May the story of Christmas be a blessing to you all.
Nadolig Llawen – Mele Kalikimaka – Merry Christmas – God Jul – Joyeux Noël – Feliz Navidad – Gezegend Kerstfeest – VESELÉ VÁNOCE – Fröhliche Weihnachten – Prettige Kerstdagen
We want to say a big Thank You to all those who have kept encouraging us with your correspondence, friendship and support throughout the year.
A very special time sharing thoughts and stories from our travels in the nations – in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. Met amazing people, ate incredible food, heard stories from people who face intense persecution and enjoyed the wonderful Thai culture. I shared at an international school for a week, a teenagers after school program and a school for underprivileged children. If that was not enough i picked up a couple of new instruments and saw some amazing critters. Very thankful.
Another old clip of Mark Riley and band this time using Bob Marley’s Jammin’ as a backdrop to freestyling rap artists. We were playing at the 3rd Annual Spring Gala at Plantation Gardens in Poipu, Kaua’i. KUGA was a wonderful hip hop dance collaborative and we were playing for their annual fund raiser.
Just found this old clip of Mark Riley and band singing Rise Up. We were playing at the 3rd Annual Spring Gala at Plantation Gardens in Poipu, Kaua’i. KUGA was a wonderful hip hop dance collaborative and we were playing for their annual fund raiser.
“Stöld” är en vild och vacker berättelse om en ung urfolksflicka vars familj är samiska renskötare. Hon blir vittne till hur hennes kalv brutalt dödas, och som så ofta händer utreder inte polisen brottet.
“Stolen” is a wild and beautiful story about a young indigenous girl whose family are Sámi reindeer herders. She witnesses her calf being brutally killed, and as so often happens, the police do not investigate the crime.
This wonderfully written book is now a Netflix film although I would urge you to read the book first.
We will be travelling to France to take part in Fête de la Musique. Excited to lead a creative songwriting workshop. Fête de la Musique is an annual celebration of music on the 21st June. On this wonderful day, music is promoted throughout the country. Everybody is urged to play music outside, in their neighbourhoods or in public spaces and parks. Many free concerts are organized and musicians play for fun and not for payment.
It was an honour to be invited by Grand Chief Lynda Prince to help at a summit of First Nations grand chiefs, chiefs and tribal leaders in Seattle, USA. She had called the event to meet the leaders of the new and first ever Indigenous Embassy that will be situated in Jerusalem. The gathering was celebrating its opening with traditional protocol and ceremony.
The Summit included tribal leaders from many different nations, Metis/Algonquin, Carrier-Sekani, Coast-Selich, Ojibwe, Inuit, Cree, Haida, Apache, Cree Mohawk, Hopi, Cowichan, Lakota and Piaute, along with representatives from South Africa, Hawaii, Tahiti, China, Fiji, Kenya, Taiwain, Mexico and Borneo. We had a wonderful time of celebration with the sound of the drums, music and dance.
After 16 years of use, the Mnase medical dispensary has had a big upgrade. Earlier this year destructive rains and winds brought leaks in the old roof sheets and many windows were broken in the storms. We replaced some of the windows earlier this year but after inspection by Seth, we decided to replace all the windows and the roof! We are excited to report that the work has been completed.
I want to introduce you to an instrument that my friend Steve is learning to play as he spends 6 months of the year in Greece – and it is stretching his very knowledgeable musicality. The oud has an incredible history stretching back thousands of years to Ancient Persia, Arabia or elsewhere. Around the 1300’s the medieval lute appeared in Europe differing in nature as it had frets and a larger neck unlike the Arabic version – no frets and smaller neck. There are different types of ouds such as the Arabic oud, the Syrian oud, and the Turkish oud. This video takes a tour of the instrument and the wonderful musical scales that give it it’s unique sound.
After a month of flooding and storms in Tanzania 6 dispensary windows were broken. This meant that some of the medical services were not able to be provided. This is the third time that we have had to repair windows – so we decided to use this mishap to bring an upgrade to the building and the old windows were completely replaced with strong aluminium frames. Hopefully these will stand up to the strong winds that they get at certain times of the year.
Saturday was a very special day for Jerry ‘Drumspeaker’ Chapman’s CD release party. People travelled as far as 8 hours away to be here in WA to celebrate. An afternoon feasting together and sharing the songs and stories from the recording. It was a memorable way for people to experience this new music and I was so encouraged by the response. Some great chats afterwards as musicians wanted to discuss with me how I had captured different sounds on the project.
We are excited to announce the release of ‘Wake Up Sleeping Giant‘. We met Jerry in a unique way whilst playing in Canada. I asked one of the organisers as I was setting up equipment if anyone had First Nation drums – he said no, but a voice from the auditorium shouted back, “I have a van full, do you want to borrow some?”. Since then we have spent time with Jerry and his wife Leslie, playing together at various events, learning from each other drum building techniques and dreaming about recording some of his songs. The results can be heard on this new recording released ion January 6th 2024. Jerry is from the Stó:Lō nation and is a drummer, First Nations drum maker and designer, singer and songwriter.
A wonderful few days as nations gathered to share their stories and songs on the Torres Martinez reservation, hosted by the Desert Cahuilla. The Cahuilla people have lived in southern California since the early 1800’s. We were welcomed with the singing of “bird songs” – songs that speak of their stories, journey’s and creation. It was a day where every nation got to share their songs and stories, eat together and build new relationships. Very thankful and honoured to be invited onto their land for the first time.
Mark and I were jamming away in his little studio in Kaua’i many years ago and this idea and groove came about. Interesting how some songs evolve immediately and others come to light years later. This is one that took its time.
3 VftN Postcards
£1.00
Garlands for Ashes (Cambodia) CD & DVD - 100% sales to Cambodia
£15.00
Wake Up Sleeping Giant (Stó:Lō Nation)
£10.00
Sing to the Well (Tanzania) CD & DVD - 100% sales to Tanzania
£15.00
Steps and Stones (Hawaii) CD
Original price was: £7.00.£5.00Current price is: £5.00.
The Finer Things in Life (Kevin Prosch & Bryn Haworth)
£12.00
Carry Me On (Hawaii) CD - Exciting news - Remastered version available NOW
£10.00
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