A superb live set from americana/folk/country artist Paul Curreri kicked off a new season of RaW Folk. Paul played three tracks from his new album California and talked about life in the US and UK, the many influences on his music and his forthcoming UK tour. To catch Paul perform in Coventry this Thursday, visit www.tinangeltickets.co.uk.
Music Played
Artist - Song (Album)
Show of Hands - Arrogance, Ignorance and Greed (Arrogance, Ignorance and Greed)
The Queensberry Rules - When You Come Home Again (Take Your Own Roads)
Paul Curreri - California [LIVE]
Jim Moray - Lucy Wan (Low Culture)
6 Day Riot - O Those Kids (6 Day Riot Have a Plan)
Devon Sproule - Ain't that the Way (¡Don't Hurry for Heaven!)
Paul Curreri - Once Upon a Rooftop [LIVE]
Mumford & Sons - Little Lion Man (Radio Edit single)
Folk On or Folk Off
Sister Ray - Egg
Paul Curreri - Down By The Water [LIVE]
Paul Curreri - Letting Us Be (Songs for Devon Sproule)
Martin Simpson - Never Any Good (Prodigal Son)
Monday, 9 November 2009
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
RaW Folk Returns
A new season of RaW Folk begins on November 7th featuring a live session from acclaimed Americana/Folk/Country artist Paul Curreri.
Tune into RaW this Saturday at 6pm - online at radio.warwick.ac.uk/listen - to hear the whole show live.
Tune into RaW this Saturday at 6pm - online at radio.warwick.ac.uk/listen - to hear the whole show live.
Wednesday, 22 July 2009
Lisa Hannigan's Sea Sew shortlisted for Mercury Prize
Florence Welch, she of early co-favourites for this year's Mercury Prize Florence and the Machine, has 'never heard of' fellow nominee Lisa Hannigan. This is disappointing, particularly after the latter's mainstream exposure on Later with Jools Holland, the Radio 2 playlist and (of course) RaW Folk...
Hannigan, with a critically acclaimed history as the female vocalist for Damien Rice, refers to her music as plinky plonk rock, perhaps in an attempt to dodge the singer-songwriter and nu-folk labels. This is probably a good idea - generally such labels are as unhelpful as they are unsound and Hannigan's music should be heard without prejudice. Her nomination is well-deserved.
Nevertheless, since the Mercurys started in 1992 the prize has earned a reputation for its left-field nominees and, to a lesser extent, winners (Antony & the Johnsons spring to mind). It has an equally rich history of promoting folk artists, with Eliza Carthy, Kate Rusby, Seth Lakeman, Laura Marling and Rachel Unthank and the Winterset (now the Unthanks) among those gracing previous shortlists.
None have gone on to win, unfortunately, meaning Lisa Hannigan's chances on form are not that great. Last year something of a headwind built up behind the Unthanks, seemingly sweeping them from token folkies to serious contenders, though no-one could quibble with Elbow's eventual win (in the process joining Klaxons, Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand as all-male band winners of the last five years). The Mercury Prize has a habit of springing surprises, however, so maybe Hannigan, with her unassuming, engaging and well-executed debut album Sea Sew, could pull off a shock come September.
Hannigan, with a critically acclaimed history as the female vocalist for Damien Rice, refers to her music as plinky plonk rock, perhaps in an attempt to dodge the singer-songwriter and nu-folk labels. This is probably a good idea - generally such labels are as unhelpful as they are unsound and Hannigan's music should be heard without prejudice. Her nomination is well-deserved.
Nevertheless, since the Mercurys started in 1992 the prize has earned a reputation for its left-field nominees and, to a lesser extent, winners (Antony & the Johnsons spring to mind). It has an equally rich history of promoting folk artists, with Eliza Carthy, Kate Rusby, Seth Lakeman, Laura Marling and Rachel Unthank and the Winterset (now the Unthanks) among those gracing previous shortlists.
None have gone on to win, unfortunately, meaning Lisa Hannigan's chances on form are not that great. Last year something of a headwind built up behind the Unthanks, seemingly sweeping them from token folkies to serious contenders, though no-one could quibble with Elbow's eventual win (in the process joining Klaxons, Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand as all-male band winners of the last five years). The Mercury Prize has a habit of springing surprises, however, so maybe Hannigan, with her unassuming, engaging and well-executed debut album Sea Sew, could pull off a shock come September.
Friday, 17 July 2009
Warwick Arts Centre's Autumn Music Programme Released
After an incredibly disappointing year marred by extensive construction work, the release of Warwick Arts Centre's live music listings for Autumn 2009 has me very excited and necessitates an increased intensity of job hunting.
Folkie highlights include:
- Kings of Convenience on October 15
- The Unthanks on October 29
- The Saw Doctors on December 02
- Kate Rusby on December 19
- Steeleye Span (Maddy Prior, Peter Knight, Liam Genockey, Ken Nicol, Pete Zorn) on December 20
Paul Weller, Newton Faulkner and Alsion Moyet are also playing the Butterworth Hall. Limited £5 tickets are available for students - head over to www.warwickartscentre.co.uk/events/music/ for more information.
In addition, Seth Lakeman will be playing the Copper Rooms (Warwick SU) on November 10 - always a superb live spectacle, though I suspect the excessive £16 price tag will keep many away.
Folkie highlights include:
- Kings of Convenience on October 15
- The Unthanks on October 29
- The Saw Doctors on December 02
- Kate Rusby on December 19
- Steeleye Span (Maddy Prior, Peter Knight, Liam Genockey, Ken Nicol, Pete Zorn) on December 20
Paul Weller, Newton Faulkner and Alsion Moyet are also playing the Butterworth Hall. Limited £5 tickets are available for students - head over to www.warwickartscentre.co.uk/events/music/ for more information.
In addition, Seth Lakeman will be playing the Copper Rooms (Warwick SU) on November 10 - always a superb live spectacle, though I suspect the excessive £16 price tag will keep many away.
Wednesday, 1 July 2009
RaW Folk's Vital Statistics
During the final show I received an email enquiry about the most-played song on RaW Folk - a title won by Fleet Foxes for Mykonos, which, with four plays, works out as almost 0.8% of RaW Folk's musical output. In actuality that is likely to be wildly untrue, as I have not been so anal in my bookkeeping as to record individual track lengths - but I have pressed play 513 times.
Listed below for the quantitatively-tuned are RaW Folk's vital statistics.
Total shows: 32
Total songs played: 513
Average show duration: 74.5 minutes
Average songs per show: 16.03
Most songs played: 30 (18/10/2008)
Fewest songs played: 9 (07/02/2009 - though this special show included snippets from 35 other tracks, as part of RaW Folk's BBC Folk Awards coverage).
Most Played Artist: Bob Dylan (18)
Most Played Female Artist: Eliza Carthy (11) and Kate Rusby (11)
Most Played Band: Chumbawamba (13)
Most Played Duo: Simon & Garfunkel (8)
Most Played Songs: "Mykonos" by Fleet Foxes (4) and "All You Pretty Girls" by Jim Moray (3) and XTC (1).
Songs with three plays:
- "Come Down Jehovah" (Chris Wood)
- "Fakenham Fair" (Bellowhead)
- "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" (Robert Plant & Alison Krauss)
- "Lon Dubh / Blackbird" (Julie Fowlis)
- "Mary Margaret" (Mr Plow)
- "New Columbus" (The Queensbury Rules)
- "Old Virginia Block" (Devon Sproule)
- "When I Get Back To Shore" (Thea Gilmore)
- "White Winter Hymnal" (Fleet Foxes)
"Dirty Old Town" has also been heard three times - Ewan MacColl's original, Rod Stewart's cover and the Pogues' Irishised version from Rum, Sodomy & the Lash. In addition, the Dylan classic "I Shall Be Released" received three plays - versions by the Tom Robinson Band and the Band having been featured in Folk On or Folk Off but the original never making the airwaves (tut).
Most Featured Albums: "The Boy Bands Have Won" by Chumbawamba (ten different tracks played, twelve plays total); "Low Culture" by Jim Moray (six, nine) and "Burlesque" by Bellowhead (eight, eight).
Thanks again to everyone who listened to the programme during its four term run. The current intention is to continue the show with a series of specials next year.
Listed below for the quantitatively-tuned are RaW Folk's vital statistics.
Total shows: 32
Total songs played: 513
Average show duration: 74.5 minutes
Average songs per show: 16.03
Most songs played: 30 (18/10/2008)
Fewest songs played: 9 (07/02/2009 - though this special show included snippets from 35 other tracks, as part of RaW Folk's BBC Folk Awards coverage).
Most Played Artist: Bob Dylan (18)
Most Played Female Artist: Eliza Carthy (11) and Kate Rusby (11)
Most Played Band: Chumbawamba (13)
Most Played Duo: Simon & Garfunkel (8)
Most Played Songs: "Mykonos" by Fleet Foxes (4) and "All You Pretty Girls" by Jim Moray (3) and XTC (1).
Songs with three plays:
- "Come Down Jehovah" (Chris Wood)
- "Fakenham Fair" (Bellowhead)
- "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" (Robert Plant & Alison Krauss)
- "Lon Dubh / Blackbird" (Julie Fowlis)
- "Mary Margaret" (Mr Plow)
- "New Columbus" (The Queensbury Rules)
- "Old Virginia Block" (Devon Sproule)
- "When I Get Back To Shore" (Thea Gilmore)
- "White Winter Hymnal" (Fleet Foxes)
"Dirty Old Town" has also been heard three times - Ewan MacColl's original, Rod Stewart's cover and the Pogues' Irishised version from Rum, Sodomy & the Lash. In addition, the Dylan classic "I Shall Be Released" received three plays - versions by the Tom Robinson Band and the Band having been featured in Folk On or Folk Off but the original never making the airwaves (tut).
Most Featured Albums: "The Boy Bands Have Won" by Chumbawamba (ten different tracks played, twelve plays total); "Low Culture" by Jim Moray (six, nine) and "Burlesque" by Bellowhead (eight, eight).
Thanks again to everyone who listened to the programme during its four term run. The current intention is to continue the show with a series of specials next year.
Thursday, 4 June 2009
30/05/2009: Final Show
Saturday was RaW Folk's final outing in its present form. Due to looming exams I will have to keep this post short but please check back here in a couple of weeks for more information.
Music Played
Artist - Song (Album)
Queensberry Rules - New Columbus (The Black Dog)
Donovan - Mellow Yellow (Mellow Yellow)
Fotheringay - Peace in the End (Fotheringay)
Featured Album: Christy Moore - Listen
Christy Moore - Listen
Devon Sproule - Old Virginia Block (Keep Your Silver Shined)
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu - Bapa (Gurrumul)
Scott Claasen - Athena (Monterey)
Lisa Hannigan - I Don't Know (Sea Sew)
Featured Album: Christy Moore - Listen
Christy Moore - The Ballad of Ruby Walsh
Simon & Garfunkel - The Sound of Silence (Sounds of Silence)
June Tabor - A Place Called England (A Quiet Eye)
Featured Album: Christy Moore - Listen
Christy Moore - Duffy's Cut
Bob Dylan - Maggie's Farm (Bringing It All Back Home)
Music Played
Artist - Song (Album)
Queensberry Rules - New Columbus (The Black Dog)
Donovan - Mellow Yellow (Mellow Yellow)
Fotheringay - Peace in the End (Fotheringay)
Featured Album: Christy Moore - Listen
Christy Moore - Listen
Devon Sproule - Old Virginia Block (Keep Your Silver Shined)
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu - Bapa (Gurrumul)
Scott Claasen - Athena (Monterey)
Lisa Hannigan - I Don't Know (Sea Sew)
Featured Album: Christy Moore - Listen
Christy Moore - The Ballad of Ruby Walsh
Simon & Garfunkel - The Sound of Silence (Sounds of Silence)
June Tabor - A Place Called England (A Quiet Eye)
Featured Album: Christy Moore - Listen
Christy Moore - Duffy's Cut
Bob Dylan - Maggie's Farm (Bringing It All Back Home)
Sunday, 24 May 2009
23/05/2009
Music Played
Artist - Song (Album)
Gogol Bordello - Start Wearing Purple (Gypsy Punk: Underdog World Strike)
Fairport Convention - Ballad of Easy Rider (Unhalfbricking)
Train Track
Decemberists - Engine Driver (Picaresque)
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Lodi (Green River)
Fleet Foxes - Oliver James (Fleet Foxes)
Leonard Cohen - So Long, Marianne (Songs of Leonard Cohen)
Folk On or Folk Off
Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (Car Wheels on a Gravel Road)
Christy Moore - Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Listen)
Roy Bailey - How Beautiful Upon the Mountain (Below the Radar)
The Legend of Stuff
Martin Carthy - The Ant and the Grasshopper (Right of Passage)
Alexander Rybak - Fairytale [single]
Artist - Song (Album)
Gogol Bordello - Start Wearing Purple (Gypsy Punk: Underdog World Strike)
Fairport Convention - Ballad of Easy Rider (Unhalfbricking)
Train Track
Decemberists - Engine Driver (Picaresque)
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Lodi (Green River)
Fleet Foxes - Oliver James (Fleet Foxes)
Leonard Cohen - So Long, Marianne (Songs of Leonard Cohen)
Folk On or Folk Off
Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (Car Wheels on a Gravel Road)
Christy Moore - Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Listen)
Roy Bailey - How Beautiful Upon the Mountain (Below the Radar)
The Legend of Stuff
Martin Carthy - The Ant and the Grasshopper (Right of Passage)
Alexander Rybak - Fairytale [single]
Saturday, 16 May 2009
16/05/2009
An eclectic mix of music tonight, ranging from the unpronounceable (Israel Kamakawiwo'ole ) to the unspellable (Israel Kamakawiwo'ole) and punctuated by tales of timewasting and digiplay breaking. Dedicated listeners were also rewarded with some hot tips for revision success towards the end of the show.
The mysteriously named 'Internet Listener' emailed in on the topic of mishearing people (in my case in pubs and bus shelters) with a great link about misheard lyrics: click here.
Music Played
Artist - Song (Album)
Sharon Shannon - Blackbird (The Galway Girl - The Best of Sharon Shannon)
Sugarland - Steve Earle (Love on the Inside)
Steve Earle - Satellite Radio (Washington Square Serenade)
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole - Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Facing Future)
Phil Beer - Garland Gay (A Celebration of Great British Folk [various])
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu - Bapa (Gurrumul)
Queensberry Rules - New Columbus (The Black Dog)
Folk On or Folk Off
The Zutons - Always Right Behind You (You Can Do Anything)
Chris Wood - Summerfield Avenue (Trespasser)
The Legend of Stuff
Rory & Alex McEwan - Bonnie George Campbell (A Celebration of Great British Folk [various])
Ella Edmondson - Breathe (Hold Your Horses)
Jim Croce - Time in a Bottle (You Don't Mess Around with Jim)
The Gurrumul track generated a particularly enthusiastic response - so here he is performing 'Bapa' live last year:
Finally, one last top revision tip for dedicated blog readers: before an exam, skim read all your notes by reading only the long words down the middle of the pages. Then fix a stare at the notes and flick through them at speed. Your brain will receive the information faster than you can read it, but the information will continue to be processed inside the exam hall...
The mysteriously named 'Internet Listener' emailed in on the topic of mishearing people (in my case in pubs and bus shelters) with a great link about misheard lyrics: click here.
Music Played
Artist - Song (Album)
Sharon Shannon - Blackbird (The Galway Girl - The Best of Sharon Shannon)
Sugarland - Steve Earle (Love on the Inside)
Steve Earle - Satellite Radio (Washington Square Serenade)
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole - Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Facing Future)
Phil Beer - Garland Gay (A Celebration of Great British Folk [various])
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu - Bapa (Gurrumul)
Queensberry Rules - New Columbus (The Black Dog)
Folk On or Folk Off
The Zutons - Always Right Behind You (You Can Do Anything)
Chris Wood - Summerfield Avenue (Trespasser)
The Legend of Stuff
Rory & Alex McEwan - Bonnie George Campbell (A Celebration of Great British Folk [various])
Ella Edmondson - Breathe (Hold Your Horses)
Jim Croce - Time in a Bottle (You Don't Mess Around with Jim)
The Gurrumul track generated a particularly enthusiastic response - so here he is performing 'Bapa' live last year:
Finally, one last top revision tip for dedicated blog readers: before an exam, skim read all your notes by reading only the long words down the middle of the pages. Then fix a stare at the notes and flick through them at speed. Your brain will receive the information faster than you can read it, but the information will continue to be processed inside the exam hall...
Monday, 11 May 2009
09/05/2009
A right mixed bag this week with music from the psychedelic-influenced Byrds and Bees alongside long overdue debuts on RaW Folk from Martyn Joseph and Simon Emmerson's Imagined Village collective.
The Imagined Village project, involving a diverse collection of artists including "The Modfather" Paul Weller, performance poet Benjamin Zephaniah and folktronica outfit Tunng, was established to produce a modern, multicultural take on the folk songs of Victorian collectors and features retellings of ballads such as Death and the Maiden and The Hard Times of Old England. In 2007 a national tour brought The Imagined Village to Warwick University.
The track played on Saturday's programme was Cold, Hailey, Rainy Night, featuring Eliza Carthy, Chris Wood, The Young Copper Family and Transglobal Underground. Their rendition won the Best Traditional Track prize at the 2008 BBC Folk Awards.
Music Played
Artist - Song (Album)
The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season) (Turn! Turn! Turn!)
Eliza Carthy - Stingo / The Stacking Reel (Red)
Train Track
Crosby, Stills & Nash - Marrakech Express (Crosby, Stills & Nash)
The Bees - A Minha Menina (Sunshine Hit Me)
Martin Simpson - Duncan and Brady (Prodigal Son)
Loudon Wainwright III - Dead Skunk (Album III)
The Imagined Village - Cold, Hailey, Rainy Night (The Imagined Village)
Folk On or Folk Off
The Saw Doctors - World of Good (Same Oul' Town)
Pentangle - Light Flight (Basket of Light)
Martyn Joseph - Sing to My Soul (Evolved)
Beth Orton - Concrete Sky (Daybreaker)
Paolo Nutini - Rewind (These Streets)
The Imagined Village project, involving a diverse collection of artists including "The Modfather" Paul Weller, performance poet Benjamin Zephaniah and folktronica outfit Tunng, was established to produce a modern, multicultural take on the folk songs of Victorian collectors and features retellings of ballads such as Death and the Maiden and The Hard Times of Old England. In 2007 a national tour brought The Imagined Village to Warwick University.
The track played on Saturday's programme was Cold, Hailey, Rainy Night, featuring Eliza Carthy, Chris Wood, The Young Copper Family and Transglobal Underground. Their rendition won the Best Traditional Track prize at the 2008 BBC Folk Awards.
Music Played
Artist - Song (Album)
The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season) (Turn! Turn! Turn!)
Eliza Carthy - Stingo / The Stacking Reel (Red)
Train Track
Crosby, Stills & Nash - Marrakech Express (Crosby, Stills & Nash)
The Bees - A Minha Menina (Sunshine Hit Me)
Martin Simpson - Duncan and Brady (Prodigal Son)
Loudon Wainwright III - Dead Skunk (Album III)
The Imagined Village - Cold, Hailey, Rainy Night (The Imagined Village)
Folk On or Folk Off
The Saw Doctors - World of Good (Same Oul' Town)
Pentangle - Light Flight (Basket of Light)
Martyn Joseph - Sing to My Soul (Evolved)
Beth Orton - Concrete Sky (Daybreaker)
Paolo Nutini - Rewind (These Streets)
Sunday, 3 May 2009
02/05/2009
Influenced by a special music marathon to mark the departure of RaW's vinyl library, something of a retro flavour permeated the show this week, tempered by tracks from Kate Rusby, Seth Lakeman, Young Folk Award-winning siblings Megan & Joe Henwood and rockabilly Cambridge invitee Imelda May.
Music Played
Artist - Song (Album)
Beach Boys - Cottonfields (The Cotton Song) (Sunflower [European release])
Kate Rusby - Awkward Annie (Awkward Annie)
America - A Horse with No Name (America)
Simon & Garfunkel - The Sounds of Silence (Wednesday Morning, 3A.M.)
Folk On or Folk Off
Imelda May - Johnny got a Boom Boom (Love Tattoo)
Bob Dylan - Hurricane (Desire)
The Legend of Stuff
Kate Rusby - Andrew Lammie (Awkward Annie)
Seth Lakeman - The White Hare (Freedom Fields)
Young Folkies
Megan and Joe Henwood - White Lies (Folk Awards 2009 [various])
Richard Thompson - 1952 Vincent Black Lightning (Rumour and Sigh)
Music Played
Artist - Song (Album)
Beach Boys - Cottonfields (The Cotton Song) (Sunflower [European release])
Kate Rusby - Awkward Annie (Awkward Annie)
America - A Horse with No Name (America)
Simon & Garfunkel - The Sounds of Silence (Wednesday Morning, 3A.M.)
Folk On or Folk Off
Imelda May - Johnny got a Boom Boom (Love Tattoo)
Bob Dylan - Hurricane (Desire)
The Legend of Stuff
Kate Rusby - Andrew Lammie (Awkward Annie)
Seth Lakeman - The White Hare (Freedom Fields)
Young Folkies
Megan and Joe Henwood - White Lies (Folk Awards 2009 [various])
Richard Thompson - 1952 Vincent Black Lightning (Rumour and Sigh)
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