Traditional
songs and music from England with squeezeboxes and guitar
“Brian Peters
has long been one of the very best performers in the field of English
traditional song and music… he sings and plays with consummate skill.”
Dirty Linen (USA)
"A performer
of real stature.... He plays and sings to an excellent standard"
The Living Tradition
Brian Peters is a performer of traditional English folk music who combines a high level of skill on three different instruments with a great voice and an energetic stage presence. He's one of the UK’s best anglo-concertina players, just as good on melodeon (button accordion), and a fine guitarist well-versed in open tunings. Brian is also recognized internationally as a leading singer of traditional ballads. Described as "One of British folk music's finest ambassadors", he started out in the folk clubs of England and has taken his performances to stages all over the world, touring regularly in Europe and America, and always retaining a deep commitment to the musical traditions of his native country.
Brian believes strongly in the power and relevance of the old songs and bases his sets around them. In particular he specialises in the ancient story songs known as ‘Child Ballads’, and has produced a CD and a special live presentation based around them. "Brian Peters plunges deep into the ancient songs, finds their power, mystery, evil, drollery and courage, and brings them to us fresh", declared one American writer. He's no diehard, though, spicing his regular show with contemporary songs, material of his own and occasional bursts of wild eclecticism; his stage set achieves startling variety, without ever betraying his traditional roots.
On the instrumental side, Brian has been a mover in the creation of a distinct identity for Northern English dance music, researching, playing and teaching rare tunes from centuries-old manuscripts, as well as composing many tunes in traditional style. He's also become known for daring forays into ragtime, blues and rock'n'roll on his squeezeboxes. Brian presents his material with warmth and unforced humour to appeal to the casual listener as well as the committed folk fan.
Brian works mostly solo, but has a longstanding musical partnership with guitarist/flautist/singer Gordon Tyrrall, and an occasional transatlantic duo with old-time musician Jeff Davis, meanwhile playing for dances as guitarist with the Rising Sun Band. In the past he’s been a member of Sara Grey’s Lost Nation Band and taken a leading role in the Kipling / Bellamy Folk Opera The Widow's Uniform; he also had a long spell with hillbilly country blues outfit The Rocky Mountain Ploughboys.
Brian also has an
excellent reputation as a teacher. He’s taught balladry, singing
style and repertoire at Augusta Heritage Center, West Virginia, Pinewoods
Camp, Massachusetts, and the Swannannoa Gathering in North Carolina, USA,
at Goderich Celtic College and the Woods Camp, Canada, and for the Wren
Trust in Devon, England. He’s also a regular tutor for both concertina
and melodeon at Hands On Music’s Witney weekends, and has led classes
at the East Anglian Traditional Music Trust, West Country Concertina Society,
the Swaledale Squeeze-in, Folkworks, Lewes Arms Workshops, the Button
Box (USA), Elderly Instruments (USA), Trek er es Uut (Netherlands) and
Muziek Zonder Grenzen (NL).
Festival
appearances:
England:
The National, Sidmouth, Whitby, Fylde, Chippenham, Warwick, Bromyard,
Ely, Stainsby, Brampton, Cleethorpes, Chester, Towersey, Wadebridge, Dartmoor,
Bracknell, and many others.
Scotland: Edinburgh, Girvan.
USA: Old Songs, Champlain Valley, New Bedford Summerfest.
Canada: Lunenburg, Mill Race, Goderich, Carrefour Mondiale de l'Accordeon
(Quebec).
Australia: The National (Canberra), Maleny, Port Fairy, Jamberoo
Valley.
Netherlands: Music Without Frontiers.
Broadcasts:
BBC National Radio: Folk on 2 (six sessions), Kaleidoscope, The
AM Alternative.
Local Radio: numerous appearances on BBC and commercial stations.
TV: music for many programme soundtracks worldwide.
Recordings:
Solo: Persistence Of Memory (Fellside FE 051)
Fools of Fortune (Harbourtown HAR 005) - MRA folk album of 1989)
The Seeds of Time (Harbourtown HARCD
021)
Squeezing Out Sparks (Pugwash PUG 001)
Sharper Than the Thorn (Pugwash CD 002)
The Beast In The Box (Pugwash CD 003)
Lines (Pugwash PUG CD 004)
Different Tongues (Pugwash PUG CD 005)
Anglophilia (Pugwash PUG CD 006)
Songs
of Trial and Triumph
(Pugwash PUG 007)
With Gordon Tyrrall:
Clear The Road (Harbourtown HARCD 031)
The Moving Moon (Gaho GAH 003)
With Rising Sun Band:
Setting It Right (Folksound FS 37).
With The Rocky Mountain Ploughboys
The Rocky Mountain Ploughboys (Illicit ILLCD 001)
Original Soundtrack:
The Widow's Uniform (Realisations).
Rattle and Roll (book 001)
