I went to the Cambridge Folk Festival a few years back. On my own, which probably sounds a bit miserable, but it wasn't. I met an existing friend there and made a good new one. It was the beginning of a major heatwave, and just one of those times — after I'd slogged the long walk from train station to camping site — where everything clicks very quickly.
In fact, the first evening was one of the highlights. I took up position in the uncrowded space of the smallest stage, got myself very relaxed, and enjoyed a whole series of acts that I'd never heard of before, but each of which had a different appeal. I think Nancy Elizabeth might have been one of them, but my memory is no more precise than "young woman with harp" (no, definitely, not that one). Though I think she played a few Scottish reels (or strathspeys, or whatever) assisted by a fella, so maybe it wasn't Nancy.
Note For a Child were on the bill too. During their set a friend of the band distributed free copies of this Limited Edition CD to anyone with the energy to put out a hand, which I just managed. They must have also extracted an email address from me in return — smart 21st century people — because I got a series of updates from the band in the months and years after that, until this one (reproduced in full, but I'll remove this if anyone takes exception to the copyright infringement) on 27 April 2007.
GOODBYE!!!
It is at this beautiful time of year, a time of new beginnings, that those of us in Note For a Child play our last performance before turning to things of the future
Saturday May 5th
Our final gig as a large outfit will be near Cambridge.....St Mary's Church, High St, Burwell.
Doors open 7pm for 8pm start. There will be refreshments included in the ticket price of £7.50 Copies of our first five-track Limited Edition, signed by all the contributing musicians, will be available...only 20 copies in total, so first come, first served!!!
An exclusive deal too on the first album, Impossibly Beautiful...buy three albums for £15. T shirts will be going half price!! Posters for a pound...and if you ask nicely I am sure the band will sign one for you!
Those of you who have journeyed any part of the way with us, please come and make this a special finish by being there!
If you cant make it, then dont despair...on June 28th a few of the band will be involved in an ambient chillout evening of worship just up the road in one of the beautiful Swaffham Prior churches (see gig guide for details)
Susie says.....
God has given us a thing of beauty over the last four years to search and find, give words to sadness, confusion and delight expressing familiar feelings to unfamiliar faces who feel the same joy and tears in the writing, singing, playing, and living the life of Note For a Child. How amazing it has been. Deeply changing. But now is the time to finish. I return to doctoring this autumn. I will have been away from General Practice for five years, and the time is definitely right. I love the quote I once read that music is the companion of joy and the medicine for suffering‚. Medicine and music are soulmates in my life and always will be; different means of touching and restoring the human heart. Suffice it to say that family changes guide me away from the roller-coaster of fulltime writing, recording and performing, but the music will continue to flow in all things I must remain open to God‚s creative hand, to fully live. Few people to date know of Note For a Child coming to an end; I appreciate that there may be some sadness. Let's walk this together please write to us your thoughts and responses [details deleted as domain is no longer in use] I think it will help us too. Maybe join us at one of our last performances? Finally, a huge thanks to everyone who has helped make NFaC live...from design to photography, dance to costumes, from review to radioplay and mixing desk to lighting rig and finally from toasted sandwiches to wineglass washing!! Thankyou!
Warmly and with much love
Susie, Paul, Andy, Katherine, Ian, Nick, David and John
Note For a Child
As you might guess from this, the music is at the spiritual, ethereal end of folk music. It reminds me of Claire Tchaikowski. How often is this story being repeated all round the developed world? Years of trying to make a sustainable career out of music, growing village-scale support but the cold shoulder of indifference from the wider world. Sooner or later the aspiration is relinquished. But — as Susie is trying to convince herself above — this isn't always, necessarily a sad story. The end of music as a career isn't the end of music. Or, as Robert Fripp put it, "If you love music, become a plumber".
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