It’s confirmed, Martha Tilston’s new album is top be called ‘The Sea’. Martha will be touring it in the autumn with a release date scheduled for early October. When we interviewed Martha about the album back in May (read the interview here) she was toying with calling it Sea Chest. Whatever the title it was going to have nautical theme. She told us:
“The new album is a traditional album of songs about the sea or featuring the sea. But another special aspect to it is that I have recorded each song with a different member of my family and a couple of close friends.
“I didn’t want to just record with the professional folk musicians in my family but also with uncles, stepfathers, sisters, brother who I have heard sing from childhood. It felt more truthful some how this way – ( though we all agreed to ban my step dad from doing the full 30 versed lampton worm!)
“I guess there’s singers and songs in every family and we don’t all have to be professional to validate that.”
She also revealed that there is only one self-penned song called ‘The Mermaid of Zennor’. “It’s a great Cornish folk story. Zennor (near St Ives) is a very special place to me and my family. I wanted to tell this story by gathering versions of it from the locals at the Tinners Arms then using what they knew of the story and what I had read – and putting the song together, it has a very ancient modal Penwith feel to it,…….”
Here she is performing another nautical inspired song ‘Seagull’ that was filmed from her recent performance at the Spiegeltent in Brighton.
Tour Dates
FESTIVALS :
Fri 1st Aug 2014 Urkult Festival, Sweden
Sat 16th Aug 2014 Green Man Festival
Black Mountains near Crickhowell, Brecon Beacons
Info: http://www.greenman.net/artist/martha-tilston
Sat 23rd Aug 2014 Purbeck Folk Festival
THE SEA – TOUR DATES:
Fri 26th Sep 2014 TOTNES Acoustic Haven
St John’s Church Fore Street, Bridgetown, Totnes, TQ9 5AD
Wed 22nd Oct 2014 BRISTOL Colston Hall 2
Thu 23rd Oct 2014 WINCHESTER The Railway
Sat 25th Oct 2014 GUILDFORD Boiler Room
Tue 28th Oct 2014 GLASTONBURY Assembly Rooms
Wed 29th Oct 2014 MILTON KEYNES Stables (Stage 2)
Sat 1st Nov 2014 STROUD Goods Shed
Sun 2nd Nov 2014 DORCHESTER Arts Centre
Wed 5th Nov 2014 NORWICH Bicycle Shop
Thu 6th Nov 2014 BRIGHTON Komedia
Sat 8th Nov 2014 PENZANCE Acorn
Thu 13th Nov 2014 LONDON Bush Hall
(at time of posting there are more dates to be added)
http://www.marthatilston.co.uk/