Ken Parsons(IV)
- Actor
Ken Parsons - 'Maestro of the Underground' - TimeOut
Ken Parsons is a Celtic Harper, singer, writer, poet and all-round entertainer. What can you expect? Beautiful harp songs, deadly witty short poems and crafted original songs in every possible style, funny, moving, thought provoking" ( Review at the The Troubadour, legendary London folk club).
He also plays many traditional songs, chansons and covers from an extensive and incredibly diverse repertoire. From folk through crooners and pop to gothic punk and comedy songs. In fitting bardic tradition he also works as a translator in five languages and sings in many more. He has many short stories from his extensive travels. He performs solo in all his different guises or with kicking folk-rock band Monty Pagan.
He is an experienced stand-up, producer and MC and runs 4 comedy nights in Amsterdam: 'Mixtree Comedy', 'The Ironic Curtain', 'Crazy Sunday Afternoon' at the famous Melkweg Theatre and the now legendary 'Nutty Anita's Comedy Night' which has played host to acts such as Marcel Lucont, Aidan Killian, Caroline Clifford, Bob Slayer and many more.
Ken also organizes stages for writers and poets such as 'Wicked Words Festival' at Amsterdam's Paradiso.
He recorded his latest Celtic Harp CD with Paul Rayner Brown (Executive producer for Sarah Brightman, producer Jools Holland Late). His First Celtic Harp CD " Home is where the harp is" was recorded in collaboration with Paul Meader, then of the Django Reinhardt style gypsy-swing band "The Robin Nolan Trio", noted for their many shows for George Harrison.
Ken played support for Fairport Convention (Bristol, May 2012) playing his version of Matty Groves with fiddle player Ric Sanders who came up for an impromptu jam during soundcheck.. Ric later asked the audience for "a special applause and thanks for Ken Parsons for supporting us so well". Simon Nicol also remarked after the set " well belted out, man!".
He has also supported, played with and collaborated with artists such as Gary Howard (Flying Pickets), Attila the Stockbroker, TV Smith (The Adverts), acclaimed Breton folk musician Dom Duff and played as guest harpist for Mad Dog Mcrea
He is the host and initiator of The Folk Fusion Festival at Amsterdam's famous Paradiso. A father of two children, he was named in the top fifty "Power Amsterdammers" by Time Out who dubbed him: " The Maestro of the Underground".
He has also performed headliner gigs as a comedian and is regarded as "an established star of the musical comedy circuit" by the Musical Comedy Awards, London. He was special guest artist for them in 2011 and special guest artist for the Bardic Gorsedh in Glastonbury Assembly Rooms 2012.
He was a prominent figure in the Berlin arts scene before and after the fall of the Wall. He played bass guitar, wrote songs and sang for the cult Berlin group "Who's Rachel?". They were based and were band in residence at the famous arthouse "Kunsthaus Tacheles". They toured extensively all over Europe, notable gigs were Glastonbury Festival 1994, playing alongside bands like Citizen Fish and as guest band for The Apotheosis of the Scopophiliac media-event set up by Irish filmmaker, BAFTA nominee and IFTA winner Neasa Hardimann. The band's conceptual CD "Garlic Conspiracy" was recorded and mixed by Boris Wilsdorf, the engineer for Blixa Bargeld's Einstuerzende Neubauten.
He writes a blog about cultural exchanges between the Netherlands and Germany called www.berlidammer.com
In 2015 he recorded a great CD of original songs called 'Dealing with Demons' with Celtic folk rock and cabaret band Monty Pagan. He is presently compiling a set of modern original urban comic fairy tales called 'The Reason Why...' Further information, music, video clips and tour dates online.
Ken Parsons is a Celtic Harper, singer, writer, poet and all-round entertainer. What can you expect? Beautiful harp songs, deadly witty short poems and crafted original songs in every possible style, funny, moving, thought provoking" ( Review at the The Troubadour, legendary London folk club).
He also plays many traditional songs, chansons and covers from an extensive and incredibly diverse repertoire. From folk through crooners and pop to gothic punk and comedy songs. In fitting bardic tradition he also works as a translator in five languages and sings in many more. He has many short stories from his extensive travels. He performs solo in all his different guises or with kicking folk-rock band Monty Pagan.
He is an experienced stand-up, producer and MC and runs 4 comedy nights in Amsterdam: 'Mixtree Comedy', 'The Ironic Curtain', 'Crazy Sunday Afternoon' at the famous Melkweg Theatre and the now legendary 'Nutty Anita's Comedy Night' which has played host to acts such as Marcel Lucont, Aidan Killian, Caroline Clifford, Bob Slayer and many more.
Ken also organizes stages for writers and poets such as 'Wicked Words Festival' at Amsterdam's Paradiso.
He recorded his latest Celtic Harp CD with Paul Rayner Brown (Executive producer for Sarah Brightman, producer Jools Holland Late). His First Celtic Harp CD " Home is where the harp is" was recorded in collaboration with Paul Meader, then of the Django Reinhardt style gypsy-swing band "The Robin Nolan Trio", noted for their many shows for George Harrison.
Ken played support for Fairport Convention (Bristol, May 2012) playing his version of Matty Groves with fiddle player Ric Sanders who came up for an impromptu jam during soundcheck.. Ric later asked the audience for "a special applause and thanks for Ken Parsons for supporting us so well". Simon Nicol also remarked after the set " well belted out, man!".
He has also supported, played with and collaborated with artists such as Gary Howard (Flying Pickets), Attila the Stockbroker, TV Smith (The Adverts), acclaimed Breton folk musician Dom Duff and played as guest harpist for Mad Dog Mcrea
He is the host and initiator of The Folk Fusion Festival at Amsterdam's famous Paradiso. A father of two children, he was named in the top fifty "Power Amsterdammers" by Time Out who dubbed him: " The Maestro of the Underground".
He has also performed headliner gigs as a comedian and is regarded as "an established star of the musical comedy circuit" by the Musical Comedy Awards, London. He was special guest artist for them in 2011 and special guest artist for the Bardic Gorsedh in Glastonbury Assembly Rooms 2012.
He was a prominent figure in the Berlin arts scene before and after the fall of the Wall. He played bass guitar, wrote songs and sang for the cult Berlin group "Who's Rachel?". They were based and were band in residence at the famous arthouse "Kunsthaus Tacheles". They toured extensively all over Europe, notable gigs were Glastonbury Festival 1994, playing alongside bands like Citizen Fish and as guest band for The Apotheosis of the Scopophiliac media-event set up by Irish filmmaker, BAFTA nominee and IFTA winner Neasa Hardimann. The band's conceptual CD "Garlic Conspiracy" was recorded and mixed by Boris Wilsdorf, the engineer for Blixa Bargeld's Einstuerzende Neubauten.
He writes a blog about cultural exchanges between the Netherlands and Germany called www.berlidammer.com
In 2015 he recorded a great CD of original songs called 'Dealing with Demons' with Celtic folk rock and cabaret band Monty Pagan. He is presently compiling a set of modern original urban comic fairy tales called 'The Reason Why...' Further information, music, video clips and tour dates online.
