MySpace a place for friends

When I am asked to describe my style of music the only word I can think of is ‘eclectic' - a ‘trendy' word of the modern times, nevertheless an accurate description: I sing anything from unaccompanied English and Australian traditional material to Bluegrass and contemporary, and everything in between.

I am off to UK again and will be performing at the Clennell Hall Folk Festival (see http://www.clennellhallhotel.com/id19.html) and the Alcester Folk Festival (see http://www.alcesterfolkfestival.org/) and decided I would like to put together a collection to showcase the talents of my friends.

The collection of songs above are from my second CD "With a Little Help fromMy Friends"

This CD is not meant to say 'Look at me, I can sing'; it is instead being produced to say, 'Look at what talented songwriters and musicians I have as friends'.

About the songs:

Sithah – by Colin Drynan
Colin was a Yorkshire man who came to Australia in the 1960s. He was a well-known folk performer in Sydney and the author of the popular song The Factory Lad (Turning Steel). Although not a direct friend of mine, he was a close friend of my partner, Derrick Chetwyn, who gave me a recording of Colin singing Sithah. This is a song about retiring from the workforce and his grandfather who was known to his family as ‘Sithah'.

Stillwater Boys – by Mark Davidson
Mark is another of my talented long-term friends. We have shared many a ‘cuppa' on my back deck. Mark has released two great CDs: Carried on the Wind, which he recorded with Julie McGonigal; and Laughter in the Clay, which has help from several friends. He has a website and sound samples from his CDs at www.markdavidson.com.au. Mark says Stillwater Boys is essentially a love song, but not of the sentimental variety.

The Pedestrian Crossing at Post Office Square – by Andrea Baldwin
The General Post Office in Brisbane is located in the main street (Queen Street) opposite what is now known as Post Office Square. There is a zebra crossing from the GPO to Post Office Square – no traffic lights, just white lines on the black road. My good friend Andrea Baldwin has observed that the ‘right-of-way' on the crossing is, and always has been, democratically decided by pedestrians and drivers. She pondered why people of the world can't use this good example to learn to live in co-operation with each other. She notes that the word ‘co-operate' in the song has more than one meaning:
a. our usual meaning of “work together and help each other out”; and
b. the more literal meaning of “both/all of us operate this thing together and make it work” – as if we were ‘co-operating' a machine (like co-writing or co-designing).

Courting the Net – by Bob Wilson
Now, there's nothing sexy about going to bed alone while your spouse sits on the computer, is there? Bob Wilson wrote this modern-day lament that will sound all too familiar to many – and it was originally sung by his partner, Laurel. Together they are The Goodwills. You can read more about Bob and Laurel's music at www.thegoodwills.com.

Annie Wheeler – by Dermot Dorgan
These extracts from the Mount Morgan Chronicle say it all:
WHEELER, ANNIE MARGARET (1867-1950) – The Great War … brought into prominence the names of many people much to their own surprise as well as that of their friends. No better example of this can be given than the case of Mrs H.G. Wheeler … England, whose letters in the Rockhampton “Bulletin” concerning soldiers from Central Queensland, particularly the wounded, have been read with so much interest. … Mrs Wheeler's maiden name was Annie Laurie. … Miss Annie Laurie became a nurse in Dr Voss' private hospital. Later on she was married to Mr Wheeler and left for England where she has become a permanent resident. … After the war broke out and the wounded Australians began to arrive in England, Mrs Wheeler became one of a band of Good Samaritans whose task and privilege it is to look after our afflicted men, and naturally Mrs Wheeler's sympathy gravitated principally to those from her native State. This led to her writing to the local press about her experiences and to-day these letters are read by hundreds and hundreds of people with the greatest interest.
Friday August 4, 1916

Danish on the Deck – by Mary B
This song was written as a tribute to my many talented friends and, in particular, those who can so eloquently put thoughts into word and song. Almost all of the contributors to this CD have, at some time, sat with me on my back deck enjoying cups of tea or coffee and the occasional ‘treat' – such as when Anne always brings danish pastries on her visits. I love and greatly appreciate you all and sincerely thank you for the contribution of your considerable talents and time on this project.