Jzero
Elephant Talker
Oh the flower pot that sits so still...
Posts: 149
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Post by Jzero on Nov 27, 2004 1:07:47 GMT -5
It's time to say a few words about Fairport Convention.... don't you think?
Fairport Convention (or FC as they are known to their friends) are the founding fathers of the musical genre commonly known as British folk-rock. They started out in 1968 performing mostly cover versions of songs by singer-songwriters such as Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchel and Leonard Cohen.. during the course of a year and with the inclusion of Sandy Denny into their lineup (greatest Brit female vocalist ever), they evolved and took on the traditional style of songs dating back hundreds of years adapted to the sounds of thrashing drums and electric guitars entwined with tradional fiddle wizardry and wonderful vocals..... truly great stuff!! Some of you may be familiar with the music of FC but for those who are not, I suggest a dose of the folky traditions in what is commonly considered to be the seminal folk-rock album; 'Liege & Lief' first released in 1969 and remastered in 2002.
Today, 36 years later they are still going strong, albeit only one founding member remains (Simon Nicol). They are still releasing albums regularly and hosting thousands of enthusiastic and loyal fans on their annual three-day Cropredy music festival in North Oxfordshire... (that's in England!), considered by many to be one of the best musical events around - I have been a couple of times and I can vouch for it, it really is a great event!
So, point in case... for those of you eager to discover something musicaly different... FC are about as different as one can get compared to the bland and hollow sounds of contemporary popular music - give them a try! (best served chilled and frothy). J
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Post by RepairmanJack on Nov 27, 2004 8:59:06 GMT -5
It is about time to give them their due. They still are putting out great music after all these years. And they are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. The last two times I have seen them live the band has come out after to talk to fans, sign autographs, and take pictures. Unlike other musicians I have met they really seem to care about their fans. Unfortunately the last show I saw them at there were less than 100 fans. I felt so bad for the band. Dave Pegg and Chris Leslie made several jokes about the lack of people there. They still put on a great show! I just hope it does not discourage them from coming back to our area again.
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Post by Shutter Girl on Nov 28, 2004 14:21:02 GMT -5
One of the things I really enjoy about Fairport is that they are so comfortable playing their music and doing their own thing. Their tunes evoke the folk of years past as well as the promise of tomorrow. Whenever I pop on a Fairport cd I feel like I've come home to something wonderful and warm. Their style is a winning combination of bluegrass, English folk with a little rock thrown in for good measure. LOVE IT! Mandolins and fiddles are two of my favorite instruments and they have two of the best players in the world of folk. Nice guys, great music, good times. How can you go wrong? Meet you all on the ledge.... Here's the best FC and folk webboard ever: www.talkawhile.co.uk/yabbse/index.php
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Jzero
Elephant Talker
Oh the flower pot that sits so still...
Posts: 149
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Post by Jzero on Dec 3, 2004 10:06:57 GMT -5
In a similar vein.. Steeleye Span are also well worth listening to. Steeleye offer a blend of traditional English folk-rock music that sits well with the sounds of Fairport and others of that musical ilk. They were founded by Ashley Hutchings who was also one of the founding members of Fairport and they too have been going strong for the last thirty something years. As I sit and write this I am listening to a wonderful CD of theirs which just arrived in the mail today, it's called "winter" and contains some stunning versions of seasonal songs - excellent stuff!
Tracklist:- 1. The first Nowell 2. Down in yon forest 3. Unconquered sun 4. Chanticleer 5. Bright morning star 6. Winter 7. See amid the winter's snow 8. Mistletoe bough 9. Sing we the Virgin Mary 10. Today in Bethlehem 11. Blow your trumpet Gabriel 12. Hark the herald angels sing 13. Good King Wenceslas 14. In the bleak midwinter
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Kram
Minstrel in the Gallery
Posts: 21
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Post by Kram on Dec 4, 2004 2:24:21 GMT -5
I sho' don' no nuttin' 'bout no folk music but I like the Peggster and his boy Matty. Peggy was probably Tull's best bassist. Too bad he never learned Jeffrey's stage moves.
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marcus
Minstrel in the Gallery
Posts: 33
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Post by marcus on Jan 3, 2006 17:01:32 GMT -5
FC acoustic trio is coming to The Winchester on June 23rd, no Peggy though, does anybody know what the deal is with him? He left their last US tour. Too much America? Drugs? I know hes had alot of personal problems, just curious. Hopefully Cuyuga can get on that bill, and maybe we can promote it so there's more people than there was last time. Marcus
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Post by Shutter Girl on Jan 4, 2006 12:44:29 GMT -5
FC acoustic trio is coming to The Winchester on June 23rd, no Peggy though, does anybody know what the deal is with him? He left their last US tour. Too much America? Drugs? I know hes had alot of personal problems, just curious. Hopefully Cuyuga can get on that bill, and maybe we can promote it so there's more people than there was last time. Marcus Thanks for the news on the show, Marcus! We'll definetly be going and hopefully be bringing lots of friends, too. Peggy has had some personal problems for a while. He's now divorced from his wife Chris, who organized Cropredy, and is with a new gal. I think there were some hard feelings along the way because of this and Peggy has had a hard time dealing with it (and too much Guinness). All the best to him, he's a nice guy when you talk to him, as you know. So, who's coming, Ric, Simon and Chris? What a combo!! We'll definetly help promote them, I'll pass out flyers, whatever it takes to get an audience in there. I wonder when tickets go on sale?
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marcus
Minstrel in the Gallery
Posts: 33
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Post by marcus on Jan 4, 2006 14:55:47 GMT -5
Not sure when tickets go on sale or when it will be announced, I found out about it on talkawhile on the thread for US Tour, Simon's post has a link to their dates, I'm heading to THE WINCHESTER (thats funny if you've ever seen Shaun of the Dead) this weekend to see my friend's bluegrass band play, I'll ask Jim the owner & get back to you on that.
Actually I have to play Sat. at the Happy Dog, so I'll have to find out later about tickets.
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Post by RepairmanJack on Jan 5, 2006 18:19:04 GMT -5
Thanks for the tip! It should still be a great show even without Peggy ;D
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Jzero
Elephant Talker
Oh the flower pot that sits so still...
Posts: 149
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Post by Jzero on Jan 13, 2006 2:16:23 GMT -5
Here is my recommendation for the month: "Excalibur: La Legende des Celtes" - recently released DVD of a live concert from 1999 featuring Fairport Convention and a host of French-Breton-Celtic musicians putting on a stunning live performance with musical theme based around the legend of "Excalibur". Here is an extract from one of the on line reviews.... Alan Simon a réussi l'exploit de réunir sur un même plateau plus de cent musiciens de renommée indiscutable ! Son et lumières : un matériel et des techniciens hors-pairs ont permis aux spectateurs d'en "prendre" plein les yeux, les oreilles et..."But seriously folks, this is an extraordinary concert DVD that will please anyone with a taste for Celtic-Folk-Rock... J More here: www.branduardi.com/excalibur/
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marcus
Minstrel in the Gallery
Posts: 33
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Post by marcus on Jun 23, 2006 12:14:30 GMT -5
Roll Call: Anyone going tonight to The Winchester? I'm hoping to be there, in fact I should be there. Heard a show from Pa from this current tour and this should be a good one!
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Jzero
Elephant Talker
Oh the flower pot that sits so still...
Posts: 149
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Post by Jzero on Jun 24, 2006 5:08:14 GMT -5
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