SIMPLE FOLK was inspired by reading about the tremendous struggles of the past from the viewpoint of the ordinary person.
So much of history is written from the point of view of the aristocracy, the landed and powerful gentry, or the church. So very little recounts the experiences of the small, the powerless and the humble.
When we finally did access authenic documentation relating to the many, the history was mostly collective, - things like expected lifespan (woefully low!) parish taxation records and general diet. As the facts started to fall into some semblance of order the overwhelming feeling we had was to admire these people, for if life seems difficult at times for us, those difficulties are dwarfed by the burdens our ancestors bore.
Doug and myself (Mandy) would discuss these issues long into the night, trying to imagine ourselves in their position, and tap into the emotions they might have felt.
We found ourselves trawling through our favourite folk ballads, trying to ‘marry’ them to different times and different people groups.
All of these songs are traditional, written by an unknown person ( we call him Mr. Trad Anon) with the exception of track 4. “Fogtown’ is a modern song written by an American woman, Michelle Shocked.
We included this one song because its lyrics depict the modern urban struggle, sort of linking the past with the present.
We completed the CD with a traditional Australian sea shanty, more recently used as a childrens lullaby - ‘Little Fishy’. This beautiful song seemed so fitting as a closing number, and its haunting reprise of ‘Go home and dont cry’ seemed so very right and in context.
We hope you enjoy our small contribution to history.
THE GUEST MUSICIANS
Andrew De Teliga :- Is a professional musician whose career spans many decades. On this recording he is playing violin and dobro guitar, but his instrumental skills include banjo, guitar, cheng, hammered dulcimer, Irish harp, bazouki and mandolin. Currently Andrew plays with ‘Sirocco’ and composes his own, uniquely Australian songs.
Mark Bromley:- Mark is also a professional musician. If it has a bow - Mark plays it! He is currently a senior teacher at the Northern Rivers Conservatorium of the Arts and plays in the dynamic and energetic world music band ‘Stipsky’.
SIMPLE FOLK