Old Tunes Fresh Takes

We’re back with Martin Green to chat through your fantastic takes of Lyke Wake Dirge, an ancient funeral poem detailing a soul's journey through purgatory into the beyond. 

If you haven’t already, definitely go and check out part one of this episode where we introduce the song.

Listen: Part 1 of Lyke Wake Dirge

Also, check out Martin on tour with Lau from late October.

/// YOUR TAKES ///

Listen to the playlist here.

We’ve got 15 brilliant versions of Lyke Wake Dirge to share, huge thanks to all our contributors: Crack Lassi; My First Dog; Kev Pritchard; Vanishing Faces; Liz Hassack; Joshua Kirch; Richard Toller; Matt Milton; Mr Cat Hair; asymptotes; Cerys Hafana; Burd Ellen; and Julian Hayman.

/// JOIN THE COMMUNITY ///

Even though the series is over, we’ll be keeping the conversation going on our Facebook group. It’s a place for our Old Tunes Fresh Takes community to share ideas, submit tracks for feedback and just generally geek out about trad tunes and music production. 

Whether you’re thinking of submitting a take in the future or just want to go deeper into the world of modern folk music then join us. We’re also really keen to get your ideas about how to take the project even further so if you’ve got any ideas for things you’d like to see, drop us an email or a message on social media.

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This episode we're joined by Martin Green who is challenging you to reimagine Lyke Wake Dirge, an ancient funeral chant about the soul’s journey through purgatory.

Martin is a multi-award winning musician and composer who has collaborated with many artists and musicians including the likes of Eliza Carthy, Joan Baez, Anais Mitchell and Aidan Moffatt. As a member of Lau he has won four BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards for Best Group and in 2015 he was nominated in the Best Musician category. In 2019 he won the Ivor Novello award for his sound walk “Aeons” that was part of The Great Exhibition of the North.

We first came across Martin’s work in his 2015 show Flit, a multimedia, collaborative song cycle on the theme of migration. As a performer steeped in traditional music but with a process informed by sampling, electronics, and interdisciplinary storytelling, we wanted to get his insight on how he traverses these multiple planes

Check out Martin’s recent project The Portal here.

/// TAKE PART ///

Charts: example score, chords & lyrics (.pdf)

Playlist: Spotify playlist of existing versions of Lyke Wake Dirge.

Find a quick guide on how to submit here.

Martin will be back to listen to your takes in the second part of this episode released on Monday 27 September. If you’d like to be included in the podcast then try and get your version to us by Monday 20th September to get your versions included in the podcast. Drop us a message if you have any questions.

/// COMMUNITY ///

If you’re interested in getting deeper into the conversation, come and join our group on Facebook. There’s been some amazing chats over the last month with people sharing demos, feedback and ideas.

/// MUSIC CREDITS ///

10:54 - Strange Sky - Martin Green (featuring Becky Unthank) [From Flit]

17:10 - Etteridge - Martin Green (featuring Brìghde Chaimbeul) [From The Portal]

19:46 - A Place Of Crisps And Pianos - Martin Green

28:48 - Lyke Wake Dirge - The Young Tradition

34:30 - Lyke Wake Dirge - Martin Green (featuring Becky Unthank)

39:41 - A Lyke Wake Dirge - Alasdair Roberts

42:06 - Dirge from Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings - Benjamin Britten (featuring Peter Pears)

43:45 - Lyke Wake Dirge - Trumpets of Death

46:55 - Lyke Wake Dirge - Tom Chapman, Claire Chapman and Dave Allen (members of the Lyke Wake Walking Club)

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Hosted by Jack The Robot and Hevelwood

We’re joined once again by Olugbenga Adelekan to listen through your incredible takes of Iwe Kiko, a traditional Yoruba children’s song about remembering tradition in a modernised world.

If you haven't already, we really recommend you go and listen to part one where Olugbenga introduces the tune to us.

Listen: Part 1 of Iwe Kiko

Also, check out Olugbenga and Seye Adelekan’s project Obalende Sector here.

/// YOUR TAKES ///

We’ve had an incredible response, with 11 takes in the playlist. A huge thanks to everyone who submitted a take - this month we’ve got: Kev Pritchard; Vanishing Faces; Julian Hayman; Mr Cat Hair; Matt Milton; Eyeless Chalonstone & The Goodnight Mistress; asymptotes; Richard Toller; Liz Hassack.

/// JOIN THE COMMUNITY ///

We’ve set up a group on Facebook for the Old Tunes Fresh Takes community to share ideas, submit tracks for feedback and just generally geek out about trad tunes and music production. We’ve had some great conversations already over the last month, so whether you’re thinking about submitting a take or just want to go deeper between episodes then join us!

Thinking of submitting? Read our quick guide on how to submit your fresh take.

/// COMING UP ///

Next up, we’re chatting with Martin Green (Lau/Eliza Carthy) who’s inviting you to take on Lyke Wake Dirge, an ancient funeral poem telling of the soul’s journey into the beyond.

Part one comes out next Monday 30 August. If you want to get a headstart, you can find example scores, chords and lyrics here.

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Debbie is back again as we listen through your brilliant takes of Child Owlet, a harrowing tale of a hapless lad’s grisly execution at the hands of the jaded Lady Erskine and Lord Ronald.

If you haven't already, we recommend you go and listen to part one where Debbie introduces the tune to us.

Listen: Part 1 of Child Owlet

/// YOUR TAKES ///

Listen along to the full playlist of takes here.

We’ve had an incredible response, with 20 takes in the playlist. A huge thanks to everyone who submitted a take - this month we’ve got: Kev Pritchard; Julian Hayman; Liz Hassack; POI/Rot In Hell; My First Dog; Vanishing Faces; Joshua Kirch; asymptotes; Richard Toller; Catapholc; Matt Milton; Mr Cat Hair; Sam Gardham; We Are Muffy; Cerys Hafana; Harry Orme; Josie Gaitens & Linus Orri

 

/// JOIN THE COMMUNITY ///

We’ve set up a group on Facebook for the Old Tunes Fresh Takes community to share ideas, submit tracks for feedback and just generally geek out about trad tunes and music production. We’ve had some great conversations already over the last month, so whether you’re thinking about submitting a take or just want to go deeper between episodes then join us!

Thinking of submitting? Read our quick guide on how to submit your fresh take.

/// COMING UP ///

Next up, we’re chatting with Olugbenga Adelekan (Metronomy/Eku Fantasy) who’s introducing us to Iwe Kiko, a Yoruba song about the agrarian life and the importance of remembering tradition.

Part one comes out next Monday 26 July. If you want to get a headstart, you can find example scores, chords and lyrics here.

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This episode we're joined by Debbie Armour who is asking you to reimagine the dark tale of Child Owlet, with themes of incest, cuckoldry and grisly execution. Debbie is a Glasgow based musician, working primarily with traditional song. Broadly, her work is motivated by ideas of persistence, resonance and deep cultural roots. In her primary project, Burd Ellen, she uses British and international traditional song to explore women's narratives. She is also a founder member of critically acclaimed contemporary folk a cappella group Green Ribbons.

Check out Burd Ellen’s album Says The Never Beyond here.

/// TAKE PART ///

Charts: example score, chords & lyrics (.pdf)

Playlist: Spotify playlist of existing versions of Child Owlet.

Find a quick guide on how to submit here. 

Debbie will be back again to listen to your takes in the second part of this episode released Monday 19 July. Remember to get your takes to us by Monday 12 July to feature! Drop us a message if you have any questions.

/// COMMUNITY ///

If you’re interested in getting deeper into the conversation, come and join our group on Facebook. There’s been some amazing chats over the last month with people sharing demos, feedback and ideas.

Meetup: If you’d like to join us for a chat about old tunes, we’re also having an informal Zoom meetup on Saturday 26 June at 11:00. Stay for the hour or just pop in to say hi!

/// MUSIC CREDITS ///

4:30 - Coventry Carol - Burd Ellen

9:42 - Cutty Wren - Burd Ellen

14:30 - Sans Day Carol - Burd Ellen

20:25 - Hela’r Dryw Bach - Burd Ellen

26:15 - Corpus Christi Carol - Burd Ellen

32:23 - Chylde Owlet - Ewan MacColl

36:27 - Child Owlet - Fay Hield

38:48 - Child Owlet - Eric

43:43 - Child Owlet - Steeleye Span

 

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Hosted by @jacktherobot and @hevelwood

Stewart Lee joins us again to listen through your takes of Willie O' Winsbury. This story sees a king return from prison to find his daughter pregnant and after throwing a bit of a wobble, unexpectedly takes something of a shine to her dashing suitor. If you haven't already, we recommend you go and listen to part one where Stewart introduces the tune to us.

Listen to part 1 here.

/// YOUR TAKES ///

Listen along to the full playlist of takes here.

There was a phenomenal response to Stewart's challenge, with over 20 brilliant and unique versions to share. A huge thanks to everyone who submitted a take - this month we’ve got Eyeless Chalonstone & The Goodnight Mistress; Kev Pritchard; Craven; Liz Hassack; Last Human; Vanishing Faces; Gold Thing & Toria Wooff; Matt Milton; Rory Wells, Kirsty Harrison, Ashbury Smith; JJarv; asymptotes; Monkeytown Milk Spillers; Julian Hayman; RainboWeatheR 2.0; Mark Pollock; James Parrish; Cerys Hafana; Sam Gardham; Catapholc; Harry Orme; and Linus Orri.

/// JOIN THE COMMUNITY ///

We’ve set up a group on Facebook for the Old Tunes Fresh Takes community to share ideas, submit tracks for feedback and just generally geek out about trad tunes and music production. We’ve had some great conversations already over the last month, so whether you’re thinking about submitting a take or just want to go deeper between episodes then join us!

Thinking of submitting? Read our quick guide on how to submit your fresh take.

/// COMING UP ///

Due to recent unforeseen events, we're taking a bit of an unscheduled break. We don't know when we'll be back, but we know it won't be too long so make sure you subscribe to the podcast and follow our social media pages to find out when our next episode with Debbie Armour will be out.

Debbie's introducing us to the dark world of Child Owlet, a brutal and bloody tale of shameful accusations and grisly executions. If you want to get a headstart, you can find example scores, chords and lyrics here  and a Spotify playlist of existing versions here: 

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This episode we're joined by the comedian Stewart Lee who is asking you to reimagine Willie of Winsbury, an odd tale of illicit love, a pansexual ghost, and denunciation of property rights. Stewart unpicks some of the rich symbolism at the heart of this beguiling popular folk song and we explore how one man’s accident in the mid-20th century may (or may not) have come to dominate the song’s recent history of interpretation.

Check out Stewart’s documentary King Rocker here.

Watch Stewart’s chart topping track ‘Coming Over Here’ with Asian Dub Foundation here.

/// TAKE PART ///

Charts: example score, chords & lyrics (.pdf)

Playlist: Spotify playlist for existing versions of Willie O’ Winsbury

Find a quick guide on how to submit here.

Stewart will be back again to listen to your takes in the second part of this episode released Monday 17 May. Remember to get your takes to us by Monday 10 May to feature! Drop us a message if you have any questions.

/// COMMUNITY ///

If you’re interested in getting deeper into the conversation, come and join our group on Facebook. There’s been some amazing chats over the last month with people sharing demos, feedback and ideas.

/// MUSIC CREDITS ///

6:27 - Coming Over Here - Asian Dub Foundation

11:09 - Prayer for a Saint - Ustad Saami

18:55 - Willie O’ Winsbury - Dick Gaughan

21:55 - Willie O’ Winsbury - Anais Mitchell & Jefferson Hamer

24:27 - Willie O’ Winsbury - Dick Gaughan

30:41 - Willie O’ Winsbury - Anne Briggs

33:38 - Willie O’ Winsbury - Sweeney’s Men

38:17 - Lord Thomas of Winesbury and the King’s Daughter - Barbara Dickson

40:33 - Willie O’ Winsbury - Offa Rex

45:00 - Polly on the Shore - Stewart Lee and Stuart Estell

 

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Hosted by @jacktherobot and @hevelwood

We’re back with Anna Roberts-Gevalt to listen through your takes. Anna set us the challenge of interpreting The Wife of Usher’s Well, a ghostly story of a mother’s grief as she’s visited by her three departed sons. If you haven’t already, we recommend you listen to part 1 where she introduces the tune and the major themes.

Listen: Part 1 of The Wife of Usher’s Well

/// YOUR TAKES ///

LISTEN to the full takes here.
We were once again bowled over by the incredible sensitivity and variety of submissions. A huge thanks to everyone who submitted a take - this month we’ve got Kev Pritchard, Rory Wells, The Monkeytown Milk Spillers, johndompaiva, catapholc, asymptotes, Steve and Paul Moisey, Matt Milton, Harry Orme, Cerys Hafana and Ian Jackson.

/// GET INVOLVED ///

We’ve set up a group on Facebook for the Old Tunes Fresh Takes community to share ideas, submit tracks for feedback and just generally geek out about trad tunes and music production. We’ve had some great conversations already over the last month, so whether you’re thinking about submitting a take or just want to go deeper between episodes then join us!

Thinking of submitting? Read our quick guide on how to submit your fresh take.

/// COMING UP ///

We’ll be back again on Monday 19 April, this time with comedian Stewart Lee who will be introducing us to Willie O’ Winsbury. If you want to get a headstart, you can find example scores, chords and lyrics here and a playlist of existing versions here.

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We’re kicking off the second series with the brilliant Anna RG who’s introducing us to The Wife of Usher’s Well, a ghostly story of a grieving mother visited by her 3 deceased children. Conversation touches on unexpectedly diverse topics such as the life of the British immigrant in America and the often overlooked patchwork of traditions which make up the country. Anna goes on to talk about how we can expand the ways of interpreting traditional music today with the huge variety of techniques available to us.

/// ANNA & ELIZABETH'S TAKE ///

Watch Anna & Elizabeth's video piece here.

Created with Elizabeth LaPrelle and featuring a recording of Eunice Yeatts McAlexander. Hear more, including their album The Invisible Comes To Us, at annaandelizabeth.bandcamp.com

/// TAKE PART ///

Scores, chords & lyrics (.pdf)

Spotify playlist for Wife of Usher's Well

Read our quick guide on how to submit your fresh take.

Anna will be back again to listen to your takes in the second part of this episode released Monday 12 April. Remember to get your takes to us by Monday 5 April to feature! Drop us a message if you have any questions.

We're planning a meetup on Saturday 20th March at 11am - an informal chat where we'll be answering questions and generally nerding out about music. Check our Facebook page for more details

/// MUSIC CREDITS ///

2:05 - Mother in the Graveyard - Anna & Elizabeth
8:01 - Jeano - Anna & Elizabeth
15:35 - The Irish patriot - Anna & Elizabeth
18:25 The Wife of Usher’s Well - Anna & Elizabeth (feat. Eunice Yeatts McAlexander
24:37 The Three Babes - Texas Gladden
28:11 The Three Babes - Eunice Yeats McAlexander
30:52 The Wife of Usher’s Well - Anna & Elizabeth (feat. Eunice Yeatts McAlexander
36:46 The Three Babes - The Vicars of Skiffle

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In our final episode of the first series, we look at Young William otherwise known as 'Kiss me in the Dark'. Perhaps the most challenging song of the series, listeners be warned that this episode has some uncomfortable subject matter concerning sexual assault and humiliation. Still, our contributors have taken the dive and come up with some amazing responses which we discuss in depth.

We're totally emotional about finishing our first series but fear not as we've got big plans for the future. Keep an eye on our social media for a mixtape coming in the next few months and a second series in the new year.

Hosted by Tim Woodson and Jack The Robot

// TIMESTAMPS //
Intro to Young William - 1:42
Jack's version - 7:20
Tim's version - 15:02
Submissions - 24:37
Series summary - 47:55

// PLAYLIST //
Listen to the full versions of tracks featured in the episode.

Featuring Ian Jackson, Kev Pritchard, asymptotes, Catapholc, Cerys Hafana, Stuart Clark The Goodnight Mistress and John Dom Paiva

// SOCIAL //

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We discuss our takes on The Bitter Withy, a mysterious 14th century tune from Hereford where young Jesus gets lashed by his mother for murdering a couple of posh lads.

We then discuss the brilliant submissions from the community  and introduce next month's tune, Edward, a beautifully simple tale of fratricide and a study in the economy of storytelling.

// TIMESTAMPS //
Intro to Bitter Withy - 1:35
Tim's version - 4:42
Jack's version - 13:49
Submissions - 23:32
Introducing 'Edward' - 52:34
Outro - 60:40

// PLAYLIST //
Listen to the full versions of tracks featured in the episode here.

Featuring: Stuart Clark, Ian Jackson, asymptototes, catapholc, Hevelwood, Jack The Robot, Pomegranate Jones, Cerys Hafana, John Dom Paiva and Robert Semp.

// GET INVOLVED //
If you want to take part and learn Edward along with us, you can get resources here.

To feature, make sure you get your version to us by Monday 8 June.

To help you get some ideas we'll be sharing some of the versions we like across our social media pages over the next few weeks, so make sure you follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Soundcloud.

We discuss our approaches to interpreting the Cruel Mother, a dark and somewhat problematic song with themes of infanticide and ghostly apparitions, as well as incredible submissions from the Old Tunes Fresh Takes community: listen to the full playlist of submissions here.

We also introduce the next episode's tune, the Bitter Withy - a 14th Century song from Hereford where we meet a young Jesus drowning a few local posh lads. If you want to get involved and have a go for next month's episode, you can find resources to get you started here. To feature, make sure you get it to us by 17:00 on Friday 15 May.

In the meantime, make sure you stay up to date and keep in touch by following us on Facebook, Twitter or SoundCloud.

This season we'll be covering the following songs:

Episode 1 - Cruel Mother

Episode 2 - The Bitter Withy

Episode 3 - Edward

Episode 4 - The Brisk Lad

Episode 5 - Geordie

Episode 6 - Young William

Check this link for resources to get you started learning: https://bit.ly/39GAnfE