BARD FOR LIFE crowdfunding page
My BARD FOR LIFE set at Durbervilles on the BARD’s birth/death day April 23rd 2026–also St. George’s Day of course–has morphed into my new album/writing project, with songs and instrumentals with literary allusion or quotes in their titles, or sometimes treatments of whole poems or songs.
I’m crowdfunding the album by encouraging patrons to buy copies in advance @ £15 via bank transfer my details are a/c 16123990, sort code 09-01-26, account holder Dean Carter.
Please email me at ahiahel@live.com to let me know you have become a patron in this way and you’ll be added to our roll of honour below-this should also be added to the final album’s artwork. You can also have your say regarding which tracks from the pool of material you’d like to make it onto the album–tracks with the most votes win-put your votes/requests in the email. The tracks offered are listed below alongside clips/demo versions I’m in the process of adding.
Blessed be
dc
BARD FOR LIFE: The Tracks
SONGS
WHAT MATTERS TO ME NOW
The lyrics of this are by a modern bard, Geoff Davey of our Sherborne Poetry Writer’s group. The first time I’ve co-written a piece with a living bard!
CELESTIAL LIGHT
A setting of Wordsworth’s ‘Immortality’ Ode…even cut down to about half length, a bit of an epic suite treatment coming in at around 15 minutes!
NOT A GOOD TIME
Originally released on my 1992 album Persistence of Vision it features a direct quote from one of the Bard of Avon’s works–I won’t tell you which as this will spoil our next quiz at the next live presentation! The 1992 version here: featuring Geoff Newbound keyboards/b vox, Ruth James b vox.
PERSISTENCE OF VISION
A new song of mine despite using an old title-to hear my rendering on ABBEY 104 FM on October 8th go to their website, find the Listen Again option and the show was Susan Boyce’s Ramblings and Music my interview and live set begins appx 10 minutes into the segment. Again a Bard of Avon allusion can be found in the lyrics. A live in the living room version:
NOVEMBER IN WHITEHALL/SABRE RATTLING
This is another update of a song from my 1992 album, performed here at Durbervilles again October 15th 2026. It qualifies for inclusion under the bard theme on two counts: ‘November In Whitehall’ is a spoken word poem, while the song ‘Sabre Rattling’ is heavily influenced by the war poets.
TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE
A new song performed
already at the BARD gigs, with a Shakespearean title. Live in the living room:
OUR REVELS
Simply packed with quotes and allusions this one, not only from The Bard of Avon but also from a 20th Century poetic giant. And introducing…an unexpected ‘other’ voice than that of the guitar!
TORCH SONG
Appearing in the live sets, but unlikely to be re-recorded as it’s already on my SONGS WITHOUT WORDS/TOWARDS TOMORROW album available on CD and direct digital download from us–or via the stealing…sorry streaming platforms at about a thousandth of a penny a play!
FRAGMENTS
Another live-set-only candidate, as this too has recently been recorded and can be found on my OUT OF THE LOOP album -for availability, see above. A direct quote from Blake, allusions to TS Eliot and Coleridge, and hovering in the background modern bards Jim Morrison, Syd Barret, David Bowie.
INSTRUMENTALS:
GALLIARDE-HOLY PALMER’S KISS
A Shakespearean quote in the title from a play for which it is intended as the music to a dance scene. A dream-piece, literally coming through on the borders of sleep and waking.
THE ISLE IS FULL OF NOISES
Shakespearean titles abound among the instrumentals–this had a tropical feel to me so put me in mind of the play from which comes the title.
THIS STRANGE EVENTFUL HISTORY
Another Shakespearean quotation, referring to the stages of the journey of each human life…demo or lve clip coming soon!
TIME OUT OF JOINT
This time a Shakespearean allusion rather than quotation. This version from the April 23rd Bard For Life gig suffers from having the end cut off–very painful–but is the best version we have at the moment to base your track selection choice on.
TO SLEEP PERCHANCE TO DREAM
Easily the most well-known of the quotation titles, as yet unperformed.
VENUS AND ADONIS
A Shakespearean title-unperformed as yet.
TOUCHSTONE
A character for the title this time–already on the performance roster. The debut performance can again be found on the ABBEY 104 FM Listen Again Ramblings and Music October 8th set.
MUSIC SUCH AS CHARMETH SLEEP
Shakespearean titled instrumental from the WHEEL OF THE YEAR album
OUR PATRONS– ROLL OF HONOUR (and their track requests)
thank you so much folks
ALI BLACK
WENDY SALTER
GEOFF DAVEY-What Matters To Me Now
ANNA HOWARD
ROZZY SECRETT
BEN CLAYDEN
LESLIE DONOVAN
KEVIN SEALY- November In Whitehall/Sabre Rattling.