PrettyInScarlett

Finally.... we have been to an event at the Sage! A friend visiting Durham noticed that the exceptionally talented Sarah Jarosz , Sara Watkins and Aoife O'Donovan , aka I'm With Her, were playing Hall 2 on Friday, 24th April. Sold! We have one of Sarah Jarosz' albums and like her sound, but were less familiar with Watkins and O'Donovan. Right up near the ceiling, we could see down onto the stage and onto the wildly enthusiastic audience below. After a short support set (so-so, I have forgotten the guy's name but he notably played a few songs sat with his acoustic guitar held horizontal), the I'm With Her trio produced an outstanding set of around 90 minutes.  Mixing solo songs from each of their respective careers with traditional songs and instrumental interludes, they wove a super spell of folk/country/bluegrass/Americana tunes. I had lots of goosebumps!  Notable tracks: Sarah Jarosz - ' Run Away', 'Build Me Up From Bones' and ...

Once again far too busy to look anything up beforehand... so M and I headed to see Laura Moody on Friday completely fresh. Wow!  A very cosy audience at the Old Cinema Launderette were treated to Laura's super songs and very funky cello playing (slide cello, anyone!). Just happened to pick up a copy of the latest NARC magazine to find... an article about Laura Moody! She is one very original and talented musician, from contemporary music with Elysian Quartet and The Gogmagogs to Meredith Monk emsemble.  The songs we heard in her 1-hour set mixed genres, effects (vocal and instrumental), structures and funny stories (including tales of Stockhausen in a helicopter ) for a very memorable evening. Some of the most original music (no typical song structures here) I've heard since I first saw The PepTides ... Cello as harp, drum, ukulele, funky tunings - all here. George the cello is very versatile... Most of the songs were taken from current album Acrobats , with a...

Today M and I finally made a trip to Ushaw College , former seminary, now - what? Specifically, we went to hear Ushaw String Quartet perform, but it was also interesting to see the buildings. I knew that Durham Business School had been based there (they still are, in part); I knew that some students live there; but not much else. The core parts of the building are open to visitors on Saturdays from today, so we saw St Cuthbert's Chapel, lots of side chapels and some funky Richard III memorabilia (inner history geek says woop!). Richard, Duke of York's book of hours - amazingly small for such a minutely detailed book; copy of Geoffrey of Monmouth's 'A History of Britain'; and the Westminster Vestment, last seen being worn by Cardinal Vincent Nichols in a requiem mass for Richard III . On entering St Cuthbert's Chapel, this is the view:   The Ushaw String Quartet were in St Cuthbert's Chapel performing the string quartet arrangement of Haydn's ...