Andy Roberts » Andy Roberts

Podcast 45 – Romford Folk Club Finale

Andy Roberts — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:34:58 +0000

Andy Roberts podcast episode 45 presents the final set of original songs from the guest night at Romford Folk Club back in April 2011. The audio is taken with thanks from Johnnie Durrant’s digital audio recorder, placed strategically on a mic stand in front of the performance space.

Here’s the download and play link etc:

Subscribe to the podcast RSS or get it from iTunes

Download MP3 to save – 38.25 Mb in size, playtime 27 minutes 50 seconds :- 45 Andy Roberts Podcast Episode 45.mp3

Andy Roberts Podcast #45 Shownotes

Show Notes for Podcast 45

The Rowan Tree
The Last Nail
The Wreckers Prayer
Cajun Cooking Song with Ritchie on violin
The Last Subway Home

Podcast #36 Instrumentals and Songs

Andy Roberts — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 16:12:23 +0000

Andy Roberts Podcast Episode #36 contains fragments of tunes, instrumentals and a few complete songs as well. I was going to do the new 12 bar blues completed for the Songwriters Circle weekly task but it’s so new I forgot the rhythm!

Here’s the download and play link etc:

Subscribe to the podcast RSS or get it from iTunes

Download MP3 to save – 39.26 Mb in size, playtime 28 minutes 32 seconds :-

36 Andy Roberts Podcast Episode 36.mp3

Andy Roberts Podcast #36 Shownotes

28:32 39.26Mb

Show Notes for Podcast 36

Podcast 34 – Loudon Wainwright and Extended Watchtower

Andy Roberts — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 12:37:43 +0000

This week’s podcast full length (29:54) episode 34 started off quietly due a blistered chord finger, which meant abandoning any possibility of trying out one particular new song. Instead I decided to try a few more Loudon Wainwright songs I haven’t recorded before. There are a couple of my own in there as usual, and also an extended improvised version of All Along The Watchtower. This is what the live shows and podcasts were always meant to be for really, to capture some of the unusual stuff that otherwise would have been lost in the moment or performed to an audience of one.

Here’s the link and stuff:

Subscribe to the podcast RSS or get it from iTunes

Download MP3 to save – 28.8 Mb in size, playtime 29 minutes 54 seconds :-

34 Andy Roberts Podcast Episode 34.mp3

Shownotes for the Episode 34

Standing By – Andy Roberts
Come a Long Way – Kate McGarrigle
Puddles – Andy Roberts
Dreaming – Loudon Wainwright
New Paint – Loudon Wainwright
The Dream Is Over – Andy Roberts
All Along The Watchtower – Bob Dylan Arranged Andy Roberts

The last time I did a Loudon Wainwright Special was back on Podcast Episode 4

All Along The Watchtower was last covered more recently on Episode 24

There’s a couple of lines missing from The Dream is Over. I need to brush up on the lyrics to that one.

Two New Songs in Podcast #33

Andy Roberts — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 15:52:33 +0000

There are two new songs in Andy Roberts acoustic guitar podcast episode 33, one of which is a collaboration with fellow Songwriters Circle member Daryl P Hall.

Here’s the link and stuff:

Subscribe to the podcast RSS or get it from iTunes

Download MP3 to save – 24.4 Mb in size, playtime 25 minutes 24 seconds :-

33 Andy Roberts Podcast Episode 33.mp3

Shownotes for the Episode 33

Time for the music – Andy Roberts
The Nutmeg Tree – Andy Roberts
When The Waters Rise – Andy Roberts
Never Was To Be – Daryl Hall & Andy Roberts
Blue – Andy Roberts
Work Is Done – Andy Roberts

Work is Done appears here as the first ever recording of the song. The lyrics were originally written as text messages saved on a mobile phone while out walking in the French Pyrenees.

Four Seasons Folk Club – Andy Roberts Podcast #32

Andy Roberts — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 12:50:46 +0000

For Andy Roberts Podcast #32 we have the full set of songs performed live in front of an audience at the Four Seasons Folk Club, in West London on Saturday February 5th, 2011. This was the billing:

Four Seasons Folk Club, Polska YMCA, 20 Gunnersbury Ave., London, W5 3QL. Nearest underground Ealing Common, District & Piccadilly lines. Saturday, 5th February. Concert begins at 7pm sharp and finishes at 10pm. Featured artists will be Ian Martin, Andy Roberts, Smolowik, Smolen (with P. Smolen and A Kotowicz).

4 Seasons Folk Club

So the soundtrack on the podcast features six songs, all written by Andy Roberts and played on the siz string Ibanez acoustic guitar, this time tuned to concert pitch which made for some different interpretatios of the songs. Some are played with a capo on the fifth fret, others open.

Here’s the web player, download link, tracklist and show notes for Podcast Episode 31:

Subscribe to the podcast RSS feed using the url:

http://andyroberts.me/?feed=podcast

Subscribe in iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/andy-roberts/id378470885

You can also download the MP3 from this link

32 Andy Roberts Podcast Episode 32.mp3

Podcast Episode 32 Show Notes

Show notes and information for Andy Roberts Acoustic Guitar Podcast Episode 32:

Episode 32 Recorded live at 4 Seasons Folk Club on February 5st, published on February 8th 2011.

1) Cormorants

Words and Music by Andy Roberts

2) Yellow Boat

Words and Music by Andy Roberts

3) The Rowan Tree

Words and Music by Andy Roberts

4) The Last Nail

Words and Music by Andy Roberts

5) The Last Subway Home

Words and Music by Andy Roberts

6) The Wreckers Prayer

Words and Music by Andy Roberts

Podcast Episode 31 Re-recorded

Andy Roberts — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:08:24 +0000

Here’s another version of podcast episode 31 re-recorded on Wednesday morning with most of of the same songs roughly, as the one which went out live on Tuesday evening. So if you were there, online watching the show and chatting with Linda in one of the realtime boxes then you should notice this isn’t exactly the same performance. The instrumental guitar pieces for example, as improvisations will be will be very different. I’m sure one or two sings are missing too, and one or two added. That’s all part of the process. And the new strings will be over twelve hours old now as well, instead of being only 12 minutes since restringing. I had even thought of doing the restring live on the podcast itself, as a piece of performance a-r-t but Linda said it wouldn’t make a very good audio podcast and I came around to that point of view eventually.

Here’s the web player, download link, tracklist and show notes for Podcast Episode 31:

Subscribe to the podcast RSS feed using the url:

http://andyroberts.me/?feed=podcast

Subscribe in iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/andy-roberts/id378470885

You can also download the MP3 from this link

31 Andy Roberts Podcast Episode 31.mp3

Podcast Episode 31 Show Notes

Show notes and information for Andy Roberts Acoustic Guitar Podcast Episode 31:

Episode 31 broadcast on February 1st, published on February 2nd 2011.

1) Mozambique

Words and Music by Bob Dylan

2) Shifting Sands

Words and Music by Andy Roberts

3) Reason To Believe

Words and Music by Tim Hardin

4)Last Subway Home

Words and Music by Andy Roberts

5)The Wreckers Prayer

Words and Music by Andy Roberts

6)Nobody Knows You ( When you’re down and out)

Words and Music by Jimmy Cox

Andy Roberts Acoustic Guitar Podcasts #30

Andy Roberts — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 08:30:34 +0000

Episode 30 of the Andy Roberts Acoustic Guitar Podcasts is again well within the 30 minutes maximum length with about five minutes spare, editing down to 24 minutes 43 seconds and only 23.7 megabytes. There are 5 songs performed standing up again, and the creaking floorboards are still with us. It was good to have some conversation going in the chat this week, thanks to one or two people drifting across from The Songwriters Circle

Here’s the web player, download link, tracklist and show notes for Podcast Episode 30:

Subscribe to the podcast RSS feed using the url:

http://andyroberts.me/?feed=podcast

Subscribe in iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/andy-roberts/id378470885

You can also download the MP3 from this link

30 Andy Roberts Podcast Episode 30.mp3

Episode 30 Acoustic Guitar Podcasts

Show Notes

Show notes and information for Andy Roberts Acoustic Guitar Podcasts

Episode 30 broadcast on January 25th 2011, published on January 26th 2011.

1) Wrecked Again

Words and Music by Michael Chapman

2) Postcards From Scarborough

Words and Music by Michael Chapman

3) Waiting – Andy Roberts

Words and Music by Andy Roberts

4) Back In The Field – Andy Roberts

5) Yellow Boat – Andy Roberts

Andy Roberts Podcast #24

Andy Roberts — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 12:00:32 +0000

Andy Roberts Podcast #24

There’s a mixed bag of songs on Podcast #24, which was recorded last Tuesday, a week ahead of schedule and has a slightly edgy feel to it. “Not John” was appropriate for the following day being December 8th, exactly thirty years after John Lennon was shot dead. On the anniversary itself I played it again at Havering Folk Club followed by Working Class Hero and the video from that evening is embedded at the end here.

Links, play, download

Subscribe to the podcast RSS or get it from iTunes

Download MP3 to save – 28.6 Mb in size, playtime 29 minutes 42 seconds :-

24 Andy Roberts Podcast Episode 24.mp3

Shownotes for podcast #24

Captain Coulston – traditional after Steeleye Span
Just Like A Woman – Bob Dylan
Wild World – Cat Stevens
Not John – Loudon Wainwright
Mondura Dam – Andy Roberts
All Along The Watchtower – Dylan

Not John Lennon

Loudon Wainwright’s “Not John” followed by “Working Class Hero” written by John Lennon performed at Havring Folk Club on December 8th 2010 by Andy Roberts.

The Last Nail – Romford Folk Club

Andy Roberts — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 17:25:42 +0000

Last Tuesday I rushed out from finishing my podcast Episode 15 and caught the train to Romford, just like so many times on Wednesdays, except this was to visit Romford Folk Club. It’s always on Tuesdays, so not the best fit with the weekly podcasts, but I’ve proven that it can be done in time without even missing the opening number. The guest artists were supposed to be from Yorkshire but because of some hiccup, a couple of musicians who normally host the folk club at Lee On Sea, Mick and Pete stood in at short notice and entertained all with a hearty selection of mostly Irish and Australian folk songs.

I’ll be playing a guest spot myself at the Romford Folk Club in April next year, the 5th I think, but on Tuesday I played one Andy Roberts original song, The Last Nail.

The Romford Folk Club meets on Tuesdays at 8.00pm downstairs at the Sun, London Road, Romford RM7 9QA

The Last Nail Lyrics

Above the stone walled harbour, or down the winding hill
That’s where they built the boatyard, and the structure stands there still.
Not much boat building happens now, just repairs and fitting out
but when the wind rattles the boatmasts, you can hear the old boatbuilders shout:
Will you pass the last nail over and I’ll knock it into place,
Then with four more coats of varnish, she’ll be ready for the race.

Our grandfathers put up the boatyard, to build the fishing fleet,
more than fifty boats in the harbour, and shops all down the main street
then the steam age brought in the drifters,
boat builders became engineers
Now the wind blows straight through the boatyard,
there’ll be no more boat building here
Will you pass the last nail over and I’ll knock it into place,
Then with four more coats of varnish, she’ll be ready for the race.

With a keen eye for staying in business, they switched over to build leisure craft
And the weekend yachtsmen snapped them up, no expense spared fore or aft
Then wooden hulls went out of fashion, the order book emptied last year
So the bankers foreclosed on the boatyard,
and there’ll be no more boatbuilding here
Will you pass the last nail over and I’ll knock it into place,
Then with four more coats of varnish, she’ll be ready for the race.

Now the Vikings invented the clinker for both strength and shallow seas
and the herring boats followed the coastline, until the canning ships found the key
There’s a regatta here every August, and the whole village turns out again
But the Sea Queen’s no real competition, and it’s guaranteed to rain
Will you pass the last nail over and I’ll knock it into place,
Then with four more coats of varnish, she’ll be ready for the race.

Above the stone walled harbour, or down the winding hill
that’s where they built the boatyard, and the skeleton stands there still.
No more boat building happens now, not even fitting out
but when the wind rattles the boatmasts, you can still hear the old boys shout:
Will you pass the last nail over, we’ll knock it into place,
Then with four more coats of varnish, she’ll be ready for the race.

Not John

Andy Roberts — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 09:14:42 +0000

Loudon Wainwright sings “Not John” a tribute to John Lennon who would be 70 years old this week.

Podcast #13 : 3 Andy Roberts Songs

Andy Roberts — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 19:56:45 +0000

Episode #13 brings three Andy Roberts compositions, two of which are longer than average songs. The first is the almost completed song which has undergone some serious birthing difficulties, but I hope you will think it’s been worth it eventually… “Change Is” began life as two separate songs appearing ten weeks ago in Podcast #3 provisionally entitled “Trevellas” and “Summerhouse”. So that’s just one track now, coming in at still only about seven minutes long, which is a lot shorter than fourteen verses of The Lincolnshire Poacher. A fair comparison, I’m sure you would agree.

The second song is a rare live rendition of “Gernika” which I’ve written about elsewhere, and is the title track to my album of songs all written during one week in Spain.

Then I attempt to lighten up with a little ditty from 2009, Yellow Boat.

Here’s the web player, download link, tracklist and show notes for Podcast Episode 13:

Subscribe to the podcast RSS feed using the url:

http://andyroberts.me/?feed=podcast

Subscribe in iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/andy-roberts/id378470885

You can also download the MP3 audio file which is 20.9Mb in size and 22 minutes 15 seconds in duration from this link

13 Andy Roberts Podcast Episode 13.mp3

Andy Roberts Podcast Episode 13 Show Notes

Show notes and information for Podcast Episode 13 broadcast on September 28th, published on September 30th 2010.

1) Change Is

Words and Music by Andy Roberts, from the album “The Last Nail”

2) Gernika

Words and Music by Andy Roberts, from the album “Gernika”

2) Yellow Boat

Words and Music by Andy Roberts, from the album “The Last Nail”

The Tree of Gernika in 2003

Cricketer, San Francisco and Mazet

Andy Roberts — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:47:10 +0000

Three songs performed live at Havering Folk Club last Wednesday with the 12 string guitar.

When an Old Cricketer

Cricket has been in the news recently, not in a good way, with allegations of match fixing but sometimes any association is enough to prompt a vaguely relevant song or song title. Or sometimes just because of one lyric within a song, it doesn’t matter if anybody else gets it or not. Any excuse to break the agony of having to make a decision as to what to play next!

So this is When an Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease written by Roy Harper adapted by Andy Roberts

I do have another version of Old Cricketer online here but that’s played on the six string, I don’t really know which is the best performance from myself, perhaps you would be so kind as to “like”, “favourite” “rate” or whichever is appropriate on any of these videos to give an indication of relative quality, that might then help me choose, thanks.

San Francisco

This song is San Francisco by Maxime le Forestier, Andy Roberts version with his funny English accent.

Other performances of the same song 1) San Francisco

Mazet

Not just because I just got back from France but also having met an old friend from the Mazet last week.

Alternative takes:

Episode 9 Back from France

Andy Roberts — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:40:03 +0000

A couple of hours back from France, I still wanted to do the weekly podcast but episode 9 nearly got lost forever due a glitch with Ustream. This morning is had processed OK though, so here we have the Andy Roberts Podcast Episode 9 with some new and old songs as usual. I’m still working on the combined song about the walk and the rain, with the six string open tuned in D minor, so I had a go at that one live to kick off the show last night. There’s still more work to be done, but it seems to be a slow process with this one.

The other songs are all played on the 12 string guitar again.

So here are the links for Podcast Episode 9:

Subscribe to the podcast RSS feed using the url:

http://andyroberts.me/?feed=podcast

Subscribe in iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/andy-roberts/id378470885

You can also download the MP3 audio file which is 27.9Mb in size and 29 minutes long from this link

09 Andy Roberts Podcast Episode 9.mp3

There’s also a stored video file from the live broadcast over at Ustream.tv where the podcasting event takes place on Tuesdays at 7.00pm UK time

Video Podcast Episode No 9

Podcast Episode 9 Show Notes

Show notes and information for Podcast Episode 9 broadcast on August 31st, published on September 1st 2010.

Working Title: Changes

Unfinished work with lyrics and music by And Roberts

Biggleswade Stomp

Just a quick blast of the Biggleswade stomp by Andy Roberts and Gaseous Mass

Reason To Believe

An old favourite song by Tim Hardin, which you may know as the A side of Maggie May by Rod Stewart.

San Fransisco – Maxime le Forestier

My favourite song to sing in French, by one of France’s best loved singer songwriters from the 1970s.

Mazet – Andy Roberts

After meeting up with one of my old pals from the Cafe Mazet last week after 30 years, I couldn’t resist playing this one.

Now That I’m Living Here – Andy Roberts

Another Andy Roberts Revival song, I had to relearn the chords to this one last year but ever since have kept it high in the repertoire.

Episode 8 Andy Roberts Plays 3 Beatles Songs

Andy Roberts — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:42:48 +0000

Beatles songs from George, John and Paul feature in this week’s Andy Roberts podcast as well as a Steeleye Span folk song and some open tuned guitar noodling. All played on the 12 string guitar except the detuned 6 string instrumental.

Since experimenting with open tuning, not something I normally burden myself with, I’ve hatched a plan to finish off the two songs I brought back from Cornwall, firstly by merging them into one and now by using the new open D tuning. But that’s for another week to try and demonstrate. This week, quite late in the day I decided to feature some Beatles songs but didn’t feel like doing “A Day in The Life” or any of the early stuff so I ended up with one classic from each of the three great songwrites, George Harrison Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Just my personal choice, and two of them come from “The Beatles” double album, also known as The White Album. Working Class Hero is not a Beatles song, it’s from John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band.

Here are the links for Podcast Episode 8:

Subscribe to the podcast RSS feed using the url:

http://andyroberts.me/?feed=podcast

Subscribe in iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/andy-roberts/id378470885

You can also download the MP3 audio file which is 25.7Mb in size and 27 minutes 57 seconds in duration from this link

08 Andy Roberts Podcast Episode 8.mp3

There’s also a stored video file from the live broadcast over at Ustream.tv where the podcasting event takes place on Tuesdays at 7.00pm UK time

Video Podcast Episode No8

Podcast Episode 8 Show Notes

Show notes and information for Podcast Episode 8 broadcast on August 24th, published on August 25th 2010.

All songs performed with the 12 string vintage Guild acoustic guitar except one instrumental on the Ibanez 6 string in open D tuning.

The Royal Forester – Traditional/ Steeleye Span

The Royal Forester is a Scottish ballad from my favourite Steeleye Span album, Below The Salt where they subtitle the track “the aboriculturist meets superwoman”.

Below the Salt

While My Guitar Gently Weeps – George Harrison

Open D Intrumental – Andy Roberts

Rocky Racoon – Lennon/McCartney

Standing By – Andy Roberts

Working Class Hero – John Lennon

Episode 6 Andy Roberts Podcast – Fingerstyle Blues

Andy Roberts — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:43:23 +0000

Here’s episode 6 in the weekly podcast series and this week I feature some fingerstyle blues tunes.

I have two apologies to make first.

The length of the podcasts is meant to be strictly under half an hour, and this one is 30 minutes and 18 seconds. That’s eighteen seconds too long, I didn’t notice until after I’d exported the mp3 file. Sorry about that. Won’t happen again. The other thing is the sound quality which is not up to scratch either. I’ve done some software updates and the recording level got reset, and it was too high so there is some distortion on the guitar parts in the louder tunes. I dont mind it too much myself, but if you hate that sort of cheap fuzzboxy kind of noise then just skip over those bits, or miss out the whole episode. I’ll get it right next time. Now the podcast player and show notes:

Subscribe to the podcast RSS feed using the url:

http://andyroberts.me/?feed=podcast

Subscribe in iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/andy-roberts/id378470885

You can also download the MP3 audio file which is 29.2Mb in size and 30 minutes 18 seconds in duration from this link

06 Andy Roberts Podcast Episode 6.mp3

There’s also a stored video file from the live broadcast over at Ustream.tv where the podcasting event takes place on Tuesdays at 7.00pm UK time

Video Podcast Episode No 6

Podcast Episode 6 Show Notes

Show notes and information for Podcast Episode 6 broadcast on August 10th, published on August 11th 2010. All songs performed with the six string Ibanez acoustic guitar again (must get the 12 string out next week)

Hesitation Blues

I know this song from Ralph McTell but the origins are older: “Hesitation Blues” is a popular song written by Billy Smythe, Scott Middleton, and Art Gillham around 1914. It’s changed a bit, with famous versions by Leadbelly, Rev Gary Davis and Janis Joplin

When The Waters Rise

I haven’t performed my song “When The Waters Rise” for a while so I thought I’d slip it into this episode. It’s not a blues though, it’s a tango. SInce the subject matter is a distopian view of climate change I thought I’d offer it to the Black Mountain Uncivilisation community. Oh well.

Count On Me

I learned this one from Wizz Jones but it’s by Mose Allison

Doing it All Alone

One of my Paris songs, Doing it all alone : lyrics and music by Andy Roberts

Deep River Blues

Again know to me as a Wizz Jones song but it’s an old blues classic made famous by Doc Watson.

Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out

John The Fish used to sing this one at the old folk cottage in Truro, and then Eric Clapton recorded it on his unplugged album but it was a well knownjazz/blues song before that.

No – by Loudon Wainwright

This is just the bonus track really, which I learned to play this week in response to a request by Then Wang for a tutorial with chords so he can learn it himself. Great song though, which I may be able to do some justice to one day, but not quite there yet…

EAVB_QEVEUEIIKM

Episode 5 Andy Roberts Folk Music Podcast

Andy Roberts — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:13:38 +0000

Episode 5 of the weekly podcast series features 6 acoustic songs with more of a traditional folk music feel to them. Four are my own compositions written in a way that harks back to the traditional English folk song, or maybe British in some cases. It used to be a bit of joke to to an introduction long the lines of “This is a traditional song that I wrote” as if that is such a fake thing to do but these days it’s become more normal thanks to the efforts of folk singers such as Kate Rusby, Tom Bliss and many others brought up in the traditional scene for whom its natural to write songs in that style.

The rest of my songs would need be described as “Contemporary Folk” which probably means they sound like they were written in the 1970s, and some of them were…

Anyway, here is the podcast player and download link followed by this week’s show notes

Subscribe to the podcast RSS feed using the url

http://andyroberts.me/?feed=podcast

Subscribe in iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/andy-roberts/id378470885

You can also download the MP3 audio file which is 23.8Mb in size and 25 minutes 40 seconds in duration from this link

05 Andy Roberts Podcast Episode 5.mp3

There’s also a stored video file from the live broadcast over at Ustream.tv where the podcasting event takes place on Tuesdays at 7.00pm UK time

Video Podcast Episode No 5

Podcast Episode 5 Show Notes

Show notes and information for Podcast Episode 5 published on August 4th 2010. All songs performed with the six string Ibanez acoustic guitar

Sitting on top of the World – by Andy Roberts
The Wreckers’ Prayer – by Andy Roberts
The Rowan Tree – by Andy Roberts
Captain Coulston – Traditional / Steeleye Span
Cajun Cooking Music – by Andy Roberts
Old Paint - Traditional

25 Minutes 40 seconds 23.8Mb