Tag Archives: cycling

We are going to ‘Roll For The Soul’ in Bristol

Roll-for-the-Soul
We are super excited to announce that we will be kicking off ‘Pedal Folk V’ at ‘Roll For The Soul‘ in Bristol on Friday October 3rd.

rfts_new-logo

Roll for the Soul is a delightful not-for-profit bike café, workshop and bike shop in the centre of Bristol. Their vision is to become a focal point for cycling in the city, celebrating and supporting every wonderful aspect of our cycling culture and to offer a city centre space where interesting things can happen… Basically, a village hall slap-bang in the middle of Bristol.

Here is what is looks like empty….

Roll-for-the-Soul-downstairs

We have also been invited back to The Bell in Bath on Sunday 5th October… now just need to find somewhere lovely for Saturday night.

folk radio uk review from swindon show

folk radio uk

Just recovering from Pedal Folk IV and we had a nice surprise in the shape of an unexpected and lovely review on the Folk Radio UK website last week.

I have taken the liberty of copying it below, but you should really read it in its full glory on their site – http://www.folkradio.co.uk/2014/06/live-review-pedal-folk-swindon-central-library-30052014/

 

Live Review: Pedal Folk @ Swindon Central Library, 30/05/2014

6 June 2014 by

Swindon exists roughly at the centre of an imaginary cross whose four arms connect four of the most important places in the life of poet Edward Thomas. To the northwest are the Cotswold hills, where he spent time walking and writing with friend and fellow poet Robert Frost. To the southeast is the village of Steep in rural Hampshire where he lived from 1906. East is London, his birthplace, and west are the Quantock hills, the subject he chose for his final book of prose, In Pursuit of Spring.

Swindon was also home to the father of modern nature writing, Richard Jefferies, who was a great early influence on (and subject of a biography by) Thomas. So it is doubly appropriate that Pedal Folk should have chosen the town’s Central Library – home, incidentally, to an extensive collection of Jefferies’ works – as a venue on their In Pursuit of Spring tour.

The premise is fairly simple. Three musicians and their bicycles follow the route taken by Thomas in his book, stopping along the way to perform songs taken from or inspired by it. Of course, traveling by bike does not allow for much in the way of luggage, so the choice of instruments if fairly small – a guitar shared between the project’s joint instigators Tim Graham and Robin Grey, a ukulele and the fiddle of Katie Stone-Lonergan.

But the necessary simplicity in no way limits the range of material on offer. There are jaunty instrumental fiddle tunes (including a stirring Bath Carnival) and lusty shanties (tonight’s rendition of Santy Anna, a song Thomas loved to sing while traveling, gives Paul Clayton’s definitive version a run for its money). There are also a number of original compositions, among them Leaving London, which concludes with a spoken passage of Thomas’ prose. Grey – whose background is in pop rather than folk – emerges as an accomplished songwriter, throwing around cutting couplets and catchy hooks whilst referencing Leonard Cohen, Ani DiFranco and Weezer or eulogising his favourite inner-city vegetable-grower. Graham, more used to the folk circuit, is an excellent interpreter and re-appropriator of songs, with a hearty voice and an uncluttered Bert Jansch-esque guitar style. His spirited, unaccompanied Chiffchaff is one of many highlights, suggesting both the wonder of nature and the tragedy of trench warfare. Stone-Lonergan, who has played with the Proclaimers and west country favourites Port Erin, provides a clean, fizzing fiddle accompaniment and sweet backing vocals.

The trio have an engaging between-song repartee, important in a show like this when a certain amount of background information has to be delivered. Their enjoyment and passion for the subject is obvious and unfeigned, and they take every opportunity to include the audience in the performance, notably in John Ball, a feisty sing-along originally penned by Lord of the Dance writer Sydney Carter. It is the kind of song that thrives in a live setting.

In the folk tradition, nothing evokes the spirit of the great outdoors – and the spirit of the underdog – like a good poaching song. The best – Thorneymoor Woods, The Rufford Park Poachers, Van Diemen’s Land – manage in varying degrees to combine the romance of the sport with a serious message about class distinction and social upheaval, a message that would have appealed to Edward Thomas with his innate distrust of authority. So it is fitting that tonight’s performance ends with a stirring version of one of the best (and best-known) poaching songs, The Lincolnshire Poacher, a rousing favourite that manages to coax some singing out of the shyest quarters of the audience.

Glastonbury gig confirmed

Tim has now confirmed that we will perform at The King Arthur in Glastonbury during our April ‘In Pursuit Of Spring’ tour, which means we nearly have a full house of gigs.

Now we just need to work out if we are going to do a show in Salisbury or have the night off!

The beer garden looks ace – I hope it is this sunny when we are there in April.

kapg

Photos from our second tour in August 2013

Nearly time to tour

Gosh, it is only a few weeks to go. Tim has made a lovely poster. We are both trying out our new cycling cleats and I am off to Swindon tomorrow for a cheeky rehearsal with Katie. Bring it on.

Please note the change of Bath gig venue. The old place has closed down.

Summer tour small 2

Performing for my grandparents

We have always had ambitions to do pedal folk shows in schools and old peoples homes, so I am totally chuffed that we have manage to sort out a lunch time chapel performance at Cote Lane, where my grandparents live.

Not sure if I am allowed to invite people along who don’t live there but worth dropping us a cheeky line if you are in the area and fancy it – 2pm on Friday 30th August in Westbury-on-Trym, north Bristol.

I hope they like it! My grandparents tend to prefer Frank Sinatra or Bach to folk music…

Hannah Martin said yes!

Tim and I had a brainstorm a couple of weeks ago about who we would most love to join us for the third Pedal Folk ‘In Pursuit Of Spring’ tour in April next year.

Hannah Martin was pretty much top of the list after we both saw her play in her duo with Phillip Henry at Sidmouth Folk Week last year. She is a superb singer, song-writer, performer and plays violin, viola and banjo amongst other instruments.

The great news is she up for it and seems pretty excited about the idea too, hurrah! She’d even heard of Edward Thomas, which shows that a) she is smart and b) she knows more than me.

For those of you who do not know of her, i suggest that you have a listen to the recording below and check out the website of her duo with Phillip Henry here – http://www.philliphenryandhannahmartin.co.uk/.

In Pursuit Of Spring and Edward Thomas

Edward Thomas in 1905

Edward Thomas is one of our country’s unsung literary heroes. He lost his life in 1917 during the First World War and his words and poetry are little known to the vast majority of people, which is sad as many well known authors, musicians and poets cite him as an influence. I had certainly never heard of him until a few months ago.

His last literary work ‘In Pursuit Of Spring’ was published in 1914 about a cycle trip he made from London to Somerset. Tim had the lovely idea of ‘Pedal Folk’ recreating this journey.

We have set aside the last week of April next year to make this happen and below is a rough idea of what the route looks like and the sort of schedule and venues we hope to sort out.

PLEASE NOTE – this is our tour wish list! none of these gigs are confirmed/booked and most of the venues don’t even know who we are and what we are up to yet – best pencil into diary if you are that way inclined.

Date

Town/City Venue wish list
21/04/14 Monday Day 1 London Cecil Sharp House
22/04/14 Tuesday Day 2 Farnham Farnham Maltings
23/04/14 Wednesday Day 3 Winchester The Railway Inn
24/04/14 Thursday Day 4 Salisbury Salisbury Arts Centre
25/04/14 Friday Day 5 Trowbridge Arts Centre
26/04/14 Saturday Day 6 Glastonbury Assembly Rooms Fabulous Furry Folk night
27/04/14 Sunday Day 7 Crowcombe Halsway Manor


View In Pursuit Of Spring in a larger map

Summer Tour is coming together nicely

Buoyed from the success of our first tour, we are taking the liberty of organising a second this summer in the last week of August.

We’ve gigs already lined up for Bath, Bristol, Stroud and Swindon. Just need a couple more now. Lovely!

29/08/13 – Bath Folk Club – Green Park Tavern – Bath
30/08/13 – El Rincón – Bristol
31/08/13 – The Prince Albert – Stroud
01/09/13 – Swindon Central Library – Swindon


View Larger Map