Welsh bands and festivals

Subject: Welsh festivals
From: GUEST,Carol D
Date: 11 Jun 07 - 08:20 AM

Just wanted to start a thread on music coming out of Wales. There are some excellent festivals here - one coming up is the Two rivers folk Festival in Chepstow which is in its second year this year. Also Cwlwm Celtaidd which is held in March in porthcawl. Any other additions? These festivals, international in nature never seem to get mentioned much on forums. But we hear all about the English ones just wondering why this might be?

Subject: RE: Welsh bands and festivals
From: GUEST,Carol D
Date: 11 Jun 07 - 08:23 AM

Also some of the bands coming out of Wales such as mabon, who are starting to appear more on the festival scene, one String loose a young band on the way up, celtish, etc. Not necessarily Welsh folk music but alot of the bands are top class and play mixtures of traditions.

Subject: RE: Welsh bands and festivals
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 11 Jun 07 - 08:35 AM

There are quite a few people here who are interested in Welsh music. This is a good place to post info about festivals, etc.

I have long wanted to visit Wales. However, I certainly wouldn't want to go visit for a festival in March.

Subject: RE: Welsh bands and festivals
From: GUEST,Carol D
Date: 11 Jun 07 - 08:44 AM

Actually, the festival in March is excellent, we usually stay in the caravan park at the festival site, and all the events take place in Trecco bay. ya i agree about the weather but its a lively festival for that time of year and helps get over the winter blues. As for 2 Rivers, thats held all around chepstow town. Absolutely gorgeous surroundings and some of the concerts are held inside the amazing castle. Its on the River Wye which is beautiful and only 4 miles down the road from Tintern Abbey.

Subject: RE: Welsh bands and festivals
From: BanjoRay
Date: 11 Jun 07 - 09:07 AM

Wales has some excellent Bluegrass festivals. I've just got back from a superb weekend playing for an Appalachian dance team at the Coastline Bluegrass Event held just outside Conwy on beautifully manicured farmland up a hill with superb views of the Castle and the bay, and a mountainous horizon.
The North Wales Bluegrass Festival is a month later, in a park just outside the Conwy city wall, with a star lineup from America, Europe and the UK, and many fine picking sessions on the campsite.
Ray

Subject: RE: Welsh bands and festivals
From: Skipper Jack
Date: 11 Jun 07 - 09:36 AM

The Gower Folk Festival was this weekend, 8th-10th June. The festival is always held around this time.
Sea Swansea Maritime Festival is at the end of July. This one tends to shuffle around each year.
The Pontardawe International Music Festival usually the 3rd weekend of August.

Subject: RE: Welsh bands and festivals
From: sian, west wales
Date: 11 Jun 07 - 09:43 AM

There's a partial list of festivals here . A lot of community festivals also have 'folk elements' like Ffair Garon (Whitsun) and others.

There's a lot happening in Dolgellau this weekend (from Thurs on) at the opening of Ty Siamas , a new traditional music centre.

sian

Subject: RE: Welsh bands and festivals
From: Splott Man
Date: 11 Jun 07 - 11:35 AM

Sian's website is also a very good link to musicians and singers active in Wales.

On the Ty Siamas site, non-Welsh speakers can click on "English" at the top right.

Other bands worth a mention are Crasdant and Ffynnon.

Apart from ourselves , there are plenty of Welsh making forays across the bridge: Andy McKay and Carole Etherton, Mike Gulston & Blanche Rowen, Trefor & Vicki Williams...

There's also a lot of New Age style festivals such as The Green Man Festival.

Subject: RE: Welsh bands and festivals
From: Anne Lister
Date: 12 Jun 07 - 06:50 AM

And me, Splottie, and me ....Anne Lister

Subject: RE: Welsh bands and festivals
From: Anne Lister
Date: 12 Jun 07 - 06:51 AM

although I'm not a band ...

Subject: RE: Welsh bands and festivals
From: Splott Man
Date: 12 Jun 07 - 08:01 AM

Of course Anne!

Subject: RE: Welsh bands and festivals
From: GUEST,Carol D
Date: 12 Jun 07 - 08:44 AM

oh and someone at the ponty acoustic club has made a good listings site.

http://www.casbar.co.uk/index.html

Subject: RE: Welsh bands and festivals
From: GUEST,ifor
Date: 12 Jun 07 - 01:12 PM

One of the best folk/accoustic bands to come out of Wales in years "The Boys From The Hill" seem to have split after pplaying together for many years.I am amazed that they did not get greater recognition across Britain...excellent musicians , superb poliyical and social songs that came from the guts and the heart.I just loved them.
Andy Jones the singer and guitarist, is taking solo gigs and should be booked!!!
ifor

Subject: RE: Welsh bands and festivals
From: GUEST,Carol D
Date: 12 Jun 07 - 01:43 PM

i thought Boys of the Hill were still together. i saw them last year at Pontardawe and they are excellent, really enjoyable

Subject: RE: Welsh bands and festivals
From: Chris in Portland
Date: 12 Jun 07 - 02:06 PM

We're planning a trip for next year to Wales and especially my ancestral home, Dolgellau. To be able to stay longer, we probably need to go off-season, and, besides visiting the new Ty Siamas, would like to include a folk fest in our time there.
What would be the best Spring or Fall fest for hearing Welsh spoken and sung? Since we're traveling from the US, we would also need a fest that had reasonable accomodations near-by.
Any suggestions? Something informal, so that I might borrow or rent a guitar and play some of the Welsh songs I've learned in jams?
Thanks for your help, very timely thread, Chris in Portland OR

ps going to see Les Barker in a house concert this weekend - found that yesterday on another thread!

Subject: RE: Welsh bands and festivals
From: MARINER
Date: 12 Jun 07 - 03:37 PM

What about AR LOG? To my recollection, one of the first ,if not the first, Welsh folk group of "modern" times. The original lineup featured some of Wales' finest traditional musicians. Later the line up changed and around then they disappeared from my view ,but I have heard that they are still about and still playing fine music.

Subject: RE: Welsh bands and festivals
From: Splott Man
Date: 13 Jun 07 - 04:01 AM

CarolD:
Here's the link for Cas's site.

Chris in Portland:
PM me or Sian, west Wales nearer the time and we'll see what we can dig out in the way of festivals. Also check out the link above, or our own listings page at Folkwales.
You'll have no problems hearing Welsh spoken around Dolgellau.
Incidentally, Les Barker now lives near Wrexham in NW Wales and has entered a poem in the National Eisteddfod.

Subject: RE: Welsh bands and festivals
From: sian, west wales
Date: 13 Jun 07 - 05:11 AM

Yeh, Chris. What Splotty said. I'm twiddling my thumbs for the time being - waiting to hear what the Arts Council will cough up for project funding in that period. I have plans for a Wales/Cornwall/Brittany conference for October 2008 but they may end up on the cutting room floor if the funding falls short ...

I think the Welsh Folk Dance Assoc has it's weekend teaching course around then, and the Welsh Fiddle Weekend is the first w/end in September. Nothing much in the way of autumn festivals though - Sept/Oct seems to fill up with other 'stuff'.

There are sessions in Machynlleth, Caernarfon, Menai Bridge, Dolanog ... and possibly in Dolgellau by then. (I'm at the Ty Siamas opening day tomorrow, and we're part-funding some work to try to get some regular stuff going there.)

sian

Subject: RE: Welsh bands and festivals
From: richd
Date: 06 Jul 07 - 06:42 PM

It looks like The Green Man is going to be good this year- 9Bach, Fernhill, The Gentle Good, Gareth Pearson, Gruff Rhys, Euros Childs AND Alesdair Roberts and jOhn Renbourne. I just hope it doesn't rain again thia year