Failure is the Key to Success

Back in June, I saw on the Mediaeval Baebes website that they had a new album coming out in October. I know it was announced back in March, but they don’t have a RSS feed on their site, so I only check for updates when I remember. The first 1000 pre-ordered copies of the album would get a numbered limited edition with two bonus tracks. Knowing that I would buy it anyway, I placed my order, not expecting to be in time for the limited edition. When I got confirmation of my order, there was no indication that it was the limited edition, so I resigned myself to the fact that I was too late and cursing their lack of RSS feed yet again.
At the beginning of September there was an official announcement that the release date had been pushed back to Spring 2009, but those who had pre-ordered would receive theirs ahead of official release, hopefully mid to late October.
Continue reading » Mediaeval Baebes new album - Illumination

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Last night Jo and I went to The Grove Theatre in Dunstable to see Hayley Westenra in concert. It was a bit of a rush, as it was a 19:30 start, but we got there in plenty of time and met up with my mum before we went in.

We hadn’t been to the Grove before, so we weren’t really sure what to expect. It is a reasonably new venue, having opened in April 2007 and seats 780 on 2 levels, the stalls and the circle. We had seats in the stalls, 9 rows from the stage, so we had a good view. The acoustics were great and Hayley Westenra even commented on that; they really liked it during their soundchecks and would consider revisiting. The seats were comfortable and there was enough leg room (some thing I tend to notice if its missing).

The concert started a couple of minutes later than expected when her musicians came on stage, followed shortly by Hayley Westenra in a green gown. She opened with Pokarekare Ana and then followed with another 2 songs, Ave Maria and Scarborough Fair, before introducing her musicians, violinist Fiona Pears, guitarist Andy Moore and pianist Ian Tilley. She then left the stage to Fiona, which I thought a bit strange. I was thinking, ‘I came to see Hayley Westenra, not her musicians’, but then Fiona started playing a piece called Tangisimo that she had written about her time in Prague and all concerns were gone. Fiona was a surprise find on the evening, her playing is inspired and animated and very enjoyable. She followed this with another piece called Memories of Martin and Mary from when she was travelling in Ireland. Hayley then came back on stage for another 4 songs taking us to the interval.
Continue reading » Hayley Westenra and Fiona Pears

Tags:dunstable,fiona pears,grove theatre,Hayley Westenra,memories of home

Last night, Jo and I went to Aylesbury to see the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. We had only seen them on DVD before, but were really looking forward to it.

We were on the first row of raised seats, about 6 rows from the front on the right hand side, so we had a good view of the stage.

From their website:

The Ukulele Orchestra is a group of all-singing, all-strumming Ukulele players, who use instruments bought with loose change, and who believe that all genres of music are available for reinterpretation, as long as they are played on the Ukulele. A concert by the Ukulele Orchestra is a funny, virtuosic, twanging, singing, awesome, foot-stomping obituary of rock-n-roll and melodious light entertainment featuring only the “bonsai guitar” and a menagerie of voices; no drums, no pianos, no backing tracks, and no banjos. A collision of post-punk performance and toe-tapping oldies. See the universe in the grain of a Ukulele. You may never think about music in the same way once you’ve been exposed to the Ukes’ depraved musicology. The Orchestra use the limitations of the instrument to create a musical freedom with Ukuleles, (little ones, big ones, high ones, low ones) revealing unsuspected insights into popular music. From Tchaikovsky to Nirvana via Otis Reading, the Orchestra takes you on a world tour with only hand luggage and gives the listener “One Plucking Thing After Another”.

It was a really fun evening with songs from Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus, through Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush, to Back in Black by ACDC. They are a really funny bunch and I’d thoroughly recommend seeing them if you get the chance. I don’t think I ever been to a concert where so many people were laughing. We got their most recent album ‘Precious Little’ on CD and continued the experiance on the way home.

Tags:Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

It’s coming up to the end of the school term and there are concerts all over.

This afternoon, my son and about 90 other children from local schools who were learning string instruments, went to a Fiddle Fiesta at a local middle school where they spent the afternoon practicing 6 pieces together. At 6:30 this evening they put on a concert for the parents.

On this Saturday morning and the following Saturday morning, Dunstable Music Centre are having their end of term concert. At various times we will all be taking part, my daughter and I only on the first Saturday.

Continue reading » Concert Season

Tags:Dunstable Music School,Hayley Westenra,Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

That is the title of this post, which should by all rights have been written yesterday.

Following the Music Centre Concert on Saturday morning, the kids went back with Jo’s Mum and Dad to stay overnight. This left us on our own, so we went kids free shopping in the afternoon.

Then in the evening we were picked up by some friends and all went to the Friends of Dunstable Music Centre Christmas meal. It was held at at The Old Farm Inn in Tottenhoe again, the same venue as last year. Some of the group are regulars there, singing and playing music on Monday nights. There were 13 of us in total, there should have been 14, but one of our friends dislocated his knee while carrying an amp out at the end of the concert.

Continue reading » Sore Head

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It was the last day of the term at Music School today and this morning was the end of term concert.

There were a couple of alterations to the programme, the first of which was the location. Normally the concert takes place at Manshead Upper School, where the classes take place. However, the school hall has been set out for mock exams starting on Monday, so it wasn’t available. Manshead shares the same campus with a middle and lower school, so the concert moved to Streetfield Middle School.

Continue reading » Music Centre Christmas Concert

Tags:concert,music centre