…I started writing songs as a serious activity about six years ago.  To date, I have written around one hundred or so.  Some of these, which I thought to be good at the time, will never see the light of day.  Some, however, I can say I am quite proud of, though they are unlikely ever to be taken up by publishers, such is the nature of the business of song writing.  However, it is something I enjoy immensely, and being the eternal optimist, I keep going. Happily, I have been getting some good feedback on a number of my songs, and a few are being sung by other performers, which is a nice compliment to get. My songs vary across a number of different genres, traditional folk; political; country; blues etc.  Some are heavy in satire, and others in humour. Some are heartfelt and some are serious.  I deliberately set myself goals of trying to write to different styles as a discipline in the art of writing and exploring language, image etc.  Living in Portknockie inevitably causes me to draw upon the sea, the surrounding landscape and history for ideas.  My main influences are Bob Dylan; Leonard Cohen; Tom Paxton and Ralph McTell.  If it was football, they would make up a world class midfield!


Recently, I have begun to collaborate with another local musician, John Starsmore.  John is a very sympathetic guitar player who has a wealth of riffs and melodies in his war-chest.  John plays to the song or the project, not to his own ego, something which some musicians find hard to do.  John supplies me with a tune or melody and I try to come up with the lyrics.  He also has written a number of his own songs.  Hopefully, it is a partnership which will grow.   Hope you have enjoyed this visit to this part of the Portknockie web-site, and hope, also, you may feel inclined to visit my own site.  In terms of the music you have heard here, I would like to acknowledge some friends, all fellow local musicians, who turned up at the Schoolhouse one Sunday afternoon recently, to record both a vocal and the instrumental version of Aye Afloat. These are; Alex and Madeleine Green, on whistle and accordion; Joannie, my wife, also on whistle; Rob Fowler, on fiddle; Rhonan Fitsymons, bass guitar and mandolin; John Starsmore, on guitar, and his good lady, Olive, for keeping us all in order!  I would also like to mention my good pal John Trodden, and his wife Lynn,  who would also have been there but for unavoidable family commitments. John played with us at the Coat of Arms Reinvestiture Service in September 2006.    Should you take the trouble to visit my web-site, you will hear John Starsmore singing on a number of the clips I have included.  I hope you take the time to have a look around and a listen.  If so, I would greatly appreciate any feedback you  feel you can give.  Thanks for taking the time to read this.   Frank Reynolds.