Latest August 2008 (iii) - The music of The Rowan Amber Mill will be played on the radio on 2SER 107.3, Sydney, Australia at 22.30 (Australian time) on Monday 1st September on the lovely Sideways Through Sound show. For those who don't know, Sideways Through Sound is a gorgeous radio show playing a wide range of pyschedelicy folky tunes.

It is also being streamed on the internet so it can be heard all over the world (and beyond) on the 2SER website. If you want to tune in you will need to adjust your timepieces. If you are in the UK tune in at 13.30. Berlin 14.30. USA - NY 08.30, SF 05.30 etc.

Latest News - August 2008 (ii) - The first release by The Rowan Amber Mill is a 6 track mini album entitled 'folk devils and moral panics'. The mini album is currently available as a download only on the rather lovely and totally ethical downloads website the indmill .

So what is so great about the indmill site? (well quite a lot of things actually).

Firstly, their downloads are very reasonably priced at £1.25 / $1.70 per album and £0.45p / $0.70 per single / e.p. Secondly, the music is available at higher bit rates than other download sites - either cd quality 320kbs or near as dammit 256kbs. Thirdly, the artist gets 90% of the proceeds of the sales. Fourthly, the site is also geared towards a percentage of each and every sale being made to charitable organisations. What more incentive do you need? You could say that this is what post-medieval society has been waiting for. 

We are very pleased and honoured to have our music made available on such a fantastic site. So why not check out The Rowan Amber Mill page at the indmill and get some music.

August 2008 (i)- Lots of things are happening, Firstly you may have noticed a name change, The Amber Folk Mill are now called The Rowan Amber Mill, just because we liked the sound of that better. Also we have finished three new versions of tracks (The Hunter, Saturnalia and A Miller's Tale) based on the original recorded demos, you can hear the new versions on the Music player page. You will be able to download the tracks shortly as they are being made available on a new ethical downloads site - which is nice. The four of us will be recording some new tracks shortly, which we'll let you know more about soon.

June 2008 (ii) - Just to let you know the music of The Amber Folk Mill will be played on the radio on 2SER  107.3, Sydney, Australia on at 22.00 on Monday 30th June on the lovely Sideways Through Sound  show. For those who don't know, Sideways Through Sound is a gorgeous show playing a wide range of pyschedelic-folk tunes. It is now being streamed on the internet so it can be heard all over the world (and beyond) on the 2SER website. If you want to tune in you will need to adjust your timepieces. If you are in the UK tune in at 13.00. Berlin 14.00. USA - NY 08.00, SF 05.30 etc.

June 2008 (i) - The Amber Folk Mill has expanded into a quartet. Joining Stephen, Kim and Terry is percussionist Donna. Check out the links page for Donna's home page and myspace site.

April 2008 - If you find yourself in Sydney, Australia on 24th April between 22.00 & 00.00, you you would be wise to tune in to the lovely Sideways Through Sound radio show on 99.3FM Sydney. The show plays superb selections of fingerpicking acoustic / psychedelic music - what could be better. This weeks show will include a track from the Amber Folk Mill. If you don't find yourself in Sydney - as you were.

March 2008 - The Amber Folk Mill has expanded into a trio. Joining Stephen in the band is a proper singer, guitarist and recorder player extroadinaire - Kim, and a proper Bass player / percussionist - Terry. The band have had a couple of get togethers and are casually going through a dozen original songs with a view to recording them (soon) and playing them live (soonish).

The lyrics to the new songs appear on the new Lyrics page. There are also some new pics on the Images page.

December 2007 - In early December 2007, The Amber Folk Mill were transported (against our will) to a remote Cider Apple orchard in Devon, where local natives forced us to perform a Wassail to the spirit of the Apple King. The results of which is our version of the medieval traditional English song Wassail that we have now posted up.

A local shepherd came along to play his pipes, and 107 accordions played along to the song (although 104 of them are completely silent).

We all managed to escape in the back of a Tesco's lorry that had come to pick up the Apple harvest.

September 2007 (ii) - Just posted up on the Music Player page is the latest track - Spinning n Singing. The song is a song of devotion to the beautiful countryside of Trumptonshire. The banjo was taken out of semi retirement and dusted it off for this one, plus some added melodica, bouzouki, paint pot percussion and sticks. I have also included an instrumental mix of the track for those who like that sort of thing.

September 2007 - Just posted up on the Music Player page is the latest completed track entitled Saturnalia. This has been the most difficult track ever to mix (and will no doubt have to mixed again properly before too long). Musically its pretty stripped down to acoustic guitar, some rough strings, harp with some meaty percussion and a cidered up cornet.

August 2007(ii) - Just posted up on the Music Player page is the latest completed track entitled A Millers Tale. Musically it features lead Glockenspiel, diatonic Accordion, cheap Mandolin and even cheaper furniture. Lyrically its either a revenge tale or its a retrospective plea for social justice during the late medieval period - just like the rest of the songs - tee hee!

August 2007 (i)- Back from seeing some great bands play at the Green Man Festival in beautiful Wales. Personal highlights included Men-an-Tol, P.G. Six, Thistletown, Tunng, The Lilac Time and a superb set by Findlay Brown. Lowlights included the mud by the end of the festival. Roll on Moseley.

July 2007 - Recording continues. Now posted up on the Music Player page is the latest completed track entitled Blood and Bones. Those with a keen ear will detect the presence of Mellotron Violins, a Flemish Bagpipe drone, Woodblocks and old paint pots stacked on the floor of a shed.

June 2007 - The cyber home of The Amber Folk Mill, purveyors of Pastoral Folkadelica, now open's it doors.

Cogs are turning, songs have been written, olde instruments have been dusted off, and tape machines are whirring (or to put it simply some new music is being recorded - as we speak). One tune has been posted up - The Hunter (featuring Terry - former miller drummer - on drums), some more tunes will be posted up soon.