This week Roni Glasthal is joined in the studio by Jennifer Lee Ridley.
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00:00Hello and welcome to Based in Kent. I'm Ronnie and this is the show that introduces you to
00:13original music artists from around the county. Each artist will be here with me in the studio
00:18talking about and performing their own original music. Today I'm joined by Jennifer Lee Ridley
00:22from Tunbridge Wells who weaves classic poetry into hauntingly beautiful modern folk songs.
00:28Jennifer, thanks for being here. Thank you for having me. Okay so some of our very keen
00:33dedicated viewers are probably going to recognize you. This isn't your first time here? No I was
00:37here I think 2019. It seems like a while ago now but it was very enjoyable the first time so it's
00:43nice to be back. Well I'm thrilled to hear that. I know I wasn't here the last time you were but
00:48I'm so excited to hear your music because the description hauntingly beautiful modern folk
00:52songs I mean that paints a picture. How do you find a sound like that? Well I have a lot of
00:58influence from romantic poetry and a lot of older poetry things like Shakespeare and I love reading
01:03all sorts of old poetry and then I also love a lot of my 60s and 70s folk music so I think between
01:09that and learning a lot of different tunings on guitars you kind of just interweave all these
01:14different sounds don't you and take loads of influences from singers that you like for example
01:19I love Joni Mitchell and Sandy Denny and they kind of absorb into you and come out in different
01:23ways so that's kind of the way that I write really. You kind of I think absorb different influences
01:31that you enjoy reading or listening to and they kind of evolve in their own way.
01:38Amazing okay so with the readings so did it start with a love of reading turned music or music
01:47turned reading? I think initially music was my first thing that I turned to so when I was younger
01:54I always enjoyed playing music but I think when I got into my teens it was just another way of
01:59expressing myself and then when I got a little bit older you start kind of listening to different
02:04types of music so then I really got into 60s and 70s music and then really into the folk scene
02:09the 60s and 70s music and so that's where it initially started but then as I got a bit older
02:15I really started like looking at the poetics of things like Keats and Shakespeare and not when I
02:21was at school I think you almost put off when you're at school you're looking at every single
02:25word but when you kind of get a more of an appreciation of the types of sonnets and the
02:30real intricacies of how these writers express themselves then later I think all these
02:38different elements kind of combine and that's really where I've got more of an appreciation
02:44now the older I've got for the older poetry written because there's it's such a kind of transient
02:53state of writing that's kind of even moved into modern day and it's just nice to kind of look
02:58back and and see how language has really developed over time as well so. Well speaking of the writing
03:04your first song for us today Sirens tell me a little bit about that one before we get into it.
03:08So Sirens is very much a folk song and it's talking about kind of a love lost somewhere at
03:17sea so that's someone not being able to find out where their long lost love is and it's that feeling
03:24of being terrified and waking up in the night and wondering where are they I don't know where they
03:29are they're lost somewhere and I feel lost in this situation and I don't know how I'm going to
03:34kind of push through it and it's kind of about all those memories that perhaps
03:39this person has in their relationship and it's trying to kind of
03:42create some sense out of that. Well I can't wait to hear it take it away.
03:52Standing here upon the water's edge looking out I wait for you to go
04:02Cradling your letter's line you wrote for me in tears I'll wait for you always on this shore
04:16and the sirens of your heart come out to me again as I wake into the night
04:26a breath I cannot mend from across the broken shoreline all I see is the blue light
04:38your shadows in the ever dancing tide
04:47and through every night I watch you dancing
04:52dancing in the waves
05:01through time I seem to find that the ripples never change
05:10each thinking through our memories past of all the times we've pushed each other through
05:25my son is getting older and each line I find is bolder and my hands are tied to every seam you drew
05:35and the sirens of your heart come out to me again as I wake into the night
05:48a breath I cannot mend from across the broken shoreline all I see is the blue light
05:58your shadows in the ever dancing tide
06:08and through every night I watch you dancing dancing in the waves
06:18it's through time I seem to find the ripples never change
06:34and the sirens of your heart call out to me again as I wake into the night
06:44a breath I cannot mend from across the broken shoreline all I see is the blue light
06:55your shadows in the ever dancing tide
07:07oh that was beautiful I see what you mean it really tells the story of the person's emotions
07:31and that's really interesting because it's almost mythological in a sense and it plays
07:36I think in both ways on the word sirens yeah it definitely takes the idea of kind of calling out
07:45or crying out into the night in that kind of way of trying to figure out across the sea where your
07:51love is or where it may be dark into the night so it has that kind of idea there of kind of crying
07:59out yeah no you paint that picture very clearly with your lyrics and that kind of ties into what
08:05you were saying earlier about your fascination with language and I see that come through
08:10beautifully now I believe we have to change your guitar over before we get into your next song
08:17so if you want to grab that for us we're going to be going into Robin's song so once you're
08:24settled there you can tell us a little bit about that one okay right so Robin's song was initially
08:32actually the first line was taken from a Shakespeare song initially and then I just
08:40took the first line and for some odd reason it really stuck into my head and the rest of it just
08:44kind of kind of fell through that so Robin's song is about again I guess just going through the
08:52stages of almost a relationship but kind of eventually releasing that but it's kind of
09:01through that metaphorical sense of a Robin eventually kind of wanting to be free and out
09:06of out and flying away from that situation so that's kind of what the song is about
09:12I can't wait to hear it take it away
09:17Robin jolly Robin tell me doth and thou shall know of mine
09:24I've flown my feet so many miles to hear your voice so kind
09:32I've crawled across the meadow's fields over the sky so high
09:40I've climbed down through the little grass to hear your voice so kind
09:48Oh Robin jolly Robin tell me doth and darkness falls on mine
10:00will you keep your feet firm on the ground or fly away so high
10:08as the moon descends its hallow hand and your feet hold your grasp
10:15will you fall or keep your promises of fair across the land
10:45Robin jolly Robin tell me doth and thou shall know of mine
10:59my heart just holds a riddle to you
11:04dancing with your eyes you've held my heart in many a stance
11:11riddles that have lost my mind now it's time to spread my wings away from you
11:28I play
11:40oh
11:47oh
12:06Hello and welcome back to Based in Kent where I am still joined by Jennifer Lee Ridley from
12:10Tumbridge Wells. Thanks for being here. Thanks for having me. So next is my favorite part of
12:14the show. We're going to play a quickfire question round game. A timer is going to come up on the
12:18monitor between us. It'll start counting down when I ask the first question. Okay. And we're just
12:22going to get through as many of them as we can. All right. No pressure. I promise. So live or
12:28recorded music. What's your preference? Live. Live. Okay. Very decisive. I like that. Tea or coffee?
12:34Tea. Oh quick. Writing or performing your music?
12:38Oh both. I can't say that though but it would be both. That's fine. Say whatever you like. Say the
12:43truth. Winter or summer?
12:48Summer. Okay. Favorite song you've written so far?
12:56There's too many to think of. I don't think I've got one. I think they all kind of express different
13:04things and so it's really difficult for me to pick. Completely understandable. It's probably
13:11like picking a favorite child. You can't do it. Morning or evening?
13:17Evening. Okay. First song you learned to play?
13:23I think it was probably a Sarah McLaughlin song from, it's probably something like
13:31Building a Mystery or something like that. Okay. Unique choice. I like it. I know. I was trying
13:36to think for a while then. It's very yourself. Nothing wrong with it. Sweet or savory? Sweet.
13:42Okay. First artist to inspire you? First artist that inspired me? Probably Janey Mitchell. Oh
13:49that's a good choice. Very good choice. Time alone or time with friends? I like a bit of both but
13:56I do like a bit of time alone too. Helps with the writing process. I imagine it could be quite
14:02difficult writing a song in front of people. Yeah it can be. Favorite fellow Kent musician?
14:08There's too many. There's too many people in Kent. There's too many people in Dunbridge Wells.
14:13I can't decide. I would love to pick one though. Okay. Fair enough. Favorite gig you've attended?
14:18I saw Jane Byers which was lovely because she's also been another inspiration.
14:32So that's the one that just flushed into my head. Perfect. And that took us to the end of the time.
14:37Nice. All right. Some very interesting answers there. I like it. Okay. So your next song for
14:41us today is Sweet and Low. Great title. Tell me a little bit about that. That's actually,
14:46the lyrics are from a Tennyson poem. So again some of the poems that were written
14:53were songs and this was just one that kind of popped up and kind of resonated with me. So
14:59that's where it came out really and it's really talking about, again talking about waiting for
15:07a father or dad to come back from being out at sea and telling the kind of,
15:16the mum's home with baby just to rest. It's like a lullaby. Can't wait to hear it. Take it away.
15:21Sweet and low, sweet and low, wind of the western sea. Blow, blow, breeze and blow, wind of the western sea.
15:44Over the rolling waters go, come from the dying moon and blow, blow him away from me.
16:00Whilst my little one sleeps, my pretty one sleeps.
16:08Sleep and rest, sleep and rest, father will come to thee soon.
16:18Rest, rest on mother's hands, father will come to thee soon. Father will come back to the nest,
16:29silver sails all o'er the nest, over the silver moon. Whilst my little one sleeps, my pretty one sleeps.
16:59Over the rolling waters go, come from the dying moon and blow, blow him away from me.
17:21Whilst my little one sleeps, my pretty one sleeps.
17:29Wow and it really shows that family dynamic you were talking about, that's very clear and it really
17:39paints a picture of the story that you're writing about. How did you come to take a poem into a song?
17:47I think sometimes I just find that certain poems kind of resonate a bit more than others and
17:54sometimes ideas kind of come out quite quickly and I think this was just one of them that came
18:00out. I think sometimes when I'm looking through or looking at particular poems usually there's
18:04something in it that kind of reaches out a bit more and some of them have a kind of natural
18:08tempo or natural rhythm to them that can kind of draw you out and that kind of has that kind of
18:14lilting which kind of gives it that lullaby feel. Yeah it kind of almost takes you on the journey,
18:23it feels like you're on a medieval quest almost. Yeah I guess there's always that rocking almost
18:28feels a bit like rocking a child to sleep or that idea of kind of rocking the waves so it has that
18:34kind of lilting feel. Yeah no I see that and I think that really like creates an environment
18:41within the song for the listener too. How do you, what kind of response do you get from people who
18:47listen to your music? Do they tend to you know respond positively and comment on how unique it is?
18:55Yeah I think I've always had positive comments as far as
19:04vocals and playing guitar. I think it's a you know it's just one of those things isn't it?
19:10I think it's just nice to share your music and hear I think how maybe it's affected them and I
19:17think that's one of the main reasons I do music is because it's nice to see how you can create
19:24a positive impact on audience and it may not be everybody but it's nice when it's maybe just a
19:30few people you know you don't know how you're affecting their lives and that's quite nice.
19:36Well your final song for us today, Song for Every Man, tell us a little bit about that.
19:43It just comes from I think looking at all sorts of political everyday world
19:54news and politics and everything and I think it's that idea that we're all kind of in it together
20:02regardless of what your belief is we're all in one world we're all here and really we're all
20:10going through similar pains and suffering but sometimes you just kind of got to come out
20:15of yourself to be able to kind of see what's going on and see how you can make a difference really.
20:25So well I can't wait to hear the different song.
20:30If you only knew what my life has been through honest pain and broken clouds
20:43and if you know the words I sing would you keep my soul around
20:57through this time my face turns blind to each and every word that burns
21:10and every time I see that light so many lessons we need to learn
21:25and if you only knew how his life has been through buried hopes and broken crowns
21:38and if you saw the world he weaves in each and every battle scar his life goes by
21:57and still he fights he's hearing echoes through a path unknown
22:05oh and as he writes his words in time with his song a simple note
22:25and if you only knew how their life has been
22:30through dancing demons and rising light and if you knew the pain they've seen
22:46would you reign the wrongs and fights their life goes by and still they fight
23:00their hearing echoes through a path unknown
23:07and as we write their words in time with their song a simple note
23:19oh
23:24and if you only knew what my life has been
23:31through honest pain and broken clouds and if you know the words I sing
23:44me in these songs
23:52for every
23:58night