Blogs
AmeriCymru: Hi Meilir and many thanks for agreeing to this interview. Care to introduce your forthcoming single 'It Begins' for our readers?
Meilir: My new single is out now and is called ‘It Begins’. It will be the opening track (if nothing changes) to my debut album ‘In Tune’ that will be released in March 2020. I have been busy recording the songs with producer Charlie Francis (R.E.M., The High Llamas, Sweet Baboo) in Cardiff. I am very excited about putting out this new music as I think, and from the reaction I’m getting, this album including the first single ‘It Begins’ is some of my best work to date. ’It Begins’ is about starting again, a new beginning, hopefully implementing the things that I've learned in life and moving forwards.
AmeriCymru: In the past you have released a series of E.P's but no album. 'IN TUNE' is due for release in March next year. What can we expect from Meilir Tomos' first album and why has it taken so long?
Meilir: I’ve wanted to make an album since I was in my late teens, one that would change the world. That was the plan. I think that sort of pressure on myself is one of the reasons it’s taken so long to get to this stage. I still have high standards but I’m a little more mature now and realise there are things in this world more important than music, sometimes. I’m more focused now on creating good art not so much changing the world. My original plan for my music release wise was to put out three E.P’s, that kind of happened and now over the past year I’ve been focused on putting this album together. I received funding from the PRS Foundation and that kick-started the project and made it a reality. Without their help there probably wouldn't be an album. Musically I’ve developed as a songwriter, there is more depth to the songs I feel. Delivering a performance in the studio is something I have improved on, nothing on the record is overdone, you know taken from take 48 or something or even take 4, the actual recording process has been quite fast with intervals of weeks in-between the recording sessions. I think that’s a good thing. I’m very happy with how the record sounds and I can’t wait to share it with the world next year. My records are very personal, This album is no different. One of the reasons they take so long for me to complete I think. There are themes on ‘IN TUNE’ that carry from my first two records; I suppose it's like a sound track to my life in a way. Some of the parts that made up the demos for this record are at least eight years old; it's been good to take a little longer over the process but it will be nice to finally complete them and let them go.
AmeriCymru: It's been a while since we last spoke and I wanted to take the opportunity to ask you about your stunning 'Arabella' E.P. I find myself continually returning to the 'Spero' track but I have to ask ... is this a message of hope or is there a note of cynicism in that chorus?
Meilir: There is a message of hope to that song. I have had a tendency to over think things in the past and maybe worry about the outcome of things. My focus in the past could be on the few things that I didn’t like about my life. Probably not in a healthy way, when in truth, there was a lot of good things going on. ‘Spero' is about being in a place that may not be comfortable but realising that this will pass and that there is a lot to be thankful for, especially in tough times.
AmeriCymru: You are a classically trained pianist and vocalist. It has been said that you 'grew frustrated with the classical world’s artistic limitations'. What caused this frustration and what determined your present creative direction?
Meilir: I suppose this was about my determination and desire to create music rather than just to perform music. I was singing in competitions and concerts from a young age and I enjoyed it but at a certain time I really wanted to create my own music. Music that was different to what I had been doing all my life and performing how I was coached, sticking to the composers wishes was not what i wanted to do anymore. I wanted to be the composer!
AmeriCymru: You toured recently with the Joy Formidable on their European tour. Care to tell us a little about that experience?
Meilir: It was amazing. The Joy Formidable were so nice to tour with, they are lovely people. The experience really was invaluable. I had the best time ever, and I grew as a musician and a live performer on that tour. Traveling around sharing my music live, performing every night. It’s what I want to do! I learned a lot on that tour and I have changed a few things up about my live show and my set up from seeing how The Joy Formidable did things. It’s made my live show a lot smoother and better. I can’t wait to be back out on the road performing this new material live.
AmeriCymru: Where can people go to hear and buy your music online?
Meilir: ‘It Begins’ is streaming everywhere now!!! So people should be able to find it on their favourite streaming platform! You can buy the single directly from meilir.bandcamp.com here the single also has the song Glasshouse New Moons X version from the compilation for Killing Moon Records. You can also buy from all online stores such as iTunes. The pre-order for the album will be up soon on my bandcamp page.
AmeriCymru: What's next for Meilir Tomos? Any new recordings planned? Tours?
Meilir: I have started thinking about whats next, a possible EP that’s just for Piano & Voice is in the works, something a bit more stripped down than this album. I’m also starting a new electronic project with a friend. But I’m focused on this record for now and trying to make sure people get to hear it after all the hard work I’ve put in!!! There will be a tour to promote the album in the UK and I’m possibly Ireland. So covering Wales, Scotland, Ireland & England. With a few special shows planed in some out of the ordinary locations. It’s secret for now but will be announced in the new year!
AmeriCymru: Any final message for the readers and members of AmeriCymru?
Meilir: Yes, thanks for paying attention to what I do, please tell your friends about me and what I do and share my music wide if you like it!!! There is a video coming soon to Youtube it would be nice to get some follows on my channel, that’s something Im trying to build up with some more videos to come soon. Thanks for having me on for an interview… Bydd Wych X
VOICES FROM WALES – THIRTY FIVE OF FIFTY-TWO, ROUTE 66 -TAFFS ON TOUR
Ian Gravell and Robin Bowen, motor bike enthusiasts and friends for years decided at the start of 2019 to plan an adventure of a lifetime.
From May 26th to June 26th they endured the mother road of America -= Route 66. Taking a month out of their busy lives they wanted to fulfil a dream that they had held in their imaginations for maybe thirty years.
Driving west on their motor bikes following a dream of a journey from Chicago to the Californian west. A dream sold to their younger lives by Hollywood and the film Industry of the USA.
Both men have had life threatening accidents in the past but their passion for the motor bike has lasted.
Ian delivers his travelogue with huge zeal of meeting new characters and an honest pleasure in seeing landscapes only seen in books.
I introduce you to:
Bow and Ianto – Taffs on Tour – ‘Making America Great Again’ - 2019
Win Two Tickets For DCINY's The Music Of Sir Karl Jenkins - Monday, January 20 At 7PM - Carnegie Hall
By Ceri Shaw, 2019-11-07
"Sir Karl Jenkins is the most performed living composer in the world."
We are extremely pleased and proud to announce that Distinguished Concerts International have made available a pair of tickets for the forthcoming Karl Jenkins concert in New York at the Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage, Carnegie Hall on Monday, January 20th, 2020. The program includes The Armed Man with film as well as the North American Premiere of Jenkins’ latest work, Miserere: Songs of Mercy and Redemption. Read our (2010) interview with Karl Jenkins here
We are offering these tickets as a QUIZ PRIZE on Americymru!
Just answer the three easy quiz questions below ( answers can all be found on Wikipedia ) and send them to us at americymru@gmail.com ( all email addresses will be deleted when the competition closes ). We'll throw all the entries in a hat and pick the winner! Please email us by Monday, January 14th, 2020 no later than 9 PM ( Pacific Time ). Tickets will be ready at will call on 1/20 at the Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, Carnegie Hall; the winner will just need to bring a photo ID.
Only one entry per email address is permitted. Duplicates will be disqualified. You do not need to be an AmeriCymru member or logged into the site in order to enter this competition.
If you don't win the competition, please do not despair. DCINY is very kindly offering a 30% discount code for AmeriCymru readers. The code is DCG32703 and it can be used online, over the phone, or in person at Carnegie Hall
Karl Jenkins Quiz
- Which school did Karl Jenkins attend??
- In 1972 Karl Jenkins joined the Canterbury progressive rock band .... ....... ?
- In which year was Karl Jenkins born?
The Music of Sir Karl Jenkins
Monday, January 20, 2020 at 7:00 PM - Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, Carnegie Hall
DCINY presents the 20th Anniversary of 'The Armed Man, A Mass For Peace' by Sir Karl Jenkins. Maestro Jonathan Griffith leads the Distinguished Concerts Orchestra and Distinguished Concerts Singers International in The Armed Man with film as well as the North American Premiere of Jenkins’ latest work, Miserere: Songs of Mercy and Redemption.
Performers
Jonathan Griffith, DCINY Artistic Director and Principal Conductor
Sir Karl Jenkins, CBE, DCINY Composer-in-Residence
Distinguished Concerts Orchestra and Distinguished Concerts Singers International
Program
Jenkins: The Armed Man: A Mass For Peace
Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the work.
Miserere: Songs of Mercy and Redemption
Ticket Link
North American Premiere Tickets $20-$100! On Sale Now! Visit CarnegieHall.org or call 212-247-7800 Box Office: 57th Street and Seventh Avenue
https://www.carnegiehall.org/en/calendar/2020/01/20/the-music-of-sir-karl-jenkins-0700pm
“Igor…. I’ve cracked it!” said the Professor.
His hunched- back laboratory assistant looked up at his Master and let his tongue loll out of the corner of his mouth.
He stared back with the same look of loyalty on his lop-sided face, that a Pit Bull Terrier would give to its owner whilst sitting on a Vet’s Death Row.
“I’ve dedicated my entire working life of 60 years as a research scientist at this establishment, trying to create the perfect Welshman, and I am confident that after six decades of collecting the appropriate genetic material that my experiment will today FINALLY work!” announced the Boffin.
“ I just need to add this final ingredient to my primordial soup…!” he said pipette in hand.
As he squeezed the rubber top, a single solitary rivulet of clear liquid raced down the side of the test-tube, as if it somehow or other sensed the importance of the experiment.
The liquid solution bubbled briefly before changing colour to a perfect red, white and green.
“What was that secret ingredient?” asked Igor looking puzzled, like a Love island Contestant trying to count to ten.
“It came from Hollywood, Igor ….it was saliva from the real Daenerys Targaryen , which I bought on E-Bay….the Khaleesi from the Game of Thrones series…” continued the Professor.
“The Muvva of Dragggons!” slurred the assistant sounding like he could be the guest presenter of the Andrew Marr Show.
Just as he did so, the eyes and forehead of a spotty sixteen year- old youth, appeared at the circular window of the laboratory door.
“Ah….perfect timing…I see my new lab rat has arrived!” said the Professor.
“Get the door will you Igor!” commanded the mad scientist.
Igor dragging his right leg on the shiny floor surface, limped his way to let the tiny school kid in.
“Are you Professor Barry ‘Awkin?” asked the nervous youth.
“No…Professor Barry Hawking…..with a H….!” replied the Boffin without taking his gaze away from the effervescent test tube.
“Wot….H as in Heroin?” asked the youth eyes darting around the laboratory in the hope of a free sample.
“No…H as in Hydrogen in the Periodic Table!” said the Professor, one Dennis Healey eyebrow raised suspiciously.
“I don’t like to talk about that kind of thing….that’s private women’s business…!” replied the red- faced blushing youngster.
“Which school did YOU play truant from?” asked Professor Hawking sarcastically.
“Was it an all-boys school?”
“No… it was Allcrooks Comprehensive School and by the way, my future probation officer told me to introduce myself to you first!” said the schoolboy, offering his tiny hand up to the chest of the Professor.
“My name is Ken D’Offender….but my mates in my posse call me ‘Wee’!” said Ken in a high pitched voice like he was wearing former soprano Aled Jones’ designer boxer shorts.
“Wee Ken D’Offender?” queried Professor Barry looking down at the circular wet patch on the front of his school uniform, that would have struggled to fit AC/DC Frontman Angus Young.
“The Headmaster of my school, Sir Richard Nixon gave me that ‘nick’-name!” replied Ken
“ He told me if I was ever caught shoplifting to tell them I was just a Wee Ken D’Offender !” continued the youth.
“He was a great teacher….he taught me all about the age of criminal responsibility, even before my TENTH birthday….how to get into my house with a credit card in case I ever lost my keys… and I can hotwire any model or make of car without need to refer to the Dark Web!” said the youngster for the first time ever- innocently.
“So have you read and signed that Slimbec Laboratory disclaimer form yet?” asked the Professor.
“I CAN’T READ!” muttered the embarrassed 16 year old.
“Perfect!” said the Professor.
“Just sign here and here!”
Ken made an X just like he did when he voted for Brexit using his dead Nan’s Postal Vote.
“Do you understand that we give you £5.00 for every injection and £ 50.00 if you are foolhardy enough to enter my version of the Large Hydron Collider?” asked the Mad Scientist.
“It is cash mind you innit?….it’s just that my Polish mate had that mouse’s ear on his chest for a whole month but had a cheque he couldn’t cash because he didn’t have a bank account….!” Said Ken excitedly.
“Good job he was a Star Trek Fan as he kept asking the girls on the Estate if they wanted to see his Final Frontier!” continued the teen.
“Ah…I remember him now….when I tested the 3d printer for the first time…!” said the Professor.
“Everyone in the local swimming baths thought he was a Russian Spy for ages!” said Ken.
“Igor prepare the Collider and get it up to Warp Speed!” said the Nutty Professor.
“Yeth Mathster!” said Igor, who was dithantly related to boxer Crith Eubank.
No sooner than the machine had been turned on than young Ken was transfixed by the laser show of different lights and array of colours in the two human sized test-tubes at either side of the Collider.
“This is what H G Wells only dreamed about in his science fiction- this is science fact!” said the Professor proudly.
“What does it do?” asked the youngster looking at the words ‘Correct Change Only’ on the former Premier Inn Chocolate dispensing machine.
“Officially it is for Time Travel - because Genetic Research on Humans is banned!” said the Prof.
“Have you heard of the space time continuum?” continued the Boffin.
“No!” replied Ken.
“A Light Year?” probed the Professor.
“Buzz you mean?” asked Ken.
“Kinda!” said the Scientist.
“A Light year is a measurement of the distance between planets in our Solar System!” said the Professor sounding like Brian Cox.
“What like the distance between Leo and Virgo….I know that’s thirty one days!” said Ken proving that whilst there is in all probability intelligent lifeforms in our Universe -they don’t exist at Allcrooks Comprehensive School.
“If we wanted to send a man to the centre of our Milky Way Galaxy, he would be long dead before he could reach his destination- this distance is measured in light years….!” Explained the Professor.
“So why send him then?” asked Ken
The Professor shone his pocket torch through the school boys ears and a beam appeared from the other side.
“Never mind….ever heard of wormholes then?” asked the Scientist prompted by the torch inspection.
“My dog had them once- I remember him dragging his arse on my Mother’s living room carpet….she was NOT happy….he looked like a Tory MP in Wales struggling to hold onto his deposit!” replied Ken.
“Only a lot more slippery!”
“So what job are you working on at the moment?” enquired the schoolboy.
“If anyone in Authority asks, officially I am working on an experiment to see if I can create time travel!” said the Professor.
“Using Einstein’s Theory of relativity E= MC2, I am hoping to create the future today by using a wormhole to bend time and space and transfer a person’s genetic molecules from point A to Point B!” explained the Physicist.
Ken looked at both sides of the machine and noticed that the two hollow tubes either side of the machine were marked Point A and Point B but were separated by a rubber floor which looked like it had been lifted from a Costa Coffee machine.
“Who would be dull enough to let you experiment on them?” asked Ken.
There was a deathly silence in the room until the penny dropped with a heavy clunk.
“Didn’t you get my invitation sent to the school?” asked the Professor.
“Yes!” said Ken.
“Look at the date stamp on it!” said the Boffin.
“3 rd July 2020!” read Ken aloud.
“But that’s a year on in the future!” stuttered Ken.
“Precisely!” replied the Prof.
“That my young Friend is proof that my time machine works!”
“All I need now is to test it on a human being!”
Ken looked around the room and suddenly realised all eyes were trained on him suggestively.
“So why don’t you test it on HIM!” said Ken pointing at the hunchback.
“What and spoil his good looks?” replied the Professor sarcastically.
“Besides I said HUMAN!”
Igor didn’t flinch at the slur.
He was used to slurring.
“I need a youngster who won’t be missed by anyone, an orphan that goes to a delinquent school that doesn’t appear on any registers and could disappear without trace. Does that description remind you of anyone you know?” asked the Professor.
The blood suddenly drained from Ken as a cold shiver ran down his adolescent spine.
“No!” said Ken trying to bluff his way out of the situation, as he backed away slowly towards the door.
After all he had seen the film the Silence of the Lambs.
The rubber back of his plimsole daps suddenly stopped as he realised the Hunchback was blocking his exit.
“Going thumwhere?” mumbled Igor, as he covered the schoolboy unintentionally in slobber.
Ken was trapped and he knew it.
He had to make the best out of a very bad situation and tried to play along with his captors like he had suddenly developed Stockholm Syndrome.
“If I do volunteer for this experiment, how much do I get paid ? asked the terrified child.
“£150.00 in cash AND your name will appear in the Medical Journal ‘the Lancet’, with the epitaph Wee Ken D’offender (GP)!” offered the Professor.
“Doctor Ken!” boasted the youngster proudly.
The Scientist didn’t have the heart to tell him GP would not stand for General Practitioner but Guinea Pig or even more importantly, what epitaph really meant.
Ken noticed that Igor had locked the Laboratory door and was keeping the key around his neck on a piece of string.
Whilst not familiar with the scientist concept of ‘string theory’, he knew that his continued status in in this Universe would depend upon him getting hold of that piece of string with the key attached.
If there was ever a day that he would benefit from the Allcrooks School teachings of sleight of hand-today was that day.
As Igor bent down to inspect the left hand pod of the time machine, Ken relieved the hunchback of it’s wallet but couldn’t get the key without giving him ‘the hump’.
After all, habits of his lifetime were hard to give up.
Ken knew from Primary School experience that distraction is the best means of theft.
“What are you checking for?” asked Ken pretending to be interested.
“Flies…!” replied Igor.
“Did you see what it did to Jeff Goldblum?” replied the Professor.
“Of course!” bluffed Ken not having a clue about a film reference from 20 years before he was born.
Ken noticed that there were two footprints on the left cubicle floor.
Igor motioned for him to strip off.
“You have to be naked for the experiment to work!” ordered the Professor in a commanding voice.
Good job (thought Ken) that he hadn’t lifted the key off Old Hunchy otherwise where would he have stored it?
Besides, whilst he felt that Igor wasn’t the sharpest tool in the box, he was aggressively strong and didn’t want to get ‘his back up’ any more than it already was.
Ken knew that once he stepped into that machine he was as good as dead.
He had to find another way to escape rather than using the key that hung around Igor’s neck.
His own ‘back up’ plan if you will.
In times of crisis, it is the calm-headed that survive.
He thought back to his All-Crooks lesson on lock picking.
He stared at the size of the lock and down at his now naked self and decided on his plan of action.
He raised the stolen wallet in the air and motioned to Igor ‘look what I’ve got’.
Like a pet dog in a park staring intently at the stick in the owner’s hand, Igor’s one fully open eye was transfixed by the action.
Ken uttered the word ‘Fetch’ and off bounded the hunchback to retrieve the wallet from the far corner of the room.
In the same motion, the naked teenager ran at the door and tried to ‘prick’ the lock.
Due to his Napoleon-like stature, he was the perfect height, but sadly a few seconds grace was not enough.
Perhaps if he hadn’t suffered from premature ejaculation, he might have made his escape to victory.
The Hunchback grabbed him from behind with both arms and with legs waggling in mid-air Ken was forcibly restrained and then bundled into the left- hand pod of the time machine.
The Professor pressed a button and a silver shield ascended blocking any escape for captive Ken.
Even then Ken had the last laugh as he had lifted the Hunchback’s Wallet for the second time in the process.
Ken was trapped.
Naked and frightened he looked at his narrow surroundings.
The closest he had come to it was that time he was in a Premier Inn shower cubicle.
But this was ALMOST as dangerous.
Thankfully, he didn’t have Lenny Henry pimping at him through the glass mouthing ‘Katanga’ this time.
Suddenly to his left came a whirring noise and a small vial containing a red, green and white liquid appeared with the words ‘Drink Me’ above it.
Ken was in Wonderland.
He was half expecting the Johann Strauss music – the Blue Danube to be played over the tannoy.
Trapped in the cubicle, poor Ken got warmer and warmer.
Suddenly, the outer layer silver shield descended slowly to the floor, leaving a ‘Star Trek’- like glass pod made out of some Perspex material.
Ken banged on the glass and screamed to be released immediately- after he was well versed in ‘False Imprisonment’.
“It’s no good… that glass is unbreakable!” cackled the Professor, tailing off into an evil laugh.
Ken realised that the statement was true, as he had spent over two hours at the Weston Super Mare Sea Life Centre trying to break the glass once to steal a shark on a school trip.
“You may as well drink the potion now as later….after all… in that space no one can hear you scream!” said the Boffin quoting from the sci-fi film Alien.
Ken realised that barring a miracle he was never getting out of this predicament unless he drunk the contents of the test-tube.
After all he had once drunk Irn- Bru- How much worse could it taste than that?
Ken lifted the vial to his lips and stared at the Professor standing on tenterhooks awaiting the inevitable reaction.
“£150.00 in cash….no going back on your word!” said Ken.
“Yesssss, now drink it ALL up, there’s a good boy!!!!!” said the Professor.
Ken lifted his arm and opened his mouth wide.
He threw the solution into his mouth and swallowed the liquid without delay.
The taste wasn’t that bad he thought.
Nothing happened, except after a brief flash of blinding light he was now standing in the other right hand cubicle.
“It’s not working Master!” said Igor looking at the naked figure.
“Give it time Igor….it is like Heineken….it refreshes the parts other beers cannot reach!”
Ken laughed.
He was still alive.
The potion had no effect on him.
Just like the time he drank 15 pints of Stella Artois in the Vulcan Public House.
“Let me out! ”ordered Ken…..”I have done what you asked and I want my money!”
It started with a facial tic, followed by a full -on twitch and then excruciating back pain.
“Raise Pod B shield!” ordered the Professor and after staring at his assistant declared:
”This is not going to be a pretty sight!”.
As the metal ascended, the poor student kicked and pounded on the sides of the glass as the transformation began.
Behind the corporate veil, it was like a scene from an American Werewolf in London, as poor Ken metamorphized into the perfect Welshman.
Professor Barry Hawking looked down at the list of ingredients he had used to create the final solution.
The twisted genius was aiming for a Genius perfect Welshman.
In the past he had tried to create an Albert Einstein, but only ended up with Frank Einstein.
But today, he was sure he had cracked it.
He had extracted DNA from the voice box of legendary actor Richard Burton- to produce a gravelly speaking voice for his creation, whilst adding harmony from the hairspray used on former choirboy bobbed hair of Aled Jones.
He had taken a hair from the sideburns of 1970’s British Lion DR JPR Williams- to add fearless courage.
Cells from the liver of Poet Dylan Thomas gave him the ability to drink alcohol endlessly.
DNA from spittle found on the Westminster Parliament Conservative Front bench was found to be that of firebrand politician Aneurin Bevan which was then added to the mixture.
The hand to eye coordination of World Champion Darts Sumo Leighton Rees was added in bulk together with a dash of BBC Wales Boyd Clack to provide comedy genius.
With Colin Jackson sweat thrown in for good measure to ensure the creature could overcome any hurdle thrown at it.
The blackest coal dust from Big Pit was added too to give it the authentic Cambrian Gaea feel of Mother Earth.
Professor Hawking was confident that the final missing ingredient was the addition of the beauty of the Game of Thrones actress, Emilia Clarke and this would now perfect his creation- being not just the real Mother of Dragons but also the Old Testament Eve from the Garden of Eden- who would birth his Welsh Prodigy.
The Professor was so excited but nervous at the same time to see what the lowering of the second shield would reveal.
Had he in fact created the Perfect Welshman?
Igor and Professor Hawking stood transfixed as the image revealed itself.
It was a good job that Wee Ken D’Offender didn’t have access to a mirror.
The deadly duo stood mouth agape as they realised that Ken had not transformed into the perfect Welshman but something else entirely.
A fuller sized marginally female figure with black anthracite choirboy hair and a red dragon tattoo on its right-hand bingo wing.
The look of horror on the face of the scientist sent a seismic shock wave back to the former male schoolboy.
Ken could only utter the immortal phrase ‘What’s occurring?’
Looking at the flabby arms, Professor Hawking realised immediately that he must have put in too much Leighton Rees and Emilia Clarke to the mixture.
All he could do was to sigh disappointedly at the appearance of the perfect Welsh WOMAN, who could drink, play darts and rugby union internationally.
Nessa Jenkins.
He sobbed dejectedly
“I tried for Gavin (Henson) but only got Stacey”
DCINY's The Music of Sir Karl Jenkins - Monday, January 20 at 7PM - Carnegie Hall
By Ceri Shaw, 2019-11-06
The Music of Sir Karl Jenkins
Monday, January 20, 2020 at 7:00 PM - Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, Carnegie Hall
DCINY presents the 20th Anniversary of 'The Armed Man, A Mass For Peace' by Sir Karl Jenkins. Maestro Jonathan Griffith leads the Distinguished Concerts Orchestra and Distinguished Concerts Singers International in The Armed Man with film as well as the North American Premiere of Jenkins’ latest work, Miserere: Songs of Mercy and Redemption.
Performers
Jonathan Griffith, DCINY Artistic Director and Principal Conductor
Sir Karl Jenkins, CBE, DCINY Composer-in-Residence
Distinguished Concerts Orchestra and Distinguished Concerts Singers International
Program
Jenkins: The Armed Man: A Mass For Peace
Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the work.
Miserere: Songs of Mercy and Redemption
Ticket Link
North American Premiere Tickets $20-$100! On Sale Now! Visit CarnegieHall.org or call 212-247-7800 Box Office: 57th Street and Seventh Avenue
https://www.carnegiehall.org/en/calendar/2020/01/20/the-music-of-sir-karl-jenkins-0700pm
"The poems are sharp, clear, and confident. He has a clarity only a real poet possesses." - Brian Patten
"Dave Lewis’s latest collection ‘Scratching The Surface’ is an engaging and diverse range of poems. It begins with the long, often rhythmic ‘Rivers’, which gifts the lines with a sort of onomatopoeic authority. It’s almost a metaphor for what follows, a series of well-crafted poems driven by theme and form. There are start of line rhymes (You and I), prose verse (A Dream of Gawain), end of line rhyme (Christmas Dad) and every combination between. The subjects are varied, but this confident poet succeeds in melding them into a coherent and rewarding collection." - David J Costello
Dave Lewis is an award-winning writer, poet and photographer who runs the International Welsh Poetry Competition, the Writers of Wales database and publishing company Publish & Print.
To buy his latest work just visit his website – www.david-lewis.co.uk or go to Dave’s Amazon page here - https://amzn.to/2pnTkmd
A place of former habitation
now degraded
disregarded
and unguarded
its garden a tangle of bramble
a battle of nettles
forlorn thorns
and overthrown lawns
what enigma is hidden
beneath its heavy ivy overcoat?
what tale of abandonment will be revealed?
maybe its interior is derelict
unsafe and claustrophobic
its rooms shrouded in
a gradual accretion of dust
a pinafore hanging on a door
places set at a table
the trouble taken
over a meal never taken
toys sombre after childhoods
of excitement and exploration
curtailed by the games of adults
by the mystery of growing up
the heartbreak of having to decide
mundane objects
on shelves in cabinets
drawers handbags and boxes
or under beds
may have held a significance
far outweighing their outward appearance
modest treasures promised to family members
keepsakes that were not handed down
a Bible open at a page
but what page?
what book?
its remembered names
the family names
and those names
that were their own
no one else's
inscribed for some sort of deluded posterity
in the land of God and his enforcers
and the erasure of the seasons
the clouding of happenings
in the sedimentation of time
Dafydd Ap Gwilym's Wales - Poems and Places: An Interview With Author John K Bollard
By Ceri Shaw, 2019-11-02
AmeriCymru: Care to introduce your new book - Dafydd ap Gwilym's Wales - Poems and Places for our readers?
John: Cymru Dafydd ap Gwilym / Dafydd ap Gwilym’s Wales is a collection of 35 poems by one of the greatest Welsh poets. The original Welsh texts are presented with facing translations in English, along with a bilingual introduction, with notes to explain unfamiliar names and words, a short essay on Dafydd’s life and poetry, and an even shorter introduction to the complex ‘strict metres’ in which Dafydd composed his poems. A unique feature of this book are the 70 photos by Anthony Griffiths showing places that Dafydd mentions in the poems. If you do not live in Wales or can not travel over much of the countryside – as Dafydd himself did – these photos give a wonderful visual sense of the land in which he lived.
AmeriCymru: Dafydd ap Gwilym is "regarded as being one of the leading Welsh poets and amongst the great poets of Europe in the Middle Ages." How would you describe his importance in the context of Welsh and medieval European literature?
John: The ancient Welsh tradition of court poetry under royal patronage was, in effect, eliminated after the deaths of the last ruling Welsh princes, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and his brother Dafydd, in 1282 and 1283 during their disastrous wars against the English king, Edward I. The royal and noble patrons of the court poets were killed in battle, executed, or, at best, deprived of their lands and wealth, while their wives and daughters were exiled to nunneries in distant parts of England. After a dark period of grief, the poets turned for support to the less prominent Welsh families who had become the intermediary officials who simultaneously administered the newly imposed English laws while they did their best to protect the Welsh people from the worst extremes of oppression. Thus, the practice of praise poetry continued, but on a reduced scale.
Dafydd ap Gwilym was born sometime in the early fourteenth century, and he himself tells us that he learned much about poetry from his uncle, Llywelyn ap Gwilym ap Rhys, constable and bailiff of the castle at Newcastle Emlyn. As poetry reasserted itself, albeit with shifting functions and purposes, Dafydd and a few other young poets began to turn towards new themes. Dafydd soon took the lead, especially as a love poet. Love poetry had been rare in Welsh tradition, though it was growing popular in the courts of France and England. Dafydd took love as his theme and adopted it to Welsh metres, creating a style that is unlike French and English courtly poetry. He and his fellow poets molded the cywydd to their new voices, embedding it in the complex set of rules known as cynghanedd (literally, ‘a singing together; harmony’). They did not invent cynghanedd, but they refined it, codified it, and made it an inextricable part of their verse -- poetry in which sound is as important as sense.
Dafydd was a master of the traditional forms of praise and religious poetry, as attested by 25 or so surviving poems. But he took the cywydd to new heights with about 120 poems that, for the most part, explore the joys and sorrows, frustration, pain, and hope of love. He casts himself in the role of the lover, especially one who is, more often than not, rejected by the object of his love, or who is prevented from reaching her because of such impediments as the weather, geography, furniture in the dark, outright rejection, or even the fact that she is married. Through this essentially comic persona, however, Dafydd expresses and celebrates the various aspects of love and the complexities of personal relationships. At the same time, with his detailed, charming and perceptive observations on the birds, animals, trees, rivers, hills and valleys of Wales, he reveals an intimate engagament with and love for the world around him. And he is equally perceptive about human feelings and foibles, often expressed with a sardonic wit at his own expense. Dafydd’s verse may not have been known very far beyond the borders of Wales, but his substantial body of innovative poetry shows him to be the equal of his more widely recognized contemporaries: in France, Guillaume de Lorris (whose famous Romance of the Rose he may have known); in Italy, Boccaccio and Petrarch; and in England, the somewhat younger Geoffrey Chaucer.
AmeriCymru: Dafydd has been rated as an innovative poet particularly for his use of the 'cywydd'. In what sense/s do you regard Dafydd's work as ground breaking?
John: As a more general addendum to my comments above, I would say that not only was Dafydd an important voice in revitalizing Welsh poetry after a period of severe cultural stress, he was a central figure in the expansion of the popularity of the cywydd, not only for love poetry, but for other purposes, as well. His cywydd to his patron, Ifor Hael, thanking him for a pair of gloves is the earliest-known Welsh poem of thanks, a practice that spread rapidly over the next two centuries. And Dafydd and his friends composed elegies to each other (even before they died!), demonstrating that the cywydd was also suitable for expressions of grief and mourning.
Dafydd’s superiority was recognized by other poets in his own time. Gruffudd Gryg says, “I am his disciple, he taught me,” and calls him “the hawk of chief poets.” Madog Benfras calls him “the peacock of poetry,” “the nightingale of Dyfed,” and “a good teacher of poets, more exceptional / than anyone who ever lived.”
AmeriCymru: Do you think that Dafydd's poetry is sufficiently read, understood and appreciated in Wales today?
John: Unfortunately, poetry in general seems not to be as widely read as it used to be, even in Wales, where not long ago teenagers decorated their rooms with posters of middle-aged men and women, their contemporary poet-heroes. Nevertheless, it is notable that Dafydd ap Gwilym is still recognized in Wales, at least by name, after 650 years! A small handful of his comic poems, such as Merched Llabadarn “The Girls of Llanbadarn” and Trafferth mewn Tafarn “Trouble at an Inn” are fairly well known, but he is not what you might call widely read these days. To be fair, his poetry is not easy to read – though I hasten to add that it amply repays the effort. And even reading his verse in translation can be enlightening as well as entertaining.
Personally, I think it is no less important for an educated Welsh person (Welsh speaker or not) to know the poetry of Dafydd ap Gwilym than it is for English speakers to be familiar to some extent with Shakespeare, Chaucer, Milton, or Donne.
AmeriCymru: You are an expert in medieval Welsh. Care to tell us a little about the ways the language has changed/evolved since that period?
John: With a bit of study and practice, a dedicated, fluent Welsh speaker can read the Middle Welsh prose of The Mabinogi and other early tales. There are, of course, many words that are no longer in use, so editor’s notes and a good dictionary may be necessary. The experience, I like to think, is not unlike an English speaker today learning to read Chaucer. Early Welsh poetry is more difficult for a number of technical reasons, but such is the nature of poetry. To outline changes in the Welsh language over the centuries would take more time and space than is available here, so I will limit myself to some very general thoughts.
Every language is always changing, and Welsh is no exception. There are many today who lament theadoption, albeit inevitable, of English words into Welsh conversation and writing, but Welsh persists even though English has been slipping into the language since the 9th century, if not earlier; e.g., punt “pound” (9c.), cusan “kiss” (13c.), sur “sour” (13c.), hosan “stocking, hose” (13c.), cist “chest” (13c.). Dafydd ap Gwilym himself often included English and French words in his poetry. Here are a few words of English origin that first appear in Dafydd’s poetry: apêl “(a legal) appeal”, baban “baby”, bostio “to boast”, cloc “clock”, cobler “cobbler”, dwbl “double”, gown “gown”, het “hat”, lwc “luck”, paement “pavement”, proses “process”, sadler “saddler”, siampl “sample, example”.
However, much greater social and cultural changes have affected the Welsh language during the past 150 years than in the five preceding centuries. In the mid-to-late 19th century most of Wales was monoglot Welsh speaking, much as it was in Dafydd’s day. But English government policy and the institution of compulsory education in English reduced the proportion of Welsh speakers overall to less than 25% during the course of the 20th century. The protests and activism of the 1950s and ’60s eventually achieved official governmental recognition for the language. Mudiad Meithrin, the Nursery (Schools) Movement begun in the 1970s was the inspiration for the establishment of Welsh medium schools throughout Wales, and today the study of Welsh is required in many schools. Nevertheless, the percentage of Welsh speakers continues to fluctuate around 19-22%, and the language remains in crisis. Official use of the language and the ability to receive an education through the medium of Welsh should at least slow down the decline, and with luck, determination, and effort it could even be reversed. The pressures from a powerful dominant culture, however, are great, so it is hard to avoid the feeling that the future of the language is precarious at best.
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AmeriCymru: In your 'Legends & Landscapes of Wales' series you have produced new translations of the most important Welsh legends and 'foundation texts' ( 'Tales of Arthur' , 'The Mabinogi' , 'Companion Tales to the Mabinogi'). What can you tell us about this series and where can readers buy the books online?
John: The three volumes that you mention (published by Gomer Press), contain translations of all eleven tales included under the mistaken title “Mabinogion” (a term I generally do not use). The first volume contains the Four Branches of The Mabinogi, the jewel in the crown of early Welsh literature, a work that everyone who comes from or feels an attachment to Wales should read. Companion Tales to The Mabinogi presents four wonderfully eccentric tales, especially “How Culhwch Got Olwen,” the earliest Arthurian tale and perhaps the most exuberant story you will ever come across, along with “The Dream of Maxen Wledig,” “The Story of Lludd and Llefelys,” and “The Dream of Rhonabwy.” Tales of Arthur gives you three tales of heroes who became important figures in the international tales of Arthur and his knights: Peredur, Owain, and Geraint. Each of these books is illustrated with about 60 photographs by Anthony Griffiths.
A strong impetus for studying these tales for many years, and especially for presenting them anew to English readers, has been my belief that they are all serious, sophisticated works of literature that deal with timeless themes of considerable importance. Far from being stories for children, The Mabinogi, for instance, draws on its mythological underpinnings to examine unflinchingly the complexities of right and wrong, of friendship, marriage, war, and the treatment (and mistreatment) of women.
These books, plus our fourth volume, Englynion y Beddau / The Stanzas of the Graves, are available on the usual websites (though sometimes at highly inflated prices). I recommend that you order them from your local independent bookstore – or, especially if you would like a signed copy, directly from me at https://sites.google.com/site/themabinogi/contactinformation .
AmeriCymru: What's next for John K. Bollard? Any new titles in the works?
John: There is no lack of projects on the front, middle, and back burners in my study, several of them in the realm of medieval Welsh prose and poetry. Whether there is to be a sixth collaboration between Bollard and Griffiths… well, we’ll see.
AmeriCymru: Any final message for the members and readers of AmeriCymru?
John: Just a brief reminder from Dafydd ap Gwilym:
Cerdd a bair yn llawenach Hen ac ieuanc, claf ac iach.
“Poetry makes happier both old and young, sick and hale.”
More on Daffydd Ap Gwilym Wikipedia (Cymraeg) Wikipedia (Saesneg)
Acclaimed experimental artist MEILIR shares remarkable new single “IT BEGINS” via Gwdihŵ Records
By Ceri Shaw, 2019-10-31
Acclaimed experimental music-maker Meilir has today announced the release of his remarkable new single. “It Begins” is available from the 8th of November 2019 via Gwdihŵ Records at all DSPs and streaming services. Produced by Charlie Francis (R.E.M,The High Llamas, Sweet Baboo) at his Loft Studio in Cardiff, “It Begins” heralds Meilir’s eagerly anticipated debut album, 'IN TUNE', due at long last in March 2020.
“’It Begins’ is about starting again,” says Meilir, “a new beginning implementing the things that I've learned in life and moving forwards. My records are very personal, one of the reasons they take so long for me to complete I think. There are themes on 'IN TUNE' that carry from my first two records; I suppose it's like a sound track to my life in a way. Some of the parts that made up the demos for this record are at least eight years old; it's been good to take a little longer over the process but it will be nice to finally complete them.”
Meilir – who earlier this year supported The Joy Formidable on their sold out European tour – is marking “It Begins” with a series of upcoming U.K. live dates, including Wrexham’s Un Deg Un Art Space (November 1st), Tom Robinson’s Fresh On The Net Live at Liverpool’s Handyman Pub (November 2nd), Cardiff’s The Moon (November 3 rd), and Chester’s Telford's Warehouse (November 15th). Additional dates will be announced.
Meilir Tomos is one of contemporary music’s most audacious new artists, melding expert songcraft with a fearless lyrical approach and wildly eclectic sonic sensibility. Born and raised in Flintshire, North Wales, he first made waves in his youth as a classically trained pianist and vocalist. Despite his early success, Meilir grew frustrated with the classical world’s artistic limitations, yearning instead to create something altogether his own. He co-founded cult Cardiff combo Manchuko, making their live debut with a nationally broadcast appearance on the Welsh-language free-to-air television channel, S4C.
Still, Meilir continued to feel creatively constrained and in 2009 began crafting his own unique music, creating innovative soundscapes with an idiosyncratic blend of piano, electric guitar, voice and assorted synthesizers with such unlikely instrumentation as a thumb piano, an antique typewriter, wine glasses, even a tray full of gravel. A series of critically acclaimed singles and EPs followed, including 2009’s BYDD WYCH, 2012’s CELLAR SONGS, and the 2014 single, “Arabella,” all available now via Meilir’s Bandcamp HERE. “It Begins” follows the 2018 single, “Glasshouse,” featured on Killing Moon Records’ influential NEW MOONS VOL. X compilation, available for streaming and download HERE.
LIVE TOUR NOVEMBER 2019
01.11 Wrecsam / Wrexham - Un Deg Un Art Space
02.11 Lerpwl / Liverpool - Handymans BBC 6 Music 'Fresh On The Net' Live
03.11 Caerdydd / Cardiff - The Moon Club
15.11 Caer / Chester - Telford's Warehouse
CONNECT WITH MEILIR
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FACEBOOK
BANDCAMP
SOUNDCLOUD
VOICES FROM WALES – THIRTY FOUR OF FIFTY-TWO, AUNTY MAGS - PART TWO
Margaret Lee is 89 years old, lives in Newcastle Emlyn but to her core is a Carmarthen girl, St Peter’s girl born in Priory Street.
Her recall of her young life growing up in Carmarthen and her knowledge of families is legendary and unsurpassable. She is one in a million, as they say.
Here’s part two of the video when she sits with Andy, her first cousin’s son and browses through the Carmarthen Facebook page, giving a glimpse into the social history of the town and her family.
