PETE CASTLE
Pete works in a variety of fields -
FOLK/TRADITIONAL SONGS
Pete is one of the few professionals on the English scene whose repertoire consists almost entirely of traditional English songs and ballads. The bulk of his material comes from the south of the country, as he does, and includes a number of songs from his native Kent although he has spent most of his adult life in the Midlands. (This choice of material is not for any deep philosophical reason, it’s just what he feels at home with.)
He likes to include a few short stories in a folk club set but is willing to do purely
songs if required. He finds it strange how scared some club organisers are of the
idea of ‘storytelling’. It’s always been there as the between-
STORYTELLING
Pete was always a storyteller—even before he started telling stories, because a lot of his songs are story songs or ballads but he’s worked as a ‘storyteller’ for about 20 years. Pete’s storytelling is very accessible and is based in the folk tradition. He tells a mixture of traditional stories, tall tales, urban myths and extended jokes. He doesn’t do epics or myth cycles and is definitely not an actor putting on voices and costumes. Some of his stories are about or include music/song. He can tell stories to adults or children and particularly enjoys family audiences.
THE REAL DEAL
Pete feels that he is at his best when he can do a 50:50 song:story set. The two
forms go well together and give a unique view of the English folk tradition. A little
delving (and not very deep) soon reveals that most of the old singers also told stories.
If you’re lucky and the environment is right Pete could also put in a dance or two
as well!
This is the ideal choice for a non-