Daisychains : Longing for a child

Singer/Songwriter Tophy Llewellyn Dye

It was about 20 years ago, I was touring the festivals throughout the Summer and I found myself in a very beautiful part of the world, Hebden Bridge. I performed my set at the Acoustic Festival, including a new song that I had just written, called Daisychains. It is a song about a woman longing for a child. I wrote it whilst imagining how beautiful it would be to hold a babe in my arms, but it was never meant to be for me.

In the audience that day, was a young man and his friend who ran up to the stage at the end, to tell me how much they loved my songs. Some weeks later, when I got home to South Wales, I found a cassette in my letter box from one of them, a fine musician called, Tophy. I was so blown away by his work. His soaring piano and heartfelt emotion poured into every lyric. I remember weeping.

The next time I was up North, I contacted Tophy and he performed before I came on. Just beautiful and we've stayed in touch ever since, helped by the invention of Facebook.

So, when Michael Kennedy of Welsh Connections Magazine and Radio Tircoed, asked me if he could compile a tribute album of my songs, performed by different artists, Tophy immediately came to mind.

Since experiencing sudden hearing loss, tinnitus and hypercusis, I am not able to perform live anymore. The lovely Michael Kennedy has arranged this loving tribute album, which we have called 'Fallen on Deaf Ears' and is being released by Death Monkey Records in Swansea, as a fundrasier for my dementia friendly radio station ...  www.soundmemoriesradio.com

We have such a beautiful array of wonderful artists recording their interpretations of my songs, yet staying true to them, which felt important.

And which song did Tophy choose? Daisychains .. Just magical. We could never have guessed at Hebden Bridge, that 20 years later, Tophy would be recording such a beautiful interpretation of my song. I just love it. It is so very special to hear a man singing about a longing for a child, because off course, men do long to be fathers, we just don't allow them to express that so much in mainstream music ... We (me and my husband, Jeff) listened to Tophy's recording and were both completely breath taken. Thank you so, so much to you, Tophy and to your engineer, Luke Collins. 

I just can't wait for you all to hear it. Meanwhile, here is the original track by me, available at my Bandcamp ... 

Fallen on Deaf Ears

You know me, I always have a few projects on the go and one of the back burners that has been coming along nicely is my campaign to keep my song history alive, even though I am now deaf and can't perform due to tinnitus and hyperacusis. 

I put out a call on facebook and started a Group Page called PLEASE HELP ME KEEP MY MUSIC LIVE and had a wonderful response from musicians.

And then the lovely Michael Kennedy from Welsh Connections and Radio Tircoed contacted me and offered to organise an album of my tracks performed by other people as a fundraiser for my project Sound Memories Dementia Friendly Radio Station ... he spoke with Death Monkey Records in Swansea and they are releasing the album. How amazing is that. Michael is organising it all so get in touch with him if you're interested. They are organising a live night with recording from the desk for those who do not have the ability to record themselves.

Already we have had  the most wonderful track from Karl Schramm a musician in Germany who has been in his studio recording a version of my song flirting with Cliche. He's going to manage the press releases in Germany. Here's a little video with the original song from my Snow Tracks album which I made with my little sister in my kitchen when I first wrote it in 2011 ... 

I can't wait to play you Karl's version. I think I like it even better than my own! LOL. It's so wonderful to hear other people's interpretation of my work.

The working title for the album is 'Fallen on Deaf Ears' and we're going to use a black and white picture for the cover taken by Rowenna Russell of me preforming on the main stage at Women in Tune Festival. It is likely my favourite live shot.

Roweena also took the shot at the top of the page at the same festival. She really is a gifted photographer, I love watching her journey through pictures.

It feels very special indeed that my songs are still going to be out there doing their thing even though I can't be.

Always with love and an open heart, dear ones.

Radio Interview with Welsh Connections

Had a wonderful interview with Mike Kennedy of Radio Oystermouth tonight. He is such a lovely man. Within about 10 minutes I felt as though I'd known him years, like reuniting with an old school chum. He absolutely is 100% passionate about his music and indeed knew more about my songs than I did. He very genuinely is interested in song writers and why they write. The show isn't about him for one second ... You know how Parkinson interviews people getting their story to the fore front by cleverly nudging the interview to give them a platform ... well, Mike is a bit like that only more rock and roll ... say, a bit like the Ron Wood interview radio & TV shows. I don't think I have ever in my whole career been given a 2 hour radio forum to talk about my work. Thanks a million Mike! Oystermouth is a community radio station which pretty much means it is run by volunteers who give their time and dedication to local airwaves and it seemed a fitting place indeed to talk about The Dragon Tree given that it is based in Oriel Bach in Mumbles. BTW Oriel Bach is beautiful. Bach is little in welsh, and yes it may be a little gallery originally set up by students to share their work, but it is crammed full of creativity and inspiration. I'll definitely be going back during the daytime to buy lots of beautiful things made by local artists using materials from the coastline: right up my street! So, Mike is going to send me the show on DVD and I'll make little films from it and put them on here so you can have a listen. The interviews are being edited and re-aired this Thursday too. Talking about my work for 2 hours I thought ... blimey charlie! I've done quite a lot really, haven't I!!! I suppose you can't see it when you're in it. 2 hours with Mike is a bit like Self Esteem building for song writers! I came out smiling and feeling relaxed ... what a diamond chap he is! And what's more, Mike has a ukulele he is going to donate to my fundraising for my trip back to play music with the chidlren in the orphanage in Belarus.

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