21/02/2009

Having packed in over twenty tracks on an hour's 1950s rock'n'roll special during the week, stat-watching devotees (there must be some, surely?) will be pleased to note that last Saturday's offering contained the fewest songs that I've ever played in a single programme. Did the previous show overrun? Yes. Was I waffling? Yes. Did I ask lots of rhetorical questions? Did I?

Music Played
Artist - Song (Album)

Joan Baez - Stones in the Road (Play Me Backwards)
Shooglenifty - Glenuig Hall / The Wrong Box (The Arms Dealer's Daughter)
Scott Claassen - Blowing Off Steam (Monterey)
Paisley Close - The Passionate Shepherd (All On a Day)

The Legend of Stuff
Fairport Convention - Sir Patrick Spens (Liege and Lief [remastered])

Nickel Creek - When In Rome (Why Should the Fire Die?)
Devon Sproule - Old Virginia Block (Keep Your Silver Shined)

Young Folkies
Jaywalkers - Run Sister Run (Folk Awards 2009 [various])

Mawkin: Causley - George's Son (Cold Ruin EP)
Charlie Daniels Band - The Devil went Down to Georgia (Million Mile Reflections)

The time it is a-changin' (sort of)

Due to RaW's extended coverage of the SU election results tomorrow (Saturday) night, RaW Folk will broadcast at the earlier time of 17:00-18:00 this week only. Tune in at radio.warwick.ac.uk/listen for your fix of folk.

14/02/2009

Keen to blow away any lingering Folk Awards-related radio hangover from the Saturday show (Wednesday was just a completely different vibe!), yesterday's programme featured the rousing tones of Show of Hands and the Demon Barbers, complemented by a couple of Chris Wood tunes to nourish and soothe. RaW Folk listeners continued to support the hypothesis of Big Bill Broonzy / Louis Armstrong that 'all music is folk music', with Amy MacDonald's This is the Life becoming the latest track to be declared a Folk On hit, albeit by the narrowest of margins.

In other news, Chumbawamba's Charlie, played in honour of Darwin's 200th birthday, became the 400th song on RaW Folk (including repeats, excluding bedding music and all those nominee excerpts from last week). Thoroughly meaningless, though rather neat.

Music Played
Artist - Song (Album)

The Nightwatchman - One Man Revolution (One Man Revolution)
The Shee - Chilly Winds (A Different Season)
Vin Garbutt - Punjabi Girl (Persona... Grata)

Train Track
Speedy West - Railroadin' (Radio & Recording Rarities volume 6 [various])

Chumbawamba - Charlie (The Boy Bands Have Won)
Chris Wood - Come Down Jehovah (Trespasser)
Glen Campbell - Wichita Lineman (Wichita Lineman)

Folk On or Folk Off
Amy MacDonald - This is the Life (This is the Life)

Show of Hands - Country Life (Country Life)
Ruby Suns - Tane Mahuta (Sea Lion)
Bob Dylan - Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn) (Self Portrait)
Chris Wood - The Cottager's Reply (Trespasser)
Demon Barbers - The Good Old Days (+24db)

11/02/2009

It's a surreal world in which we live and this week RaW Sport Midweek was off-air because there was a football match - following earlier reports that Chelsea were to be managed by an interim goose. Has anyone told the RSPB?

All of that (well the first bit anyway) meant that RaW Folk had a bonus show on Wednesday night, featuring Johnny Cash's gloriously ludicrous train impression and twelve top tunes. Happy Mittwoch!

Music Played
Artist - Song (Album)

The Leisure Society - The Last of the Melting Snow (single)
Chris While & Julie Matthews - Together Alone (Together Alone)
Christy Moore - Night Visit (Voyage)
Alvin Youngblood Hart - Tallacatcha (Territory)

Train Track
Johnny Cash - Orange Blossom Special (Orange Blossom Special)

Devon Sproule - Old Virginia Block (Keep Your Silver Shined)

Folk On or Folk Off
Tom Petty - Big Weekend (Highway Companion)

Luka Bloom - City of Chicago (Innocence)
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On) (Raising Sand)
Vin Garbutt - Punjabi Girl (Persona... Grata)
Joan Baez - Stones in the Road (Play Me Backwards)
Chris Wood - The Cottager's Reply (Trespasser)

RaW Folk - Midweek

Apologies for the late notice but RaW Folk returns for a bonus midweek airing tonight from 21:00. Tune in at radio.warwick.ac.uk/listen for your fill of folk on RaW 1251am.

07/02/2009: Folk Awards Special

Regular features were suspended for this special programme to mark the tenth annual BBC Folk Awards, which took place last Monday. Chris Wood and Jackie Oates were the big winners, taking home two trophies each, whilst previous winners Bellowhead, Eliza Carthy and Karine Polwart, with eight nominations between them, all missed out this year. Before announcing the winners I played a medley of songs from the four nominees in each category.

The show also included music from the two recipients of Lifetime Achievement Awards, Judy Collins and James Taylor. Last year's Lifetime Achievement winner, John Martyn, died last month and host Mike Harding began proceedings at The Brewery with a minute's applause in his memory. Bert Jansch and Ralph McTell later gave a tribute to the late Davy Graham, who died in December, duetting for a live performance of Graham's signature tune Angi, which was also featured on RaW Folk this week.

Music Played (award winners listed in bold, albums in brackets)

Lifetime Achievement: James Taylor - Not Fade Away (Covers)

Best Traditional Track medley
Chris Wood - Lady of York / Jackie Oates - The Lark in the Morning / Jim Moray - Lucy Wan / Bellowhead - Fakenham Fair

Horizon Award medley
The Shee - Chilly Winds / Jeana Leslie & Siobhan Miller - Edward / Jackie Oates - The Lark in the Morning / Bella Hardy - Alone, Jane?

Jackie Oates - The Lark in the Morning (The Violet Hour)

Musician of the Year medley
Tom McConville - Fair Pretty Maid / John McCusker - Jack Seward's / Martin Simpson - Duncan and Brady / Phil Beer - Blow the Man Down

Tom McConville - Pretty Fair Maid (Tommy on Song)

Best Duo medley
Bob Fox & Stu Luckley - The Bonnie Gateshead Lass / Chris While & Julie Matthews - Together Alone / Megson - Smoke of Home / Spiers & Boden - The Rain it Rains

Chris While & Julie Matthews - Together Alone (Together Alone)

Best Original Song medley
Jim Moray - All You Pretty Girls (written by Andy Partridge) / Chris Wood - Come Down Jehovah (written by Chris Wood) / Eliza Carthy - Mr Magnifico (written by Eliza Carthy and Ben Ivitsky) / Chris Wood - Cottager's Reply (written by Frank Mansell & Chris Wood)

Jim Moray - All You Pretty Girls (Low Culture)

Bert Jansch & Ralph McTell - Angi [live]

Best Live Act medley
Seth Lakeman - Haunt You [live] / The Demon Barbers - Good Old Days / Bellowhead - Haul Away [live] / Lau - Stewarts [live]

Album of the Year medley
Jim Moray for Low Culture - Leaving Australia / Karine Polwart for This Earthly Spell - Firethief / Chris Wood for Trespasser - Summerfield Avenue / Eliza Carthy for Dreams of Breathing Underwater - Follow the Dollar

Folk Singer of the Year medley
Julie Fowlis - Lon Dubh / Chris Wood - Come Down Jehovah / Karine Polwart - Dowie Dens of Yarrow / Eliza Carthy - Oranges and Seasalt

Chris Wood - Come Down Jehovah (Trespasser)

Best Group medley
Bellowhead - Fakenham Fair / Faustus - The Hostesses Daughter / Mawkin:Causley - George's Son / Lau - Banks of Marble

Lifetime Achievement: Judy Collins - Both Sides Now (Wildflowers)

A fairly hectic show but we managed to hear excerpts from every nominated artist, as well as full tracks from a selection of winners. As DJs are required to log all songs they play, this programme involved logging forty-four tracks in sixty minutes! The next show was late again, so we also heard Banks of Marble in full from Lau, winners of the Best Group award, as a bonus track.

To watch video from the evening (including several live performances) please visit the BBC's Folk Awards microsite and don't forget to tune in next Saturday for the return of regular features Folk On or Folk Off, Train Track and the Legend of Stuff - abnormal service will resume!

Reminder: Folk Awards Special tonight

Tonight's RaW Folk will feature news of from the tenth annual BBC Folk Awards, with music from all the nominees and a very special live performance from the evening. Tune into RaW on 1251am on campus or at radio.warwick.ac.uk/listen at 19:00 to hear an hour's highlights of the most important night in the folk calendar.

Predictions, or how I lost all credibility

Ahead of tonight's BBC Folk Awards in London - which, as far as I know have survived the unprecedented extreme weather event (snow) - it's prediction time! If you'd like to add your own, feel free to comment below.

Don't forget to tune into RaW Folk next Saturday from 19:00 for the results show.

My Dodgy Predictions:
Folk Singer of the Year - Chris Wood
Best Duo - Chris While & Julie Matthews
Best Group - Mawkin:Causley
Best Album - Low Culture (Jim Moray)
Best Original Song - Come Down Jehovah (Chris Wood)
Best Traditional Track - Lucy Wan (Jim Moray)
Horizon Award - Bella Hardy
Musician of the Year - Tom McConville
Best Live Act - Bellowhead