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.

Summary...
Top night: Top Bloke: Top Radio Station

Street Dancer at Mumbles

 

 

 

 

GREAT afternoon at Mumbles filming with Martin Kurina, Street Dancer. He's just 18! Yesterday ...

 

When Martin told his freinds about our last film shoot they laughed, but he is a very focussed young man, determined to gain as many arts experiences as possible. He is so easy to work with. Gets straight on with the job, never complains and takes direction really well.

 

 

 

 

Bless him, we were both horrified when we arrived at Mumbles for the shoot. The tide was OUT! This was the only time we could do the shoot and we were making the most of the sun coming out (at last!) We walked across the rocks and stones to what looked like a sandy area .. it wasn't! I stood in it first and sank! Yes SANK!

 

When we walked back we saw a concrete area and so I said let's have a go filming on there. It was then we realised it was a sewage pipe!!! So the sludge that covered my flip flops and feet was not just wet sand I'm afraid!

 

 

 

Still we were not swayed from our mission and filmed regardless of the gurgling pipe! We just prayed that that the flushing loos we could hear echoing up the pipe were not heading our way!

 

Afterwards, we went further down the coast to the end of Mumbles and filmed Martin dancing there.

 

 

 

Martin has had a busy day today. This morning he performed his 2 New Singles at a Youth Fayre, then went off to college where he is studying the dance option of Performing Arts. He is an all singing, all dancing lovely lad, with vision and drive ... I think we could well be seeing a lot more of Martin Kurina in the future ...

 

You can find out more about Martin at this facebook link ...

 

http://www.facebook.com/#!/MartinKurinaOfficial

 

 

 

 

Making the most of the sunshine

 

Remember Martin Kurina from the film shoot at Arthur's stone where he street danced with Taran for my film shoot about the song

Rock and a Hard Place?

 

Well, the sun is out today so I'm picking him up from college to take him to Mumbles to film him street dancing in the sea (Let's hope the tide is in!)

 

 

It's for the very end filmscape where he will represent the character 'Hope'

 

We tried filming on the beach before with Martin and his DCC Street Dance Crew but the rain caught us once again and we ended up filming in the Dylan Thomas Birth House

thanks to Annie Haden who agreed the film shoot last minute for us.(see earlier blogs) 

 

But I feel that the end shots need to be a lad dancing in the sea and I like the idea that Martin has reprsented Dafydd in other film shoots because as the character comes to realise that Hope is inside him and from within him, he'll recognise himself in the dancer ...

 

 

Watch out for my next blog which will show you how we got on.

 

College won't let Martin come out early so we can't go til later now and I'm longing the Sun Goddess to stay with us! Still, we'll shoot it whatever the weather! I've got a feeling if we wait for the sun to stay we might never get it done!