Wassailing is traditional English folk singing, usually performed door-to-door around Christmas time. It is a festive style that psychedelic ensemble The Grizzly Folk are rather fond of, both at home in the UK and here in Fukuoka. In fact, it was in a ‘little room in Nishijin’ that the group began, as a collaboration between two musicians, Jon Wilks and Jon Nice, and their international friends.
They are releasing a compilation of early songs devised during this ‘Japan period’, which should win over both folk fans and those who want to get closer to the Kyushu countryside: the final song on the album features ‘earthly sounds – specifically crickets’, as captured in Nishi no Matsubara in the Saga prefecture. The band, who are currently working on fresh material with their new singer, Richard Lines, have announced that their seasonal collection of tunes will be out on mp3 in early December.
Check out the band’s Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/TheGrizzlyFolk
