David Ferrard
Gig Seeker Pro

David Ferrard

Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom | SELF

Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom | SELF
Band Folk Singer/Songwriter

Calendar

This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

Press


"Peace and Love With A Contemporary Feel"

Back in the 1960s this tousled-haired lad with the acoustic guitar would have been labelled a 'protest' singer, and though much of this first album by the Edinburgh-based Scots/American songwriter does rail at the current war(s) and the iniquities of power, he also gives us songs about affairs of the heart, personal and universal. So it's peace and love with a contemporary feel – and a strong band line-up that includes the likes of Karine Polwart. And there are lighthearted songs such as 'Take Me Out Waltzing Tonight', and a happy ending to the picaresque 'Dmitri's Pocket Radio'. - Norman Chalmers, The Scotsman


"Seek Out This Artist And Album"

David Ferrard may well be a new name to you but that will not last long. He is a very accomplished writer with a clutch of songs ranging from lovely traditional ballads, biting anti-war and globalisation anthems on through to heartbreaking paeans and musings of loves and friendships lost. It is often hard to think back the next day to which songs impressed you the most but not today. Dimitri's Pocket Radio is as fine a song about asylum seekers being overlooked as just simply human beings as you will ever hear. There can be few that were not reflecting on the futility of war to the strains of Hills Of Virginia. Often couples fail to allow themselves time to concentrate on themselves and Take Me Out Waltzing Tonight speaks volumes on those forgotten needs. The highlight of David's own songs was the powerful, sad and haunting Never Let Go. Written with sensitive understanding it tells the story of a man who has lost so much to AIDS. I could go on but will simply end by saying seek out this artist and album.
- Graeme Scott, Leith FM Radio


"A Glittering Career"

'I heard David's song "One Hell of a Ride" on his website and was simply blown away. Within five minutes I had contacted him and invited him onto my show. This young singer/songwriter has the potential to be a major player on the Folk Scene. In years to come I'm looking forward to being able to brag: "I gave David Ferrard his first live radio gig you know!" I predict that he will be known world-wide within a few years, and wish him every success in the glittering career that undoubtedly lies ahead.' - Karin Ingram, Radio Borders


"Reviews"

'Ferrard has a crisp, tuning-fork voice which might see him credibly compared to James Taylor, strong but soothing all at once.'
David Pollock, The Scotsman

'David provides a very healthy synthesis - a vocal purity of the quality of a Scottish burn combined with the style and delivery of the tried and tested American product.'
Iain Anderson, BBC Radio Scotland

'Bits of Woody Guthrie wedged in between Tom Paxton and Bob Dylan'
Edinburgh Evening News

'the fresh-faced saviour of the Scottish protest tradition'
Jim Gilchrist, The Scotsman

'David's ability to write political and pop songs with equal focus makes him stand out a mile from most of us mortals who have our niche.'
Out of the Bedroom

'a singer-songwriter attuned to the times'
Celtic Music Radio - Various


"A Very Good Listen"

The first thing that strikes you when listening to David Ferrard is the beauty of his voice—clear and strong, tough and sweet all at the same time. It is slightly difficult to categorised his music, a sort of mixture of country and folk with a cutting edge. He struck me as a cross between James Taylor and Nanci Griffiths with a little bit of Sufjan Stevens throw in for edge. The album is an interesting mixture of touching love songs, wistful nostalgia, and comments on our times—all tracks bar one written by Ferrard.

With songs like “Broken Sky” (the title track), “Rain” and “This Heart”, Ferrard displays his talent as a writer/singer of love songs. He has a voice that naturally lends itself to these tender songs. The same voice though catches the mood of some of the issues of our day. “Dimitri’s Pocket Radio” is a wonderful tale of the triumph of love over adversity, bureaucracy and racism. Similarly “Hills of Virginia” captures the pointlessness and futility of “protecting our nation” in the Iraq war, and “The Hour of Plenty” picks away at the horrors of global capitalism. The album closes with “Never Let Go”, a song of the tragedy of the AIDS-torn 1980s.

However there is also a fun feeling to the album. “One Hell of A Ride” has the feeling of a country romp and “Take Me Out Waltzing Tonight” a celebration of enduring love. A very interesting mixture and a very good listen. - Pat Stack, Socialist Worker


"Easy Charm & Captivating Voice"

‘David Ferrard came to Towersey as a relative unknown on the English festival circuit and quickly gained a host of admirers for his thoughtful, considered songs delivered with an easy charm and a captivating voice.’ - Alan Bearman, Towersey Festival Director


"Impresses Audiences"

'Top-class songs from a great new talent. David Ferrard stands out from the crowd. With his clear voice and original songs he really impressed my audiences. I've booked him three times and highly rate him.' - Peter Chegwyn, Gosport & Fareham and Stokes Bay Festival Director


"Continues An Important Tradition"

'David is one of the younger generation who continues a tradition of using one�s talents to address important issues of the world we live in. He deserves recognition in this regard and I'm confident we'll be seeing and hearing more from him as he becomes established.'
Roy Bailey

'Moving, powerful and compelling'
Tony Benn

'David Ferrard has the voice and the heart of an angel. He works for a better world in his life and in his songs'
Mary Gauthier

'David Ferrard's voice is spellbinding and his songs go straight to the heart - and then you realise his powerful message has got right into your head too! I don't rush to learn every new song I hear, but Hills of Virginia was compelling.'
Sheena Wellington - Roy Bailey, Tony Benn, Mary Gauthier, Sheena Wellington


"A Timeless Compilation"

Each time I listen to Broken Sky, David Ferrard’s debut album, I come away oved by emotions, sometimes inspired to fight for justice, at other times I feel deeply tranquil.
David is subtle, with his anti-war song Hills of Virginia hitting home more accurately than any Brittush-issue weapon ever could: ‘My weapons were no longer toys’. In Dmitri’s Pocket Radio, a true story of a refugee brought a tear to my eye the first few times that I heard it. Later, in The Hour Of Plenty, David and his backing singer’s voices haunt me as he subtly exposes global inequalities.
David’s voice, combined with well-chosen lyrics, means that he will find his own niche in the world of folk music. His well crafted songs and beautiful melodies are entwined to produce a timeless compilation that will be remembered for years to come.’ - Jez Smith, The Friend


"**** Broken Sky: CD Of The Week"

BILLY BRAGG recently said that he didn't mind being labelled a political songwriter, "what I object to is being dismissed as a political songwriter". Politics are also a major element of David Ferrard's debut album, but again it would be wrong to pigeonhole this committed anti-war campaigner entirely by his protest output. The 29-year-old half-Scottish, half-American musician (a one-man transatlantic session) has an uncanny ability to fuse meaningful words with gorgeous melodies, winning the Burnsong 2007 competition for the timelessly catchy One Hell Of A Ride.

Given the content of certain songs here, it's no accident that the album first appeared (for download or CD order from www.davidferrard.com) the same week as the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. Ferrard, however, wasn't in his home town when his album was released; he was researching in the Woody Guthrie archives in New York City. How appropriate, given the kindred spirit that has passed from Guthrie, through decades of the protest movement, down into almost every track on Broken Sky.

Set in the midst of the album's crystal-clear production, Ferrard's voice is closer to Joan Baez than Bob Dylan, and certainly not in the bar-room troubadour style of, say, Dick Gaughan. His vocal delivery is sincere but never over-earnest, while his music draws from both sides of his mixed roots, placing American country fiddles alongside gentle acoustic guitar.

The album's standout track, Hills Of Virginia, gets into the head of a soldier in Iraq. "A buddy of mine/Stepped on a mine/His body just disappeared/He never returned/ To the hills of Virginia/All they buried were tears," Ferrard sings as the song's melodic shifts between major and minor become a thing of beauty. The protest tradition has many iconic songs, and who's to say that one day Ferrard's Hills Of Virginia won't be mentioned in the same breath as Eric Bogle's And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda. - Alan Morrison, The Sunday Herald


Discography

Broken Sky (Flamingo West) - 2008

David's debut album, Broken Sky, released in March 2008, was named Album Of The Week by BBC Radio Scotland, Celtic Music Radio, and The Sunday Herald.

Broken Sky was recorded at Glasgow's prestigious Ca Va Sounds, produced by Brian Young (John Martyn, Runrig), featuring Karine Polwart, Alan Thomson (Pentangle), Josh Goforth, James Ross and other special guests.

Songs from David's album have been played on various BBC programmes including: Travelling Folk, Iain Anderson, Radio Borders; Celtic Music Radio, PM, and others.

David will be releasing his second album, Across The Troubled Wave, a collection of Scottish and American folk songs, in July 2009.

Photos

Bio

Born to a Scottish father and an American mother, David Ferrard is a veritable 'one-man transatlantic session'. He broke onto the British folk scene in 2006 with his rootsy folk songs which, whilst contemporary, evoke the 60s folk revival when singer-songwriters original output blended with traditional material. His strong, catchy melodies and commitment to social issues make his music both accessible and meaningful.

David's songwriting has been compared to Woody Guthrie & Tom Paxton, and his sweet, crystal vocals to John Denver & James Taylor, winning him several awards (Celtic Connections 2006, Burnsong 2007).

David performs with his guitar both solo and with other instrumentalists. Wherever David plays he attracts new fans and often sells out venues. His show Scottish Folk Roots & Offshoots sold out 24 consecutive nights at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2007.

David's songs are covered by other artists including Roy Bailey, Sheena Wellington, and Michelle Burke (Cherish The Ladies).

David has recently supported Richie Havens, Richard Thompson, Roy Bailey, Julie Felix and The Handsome Family.

David runs a songwriting project and label, Songs For Change, www.songsforchange.com. In 2007 he produced and released Not In Our Name, featuring Eliza Gilkyson, Dick Gaughan, Mark Erelli, Rory McLeod, and eleven other artists.