Sint-Niklaas_Samhain_1995Sint-Niklaas, Samhain 1995Ail Fionnaudioopensource_audioSemi-improvised <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saz" rel="nofollow">saz</a> and mandolin recordings, recorded <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sint-niklaas" rel="nofollow">Sint-Niklaas</a>, Belgium in November 1995.2005-05-20 09:20:002005mandolin;saz;baglama;drone;droning;acoustic;atmospheric;folk;free psych-folk;free psychfolk;free psych folk;freeform;improv;improvisation;improvisational;improvisatory;improvised;improvising;jam;jamming;lofi;lo-fi;organic;other;psychedelia;psychedelic;psychfolk;psych-folk;space;spacey;spontaneous;modal;elf;elven;fairy;faery;pixie;Wales;traditional Welsh;Welsh traditional;Welsh folk;traditional;Celtic;Samhainhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/12005-05-22 00:36:592005-05-20 01:24:09Matthew Watkinsmwatkins@maths.ex.ac.ukMatthew WatkinsMatthew WatkinsMatthew WatkinsMatthew WatkinsMatthew WatkinsMatthew WatkinsMatthew WatkinsMatthew WatkinsMatthew WatkinsMatthew WatkinsMatthew WatkinsMatthew WatkinsMatthew WatkinsMatthew WatkinsARossiMatthew WatkinsMatthew WatkinsMatthew WatkinsMatthew WatkinsMatthew Watkins2005-08-17 08:26:542006-01-17 08:57:222006-04-22 05:43:512006-04-22 05:46:412006-04-22 05:50:142006-12-16 00:25:172006-12-16 00:34:192006-12-16 00:56:012006-12-16 01:16:392006-12-16 01:29:272006-12-18 21:46:302006-12-18 22:02:312006-12-18 22:14:462006-12-18 22:28:142007-01-10 20:35:092007-02-01 17:24:172009-05-14 09:12:322009-05-14 09:19:062009-05-14 09:26:482009-05-14 09:44:27Funkey4-track analog cassette27:26<center><table width="550" border="0"><tr><td>
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.childrenofthedrone.net/network/ailfionn/inge.htm">Inge</a> - mandolin
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.childrenofthedrone.net/network/ailfionn/matthew.htm">Matthew</a> - <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saz">saz</a>
These are all recordings from a fairly spontaneous session at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.jahfunkey.net">Funkey</a>'s <a target="_blank" href="http://titan.glo.be/~funkey/highergrow.html">"Higher Grow" studio</a> in <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sint-niklaas">Sint-Niklaas</a>, Belgium, early November 1995. We'd just turned up, unannounced, after spending a bit of time in the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrenees">Pyrenees</a>.
<center><img title ="That's our friend Annelise sitting beside us." src="http://www.maths.ex.ac.uk/~mwatkins/imagery/massat.jpg">
<span style="font-size:78%;">A week or two before the recording session, outside the church of <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bikepyrenees.com/lodgings/massat/massat.htm">Massat</a> in the French Pyrenees.</span></center>
"Samhain '95" was improvised on the spot.
<a target="_blank" href="http://sniff.numachi.com/~rickheit/dtrad/pages/tiSOSPANV;ttSOSPANV.html">"Sôspan Fach"</a> is a traditional Welsh tune, the sort of thing Welsh kids learn at primary school, but also the signature tune of the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.scarlets.co.uk/">Llanelli Scarlets</a> rugby club. We learned it off a postcard Inge bought in <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pembroke%2C_Wales">Pembroke</a> that summer. In the years since, another <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/36_4571.php?player=476">"Matthew Watkins"</a> has emerged as one of Llanelli's star players, curiously enough.
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.maths.ex.ac.uk/~mwatkins/imagery/gavin.jpg">Gavin</a> is a banjo-playing friend from <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisconsin">Wisconsin</a> (currently part of bluegrass band <a target="_blank" href="http://www.slopgrass.com/bio.htm">Sloppy Joe</a>) whose style I was attempting to imitate, leading to the 'Gavinsong' riff.
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.maths.ex.ac.uk/~mwatkins/imagery/flatoak.jpg">'The Flat Oak'</a> is a favourite tree of ours near <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitstable">Whitstable</a> in Kent, which had become the focus of the A299 road protest that year.
<a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samhain">'Samhain'</a> is the Celtic new year (Hallowe'en, basically), around the time we recorded this - nothing to do with <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samhain_%28band%29">the 80's hardcore band</a>!
<center><img title = "original cassette cover" alt="original cassette cover" src="http://www.childrenofthedrone.net/images/ailfionntape.jpg">
<span style="font-size:78%;">The original tape cover. We collaged this at Funkey's studio after the session - the stone is the from the village of <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elphin,_County_Roscommon">Elphin</a> (Ail Fionn), associated with legends of St. Patrick; the tree in the background is the Flat Oak mentioned above; the wizard, sun and mushroom were taken from a photo of a painting done by Whitstable artist <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sheilamaclurkin.co.uk/">Sheila Maclurkin</a> on a makeshift toilet constructed at a <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_protest_(UK)">road protest</a> camp near Whitstable earlier that year.</span></center>
<center><b><a target="_blank" href="http://www.childrenofthedrone.net/network/ailfionn/ailfionn.htm">Ail Fionn</a> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22A%20Tiny%20Window%22">A Tiny Window</a></b></center>
<center><a target="_blank" href="http://soundsfromthespring.blogspot.com/"><i>The Spring</i></a> - Matthew's 'audio blog' contact: <a href="mailto:mwatkins@maths.ex.ac.uk">mwatkins@maths.ex.ac.uk</a></center>
</td></tr></table></center>soundFunkey2009-05-14 09:54:37Matthew Watkins