A Curious Tale is finally here!!! It came in on Friday 13th of June - proving that it can in fact be a very lucky day! :-D
The debut album has taken a lot of work by many very dedicated people. Over the last 5 or so months, the STM team has been juggling full-time jobs with recording (the girls and Steve Distill), mixing and producing (Steve and Andy Elliott), touring with Dave Swarbrick (the girls, who also did the odd extra gig here and there – including supporting Clannad, of all people! No biggie!), creating artwork (me, including design meetings and discussions with the girls) and compiling everything into the print template (Jess). It certainly was a challenge (particularly as we were all doing it for the first time), but an enjoyable one, and it has shown what a creative and hard-working bunch we all are! We also learnt so much from the process.
The moments of stress have all become worthwhile, as we have been rewarded with the much-anticipated first album of Said the Maiden!! And we’re all over the moon with how it looks and sounds! (I will share photos of it in a later post.) We hope that everyone else will feel the same way. There is also some lovely merchandise to go with it (postcards and badges so far).
The collection of songs on it is absolutely stunning. It is constantly playing in my kitchen at home, and I’m sure it is in many other homes and cars across the land! No doubt it will be played on many radio stations across the country too.
It has a new song written by maiden Jess Distill – a creepy one based on the fairytale of a rabbit kidnapping a girl to make her his bride (depicted on the album booklet cover and referenced on the inlay artwork). Joining the maidens on this song is James O’Hara Knight, as the menacing rabbit himself. The girls have also been honoured by Dave Swarbrick lending his fiddle to their new version of Shady Grove.
It is so hard to pick a favourite song, as really all the songs are essential to the album. However, The Rabbit’s Bride, A Sailor’s Promise (also written by the girls), Silver Dagger, Rain and Snow and I Wonder What is Keeping My True Love This Night are particularly special to me.
I’d like to make my own personal thank yous to the people who made this possible for me. Please see below…
First of all, I’d like to thank the maidens, of course, for letting me become a part of their magical world. I enjoyed joining them on their pub-crawl-tour in April 2013 and listening to their beautiful and entrancing vocals, which inspired me to reach for the pen and pencils to draw some art, bringing out something in me that had been dormant for a long time. Initially, I just showed Jess my stuff as a gift to them, but when they asked me to do their artwork for the album, I was overjoyed. This project has brought me to life again. As a fan and as a friend, I thank them.
I’d also like to thank my fiancé, Stefan, who has done so much for me, especially over the last 5 months. He cooked most of my dinners for me while I was working on the album artwork most evenings and weekends. He kept me going when I was tired and my hand/arm had gone dead! He completely supported me and was excited and vocal about my work, which is something I appreciate as it isn’t always easy to come by.
I’d also like to thank Charlotte Hanger, who provided me with a lot of support, feedback and advice. She talked me through a lot of things and helped to keep me sane! Thanks also to Tina and Mark Sharpley, for being good friends. And many thanks to Stef’s parents, Jeanette and David Glosby, for their encouragement, care and support. They made me feel that my art, passions and dreams were worthwhile. Last but not least, thanks to my parents, who came with us to the last gig of the tour, and who have been sending merchandise over to our family in Belgium and spreading the word over there!
A Curious Tale can be bought online here. Press release and more information about the album can be found here.
- Chloe Valerie
The debut album has taken a lot of work by many very dedicated people. Over the last 5 or so months, the STM team has been juggling full-time jobs with recording (the girls and Steve Distill), mixing and producing (Steve and Andy Elliott), touring with Dave Swarbrick (the girls, who also did the odd extra gig here and there – including supporting Clannad, of all people! No biggie!), creating artwork (me, including design meetings and discussions with the girls) and compiling everything into the print template (Jess). It certainly was a challenge (particularly as we were all doing it for the first time), but an enjoyable one, and it has shown what a creative and hard-working bunch we all are! We also learnt so much from the process.
The moments of stress have all become worthwhile, as we have been rewarded with the much-anticipated first album of Said the Maiden!! And we’re all over the moon with how it looks and sounds! (I will share photos of it in a later post.) We hope that everyone else will feel the same way. There is also some lovely merchandise to go with it (postcards and badges so far).
The collection of songs on it is absolutely stunning. It is constantly playing in my kitchen at home, and I’m sure it is in many other homes and cars across the land! No doubt it will be played on many radio stations across the country too.
It has a new song written by maiden Jess Distill – a creepy one based on the fairytale of a rabbit kidnapping a girl to make her his bride (depicted on the album booklet cover and referenced on the inlay artwork). Joining the maidens on this song is James O’Hara Knight, as the menacing rabbit himself. The girls have also been honoured by Dave Swarbrick lending his fiddle to their new version of Shady Grove.
It is so hard to pick a favourite song, as really all the songs are essential to the album. However, The Rabbit’s Bride, A Sailor’s Promise (also written by the girls), Silver Dagger, Rain and Snow and I Wonder What is Keeping My True Love This Night are particularly special to me.
I’d like to make my own personal thank yous to the people who made this possible for me. Please see below…
First of all, I’d like to thank the maidens, of course, for letting me become a part of their magical world. I enjoyed joining them on their pub-crawl-tour in April 2013 and listening to their beautiful and entrancing vocals, which inspired me to reach for the pen and pencils to draw some art, bringing out something in me that had been dormant for a long time. Initially, I just showed Jess my stuff as a gift to them, but when they asked me to do their artwork for the album, I was overjoyed. This project has brought me to life again. As a fan and as a friend, I thank them.
I’d also like to thank my fiancé, Stefan, who has done so much for me, especially over the last 5 months. He cooked most of my dinners for me while I was working on the album artwork most evenings and weekends. He kept me going when I was tired and my hand/arm had gone dead! He completely supported me and was excited and vocal about my work, which is something I appreciate as it isn’t always easy to come by.
I’d also like to thank Charlotte Hanger, who provided me with a lot of support, feedback and advice. She talked me through a lot of things and helped to keep me sane! Thanks also to Tina and Mark Sharpley, for being good friends. And many thanks to Stef’s parents, Jeanette and David Glosby, for their encouragement, care and support. They made me feel that my art, passions and dreams were worthwhile. Last but not least, thanks to my parents, who came with us to the last gig of the tour, and who have been sending merchandise over to our family in Belgium and spreading the word over there!
A Curious Tale can be bought online here. Press release and more information about the album can be found here.
- Chloe Valerie