Websites

Here are a selection of websites of musicians who's work I'm currently getting into.

Old Swan Band
Old Swan started life in 1974 as The Cotswold Liberation Front and members included Bernie Cherry, Robin Lister, Rod and Danny Stradling, Martin Brinsford, and the incredibly young Fraser sisters, Fi chaperoning the 14 year old Jo. It was one element of the new liberation movement for English music a hint of a tidal reverse against the flood of English musicians who played Celtic music and ignored or were ignorant of the treasury of English tunes that existed not only in written form but also as a living tradition. Old Swans band style was deliberately slow in an effort to encourage dancers to dance and the band was criticised greatly by less tolerant members of the English Folk Dance and Song Society for playing the wrong tunes for the dances, playing too slow, changing tunes, using melodeons instead of proper instruments like accordions and worst sin of all, using brass instruments. A major sea change occurred in 1982 when Rod and Danny Stradling left the band. Considering them irreplaceable in their roles, the decision was made to go for an all fiddle line up which creates another unique sound the one you have here delivered by founder member Fi, now joined by the formidable talents of Paul Burgess and Flos Headford, leaders in the field of English fiddling. John Adams joined the brass section after the demise of The New Victory Band, Richard Valentine moved off the piano stool in favour of Heather Horsley and Neil Gledhill was press-ganged into the band playing the rarely heard bass sax.

The Boat Band
The Boat Band is Greg Stephens, Kate Barfield, Tony Weatherall and Mark Burke, and they play a mixture of traditional English music, cajun, zydeco and folk'n rap - basically a great fusion of music from black and white roots.

Will Duke
Will was greatly influenced by the playing of the late, great Scan Tester of Horsted Keynes, Sussex and actually owns and plays one of Scan's old concertinas. He started singing and playing concertina around Sussex in 1972 and was asked to join the augmented Etchingham Steam Band that played for dances. When that band packed in, Ashley Hutchings and Shirley Collins went on to form the Albion Dance Band and Vic Gammon to form the Pump and Pluck Band. Will was in both for a while but soon left the former to concentrate on Pump and Pluck and with them, recorded the double album "A Tale of Ale". He then opted for the quiet life until he met Dan Quinn in a pub in Sussex

Unreel
This six-piece ceilidh band based in Ditchling in Sussex play a foot-stomping mixture of English, Irish and Scottish dances. They are Ian Chisholm, Stephen Sibbald, Julian Burton, James Barry, Alan Diamond - and now also yours truly.