The meeting of Ceri Rhys Matthews and Julie Murphy at Art College in Maidstone was the starting point for Fernhill. Julie went back to Wales with Ceri, and started performing Welsh songs with Ceri's mandolin to accompany Julie's vocals. Later they combined with piper Jonathan Shorland, and, later still in '96, they were joined by squeezebox wizard Andy Cutting to become Fernhill proper. The band have already produced two terrific albums, 'Ca' Nos' and 'Llatai', which demonstrated and developed links between the songs and tunes of the Welsh tradition (much of which survives), and the music and dance of Brittany. Now on their third album, 'Whilia', the trio of Murphy, Cutting, and Matthews are joined by Tim Harries on double bass, and Cass Meurig on fiddle, and the band takes another step along their journey through the Welsh-language dance/song tradition.
