The Weeping Willow Tree

A not entirely successful first attempt at late-night river recording focusing on the weirs, sluices, overflows and river around the Porter Brook, Endcliffe Park, Sheffield.

140610 EndcliffePorterBrook

Studio recording of the first in a series of albums exploring and interpreting the story of the Porter River in Sheffield.
 Debuted at Shepherd Wheel, Sheffield and released on June 21, 2015.

Performed, improvised and recorded by Scott Russell (Rusts). With music composed by Scott Russell, and lyrics by Mike Warnes (track 7)

Up To The Porter

The Cruel Mother

An End In Shepherds Pond

The Jolly Grinder

The Grinders Hardships

One of the most moving poetic accounts of the horror of war, recorded in the centenary year of some of the most horrific fighting of World War One.

Recorded as part of a programme of music for the Folk Forest takeover of the Graves Art Gallery in Sheffield, where musicians will be performing in and around the artworks on display.  

This reading is dedicated to the piece "Rain and Mud after the Battle' by C R W Nevinson, and of course, to all the people like Mackintosh himself who were lost, and have lost others in war.

In Memoriam - Ewart Alan Mackintosh

This is a guitar noodle I recorded this week, as a warm-up for a new recording I'm making of the traditional song 'The Merry King' 

Working from an archive record of the version collected by Percy Grainger from the Sussex labourer alfred hunt.  Here;s a link to the original transcript on the Full English archive:
http://www.vwml.org/record/PG/1/19

My musical musing on the theme, while a million miles from Grainger's masterful renderings in his piano and orchestral arrangements, is an honest, emotional response.

100% imrovised, unedited (apart from fading out at the end before my creaky chair interrupts) and first take.  

I've made a desicion to upload way more things, regardless of whether I'm totally happy with them - so, warts and all, with squeaky strings and missed notes... enjoy.

The Merry King Guitar Improv

Brian Holmshaw, Sheffield-based heritage interpreter, led the Sharrow Songs community creative collective on a short walk around Sharrow in Sheffield.  He read a number of site and story-specific poems on the way, and here are three, which were recorded out and about in Sharrow.

03 The Gypsy Camp - John Clare

02 The Village Patriarch - Ebenezer Elliot

01 The Looking Behind Walls Club - Tony Williams

Heritage Song 
is a new social enterprise aiming to increase the awareness of and engagement with local history and heritage, through high quality and innovative creative interpretation.  Using music, song and story backed by careful research, we use creative approaches to find new ways of telling old stories.

Formed in 2014 by Sheffield-based musician and animateur Scott Russell, Heritage Song works in partnership with local communities and organisations to develop 'musical heritage' projects, and has recently been awarded financial support by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, through the UnLtd 'Lead the Change' social entrepreneur initiative.  

Web Links:
www.heritagesong.org
http://soundcloud.com/rusts/sets/love-games
www.facebook.com/rustsmusic
www.rusts.bandcamp.com 


Heritage Song

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