Amelia’s Magazine | Wood Festival 2011 Review: Sarabeth Tucek, Khaira Arby, Willy Mason, The Epstein and more!

Willy Mason at Wood Festival by Sam Parr
Willy Mason at Wood Festival by Sam Parr.

I woke to a parent discussing the merits of dressing up as a crocodile with her child, viagra buy and when I peeked my head out of the tent a man was relaxing across the way with a book emblazoned with the immortal phrase Do More Faster. Perhaps not at Wood, medications eh?

Wood Festival 2011 -photography by Amelia Gregory
Wood Festival 2011 -photography by Amelia Gregory
Wood Festival 2011 -photography by Amelia Gregory
Wood Festival 2011 -photography by Amelia Gregory
Wood Festival 2011 -photography by Amelia Gregory
Wood Festival 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Wood Festival on Saturday was like those days you dream of… breezy sunshine, children running through the grass, plenty of good music. And no trouble in deciding what bands to listen to – for the very simple reason that nothing ever clashed at Wood. From the workshops to the music acts everything was timed to fit together and allow for maximum participation without boredom.

Wood Festival 2011 -photography by Amelia Gregory
Wood Festival 2011 -photography by Amelia Gregory
Wood Festival 2011 -photography by Amelia Gregory
Wood Festival 2011 -photography by Amelia Gregory
Wood Festival 2011 -photography by Amelia Gregory
Wood Festival 2011 -photography by Amelia Gregory

And so in the morning I was able to take my boyfriend on a mini tour of Braziers Park – a place that I have often visited with FSC camps, but which I have never really seen inside of. It’s an inspiring community founded on principles of sharing for a better world that was formed in the wake of two disastrous world wars. And it has some truly wonderful gardens, not to mention an ancient listed barn house that I am lucky enough to have called ceilidhs in.

Wood Festival 2011 Braziers Park-photography by Amelia Gregory
Wood Festival 2011 Braziers Park-photography by Amelia Gregory
Wood Festival 2011 Braziers Park-photography by Amelia Gregory
Trevor Moss and Hannah Lou at Braziers Park.

Acupuncture is something I’ve wanted to try out for ages so for a tenner I decided that Wood would be the perfect place to experience acupuncture in the ear and in the feet. It was meant to help my sore back but I think that my lifestyle, sat in front of the computer for hours every day, is going to be hard to cure in one session. Despite my boyfriend’s disparaging opinion of alternative therapies I definitely felt a bit soozed once I had the tiny pins in my ear from Abingdon based Ana at Acuabi and I’d like to try it out again.

Wood Festival 2011 Acupuncture-photography by Amelia Gregory
Acupuncture for a teddy at Acuabi.

Our first musical stop of the day was the dulcet alt country tones of Owen Tromans, joined on stage by Joe Bennett in what was to prove a bit of a common theme – one or other (or both) of the Bennett brothers taking their place on the stage with a band.

Owen Tromans Wood Festival 2011 -photography by Amelia Gregory
Owen Tromans Wood Festival 2011 -photography by Amelia Gregory
Owen Tromans Wood Festival 2011 -photography by Amelia Gregory
Joe Bennett on keys and vocals with Owen Tromans.

In the afternoon we went on a sound tour with Dan Mayfield of Enderby’s Room, who encouraged us to listen to all the sounds around us, not just the background music. He started to explore alternative sounds after moving from rural Lincolnshire to London, and he referred us to his well battered copy of Wild Soundscapes: Discovering the Voice of the Natural World, which I am very tempted to hunt down and read.

Wood Festival 2011 good Biscuits-photography by Amelia Gregory
Wood Festival 2011 good Biscuits-photography by Amelia Gregory
Good Biscuits, who helped out at Comma Shop the next week on the ACOFI Book Tour.

Wood Festival 2011 -photography by Amelia Gregory
Wood Festival 2011 -photography by Amelia Gregory
Wood Festival 2011 -photography by Amelia Gregory
Workshops are announced.

Wood Festival 2011 -photography by Amelia Gregory
Wood Festival 2011 -photography by Amelia Gregory

And then we headed into the afternoon’s entertainment. In typical multi-tasking Wood Festival style the keyboardist with Co-Pilgrim was the girl who sorted out my press pass. Police Dog Hogan offered more soothing British Bluegrass sounds under canvas.

Co-Pilgrim Wood Festival 2011 photography by Amelia Gregory
Co-Pilgrim.

Police Dog Hogan Wood Festival 2011 - photography by Amelia Gregory
Police Dog Hogan Wood Festival 2011 - photography by Amelia Gregory
Police Dog Hogan. And children skipping.

Wood Festival 2011 -photography by Amelia Gregory
Wood Festival 2011 -photography by Amelia Gregory
Wood Festival 2011 -photography by Amelia Gregory
Wood Festival 2011 -photography by Amelia Gregory

Then it was time for Sarabeth Tucek, much championed in these very pages. She sat beside her partner (apparently a very well known music producer) head bowed, slightly nervy, apparently a bit uncomfortable with performing. But as on record it was her voice and songwriting that shone through, a wonderful mix of languid folk and bittersweet lyrics.

Sarabeth Tucek Wood Festival 2011 -All photography by Amelia Gregory.
Sarabeth Tucek at Wood Festival by Sam Parr
Sarabeth Tucek at Wood Festival by Sam Parr.

Uiscedwr, pronounced Ish-Ca-Door, were at pains to explain their strange name, which means water in both Welsh and Irish. Badges bearing the explanation ensured a pint sized riot as the younger members of the crowd deluged the stage. The bouncy lead singer was very engaging and a brilliant fiddler who soon got the sleepy afternoon crowd bouncing along.

Uiscedwr Wood Festival 2011 -All photography by Amelia Gregory.
Uiscedwr.

Wood Festival 2011 -Truck Monster
Wood Festival 2011 Cari Steel Robin Bennett -All photography by Amelia Gregory.
The Truck Monster proves a great distraction to everyone, including former Amelia’s Magazine music editor Cari Steel.

Wood Festival 2011 Cari Steel Robin Bennett -All photography by Amelia Gregory.
Cari Steel chatting with festival organiser Robin Bennett.

Khaira Arby is not exactly a sprightly young thing but in her gold medallion encrusted headdress she was certainly giving it some as she shook to the Afrobeat sounds. One of the festival highlights for many if the party mood of the Saturday night crowd was anything to go by. Impressive!

Khaira Arby Wood Festival 2011 -All photography by Amelia Gregory.
Khaira Arby Wood Festival 2011 -All photography by Amelia Gregory.
Khaira Arby Wood Festival 2011 -All photography by Amelia Gregory.
Khaira Arby at Wood Festival 2011 by Sam Parr
Khaira Arby at Wood Festival 2011 by Sam Parr.

Then it was straight on over to the Tree Tent to hear Amelia’s Magazine favourite Trevor Moss and Hannah Lou, who gave us an assured set of new songs from their new album Quality First, Last & Forever! Their harmonies may be deceptively simple but the way that Hannah’s voice occasionally curls over the top of Trevor’s falsetto is really quite special.

Trevor Moss Hannah Lou Wood Festival 2011

Headliner Willy Mason then took to the stage in his jeans and braces, dusky orange shirt tucked in. Despite his laid back demeanour this was a crowd pleasing set from a very confident young man, who is clearly happy with his lot as underground folk festival pleasing favourite. You can read a great write up of Wood Festival on Green Wedge, which features a soundcloud interview with Willy Mason about offshore wind turbines in New England. Love it.

Willy Mason Wood Festival 2011 -Willy Mason Wood Festival 2011 All photography by Amelia Gregory.
Willy Mason Wood Festival 2011 -Willy Mason Wood Festival 2011 All photography by Amelia Gregory.
Willy Mason Wood Festival 2011 Robin Bennett-All photography by Amelia Gregory.
Robin Bennett playing with Willy Mason.

Back on over at Tree we finished off Saturday with The Epstein, whose keyboardist managed to freak every single member of my group out with his somewhat spooky stare. Granted this might have been because we were all lounging around on the ground in a rather sleepy way when he might have preferred us to be hopping to the beat, but no matter what, it was a lovely way to end a lovely day at Wood.

The Epstein Wood Festival 2011 All photography by Amelia Gregory.
The Epstein Wood Festival 2011 All photography by Amelia Gregory.
The Epstein.

Make sure you also read my review of Friday’s bands at Wood Festival here. I’ll leave you with a great video from The Epstein:

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Categories ,Acuabi, ,Acupuncture, ,afrobeat, ,Bluegrass, ,Brazier’s Park, ,Cari Steel, ,Dan Mayfield, ,Do More Faster, ,Enderby’s Room, ,festival, ,folk, ,FSC, ,Green Wedge, ,Harmonies, ,Ish-Ca-Door, ,Joe Bennett, ,Khaira Arby, ,Last & Forever!, ,Lincolnshire, ,New England, ,Offshore, ,Owen Tromans, ,Police Dog Hogan, ,Quality First, ,Robin Bennett, ,Sam Parr, ,Sarabeth Tucek, ,Saturday, ,sustainable, ,The Epstein, ,Tree Tent, ,Trevor Moss and Hannah-Lou, ,Truck Monster, ,Uiscedwr, ,Wild Soundscapes: Discovering the Voice of the Natural World, ,Willy Mason, ,Wind Turbines, ,Wood Festival, ,Wood Stage

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Boat to Row

Boat to Row by Rebecca Strickson
Boat to Row by Rebecca Strickson.

Sometimes someone sends me something that quite simply blows me away: and so it was when Michael King of Boat to Row got in touch and sent me the link to his new song A Boat to Row, approved to Row to You. Who, page then, more about is this Boat to Row? They’ve toured with and supported the likes of Willy Mason, The Vaccines, Johnny Flynn and Slow Club. You can hear the influences in there, but they’ve made something beautifully their own. I just had to find out more.

Boat to Row by Maria Papadimitriou aka Slowly the Eggs
Boat to Row by Maria Papadimitriou aka Slowly the Eggs.

Is that your lips in the video? How did it feel to be filmed so close up and was it unnerving?
It was quite a weird yet exciting experience filming a video, especially with it being our first. There was lots of shooting involved as it was filmed over two weekends in October/November in a London flat and in Broadstairs and Margate. By the end of it you kind of forget just how much was filmed, so when the director Pete sent the end product over there was a lot of anticipation, suspense and excitement involved. The lips do belong to me (Mike) which is quite funny on reflection as I noticed I hadn’t shaved quite as close as I thought! Ha! I wasn’t aware of the close ups at the time, which I think was for the best as my nerves may have crept in.

What’s the story behind the video for a Boat to Row to You?
The story behind the video is about someone who is completely lost and besides themselves in loosing their love and won’t stop at any cost in getting them back, basically meaning if they can’t have them, then no one can. The dark undertones of the video are quite a contrast to story behind the lyric: when I originally wrote the song it was about the declaration and commitment of loving someone. I really like how a song can come across as something completely to someone else: Pete helped give a different perspective to what I had originally wrote.

Boat to Row by Alison Day
Boat to Row by Alison Day.

Why the convoluted/similar name?
The track title mainly stems from the lyrics and overall theme of the song, nothing felt too forced or out of place with the song name so I decided to stick with it. At the time the track was written I was heavily influenced in maritime tales and the coastal trips I had been on, so the imagery of the sea was something I felt very attached to and can be heard in the song.

Boat to Row in tree

What were you doing before Boat to Row?
I’ve been gigging since the age of 16 in various punk bands and I would take little jobs to fund my music and record collection. Along side all that I finished my degree in Popular Music and dived straight into the early form of Boat to Row.

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Autumn Glow

Can you introduce the other band members please?
The rest of Boat to Row are….
David Sharpe on Drums, Vocals and percussion, Benjamin Gilchrist on Bass, Vocals, Guitar & Banjo, Faye Haddon on the Violin, Mandolin and Vocals, and Hannah Riley with the Lead Vocals, Guitar, Melodica and glockenspiel. They are all lovely people!

Boat to Row photo

On 114 Miles you have a female singer: who is she and where has she come from?
Hannah is the lady in question! She has played in Boat to Row since the band formed really. Hannah studies French and German at Oxford University and tries to fit the band around her busy schedule, so we are lucky that we get to see her a lot and play as many shows with her as we can. It’s great having her in the band as it adds another dynamic to what I write; her parts really make the songs gleam.

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114 Miles

Who or what are your biggest influences?
That is such a tough question and one that is almost impossible to narrow down. I’d say my gran singing me Lonnie Donegan songs to get me to sleep was pretty important! Without realising she planted the seeds from an early age. Check out The Rock Island Line… it was my favorite.

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The Rock Island Line by Lonnie Donegan.

Why is it important to still produce proper records?
Records are one of the original formats in which you could listen to your favorite artists and although there have been a lot of improvements in the ease of listening to music, you can’t beat the sound of a vinyl record. It’s more than that though, you take home a piece of work, Artwork that was intended to be seen on a 12″ record looks so much better, there’s something a little more personal about vinyl records to me. Nowadays you can pick up a record with the MP3 download codes included, so it makes complete sense to continue to produce records like we have done now for the past 80 years or so.

Boat to row front cover record by Rosie Moss
A Boat to Row, to Row to You front cover by Rosie Moss

Which festivals can we catch you at this year?
We’re delighted to be playing at the Moseley Folk Festival again, it’s a huge favorite of ours and with a line-up that includes Villagers and Willy Mason it’s set to be a brilliant weekend. We have a few more festivals in the pipeline that we’ll hopefully announce really soon!

The new single came out this week. Make sure you’re first to know. Find out more on Bandcamp and Myspace. Honestly, these guys are great, trust me. Full Boat to Row tour listing information here.

Categories ,A Boat to Row, ,Alison Day, ,Autumn Glow, ,Benjamin Gilchrist, ,Boat to Row, ,Broadstairs, ,David Sharpe, ,Faye Haddon, ,Flawed Equation, ,folk, ,Hannah Riley, ,Independent, ,Indie, ,Johnny Flynn, ,Lonnie Donegan, ,Margate, ,Maria Papadimitriou, ,Michael King, ,Moseley Folk Festival, ,Oxford University, ,Rebecca Strickson, ,Rosie Elizabeth Grace Moss, ,Slow Club, ,Slowly the Eggs, ,The Vaccines, ,to Row to You, ,Villagers, ,Willy Mason, ,Yarn and Glue

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