Blogs

One Way Ticket is the third album to be released from Welsh songstress Lowri Evans and it follows on seamlessly from Kick the Sand and Clyw Sibrydion. Her first album Clyw Sibrydion (Hear Whispers) was recorded in the Welsh language whilst for Kick the Sand Lowri decided to record mainly in English. However two of the most popular tracks on Clyw Sibrydion turned out to be the bilingual version of U2s With Or Without You and one of her own compositions Merch Y Myny sung in the Welsh language.

It was during 2006 when Lowri was performing some Welsh language television shows that she first realised that she was missing out on performing to a significant section of her own people and culture. It was then that Lowri decided to translate her own compositions into Welsh and start singing in both the English and Welsh language. What makes Lowri Evans unique is her beautiful Welsh voice, distinctive and powerful delivering a highly original blend of blues, contemporary folk and pop. She has this wonderful ability to blend the two languages in both her live and recorded performances.

Lowri Evans (Loow-ree) was born in the Welsh market town of Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire. These days she lives in Newport also situated in Pembrokeshire, West Wales. Although Ms Evans is well known in her homeland through concerts, television and radio appearances Lowri and her musical partner Lee Evans have now started to attract attention outside of Wales via endorsements from radio, TV and visiting artists.

One of the recent highlights of Lowris career was to appear as support to Richie Havens at the Queens Hall in Narberth where she received a standing ovation. And the man himself was very gracious and humble and gave an amazing performance. Richie is one of the many visiting music legends to choose Lowri as their support act when performing in Wales.

Civic Druidry draws on the archeological, historical, and cultural legacy of Celtic peoples of Europe and present-day Celtic countries and applies what is learned as a social mechanism to better understand and relate to contemporary culture and the natural world.

Positions

Druids as custodians of cultural values and what some have called "Celtic Consciousness," a distinct group of living points of reference, feelings, ways of thinking about and relating to the world, and other mores and enculturated values, practice and conduct civic rituals for their immediate and broader communities. They have particular responsibilities to maintain, conserve, appreciate, and respect the natural world and how we cooperate and relate to it. Druids understand and live according to green values and advocate balanced-responsible environmental lifestyles.

Ovates preserve, promote, and employ the arts and sciences of natural health and healing. They also look to outer and psychological means for interpreting the past, understanding the present, and predicting the course of future events for people, families, groups, communities, and nations. Ovates often use elements and principles of design to develop and explain the interrelationships between future, past, and present events and actions. Today, we see similar developments in holistic and alternative medicine and in quantum physics.

Bards use words, music, and images to record and present information about people, their world, social, and cultural things of interest. They inspire and preserve, entertain and convey the arts of comedy and drama as life moves forward. Through prose, poetry, music, and other creative, performing, and fine arts, they add elements of aesthetic value to those who see, hear, or read their works. As Druids may be said to embody the life and consciousness of a community, bards are keepers of an intangible inspiration, Awen as it flows through and infuses or revitalizes creativity among their friends and in their communities..

Join the North American Gorsedd Group on Americymru

Join the Three Word Story group and contribute to our New Mabinoggion and you could be in line for one of our fabulous new digital prizes. Voting has commenced for our Three Word Bard of 2009. The winner will receive the Bardic Whoopee cushion ( displayed on their Americymru homepage ) together with a book of Welsh Jokes donated by world famous author and humorist Dilwyn Jeffrey Phillips. This never to be repeated offer ( until next year anyway ) is underway now in the Three Word Story group.

The 26th of October sees the launch of Nigel Owens autobiography Half Time . Nigel Owens is one of world rugbys leading referees and personalities and is the only openly high profile gay personality in British professional sport.

Before reaching the highest echelons of the rugby world, Nigel Owens had to come to terms with the despair that drove him to attempt suicide as he struggled with his sexuality, bulimia and an addiction to steroids. An inspirational story, his autobiography is a brave and honest account of his personal struggle to overcome fear and prejudice to become one of the most respected and well known personalities in international rugby.

Nigel Owenss warmth and humour shine through his story, which is brimming with anecdotes about matches he has refereed and players he has met along the way: from Gavin Hensons first match, to on-pitch altercations with Austin Healey, Lawrence, Dallaglios intimidation tactics, coping with live televised matches, and needing a police escort from the ground in Auch, France. He was in charge of the recent bloodgate incident and adds his thoughts to the debate.

Half Time by Nigel Owens is published by Y Lolfa and is available from www.ylolfa.com and bookshops for 14.95. Nigel Owens will be signing copies of his book in Cardiff on the 7th of November before Wales play the All Blacks. He will be in WH Smiths from 11 12:30 and in Waterstones from 1:30 2:30.