The Ciderhouse Rebellion - Genius Loci 2: The Valley of Iron (+ Video Premiere)

The Ciderhouse Rebellion – Genius Loci 2: The Valley of Iron

Under The Eaves Records – 1 April 2022

It’s stunning to listen to master improvisers at work; out of thin air, they create brilliance in the moment, and The Ciderhouse Rebellion – master accordionist Murray Grainger and fiddle player Adam Summerhayes ply their craft with breathtaking results on Genius Loci 2: The Valley of Iron. They bring life to Rosedale on the Yorkshire Moors, a haunted, lonely spot once part of the now-forgotten ironstone industry. What Grainger and Summerhayes were seeking was the Genius Loci, the spirit of the place. It forms part of a wider multimedia project, Ironstone Tales, that will come to fruition throughout 2022.

Visiting Rosedale over the course of a year to gain a connection to the weather and the people who lived and worked on these moors, they have created a stunning collection tied to the iron mining that ruled this community between the 1850s and the 1920s. Grainger and Summerhayes used the open moor as their recording studio, even taking to the inside of an old kiln to develop the connections that made the once-booming industrial area what it was and what it has become since the industry has faded away.

The interplay between Grainger’s accordion and the fiddle of Summerhayes is a wonder to behold. “Moor’s Edge Above Old Kilns” slowly comes to life with the fiddle playing sorrowfully while the accordion provides colour to fill in the edges of the frame. Yet, “New Kilns Below East Mines” provides a slow interplay before a wistful accordion phrase begins to haunt the environment, only to be followed by the equally haunted violin. You can envision the calendar pages turning as the iron business begins grinding to a halt.

Beginning with a buzz of energy, “Bank Top Kilns” begins to slow as the accordion and fiddle illustrate how subtly the shift from a booming community begins the inexorable slide towards disintegration. Along the way, there are subtle shifts in texture along with moments of rebirth before the last moments seem to hint at the final disintegration still to come.

“Swindle Howe Road” trades back and forth between fiddle and accordion as the steam seems to be coming out of this community. The melancholy is palpable, and despite moments when both the accordion and violin try to embrace the changing of the guard, there is an underlying sadness driving the piece to its conclusion.

Ultimately, as The Ciderhouse Rebellion, Murray Grainger and Adam Summerhayes illustrate that despite the music being created in the instant, Genius Loci 2: The Valley of Iron preserves moments of timeless, haunted beauty.

Video Premiere: Old Kilns above Stables Farm:

“It was a desperately cold day with a biting wind – you can see that I am wearing gloves – but our imaginations were fired by the turmoil of industry and heat that would have been centered around the spot where we stood.”