Covid-19 Update

Hello everyone

We hope all of our members, supporters and friends have been able to stay safe and well during this stressful time.

While we have all been in isolation, there’s been plenty going on during the lockdown and we have been able to use the Internet to keep the musical momentum going. We have been able to enjoy on-line concerts, open-mics and such events, and watch performers entertaining us from their bubbles.

Like everyone else, Acoustic Routes is champing at the bit to get back into action off-screen, so to speak, but it looks as though we will have to be patient for a bit longer. Under the Level 2 conditions which will be phased in from Thursday 14^th May, we will be able to break our tiny bubbles, but the size of gatherings will still be very restricted (Max 10 people), which means staging a non-digital concert or open-mic type event isn’t a practical option at this stage. However, the Government will be reviewing the initial Level 2 conditions in a fortnight, so we shall see what that brings.

If the weather holds, maybe a spaced-out picnic in the park or something else outdoors may be a possibility. If you have a cunning plan that doesn’t break the rules, do share it with us and we will let you know the moment we get something cooking.

(In the meantime, stay club - safe, stay sane, and keep the music going).

Acoustic Routes Committee

Music links

While we await the opportunity to start attending live music events off-screen, again, there are heaps of folk offerings on-line to entertain and inform. Kiwifolk is a wonderful source of info.  If you aren’t already on its email list, you can sign up on the website:  http://www.kiwifolk.org.nz/

Here are some links to radio programmes and other things that people have provided via Kiwifolk and other sites:-

[Nz-folk] Folk Song Cellar

As folks may remember in the 1970s this was a popular programme aired by the National Programme very late at night using transcription discs from the BBC. Well many of these discs have been discovered and digitised. As well folks like Robyn and Mitch Park recorded the airings on reel-reel tapes which they have generously given for free. Have a look here - and download for free (choose slow download).  https://ulozto.net/hledej?type=audios&q=lfsc

............................................................................................................

Mitch and Robyn Park

Folk on Sunday and Kidnappers Ceilidh, Radio Kidnappers 1431AM & 104.7FM

https://www.facebook.com/folkonsunday

Folk on Sunday STREAMING live Sundays at 1504 NZ time via http://player.wizz.co.nz/kidnappers/ ARCHIVED AT: http://www.radiokidnappers.org.nz/Programmes/Details.aspx?PID=bb9cda53-9044-4c56-8333-83e275094084

............................................................................................................

Bob McNeill has been working on a new album of songs, “Lost Star” he wrote while he and Gillian Boucher were on tour in the US last year. You can get a taste of it here:

http://www.bobmcneill.net/music.asp

............................................................................................................

Immediately after the success of the BBC Radio Ballads, Ewan MacColl set about the Herculean task of trying to drag British folk music into mainstream culture. Frustrated by the dreary amateurishness of folk song performance, he decided to establish his own centre of excellence to professionalise the art. He called it "The Critics Group".

McColl tutored select artists "to sing folk songs the way they should be sung" and to think about the origins of what they were singing. He introduced Stanislavski technique and Laban theory into folk performance and explored style, content and delivery.

BBC producer Charles Parker recorded these sessions to aid group analysis. 40 years on, the tapes have come to light. For the first time, a clear sound picture can be constructed of this influential group in action.

Former group members Peggy Seeger, Sandra Kerr, Frankie Armstrong, Richard Snell, Brian Pearson and Phil Colclough recount six frantic years of rehearsing, performing and criticising each other. They recall the powerful hold that Ewan MacColl exerted which was eventually to lead to the collapse of the group in acrimony and blame.

Presenter Martin Carthy MBE, now an elder statesman of the British folk music scene, shared many of McColl's ambitions but didn't join the group himself. He listens to the recordings and assesses the legacy of MacColl's controversial experiment.

Producers: Genevieve Tudor and Chris Eldon Lee; A Culture Wise Production for BBC Radio 4. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0

............................................................................................................

[Tradsong] BBC Radio 4 | The First LP in Ireland.

"Colum Sands presents the story of how, in 1947, the Irish Folklore Commission and the BBC established a scheme to seek out and record folk music and stories throughout Ireland." https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01h666r

............................................................................................................

US duo, The Kennedys. A link to on-line performances. The main link is: 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8j69Zusg8rRj-Qt89xqfKCe8ysZQzZMN

............................................................................................................

The following article describes the history of song and dances in NZ from the very first settlers through to the present time. Apparently Taranaki Waltz was the first such music imported to NZ in 1841. It was composed in England to encourage further immigration.

It mentions many old songs and tunes composed to extol the regional attractions and beauty of New Zealand. This is a forgotten genre and apparently has never been researched. It would be wonderful to have a concert of these songs and tunes.

It would also be great to have a website where the songs and music could be downloaded. I have OCR'd the article and captured the images. It is a RTF document about 27MB.

Download it for free from WeTransfer ... https://we.tl/t-zR0LJEAN4N Chris Brady.

............................................................................................................

For something different:

Marlon Williams Live at Auckland Town Hall concert

https://www.facebook.com/marlonwilliamsmusic/?__tn__=kCH-R&eid=ARAv6ri8B7cXlhPWsgpXOCCvg5jddFeEvlJp97Peb7O3bKpRy6L10XlPxqdy16DXIs0J6atY7K6QpFhQ&hc_ref=ARSRwSXJ1a00_4Dyo2SIloyrQ2alYOLAf4hpw_OpV4MnruxaB74BpxePNlLO2JkkH5o&fref=nf

............................................................................................................

Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night – informal house concert, lovely voice 

https://www.facebook.com/News12LI/videos/220101095725433/UzpfSTI3ODgwODAwNTAxOToxMDE1Nzc0MDY2MTEyMDAyMA/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP-R&eid=ARAj85EaQy7Xe3jZyQ5TgWDzVSs-tVdivr4WaHEzzZd0mHoPd_fTYtpz9_3TB-tQMPQfxHDBZNbGqqzB