Bard of Ely: vocals, guitar, kazoo, Jew's harp, harmonica, penny whistle and keyboards.
Influences
These are my favorite bands and singers, or acts I have spent time listening to a lot, so I call them all influences: Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Syd Barrett, Roy Harper, Leonard Cohen, John Lennon, the Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, Bee Gees, Arthur Brown, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, ELO, The Idle Race, The Cream, Incredible String Band, U2, Abba, Neil Diamond, America, Jonathan Richman, Bruce Springsteen, The Who, The Zombies, Roxy Music, Hawkwind, The Kinks, Nico, James Taylor, Loudon Wainwright III, Velvet Underground, REM, Roy Orbison, Buffy St. Marie, Procul Harum, Patti Smith, Kirsty MacColl, Blur, Soft Cell, Pentangle, Barclay James Harvest, Medicine Head, Nirvana, Bob Marley, Marc Bolan, Lou Reed, Avril Lavigne, David Bowie, Pina, Moody Blues, John Mayall, The Doors, Joan Baez, Tom Petty, Blondie, George Harrison, Travelling Wilburys, The Clash, Yardbirds, Elvis Costello, Wreckless Eric, Dave Edmunds, Sex Pistols, Jefferson Starship and Jefferson Airplane, Donovan, Dido, Eric Clapton, Johnny Cash, Carly Simon, Leadbelly, The Bangles, Belinda Carlisle, Dexys Midnight Runners, Melanie, Kristin Hersch, Elvis, The Band, Joni Mitchell, Otis Redding, Edgar Broughton Band, The Supremes, The Ronettes, Third Ear Band, Desmond Dekker, Carter USM, Van Morrison, Del Shannon, Canned Heat, Sisters of Mercy, Gerry Rafferty, The Cure, Jimi Hendrix, Sonny and Cher, Shane McGowan, Ike and Tina Turner, Smokey Robinson, The Pogues, The Strawbs, Boy George, Elton John, Bonzo Dog Doodah band, Jethro Tull, Fairport Convention, The Pretenders, Wild Man Fischer, Captain Beefheart, Pink Floyd, Kate Bush, Cat Stevens, Ralph McTell, Peter Sarstedt, Bob Geldof, Boomtown Rats, Glenn Campbell, Adam and the Ants, Jonathan Richman, The Undertones, Martin Carthy, Country Joe and The Fish, The Monkees, Tim Hardin, P. F. Sloan, Marvin Gaye, The Four Tops, The Drifters, Woody Guthrie, Lightnin' Hopkins, Young Tradition, Pulp, Gordon Lightfoot, Harry Nilsson, The Fall, The Levellers, Quintessence, Fleetwood Mac, Shakespeare's Sister, Dory Previn, Gene Pitney, Daisy Chainsaw, Queen Adreena, Mike Peters, The Alarm, Super Furry Animals, Chuck Berry, Bonnie Tyler, Rod Stewart, Culture Club, Human League, Kevin Ayers, Jah Wobble, Bridget St John, Visage, The Eurythmics, Manic Street Preachers, The Stranglers, The Eagles, Janis Joplin, Belle and Sebastian, The Mommas and the Poppas, It's Jo & Danny, The Byrds, Marilyn Manson, Catatonia, Manic Street Preachers, Wendykurk and far too many more musicians and singers to name here, as well as the music and culture of the '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s and the noughty now! There are hundreds of Indie unsigned acts I love too and many of them you will find among my friends here!
Books by CS Lewis, Lewis Carroll, Jean M. Auel, GI Gurdjieff, PD Ouspensky, Krishnamurti, Timothy Leary, David Icke, Robert Anton Wilson, Colin Wilson, Herman Hesse, George MacDonald, HP Lovecraft, Brian Aldiss, Richard Mabey, Don Elkins and Carla Rueckert, Arthur Shuttlewood, Eric Von Danicken Jenny Randles, Brinsley Le Poer Trench, CJ Stone, Michael Tsarion, JRR Tolkien, George Orwell, L Ron Hubbard and Aldous Huxley have been amongst my reading material and not forgetting Alternative 3 by Leslie Watkins and Co-Evolution by Alec Newald.
As for movies I love all David Lynch films, just about anything with Clint Eastwood (and High Plains Drifter and The Unforgiven are 2 favorites), Blade Runner, Dead Man, Wizard of Oz, Silent Running, Logan's Run, Titanic, Ghost, It's a wonderful life, and many many more I can't think of right now!
Sounds Like
Neil Young, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, REM, Robyn Hitchcock, Syd Barrett, Roy Harper, The Stones, The Beatles, Nirvana
My book Herbs of the Northern Shaman, which was originally published by Loompanics and which Howard Marks aka Mr Nice said was "excellent," is available again on lulu.com with fantastic new colour photos by Katrinia Rindsberg. Please click on the pic for more info:
The Bard of Ely is many things, but most of all he is a writer with a voice, a poet with a pen and a musician with a Muse! He has written many songs in many genres and also collaborated with many other musicians and singers and you can hear some of the results in this selection here! Bard of Ely has played Glastonbury Festival on several occasions and was the compere for the Avalon Stage in 2002 and 2003. In 2004 he was a guest speaker talking about shamanic herbs and witchcraft. He was also a compere and performer at the Green Man Festival 2003 and 2004 and his song 'Real Love and Communication' opens the CD album which takes its title from the name of the festival and was released on Double Snazzy.
In the year 2000 he was signed to Crai Records for an EP by a band he fronted called the TAFFIA
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and the group also features Phil Moxham from the legendary Young Marble Giants. Bard of Ely's controversial 'You're a Liar, Nicky Wire' fronted the EP and clinched the deal after it was banned from a leading Cardiff record store and rave reviewed in the NME singles page.
'You're a Liar, Nicky Wire' was first released on the compilation above on Dockrad Records from Cardiff, and 'Priest of the Venusians' is included on the double CD by Bands United:
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More recently the Bard collaborated with ex Hawkwind's Crum the keyboard wizard of the Moonloonies and 'One to Three (Crum's mix) has attracted interest in Nashville.
Although born and bred in Cardiff, Wales, Bard of Ely went to visit his friend Priscilla Hernandez a gifted singer/songwriter and artist from Tenerife, and he fell so in love with the island, its flora and fauna and exotic landscapes that in December 2004 he relocated there to live. In many ways he was drawn there by the power of Mount Teide, the volcano which to the ancient Guanche people was the island and its god. Since living there he has been involved with One World Beat and represented Spain in a charity concert in March.
In the past Bard of Ely has worked as a TV presenter for a series called 'In Full View' on BBC Choice and has had several acting roles playing an evil alien in 'Red Dragon,' a Sci-fi short shown on HTV Wales as part of 'Shotgun Slideshow', as a jazz musician in the opening sequence for the BBC's coverage of the Brecon Jazz Festival 2003, as the Warlock in Alison Thompson's 'Blodeuwedd' (student film produced at Newport Film School), and as an extra in 'Rebecca's Daughters,' a movie on general release directed by Karl Francis. The Bard has also taken part in several TV programs as guest speaker in 'Roll over Beethoven' on BBC2, a musician in 'The Slate' on BBC Wales, and hypnotically regressed for 'Weird Wales' on HTV Wales. His music has been used in many television programs too. 'Sound of One' (it's on his Soundclick site) was played in several episodes of C5's 'Family Affair' soap, 'Rubber Ducky' was used in 'Y Ty,' drama on S4C and 'King Arthur's Coming' was featured in a documentary on eccentrics by Meridian TV.
Bard of Ely currently writes for Tenerife News paper. Bard of Ely also had a regular column for Big Issue Cymru magazine and has just had the first article in a series of 4 about foraging published by Permaculture Magazine.
FOR FULL DETAILS OF THESE BOOKS PLEASE SEE THE BOOK SECTION OF CJ STONE'S SITE
The Bard acted as guide to Ely for poet and author Peter Finch when he was researching his best-selling book 'Real Cardiff' (Seren), There is a whole chapter about him and the estate he lived on and which gave him his Bardic title.
Here is a link to an interview published by Stephanie of Myspace for you to find out even more about the Bard of Ely:Stephanie interviews
And the Bard is also at Ukbands.net and Mixposure.com here and here - please click on the banners below:
The Bard is a member of a Druid order, the Loyal Arthurian Warband as a Quest Knight and Principal Bard of the Travelling Court of Camelot, and used to be a regular at Gorsedd meetings of the Free Bards of Caer Abiri (held at Avebury stone circle on each of the 8 dates of the Pagan seasonal calendar.
Due to Bard of Ely's love for Tenerife he also created a website all about it called Tenerife Island.
And finally here is what the incredible LAURA wrote about him:
Words can barely describe the amazing, multi-talented, multi-faceted and multi-media phenomenon that is the Bard of Ely!!! Part eco-warrior, poet, Arthurian Druid, master of herblore, techno-folk fusion pioneer, MC, songwriter, singer, actor, writer and performer, the Bard has assumed cult status and is featured in many counter-culture books and articles ... a genuine iconic figure!
Something else that distinguishes this talented artist is his enthusiastic and positive support for music and musicians, and his friendly, universally-respected presence across the online music community. We are proud to know him -Steve, the Bard of Ely!!!
NATIVE AMERICAN COMMANDMENTS
Treat the Earth and all that dwell thereon with respect.
Remain close to the Great Spirit.
Show great respect for your fellow beings.
Work together for the benefit of all Mankind.
Give assistance and kindness wherever needed.
Do what you know to be right.
Look after the well being of mind and body.
Dedicate a share of your efforts to the greater good.
Be truthful and honest at all times.
Take full responsibility for your actions.
Great Spirit,
give us hearts to understand;
never to take from creation's beauty more than we give;
never to destroy wantonly for the furtherance of greed;
never to deny to give our hands for the building of earth's beauty;
never to take from her what we cannot use.
Give us hearts to understand
that to destroy earth's music is to create confusion;
that to wreck her appearance is to blind us to beauty;
that to callously pollute her fragrance is to make a house of stench;
that as we care for her she will care for us.
We have forgotten who we are.
We have sought only our own security.
We have exploited simply for our own ends.
We have distorted our knowledge.
We have abused our power.
Great Spirit, whose dry lands thirst,
help us to find the way to refresh your lands.
Great Spirit, whose waters are choked with debris and pollution,
help us to find the way to cleanse your waters.
Great Spirit, whose beautiful earth grows ugly with misuse,
help us to find the way to restore beauty to your handiwork.
Great Spirit, whose creatures are being destroyed,
help us to find a way to replenish them.
Great Spirit, whose gifts to us are being lost in selfishness and corruption,
help us to find the way to restore our humanity.
FREE ENERGY IS WHAT WE NEED AND ARE DENIED - FIND OUT MORE HERE:
In the morning little birds get up and sing their hearts out,
They rejoice at being alive and welcoming the day,
And if you listen you will hear the Great Spirit in their songs.
Humans get up and go back to sleep,
Or else, and often, they spend their time in a bad way.
In the evening, just before dark,
Little birds sing a new song,
Of indescribable beauty,
To say thank you for the day and now I rest.
Fortunately, they know nothing of what is in the minds of humans,
Or their songs would never be as sweet.
Listen to the whisper on the wind it speaks of times gone and times yet to come. Thank you for being my friend and for being you, the you that this world needs at this time.
Nos hemos vuelto locos y nos fuimos hasta Eslovaquia para grabar las cuerdas de nuestro tema Trust que ya hemos colgado en nuestro myspace, ha sido una experiencia brutal y el resultado en el tema ha sido espectacular, cuando escuchas algo que has escrito tocado por estos virtuosos se te pone la carne de gallina y te quedas sin saber que decir.
También queremos hacer una aclaración a los rumores que dicen que alguna de estas discográficas grandes esta detrás nuestro pagandonos la aventura, NO ES CIERTO, no tenemos sello, somos hijos de vecino y nos hemos pagado la aventura de nuestro bolsillo y os aseguramos que hemos tenido que hacer mucho sacrificio para conseguir esto, pero es lo que hay, todo por nuestra música.
Heyyy!! Have you jumped on the bandwagon and joined TWITTER?? If so, FOLLOW ME!! http://twitter.com/jessijaejoplin If not, hurry up and join!! I promise it's a lot of fun :)) xoxo, Jessi
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