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

Featured on the same Ramblings and Music  set referred to above, this is another update of a song from my 1992 album. 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. The 1992 recording again features Geoff and Ruth

 

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 NOW ARE ENDED

As yet unperformed and unrecorded, look out for its debut on the next Ramblings and Music show coming up on November 5th!

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, should be being given a live airing on the November 5th Ramblings and Music (from 7pm)

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

thank you so much folks

ALI BLACK

WENDY SALTER

GEOFF DAVEY