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AmeriCymru: Hi Glenn and many thanks for agreeing to this interview. Care to introduce the Attic Film Festival for our readers?
Glenn: The inaugural Attic Theatre International Film Festival is organised by the Attic Theatre, a group of artists, actors, writers, film-makers and technicians based in Newcastle Emlyn, West Wales, who are captivated by the medium of film.
Our designated event team for ATIFF are;
Carole King: an artist, bookbinder and printmaker -and the reluctant leading lady in the film ‘Tatsuko’, which will be shown as part of the Sunday screenings. She holds a particular interest in narrative film and documentary material.
Melanie Davies: an actor and playwright who won the 2022 Cynon Valley Film Festival Director’s award for devising and acting in ‘Thoughtpolice 4891’. “As an actor/writer/director of theatre, it has always been the telling of the story that has excited and intrigued me. And it seems that with current technology we can hear and see stories now, that have been left untold. The democracy of film making is liberating for many voices and small film festivals like ours help to give audiences for those stories. Sharing a good story is a universal need it seems to me and participating in that is a great joy. Peter Mount: is the theatre company’s sound and visual effects technician and is a big fan of black and white film. ”Like millions of others, I’ve watched films all my life. We watch them to find out about the world and to see it through other people eyes. Life without the enrichment of film, would just be so much duller.”
Glenn Ibbitson: artist and former scenic artist for film and television, through which I enjoyed a brief acting scene with the late and much lamented Robin Williams -which oddly ended up on the cutting room floor, but that’s a story for another time. I hold a passion for silent film -the world’s only truly international language.
Visual interest is our shared criteria, though of course that is subjective; we felt that four directors could better able to argue the merits of each submission and prevent one personal taste predominating.
Together, our aim is to encourage excellence in film-making and to present the medium of movie to our audiences through a free weekend-long event. We invite submissions of short film from a few seconds long [this is the age of TikTok after all] to a maximum running time of about 20 minutes. We are a genre fluid event with no particular theme. We already have submissions which are silent films, music videos, documentaries, animation.
Our submission fee is kept at a nominal level. This is simply to cover festival expenses. We are not out to make a profit.
Our main concern was to make this a free event for our visitors. The public can use this as a drop-in event; watch a couple of films, take a break and return for more , or stay for a whole day session. This guarantees that our selected filmmakers are showing their work to an actual live audience.
AmeriCymru: What can you tell us about the venue - the Attic Theatre?
Glenn: The theatre/cinema is sited in the elegant Grade Two listed Town Hall above the Market Buildings. The building dates from1892.
The raked auditorium itself has a capacity of 80. The plush seats were retrieved from a cinema in Pembrokeshire They give our audiences the authentic and comfortable theatrical experience. We have a digital projector and a large screen, so this is a genuine big-screen experience.
AmeriCymru: How many entries are you aiming for and what are the competition categories?
Glenn: We really don’t know how many entries to expect to be honest. The rate of submissions has accelerated in recent weeks; a viewing/selection process which last month seemed quite relaxed is now looking more like a task -one which as fans of film, we are more than happy to address.
Films considered for completion will be shown on Friday evening of the 13th October and Saturday 15th from 2pm-9pm. With intervals between hourly blocks of film, we expect to offer 6hours of film. Sunday is reserved for invited works and those made by colleagues at the Attic theatre. These have been excluded from competition to avoid any conflict of interest. This will comprise another 4 hours or so of movie.
The Festival Categories eligible for awards are:
Drama
Best Made in Wales
Experimental
Animation
Cinematography
Documentary
Black & White
Music
Environmentalist
The ATiFF Award -this will be a film chosen for special mention by the co-directors of the festival.
The actual design of the award statuette has not been finalised as yet. We are split between a figurine and a stylised clapperboard! Watch this space for an update!
AmeriCymru: What is the deadline for the receipt of submissions?
Glenn: August 19th for the regular deadline and September the 8th for the last minute deadline. This allows us just enough time to get a comprehensive festival programme to print.
AmeriCymru: Submissions are welcome from around the world, correct?
Glenn: Yes; so far most submissions have been from the UK, but films have come in from from Canada, the U.S, Japan, India -and Cardigan, which is 10 miles down the valley!
AmeriCymru: Will this become an annual event?
Glenn: I would hope so; the impetus for this event -quite apart from our enthusiasm for film, was the feeling that our venue could be used for a greater variety of events throughout the calendar. My personal hope is that ATIFF can occupy a regular Autumn slot on an annual basis from now on.
AmeriCymru: Any clips that you would care to share?
Glenn: We have no trailers as yet; it may be a little too early for that kind of pre-publicity, but we have stills from several submissions and invited films which I have enclosed [labelled with title and director’s name] together with photographs of the venue and posters.
AmeriCymru: Any final message for the readers and members of AmeriCymru?
Glenn: If you have a camcorder, if you have a stills camera with a movie mode option on its function dial, -if you have a mobile, you can make movie. If you think you have something to share with an enthusiastic audience, let’s see it -you could be walking off with an award come October. Ffilm hapus!
The text for Taopolis has its genesis in a series of dates Jeremy Gluck's band The Barracudas played in Tokyo in 2013. Enthralled by the city and in his hotel room in Shinjuku, the words flowed to try and capture the spirit of a city that after only four days he never wanted to leave.
We invited renowned Tokyo Dadaist Jack Seiei to produce a video for the track,his expertise in collage and video art bringing a fresh and innovative perspectiveto the project.
Recording artist, digital fine artist, and prolific electronic music and video art collaborator, Jeremy Gluck is perhaps best known as lead singer of cult surf-punk band The Barracudas, the subject of a recently released 3CD retrospective on Cherry Red Records. As a solo artist he has had songs covered by artists such as Lydia Lunch and Rowland S. Howard (The Birthday Party, Crime and the City Solution, These Immortal Souls), and Nikki Sudden (Swell Maps), with whom two latter artists he recorded the first supergroup alt.country album, ‘I Knew Buffalo Bill’ in 1987. In 1997 Gluck began a journey into experimental electronica that led to him working with some of the genre’s leading lights, including Martin Rev, Brendan Moeller, Dub Gabriel, and Youth.
Paul Hazel is a music producer and multi-instrumentalist. He has studied electroacoustic composition with Simon Emmerson and completed the ‘Search and Reflect’ method with free jazz drummer John Stevens. He has had many releases on labels such as Rising High, Rotation, Inspiral, 2Kool, Welsh Modular Alliance, and SWND. As part of the band Blue Train he hit the Billboard dance charts with Get Movin’, released on Masters At Work. He has composed and produced the music for a number of commercial films and TV programmes. Short films of his own have been exhibited in Japan, Venice, and at several galleries across Wales.
Links
https://bambooradical.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/JeremyGluckArt
https://www.facebook.com/paul.hazel.31/
https://www.paulhazel.com
https://twitter.com/nonceptualism
https://objkt.com/profile/tz2JPVuwvUZyq1LyFwNz2ghXbJ62pQ1rd9f2/activity
https://www.instagram.com/jackseiei
GIITTV's 20th Anniversary event: Adwaith, Chroma, Carwyn Ellis, The Honest Poet, papaya noon, Half Happy, Kaptin (DJ) - The Gate, Cardiff, Saturday 30th of September
By Ceri Shaw, 2023-06-21
Today, we are excited to announce that joining our 20th anniversary event at The Gate in Cardiff on Saturday 30th of September 2023, are one of Wales’s best-kept secrets, righteous bilingual noise pop trio Chroma, as main supports.
They are gearing up for the release of their debut album and will be joined by master Welsh songsmith Carwyn Ellis of Rio 18, Colorama and The Pretenders live band, who will be playing an exclusive stripped back set, and practitioners of soulful lo-fi pop Papaya Noon , who will ease you into the late afternoon. Finally, on the decks we have former Boomtown booker and local legend Kaptin who will be bringing the party with his encyclopedic collection of hip hop, soul, disco music and beyond.
They join a bill that already boasts three awesome acts. Two-time Welsh Music Prize winners and GIITTV favourites Adwaith who will be headlining, emerging artist The Honest Poet , who blends soul, hip hop, and pop into personal songs full of heart. Opening the show are one of our tips for 2023, Half Happy , a wonderful bittersweet indie pop band who have captured our hearts in recent months.
Doors are 3pm with the acts starting at 4pm. Tickets are twenty pounds in advance and more on the door, book here.
This event is in conjunction with our friends at Joyzine who are also celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, we will be helping promote events around this landmark in due course. Also the charity Hope Not Hate and the fine online publication the Zine .
An independent publication, GIITTV, started in 2003. This was an era even before blogs, before YouTube, and Twitter. Inspired by webzines like Drowned in Sound and the punk zine spirit of Repeat fanzine, I started posting my early reviews from the Cardiff University newspaper, Gair Rhydd on a basic Yahoo Geocities page. Over the years I was then joined by writers from around Britain and the world, GIITTV has evolved through many incarnations and evolutions as a website and publication, now boasting a passionate and hardworking editorial team, over 200 writers, and the contributions of artists and web designers, without whom this website would not have grown and thrived for so many years. With a solid following, we hope we have grown into one of the most lasting online portals for music and culture around. We have always championed the artists that excite us no matter their level or label from throughout the country and beyond, providing a platform for emerging artists and groups. The site also has a special focus on Welsh music over the last decade, championing the new Welsh wave of artists. We have developed this by spotlighting as many genres as we can in the principality, sponsoring a stage at the Focus Wales festival and by featuring the likes of The Anchoress, Adwaith, Carwyn Ellis, Aderyn and many more on our podcast Show Me Magic.
As well as delivering a stream of quality writing, our achievements over the years include raising £5000 for Help Musicians from a R.E.M. Covers compilation that was endorsed by the band, helping to promote several charity shows including G Spot in London and Mind Fest in Cardiff, staging shows by the likes of Frightened Rabbit, My Sad Captains, Orphans and Vandals, HMS Morris and Vessels and many more. Our deputy editor, Simon Godley, received an award for best festival journalist at the Festival Congress.
With an independent voice free of corporate constraints, we have always believed in giving new artists and writers a platform to gain experience, hone their craft, and explore their passions. We are powered by the goodwill, knowledge, and passion of our writers, the support of labels and artists, and the readers. We hope this event marks this special occasion in style, with an event celebrating some of Wales’s finest artists and acting as a thank you to everyone involved, set in the heart of Cardiff at one of the city’s most impressive venues- a converted church with listed status as a building.
Tickets here:
https://www.gigantic.com/giittv-20th-anniversary-tickets/cardiff-the-gate-arts-centre/2023-09-30-15-00
Rogue Jones - 'Off By One'
Wedi'i gymryd oddi ar eu halbwm arbennig 'Dos Bebés', gafodd ei rhyddhau ar Libertino fis Mawrth, 'Off By One' yw sengl ddiweddaraf Rogue Jones.
Eglura'r band: “Mae recordio gyda Frank Naughton (cynhyrchydd Rogue Jones) yn Nhŷ Drwg yn golygu llawer mwy na recordio caneuon. Ein hoff ran o recordio gyda Frank yw pan rydym ni'n yfed tê ac yn sgwrsio gyda fe am rai o'r pethau anhygoel sydd yn ei ben. Arweiniodd un o’r sgyrsiau hyn i ni ddod i wybod am y camgymeriad ‘Off By One’.
Dydyn ni ddim yn siŵr os gallwn ei esbonio'n iawn ond i'n meddyliau anwyddonol ni, mae'n gamgymeriad sy'n cael ei wneud wrth gyfrifo - a ddylai'r dilyniant ddechrau ar 0 neu 1. Ydych chi'n cyfrif y pyst neu'r bylchau sydd rhwng y pyst? Ta waeth, roedden ni'n hoffi'r syniad fod rhywbeth mor syml yn gallu chwalu'n meddyliau ni - ac o fanno daeth y gân.
Fi (Ynyr) daeth lan gyda strwythur y cordiau a'r geiriau ar gyfer y gytgan, lle bu Bethan yn rhoi cig ar asgwrn yn ysgrifennu’r penillion. Roedd 3 pennill ychwanegol ond yn anffodus roedd rhaid anghofio amdanynt fel bod yr albwm gallu ffitio ar un ddisg 12". 'Da ni'n falch bod y fersiwn hir honno, o'r diwedd, yn cael ei rhyddhau’n ddigidol ynghyd â’r fersiwn sydd ar yr albwm.”
Bydd y ddwy fersiwn o 'Off By One' allan ar Libertino ddydd Mercher 7fed Mehefin.
Taken from their critically acclaimed second album 'Dos Bebés', which was released on Libertino in March, ‘Off By One’ is the latest single from Rogue Jones.
Rogue Jones explain the background to the creation of ‘Off By One’: “Recording with Frank Naughton (Rogue Jones' long time producer) at Tŷ Drwg is about so much more than recording your songs. Our favourite aspect of the recording is the first half an hour or so spent drinking tea and chatting about some of the incredible things within his head. One of these educational chats introduced us to the ‘Off By One’ error.
We’re not sure if we can explain it accurately but to our non-scientific minds it’s an error that is made in computing which stems from the failure to specify whether the sequence should start at 0 or 1. Do you count the fenceposts or the gaps between fenceposts? Anyway, we liked the thought of something clinical and mathematical being capable of being undone by something so simple - so that’s where the song came from.
I (Ynyr) had the chord structure and some sort of lyrical skeleton for the chorus which Bethan fleshed out as well as writing the verses. There were an extra 3 verses to the song but we had to cut them in order to fit the album on one 12” disk. We're pleased to be able to release that longer version digitally, along with the single version heard on the album.”
Both versions of 'Off By One' will be released on Libertino on Wednesday 7th June.
Part Time Signals new 'Take Me For A Ride' single out 30th June via Bubblewrap Collective
By Ceri Shaw, 2023-06-20
Part Time Signals - 'Take Me For A Ride'
Part Time Signals is the new project formed by Sock vocalist and guitarist Jacob Church. The band came together initially by taking demo ideas written by Jacob.
The second taste of music from the band, ‘Take Me For A Ride’, is an understated song following on from their first single ‘The Man’.
The new single will be released across all digital platforms on June 3 recorded at Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, mixed by Sam Barnes and Al-Shakarchi.
The artwork photo is by Jacob Church with typography and layout by Rich Chitty.
"I am an artist and film-maker based in Carmarthenshire. I am currently a co-curator for the Attic International Film Festival which operates out of Newcastle Emlyn.
We are presenting a festival of short film/video [running time up to approx. 20 minutes] from around the world across the long weekend of 13-15th October 2023. This event will be free admission to the public, so we can guarantee actual audiences for our presentations. Full details can be found at;
https://filmfreeway.com/AtticTheatreInternationalFilmFestival
We are looking for good quality work. This can be back-catalogue, having been shown elsewhere previously; we don't require video for 'premiere viewing'. Any theme, any style -we are a completely genre-neutral event! Files should be sent as MP4 when requested after submission.
I look forward to seeing work by any members/friends and followers of Americymru. Do please pass on this opportunity to any film-makers/videographers you may know.
WELSH ALT POP ARTIST 'MALI HAF' RELEASES NEW 'SHWSH!' SINGLE ON THE 16TH JUNE
By Ceri Shaw, 2023-06-14
Mali Haf on Facebook
SHWSH!
Released on 16/06/2023
In this single Mali Haf takes a new direction with her brand of alternative pop. The aim is to create music with an impact that cannot be ignored, a combination of compelling electroinc beats and evocative melodies. She hopes to convince her Welsh speaking and non-Welsh speaking audiences that the language can thrive in current high energy musical environments.
SHWSH! is a burst of empowering pop that urges it’s listeners to be themselves in the worlds of Reality TV and social media. There is empathy for how we have to navigate the bombardment of media advice, designed to create disatisfactions. The last verse wishes that we could be free to allow love into our lives.
The other clear message in the lyrics is that your gender identity is personal to you, no-one should dictate how you should express it.
The single is accompanied by a video which depicts Mali being auditioned for the part of playing a “woman”.
This is the first single leading towards an EP in the Autumn. This new material is a collaboration with the South Wales based producer Minas.
SHWSH!
Dyddiad cyhoeddi 16/06/2023
Yn y sengl hon mae Mali Haf yn mynd i gyfeiriad newydd gyda’i brand o bop amgen. Y nod yw creu cerddoriaeth gydag effaith na ellir ei anwybyddu, cyfuniad o guriadau electroinc cymhellol ac alawon atgofus. Mae’n gobeithio darbwyllo ei chynulleidfa Cymraeg eu hiaith a’r di-Gymraeg bod yr iaith yn medru ffynnu mewn amgylcheddau cerddorol egni uchel y presennol.
Mae SHWSH! yn ffrwydriad o bop grymusol sy’n annog ei wrandawyr i fod yn nhw eu hunain ym myd teledu Realiti a’r cyfryngau cymdeithasol. Mae yna empathi gyda sut mae'n rhaid i ni lywio ein hunaniaeth trwy gyngor parhaus y cyfryngau cymdeithasol, sydd wedi'u cynllunio i greu anfodlonrwydd. Mae'r pennill olaf yn dymuno y gallem fod yn rhydd i ganiatáu cariad i mewn i’n bywydau.
Y neges glir arall yn y geiriau yw bod eich hunaniaeth o ran rhywedd yn bersonol i chi, ni ddylai neb ddweud sut y dylech ei fynegi.
I gyd-fynd â’r sengl mae fideo sy’n darlunio Mali yn cael clyweliad am y rhan o chwarae “Dynes”.
Dyma’r sengl gyntaf yn arwain at EP yn yr Hydref. Mae'r deunydd newydd hwn yn gydweithrediad â'r cynhyrchydd Minas o dde Cymru.
We called ANGHARAD a ‘mesmerising musical chameleon’ with the release of her debut single ‘Because I am a Woman’, an unstoppable disco anthem with sweeping strings, sparkling horns and a clear message of empowerment. Her second single ‘Postpartum’ is equally as striking and unflinching in it’s honesty.
Here we find ANGHARAD swimming in darker musical waters, ‘Postpartum’ is what happens when you combine ‘Slow Dazzle’ era John Cale with the stark and bold rock and roll of Patti Smith’s ‘Horses’ and NEU!’s propulsive sonic explorations. Angharad explains about the background to ‘Postpartum’:
“This is about all the things that they don’t tell you about child birth and early motherhood. It’s a list about the uglier side of childbirth, and its effects on a woman’s body, physically and mentally, and in particular the acute loss of identity we feel when we bring life into the world.
There’s a dark humour here, because the truth is, we wouldn’t have it any other way. But if only I had this song to listen to before becoming a mother for the first time, I think I would have been a bit more prepared about what was to come! If you didn’t know about cluster feeding, the hair loss, Mothers Thumb and that first 'accident', then let this song educate you. It’s not all cute and fluffy, and it’s time we open up about this.
"I’m a prisoner to the sofa, and I’ve lost what makes me me, it true that all I am, is a mother to my baby?” Is a genuine cry of desperation about losing one’s identity. This 3 minute song will be more useful and educational than a 6 week ante-natal class!”
'Postpartum' by ANGHARAD is out now on Libertino.
Derbyniwyd sengl gyntaf ANGHARAD 'Because I am a Woman' cryn dipyn o sylw am ei fod yn anthem disgo gyda neges bwerus yn perthyn iddi ac mae ei hail sengl ‘Postpartum’, allan ar Libertino heddiw, yr un mor drawiadol a di-flewyn ar dafod â'r gyntaf.
Yma gweler ANGHARAD yn arbrofi mewn dyfroedd cerddorol tywyllach, yn cyfuno synau albwm ‘Slow Dazzle’ gan John Cale, roc beiddgar Patti Smith ac archwiliadau arbrofol NEU! Esbonia Angharad:
“Mae'r gân yn ymwneud â'r holl bethau does neb yn ei son amdano pan ydych yn disgwyl eich plentyn cyntaf. Mae’n son am yr ochr does neb yn ei weld a'r effeithiau mae hynny yn ei gael ar gorff merch - yn gorfforol ac yn feddyliol, ac yn trafod hefyd y teimlad rhyfedd hwnnw o golli synnwyr o hunaniaeth ti dy hun.
Taswn i 'mond 'di cael y gân yma i wrando arni cyn dod yn fam am y tro cyntaf, dwi'n meddwl y byddai wedi fy mharatoi i ychydig yn well nag yr oeddwn i! Os nad ydych yn gwybod riw lawer am fwydo babi, colli gwallt, y 'ddamwain' cyntaf a'r teimladau newydd sy'n dod gyda'r profiadau hynny, yna gadewch i'r gân hon eich addysgu. Mae'n hen bryd i ni son yn agored am y pethau yma. Mae'r gân hon yn fwy defnyddiol, addysgiadol a gwerthfawr na unrhyw ddosbarth cyn-geni!”
Mae 'Postpartum' allan nawr ar Libertino
A Message From Welsh Band CVC ( Church Village Collective ) - Currently on Tour in the U.S.
By Ceri Shaw, 2023-06-10
BUY CVC CONCERT TICKETS HERE
AmeriCymru: Many thanks for agreeing to this interview. Care to introduce the band, CVC for our members and readers?
CVC: Thank you for having us! We have Francesco Orsi on lead vocals, David Bassey and Elliot Bradfield singing guitarists, Nanial on keys, Tom Fry on drums and Ben Thorne on bass.
AmeriCymru: Where in Wales is Church Village and how would you describe it?
CVC: Church Village is about half hour drive from the capital Cardiff, it’s a small little village but looks quite nice when the suns out Full of characters, and lots of good rugby players.
AmeriCymru: ( will be re ordered) How vibrant is the Welsh music scene at the moment? How easy is it for a Welsh band to get noticed?
CVC: There’s all sorts of great music going on in Cardiff now, too many great bands to name! And I think it’s quite hard to break out of the Cardiff scene, it took us a while, and we know loads of great band and musicians that are struggling to make a dent in England or the UK, so anything we can do to shine a light on that we will do. There’s untapped potential aplenty over in the land of sheep hear me now!
AmeriCymru: What can you tell us about your current / recent tour of the United States? Any plans to return and perhaps visit the West Coast?
CVC: We’ve played New York and Toronto so far and the reaction has been incredible! To have people over the other side of the world singing back to us is a crazy feeling, and yes hopefully a West Coast trip in October fingers crossed!
AmeriCymru: Care to tell us a little about your recently released album 'Get Real'? CVC:
Get Real was recorded in guitarist Elliot’s kitchen during lockdown, we sent it around everyone we could find and ended up getting a response from Jonny Bradshaw and Geoff Barradale, our managers, and then they put us on the road and on the radio! It contains nearly all the songs we’d written up to that point, and we recorded everything from real Welsh rain to pots and bongs and shoe horned it all in to this DIY home grown recording.
AmeriCymru: How would you derscribe CVC's sound? What are the bands main influences?
CVC: I’d say it was like groovy harmony based rock music in a nutshell We love harmony bands like Frankie and the 4 seasons, groovy stuff like the Doobie Brothers and the Atlanta Rhythm Section and hip hop music from guys like Biggie Smalls and NWA.
AmeriCymru: Where can people go to hear you play and buy your music?
CVC: Well after this first American tour we’re going home to play our second UK tour, and then we’re out in Germany for Reeperbahn! All dates are on our website www.CVCband.com !
AmeriCymru: What are your future touring and recording plans? Any new tours or albums in the works?
CVC: We just about to start recording album 2, since most of it was written about a year ago, so we’re raaaaring to go!! We want to take it all over the world, especially Japan, we’re all sushi lovers!
AmeriCymru: Any final message for the readers and members of AmeriCymru?
CVC: Get Real, Stay Real! Look after each other, look after yourselves, and keep it peace and love!
FORTHCOMING TOUR DATES
