Roxanne de Bastion - Heirlooms & Hearsay (2017)

Berlin-born, London-based singer-songwriter Roxanne de Bastion has kindly agreed to talk us through her second album Heirlooms & Hearsay. The main subject of ‘Heirlooms & Hearsay’ is Roxanne‘s grandfather, Stephen de Bastion (or Istvan Bastyai von Holzer), a pianist from Hungary who made a new home for himself and his family in Stratford upon Avon after enduring the Second World War and the Communist takeover of his homeland. Roxanne draws parallels between his historical experiences and the experiences of people like her Grandfather, fleeing persecution today.

Roxanne de Bastion’s debut album Heirlooms & Hearsay is a bold autobiographical concept album which was championed across the BBC by the likes of Janice Long, Chris Hawkins, Gary Crowley and Tom Robinson. Since its release, Roxanne has toured extensively across the UK and North America, opening for the Wainwright Sisters, Thea Gilmore and Lambchop, as well as performing at Glastonbury on the legendary Acoustic Stage and Stage 2 at Cambridge Folk Festival.