Thom Ashworth is on a mission to prove that traditional folk can be made current, original and, perhaps most surprisingly, can be brilliantly performed on an acoustic bass guitar.
In this second video from Thom’s session with us, he offers up a rousing rendition of ‘Derry Gaol’, his own arrangement of a traditional song taken from his most recent album, Head Canon. Armed with a mere 4 strings, the beauty of this performance lies in its stripped back simplicity, allowing all attention to be on Thom’s boisterous and impressively nimble tenor vocals, as well as the unfolding story behind the lyrics.
Whilst Head Canon consists mainly of these inventive re-workings of traditional songs, the album also includes four original tracks written by Ashworth, demonstrating his ability to seamlessly blend the old and the new. If you’re a fan of stirring protest songs, beautifully bare laments and imaginative arrangements, there’s a high chance you’ll be joining the countless others in the folk world who have been captivated by Thom Ashworth. We’re excited to see what he does next.
Keep up with Thom over on Facebook, Twitter and Spotify. You can buy Head Canon on Bandcamp, amongst other places.