New words to a trad tune, this song tells the story of the Cornish singer Richard Jose, who travelled to America and found fame on the stage!

Richard Jose

Demethyans means 'Wedding' in Cornish and is a tune written by Tom from The Rowan Tree. Laura walked up the aisle to it on her wedding day!

03 Demethyans

Am I Born To Die is the first track to be taken from The Rowan Tree's forthcoming album 'Kolar's Gold'. Forming part of a year long Arts Council funded project, Kolar's Gold has seen the band collaborate with over 60 musicians in India and Cornwall. Am I Born To Die is a new take on a traditional hymn. On this track the band are joined by musicians from SUR Productions Bangalore (lead by Venky DC), Pooja Prakash Raj, Choristers from Truro Cathedral, and international flautist Jessica Quinones.

Kolar's Gold

And Am I Born To Die?

One and All is taken from the album Kolar's Gold and describes a scene from a newspaper article from the early 1900s where a group of Cornishmen met in a pub and decided to travel to India 'One and All'. They left Cornwall together to work at the Kolar Gold Fields, Southern India. The track features Venky DC on Tabla and The Aggie Boys Choir on Vocals.

The Rowan Tree - Kolar's Gold - 02 - One And All

10000 Miles is our unique take on this traditional folk song. Taken from the album Kolar's Gold, the track captures the feelings of love, loss and separation miner's would've felt as they left their families to find work at the Kolar Gold Fields, India. In 1910 Cornish miners at KGF sent money home to fund Camborne Town Band's travel to a competition in London. Over 100 years on and the band are still going strong, and we're delighted that they have collaborated with us on this song!

The Rowan Tree - Kolar's Gold - 03 - 10000 Miles

Taken from the album 'Kolar's Gold', Lead Kindly Light explores the roles of women at the Kolar Gold Fields from both the Cornish and Indian mining communities. It is a fusion between Indian and Western music written by Laura Garcia with the chorus taken from the hymn Lead Kindly Light by John Henry Newman. Featuring Venky DC, Nyla Saldanha, Gayatri Chandrashekar, Anna Casey Williams, Gill Jolly, Jo Egleton, Isabelle Roberts and Cathy Bennett. Recorded at SUR Productions Bangalore and at Cube Studios Cornwall by Brendan McGreal,

Lead Kindly Light

Miner Jolly is an instrumental piece from the album Kolar's Gold and was inspired by a newspaper report of a court case from the early 1900s. The report describes a gruesome altercation between Miner Jolly and his servant. You can read the full story at www.therowantreemusic.com/stories  
This track is a collaboration between The Rowan Tree and Venky DC who adds Tabla and vocal percussion to the piece.

Miner Jolly

Man of Letters is taken from the album Kolar's Gold and the song tells the love story of Roy and Olive Tamblyn. Roy was working as an engineer at the Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) and for 3 years sent letters back to Olive in Cornwall before coming home on leave and marrying her. Soon after their wedding the couple returned to KGF where they had 2 children. To write the song, Richard Trethewey took inspiration from letters written by Roy to his family in Cornwall, and conversations with Roy's daughter Pauline who has been a great help and support throughout the Kolar's Gold project.

The Rowan Tree - Kolar's Gold - 06 - Man Of Letters

Treasure is the final track on the Kolar's Gold album and features the voices of people from KGF. It is both a reflection on and celebration of KGF and was recorded in a chapel in Suffolk.

Treasure

A fresh take on the traditional song 'Pencarrow Hunt' which The Rowan Tree were commissioned to arrange for the Lowender Perran festival. Sung in the Cornish Language, in this new version the fox gets away and outsmarts the hounds!

The Rowan Tree

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