“To begin at the beginning - Poet and playwright, broadcaster and prose writer, scriptwriter and storyteller, in his short life Dylan Thomas was all of these, and much, much more.
Arthur Owens liked a drink and everyone at his local pub seemed to know that he was a spy so when Mi5 had him detained in Dartmoor it was probably his saving grace.
This volume ( together with the other 4 in the series ) is a must read for anyone with an interest in the Roman or early medieval period of 'Welsh' history.
A Britain’s Got Talent star and an international tenor will be among the performers at a special fundraising concert for Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. Teenage soprano Faryl Smith, who shot to fame on the hit ITV talent show, joins Adriano Graziani at the gala event at Wrexham’s William Aston Hall.Tickets for the concert on Friday 2 March (7.30pm) are now on sale and can be purchased via the Eisteddfod Box Office on 01978 862001.
Eilir Owen-Griffiths, the Eisteddfod’s Musical Director, said: “It’s great to have support from performers who, despite their success, still have such a special bond with the Eisteddfod. The money raised with this kind of event is a way to help ensure that Llangollen can continue to provide a platform for young and talented performers for many years to come.”
BBC Wales newsreader Sian Lloyd will host the evening which also includes performances from past Eisteddfod competitors Orlyk Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, Côr Rhuthun, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, and Côr Ysgol Morgan Llwyd.
Tickets, which cost £15.00, are also available from Glyndwr University Box Office (01978 293293), Wrexham Tourist Information Office and Ysgol Morgan Llwyd.
The line-up for the 2012 Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod has already been announced with stars including Alfie Boe, Wynne Evans, Lesley Garrett, Karl Jenkins, Alison Balsolm and Nicola Bendetti all scheduled to perform at the summer event. Tickets for these concerts – held between 3 and 8 July 2012 – can also be purchased via the Llangollen website and Box Office.
AmeriCymru spoke to Diana Watts of Blond-E, South Wales and the UK's top Blondie tribute band. Find out more about the band on their website HERE
AmeriCymru: Hi Diana and many thanks for agreeing to be interviewed by AmeriCymru. Care to tell us a little about your musical background?
Diana Watts
Diana Watts: I started singing in clubs since I was 13. I've been a member of various bands around the Cardiff area but only willing to admit to 3, Catch 22, The phantoms and ‘so what’ with whom I was lucky enough to play in the Hippodrome Leicester square, and Hammersmith Palais.
I was the 1986 international ‘Voiceover’ Champion, and the Wales and the West 1991 Karaoke Champion and have been singing on and off ever since.
AmeriCymru: How did the band come to be formed. Who was the driving force behind Blond-E?
Diana Watts: A few years ago a good friend was remixing some Blondie tracks and as he thought I sounded like her asked me to overlay some vocal tracks. He has since passed away but the idea of Blondie stuck in my mind. I asked a few friends if they were interested in forming a tribute band and was overwhelmed by their response. At the same time our guitarists were also thinking of forming a Blondie tribute band and the rest as they say is history.
AmeriCymru: What can you tell us about the other band members. How did you all meet?
Diana Watts: To be honest some of us have known each other for years but we didn't keep in touch. It was Facebook that brought us all together.
Wayne our guitarist was in a band with our bassist Marc. Our other guitarist Ade met up again with them after having played in a band with him when they were both teenagers and brought in drummer Ian who he'd played in a punk covers band in the 1980s and finally I forced Dom out of retirement - Dom was the cute older brother of my friend when we were very young but he would never speak to me. Ade and I were born on the same day of the same year and I feel that this was 'Destiny, I don't know yet'.
A clip of Rapture performed by Blond-e using old stills
AmeriCymru: I guess everyone who remembers that era has a favorite Blondie track ( mine is 'Atomic' ), what would be yours?
Diana Watts: I really like X-Offender as to me it represents what New York New wave was all about back in the day. It may be kitsch, it may be tacky but it sums up the the 1980's and is a cursory nod to the throw-away pop culture of the time.
AmeriCymru: What has been your proudest moment/favorite gig with Blond-E so far?
Diana Watts: Our first gig was in Abergavenny, we had only been together for a short while and when we arrived we found a full stage and lighting rig. I think we got away with it. We did a gig on New Year's day in Mountain Ash and we rammed the place. I have to say that every gig we do just seems to get better and better and it is really down to our hard-core group of fans that makes it for us.
AmeriCymru: Does the band have any plans to perform or record original material or is strictly a Blondie tribute band?
Diana Watts: We also perform material that has been covered by Blondie such as Get in On by Mark Bolan and we also include a few other numbers that we all like in the set. We are all also actively engaged in other bands and projects
AmeriCymru: Any live gigs in the near future?
Diana Watts: Yes, our calendar for 2012 is filling up nicely - for details of all our upcoming gigs see our website at http://www.blond-e.com
AmeriCymru: Where can people go online to hear and/or purchase your music?
Diana Watts: We have some short clips available on our site and are about to go into studio to record a few more.
AmeriCymru: What's next for Diana Watts and Blond-E?
Diana Watts: We have been asked to do a few of the bigger festivals this summer and we are also looking to record some of Blondie's back catalogue in Welsh for our Welsh speaking audience. I'm currently trying to perfect my Welsh with a New York accent - listening to John Cale has helped!
AmeriCymru: Any final message for the readers and members of AmeriCymru?
Diana Watts: Yes, we hope to be out on the West Coast some time later this year. Please check out our website and join our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Blond-E/
A snippet recorded live at rehearsals. No overdubs or edits – This is Blond-E's live sound.
Our newest member, Anthony Lydall from Cardiff, is researching potential demand for an online Welsh language course on behalf of Cardiff University’s Welsh for Adults Centre. He invites you to complete a short survey on the link below and there is a prize draw incentive of a free place on the University’s 2012 Welsh summer course, including accommodation, for one lucky respondent to the survey. It’s a good prize for doing something that only takes a few minutes!
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