The Gordon House, Oregon

 
Photos: 16

This is a brief photo blog about a recent visit (2014) to the Gordon House, Silverton, Oregon. The trip was organised by the Welsh Society of Oregon . The Gordon House is the only Frank Lloyd Wright site in the state and is currently managed by the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy who offer 45 minute tours of the house and grounds. The Gordon House website can be found here:-  gordonhouse.org

History

From the Wikipedia :- "The house was designed in 1957 for Evelyn and Conrad Gordon, and finished in 1963 (four years after Frank Lloyd Wright's death). It was originally located near Wilsonville, Oregon, situated to take advantage of views of the adjacent Willamette River on the west side and Mount Hood to the east. After Evelyn Gordon's death in 1997, the house was sold to new owners David and Carey Smith, who wanted to tear it down to make room for a larger, more contemporary structure. The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy became involved in attempts to preserve the historic house. The "Building Conservancy" is an organization devoted to advocating for Wright buildings, and finding sites for buildings that have been put on the market. In early 2001, the Building Conservancy obtained a three-month reprieve to dismantle the Gordon House, and move it to the Oregon Garden, about 21 miles (34 km) southeast of its original location. The Conservancy accepted a proposal from the Oregon Garden Society, assisted by the City of Silverton, to take charge of moving and reinstalling the house. Dismantling began on March 9, 2001. The house was moved in four large pieces, with the upper floor, containing two bedrooms and one bath, moved as a single unit. Overall neglect required refurbishing of the structure's siding and roofing which was arranged by grants from the Architecture Foundation of Oregon and the Oregon Cultural Trust. A new foundation replicating the original was constructed. The house opened one year later as the only publicly accessible Frank Lloyd Wright home in the Pacific Northwest."

Many of Americymru’s audience will recognise the name Gwenno Dafydd. For several years Gwenno has been Americymru’s ‘Global Saint David Day Ambassador’ in recognition of all the voluntary work she has done over the last fifteen years and more in developing and instigating new Saint David’s Day traditions in Wales and further afield.

Traditions such as an anthem for Saint David’s Day: Bilingual words: Gwenno Dafydd. Music: Heulwen Thomas - Which can be bought here: Tycerddshop three County Banners: Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Montgomeryshire, parades and school banners - the first of which is now firmly ensconced in San Ffagan - Wales’s National Museum of History. 

You may also have read on Americymu about the Celtic Cousin trilogy of songs and films promoting Scottish and Welsh Independence instigated, directed and co-written by Gwenno (Bilingual words: Gwenno Dafydd. Music: Katherine Cole) Further information here: Youtube

Gwenno is now launching a new record ‘label’ which will enable people to buy some of the tracks from the various projects she has been working on over the last few years. This record label is in fact only a label in name so that songs can be launched onto digital platforms such as Itunes. ‘I wanted to have a name that could be easily said by non-Welsh speakers and as ‘Coctel’ suggests a combination of ingredients which can be put together to create an exciting and intoxicating outcome, ‘Coctel’ seemed to the ideal name’ said Gwenno.

Katherine Cole and Gwenno have been collaborating for the last six years or so on several song-writing projects. One of these songs ‘Behind a tiny window and it’s Welsh version ‘Tu ol i ffenest fychan’ will be the first song to appear on ‘Coctel. These two songs were launched on the 13 ^th of December in time for Christmas.

During the ‘covid crisis’, that has impacted our lives over the last nearly two years, the ways that we now communicate with our nearest and dearest has been transformed. Most of us have had to learn how to communicate through the ‘tiny windows’ of our computers – either through Zoom, Skype or Facetime as opposed to the ‘tiny windows’ we would have peeped through in the past before entering our loved one’s homes. There is no time more important for families than Christmas and in this song we count our blessings that we have at least the ‘tiny windows’ of our computers to bring us closer to our loved ones and hope that ‘this too will pass’.

Both versions have been recorded by an exceptionally talented young singer, Jodi Bird. The former Ysgol Bro Morgannwg pupil w as named Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod’s ‘International Voice of Musical Theatre’ for 2019. She was also in the semi-final of ‘Britain’s got Talent’ and on the stage of Wales’s Millenium Centre.

Some of the other songs which will be released before long by ‘Coctel’ will be the Celtic Cousins trilogy, the Saint David’s Day Anthem, a song about the tragedy in Aberfan and a song about the second home crisis in Wales.

Both Katherine and Gwenno have separate creative projects – Gwenno has a one woman show about the French singer Edith Piaf (‘Passionate about Piaf’ which had a lot of success in the West End before the pandemic) and Katherine with musicals ‘I Merlin’ (Paget Rooms and Weston Studio, Wales’s Millenium Centre) & Rhiannon and these also will be available to be bought on the label.

All tracks will be available here: https://orcd.co/behindatinywindow

Or on itunes here:

https://music.apple.com/gb/album/behind-a-tiny-window-single/1599732888

With just a few weeks to go until the end of 2021, the mighty  Pigeon Wigs  are closing it off in classic Pigeon Wigs style by releasing their monstrous B-side  The Way You Do.

The Way You D o was written hastily amidst the days-old wreckage of a break up, with lyrics heavily inspired by the self-criticism and the guilt that followed. 

Using this song as a confessional, an emotional outlet (like all good songs),  The Way You Do  speaks of a very visceral point in lead singer, Harry's, life. "It was cathartic to get out. I may look back at the situation all slightly differently now, but I would never change the lyrics because they were my feelings at that point in time" explains Harry.

The Way You   Do  is a rip-roaring release layered with that signature Pigeon Wigs vocal that people have already come to love, fuzzy guitar, huge choruses, and a hook that you just can't leave alone. 

So far, Pigeon Wigs have already gained support from the likes of Adam Walton and Bethan Elfyn of BBC Radio Wales, with Adam labelling their debut as "Sexual and somewhat primal". Pigeon Wigs also featured as 'This Is The Music's' band of the week. 

Pigeon Wigs are a 6-piece rock ’n’ roll band newly sprung from Cardiff’s fertile soil. Formed from the writing partnership of Harry Franklin-Williams & Louis Jugessur, their music ranges from the bombastic and unrelenting to the sombre and fragile, indulging whatever genre best suits their aims while maintaining a through line that one can only describe as Pigeon Wigs.
 

Want to see Pigeon Wigs live?

They're playing at Cardiff's Clwb Ifor Bach on December 18th for  Clwb Music's Festive Bake. 

Get Clwb Music's Festive Bake tickets here

It's already been a whirlwind week since  AhGeeBe  released his debut single  Cocoona  on Clwb Music.

Cocoona  gained early support from the legendary  Huw Stephens at BBC 6 Music  and Adam Walton at BBC Radio Wales. It was then chosen again a week later for a spin on  BBC Introducing Wales with Adam Walton  as he compared AhGeeBe's songwriting and lyricism to that of the legendary George Harrison. 

AhGeeBe has enjoyed a chat with  BBC Radio Cymru's Georgia Ruth  and features across other BBC Radio Wales shows including spins from new music champion  Bethan Elfyn . 

Part recorded by Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard's lead singer, lyricist and guitarist Tom Rees and part self-recorded, Cocoona tells an uplifting story, encapsulating the overwhelming, soaring feeling of freedom felt by everyone as lockdown eased, the feeling that everyone was emerging from their cocoons flying around seeing the world again with fresh excitement and joy. 

"This first single  Cocoona  was written during lockdown number 1, when we weren’t allowed to leave the house apart from to exercise or go to B&Q for the 10th time that week. I got really into online shopping thanks to very well placed ad campaigns for waterproof coats and colourful guitar cables. Got quite heavily into YouTube review videos too. Some great content providers out there." explains AhGeeBe.

"This song was finished as we were allowed back out again, and it’s a sort of boogy-woogy celebration of being allowed to run around the streets again without a particular reason."

AhGeeBe honed his craft in the South Wales quarry village of Creigiau, spending his time chiselling and sculpting away at the piano and guitar from an early age.

Describing his sound as “somewhere between old-time country and 60’s cop show theme tunes", AhGeeBe is the shining result of years of work for musicians across the globe, demoing, recording, and songwriting.

Sheffield bilingual psych/post-punk four-piece Sister Wives have teamed up with Carmarthenshire’s psych duo Tacsidermi for an exciting musical union. The Double A single 'O Fy Nghof' / 'A Oes Heddwch' will be released on limited edition lathe-cut vinyl on 17th December via Libertino Records, and is out now digitally.

Both bands wrote the musical backbone to a song each independently, which was then sent over and Tacsidermi and Sister Wives added lyrics and melody to the other's compositions, a truly collaborative project.

"O Fy Nghof" and "A Oes Heddwch" musically reflect the darker subject matter of depression and the quest for peace as life ebbs away. Listen to the swirling "A Oes Heddwch" and darker "O Fy Nghof" below...

 Both bands go into detail about the lyrics they provided for each song...

Tacsidermi on "A Oes Heddwch":

“The song is about facing an armageddon and the panic of not knowing what to do in your final hours. There's no use hiding from the inevitable. There's no use trying to find peace. You must deal with the consequences of your actions.”

“The song is about being in a deep depression and the helplessness which is felt in that moment. This does eventually come to an end - the heaviness lifts. However, this is often cyclical and happens again, over time. This leaves us stuck in a constant cycle, which can be hard to accept.”  

Tacsidermi are Gwenllian Anthony from the Welsh Music Prize winning band Adwaith and multi instrumentalist Matthew Kilgariff, who craft sublime, evocative Balearic pop-infused psych. Tacsidermi will be returning to the studio before the new year to finish work on their eagerly anticipated debut EP out in January 2021.

Sister Wives are a Sheffield-based female four-piece whose sound encompasses prog-flecked psychedelia and post-punk. They recently played at Green Man, Sensoria, and Sŵn Festivals, with more dates in Sheffield and Manchester this winter (dates below). New music is coming soon.

'O Fy Nghof / A Oes Heddwch' is out now digitally and on limited lathe-cut vinyl on 17th December. 

Shwmae and Croeso!  

Croeso and welcome to an autumnal edition of the  Honno  newsletter! This month, we've got a special issue with in invitation to a book launch, a call for submissions for our latest anthology, writing opportunities, and more.

Book Launch: Painting the Beauty Queens Orange

Painting the Beauty Queens Orange is the latest release at  Honno . The ‘70s wasn’t all glam rock and flares, punk and pogo-ing… In  Painting the Beauty Queens Orange , the women who lived the decade reveal what it meant to push boundaries, claim your identity, and carve out your place amidst the winter of discontent, the scorching summer of ‘76 and the rise of Thatcherism. We're pleased to say that the book has been chosen as the  Waterstones Wales Book of the Month for November 2021 .

We're delighted to invite you to the book launch of  Painting the Beauty Queens Orange  on Saturday 13th November 2021 at Insole Court, Fairwater Road, Cardiff CF5 2LN from 2.30pm onwards. For more details, or to RSVP, please email  post@ honno .co.uk .

Ecology and the Environment: Writing from Women in Wales

It's the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties in Glasgow, also known as COP26. Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time,  especially given the vulnerability of Wales to climate change and rising sea levels .

Here are some books published by  Honno  that explore and highlight our environment, and the world around us.

Walking to Greenham

Walking to Greenham: How the Peace Campaign began and the Cold War ended  is a fascinating memoir written by peace activist Ann Pettitt. She began a movement that changed the face of modern history when she walked from Wales to RAF Greenham Airbase to stop nuclear warheads being launched from British soil. This is her story. A powerful and enlightening piece, its message is just as timely in contemporary discussions on environmentalism as when the campaign was initially launched.

Purchase a copy here from  Honno 's website

Riverflow

A mystery crime thriller,  Riverflow  by Alison Layland is about a series of mysterious events that emerge when a beloved family member is drowned in a devastating flood. Bede and Elin want to be left alone, but can they escape what has happened? Riverflow was the Waterstones Wales Book of the Month in 2019, and has been described by Emma Curtis as "Heart-stopping at moments. A terrific read".

Click here to see Riverflow in  Honno 's online shop, featuring a reader's guide that explains and explores the themes of flooding in the book.

Call for Submissions- Essays on Africa and Asia in Wales 

Honno  will be publishing a volume of work from women of the African and Asian diaspora in Wales. We want to hear from women with different experiences, whether that's the experience of being a first generation migrant to Wales, or part of a long-standing diaspora community in Wales. We're looking for memoirs, polemic writing, and more.

If you have a story to tell, we'd love to read it. We're accepting pieces from 1000-5000 words in total. Additionally, we'd relish the opportunity to consider some photo essays as part of this work. We believe that all women have stories to tell. It is so vitally important to include all voices, but in particular the voices of women, which through the centuries have always been some of those most marginalised.

The  Honno  Voices  imprint gives voice to Welsh women from all walks of life and who speak both or either language(s) – though the titles are published in English. It has published experiences of women from the 1900s to the present day, of women born and bred in Wales to those who have moved here and changed their lives. This book will be edited by Dr Faaeza Jasdanwalla, and it will be published by Gwasg  Honno  Press in 2023.

Please send your piece as an attachment, typed double spaced on one side of A4. Do make sure the title of your piece is included on the manuscript but leave off your name. Please include in your email any relevant supporting information.  For more information, click on this link.

Closing date: 31 March 2022

Submit to:  post@ honno .co.uk

Opportunities for Readers and Writers

Submissions at  Honno Press

Books Council Wales are looking for new volunteers to join their independent Publishing Development Subcommittees in both English and in Welsh. They're looking for people with experience and skills across the industry- from publishing books or magazines to reading, writing, editing, commissioning and marketing. Email castellbrychan@books.wales to apply.  There's more information available here on Twitter  and you can learn more by emailing the Chief Executive on castellbrychan@books.wales.

Representing Wales: Developing Writers from a Low-Income Background

Literature Wales has announced a second round of professional development aimed at developing writers in Wales . Representing Wales is open for applications, and it supports writers from low-income backgrounds in Wales. This support is multifacted, offering workshops, £3500 to assist writers in their craft, along with talks, mentoring, workshops and more. For more information, please email  post@literaturewales.org , and the deadline for applications is the 14th December 2021.