Update on the new CD
Work continues on the new CD. We are back at Blue Moon Studios in Bodicote soon and we probably have another three more days after that. The problem is finding time away from our normal work pressures. However, we have an exciting new development which, when it comes to pass, we can share - suffice it to say that we have a folk musician of the highest pedigree booked to lay on some overtracks on three of the new CD's tracks.
The 'knob twiddling' is going well, led by the excellent Mark Sideleigh at Blue Moon. We feel he is really getting the best out of us.
Folk in the Foyer, Barnet Folk Club, 30th April 2010
This was our second evening at Folk in the Foyer, held on Friday evenings at the artsdepot in Barnet. Like last time we were there, there was a good crowd and some excellent floor spots – including an excellent bit of shanty singing – not just singing but a whole one-man act about setting sail-, a beautiful French folk song, and some great guitar work.
Folk against Fascism evening, Redbourne Folk Club
We were kindly invited by Jan Strapp, the organiser at Redbourne, to join them for an evening of music to raise funds for Folk against Fascism, a movement aimed at ensuring that British folk music is not appropriated by the far right for its own purposes.
The Friends Meeting House, Welwyn Garden City, 25th April 2010
With its programme normally coming from the world of classical music, playing an event like this was different for us – or at least for me; Rob has many years of involvement with the world of classical music. This is a really wonderful facility put together by residents in Welwyn Garden City, using the Quaker Friends Meeting Hall as a venue. Every month, they have Sunday afternoon concerts for the price of audience donations to a named charity.
Watford Folk Club, 16 April 2010
The welcome back to Watford was every bit as warm as the first time we visited, as was the quality of the floor spots.
One cannot help but sense that this is a really go ahead club. The organisers are definitely growing in confidence. They have some of the biggest acts in folk music visiting in the near future – Martin Carthy and Bob Fox – to name but two, and they are building some innovative relationships with local music retailers. Watford is a big town and deserves a good folk club again – and it looks like it is building one.
Baldock and Letchworth Folk Club, 3rd March 2010
This was our third 'full spot' of the year, very kindly offered to us by Alan and Sue Hewson at the Baldock and Letchworth Folk Club.
This folk club has been something of a home from home for Rob and I over the past few years, so it is always nice to return there and meet old friends. This was our first time to their new venue at The White Horse in Baldock - a more spacious room for playing in.
Working on new material
The search for new material never stops. Interestingly, as we reach the conclusion of the current CD and are playing a lot of this music at our current programme of concerts, our attention is turning towards new material.
New dates, including a return to the Cambridge Folk Festival
We are extremely pleased to say that St Neot's Folk Club have extended an invitation to us to represent them in the Cambridge Folk Festival Club Tent at this years Cambridge Folk Festival, on Saturday 31st July. Many thanks to Patti and Roger for honouring us in this way. We enjotyed representing the Cambridge Folk Club at last year's festival and are thrilled to be going back there.
Overdubs and mixing - back to Blue Moon, February 21st and March 5th
We are now moving into the final phase of our new CD, which is to be called The Bite. The first round of hard work was done before Christmas when all the original recording was completed. Now we are doing some limited overdubbing and the final editing and mixing.
4th February 2010: Stortfolk
It was an intimate gathering at the Bishop's Stortford Folk Club for na-mara's second full outing of the year. A number of the regulars are in amateur dramatics and were away perfoming a strangely late version of A Christmas Carol and were unable to attend. Very kindly, Jon McNamara, who is a central figure for the club was able to make our second half.
Rob and I are now fully into our new repetoire and, from the lovely feedback we received from those there, it seems clear that we performed well.
This is a friendly and welcoming club and we enjoyed ourselves very much.
