martha tilston

hello all,
Happy new year! - hope your festivities went well.
2008 has started well for us and we're looking forward to the austrailia tour in march ( details of gigs will be posted soon if you have palls down under)

that's it for now
x
: 10:49 - Tue 8th Jan 08

It's been a wonderful summer - lots of nice gigs - but if I don't have to walk around a wet festy with my guitar for while that would be fine!
I went to my first festival as a punter last week - small world - and it was wonderful to glide round and realy listen to other peoples sets - Carrie Tree and Sugardrum realy blew me away. and the sun shone all day mmm - lovley!

Well lots of special things are happening to me at the moment and I just wanted to send big love to all on this very special harvest moon.

maybe see you in October when we'll be touring round the UK
x
m
: 6:06 - Fri 31st Aug 07

Thanks to everyone who has been downloading and passing on the free album. It's got as far as Nashville and Austrailia among other places and thousands of you have downloaded it in the last few weeks.

here's my favourite review about it, it tickled me a lot. It's babel fish translation of a dutch review of ropeswing:

This for the of them Tilston, Martha, its newest CD is - temporarily free - available, downloadable as zipfile as from http://www.pondlifestudios.com/ You must you only even registeren - but I found the zondermeer worth it. To do! (Late just as know how you found t!) Live in bunches, churches and Matt Tweed's country maisonnette incorporated at Somerset. "The Woods" - Tilston's link - look after very varied sounded, where the toonzetting is based on an organic type folk. A broad scale to instruments, indeed subtly used, are played; mandoline, fiddle, bass, bazuki, jet ear, violoncello, flute & several percussions. Music for people who zoeken from time to time a moment to escape of the speed with which daily living can go paired. Healthy clay needs, behave on a loving voice.

The tour with Roddy has been going realy well, and his new album is lush!! chek out
www.roddyframe.com : 9:03 - Fri 26th May 06

As of May 1st - ( for 3 months) there will be a free album of mine/ours available to download and copy.
It's called 'ropeswing' and we recorded it live in the woods, live in churches and in Matt's cottage in somerset. I'm realy happy with how it sounds and grateful to everyone for putting their time and love into it for free.

the idea is to see how far round the human race it gets in a few months and for people downloading it to do something nice for someone ( I've suggested a malawian charity, close to my heart, for those of you who feel the need to pay in some way) - so here it is, enjoy! - www.pondlifestudios.com

painting at moment to and
: 9:54 - Sun 30th Apr 06

just got back from India - had an inspiring time and played a lovely gig in Goa for a music school for disadvantaged kids in karnatika- lovely and very talented kids!

will tell you more about ti when i've recovered from Jet lag

x
m
: 7:51 - Sat 4th Mar 06

just a quickie to say I had a great time on tour with Roddy Frame - we played some lovely venues to very receptive crowds and Roddy was inspiring, a fine songwriter and thoroughly nice chap!
check out his site -
www.roddyframe.com

oh and just joined the my space craze...

www.myspace.com/marthatilston

lots of wonderful winterings
xxxx
: 14:45 - Fri 18th Nov 05

hi, album finally out !!!! - after a year of recording, writing, playing, painting, organising, mixing and pressing - 'bimbling' is born and out on 'sguiggly records' - seems to be well received and big thanks to everyone who has helped.
The completion of bimbling seems to have freed up my composing urge again looking forward to experimenting more.......so not sure what next? -but in the mean time Looking forward to touring with the Earlies and Hem, should be an inspiring spring.
I hope it is for all!! xxm

: 17:59 - Wed 9th Feb 05

hello, so saddened by US election - can't believe it - but can believe it if you know what I mean !- more thoughts in poem below

played manchester last night - on the Nick Harper tour - it was great - Nick is quite something and well worth seeing live.

I'm writing poetry as I travel round the country - here's the first one, written on the coach, driving through london from victoria.

Chealsea houses with basement flats
rich girls with bohemium hats
river views and leafy mews
house boats and financial news
footballers in shiny cars
skin heads and stadium stars
Johova's witnesses recruiting for heaven
but they don't go north where the bread's unleaven
where kosher shops and hallall butchers are side by side and the streets are wide
and the streets are wide on the mall to the palace
he lead us to war - our pall to the mallace
deputy sherriff lasoo'd us with fear
look there's the embankment - didn't we march here last year?
didn't millions of voices sing protests of peace?
then ignored, war'd we roared abroad
did Bush and Blair get thumbs up from the lord?
did the MI6 angel misquote the big guy
if i speak to Allah does that make me a spy?
if I have jewish blood does that make me a jew?
no really , I'm confused am I them or you?

: 13:42 - Fri 5th Nov 04

hello all, sorry it's been long time since i wrote anything - I've been busy festivaling - I had such a lovely summer at the small world stage/ festivals, glastonbury, turaya, earthwise, shamballa and all the others -the small world stage one of the most boootiful places to play/ party!
and of course I've been busy recording the album - and it's nearly done! - finished mixing the album at 6 this morning - yorn! - so 'bimbling' - the album will be out early next year - Jan/feb. I got the funding for the album by doing a painting for each song and sold them at an exhibition in london - so thank you all who purchased or came for a butchers.

got a track on the new peace not war album - along with Annie de franco and sonic youth amongst others so check it out/ buy it www.peace-not-war.org - for the peace movement.
wot else to tell .... - supporting Nick harper on tour whole of november - all over UK so come to gig - it's very worth checking out Nick - first saw him a glasters a few years ago and he blew me away!

thanks to everyone for supporting me this year and a big thanks to Matt tweed & mike greenway for the production on the album, mark for his studio , luke parker and semble crew for being a tallented & fluffy little hippies and Nigel bunner for this website - nice isn't it? - sophie tilston for the design of album & fliers and the rest of my big crazy family!

coming up- the amnesty int festival, kingston is at the end of the month ( oct 29-31) - lots of great music for a good cause! & for some seriously talented fellows doing lush gigs check out - wupadupa.com

so that was my quick update i'll add a little bit more poetic stuff as i tour round the country in November

oh, my puter broke a couple of weeks ago and I lost some email addresses - so if you haven't recieved anything from me and want to be sure to be on the mailing list please join again

happy autumnals

xmarf
http://www.peace-not-war.org : 17:38 - Wed 13th Oct 04

Hello all just taking a brake from adminny, officy things. thought I'd post a little hello. tonight I'm off to see Joan Baez in concert in Brighton - excited - was listening to her version of'the death of Queen Jane' the other night and it's so powerful, - let you know how the gig goes. then I'm off to wales to play songs in the malthouse- a great resturant with a conert and a free italian meal yum! in Abergevenny- last time I sat up till 4 with the owner and the promoter discussing music and drinking wine. Then went for a walk the next day in the Hills and got attacked by a pheasant -.... Then I'll be off to my Home Town ( well where I was born ) - Bristol to play a gig my little sis has set up at the Uni - no doubt there will be lots of fun and Matt will be joining me on stage doing a little spot on bbc radio bristol about 4:30 if anyones listening?- might go for walk on downs...love Bristol. Well I'd better get back to work, thanks for distracting me and to all who have been buying cd's online. x m

: 11:39 - Fri 30th Jan 04

hello all, Well this is the first page on my web diary, I thought it would be interesting to have some kind of page where I can put thoughts, stories and poems etc. and Nigel kindly set it up - I probably won't do it every day, but today I start, So here's a little poem I wrote whilst temping as a receptionist in Tolworth tower It's called 'cows or fleas'

Up in the tower
Big view
Big city
Little you
Little houses
Little drives
Little Husbands
Little Wives
Little trees - Broccoli
Little smoke
factory
Little cars
Big speed
Little garage
Quick feed
Little rush -
Little late
Big boss
Irate
Little jam
Beep beep
Deadlines
To keep
Long road -
Liquorish
Sun on cars -
Silver fish
Far away
Big hills
Patch work
Paper mills
Cows or fleas?
Sheep/ ticks?
Horse/flies ?
Pin pricks!
Tiny
Pylon
-Crucifix with nylon?
Housing
Industry
Chopping down
Broccoli
Import
Don't store
Make more
Room for
Little houses
Little drives
Little husbands
And little wives.

oooo got a song on the big Issue peace not war cd this week (17th Jan) so if you've been meaning to buy a copy then it would realy help those who sell it - very cold outside at the moment ! xxxxxm

: 9:11 - Thu 15th Jan 04