Blogs
...can be found in the right hand column just above the Classified Ads Link:-
The Welsh List Contributed by Dave Parry of The Chicago Tafia."The following is a list of Welsh and Welsh-American businesses, shops, pubs, wineries, churches, societies and musicians that we are aware of in the United States. This directory is a work in progress, if you see any errors or would like to add any listings please contact us at: WelshChicago (at) gmail.com " Welsh Connections USA.pdf
David's really turning this into something gorgeous and it's getting a lot of notice. Read the comments and see another gentleman who's been inspired to try his own first spoon. I love reading these so much:
" Crafting the Bowls "
"I have been working on the spoon bowls and have roughed them out to almost their final look. The first pic shows the front view and the second shows the back.
I am a firm believer that a good lovespoon must have a really well carved bowl. My research through the museums of Wales has shown me that in the olden days, a great deal of effort was put into the bowls, no matter how adept or crude the carver. When you stop to consider the rather meager tools that many of these young men would have had access to, some of their work borders on miraculous.
Many of the spoons I see for sale on the 'gift shop' type lovespoon sites suffer from extremely poorly designed and carved bowls. In many it appears the bowl was just an afterthought which was only grudgingly included so that the piece of wood is recognizable as a spoon. I think this is a great shame as the bowl lends a quiet dignity to the proceedings. Lovespoons are busy and vibrant things with the handles often being a veritable riot of activity. An elegant bowl acts as a real visual anchor and can have a quieting effect on the overall design. It also is a real measure of a carver's skill to get it even and fair with the right 'look'. I spend a good deal of time fussing with the bowl and I honestly believe that the effort I put in on an easily overlooked detail pays big dividends at the end of the job.
But that is enough sermonizing (is that a word?...it is now) for one day. I just hope that you'll agree with me that so far this double bowl has a very romantic feel to it and that it is doing a good job symbolizing 'union'.
Thank you for dropping by to see how things are progressing! I hope that you will be inspired to join our efforts to initiate an Eisteddfod in Portland and I look forward to reading your comments.
To mark the anniversary of the death of Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf, the last leader of an independent Wales, Y Lolfa will be publishing A Stone for Remembrance a fantastic collection of short stories based on the most well-known and loved Welsh legends.
Commissioning editor Rhys Parry explains: This book coincides with the commemoration of Llywelyn II on 11 December and gives interesting interpretations of some of the stories and heroes of Welsh history, hopefully entertaining and encouraging readers to learn more about Wales past.
Editor Barrie Llewelyn says, This book brings together 16 of the best loved traditional Welsh stories, which are retold in new and interesting ways by writers who live and work in Wales.
Readers will discover the exploits of Llywelyn and Gelert, Merlin, Dic Penderyn, Caradog and Owain Glyndr in tales of battle, intrigue, romance, mystique and magic.
A Stone for Remembrance is the perfect introduction to the colourful stories which form such a vital part of the heritage of Wales. It will appeal to the general reader as well as parents and teachers who wish to introduce these culturally important stories to the next generation in an easily digestible format.
The collection includes:Llywelyn and Gelert by Rhys ParryA Vision of Merlin by David Morgan WilliamsThe Battle of Ynys Mn by Andrew PetersRhiannon: Lady of the Horse People by Fiona CollinsA Stone for Remembrance by Sally Roberts JonesPrincess Gwenllian by Robert SoldatThe Boy Who Saw Dic Penderyn by Mike JenkinsChristmas 1176 The First Eisteddfod by Liz Whittaker 
Order Welsh street fashion Wednesday to be sure of Christmas delivery
By The Red Dragonhood, 2008-12-09
How does it feel to stand on the pitch of the Millenium Stadium in front of those crowds and be the guy who gets to sing the national anthem?
It is every Welsh singer's dream to perform at The Millennium Stadium, It was certainly mine and I can still remember when I got the call for the first time, it's like one of those moments when you remember where you were when you heard that Elvis had died. I usually do a soundcheck about 2 hours before kick off, before the gates open so the stadium is empty apart from the stewards - it's an amazing feeling, and then to perform and lead the Welsh National Anthem in front of 75,000 Welsh fans is absolutely incredible.
Paul Child at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
How did you start singing, what made that happen? What were your goals as a vocalist then?
I started singing at the age of 15, in a school rock band and later on I joined another band who did fairly well locally. We were mainly a covers band, playing Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Whitesnake. I wanted to be Jon Bon Jovi and we were having a great time, playing bars and clubs. Rock singing is, in my opinion, the hardest style to do properly - partly because you are expected to be running around on stage like a lunatic at the same time! This is why I started taking opera and classical singing lessons, learning to breath and project properly when I was 16.
Later, you were a cabaret singer on the Spanish island of Tenerife, how did that come about? How long did you do that and what was it like?
I went on holiday to Tenerife in the early nineties, it was just when karaoke was taking off in a big way and I was offered a job as a karaoke host. It was an ideal job as, early on in the evening, when there were no singers from the audience I had to sing and I used to let the audience pick songs for me to have a go at. I had developed quite a large range by then through my rock singing and classical lessons so I found I could sing just about anything. I would sing Neil Diamond, Elton John, Guns & Roses, Rod Stewart, and my 'party piece' was Meatloaf's 'Paradise By The Dashboard Light' - both the male and female parts! I stayed on the island for four years and while I was there I met fellow Welshman David Alexander - he was hugely popular on Tenerife and sadly he passed away there in February 1995. I returned to Wales a year later in 1996 and when I started singing in the workmen's clubs of Wales, I sang a couple of David's songs.
Now I go back to Tenerife once a year to visit old friends and I always do a show or two while I'm there - it's great because all the Welsh holiday makers pack the venues so it's just like being back in Wales - but its sunny!
You raised the money to self-produce your album, "Wales Forever," as a tribute to Welsh vocalist David Alexander, how did that happen? What inspired you do this album, what was your process in creating it?
When I returned to Wales and started performing on the workingmen's club circuit, I started doing some of the songs that I had heard David doing on Tenerife. I was getting asked by audiences all the time if I had an album available so I decided to go about producing my own. I wanted to do an album of contempory Welsh tunes - songs that have never been huge hits but are part of our folklore in Wales. I approached Johhny Caesar, who wrote the songs 'If I Could See The Rhondda', 'Come Home Rhondda Boy' and 'The Price Of Coal' and we based the album around those three songs. I had already been performing the songs with a male voice choir for some time so we took the choir to the recording studio between Fisguard and Haverfordwest in West Wales and recorded the album in three days.
"Wales Forever" went on to become the biggest-selling independently-released album ever in Wales, selling over 100,000 copies - how did it feel when it started selling that well? Did you know it would do well or was it more of a gamble?
The first pressing of the album was 2,000 copies and it was my intention to just sell them at live shows and small independent local stores but then I started getting calls from UK retail giant WHSmith, asking for two hundred copies per store! We had to move very quickly to supply the demand and, eight years later, that album is still selling all over the world - it's an incredible feeling and with the advent of iTunes and Amazon, more and more people all over the world are downloading it!
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=278809279&s=143444
How did you come to be "the official voice of Welsh rugby"? What does that mean exactly? 2006's "Bread of Heaven" is the official album of the Welsh Rugby Union. Can you tell us some more about that?
Although I was very proud of what we achieved with the 'Wales Forever' album, it was done 'on the cheap'in that the music was produced by sythesisers rather than real instruments so when I was asked to record the Official Album for the Welsh Rugby Team a few years later it seemed a perfect opportunity to revisit some of these songs and record them with a full live orchestra as well as a male voice choir. They had never been recorded in this way before and we felt that the songs deserved the very best production available.
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=251423677&s=143444
Your latest album is "Shine," Can you tell us a little about it? Where can fans see you perform and buy your music?
I have really enjoyed recording 'Shine' - It's very exiting for me because it has a couple of original songs, like the title track and also 'Where The wind Blows'. I have mixed the styles up a little on this album because, going back my early days, I do like to sing in different styles so there are showtunes like 'Bring Him Home' from Les Miserables and even a cover of Journey's 'Faithfully' (one of my all time favourite songs). I've also included a live version of 'One Day / The Answer To Everything'. My live show is something I'm very proud of - we have a live orchestra on stage and the sound they produce is fantastic.
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=280973295&s=143444
I'm looking forward to St Davids Day next year when I will be at The Princess Royal Theatre in Port Talbot - it's a great theatre and we have the Ospreys Choir with us for the first time. My website www.paulchild.com has all the tour details, album details and also a selection of live videos from shows and at The Millennium Stadium.
I have recently been involved in producing singles for the four regional Welsh Rugby Teams. All four singles are being released at the same time with the proceeds going to welsh Charities. Go to http://indiestore.7digital.com/welshmusic/ for full details!
I'm also hoping to be able to perform at the Left Coast Eisteddfod next year so maybe I'll get to meet some of the Americymru members! In the meantime I'd like to take this opportunity wish all of the members a Merry Festive Season and a very Happy New Year.
Following the success of his radio and television series Wales most popular weatherman is back with More Weatherman Walks a second book of his favourite tramps around Wales.
Derek says, After the first book, lots of people wrote to say that they bought it and pledged to do every walk in the book and it would be great if lots of people did that again. Ive done them all and thoroughly enjoyed them. Remember, if I can do it so can you!
The twelve routes are suitable for the general walker, and each one has been chosen for a particular month of the year. As Derek explains: The aim of the book is to get you walking through the year and to enjoy the different seasons. He hopes the book will inspire you at home to want to get out and about and explore our wonderful country.
This reasonably-priced book includes stunning colour photographs, maps and comprehensive directions to accompany each walk. They are all introduced by Derek and an experienced local guide, and feature background information on social history, heritage, wildlife and topography by the BBCs Julian Carey. There are also details of walking festivals throughout Wales.
Derek Brockway was born in Barry, South Wales and has been passionately interested in the weather ever since he was a young boy. A qualified meteorologist, he has been employed by the Met Office for over 20 years and became the main weather forecaster for BBC Wales in 1997. He now presents a number of radio and television programmes, including Dereks Welsh Weather and Weatherman Walking, which had one of the highest viewing figures in Wales. His autobiography, Whatever the Weather, was published in 2007, and his leisure activities include walking, squash, skiing and learning Welsh.
More Weatherman Walks is published by Y Lolfa and is now available in bookshops around Wales for 8.95.
The walks included in the book are:
Pen-y-Fan, Brecon Beacons
Newborough Beach, Anglesey
Dylife, near Machynlleth (part of Glyndrs Way)
Pontneddfechan Waterfalls (Glyneath)
Merthyr Mawr, Glamorgan Heritage Coast
Y Lliwedd (part of the Watkin Path, Snowdon)
Llangollen
The Sugar Loaf, Abergavenny
Gower (Worms Head and Rhossili), Swansea
Pontypool Park
Llanwonno, near Rhondda
Bethlehem, near Llandeilo
Derek will be signing copies of his new book More Weatherman Walks at the following venues:
06/12/2008
WH Smiths Brecon 11.00 - 12.00
Waterstones Abergavenny 14.00 - 15.00
The Chepstow Bookshop 16.00 - 17.00
13/12/2008
WH Smiths Barry 15.00 - 16.00
20/12/2008
Waterstones Swansea 12.00 - 13.00
Cover to Cover Swansea 14.00 - 15.00
Americymru members Ceri Shaw and Betty Pierce
Welsh Society of Portland President, Tom Owen
. Next year I intend to make it on time and bring my children, too.
Welsh Pirate Look-Alike Contest for Portland, Oregon Left Coast Eisteddfod on Americymru - Show Us Your Inner Black Bart!
By gaabi, 2008-12-06
