tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27341669238882859912024-03-13T23:19:27.877-07:00Just Your Average ManAn aspiring Folk Music Radio Presenter and Reviewer keeping you up to date with news and reviews!Paul Rawcliffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16675838238906929238noreply@blogger.comBlogger99125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734166923888285991.post-9126220844767308032014-07-03T12:16:00.000-07:002014-07-03T12:16:13.614-07:00Alun Parry Review<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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With being a Liverpudlian myself I felt it was about time to
look closer to home to find what talent was hitting the folk scene. Liverpool
does not seem to have quite as strong a folk connection as places like
Shropshire but it is still up there. Liverpool does have a rich musical history
generally a very strong Celtic influence from the old days of the ports. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Whilst exploring one of the recent Fatea Showcases I noticed
the name of Alun Parry and I was certain that it was a name I recognised, but I
simply could not place where.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
listening to the song ‘If Harry Don’t Go’ and absolutely loving it. I felt that
Alun deserved more exploring so I requested some CDs to take a look at.<br />
<br />
It’s only after doing a bit of digging that I have realised why the name is
familiar. Alun was the organiser for a Liverpool festival called ‘Liverpool
Working Class Music Festival that ran from 2008-2011, not to mention he was
also a big deal during Liverpool’s 2008 stint as Capital of Culture.</div>
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There is a lot more that Alun has accomplished so to find
out more about him he does have a lengthy Wikipedia entry (I assume its all
true Alun!) and his website <a href="http://parrysongs.co.uk/">http://parrysongs.co.uk/</a>.<br />
<br />
I think for me the real gold nugget of Alun’s music is that he has taken the
traditional singer songwriting folk style but created three albums worth of
something new. Each song is specially crafted and many are even full of modern
and Liverpudlian references (‘You Are My Addiction’).</div>
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Each song is crafted separately with precision and this
really helps each song to be special and not just as a tool to get another
album out. <br />
<br />
Alun has a great singing voice which is clearly perfectly matched with his song
writing. He clearly has great moral and political ideas and this coupled with
his vocals gives him a wonderful outlet. All three of his albums, ‘Corridors of
Stone’, ‘We Can Make the World Stop’ and ‘When the Sunlight Shines’ really get
across strong concepts and get you thinking as well as being very pleasant to
the ears. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Folk music of course has always been used as a political
voice so it is nice that modern artists are re capturing this use for our
changing modern times, particularly ‘Oh Mr Cameron’ but really the majority of
his songs could be explored for some elements. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alun reminds me in many ways of Damh the Bard
in his variation of great songs just for the sake of them and for political and
social messages. As well as his serious undertones there are some great lighter
songs such as ‘The Ship Song’ and ‘Thursday Night Drinking Song’. Alun even
mixes humour with his messages as the previously mentioned ‘Oh Mr Cameron’ is
just hilarious and silly (with a kazoo solo to boot) as well as being completely
serious.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I really enjoyed all three albums and Mr Parry deserves all of
the recognition he gets, now I know he is on the Liverpool circuit I will
certainly be keeping my eyes (and ears) open.<br />
<br />
I keep putting ‘Oh Mr Cameron’ on repeat, makes me smirk every time!</div>
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<br /></div>
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DFTBA</div>
Paul Rawcliffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16675838238906929238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734166923888285991.post-36035455770083371532014-06-03T05:55:00.001-07:002014-06-03T05:55:34.130-07:00Matlock the Hare Magician<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-enfVoY1KZP0/U43Ewex5yqI/AAAAAAAAAEE/tXHUc0STCYo/s1600/9781781321836-100dpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-enfVoY1KZP0/U43Ewex5yqI/AAAAAAAAAEE/tXHUc0STCYo/s1600/9781781321836-100dpi.jpg" height="320" width="206" /></a></div>
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<br />
<br />
With kindle use on the rise and children using computer gadgets before even
really being able to walk, it is great to see a children’s book series that
provides that little bit extra to really capture imagination and that creative
flare that children have.<br />
<br />
Some people believe that books are a dying form, but that is why that little
extra spark can go a long way.<br />
<br />
The Matlock Hare, or more specifically, ‘Matlock The Hare and The Riddle of
Trefflepugga Path’ combines the two great forms of storytelling and art to give
a great imagination boost to the children of today. Although many books strive
towards this there are some major differences that Phil and Jacqui<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>put into their book that makes it unique and on a different level.<br />
<br />
The first thing you are greeted with in the book is a dictionary of special
words used in this world. Words such as ‘Crumlush’ and ‘Saztaculous’ help to
build a fantasy world but also gives children something they see as their own
secret world, adults won’t understand these words, but they do because they are
immersed in Matlock’s world.</div>
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There are admittedly a large number of these words to come
to terms with upon first reading, but seeing them in context of story soon
makes you fluent. Plus the words themselves are quite connected to their
original meanings so ‘Saztaculous’ means ‘Fantastic’ which is close enough to
work out, especially for Children who are still placing the world and getting
to know it.<br />
<br />
I think this special language is a great idea. As previously mentioned it helps
the world of Winchett Dale to become <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">their</i>
world rather than simply a world they are reading about. This sense of
inclusion is of course very important for children.<br />
<br />
Having said all this to call this work or any of the series a ‘children’s’ book
is not really appreciating just how much anyone could enjoy it. The creativity
and imagination makes for a great tale for anyone to become a part of. Some
elements of the story had me laughing about how based on real life occurrences
they are. The first meeting with the ‘krate’ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>has brilliant similarities to certain street
preachers. This is certainly a comparison that adults would enjoy and be highly
amused by. There seems to be lots of elements of social and political
commentary which are nicely metaphoric<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and inserted into the story. <br />
<br />
The tale itself is no quick bedtime story, there is a full world to be explored
and gone into depth and the book does a great job of spreading out the
storyline whilst taking a gander at all the little nooks and crannies as well
as keeping things interesting. Even little bits of Lore such as Matlock’s past
and the history of the world is hinted enough to peak curiosity and the
desire to find the whole series to see if more pieces can be put together.<br />
<br />
A lot about Matlock and his adventures reminds me of a magical, less depressing
version of the Animals of Farthing Wood and I do think these stories would be
an amazing TV show, but only if Phil and Jacqui had complete control of every
aspect, which I’m sure for Jacqui’s artwork in particular would be exhausting.<br />
<br />
The art work of the book is just beautiful and goes hand in hand with the story
to pull people further into this magical world and keep them hooked.<br />
<br />
I won’t give much more of the overall storyline away as I implore you to see
for yourselves!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
DTFBA</div>
Paul Rawcliffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16675838238906929238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734166923888285991.post-27316692859083871882014-05-22T09:54:00.000-07:002014-05-22T09:54:00.411-07:00Ragged Staff review- Kiss the Shore<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
You only get one chance to make a good first impression and generally speaking
the first track of an album is the key indicator for a listener on whether or
not they’ll enjoy the style of music put forward. This doesn’t always mean
putting your strongest track first, but it certainly means putting a track that
summarises your musical style and gives the audience a clear indication of what
you are about.<br />
<br />
Ragged Staff are another I got from a Fatea Showcase, ‘Magnetism’. Their
introductory track from ‘Kiss the Shore’ is ‘The Blacksmith’ and this is also
the track featured on Magnetism. Now this track does exactly the job these
first tracks are supposed to do.<br />
<br />
Ragged Staff are self described as Traditional and Contemporary Folk and ‘The
Blacksmith hits us straight away with a mystical Traditional sound to immediately
grasp hold of you and tie you down so that you listen. Next in this song a
lovely set if vocals take over and sing a wonderful ballad about... well I’m
sure you can guess. A lovely surprise in this track is about three quarters in
when another powerful voice jumps in and takes you completely off guard.</div>
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<br /></div>
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There are of course a lot of bands that do traditional music
and many may wonder if you can have too much of a good thing but I believe
Ragged Staff have added another version of ‘Raggle Taggle Gypsies’ that just proves
this isn’t the case. As well as the exciting music and great variety in sounds
that just blast you in this second track the vocals of Caroline Riches and Ned
Lawton really hit you with such enthusiasm that you could never get bored of
the track.</div>
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It is also nice to see that though Ragged Staff’s style is
generally fast paced, like ‘Keys of Canterbury’, foot stomping type folk they
are not a one trick pony and you get nice varieties of pace even within songs
such as ‘Rosebud in June’ and the wonderful ‘Si Bheag Si Mhor’.<br />
<br />
Folk music is also of course a tool for storytelling and Ragged Staff have
certainly captivated this element perfectly. If you listen to ‘The Nightingale’
and then ‘The Whaler/ The Wren Hornpipe’ then not only do these two tales flow
into each other, but they are so completely different from the slow paced ‘Nightingale’
to the faster ‘Whaler’. Even the choice of changing from Caroline to Ned is a
great decision as it really shifts the gear at this point in the album.</div>
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There are a lot of wonderful tracks on this album, a fine
addition to any collection!<br />
<br />
DFTBA</div>
Paul Rawcliffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16675838238906929238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734166923888285991.post-59830506251426819042014-05-19T12:30:00.000-07:002014-05-19T12:30:12.696-07:00Kelly Oliver <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
I first discovered this lovely lady on Fatea Showcases. I always enjoy these as
they are great to cast your net out and discover brilliant talent that you may
have otherwise missed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most recent
editions ‘Chemistry’ and ‘Magnetism’ have introduced me to at least three
artists that I felt I should explore further.<br />
<br />
The first of these is Kelly Oliver who has her debut EP ‘Far From Home’ now
available both as downloadable and physical copies. The EP is a standard 5
tracks and the first song I heard was the title song from the EP ‘Far From Home’.<br />
<br />
This tune is a very gentle, soft tune with a pleasant guitar strum setting the
scene of a young lady eagerly awaiting the return of a young man of which she
is pretty smitten. Despite her mother’s warnings and the way the chap decided
to spend most of his time away from the central character is still devoted to
his return. And they say long distance relationships are difficult.<br />
<br />
I ended up putting this song on repeat for almost an hour as each time the
beauty of Kelly’s voice and the musical foundation really just builds and
builds on you. The occasional harmonica intermission also did a great job of
breaking up the song and keeping the variety going so the listener doesn’t get
bored in any way, and this keep going throughout other tracks as well.</div>
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The next tune, ‘Keilan are you Coming?’ has some nice
differences, being much faster paced with a louder strum on the guitar and a
lot more fire in the voice. In a way, it’s quite a similar song, but they
display two totally separate emotions, the first on ‘Far From Home’ is one of
patience and then this one seemed a little more like an excited child struggling
to hold back that excitement. This is a nice variety then from a later track ‘He
Walked on the Side of the Sea’ which is calmer.</div>
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Kelly has been influenced a lot by Irish traditional music
and this certainly comes across her music, but luckily that’s all it is, an
influence. Kelly does a fantastic job of keeping her music so wonderfully individual
and simple. I am often impressed by musicians who make their music stand out
with original ideas are bizarre combinations of vocals and instrument, but what
is even more impressive is to find individuals who can be original but give you
an air of familiarity so that their music is comfortable and soothing. Kelly
has certainly gotten this balance spot on.<br />
<br />
I loved this EP and I wish I had made it to Folkstock last September (I was
supposed to go but alas last minute couldn’t make it) as I would have seen her
live! Kelly has certainly made the list of live performances I must find.<br />
<br />
I wonder if Kelly would make what I like to call a ‘wildcard’ track when she
does a full length album, as she certainly has a secure sound. Wildcards are
songs that are quite different from the rest, usually shorter bizarre tracks
that many artists are now attempting. Although risky for people I believe Kelly
could certainly pull it off, although to be honest she wouldn’t need to.<br />
<br />
A lovely singer, to find out more follow these links and be sure to follow
Kelly on Twitter @kellyoliverfolk, and me @paulrawcliffe<br />
<br />
Kelly - <a href="http://www.kellyoliver.co.uk/">http://www.kellyoliver.co.uk</a><br />
<br />
Folkstock - http://www.folkstockfestival.com/<br />
<br />
Fatea Magazine/ Showcases – http://www.fatea-magazine.co.uk/<br />
<br />
DFTBA</div>
Paul Rawcliffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16675838238906929238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734166923888285991.post-47087891741912736092014-04-06T11:49:00.000-07:002014-04-06T11:52:32.232-07:00Top 10 2014<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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So here is my top 10 bands/artists for 2014! These may well be older bands
but just ones I have discovered in the past year :)<br />
<br />
10. <b>Blazin' Fiddles:</b><br />
<br />
The name sums them up perfectly!<b> </b><br />
<br />
<br />
9. <b>VAMM</b>:<br />
<br />
Three ladies who bring their own backgrounds and taste together to build one
fine musical soup!<br />
<br />
<br />
8. <b>Ross Ainslie</b>: <br />
<br />
The piper from Treacherous Orchestra really does know what he's doing, and
he doesn't need a huge band to back him up either, he is just as talented
working on his own!<br />
<br />
<br />
7. <b>Steamchicken:</b><br />
<br />
Listen to 'There ain't nobody here but us chickens'. Done it? Your welcome.<b>
</b><br />
<br />
6. <b>All Blacked Up</b>:<br />
<br />
This Morris Dancing group have released two albums and both are really great to
listen to, fully of bouncy dance tunes, it is simple but really effective and
definitely puts a smile on my face.<br />
<br />
<br />
5. <b>Matt Quinn</b>:<br />
<br />
Funny chap with great box playing skills, I only wish I could play the box half
as well. 'No More Wabbits' from the 'Banquet of Boxes' collection and 'Katie
the Conqueror ' are fantastic and fun!<br />
<br />
<br />
4. <b>Red Shoes</b>:<br />
<br />
Amazing music and amazing people. Very soft gentle music to help calm and
relax you. perfect with a bottle of wine after a stressful day!<br />
<br />
<br />
3. <b>Monster Ceilidh Band:</b><br />
<b><br />
</b>A great bland of folk, electric and rock this band has some great albums
that really get you in the mood to party. 'Red Jack' is an amazing tune that
instantly makes me want to hit the clubs no matter what time of day it is.<br />
<br />
<br />
2. <b>Bartram, Brookes and Weatherall</b>:<br />
<br />
I discovered these through the March edition of Froots magazine and I can't
explain why but after reading the article I was intrigued so decided to invest
in their album. I was very pleasantly surprised and taken with them. Their
older, traditional style has been nicely balanced with being catchy and
entertaining. 'The Campernero', 'John Barleycorn' and 'Lavender Trousers' were
on repeat on my play list for days!<br />
<br />
<br />
1. <b>3 Daft Monkeys</b>:<br />
<br />
I have only heard two of their albums so far but getting the others is my top
priority when I am finally in paid employment again. I first reviewed them for
FATEA with tunes like 'The Tale of the Laziest Pirate' and 'World on its Head'
from the album 'Of Stones and Bones' really roping me in. This folk/rock/indie
style moves away from the traditional elements to have their own take on the
genre. The story lines and comedy elements of the tunes are what really rope
me, that and the tunes and entire sound is just amazing.<br />
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DFTBA<br />
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<![endif]-->Paul Rawcliffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16675838238906929238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734166923888285991.post-20658757412067139322014-03-08T06:46:00.000-08:002014-03-08T06:46:56.399-08:00Motivation<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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First of all a quick note to say that my review of Blazzin Fiddles has been
published in the latest EFDSS magazine, so do check that out!<br />
<br />
Secondly this blog post is more just for me to get my thoughts down in writing.
I'm also curious if anyone views the world in quite the same why I do and puts
the same pressure on themselves.<br />
<br />
Life is still taking me odd directions; I've been put on a work experience
placement in a job centre.<br />
<br />
I was curious about how this was going to go, but my advisor told me that most
people who do these placements ends up getting a job, just because so many job
advisors are there to help, so we will see. Typically though my placement has
been different as our slightly bizarre manager decided he didn’t just want us
filing and the like, he want us to actually learn something so set us a
project.<br />
<br />
This project has actually been very fun to do and I noticed that even though
this is an unpaid placement I've enjoyed it a lot more than my previous job
working for a children’s website. The manager is a very enthusiastic person and
keeps telling me and the other lad on placement that the only thing that stops
you from accomplishing anything is you.<br />
<br />
Now as I have briefly touched on before, my motivation has been rock bottom
lately, and blogging has been one of the areas to take the hit, but
encouragement from my family and wonderful lady is helping me to 'get over it'
as it were, so hopefully I will be able to start committing better.<br />
<br />
I have also been thinking a lot about the psychology behind why I act the way I
do sometimes when looking at things like working and hobbies etc I take a very
hard stance on myself.<br />
<br />
Many years ago now I used to do the sport fencing and it was one of my hobbies
and I was reasonably good at it, I did okay in competitions and I was certainly
one of the best in my club at the time, but I remember shortly before I left to
go to University something changed in me, I became terrified of competition. I
don't just mean competing I mean any kind of competition. As soon as my mind
made this switch everything then appeared as a competition, either against
other people or against myself.<br />
<br />
In school doing Philosophy I was arguably one of the top of the class if not
the top, so it hit me hard when in Uni I was upstaged by others. This may sound
very... immature at this point but keep in mind that this was all subconscious
and striving to be the top is a very normal, very human emotion. I gradually
started taking the attitude that people will always be better than me so I
stopped trying, I think it could be part of the reason (although there were
certainly other factors which I won't go into) why I didn't get the grade I
could have in the end.<br />
This all affects me now as very failed job application and every week being
on JSA is me failing in this competition against myself.<br />
<br />
I also find that everything has to go somewhere, be part of some bigger plan.
In Uni I joined the radio station and found a passion for this. In my first year
it was just a fun hobby but by second year I was working towards it as a career
path. Then when I developed a love for folk music this slotted into this plan
as I could do a folk music radio show as well as debate shows which had stemmed
from my Philosophy degree. See, all connected, hobbies have to fit in to the
master plan or they are not worth doing (at least in my subconscious).<br />
<br />
I'm trying to learn to play the melodeon and it is proving to be very difficult
and is taking a long time, so another hit to my esteem. Playing the box is not
connected to my overall plan but is a very important side quest (lol video game
speak), I firmly know the level I want to reach and it is a very slow process
and I may not even get there. Sadly I just don't have that musical flare (my
sister does though. She is pitch perfect and can easily pick up instruments.
Curses...)<br />
<br />
I did pick a really hard, very competitive industry to try and get into, and
then have selected a very narrow niche. So unsurprisingly I am struggling to
break into radio and every month that passes with not even the slightest chance
is breaking me. People tell me it’s not the end of the world, I can just get
any job and keep looking in radio. Now this is true and I accept that, but subconsciously
it doesn't matter, I am still failing, bottom of the competition board as it
were. The fact is I am not particularly exceptional at anything, just average
or good, but so are a lot of people, so unless I get really lucky I'm going to
remain in this cycle, and that is frustrating. <br />
<br />
People tell me I put so much pressure on myself and that I need to appreciate
the things I have accomplished, and the fact I am good at things. For me though
it doesn't really work like that, I am proud to have reviews published on
bright Young Folk, Fatea and EFDSS, but they are just stepping stones towards
that final goal and so aren't worth celebrating. If anything they act as a
reminder that I am close to my goal but not there yet, I am stuck just out of
reach.<br />
<br />
Does anyone else look at the world like this? Or am I just weird? :p<br />
<br />
DFTBA<br />
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<![endif]--><br />Paul Rawcliffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16675838238906929238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734166923888285991.post-37354066477048096372014-02-09T10:45:00.002-08:002014-03-08T06:09:44.610-08:00I'm still here!It's been a long time since I have posted here so I think its time I get the ball rolling again.<br />
<br />
The mean reason for my absence has been reviewing for three publications plus a full time job simply stole all of my time away. Allow to me give you some updates on my plans and where things are headed.<br />
<br />
Review wise I am still reviewing for Bright Young Folk, Fatea Magazine and EFDSS so this takes up a large portion of my free time. <br />
<br />
Luckily I'm going to have more free time as I found before Christmas that I was being made redundant. The past few weeks have been spent desperately trying to get another job before having to face the horror of going back onto JSA and sadly I am now out of time and will be signing on. Hopefully not for long though!<br />
<br />
I have recieved a few messages with people interested in me reviewing their work on here including The Men With Strong Arms and Scarlet Starlings. Both of these will be coming up in the fext few weeks as will a long promised exploration of how artists can develop the sound of the music over time. This will be particularly using the work of my good friend Ange Hardy as a case study.<br />
<br />
I should also extend my congratulations to Ange as she won Female Vocalist of the Year in the Fatea awards, very well deserved!<br />
<br />
There is also a new Fatea Showcases currently available, this collection is called 'Chemistry' and for those who don't know what the Fatea showcases are, it is a collection of songs that have been reviewed over the season as a way of promoting the work of the artists inspire us! It's completly free to download and can be found here:<br />
<br />
http://www.fatea-magazine.co.uk/<br />
<br />
In other news I am still slowly getting there with my melodeon, sadly with everything else on my mind I just simply don't give it the hours but I hope to make the most of my time out of work to make some progress here.<br />
<br />
I have had a couple of job interviews already although I did not get through afterwards which is a shame. Anyone who has been on JSA before knows how soul destroying it can feel!<br />
<br />
Of course if you have any work you want reviewing do send it in to me at paul.rawcliffe1@gmail.com<br />
<br />
DFTBAPaul Rawcliffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16675838238906929238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734166923888285991.post-57104550321928050962013-11-20T14:17:00.000-08:002013-11-20T14:17:04.766-08:00Never Mind the BocThis one is a little late, but for me was worth it!<br />
<br />
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Never Mind the Bocs is a lovely welsh band on their second
album together and it is definitely an album worth listening too. The Brownings
(each band member is a Browning) adds their own extra zest to the band with
button accordions, wind instruments, strings, <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">bodhrán and drums
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Never mind the Bocs have opted to remain much more
traditionally founded, going with generally slower paced and calming styles of
music over rock or folk dance styles. Their latest album release, ‘A Moon to
Hang Coats On’ consists of 16 lovely sets that mix up vocal songs and pure
instrumentals.</span></div>
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for those who like their music constantly changing and surprising. For example
early on in the album we get ‘The Wren’ a beautifully sung song that helps to
calm the listener followed immediately by ‘Full Catastrophe Living’ which is then
an instrumental track staring squeezeboxes that go through some faster paces
that will get your foot tapping more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‘Tom Fahey’s Wall’ and ‘Fi Wela Ynys Cynon’ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>are amazing songs with not only perfect lead
vocals but also excellently harmonised backing vocals which with the very fairy
tale style of music accompanying makes for great listening. To me, many of
tracks like ‘Barton Island’ and ‘Y Dyn Heb Fochyn’ even conjure images of the Welsh
mountains.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My absolute favourite on the album is ‘The
Discomfort of Lloyd George’, partly for the hilarious name, and secondly
because of the high squeezebox emphasis (it is of course where my own musical
abilities are rooted) but also the rhythmic almost Morris dance style that I
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A great album, I'm going to locate a copy of their first album too!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">DFTBA </span></div>
Paul Rawcliffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16675838238906929238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734166923888285991.post-54816641781288605712013-10-30T13:13:00.003-07:002013-10-30T13:13:37.980-07:00Lazibyrd<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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Today we have my review of Lazibyrd<br />
<br />
This is another duo, consisting of Sharon Martin (Fiddle) and Tom Chapman
(Guitar) who work together harmoniously to give us a fine example of today’s
English Folk. Sharon Leads the vocals, supported by Tom.</div>
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They open their album ‘Under the Sky’ with a brilliantly
catchy song called ‘I’m Alright Jack’ which does a great job of drawing you in
to hear more. It’s like Pringles. I’d describe the method of singing as being
slightly rap/ slightly skat/ jazz but with an action folk instrumental that
fits like gears.</div>
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After the attention grabbing start, the album then settles
into slightly softer songs, but they do not lose any sense of grip, ‘It’s the
Little Things’ in particular is the kind of song that will blow you away and
would be perfect for one of those happy life montage scenes in cheesy films.</div>
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<br /></div>
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What is interesting about Lazibyrd is the lack of emphasis
in their songs. Usually bands with vocals have that pushed into the front with
the instruments used as a pedestal to then hold those vocals up on. With
Lazibyrd however it doesn’t quite come across like that. Yes there are vocals,
powerful vocals, and yes this is over a musical background, but there is more
unison. The music is not just to support the vocals; the vocals draw attention
to the music too, which is nice to see.</div>
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<br /></div>
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In regards to the playing of music there seems to be more of
an emphasis on the guitar over fiddle, but that’s possibly because Sharon leads
with vocals. The playing is a great balance as there isn’t this problem of over
playing that some guitarists do in an attempt to get noticed.<br />
<br />
‘Half of One Whole’ is a particularly heart warming song that almost lead to me
typing the cheesy line of how these two musicians work so well that the absence
of either one would be ‘half of one whole’, they are not two musicians they are
one whole as Lazibyrd. Of course I would never write anything that cheesy.<br />
<br />
Overall the album has a good mix of the fast exciting (‘Fly Away’)and the slow
moving (‘Run to the Dawn’) and they are musically a great pairing.<br />
<br />
I expect to see much more from Lazibyrd to come as this ship has clearly only
just set sail.<br /><br />DFTBA</div>
Paul Rawcliffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16675838238906929238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734166923888285991.post-21795413029672742422013-10-29T12:48:00.002-07:002013-10-29T12:48:31.165-07:00Red Shoes review<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Apologies all for the lack of recent posts, my computer had
a brief moment of crazy but seems to be under control again now.<br />
<br />
This week I will be reviewing a couple of folk bands and I will be doing a
compare and contrast of Ange Hardy’s ‘Bare Foot Folk’ with her earlier album
release ‘Windmills and Wishes’.<br />
<br />
My first entry though is Red Shoes and their album release ‘All The Good
Friends’<br />
<br />
The duo already have already had a fair stretch on the folk scene with their
debut album ‘Ring Around The Land’ and have now returned with this new release.
<br />
<br />
The album kick starts with a song called ‘Red Coat Ride’ which is an
anti-hunting theme that cleverly uses strong percussion along with confident
booming vocals and guitar. To me the percussion is a particularly nice touch as
it ‘clomps’ along almost like the sound of hooves during horse riding.</div>
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The vocals of Carolyn Evans are very forcefully, pushing the
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As for Mark Evans we get his acoustic abilities featuring
behind in every song acting as the perfect counterpart to Carolyn. Their
musical matching is shown particularly well in ‘Sunday Afternoon’ and the foot
tapping ‘Swansong’ (Also has brilliant backing vocals).</div>
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<br /></div>
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The big sell for this band is the feeling that is portrayed
through the music, ‘Blackberry Way’ is arranged both musically and vocally in
such a way that you have to notice it. For Red Shoes there is no such thing as
background music, they will always be the centre of attention when playing or
being played.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
DFTBA </div>
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<![endif]--><br />Paul Rawcliffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16675838238906929238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734166923888285991.post-51197243634519033802013-10-17T06:56:00.002-07:002013-10-17T07:04:01.412-07:00Community, have a go, and twitterRight so I was asked why I like folk so much and don't give any other genre the same attention. (such as with blogging and reviewing).<br />
<br />
First of all I do like other genres, I like Pop, Rock, Techno, Electric, Chart etc etc.<br />
<br />
I was also asked why I like this 'weird' music.<br />
<br />
I tried to explain that when you really think about it folk and traditional music is not weird. New music is weird. If you look at the whole of human history, folk and roots will have taken up a majority of that time period in some capacity. Chart and music today only really takes up the last one hundred years or so at most. So which is weird? The truth of course is that since chart music is now mainstream any genre different to that is weird.<br />
<br />
I have been surprised by how many younger people are into folk. In reality a lot of young people love it, and this is growing!<br />
<br />
To answer the question of why I like it more than other genres is because of the community aspect. In chart music you rarely find pop stars doing a show then sitting in the audience to watch the next show at a festival. With folk that happens all the time. Of course there are the elites in folk like anything else but there is much less of a gap and everyone feels more on equal ground. Folk artists are just ordinary people, generally avoiding throwing in the celebrity aspect. (Having said this I do tend to get starstruck by certain bands or artists which is a nuisance and something I really should be past now!)<br />
<br />
Only in folk do they have this kind of 'come and have a go' attitude which has encouraged me to take up Melodeon. In the mainstream music industry it is very competitive, and although this happens in folk as well there just seems to be more space, and a bigger willingness to co-operate and get on.<br />
<br />
Folk is not just a genre of music, it is a community. I take the title of being a folkie very seriously and much like certain metal music groups or even rap music groups there is an entire identity based around this music style. But not simply based on just music.<br />
<br />
I really started to get into folk when I went to an Irish music session at a pub near my house. Session music is great because anyone can join in, just bring your instrument and get stuck in. It was because of this I got myself an Irish Melodeon, and I intend to join in one day when at an adequate level.<br />
<br />
You see this a lot of twitter too. Folkies are really reaching out on twitter and are supporting each other. It's great to be part of a community that at least tries to be nice to one another.<br />
<br />
So if you consider yourself a folkie, be proud! And keep it up! Oh and retweet this on twitter for me... you know... if you don't mind...<br />
<br />
DFTBAPaul Rawcliffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16675838238906929238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734166923888285991.post-70831638221173400472013-10-08T05:48:00.003-07:002013-10-08T05:48:43.722-07:00Review - The Full English<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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If you are a regular follower of EFDSS then you’ll know all
about ‘The Full English’ Project. For those of you who don’t it is basically
the English Folk Dance and Song Society’s project to archive their collections
onto a large online database. Called ‘The Full English’. Like a big breakfast
of folk songs and dances of English origin… it’s very clever.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Some of the most meaningful and exciting of the songs
archived have been adapted by Fay Hield and a team of musicians to great an
album called… well I’m sure you can guess.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Folk enthusiasts have been waiting patiently for the arrival
of their CDs and I like to think that I speak for most when I say the wait has
been well worth it. The collection is absolutely fantastic, really utilising
the skills of some of the best folk artists on the block and creating beautiful
songs for us.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The tunes in the collection are not simply a case of “let’s
do this one, this one looks good!” but Fay and her team have chosen very
carefully to reflect the world of folk and its current position in British
life. The songs have been adapted and altered as needed but not in a butchered
way.<br />
<br />
Fay, Martin Simpson, Rob Harbron, Sam Sweeney, Nancy Kerr, Ben Nicholls and
Seth Lakeman have united their superpowers of folk to form an Avengers style
team up! </div>
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The album starts off with ‘Awake Awake’ (Fay Hield) which
frankly sets the bar high for the rest of the album. The vocals are beautiful,
the tune is gripping and exciting with perfect harmonics with the backing
vocals.</div>
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<br /></div>
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‘Stand By Your Guns’ (Seth Lakeman), ‘Rounding the Horn’ and
‘The Servant Man’ (The use of swapping vocals in this track are really
effective!) are all foot tapping catchy tunes which suggests to me one of the
main purposes of the collection is to be gripping, and catch people in a net
almost.</div>
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<br /></div>
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We also get soothing tracks, with the instrumental ‘William
and Nancy’ and ‘Creeping Jane’ which sounds almost like the kind of story tune
a father would sing to his children on a sunny day.<br />
<br />
Most of the tunes are stories and I found myself hanging on each word,
particularly in ‘Arthur O’Bradley’.<br />
<br />
The entire collection shows the experience and skill of all the artists and
words will never be able to fully project what this album has to offer to any
music lover. Those who are varied in their genre, or those who want a sample of
folk because they have not tried it before must add this to their collection!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
DFTBA </div>
Paul Rawcliffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16675838238906929238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734166923888285991.post-69620726968307555582013-10-02T12:15:00.002-07:002013-10-02T12:47:32.905-07:00Review - The Fox Glove Trio 'Like Diamond Glances'<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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The Foxglove Trio... a name I have seen popping up all over
the place. They kindly sent me a copy of their CD ‘Like Diamond Glances’ and I
must admit it has jumped high onto my list of favourites. The first track ‘Newry
Town’ simply blew me away with beautiful vocals and a gripping musical arrangement
to match.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is only recently I had my first taste of Isle of Man music
through Barrule and so it is great to add this Welsh experience too. This 5
song collection features two welsh songs, ‘Cariad Cyntaf’ and ‘Bugeilio’r
Gwenith Gwyn’, both are lovely songs and paints the welsh language in an
excellent light.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These exciting tunes are also matched with gentler tunes
like ‘The Sign of the Bonny Blue Bell’ which is a lovely folk tale allowed to
reach its full potential because of these musicians.</div>
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<br /></div>
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My favourite tune was a toss-up between ‘Newry Town’ and ‘Betsy
Bell & Mary Grey’ which the latter just winning as it had me merrily
dancing around in my seat. (I must add much to my embarrassment when someone
walked in. I can’t chair dance well. Or any kind of dance really).<br />
<br />
My only complaint is how short ‘Like Diamond Glances’ is. I am certainly left
wanting more and the name Foxglove Trio is no longer going to be one of those
names I keep seeing, but rather one I will eagerly watch, waiting for more
releases.</div>
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DFTBAPaul Rawcliffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16675838238906929238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734166923888285991.post-4106913012400244082013-09-16T03:45:00.005-07:002013-09-16T03:45:55.483-07:00Knowing your areaOne thing I am finding increasingly difficult is knowing exactly what constitutes folk music.<br /><br />I find this with most musical genres as these days so many things cross over, how do you actually say "Yes this is folk" or no "this is defiantly not". Its really hard when things sit in this kind of grey area.<br /><br />The trouble with music is it is not clear cut, it actually more like a spectrum with lots of overlapping it makes things more complicated.<br /><br />On my old folk show I would play things which people would then e-mail me claiming that it is not folk but indie music I just played. Well what? What is 'indie'? How do you know.<br /><br />Folk, world roots, traditional, acoustic, country, Celtic. Even rock and indie. It all overlaps to such an extent that anyone claiming to be an 'expert' in folk must be lying because frankly it is impossible! I know I've tried. Through my different review publications I see this problem approached different ways.<br />
<br />
Bright Young Folk has a very specific remit where it has to be traditional English music that can be considered 'root' music. Fatea magazine on the other hand allows the cross over into Jazz, Country, Irish and American folk. Is this a bad thing? No probably not. It just makes it complicated and impossible for anyone to know what they are doing.<br /><br />Sure when trying to become an expert you'll get to know the big names, but so will everyone else. With the number of artists really going for it it is impossible to recognise every band. This is why I get really fustrated when someone says to me "Oh, your into folk? Well you must know x" and I stare at them blankly. They then reply with "So you don't really know anything about folk do you?".<br /><br />This annoys me, simply because it is impossible. <br /><br />You'd of course think that there must be a limited number of artists so of course you can get to know them all. This is true but the number of folk artists is so high that it may as well be infinite.<br /><br />I spend a lot of money collecting folk music and this is not even to mention the amount I get for free from reviews and I've only scratched the surface. Unless your a billionaire you just can't do it..<br /><br />How Cecil Sharp managed to collect as well as he did I'll never know!<br /><br />I'm interested to see what EFDSS and North West Folk (two publications I am now getting involved with, hurray for shameless self promotion!) do to define what they consider folk.<br />
<br />
DFTBAPaul Rawcliffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16675838238906929238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734166923888285991.post-92073846878292159282013-09-04T06:09:00.001-07:002013-09-04T06:09:08.696-07:00Strange perceptions and easily answered questionsSo you may know that recently a pilot has been charged with raping African school kids during a charity event thing.<br /><br />What is really interesting is a picture of the pilot shows him playing an accordion which promoted an acquaintance to say to me 'You play one of them things don't you?' to which I wanted to explain the difference between an accordion and a melodeon but instead decided to let it go and just say 'yes'.<br /><br />He then gave me the evilest look ever and walked off. I wasn't really sure what happened but then I remembered another time a few years ago when I was considering paying the banjo. A large number of people I knew begged me not to because they said it was a symbol of being an inbred hick. They are of course referring to Deliverance and the famous Dueling Banjos scene (which is an amazing bit of playing, inbred hick or not). People are judging an entire music instrument based on one film and deciding that anyone who plays that instrument or enjoys the music must be on the same level as the <i>fictional</i> people in the film.<br /><br />I can only guess that the reaction of my acquaintance over the accordion is a similar thing. In his mind accordion = rapist. I found this insane. Why the accordion? Why not him being a pilot? Both are as equally unconnected to being a sexually assaulting nutcase as the other, yet that assumption was made in his head?<br />I think I really get how catholic priests feel now.<br />
<br />
<br />
In other news, another friend asked me why Folk music seems to have different names. At first I thought they meant the way old folk tales often get given different titles as it passes through different groups, but are still essentially the same tune or story.<br /><br />What was actually is meant is why do many folk sets, particularly dance ones, do this:<br /><br />Next Stop: Grimsby/ The Three Rascals/ Aunt Crisps<br />
<br />
I remembered that when I first got into Folk music I didn't quite get this either, and I suppose it isn't something you see in most musical genres. What this is three different tunes merged into one set. Often folk tunes are actually quite short, often because they get repeated over and over.<br /><br />So here Next Stop: Grimsby is one short tune, the artists want to make a full track out of it so merge it with Three Rascals and Aunt Crisps to make one set made out of three tunes. This is of course where the real skills of the musicians come in. You can't just throw any three tunes together, they have to fit with each other, be easily transitioned and of course involve the same instruments (for the most part).<br /><br />It is when you think of this that you realise that musicians don't just sit there and learn some tunes and play them again, they do much more than that.<br /><br />DFTBA<br />
<br />Paul Rawcliffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16675838238906929238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734166923888285991.post-59261841776509871402013-08-22T06:07:00.003-07:002013-08-22T06:55:12.931-07:00Rawcliffe Top 10 Part 2 - SongsHere is my Top 10 list of the best tracks I have heard so far. I did try to avoid simply picking a song from all of my Top 10 artists but sadly that is just how it worked out!<br />
<br />
10. <i><b>Llama Riding/ Dr Faustu's Tumblers - The Gloworms</b></i><br />
<br />
9. <i><b>Rumplestiltskin - Flaming June</b></i><br />
<br />
8. <i><b>Ly Ly Ladyboy - Seas of Mirth</b></i><br />
<br />
7. <i><b>Superfly Set - The Treacherous Orchestra</b></i><br />
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6. <b><i>Stop Your Crying Son - Ange Hardy</i></b><br />
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5. <i><b>Kitty Jay - Seth Lakeman</b></i><br />
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4. <i><b>Temperely Hornpipe/ Oxford University Voluntary Quickstep </b></i><b><i>- Faustus</i></b><br />
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3. <b><i>Captain Ward - Spiers and Boden</i></b><br />
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2. <i><b>Hole in the Wall - Hannah James and Sam Sweeney</b></i><br />
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and now, drum roll please....<br />
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<b>1. <i>Lillibulero - Bellowhead</i></b><br />
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I think I will do these every three or four months as I felt a year was too long but a month was not long enough. Join me tomorrow for the final Top 10, this time featuring album choices!<br />
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Please follow me on twitter @PaulRawcliffe<br />
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<b><i>DFTBA </i></b><i><b> </b></i><b><i> </i></b><i><b> </b></i>Paul Rawcliffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16675838238906929238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734166923888285991.post-88672575187114239082013-08-21T05:46:00.003-07:002013-08-21T05:46:32.107-07:00Rawcliffe Top 10 - ActsOkay so here is the first of my Top 10, we'll start with my Top 10 Acts, now this is for everything I have listened and reviewed since I first started listening to Folk music about 3 or 4 years ago.<br />
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10. <i><b>Whapweasel</b></i><br />
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A recent discovery although I had heard of them during my initial spread into Folk. From listening to Faustus I discovered Saul Rose, who is now the melodeon player for Whapweasel. So far I have only listened to one album 'Burn' which is before Saul joinned.<br />
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I found the album really fun and very very bouncy, typical folk dance music really, which is my favourite branch and probably why it has secured a place in my initial top 10! I have also included them because they have struck an interest, making me want to explore them more, you know music is good when it has this affect on you.<br /><br />I have Whapweasel down as one of three folk groups I would introduce a new folkie too to try and give them a best of snapshot and encourage them to listen to more.<br />
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9.<i> <b>Flaming June</b></i><br />
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Flaming June had to have a place on my list. The music is catchy even though it is not my usual dance type favourite style. This music is slower, lyric based and I think it is the lyrics that really do it for me. The lead singer, Louise, is very motivated in protecting vulnerable women, a cause which is greatly respectable and (sadly) much needed.<br /><br />Her passion is very apparent in the music with the song 'Rumplestiltskin' being a very symbolic tale related to these issues. <br /><br />I think really the fact that Flaming June have been in the Cambridge Charts for the entire duration allowed by the rules is quite an achievement and is certainly a sign of their affect on people.<br />
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8. <i><b>Seas of Mirth</b></i><br />
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Just hilarious, from twitter and e-mail correspondence to general website you can see these guys don't take themselves seriously in the slightest, and it totally works as a thing! Their pirate theme is taken to ridiculous proportions but it<i><b> </b></i>sells and it entertains!<br />
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I was horrified to find that a 'hilarious' pun I put at the start of my review of them on Bright Young Folk was later stolen by someone else. This either meant that my review was read or it wasn't as clever as I thought and was actually entirely predictable. We all know which is more likely.<br /><br />Anyway, their songs are the perfect balance of catchy and funny!<br />
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7. <i><b>Faustus</b></i><br />
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I first heard of these guys when listening to the Bellowhead collection 'Umbrellowhead' which<i><b> </b></i>gathered
the other works of many Bellowhead members. They only had one album
under their belt at the time (well as 'Faustus' they had two more as a
previous incarnation 'Dr Faustus') and it looked pretty ordinary and bog
standard with regards to the simple title (Faustus) and basic cover
with just the three band members on (on a lovely green background
actually, simple but one of my favourite album covers). Inside though
was a great delight of tunes with a nice mix of exciting dance tracks
such as 'Next Stop: Grimsby/ The Three Rascals/ Aunt Crisps' and
'Temperly Hornpipe/ Oxford University Voluntary Quickstep' and good sung
tunes such as 'Ballina Whalers' and 'Acre of Land'. This album even
ribbons it all off with a good mix of the two in 'The Green Willow
Tree'.<br /><br />I am also impressed by Faustus when I saw them live at
Shrewsbury last year (which I am very sad to not be at this year :'( ).
They had a great relationship with the crowd and had a very funny stage
presence, not to mention encouraging singing along to Ballina Whalers.<br />
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6. <i><b>Dervish</b></i><br />
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A proper Irish band here. It must be difficult in many ways for Irish groups that do traditional Irish music, simply because most of the music is not protected by any copyright laws with them being traditional, and so many bands are doing them.<br />
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Dervish though do it so well and are extremely popular as a result and I think this is thanks to two aspects, the first is the talented musicians that play the music and the second is the voice of Cathy Jordan. I saw them at Shrewsbury and I couldn't help but notice how warm her accent is, it was very inviting and soothing and this comes through strongly in the music.<br /><br />They also have good song choices, I think a lot of thought is put into the tunes they decide to play rather than simply throwing out any old tunes randomly.<br />
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5. <i><b>Fleadh</b></i><br />
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Another Irish band with the same good points as Dervish, but in a way different too (does that make sense?).<br /><br />I found Fleadh less relaxing than Dervish, but that's because I found them more exciting. There was much more 'Umph!' in their tunes and were much more catchy in some respects with 'The Ballad of John B Whistl'in' being up there at the top.<i><b></b></i><br />
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Good, powerful vocals and a nice varied instrument set up makes this band a must listen.<br />
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4. <i><b>The Treacherous Orcestra</b></i><br />
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I missed these guys at Shrewsbury due to a tent change and a limited schedule but boy do I regret it. They are a prime example, along with Bellowhead, that you can create some powerful music when you have a huge mix of instruments.<br /><br />This eleven piece Scottish band<i><b></b></i> used electric guitars and a whole host of folkie instruments to create chaotic tunes such as 'Superfly' and 'Sausages' (These are shorted titles, see them for full tune names). You could see these are the remixers of Folk, merging lots of tunes together to create masterpeices.<br />
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3. <i><b>Ange Hardy</b></i><br />
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Really been impressed with this one. Ange produced a lovely album called 'Bare Foot Folk' that is frankly beautiful. Her voice, the dynamics, the lyrics, all of them spot on for me. I think with Ange my favourite quality is how sweet she comes across in her music. You defiantly get a strong<i><b> </b></i>feeling of her motherly side and it really perks you up!<br />
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2. <i><b>Blackbeard's Tea Party</b></i><br />
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Another really fun band who don't take themselves too seriously (although they take themselves a little more seriously than Seas of Mirth). They have produced three brilliant albums so far which merge folk and rock really well. They also happen to be an excellent live act.<br /><br />The variety in this band is a good strong point doing concert style music and Ceilidh style music too (when I get married I SO want these guys to play at the reception) <i><b></b></i><br />
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1. <i><b>Bellowhead</b></i><br />
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This just had to be my top. Bellowhead have been a huge influence on me over the past couple of years as they were the first English Folk band I heard and are probably the reason I am here now (in a career sense not life itself sense). Writing this blog, presenting radio shows (well not at the moment) and reviewing for two magazines has all stemmed from how blown away I was from listening to these guys. <br /><br />Another eleven piece band who use a variety of instruments to make amazing adaptations of tunes. They are considered the best live act according to Chris Moyles and just to make sure this is true I went to see them four times in a year! (well part of this was winning a free ticket and then them finally coming to Liverpool).<br />
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One day I was bored and wanted something new and refreshing to listen to. At the time I was experimenting with Irish music (god that makes it sound like a drug), and then a friend sent me 'New York Girls' and that was in then, after listening to the rest of that album and then their previous two I then had to get their individual work compilation and from there my love for Folk music exploded like a virus exploring many different bands!<br /><br />I'm now even trying to teach myself the melodeon after failing at the fiddle when I was a child and then the banjo more recently. All of this comes from listening to Bellowhead!Paul Rawcliffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16675838238906929238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734166923888285991.post-61829201540080970362013-08-20T03:32:00.001-07:002013-08-20T03:32:18.442-07:00A change of directionI have decided, after much thought, that I will only use this blog for career purposes now.<br /><br />By this I mean folk music related things such as reviews, news and updates. I will not post any more political rants and such things, I want to use this blog more as a tool to get where I want rather than just a voice, after all that is what drunk Facebook posts are for!<br /><br />Now that I have a stable(ish) income it is the best time for me to focus on making contacts and getting into the exact career path I want so promoting my reviews and trying to find another Radio Slot are my top priorities.<br /><br />I will still review non-folk music on here if and when it comes up, as you should never fully close other doors, but folk will be my focus!<br /><br />To start this off I'm going to start a new thing of Rawcliffe's Top 10 where every month, year? (To be decided) I will do a Top 10 of Acts, Albums and individual songs.<br /><br />I will start tomorrow with my Top 10 Acts but for the first one it will be so far, in my 3 or so years of experience with Folk. On Thursday I will post my Top 10 Songs so far (again of my experience so far) and finally on Friday my top Albums and from then I'll do only the recent ones.<br /><br />I would ask people help me promote this, especially if you are in Folk music circles, I need all the help I can get!<br /><br />- Paul<br /><br />DFTBAPaul Rawcliffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16675838238906929238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734166923888285991.post-18925338090191332252013-08-12T05:10:00.002-07:002013-08-12T05:10:24.850-07:00Snowden and Messiah (not linked)Lets start with all this with Edward Snowden.<br /><br />Hero or traitor? Clearly neither, possibly both.<br />This has rapidly become a propaganda war sadly. The US Government are branding him a 'traitor' for two reasons. The first is because depending on how you define it then he probably is, but also because they don't want people to like him and encourage such actions again.<br />
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Snowden has brought forward very serious secrets and the US Government doesn't like it (obviously). They want to nip this kind of behavior in the bud so are using a very powerful word 'traitor' to smear him and turn the general public against him. Well as much as the public as they can anyway.<br />
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It has clearly worked in the case of Dog the Bounty hunter who apparently is going to try and track Snowden down: http://www.chronicle.su/news/dog-the-bounty-hunter-to-pursue-snowden-bounty/ (amongst other sources).<br /><br />So apart from the mere label is he actually a traitor?<br /><br />Well it depends what side he was on in the first place. He is a traitor to the American government because he has spread their secrets and as he worked directly involved in these programs he is a traitor. He may however take the opinion that his chief loyalty has always been to freedom and to the public, in which case he is not a traitor.<br />
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I think the public needed to know about the extent of the spying. Although I, personally, agree that that level of security is needed, it would just be nice for it to be in the open. I believe in high security because I am happy to sacrifice some personal freedoms in order to feel safe, and as someone who does not intend any criminal activity, the thought of being spied on does not make me feel like my freedom is risked.<br /><br />Take a teacher to a young child. The young child is playing and the teacher is watching and will only interfere if the child is going to hurt itself or cause harm to others. I like to see it like that. Having said that this is the most optimistic take, most people will probably think more sinister activities in play. <br />
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Now for this story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23665106<br />
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Uh. This is a difficult one. I can't believe the judge has gotten away with changing the name on grounds that are clearly her personal religious beliefs. That is wrong. It is akin to her saying all Muslims or jews must take Christian names. A judge should be unbiased and this strikes me as not very unbiased at all.<br />
<br />I do however agree with her on two points, one majorly and well less so.<br /><br />The first is the potential for abuse if in a highly christian area. Christians are unlikely to take the name lightly and may well insult or attack. However, this is a lot of 'ifs' and 'buts' and 'maybes'. Plus the name Jesus is commonly used in America (along with Messiah) and I can find little evidence this has happened before. <br /><br />So if the move really is to protect the child from the harm of a name he did not choose then that is an understandable decision. But there is nothing to suggest harm is likely.<br /><br />The second point was the idea that the word 'messiah' is a title. Like Doctor or Judge, or even 'Officer'. Well you don;t see many children called Doctor do you? (put aside any Doctor Who bias or references :p ). BUT is messiah a legally protected term? Doctor is, which is why you probably can't use it. On the other hand even with that, do legally protected titles apply when used as a name?<br /><br />I'd have to look closer!<br />
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DFTBA<br />
<br />Paul Rawcliffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16675838238906929238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734166923888285991.post-2446519569851775612013-07-30T01:51:00.003-07:002013-07-30T01:51:41.974-07:00Time Keeping and PoliticsSince starting my new job I have no idea where all my time went! I work 30 hours a week 9-3.30 so in theory I should have all the time to do the things I want to do such as keeping up with my music reviews (on www.brightyoungfolk.com and www.fatea-magazine.co.uk, just in case you didn't know...), learning the BC Melodeon, getting fit and watching the vast array of youtube channels I enjoy.<br /><br />It should be even easier since I can do some of these things at the same time but still I'm finding in the week I'm look if I get a full hours practice on the Melodeon a day. Now part of this is seeing my better half, as she is not in her student house yet she has been spending a lot of time at mine, but even taking this into account I still seem to be hemorrhaging time somewhere, it just vanishes!<br />
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<br />Speaking of Melodeon, I am getting so infuriated these days because it is only clicking very slowly. at my current rate I'm learning a small tune every three months. Part of this is the previous mentioned time issues but a big part is I am teaching myself and so I think I am picking up a lot of bad habits. I'm trying to get some tuition but this is proving tricky!<br />
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Now, political updates:<br /><br />Bedroom Tax - clear insanity.<br /><br />The Government has gone nuts lately, I was shocked by their reaction to the European court saying their current procedure on making jobseekers go on unhelpful unpaid placements. The Government has simply ignored the court and ran through emergency legislation so they can have their own way. All I see in the news (which I see a lot through my job) is more and more 'plans' to improve the economy (yeah, great job thus far.) that ultimately shits down everyone who is not a milionaire or a politician. I come from a middle class background and I know that the middle classes are buckling as much as the working, the divide now between rich and poor is becoming stinking rich and then everyone else.<br />
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If more pressure is put then people are going to start snapping. When this happens the Government is going to 'take a stand against violence' and get all 'moral high ground' saying that resorting to violence is unacceptable and not the way to make your voice heard.<br /><br />On principle I agree. But lets look at this from another angle. I get bombarded with petitions and facebook groups sharing stories of how many people are genuinely suffering and people tell me the Government isn't getting this?<br />
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They are ignoring the petitions and the voice of the people because they know the masses are powerless vocally, as soon as bricks start flying they can use a smear campaign to make people fighting for a quality of life look like nothing but thugs.<br />
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On the flip side to this of course is a lot of people involved in rioting are thugs and thugs see it is an excuse to join in and start chaos.<br /><br />So really this is lose lose at the moment. The oppressed will fight, destroying their own 'victim' status in the process. The Government will continue to do whatever it's warped perception of what is right will tell them and ignore the masses, either brushing it as they have to make hard decisions or people are just not prepared to make sacrifices.<br />
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Maybe the truth is somewhere in the middle.<br />
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DFTBAPaul Rawcliffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16675838238906929238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734166923888285991.post-17419719098815620192013-07-04T06:30:00.000-07:002013-07-04T06:30:18.836-07:00Emotions, Arguing and The Most Common Yet Unhelpful Things EverI am cursed this terrible thing called emotions. Now most people suffer a similar disease, but unlike me, other people are better at hiding them. I used to think I was and then one day I released this was simply denial to the fact I actually wear my heart on a piece of rope dangled in front of me with a large 'kick me' sign floating over the top.<br />
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This discovery (which has been gradual, not a sudden epiphany) has taken place probably over the last five years or so from around my second year of university until present day. I think scientists call developing this disease 'growing the fuck up'.<br />
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Now the comforts I have taken from this discovery are the following: 1) it is good to have emotions 2) it is natural and bloody human to have emotions 3) there are still people who are 10 times worse at expressing their emotions in moderation than me.<br />
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So what has this got to do with unhelpful things? Well the majority of my complaints in this post will in some way emotion related (although not exclusively).<br />
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Lets start with arguments. <br /><br />When you have a argument or a disagreement with someone it is common curtsey and a well established practice to rant and rave a slightly adapted, one sided and probably inaccurate version of events to people you are usually fairly sure will take your side.<br />
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This isn't a judgement, we've all done it.<br /><br />and we shouldn't. We screw ourselves over with this. If I'm being a massive dick I want to know. People are naturally wired to not blame themselves where at all possible. <br /><br />In fairness, arguments themselves are futile. You will never really convince someone to your side, or if you do using actual proof then all you do is build up potentially damaging resentment which will ruin your relationship with that person forever.<br /><br />I'm not talking about necessary arguments here, like when a couple need to argue about how to raise the kids. or even how best to build the camp so it is zombie proof after the ghoul ridden Apocalypse has happened. (although in both these cases if you are at the point of arguing then this shows extremely poor forward planning and your probably already a failure as a parent or dessert.)<br /><br />I mean here stupid political theories about the way the world should work or why you don't like celebrities or whatever. These are things that all originate in opinions and nine times out of ten are not qualifiable in a right and wrong style of classifying. The trouble with politics is there is not a right answer. Every system is flawed so arguing is pointless because you will only ever see the strengths of your stance and ignore or at best weakly accept the flaws, and then vice versa only focus on the flaws of your opponents arguments and never really acknowledge the good points.<br /><br />*breath*<br /><br />Anyway... so after you rant to this poor sod who knows nothing o the other person's point of view they will likely regal you with some such line as "You know your right so that is all that matters". This is very very bad. First of all, the person may not be right, and now it has been enforced into their mind that they are right. If I am being a knobjockey, the last thing I need is to be utterly convinced that I'm not. I would rather the other person told me I was wrong so I could focus my energy deciding if flowers were too undignified as an apology.<br /><br />You will only get told the truth like this if a number of criteria are hit and most of the time one of these will be lacking so you get the unhelpful response. The criteria seems to be if the other person is extremely close to you (so are probably the ones your likely to argue with anyway) and know both sides of the argument with no shred of bias. This is very unlikely to happen.<br /><br />I was tempted to put if the other person was confident enough to tell you that your wrong too, but decided this is probably not true because they may then tell you your wrong simply for the giggles.<br />
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The next thing is 'move on'. There are a number of situations that end with these words and they are by far the biggest life cop out ever. Moving on, whether it be from a death or a relationship, to one of the hardest things in the human experience. I get annoyed when people get seemingly annoyed at people who are still mourning the death of a loved one ten years later. Moving on just is not that simple, and I would go as far to say that for many is impossible. Even 'strong' (I have another rant about the term 'strong people' but more about that another time) people are probably putting on a front or pushing their feelings of despair into the darkest regions of their minds.<br />
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But why do we say it? Simple. It's the only thing you can say really. Whether it is because you are simply not that interested and you want the whiny git to shut up, you can't just tell them that. As humans we have this habit of not wanting to kick people who are already upset. So we tell them to 'move on' which we spin as "Move on with your life and be happy" (despite knowing that is impossible) but what we really mean is "Move on to another topic that won't make me look at my own life in horror and drink myself to sleep tonight"<br /><br />I'm sure many out there are genuine in wanting to help a friend or a partner through grief, don't get me wrong. If a friend comes to me with troubles I would bend the world to help them and do whatever I can for them to feel better. Unfortunately most of the time there is just not a damn thing we can do no matter how much our soul bleeds for them. This is why we have the pre-recorded socially acceptable get out clauses.<br />
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The other one, which I have done a little digging about, is when people say "Just drink moderately then" or "stop smoking gradually, one step at a time!".<br /><br />When it comes to addiction people often don't realise that our brains all process certain chemicals differently. Our brain receptors responsible for addiction are all unique and respond to different stimulus differently.<br /><br />If you find yourself unable to understand why someone can't simply have one or two drinks and happily leave it at that it is because your brain is wired a totally different way to them. It is impossible for them to see drinking or drug taking in the same way you do.<br />
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My personal problem is alcohol. I am not an alcohol or anything because the first thing I think in the morning "Oh God I'm so tired I hope I don't fall asleep on the train" rather than "I need a bottle of rum with my coffee". However, I am incapable of moderate drinking. Say having one glass of wine with dinner. That is a very difficult thing for me to do. I can do it, just, but it is very hard. If I drink I need to drink a fairly big amount and get buzzed, at least on the tipsy/drunk border.<br /><br />I am better not drinking at all than simply having one or two drinks. My brain just works in the way that as soon as I have one drink I get that itch in my mind, that overwhelming craving for more. If I don't drink at all I'm fine. The trouble is even people with similar troubles will never fully understand my individual sensation, and likewise I won't theirs. Once I get to the point of being mildly drunk, that itch actually subsides and it is easier for me to then stop drinking. But of course by then my inhibitions have plumeted from what I've already drunk. So it is a catch 22.<br />
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My point here is that it is very unhelpful for someone to tell me just to have one or two drinks. That is very difficult and as a result I can never enjoy the night then.<br /><br />Anyone else find this?<br /><br />DFTBA<br />
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<br />Paul Rawcliffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16675838238906929238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734166923888285991.post-15321466232629031902013-06-06T08:22:00.003-07:002013-06-06T08:22:35.948-07:00Keeping the fire for your hobbyI've found that with my new job I went very quickly from having a lot of free time constantly, to practically none at all. For the most part I welcome this, but it has had some snags.<br /><br />The main snag is for a while I had a build up of reviews that needed doing as a result they were rushed and it felt like a chore. I also found my passion for Folk music dying slightly. I assume this was because I had such restraints on the reviews that it wasn't fun doing them. Thankfully I had some time to plough through and I am now fully caught up.<br /><br />I was concerned though that perhaps my love of folk would still be affected. Thankfully I was giving an album called Bare Foot Folk by Ange Hardy to review.<br /><br />This album is one of the best I have reviewed so far and really helped rekindle that love in me for the genre, it inspired me to give the review a good write, much like my proper standard, and I hope this comes across.<br /><br />In case you don't know I write for two online magazines, Bright Young Folk and Fatea. They both have completely different ways of reviewing so I need to put a different head on when working on them. Fatea has quite a large catchment working with Folk, acoustic and some stuff I would argue is Indie. They take a more liberal attitude of celebrating most music.<br /><br />The trouble is I've had to review a lot more music that is outside my interest, which is good and bad as it develops my winder understanding of music, but also I find it harder to put as much 'Umph!' into the writing.<br />
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Bright Young Folk has a much closer remit which is much more my area, so I enjoy the music more. The catch then is all reviews for Bright Young Folk are supposed to be neutral in writing, so, like with Ange Hardy, I find music I want to just sing countless praises for, and I can't because the review needs to be neutral. This isn't a bad thing, Bright Young Folk concentrates more on spreading Folk and accepts that a reviewers personal feelings towards a certain album may be different to other Folkies, so Bright Young Folk aims to show what people would be getting. Fatea is more emotional in the writing (but aims for positive, avoids negatives reviews instead choosing not to review something not liked) acting more like a celebration of music rather than simply a platform to find new stuff.<br /><br />Another plus for Fatea is we get sent the actual review CD, Bright Young Folk sends mp3 files. See my last post to understand why I regard that a plus.<br />
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DFTBAPaul Rawcliffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16675838238906929238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734166923888285991.post-55751336616616925292013-06-03T03:32:00.002-07:002013-06-03T03:32:52.826-07:00Is the CD dying?A lot of my peers seem to get increasingly puzzled by the way I always try to buy DVDs and CDs rather than opting for digital downloads. The fact I opt for discs seems to wind some people up to ridiculous proportions as they spew every reason under the sun why I should be keeping with the times.<br /><br />The arguments they generally use go like this:<br />
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- They are cheaper<br />
- It is quicker, you get your album within a few minutes<br />
- They only take up computer space rather than physical space<br />
- It is easier to get them illegally <br />
- It is the modern way to do it<br />
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All of these points are valid but don't convince me to swap completely. Inevitably I do have a lot of downloaded music, in particular if I only like an individual song I will download it from itunes, so it is not as though I am completely against doing this.<br /><br />But my main responses would be these:<br /><br />- Yes they are cheaper usually, but you get what you pay for, I want a physical object so I am prepared to pay more for it.<br /><br />This actually leads me to my main reason for wanting the physical disc. I want the possession, it feels more like I own it if I have it stored up on a shelf. It is mine. With a digital download I just don't get this feeling at all, it feels just like another computer file, the same as everyone else's, in way if this file 'mine' my on individual copy, or at least not in the same way a disc is.<br />
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<br />Secondly I like to have them on display, with DVDs if me or the better half can't think of something to watch it is easier to just look over the shelf and pick something out that we haven't seen for a while or strikes us. This is harder with computer files, you usually have to dig up what it is you want, and already know what you want.<br /><br />Similar with CDs. My background with music is I am trying to promote a less popular genre, and my hope is by having them on display people will be curious to look through them. Interesting cases may catch someone's eye and I can tell them about it and just maybe, convert someone.<br /><br />This is a lot more difficult with digital files because you can't just let someone browse at their own leisure as easily. People do not like to be preached at ESPECIALLY when it comes to music, people get very defensive so it is better to let someone decide they want to try it off their own back.<br />
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- It's quicker. Yes it is, but I'm very patient and believe good things are worth waiting for. Plus I quite enjoy the anticipation of knowing it will arrive soon by post. To me that is part of the fun of a disc. I also don't like this whole culture of 'must have everything right now' attitude that modern society seems to go for. There is nothing wrong with it as such, I just personally don't like it.<br />
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- They only take up computer space, not physical. See previous sections, but also on an additional note, to me discs and are ornaments, I want them to take up space because without shelves full of CDs and DVDs my room would look very bare and empty. Then again I suppose that is what everyone else uses books for... oh wait...<br /><br />- Easier to get them illegally. I hate piracy. I believe it kills our movie and music industries so I will always pay. Folk music is struggling because of piracy, I support these bands who don't make as much as big pop stars. I help them the way I can, buying their music legally. Plus yaknow... key word is illegal...<br />
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- It is the modern way to do it. Yes it is and no doubt in years to come I'll be forced to swap completely or some new platform will arrive. Hopefully CDs wont be totally dead and will be able to exist along side new platforms as CD and Mp3 (for example) currently do. Besides I'm very old fashioned for my young age.<br />
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DFTBA<br />
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<br />Paul Rawcliffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16675838238906929238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734166923888285991.post-65364915204754645072013-05-01T05:50:00.003-07:002013-05-01T05:50:59.173-07:00Careful what you sayWell the A-Z of April this year is over (Although I think I may have miscounted somewhere, nevermind)<br /><br />Now for a couple of rants.<br /><br />I have noticed recently that my desire to cause arguments has increased. Now I have always enjoyed trolling and setting up arguments, getting others to carry it on and then sitting back and watching my creation, but the past month or so I have just noticed myself having a short fuse and I'm not really sure why.<br /><br />I have also noticed on many occasions this month that people have stopped listening, they get a point they want to get across and that is it then, no other opinion is acceptable. Now here I'm not talking about great political issues like the Thatcher episode or even the celebrity sex scandals (although on these points it has been murder trying to get your opinion across because people seem to go into a blind rage if you even slightly disagree). I'm talking about stupid stuff that does not matter.<br />I'm finding myself now going the other way and getting so exhausted by being attacked by saying the simplest of things that I don't even want to get involved with any kind of debate anymore.<br /><br />As I said in a previous post is my problem is I give up too easily. Having studied Philosophy I used to love debating and arguing but I just hate it now, especially as debating outside the classroom simply leaves me feeling that the other person is upset/angry/not speaking to me.<br /><br />I hate that feeling a lot. I am not one of these people who can just take the attitude of 'it's their loss' or 'it's their problem' I get anxiety attacks over these things, so I always give up and I'm on the verge of just keeping any and all opinions to myself.<br /><br />What I then find is people pressure me over and over for my opinion, then when I finally cave I get savagely attacked for this opinion that I did not even want to give in the first place.<br /><br />I don't like falling out with people and I like keeping everyone happy as much as possible, but blimey people I do need to be met half way! I feel like a lot of people back me into a corner as one extreme or another. so if I look at an argument between two friends, in the past, I have been made the baddie because I would not choose a side, it's either one side or the other. <br /><br />People's inability to compromise really bugs me and this is something else that has changed the past few months, I find I don't tolerate it as much as I used to. I am very quick to give up with stubborn people now. I have no time or energy left for dealing with people who refuse to compromise.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />On a side note. I noticed this BBC article:<br /><br />http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-22354326<br /><br />It clearly says in the tag paragraph: Children who use self-deprecating humour among their peers are more likely to be bullied, researchers say.<br /><br />Fair enough. But it then says under the picture:<br /><br /><span style="width: 304px;">Children bullied at school are more likely to make jokes at their own expense<br /><br /><br />Does anyone else think that those are two completely different statements?</span> Being bullied because you use self deprecating humor is not the same as using self deprecating humor because you are bullied. They are completely different.<br /><br />If they mean both apply then fine. I don't see it explained that way though. So which is it?<br /><br />DFTBA<br /><br /><br />P.S The number of times I wrote Onions instead of Opinions on my first draft is insane.Paul Rawcliffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16675838238906929238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734166923888285991.post-55311787423721259132013-04-30T02:28:00.000-07:002013-04-30T02:28:32.964-07:00Y is for YodaY is for Yoda<br /><br />So Disney is planning to release stand alone movies as well as the next Star Wars trilogy.<br /><br />I do generally think this would be a great idea, my only concern is there is such an expanded universe now with books of the final trilogy etc that I am concerned the films will mess up what is already regarded as wider canon, even if technically speaking it should not be.<br /><br />Thoughts? <br /><br />I am personally looking forward to a Yoda back story and maybe a Boba Fett one too. I think maybe more obscure characters like Plo Koon and IG-88 would be brilliant too.<br /><br />DFTBAPaul Rawcliffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16675838238906929238noreply@blogger.com0