Mark Waistell

Listen to the show here.

Our special guest this Wednesday was Mark Waistell who performed three of his own songs, accompanying himself on the guitar. His songs were My England Of Long Ago Snow Upon The Sea and In Paris.

On Mark's album Latecomer he is accompanied by a host of celebrated musicians. Details on Mark's website where you can find out more abvout his music generally.

A superb performance for The Multifarious Mix . Thanks, Mark!

Mark is in concert on Saturday 9 June at the Cygnet New Theatre, Exeter at 19:30.

Recordings played
The Lights..Days Don't Get Me Far Enough Away
Damn Damn Patriots..Family Unit
Christopher Hawley Rollers..Red Lights Green..Meditations
Eric Ness..All These Problems..Blah Blah Blah
Bo Walton..I Like It Like That..Waiting On A Dream
Sam Green..Magic Bus
Jay Tamkin..Lovin' Man..Alibi
Monkey Gland Blues Band..Maggie Magill..Monkey Gland Blues Band
Matt Norman..The Cliff / Eight Days Late..Eight Days Late
Jay Tamkin..Lovin' Man..Alibi
Jim Moray..Big Love..Skulk
Kouatchou..Smile..Changes
Modou N'Diaye..Kouma..Sabou
Samuel Yirga..Dance With The Legend..Guzo
Valeryan..Mary Mary
Ojos De Brujo..Tiempo de Soleá..Bari
Richard Thompson..Leep Your Distance..Action Packed
Seth Lakeman..Hearts And Minds..Hearts And Minds
Norma Waterson..Dreaming..The Very Thought Of You
Phillip Henry..I Wanna Boogie..Live In The Living Room
Maz Totterdell..Smile On Sunshine..Sweep
Megson..The Long Shot..The Long Shot
Nic Jones..Teddy Bear's Picnic..In Search Of Nic Jones

Theatre and Live Music...

...on this week's  The Multifarious Mix . Listen to the show here.

We featured two sets of excellent musicians. From Frome we welcomed two members of the band My Social Orbit: Pierre Shepard and Graeme Lawson. The full band are pictured. We were given a fine acoustic set. Their self-penned songs were Legal Bank Job, Festival Fantasy, Line Of Least Resistance and Life's Not Easy. Find out more about their music on Facebook and MySpace.

It's always great to have local singer songwriter guitarist Nicky Swann playing for Phonic FM. Nicky has a wonderful new album out featuring songs connected with her home town of Newton Abbot. It's called How Does Your Land Lie and from the album we played New Found Lands. Nicky's live songs are also featured on the album: Union Babies, Diving and Run Away.

Thank you very much to all the talented musicians.

To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Exeter Blitz, Viva Voce, in collaboration with Exeter's BikeShed Theatre, have created a theatrical Blitz experience based on accounts by people who experienced the blitz. The production runs from 3-19 May. Full details on the BikeShed Theatre website. Many thanks to co-director Jessican Beck for telling us all about this innovative and exciting production.

We were pleased too to hear from Malcolm about productions coming up at Exeter's New Theatre, home to the Cygnet Training Theatre. The theatre consistently produces top class shows. The next productions are Trouble and Strife (5 May), The Cygnet Review (12 May), Born in the Gardens - Creative Cow (16-17 May) and The Taming of the Shrew (28 May - 1 June). Details here.

Fair Trade and pretty fair entertainment

Plenty of interesting and enthusiastic guests today with lots to tell us.


Our first guest Sebastian Pope introduced us to the delights of a play called Alas, Poor Fred, playing at The Hour Glass in Exeter from Wednesday 7 to Saturday 10 March. James Saunders' absurd two hander is the first of four plays at The Hourglass by the newly renamed OwlGlass Theatre. Buy tickets (£9) in advance from the pub venue.

Councillor Ian Martin and Hilary Noakes talked about the importance of Fair Trade products in ensuring that the people who produce what we eat, wear and use should get paid enough to live on and a chance to improve their lives. There are several events in Exeter over the next two weeks promoting Fair Trade products. Find out about them here. 


The Fair Trade Foundation has an excellent website where you can find further information about ethical trading and production and getting involved in fair trade.

Malcolm, Tessa and Hannah came along from Cygnet Training Theatre who perform at The New Theatre, Exeter. Fresh from the success of a run of As You Like It at the theatre, they told us about their own production, visiting theatre companies and concerts coming up. This Friday 2 March from 19:00 there is a fund-raising event run by students to raise money to take the company to the Edinburgh Festival. The event includes a Revue and a Silent Auction. See the full programme on the Cygnet New Theatre website.

Our final guest was UK rockabilly singer songwriter 
Bo Walton. Bo received considerable acclaim for his first two singles, 's Too Much backed with Hey Mister Night, the latter featuring Mark Knofler. Just as successful  were his next "double sided" single Wild at Heart and Wild Woman. His new album Waiting On A Dream - featuring "modern rockabilly music with an edge" was recorded and produced by John David at Berry Hill Studio in Gloucester. The album has just been released by Exeter-based Tabitha Records.
It's worth checking out Bo's videos on Youtube.


Music played 
Penguin Cafe Orchestra..Bean Fields..Signs Of Life
Roxy Music..Remake, Remodel..Roxy Music
Hugh Laurie..Red Hot..Let Them Talk
Jacques Brel..Madeleine
Jackie Oates..The Sweet Nightingale..Saturnine
Roberto Fonseco..Bibisa..Yo
The Four Seasons..Sherry
AfroCubism..A La Luna Yo Me Voy..AfroCubism
M4trix..Lord Mayo..Gaps
Mike Silver..Maybe It's Just Love
Mariachi El Bronx..48 Roses..Mariachi El Bronx II
Gallavin..My Baby Just Cares For Me
Bo Walton..'s Too Much / Hey Mister Night / Wild At Heart
Del Shannon..So Long Baby..All The Hits & More
Lord Rockingham's 11..Hoots Mon
Norma Waterson..On Friday's He's Fred Astaire..The Very Thought Of You
Penguin Cafe Orchestra..Southern Jukebox Music..Signs Of Life

Exeter theatres rule!

Thank you to all our guests today from Cygnet New Theatre, Exeter BikeShed Theatre and Exeter Northcott Theatre. 

Malcolm and Matt came in 
to tell us about the Cygnet New Theatre's current production, Alan Ackbourn's My Very Own Story. Matt acts as Percy who has what he believes is an exciting tale to tell but finds there are rival story tellers. Audiences have been thoroughly enjoying this production which continues until 10 December and again from 4 to 7 January.
Cygnet is a training theatre and Matt was an enthusiastic proponent of the repertory theatre style of training he has received which has enabled him to confidently tackle his part in this play. 
My Very Own Story is but part of a full programme of theatre and music on offer. Full details on the Cygnet New Theatre website,


Hugh Janes wrote After Dark which explores love and loss through the eyes of a woman who has seen it all. Hugh explained the fascinating process by which a written piece is transformed into a performance through collaboration with the cast and play director.  After Dark has undergone this process and Hugh is very  pleased with the production that has come out of it. The play begins its run at Exeter BikeShed Theatre from 12 to 17 December. It is directed by Katie Villa.
The BikeShed also offers a full range of other musical and theatrical performances including the seasonal Christmas Carol: Smoke and Whispers, a specially commissioned new version of the Dickens story by Shaun McCarthy.
Check out the Exeter BikeShed Theatre website for details of their programme.


Matt Newbury gave us the rundown on what is on and coming up at Exeter Northcott Theatre. Described as "a fun-filled frolic" by a Guardian critic, We're going on a Bear Hunt is based on Michael Rosen's award-winning book and is brought vividly and noisily onto stage by director Sally Cookson and a full cast. It runs from 8 December to 1 January. 
Listen to the ad for this show here.

The Northcott's Spring/Summer programme is being launched this week and includes the Laugh Out Loud Comedy Festival with performances by John Hegley, The Segue Sisters, Nicholas Parsons and Monkey Poet plus Thoroughly Modern Millie, an Exeter University Footlights Society presentation and an Uncommon Players / Northcott Theatre presentation of Alan Bennett's Talking Heads. Pick up the brochure at venues throughout Exeter or view the programme on the theatre's website.


Music played 
Alice Jemima..1 2 3 4..Alice Jemima
Gecko..Best Friend..Pigeon EP
Union Starr..I Know About Art
Madison Violet..Come As You Are..The Good In Goodbye
Antony & The Johnsons..Ghost..Swanlights
The Walker Brothers..The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore..The Collection
Beata Palya..Lover Man..Adieu Et Complexes
Mudskippers..Who Will Cry For Me?
Dave Wood..May the Kindness..Into The Light

Katie Marie..Red Light (Live)..To The Journey
Rob Halligan..Big Fat River..Dark Clouds Fighting
Gareth Davies-Jones..Borderland..Water & Light
Beirut..A Sunday Smile..The Flying Club Cup
Brendan Power..The Bucks Of Oranmore..Blow In
Peachy Farmer..Clover
Nic Jones..Teddy Bears' Picnic..In Search Of Nic Jones
Mr Acker Bilk..Stranger On The Shore
Eartha Kitt..Old Fashioned Girl..My Heart Belongs To Daddy
Cesaria Evora..Isolada..Voz D'Amor
Chris Woods..Woodcraft