Beth ydy eich treftadaeth Gymreig yn golygu i chi? What does your Welsh heritage mean to you?

Mae tyfu fyny yng Ngogledd Cymru wedi cael effaith mawr arnom fel pobl ac felly artistiaid. Fel ma hi i bawb wrth gwrs mae dy gynefin a dy ddiwylliant yn rhan o beth sy’n rhoi dy lais unigryw i ti a dwi’n teimlo hi’n bwysig i dalu sylw yn ôl at hynny yn enwedig yng Nghymru lle mae ymdrech fawr wedi gorfod bod i gadw'r iaith a mwy yn fyw. Dyna pam hefyd ddechreuom ein label Aruthrol i roi sylw i’r dalent grêt sgennom ni yng Nghymru. Growing up in North Wales has had a great effect on us as people and as artists. As is the case with everyone, of course, your habitat and your culture are part of what give you your unique voice and I feel that it is important to recognise that especially in Wales where a great effort has had to be made to keep the language and more alive. That is also why we started our label Aruthrol, to draw attention to the great talent we have with us in Wales.

Wrth dych chi'n teithio'r byd, beth yw'r ymateb gan eich ffans rhyngwladol i'ch caneuon Cymraeg? As you travel the world, what is the response of your international fans to your Welsh songs?

Mae’r ymateb wir wedi bod yn ffantastig. Aml iawn fyddwn ni’n gweld baneri Cymreig yn hedfan a phobl yn gofyn am y caneuon. Da ni’n ffodus o gael ffans agored, caredig a chwilfrydig ac mae dod i’r gigs wedi codi chwant arnynt i edrych ar Gymru a darganfod artistiaid eraill hefyd. Mae dipyn mawr o’r ffans wedi trafeilio o bell i ein gweld yng Nghymru, i ymweld â’r wlad ac wan yn gwrando ar Radio Wales a Radio Cymru! The response has been really fantastic. Very often we will see Welsh flags flying and people asking for the songs. We are lucky to have fans who are open-minded, loving and curious, and coming to the gigs has given them an appetite for looking at Wales and discovering other artists too. Quite a few of the fans have travelled a long way to see us in Wales, to visit the country and now listen to Radio Wales and Radio Cymru!

Sut ydych aethoch chi at ail-greu caneuon A Balloon Called Moaning mewn steil aciwstg a gyda geiriau cân yn y Gymraeg, sef Y Falŵn Drom? How did you go about recreating songs from A Balloon Called Morning in an acoustic style and with lyrics in Welsh- Y Falŵn Drom?

Wnaethom recordio ddau drac byw efo llinynnau mewn gig yn Boston ar gyfer y flwyddyn newydd a’r gweddill yn Utah. Neis oedd gallu dangos yr ochr fyw acwstig o’r band (rywbeth da ni wedi trio mwy a mwy dros y blynyddoedd a fyddwn yn gwneud taith lawn acwstig yn fuan wan). Ddaru ni hefyd fwynhau'r sialens o gyfieithu'r geiriau a chadw'r ystyr, dyfnder a’r barddonol. Mae’r geiriau yn rhan fawr o’r band yma a da ni ‘rioed wedi mwynhau rhoi caneuon mewn cyd-destunau gwahanol hefyd felly braf oedd gwneud fersiynau acwstig ar albwm cyfan i wneud lle i’r llais ac arbrofi hefo gwacter a deinameg. We recorded two tracks live with lines in a New Year gig in Boston and the rest in Utah. It was nice to be able to show the live acoustic side of the band (something we have tried to do more and more over the years and will soon be doing a fully acoustic tour). We also enjoyed the challenge of translating the words and keeping the meaning, the depth and the element of poetry. The words are a big part of this band and we have always enjoyed setting songs in different contexts too so it was great to make acoustic versions for the whole album with room for the voice and experimenting with space and dynamics.

Beth gallwn bobl disgwyl o'ch gŵyl newydd, sef Gŵyl Aruthrol/Formidable Fest yng Nghaerdydd? What can people expect of your new festival, that is, Gŵyl Aruthrol/Formidable Fest in Cardiff?

I ymestyn a’r syniad tu ôl ein label, cyfle yw Gŵyl Aruthrol i roi hwb i dalent Gymreig yn bennaf. Cerddorion, arlunwyr a gwneuthurwyr. I godi arian i achosion da a hefyd i ddod a bandiau/artistiaid rhyngwladol i Gymru a rhoi noson incliwsif, hwyl ac wrth gwrs ARUTHROL ymlaen! Fydd o’n dechrau o gwmpas 5pm a fydd yna setiau acwstig, trydanol, d.j’s a fydd gwaith arlunio artistiaid Cymreig a bwyd a diod leol ar gael. Da ni’n falch o gael Candelas, Chroma a Blood Red Shoes i chwarae ac mae mwy i ddod. Da ni wir yn edrych ymlaen. Rhowch Tach 23 yn eich dyddiadur a dewch i ffrwydro efo ni yn y Tramshed! As an extension of the concept behind our label, Formidable Fest is an opportunity to give encouragement to Welsh talent in particular to musicians, artists and creators. To raise money for good causes and also to bring international bands/artists to Wales and offer an inclusive, entertaining and of course above all FORMIDABLE night! It will begin around 5pm and there will be acoustic sets, electric sets and disc jockeys and there will be work from Welsh artists and locally sourced food and drink available. We are proud to have Candelas, Chroma and Blood Red Shoes playing and more to come. We are really looking forward to it. Put November 23 in your diaries and come and create an explosion with us in the Tramshed!

Pa gyngor sydd gyda chi i grwpiau Cymraeg sydd moyn datblygu cynulleidfaoedd tu fas o Gymru? What advice do you have for Welsh groups who want to develop audiences outside Wales?

I gadw cysylltiadau da arlein ac i fod yn barod i drafeilio i wneud gigs lle bynnag. Gweithiwch ar eich set, chwiliwch am y nosweithiau da i chwarae, ewch i’r gigs a siaradwch a phobl a’r bandiau eraill sydd yna, rhowch nosweithiau diddorol ymlaen eich hunain a adeiladu scîn eich hunain ac wedyn fwy na dim- rhowch ddiawl o sioe dda ymlaen! To maintain good online connections and to be ready to travel to do gigs wherever. Work on your set, look for good nights to play on, go to gigs and talk to people and other bands who are there, put on interesting nights yourselves and create your own scene and then more than anything- put on a devil of a good show!