Month: June 2018

Acorn Theatre, Penzance

The Acorn theatre, a very important venue in Penzance is appealing for financial help.

The Acorn theatre, a very important venue in Penzance is appealing for financial help (and not an enormous amount, in the scheme of things) to refurbish its lighting. In view of everything the theatre does for folk music and much else in Cornwall, it’s well worth considering making a contribution.

As David Hunter rightly says: “The Acorn is a vibrant, creative centre for live arts for West Cornwall, with a reputation for diverse and innovative programming. We are a charity run almost exclusively by volunteers.”

You can find out more (and make a contribution, I hope!) at the crowdfunding page here.

The Acorn has a Facebook page here and a web site here with copious information about the venue and the events it has scheduled.

David Harley

CD review – SERIOUS CHiLD (sic)

Another CD review for Folking.com

Another of my reviews for folking.com: SERIOUS CHILD – Empty Nest (TCR Music TCRM75099) – it actually went up yesterday, but I’ve been catching up with work and domestic stuff.

Based around the songs of Alan Young, a late-developing singer-songwriter with a very nice voice, though some of the songs are at the pop-y end of the spectrum. He actually reminds me just a little vocally of Scott Walker at times. Supported by some fine musicians here.

Also linked from the reviews page here: (Mostly) Music Reviews

David Harley

Quartet for One [demo]

This does not get its name because I’m arrogant enough to believe that I’m the only person in the world capable of playing this as a guitar solo. (I can imagine John Renbourn choking on his ambrosia at this moment at the very thought.)

What actually happened is that I was watching ‘Quartet’ on the TV – a dangerous exercise, because it always makes me wish I had a more operatic voice (or even a bearable voice) – and when it finished, I needed a little more music, so I picked up a guitar. I liked the somewhat random thing I found myself playing so much that I wandered back into the office and switched on the recording gear, and was in the zone for at least five minutes.

It will require editing and further polishing (and possibly an overdub or two), but I think it has a lot of potential. I was playing my Baby Taylor in Nashville tuning.

Replacement version: a bit tighter, but it could still be (quite a lot) shorter.

backup:

David Harley

Carpentry/The Carpenter’s Son

‘Carpentry’ is an instrumental based on the tune I wrote for my setting of Housman’s ‘The Carpenter’s Son’. I’ve recorded it before, but this version is just a single guitar and is pitched way down from the other (uses a C-modal tuning). A work in progress.

And here’s a previously-recorded version that’s nearer to the way I do it live, except that this version has overdubbed bouzouki and dulcimer on the last section.

I don’t yet have an altogether satisfactory version with the vocal. I need to get back to that…

David Harley