Taplas is a folk music magazine which covers the genre in Wales and its border areas of England.
Contents
Overview
While firmly based in Wales and the borders, and running out of a head office in Cardiff, Taplas's focus includes folk, traditional, bluegrass, and world music.
Features are often commissioned if the subject is performing in the core area during the time scale of the magazine's shelf life, but not exclusively so. There is almost always some coverage of at least one Wales-based artist in each issue.
Each issue features news, in-depth features, reviews, listings and some comment. Since 2007 the magazine has also had a regular feature on traditional dance, On Your Feet, which profiles a traditional dance side or team within the core area of the magazine's coverage. The magazine is published in black and white, with a full colour cover. Extra colour pages are often added for the festival supplement edition, in April/May of each year.
Taplas has also published a series of cover-mount CDs, and runs a folk festival guide supplement in the April/May issue each year.
History
Taplas was founded in 1982 to replace the defunct South Wales Folk News publication. The first editor was Keith Hudson.
The magazine was initially quarterly, but eventually expanded to six issues a year and is published bi-monthly.
The magazine had a number of volunteer contributors, who submitted features and reviews to the publication. Much of the core writing (news stories, listings, and so on), and a good deal of the photography, was done by Keith Hudson. Design work was undertaken by Jed Williams from 1988 onwards.
The magazine also had an editorial board, whose membership was fixed, to determine the direction the publication would take.
2003 to 2015
Lucy Whitfield, a Taplas contributor from 1999 onwards, took over design duties for the magazine from November 2003 after the sudden death of Jed Williams from a heart attack.
Due to Keith Hudson's declining health over the next few years the editorial board felt that a new editor was needed. Lucy Whitfield was voted into that role during 2007, and took up the reigns in November of that year.
The magazine is now run by a team of three, with Lucy Whitfield as editor, long term contributor Mick Tems (formerly of Calennig) as deputy editor, and ex-editor Keith Hudson as reviews editor. All contributions and staffing roles are still voluntary.
Taplas actively supports both the BBC Young Folk Award and the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, sending a representative to both events, and providing coverage afterwards. The magazine also attends many folk festivals throughout the summer months, and will often provide pictorial coverage of the events.
The magazine was given a redesign for its 150th issue.
Taplas issue 163 (December 2010/January 2011) would for the first time centre on a theme. Every article in the issue will be linked to traditional dance, which was determined by guest assistant editor for the issue Laurel Swift. Should the themed issue be well received, further themed issues are planned for a later date.
Keith Hudson took the reins again until years of ill-health saw his demise on 27 June 2015.
Published bi-monthly, Taplas was the only means of keeping in touch with Wales' vibrant folk and traditional music scene.
Each issue contained the latest news & listings, stimulating features and a comprehensive review section.
Taplas' annual Festival Guide appeared as a supplement to the April/May edition and for a number of years the June/July and October/November editions were accompanied by a FREE compilation CD.
In short, Taplas was essential reading for all with an interest in folk and traditional music.