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Happy Hour Harmonica Podcast

Will Pound interview

December 20, 2022 Season 1 Episode 76

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Will started out as a folk musician, and has since branched into multiple genres

From the Midlands of England, growing up near Warwick before taking a folk music degree at Newcastle University

Will is now aged 35 and living in North Wales

Will needed two major heart operations as a young child and was bought a harmonica by his father to help with his breathing

Loved the sound of the harmonica from that early age and went on to make a career of it

Had always been interested in percussion, which has influenced Will to be a rhythmic harmonica player

Health benefits of playing harmonica and noticed he lost his harmonica fitness during pandemic

Doesn’t play percussion these days, but has a new project with a classical percussionist

Will didn’t drawing on the usual harmonica influences, but tried to make the harmonica sound like lots of different instruments

Brendan Power was an influence with his Irish harmonica albums

Thinks of singing into the harmonica to emulate the sound of great jazz singers

Didn’t listen to any blues harmonica when learning

Will’s family was interested in folk music, and Will took up Morris dancing

Explanation of Morris dancing

Harmonica is not a typical instrument played along to Morris dancing

Will also plays the melodeon / accordion, which has a lot of similarities to the harmonica

Likes the sound of the melodeon is the reason he started playing it and pushing its boundaries

Accordion playing has helped to become better harmonica player

Other harmonica players may find the transition to playing accordion beneficial due to similarities between the instruments

Will plays melodeon and harmonica at same time, with one instrument in each hand

Melodeon / harmonica combo is something Will uses in solo gigs, where he plays different genres too

Is Will the only melodeon / harmonica solo instrumentalist?

Will has been nominated for BBC Folk musician of the year three times

Studied a Folk music degree at Newcastle University

Become a full time musician aged 21, forming duo with banjo player Dan Walsh

Will played with Dan Walsh at the NHL festival in 2009

First Folk Award nomination was for A Cut Above album, on which Will only played harmonica (not melodeon)

Harmonica is still Will’s most prominent instrument (above melodeon)

Uniqueness of harmonica in folk music may have helped Will get noticed

Released a duo album with Dan Walsh in 2009: Walsh and Pound

Almost exclusively uses Brendan Power’s Paddy Richter tuning

Doesn’t use a Richter tuned harmonica much anymore

More on the A Cut Above album, released in 2013, with lots of different prominent folk musicians appearing

Released two albums with first wife, in a duet called Haddo, where mostly played melodeon

Mark Radcliffe session on BBC with Tim Edey

Ignite album with Eddie Jay in 2016

Will has a great rapport playing with Eddie Jay

Will and Eddie Jay blew up a storm at the Cambridge Folk Festival two or three years ago

More on the Through The Seasons Morris Dance album, released 2018

A Day Will Come album released in 2020, collaborated with musicians across all 27 European member states

Interview several of the musicians in their own countries to research the music deeply for the album

Album was released around the time of Brexit, but the intention was not to be political

Song with Scottish percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie

There’s a YouTube video of Will playing with Dame Evelyn Glennie

Played on a charity single version of He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother, which reached Christmas number 1 in the UK

Played at Buckingham Palace in front of Prince Harry

Recorded on two of Robbie Williams albums, including a Christmas number 1 album

Played some bass harmonica on Robbie Williams album, which Will had never played before

Has recently been performing with Jenn Butterworth, Scottish guitar player and singer

Released single of Amazing Grace with bassist John Parker

Recorded harmonica on an advertisement featuring Robert do Niro

Recorded harmonica for Sky TV show Breeders, starring Martin Freeman

A tune book is available for A Day Will Come album

Plays quite a lot of chromatic harmonica, which he approaches more like playing a diatonic

10 minute question

Plays a range of different diatonics, including Lee Oskar minor tuned

Plays Suzuki chromatics, and different keyed chromatics

Likes to change traditional keys of Irish music into more unusual flat keys

New album coming out with Jenn Butterworth next year

Uses overblows on Paddy Richter tuned harmonicas

During pandemic learnt same tune in four keys on same diatonic harmonica

Embouchre: mainly puckers but uses some tongue block for percussive effects

Uses a DPA headset microphone

Plays a clean acoustic sound

Effects: uses a little reverb, otherwise mouth and hands!

Would like to record a harmonica trance / dance music album, which would require effects

Album with Jenn Butterworth coming out in February 2023

Info

Happy Hour Harmonica Podcast

Will Pound interview

Dec 20, 2022 Season 1 Episode 76

Will Pound joins me on episode 76.
Will first started playing harmonica age 10 to help with his breathing after he underwent two major heart operations as a child. Since then he has rose to fame on the English folk scene, being nominated for folk musician of the year three times. He now plays harmonica and melodeon, diversifying his musical output to cover many different acoustic genres.
Will has released a number of albums with a range of quality musicians, with his last album spanning the traditional music genres of the European continent.
He has a number one Christmas single and a number one Christmas album on his resume, has played at Buckingham Palace and on an advertisement featuring Robert de Niro.

Links:
Will’s website:
https://willpound.com/

Bandcamp site:
https://willpound.bandcamp.com/

DPA headset microphones:
https://www.dpamicrophones.com/headset-and-earset-microphones

Jingle Bells:
https://willpound.bandcamp.com/track/jingle-bells

Videos:
Will’s YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@WillPoundMusic

Will Morris dancing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ_4zkdxQto&list=PLcvB436mCA_iJQRGiZGq66InPQJsCYt3J

Walsh and Pound at NHL concert in 2009:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTlpnYxxBJM

Appearing on BBC Breakfast TV for Folk Award nomination:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9L6L1Hgctg

Playing with Dame Evelyn Glennie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9C44Qq38Vk

He’s Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother - Hillsborough Charity single:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svOX9dy0hyw

Playing at Buckingham Palace:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDISPLcpiGY

Facebook video with Jenn Butterworth:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1601228916702386

Warburton’s advert with Robert Niro:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANHoobL__NE

Podcast website:
https://www.harmonicahappyhour.com

Donations:
If you want to make a voluntary donation to help support the running costs of the podcast then please use this link (or visit the podcast website link above):
https://paypal.me/harmonicahappyhour?locale.x=en_GB

Spotify Playlist:
Also check out the Spotify Playlist, which contains most of the songs discussed in the podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QC6RF2VTfs4iPuasJBqwT?si=M-j3IkiISeefhR7ybm9qIQ

Podcast sponsors:
This podcast is sponsored by SEYDEL harmonicas - visit the oldest harmonica factory in the world at www.seydel1847.com or on Facebook or Instagram at SEYDEL HARMONICAS
and Blows Me Away Productions: http://www.blowsmeaway.com/

Support the show

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Will Pound joins me on episode 76.
Will first started playing harmonica age 10 to help with his breathing after he underwent two major heart operations as a child. Since then he has rose to fame on the English folk scene, being nominated for folk musician of the year three times. He now plays harmonica and melodeon, diversifying his musical output to cover many different acoustic genres.
Will has released a number of albums with a range of quality musicians, with his last album spanning the traditional music genres of the European continent.
He has a number one Christmas single and a number one Christmas album on his resume, has played at Buckingham Palace and on an advertisement featuring Robert de Niro.

Links:
Will’s website:
https://willpound.com/

Bandcamp site:
https://willpound.bandcamp.com/

DPA headset microphones:
https://www.dpamicrophones.com/headset-and-earset-microphones

Jingle Bells:
https://willpound.bandcamp.com/track/jingle-bells

Videos:
Will’s YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@WillPoundMusic

Will Morris dancing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ_4zkdxQto&list=PLcvB436mCA_iJQRGiZGq66InPQJsCYt3J

Walsh and Pound at NHL concert in 2009:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTlpnYxxBJM

Appearing on BBC Breakfast TV for Folk Award nomination:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9L6L1Hgctg

Playing with Dame Evelyn Glennie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9C44Qq38Vk

He’s Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother - Hillsborough Charity single:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svOX9dy0hyw

Playing at Buckingham Palace:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDISPLcpiGY

Facebook video with Jenn Butterworth:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1601228916702386

Warburton’s advert with Robert Niro:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANHoobL__NE

Podcast website:
https://www.harmonicahappyhour.com

Donations:
If you want to make a voluntary donation to help support the running costs of the podcast then please use this link (or visit the podcast website link above):
https://paypal.me/harmonicahappyhour?locale.x=en_GB

Spotify Playlist:
Also check out the Spotify Playlist, which contains most of the songs discussed in the podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QC6RF2VTfs4iPuasJBqwT?si=M-j3IkiISeefhR7ybm9qIQ

Podcast sponsors:
This podcast is sponsored by SEYDEL harmonicas - visit the oldest harmonica factory in the world at www.seydel1847.com or on Facebook or Instagram at SEYDEL HARMONICAS
and Blows Me Away Productions: http://www.blowsmeaway.com/

Support the show

Will started out as a folk musician, and has since branched into multiple genres

From the Midlands of England, growing up near Warwick before taking a folk music degree at Newcastle University

Will is now aged 35 and living in North Wales

Will needed two major heart operations as a young child and was bought a harmonica by his father to help with his breathing

Loved the sound of the harmonica from that early age and went on to make a career of it

Had always been interested in percussion, which has influenced Will to be a rhythmic harmonica player

Health benefits of playing harmonica and noticed he lost his harmonica fitness during pandemic

Doesn’t play percussion these days, but has a new project with a classical percussionist

Will didn’t drawing on the usual harmonica influences, but tried to make the harmonica sound like lots of different instruments

Brendan Power was an influence with his Irish harmonica albums

Thinks of singing into the harmonica to emulate the sound of great jazz singers

Didn’t listen to any blues harmonica when learning

Will’s family was interested in folk music, and Will took up Morris dancing

Explanation of Morris dancing

Harmonica is not a typical instrument played along to Morris dancing

Will also plays the melodeon / accordion, which has a lot of similarities to the harmonica

Likes the sound of the melodeon is the reason he started playing it and pushing its boundaries

Accordion playing has helped to become better harmonica player

Other harmonica players may find the transition to playing accordion beneficial due to similarities between the instruments

Will plays melodeon and harmonica at same time, with one instrument in each hand

Melodeon / harmonica combo is something Will uses in solo gigs, where he plays different genres too

Is Will the only melodeon / harmonica solo instrumentalist?

Will has been nominated for BBC Folk musician of the year three times

Studied a Folk music degree at Newcastle University

Become a full time musician aged 21, forming duo with banjo player Dan Walsh

Will played with Dan Walsh at the NHL festival in 2009

First Folk Award nomination was for A Cut Above album, on which Will only played harmonica (not melodeon)

Harmonica is still Will’s most prominent instrument (above melodeon)

Uniqueness of harmonica in folk music may have helped Will get noticed

Released a duo album with Dan Walsh in 2009: Walsh and Pound

Almost exclusively uses Brendan Power’s Paddy Richter tuning

Doesn’t use a Richter tuned harmonica much anymore

More on the A Cut Above album, released in 2013, with lots of different prominent folk musicians appearing

Released two albums with first wife, in a duet called Haddo, where mostly played melodeon

Mark Radcliffe session on BBC with Tim Edey

Ignite album with Eddie Jay in 2016

Will has a great rapport playing with Eddie Jay

Will and Eddie Jay blew up a storm at the Cambridge Folk Festival two or three years ago

More on the Through The Seasons Morris Dance album, released 2018

A Day Will Come album released in 2020, collaborated with musicians across all 27 European member states

Interview several of the musicians in their own countries to research the music deeply for the album

Album was released around the time of Brexit, but the intention was not to be political

Song with Scottish percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie

There’s a YouTube video of Will playing with Dame Evelyn Glennie

Played on a charity single version of He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother, which reached Christmas number 1 in the UK

Played at Buckingham Palace in front of Prince Harry

Recorded on two of Robbie Williams albums, including a Christmas number 1 album

Played some bass harmonica on Robbie Williams album, which Will had never played before

Has recently been performing with Jenn Butterworth, Scottish guitar player and singer

Released single of Amazing Grace with bassist John Parker

Recorded harmonica on an advertisement featuring Robert do Niro

Recorded harmonica for Sky TV show Breeders, starring Martin Freeman

A tune book is available for A Day Will Come album

Plays quite a lot of chromatic harmonica, which he approaches more like playing a diatonic

10 minute question

Plays a range of different diatonics, including Lee Oskar minor tuned

Plays Suzuki chromatics, and different keyed chromatics

Likes to change traditional keys of Irish music into more unusual flat keys

New album coming out with Jenn Butterworth next year

Uses overblows on Paddy Richter tuned harmonicas

During pandemic learnt same tune in four keys on same diatonic harmonica

Embouchre: mainly puckers but uses some tongue block for percussive effects

Uses a DPA headset microphone

Plays a clean acoustic sound

Effects: uses a little reverb, otherwise mouth and hands!

Would like to record a harmonica trance / dance music album, which would require effects

Album with Jenn Butterworth coming out in February 2023