Post by Traditional Music Forum on Mar 27, 2021 17:43:11 GMT
TMF Newsletter | June 2020
This newsletter is a space for our members, and others active in traditional music in Scotland, to share news, stories and thoughts. Contributions are always welcome.
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FROM THE NETHERBOW
We keep hearing that post-lockdown everything is going to change. Nothing will be as it was, and those of us (me included) were sadly mistaken who thought that things would be back to the way they were by now, with summer festivals, the Olympic Games, barbecues and weddings and the rest of it all dusted off and put back on the mantelpiece where they were.
The pace of change in 2020 has been staggering. First we went, more or less willingly, from zero to lockdown in a matter of days, and then events on the other side of the Atlantic precipitated protests and debates which prefigure some overdue changes in attitudes, some of which are already under way.
Events in Bristol showed that what was once seen as the natural order is on a shaky plinth. It’s taken over one hundred years but the 19th century certainties symbolised in flags, anthems and statues increasingly seem to be out of time and out of place in the 21st century.
Much of what we have taken for granted is now recognised as being fragile. Included in that is our infrastructure of performance platforms and the promotional models that go with them. Venues and promoters will have to adapt to virtual tours and virtual performances, although the jury is out on how satisfactory they are in comparison to the pleasures of being with other people in a room attending to the same thing at the same time.
It may be that, away from national symbols and the virtual realm, what might sustain artists, performers and audiences alike is a closer connection with a sense of the local. History and culture of place reflect the lives of all the people who live there, whether well-established or recently arrived. If local, place-based projects are going to be an important feature of creative life going into the future, then folk and traditional musicians are well positioned with many of the skills to work with local people to explore, draw out and make creative use of what they find.
TMF BLOG:
'VIRTUALLY KNOCKENGORROCH' FESTIVAL KICKS OFF A NEW SEASON, AND A NEW WORLD... - by Katch Holmes
Make sure you read this fantastic blog by Katch Holmes, co-producer of the Knockengorroch Festival, about the success of moving this year's festival online.
TMF BLOG:
WILL YOUR PASSION SAVE YOU? - by Bruce MacGregor
"What I’ve noticed over the last few months is that musicians and singers are adapting rapidly. We’re now learning video, editing and production skills to reach audiences. We’ve got to pull all those skills together and see how we can keep Scotland’s traditional music alive."
Our second blog this month comes from fiddler Bruce MacGregor (Blazin' Fiddles). There is plenty of food for thought here.
SCOTLAND ONLINE
LIVESTREAM EVENTS FEATURING SCOTLAND'S THRIVING TRADITIONAL ARTS
Make sure you keep checking the TMF's new Scotland Online website for listings of livestream events featuring Scotland's thriving traditional arts.
If you have an online event coming up fill out the submission form on the website.
scotlandonline.org
BBC RADIO SCOTLAND YOUNG TRADITIONAL MUSICIAN AWARD 2021
The search for the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician 2021 is on. This is now the premier award for young traditional musicians in Scotland and many past winners have gone on to have successful careers in the world of traditional music. The final of this annual event takes place during the Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow and performing in the finals can be the launch pad many young musicians need to kickstart their careers.
Entrants must be aged between 16 and 27. To enter the competition entrants must submit:
a 10 minute recording of themselves playing traditional Scottish music
a short written biography of their traditional music experience
a list of songs/tunes submitted and any relevant details of their source/background
a 1 min home video of themselves performing in domestic or concert setting
Entries close midnight 25th June 2020.
More details and how to enter here.
Photo above : Ali Levack, 2020 winner
FINANCIAL HELP OPPORTUNITIES
MUSICIANS' UNION CORONAVIRUS FINANCIAL HARDSHIP FUNDING PHASE TWO
Help Musicians’ second wave of hardship support will help those ineligible for government emergency safety nets or unable to survive on what they receive. The latest support initiative from the charity is targeted at self-employed musicians who do not qualify for Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and other unemployed musicians who are experiencing significant financial hardship.
More info & how to apply here.
KEEP MUSIC ALIVE CAMPAIGN
The Musicians' Union joined forces with the Ivors Academy to launch a campaign in May this year to Keep Music Alive, starting with a petition to #FixStreaming.
Covid-19 has hit songwriters, musicians and composers hard. Gigs and commissions have been cancelled, festivals and performances postponed, and recording studios closed. Since early March, over 20,000 applications have been received to music industry Hardship Funds. This crisis has brought into sharp relief the fact that creators and performers are sustained primarily by income generated by the live side of the music business and that streaming royalties are woefully insufficient.
The Keep Music Alive campaign aims to ‘fix streaming’ and calls for industry stakeholders to come together to agree an equitable, sustainable and transparent model for royalty distribution in the streaming era.
As a first step, the two organisations have set up a petition calling on Government to urgently undertake a review of streaming to ensure that the music ecosystem is transparent and fair.
More info & how to sign the petition here.
NEW MUSIC
MIKE VASS - LITTLE SKETCHES
Released 22nd April 2020
Available from bandcamp
"A series of little sketches of music. These little pieces are rough hewn, but serve as a diary of sorts, from my time inside lockdown in Glasgow, Scotland."
KATIE MACFARLANE - TOIRT M' AGHAIDH RI DIÙRA
Released 21st May 2020
Available from bandcamp
Singer Katie Macfarlane's latest single release. With accompaniment from Pablo Lafuente and Joseph Peach.
ALY BAIN & PHIL CUNNINGHAM - NO RUSH
Released May 2020
Available from philcunningham.com
"After years of being asked to make an album of some of our slower material we have 1000 limited copies available".
Get the latest album from iconic folk duo Aly Bain & Phil Cunningham.
CLAIRE HASTINGS - PROUD (ACOUSTIC COVER)
Released June 2020
Available at www.clairehastings.com
This is Claire's version of 'Proud' by Heather Small.
Claire was asked to record this for the 'NHS D&G For the Love of Scrubs' charity; a volunteer group who have been making PPE for healthcare workers during COVID-19.
MIKE VASS - MAN ALONE WITH HIMSELF
Released 5th June 2020
Available from bandcamp
"Not since 'Decemberwell' in 2011 have I recorded something 'solo' - just me layering up different sounds. This was a real challenge, but one I'm glad I set myself during lockdown. I learned a lot and am proud to have 4 new tracks to share with you."
Recorded and mixed by Mike Vass at home, May 2020.
ALI LEVACK - DEBUT
Released 5th June 2020
Available from bandcamp
'Debut' is the brand new solo track from the current BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Ali Levack. This track is a tune called 'Pablo's' by Ali. He is joined by Paulo Lafuente and Jack Smedley.
GRÁINNE BRADY - NEWCOMER
Released 5th June 2020
Available from bandcamp
Newcomer is the title track, and second single from fiddler Gráinne Brady's forthcoming solo album. Following her debut solo album The Road Across the Hills, Gráinne's second solo album is also inspired by the work of Irish writer Patrick MacGill – namely his second novel 'The Rat-Pit'.
The story follows a young Donegal woman, Norah Ryan who, upon emigrating to Scotland as a teenager, was vulnerable to poverty, sexual exploitation, and great emotional loss.
In this part of the story, Norah gives birth to a baby boy and comes to the realisation that "a woman's life is always woven of dreams, sorrow, love and self-sacrifice." Also featuring, in spoken word, on this instrumental track, is Love, a poem by Patrick MacGill.
DOSCA - ISOLATION REELS:
£80 TAX / INSPECTION PLATFORM
Released 9th June 2020
Available from bandcamp
Dosca have been working on a new single during lockdown. The two tunes are written by Dosca's guitarist Luc McNally.
ANDREW FINN MAGILL & SEÁN GRAY - THE HONEST DOG
Releases 12th June 2020
Available here.
'The Honest Dog' is the second single release from the new EP 'Half Light' by Andrew Finn Magill & Seán Gray.
SKERRYVORE - LIVE ACROSS SCOTLAND
Releases 10th July 2020
Available for pre-order now from www.skerryvore.com
Recorded throughout their Scottish winter tour, Skerryvore's new album ‘Live Across Scotland’ features 15 tracks from venues all over the country.
LAUREN MACCOLL - LANDSKEIN
Releases 7th August 2020
Available for pre-order now from bandcamp
Fiddler Lauren MacColl's latest album, LANDSKEIN, composed of almost entirely solo traditional airs, is an uncompromising and rare delight. Bold in its simplicity, the only addition to MacColl’s fiddle is the subtle, sensitive accompaniment of pianist James Ross. Recorded ‘on location’ in Abriachan village hall, high in the hills above Loch Ness – a space known for its fine acoustics – this recording distils the finest qualities of Highland fiddle music – at times haunting, enchanting, enlivening.
The title LANDSKEIN suggests a thread or yarn in which the lifelines of a landscape, people, stories and memories are richly intertwined. The central thread traces the lifeline of MacColl herself, making her homeward journey to the Highlands, finding her place, awakening her senses in the hills and reconnecting with the taproot of the tradition that nurtured her.
TMSA YOUNG TRAD TOUR 2019
Coming soon...
The month of May should have seen the TYTT2019 group out on the road. The good news is the CD recorded by participating musicians: 2019 winner Benedict Morris, 2018 winner – Hannah Rarity, Cameron Ross, Catherine Tinney, Luc McNally, Ross Miller and Sarah Markey, is currently in production and should be ready soon.
UPCOMING EVENTS
VIRTUAL TMSA KEITH FESTIVAL
12TH - 14TH JUNE 2020
Dance, sing-around session, concerts, footage from previous festivals, a special performance of 'The Festival O' Keith'.
Join the TMSA Keith Festival team on Facebook for the virtual festival this weekend.
LIVE MUSIC NOW SCOTLAND - TOGETHER AT HOME SERIES
Live Music Now Scotland's Together At Home Series is now into its 11th week. This week's trad portion is Snuffbox on Sunday 14th June at 7pm. The trio will perform a range of jigs, reels, tracks from their debut album 'Playing for Free' alongside new material.
This concert is suitable for older people at home in isolation, those that would have attended day centres, those living in care homes, those living with dementia and suitable for the general public too.
You can watch the concert live on the Live Music Now Scotland YouTube page. You can also find all past concerts in this series on the YouTube channel so make sure you check them out.
WHAT MAKES THIS TUNE SO GREAT?
ONLINE MUSIC WORKSHOP - SCOTTISH STORYTELLING CENTRE
18TH JUNE 2020, 7PM - 8.30PM
How is it some traditional tunes stand the test of time, while others don’t? Join multi-instrumentalist Hamish Napier as he dissects some favourite tunes to find out what makes them stand out. Play along at home with the tunes, or simply enjoy Hamish’s entertaining take on tradition.
The workshop will be held in the form of a Zoom meeting. Login details and guidelines will be emailed to participants after booking.
This workshop is a Pay What You Can event, using the donation box on the payment page. Suggested donation is between £5-£15, but please only Pay What You Can.
Book online now.
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