"In your hands, the birth of a new day... " (Limahl)

24 October 2011

Ar Daith / On Tour: 1999

GIGS - 1999

08/10/99 Clwb y Bont, Pontypridd (Ysbryd Chouchen)

30/01/99 Oxwich Bay, Gŵyr.

27/02/99 Y Neuadd Gymuned, Penclawdd

01/03/99 Ysgol Erw’r Delyn, Penarth

05/03/99 Cyngerdd Preifat: Margaret Waters, Swydd Henffordd

07/03/99 Neuadd y Seiri Rhyddion, Rhisga

19/03/99 Oxwich Bay, Gŵyr

04/04/99 Y King’s, Casnewydd

17/04/99 Y Maes Manor, Y Coed Duon

01/07/99 Plas Nanteos, Aberystwyth

10/07/99 Gŵyl Werin y Cnapan (Ysbryd Chouchen)

07-08/08/99 Y Gŵyl Bysgio, Porthcawl

14/08/99 Y Plasdy, Llancaiach

05/09/99 Allt yr Ynys, Y Fenni

07/10/99 Canolfan y Graddedigion, Prifysgol Caerdydd

09-10/10/99 Gŵyl Cocos a Cheltiaid, Abertawe

20/10/99 Tŷ Olwen, Treforys

30/10/99 Castell Coch a Chastell Caerdydd

04/11/99 Tŷ Olwen, Treforys

01/12/99 Tŷ Olwen, Treforys

16/12/99 Tŷ Olwen, Treforys


Heb unrhyw amheuaeth, dyma oedd fy nghyfnod anoddaf fel telynor llawn-amser. Doedd y PhD ddim i'w weld yn arwain at unrhyw gyfeiriad o werth, ac roeddwn yn cael amser caled yn ariannol. Roedd deffro pob bore ar gyfer bysgio yn mynd yn straen, ac roeddwn yn byw gyda chriw o chyfeillion lle roedd gormod o demtasiwn i potsian o gwmpas, yn hytrach na gweithio.Roeddwn wedi cael fy hunan mewn i picil go iawn. Rhywsut, yng ngwanwyn 1999, llwyddodd fy niweddar Dad i'm perswadio i ddal ati gyda'r astudiaethau. Wedyn, yn Awst 1999 bu i'm cariad, Kathryn a minnau, penderfynnu byw gyda'n gilydd am y tro cyntaf, yn ardal Cathays. Wedi chwilio cartref mwy sefydlog, dyma oedd y trobwynt pwysicaf ar gyfer y PhD. Llwyddais hefyd i ail-gychwyn y momentwm yn ystod Hydref 1999. Un nodyn o dristwch: o gwmpas Hydref 1998, roeddwn wedi dechrau synhwyro ychydig o densiwn ymhlith aelodau Ysbryd Chouchen. Ces i ddim esboniad agored, ond erbyn Gwyl Cnapan 1999 daeth yn weddol amlwg bod cnewyllyn y grwp am newid y cyfeiriad cerddorol, ac fe ddaeth y gigs gydag Ysbryd Chouchen i ben ar ol dwy flynedd hapus gyda'r grwp. Fodd bynnag, rwyf yn ddiolchgar o hyd, yn enwedig i "Huw M" am y cyfleuoedd a daeth i'm rhan gydag Ysbryd Chouchen rhwng 1997-99.

Without question, 1999 was my most difficult year as a full-time harpist. The PhD seemed to be drifting, and I was having a hard time financially. Waking up every morning to go busking was becoming a strain, and I was living with a crew of friends where there was too much temptation to mess around rather than knuckle down to work. Somehow, in spring 1999, my late father persuaded me to stick at the studies. Then, in August 1999, my girlfriend Kathryn and I decided to move in together for the first time, in the Cathays area of Cardiff. Finding a settled home was the most important turning point of the PhD, and I managed to regain momentum with the busking as well during the Autumn. One sad note: during the end of 1998 I had started to sense tension within the ranks of Ysbryd Chouchen. I never really received a full explanation, but it became clear that the nucleus of the group wished to change musical direction. It became apparent that my gig at the 1999 Cnapan Festival would be my last with the group, after two happy years with them. Nevertheless, I am very grateful to Ysbryd Chouchen, especially "Huw M" for the opportunities that came my way during 1997-99.

Ar Daith / On Tour: 1998

1998- GIGS

31/01/98 Y Castell, Cil-y-Coed

05/02/98 SEISWN: I-DOT (Ysbryd Chouchen)

06/02/98 Capel Crwys, Caerdydd

14/02/98 Tŷ Mawr, Brechfa

27/02/98 Gig preifat, Ffordd Cwellyn, Caerdydd

28/02/98 Neuadd Pendeulwyn (Dawnswyr Cwm Rhondda)

07/03/98 Yr Eglwys Norwyaidd, Caerdydd (Ffynnon)

13/03/98 Tafarn y Cŵps, Aberystwyth (Ysbryd Chouchen)

14/04/98 Y Castell, Cil-y-Coed

18/04/98 Yr Eglwys Pabyddol, Y Bont Faen

28/04/98 Neuadd Pontyclun (Dawnswyr Cwm Rhondda)

02/05/98 Orendy Margam (Dawnswyr Cwm Rhondda)

06/05/98 Y Ganolfan Hyfforddi, Glyn-nedd

15/05/98 Sesiwn Fach San Clêr

30/05/98 Y Castell, Caerffili

20/06/98 Gŵyl Stryd, Caerfyrddin

08/07/98 Eisteddfod Rhyngwladol Llangollen (Dawnswyr Nantgarw)

11/07/98 Gŵyl Werin y Cnapan (Ysbryd Chouchen)

18/07/98 Y Countryman, Y Coed Duon

19/07/98 Y Castell, Cil-y-Coed

01/08/98 Neuadd y Sir, Caerdydd

29-30/08/98 Y Gŵyl Fictorianaidd, Llandrindod

05/09/98 Y Chainbridge, Llangollen

11/09/98 Neuadd Buddug, Y Bala (Ysbryd Chouchen)

12/09/98 Gŵyl y Gwyniad, Y Bala

19/09/98 Y Maes Manor, Y Coed Duon

05/10/98 Maindee, Casnewydd

17/10/98 Y Castell, Cil-y-Coed

03/12/98 Plas Dolguog, Machynlleth

Erbyn hyn, roedd crwydro gyda'r delyn wedi dod yn ffordd o fyw, ochr yn ochr a'm astudiaethau ymchwil. Yn ystod gwanwyn 1998 roeddwn yn derbyn cynigion amrywiol gan grwpiau dawns a gwerin o gwmpas de Cymru, a pharhaodd y gigs gydag Ysbryd Chouchen. Ces i gwahoddiad hefyd i ymuno gyda grwp Ffynnon. Wrth edrych yn ol, mae'n debyg mae dyma'r cyfnod lle y gallwn fod wedi penderfynu ar gyrfa fel cerddor gwerin, a hepgor fy astudiaethau'n llwyr - ond doedd hynny byth yn opsiwn mewn gwirionedd, a byddai wedi golygu na fyddwn wedi mwynhau fy llwyddiant cymharol yn y byd academaidd - sef fy mhrif flaenoriaeth ar y pryd. Ond, roedd efallai'n gamgymeriad i mi ymadael a grwp Ffynnon (am ddim rheswm pendant, am wn i). Rhai blynyddoedd wedi i mi fod yn aelod, (ac efallai oherwydd i mi gadael!) aeth y grwp ymlaen i gael tipyn o lwyddiant rhyngwladol.

By now, rambling with the harp had become a settled way of life, alongside my research studies. By Spring 1998, I received a number of offers from dance groups and folk groups across south Wales, and the gigs with Ysbryd Chouchen continued. I was also invited to join the contemporary group, Ffynnon. Looking back, this is the time where I possibly could have decided on a career as a folk harpist, and thrown everything at this activity at the expense of my studies. However, this was never an option at the time, and it would have cost me my brief but fairly successful academic career in political studies, which was always my main priority. Although, in retrospect, it was perhaps a mistake to discontinue my activity with Ffynnon (for no specific reason, as I recall). Some years after I drifted away from Ffynnon (and perhaps because of my departure!) the group went on to have quite a bit of success on the international stage.

Ar Daith / On Tour: 1997


1997- GIGS

09/01/97 Capel y Gerlan, Y Borth

14/02/97 Gwesty Roxburghe, Caeredin

31/03/97 Gwesty Gliffaes, Powys

12/07/97 Gŵyl Werin y Cnapan, Ffostrasol (Ysbryd Chouchen)

15/07/97 Capel y Morfa, Aberystwyth

19/07/97 Sesiwn Fawr Dolgellau (Ysbryd Chouchen)

01/08/97 Castell Ffonmon, Bro Morgannwg

05/08/97 Wynnstay Arms, Machynlleth

08/08/97 Maes B, Yr Eisteddfod, Y Bala (Ysbryd Chouchen)

09/08/97 Eglwys St. William of York, Sheffield

10/08/97 Celtica, Machynlleth

11/08/97 SESIWN “Y GAREJ” (Ysbryd Chouchen)

12/08/97 Wynnstay Arms, Machynlleth

19/08/97 Wynnstay Arms, Machynlleth

21-23/08/97 Y Gŵyl Fictorianaidd, Llandrindod

26/08/97 Wynnstay Arms, Machynlleth

28/08/97 Y Tabernacl, Machynlleth

09/09/97 Wynnstay Arms, Machynlleth

10/09/97 Wynnstay Arms, Machynlleth

18/09/97 Wynnstay Arms, Machynlleth

27/09/97 Y Neuadd Fawr, Aberystywyth (Ysbryd Chouchen)

16-19/10/97 Lowender Perran, Perranporth (Dawnswyr Pen-y-Fai)

15/11/97 Y Castell, Caerdydd

02/12/97 Y Castell, Cil-y-Coed

06/12/97 Gŵyl Ffidlan, Y Bala

08/12/97 Sŵn y Don, Aberystwyth

25/12/97 Gwesty’r Marine, Aberystwyth

Rhywbryd ar ddechrau 1997, tra'n myfyriwr israddedig ym Mhrifysgol Strathclyde, cymerais penderfyniad fy mod i am ddilyn cwrs MPhil (wedyn PhD) yng Nghaerdydd, ar sail rhan-amser. Doedd dim cynllun o gwbl gennyf beth i'w wneud neu sut i'w hariannu - jyst troi lan i Gaerdydd ym mis Medi 1997 gyda thelyn a dau fag. Yn lwcus, tra 'roeddwn mewn tafarn yn Eisteddfod Y Bala, cwrddais hen gyfaill, Steffan Wiliam, a threfnu mynd i fyw gyda fe yn ardal Adamsdown y ddinas. Am ryw rheswm na fedra'i ddirnad heddiw, wnes i ddim ceisio chwilio am swydd "iawn" i ariannu fy PhD, ond yn hytrach penderfynu mynd o amgylch trefi de Cymru yn bysgio gyda'r delyn. Yn ystod yr haf, cwrddais a chriw o fyfyrwyr cerddorol o gwmpas goelcerth yng Ngwyl Werin y Cnapan. Roeddwn i yno gyda fy nhelyn, am fod gen i gweithdy i'w gynnal ar rhan y Cymdeithas Offerynnau Traddodiadol. Rhywsut, penderfynodd y criw ifanc yma fy mod i "on board" ac yn rhan o grwp "Ysbryd Chouchen", ac fe ddechreuodd siwrnau newydd yn fy hanes gyda'r delyn.

At some point at the beginning of 1997, as an undergrad student at Strathclyde, I decided that I wanted to follow an Mphil (and subsequently a PhD) in Cardiff, on a part-time basis. I had no plan what this entailed, or how I would fund it - I just turned up in Cardiff in September 1997 with two bags and my harp. Luckily, at the Eisteddfod in Bala, I had (literally!) bumped into an old friend, Steffan Wiliam, who offered me some digs at his house in the Adamsdown area of Cardiff. For some reason which I still can't fathom, I declined to find a "proper" job to fund my PhD, opting instead to travel around the towns of south Wales, busking with my harp. During the summer, I had also met a crew of musical students around the bonfire at the Cnapan Folk Festival in Ceredigion. I was there with my harp, having workshop duties to do on behalf of the Traditional Instruments' Society. Somehow, this young, hip crew decided that I was now "on board" as a member of Ysbryd Chouchen, and another new chapter started.

Ar Daith / On Tour: 1996


1996 - GIGS

11/01/96 Capel y Gerlan, Y Borth

13/01/96 Cummings Hotel, Inverness

19/04/96 Undeb Myfyrwyr, Prifysgol Strathclyde

08/07/96 Gwesty’r Marine, Aberystwyth

09/07/96 Gwesty’r Four Seasons, Aberystwyth

13/07/96 Aberystwyth (Gwyl Stryd)

13/07/96 Wynnstay Arms, Machynlleth

15/07/96 Gwesty’r Marine, Aberystwyth

20/07/96 Wynnstay Arms, Machynlleth

25/07/96 Prifysgol Bangor (Y Gyngres Geltaidd)

10/08/96 Wynnstay Arms, Machynlleth

17/08/96 Wynnstay Arms, Machynlleth

24/08/96 Wynnstay Arms, Machynlleth

26/08/96 Celtica, Machynlleth

31/08/96 Canolfan y Celfyddydau, Aberystwyth

14/09/96 Machynlleth (Gwyl Stryd y Canol Oesoedd)

14/09/96 Y Tabernacl, Machynlleth

24/09/96 Celtica, Machynlleth

30/11/96 GWEITHDY COTC, BANGOR

24/12/96 Wynnstay Arms, Machynlleth

26/12/96 Gwesty'r Marine, Aberystwyth

Blwyddyn cofiadwy. Dyma'r tro cyntaf i mi ddechrau ysgrifennu bant i geisio cael gwaith. Erbyn hyn, roeddwn wedi dod i nabod y telynor deires, Robin Huw Bowen, yn dda iawn. Rwy'n meddwl ei ddylanwad ef oedd wedi ysgogi'r syniad o fod yn delynor mwy 'proffesiynol' fy agwedd nag oeddwn wedi bod cyn hynny. Yn ffodus iawn, ces i gynnig cyfres o nosweithiau yn y Wynnstay Arms, sef prif gwesty tref Machynlleth. Tua'r adeg hynny dechreuais cysylltiad gyda chanolfan "Celtica" yn yr un dref. Roedd dau achlysur arall o bwys. Yn gyntaf, gig trwy'r nos ym Mhrifysgol Strathclyde (gweler y poster). Rwy'n cofio canu set gyda'r gitar gan fwyaf (yn cynnwys "Bells of Rhymney", o flaen llond dwrn o gynulleidfa am tua 3.00 y bore, a chael derbyniad gwresog. Yn Nhachwedd, wnes i dal tren o Glasgow i Fangor er mwyn mynychu gweithdy cyntaf Cymdeithas Offerynnau Traddodiadol Cymru (sef CLERA erbyn hyn). Yno roedd dau o'm prif ddylanwadau wrth y lliw - Robin Huw Bowen, a Stephen Rees (cynt o grwp Ar Log). Wrth edrych yn ol, roedd yr achlysur ym Mangor yn dipyn o hwb i gario 'mlaen mewn i 1997, a dechreuadau newydd...

A memorable year. This was the first time that I actively started writing away for gigs. By now, I had got to know the triple harpist, Robin Huw Bowen, very well, and I think it was his influence at the time that sparked the idea of becoming a bit more 'professional' in my approach than I had been, hitherto. Luckily, I was offered a series of gigs in the Wynnstay Arms, the main hotel in Machynlleth. I also started an association with the "Celtica" centre in the same town. There were two other events of note. First, an all-nighter gig at Strathclyde students' union (see poster). I played a mainly guitar set in front of a handful of very enthusiastic diehards (including "Bells of Rhymney", as I recall). In November, I caught the train from Glasgow to Bangor to attend the first ever workshop of The Society of Welsh Traditional Instruments (CLERA now). Of course, two of my main influences were amongst those in charge - Robin Huw Bowen, and Stephen Rees (formerly of Ar Log). Looking back, I think that the occasion in Bangor was a significant inspiration to carry on into 1997, and new beginnings...

Ar Daith / On Tour: 1995

1995 - GIGS

05/01/95 Capel y Gerlan, Y Borth

13/05/95 Undeb Myfyrwyr, Prifysgol Stirling

12/07/05 Y Neuadd Gymuned, Y Borth

26-31/07/95 Lorient, Llydaw (Y Gyngres Geltaidd)

11/08/95 Plas Kinmel, Abergele (Cyn cyngerdd Dafydd Iwan a’r Band)

12/08/95 Gwesty’r Marine, Aberystwyth

19-20/08/95 Gwyl Fictorianaidd, Llandrindod

15/09/95 Neuadd Pantycelyn, Aberystwyth

09/95 Prifysgol Aberystwyth

08/11/95 Gwesty’r Charing Cross Tower, Glasgow

26/12/95 Gwesty’r Marine, Aberystwyth

Digwyddodd tri beth o ddiddordeb yn gigs eleni. Yn gyntaf, colli tiwnar fy nhelyn rhywle ym Undeb Myfyrwyr Prifysgol Stirling (13/05/95). Byth oddi ar hynny, rwyf wedi defnyddio un o'r rhain i diwnio fy nhelyn. Yr ail peth oedd cael caniatad gan fy hen arwr Dafydd Iwan i ganu'r delyn cyn ei gig yn wythnos yr Eisteddfod Abergele! Dyna hefyd oedd yr unig tro i mi ffawdheglu rhwng dau gig - o Abergele i Borthmadog, wedyn bws lawr i Fachynlleth a lifft o fan 'ni gan fy nhad yng nghyfraith. Y trydydd peth, ym mis Tachwedd, oedd cael gwahoddiad gan griw o ddynion busnes o Ynysoedd Aland i chwarae mewn noswaith i hybu masnach y wlad honno. Fy nau prif atgof yw "Svartbrod" (ryw fath o bara brith)...a chwrw!

Three things of note happened in this year's gigs. First, I lost my tuning key somewhere in Stirling Students Union. Ever since then, I have used one of these to tune my harp. The second thing was being allowed by my old hero, Dafydd Iwan, to play the harp at the before his gig in the National Eisteddfod week. This was also the only time I have hitch-hiked between gigs, from Abergele to Porthmadog and then a bus down toMachynlleth and a lift from there to Aberystwyth with my father-in-law. The third event, in November, was being invited to perform in a promotional night for the Aland Islands, in Glasgow. My two abiding memories of this night were "Svartbrod" (not dissimilar to bara brith), and...beer!