Folk fans. It’s time to rejoice and weep tears of unadulterated joy because the daddies of Britfolk, Pentangle, are reforming to play a one-off anniversary gig at London’s Royal Festival Hall next June. The original band comprising Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, Jacqui McShee, Danny Thompson and Terry Cox are reuniting for their Sweet Child double album’s 40th anniversary.
A boom in folk (thanks in no small part to The Green Man Festival) has seen the band enjoying renewed success which led to the legendary group bagging a lifetime achievement award at the BBC Folk Awards this year. The concert is to take place on June 29, 2008, exactly 40 years since Sweet Child’s release. Go to www.southbankcentre.co.uk for more details and tickets. Click over to see the band in action.
[via ElectricRoulette]

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Posted by Stuart Waterman on Tuesday November 13th, 2007 at 11:39 am

With the world of music cluttered up with the likes of James Morrison and Paulo Nutini, it’s sometimes easy to forget how great the sound of acoustic music can be. For those prepared to dig and get dirt in their fingernails, you can sidestep the charlatan troubadour in favour of real earthly delights. One such band quietly carrying the torch for truly beautiful and ethereal folk are Arborea.
Arborea consist of husband-and-wife tag team, Buck and Shanti. Together, they harmonise and unravel beautiful silk-spun songs that enchant and bewitch. Their self-financed debut, Wayfaring Summer, is as intimate and gorgeous as any folk album you’ll ever hear. Their sound is a delicate tapestry of English and American sounds, combining Celtic drone with lapsteel and countryfied twangs. Reviewers have been bowled over by their work and have been left breathless with tracks like ‘Dance Sing Fight’ and ‘Rivers and Rapids’. Buy this album now… you’ll only end up paying

Posted by Stuart Waterman on Tuesday November 6th, 2007 at 1:00 pm

Dispatches From Beardsville is normally here to bring you the best in new country and folk. However, this week is different and more sombre as country legend Porter Wagoner died earlier in the week in Nashville at the grand old age of 80 years old. Wagoner brought much to the world, including the brilliant ‘A Satisfied Mind’ as covered by Gram Parsons, as well as ‘The Cold Hard Facts of Life’.
For his efforts, Wagoner got a clutch of Grammys, numerous Country Music Awards and his own TV show. It was on his show that he introduced the world to Dolly Parton as a newcomer and duetting partner. As a pair, Wagoner and Parton found themselves being shown in 100 countries with audiences of over 3 million. More recently, Wagoner released the Wagonmaster LP as well as supporting The White Stripes at their Madison Square Gardens shows. He will be sadly missed. Click over to watch the great man in action.

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Posted by Stuart Waterman on Tuesday October 30th, 2007 at 2:26 pm

Welcome to a new section on MyChemicalToilet called Dispatches From Beardsville, which will be covering all things folk and country. Despite the beardy nature of the title, we will be including the ladies too. However, with beards being to the fore, who better to start with than the superb hirsute stylings of Sam Beam, or as he’s more commonly known, Iron and Wine.
Anyone who has heard an Iron and Wine release will vouch that there are few who make a sweeter sound. Beautiful, delicate guitars shimmer over aching pedal-steel with Beam’s tender and yearning vocals drifting hazily over the top.

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Posted by Stuart Waterman on Tuesday October 23rd, 2007 at 12:55 pm