CD Review – Cory Flynn

Another review for Folking.com of the debut album by 16-year-old Cory Flynn. Raw, and maybe over-influenced by Dylan, but interesting nevertheless.

CORY FLYNN – A Boy Named Hunger (Long Way Home Music LWHM 003)

David Harley

Session cancellation

[Edited, as a second message suggests that there will be an informal evening.]
A message from Roger and Sue about the 2nd Friday session at the Dog and Pheasant, Severn Street, Shrewsbury.

Hi All,

Due to various problems (Roger having to work, Folks away playing or fulfilling other commitments) the session this month looks very thin on the ground so unfortunately we think it best to cancel. Sorry about and the short notice.

All should be back to normal next time 11th August so we hope to see you all then for lots of songs, tunes, poems and
stories.

Have a good start to the summer and enjoy the sun.

[Additional message]
The Dog and Pheasant landlord will be pleased to see anyone wishing to come in for an informal evening of chat, sing and play [this Friday]. Sue and Celia will be there from about 8.30pm and Roger when he’s had enough of work!!

CD Review: Keith James

One of my reviews for folking.com:

KEITH JAMES – Tenderness Claws (Hurdy Gurdy HGA2926)

Settings of poems by Lorca, Kerouac, William Blake, Allen Ginsburg, Dylan Thomas, and Keith James himself. Plus a nice cover of White Room (the words for which were written by the beat poet Pete Brown, so on topic…)

Folking.com has already reviewed his ‘Always…’ CD from 2015, but I got a copy along with ‘Tenderness Claws’, so I may review it for this site.

David Harley

CD Review – Occidental Gypsy

Another of my reviews for Folking.com, this time of a CD called ‘44070’ by Occidental Gypsy. As the name suggests, they’re strongly influenced by the Quintette du Hot Club de France, but this CD moves away a little from Reinhardt and Grappelli and ‘Gypsy Swing’, with quite a lot of original material. Very interesting.

OCCIDENTAL GYPSY – 44070 (own label)

David Harley

CD Review: Calan’s album ‘Solomon’

Another of my CD reviews for Folking.com. I’ve forgotten what little Welsh I knew (well, I know you slow down when it says Araf on the road…) but I really liked this anyway. (And some of the lyrics _are_ in English.)

CALAN – Solomon (Sain Records SCD2749)

David Harley

A flying visit to Shropshire

Last week I was in Shropshire and visited no less than three local venues. That’s probably more than I did in a single week all the time I was living in Ludlow. FWIW, these were my impressions.
(1) Chris Greve’s every-Tuesday session at the Loggerheads in Shrewsbury. Far from my first visit to the Loggerheads, but the first time I’d been to that particular session, and it was excellent.
(2) Fergus Reid’s open Mic at the Wheatsheaf in High Street, Shrewsbury. Every first and third Wednesday. I’ve known Fergus for ages and been to sessions at the Wheatsheaf, but that was my first time at the open mic. Again, an excellent evening.
(3) Ann Merrill Gray’s first-Friday session at the Blue Boar in Ludlow (formerly held at the Unicorn). My first time since the move to the Blue Boar, and I think it’s going to settle into being even better than the Unicorn sessions.

I had to return home too early for the 2nd Friday of the month session at the Dog and Pheasant in Shrewsbury, but here’s some news about the one coming up:

‘This Friday the 2nd in the month sees us at the Dog & Pheasant once again, in the back room with plenty of songs, tunes, poems etc. Last time quite a sizable group got together and enjoyed a mixed bag of traditional, modern and light hearted ‘folk’. 8pm for 8.30pm start. Hope to see you there,’

Further details of venues etc. here.

April Foolishness from the Library of Congress

It’s a bit late on April Fools Day to make a big deal out of this, but I came across an interesting article today from the Library of Congress on April Fools: The Roots of an International Tradition. Written by Stephen Winnick.

One of the interesting aspects of the article is the link with hazing apprentices and so forth, an issue I touched on in this song.

Long Stand

David Harley