Interviews

Kim took some time out of her busy day to hold a Zoom call with me and talk very frankly about climbing trees, Bjork and motherhood amongst other things…..

You were born and raised in the West Midlands, is that where you currently call home?

I’m back in the West Midlands after a few years living in Gloucester, we moved back during the pandemic as I was 8 months pregnant and we thought we’d move back to our roots.

Where did you go to University?

I went to university in Dartington in Devon, The Dartington College of Arts, it’s a beautiful part of the world and I miss it terribly. Every time I head down the M5 I want to stop by Totnes.

I know your Dad is musical, but are you from a long line of musicians?

I suppose my family has always had an interest in music, but no one would have necessarily called themselves a musician as such, it’s just been part of the lifestyle and part of the home life. I didn’t grow up going to folks clubs, I grew up surround by all genres of music. There were always instruments about and we were encouraged by both my mum and Dad to pick them up and have a go as long as we treated them with respect. My Nan loved to sing, so I guess I was just surrounded it by it.

When did you decide you wanted to follow a musical career?

My Mum always said I was singing before I could talk and I was always passionate about music and all through school that was the thing I excelled at so when I made my choice to go to university there was no question in my mind that I was going to be studying music and music performance.

I don’t quite know what that meant for me as I’d tried song writing and those songs will never see the light of day as they were appalling, but I’d always had the drive and love for it, so there was no question, it was always going to be music for me.

Since graduating and getting out there onto the folk circuit my confidence and experience in writing and performing has grown tenfold and has become a strength.

Your are an independent musician, so what are the best and worst things about being an independent musician?

Being independent has an amazing freedom to it so you can follow your own path and that path is open and open ended so yo can go in whatever direction you feel you need to, to follow your heart as well as your mind with your music. Though this does mean you gave to do a lot of background work that you have to do and maintain and a lot of on-line work, which I struggle with a bit as I’m more of a climbing trees in the woods girl than I am a sitting behind a computer, but it’s a necessary part to things, building connections through social media and contacting people. 

Me and my band The Greenwood from the beginning have always tried to get out to the grass roots and get out to clubs to meet with people and build a community that way. This can be a positive and a negative as it cab be a lot of hard work, a lot of time and a lot of travel as well.

Who are your musical influences?

I’ve always been in to strong female voices and people who have something to say, story telling wise, so voices from my youth that were really important to me are people like Beth Orton, Joni Mitchell, Sandy Denny and as I got a little bit older I was massively into Kate Rusby, so all of these strong women were proving the soundtrack to what I was listening to.

Has becoming a mum influenced how you write and what you write about?

I expected to be Earth Mother with lots of albums worth of material, but instead I got lots of exhaustion and frustration at lockdown and it all went the opposite way to what I expected. 

I’ve put all my musical energy into singing for my son and discovering what works for him musically. Even as babies they have connections with things and what I’m seeing now as he’s becoming a toddler is that some of the things we were singing and working on together when he was small are playing a big role for him now in his development as he’s starting to sing the lyrics now that he’s communicating and is humming along to things. 

So actually my own writing got shelved and I’m just coming out of that now with a couple of new songs that are almost ready to go out into the world, but it’s been more of a struggle than I anticipated trying to negotiate motherhood.

What is the best gig you’ve ever been to?

I would say, roughly 2007/8 when the Volta album by Bjork came out I saw her in Plymouth and what stands out for me was seeing a big troupe of female musicians marching on to the stage with their brass instruments, shouting “Declare Independence”, it was so powerful, it was amazing and she also had some incredible costumes.

How do you see the current music scene and what artists should we be looking out for?

I feel like I’m still reconnecting with everything now, having to do my research and get back into the community after my maternity leave and being away for a little while. What I’m seeing is that people are having to build up again and start promoting again after this time of gigs having to be postponed and cancelled. 

People I’ve been listening to are Siobhan Miller, who has an amazing beautiful lyrical voice, so I’d recommend people check her out, Katie Grace Harris, she’s lovely and I’m intrigued with what she’s doing as she’s got some great sounds, and Angeline Morrison who has a hotly anticipated album coming out in October, The Sorrow Songs: Folks Songs of Black British Experience, which will be a really important record so I’m waiting for that to drop.

Do you have any other projects similar to The Company Of Players on the horizon?

I’m getting back together with Chris Cleverley and Kathy Pilkington, we were doing things under the guise of The Chris Cleverley Trio before lockdown and we’re trying to get some new material together now and we do have one show in December at Warwick Folk Club and we’re looking at bookings for next year. So I’m very excited for that.

How do you get away from music and relax?

I teach music as well so music is my whole every day, so sometime I do need to step away a little bit from it, though I do love to listen to it and do love to go and see live shows. 

So actually for me I’m trying to spend some time sort of building my own world again while navigating that as a mum. Weirdly I’ve got into fitness for the first time in my life, going to the gym, running doing things like that, which is very odd as PE was the thing I used to skip at school by pretending I had a keyboard lesson pretty much every week, but I’m really trying to connect with the physical side of my life. 

That said, most of my time is spent doing playgroups and things like that.

You’re going to live on a Desert Island and you can take a possession, an album and a book, what would you take with you.

Goodness me! - I’ll start with the book, I’m big into fantasy books and epics, but the first one that ever spoke to me was Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings and the relationship for me between the fantasy world and the folk music is that you get to connect with people of all different kinds and the amazing world that gets created around you and that’s what folk music does for me.

Album, that’s a tricky one, that’s really hard, I think it would have to be Tapestry by Carole King, the piano work, the lyrical work is just incredible, the songwriting is great and I love every song on that album, there isn’t one filler track for me at all.

For possession it would have to be my piano, that’s hard to choose as I play a lot of instruments, but the piano has been my connection to music since I was small, it’s what I first had lessons on, it’s where I channel a lot of my creative energy.

Thank you very much Kim.

Ahead of the gig in September, Evan took some time out of his day to have a chat over Zoom, where I discovered that underneath that folky exterior known to most of us is a love of heavy metal and musicals! 

You’re currently based in Rugby, but where do you call home?

My roots are the in North East, but I grew up in Bedfordshire and the family are now based in the North West, so I guess the North West and Manchester area is where I’d consider home these days.

Are you from a musical family?

My sister is musical, she’s a soprano and a vocal coach and lectures in the North West. Mum and Dad have always been fans of music, but they don’t play.

When did you decide you wanted to follow a musical career?

I can’t actually remember a time when this wasn’t what I wanted to do. My dad would play a plethora of musical styles in the car whenever we went anywhere, so we’d listen to anything from musicals to classical to heavy metal. We’re not a folky family, but the one thing we all loved was Lindisfarne and we always went to their gigs. Once when I was little I remember seeing their drummer and thinking that’s a cool thing to do one show my dad sat me next to him so we could have a chat and it’s from that point on that I thought that this could be a good fun thing to do. Through school I was encouraged and lucky enough to get involved with as many drum teachers and professional drummers as possible. So I was lucky in that regard, but I never really felt I had much off a choice about doing it.

Your are an independent musician and have worked with an incredible number of acts, so what are the best and worst things about being an independent musician?

It’s a lot of work to maintain and keep momentum. For me it’s about longevity to keep doing what I do for as long as possible. In that regard I am actually quite lucky in that I get to pick all the things I want to do. There is a certain amount of freedom with that, however that is a constant job in itself as no one is spoon feeding you work and as I do get to work for a lot of other people I sort of need to be ready at a moments notice if there is work to be done. The bad side is that I have to keep an eye on double booking myself. I’m in a weird kind of limbo where I am an independent musician, but also do work for a lot of other people so I have to balance these two lives where I work for other people with making time to do the work I want to do myself as well.

You’re currently working as a duo with Georgia Lewis - how did that come about?

  I’ve know Georgia since university and after I’d been doing the folky percussion thing for a while she just called me up one day and started chatting to me as if we’d been friends for years. So I went along with it and she said she was really interested in learning to play the bodhran as well. Through the years our journeys through the folk scene ran side by side, she was doing her own thing and I was working with Sam Kelly, The Willows and other bands and it came to a point when she was doing her first record and she asked me to be involved with that. We got on really well and found we had a shared love of not folk music as well, some silly prog bands and musicals, so that was a lot of fun. When it came time to do my first solo project, she was someone who had the patience and enthusiasm to hear me out and see where it was going.  For our next albums, we decided to try and do a joint one and smash all our ideas together and see what happens and that’s where we are currently at. We’ve done a few gigs where we’ve been experimenting with some of the new material because we want to be able to play as much of it live as possible, which is easier said than done.

Who are your musical influences?

Growing up I was really lucky to have a drummer in my life called Damian Manning, he is one of the percussionists on the Lion King and he’s probably one of the best all around percussionists there is. He taught at the school I went to and I was completely blown away by his enthusiasm for what he did. Even when I went to Uni, Damian was still my go to guy for how I wanted to sound.  Also when I was at Uni I got into a band called Frost* and their writer and producer Jem Godfrey just blew my mind with what you could do on your own. I really wanted to write my own music and after hearing him, something resonated with me, and still does.

What is the best gig you’ve ever been to?  That’s a tough one as I’ve been to some pretty amazing ones - I’m going to give you two - the first one was in at some jazz cafe in Camden - a tiny dive of a place and it was an Icelandic band called árstíðir, who myself and a few other friends from Uni were obsessed with for a while. It was amazing that they weren’t playing a bigger venue as there must have been a hundred people stuffed in this cafe and we just watched this phenomenal band. Their violin player was on my last record that was the first time we had got to see him - so that gig was amazing because it just did not fit the tiny venue they were in.

The second gig was one I was actually working at as I was playing with iamthemorning and it was called BE-Prog in Barcelona. It was a huge metal-prog festival with some of the biggest acts going and after we played it was amazing to stand on the side of the stage and see all of my favourite bands of the time and all my musical heroes performing.

How do you see the current music scene and what artists should we be looking out for?

I see it with a glimmer of hope as the current people coming up on the scene are a bit more self aware. Having said that the ability to actually go out and gig and perform music is becoming more and more difficult as people are still reticent to go out to shows and to be honest people can’t afford to go out as much, but it is possible as there are a lot of shows out there and it is the small grass roots venues and the rural touring that is super super important. It’s definitely not in a healthy place, but I’m optimistic things will get better.

I guess Katherine Priddy has had a bit of a meteoric rise in the last year just through sheer hard work. She’s someone who has a slightly different sound and is not afraid to take things in a different direction and I think she’s got something really special.

How do you get away from music and relax?

Music is all encompassing in this house. I’m quite enjoying renovating our garden which is a very luxurious pastime to have in the current environment.

You’re going to live on a Desert Island and you can take a possession, an album and a book, what would you take with you.

The possession would be a bohdran, the album Milliontown by Frost* - probably my most played record I haven’t played it for a while but every time I go back to it it gives me something, the book is by a collection of plays from an Italian writer called Dario Fo - he has written a series of funny satirical political plays which are as relevant now as when they were written in the 50 and 60s. When you read it you feel like you’re being made fun of.

Thank you very much Evan and we look forward to seeing you with Georgia and Chris Cleverley in Harwell later in the year.

If you’d like to hear some of the great bands that Evan has played with, check out Folkin’ Around Show #33 on the Radio Cherwell listen again page. 

Duncan recently had a great chat via Zoom with Sean, Andrew & James from Forty Elephant Gang ahead of their Harwell show on 20th May.

You’re currently East London based, but where do you call home?  

Andrew - I’m originally from Walthamstow, but now I live in Billericay, Essex, but I guess our spiritual home is Leytonstone, it’s where we rehearse and go out for a drink.   Sean - that’s where I’m from, but now live in Walthamstow - I was born in the same hospital as David Beckham!   James - I was born in Barking, I lived in Wanstead for a while, but I’m now in Barkingside just down the road from Sean. We still rehearse in Sean’s parents' house and his mum brings us tea and biscuits.

Are you from a musical family and what got you into music?

Andrew - I’m not from a musical family though my mum and dad love music and my sister plays and teaches piano. I’ve always loved music and I got into is as being in a band like Nirvana or Guns & Roses was a massive thing when we were at school being in a band and then I got in to Brit Pop like Blur and started learning about The Beatles (Duncan: didn’t that comment make me feel old!), so seeing all that made me think that’s what I want to do.

James - That’s not strictly true Andrew, you do have some musical heritage as your great uncle was Gary Brooker from Procol Harum!

Sean - my Dad came over from Ireland and is an accordion player - which is where my music started, I had older sisters who were into different genres of music from rock to electronica and from that eclectic mix I decided to pick up the mandolin!

James - my uncle and aunty are music teachers and my mum was in a choir and we went to Catholic Church every week so I was around all that and my uncle and aunty taught me piano and violin as a kid, then you get to school and with all the music around you pick up a guitar and it went from there. As an aside Sean’s dad sometimes plays with us and he’s on the album!

How did you meet and when did you form the band?

We were all at the same school though in different years and ended up at the same musical venues and it sort of went from there.

Who are your musical influences?

Andrew - for me it’s The Beatles and I think that Damon Albarn is a genius, then there’s Dylan and Neil Young of course.

James - for me as well as the Beatles and it’s guitarists like Jimmy Page, James Beck, Johnny Greenwood, Graham Coxon - those sorts of guys, so more of an instrumental type person, though I like the acoustic side of Zeppelin as well.

Sean - very similar, though I was more into rock in my rebellious years, though now I’m more into American Bluegrass such as The Punch Brothers and The Milk Carton Kids (though they don’t have a mandolin), so contemporary stuff like that.

What is the best gig you’ve ever been to?

James - that’s tough, but for me Page & Plant at Reading 98.

Sean - that’s too hard a question - but as a consolation I can tell you that my first gig was Shakin’ Stevens!!

Andrew - I saw Damon Albarn recently at the Globe Theatre which was great.

How do you see the current music scene and what artists should we be looking out for?

Andrew - it is still hard work getting people in, but it sort of goes in waves. I can’t really think of anyone off the top of my head, maybe Tom Hyatt, though I’m not sure he’s doing anything right now.

James - Louis Brennan and a band called Salt Moon which our friend Maia is in and also a seven piece band called Ringlefinch.

Sean - Arun Enstwhistle, who was in Ringlefinch and has now gone solo is fantastic.

James - in terms of international stuff I’ve been listening to Domi and Jadie Beck, they’re a duo, she’s French and plays piano and he’s an American drummer and they do crazy 100mph jazz. They’ve played with Thundercat and also done a video with Ariana Grande. I got into them from watching Insta videos, which I wasn’t too keen on at first, but I’ve found a lot of good young musicians that way.

How do you get away from music and relax?

All - playing music our is relaxation as we’ve all got full time jobs and families, we find watching football (Andrew) or playing golf (Sean) too stressful! I do like to play a bit of tennis (James).

You’re going to live on a Desert Island and you can take a possession, an album and a book, what would you take with you.

Andrew - I think Blood On The Tracks by Bob Dylan though there is one track on there I’m not too keen on. Possession would be a football to kick around and the book, the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman as I’ve had it’s good and I’ve never read it.

Sean - Album - a rock album such as Tool’s Aenima, possession definitely a Mandolin (or an endless pint of Guinesss) and book - Catch 22 by James Heller

James - I’m going to be a bit obvious and say The White Album by The Beatles, possession would be a guitar and for a book, I’d be practical and have a recipe book for “Meals on a Desert Island”.

Thank you very much Andrew, Sean & James.

Just in case you didn’t see it mentioned the first time, Forty Elephant Gang will be at Harwell Village Hall on Friday 20th May.

During my last chat with Craig he spared me 15 minutes to do a short interview.

You’re currently Hertfordshire based, but where do you call home?  

I was born in Watford and I’ve lived in the St Albans, Watford and Chorleywood area all my life.

Are you from a musical family?

No - the only person who was musical that I know of was my grandmother’s brother on my dad’s side. My mum had a great voice but it was only heard while doing the housework!:) My Dad isn’t musical, but he loves music, he totally enthuses over music which I suppose in turn makes him musical? My parents were very supportive of me, I was very blessed from that point of view.

When did you decide you wanted to follow a musical career?

Ever since I knew what a guitar was. When I was 6 my Grandmother bought me my first guitar whilst on holiday in Spain. It wasn’t expensive but it was the best thing that had ever happened to me. I was self taught up to the age of 9 when I started having classical lessons. I always knew I wanted to play the guitar but never thought it would ever take me anywhere. It was always a dream to be a musician and I feel very lucky to have been able to make a living doing something I love.   

You are an independent musician, so what are the best and worst things about being an independent musician?

The best thing is that you can do exactly what you want to do, when you want and how you want to do it, there is no compromise. This takes you to the down side which is that you only have yourself to bounce off and answer to! You are your only critique. I think music is definitely better with other musicians. The whole community of being in a band or working in a studio is something I think that all musicians crave.  

Who are your musical influences?

From day one it was the American Folk artists such as Tom Paxton, John Denver and then people like Andy Irvine, Paul Brady and Martin Simpson - those kind of players, all folky kind of finger style guitar players. Later on in my teens I got into Rush and then into bands like The Police, Journey, ACDC. I think anything that involves a guitar is an influence to me. Having said two of my favourite albums are The Hounds of Love, Kate Bush and So by Peter Gabriel. Very little guitar in either album!

What is the best gig you’ve ever been to?

That’s hard, it’s a toss up between John Denver in 1979 at Wembley Arena, Tom Petty at The Albert Hall 5 years ago and the first time I saw Rush, also at Wembley. I had a front row seat! Alex Lifeson threw his pick, it bounced off me and my mate picked it up. Ho hum!

You recently won on the Great British Folk Festival Introducing stage - how was that and what do you expect to come from it?

I don’t expect anything really, it was great to be asked to play at the festival, especially at such short notice and if anything comes from it then wonderful. It was quite a shock to me as it was held in a very cold marquee. I didn’t expect that people would sit and watch all the artists until the end and then vote, but they did and I thank them very much for doing so.

How do you get away from music and relax?

I fish and I play golf.

You’re going to live on a Desert Island and you can take a possession, an album and a book, what would you take with you? 

Definitely my guitar and as I don’t read a lot I’d take a journal and a pencil. As far as an album is concerned it would be Exit Stage Left by Rush.  

Thank you very much Craig.

For more information about Craig go to www.craigjoinermusic.com and for Big Ginger Tom Music got to www.biggingertommusic.co.uk or contact Duncan on 07999 05272

I caught up with Eliza Marshall over the phone recently and asked her a few questions.

You’re currently Worcestershire based, but where do you call home?

The last 22 years I have lived and worked in London, with many tours and bits of travel within that. I love the vibrancy of the city, it fills me with life and inspires me, but I also love to escape to the most remote areas of Scotland. So I guess London fees like home, but I also love the idea of being a nomad and finding home wherever we are travelling.

Are you from a musical family?

Yes, both my Grandmothers went to music college, which for their generation took amazing focus and determination. My parents met directing and MDing a local theatre company in Windsor, and my Grandpa was still gigging as a jazz pianist when he was 98. So I guess you could say it’s in my genes a little.

When did you decide you wanted to follow a musical career?

I never even thought about not doing music, and it still doesn’t feel like a career to me, just a wonderful vocation. It didn’t cross my mind that I wouldn’t play music and I kind of fell into music college which started me on the path I’m still travelling today.

You are an independent musician, so what are the best and worst things about being an independent musician?

Life is always exciting, and inspiring, ever learning, ever experiencing. It’s incredible. The down sides? I haven’t found that many if you embrace the lifestyle. It can be erratic and exhausting, but we wouldn’t do it if we didn’t love it.

Who are your musical influences?

I have a lot of influences, because I love playing in lots of different styles. But ultimately Davey Spillane, Steve Reich, Brian Finnegan and my amazing flute teacher Michael Cox.

What is the best gig you’ve ever been to?

Best gig is impossible to define. The best gig I’ve played at was Red Rocks Amphitheatre with Peter Gabriel, a huge electric storm going on around us, lightning flashes everywhere.

But the best I’ve seen - when I was 16 I happened upon Stirling Folk Club and a certain Duncan Chisholm was doing a set with a guitarist there. He blew me away. That was one of many many brilliant gigs I’ve seen.

How do you see the current music scene and what artists should we be looking out for?

The current music scene is in a huge state of change and having to adapt after such a devastating time. But there are lots of innovative things going on, people collaborating, diversifying and finding new paths. Keep looking out for all the brilliant projects that people of have been creating whilst they can’t perform at live gigs.

You recently collaborated with a number of very prominent musicians for your Freedom to Roam project and also the Global Music Match, how do you and the time to do so much and what has been the highlight of each collaboration?

I thrive on creating new projects, pushing my boundaries and working with great musicians. Ultimately this time has enabled me to step off the treadmill of busy a performance career, to engage with old colleagues and friends and work on things that are extremely important to me. Global Music Match was a fantastic initiative from the English Folk Expo and allowed me to further my connections internationally, being inspired and working with other artists from all over the world. Freedom To Roam has been a huge undertaking because it involves a short documentary and a video design on top of the new album - which is released on 26th November! I fill every minute I can with doing things because I love it; but after our upcoming Ranagri tour and Freedom To Roam launch I may just need a week off to sleep!

A cheeky plug, if you don’t mind, for tickets and pre-orders for FTR, the the website is www.freedomtoroam.earth

How do you get away from music and relax?

Nature and walking. It’s the best, along with my collie Molly. Nothing beats the outdoors for me, the wilder and more remote the better. And friends, I love my friends!

You’re going to live on a Desert Island and you can take a possession, an album and a book what would you take with you.

Hmm, can I take my collie with me? I’d have to take The Rhythm Of The Saints, Paul Simon and I’d probably take Tess of the d’Urbervilles - I love Thomas Hardy and the descriptions of the landscape and all the complicated relationships. That would keep my imagination alive.

Thank you very much Eliza.

For more information about Eliza and Ranagri go to www.elizamarshallflute.com, www.ranagri.com and for Big Ginger Tom Music got to www.biggingertommusic.co.uk or contact Duncan on 07999 052720.

Joe Hicks was at BGTM HQ the other day and did a short interview with us.

You recently did an awesome sellout gig in your home town of Newbury, and I wondered if you’re Berkshire born and bred and if you’ve lived elsewhere?

Thank you! I grew up in a little village called Cold Ash near Newbury and moved to America in 2013 to study Contemporary Music at Berklee College of Music in Boston. On returning I decided to stay in this area as I’ve found it to be a really good base to tour from.

Are you from a musical family?

No professional musicians, but my Dad plays melodeon, concertina and harmonica. He used to take me to a lot of folk sessions in pubs growing up, exposing me to live music from an early age.

When did you decide you wanted to follow a musical career?

I started playing guitar when I was nine and by the time I was twelve I’d got to a level where it seemed possible and then I could think of doing nothing else. So pretty much from the age of twelve I knew I wanted to play guitar and do music for a living.

Your are an independent musician, so what are the best and worst things about being an independent musician?

A lot things are fairly obvious, I can make whatever record I want to make and have complete creative control over the music and what comes out and also what strategy to follow. The downside of that is that you aren’t just focussing on the music and spend a lot of time doing all the other stuff and trying to work out how to be my own record label and manager. So the good side is the control, but the bad side is that the control requires a lot of time.

Who are your musical influences?

I’m a massive fan of prolific songwriters who use a lot of guitar, so that leads me to John Mayer, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon and Sting would be my big four plus Eric Clapton. Anyone who is a thinking man’s writer and uses guitar at the forefront with a kind of blues edge.

What is the best gig you’ve ever been to?

I saw John Mayer, Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys and Kings of Leon in Central Park, New York at the Global Citizen Festival in 2013, which was absolutely unreal.

How do you see the current music scene and what artists should we be looking out for?

I think it’s very exciting at the moment. People are more keen than ever to see live music and to hear new music after the pandemic, so gigs are an even better place to be than they were before. The energy has been amazing at all the shows I’ve played since lockdown was lifted. Artists to look out for; I will always champion my friends Adam Barnes and Sarah Walk, they are extremely talented, criminally underrated and need to be heard by a lot more people!

Is there anyone you would like to collaborate with?

Any of the people I mentioned before would be fantastic. John Mayer would probably be my dream collaborator, but I’d love to write a song with Sting and see how he does it. Some of the songs he writes I would never know how to get into that headspace, so it’d be great to observe his process. On a slightly smaller scale; Bombay Bicycle Club, that would be cool or Madison Cunningham, the way she writes with a guitar is absolutely incredible. She’s getting a lot of traction in the US and is one of the most talented guitar writers I’ve heard.

How do you get a way from music and relax?

Yoga and Golf - phone off, 4 hours out in the middle of a field with my friends, bliss.

Lastly, you’re going to live on a Desert Island and you can take a possession, an album and a book what would you take with you.

The book is probably The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, the possession is my Gibson J45 Acoustic guitar and the album is John Mayer’s Continuum.

Thank you very much Joe.

Joe Hicks will now be headlining at The Unicorn Theatre in Abingdon on Thursday 21st October after The Willows pulled out of the gig due to unforeseen circumstances. The gig in Abingdon will be as a trio and having seen that line up at Hungerford Summer Festival a few months ago we can highly recommend it.  See the Upcoming Gigs section for ticket links.

Joe will also be with his band at The Slaughtered Lamb in London on Tuesday 23rd November and the gig will be part of the London Roots Festival and he will be headlining at Harwell Village Hall in January.

For more information about Joe you can go to www.joehicksmusic.com and for Big Ginger Tom Music got to www.biggingertommusic.co.uk or contact Duncan on 07999 052720.

Katherine Priddy's stock has been rising steadily since Richard Thompson hailed her EP Wolf as one of the best things he had heard in years and then took her on his Irish tour in August 2019.  I had five minutes with her before dropping her back to Oxford station.

You're 25 now, at what age did you know you wanted to become a musician?

We always listened to music in the house growing up and at age 11 I was taken to a Waterson Carthy gig and saw Eliza Carthy performing and I said to my mum I want to do that as she was stomping about on stage with her fiddle as I don’t think I’d ever see a female musician up to that point or certainly not one with such ferocity.  So I knew I wanted to music then and I started teaching myself guitar when I was about 13.

Do you come from a musical family? 

Sort of - my mum played the clarinet and I also played the clarinet and my mum encouraged me to play an instrument.  My dad is tone deaf, but loves music and is really passionate about the bands he likes.  My brother is also musical and plays cornet in an orchestra and plays guitar as well, he is a really good musician.

Who are your biggest influences in life and in music?

Musically, people like Nick Drake, I love his music and grew up in the area he is from, some of the old folkies, John Renbourn, John Martyn, Joni Mitchell and those sort of people.  In life?  That’s a big question, I’m not sure really, I guess I’m just happy being my own person. 

I think this is your first headline tour - what are you most looking forward to?

I like playing to different crowds and it’s nice going to new cities and places and this might sound a bit cheesy, but I do love meeting new people. I think with ‘folk people” they do feel comfortable coming up and chatting to the artists and that’s what I enjoy the most is chatting to people the show. 

And what are you not looking forward to?

All the driving.

You’re going to live on a desert island - and can take one album, one book and one possession, what would they be?

Five Leaves Left, by Nick Drake, The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak and my guitar. How do you relax?I do rock climbing, I used to work in a rock climbing centre for a few years and got into it then.  I only do it about once or twice a week now, but it helps keep me fit and is sort of like meditation as you can’t think about anything else while you are doing it.

Lastly, I think you’ve had an exciting 2019, how is 2020 shaping up?

It’s shaping up well at the moment, I have Celtic Connections in January, which will be great, I’m beginning get some festival bookings in and I’ll have some new music coming out at some point as well. 

Thank you Katherine.

For more information about Katherine see https://www.facebook.com/KatherinePriddy/ and for Big Ginger Tom Music got to www.biggingertommusic.co.uk or contact Duncan on 07999 052720.

Megan Henwood is an award winning Oxford based singer songwriter and we met in her local, The Rusty Bicycle, to have a chat about her life and music.

Are you Oxfordshire born & bred? Where else have you lived?

I am Oxfordshire born and bred.  I went to college in Guilford (trying to become a sound engineer), which didn’t work out, so I travelled for a while living out of a suitcase doing my music. Other than that I lived in a caravan in Reading for a time, but since those days I’m pretty much rooted in Oxford.

Are you from a musical family? 

Yes, on my Mum’s side, she’s half Welsh so music comes with the territory, she sings and plays piano and guitar.  Her Dad was a pub landlord so he used to run music nights in the pub and sing a lot, as did my Mum.  My brother Joe and I were always encouraged to play in the house and although we were “forced” to learn the piano in a quite a strict way we were allowed to find our own way musically.

What are the best and worst things about being an independent musician?

I’m lucky in that I’m half independent as Dharma Records who put out all my albums and EPs allow me freedom in what I create, which is a really great position to be in.The best things are making music without any outside influence and tailoring the way I’m marketed.  The worst thing is having to do all the “digital stuff” as I have an irrational fear of the internet.  If you’re on a big label you have a team do that for you, but I’m not the best at self-promotion.  I do have a great team behind me, but it doesn’t extend to doing promotion.

This year it will be 10 years since you won the Radio 2 Young Folk Musician of the Year award (with your brother Joe) – looking back, what influence has it had on your career and success?

It undoubtedly helped a lot, it was a huge part of helping me gain confidence in what I was doing, it has been pivotal.  It may have limited me initially having a “folk label”, and I may have done some earlier things differently if I hadn’t won it, but on balance it was a good thing to have happened.

You write wonderfully clever lyrics about a whole range of topics, how do you get inspiration?

Thank you, that’s very kind of you.  Words are always the most important bit for me.  It’s really nice of you to say that because sometimes I feel a bit vulnerable in that I’m being a bit self indulgent and too personal.  Much of the time songs are about experiences I’ve discussed with other people and haven’t necessarily been through myself.  I’m trying to write more about stories I’ve heard and putting myself inside somebody else’s head and seeing it from that point of view.I write a bit every day, even if it’s just a couple of lines so the amount of notebooks I have is ridiculous!

You’ve recently been collaborating with Findlay Napier – is there an album coming out of that or will you just be saving the material for live shows?

We have recorded a 6 track EP, based on stories we’ve heard, some of them based on science and history, which is whey we have named ourselves the Story Song Scientists.  It’s quite different from what I’ve done before and it’s been really intriguing working with Findlay because we write really well together and have done for sometime. Getting into the studio and having discussions on how we are going to do it live has been a really interesting kind of new venture for me, so it’s been cool.

Who else would you like to collaborate with?Lots of people!  Although as much as I love collaborating I also really enjoy co-writing for other people.  I’ve just done some work with an amazing soul / kind of R&B singer called Mike Mayfield. He’s releasing a 5 song EP in March and I was involved in 4 of them.  I met him when I was writing some stuff for Brother Strut when he featured on one of their songs.  To write something and see someone else take it on and connect with it is great.

How do you see the Oxfordshire music scene, are there any artists we should be looking out for?

My favourite is a four-piece band called Be Good whose songs are really lyrically and musically really interesting, but you can’t really put a genre on them.  They are incredible and fantastic musicians. I love Duotone’s work, Matt Sage who runs Catweazle heads up another great band Art Theefe.  The Deadbeat Apostles are good, I really love their posters – I feel I want to put one on a T shirt, then there are Loud Mountains and The Epstein.Talking of the Oxfordshire Music scene I would really like to mention The Cellar, who have managed to get the funds to make the necessary changes to stay open, but are still facing challenges, I think it is so important that there is a venue in the centre of Oxford that all bands can play at.

Your songs “The Dolly” and “These Walls” speaks of your love/hate relationship with living in Oxford, do you have any plans to move away?

I love living in Oxford so much, though it’s very difficult to rent or buy here. It’s somewhere that inspires me as well as making me feeling anchored, safe and happy, so I have no immediate plans to move away.

Is there a new album on the way, and will it be recorded in Joe’s Wallingford studio again?

I will definitely record it at Joe’s place again (Henwood Studios), although I’m trying to write without pressure at the moment so there won’t be another album this year.  I’ve got a few other projects I’m mulling over and trying to get some momentum with. If I’m really honest I think the future is more EP based in terms of releasing music, but I’d like to do that without it being just a random collection of songs.

Away from music what do you do to relax?

I love reading, walking, running and being in the countryside by a river or by the sea. I like lino cutting and macramé and just doing crafty things, I even help my Dad at the Sylva Foundation with his boat building.  I also like to go to gigs, listen to music and traveling when I can.  So nothing very exciting!

And lastly if there was a fire in your house, what one album would you rush in and save?That’s really funny you ask that as I’ve just written a song about talking to a house fire for an album Fylde Guitars are doing.  There is a line in it “you can burn my books and records, but please don’t take the Fylde guitar!”Can I have two?  One would be Anais Mitchell, “Hymns For The Exiled”, as it’s beautiful song writing. The other would be “Based On A True Story” by Fat Freddy’s Drop as it is just the best album ever and it’s a great album for listening to with other people or alone and for singing along to.

Megan will be doing a solo gig at Harwell Village Hall on Friday 12th April for Big Ginger Tom Music and will be supported by Lucy May Walker.For more information about Megan you can go to www.meganhenwood.com, for Henwood Studios, www.henwoodstudios.com, for the Sylva Foundation go to www.sylva.org.uk and for Big Ginger Tom Music got to www.biggingertommusic.co.uk or contact Duncan on 07999 052720.