Avocado Music Productions

It is amazing to watch students change and transform almost before your eyes. When student Ellie Lonsdale introduced herself to me some 3 years ago to study song composition and guitar it would have been hard to imagine then that this slightly scatty individual could have been planning such a dramatic change in her life once she obtained 3 good A levels and had left 6th form college in Hereford UK. She planned her gap year to do the fun part first; touring Australia and other countries, bungee jumping and other mad pursuits but once rid of this fun part she then travelled to South Africa to work in the tough townships with children aged between 6 -16years. On friday 23rd October on local BBC Hereford & Worcester we went to perform live her songs on the radio as she was the guest of The Friday Session programme to talk on air about both her music and lifestyle. Ellie worried for weeks about her ability to come across on air succinctly and interestingly discussing her chosen course of action certain that she would forget relevant things to say because she would be so nervous, but she rose to the challenge with an ease and a naturalness taking the opportunity given to her to speak out eloquently with fact and compassion. She told her story and how it was for these kids who each and every day were just the smallest perilous step away from sexual abuse, drugs, criminal activity, and the pain of parental rejection and hopelessness...and yet Ellie says that their dire circumstances were easy to somehow forget when coming into contact with these young people for they have a joy and an insatiable appetite to live life fully. Any praise they receive is met with happiness. Music is a medium and an expression that they just can't get enough of. Ellie taught them to play guitar, sing and express themselves without fear. Music is the medium that seems to help soothe and melt some of their present horrors. So she went about staging shows and workshops where they contributed their undoubted talent and raw energy. She acknowledges when returning to the UK that it is so hard for us living thousands of miles away to appreciate the level of depravation these youngsters experience but she wants, when here in Europe, to try and explain what has opened her eyes and wants others with a similar love for helping to join her, get stuck in and try to make a difference however small. As she says, she has everything she needs materially; she wants for nothing and feels we in Europe are quick to moan about petty gripes that look totally insignificant and trivial when compared with the problems that humanity really is faced with. So in a BBC studio she poured her her heart out without being the slightest bit preachy and the programme's presenter Andrew Marston provided the platform and the space for her commitment to be relayed sympathetically and honourably

Do check out her interview on Ellie's  page

Ellie sang 4 songs in between being interviewed including two new compositions Lavender Hill and Spilt Milk.

You can also visit her on www.myspace.com/ellielonsdale where there are links to the organisation www.philisaabafazi.org that she so passionately supports and where she will be returning to early next year to work for and continue to engage with all those amazing kids.

Ellie intends to record Lavender Hill a follow up EP to last year’s Do Not Mistake Softness For Weakness with Avocado Music Productions before she leaves and all sales will be donated tothe Charity

Sorry for the delay due to the winter flu getting in the way, buthere is a jam packed episode two of the Avocado Music Podcast Series.We talk about recording Bell Ringers, Ellie Lonsdale and her live BBCsessions, violinist Haruko Motohashi, Filmmaker Chiara Ambrosio, MarkPeter Wright, the Unicorn Singers, our first event at the QueenElizabeth Hall, Toby Wainwright Johns and, last but not least, thebeginnings of IORANA, the next A*M~P album. See you soon with interviews and more progress reports on Toby and Ellie's albums

Click here to listen to the podcast

www.avocadomusic.com

Weston-under-Penyard Bellringers

The present band at Weston-under-Penyard was put together in about 1998 as part of a drive to get as many towers ringing for the Millennium. Weston, whose dedication is to St. Lawrence, has had ringing bells since 1704, and the last bell to be added was in 1955 when the ring was augmented to six by Taylors of Loughborough.

Once upon a time the ringing band would have been made up of villagers from Weston itself, but today the band pulls people in from up to ten miles away.  We practise on a Monday night each week and currently ring for one Sunday a month, for Weddings and for special services such as Christmas.  We have a very strong band capable of ringing a variety of methods (tunes of a mathematical nature!). 

We were approached to take part in the composition to provide the sound of the bells.  This was too good an opportunity to turn down and as such provided us with an interesting ‘take’ on something called Plain Hunt.  Our composer, Jeremy, whose original offering of Plain Hunt had to be adapted also had to completely change the key of his work to fit in with the key of the bells.  This was to be a slightly easier task than removing the bells from the tower and having them re-tuned to the key of his work!

We are always looking for new members, young and older; a good ‘start age’ is about eleven years .....the older end (?) ..... I’ve taught learners in their seventies!  If you’re interested go and see your local tower and help keep this art alive.

Mike Williams

Weston-under-Penyard TowerCaptain

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As their RUST album draws into its final chapter, Mikey and Jeremy launch their new avocado orchard live session podcast series discussing haunted churches, mattresses, actresses, and tuning organs. And they play a couple of samples from the new book/album.

-------- CLICK HERE FOR PODCAST -------

Cwmyoy Church Organ - used in Earth's Swallow - from A*M~P's forthcoming album RUST.