1970s The band was formed in Bristol and was active throughout the early 1970s, being rooted in the genres of folk and folk rock, with a focus on English folk music. The band was a quartet composed of the following members (all schoolkids at the time): Cherie Musialik (lead vocals), Stuart Amesbury (guitar and vocals), Mark Steed (lead guitar, banjo and backing vocals), and Paul Cook (guitar and backing vocals). The eponymous debut studio album was released in 1972 through Midas Recordings, it included covers of compositions from;
Bob Dylan,
Joan Baez,
Joni Mitchell, and
Tom Paxton. Stylistically, it's a mixture of traditional English folk music and contemporary North American acoustic music. While the studio album was not a commercial success, having sold only 250 copies (a further 250 were lost to water damage following a fire at the record company), the record is now noted as a highly collectable example of the genre to this day. The sound engineer overseeing the recording sessions was label owner, Alan Green. Despite the limited number of units originally pressed in 1972, over the passing of time, the album became one of the most sought after British folk albums. Throughout the early 1970s, the band had performed regularly for
BBC Radio Bristol. Amongst traditional songs which the band performed on the Folkal Point LP is the ballad
Lovely Joan and the better known ballad
Scarborough Fair. In 2018, the Folkal Point album was re-mastered by Hoxa Sound.
2000s Stuart Amesbury and Cherie Musialik have worked with renowned British folk guitarists
Bert Jansch and
John Renbourn (both formerly of
Pentangle) during the early 2000s, in the context of acoustic music promotions at the Alma Tavern Theatre in
Clifton, Bristol. And, as Touch PA Systems / CRH Music continue to provide sound for countless musical legends touring on the Americana circuit.
2010s The band reunited in June 2019 for the Clifton International Festival of Music which is held annually at various venues around the Clifton
suburb of Bristol, playing to an enthusiastic capacity audience under the marquee at the Lansdown Hotel.
Trivia Stuart Amesbury and Cherie Musialik have worked in a technical capacity with ex-
Led Zeppelin member and multi-instrumentalist
John Paul Jones during his involvement with North American all female, old time string band,
Uncle Earl, particularly in support of their album,
Waterloo, Tennessee. Mark Steed had been the manager of
Button Guitars music shop and luthiery in
Weston-super-Mare,
North Somerset, just outside of Bristol. There is an interesting BBC Radio Bristol interview between presenter, Keith Warmington and Mark Steed that can be found on the band's official website. The band's music can be found on the usual digital platforms and with various online merchants. The 1972 album, has been re-mastered and re-issued numerous times in many forms, including vinyl. == Discography ==