Cottage Industry

Please scroll down to listen to MP3 files of some of our music. 

Not strictly Cottage Industry business - but I thought that this was the best page to say that I'm delighted to be presenting "Forest Folk" on Forest FM whuich broadcasts on 92.3FM and streams at http://www.forestfm.co.uk and also on Radioplayer.  The programme is broadcast on Monday evenings between 8.00 & 10.00. Do let me know what folk and roots music you would like to hear - I'd particularly like to feature local artistes. Just send me your CD - Forest Folk, Forest FM, 2 Enterprise Park, Verwood  BH31 6YS or send an e-mail to peter@peter-aston.co.uk   

Cottage Industry are a  4 piece ceilidh & barn dance band from Dorset specialising in song and dance from England, Ireland & Scotland plus medieval banquets, shanty sessions and Dorset, St. Patrick's & Burns' evenings.  Cottage Industry were established in 1976, since when the band has been on one long rollercoaster of a tour!  Gigs across the country have included theatres, castles, country mansions, hotels, boats, clubs and pubs - and leaky barns!  It also seems like almost every village hall in Dorset & Hampshire has echoed to the sound of the band's driving jigs & reels!  Highlights of the past 30 years have included a 'medieval banquet' broadcast live from the BBC studios in Southampton and playing aboard a schooner owner by an exiled Cuban goldminer - with a crew of 10 Swedish girls! 

Over the years the band has done quite a lot of recording - starting in about 1978 in a 4 track garage studio owned by photographer Roger Holman, to BBC Maida Vale Studios in 1981 & 1982 which produced a release "We're All for Swanage", a song about Swanage Railway that made us famous on TV and radio - well, for about half-an-hour anyway!  In recent years Cottage Industry have recorded in Peter Aston's 16 track studio. 

Cottage Industry are available for engagements in England & Wales.  A quick way to check our availability is to click on "Bookings" in the left hand menu.  As Peter Aston is a member of the UK Musicians' Union, engagements carry automatic public liability insurance cover of £10 million. 

In September 2011 we played for a wedding near Southampton and were delighted to meet up with two couples whose weddings we had appeared at - one 2 years ago and one 16 years ago.  Where have the years gone?  The moral of this little story is that marriages last longer if they start with a Cottage Industry ceilidh! 

Back in 2005 we were honoured to play at Poole Lighthouse as part of the AMPfest concert in memory of our original bass player, Eric Bird, who had sadly died. There is a review of our part in the concert. AMP is the Access to Music Project based in Poole which provides opportunities to learn or re-learn and perform music - often for people who have had disabling illnesses or accidents. Eric had been a leading light in AMP during his years of "forgetfulness" with encephalitis.  Congratulations to the AMP Project on being presented with the 2007 East Dorset District Council Community Service Award in the "Contribution to Culture" category, recognition for the excellent and supportive work undertaken by AMP over several years.  

A long-standing friend of ours, a well-known folk fiddler and an all-round good egg is Richard (Titch) Roberts who in recent years has forged a formidable reputation as Sonic Violins, building top quality electro-acoustic violins, violas and cellos for the likes of Dave Swarbrick (Fairport Convention), Phil Beer (Show of Hands) and Pete Birnie (formerly of Cottage Industry).  If you need a wonderful instrument to help express your own music then visit Sonic Violins by clicking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmtEmd7LdNY

The photo below was taken at a St George's Day ceilidh in Corfe Mullen - just after it was taken Clive (far right) played a dramatic final chord - and promptly went straight through the stage - rock 'n' roll eh!

The Cottage Industry Sampler:
(Song samples below - the full cd is available, please send us an email)
Email

Song Title			MP3
Horses Brawl (468Kb)
King of the Fairies/High Germany/Drowsy Maggie (599Kb)
Athol Highlanders/Gary Owen (491Kb)
Galway City/Spanish Ladies (484Kb)