The Devil’s Violin Company presents a world premiere!

Bodleian Library, Oxford, on 20th April 2012 at 7.30pm

Daniel Morden story  |  Oliver Wilson-Dickson violin | Sarah Moody cello | Luke Carver Goss accordion

Slick and spellbinding, few theatrical experiences come close to this superbly crafted show which brings the ancient art of storytelling firmly into the 21st century.

Unlocking forgotten folk tales that inspired some of English literature’s greatest works - Shakespeare’s King Lear and Chaucer’s Franklin’s Tale and Wife of Bath’s Tale -The Devil’s Violin takes them on a new voyage of discovery.

Aided by the dramatic, driving rhythms of a skilled and inventive strings and accordion trio, Daniel Morden - one of the UK’s most compelling and applauded storytellers - lures the audience onto a rollercoaster ride in this haunting, hypnotic fusion of music and word.

An alchemic experience that will have you on the edge of your seat, A Love Like Salt is a rich tapestry, peppered with magic and morals, lovers and villains, desire and disguise and even a man hellbent on selling his soul to win a woman. Three wonderfully engrossing tales drawn from the past and skillfully spun into gripping stories for the present.

Timeless and thought-provoking this is a show guaranteed to fire the imagination. Come and see how the story ends.

Suitable for anyone aged 12 and over.

Click here to book tickets for "A Love Like Salt" at the Bodleian (ticket price includes refreshments)

A video trailer can be viewed and tour dates here.

"If you've ever been less than taken with storytelling, put the experience to one side and be prepared to be amazed, transported and moved by this masterful exemplar of the genre." Venue

Moonrakers are on tour in the South East with a series of concerts mostly in churches and a feast of multi-instrumental delights!

Moonrakers (www.moonrakers.net) are four consummate musicians playing harp, fiddle, whistles, guitar, mandola and female/male vocals. They specialise in Irish, Scottish, Welsh and English traditional and contemporary tunes and songs, presenting “exquisite music” (BBC). They are rapidly creating a buzz in the world of acoustic music, with three albums receiving glowing reviews in the music press (“Just OOZES quality”- Living Tradition; “highly infectious”- Maverick) and appearances at many festivals, arts centres and churches in the South East. This "fine organic collection of apt musicianship" (Earbuzz) displays "a true respect for the British folk tradition" (eMusic).

Sat 24 Mar.   Buckingham Parish Church, BUCKINGHAM, MK18 1BS. 07918 737948

Sat 14 Apr. St Edwards Church, STOW-IN-THE-WOLD, GL54 1AB. 01451  870150

Fri 20 Apr. St Michael's at the North Gate, OXFORD, OX1 3EY.    01865 769206

Sat 12 May.    St Marys, BEACONSFIELD, HP9 2JW. 01494 676 690

Sat 19 May.   St Marys Church, BEECH HILL, NR READING, RG7 2BB. 0118 988 3215

Fri 15 Jun. Holy Trinity Church, SHENINGTON, OX15 6NH. 01295 730344

Sat 22 Sept.   St Marys Church,  WOODSTOCK, OX20 1UG. 01865 769206

Sat 6 Oct. St Mary's Church,  CHIPPING NORTON, OX7 5NT.  01608 646 202

Sat 13 Oct.    St Mary's Church,  ALDWORTH,  RG8 9SB.   01865 769206

Looking ahead, if you’re an instrumentalist or a singer and would like a weekend away in a full-board beautiful mansion in Somerset, then pencil in 18-20 January, 2013.  Moonrakers will be running multi-instrumental and singing workshop weekend, plus a Saturday night concert, at Halsway Manor, the National Centre for the Folk Arts.  The Manor House is stunning; it’s near Crowcombe, TA4 4BD.  Find out more at http://www.halswaymanor.co.uk/

Folk at the Unicorn's 2012 season will kick off with the Miranda Sykes & Rex Preston on Wednesday 25th January 2012. Having received their first national airplay for their new album on BBC Radio 2's Mike Harding show last week, the duo are fast becoming firm favourites on the scene. Mike Harding loved the album and commented: "Many of you will know Miranda Sykes through her work with Show of Hands - she's a fantastic bass player, got a great voice and a wonderful personality on stage. I was surprised to find she's done an album with a lad called Rex Preston which really brings her voice out into the foreground and shows not only what a great singer and musician she is but also what a great ear she's got for fabulous songs."

The album includes Miranda and Rex's takes on songs by Kate Rusby, Karine Polwart, Patty Griffin, Slaid Cleaves and Imogen Heap. With increased media attention this concert is selling fast so book now to avoid disappointment.

You can watch and listen to what happened when Miranda and Rex teamed up with Steve Knightley and Richard Shindell in the famous 'Songs from the Shed' Sessions here.

Miranda’s rich, spine tingling vocals and strident yet sensitive double bass playing are much in demand and she enjoys working alongside some of the finest musicians in the world.

She is increasingly in demand both as a double bassist and singer and has worked with Pressgang, Robb Johnson, Firebrand, Steafan Hannigan, Leon Rosselson, Bill Jones, Roger Wilson, Alan Burke, Kirsty McGee, Jenny Crook, Reg Meuross and Little Johnny England; and has toured throughout the United Kingdom, North American, Canada and Europe.

Miranda has been performing with Show of Hands since 2004, augmenting their sound with her powerful double bass and rich harmonies. In this time the band have moved on from their folk duo image, and evolved into a hard hitting acoustic band, selling out UK and European tours and headlining some of the biggest festivals across the world.

Miranda has been described as a ‘musical chameleon’ reflecting the way that she so easily slips between musical genres as diverse as folk, jazz and rock/pop. She continues to build a repertoire of contemporary and narrative songs that are showcased to critical acclaim in her most recent, unique collaboration with Rex Preston. The unusual pairing of double bass and mandolin has a timeless feel and universal appeal.

In 2008 Rex moved to Bath to do a music degree. At the same time, banjo player Leo Hunt was putting a band together for a high profile concert alongside Bela Fleck. The Scoville Units were born.

Rex Preston was last seen on the folk and acoustic scene when his band Jane on Thunder reached the final of The BBC Young Folk Awards. Since then he has been building a strong portfolio of electronic music.

In 2009 Rex flew to Winfield in Kansas to take part in The Walnut Valley Mandolin Championships. He came third and won a Weber mandolin for his efforts. The contests at Winfield are held in very high regard in the States, with past mandolin champions including Chris Thile and Matt Flinner.

This duo’s eagerly awaited debut album is a beautiful collection of 12 tracks released October 2011.

You can read more about Miranda and Rex here.

Tickets £10, available from Folk at the Unicorn Box Office, WeGotTickets, Skiddle and Remade Guitars, Coxeter House, Abingdon.

Acoustic set. Doors open at 7:30pm. Music from 8pm - 10pm with interval.

Scottish Folk Balladeer Alasdair Roberts will be playing at Modern Art Oxford on the 17th December. Since releasing his first album of traditional songs, Under The Crook of my Arm, in 2001, Alasdair has built up a reputation of one Britain's foremost young folk artists. Since then Alasdair has released five more albums of traditional and self-penned material, and has played and collaborated with such artists as Shirley Collins, Will Oldham, Waterson/Carthy, Joanna Newsom, Magnolia Electric Co, Bill Callahan/Smog, The Decemberists, Charalambides and Heather Leigh Murray, Wooden Wand and the Vanishing Voice, Kiila, Dick Gaughan, Donald Lindsay, The Yummy Fur, A Hawk and a Hacksaw, Eddi Reader (doing the songs of Robert Burns), Eyes and Arms of Smoke, Jack Rose, The Anomoanon, Richard Youngs and many others.

Alasdair has been hailed as ‘a genius’ in fRoots for his treatment of traditional tunes as well as for his songwriting, which, drawing on mythic motifs and ancient tunings, seems to reflect and distort the ballads he sings.

A keen collaborator, already this year Alasdair has recorded a Gaelic language album with Lewis singer Mairi Morrison; as part of the Archive Trails project at the Edinburgh School of Scottish Studies he’s been creating new work based on the folk play Galoshins; he’s recorded the soundtrack for ‘Dighty Burn’, a short film by Michael Windle and Edward Summerton; and is currently writing and arranging new material to be recorded later in 2011.

According to The Times, Alasdair "discovers the inner mystery of traditional music and shows that if this infinitely expressive material is respected, it may yet reward us with results that sound utterly unprecedented", and the BBC states "beautiful, literate and compelling. Whatever that elusive X-factor is, Ali Roberts has it."

You can find out more about the concert from the organisers, Adventures Close To Home, or by contacting the Oxford Modern Art Gallery. You can find out more about Ali by visiting his website or Wikipedia entry.