Memories of living in the countryside near Blackpool: Catching sparrows

NWSA Sparrows by NWSAproject

An account of how to catch sparrows, and what to do with them once you've got them.

Clips from the archives

If you would like more information about each track you can go to http://soundcloud.com/nwsaproject , click on the individual track and you can find out some background. I have been using these tracks out and about, but you can find the full version of Mary Smith's 'Pig Tale' poem here.

I do some work on the piece for next week a little bit later. However, it is hot and I need the windows open. But from where I am I can hear rather a lot of drilling going on so I might need to shut myself in to hear myself think...

From the archives: I Love You Because... sung by Rose Nuttall

NWSA I Love You Because by NWSAproject

From the archives: A Pig Tale by Mary Smith

NWSA A Pig Tale by NWSAproject

From the archive: Black Pudding by Parkin Bracken

NWSABlack Pudding by NWSAproject

Pies, picalilli and other matters

I have had more of a chance to spread the word about the archives and the project over the last couple of days. Last night I went to the Clitheroe Civic Society meeting last night and had a chance to address the group. Wonderful to see such a great turn out, an active society with people interested in the heritage of the town. Excellent talk by Gordon Taylor and a good chance to have a talk afterwards.

This morning I found my way to the County Market. Not just to stop up on pies, picalilli and jam delicious as it is. I am interested in the links with the food themed entries in the archives. I arranged to come back next week with the portable CD player of clips and recorder to gather some responses. It's on a Tuesday 10-11.30 am at the United Reform Church hall. Sheila says get there early for the best things, there is no mercy for those who hesitate.

The One Man Band

Back home in the shade after a day of sharing some of the recordings from the North West Sound Archives out and about in Clitheroe. It was certainly a hot experience, I had to break off part way through to get sun cream which I had forgotten to put on.

Just a quick refelction on the day, I have had well over 50 conversations about the archives. About a third of the people I talked to were aware of the archives, although recognition was good amongst local people. I've played a range of clips, which genuinely moved and entertained people. At the top of the requests were- tips on black pudding making, the best potatoes for chips and how to catch a greased pig. The best potato was a cause of lively debate! I recorded some responses including the point that the age of the potato is important in chip making, and memories of dripping on fried bread.

I have also made some great contacts that I hope can lead to some donations. I have a card from a dialect poet from Bacup, and talked to a man who used to run a local talking newspaper.

One of the things I have been touched by today is how passionate people are about local history and culture. Often these things are portrayed as being somehow niche concerns or luxury extras. One man I talked to said, 'You need to know your past to know your present and future. You need to know where you are coming from to know where you are going.'

Pick a Track!

I have been at the archives again today, and out distributing the postcards about the up and coming events. Very nice chat in music shop. And a moment of calm with Andrew over a brew.

Still, all is ready for tomorrow's 'Sound Archive One Man Band'. I've prepared some tracks to play people, but the main aim is to get out and see what people know about the archives. To whet your appetite, here are the 11 tracks I have prepared-

Albert Hill from Bolton:
1 Christmas 1928
2 Christmas Cake, or how I was cheated of the 3d bit.
3 A trifle disaster
John Standen, chip shop owner:
4 The best potato for chips
5 Secrets of fish batter
6 Fast food, or fish + chips still come out on top
Parkin Bracken, farmer:
7 How true love brought about the milking machine (in 1939)
8 Tips on making black pudding
Mary Smith:
9 How to catch a greased pig
Rose Nuttall, songs from 1930's music hall
10 'We've Got a Navy'
11 'I Love You Because You're Tender and Kind'

Hope to see you in Clitheroe town centre, Saturday 26th June!

Up and Coming Activities...

Here is some information about up and coming activities in the NWSA project over the next few weekends. Hope to see you there!

Transition Town

On Saturday I went to the 'World Cafe' event hosted at the Grand hosted by Transition Town Clitheroe. They are a community based group working to improve the town and provide practical action for a sustainable future. Many of their interests struck a chord with me and the material in the archives such as local food. It was a very inspiring and well organised event, good to see local people productively engaged. And while some knew about the existance of the archive, others did not...

Particularly interesting was Mark Rotherham's talk on peak oil. He was very eloquent on how the knowledge of old people has been devalued in recent times. The typical 'amusing image' is of the grandchild helping the grandparent to programme the DVD player. But actually, many older skills will come back as being important in a transition economy. Or simply just coming back in to fashion, like the revival of interest in allotments. I couldn't help thinking that the archives are a wealth of useful knowledge, and a good starting point for discussion around these issues. Listening to so many of the accounts makes you realise how quickly life has changed out of all recognition, even from say the 1950s described by one of the recordings of farmers I listened to last week. I look foward to futher links with this group.

Given all of that, it was somewhat ironic that my laptop died on me on Saturday. The Apple shop thinks it's just mechanical, so it could well be up and running again this week. But it may set my work back a bit... Still, onwards and upwards!

Wax Cylinders!

A day away from the archives today. I'm over in Bury at the Met Theatre to sound check Horse and Bamboo Theatre's touring show Little Leap Forward. I also work as Horse and Bamboo's Associate Artist and I have written music for many of their shows. So it's all go. I am looking forward to going to the Transition Town meeting at the Grand in Clitheroe tomorrow...

Still, to keep you entertained, here is a picture of wax cylinders from the archives Laura took. Very nice.

Christmas 1928

Christmas 1928 by NWSAproject

Here is a real gem from the archives. This is the beginning of a cassette tape of Albert Hill's memories of Christmas 1928. I asked Andrew about this recording, but all we know is that Albert Hill came from Bolton and the family donated this tape. Albert has clearly written this down, the language is beautiful and very evocative. He elaborates on a theme that many have talked about over the years, the true meaning of giving at Christmas.

Delving in to the archives again....

Another day of delving in to the archives.

Well, it started off with planning with Mark Mason sitting outside in the sun at the Platform Gallery. I am plotting a few activites centred round my work at the NWSA- more of that to come, so watch this space. Then a quick duck in to Booths, I picked up a wonderful wholemeal loaf called 'the staff of life'.

Then I spent nearly all day listening and gathering again, working through my list from Monday of recordings mentioned in the catalogue, mostly on the food theme again. This time- BLACK PUDDING, KOSHER FOOD IN LIVERPOOL, ELDERFLOWER CORDIAL, and PRESTON PUBS were amongst things on the menu. And definitive advice on the best potato for making chips.

As I went through the day it was a bit like working through a certain period of recording technology history. We began the day on cassette, bringing back memories of me recording off the radio as a teenager. How time consuming it seems now rewinding and full forwarding, instead of having your tracks on CD or nicely set out in iTunes.

Then we progressed on to DAT (Digital Audio Tape) later in the day for some of the recordings made in the 1990s. Some later recordings came on minidisc, in two formats. I used minidiscs quite a lot at one stage, I even ran backing tracks for a show 'Harvest of Ghosts' on a minidisc player in 1999. But that too, seems a while ago now.

I couldn't help reflecting how quickly what once seemed the height recording technology has become outdated, almost seeming as remote as the wax cylinders and 78RPMs in other parts of the archives. Clearly a place like NWSA is important not just for its collection of recordings, but collection of devices to listen to them on as well. Good luck in picking up a DAT player from your local Argos.

This Thing!

Here's a picture of this thing I took in the sound archives. I don't know what it is, but I like it.

And we're off...

Today saw the first day of the project proper for me, with a visit to root around in the North West Sound Archives. It upstairs at the Clitheroe Castle Museum so it is quite something to feel like you're going to work at a Castle!

The plan for the day was to find some recordings as inspiration and source material for my work, and to share with public to let people know about this gem of sound.

With some estimated 140 thousand recordings (many of them an hour long) it was a bit daunting to know where to begin. Luckily Andrew was on hand to guide me through. After a brew, he showed by the archive database which is a rather gloriously retro search engine. It comes from a time before computer mice. Even so it only took a few minutes to master and it certainly does the job. I chose to focus on the music and spoken word/oral history parts of the collection which are further subdivided.

Particularly fruitful was a search on audio to do with food. Each entry has a short description of the contents- a tantalising view in whole worlds and lives. CHRISTMAS 1928. NEW YEAR 1930. CATCHING SPARROWS FOR FOOD. ROSE NUTTALL BORN 1889- ROSE SINGS SONGS OF THE PERIOD TO 1930. WATERCRESS, OATCAKES AND SALT. Well over 1000 items came up for food in oral history, it took me maybe an hour to read through 500 database entries.

Still, I came up with a list of things that seemed promising and had got me curious to hear more. I certainly wasn't disappointed. There is something extraordinary about recordings that make the years fall away. Rose Nuttall may have been born in the 19th century, but that pair of lungs and laugh reached out through the speakers. A happy couple of hours was spent listening and recording, laughing at Mary Smith's poem about how to catch a greased pig, shuddering at descriptions of maggots coming off cured pig meat... The afternoon finished for me with the calm captivating voice of Albert Hill describing Christmas 1928.

I look forward to sharing some of this with you all. Or, contact the archives yourself, or get involved with one of their recording projects.

A Treasure Trove of Sound

Sometimes the most amazing treasures are right under your nose, without you even knowing it. Or in this case, right under your ears....

My name is Loz Kaye, and I have been appointed Artist in Residence at NWSA- the North West Sound Archive. The North West Sound Archive, housed at Clitheroe Castle in the Ribble Valley, is the largest collection of sound recordings in the UK outside of London, and is a collection of international importance. The aim of my presence is to engage the people of Pennine Lancashire (and beyond...) in this amazing resource. I will be sharing this treasure trove of sound, gathering new material and using it for my own work.

As a composer and musician it was thrilling to go in to the archive. Racks and racks of reel to reel tape, even wax cylinders. Stories, memories and songs ready to be shared.

I am looking to contact groups in the Clitheroe area who would like to find out more about this wonderful piece of our heritage, or who would like a short talk on the NWSA, or who would like to share their memories and songs with me. You can contact the project at nwsaproject@gmail.com . I will be 'in residence' between the 14th of June and the 11th July. Watch this space for developments.

... A picture of me recording in the field....