African Linx One Day Festival 2010 at Cropredy

What a brilliant time we had on Saturday. The weather had been really crap for the two days before and really cold so I was keeping everything crossed for a good day.

We’ve been organising this for weeks and you always get that last minute butterflies in the stomach feeling just before a big event hoping it will all go to plan. On the Friday Peter went over to Cropredy with the van to start decorating the stage and doing another ton of things that had to be done. I stayed home to rehearse as I was playing a set on Saturday night with Paddy (keyboards) and Lee (bass). It was great fun practicing – Paddy knows most of my stuff from when I lived in Bristol but Lee had played none of it before so had to learn seven songs in two short practices!

On Saturday morning the grandchildren woke us up bright and early (eeek) and went off with Leah to run a stall at the morning Table top sale and after another quick run through the set we also set off for Cropredy.

Much cake was made and sold! The sun came out!! Everyone had a great time!!!!

The afternoon programme started explosively with a great drum and dance set from Africa Junction from High Wycombe, followed (late due to awful traffic problems) by the marvellous Rachel Gittus with Tim West. Then I was also involved playing sabar with our drumming group Sankofa. An eight piece ukulele band from Essex called The D’Ukes played next and they were brilliant.

The next set was a magical performance from Diabel Cissokho on Kora with virtuoso guitarist Ramon Goose featuring guest artists Solomelo Sowe and Vieux Bakayoko.

The afternoon session was rounded off with a set of reggae and dancehall from Oxford-based band Jamatone who got everyone dancing to keep warm in the cold sunshine!

The evening session kicked off with a stirring set from Miranda La Mutanta accompanied by the Scapegoat, Barney Newman singing the blues, Chandra Moon (little old me) and finally a rocking set from Tommy Allen and Johny Hewitt singing “American Blues”. We all danced our heads off in the pub till midnight.

Believe it or not, we had a drumming workshop on the Sunday afternoon and I don’t know how I got through it with a hangover from hell!!

We actually raised £1,000 for Kartong Festival which will go a long way in The Gambia so it was all worthwhile.

Video From Sabar Tickle 2010

Some of you may remember a few weekends ago we went to an amazing sabar drumming summer school. Here’s a video of some of the highlights from the week. Roll on March 2011 when we have the next one!

The Healing Tree (again!)

I’ve done a home recording of my new song The Healing Tree and put it up today.

The lyrics are a reflection of a childhood experience of a ghost, a recent profound healing session of hopi ear candles and the beautiful surroundings of a festival I went to last week in Dorset where there were peacocks, ancient trees and a wonderful atmosphere.

I sometimes feel songs come through us – as if we are channels – they don’t always make sense but feel complete. This is one of those kind of songs. I’ll record it “properly” in time but for now I’m happy with this. Hope you like it.

This is the first painting I ever did – it’s of a beautiful ash tree in the garden of my old house where a blackbird used to come and sing every morning. By some twisted coincidence that tree was felled today because it blocked the light to my neighbours’ garden. This song is its legacy. I loved that tree like a person.

The Healing Tree

http://iacmusic.com/songs.aspx?SongID=85057&ArtistID=111240

The Healing Tree – uploaded

Hi all – I’ve uploaded a home recording of my new song The Healing Tree – here’s a link if you want a listen. I’ll record it “properly” in due course but this is so you get an idea of the tune.

Hope you like it.

http://iacmusic.com/songs.aspx?SongID=85057&ArtistID=111240

The Healing Tree

We’re back from a brilliant End of The Road festival in Dorset – loads of really excellent indie music, a great time with Peter and my daughter and her husband and toddler. We had the best of times.

And on top of all that I finally wrote some words for a tune I’ve had rattling round my head for two years that I wrote in Kartong, The Gambia in 2008. I had an amazing session of Hopi ear candles at the festival with a guy who calls his business The Healing Tree. During the treatment this came to me and fits the song exactly so I’ll be recording it soon in a rough version so watch this space. It may not make sense to you so questions on a postcard ha ha!

The Healing Tree

Warm winds across the purple plains
The candles melt away the pain
Soothing hands upon your face
Golden light fills inner space

Ancient oaks and peacock calls
Through layers of time and stone-built walls
In starry dress a goddess stands
Reaching out with loving hands

Thoughts return back to Kartong
Searching for words to fit the song
How very strange that two years on
At The Healing Tree, at last it’s done

Instrumental break

Ancient oaks and peacock calls
Through layers of time and stone-built walls
In starry dress a goddess stands
Reaching out with loving hands

Reaching out with loving hands

Reaching out with loving hands…….

© September 2010 Chandra Moon

Efx3

Funnily enough the demise of Vox has made me re-appreciate Efx3. I noticed today that some of the links to blogs etc are working better so don’t know if someone’s been fixing things behind the scenes or whether this new theme I’ve chosen works better than the older one.

It’s always good to have a sort out and I’ve got rid of a load of old links that were out of date and generally improved the look of my page. I’ve got very slack recently about blogging.

I made a new friend recently at Bunkfest who’s a keen blogger and it reminded me that I’ve somewhat lost the plot and got lazy about writing. I partly blame Facebook as it’s so quick and easy there to just update your status rather than write anything meaningful.

Today we had a great planning session for ABC 2011 (African Beats Camp) and I’m so excited about it. The meeting went on for hours as there was so much to talk about but suddenly May 2011 doesn’t seem so far away for all the work that needs to be done to make it successful again. Last year we were only able to have a one day event but next year will be a whole long weekend of drumming, dance and singing workshops all West African with great entertainment in the evenings.

ABC

This weekend we’re off to the End of The Road Festival at Larmer Tree in Dorset with my daughter and family and it marks the last “proper” festival of the season. We’re not working at this one but going as paying punters just to enjoy ourselves. Will try and get lots of decent photos.

OK – so with my blogging mojo firing again I look forward to writing again next week. I hope that the Efx3 vibe will revive and people come back and start interacting a bit more now that Vox is gone let’s use it as an opportunity to make this place stronger.

Sabar Tickle, Bunkfest and Vox Closing!

Where to start? I suppose chronological order would be best in which case number one is Sabar Tickle which took place over the August Bank Holiday weekend. This was four days of sabar drumming at a great campsite near Birmingham with some great teachers and good company. I learnt a lot and enjoyed watching the dancers.

The highlight has to be the amazing womens’ wrestling match that took place between “Sabartage” Sophie and Laura “The Snake”. This was done Senegalese stlylie with the victor having to get their opponent on their back on the floor by strength alone for 3 seconds – best of three rounds. I was on the side of Sophie and there are a load of photos on Facebook. Here’s one of them.

After only a couple of days home we set off in the van again for Bunkfest which takes place in Wallingford, Oxfordshire a pleasant little town. There was a good mix of music, traditional dancing and crafts. We were helping our friend Andrew with his stall Goodies From The Gambia which was great fun. No wrestling to report but some belly dancing on the green!

I did a spontaneous flute performance with a guy playing a Hang Drum on the Friday night, which was an unexpected pleasure.

When I got back I found an email letting us know that Vox is closing so I’ve backed all my old posts up to the new Typepad service but would prefer to just keep this one going now with a link on Efx2 rather than build a readership there.