So I have kept my promise and managed to put a new news post before another two years past!
I have to say I am quite proud of this! It's a song I've been working on during lockdown but had the idea and parts of it for years!
It's about the incredible story of William and Joe Trethewey who left the St Dennis area in the mid 19th century with their family to start a new life in Ontario. The family then moved west to British Columbia before William was drawn back to Ontario.
This song imagines William's letter back to Joe asking him to join him at the Trethewey Mine. The chorus imagines their Cornish life as children in the Clay Country and partaking in feast day dances. There is part of The Rescorla Snail Creep at the end - a traditional Clay Country tune used for such dances!
It's been fascinating researching this and speaking to people in Canada about this shared history. Huge thanks to Cobalt Historical Society for their enthusiasm and their kindness in using some of their images. Huge thanks for the China Clay Historical Society and Tony Mansell for some of the Cornish ones. Thanks to Tom Fosten for his beautiful guitar playing!