Off The Beaten Tracks 26 December 2022

I'd selected two Stranglers' songs after hearing of the death of Jet Black and then on the day I was going to record the show I heard the awful news about Terry Hall so a last minute change to the playlist with a FB3 number starting things off. 

I'll be taking a break next week so the next show will be going out the second week of January. Listen to this and previous shows on Mixcloud. 

Happy New Year to one and all.

Fun Boy Three & Bananarama - T'Ain't What You Do (It's The Way That You Do It) 
Johnny Flynn - Detectorists 
Simon & Garfunkel - Hazy Shade of Winter 
Karine Polwart & Dave Milligan - The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood 
Bob Dylan - Simple Twist of Fate 
Wes Martin - The Twisted Waltz 
This is the Kit - Greasy Goose 
April Maybe May - Back To Me 
Rosanne Cash - Closer Than I Appear 
Johnny Cash - Tennessee Stud (live) 
The Stranglers - Always The Sun (live) 
The Stranglers - Cruel Garden 
Richard Thompson - Beeswing 
The Bunch - When Will I Be Loved 
Lindisfarne - Meet Me on the Corner 
Fairport Convention - Come All Ye 

Gigs 2022

I'm not back to pre-pandemic gig-going levels but this has partly been down to me catching various bugs including Covid at the end of May. Of the gigs I did go to in 2022 here are a few brief reviews...

Fairport Convention - Morecambe

Good to see the chaps again, as they are affectionately called. My first Fairport gig in a while and I enjoyed hearing songs from their latest studio album 'Shuffle and Go'. Support was from Luke Jackson who was someone I'd been wanting to hear for a while and he didn't disappoint. A great young singer.

Faustus - Helmshore

Not a band I'd seen before though a friend had given me copies of a couple of their albums. The gig took place in the textile museum which may not have seemed like an obvious place for a gig but the acoustics in the former mill were fabulous and the three of them were on very good form. I bought a cd from Paul Sartin and little did any of us know that fate would deal such a cruel blow to his family, friends and fans by taking him away from us later in the year. 

Flook - Kendal

My only gig at the Brewery Arts Centre this year and while Flook were up to their usual high standard unfortunately the gig was somewhat spoiled by the over enthusiastic (and quite unnecessary) use of a smoke machine. Seemingly it was something outwith the band's control. Maybe the venue felt it was creating an atmosphere but instead they just made people cough and basically got that one wrong big time.

Lake District Folk Weekend - Staveley

An excellent afternoon's music with Bob Fox headlining and support coming from Hannah Saunders & Ben Savage and Scolds Bridle. Not a huge number of people in the audience but plenty around the village in other cafe venues and there were even some youngsters playing and singing in the car park as we left.

Martyn Joseph's Pipefest

Another opportunity to see Hannah and Ben at the annual Pipefest at Lancaster University along with Stephen Fearing and poet Patrick Jones which I've written about elsewhere on this blog.

Martin Stephenson & The Daintees - Glasgow

My first Daintees gig in I don't know how many years though I saw Martin in Settle a few years back. We missed the support act due to getting to Glasgow later than anticipated but Martin and his latest line-up of Daintees did not disappoint. There are so many great songs from the three albums they released back in the day and they played a good selection with plenty of banter from the man himself in-between songs.  

OTBT Christmas Show

A selection of some seasonal and end-of-year songs and some others which don't really have much of a Xmas connection other than having words like holly and deer in the title. Listen now on Mixcloud. 

The Carrivick Sisters - Santa Claus is Coming to Town 
Belshazzar's Feast - Playford's Christmas Ball (live) 
Emily Smith - Little Road to Bethlehem 
Cara Dillon - The Snows They Melt The Soonest 
Philip Henry & Hannah Martin - December 
Skipinnish - December 
John Cougar Mellencamp - Empty Hands 
Dougie McLean - Gloomy Winter 
Hannah Saunders & Ben Savage - Santa Fe Trail 
Emily Smith - Santa Will Find You 
Heidi Talbot - Music Tree 
Jenny Lascelles - Song For Holly 
Honey and the Bear - Buried In Ivy 
Bella Hardy - The Driving of the Deer 

Wishing you a peaceful Winter Solstice, a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. 

Off The Beaten Tracks 12 December 2022

A second look back at folk music albums released in 2022* with selections from half a dozen of them. Listen any time on Mixcloud or tune in at 1pm or 8pm on Ginger Feather FM.

Cat Stevens - Morning Has Broken
Jackie Oates - Robin Tells of Winter \ Gracious Wings *
Lady Maisery - birdsong *
James Taylor - Sunny Skies
Fara - Merry Dancers *
Iona Lane - Western Tidal Swell *
Nick Drake - The Thoughts of Mary Jane
Michael Chapman - Which Will
Sam Sweeney - Don't Worry, Trains *
Janice Burns & Jon Doran - The Black Fox *
Pauline Alexander - Imagine
Terry Callier - Occasional Rain
Tom Waits - (Looking For) The Heart of Saturday Night
Merry Hell - Leave It In The Ground 

Recommended releases of 2022

Time once again for a look at some of the folk and acoustic albums released in the last 12 months. It seems to have been quite a female-dominated year which is no bad thing though this is a reflection of the albums I've been sent by promoter Jane Brace, who is my main source of new music these days, along with my subscription to RnR magazine. 

So here is a list of 15 albums (in alphabetical order) I've enjoyed listening to this year. Thanks to Citizen K for all his hard work behind the scenes keeping things running smoothly at Ginger Feather FM.

Stuart Anthony and Larry Beckett - Mirabeau Bridge
Janice Burns & Jon Doran - No More The Green Hills 
Fara - Energy Islands 
Jo Gillot - Untitled (Summer '22) 
Heal & Harrow - Heal & Harrow
Lady Maisery - Tender 
Iona Lane - Hallival 
The Magpies - Undertow 
Siobhan Miller - Bloom
Aoife O'Donovan - Age of Apathy
Jackie Oates - Gracious Wings
Katie Spencer - The Edge of the Land
Martin Stephenson - Good Will Factory 
Sam Sweeney - Escape That
The Trials of Cato - Gog Magog

Thanks for listening to Off The Beaten Tracks either on Ginger Feather or Mixcloud. 

Off The Beaten Tracks 5 December 2022

The first of probably two shows looking back at some of the new releases I either bought or was given free downloads of during 2022* plus a new song by James J Turner. I've thrown in a few CSN&Y-related tracks as well. 

Listen now on Mixcloud or from Monday on Ginger Feather FM at 1pm or 8pm.

Crosby, Stills & Nash - Marrakesh Express (demo) 
Stuart Anthony & Larry Beckett - Acrobats *
Stuart Anthony & Larry Beckett - Look Down, Look Down from Sacre-Coeur *
James J Turner - Cycle of Life
Jo Gillot - Tread \ Chorus *
Crosby & Nash - Taken at All
Aoife O'Donovan - Passengers *
Heal and Harrow - Judge Not *
Manran - The Loop
The ALT - The Willow Tree
Siobhan Miller - Cold Blows The Rainy Night *
Katie Spencer - Sweet and Gentle *
Crosby & Nash - To The Last Whale a) Critical Mass b) Wind On The Water
The Stills Young Band - Long May You Run
Richie Havens - Freedom

Off The Beaten Tracks 28 November 2022

On this week's Ginger Feather FM radio show there are two tracks from The Trials of Cato's new album 'Gog Magog'. Tune in from Monday at 1pm or 8pm or listen anytime on Mixcloud.

Show of Hands - Roots 
The Trials of Cato - I Thought You Were My Friend 
Linda Thompson - It Won't Be Long Now 
Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee - Climbing On Top Of The Hill 
Michael Roach - Bring It With You When You Come 
Bob Dylan - It Ain't Me Babe 
Kyrre Slind - Borders 
Clype - Red Tide 
Edgelarks - Where I Stand 
The Trials of Cato - When Black Shuck Roams 
Curtis Eller - Firing Squad 
Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors - Here We Go 
Vanessa Peters - Getting By 
Martin Harley & Daniel Kimbro - Dancing on the Rocks 
The Foghorn Stringband - What Will We Do 

Off The Beaten Tracks 21 November 2022

There have been a few musician deaths recently. Jerry Lee Lewis, Nazareth singer Dan McCafferty, Boomtown Rats guitarist Garry Roberts and folk musician Rab Noakes. Rab is the only one of them I saw in concert and that was at a festival many years ago in the town of Cupar in Fife which was a local gig for him. 

Various obituaries have been written about him but for me doing this radio show I'll remember him as one of the few older musicians who would thank me for playing his songs. Sometimes just getting a like on Twitter from someone you admire is enough to make you think that what you're doing is worthwhile. Anyway, it's sad that he is no longer with us so in tribute I've a few tracks by him on this show. The Lindisfarne number is a cover of one of Rab's songs from back in the early 70s. 

As ever, listen on Ginger Feather FM from next Monday or any time on Mixcloud.

Rab Noakes - Slippin' Away
KT Tunstall - Universe & U
Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage - Come All Ye Fair and Tender Maids
Hugh Cornwell - Don't Bring Harry
Rab Noakes & Barbara Dickson - (Don't Say) Money Doesn't Matter
The Magpies - Fall On My Knees
Martin Stephenson - Blue Child
Bukka White - Shake 'Em On Down
Leadbelly - Gallis Pole
Cardboard Fox - Empty Skies
Police Dog Hogan - East Nashville Back Porch Fix
The Jellyman's Daughter - Oh Boy
Rab Noakes - I'm Walkin' Here
Lindisfarne - Turn A Deaf Ear 
Michael Chapman - Anything But The Blues 

Rab Noakes (13 May 1947 – 11 November 2022)

OTBT Mix 14 November 2022

All music and no talk on this week's Ginger Feather FM broadcast. Also on Mixcloud. 

Merry Hell - Over The Border 
Bellowhead - The Outlandish Knight 
Nuala Kennedy - My Brown-Haired Boy / Young Tom Ennis 
Steeleye Span - Fire and Ice 
Peatbog Faeries - Passport Panic 
Stevie Palmer - Everybody Knows 
Kathryn Tickell - Old Stones / Holy Island Jig 
Heal & Harrow - Da Dim 
Kate Rusby - Hunter Moon 
Jez Lowe - You Can't Take It With You 
Harp And A Monkey - Ten Shilling Wife 
Carthy, Hardy, Farrell & Young - Why Don't You Do Right 

Off The Beaten Tracks 7 November 2022

On this week's Ginger Feather FM radio show you can hear two tracks from Siobhan Miller's new album 'Bloom'. Tune in at 1pm or 8pm or listen anytime on Mixcloud. 

Skipinnish - Alba 
Siobhan Miller - Go, Move, Shift 
Christy Moore - Strange Ways 
Seth Lakeman - Blood Red Sky 
Cara Dillon (feat. Sam Lakeman) - Blackwater Side [Live] 
Barrule - Five Hours Behind 
The Pogues - When The Ship Comes In 
Spiers & Boden - Old Maui 
Sam Sweeney - Nightshifting Atlantica 
Siobhan Miller - Wild Mountain Thyme 
Lady Maisery - 3000 Miles 
Richard & Linda Thompson - Shoot Out The Lights 
Runrig - Morning Tide 
Paul Anderson - Elsie Cromar of Glenbervie 

Off The Beaten Tracks 31 October 2022

This week's Ginger Feather FM radio show is brought to you by the letter J. Tune in at 1pm or 8pm or listen anytime on Mixcloud.

John Renbourn (Pentangle) - Sally Go Round The Roses
Joe Danks - Sea Fever
Janice Burns & Jon Doran - Four Loom Weaver
James Yorkston & The Second Hand Orchestra - Struggle
John Tams Band - Hugh Stenson and Molly Green 
John Smith - There Is A Stone
Jenna - Endless Summer
Jenn & Laura Beth - If I Had A Lover \ The Belle of the Ball
Jackie Oates - Looking For My Own Lone Ranger
Jenny Sturgeon - Sleep
Judy Dyble - I Hear A Song 
June Tabor - Le Petit Navire 
John Colleta - Raggle Taggle Dreamer 
Jaywalkers - Set Me Free
Jim Nield - Soliloquy

Off The Beaten Tracks 24 October 2022

A drink-related playlist for the latest show which you can hear on Ginger Feather FM from Monday the 24th October. Or listen now on Mixcloud.

Martin Stephenson is out on tour with the Daintees from the 3rd of November. For full tour dates check out his website - daintees.co.uk/shows. 

Hayseed Dixie - Have A Drink On Me

Locust Honey String Band - When The Whiskey's Gone

Jane Kramer - Hold My Whiskey

Police Dog Hogan - Shitty White Wine

Richard Thompson - Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee (live) 

Bridget Marsden & Lief Ottosson - Drinks Are On Me

Martin Stephenson - Little Red Bottle

Bob Fox - Life Is Not Kind to the Drinking Man

Boo Hewerdine - Drinking Alone

Rose's Pawn Shop - One Last Glass of Whiskey

Kris Kristofferson - From The Bottle To The Bottom

The Tillers - Blues in a Bottle (live)

Jerry Lee Lewis - Honky Tonk Wine 

Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors - The Wine We Drink  

Mariearad & Anna - Bottle Island

Martin Stephenson & The Daintees - Running Water (live) 

Off The Beaten Tracks 17 October 2022

Two tracks from Undertow which is the second album from Yorkshire-based trio The Magpies. They play the Liverpool Philharmonic on the 22nd of October. Full tour details on their website. 

Tune in to Off The Beaten Tracks every day at 1pm and 8pm on Ginger Feather FM. Shows also available to listen to on Mixcloud. 

The Proclaimers - I'm On My Way (live)
The Magpies - Colin's Set
Patsy Reid - The River Princes
Katie Spencer - Roads
Bob Dylan - You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
Crosby & Nash - Southbound Train
Kitty MacFarlane - Wrecking Days 
Nick Drake - Parasite
The Magpies - Sweet Dreams (are made of this)
The Proclaimers - Spinning Around in the Air (Live)
Martyn Joseph - This Light is Ours
The Rheingans Sisters - After the Bell Rang 
Lau - Toy Tigers
Jesca Hoop - Four Dreams

Ginger Feather FM folk music mix

Catching up with some new music I've been sent recently by the likes of Janice Burns & Jon Doran and Sam Sweeney. This mix will be going out on Ginger Feather FM from Monday at 8pm or you can listen now on Mixcloud.

The Bad Shepherds - I Fought The Law / Cockers at Pockers 
Janice Burns & Jon Doran - She Moved Through The Fair 
Kris Drever - Patrick Spence 
Nancy Kerr & James Fagan - Kitchen Dance (live) 
Siobhan Miller - I'm A Rover 
Oysterband - The Oxford Girl 
Sam Sweeney - Under Gigantic Clouds 
The Hut People - Sweet Nightingale 
Roddy Frame - Small World 
Stuart Anthony & Larry Beckett - The Bells 
Damien O'Kane & Ron Block ft Kate Rusby - Woman of No Place 
Kate Rusby - Who Knows Where The Time Goes 
Kris Drever - If Wishes Were Horses 
Richard Thompson with Judith Owen - Night and Day 
Chris Flegg - Don't Leave Until The Party's Over

Sam Sweeney's album 'Escape That' is released on the 21st October and  

Janice Burns & Jon Doran's new album is released on the 28th October.  

Paul Sartin tribute show

I've got behind with my blog postings having been away on holiday last week. This is the show that went out the week starting the 26th September and you can listen to it on Mixcloud.

Belshazzar's Feast - The Wild Rover 

Belshazzar's Feast - Die Deutsches Washfrau (live) 

Eliza Carthy - Stumbling On 

Iona Lane - May You Find Time 

Bellowhead - Across the Line 

Fairport Convention - Best Wishes 

Uiscedwr - Girlyjig 

Steeleye Span - New York Girls [ft P Sellars]

Steeleye Span - Two Constant Lovers

Faustus - One More Day

Show of Hands - The Keys of Canterbury

Mishaped Pearls - Jimmy

Faustus - Blow the Windy Morning

Paul Sartin (20 Feb 1971 – 14 Sept 2022)

Off The Beaten Tracks 19 September 2022

This week's Ginger Feather FM radio show is a mix of UK folk and Americana from across the Atlantic.

Tune in from Monday at 1pm or 8pm on Ginger Feather FM or listen now on Mixcloud. 

Mad Pudding - Rattle on the Stovepipe
Indigo Girls - Get Out The Map
Bonny Light Horseman - The Roving
Alison Russell - 4th Day Prayer
Cam Penner - Hour of Need
Band of Burns - Highlander's 
Christy Moore - Wise and Holy Woman 
Cara Dillon - Black is the Colour 
Darwin Song Project - The Earl of Darwin's Farewell
Mad Pudding - Where Were You
Soggy Bottom Boys - In The Jailhouse Now
The High Bar Gang - Mother's Only Sleeping
Stephen Fearing - Blowhard Nation
Wire and Wool - What Would Eric Say

Martyn Joseph's Pipefest at Lancaster University

I’d always wondered why Lancaster hosted a festival for pipers but seemingly Pipe was a nickname Martyn had when he was younger, so it has nothing to do with the Northumbrian, Highland or Uilleann instruments.

The afternoon session started with a discussion titled, “Finding Hope in a Hopeless World” hosted by festival organiser, Nikki. She was joined by all the performers them being - along with Martyn – Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage, Patrick Jones and Stephen Fearing. The talk was mainly about how recent events such as Covid have affected them all and the negative effect of social media, with Twitter coming in for more than a little criticism. Inevitably the mood was quite downbeat until Ben started one of his replies by saying, "I made a lot of cider."

There followed a Songwriter Circle, the songs being interspersed with Patrick Jones' poems. When he started talking I had a feeling that I knew him from somewhere, but it transpired that it was another member of his family who I had previously seen on stage, namely his younger brother Nicky Wire of Manic Street Preachers.

I had to miss a couple of the afternoon sessions but returned in time to catch Patrick’s main performance. He read some wonderful poems ranging in subject matter from browsing LPs in a record shop to being stuck in an abusive relationship. He and Martyn have been working on a project together which I’m sure will be well worth a listen when it is finished.

Then on to the music.

I had seen Ben and Hannah at a festival earlier in the summer and their singing and guitar playing are really something quite special. There seem to be quite a few duos on the folk music scene these days, the names Edgelarks and Gilmore & Roberts spring to mind, but Ben and Hannah really grabbed my attention for some reason. Perhaps it is something as simple as them both sharing the same microphone which brings an immediate intimacy to their performance and Hannah has one of the most impressive voices I’ve heard in quite a while.

I've known Stephen Fearing's music for a few years, having been sent promo copies of a couple of his albums when I was on local radio, but he tends to record with a backing band. On his own, I was impressed with his guitar playing and it was one of those cases of when you finally see someone live, you really appreciate how good they are. He was probably the highlight of the day for me.

I realised I had only seen Martyn once before which was also at Lancaster University a number of years back when he played support to Show of Hands. If I’m being honest, I wasn’t all that impressed with him on that occasion but he played a very good set last night. He brought on the others to help out on a few songs, with Patrick reading a poem on one number while Martyn played guitar and sang the chorus. I enjoyed the songs from his new album 1960 and he obviously enjoys playing at this event with it being something of an annual pilgrimage for many of his fans.

So not a bagpipe in sight but instead there was much excellent music and thought-provoking poetry.

Off The Beaten Tracks 12 September 2022

Next week's playlist with two tracks from Martyn Joseph's album 1960. Martyn is headlining the Pipefest Festival at Lancaster University on September the 17th.  

Tune in from Monday at 1pm or 8pm on Ginger Feather FM or listen now on Mixcloud. 

Martyn Joseph - Born Too Late
Rory McLeod - No Use For A Gun
Smith & McLennan - Hummingbird
Rab Noakes & Barbara Dickson - Que Sera Sera
The Imagined Village - Scarborough Fair 
The Chair - Keengalee 
The Unthanks - Here's The Tender Coming
Richard Thompson - Haul Me Up (demo)
The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc - The Devil's Polska
Martyn Joseph - There Is A Field
The Carrivick Sisters - Today Is A Good Day
Le Vent Du Nord - Loup-Garou

Off The Beaten Tracks 22 August 2022

This coming week's playlist with two tracks from Jackie Oates' new album Gracious Wings. Tune in from Monday at 1pm or 8pm on Ginger Feather FM or listen now on Mixcloud. 

Jackie Oates - When I Was A Fair Maid
Iona Lane - Mary Anning
Fara - Fair Winds
Davy Graham - Black Is The Colour Of My True Love's Hair
Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh - Persuasion
Maddie Morris - Relentless 
Freedom to Roam - Rain Coming 
The Handsome Family - In The Air
Steve Earle - Copperhead Road
Gillian Welch - Silver Dagger
John Palmer Acoustic Band - Bridges Not Walls
Jackie Oates - Roobarb and Custard
Jez Lowe - The Pitmen Poets
Lindisfarne - Fog on the Tyne

Off The Beaten Tracks 15 August 2022

A few tracks this week by artists I saw at the Lakeland Folk Weekend recently, namely Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage and Bob Fox. The songs by Bob are from an album he recorded in 2000 backed by members of Fairport Convention. Hannah and Ben will be playing at the Pipefest festival at Lancaster University on September 17th.

You can listen to this show on Mixcloud or from Monday on Ginger Feather FM at 1pm and 8pm.

James J Turner - Real Change
Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage - Polly O Polly
Kim Edgar w/ Rachel Sermanni - Ripples 
Rachel Sermanni - Wish I Showed My Love
Tim Grimm - Laurel Pearl
Viper Central - Ned Kelly
Bob Fox - Greek Lightning
Bob Fox - From Me To You
Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage - Lovely Joan
Daimh - Banjo's Favourite
Barrule - Europop Vona
Coreen Scott - Songbird
Fairport Convention - Poor Will & The Jolly Hangman
Up in the Air - Garrett Barry's

Off The Beaten Tracks 8 August 2022

A largely American playlist this week with two tracks from Edie Brickell & New Bohemian's album Ghost of a Dog. Listen now on Mixcloud. 

The Levellers - Hope Street
Edie Brickell & New Bohemians - Black and Blue
Edgar Winter feat. Keb' Mo' - Lone Star Blues
Ringo Starr - Sunshine Life For Me (Sail Away Raymond)
George Harrison - Dark Horse (rough mix)
America - Only In Your Heart
k.d. lang - Constant Craving
Sarah Jarosz - Empty Square
Fierce Flowers - Tell Me Lies
Asleep at the Wheel - I Love You Most of All (When You're Not Here)
Edie Brickell & New Bohemians - Times Like This 
Tim Grimm - Gone
Tim O'Brien - Five Miles In and One Mile Down
Janis Ian - Fly Too High
Howard Haigh - Highland Fling

Tune in at 1pm or 8pm on https://www.internet-radio.com/station/gingerfeatherfm/ 

Lost Property & Unfair Punishment

This is part of a writing project on my school days most of which is based on the school reports my mother had kept for me for the years I was at the Edinburgh Academy 1969-81.

Fifth year saw us in Mr C’s class. He was not someone who suffered fools gladly as we were to find out one Monday afternoon. The final lesson every Monday was a study period which was used as choir practice, something I had been involved with in my first two or three years. But by fifth year the orchestra was my only extra-curricular activity. Mr C was in charge of the Lost Property office and from 2:30pm on a Monday he and a couple of us from his class helped sort through things that had been handed in. The rest of the class was left on their own and told not to make any noise.

Unfortunately on the fateful day when I was helping in the Lost Property office my classmates decided to mess around and word got back to Mr C who decided to punish the whole lot of us, getting us to run around the outside of the main school building a few times. Me being one of the less sporty ones didn’t finish until after the end of the lunchbreak which was all a bit embarrassing and to be honest, pretty crap. I had reminded Mr C that me and another boy hadn’t been in the classroom at the time of the disturbance, but he had no sympathy and we were punished along with the rest of them. Any respect I had for him went right out the window there and then.

It is something I heard on a podcast recently that children, especially youngsters, have a strong sense of what is right and wrong which is why you often hear kids say that something is not fair. This is often because adults do not behave in a fair way as was illustrated by Mr C’s decision to punish the two of us who had not been involved in the rowdy behaviour that Monday afternoon.

This was in 1979 and by then most teachers had abandoned the old-fashioned way of punishing pupils, i.e. by corporal punishment. There were still one or two who gave Six of the Best to unruly boys, but this was on rare occasions. Punishments were more likely to be in the form of detentions or making you write out lines 100 times. Another was writing out a piece of schoolwork on what was called Red Lined paper. I don’t know if this was used in any other schools, but it was indeed A4 sheets of paper with the lines coloured red and you had to have the work signed by a parent before handing it in to the teacher.

As I type this there are daily postings on social media regarding allegations of sexual and other violence which boys at my school suffered back in the 1970s and 80s. It will have brought back painful memories to many of my contemporaries. Even for those of us who didn’t suffer, it still reminds us that we were there and makes us reflect on the culture at the Edinburgh Academy where accusations were more likely to be ignored or swept under the carpet than addressed in a proper manner.

But on the plus side this whole sorry business will hopefully bring some sort of closure to the victims and it reminds us that social media can be used for positive purposes bringing people together to share memories and hopefully at some point in the future we will see justice being done.

Colin Bertram
31/07/2022

Off The Beaten Tracks 25 July 2022

Playlist for my Ginger Feather FM radio show to be broadcast the week of the 25th July. Listen now on Mixcloud. 

Kirsty MacColl - A New England
Martin Stephenson - Look Down Look Down
Chris Bradley - Cambridge County
Kate Bush - Cloudbusting
Billy Bragg & Wilco - Hoodoo Voodoo
Billy Bragg & Wilco - Ingrid Bergman
Fabian Holland - Welcome to the Magic Show
Michelle Shocked - Looks Like Mona Lisa
Nick Drake - Free Ride
Teddy Thompson - I Should Get Up
Grace Petrie - Northbound
Michael Chapman - Waiting for a Train [A 1000 Miles From Home] (Demo)
The Tillers - Old Westside
Melissa Greener - My Country Home In Summer Glow
The Be Good Tanyas - House of the Rising Sun
The Jayhawks - One Man's Problem

Tune in at 1pm or 8pm on https://www.internet-radio.com/station/gingerfeatherfm/

Off The Beaten Tracks 18 July 2022

This week's playlist with two tracks from The ALT's album Day Is Come.

Listen at https://www.mixcloud.com/cmbertram/ 

Cara Dillon - P Stands for Paddy (radio edit)

The ALT - Falkirk Fair

Christy Moore - North and South of the River

Damien O'Kane - The Maid of Seventeen

Flook - Turquoise Girl-The Tree Climber-Twelve Weeks and a Day-Rounding Malin Head

Karan Casey - Town of Athlone

Niall Kelly - Colliers Folk

Nuala Kennedy - Lovely Armoy

Polly Barrett - Lay Me Down

The Pogues - Dirty Old Town

The ALT - The Blackbird and the Thrush

John Doyle - Liberty's Sweet Shore

The Dubliners - Whiskey in the Jar

Or at 1pm and 8pm on https://www.internet-radio.com/station/gingerfeatherfm/

Off The Beaten Tracks 11 July 2022

A playlist inspired by recent and on-going events in UK politics. Available to listen to now on Mixcloud or from Monday at 8pm on Ginger Feather FM. 

Billy Bragg - All You Fascists Bound to Lose (Blokes Version)

Siobhan Miller - What You Do with What You've Got

Bob Dylan - The Times They Are A-Changin'

Katie Spencer - Go Your Way

Rab Noakes & Barbara Dickson - Something's Wrong

Sarah McQuaid - New Beginnings

Neil Young - Let's Impeach The President

Crosby, Stills & Nash - Wasted on the Way

Crosby & Nash - Immigration Man

David Ferrard - I Am An Immigrant (I'm From Here)

Kim Edgar - I Dream

Martha Wainwright - Ball and Chain

Luke Jackson - I'm Not Okay With This

Richard Thompson - That's All, Amen, Close The Door

Tim O'Brien - Everything is Broken

OTBT mix 4 July 2022

A mix with no other theme than all the artists' names begin with the letter B. Listen now on Mixcloud or tune in on Ginger Feather FM at 1pm or 8pm from next Monday.

Barrule - The Wheel of Fire

Bert Jansch w/ Hope Sandoval - All This Remains

Bill Malkin & Band Wagon - Montezuma

Barluath - The Big Chief

Bellowhead - Sloe Gin

Breabach - Google This

Blackbeard's Tea Party - Polka Against the Clock

Bridget Marsden & Lief Ottosson - Minus 30 Degrees C

Battlefield Band - Eight Men of Moidart

Band of Burns - To Ruin

Boys of the Lough - O'er the Water to Bessie

Bella Hardy - Lament for Derwent Village

https://www.internet-radio.com/station/gingerfeatherfm/

Off The Beaten Tracks 27 June 2022

Next week's Ginger Feather FM show with two tracks from the album Nick Keir released in 2012. Listen now on Mixcloud. 

The Ukulele Orchestra of GB - Psycho Killer
Nick Keir - Middle Aged Men
The Proclaimers - What Makes You Cry
Julee Cruise - Rockin' Back Inside My Heart
O'Hooley & Tidow - Gentleman Jack
Bonnie Raitt - Dimming of the Day (live)
Paul McCartney - Too Much Rain
Mishaped Pearls - When Summers Stood Still
Ella Edmondson - Breathe
Nick Keir - Midnight Singer
Anne Briggs - Rosemary Lane
Jo Gillot - Curlew
Damien O'Kane & Ron Block - Happy Little Phoebe / Manny Mountain 
Peatbog Faeries - The Ranch

On Ginger Feather FM at 1pm and 8pm from Monday the 27th.

Folk & Acoustic mix

Still recovering from this dose of Covid so recording radio shows is a bit beyond me at present. Here's a mix to be going on with. Listen now on Mixcloud.

Iona Lane - Crossroads
Northern Flyway - Rosefinch
Pauline Vallance - Eriskay Love Lilt
Norma Waterson - The Elfin Knight
Belinda O'Hooley - Whither Pilgrims Are You Going
Siobhan Miller - Tranent
Rosie Hood - Baker's Oven
Alice Jones - Wedding Mazurkas
Annlaug - Suril Luril
Katie Spencer - Silence On The Hillside
Kim Edgar & James Grant - Cornerstone
Patsy Matheson - Water is Over The Weir
KT Tunstall - The Other Side of the World
Christine Collister - Home Sweet Home
Linda Thompson - Dear Old Man of Mine
Miranda Sykes & Rex Preston - Old Man Time

Tune in to Ginger Feather FM broadcasting online all day every day. 

Off The Beaten Tracks 30 May 2022

A "countries of the world" playlist or at least European countries and a few others. Listen now on Mixcloud.

The Proclaimers - Letter from America
Belshazzar's Feast - Rondo a la Turkey
Christy Moore - Nancy Spain
Banter - Johnny Goes To France
Lindisfarne - Poor Old Ireland
Ewan MacPherson - Ranarim's Welcome to Scotland & Icy North Gutter Experiment
Katheryn Tickell - Ian's Trip to Wales & Anton's Muñeira
Broom Bezzums - High Germany
Damien O'Kane & Ron Block - Trip to Portugal
Nic Jones - Isle of France
Christy Moore - America, You Are Not The World
Nancy Kerr & James Fagan - Australian Waltzes
Ollie King - Round the Bay of Mexico
Odette Michell w/ Phil Beer - Rolling Shores of England

Listen on Ginger Feather FM from Monday the 30th May. 

Off The Beaten Tracks 16 May 2022

A mix this week instead of a radio show with mostly cover versions apart from the first song by Kate Rusby. Listen now on Mixcloud. 

Kate Rusby - Elfin Knight

Richard Thompson - Tempted 

Steve Knightley - Romeo and Juliet 

The Bailey Sisters - Summerisle

Skerryvore - Rocket to the Moon 

Coreen Scott - Who Knows Where The Time Goes

Graham Parker - The Madness of Love

Kathryn Roberts - Baby Can I Hold You

Mary Dillon - Army Dreamers

Martin Simpson - Masters of War 

Rab Noakes - Freight Train

The Bad Shepherds - Whole Wide World \ Hag With The Monkey

Heidi Talbot - Whispering Grass

Chamberlain & Haywood - Hungarian Dance No 2 in D minor

Tune in at 1pm or 8pm on 

https://www.internet-radio.com/station/gingerfeatherfm/

Off The Beaten Tracks 9 May 2022

Radio show to be broadcast the week starting the 9th of May. Listen now on Mixcloud or tune in from Monday at either 1pm or 8pm on Ginger Feather FM.

Pentangle - I've Got A Feeling
Nick Drake - Cello Song
Freedom to Roam - Seekers
Kathryn Priddy - Icarus
Heal & Harrow - Corp-crèadha (Figure of Clay)
Calum Stewart & Lauren MacColl - Crow Road Croft
Angie Palmer - Nightsong
Ross & Ali - Gaelic
Flook - Sharig / The Pipers of Roguery / The Huntsman
Rory McLeod - A Foreigner Forever
Norah Jones - Day Is Done
Simon & Garfunkel - The Boxer

https://freedomtoroam.bandcamp.com/releases

Off The Beaten Tracks 2 May 2022

Two tracks from the Norma Waterson & Eliza Carthy album Anchor on this week's show. Listen now on Mixcloud or tune in at either 1pm or 8pm on Ginger Feather FM.

Chris While & Julie Matthews - On My Way

Simon Mayor & Hilary James - Sumer Is Icumen In

Faustus - Lancashire Factory Girl

Fairport Convention - A Thousand Bars

Norma Waterson - Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Eliza Carthy - The Galaxy Song

Martin Carthy - Scarborough Fair

Afro Celt Sound System - Big Cat

Breabach - The Midnight Sun

Kris Drever - Westlin' Winds

Kate Rusby - Three Little Birds

Honey & The Bear - Springtime Girl

Mikey Kenney - The Old Bank of Aigburth

Follow us on Twitter @GingerfeatherFM

Join the Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/GingerfeatherFM

Off The Beaten Tracks 25 April 2022

Ginger Feather FM radio show with 3 tracks from the Bags of Love 4 compilation album* released in December 2021.

Listen now on https://www.mixcloud.com/cmbertram/off-the-beaten-tracks-25-april-2022/

https://bagsoflove.bandcamp.com/album/bags-of-love-4
All profits donated to the services of Barrow Foodbank

Harp and a Monkey - Glossop Road

Grace Petrie - Farewell to Welfare

The Broken-Hearted Few - I Don't Think You Love Me

Sad-Eyed Puffins - Weather Forecast*

Luke Jackson - Milk & Honey 

Martin Stephenson - Lilac Tree

Megson - Rain

Megson - Not For The First Time 

Manran - Crow Flies 

Kathryn Tickell - Tiger's First Bird

Kim Edgar with JP Piirainen - It Only Takes A Silence 

Olivia Dacre - Slipping*

William Warren - Love You Like I Should* 

Billy Bragg - Pass It On 

Harvey Lord - Listen Louder 

https://www.internet-radio.com/station/gingerfeatherfm/

Off The Beaten Tracks 18 April 2022

On this week's Ginger Feather FM show you can hear two tracks from the new album by Stuart Anthony and Larry Beckett "Mirabeau Bridge". 

Listen on Mixcloud or tune in from Monday at 1pm or 8pm on https://www.internet-radio.com/station/gingerfeatherfm/

Los Lobos - For What It's Worth
Aoife O'Donovan - Age of Apathy
Stuart Anthony & Larry Beckett - Mirabeau Bridge
Stuart Anthony & Larry Beckett - The Gypsy
Melissa Greener - On My Way Back Home
Allison Russell - Nightflyer 
Sarah Jarosz - Painted Blue
The Mountain Firework Company - Low
The Beatles - Across The Universe
Judy Collins - In My Life
Michael Chapman - The Mallard
Katie Spencer - Hello Sun
Luke Jackson - Eliza Holt
Chris Flegg - All You Need is Time

Off The Beaten Tracks 11 April 2022

This week's Ginger Feather FM radio show to be broadcast the w/c 11 April 2022 has two tracks from Show of Hands' Wake the Union album which was released 10 years ago. Also from that year are songs by Niall Kelly and Bryony Holden. Listen now on Mixcloud.

Lindisfarne - Lady Eleanor
Sandy Denny - Blackwaterside
Manran - Inspector
Niall Kelly - Seen The Dreams
John Kearney & Lucy Farrell - Hares on the Mountainside
Joe Danks - Hussey's John Peel
Pippa Reid-Foster - The Mermaid Song
Show of Hands - Reunion Hill
Show of Hands - Seven Curses
Mel Biggs - Dream Big
The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc - Talons Trip to Thompson Island
Richard & Linda Thompson - Streets of Paradise (live)
Bryony Holden - Gyspy Davey
Mike Vass - Ewing

Tune in at 1pm or 8pm on 

https://www.internet-radio.com/station/gingerfeatherfm/

Off The Beaten Tracks 4 April 2022

A North American line-up this week with two tracks from Asleep At The Wheel's 50th anniversary album Half A Hundred Years. Available to listen to on Mixcloud or tune in to Ginger Feather FM on the link below.

Simon & Garfunkel - April Come She Will 
Rosanne Cash - My Baby Thinks He's A Train 
Stephen Fearing - Stay With Me 
Terry Callier - Color Me Free 
David Crosby - What Are Their Names 
Manassas - So Begins The Task 
Natalie Merchant - After The Goldrush 
Sam Baker - Isn't Love Great 
Rhiannon Giddens & Francesco Turrisi - Waterbound 
Danny Schmidt - Soon The Earth Shall Swallow 
Asleep At The Wheel - The Letter Johnny Walker Read 
Asleep At The Wheel - (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 
Kris Kristofferson - Sunday Morning Coming Down 
Rita Hosking - Five Star Location 
The Foghorn String Band - Columbus Stockade Blues 

Tune in at 1pm or 8pm on

https://www.internet-radio.com/station/gingerfeatherfm/

Off The Beaten Tracks 28 March 2022

This week's Ginger Feather FM playlist.

The Young 'Uns - A Place Called England
The Alt - What Put The Blood
King Creosote - Largs
Frank Turner - A Wave Across A Bay (acoustic)
Karine Polwart - Swim Until You Can't See Land
Iona Lane - Schiehallion
Faustus - False Foxes
Plumhall - Cruel Adventures
Jenny Lascelles - The Girl Who Couldn't Sleep And The Boy Who Couldn't Speak
Jen & Laura Beth - Shine
Paddy Garrigan & The Stroller Priests - The Museum of Forgotten Songs
Dan Melrose - Cellophane
Wes Martin - Our World Lies Below

Tune in at 1pm or 8pm on 

https://www.internet-radio.com/station/gingerfeatherfm/ 

Off The Beaten Tracks 21 March 2022

This week's Ginger Feather FM playlist. Listen on Mixcloud   

First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar
Idiot Johnson - The Damplands
William The Conqueror - Alive at Last
The Jellyman's Daughter - American Tune
Joshua Burnell - Run With Me
Cara - B&B Jigs
Ninebarrow - Cry Unity
Simon Jaymes - She's a Lady
Anais Mitchell - Our Lady of the Underground
Cardboard Fox - On Your Side 
The Rheingans Sisters - The Photograph
William The Conqueror - Maverick Thinker
Duncan Wood - Farewell to Edinburgh

Or tune in at 1pm or 8pm on 

https://www.internet-radio.com/station/gingerfeatherfm/

Faustus at Helmshore

Faustus played at Helmshore Mills Textile Museum last night (18th March). It didn't seem to be the most obvious place for a gig but it turned out they'd played there before in 2019. The acoustics were good, with Saul thanking himself at the end for doing the sound, but there wasn't any lighting specifically for the band so instead the house lights were left on.

I had heard two of their albums before the gig but this was my first time seeing them live. They hardly needed any time to warm up and get into their stride with Benji Kirkpatrick's acoustic guitar and mandola driving many of the songs along with Saul Rose's melodeon adding bass and sharing the melodies with Paul Sartin on violin and cor anglais. Add to that some fine 3-part harmony singing and I'd say they are one of the best live bands I've seen in quite a while. 

They were promoting their new release "Cotton Lords EP - Five Songs of the Lancashire Cotton Famine" and played selections from their three previous albums as well. There was one slightly freaky moment when a lightbulb blew during one of the songs from the Cotton Lords EP. It happened just before the interval so they carried on in semi-darkness!

They kept the audience entertained with some amusing and informative chat between numbers and for me the most memorable songs were 'Blow the Windy Morning' and their take on Nic Jones' The Humpback Whale which they recorded as 'Ballina Whalers' on their self-titled debut album back in 2008. I hadn't heard their third album "Death and Other Animals" but enjoyed the tracks they played from it and bought a copy at the end of the evening. 

A great night out and we are planning on going back when the museum is open. 

Off The Beaten Tracks 14 March 2022

This week's show has two tracks by Luke Jackson who has been supporting Fairport Convention on their Winter Tour. The song 'Oh Channel' is available to download from his Bandcamp page. 

Iona Lane's album Hallival is released on March the 25th and she plays The Hall Coffee Shop in Lancaster on April the 9th. 

Banter - Just Love
Luke Jackson - Nothing But Time
Iona Lane - Mary Anning
Frank Turner - Don't Worry
Miranda Sykes - Windowbox
The House Band - War Party \ Lost Night
Steve Knightley - Tall Ships
The Chair - The Dark Maid
Philip Henry & Hannah Martin - The Nail Maker's Strike PtII
Luke Jackson - Oh Channel
Seth Lakeman - Blood Red Sky (live)
Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman - Granite Mill
Simon Mayor & Hilary James - Barcarole

Listen to the show on Mixcloud 

Or tune in at 1pm or 8pm on 

https://www.internet-radio.com/station/gingerfeatherfm/

Off The Beaten Tracks 7 March

Some cover versions on this week's show and a few chosen against the backdrop of the horrific events happening in Ukraine. Listen now on Mixcloud. 

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain - Picture This
King Creosote - Homeboy
Simon & Garfunkel - The Sound of Silence
Crosby, Stills & Nash - Wooden Ships
Sharon King - Ordinary Girl
Luke Jackson - Cherry Picker
Flook - Ocean Child
Ross Ainslie - Cloud Surfing
Ninebarrow - Prickle-eye Bush
The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain - Dancing Barefoot
Patti Smith - Changing of the Guards
Bob Dylan - All Along the Watchtower
Jamie Smith's Mabon - The Accordionist's Despair
Indigo Girls - Midnight Train to Georgia

Tune in at 1pm or 8pm every day

On https://www.internet-radio.com/station/gingerfeatherfm/