeriCymru spoke to Aug about the article and his recent experiences in Wales.
Aug: "I should start off by saying that I’m not Welsh. However, I have grown very fond of Wales recently. I’ve visited three times in the last year and a half and have met a lot of very talented, and very nice, people. There’s an aspect of Wales that reminds me of where I grew up in Connecticut and Boston (where I’m once again close to now). The fact that there are lots of interesting things going on, great art being made, and also just some lovely towns and countryside to spend time in, but all this gets overshadowed by the great metropolis nearby (New York City, London) looming over everything. I think this plays into people’s psyches, there’s an element of self-defeatism – ‘why even bother?’ – that gets people down and keeps them from reaching their true potential. Which is sad. I haven’t noticed this in Wales, I must say, but talking to Ani Glass about her song ‘Ffôl’, she pointed this out to me, how people complain about nothing really going on but not doing anything about it."
AmeriCymru: Hi Aug and many thanks for agreeing to this interview. You say in your recent article on The Quietus that "..... 2015 is shaping up to be a good year for sounds in the Welsh tongue." In what way?
Aug Stone: In April, Domino Recording Co. reissued Super Furry Animals’ Mwng album for its 15 th anniversary. The Super Furries had initially put it out themselves and it went to Number 11 in the UK charts and is to this day the best selling Welsh language album. And Heavenly Recordings have just released Gwenno’s Y Dydd Olaf , which has been getting a lot of great press. Which is nice to see, that people are willing to look past the language barrier to appreciate such a fine record and maybe even take the trouble to learn what the Welsh words are that Gwenno’s singing. Peski Records originally released Gwenno’s album last year and it sold out after a few months, when Gwenno was supporting Gruff Rhys on his UK ‘American Interior’ tour (If you don’t know about Gruff’s ‘American Interior’ project, I can’t recommend it enough. Album, film, and book about John Evans’ quest to find the mythical tribe of Welsh speaking Indians roaming the plains and just by way of this very much contributing to the founding of America. Seriously, the book is fascinating and a great read) So these two were re-releases of Welsh language albums by much bigger record companies, showing that this music is important and deserves a wider audience. And then there’s Ani Glass’ songs. Which have been getting played on Radio Cymru, ‘Ffôl’ was even Track of the Week last week. I co-produced these but they’re Ani’s songs so I can honestly say they’re great pop.
AmeriCymru: What attracted you to Welsh language music?
Aug Stone: I have a lot of time for the Saunders sisters. I’ve followed Gwenno’s career since she first joined The Pipettes in 2005. I remember when I first saw The Pipettes live, turning to my friend Harvey Williams and saying ‘this is everything music should be!’ It was fun and catchy, great songs. All this was in English, as was Gwenno’s first round of solo songs. But then one day in the summer of 2013, I clicked on a post on Facebook by Dave Higdon who runs the Poptastic Confessions blog. It was about a band called The Lovely Wars, which was Ani’s post-Pipettes band. And their song ‘Young Love’ had all the right ingredients – catchy as all get out, fantastic female vocals, synths and guitars like I love. It became my favourite song of 2013. Their next single ‘Brân i Frân’ was the first time I recall hearing a Welsh language pop song that really struck me and stuck in my head. My band, The Soft Close-Ups, were lucky enough to play with The Lovely Wars twice in London in 2014. Great gigs, they were fab live.
After that single came out, I checked to see if Gwenno had released anything recently and I found ‘Chwyldro’ had come out a few months before and I had somehow missed it. ‘Chwyldro’ is just fantastic. One of the most badass pop songs released in recent memory. It’s got that killer swagger of a groove, moving through that spacey atmosphere, and what does it mean? ‘Revolution’.
Last summer I was heading to Wales to visit Nik Turner from Hawkwind, who was going to show me some of the ancient stone sites around Carmarthen (his grandkids ended up visiting that day so we all went to the beach at Mwnt. Which was lovely. I played the harmonium in the little church at the bottom of the rock, and Nik told me Mwnt is one of the gateways to the Underworld in Celtic mythology). Ani suggested I check out the Eisteddfod that was going on at the same time with Gwenno playing that night. It was a very long day. I woke up at 5:15 AM to leave London by 7. I rented a car and drove for the very first time on the ‘wrong’ side of the road (quite easy after five minutes of getting the hang of it), got lost (of course), and finally made it to my Air B’n’B in Cross Hands with just enough time to drop off my bag before departing again for Llanelli. When I arrived at Maes B I was starving and walked the mile to Maes A for some lovely vegan food at No Bones Jones. Then I walked back along the water as the sun was setting. I was very, very tired and everything seemed slightly surreal, all the more so because once I got to the stage area I was easily the oldest person there by 20 years, surrounded as I was by teenagers getting drunk for the very first time.
Then Gwenno took the stage, dressed in all black, looking pure rock n roll. And the new songs along with the cosmic sounds she was conjuring up within them were just fantastic! It was one of those magical moments that pop fans like me live for.
The next night I caught her again at the Eisteddfod gigs being put on around Llanelli by Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg. Carl Morris was DJ’ing and, per usual, he hipped me to some very cool sounds. Most notably I remember hearing Pop Negatif Wastad that night.
AmeriCymru: Do you think that the contribution made by Welsh language bands to modern pop culture in the UK and internationally has been adequately recognised?
Aug Stone: No. Of course not. As with any language other than English – with the exception of Spanish, as it’s so widely spoken – people tend to ignore it. Well, I should say the media ignores it rather than people. Because I think, given the chance, if this stuff was getting played, then people would like it. It’s just that they’re not being exposed to it. It’s great that Gwenno’s album is getting so much press, and radio play on BBC 6 Music. It’s really unheard of for a non-English language song to be getting aired like that.
AmeriCymru: How important, in your opinion is Gwenno to the revival of interest in Welsh language bands?
Aug Stone: Gwenno is important full stop. She’s an artist in the true sense of the word, pursuing her own path and making something interesting out of it. Her album is intriguing – it’s inspired by Owain Owain’s ‘Y Dydd Olaf’, an obscure 1976 Welsh sci-fi novel. Sonically it’s awesome to listen to. And it works as a pop record. ‘Patriarcheth’, which blew me away when I first heard it live at the Eisteddfod– it was very much standing there with a huge smile on my face just going ‘WOW!’ (another ‘this is what music should be moment’. The ‘oo oo oo’s that rang out into the night echoed in my head for days afterward. I couldn’t wait to get the album) – is so catchy and deliciously pop, and what’s the chorus? ‘Patriarchy, and your soul is at stake’!
So yes, when something like this comes along, you hope that it will draw attention to other great artists working along the same lines, from the same area. And also inspire people that they can make something like this too, not only in Wales, but for any minority language culture. Break down barriers to realise great music is great music.
AmeriCymru: How important are Datblygu in the history of Welsh language pop?
Aug Stone: I can only speak about them second-hand, having not known them at the time they were first around. But every Welsh person I speak to references Datblygu very quickly once the topic of cool music comes up.
Gwenno and the Peski records chaps host a radio called Cam o’Tywyllwch playing experimental underground sounds from Wales and around the world. The name comes from the title of the first compilation of alternative Welsh music (containing two Datblygu songs) released 30 years ago by Rhys Mwyn’s Recordiau Anrhefn label. I spoke to Rhys whilst researching my piece for The Quietus and he’s great. So enthusiastic about pop music in general, and it’s always cool to speak to someone who believes pop music can change your life, which of course it can. Anyway Gwenno and Peski hosted the CAM15 festival in Cardiff this past April and by all accounts it was a big success. Datblygu played for the first time in 20 years, playing almost all new material, and Dr. Sarah Hill and Gwenno were saying how great it was to see them get the respect they deserve by the few hundred people in the audience.
AmeriCymru: You have recently co-produced Ani Glass' (Ani Saunders from The Pipettes) new Welsh language solo songs. Care to tell us more about that experience?
Aug Stone: I’m a huge fan of Ani’s songs. She’s got a fantastic voice and huge pop sensibilities. One day last year she asked me if I knew anyone who might be interested in producing some of her new solo songs. As I’d like to get more into producing other people’s music, I said that I could have a go. She sent over a demo of ‘Ffôl’, which is a great song but also quite different from the music I’m used to working on. It’s more r’n’b. But it was cool to have the challenge. And the first thing I came up with was that dub bassline (which I love) and so Danny Gold (Boston producer I work a lot with), Sean Drinkwater (Freezepop, Lifestyle), and I did the music and sent it to Ani and thankfully she was so pleased she sent us a bunch more songs.
‘Little Things’ was quite thrilling to work on especially once we got that bassline, that’s where it all came together. There always seemed to be some point early on in each song where something would spark a reference to Depeche Mode in my mind and we wisely followed that. And there’s a few more excellent songs to come.
It was an interesting way of working because we don’t speak Welsh and we were recording in Somerville, Massachusetts with Ani being across the ocean in Cardiff. So there was a big element of just trusting our instincts that what we were doing was right for the songs. On a personal level it’s been a great experience because although Sean and I have played in bands together for over 15 years we’ve never really collaborated on anything before. So this was really nice.
AmeriCymru: Any final message for the members and readers of AmeriCymru?
Aug Stone: There’s a lot of great music coming out of Wales, Welsh language or not, that I highly recommend checking out. I’ve found a lot of great instrumental, mostly electronic, acts. Hippies vs Ghosts I heard recently are ace. In a different vein, R Seillog. Peski Records have put out a really good compilation that would be a good place to start - http://www.peski.co.uk/cam1/index.html
But there’s great Welsh bands singing in English too. That last Trwbador album was one of my favourite records of 2014. ‘Start Your Car’ and ‘Several Wolves’ are just incredible songs. And Cian Ciarán’s (from Super Furry Animals) new project Zefur Wolves have made a really great rock record.
Since writing that Quietus piece two songs have been stuck in my head non-stop. Killer anthems, Y Cyrff’s ‘Cymru, Lloegr A Llanrwst’ and Anhrefn’s ‘Rhedeg I Paris’. And here they are:
Advance Event Notice
Lleuwen Steffan - Folk Alliance International
Saturday February 20 2016, 7:45 PM
@ Pershing East/West Ballroom, Kansas City, MO
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An Interview With Welsh Singer Songwriter Lleuwen Steffan
Lleuwen Steffan (photo by Steph Carioù)
AmeriCymru: Hi Lleuwen...please tell us about your upcoming visit to the States. How long will you be in the US?
Lleuwen: Pnawn da Americymru, great to be in touch again. It’s been so long since I last crossed that pond ! The first trip will be short – I will perform with brilliant double-bassist Vincent Guerin as a part of Folk Alliance International in Kansas City. The gig will be at 7.45pm on Saturday 20 February and the exact location will be posted on the festival website shortly. (www.folk.org). We will return to the States in the summer to play at Rochester Jazz Festival, NY. This time with the full band. What a treat ! We will play two concerts at the festival between June 24 and July 2. We will have a working VISA for this occasion and are searching for other concerts in the States either the month prior to or the month following Rochester Jazz Festival.
AmeriCymru: What can you tell us about the musicians who will be accompanying you?
Lleuwen: I consider myself a very, very lucky lady to have a dream band accompanying me this summer : Vincent Guerin from Brittany with his double bass : http://www.vincecow.com/wordpress/ Jochen Eisentraut from the Ogwen Valley on piano and sax. My sister Manon Steffan Ros providing vocal harmonies. It’s going to be fun and we are all extremely excited for the American Adventure !
AmeriCymru: Are you looking for other gigs/engagements while you are here?
Lleuwen: Yes indeed! As I mentioned, our visas will allow us to work in the US and Canada for a month and I am on the look-out for concerts either the month prior or following the Rochester Jazz Festival. There are many ways in which my music can be performed . . . with the band, as a trio, duo, or even solo with just my voice and guitar. Chapels, house gigs, village halls, festivals, music halls. . .the variety is what keeps the music moving and inspiration flowing. Perhaps Americymru members would also be interested in my sister’s work. Manon (Steffan Ros) will sing back-up vocals on the American Adventure. She is also a professional writer. Her most critically acclaimed novel Blasu has recently been translated into English - The Seasoning. Manon often gives talks and workshops about her writing and would be very happy to do so in America .You can read an interview with Manon here :
http://www.judithbarrow.co.uk/wednesdays-interview-with-honno-authors-today-with-manon-steffan-ros/
We are open to all kinds of music making. I have recently had the pleasure of leading singing workshops specializing in folk songs and hymns. If you would like more info about any of this, please feel free to contact me directly through my website or through my management. (Details at the bottom of the page.)
AmeriCymru: How would you describe your repertoire? Will it include material from your three studio albums?
Lleuwen: I have been working on a set of original material combined with some Welsh hymns and a sprinkle of rather unlikely and unusual folk tunes. I can’t wait to share this music with American audiences ! It has been called jazzy folk, it has been called folky jazz. But to me they’re just songs. The band is a « lobscows » (welsh stew) of various tastes and textures. I’m having great fun making songs and sharing musical memories with friends. The enjoyment of the band is surely heard in the music. I have been working with two wonderful singer / songwriters this year – John Spillane form Ireland and Frank Yamma from the Australian desert. Both totally inspiring in very different ways. I will be performing songs from my past albums of course but will mostly focus on the new stuff. And you know, the new old stuff . . .revamps of Welsh hymns and some folk songs.
AmeriCymru: What's next for Lleuwen Steffan. Any new recordings in the pipeline?
Lleuwen: There have been very many new songs in the past four months. Mostly about mountains vs cities - Eryri, Cardiff, Llanrug, motorways, seasickness. I am always hunting for songs, alway writing and recording songs. The new stuff is acoustically wild and less electric than the previous record, Tan. Not at all polished. I have been travelling back and forth to Brittany so much during the past years and songs do tend to come out on the ferry. Some I love and some I don’t. It’s wonderful. To find a song I am proud of gives me joy. And I enjoy writing the crap ones too . . . to have a good old laugh at myself ! It’s soul food. I consider myself very fortunate to be doing this. I am very happy with this direction. There might be a release date on the horizon . . . but I’m just going to keep quiet and surprise you with that one!
AmeriCymru: Any final message for the readers and members of AmeriCymru?
Lleuwen: Do keep an eye on my website for the latest info about our American Adventure ! All will be revealed. Also, please do not hesitate to contact us for more info. And last but not least, I wish you all a NADOLIG LLAWEN and a BLWYDDYN NEWYDD DDA ! Make it a good one, folks ! Cariad mawr x
Lleuwen’s website : http://www.lleuwen.com
Management & Bookings : Peter@peterconwaymanagement.com
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AmeriCymru: Who were the Tunnelrunners? How was the band formed and What was your role in it?
Madoc: The Tunnelrunners were a punk band formed in Neath around 1977. We played around the Swansea area for a few years made a record and then split up when we went to college. What we didn’t know is that after splitting up we had a career which involved several bootlegs and our records selling for as much as $1,000.
Our gigs were very rare because there weren’t many places to play and our drummer Jeff Burton only had a small van. We used to have to pay him for petrol with our pocket money, that is how young we were. There were three of us in the band. Graham Jones who played guitar, Jeff Burton who played drums and myself, Madoc Roberts. I was the main singer and played guitar. Graham and I wrote the songs. It was a great laugh with lots of late night practicing and funny gigs.
The name came whilst we were watching Magpie a children’s television programme. The presenter forgot the name of a small mammal that was featured in an item and kept calling them tunnelrunners we thought this was hysterical and chose it for our name.
Our first gig was at Circles club in Swansea which was notorious for its sticky floor. Many famous bands played there and legend has it that the Sex Pistols played a gig there. On the night of our first gig our drummer pulled out and in true punk spirit someone else stepped in. However he didn’t know the songs and the sound hadn’t been set up properly. We were dreadful and an older man at the bar started booing. By the end of the set he had given up booing and was pleading with us to get off the stage as we were ruining his night.
After that the gigs improved and we built up a bit of a reputation. Then one night we were approached by Steve Mitchell who was a radio dj with Swansea Sound. He had started his own record label called Sonic International and asked us if we wanted to make a record.
Without us knowing our record became quite sought after and appeared on several bootlegs. When I finally got the internet I was amazed to find all this interest in the Tunnelrunners had been going on without us knowing. One of our records was even sold in an ebay auction for $1,000. So in our absence we had done quite well!
Every now and then I am contacted by someone who wants to do an interview or re-release our music. A few years ago it was Sing Sing records from New York who re- released Plastic Land and this year I was approached by Stephen “Haggis” Harris of Punk House records. Stephen lives in New York but is originally from Swansea. As a youngster he sneaked into our gigs (he was only fourteen at the time). He later went on to have a glittering career as a musician, playing bass for Guns and Roses and forming Zodiac Mind Warp and the Love Reaction. He thinks that the Swansea Punk scene had something special and wants to make a record of the bands. His record label, Punk House are re-releasing stuff by Swansea bands from that era and it is good stuff. They have already released our 100mph ep which sold very quickly and they are going to a second pressing. They are re-issuing Plastic Land around June 10th. They make the records interesting by adding memorabilia from the time.
http://punkhouserecordshop.com/
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AmeriCymru: How would you describe the early punk scene in Swansea and in the UK generally?
Madoc: The Punk scene in Swansea was unique. We didn’t really know what was going on in London because punk wasn’t reported in the newspapers except in some shock horror story, but the main thing about punk was the do-it-yourself attitude. Music had become big business, the bands were massive and the music had become self -indulgent. We couldn’t play like Led Zeppelin. That amount of gear would never fit in Jeff’s van. So punk was a way of reclaiming music from big business. In the early days each band interpreted this in their own way and we were all different. The same thing happened with the fashion. There were no Sid Vicious clones in black leather, we wore colourful stuff that we got from jumble sales or charity shops. It was only later that the punk image and music became a stereotype. They were fun times although we did get some trouble from older rockers who were scared of anything new and different.
There were some great bands in Swansea at that time like the DC10s, The End, The Lost Boys, the Urge, The Dodos, Venom, The Autonomes etc We all played at the same venues and then would see each other at gigs. There is a Facebook page where we all meet up, share photos and chat about old times. I think it is a closed group but if you are interested let me know. Swansea - Punk Rock and New Wave .
AmeriCymru: What were your favourite bands of that era? Which ones did you get to see live?
Madoc: I went to see bands whenever I could including the Clash, The Damned, The Buzzcocks, The Lurkers etc. My favourite band was the Ramones. It could be quite dangerous going to see a punk band. On one occasion I was chased by some angry locals from Port Talbot and on another occasion I went to see the Damned in Cardiff. This was a big adventure for a boy from Neath. The venue was an old cinema called the Prince of Wales which showed “adult” films. We found the people selling the tickets and they looked like proper London punks. They giggled as we left but we didn’t know why. Then when the Damned came on stage we realised that these were the people we had brought the tickets from. We had heard their music but we had never seen pictures of them them. During the gig, which was on the first floor (second to you Americans) there was so much pogoing (bouncing up and down) that the floor started to shake. That was the last gig allowed at the venue.
The other thing that happened around that time was the Rock Against Racism gigs which were organised by the Anti Nazi League. This was in response to an unhealthy surge in right wing politics in the UK. Groups like the National Front and the British National Party were pretty nasty and seemed to hate everyone who wasn’t like them. Something had to be done about them and music became the rallying point. At these gigs reggae bands and punk bands would share the same stage. I saw lots of great acts like Elvis Costello, Matumbi, Burning Spear, Aswad, Richrad Hell and the Voidoids. It was fun but we were also politically aware and active.
AmeriCymru: Where can readers go to hear the Tunnelrunners online?
Madoc: If anyone is interested in hearing our music there is a myspace site https://myspace.com/tunnelrunners/music/songs
and there are several videos on youtube. Here is a link to Plastic Land
There is no footage of us live just photos and these are on our facebook site https://www.facebook.com/TheTunnelrunners?fref=ts
The music sounds best on vinyl so if you can get hold of it that way you should.
AmeriCymru: Any final message for AmeriCymru members and readers?
Madoc: The Tunnelrunners did reform in the eighties and made a film which still exists somewhere. We got some new band members. Neil Sinclair on Bass and Guy Lawrence on drums. The music became a bit less punky but we never smoothed off the rough edges. We played gigs in Cardiff and Newport for a few years. We even played at TJs where Kurt Cobain proposed to Courtney Love. Our last gig was in the late nineties by which time I was becoming too old and too fat so we had the good sense to stop.
There is a lot of nonsense written about punk and what happened in the late seventies but as far as I am concerned it gave the music industry the kick it needed. These days kids can make music in their bedrooms which sounds very punk but then they all seem to want a record deal from a big company. We did it for ourselves and there is something to be said for that. It teaches you valuable lessons for life about being self-reliant and builds up a healthy distrust of authority which has stood me in good stead through my career. I now work in television and have worked on many pop videos and music shows with lots of Welsh bands like Cataonia, The Stereophonics, The Manic Street Preachers and the Super Furry Animals. All these bands owe something to the punk revolution of the late seventies and it was great fun being young and in a band at that time.
John MOuse releases new album via Crocfingers “The death of John MOuse”14th July
By AmeriCymru, 2015-12-01
‘ The death of John Mouse’ is John MOuse ’s fourth album and first long player since 2010’s acclaimed ‘Humber Dogger Forties ,’ and it finally sees the light of day this summer, a remarkable feat of endurance and persistence: four years in the making and funded by an ingenious Kickstarter campaign. ‘ The death of John Mouse’ is John MOuse’s finest work to date, crafting his unique quirk-pop songs into a grander whole, thus the instrumentals are more muscular, the hooks catchier, the vocals more emphatically delivered. While each song is rooted in John’s brutally personal lyrics that are laced with his witty South Walian slant on life.
The album is preceded by the excellent single “I Was A Goalkeeper” #IWAGK available to download July 7th via itunes is a s parky indie-pop duet between John and Gareth David, lead singer from LOS CAMPESINOS. It’s an anthem to child-parents and childhoods past, urging Steve Lamacq to recently admit ‘Possibly our favourite new football reco rd’. It also features previous single Robbie Savage, a song that Mary Anne Hobbs recently described as ‘an extraordinary piece of poetry’ on BBC 6 Music. J ohn MOuse will perform at GreenMan 2014 Festival alongside BEIRUT , Neutral Milk Hotel and First Aid Kit .
John MOuse, real name John Davies has been described as ‘A Welsh Beck,’ and ‘A Less Funny Half Man Half Biscuit’. Under his previous incarnation JT Mouse he worked with Sweet Baboo (aka Steven Black) while in 2010 he scored as cult hit with a song about a gay romance with another duet, this time with TV presenter Steve Jones . Airplay support for John MOuse includes Frank Skinner on Absolute Radio, Huw Stephens on BBC Radio 1, Steve Lamacq on BBC 6 Music and Adam Walton & Bethan Elfyn on BBC Radio Wales.
facebook.com/johnmousemusic twitter.com/johnmousemusic bandcamp.com/johnmousemusic
Ghost Carriage Phantoms have released a cover of The Auteurs 'Bailed Out' and other assorted demos of their debut album sessions here: http://
Here's what Ghost Carriage Phantoms say about their cover version:
'Here's our cover version of The Auteurs track 'Bailed Out' from their first album "New Wave". Which you should buy, along with all their other albums and most of Luke Haines' solo stuff too. We happened to be tidying up a bit at the time and found these very old demo versions of songs that ended up on our album "the boy lives", so we thought we'd share these with you too while we were at it.
Feel free to listen and download for free, but if you like this stuff and can afford a small donation to help us keep doing it, we'd appreciate it greatly.
Enjoy!
Mark & Michael'
Ghost Carriage Phantoms also play a show in Cardiff with John MOuse and Benjamin Mason at Gwdi Hw Cafe Bar on the 15th of May.
https://www.facebook.com/
Ghost Carriage Phantoms are Merthyr Tydfil born songwriter Michael James Hall and fellow GCP collaborator Mark Estall, released in 2012 their first album 'the boy lives' was based around the conceit of making a record that would sound like* ‘the ghost of a robot child’.
Ghost Carriage Phantoms are currently working on the second GCP which promises a more US punk influenced sound, influenced by the likes of the Replacements and Husker DU. In the meantime they have released a cover of The Auteurs track 'Bailed Out' and a series of demos from the recording of their debut album.
Ghost Carriage Phantoms also play a show in Cardiff with John MOuse and Benjamin Mason at Gwdi Hw Cafe Bar on the 15th of May.
https://www.facebook.com/
"Like that an awful awful lot, that's just ace.'*
*Adam Walton BBC Radio Wales*
"A standout dreamer of an album. Think ‘Xiu Xiu’ meets ‘Grandaddy.’*
*Miniature Music Press* "Bedsit blues for our time, ‘Videotape’ has an air of fellow Welsh
compatriot Gruff Rhys – especially in his Neon Neon guise – about it." Monolith Cocktail
AmeriCymru: Many thanks for agreeing to be interviewed by AmeriCymru. The Choir will be performing at the 2015 North American Festival of Wales in Columbus, Ohio. Can you tell us how this came about? Have you performed in the USA before?
Alun: Thank you for the opportunity.
We sang at the 2006 NAFOW in Cincinnati, Ohio, and were again invited to sing at this years’ festival for which we are very grateful. In 1979, the choir visited Toronto, Canada and took part in the Canadian World Music Festival in that city.
This will be the choirs’ fourth visit to the USA, for we first visited in 1993, when we celebrated 100 years since the original choirs’ visit to the “World Fair” or “World's Columbian Exposition” that was held in Chicago in 1893. Since then we have undertaken short tours in 2000 and 2006.
During our tours in the USA in the past we have visited New York, Chicago, Boston and Cincinnati as well as Poultney, Vt. and Granville N.Y. where we have made lifelong friends. This will be our first visit to Washington D.C.and Columbus, Ohio.
AmeriCymru: Can you tell us something about the choir's history? When was it founded?
Alun: The original Côr y Penrhyn was formed from a number of members of many smaller choirs who used to meet, and compete against each other. These choirs were made up entirely of men who were working at the Penrhyn Slate Quarry, located here in Bethesda.
Slate was, and still is, quarried using the “gallery” method of quarrying. The galleries are steps in the mountain side, and each gallery had a large number of men working the rock face. The men working the galleries formed small choirs which competed against each other in eisteddfodau (Welsh Cultural Competitions with a history spanning many centuries) and they also had soccer teams which competed against each other.
In the late 1800’s the men decided to form one choir, to be called “Côr y Penrhyn” to represent the area and travel to Chicago to the World's Columbian Exposition. The first eisteddfod held outside of Wales was held at that exposition.
The visit to Chicago is the first recorded concert of ‘Côr y Penrhyn’ and on their return to Wales and to the quarry, the choir split again to smaller choirs. The choir as we know it today was not formed again until 1935.
When the original choir returned to work in the quarry they faced tough working conditions which led to the longest industrial dispute in UK industrial history. In 1900, the then Lord Penrhyn, locked the men out of the quarry when they attempted to set up a union and this “lock-out” lasted for 3 years.
During those three years many families left the area, and dispersed to all corners of the world, some to travel to South Wales to work in the coal mines, some to Australia but several families chose to emigrate to North America, especially the Vermont and Upper New York State area, where they went to work in the slate quarries of that region.
As was mentioned above, Côr y Penrhyn has a long standing friendship with the residents of Poultney, Vt and of Granville N.Y. where we always receive a warm welcome. We are returning to Poultney this year on what will be our third visit to the town.
AmeriCymru: Where in Wales is Bethesda? Care to describe the area a little for our American and Canadian readers
Alun: Bethesda is situated in North West Wales in the County of Gwynedd and right at the edge of the Snowdonia National Park. It is approximately 5 miles south east of the University City of Bangor. The name is of course biblical in origin as are many towns and villages in North Wales for when these places were founded mostly in the 19th century the whole of Wales was in the grip of intense religious revivals and the people turned to the Bible for inspiration.
Welsh is the dominant language in Bethesda (known locally as “Pesda”) and in the 2001 census, 77% of the residents were Welsh speaking.
We have a Welsh language monthly newspaper, Llais Ogwan, established in 1973 http://www.llaisogwan.com/ and which has a circulation of approximately 1500 serving a population of about 4,000 in Bethesda and the surrounding areas.
Bethesda lies in the Ogwen Valley in a compact, mountainous region of Wales, about 6 miles away from Snowdon, Wales’ highest mountain, but also just a few miles away from the sea.
AmeriCymru: In addition to your appearance at NAFOW you will be performing at the Washington National Cathedral on August 27th. Can you give us more details about the performance.?
Alun: Our performance at the Washington National Cathedral was arranged when our numerous friends in the USA made enquiries on our behalf as to possible concert venues whilst we were visiting, and the cathedral was put forward as one possible option. Following a meeting with the cathedrals’ Musical Director and his team, we were invited to perform on the 27th August.
Our performance at the cathedral is going to be in the form of a multi-media presentation rather than a formal concert. In addition to being conducted by our young, talented Musical Director, Owain Arwel, we will be joined by the famous Welsh actor, John Ogwen who will be our narrator, and by a brilliant young harpist, Glain Dafydd, who, in conjunction with our accompanist Frances Davies, will be contributing to the presentation. The performance will also include a visual aspect in the form of a video backdrop.
https://www.cathedral.org/events/sms20150827.shtml
AmeriCymru: What is your repertoire? Is there a particular piece that you all enjoy performing more than others? Do you have a signature piece or one that's more often requested by audiences?
Alun: We have a varied repertoire, alongside hymns and old favourites such as “Myfanwy”, which reflect the non-Conformist tradition with which male voice choirs were first associated, today’s repertoire includes perhaps even more challenging pieces.
One recently commissioned work combines words by one of Wales’ most gifted poets, Ieuan Wyn, with music by Welsh composer Gareth Glyn. In a lighter vein, there are Welsh and English pop song adaptations as well as ever popular spirituals and opera choruses as well as choruses from musicals made popular on the London and New York stage. “Anthem” our latest CD, gives a taste of that diversity.
The most often requested piece, and one which is famous in male choir repertoires is the hymn tune “Gwahoddiad” (Invitation) which includes a rousing “Amen” ending.
AmeriCymru: Where can people buy recordings of the choir online? What CD's are available?
Alun: We have quite a few videos on You Tube, especially from our concert at the Chicago Cultural Center where we performed at the Myra Hess concerts on two separate occasions.
“Anthem”, our latest CD is available for purchase on our website www.corypenrhyn.cymru
AmeriCymru: You'll be in Ohio this year but what's next for the Penrhyn Male Voice Choir. Any new recordings or tours in the pipeline?
Alun: We have a busy schedule in 2015 -16 with concerts all around the UK.
No major foreign tours have yet been planned, although we would always endeavour to be available for concerts in the USA, if invited. We are always being urged to sing in various Celtic festivals in France and Ireland and there is a standing invitation for us to return to Germany, but we have to decline many such invitations because of our full programme of commitments at home.
AmeriCymru: Do you have any final comments for the attendees and organisers of the North American Festival of Wales?
Alun: We are very grateful to the organisers of the NAFOW for their kind invitation, and we are very much looking forward to meeting friends, old and new, and especially to performing at the concert on Saturday and the Cymanfa Ganu on Sunday.
We hope that the attendees will be delighted by our “new” concept of a multi-media presentation, which will make up half of our concert but which will, of course, be combined with a more “traditional” first half concert.
AmeriCymru Hi Neil and many thanks for agreeing to this interview. What can you tell us about the forthcoming US Tour? Has the Band toured the US before?
Neil: Thanks Ceri for taking an interest and sharing this with the Americymru community. The planned tour will take place between 12th February until 21st February 2016 and with the current proposed scheduled cover the five States of Virginia, Delaware, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. We have five confirmed concerts at present and are in discussions for another potential booking. We are delighted to be working alongside several Universities and Brass Bands in America to host and promote our tour. This is an historic tour for the Cory Band as it will mark 40 years since our last visit to America when the band represented Wales as part of the Bicentennial celebrations in 1976.
AmeriCymru The Cory Band is one of the oldest and best known Brass Bands in the world. Care to tell us something about it's history?
Neil: The band was formed in 1884 as the Ton Temperance Band in Ton Pentre, Rhondda less than two miles from where the band are based today. In 1895, the ‘Ton Temperance Band’ was invited to play at the official opening of Gelli Colliery Library in Ystrad. Sir Clifford Cory, the highly influential son of John Cory performed the ceremony. He was so impressed by the standard of the Band’s performance that he offered to provide financial assistance and provide suitable employment to enable the Band to engage a first class conductor. The ‘Ton Temperance Band’ changed its name to reflect the generous financial assistance from Sir Clifford Cory and his family business, ‘Cory Brothers’. Consequently, from 1895, the Band became known as ‘Cory Workmen’s Band’
In Cardiff on 19th July 1923, the Cory Workmen’s Band also took part in what is believed to have been the first radio broadcast of a Brass Band. By the mid 1950’s Cory Band had notched up an impressive two hundred and fifty (250) BBC Broadcasts.
Robert Childs became MD in 2000 and immediately made an impact. During that year they won both the British Open and the National Championships and made history in taking the British Open Shield home to Wales for the first time in the contest’s 148-year history. This triumph was repeated in 2002, 2007, 2009 and 2011 when the band won their fourth British Open title. In 2008, 2009 and 2010 the band achieved a historic hat-trick of European Brass Band Champion titles.
The current Musical Director Philip Harper was appointed in June 2012. 2013 saw the band regain the European title, undertake a 10-concert tour of Australia and become the Champion Band of Great Britain at the Royal Albert Hall.
The band has been ranked the number one Brass Band in the World for the last 8 consecutive years.
AmeriCymru: Many people will be familiar with the Welsh choral tradition. How important have Brass bands been in the history of Welsh valleys society?
Neil: Brass Bands have been a proud rich tradition of Welsh valley life for generations and are a cultural movement strongly linked to the Coal Mining Industry in Wales. The Mines are now long gone but the bands play on. Learning to play a Brass instrument has been part of the education system within schools in Wales for many years and community bands have supported this development by providing opportunity to use these musical skills and provide a social outlet for young people and also older people who continue to play after leaving school. A Brass and Voices concert, generally with male choirs is a regular favourite in Wales bringing our rich musical traditions together.
After reading the rest of this article, let us transport you for a few minutes to the green green grass of home where you can watch us on Youtube performing alongside a modern famous Welsh choir, Only Men Aloud.
AmeriCymru: For the uninitiated can you describe the typical composition of the band or of Brass bands in general? How many musicians will be on the tour?
Neil: The Brass Band repertoire is varied and not just marches or orchestral transcriptions although these still can form part of a concert. There are now many wonderful original Brass Band compositions which are firm favourites with Brass Band audiences around the World. Add to that a mix of jazz and popular music and you soon see that a Brass Band is really diverse in its capabilities. A total of 30 players will be travelling to perform this tour, 30 flights for people, luggage and instruments doesn't come cheap!
AmeriCymru: You have launched a Kickstarter appeal to cover some of the costs of the tour. Can you give us some idea of the logistical problems involved in arranging a tour like this?
Neil: There are many logistical problems in arranging a tour like this, luckily we have a member of ours called John Southcombe who was Tour Manager for us in 2013 when we went to Australia who is working on this tour again for us. Now that the majority of the schedule has been fixed and flights reserved, the next major cost and logistical work is arranging the required VISAs to enable us to perform in America, at the moment this is endless telephone calls and emails to seek advise on the exact requirements but at this stage it looks like we need to get all our players to London for individual interviews to obtain the VISAs required. After this we will be working on developing and recording a specific tour CD and merchandise to give our audience in America a truly unique Cory experience. After this we will have to finalise and pay for UK Coach Travel, Flights, Coach Travel in Amercia and Hotels but most importantly we will be working on our concert performances and brand new repertoire for the tour as well as developing masterclasses to inspire students and members of the brass bands in America to be the best that they can be. All in all we've got a busy few months ahead before we even get to February when the fun really begins!
AmeriCymru: Of all the many titles and honours the Cory Band has earned over the years are there any in particular that stand out? What, for you, is the bands proudest moment?
Neil: One of the greatest contest achievements that Cory achieved prior to 2000 was achieving a hattrick of wins at the National Championships of Great Britain at the Royal Albert Hall in London (1982,83,84) under the musical direction of Major Arthur Kenny.
Since the year 2000 the band has enjoyed the most successful period in its long history, and this sustained period of success has enabled the band to maintain the position as the number one ranked band in the World for the last eight consecutive years. The stand out achievement during this period was becoming Double Champions in 2000, which means winning the National Championship of Great Britain and also winning the British Open contest in the same year. The British Open win was the first time that this had been won by a non-English band in the 148 years that the contest had been in existence.
There are so many proud moments that I can think of during my 20 years performing with the band, but I think being chosen as the band to represent Wales at the Queens Jubilee Celebrations in London in 2002 and also for me personally being part of the band that toured Australia in 2013 was a great experience. Many past players of the band have shared some great experiences of their tour of America in 1976 and that was definitely a proud moment in our history and it's fantastic that we now have an opportunity to take that same musical voyage 40 years later.
AmeriCymru: How would you describe your repertoire? What kind of musical experience can audiences expect at your forthcoming US dates?
Neil: For our tour our repertoire runs through stirring British classics to favourite movie themes and classical music. Want a touch of Hoagy Carmichael’s Stardust, followed up by the theme from James Bond, a flirtation with Star Wars and a little space travel with Holst’s Planets Suite? Yep, we do that. This brass band from the Welsh Valleys will send you into orbit with its extraordinary virtuosity, showmanship and heartfelt emotion.
AmeriCymru: What is your most recent recording? Where can readers go to buy your music online?
Neil: One of our most recent recordings which I'm sure your readers will enjoy is Cory in Concert Volume 5. This will provide a good example of the vast and varied repertoire that a band such as Cory can perform. Visit www.worldofbrass.com to purchase or visit our Youtube page to view some live performances www.youtube.com/thecoryband1884
AmeriCymru: Any final message for the readers and members of AmeriCymru?
Neil: First of all thank you for taking the time to find out more about us, please say hello on Facebook or Twitter and let us know what you think and please share this with your friends, family and communities. We really do want to make this a tour a success and are busy currently with a Crowdfunding campaign to raise the required funds to pay for those expensive transport costs. If you can help in any way we would really appreciate it and there are some excellent rewards if you do get involved, please visit our Crowdfunding page
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/772364903/get-the-no1-brass-band-in-the-world-from-the-welsh
We hope to see lots of you in February but for now you can say Hello on:
www.facebook.com/corybandwww.twitter.com/coryband
www.coryband.com
