Main: Mike Waterson and the Folk Revival

Today's programme celebrates the memory and the music of writer, songwriter and singer Michael (Mike) Waterson (16 January 1941 – 22 June 2011), and we will be playing selections of his music, the music of his family and of other artistes in their circle and beyond.

One of the leading founders of the 1960s folk revival, Waterson was born in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. He is best remembered as a member of The Watersons, with his sisters Lal Waterson and Norma Waterson and his brother-in-law Martin Carthy. In the 1968-1972 interval between the two incarnations of The Watersons, he and his sister Lal recorded the album Bright Phoebus.

He leaves three daughters, one son, and four grandchildren.

He was a member of Blue Murder, and also appeared in the original recording of Peter Bellamy's The Transports, and we'll hear from both today along with a selection of Mike and The Waterson's recordings. We'll also be playing tracks from Shining Bright - The Songs of Mike and Lal Waterson, in which their songs are performed by a variety of artistes.

Then please join us at 11am and 7pm Pacific Time (7pm and 3am in the UK) for the latest instalments in our exciting adventures from ZBS Foundation in the ZBS Radio Hour. This week we begin a new adventure with Jack Flanders in Dreams of Sumatra, and we continue Ruby 7 - Dream Weaver, Dream Deceiver.

The image shows a late lineup of The Watersons featuring (left to right) Norma, Martin Carthy, Rachel, Mike and Lal Waterson. Live at the Rockingham Arms, Wentworth, South Yorkshire, Friday 16th October 1987. Photograph by Kevin Boyd. Text based on the Wikipedia entry.

Today's programme is presented by Elrik Merlin and produced by gullar sahir in conjunction with our friends at the Alexandrian Free Library Consortium of Second Life. You can listen to the programme in-world now at http://main.radioriel.org, or simply click here to start your player, if your browser is configured to do so. Listeners in the United States are encouraged to tune in using this link: http://loudcity.com/stations/radio-riel/tune_in


For more information on the Alexandrian Free Library, current exhibits and the work of Consortium members in general, please visit the Alexandrian Free Library website, or one of their branches in-world.

Main: An English Folk Festival

Today on gullar sahir we present a diverse collection of English folk music, primarily chosen from the past decade.

You’ll hear artists like Kirsty MacColl, Bellowhead, The Unthanks, Magpie Lane, Chumbawamba and many more.

Today's programme is presented by Elrik Merlin and produced by gullar sahir in conjunction with our friends at the Alexandrian Free Library Consortium of Second Life. You can listen to the programme in-world now at http://main.radioriel.org, or simply click here to start your player, if your browser is configured to do so. Listeners in the United States are encouraged to tune in using this link: http://loudcity.com/stations/radio-riel/tune_in

For more information on the Alexandrian Free Library, current exhibits and the work of Consortium members in general, please visit the Alexandrian Free Library website, or one of their branches in-world.

From the Library: Songs of the Gael

Today, we're playing a selection of Celtic pieces, with the focus on songs in Gaelic.

Gaelic is a name for the Goidelic languages - Irish, Scottish and Manx - that make up one of the two distinct groups of Celtic languages, the other being Brythonic. In Ireland and the Isle of Man, the term is pronounced"gay-lik", while in Scotland, it's "gallik".

In addition, we'll hear some instrumental Celtic pieces from Scotland and Ireland - and occasionally beyond. Some of the artists we have lined up for you today include Julie Fowlis (with some of her latest recordings), Altan, Noirin Ni Riain, Mouth Music, Mary Jane Lamond and Karen Matheson.

There's also a magnificent collection of songs from the Great Book of Gaelic, An Leabhar Mòr, an anthology of poetry in Irish and Scottish Gaelic - many of the poems being in the form of songs - from the 17th to the 20th century, combined with artwork and calligraphy by dozens of modern artists. It's a kind of contemporary Book of Kells.

You'll also hear the likes of Phil Coulter, Dougie MacLean and the music of Gordon Duncan - and many more.

Today's programme is presented by Elrik Merlin and produced by gullar sahir in conjunction with our friends at the Alexandrian Free Library Consortium of Second Life. You can listen to the programme in-world now at http://main.radioriel.org, or simply click here to start your player, if your browser is configured to do so. Listeners in the United States are encouraged to tune in using this link: http://loudcity.com/stations/radio-riel/tune_in

For more information on the Alexandrian Free Library, current exhibits and the work of Consortium members in general, please visit the Alexandrian Free Library website, or one of their branches in-world.

From the Library: 60 Years of English Folk

Today Elrik Merlin surveys the world of classic English folk music from the last 60 years or so, with artists ranging from the Fairports, Pentangle, and the Incredible String Band to current artists like Kate Rusby. However the emphasis is largely on earlier and traditional material. "You'll hear a lot of music from the classic days of the 1970s folk revival today," he says. "There are even some seasonal references (no, I don't mean 14 versions of Tam Lin. There are only about five). And as usual I've thrown in a few antiques & curios, such as folk interpretations of Beatles songs."

Then don't forget to tune in at 11am and 7pm Pacific (6pm and 2am in the UK this week only as transatlantic clocks are out of sync until tomorrow) for the ZBS Radio Hour. We'll be airing the final episode of Ruby 3: The Invisible World and before that the latest instalment of Jack Flanders' adventure Dreams of Rio.

Today's programme is presented by Elrik Merlin and produced by gullar sahir in conjunction with our friends at the Alexandrian Free Library Consortium of Second Life. You can listen to the programme in-world now at http://main.radioriel.org, or simply click here to start your player, if your browser is configured to do so. Listeners in the United States are asked to tune in using this link: http://loudcity.com/stations/radio-riel/tune_in

For more information on the Alexandrian Free Library, current exhibits and the work of Consortium members in general, please visit the Alexandrian Free Library website, or one of their branches in-world.

From the Library: Folk Byways

Today on gullar sahir, we explore a wide variety of British folk artists, paying special attention to contemporary artists and including both modern and traditional rendering of traditional songs, as well as original songs and ballads.

If at all possible, don't simply keep today's programme as background music: tune in and listen to the lyrics and the music. I am sure you'll find it worth your while as we cover everything from songs of love, to the songs of labour, to commentary on the state of the country, both past and present.

This programme is part of our ongoing series, From the Library. Today's programme is presented by Elrik Merlin and produced by gullar sahir in association with the Alexandrian Free Library Consortium of Second Life. You can listen now at http://loudcity.com/stations/radio-riel/tune_in. Outside the United States you can also tune in to http://music.radioriel.org or simply click here to launch your defined player.


For more information on the Alexandrian Free Library, current exhibits and the work of Consortium members in general, please visit the Alexandrian Free Library website, or one of their branches in-world.