Welcome, croeso & bienvenue!
Mike Gulston and Blanche Rowen sing French dance songs, Welsh folk songs and traditional English material (sometimes simultaneously) plus the odd modern bit here and there. Mike's background is in the traditional songs of England, and he specialises in creating original arrangements on guitar and octave mandola. Blanche loves improvising and devising harmonies, and draws on a store of traditional songs from Wales. The nice people at the Lewes Arms Folk Club say about us "Splendid singing, solo and in harmony, in English and Welsh, with Mike's incisive guitar-playing", which is rather spiffy.
We're equally at home playing folk clubs (such as the Lewes Arms or Seaford), concert settings (Wales Millennium Centre, Festiv'allier), festivals (Cwlwm Celtaidd, the Celtic Festival of Wales) or doing a 'bal set' for French/Breton dancing (Kinnersley, Freiburg French Dance Club).
Due to Myspace's insistence on short song titles, we should explain that 'Tell Me Ffoles' should actually be 'Tell Me, My Love/Ffoles Llantrisant'. Mike wrote modern English words to the original Welsh melody in despair at Blanche's traditional Welsh lyrics celebrating the joyful independence of 'The Merry Lass of Llantrisant'. Likewise 'Gwenith Gwyn' is more properly 'Bugeilio'r Gwenith Gwyn' (Watching the White Wheat), a famous Welsh song of star-crossed lovers, arranged here to a less well-known traditional tune. The tracks are taken from our debut album.
"... simply beautiful. Song stories ~ you folks have a true gift. Sometimes melding, sometimes playing off one another. There's a real chemistry there... it's mesmerizing." Kate Campbell, New Jersey, USA
"... Congratulations for this marvellous album. We really love your voices, and your guitar playing, Mike, is so sensitive. And the arrangements with two voices are very interesting ..." Stephane Marchand, France
"... Your CD is excellent and is played in the car, the kitchen and the mp3 player.* Your voices are so good together, and Mike's accompaniment so subtle. Your performance trancends folk music, and would be appreciated in all sorts of venues and events." Tom Cunliffe, South Coast Sounds, UK
*[Until he got a copy of the album, Tom used to tune into MySpace for a regular fix.]
Aw, shucks - thanks, folks. The last word goes to Genevieve Tudor, playing 'Go From My Window' on her BBC 'Sunday Folk' radio show ... "They are very good indeed". Bless you, Genevieve, you are obviously a lady of exquisite taste.
(If you're not in the MySpace network, you can email us on blancherowen (at) yahoo.co.uk )
Myspace Layouts - Myspace Editor
