We’ve had to change the concert for 24 March

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Music on the Levels announces a change in its free concert on Sunday 24 March in St Mary’s Church, Main Road, Westonzoyland, TA7 0EP. 

Adam Piggott of Wildwood Jack is indisposed and unable to perform. However, Music on the Levels is pleased and privileged to have secured the ‘impossibly talented’ Rodney Branigan to appear at this concert.

The concert starts at 3 pm and refreshments are available at modest charge from 2.15 pm.

The Texas-born troubadour, Rodney Branigan, who learned to play in Austin, perform in Los Angeles, craft songs in Nashville, and put it all together in London has played all types of music in all types of venues in his storied career. His adventurous, boundary-breaking guitar playing (sometimes two at the same time) earning him the title “The Two Guitar Man” has led to performance invites across America, India, Africa, and Europe

In 2018 Rodney catches the attention of Glastonbury Festival founder Michael Eavis who offers Rodney a headline spot at the Glastonbury Extravaganza (the very next day!) at Glastonbury Abbey. It is a double bill alongside Tom Odell. The response is immediate and Rodney lands a spot on the Glastonbury Festival Acoustic Stage. Rodney performs to a seam-splitting and fully crowded tent and the show goes down like a storm.

Rodney Branigan’s style is termed ‘full contact folk music’, Americana Folk Roots with virtuoso presentation, with a touch of clean comedy thrown in for good measure.

He has toured and collaborated with around 40 of the foremost performers in the field, including Billy Bragg, Stereo Phonics, and Tom Robinson, to name but a few.

In addition, he has appeared at well over 80 festivals in more than 15 countries around the world, including many in the UK and in his native USA.

Enthusiastic endorsements have followed Rodney’s musical progress, among them:

Rodney Branigan is one of the most amazing artists you will ever see. Not simply because he is unique, but rather because he is impossibly talented. Music Connection Magazine

Leave to cross France from end to end, because this is what we call a real discovery. A contemporary musician as innovative as the Boulez was in his time. Paris Moves

Every year there will be one or two artists that take the audience completely by surprise. This year Rodney Branigan was undoubtedly that artist, his name being mentioned in our feedback over and over again as peoples stand out act. John Marshall-Potter, FolkEast

‘Rodney is always very keen to perform in local, community venues and is especially looking forward to his first visit to Westonzoyland’, comments Lisa Nasta, Rodney’s representative. 

A member of Music on the Levels said, ‘We are thrilled that an artist of Rodney Branigan’s stature has agreed to play at our next concert.’

Daughters of the Muse

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The next concert concert is on Sunday 25 February 2024 in St Mary’s Church, Main Road, Westonzoyland, TA7 0EP. The concert starts at 3 pm and refreshments are available at modest charge from 2.15 pm.

Performing at this concert will be Trio Paradis, much appreciated at Music on the Levels many times over the past few years.

The programme is entitled Daughters of the Muse, to mark International Women’s Day on 8 March, and will consist of music by women composers from over the centuries.

Trio Paradis consists of Jacquelyn Bevan, piano, Lisa Betteridge, violin, and Linda Stocks, cello. The performers will introduce the music with biographical details about the composers. 

‘We specialise in performing music by women composers,’ says Jacquelyn, ‘and this time we are presenting a varied programme of pieces with a spring-time theme, from 12th century Abbess Hildegard of Bingen to the 20th century, including works by Clara Schumann, Laura Netzel, Elfrida Andree, Helena Lopuska, Mel Bonis, Cecile Chaminade and Lili Boulanger, along with a rarely-performed Scherzo by Bath composer, Kate Loder.’ 

Cancelled: concert on Sunday 28 January

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With great regret, we have had to cancel the concert scheduled for 28 January- this coming Sunday. The reason is that members of the performing group have come down with Covid.

We have discussed all the options and reluctantly come to the decision that cancellation is the only one in the circumstances.

If you know of anyone intending to come not on our email list and likely not to see this, please let them know.

Morris Minor saves the day.

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There’s a change to our concert on Sunday 28 January 2024. Due to the illness of one of its members, The Barnacle Buoys will be unable to play on this date. 

However, Morris Minor (folk songs, shanties and more) has kindly agreed to perform in their stead.

Morris Minor is the singing arm of Chalice Morris and appears regularly at The Vault in Weston-super-Mare and at festivals and events across the region.

‘Bob and I are rather steeped in the English folksongery,’ says Paul Wilson, a founder member of Morris Minor, ‘and Bob has inherited an original copy of Cecil Sharp’s Folk Songs of Somerset from the Rev Kenneth Loveless who was taught the concertina by William Kimber the Musician for the Headington Quarry Morris Men.

‘It was hearing Kimber playing set off Sharp collecting Morris Dancing and, as they say, the rest is history . . . . . ‘

Paul goes on to say that he and Bob Cross have been singing a capella together for over 40 years. Bob and Paul were the founders of Morris Minor. They were joined by Derek Bond, their comic song and monologue specialist, Andy Hebden their bass voice and melodeon player and Harlan Chapman-Green the main shantyman ( AKA the Handsome Cabin Boy). Unfortunately, Derek will be away at this time.

As usual, the concert will take place in in St Mary’s Church, Main Road, Westonzoyland, TA7 0EP. Starting at 3 pm with refreshments served from 2.15 pm. 

We hope to feature The Barnacle Boys some time in 2025.

If brass is your thing!

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Our last concert before Christmas is on Sunday 26 November in St Mary’s Church, Main Road, Westonzoyland, TA7 0EP. The concert starts at 3 pm with refreshments served from 2.15 pm.

Thrill to the sound of brass in the fine acoustics of this wonderful church with Wallscourt Brass Quintet with seasonal music from composers ancient and modern.

Wallscourt Brass Quintet consists of Ailsa Bailey and Stephen Bodiley on trumpets, Dave Gee on horn, Alice Bodiley on trombone and Philip Chidgey on tuba. For this concert, it is joined by John Bodily on organ.

‘The group repertoire ranges from light jazz at country fêtes to formal performances at official engagements’, says Stephen Bodily. ‘This programme has been chosen to compliment the church acoustic which is best suited to classical music, but with some lighter numbers for variety.

‘At this concert, we’ll be including works by Handel and Gabrieli along with jazz, dance and song arrangements, and fascinating pieces by Joseph Haydn written for musical clocks!’

More about Wallscourt Brass

It was formed in 2002 when some Hewlett Packard Employees (and a couple of friends) discovered they had enough instrumentalists to form a group. Rehearsals were held in the old Wallscourt farmhouse which was part of the Hewlett Packard estate and is where the group derived its name.

Much has changed since the early days and the farmhouse is now owned by the University of West of England (UWE), but the group has formed links with the university and rehearses on the Frenchay campus in the shadows of the old farmhouse. It shares performances with the UWE chamber group and regularly supports the university choir. 

This year the group has performed at the esteemed Bristol Music club and last month supported the grand opening of the rebuilt organ at St Mary Magdalene in Taunton.

The regular programme of events includes the lunchtime concert series in Bristol, and the group supports the fund-raising programme at Southmead Hospital. ‘Christmas is a particularly busy time playing in carol services and concerts,’ comments Stephen.

Arrangements for this concert

Due to current circumstances, there is no need to book anymore. Up to now we’ve never exceeded the church’s capacity and never had to turn anyone away but please note, seats are available on a first come, first served basis. 

. and a reminder of last month’s concert:

The Truth About Love with Jacqueline Bevan, piano, and Niall Hoskin, baritone, here relaxing after the performance.