If you witnessed the torrent of Welsh rugby Tweets in the feed earlier on please do not be concerned. Ning has initiated a new feature which allows NC's to turn on Twitter feeds for selected search terms. I was under the impression that these would only appear in the 'Top News' feed. But apparently not. They appear in both feeds if activated which is obviously not a satisfactory state of affairs.

I have switched off the new feature and everything should be back to normal .

The invasion of the Tweets is over! You may leave your shelters now and return your gas masks to the emergency facilities manager

Americymru: Hi Ashleigh and many thanks for agreeing to an interview with AmeriCymru. Can you tell us a little about POBshop Cymru ?

Ashleigh: Well, it's just as the name implies- (POB means all / everything in Welsh). I do a little bit of everything. I have tried to develop a one stop shop for quality modern Welsh / Welsh language gifts. We do handmade wool cushions, bunting (pennants I think they would be called in America) tea towels, mugs, posters, bags and cards. The link between all of these items is the Welsh language. I only do things that incorporate Cymraeg or have a direct link to Cymru.

Americymru: What type of goods do you carry?

Ashleigh: Anything special for St David's Day? Well, as I said we do a bit of everything. Our cushions are made here in Wales using all British materials, we do mugs and tea towels with Welsh sayings or poetry. We have translated the British WW2 slogan 'KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON' into 'GAN BWYLL A DALIWCH ATI'. This is available as a card, tea towel,poster or mug. This has proven to extremely popular, and quite apt in these trying financial times! The largest proportion of my business though is greeting cards. At the minute, including the designs in production I have 113 different designs. I haven't as of yet done anything specifically for Dydd Gwyl Dewi- St David's day- I have concentrated on the day to day events like birthdays, babies, new house etc...

Americymru: You are from North Carolina originally. Care to tell us how you came to be living in Wales?

Ashleigh: Long story this one! My father as it happens is of Welsh stock, his family came over to mine in the States and liked it-I am an Edwards by birth so in a roundabout and totally accidental way have made it to my homeland. I came over to England initially in 1993 for university but as so often happens met someone and ended up in Wales- very happily I might add too.

Americymru: When did you embark upon the POBshop Cymru venture ? How did it get started ?

Ashleigh: I started this in earnest on New years day 2010. I had become increasingly frustrated with the lack of good quality well thought out / produced items available for the Welsh market. Everywhere you turned there seemed to be a Union Jack but the only place one saw the Draig goch was on a flag or a nylon cushion. I wanted to show my pride in Wales in a modern way and was sure I wasn't alone in this but the market just didn't seem to cater for it.

What really forced me was the small choice when it came to greeting cards. With 5 children, as you can imagine I am always in need of a card for some sort of occasion. I found myself constantly buying and sending the same cards- and receiving them too! There are literally millions of cards to choose from out there in English but a very small choice when it comes to Welsh Language. I wanted to fill what I saw as a gap in the market. I wanted to produce original, high quality modern greeting cards.

Americymru: Where can people find POBshop Cymru on the web?

Ashleigh: At the moment I am primarily a wholesaler. There are two outlets www.bodlon.com and www.adrahome.com I do also have the facility to sell thorough my facebook page. Were anyone to be interested in wholesaling any of my goods I would be happy to discuss it.

Americymru: What's next for Ashleigh Stevens and POBshop Cymru ?

Ashleigh: Well, I have the Eisteddfod to get ready for. I have several projects lined up to be released at the Urdd in May. Apart from that, I just want to carry on growing the business and , hopefully, providing a much needed service.

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

Ashleigh: DIolch am eich amser, thanks for your time. Keep supporting your Eisteddfod, a wonderful and unique thing, almost as wonderful as being Welsh!

Find more Card images like this and much more at POBshop Cymru

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.

Eto editor Phil Rowlands was approached by the Rhondda Leader last week to comment on his forthcoming appearance at the 'Culture Wars' panel discussion being co-presented by AmeriCymru and Portland State University at PSU on October 4th. Here is an extract:-

....there is no doubt that it is the panel discussion and the possibility of American universities running modules on Welsh writing that should make every established and aspiring Welsh writer sit up and take notice with their fingers firmly crossed.

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To read the full article click here:- Welsh.pdf or on the image below ( opens as .pdf )

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CULTURE WARS - OTHER VOICES IN BRITISH LITERATURE

Presented by AmeriCymru and the Portland Center for Public Humanities

Portland State University, Smith Memorial Student Union, Room 327/8

Fri Oct 4th 6.30-9.00 pm

NEXT WEEK! Welsh Music Foundation, Cerdd Cymru : Music Wales & Arts Council of Wales @ Focus Wales

Welsh Music Foundation @ Focus Wales

Meet Welsh Music Foundation (co-hosted by Focus Wales )

VENUE: Catrin Finch Centre

DATE: Friday 26th April

TIME: 6 7pm

FREE

As the music industry development agency for Wales, core funded by Welsh Government as part of the Strategy for the Creative Industries, Welsh Music Foundation (WMF) works across all types of music activity, from venues and festivals to studios and rehearsal rooms, labels and publishers to management and media composers.

Were here to help all sizes of music business big and small. You might be just starting out and need some guidance; you might be doing your first deal; you might be employing your first member of staff, or you might even be turning over your first million pounds. Over 12 years weve seen start-ups turn into international success and helped thousands of one-person and micro-businesses find their way to earning a sustainable living working in music. You might be an artist, a promoter, a manager, a venue, a sound engineer, a designer, a developer, a record label, a publisher or anyone who works with music.

We're hosting a free event with Focus Wales where well introduce our team and talk a little about what we do, and then youre invited to meet us and meet each other, answer your questions and listen to your ideas of the things youd like to see which may help the music industry in Wales, as we close the conference element of the festival.

Bring along any questions the Focus Wales panel sessions may bring up, find out more on what we do and network with like-minded people. There's even a free drink in it.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Please register to attend at the following link: http://meetwmf.eventbrite.co.uk/

Cerdd Cymru : Music Wales @ Focus Wales

Thursday 25th April & Friday 26th April

Cardiff is delighted to have been selected as host city for WOMEX , the leading international world music expo, in 2013. Over five days, some 2500 delegates from 1250 music related companies, from across 100 countries and over 300 national and international journalists will come together at The Motorpoint Arena to do business, explore diverse music cultures, listen to 40 speakers in 20 conference sessions and music showcases by day. By night, the focus turns to Wales Millennium Centre in the Bay and doors are opened to public, music specialists and world music fans alike, who together will enjoy over 60 showcases of the best world music on the planet across 6 stages and DJ nights in Cardiff Bay.

Cerdd Cymru: Music Wales , and its partner organisations responsible for securing and delivering WOMEX 13, Cardiff, are already working with the musicians, music managers and associated businesses across Wales to develop the sector and drive activities that will form a lasting legacy for the industry and economy of Wales. We'll have a stand at Focus Wales to provide musicians, music enterprises, music organisations and local businesses with opportunities to find out more about WOMEX 2013, how to get involved and discuss ongoing activities and development opportunities that have been catalysed by this amazing opportunity to put Wales's music industry in the international spotlight.

Please stop by our stand at FOCUS Wales Conference at the Catrin Finch Centre Bar/Reception, Glyndwr University, Mold Road, Wrexham, LL11 2AW

Arts Council of Wales Funding Surgeries

Friday 26th April

Do you have a music or arts project that needs supporting? Information Officers Lowri and Catrin will be at the Cerdd Cymru : Music Wales stand on Friday to discuss funding opportunities from Arts Council of Wales . To book a 30 minute funding surgery slot please email information@artscouncilofwales.org.uk with some information on the project youd like funding for.

Please note there are a limited amount of slots available and will be offered on a first come, first served basis. Unsure if youre project is suitable for funding? Take a look at the guidelines:

Arts Grants for Individuals: http://www.artscouncilofwales.org/3310.file.dld

Arts Grants for Organisations: http://www.artscouncilofwales.org/3306.file.dld

WYTHNOS NESAF! Sefydliad Cerddoriaeth Gymreig, Cerdd Cymru : Music Wales & Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru @ Focus Wales

Sefydliad Cerddoriaeth Gymreig @ Focus Wales

Cyfarfod Sefydliad Cerddoriaeth Gymreig (a gynhelir ar y cyd Focus Wales )

LLEOLIAD: Canolfan Catrin Finch

DYDDIAD: Nos Wener 26 Ebrill

AMSER: 6 7pm

AM DDIM

Asiantaeth datblygur diwydiant cerddoriaeth yng Nghymru yw Sefydliad Cerddoriaeth Gymreig (SCG), ac maen derbyn cyllid craidd gan Lywodraeth Cymru fel rhan or Strategaeth ar gyfer y Diwydiannau Creadigol. Maer SCG yn gweithio phob math o weithgareddau cerddorol, o ganolfannau a gwyliau cerddorol i stiwdios ac ystafelloedd ymarfer, labelau a chyhoeddwyr i reolwyr a chyfansoddwyr y cyfryngau.

Rydym ni yma i helpu busnesau cerddoriaeth bach a mawr. Efallai eich bod newydd gychwyn ac angen rhywfaint o arweiniad; efallai eich bod yn arwyddo eich cytundeb cyntaf; yn cyflogi eich aelod cyntaf o staff, neu efallai eich bod hyd yn oed yn ennill eich miliwn cyntaf. Dros gyfnod o 12 mlynedd rydym wedi gweld cwmnau syn cychwyn yn datblygun llwyddiannau rhyngwladol ac rydym wedi helpu miloedd o gwmnau un person a microfusnesau i ganfod sut i fynd ati i ennill bywoliaeth gynaladwy ym maes cerddoriaeth. Gallech fod yn artist, hyrwyddwr, rheolwr, yn ganolfan, peiriannydd sain, dylunydd, datblygwr, label recordio, cyhoeddwr neu unrhyw un syn gweithio ym myd cerddoriaeth.

Rydym yn cynnal digwyddiad rhad ac am ddim gyda Focus Wales lle byddwn yn cyflwyno ein tm ac yn trafod ychydig ar yr hyn yr ydym yn ei wneud, ac yn eich gwahodd i gwrdd ni ac i gyfarfod eich gilydd a rhoi eich cwestiynau ach syniadau ynghylch y pethau yr hoffech eu gweld yn helpur diwydiant cerddoriaeth yng Nghymru, wrth inni ddod ag elfen gynadleddar yl i ben.

Cofiwch ddod ag unrhyw gwestiynau y gallair sesiynau panel Focus Wales eu cynhyrchu, ddarganfyddwch mwy am yr hyn yr ydym yn ei wneud a rhwydweithiwch gyda phobl debyg i chi. Cewch hyd yn oed ddiod am ddim yn y fargen.

Edrychwn ymlaen at eich gweld.

I gofrestru defnyddiwch y ddolen ganlynol os gwelwch yn dda: http://meetwmf.eventbrite.co.uk/

Cerdd Cymru : Music Wales @ Focus Wales

Dydd Iau 25 Ebrill a Dydd Gwener 26 Ebrill

Mae dinas Caerdydd yn falch tu hwnt o fod wedi cael ei dewis i groesawu WOMEX 2013, yr arddangosfa gerddoriaeth fyd flaenllaw. Dros gyfnod o bum niwrnod, bydd oddeutu 2500 o gynrychiolwyr o 1250 cwmni syn gysylltiedig cherddoriaeth, o 100 o wledydd a mwy na 300 o newyddiadurwyr cenedlaethol a rhyngwladol yn ymgynnull yn Arena Motorpoint i drafod busnes, archwilio amrywiol ddiwylliannau cerddorol, gwrando ar 40 o siaradwyr mewn 20 o sesiynau cynadledda a sesiynau arddangos cerddoriaeth yn ystod y dydd. Gydar nos, bydd y sylw yn troi at Ganolfan Mileniwm Cymru yn y Bae a bydd y drysau yn agored ir cyhoedd, arbenigwyr cerddoriaeth a chefnogwyr cerddoriaeth fyd, a bydd pawb, gydai gilydd yn mwynhau dros 60 sesiwn arddangos or gerddoriaeth fyd orau ar y blaned - a hynny ar 6 llwyfan ac yn ystod nosweithiau DJ ym Mae Caerdydd.

Mae Cerdd Cymru: Music Wales , ai sefydliadau partner a fun gyfrifol am lwyddiant y cais i gynnal WOMEX 13, Caerdydd, eisoes yn gweithio gydar cerddorion, y rheolwyr cerddoriaeth a busnesau cysylltiedig ym mhob rhan o Gymru i ddatblygur sector a hyrwyddo gweithgareddau a fydd yn ffurfio etifeddiaeth barhaol ar gyfer diwydiant ac economi Cymru. Bydd gennym stondin yn Focus Wales i gerddorion, mentrau cerddoriaeth, sefydliadau cerddoriaeth a busnesau lleol ddarganfod mwy am WOMEX 2013, sut i gymryd rhan, gweithgareddau cyfredol a chyfleoedd datblygu a ddaw yn sgil y cyfle rhyfeddol hwn i roi sylw rhyngwladol i ddiwydiant cerddoriaeth Cymru.

Galwch draw in stondin yng Nghynhadledd FOCUS Wales ym Mar/Ystafell dderbyn Canolfan Catrin Finch, Prifysgol Glyndr, Ffordd yr Wyddgrug, Wrecsam, LL11 2AW.

Gweithdai Ariannu Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru

Dydd Gwener 26 Ebrill

Oes arnoch angen cymorth ar brosiect celf neu gerddorol? Bydd ein Swyddogion Gwybodaeth Lowri a Catrin ar stondin Cerdd Cymru ddydd Gwener i drafod cyfleon cyllido gan Gyngor Celfyddydau Cymru . I logi slot 30 munud ebostiwch information@artscouncilofwales.org.uk gyda cefndir bras y prosiect y dymunwch gymorth ar ei gyfer.

Nodwch fod llefydd cyfyngedig ar gyfer y slotiau ar cyntaf ir felin fydd hi. Ddim yn siwr os fyddai eich prosiect yn gymwys am gymorth? Cymrwch gipolwg ar ein canllawiau.

Volent returns with a bumper three track single Broken Promises

The collection is set for release March 25th on Dockrad Records - Listen here: URL: https://soundcloud.com/volente

See below for videos links for each of the three tracks...

Festivals for All With a quirky sideways look, Volent offers up a nightmarish feast for the imagination. Electronics and the ethereal vocals combine to create a sound world that is at once contemporary and off-beat.

Buzz Magazine Volent is a lady of musical layers. On the title track of this EP, a liquid drumnbass line underpins soaring orchestral loops and a distinctive, floaty vocal that sets her apart from other outfits in the genre.

South Wales siren Volent is set to release a trio of tracks called Broken Promises, seeing her further develop her electronic credentials. Shes already received a host of critical acclaim and champions boundary blurring creativity and imaginative creativity.

When she isnt spending her time being a full-time mum, Volent is an extremely talented artist, with many years of experience within the music industry. These tracks are a fusion of drum n bass, jungle, electronica, classical music and R n B, with the heavy element of dubstep thrown in for good measure.

Broken Promises is a brutally honest bittersweet anthem with soaring operatic vocals, a fusion of classical music, electronic guitar, drum n bass beats and some dubstep thrown in the mix. Second track, So Many Times is an electro-ballad which showcases Volents stunning vocal range with a hint of Massive Attack-like elements. With her effortless amazing vocal range, So Many Times really showcases Volentes ability to create totally unique songs, while remaining true to her own style. A minimal but very powerful track!

End of Times beats and vocals hit the listener like an arrow to a target! With industrial-like hooks, a heavy sub-bass, a bit of jungle and Volents mesmerising, beautiful, haunting vocals will take you to another level. End of Time is definitely one set for the dance floor! Compared by critics to the likes of Bjork, cult indie favourites The Sundays and Kate Bush, Broken Promises, once again all produced, written, arranged and performed by Volent herself, represents Volent at her best!

Volent will be playing a host of shows to promote Broken Promises including:
Fri 22nd March Warehouse 54, Newport
Fri 12th April Dublin Castle, London
Fri 26th April Buffalo Bar, Cardiff

Watch the Videos!
Last week, South Wales electronic connoisseur, Volent, unveiled a video for each track on her brand new three song single, Broken Promises, which is bursting at the seams with elegant quirky, electro pop goodness.

All three videos are shot beautifully, and offers a stunning visual to the emotionally charged tracks, Broken Promises, So Many Times and End of Time. All three were exclusively premiered last week on God is in the TV, Never Enough Notes and AltSounds.

Watch the videos below and check out the exclusive features to learn more about each track!

Volent Broken Promises
http://youtu.be/lxtGgr4CRiM
Learn more about Broken Promises on God is in the TV, here: http://www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk/2013/03/05/video-exclusive-volente-broken-promises/
Volent So Many Times
http://youtu.be/gBjo2Z04Idg
Learn more about So Many Times on Never Enough Notes here: http://www.neverenoughnotes.co.uk/2013/03/nen-exclusive-volente-so-many-times/#.UTTxlTdBBhm
Volent End of Time
http://youtu.be/kaQgTaeC7_M
Learn more about End of Time on AltSounds here: http://hangout.altsounds.com/features/156972-altsounds-exclusive-volente-time-official-video.html

Gigs and Festivals - "If you like Kate Bush, classical music, dubstep and beautifully written lyrics then Volente's new single "Broken Promises" is the must-have download of 2013. Boasting an exciting new sub-genre of electronic music, which intertwines drum 'n' bass beats with operatic vocals, this captivating singer-songwriter offers a chilling sound that will etch its way into your mind and seep into your subconscious long after you've finished listening"

Rogue Magazine - "A unique voice, both haunting and beguiling. One of the most interesting tracks I've heard for a while"

For more information, check out: www.volente.co.uk www.soundcloud.com/Volente www.twitter.com/Volentelloyd www.facebook.com/VolenteOfficialPage www.myspace.com/Volentelloyd www. dockrad .com