For anyone who missed it Eliza Carthy has been appointed an MBE for services to music in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. If you’ve kept up with Eliza’s folk-life I’m sure you’ll agree with us that her contribution to British Folk Music has been exceptional, she has certainly helped shape the folk music scene as well as opening doorways for many other young innovative musicians who have been inspired by her boundary crossing approach.
She has keept herself busy outside of recording music becoming the Vice President of EFDSS in 2008 and also more recently the Folkworks Artistic Associate at Sage Gateshead. In her interview with Folk Radio UK last year she said of her appointment at Folkworks that she intended to “curate some fabulous new events, seminars and good goings-on in that big shiny peanut of creativity for a couple of years. I can’t wait to get involved more in the North-East, the University and Folkworks in general; to think about community culture and education for a bit. I think we are going to inspire each other to some good things,” (read the interview here).
Anyone who follows the English folk scene will know Eliza as the daughter of folk musicians Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson. Martin was also awarded an MBE in 1998 for services to folk music (see image below) followed by Norma in 2003, so the timing seems perfect as Martin & Eliza have also just released their first duo album together.
Martin & Eliza’s The Moral Of The Elephant (2 Jun 2014 via Topic Records) is, as Simon pointed out in his review, something of a flagship for Topic Records 75th year. It comes almost 50 years after Martin made his solo debut and 21 years since Eliza’s name first appeared as a headline on a record alongside Nancy Kerr (read the review here).
Martin & Eliza Carthy Upcoming Tour Dates
June
21 – Beverley Folk Festival – Beverley Leisure Complex,East Yorkshire
27 – St Andrews church – Grinton, Richmond,North grinton, yorkshire
28 – The Atkinson – Lord Street, SOUTHPORT,Merseyside
29 – Brudenell Social Club – The Club House, 33 Queens Road, Hyde Park, Leeds
August
01 – Cambridge Folk Festival – Cherry Hinton Hall Grounds, Cambridge
02 – Cambridge Folk Festival – Cherry Hinton Hall Grounds, Cambridge
05 – Sidmouth FolkWeek – SIDMOUTH
The Moral Of The Elephant is released on 2 Jun 2014 via Topic Records
Order via Topic Records
Photo Credit: Greg Bailey