Guitars and Life

Seems hardly anytime when I waxing lyrical about thier last offering Folklore. This is a highly credible effort, the growing membership bringing new talents notably the string work and arrangements via Rachel Hall have added greatly for me. If you've heard Folklore this is very much part 2 and that very British prog rock with folk overtones runs through much. Experimental Gentlemen is a favourite of mine but each of the 8 tracks is well written, constructed and performed. Meadowland has be lying in a field by a brook with swallows swooping overhead.... beautiful.  Dave Longton's vocals are brilliant throughout with that slight Genesis feel but then possibly that's the hole I think Big Big Train fill in the space a truly British old style prog rock band. Highly recommended.

A frankly ludicrous and frivolous purchase!   Mrs F and I went to Canterbury for some shopping and I headed over to Hobgoblin Music, which is one of my favourite places to wonder about.  It covers from all rock guitars to banjos, keyboards, violins, recorders, then into more and more esoteric instruments you've never even heard off let alone expect to see in essentially a high street music store. The manager said twice "Please try anything you like".   I bought some mandolin strings, my excuse for heading there in the first place.  Then lured towards the more obscure stringed instrument section I spotted an octave mandolin, which I've wondered about as an addition to the collection.  I picked up one in particular - walnut back and sides, spruce top, simple but reasonably well put together in what looks like a more hand then factory assembly hit and A chord and was like - "oh that sounds really nice"....   A little picking later Mrs F said t...

Mrs F really like The Shires.  We saw them on tour a year or so back ... anyway I saw them back at Folkestone and only two weeks after Mrs F's birthday - so ... Birthday Treat! First up a quick mention of Catherine McGarth who was support act and suddenly has invaded my world.  I heard a track on Bob Harris' show on Thursday, she was there live on Friday and then my Guitarist magazine falls through the door on Saturday and there's a full page intro and interview with her in that.  She'd only 19!!!  One to watch. The Shires - just brilliant.  One of those acts that can simply deliver.  They can sing so well live, if anything better than in the studio.  A good collection of songs from both albums, varying of tempo etc. and a simply stunning cover of Robbie Williams' Angels.  That should be a single - it was just fantastic!!! My ear was a bit problematic at times, tinnitus was bad that day, but good old noise reducing earplugs helped and I enjo...

Every now and then you get an album and you find it spends so long in the car before you replace it.  Bear's Den Red Earth and Pouring Rain is just such an example. Take Snow Patrol, City and Colour and mix together.  That's Bear's Den but also the quality and quantity of terrific tracks on this album mean I struggle to pick any stand out tracks.  Red Earth and Pouring Rain itself, Greenwoods Bethlehem, My Jerusalem, Dew on the Vine, Broken Parable.... best stop there I'll list the whole album! By the smallest of margins my suggestion to listen to is Auld Wives... love the bass on this.