MEIC STEVENS - Wales' best-kept internationally acclaimed secret

Meic has been hailed as the Welsh Bob Dylan, such has been his influence on his contemporaries and those who followed over the 40 years since he first entered the public eye.

So we are delighted that someone of his stature has agreed to step into the breach caused by the late withdrawal of Ar Log, his brothers in musical arms.

Born - and still resident - in Pembrokeshire, Meic played a huge part in the success of Welsh folk and rock music throughout the 60s and 70s. He was instrumental (as it were) in helping get Sain Records up and running. And while he's been out of the limelight for a number of recent years, he has now returned with renewed vigour.

His new album, Icarws has received huge critical acclaim. And his performance at the 2008 National Eisteddfod in Cardiff - just a week or so ago - sold out within a few hours, and was greeted with rave reviews.

Icarus, you will recall, was the lad who - given the power of flight by his dad - flew too close to the sun and so came to grief. Well, our Meic has flown pretty close to the sun on occasion. Yet he survives and continues to soar.

So if you missed the Cardiff gig, or even if you didn't, here's your chance to catch up on "the defining folk and rock singer of the past 35 years." (Morfablog)

DANCE STAGE, SUNDAY

It is a love story set against the conflict between the old country folk of the Welsh hills, and the pioneers of the textile industry in the mid- nineteenth century. The relationship between the two main characters is an allegory of the relationship between nature and industry. The music is inspired both by the beauty of the Welsh countryside and the sounds of running water, and also by the intricate and fascinating rhythms of early industrial machinery, powered by the streams of the Ceredigion hills.

FUJITSU MAIN STAGE - SUNDAY

"This trio of festival regulars have been comng yhere in various guises since he Big Bang, and they're still guaranteed to deliver something for all tastes - classic British material, firm favourites and chorus songs for everyone to join in alongside bluegrass and country blues. Original material comes in the form of collaborations with our very own festival poet Brian Smith plus self-penned songs and tunes with a distinct Breton flavour and a large helping of English polkas." Don't ask why, just enjoy - it's the perfect way to kick off a Sunday afternoon.

PARADE / DANCE STAGE - SATURDAY

Based at the Forge Fach Community Centre in Clydach, just down the road, Design Dance holds weekly classes in hip hop and breakdancing for children from the age of three.

The centre has been open for two years and has already won several awards, for the building and what goes on inside, which is a lot.

So if you think your three-to-thirteen-year-old might be the next Justin Timberlake, then this may well be the place for you/him/her. More information from Forge Fach on 01792 845566.

Hot from the stages of Lorient and the Eisteddod, Lleuwen Steffan joins dad Steve Eaves for this year's Pontardawe curtain-raiser.

And if it's diversity you're after, then you've come to the right place. There can't be many artists whose repertoire ranges from Billie Holliday and Bob Dylan to the Welsh hymnbook!

And as for style, there's a mind-expanding array of style in this young frame, all delivered with the exquisite tones that, somehow, only Welsh voices seem capable of. There's classical, folksy and...best of all...downright jazzy interpretations to be enjoyed.

"Music born in the valleys, but bound for Zion."
(Chris May, All About Jazz.com)

It promises to be an evening to remember. And, better still, it's yours for free!.

"It's a wonderful planet,
And we're here for a little while
And there's a place here tonight
Under August's moon.

The 'here' in this case is the Pontardawe Festival bar. 'Tonight' is Thursday August 14th., festival eve, and the 'little while' is (roughly) from 8-11pm. And I'm hoping that Steve will forgive the artistic licence applied to his song September's Moon for the purposes of plugging a very special night.

Steve has been a star in the firmament of Welsh music for twenty years or more, renowned for his lyrics - sometimes thoughtful, often challenging - as much as his highly distinctive guitar style. Not surprising, really, when you consider that his music has grown organically from the poetry that first brought him to public attention back in the 1980s

“Fashions come and go, but the fine songs of Steve Eaves will last as long as good music is appreciated."

NEW MUSIC STAGE - FRIDAY / SATURDAY

In March 2006 Swansea-born MC and Producer Jonathan Baines created remixes of vocalist Emma Stockton's original jazz/folk based songs to form what would be the base of a musical collaboration and recording project, Ocarina. Their diverse influences produced a mixture of soul, trip-hop and broken beats. Jon and Emma's voices were accompanied by a string quartet of Gemma Cumming, Helen Bower, Sarah Telman and Allen Bradbury who became an integral part of Ocarina's individual sound.

Over a two year period Ocarina wrote and produced their first album Lovely Weather For Ducks with guest appearances from saxophonist Andrew McDonell, trumpet solos from Arif Driessen and Urdu, reggae beat poetry from Babar Luck.

FUJITSU MAIN STAGE, SATURDAY / SUNDAY

It's barely a year since The Hundred Man Orchestra was first unleashed on the world, and what a year it's been!

That first gig at our sister festival, Towersey, was greeted with open-mouthed wonder, according to our spies, and so a welcome in the hillsides was clearly in order.

HMO is the brainchild of Brummie flautist Kieran Szifiris, one of the brightest new names emerging onto the trad. scene. If you haven't caught him live, then you may have heard his music courtesy of the BBC2 series It's Not Easy Being Green

NEW MUSIC STAGE, SATURDAY

They went away, they came back, they went away again and now they're back once more!

Pressgang have been festival scene regulars for as long as any if us can remember - including them, I dare say, and notwithstanding their absence from the scene for a while a few years ago.

But the infectious enthusiasm they have for their art remains undiminished. Yes, folks, it's party time whenever they hit the stage!

NEW MUSIC STAGE, SUNDAY

They don't come more Celtic than Aberystwyth-based Harriet Earis, and they don't come more eclectic than The Harriet Earis Trio (hence T.H.E. Trio, see?)
Harriet is quite simply one of our most accomplished and original harpers (which is how harp-players describe themselves). Her speciality is the Celtic harp and it has taken her to the prestigious Harper of All Britain title not once but twice. And last year, she added the equally coveted Open Stage Award at Celtic Connections to her trophy list.

Harriet has a degree in Celtic Studies from Trinity College, Cambridge, and is proficient not only in Welsh but also in Irish, Scots and Gaelic. So she knows what she's talking about - in almost any language - and, more importantly just now, she knows what she's playing as well.

Together, they play a brand of Celtic Jazz fusion, as demonstrated on the CD From the Crooked Tree which came out last year, unlike anything you've ever heard from a harp before. This is truly innovative music, which suits us down to the ground.

For even more, go to http://www.myspace.com/harrietearistrio