This spring, something quiet and genuinely meaningful happened between Chester and North Wales. A group of poets from around Ruthin and two Chester musicians decided to collaborate, to set words about nature to sound, and to put whatever money came from it towards a rewilding charity in the Cambrian Mountains. The result is the ‘I Am Nature EP’, available now through Circl8 Radio’s Bandcamp.
The poets are Leaf Pettit, Diana Sanders, Andrew Sumner and Patricia Sumner, all living near Ruthin in North Wales. Their work comes from an existing collection, I Am Nature: Environmental Poetry, published by Veneficia Publications. The musicians are Shemboid and Vince Cory, both based in Chester. What they’ve produced together is four tracks, each a poem paired with a bespoke soundtrack, first aired by myself (Dan Schott) on Circl8 Radio before being released as a digital EP.
Poet and sound artist Diana Sanders took on the task of combining the music and words into the final digital album. She described what the collaboration produced: “We were delighted with the soundtracks that were created. Each poem is unique and complete in itself, but combined with the music by Shemboid and Vince Cory, they become more of a chorus – more community than individual, less ‘I’ and more ‘us’.”
The four tracks on the EP are:
- ‘Weeds’ by Leaf Pettit, with music by Shemboid
- ‘Shaman’ by Andrew Sumner, with music by Shemboid
- ‘Dark Angels’ by Diana Sanders, with music by Vince Cory
- ‘September Evening, Dyffryn Clwyd’ by Patricia Sumner, with music by Shemboid
Vince Cory worked with Diana Sanders on ‘Dark Angels’. He said: “I’m chuffed to bits to be involved in an important project like this and hopefully we can raise a few quid for a great cause. For my bit on ‘Dark Angels’, it was the lyrics and Diana’s vibe that inspired where it went – obviously a great wordsmith with a good heart. Listen and see, it speaks volumes.”
Shemboid, who creates immersive sonic and visual experiences and provided the soundscapes for three of the four tracks, spoke about what the project meant to him: “It’s a pleasure to be involved in this project. Environmental matters are important to me, and helping out with this work means a lot, not only to myself, but the wider world. These poems are powerful, important and relevant to all our lives today. Creating soundscapes to go along with these readings was an enjoyable challenge that felt satisfying for me as a contributor to this great work. Let the rewilding grow!”
As a Rev Rev fanatic Working with Shemboid on the music for ‘I Am Nature’ was a real privilege. North Wales poets, Chester musicians, proceeds going directly to Tir Natur’s rewilding project in Wales. It all meant something. Helping coordinate the music side and getting it out through Circl8 Radio felt like exactly the right thing to do.
All proceeds from the EP go to Tir Natur, a charity that has secured a 1,195-acre site in Cwm Doethie in the Cambrian Mountains, with the aim of establishing Wales’s largest rewilding site. Their vision is of a Wales where communities and wild nature thrive together, where ecosystems are fully restored. The poets felt their collection was closely aligned with that vision, which made Tir Natur the natural choice.
The I Am Nature EP is available to download now through Circl8 Radio’s Bandcamp. Every penny goes directly to Tir Natur’s rewilding work in Wales.
Have a great week.
Dan
