3tynespodcast

3tynespodcast
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Grassroots music rural west Northumberland and the upper South Tyne valley. 3tynespodcast.substack.com

  1. 3D AGO

    Bonus episode: Vatican City Serenades by Marshall Nattrass

    This is the first of an occasional series of short bonus episodes in which I invite people who’ve been guests on the podcast to tell us about their newly-released music and play a few tracks. Today, I’m talking to Marshall Nattrass, whose album Vatican City Serenades celebrates his youth during the 1980s in his distinctive Americana style. Please have a listen to Marshall’s album and, if you can, buy a CD. You can catch him at a gig or contact him via Messenger on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100035054347502) and via Instagram at marshall_nattrass. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 3tynespodcast.substack.com

    23 min

  2. FEB 10

    Flamenco guitar from the South Tyne with Steve Sherris

    My guest today is Steve Sherris, an artist whose journey from the Scilly Isles to Alston brought flamenco guitar to the upper South Tyne valley. Steve is an accomplished guitarist who has spent a lifetime in bands and playing solo in bars. He is currently a member of recent podcast guests the Hilltop Hoolies and he sometimes performs flamenco guitar, accompanying his wife Alison as she dances. In this episode, Steve tells us how he learned this unique style of guitar in the Spanish communities where it was an integral part of culture, and he demonstrates some of the music styles that are used in a performance. Flamenco is recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It has a colourful and chequered history in its homeland, where for a while it was ostracised under the Franco regime before regaining its status as a national treasure. Here are some links to information about flamenco if you’d like to know more: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/complicated-history-flamenco-spain-180973398/ https://www.masterclass.com/articles/learn-about-flamenco-music-history-dance-and-guitar This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 3tynespodcast.substack.com

    58 min

  3. JAN 27

    The Death of Parcy Reed, with Peter Armstrong

    The Death of Parcy Reed is an epic ballad which, in its fullest version, has 41 verses. Set in upper Redesdale, it tells of the brutal murder of a Borders official following his betrayal by those he thought friends, to a feuding clan from across the border in Liddesdale. To help me understand its importance and the wider context of Border ballads is Tynedale folk singer and poet Peter Armstrong. We dive deep into Border history, sharing our own experiences of living in Northumberland. We discuss the plot of the Parcy Reed ballad and, illustrated by Peter’s own poetry, we consider parallels between that tale and another bloody Border song, Johnny Armstrong, with the story of the betrayal of Jesus. Peter sings a shortened version of The Death of Parcy Reed at the end of the podcast. During our conversation, we refer to Child and Roud, which are two important collections of folk songs. There is plenty of information about them online. Peter reads from his book of poetry, Two Ceremonies at the Border, which is inspired by The Death of Parcy Reed and Johnny Armstrong. There is a bonus episode to accompany this one, in which I talk to Peter about his career as a poet and singer of traditional songs, and his role in helping to run the famous Bridge Folk Club in Newcastle. The books and sources mentioned in the podcast are: Two Ceremonies at the Border. Peter Armstrong. Shoestring Press. ISBN 978-1-915553-38-6 The English Scottish border ballads - a critical study. RG Kendall. (see p 454) https://etheses.dur.ac.uk/1314/1/1314.pdf?DDD11+EThOS%20(BL) Revitalising Redesdale Landscape Partnership. The Death of Parcy Reed. https://www.revitalisingredesdale.org.uk/projects/sharing-redesdales-stories/border-ballad-the-death-of-parcy-reed/ The local historian’s table book, of remarkable occurences, historical facts, traditions, legendary and descriptive ballads, &c., &c., connected with the counties of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland and Durham / By M. A. Richardson v.7 1841 – 1846 https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015068455008&seq=336 BBC. The Border Reivers https://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/myths_legends/scotland/borders/article_2.shtml Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. Reiver ballads. https://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/myths_legends/scotland/borders/article_2.shtml This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 3tynespodcast.substack.com

    53 min

  4. JAN 27

    Bonus episode: Peter Armstrong, poet and singer

    In this short bonus episode, I talk to Tynedale singer and poet Peter Armstrong about his journey to become a singer of traditional songs and the challenges he and his colleagues have faced in managing the famous Bridge Folk Club in Newcastle. We reflect on the emerging generation of younger folk artists, styles of singing and the different ways in which poetry and song lyrics emerge from who knows where to land on the page. This episode is complementary to the one on the Death of Parcy Reed, in which Peter talks about the importance of Border ballads and performs this magnificent song live. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 3tynespodcast.substack.com

    18 min

  5. JAN 13

    The Hilltop Hoolies

    Today I’m dropping in on the Hilltop Hoolies at one of their regular rehearsals in Alston, where I took the opportunity to record them live as they ran through some of their repertoire. The Hoolies were formed about 18 months ago by five musicians who were already familiar faces at local music venues. And they have all appeared on the podcast at some time: Fred Sheriff, Norm Emerson and Steve Sherris were in the episode about the Turks Head music session in October 2024 and Marshall Nattrass had an episode all to himself in July that same year. That leaves fiddle player Robin Moody as a podcast first-timer but we have heard him playing in one of the bands I’ve recorded at Alston festival. The Hoolies’ unique take on Americana is due to their distinctive choice of instruments and their commitment to playing only original music. This has earned them a loyal – and growing - following in the north east, where they are recognised as an entertaining live band with a diverse set of finely crafted songs. You can find out what the Hoolies are up to by following them on Facebook and Instagram. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 3tynespodcast.substack.com

    28 min

  6. 12/23/2025

    The harmonium and carols from the service at St Mark's Church, Ninebanks. Happy Christmas!

    Today’s episode takes a look at the harmonium in the setting where we are probably most likely to hear it: the parish church. The harmonium is the largest instrument of its type – essentially, a keyboard mounted in a wooden box that contains the movements and reeds. It may be a plain, portable box the size of a suitcase or a large and elaborate organ-like structure that you could imagine in a Victorian concert hall, or anything in between. It became common in small churches during a period when influential voices felt that the music in services was too rough and ready, particularly so in the case of fiddlers, and it was part of a movement to raise standards, as they saw it, by replacing musicians from the community. You’ll hear that two pillars that once supported the gallery in St John’s Church in Whitfield were removed and are now part of a cottage; this would have been the part of the church where musicians performed. The arrival of the harmonium seems like the introduction of AI these days. Vic Gammon has written a very interesting account of these events, which I will link in the show notes. In this episode, I talk to Sarah Blackett-Ord about the harmonium in St John’s Church. Next, a lucky chance to chat with folk musician Janice Burns about the floor harmonium as the chairs are noisily packed away after their recent gig in Allendale Village Hall. Janice and Jon Doran played a lovely set of winter tunes and one of these, Dunston Lullaby, is a beautiful example of how the harmonium can augment a traditional song. Finally, I talk to Ros Ronaldson, who plays the harmonium during services in St Mark’s Church in Ninebanks. We then join the congregation for their Christmas service to hear the harmonium in its most familiar setting: supporting a rural community in song. I’d like to thank Sarah, the Church Warden at Whitfield, and Ros for their help with this episode; Dorothy Summers and Marina Wallace, the Church Wardens at Ninebanks; and the Reverend Dr Martin Naylor and the congregation of St Mark’s Church for inviting me and my family to join their Christmas service and record the carols. There is an excellent video about the history of the harmonium on YouTube: You can find music by Janice Burns and Jon Doran on Bandcamp and the usual streaming platforms. Their website is www.janandjon.com and they are on Instagram and Facebook. Vic Gammon’s essay The Rise and Fall of the West Gallery: popular religious music in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries is in The Routledge Companion to English Folk Performance https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Companion-to-English-Folk-Performance/Harrop-Roud/p/book/9781032021966 ‘The Catterwauling Scrapes of Thrashing Fidlers’: English and Welsh Vernacular Fiddle Players 1600-1900’ will be published by The Ballad Partners in 2026 in a book of essays. You can watch the 2025 carol service at St Marks Church on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/live/8zd7FOVCxug?si=NF61ystzNhsALIhx This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 3tynespodcast.substack.com

    49 min
  7. S.K.X Funkanauts: a unique data exchange with F2 and F3, translated by the AI entity Morley

    12/09/2025

    S.K.X Funkanauts: a unique data exchange with F2 and F3, translated by the AI entity Morley

    Today my guests are SKX Funkanauts, a band of sonic kilohertz explorers from Aldermaran 4 who have chosen Northumberland as a base from which to transmit cosmic funky dance music back to their home planet. Our county has many admirable qualities but even its most ardent fans would struggle with the idea that it is the home of funk. So I met two band members, F2 and F3, at a secret location and, with translation by the AI entity Morley, I tried to find out more about their mission and their earthbound activities. The Funkanauts have made their audio recordings accessible to earthlings on the usual streaming platforms and you can follow their mission on Instagram. There is a live data transmission of funkanautics at Hexham’s The Tannery pub on January 3rd, an event that I’m reliably informed will bring joy to all who attend. I’ve added some links to other documented encounters with SKX Funkanauts so you know I’m not making all this up. https://narcmagazine.com/focus-s-k-x/ https://narcmagazine.com/interview-s-k-x-funkanauts/ https://narcmagazine.com/my-inspiration-s-k-x-funkanauts-pale-blue-dot/ https://narcmagazine.com/track-review-s-k-x-funkanauts-murmurs-from-earth-feat-annie-j/ The audio data transmitted in this episode are: The Voyagers From Dynatron, Murmurs From Earth and Open Neural Pathways. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 3tynespodcast.substack.com

    46 min

  8. 11/25/2025

    Pete Ward: Bluegrass and Religion

    Pete Ward is a musician, theologian and author of a new book on the meaning of religion in bluegrass music to everyone who plays it, regardless of their faith or lack of one. In the book, Pete analyses the lyrics of bluegrass standards from the 1940s and 50s and interviews musicians about their response to the sentiments of the gospel bluegrass songs they enjoy playing. We talk about the history of bluegrass, the origin myth that has excluded the important contribution of African American musicians, and how religious experience can emerge through playing these familiar songs. We mention several greats of the bluegrass movement in this episode. I’m sorry that I can’t include their music for copyright reasons but on YouTube there are many examples of bluegrass songs, both religious and secular, by Bill Monroe, the Stanley Brothers, Flatt and Scruggs, Alison Krauss and many more. Pete mentions the book Segregating Sound. Inventing Folk and Pop Music in the Age of Jim Crow by Karl Hagstrom Miller. It was published in 2010 by Duke University Press. He also refers to the American singer Rhiannon Giddens; her website is https://rhiannongiddens.com/. Pete’s book is called Bluegrass and Religion and it’s published by Bloomsbury Academic. Pete plays in the House Band of the Platform Bar in Hexham Railway Station and in Hexham Bluegrass. You can find information about bluegrass music locally on the Facebook page Bluegrass in Hexham and at the website bluegrassinhexham.uk. Among the tutors at Hexham’s Core Music, Tom Kimber and Rupert Hughes are accomplished bluegrass players. T​he next Hexham Bluegrass and Americana Festival will take place from July 24th to the 26th, 2026. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 3tynespodcast.substack.com

    1h 10m
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About

Grassroots music rural west Northumberland and the upper South Tyne valley. 3tynespodcast.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    3tynespodcast
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    72
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Steve
  • Show Website
    3tynespodcast