Chatterbox with Mel Biggs

As a player of an instrument, have you ever thought to take musical inspiration from another? How would you go about doing that? Do beards make you a better bird watcher? How does Rapper dance culture differ from the rest of the Morris/English folk dance world? These questions and more covered in this month's episode!Will Allen is an English melodeon, fiddle, and banjo player. Having gained quite a solid reputation as one of England's busiest and most in demand folk musicians, he can turn his hand to most things dance including ceilidh, contra, Irish, Scottish, Morris, Rapper and more. He can be seen playing with duo Brown Boots with Martin Clarke on fiddle, Quebec inspired Club Débris, Contra/Set Dance duo WillPower with Will Chamberlain on keys, and his two solo English Fiddle albums, recorded with Rowan Piggot.A young head on old shoulders, this month's chat illuminates Will's approach to music and life, how he takes sanctuary in the Great Outdoors, and firmly believes in not boxing yourself into a culture corner when it comes to finding inspiration. I hope you find joy in his wisdom and enjoy listening!JARGON BUSTER:Border - a style of Morris dancing from the border counties of England & WalesRapper - Rapper Sword Dancing - lively trad. NE England dances with flexible steel 'rapper swords'DERT - Dancing England Rapper TournamentIrons/rubbers - the wooden sole of a NW Morris dancer's clogs are shod with iron or rubberWill's Links:Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | YouTube | Club Debris | Brown BootsReplay Will's Melinar: It's Not *Just* A Melodeon - how to take influence from other instruments:https://www.patreon.com/posts/112800836INFO Absolute Beginner Melodeon Workshop with Mel 10-3pm October 12th 2024 (hire boxes available):https://stables.org/workshopsJoin my PATREON for extended episodes, guest tutor Melinars & learning resource archive:www.patreon.com/melbiggsmusicVisit my website for on demand classes, courses, live dates, merch & more:www.melbiggsmusic.co.ukIntro & outro music:'Dream Big' by Mel Biggs. All rights reserved.Listen to the full track on my album 'From Darkness Comes Light':www.melbiggsmusic.bandcamp.comGet in touch: chatterbox@melbiggsmusic.co.ukDon't forget to like/subscribe/follow:YouTube | Instagram | Facebook  

How does one dance and play at the same time with a 6kg instrument strapped to them? How many jobs can one switch with Tim Van Eyken? Why should everyone try Morris dancing at least once in their lifetime? And how do you leave a job with AstraZeneca in a blaze of glory to become a full-time musician?... this, and many more questions answered in this month's Very Lovely Chat!Saul Rose is an English folk singer, Morris dancer, and diatonic accordion player. He is known for his work with Eliza Carthy, Waterson:Carthy, Faustus, Maclaine Colston duo, James Delarre duo, and the eminent ceilidh band Whapweasel, amongst many others. He took over the actor-musician role of 'Songman' in War Horse at The National Theatre. Saul has danced and played with many Morris sides over the years, including Hexham Morris (Cotswold), Chiltern Hundreds (North West), and Newcastle Kingsmen (Rapper).CW Saul talks about the circumstances of Paul Sartin's death from 33:50 to 35:36.Saul's Links:Saul Rose & James Delarre Bandcamp | Saul's Facebook PageReplay Saul's Melinar on Total Melodeon - how to get everything you want out of your instrument:https://www.patreon.com/posts/110971161INFO Weedon Balfolk (nr. Northampton) 1/2 day dance/music workshop & evening bal September 21st 2024:https://www.weedonbalfolk.co.uk/Join my PATREON for extended episodes, guest tutor Melinars & learning resource archive:www.patreon.com/melbiggsmusicVisit my website for on demand classes, courses, live dates, merch & more:www.melbiggsmusic.co.ukIntro & outro music:'Dream Big' by Mel Biggs. All rights reserved.Listen to the full track on my album 'From Darkness Comes Light':www.melbiggsmusic.bandcamp.comGet in touch: chatterbox@melbiggsmusic.co.ukDon't forget to like/subscribe/follow:YouTube | Instagram | Facebook  

Have you ever considered what it's like to grow up as a woman on the English folk scene? How can you evolve as an artist and learn to own your artistic voice? How can we collectively empower other women and young girls to take up leading roles in creative careers? And why are good reels so hard to find for the melodeon?! My guest this month is singer, songwriter and multi instrumentalist Hazel Askew. She's one third of full throttle fempowered folk band Lady Maisery, works with her sister Emily Askew, has won several music awards including Best Album for 2017 folk supergroup Songs of Separation, and appears with Awake Arise - a collaboration between Lady Maisery and Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith - for their midwinter tour, and leads regular music workshops for the EFDSS and other regional organisations. Our conversation flows through influences in younger self, to balancing time for education projects and perfomance opportunities, working in film, TV and theatre, including Fisherman's Friends: The Musical where we both shared the stage.Hazel's links:Website | Facebook Page | InstagramReplay Hazel's Melinar tutorial on accompanying songs:https://www.patreon.com/posts/108784848VLOG: 1 YEAR WITH MY CASTAGNARI HANDRY - Theatre update:https://youtu.be/4zq3VpbnZlQ?si=TsA5I7q4NLd5d_1NVLOG: WHAT IT WAS REALLY LIKE WORKING IN MUSICAL THEATRE | First Time Actor-Muso:https://youtu.be/Q9_p2UtqTTw?si=JEgj6KJbr3OMEdMpVLOG: English Folky's First French Festival - Le Son Continu 2023:https://youtu.be/PuY3pK4a6xs?si=ee_0fHnfz5Ya2mFYJoin my PATREON for extended podcast episodes, guest tutor Melinars & learning resource archive:www.patreon.com/melbiggsmusicVisit my website for on demand classes, courses, live dates, merch & more:www.melbiggsmusic.co.ukIntro & outro music:'Dream Big' by Mel Biggs. All rights reserved.Listen to the full track on my album 'From Darkness Comes Light':www.melbiggsmusic.bandcamp.comGet in touch: chatterbox@melbiggsmusic.co.ukDon't forget to like/subscribe/follow:YouTube | Instagram | Facebook

Did you know that silent movies are still a thing? And who knew that diatonic accordion works so well in Baroque music?! And what's this about a Belgian footbass?Benjamin Macke is a French accordionist, composer, teacher and Belgian basse au pied revivalist living in Belgium. His musical style is rather blended, having started out as a classical percussionist, jazz drummer and trombonist, he plays with a variety of musicians including his partner Birgit Bournauw, Flemish & Baroque bagpiper. As well as Duo Macke-Bournauw, he is known for his playing with Balfolk band Shillelagh, various theatre & ensemble projects for audiences of all ages, and his solo movie-concert project Le Ciné-concert de Poche where he writes and performs sound tracks for silent movies.Tune in this month for conversations about making connections with ourselves, our instruments, our audiences and our students and fellow musicians, and why this is so important not just in music, but in being part of a community.Benjamin's links:Website | Facebook Page | YouTubeReplay Benjamin's Melinar tutorial on fingering, phrasing & accents:https://www.patreon.com/posts/106977278VLOG When I met Benjamin at Halsway Manor Melodeon Study week:https://youtu.be/TpjtG0qFoVYVLOG I Blame Benjamin Macke for this:https://youtu.be/M3m5nsP_pB0Join my PATREON for extended episodes, guest tutor Melinars & learning resource archive:www.patreon.com/melbiggsmusicVisit my website for on demand classes, courses, live dates, merch & more:www.melbiggsmusic.co.ukIntro & outro music:'Dream Big' by Mel Biggs. All rights reserved.Listen to the full track on my album 'From Darkness Comes Light':www.melbiggsmusic.bandcamp.comGet in touch: chatterbox@melbiggsmusic.co.ukDon't forget to like/subscribe/follow:YouTube | Instagram | Facebook

Ever wondered what the record is for how many tunes someone can compose in a day?! Well, I'm not sure of the official answer to that, but I'm sure Toon could give the winner a run for their money! His iconic melodies have travelled far and wide across the Euro-dance music scene over the last two decades and more. Toon Van Mierlo is a Belgian musician of many talents including diatonic accordion, bagpipes, saxophone and whistles. He is best known for his work with multi award winning folk duo Naragonia, and for his playing with Hot Griselda, Novar and Duo Decombel-Van Mierlo, among many others. In this episode, we discover how a life-long fascination with biology and the natural world has lead to the birth of many tunes and projects for Toon over the years, both musically and otherwise. Join me this month as I sit down with a very good friend to get to know them and their outlook on music and life a little better.Naragonia's links:Website | Facebook | YouTube | InstagramWatch Toon's Composing In Real-Time Melinar on my Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/posts/104719753TurboBal UK Tour June 2024:https://melbiggsmusic.co.uk/turbobal-uk-tour-2024/Join my PATREON for extended episodes, guest tutor Melinars & learning resource archive:www.patreon.com/melbiggsmusicVisit my website for on demand classes, courses, live dates, merch & more:www.melbiggsmusic.co.ukIntro & outro music:'Dream Big' by Mel Biggs. All rights reserved.Listen to the full track on my album 'From Darkness Comes Light':www.melbiggsmusic.bandcamp.comGet in touch: chatterbox@melbiggsmusic.co.ukDon't forget to like/subscribe/follow:YouTube | Instagram | Facebook

Everyone has a comfort zone - even the multi-talented musicians who you might assume are impervious to such things. How can we challenge ourselves to overcome our uncertainties and nervousness to take a risk and break free of the pigeon holes we put ourselves in? Are you motivated by feeling the joy music brings to others?Pascale Rubens is a composer, singer, teacher and diatonic accordionist best known as one half of multi award winning Belgian folk duo Naragonia. This month's conversation takes a relaxed route, finding many commonalities along the way. Through talk of finding vs making time for creativity amongst everything else life entails, drastic career changes and finding the accordion later in life, and getting geeky over our shared passion for teaching and being a part of our student's successes. Also, I get nosey about how Naragonia's secret sauce is made...A thoroughly lovely chat in which you get to hear two friends deepen their acquaintance, and mutual appreciation of each other's work.Naragonia's links:Website | Facebook | YouTube | InstagramWatch Pascale's Rhythmical Accompaniment for Dance Melinar on my Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/posts/103145730Join my PATREON for extended episodes, guest tutor Melinars & learning resource archive:www.patreon.com/melbiggsmusicVisit my website for on demand classes, courses, live dates, merch & more:www.melbiggsmusic.co.ukIntro & outro music:'Dream Big' by Mel Biggs. All rights reserved.Listen to the full track on my album 'From Darkness Comes Light':www.melbiggsmusic.bandcamp.comGet in touch: chatterbox@melbiggsmusic.co.ukDon't forget to like/subscribe/follow:YouTube | Instagram | Facebook