Teach Your Dog Welsh may be the cutest book I have ever seen in my life.  Illustrator Anne Cakebread has done a fantastic, small volume of useful and everyday Welsh phrases for dogs, many of which are also useful when speaking to your fellow humans.

I’m supposed to be reviewing it and then giving it back, but I’m afraid that’s not going to happen.  I’m keeping this copy and everyone else will just have to buy their own.

Teach Your Dog Welsh is published by Y Llofa because who else would do this book but “the fun place”? Each of the more than fifty nifty phrases appears on its own page and includes an English translation and phonetic pronunciation guide on the left page, and a demonstrative illustration on the right.  

The illustrations are playfully 60s-ish, on white in black and one other kind of desaturated color per illustration, and very cheerful. Her style reminded me of Canadian illustrator Margaret Bloy Graham’s wonderful books for children.  The translations and their phonetic guides are very easily understood and you can check your pronunciation (to some degree) against google translate’s robot Welsh voice .  

I’ve been trying to learn Welsh well enough to hold a conversation for a while and this book is really useful, especially if I want to tell my boyfriend to sit or stop barking. I also love dogs and I’ve thought for years, why not train my dog in Welsh? People do it in German for German Shepherds and, especially here in the USA, how many people are going to be able to countermand my commands in the proper language?  If they can, I probably want to hang out with them anyway.  Gaabriel Becket

Buy it here! Our price $11.99 - 20% Off (price includes postage & handling)

Here’s a book for Welsh learners with a difference! Teach your Dog W elsh aims to help Welsh learners practise their Welsh with their dog.

Teach your Dog Welsh (Y Lolfa) is full of appealing 1950s-style retro illustrations, with a picture and the expression it illustrates (in both Welsh and English) on every double page, as well help with the Welsh pronunciation. There are over 100 expressions to practise, from Paid â chrafu (‘Don’t scratch’) to Fydda i ddim yn hir (‘I won’t be long’). It’s an excellent and really fun introduction to learning Welsh for all ages – and most of the phrases can also be used in non-dog related situations!

The inspiration for the book came to Anne Cakebread after she re-homed Frieda, a rescue whippet. Anne came to realise that Frieda would only respond to Welsh commands. Slowly, whilst dealing with Frieda, Anne realised that she was overcoming her nerves about speaking Welsh aloud by talking to the dog, and her Welsh was improving as a result – this gave her the idea of creating a book to help other would-be learners whilst also using her skills as an illustrator.

The book has been awarded W H Smith Book of the Month for November 2018 and praised for its beautiful illustrations and quirky concept. Comedian and writer Richard Herring has commented:

“Anne Cakebread not only has the best name in the Universe, she has also come up with a brilliantly fun book which will help humans and canines learn new languages. I am world renowned for doing the best Welsh accent ever, so it’s good to now also be able to speak some actual Welsh too. And more importantly, so can my dog.”

Originally from Cardiff, Anne and her partner moved to a village on the west Wales coast. She wanted to improve her Welsh as it was important to her to become part of the lively Welsh-speaking community in the area.

“I first had to unlearn the Welsh I'd been taught in school as it's nothing like the Welsh people speak here. That's why I've made the expressions in the book colloquial, as a large part of learning is listening to what people say around you.”

Frieda, the Welsh rescue whippet, can understand a few words in English and the other English dogs have learnt a few sentences of Welsh – so the house is fully bilingual!

BBC weatherman and Welsh learner Derek Brockway has praised the book and described it as “a really nice, fun way to start learning Welsh – great book!”

Summoning up the confidence to use a language you’re learning can be daunting at first, and a number of books are available to help with vocabulary and pronunciation, but the lighthearted context and the beautiful illustrations mean that this book is a bit out of the ordinary. Lefi Gruffudd from Y Lolfa says:

“This book is both a practical and a fun way to practise Welsh, and hopefully it will be a useful resource to Welsh learners.”

Carolyn Hodges, Head of English Publishing at Y Lolfa, who developed language-teaching materials for Oxford University Press for many years, said: “Some people have a bad experience of learning Welsh at school and that puts them off trying again as adults. One of the key factors in motivating someone to start learning and using a new language is to make it enjoyable. Teach Your Dog Welsh really brings the language to life and makes it fun – it’s a really positive (re)introduction to this wonderful language.”

There are plans to expand the series to include Teach Your Cat Welsh, as well as translations into other minority languages including Manx, Cornish and Maori.

Anne Cakebread is a freelance illustrator with over 20 years’ experience in publishing and TV, including cover art and illustrations for numerous books, magazines and adverts. She also illustrated sets and props for Boomerang on S4C’s award-winning ABC. She grew up and went to school in Radyr, Cardiff and now lives with her partner, two whippets and lurcher in St Dogmaels, where she runs a B&B.

Teach Your Dog Welsh by Anne Cakebread is available now (£4.99, Y Lolfa).

AmeriCymru spoke to Welsh author, Michael Keyton about his work and future plans. Michael was born in Liverpool, graduated from Swansea University and has lived in Newport, south Wales in the past. He currently resides in Monmouth and is the author of several books including a collection of spooky short stories set in the Murenger pub in Newport ( Tales From The Murenger ). He has also written a novel about the tragic life and fate of  Gwyneth Morgan of Tredegar House ( The Gift ).

"My Newport is a dark, seedy and magical city, the unimaginable just around the next corner . . . or the corner after that." Michael Keyton

AmeriCymru: Many thanks for agreeing t o this interview. Care to tell us a little about your Welsh background and your history as a writer?

Mike: I was born in Liverpool, from a long line of Parrys on my mother’s side and a rich mix of Irish—Keytons, Henrys, and Tobins—on my father’s. That’s the nature of Liverpool, the unacknowledged capital of the Celtic world.

I went to Swansea University and loved it so much I decided to settle there. Fate had other ideas and led me to Newport instead – which I loved. I still live in Wales – just about—in Monmouth.

Ironically, I began writing (in my head) before I could read. I caught rheumatic fever as a child and was in hospital for over a year on my back. People gave me books I couldn’t decipher. I remember Beatrix Potter books, in particular Mr Todd and Jeremy Fisher. I’ve had a thing about foxes, reeds and lily pads ever since. There were no TVs in Myrtle Street Children’s Hospital and not much conversation. Instead, I stared at book pictures and made up my own stories.

All in all, I lost two years of schooling, and it was a struggle to catch up. The first inkling I had that writing could be sexy was in what they called a ‘free composition’ class in English. I still remember the story but not the ending. It involved a man falling from a plane without a parachute. The most attractive girl in the class—Ruth—was breathing over my shoulder caught by the story I was only halfway through. ‘What happens next?’ she asked, and I stared at the page like rabbit caught in a headlamp. I had no idea—other than he was going to smash into the ground at hundred miles an hour—and I knew that wouldn’t satisfy her. Luckily, I was saved by the bell. But that basic question, ‘What happens next’ has always been with me.

At university, and influenced by Michael Moorcock, I wrote a poor pastiche of Moorcock’s hero—Elric, my equivalent being ‘Meibron, Pale Piper of Valkesh.’ Less said about that the better, I think. Subsequently, family, teaching, and a profitable side-line in a Ceilidh band left little time to write. The itch though, remained constant.

AmeriCymru: What can you tell us about your novel The Gift ? How did you become interested in the Morgan family?

Mike: The Morgan family and Tredegar House have always fascinated me, in particular Evan Morgan, Papal Knight, sexual predator and Satanist, and his more tragic sister, Gwyneth Morgan, who died in such mysterious circumstances. It dominated the papers at the time.

In ill health, weakened by enteric typhoid and drug abuse, Gwyneth was a severe embarrassment to the Morgan family and was all but incarcerated in ‘The Niche,’ a large house in Wimbledon.

In the early hours of Thursday, December 11th 1924 she slipped out of the house and vanished. Six months later, her body was fished out of the Thames near Wapping.

The mystery is manifold. By all accounts, Gwyneth was severely ill, unable to walk very far without feeling tired, and spent much of her time in bed. On the night she disappeared, London was shrouded in one of those legendary fogs, an impenetrable ‘pea-souper,’ and the nearest entry point to the Thames was Putney Bridge, four miles from where she lived. It is hard to believe that a semi-invalid could walk four miles in thick fog through unfamiliar streets and fall into the river at Putney Bridge. The fact that her decomposed body was found in Wapping, even farther away, compounds the mystery. It would have had to have floated along one of the world’s busiest waterways beyond Hammersmith and Rotherhithe without being seen.

Nature abhors a vacuum and so does the press. In the absence of hard facts, newspapers had a field day with theories involving white slavers, Chinese opium lords, and lesbian lovers. It is in this context The Gift was born.

AmeriCymru: What can you tell us (without spoiling the plot) about Lizzie McBride and Gwyneth Morgan, the two central characters of the novel?

Mike: The Gift follows the rise of a Liverpool orphan, Lizzy McBride, and the degradation but ultimate redemption of one of the richest heiresses in Edwardian England, Lady Gwyneth Ericka Morgan. Though there are elements of the fantastic, the novel is grounded in historical fact. It involves real people and historical events as it explores the occult underbelly of the English aristocracy and its links with the emergent Nazi movement.

The Gift is the first book of a trilogy, beginning in 1912 and ending in 1941. The three books trace the magical rivalry between two sisters, Elizabeth and Elsie McBride and interweaves between historical events and the cracks in between - the ultimate prize, the unlocking of Hell.

The first book introduces the two sisters, twelve-ye ar-old Elizabeth and Elsie, then a baby inhabiting the bottom drawer of a cabinet. Hints of Elizabeth’s occult gifts appear early on and the story develops as leading Satanists— including Aleister Crowley— attempt to seduce and corrupt her. The second book traces the corruption of Elsie and the love-hate relationship between the two sisters. The final book describes Elsie's attempt to engineer a bloodbath ie World War II through the occult manipulation of diplomacy; it ends in a struggle to the death between the two sisters as Operation Barbarossa begins.

In short the three books are inspired by the rich but wasted lives of Evan and Gwyneth Morgan, and the dynamics of three fictitious characters, Elizabeth and Elsie McBride, and the magician John Grey.

AmeriCymru: Tales From The Murenger is a collection of dark tales centered around the pub of the same name in Newport, Gwent. Are there any standout tales in your opinion

Mike: That’s a difficult question. All of them have their different qualities. For a more objective answer than I’m able to give, the first story, ‘Mr Nousel’s Mirror,’ was included in anthologist, Ellen Datlow’s Best Horror of the year for 2011, alongside works by Stephen King and Jack Ketchum. I am though, fond of ‘A Touch of Rat,’ ‘Martin Brownlow’s Cat’ and ‘Ailsa.’ And there I have to stop as other stories start screaming in my ear accusing me of favouritism.

AmeriCymru: What inspired this collection? Are you a regular at The Murenger?

Mike: The Murenger was the first pub I drank in on the first day I arrived in Newport.

That was more years ago than I care to remember. It’s still my ‘local’ even though I now live over twenty miles away in Monmouth and drink there less frequently

Most of the stories have been previously published in various British and American anthologies. With the various copyrights having reverted back to me I puzzled on how to make them earn me a little more money.

There was no problem in putting them together in a single collection, for they all had a central motif: every story was set in or around Newport—and for good reason. Newport, or my version of it, is an alternative ‘Arkham,’ the Welsh equivalent of HP Lovecraft’s sinister town. The only problem I had was choosing a name for the book. Tales from Newport . . .? No, perhaps not. Tales from the Transporter Bridge . . . again no — but I was getting there. I needed an icon, something everyone in the area would recognise, something once seen you immediately think— ‘ghosts be there inside those walls’—and above all, something smelling of beer. Good beer.

The Murenger immediately came to mind, an iconic pub that everybody in Newport knows. And what you see on the front cover is pretty much what you see on the street, though I can’t guarantee the ghostly smoke. After that it was a marriage made in heaven. Rob, the landlord has a savvy media presence, and the relationship became symbiotic—Rob generously incorporating the book in his tweets and me marketing his pub. You can imagine my delight when he framed a picture of the book cover in his pub. In my daydreams, a future pilgrimage for those who like their Newport dark.

AmeriCymru: "My Newport is a dark, seedy and magical city, the unimaginable just around the next corner . . . or the corner after that." Care to expand?

Mike: Ha! So far no one has objected to the depiction. Perhaps they agree that ‘dark and seedy’ suggests fertility, and there’s no doubt Newport is magical, if you know where to look.

My first years in Newport were spent in ‘bed-sit’ land – converted rooms in Edwardian or Victorian buildings behind the Civic Centre. Many were built on hills and so offered evocative views of roofscapes and sky. In winter the roofscapes were blurred in shadow and rain and with mysterious gaps in-between. The sky was equally exciting, changing from day to day, sometimes sulphurous, often grey, but the sunsets were something else.

I loved the streets, the alleyways, and old Pill (the dockside area) before redevelopment carved it out of existence. And the river, muddy, turgid and slightly sinister. It’s easy to superimpose a shadowy, alternative world onto Newport. Walk through Maindee or Baneswell at night and you’ll understand what I mean.

The 1960’s blighted many towns, when developers razed old buildings and replaced them with concrete and glass. In those days, Newport had more sense than money and as a result when you walk the main street and look above the generic shop facades, there remains an unspoilt Victorian skyline. Above all though, it’s the people, resilient, sharp and never predictable. You can’t be otherwise with the curved balls Newport has faced year after year.

AmeriCymru: Where can readers go to purchase your titles online?

Mike: Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. In fact any Amazon outlet throughout the world.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Michael-Keyton/e/B016S5RBI4?ref=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000

AmeriCymru: What are you reading currently? Any recommendations?

Mike: I’m fairly eclectic. I enjoy thrillers like Scott Mariani’s Ben Hope series. Mariani provides a master class in how to write page-turners. I love old and now forgotten pulp writers like Peter Cheyney and Richard S Prather, and I love Anthony Trollope. I’m currently reading an Agatha Christie, but if I were to recommend two books – the two best books I’ve read this year—they would be:

The Shadow Of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon and Plain Song by Kent Haruf. The Shadow Of The Wind is rich in image, satisfyingly complex and has a strong but subtle narrative drive. Plainsong is set in the fictional Holt County, Colorado. The characters get under your skin – especially the two magnificent McPheron brothers. You won’t forget them. When you read books like these, you lament that you haven’t written them but you at least learn by reading.

AmeriCymru: What's next for Michael Keyton? Any new titles in progress?

Mike: The Gift is book one of a trilogy. The second book, ‘Bloodline’ will be out January 1919, the final book, ‘Blood Fall’ in the summer of that year. I’m currently turning The Gift into a TV script in the hope that it will be picked up by BBC Wales.

In between times I’m doing a final edit of a Science Fiction book called Phage.

AmeriCymru: Any final message for the readers and members of AmeriCymru?

Mike: Nothing special, just a big thank you if you’ve read this far, and a huge thank you to Ceri for offering me the chance to burble on for so long. Hmm, maybe I should also urge you to buy the books. The money will come in handy for Christmas.

The Vancouver Welsh Men’s Choir (VWMC) was formed in 1980 by Welsh singing enthusiasts, and is now one of Canada’s largest non-profit male choirs with close to a hundred singers of diverse ethnic backgrounds. It tours provincially each year; internationally about every three years. The choir maintains a Welsh singing tradition within a varied repertoire of folk songs, spirituals, show tunes, and Canadiana. We first started doing Remembrance concerts over 20 years ago. Several members of our choir were veterans and had close ties with the military and Legions. It has become a tradition that many of our patrons look forward to each year. This year we are doing two Remembrance concerts Nov 10th and 11th with the Band of The 15th Field Regiment Royal Canadian Artillery who we have performed with for several years.

Music touches the human soul the way nothing else does. It helps us keep in touch with our past and to connect to others of different cultural backgrounds. When the choir tours to other countries the music helps us transcend our differences and come together as brothers and sisters. Music has a unifying and uplifting quality.

In our upcoming Christmas series of 7 concerts, one of the songs we sing is called “Christmas In The Trenches”. It tells the story about how during WW1 in 1914 France, British and German soldiers laid down their arms on Christmas morning and refused to fight. Instead they met each other in “no man’s land” and traded pictures, cigarettes, played games and sang songs. They realized that this was not their war but brought about by politicians and others. Some of the words in the song are: “The frozen fields of France were warmed, and songs of peace were sung. For the walls they’d built between us to exact the work of war were crumbled and were gone forever more.” The song ends with the words, “For the one’s who called the shots won’t be among the dead and lame, and at each end of the rifle, we’re the same.”

These concerts are heartwarming and emotional and enjoyed by all. They are especially meaningful to veterans or anyone who has lived through conflict. In 2017 the choir toured France, Belgium and The Netherlands to honour the fallen, performing at Vimy Ridge, Menen Gate, Juneau Beach, delivering memorable charitable concerts along the route. Memories of this tour will make Remembrance 2018 with the 15th Field Artillery Band RCA an especially poignant concert for choir members.

The choir is a “not for profit” organization with a limited advertising budget. We rely on our reputation and word of mouth to help us share our joy of singing. Some of the comments we have received: “A truly heartwarming and memorable experience”. “A very professional and unforgettable concert”. “It made the hair stand up on the back of my neck”.

Consummate professionals Music Director Jonathan Quick and Accompanist/Assistant Music Director Karen Lee Morlang ensure that VWMC’s male amateur vocalists experience and deliver the joy of singing, from the heart.

The choir produces CD s of its music, available at concerts and online at vwmc.ca

Welsh producer R.Seiliog aka Robin Edwards returns with his new LP 'Megadoze' a subtle shift from the sonic palette of critically acclaimed ‘In Hz'and 2016’s ’Shedhead EP’. R.Seiliog creates a gentle stir from darkness, coaxing ambisonic visions of the void with synth-driven tides. 'Megadoze'refined prologue surges through visceral tapestries of static and haze merging ambient techno, musique concrète and field recordings.

Astounding lead track 'Opal Drift' with its enveloping structures builds through ambient textures and a bricolage of half-remembered techno and synth waves, it’s like the evocative sound of flowing water softly sculpting the rocks of the Black mountains. Second track ‘DC Offset’ weaves intricate sci-fi soundtrack layers bubbles, babbles and skitters with otherworldly presence echoing homage to the finest work of Brian Eno, its followed by the incredible ‘Obsidian’ its deep-glitch woven journey unfurls into an awe-inspiring interlude of sonic revelry in its final portion. Meanwhile the ambient hauntings and glacial washes of 'Vitamin Filter' are a masterclass in the melding of field recordings and motorik electronic beats, it’s equally the soundtrack to chilling-in, or going out.

'Zemlya' resonates and chimes with harmonics that conjure echoes of the percussive music of different continents from India to Africa, underscored by contrasting hues of sub-bass driven beats, crunchy granular glitch with instrumental swathes. The ambient drops of 'Nectar Phase'with its viscous swells and fluxing breakbeat possess a timelessness. The glacial ‘Chalk Fields’ mirrors the sound of a rising sun casting cosmic beams onto your face as you lie in a dew-speckled field, samples of birds chirruping, streams flowing, a distant voice and stunning ambient textures arise into a moment of unified clarity.
Sonically daring and sewn with intricate genre-blurring levels of detail, each cut remains connected to the heart of nature in its elemental force, ‘Megadoze’ is perhaps R.Seiliog’s finest record yet.

R.Seiliog emerged from the pine coned hills of Peniel, North Wales. Releasing the warm analog psychedelia of 2012's ‘Shuffles EP’, and his debut long player 2013's ‘Doppler’ which was a wide-eyed homage to Krautrock. Manic Street Preachers were so inspired by his debut album Doppler that the band entrusted Edwards to remix Manic Street Preachers’ single ‘Futurology'.

In 2014 the release of his critically acclaimed second album ‘In Hz’ a masterful work of convoluted drone and electronics. Which led Thump to herald it as “So good it hurts” and Mojo Magazine to say “R.Seiliog presides over a subtle, imaginative record that transcends many genres.” R. Seiliog’s work has received airplay from the likes of Huw Stephens, 6 Music - Mary Anne Hobbs, Radcliffe and Maconie and Lauren Laverne.

Megadoze tracklist:

01. Opal Drift
02. DC Offset
03. Obsidian
04. Portals
05. Vitamin Filter
06. Zemlya
07. Nectar Phase
08. Waxwing
09. Chalk Fields
10. Coda

To coincide with the release of 'Megadoze' R.Seiliog has announced two shows one at Carmarthen with ACCU and a launch show at Cardiff's Gwdi Hw.

November
17th - The Parrot with ACCU
22nd - Gwdihw
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/454262

LAUNCHPAD FUND TO HELP WELSH MUSICIANS TAKE THE NEXT STEPS

Arts Council of Wales and BBC Wales are calling for talented Welsh artists and bands to apply for the Launchpad fund.

Launchpad will offer grants of up to £2,000 to help artists or bands to fulfil their potential and reach the next level. Aimed at emerging musicians that already demonstrate promise, Launchpad is part of the Horizons Gorwelion scheme to develop new and independent contemporary music in Wales.

Launchpad was started in 2014 and has supported over 135 artists, from more than 50 Welsh towns. A diverse mix of musicians will be supported in their creative work by the fund, allowing them to pay for studio time and equipment, commission photography, artwork and video, promote their work and go on tour.

One of last year’s musicians was Flintshire hip-hop artist Ennio the Little Brother whose work has been played on BBC 6 Music. He said:

"Receiving the Horizons grant was a huge surprise to me. It felt incredible to be a part of a group of Welsh musicians looking to take our craft to the next level. With the grant, I purchased a guitar amplifier and a looper pedal, which have both helped me to drastically improve my live performances. Just a year ago, I relied heavily on backing tracks to bolster my set, but now I can creatively compose layered music on the spot; completely live. As well as this, the way I write music has changed too! I now use the looper to create new compositions.”

Cardiff-based rapper and singer NonameDisciple received support for her A Millennial's Godfidence project. Tracks went on to be played by DJ Semtex in his "5 Tunes You Need To Know" and by DJ Target on BBC 1xtra.  She was also selected to play on the ‘BBC Introducing’ stage at the Reading and Leeds Festival.  She said: “Launchpad fund has been vital towards helping my music reach audiences, I feel honoured and thankful."

Singer-songwriter Beth Celyn from Caernarfon used Launchpad to promote her new EP. She said: “I’m so grateful to Horizons for their support and faith in me as an artist. Receiving the grant has been a massive encouragement. Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to gig or compose new material this year as my digital piano broke a few months before the launch of my debut EP. The launch scheme enabled me to buy a new digital piano and I’ve already had some invaluable experiences - from performing at the Pan Celtic Festival over in Ireland to playing at Festival No.6 in Portmeirion."

From Wednesday 17 October applications to Launchpad will be open to Wales based artists and bands.  Entries will close at midnight on Friday 16 November 2018.

For more information about Launchpad and how to apply, as well as the Horizons initiative, go to www.bbc.co.uk/horizons

Mae Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru    a BBC Cymru'n galw am artistiaid a bandiau Cymreig dawnus i ymgeisio am gyllid o’r gronfa Lawnsio.  

Bydd Lawnsio’n cynnig grantiau o hyd at £2,000 i helpu artistiaid neu fandiau i gyflawni eu potensial a chyrraedd y lefel nesaf. Mae Lawnsio, sy'n targedu cyw-gerddorion sydd eisoes yn dangos addewid, yn rhan o'r cynllun  Horizons/Gorwelion  sy’n anelu at ddatblygu cerddoriaeth gyfoes newydd ac annibynnol yng Nghymru.

Cychwynnwyd Lawnsio yn 2014 ac mae'r cynllun eisoes wedi cynorthwyo dros 135 o artistiaid o dros 50 o wahanol drefi yng Nghymru. Caiff amrywiaeth eang o gerddorion gymorth gyda'u gwaith creadigol trwy'r gronfa, a fydd yn caniatáu iddynt dalu am offer ac amser stiwdio, comisiynu ffotograffiaeth, gwaith celf a fideo, hybu eu gwaith a mynd â’u gwaith ar daith.

Un o gerddorion llwyddiannus y llynedd oedd yr artist hip-hop o Sir y Fflint Ennio the Little Brother y mae ei waith wedi cael ei chwarae ar BBC 6 Music. Meddai:

"Roedd derbyn y grant Gorwelion yn sypreis a hanner i mi. Roedd hi'n teimlo'n anhygoel bod yn rhan o grŵp o gerddorion Cymreig sydd am fynd â'n crefft ymlaen i'r lefel nesaf. Brynais i amp i'r gitâr a phedal dolennu gyda’r grant, ac mae'r ddau wedi fy nghynorthwyo i wella fy mherfformiadau byw yn sylweddol. Cwta flwyddyn yn ôl, roeddwn i'n dibynnu'n drwm ar draciau cefndir i ategu fy set, ond nawr rwy'n gallu cyfansoddi cerddoriaeth haenog yn greadigol yn y fan a'r lle; yn hollol fyw. Mae'r ffordd rwy'n mynd ati i ysgrifennu cerddoriaeth wedi newid yn ogystal! Rwy'n defnyddio'r dolennwr i greu cyfansoddiadau newydd hefyd."

Cafodd y rapiwr a'r gantores o Gaerdydd,  NonameDisciple  gymorth ar gyfer ei phrosiect    A Millennial's Godfidence . Aeth ei thraciau ymlaen i gael eu chwarae gan  DJ Semtex  yn ei   " 5 Tunes You Need To Know "   a chan y  DJ Target  ar  BBC 1xtra.   Cafodd ei dethol hefyd i chwarae ar lwyfan 'BBC Introducing' yng Ngwyliau Reading a Leeds.  Dywedodd:  

“Mae'r gronfa Lawnsio wedi bod yn hanfodol wrth helpu fy ngherddoriaeth i gyrraedd cynulleidfaoedd, rwy'n teimlo’n freintiedig ac yn ddiolchgar."  

Defnyddiodd y gantores a'r gyfansoddwraig o Gaernarfon,  Beth Celyn  Lawnsio i hybu ei EP newydd. Dywedodd:

“Dwi mor ddiolchgar i Gorwelion am eu cefnogaeth a'u ffydd ynof fi fel artist. Mae derbyn y grant wedi rhoi anogaeth aruthrol i mi. Hebddo, fyddwn i ddim wedi gallu gigio na chyfansoddi deunydd newydd eleni am i fy mhiano digidol dorri ychydig fisoedd cyn lansio fy EP cyntaf. Diolch i'r cynllun Lawnsio bu modd i mi brynu piano digidol newydd ac rydw i wedi cael profiadau anhepgor eisoes - o berfformio yn yr Ŵyl Ban Geltaidd draw yn Iwerddon, i chwarae yng Ngŵyl Rhif 6 ym Mhortmeirion."

Bydd ceisiadau i'r gronfa Lawnsio’n agor i artistiaid a bandiau yng Nghymru ddydd Mercher, 17 Hydref.  Bydd ceisiadau'n cau am ganol nos, nos Wener 16 Tachwedd 2018.   

I gael rhagor o wybodaeth am Y Gronfa Lawnsio   a sut i wneud cais, yn ogystal â'r fenter Gorwelion, ewch i  www.bbc.co.uk/horizons

Al Moses release their blistering debut single 'I Want More' through digital platforms on the 30th November. Al Moses are an incendiary new band made up of four nineteen-year-old friends from the South Wales valleys, who take on rock and roll history and stamp it with their personalities and the youthful ambition to be heard beyond their hometowns. Debut single 'I Want More' was produced by Steffan Pringle (ESTRONS, Himalayas) at Giant Wafer Studios and mastered by Charlie Francis (Pixies, REM). With its sneering vocals, sizzling riffs and stomping beat, the rollicking 'I Want More' encapsulates their burning ambition, the disillusionment of their generation and wraps it in a swaggering chorus. It’s a hungry opening statement of intent from this exciting young band.

Al Moses singer Jack Shepherd says: 'It’s a head-on, hands-up anthem for people like us, the disillusioned youth. We just want more than what's laid out for us. And this song aims to capture that spirit and determination of how we feel right now.' Jack Shepherd.

Jack and Daf, who co-front and share lead vocals in Al Moses, met at house party 2015. A few days later, after watching The Jesus and Mary Chain at the Cardiff Students Union they adopted the name Al Moses inspired by a religious connotation.

Daf is an aspiring actor, studying at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, already appearing in nationwide drama and cast in various music videos. Al Moses were chosen in January 2018 to be part of the Forte Project that provides mentoring, live opportunities and practical support for new and upcoming acts based in South Wales.

For fans of The Libertines, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Cribs, Oasis, The Blinders

Upcoming gigs:

20th October: @ Swn Festival, Cardiff

27th October @ Finsbury Pub, London

17th November: Supporting Peace & Fickle Friends at Shimmer Sounds 2018 @

Tramshed, Cardiff

29th November: Headline show @ Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff

Al Moses:

Daf Thomas - Guitar/lead vocals
Jack Shepherd - Guitar/lead vocals
Raychi Bryant - Bass

George Percival – Drums

Facebook : @almosesband
Insta: @almosesband

Bilingual digital magazine parallel.cymru reaches 100,000 page views in first year.

The bilingual digital magazine parallel.cymru is celebrating a successful first year of publication, with 100,000 page views being viewed in that period.

Said Neil Rowlands, founder and project manager: "The purpose of parallel.cymru is to make the Welsh language and culture more accessible. This is done by presenting Welsh and English side by side, using a range of language registers informal, formal and literary, and is completely free to access from any web browser anywhere in the world.

"I'm extremely happy that thousands of people have enjoyed reading the many articles and made use of the unique resources. Presenters like Huw Stephens and Eleri Siôn, and noted authors such as lexicographer D. Geraint Lewis, Welsh Valleys Humour's David Jandrell, Bethan Gwanas, Elin Meek and many more have written exclusively for the site. There's also resources such as a crowd-sourced map of shops, pubs and public places where Welsh is used, a bilingual grammar guide, interactive quizzes, plus some articles have been narrated so that people can read and hear the Welsh language at the same time.

"For the Welsh Government's goal of one million Welsh speakers by 2050 to be met, there is a need for us extend the reach of the language and present it in different ways. Parallel.cymru, as an independent not-for-profit organisation, captures this spirit and energy.

"Over 140 people have provided content for parallel.cymru, and I am grateful for them supporting a new and different way of publishing. I look forward to supporting many more people contributing and helping more people to enjoy our beautiful language in an inventive new way."

Garmon Gruffudd, Managing Director, Y Lolfa, said: "It's great to see how Parallel.cymru has developed over the last few months to become an indispensable website for learners and an important source of information and materials for people who want to keep a finger on the pulse in Wales. It has been a pleasure to work with Neil and the crew, and as a publisher we really appreciate that they offer a new, easy to reach platform to discuss our work and we very much congratulate Neil on reaching 100,000."

Mae’r cylchgrawn digidol parallel.cymru yn dathlu blwyddyn gyntaf lwyddiannus a 100,000 o ymweliadau tudalen.

Dywed sylfaenydd a rheolwr y prosiect, Neil Rowlands: “Pwrpas parallel.cymru yw gwneud yr iaith a’r diwylliant Cymraeg yn fwy cyraeddadwy. Gwneir hyn drwy gyflwyno’r Gymraeg a’r Saesneg ochr wrth ochr, gan ddefnyddio ystod o gyweiriau iaith (anffurfiol, ffurfiol a llenyddol), a hynny’n rhad ac am ddim; a gellir cael mynediad iddo o unrhyw borwr gwe mewn unrhyw fan yn y byd.

“Rwy’n hynod o hapus bod miloedd o bobl wedi mwynhau darllen yr erthyglau niferus a’r adnoddau unigryw. Mae cyflwynwyr fel Huw Stephens ac Eleri Siôn, awduron cydnabyddedig fel y geiriadurwr D. Geraint Lewis, David Jandrell a’i ‘Welsh Valleys Humour’, Bethan Gwanas, Elin Meek a llawer mwy wedi ysgrifennu ar gyfer y wefan. Yn ogystal, mae yna adnoddau fel mapiau siopau, tafarndai a mannau cyhoeddus lle y defnyddir y Gymraeg, canllaw dwyieithog i ramadeg, cwisiau rhyngweithiol, ac mae rhai erthyglau wedi eu hadrodd hefyd fel bod pobl yn gallu darllen a chlywed y Gymraeg ar yr un pryd.”

“Er mwyn cyrraedd nod Llywodraeth Cymru o sicrhau miliwn o siaradwyr y Gymraeg erbyn 2050, mae angen i ni ehangu’r defnydd o’r iaith a’i chyflwyno mewn gwahanol ffyrdd. Mae parallel.cymru, fel sefydliad annibynnol, dielw, yn ymgorfforiad o’r ysbryd a’r egni hwn.”

“Mae dros 140 o bobl wedi darparu cynnwys i parallel.cymru, ac rwy’n ddiolchgar iddynt am gefnogi dull newydd a gwahanol o argraffu. Edrychaf ymlaen at gefnogi llawer iawn mwy o gyfranwyr i’r wefan, a hefyd i helpu nifer fawr o bobl i fwynhau ein hiaith brydferth mewn ffordd newydd a dyfeisgar.”

Meddai Garmon Gruffudd, Rheolwr Gyfarwyddwr, Y Lolfa: "Mae’n wych gweld sut mae Parallel.cymru wedi datblygu dros y misoedd diwethaf i fod yn wefan anhepgor i ddysgwyr ac yn ffynhonnell bwysig o wybodaeth a deunydd i bobl sydd am gadw bys ar byls Cymru. Mae wedi bod yn bleser cydweithio gyda Neil a’r criw, ac fel gwasg rydym yn gwerthfawrogi yn fawr eu bod yn cynnig llwyfan newydd, hawdd i’w gyrraedd, i drin a thrafod ein gwaith a rydym yn eu llongyfarch yn fawr ar gyrraedd y 100,000."

This week sees the publication of Absolutely Huge (Y Lolfa), the hilarious memoirs of Gethin 'Huge' Hughes, Welsh rugby's most famous imaginary player.

Affectionately sending up Welsh rugby and the media hype surrounding it, Absolutely Huge spoofs the standard tell-all sports autobiography format, charting the highs and lows of Huge’s remarkable and meteoric rise from youth player to worldwide star, and revealing the truth behind his often controversial career both on and off the pitch.

The book has already received great reviews, with The Guardian describing it as “an Odyssey for our times. Hilarious take on the chemistry between huge talent and the 21st century."

After a stunning international debut and glory for club and country, by the age of 20 Huge is on top of the world. He’s the biggest star in Welsh rugby, he’s dating the nation’s sweetheart Heledd Harte, and after one particularly heroic moment at Twickenham is voted Second Best Welshman Ever.

But the good times don’t last. He causes a diplomatic row on a Lions tour, gets involved with some calamitous product endorsements, falls out with his club, inadvertently incites a pitch invasion, and after one particularly embarrassing incident at the World Cup is voted the Second Worst Welshman Ever.

Things don’t improve after early retirement at 23. A disastrous appearance on reality TV is followed by a brush with death on Mount Snowdon and entanglement in a political scandal at the Welsh Assembly. On the eve of his playing comeback, and for the first time, the full extraordinary story of his time in the spotlight, and the subsequent wilderness years will be told.

Absolutely Huge is a big hit with Wales and British and Irish Lions star Mike Phillips, who loved Huge’s antics: "I couldn't put it down – hilarious from start to finish. If I'd got to play alongside Huge, even I might have learnt a few things!"

Absolutely Huge is the first novel by Luke Upton. Born and bred in Swansea, his first job was selling match-day lottery tickets for Swansea RFC in those last few glory years before the arrival of regional rugby. He now lives in London, and is a business journalist and Welsh rugby satirist. He co-runs @NotGavHenson, the humorous Twitter account with over 42,000 followers including a large portion of the Wales squad.

“I wanted to write an easy and amusing read that appeals to anyone who loves rugby and the larger-than-life characters it creates. At times the media circus around big-name sports stars can be a little ridiculous, and I wanted to have some fun with that,” said Luke.

“Though Huge is obviously an imaginary player, he has a mixture of traits from a range of rugby players who have graced the heights of rugby in the UK over the last 10–15 years; it’s a caricature of the kind of trouble someone in the public eye could get themselves into in these days of omnipresent social media comment. It’s also a parody on the media, and the way that they portray our rugby heroes,” he added.