Artist description A Barndance band playing for all types of public and private events.

Music Style Loosely celtic with a strong Irish lilt

Musical Influences Too many to list

Similar Artists Renaissance, Jethro Tull, Mike Oldfield, Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, Pentangle

Artist History Straight Furrow started life in 1990 as a barndance band working the village halls in Norfolk. Since then and after some personnel changes, their unique style, musicianship, versatility and sheer entertainment value have led to them being recognised as one of the leading Celtic style bands in East Anglia. Still playing for dances and weddings but broadening into performance, and now recording with a strong Internet presence, Straight Furrow continues to develop as a creative force in the musical scene. Straight Furrow's hallmark sound is the atmospheric interpretation of traditional melodies and is derived from a unique blend of acoustic and electric instruments. Whether your feet are forced into a jig by the "rumpty-tump" of the dance tunes or you feel the hairs on your neck rise to the lilt of the slow airs, you cannot fail to respond to Straight Furrow.

Group Members Jon: Recorder, flute, mandolin, electric guitar, vocals. Brian: Steel & classical accoustic guitars, banjolin, violin, vocals Susan: Synth, Electric bass, vocals and dance caller

Instruments Moek renaissance & Molleauer baroque recorders, Yamaha & Boosey flutes. Martin, Norman & Sanchez guitars. Hohner Bass Guitar, Roland synthesizer

Albums get your breath back

Press Reviews This scholarly clan plays a tune with precision and grace. I was assigned the instrumental composition Lovely Joan to examine. It was so sweet and subtle, I experienced a brief shiver. Not every dreamy Celtic tune will trigger this phenomenon in me. it's still a pleasure to experience the understated beauty of these skillfully performed tunes. The song Lovely Joan, as arranged by Straight Furrow, has traditional roots but is enhanced with the help of Ralph Vaughan Williams. Jon the wind player in the group has added his own variation in the middle. An interesting thing about the recording is the warmth and authenticity it bears, even with light use of a synthesizer in the mix. The artists avoided any temptation to overly flower their playing or recording. Their understatement is enviable. The tone achieved by the wind player is top notch and that's the centerpiece of this tune. I will be revisiting the music of Straight Furrow again. Randall Throckmorton, Gods of Music. June 2002 ----------------------------- I daresay this is the most astounding Celtic music I have ever heard on mp3.com, and it is surely among the best I've heard anywhere else as well. Straight Furrow has taken guitars and flutes and mixed them to form a beautifully cohesive piece of folk music that is worth treasuring. It is no wonder this song has done as well as it has on the charts. Musically sound and well crafted, this piece is so exceptional because of the way the instruments play off each other. Give Straight Furrow a lot of credit here. They've managed to take two 17th Century O'Carolan melodies and craft them into a tune that is their own, without losing any of the inherent beauty. I'll be back to this page again and again for more, and I expect to hear great things from Jon, Brian and Susan. Give this song a listen today, you won't forgive yourself if you don't." Jonathan Sanders, Gods of Music. March 2002 ------------------------------- Musically, this is a very strong recording, with precise instrumentation and a lovely selection of tunes. From the title I was expecting mostly foot stomping jigs and reels, and maybe a piece with a caller for dancers to follow. Instead, there's a mix of haunting airs and delicate melodies that one could imagine at a wedding processional. "Boys of Blue Hill" and "Spanish Ladies" both feature giddy energetic wind and strings that make you want to get up and dance, with whistling high notes like laughter. "Rakes of Kildare" balances a very fast, skillfully played melody with percussive strings. There are four arrangements of Turlough O'Carolan tunes: "Planxty Irwin/Fanny Power," "Lord Inchiquin" and "Nancy Cooper's." These offer a blend of tradition and variation that Jon explores on flute and recorder. "Planxty Irwin" and "Lord Inchiquin" both use slow, piercing winds contrasted with delicate plucked acoustic guitar for a very sweet sound, while the soaring major-key transitions in "Nancy Cooper's" bring a yearning warmth to the minor-key melody. "Nancy's Waltz" features a beautiful alto melody line (with big, round notes), floating over a tight synthesizer sound vaguely reminiscent of bagpipes. It's an unusual combination, as is the light use of synthesizer on "Lovely Joan," with its wistful flute cadences. It's still a pleasure to experience the understated beauty of these skillfully performed tunes. Michelle E Green - Green Man Reviews, August 2002

Location Norwich, Norfolk - United Kingdom

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