05-Jul-10 : Photo by John Brandwood
June 2010At last! A non 'pipers gurn' action shot photo courtesy of John Brandwood.

23-Nov-09 : You Tube video

A medley of tunes from the Tionol of the German Uilleann Pipes Gesellschaft on Burg Fürsteneck, Easter 2009.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cUiYChXOYA

recorded and uploaded by Christian Tietje     

 



16-Jul-09 : JPF Music Awards Information and Press Release
Grassroots Music Organization Just Plain Folks (JPF) has announced their nominees for the 2009 edition of their music awards.   After receiving a record setting 42,000 albums and over a half million songs from 163 countries around the world, the organization's staff and team of volunteers filtered the music down to both song and album nominees in 95 genres of music.  This years nominees come from over 80 different countries around the world.

It all started as a friendly effort to recognize some independent artists who made great music which had been overlooked by the mainstream media.  Organization founder Brian Austin Whitney quickly realized there was a big empty gap and need in the world of music to recognize more than just the top commercial sellers.  "We were getting amazing albums from unknown musicians and composers that screamed out for attention."  He continues "Whereas larger televised awards are well suited to recognize music's most popular and commercially successful recordings, we felt we could fill the need to recognize the music made by the other 98% of the world."   Whitney added "all the music that is judged is actually listened to in each round.  Most awards, including the most famous, simply hand out a list of names and say 'vote' so it's based more on fame and name recognition than it is on their actual music."

The organization spent 14 months from the initial entry date to screen all the music and narrow down the field.  JPF uses a unique mix of judges that come from the music industry, fellow artist and songwriter peers and music fans.   "We feel that those groups mixed together make for a balanced and compelling process which identifies a lot of music that any one group might miss."

Smaller genres are treated with the same respect as their large mainstream counterparts and often new trends in music show up long before the mainstream music industry notices.   "We've also found some amazing talent years before a wider audience catches on" says the groups Project Director Linda Berger.  "It's really gratifying finding new talent, but we also love it when we can recognize established artists who are still making music that moves us even if they don't lead the current day commercial marketplace."

So what is the criterion for judging all this music?  "One simple question: Does the music move you?" Whitney explains.  "I was an active musician, songwriter and most importantly music lover myself before starting this and when I went to write the instructions for our first awards process back in 1998, it occurred to me that people often use strict and rigid measuring sticks to judge music.  That seemed unnatural to me.  People listen to and love music that moves them.  It doesn't matter if it was recorded by a world class superstar in a million dollar studio or by an unknown songwriter with a laptop and a microphone in their bedroom.   There are no actual rules for why music moves people and you can't build a formula around it though industry always tries.  It either moves people or it doesn't.   Our awards process focuses on finding music that moves people collectively from all walks of life." Whitney goes on "what better way to motivate these great artists and writers to do more great work than to recognize their music not for how many units they sold or who they are dating on the Hollywood hot-list, but for how it can bring a tear, cause a giggle, make someone's jaw drop open, get them dancing out of their seats or simply make someone feel connected with the universe.   We've found music from around the world that does all those things. We're just happy to share it with the world through our awards and give these creators a sincere nudge of support."

The 2009 Just Plain Folks Music Awards show will take place in Nashville, TN on August 29th, 2009 at the Wildhorse Saloon.   Winners will be announced live at the show and then posted on the website the next day.   For a complete listing of this year's nominees and more information, please visit www.justplainfolks.org.

About Just Plain Folks:  JPF was founded in 1998 with 60 members and has grown to over 50,000 members worldwide.   The organization supports grassroots songwriters and musicians through networking, education, promotional support and a friendly nudge when needed.  Membership is free as are their local chapters, showcases and workshops in cities around the world.  Visit their site for more information: www.justplainfolks.org

01-Jul-09 : 2009 Just Plain Folks Music Awards Double Nomination!
We proudly announce that the Ireland Bridge album and the 'When it's all over' whistle track from it, both  have nominations in what is literally the world's largest music awards!

The 2009 Just Plain Folks Music Awards Nominees



21-Jun-09 : Luddfest 09
Becky in the churcg with the Colin Ross smallpipes Luddfest 09 was a smashing day with lots of great music - and no rain this year - perfect!
A big thanks to  all the organisers and hosts of this lovely little festival.


Photo by Martin Graham, taken in St. Marys Church with the new boxwood smallpipes made by Colin Ross.

10-Dec-08 : White Horse album by Boris Grebenshikov featuring Aquarium Internation
White Horse In December 2008 Boris Grebenshikov and Aquarium International played several concerts in Moscow and St. Petersburg in celebration of his birthday and launch of his new album 'White Horse'.
To download the album, please click here

28-Apr-08 : Rehearsals for the BG show at the Albert Hall
BG rehearsals photo with Brian Finnegan April saw Becky in London for the first round of rehearsals for BG (Boris Purushottama Grebenshikov) and his international ensemble.

In a prolific career that has spanned almost four decades, BG (Boris Purushottama Grebenshikov) has continued to enchant his audiences with new sounds and a lyrical language that has earned him the affectionate title "Poet Laureate of Russia".

Accompanied by an international ensemble of musicians performing on instruments from the sitar and tabla to the violin and flute, he presents a fusion of his own classic folk melodies with sounds from around the world.

This is a FREE concert, to get your ticket and for full details visit www.grebenshikovconcert.com




16-Mar-08 : Myspace page for piperbecky!
A new Myspace page can be found at www.myspace.com/piperbeckytaylor


Many thanks to Frances O'Rourke for setting this up!

26-Feb-08 : Ireland Bridge available on CD Baby
CD Baby banner Ireland Bridge is now in stock from CDBaby.com which is good news for fans on the other side of the Atlantic. Click on http://cdbaby.com/cd/beckytaylor  Available as MP3 download click here or CD (available now)

Digital distribution is also in the pipeline from their partner companies and will be coming in the near future, watch this space for further updates..