Acoustics Records

Happy New Year!
As the festive season ends and we're all taking down our Christmas trees, we send you some traditional Twelfth Night cheer with our version of The Gloucestershire Wassail. We recorded this traditional song specially for the occasion with Hilary adding her signature artwork.
Back soon with news of what's on the horizon in 2026
Wishing you a Happy New Year!
Hope you enjoy,

Gloucestershire Wassail - Simon Mayor & Hilary James Gloucestershire Wassail - Performed, arranged and recorded by Simon Mayor & Hilary JamesArtwork drawn directly on to an iPad by Hilary James. Wassailing is a...

Merry Christmas!
A very short message from Simon, Hilary, The Mandolinquents and all at Acoustics Records with our very best wishes for Christmas and New Year.

After ten years (we can't believe it!) of producing video Christmas cards, we've decided to wait and ring in the New Year instead with a specially recorded version of the traditional 'Gloucestershire Wassail'.
In the meantime we'll be posting some of our e-cards from Christmases past. Here's 'I Saw Three Ships' featuring one of Hilary's time-lapse drawings.
https://youtu.be/qZW_a-imJIU

Hope you enjoy!

I Saw Three Ships - Simon Mayor / animation by Hilary James I Saw Three Ships. Music 'I Saw Three Ships' by SImon Mayor taken from the album 'Winter With Mandolins' by Simon Mayor - https://mandolin.co.uk.Animated ar...

Sheffield Steel Works 1959 Simon Mayor reads his poem 'Sheffield Steel Works 1959' from his book 'Of Death And A Banana Skin' :... poems and other words, with illustrations by Hilary J...

https://youtu.be/NdufjRKlO18
A second mandolin teaching video from Simon Mayor - tips, technique and tunes including Wildwood Flower, Limehouse Blues, Waltz On A Still Lake and Mandolin Mornings with guitar accompaniment by the wonderful guitarist Frank Kilkelly. Hope you enjoy!

Simon Mayor. Mandolin Essentials: tips, tunes & technique for the early stages of mandolin playing. Simon teaches five tunes:00:00 Intro (2025)01:11 Intro (1996)03:47 Tuning 04:31 Wildwood Flower in G Major - PERFORMANCE (trad arr Mayor)05:12 Wildwood Flow...

https://youtu.be/L5x6l_9mGzY
This is the first of two teaching videos by Simon Mayor.
NEW CELTIC MANDOLIN was filmed in 1996 by our dear friend, the late Mark Chapman. Originally on VHS and DVD.

Simon teaches 5 tunes:
The Butterfly - Waynesboro - The Atholl Highlanders
The Dark & Slender Boy - The Dance of the Water Boatmen

I hope you enjoy!

Simon Mayor teaches: New Celtic Mandolin Simon Mayor teaches: NEW CELTIC MANDOLIN00:00 Intro (2025)01:10 Intro (1996)02:01 Tuning02:40 The Butterfly (trad arr Mayor)11:52 Waynesboro (trad arr Mayor)...

MANDOLINQUENTS - Christmas Special
14th DECEMBER 7:30-10.00pm
Goring Village Hall, High Street, RG8 9AG.
Tickets: https://mandolinquents.com or T. 0118 926 8615
Will include Simon's setting of Shakespeare's Winter (below).
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/d1OK8Fxf-Fs

Hilary James - Shakespeare's Winter Setting of Shakespeare's 'Winter' by Simon Mayor & Hilary James. Sung by Hilary James with Simon Mayor (violin, mandolin), David Pether (pipe organ), Ed Quic...