Mike Gulston - guitar (mostly dadgad) and octave mandola, vocals
Blanche Rowen - vocals and general wittering
Influences
Mike: Traditional English music and the traditional dance music of France and Brittany (he's being cagey, see)
Blanche: Not so much influenced as inspired by - ooh, loads of people - Polly Bolton, Sue Harris, Theda Kane, Julie Murphy, Grover Washington Jnr, the late lamented Finality Jack, Martin Carthy, Siwsann George, The Poozies, June Tabor, Le Chatelain de Coucy, Sian Thomas, Laura Collins, Claire Gignan, Steely Dan, me mam who first taught me Mae Gen I Dipyn o Dy Bach Twt, Louise Schultz, Tracy Thorn, Yannick Minvielle-Debat, Bryan Ferry, Celia Webb, Vivien Ellis (now, who have I forgotten?)
Welcome, croeso & bienvenue to seven centuries of songs, ten magic fingers, three languages and two lush voices. Blanche Rowen and Mike Gulston bring you French dance numbers, English ballads of star-crossed lovers and irrepressible heroines, old Welsh lovesongs, and strange & wondrous hybrids of all three. All served with a graceful accompaniment of guitar and octave mandola and a healthy dollop of irreverence.
Mike's background is in the traditional songs of England, and he specialises in creating original arrangements on guitar and octave mandola. (Check out his own myspace page too.) Blanche loves improvising and devising harmonies, and draws on a store of traditional songs from Wales. The nice people at the Lewes Arms Folk Club say about us "Splendid singing, solo and in harmony, in English and Welsh, with Mike's incisive guitar-playing", which is rather spiffy.
We're equally at home playing folk clubs (such as the Lewes Arms or Seaford), concert settings (Wales Millennium Centre, Festiv'Allier), festivals (Cwlwm Celtaidd, the Celtic Festival of Wales) or doing a 'bal set' for French/Breton dancing (Kinnersley, Pentreffest, Freiburg French Dance Club).
Our love of French dance explains the French material in our work - we've an ever expanding repertoire of French dance songs for bourrees, scottisches, rondeaux and the like. Sometimes we become The Clio Trio with the addition of Mark Prescott on fiddle, as at Gennetines last summer. Playing for dancing is just such a blast.
Due to Myspace's insistence on short song titles, we should explain that 'Tell Me Ffoles' should actually be 'Tell Me, My Love/Ffoles Llantrisant'. Mike wrote modern English words to the original Welsh melody in despair at Blanche's traditional Welsh lyrics celebrating the gleeful independence of 'The Merry Lass of Llantrisant'. Likewise 'Gwenith Gwyn' is more properly 'Bugeilio'r Gwenith Gwyn' (Watching the White Wheat), a famous Welsh song of star-crossed lovers, arranged here to a less well-known traditional tune. In this remixed version, we're joined by cellist Gill Redmond.
"... simply beautiful. Song stories ~ you folks have a true gift. Sometimes melding, sometimes playing off one another. There's a real chemistry there... it's mesmerizing." Kate Campbell, New Jersey, USA
"... Congratulations for this marvellous album. We really love your voices, and your guitar playing, Mike, is so sensitive. And the arrangements with two voices are very interesting ..." Stephane Marchand, France
"... Your voices are so good together, and Mike's accompaniment so subtle. Your performance trancends folk music, and would be appreciated in all sorts of venues and events." Tom Cunliffe, South Coast Sounds, UK
"They are very good indeed" Genevieve Tudor, 'Sunday Folk' BBC radio show.
The last word goes to Frank Hennessy, playing "Trois Vaisseaux" on his BBC radio show 'Celtic Heartbeat' ... "Absolutely gorgeous"
(If you're not in the MySpace network, you can email us on blancherowen (at) yahoo.co.uk )
Hello to the pair of you. Hope the fine young Spring is unfolding and arising as it must, with all the curling pleasure of the early sun and growing days.
We are walking most slowly, gathering intensely that which we find as we go. It is well, and we are learning much, of this kind land and our grey roads inward.
Please, say hello that way, it is our slow way to make it out of myspatial realm.
The very best of Spring to you, joy with the music, and we hope to see you and sing with you in Wales. We'll have a lot of great old songs, we hope, by such a time.
Hello! Ah man would have loved to have seen you at a gig. I LOVE Trios Vaisseaux. It's so interesting the way you intermingle the different languages and cultures. Can't wait to see you live sometime!
Thanks for stopping by... would love to play in the UK sometime- my music seems to have more ties with that part of the world than it does here anyways! I've been getting more local gigs and hope to continue branching out, always open to ideas from friends overseas if you know of venues or opportunities I might fit in. :-) Enjoyed listening to your music while I was here! Cheers, Rob
A Fest Noz at the Cayo sounds just fine! I dont think they're crazy or mixed up! Our Breton friends evolved their unique style of Fest Noz from the Welsh Noswaith Llawen. The Cornish nicked it off the Bretons and invented Noze Looan! Darwin would have been proud of this cultural evolution! Oll an gwella , Mike
Hello!! Yes, I will miss being at Kinnersley alot. But i am having a good time over here in Australia! Awww, that would be really really nice of you. I would love that, even though i wont be there to here your lovely music:( Thankyou very much:) Lots of love kisses and hugs to you both! and give my love to everyone at Kinnersley for me. Chloexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Salutations Blanche and Mike, Just wanted to say that your CD is BRILLIANT! we have been playing it constantly since we got a copy - just fabulous. Sends goose bumps and shivers down the spine. Love the look of the site too...
Online Now!
