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City Wall Sunset by Henrik Sundholm Via Flickr: My last evening in Chefchaouen, Morocco.

#city wall #wall #landscape #nature #sunset #clouds #cloudy #sky #trees #dirt #hills #mountains #mountain #rif mountain #chefchaouen #chaouen #morocco #africa #hdr #scenery #flickr

(via Fractures - Coming Soon Indeed)

Fractures – Coming Soon Indeed

Audiological Transmissions Artifact #3

Fractures is a gathering of studies and explorations that take as their starting point the year 1973; a time when there appeared to be a schism in the fabric of things, a period of political, social, economic and industrial turmoil, when 1960s utopian ideals seemed to corrupt and turn inwards.

Audiological explorations by: Circle/Temple (The Straw Bear Band / The Owl Service / Rif Mountain) Sproatly Smith Keith Seatman (Test Transmission / Found Objects) Polypores Listening Center (Elsewhere in the ether / The Twilight Language of Nigel Kneale) The British Space Group (Ian Holloway / Quiet World / Wonderful Wooden Reasons / Wyrd Britain) The Hare And The Moon ft Alaska / Michael Begg Time Attendant The Rowan Amber Mill (Miller Sounds / The Book Of The Lost) A Year In The Country David Colohan (United Bible Studies)

(via Fractures - Coming Soon Indeed)

Fractures – Coming Soon Indeed

Audiological Transmissions Artifact #3

Two contributions

Lisa Knapp has a new five-track EP out, called Hunt the Hare - A Branch of May (Folk Radio review). Alasdair contributes guitar and backing vocals to the two-part title track. The EP is available for £6 as limited edition, hand-stamped, numbered CD and/or digital download. Thanks to Annie for passing this on.

And thanks to Rob for flagging this from the latest Rif Mountain e-news

The new Leigh Folk Festival compilation CD Wrecks, Rucks, Riots & Resurrection is going to be released imminently, and it's another fantastic collection including RM exclusives from Nancy Wallace, Jason Steel and The Straw Bear Band, plus a track from Diana Collier and Steven Collins' new group Greanvine, alongside Alasdair Roberts, Martin Carthy, Sharron Kraus, Kate Denny and many more. Keep you eyes on http://www.leighfolkfestival.com for more info

As noted previously, Alasdair performs Galoshins at the festival on 24 June.

#collaborations #Lisa Knapp #Leigh-on-sea #Rif Mountain

Morocco Days 3 & 4: Rif Mountains and Chefchaouen

January 30 & 31, 2012

Day three in Morocco involved more travelling. After 730am breakfast, we said goodbye to our host family and got back into the 15-passenger van towards the Rif Mountain range. Three hours later, we made it to a family’s home way up on a mountain. I can’t remember the exact name of the village, but it was something close to “Wheezin”. As soon as I started walking around the home and village, I felt like I’d travelled back in time. I immediately had flashbacks to elementary school trips to Plymouth Plantation, except this was now the year 2012 and I was in Africa. It was absolutely surreal. Even just thinking back a couple days ago, it’s nearly impossible for me to fathom village life. We had lunch and asked questions to the family in the village through a translator. They were welcoming and extremely nice, but we had barely anything in common. In Rabat, we were able to relate to Moroccans on hundreds of levels. Here, three hours away, it was like I was back in time, lost for words, and totally out of place. Many of the people in the village never even go down the mountain—nevermind having been to a city. The only reason people go down the mountain is for medical emergencies. And even in this case, they usually don’t make it down. Only a handful of people have cars/vans. Most walk and use donkeys for transportation. Their animals and food are all harvested and prepared on the mountain. There is a small school, but not all children attend. The women stay in the homes all day—cooking and caring for children. The men and older sons work outside in the fields. There is electricity in the homes (something new) and refrigeration. There is no plumbing or toilets, although thankfully we were somewhat prepared for this by the time we visited the village. Whereas many students in my group thought the visit to the mountain village was the best part of the trip, I did not. I already felt out of place enough in the city... taking a van up the side of a mountain on a skinny dirt road in order to only spend an hour or two talking through a translator to people we couldn’t even relate to on almost any level was almost uncomfortable. However, the little kids in the family were absolutely adorable. It was crazy to think that they might never leave the village we were only visiting for a couple hours. I had a good time, but I definitely enjoyed other parts of the Morocco trip more. Lunch in the village was, of course, Moroccan tea and cous-cous with vegetables.

Also, whereas many Moroccans I had talked to in the city had preconceived opinions about Americans, the family in the village did not. They didn’t watch the American movies that exist in the city and had no real concept of any other area in the world. When we asked about what they expected American students to be like, the only answer was this: “We had no idea what to expect. The few groups who came in the past were welcoming, open, and curious, so we assumed you would be too”. Their only opinions about Americans were based on experiences with students like us. Very eye-opening... I think everyone quickly became a little more conscious of everything they did and said, now knowing that we were portraying all Americans in their eyes.

After lunch, we climbed to the top of a peak near the home. It was beautiful to look out over the mountain range and spend some time relaxing.

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Andddd then another 2 hour bus ride to Chefchaouen. This was a somewhat touristy area that we would be exploring and staying in a hostel for our last night in Africa. The hostel was a surprisingly welcoming place to see after spending the past couple of days travelling and living with little to no plumbing. Chefchaouen is also located in the mountains and we climbed a lot in order to get the most amazing view of the small city. Because it is touristy and we were closer to the Spanish border, many people working in the shops spoke some Spanish. The first time hearing Spanish that weekend was amazing... it almost felt like English as far as familiarity went at that point.

The shops in Chefchaouen are where we were encouraged to bargain. The only thing I can compare Chefchaouen to in the United States is a China town / flea market setting. Although I never like bargaining anywhere, this time, I was using Dirhams to pay and was in a totally foreign country. People loved it... I just felt like I was being ripped off in another currency for cheaply made things. I only converted 25 Euros total which was roughly 225 Dirhams. [Chefchaouen was the only place we actually had to spend our own money which was nice. All of our meals, snacks, and places to sleep were included in the trip.] I ended up buying a couple souvenirs to remind me of the trip, but not much else. I got some good prices after bargaining, but most of the time we just felt pushed around-- more than half the time was spent evading shop owners who would get upset if we didn't buy something, ending in us physically forcing ourselves out of the small shops. It wasn't unsafe and I didn't feel in danger, but it wasn't exactly an enjoyable shopping or tourist stop.

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The last day in Africa was mostly spent travelling. A bunch of us woke up early to go on an optional 7:30am hike to a mosque that overlooks the city. You only live once, right? I had to do it. I was exhausted and the altitude was so high that it took a lot out of me just to do a 15 minute hike. The view was beautiful though, and very worth it. After the hike, we had breakfast and headed back to the northern, Spanish coast of Africa.

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Travelling out of Africa and back into Spain was an experience I will forever have ingrained in my mind. The power of a United States passport is unbelievable. Although I've never been to the Mexican/American coast, many students were comparing this experience to that. Every day, thousands and thousands of Moroccans attempt to cross the border. There is Spanish territory in northern Africa so this is even before we had to get on the ferry. There are police and guards everywhere. Because the majority of businesses and government work is run on corruption, this experience was even more interesting than it had to be. Workers who were supposed to be checking passports just decided to take a break when it was our group's turn to go. We waited thirty minutes before someone decided it was time to get back to work. Then, thinking that we'd have to go through security and sign papers and show IDs, I was prepared for anything. But, nope.... we flashed US passports and were waved through. Absolutely crazy. We didn't have to go through any security measures whatsoever, whereas Moroccans and other African natives spend hours and hours waiting to cross the border even with appropriate documentation.

Anyway, it was an experience. I fell asleep most of the way back to Granada which was nice. I will never forget the days I spent in Morocco and I loved so much about the trip. The people I met and the eye-opening stories and images will stay with me. With this being said, I cannot ever see myself going back to Morocco. Some students in my group loved it and are planning a second trip within this semester. While I had a good time, 4 days was definitely enough. All in all, the trip was unforgettable and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

#morocco #rif mountain #chefchaouen

Robert Sunday - Butterfly Hairslide

<a href="http://rifmountain.bandcamp.com/album/butterfly-hairslide" _mce_href="http://rifmountain.bandcamp.com/album/butterfly-hairslide">Butterfly Hairslide by Robert Sunday</a>

'Butterfly Hairslide' is a the new record from Robert Sunday. This Watford based man creates heartachingly beautiful words and music. Effortlessly enigmatic male vocals meet the haunting sweetness of Joseph Works, the female voice. The record was arranged by the very same, the two squirrelled away in a shed come studio in the suburbs. Hit repeat when you reach 'One With The Crow', a perfect example of the table tennis between the two voices and the world weary production. Only a gently picked guitar and a sparse tambourine cushion the fragile melody. The more you listen to these songs the more hooked you'll get. 'Hush Ferel Dog' is another personal favourite - makes me feel like I'm getting ready for Woodstock.

You can purchase Robert Sunday's first offering now for a mere £3 through Bandcamp. Definately a Monday/Tuesday kind of record.

#robert sunday #rif mountain #butterfly hairslide #joseph works #london #one with the crow #hush ferel dog