Folk and Roots - Features and Articles

Keep upto date with updates on folk and roots via twitter.

Welcome to Folk and Roots
A guide to the folk and acoustic scene, with information about UK folk gigs and Folk Festivals and hundreds of links!


`Home`	`Artists`	`Events`	`Festivals`	`Reviews`	`Americana`	`Venues`	`Journals`	`Links`	`Forum`

Welcome to our features and news page, essentially this little corner of Folk & Roots includes articles, news and links to features. To submit a news item email your opinions or experiences with other visitors to the site?
Over the coming year this page will be expanded somewhat with more regular news/articles/press releases being added so watch this space...
Contents:
*Steve Knightley hosts 12th Show of Hands Festival in the Dorset Sub Tropics (July 4)
*Tommy Sands New CD 'Let The Circle Be Wide'
*The Kittiwakes - Album Launch 22nd June
*Canadian Folk Star Cara Luft Set For UK Tour
*Manitoba Songwriter Alana Levandoski Returns With New Album And UK Tour Dates
*New Wave - University of Newcastle showcase weekender at Cecil Sharp House, London - 3rd/4th July
*Archbishop to visit festival
*Leigh on Sea Festival - 21st - 28th June
*Pile-Driving Acoustic Grass Straight From The Pacific Northwest...The Water Tower Bucket Boys announce UK dates in July
*Topic Records celebrates 70 years of independence in September with 7 x cd box set & 3 special concerts
*Serious Sam Barrett LP Release show - 14th August - Green Note London
*The Witchseason Weekender, July 18 & 19 - Barbican Centre, London
*Billy Mitchell and Bob Fox Autumn Tour Dates
*The Barker Band Take To The Road
*Lisa Knapp Tour
*FolkStation Festival - Isle of Wight - July
*All Things Considered - Album Launch
*Leigh on Sea Festival 2009
*Eastleigh Music Festival - July
*The Green Note Festival of Latin Music 2009
*Eilen Jewell Announces UK Dates For October In Support Of Upcoming New Album, Sea Of Tears
*Teignmouth Folk Festival’s International line-up
*Moseley Festival announce line-up
*Otis Gibbs on Tour
*Brampton is back!!
*Stokes Bay Festival Line-Up Announced
*Gryphon Reunion Concert - June London
*Steven Finn endorsed by Hohner Harmonicas
*Beverley Festival - Americana Stage
*Charlottesville Virginia Songwriter Devon Sproule Announced New Album Release And UK Dates
*Religoran to tour Kentish Village Halls
*Big Session Lineup Announced..
*LAU return with highly anticipated new album
*Tommy Peoples - Workshops and Concerts in Kent and Sussex during September
*Celtic Connections News, Reviews and Clips
*Wisconsin Native Jeffrey Foucault Set To Release Much Anticipated Album Reflecting On The Work Of John Prine
*Double win for Devon's Jackie Oates at tonight's BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards-Best Newcomer/Best Traditional Track
*Across The Pond
*The Big Session Festival line-up 2009
*Tish Hinojosa, New album
*Junctions: English Music Breaking Formation
*New Acoustic Music Club For The North Tyne Valley
*"Longdogs" release live Show of Hands album for childhood cancer causes (September 27)
*Patsy Matheson
*Report from Cambridge Folk Festival 2008
*Lisa Redford Releases Third Album 'Clouds with Silver'
*Leading Folk Artists Sign Up For Darwin Song Project
*Leigh Folk Festival podcast
*Debut Album from Folk Dance Duo Folkus Pocus
*The Folk Handbook - Working With Songs From The English Tradition
*Classic Folk Song Collection In New Edition
*Viv Youell
*Report of Fiddlers Various 2007: Tommy Peoples' tour of SE England
*Cyril Tawney - new CDs
*Virtual Open Mic - Online Radio Station
*Travellers Joy
*Zetcast
*Rock'n'Reel is back!
*Sheffield Folk
*The Grascals
*New Folk Guide for Cumbria
*Folk Music Library Goes Online
*Angelic Music
*Strangeworld
*New Publication - The Anglo-Concertina Music of William Kimber
*Radio Britfolk
*Lauren MacColl
*Gloucestershire Blues
*Across the Pond
*Rose of the Ribble Valley
*Jen Charlton
*Siansa
*Sidmouth - 50 Years in the Making
*Borders Young Fiddlers

KNIGHTLEY HOSTS 12TH SHOW OF HANDS FESTIVAL IN THE DORSET SUB TROPICS - WITH A STELLAR LINE UP OF FRIENDS!
Show of Hands hugely popular annual signature festival on the Dorset heritage coast will be missing a familiar face this year - the band's multi instrumental wizard Phil Beer.
Phil will be absent from the event at Abbotsbury's Sub Tropical Gardens for the first time in 12 years while he fulfils his lifetime dream of crewing in the Tall Ships Race and will likely be bobbing around in the Baltic on the good ship Pegasus when the festival takes place near Weymouth on Saturday, July 4.
But Steve Knightley, his long-term singer songwriter partner will host the event along with a little help from some of his many musical collaborators and friends. Acclaimed songwriter Steve, twice nominated in the Best Original Song category at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, will spearhead over six hours of non-stop open-air entertainment on Abbotsbury's West Lawn. He'll be ably aided and abetted by award-winning Welsh singer songwriter Martyn Joseph, and young North Devon songstress Jenna, two of his recent touring partners. Steve produced Jenna's debut album Barefoot and Eager and collaborated with Martyn on The Bridgerow Sessions.
The exuberant and inspired merger of Mawkin:Causley - the Essex "lad band" fused with stand out singer and frontman Jim Causley - who appeared nude on a recent music magazine cover (!)- will be a highlight of the strong line up which also includes Miranda Sykes - regular guest musician and vocalist with Show of Hands.
And for a rousing chorus line who better than Cornwall's Fishermen's Friends The members of Fishermen's Friends all have connections to the sea as fishermen, lifeboatmen, coastguard and cliff rescue staff or boatyard workers. A few years ago they started singing at Port Isaac harbour during the summer and have since performed at many festivals as well as with Show of Hands at the Royal Albert Hall. See them at the Royal Albert Hall here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vUqeDPZZ80
A memorable festival finale is planned and who knows - a virtual Phil Beer might even be beamed in from the Baltic!
The event starts at 3pm. Tickets are available on 01305-871130, price £20 (adults); £10 (children) or £48 for a family (two adults and up to three children). Further information on
www.abbotsbury-tourism.co.uk or email info@abbotsbury-tourism.co.uk
Concertgoers are invited to bring low-backed seating, rugs and picnics into the grounds - entry to the West Lawn area is from 1.30pm. The grounds open at 10am for those interested in looking round the magnificent 20-acre gardens. For the youngsters, there will also be a children's entertainer and face painters.

Tommy Sands with Moya & Fionán
www.tommysands.com
‘Let The Circle Be Wide’

Born in the North of Ireland, an area bitterly divided by opposing religious and political issues, singer-songwriter- activist Tommy Sands has spent his life using music to spread hope, healing and inspiration, as well as entertainment. Since the ’60s with his brothers and sisters in The Sands Family, as a solo performer, and most recently with his daughter and son, Tommy has been bringing traditional Irish songs and original, socially relevant material to audiences all around the world.
On his new CD ‘Let the Circle Be Wide,’ Tommy Sands continues to write and perform wise, moving, sometimes rollicking songs infused with his deep but clear-eyed love of his imperfect homeland. The CD reflects some of the changes resulting from the historic 1998 power-sharing Belfast Agreement; Sands’ spontaneous performance of his songs with a group of Catholic and Protestant school children outside those agreement negotiations was called “a defining moment in the peace process.”
Unlike the early Gaelic bards who wrote songs, stories and poems in praise of their own clans alone, well-known Irish musician and folklorist Professor Mick Moloney has dubbed Sands an “enlightened bard,” who “says and writes words that are more likely to bring people of diverse backgrounds together than to keep them apart.”
The fifteen songs on Let the Circle be Wide ring with Tommy’s warm brogue, the poignant Irish lilt of uillean pipes, fiddles, and whistles, but also carry the influence of different cultures, such as the unearthly vocal buzzes and drones of Mongolian throat-singing on “Rovers of Wonder.”
Sands, who plays guitar, whistle, banjo, and dotara, a stringed Indian instrument, as well as singing the lead vocals, shares his music’s power to heal (the high-spirited “Send for Maguire” and ethereal “A Stór Mo Chroí”), to rally (“Make Those Dreams Come True,” “Time for Asking Why”), to pay tribute to the departed (“The Song Sings On: Ballad of Tommy Makem,” “You Will Never Grow Old,” a gentle farewell to Sands’ late brother Dino), to fight prejudice (“Keep On Singing”), to unite people (the title song), and to celebrate Ireland’s natural beauty amid ongoing social change (“Fields of Daisies,” “Carlingford Bay”). The CD’s misty, welcoming opener, “Young Man’s Dream,” is Tommy’s “translation/part transcreation” of an ancient Gaelic song which would much later become Ireland’s most famous ballad, “Danny Boy.” This dream song, so apt for today, dates back more than 500 years, drawing us to “an island dreaming where the heart is free,” where “the dream of love, it belongs to all.”
Sands’ musical inclusiveness extends to enlisting his daughter Moya (fiddle, bodhran, whistle, vocals), son Fionán (banjo, mandolin, backing vocals), his Sands Family siblings and additional musicians including guitarist Arty McGlynn (Van Morrison, Patrick Street, Christy Moore), guitarist/bassist Steve Cooney (Sinead O’Connor, The Chieftains, Chuck Berry, Dolly Parton), and co-producer/multi-instrumentalist Tom Newman (who worked on Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells), among others, to perform on Let the Circle be Wide.
With a new CD, a busy international performance schedule with Moya and Fionán, a weekly show on Irish radio, periodic tours with The Sands Family, and his involvement in social justice projects including peace concerts and educational programs in schools and prisons, Tommy Sands exemplifies the idealistic musician as a strong but gentle agent of tradition and change, a carrier of hope and solace, and a man of dreams and reality in the spirit of America’s Pete Seeger, Scotland’s Dick Gaughan and other giants of musical activism.

back to contents
The Kittiwakes Album Launch - 22nd June, Electroacoustic Club, Clerkenwell, London
The Kittiwakes are Kate Denny on vocals and violin, Chris Harrison on accordion and Jill Cumberbatch on violin, mandolin, and guitar. Their debut album ‘Lofoten Calling’ is being released by Midwich Records, and is original music based around the people, landscape, folklore and history of the Lofoten Islands, - an area above the Arctic Circle in Norway. The music is song based, and influenced by traditional British Isles and Norwegian folk music.
http://www.myspace.com/kittiwakes
http://www.midwich-cuckoos.co.uk
Feedback about The Kittiwakes:
"The Kittiwakes (rissa tridactyla): delicious, intriguing and evocative music, beautifully played and sung by this talented trio. Recommended to twitchers and lovers of folk music alike." - Paul Collier, Leigh Folk Festival
"'Lofoten Calling' is a salty collection of sea-based folk songs, mixing ballads and shanties into a potent and haunting collection. Playing Accordion, mandolin, and violin, all topped off with the drop dead gorgeous voice of Kate Denny, these songs are enchanting and timeless, the breaking surf only an echo away." - Terrascope
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lucy Farrell is a singer and fiddle player, she has been playing and performing for about 8 years. From Maidstone, Lucy went to the North East to study on the Folk and Traditional music course. She met Jonny Kearney on the course and they started playing together because of a shared love of songs. On the course Lucy has had the opportunity to play at various festivals and folk clubs including Bladon festival, Leith folk club, Stockton folk club and has also appeared at Cecil Sharpe House. Since finishing the course in 2007 Lucy and Jonny have continued to play together in local folk clubs and pubs, and at Oxford and Bideford festivals.
http://www.myspace.com/lucyfarrell

back to contents
Canadian Folk Star Cara Luft Returns To UK For Headline Shows
"Cara's record is great, real, and heartfelt - as she is. No fluff or extra notes - just the good stuff!" - Buddy Miller
One time Wailin Jenny, Cara Luft will be playing a number of headlining shows in the UK throughout the next two months culminating in an appearance at the Cambridge Folk Festival on August 1st, previewing new songs and old gems taken from her ‘The Light Fantastic’ album that was released on Canada’s Black Hen label. Luft, an evocative, humorous, and hugely entertaining live performer was a founding member of The Wailin Jennys, winning a Juno nomination for their 40 Days album, and creating a real buzz on the Canadian and US roots scene. She left to pursue her own career, which has seen her tour extensively in the US, Canada, and make her first ever visit to Europe earlier this year. She will be accompanied on the dates by Hugh McMillan from the Alberta roots band Spirit Of The West.
June
26th Arts Centre, SOUTHPORT
28th Folk Festival, CRAWLEY (TBC)
29th Greys, BRIGHTON
30th Green Note, LONDON
July
2nd Folk Club, WHITSTABLE
3rd Maverick Festival, SUFFOLK
4th Stables, MILTON KEYNES
6th Chesham Folk Club, CHESHAM
7th Blue Coconut, PULBOROUGH
9th Iron Works, OSWESTRY
10th Folk Club, CARLISLE
11th Birdsedge Festival, BIRDSEDGE
21st Leith Folk Club, EDINBURGH
24th Red Shoes, ELGIN
25th TBC 26th Hootenanys, INVERNESS
28th Argyle Hotel, ULLAPOOL 29th TBC
August
1st Cambridge Folk Festival, CAMBRIDGE
2nd Brightlingsea Festival, ESSEX
www.caraluft.com
back to contents
Manitoba Songwriter Alana Levandoski Returns With New Album And UK Tour Dates

Manitoba, Canada singer-songwriter Alana Levandoski will be playing a few show in the UK in June & July to present material from her forthcoming album, Lions and Werewolves, which will be released later in the year on Blue Lilly Records. It will be the much-anticipated follow up to 2006’s acclaimed debut, Unsettled Down, which gained significant support in the UK after being championed by likes of Maverick, Uncut, The Times and Radio 2. Lions and Werewolves, recorded partly in a 100 year old church in rural Manitoba and partly at Parr Street Studios, Liverpool with legendary producer Ken Nelson (Coldplay, Gomez, Snow Patrol) at the helm, sees Levandoski move away slightly from her country roots toward a more fuller, mainstream sound. Three tracks from the album are available for preview at her My Space page www.myspace.com/alanalevandoski
June
24th Green Note, LONDON
25th Blue Sky Cafe, BANGOR
26th The Chattery, SWANSEA
28th Hootananny, INVERNESS
29th Riverside Tavern, DINGWALL
30th The Argyll, ULLAPOOL
July
1st Crewe Roots, CREWE
2nd The Met, BURY (supporting Eve Sellis)
3rd The Borderline, LONDON (supporting Otis Gibbs) 4th Maverick Festival SUFFOLK

back to contents
New Wave
University of Newcastle Graduates
Friday 3 July & Saturday 4 July 2009
Performances: Fri at 8pm, Sat at 8pm
Presentations & Workshops: Sat from 10.30am
Tickets: £5 - £20
Ticket office: 020 7485 2206 / www.wegottickets.com
www.efdss.org
On Friday 3 July and Saturday 4 July the English Folk Dance and Song Society are pleased to present Newcastle University's Folk and Traditional Music degree showcase weekender New Wave. Undergraduates, graduates and tutors from this highly acclaimed course will take part in an exciting array of performances, voice, dance and music workshops and presentations at Cecil Sharp House.
Friday Evening Concert, 8pm, Trefusis Hall £8, £5 (conc.)
Kicking-off the weekend of events in style, this concert presents the next generation of Newcastle University graduates and tutors within the informal setting of Trefusis Hall.
Saturday Presentations and Workshops, from 10.30am,
Kennedy Hall, Trefusis Hall, Storrow Hall and Bar
£10, £7 (conc.)
Saturday morning and afternoon brings a plethora of activities to the proceedings. Take part in lively and accessible introductions to Molly, Clog and Northumbrian Social dance workshops. View an exciting fiddle band at work. Relax your vocal muscles and then let it all come out for the vocal workshops. Explore a series of invigorating presentations and discussions and join in with jam sessions throughout the day in the bar!
Saturday Evening Concert, 8pm, Kennedy Hall £10, £7 (conc.)
The climax of the weekend, this concert presents an array of talent featuring a wide variety of music in the splendid setting of Kennedy Hall.
A weekend ticket (all events) is available priced at £20, £15 (conc.)
A full programme of events is available from www.efdss.org
Students and Graduates: Ruth Ball, Ben Church, Rosy Coggle, Lucy Coggle, Beth Coyle, Tom Cronin, Sarah Dorward, Lucy Farrell, Cathy Geldard, Isla Hughes, Pip Ives, Paul Knox, Jo Lindsay-Dunn, Jenny Page, Will Pound, Matt Price, Georgia Shackleton, Fynn Titford-Mock, Dan Walsh, Nick Wiseman-Ellis (Friday only).
Tutors: Vic Gammon, Stewart Hardy, Sandra Kerr.
back to contents
LEIGH FOLK FESTIVAL 2009

In these cash-strapped, credit-crunched times, a free, midsummer, seaside music festival just a 45 minute train ride from London is an enticing prospect, both for pocket and the good of the soul!

The Leigh Folk Festival, which this year runs for a full week between Sunday June 21 and Sunday June 28, is widely recognised as the largest free folk festival in the UK. Now in its 18th year, it attracts visitors from all across the country, while still maintaining its connection to the local community.

Uniquely for a festival on this scale, this is a free event, granting open access to all and opportunities to see and hear some of the finest folk artists in the country. ‘The same mix of music, camping, foodie stalls, and laid-back vibe as Glastonbury, without the startling ticket price!’ – The Observer.

The festival takes place at various venues around Leigh-on-Sea and Southend, culminating in a full programme of events in Leigh Library Gardens and St Clement’s Church on Saturday 27 and the final day’s extravaganza in Old Leigh on Sunday 28.
As ever a wildly diverse music programme is lined up, stretching from traditional folk sounds to the most experimental fringes. Watch out for performances from BBC Folk Awards finalists Faustus, former Sneaker Pimps singer Kelli Ali – now heading in a psych-folk direction, the much-fancied Smoke Fairies, and a welcome return from acclaimed US bluegrass/country star Rachel Harrington. Alongside will be local heroes Phil Burdett, the Owl Service, Wills Fargo, the Goldmaster All Stars and the Famous Potatoes, amongst a great many more.
More leftfield highlights will include a concert in St Clement’s Church pairing free jazz saxophonist Trevor Watts with Steeleye Span fiddler Peter Knight, and an intriguing collaboration between Welsh-Iranian folk singer Roshi and the cult electronica of Isnaj Dui. • Building on the huge success of 2008, another series of folk music and dance related ‘workshops’ will be held, and once again a festival CD featuring tracks selected from the 70+ acts appearing is to be produced.
A full programme of children’s events is scheduled for June 27 & 28, including a circus skills session, Punch & Judy, storytelling, dances and craft workshops.
This year’s dance programme features an international line-up, including a side from France alongside morris, flamenco, Appalachian, Irish, belly dancers and more besides.
In the quest to seek out new talent, another ‘open mic’ competition is to be held this year, as well the unique opportunity to join ‘The Leigh Folk Philharmonic’ – an all ages, all abilities big folk band, for a performance in the Library Gardens.
Sunday’s centrepiece procession along the High Street in Old Leigh will be an unmissable spectacle, led by the Westcliff Piping Society and concluding with an openair ceilidh.
Apart from associated club nights and Saturday evening’s concert and dance, all events are free: the festival is funded by grants from local authorities and other bodies, local businesses and organisations, but most importantly by public donations throughout the weekend.
Full programme details will be posted on the festival websites, as well as in the colour souvenir programme, which will be available shortly before and during the event.

www.myspace.com/leighfolkfestival2009, www.leighfolkfestival.co.uk

back to contents
Pile-Driving Acoustic Grass Straight From The Pacific Northwest...The Water Tower Bucket Boys announce UK dates in July
Pile-Driving Acoustic Grass Straight From The Pacific Northwest
Hailing from Portland, Oregon, the Water Tower Bucket Boys invigorate their hard-driving, soul-saturated traditional and original music with tight vocal harmonies and energetic instrumentals. The Bucket Boys formed in 2005 with Josh Rabie (fiddle, guitar, banjo) and Kenny Feinstein (guitar, mandolin, harmonica) in their senior year of high school. Later, Cory Goldman (banjo, guitar) and Walter Spencer (upright bass) completed the band. Four years and two studio recordings later, the boys embark on their first European tour at the end of July (see itinerary below) to coincide with the release of their second album ‘Catfish On The Line’.
Alongside a host of traditional old-time tunes indelibly stamped with the Bucket Boys youthful exuberance, ‘Catfish On The Line’ also offers an original song by each musician, and has been praised by fiddlefreak.com as “a rambunctious ramble through classic bluegrass, old-time country, and ornery originals. Comparisons to Old Crow Medicine Show are inevitable here, and I mean that as a compliment. These boys rock out on fiddle (Josh), banjo (Cory), guitar (Kenny), and bass fiddle (Walter).”
The Water Tower Bucket Boys got their start busking on the street corners of Portland and enlivening local square dances. Honing their sound as a solid dance band, playing up and down the west coast, as well as in the east, the boys have perfected their unique style, drawing from classic bluegrass, old-time, and country songs. Their original sound, heavily influenced by blues and country, distinguishes them from other string bands. Their lightning stage performances will invigorate audiences of all ages and types.
The boys are now hammering out their next album of entirely original compositions. Performing on stage, on the street, in markets, at dances or weddings, the Water Tower Bucket Boys bring fresh energy to traditional and original songs while still maintaining that “high-lonesome” integrity.
Their first self-produced CD, “The Squid and the Fiddle” was released in May 2008, and has sold over 4,000 copies worldwide.
UK Tour Itinerary
July
Mon 27 Sarratt nr. Rickmansworth Acoustic Session by Candlelight at the Old Barn 8:00pm £2.50
07775 526 881 / www.myspace.com/owlsworld
Weds 29 London The Magpies Nest: Old Time Music Night, The Old Queen's Head, Islington 7:30pm £5 adv, £6 door
07740 199665 / http://www.wegottickets.co.uk/event/47202
Thurs 30 London Bonanza presesnts Countrier Than Thou @ The Lock Tavern, Camden 8:00pm FREE
0207 482 7163 / www.myspace.com/bonanzablues
August
Sat 1 London What's Cookin' Annual Summer Party - Upstairs at The Sheep Walk, Leytonstone 8:30pm FREE opening for The Maybelles
07904 210218 / www.whatscookin.co.uk
Sun 2 London The Oxford, Kentish Town with The Magic Lantern
020 7485 3521 / www.realpubs.co.uk/the-oxford/events/ 8:00pm £5
Thurs 6 Reading The Retreat
0118 9571593 / www.retreatpub.co.uk
Sat 8 Bristol The Old Duke 9:00pm FREE
0117 9277137 / www.theoldduke.com
Sun 9 Quorn nr. Loughborough The Sunday Saloon: Quorn Village Hall 3:00pm £3 NB. Finishes 7:00pm with The Hi And Lo
07947 358993 / www.myspace.com/thesundaysaloon
www.watertowerbucketboys.com

back to contents

The Green Note will play host to the official London release gig of Serious Sam Barrett's debut album. "Close to Home" coming soon on YaDig? records. Sam will be accompanied by the two guest musicians who appear on the record, David Broad and Pete Carlill.
These three Leeds based purveyors of folk, country and blues music will be playing individually and collectively and will be playing the finest arrangements of traditional songs from both sides of the pond as well as their critically acclaimed original material.
"In Today's British music scene the freshest sound is that of Serious Sam Barrett" Rocklouder.co.uk
"Heartier praise cannot really be given to Sam's songwriting than by saying you'd be hard pressed to work out which songs were his and which were old" Sandman Magazine
"Sam Barrett is a man who can only be accused of being serious about his love of the roots and that is nothing to be ashamed of" Blues Matters Magazine
"Sam seriously sparkles when he brings his take on pre-WW2 string driven sounds straight to twentieth century Yorkshire. Treasure him for that rich uniqueness" Mono Magazine
For more info see www.myspace.com/sambarrett or www.greennote.co.uk
back to contents
The Witchseason Weekender, July 18 & 19

A celebration of the Witchseason label and the man who did so much to support and promote the British folk-rock scene in the extraordinarily creative years of the late 1960s, Boston-born producer and label boss Joe Boyd. Curated by Boyd himself, these concerts are a reminder of the continuing vitality and relevance of the scene which produced Nick Drake, Sandy Denny and Fotheringay, Fairport Convention, the Incredible String Band and the UFO club – all aspects of the legacy of the Witchseason label and production house.
Saturday 18 July 7.30pm
An All-star Fairport Convention Concert
Tickets £10/15/20/25
Produced by the Barbican in association with Joe Boyd
Part of blaze
A reunion of this folk-rock supergroup, to play the music from the first five - classic – albums, including Liege And Lief. During the late 1960s ‘The Fairports’ brilliantly explored new and contemporary ways of representing folk music, culminating in Liege And Lief in1969, soon after which the group splintered into many fascinating solo projects while original member, guitarist Simon Nicol, and fiddler Dave Swarbrick persevered in keeping the group together. The band underwent many further permutations as members came and went, before announcing their retirement at the band’s own festival, Cropredy, in 1979. By this time, their star vocalist and composer of the classic Who Know Where The Time Goes, Sandy Denny, had died tragically young of a brain haemorrhage. Nonetheless, the later 1980s and the 1990s became a fertile period for a reformed version of the group, who also enjoyed continued songwriting contributions from Richard Thompson. 2007 was the band’s 40th anniversary year, and they celebrated by releasing the album Sense of Occasion and performing the whole Liege And Lief album live at Cropredy with the 1969 line-up of Dave Swarbrick, Ashley Hutchings, Dave Mattacks, Simon Nicol and Richard Thompson – with Chris While taking the place of the late Sandy Denny.
The line-up for the Barbican Concert will be combinations of Simon Nicol, Ashley Hutchings, Dave Mattacks, Dave Pegg, Iain Matthews, Dave Swarbrick and Richard Thompson – and an array of guest singers.
Sunday 19 July 7.30pm
Very Cellular Songs: The Music Of The Incredible String Band
Tickets £10/15/20/25
Produced by the Barbican in association with Joe Boyd
Part of blaze
The legendary duo of Mike Heron and Robin Williamson, who played more than 30 instruments between them, inspired a cult following in the late 1960s. 1967s 5000 Spirits, Or The Layers Of The Onion had an effect on the folk scene comparable with Sgt Pepper on the rock world, and their performances became major events on the underground scene. Their brand of psychedelic folk was an exciting and imaginative departure from tradition, and their musicianship was undisputed. Although the music industry’s attention drifted away from after the turn of the 1970s, the duo carried on making records, alongside some solo projects, until splitting in 1974. For this special concert, Mike Heron will be joined by an array of special guests including Clive Palmer, Richard Thompson, Danny Thompson, Robyn Hitchcock, Dr Strangely Strange, Alasdair Roberts, Trembling Bells and many more to be announced.
http://www.barbican.org.uk

back to contents

Archbishop of York joins top names heading for Beverley Festival next weekend
As the final arrangements are put in place for next weekend’s (19th – 21st June) Beverley Festival, the town gets ready to welcome the flocks of visitors, along with some important guests, that will be attending the wealth of events taking place. With a top level line-up of artists including Billy Bragg, Seth Lakeman, The Peatbog Faeries, John Hegley, and The Lonnie Donegan Band featuring Peter Donegan, and some exciting new additions to the festival’s programme of activities, this year promises to cement its place as one of the Top 100 Festivals in the Country, as stated by The Sunday Times.
With the festival attracting all ages and interests, it will also be playing host to the Archbishop of York on Sunday 21st, who will be visiting to soak up the atmosphere and meet festival organisers, artists and visitors to the event, before heading to St Nicholas Church close-by.
A major development this year is the expansion of the ever popular Festival Village, in the shadow of the town’s historic Minster and adjacent to the main festival venue at the Leisure Complex. The Village enables visitors to explore the variety of Craft and Music Stalls bringing artefacts and musical instruments from close to home as well as around the World; the Festival Bar with the excellent real ale Wold Top Beer; and Catering outlets with food products from local sources. All possible to visit Free of Charge, whilst soaking up the carnival atmosphere of the festival. For a nominal charge, (with a donation for each ticket sold going to the Teenage Cancer Trust) entry to the majority of the outdoor events taking place is possible, with events for all the family and all tastes. 16 hours of entertainment on both Saturday and Sunday, and 8 hours on Friday will include Music concerts, Workshops, Comedy, and Literature events taking place throughout the day, as well as the popular Late Night Festival Club and the festival’s first ever Silent Disco, which will be finishing off the days’ activities each night of the festival. Back again this year will be BBC Radio Humberside who will be broadcasting live from the festival throughout the weekend, bringing highlights from the Festival Village and interviews with festival performers.
Season tickets for the Festival Village for the weekend admit purchasers to 40 hours of entertainment for just £10 or day tickets £5.00 or £3.50 on Friday. Real Value for money.
And for those wanting to attend other major events over the weekend, tickets can be purchased for Individual events or Day and Season tickets which give added value by enabling ticket holders to move from one event to another at will.

For information & tickets: Tel: 01377 217569 - info@beverleyfestival.com
www.beverleyfestival.com
Other artists include Peter Robinson & Eliza Carthy, Henry Priestman, Eric Bogle & John Munro, Tanglefoot, Lunasa, Tanglefoot, Gandalf Murphy & The Slambovian Circus of Dreams, The Coal Porters, Bruce Molsky and many more……
Weekend, Day and Single Event tickets are on sale On-Line via the festival’s website – www.beverleyfestival.com
Also from the Festival Office Tel: 01377 217569
back to contents
In 2009, Topic Records celebrates its 70th anniversary. This makes it the oldest, truly independent record company in the world and an extremely sprightly, almost ageless senior citizen compared to youngsters Motown, Island and Rough Trade who also enjoy big anniversaries this year.
To celebrate this significant moment in Topic's illustrious history, in September this year, Topic will publish 'Three Score and Ten', a sumptuous 7 cd set complete with a 108 page book, charting 7 decades of recording and social history.?The label will also co-host TOPIC 70, a series of 3 concerts at London's Southbank, an event complete with a photographic exhibition and live foyer events.
Topic, which started as an off-shoot of the Workers Music Association in 1939, has released a unique and important array of recordings : from Paul Robeson, Pete Seeger, Vanessa Redgrave and Ewan McColl, to Nic Jones, Shirley Collins, Dick Gaughan, Martin Carthy, The Watersons, June Tabor, John Tams and Martin Simpson, to the current generation, including the multi award-winning Eliza Carthy. Topic has also been responsible for releasing acclaimed field recordings from around the globe, but most significantly perhaps, from the UK, where the ground-breaking 20 cd 'Voice of the People' set was met with critical and popular acclaim on release in 1999, the label's 60th birthday. ('This is truly a landmark collection. Quite simply, awesome' - The Times)
TOPIC 70 - LIVE EVENTS AT LONDON'S SOUTHBANK CENTRE - ?
A celebration of the world's oldest, truly independent record company
www.southbankcentre.co.uk
Belvedere Road
London, Near Waterloo Station, SE1 8XX
0871 663 2500
During the past 70 years, Topic Records has quietly built a deserved reputation for not compromising the nature of its work or that of the independent-spirited artists it represents. TOPIC 70 at Southbank Centre celebrates the work of this important record company and presents three very special concerts, featuring some of the label's current recording artists.
THE WATERSON FAMILY & THE ELIZA CARTHY BAND - 11 September - Royal Festival Hall
The Waterson Family are one of England's premier singing families and their performances, featuring closely woven harmonies, have played a hugely influential role in popularising folk music. Known in the early days as 'the folk Beatles', due to their huge cult following, this is an opportunity to see the entire family and hear examples of their repertoire from the past 40 years. Tonight's concert also features appearances by the multi-award winning Eliza Carthy Band.
? MARTIN SIMPSON & BIG BAND - 17 September - Queen Elizabeth Hall
Throughout his career virtuoso folk guitarist and singer, Martin Simpson, has continually built on his great love of British, Anglo-American and Afro-American traditional forms. This concert presents a unique opportunity to see Martin perform with other stellar musicians including Danny Thompson, Andy Cutting and BJ Cole.
JUNE TABOR in Concert - 18 September - Queen Elizabeth Hall
June Tabor is rightly renowned as one of Britain's greatest interpreters of popular song. She is a performer with an extraordinary vocal range and the ability to mix intensity, passion, drama and humour into both her live and recorded performance. In this rare London appearance, Tabor will explore the unique relationship between the people of these islands and the sea.
WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT TOPIC RECORDS
"I've been buying and scrounging Topic records since 1954. It feels like Topic has always been there, quietly doing good work. Like a backbone' - John Peel (1999)
'If it came to pass that Rough Trade would end up as part of the tradition started by the father of them all, the great Topic Records, I would be very proud. I am referring to the tradition of great independent labels. Topic has always been an inspiration to me and its roots and riches grow more precious as the years go by..' - Geoff Travis - (M.D. Rough Trade - 2009).
"70 years! Topic records might be the greatest recording institution in the history of British music. They make most so called indie labels look pretty corporate to be sure. Their consistency, musical purity and genuine independence is second to none and they deserve to be celebrated properly". - Laurence Bell - (M.D. Domino Records - 2009)
"Topic Records has always been an inspiration. It's a wonderful thing that this very musical, daring and uncompromising institution is with us and thriving. Wishing Topic many happy birthdays to come. " - Nick Gold - (MD - World Circuit - 2009).
"I don't know how the British musical landscape would have looked without Topic being there all those years. A vital component of British culture" - Richard Thompson (Singer & guitarist - 2009)
? "Pundits in the mainstream music business use terms like "Independent", "left field" and "edgy" as if such concepts have only recently been invented, but Topic have been all those things since before the dawn of rock'n'roll. In their loving hands, the deepest roots of our musical traditions have survived, thrived and evolved into inspiring new forms that their founders could scarcely have imagined" - Ian Anderson - (Editor fRoots Magazine - 2009)?
"I always think that while we still have The Archers, Test Match Special and Topic Records, we still have hope. Topic is a guardian angel of the best bits of our musical roots - and the arrival of a new cd from them is a portent of something real and special. The fact that Topic has been doing what it does for 70 years makes the label nothing short of a phenomenon' - Colin Irwin - (music journalist - 2009)
? "PPL is proud to represent Topic records and the extraordinary repertoire that they have released in their distinguished history. This important and influential company has done a wonderful job nurturing and developing performers whose recorded music will continue to leave a long-lasting contribution and legacy to the culture of this country." - Jonathan Morrish - (PPL. Director of PR & Corporate Communications - 2009)
" Imagine if Topic's music had never been recorded. What a strong influence it has had, what an echo of authentic voices over the years. Long may it last' - Polly Toynbee - (The Guardian - 2009)
"Topic Records has been a constant feature of the folk, world and all things interesting in music for as long as I can remember..A huge achievement. Happy Birthday!" - Alison Wenham - (Chairman and CEO - Association of Independent Music - 2009)
"Topic Records has preserved and promoted the singing voice of working ?Britain. .It is also a charmingly idiosyncratic label..One of its most significant LPs , The Iron Muse, was issued in America by my company, Elektra in 1964. I thought it an enormously valuable song portrait of the industrial revolution and so appropriate on Topic! Every Topic release has something interesting to offer if you meet the music half way. At 70 they're just getting their second wind".- Jac Holzman - (Founder, Elektra Records/Senior Advisor to the Chairman, Warner Music Group - 2009)
'Congratulations to Topic on its 70th anniversary' - Sir George Martin

back to contents
BILLY MITCHELL AND BOB FOX
Billy Mitchell and Bob Fox first met in the Royal Hotel at Hexham in Northumberland more than 30 years ago. For most of that time they have followed parallel careers but their eventual musical partnership was long overdue! What was planned as a one-off album and tour in 2006 was so satisfying that the arrangement has become semi-permanent.
Billy Mitchell has done most things as a performer and songwriter, the seminal Jack the Lad, the latter years of Lindisfarne and many solo ventures. Billy turns the life of himself and his wider family into songs. Bob Fox is not a composer but a great collector of songs, mainly traditional, he's the guardian and archivist of that great genre exemplified by Joe Wilson the great Tyneside Music Hall artist. He has the clearest, most effortless voice of any folksinger now performing and his vocal and musical phrasing are subtle. Utilising their towering vocals and accompanying themselves with astonishing skill on a variety of stringed instruments (guitars, bouzouki and mandolin) they could hold a master class in the art of 'live' entertainment. There is a rapport and respect between Billy and Bob that comes across to an audience. It is not so much a show, or a gig, as a meeting of mutual friends for some songs and music and a few laughs. With a collection of high profile gigs under their belts including Cropredy and Mouth of the Tyne Festivals, Billy and Bob have discovered an irresistible formula and are going from strength to strength.
'I've just witnessed my favourite gig this year and who would doubt me when I say that the protagonists are those likely lads Bob Fox & Billy Mitchell.'
Pete Fyffe, Folking.com
Tour Dates
Sat 5th Sept Doncaster Aukley Parish Centre 01302 771 354 Blaxtonlive@Btopenworld.Com
Sun 6th Sept Hitchin Sun Hotel 0146 281 2391 www.Hitchinfolkclub.Idnet.Net
Wed 9th Sept South Shields Customs House 0191 454 1234 www.Customshouse.Co.Uk
Sat 12th Sept Fareham Ashcroft Arts Centre 01329 223 100 www3.Hants.Gov.Uk/Ashcroft
Sun 13th Sept Lee Mill, Plymouth Westward Inn 01752 881638 www.Moorfolk.Co.Uk
Fri 18th Sept Maltby Wesley Centre 01709 585977 www.Therock.Org.Uk
Sat 19th Sept Alnwick Playhouse 01665 510785 www.Alnwickplayhouse.Co.Uk
Sun 20th Sept Peebles Eastgate Theatre 01721 725777 www.Eastgatearts.Com
Thu 24th Sept Bristol South Bank Club 07855 826228 www.Ashkeysmusic.Co.Uk
Fri 25th Sept Birmingham The Globe, Aston 0121 358 2665 www.Blackdiamondfolkclub.Org.Uk
Sat 26th Sept Farnesfield Village Centre 01623 870668 www.Farnsfieldacoustic.Com
Sun 27th Sept Blackburn Mellor Brook Centre 01254 812131 www.Mellorbrook.Org/Events
Fri 2nd Oct Thames Ditton Ram Club 0208 686 9421 www.Theramclub.Co.Uk
Sat 3rd Oct Letwell Village Hall Stephanie@Varah.Plus.Com
Sun 4th Oct Lichfield Guildhall 01543 262223 www.Lichfieldarts.Org.Uk
Tue 6th Oct Dartford Working Mens Club 01322 222553 www.Dartfordfolk.Org.Uk
Wed 7th Oct Southport Mount Pleasant 01704 540011 www.Seftonarts.Co.Uk
Thu 8th Oct Market Bosworth St Peter's Hall 01455 290 316 Gigsinbosworth@Tiscali.Co.Uk
Fri 9th Oct Stamford Arts Centre 01780 763203 www.Stamfordartscentre.Com
Sat 10th Oct Banbury Folk Festival 01295 279002 www.Banburyfolkfestival.Co.Uk
Sun 11th Oct Derby Folk Festival 01332 255800 www.Prpromotions.Org.Uk
Fri 16th Oct Whitley Bay Playhouse 0844 2772771 www.Playhousewhitleybay.Co.Uk
Sat 17th Oct Washington Arts Centre 0191 416 6999 www.Davylampfolkclub.Co.Uk
www.billymitchell.co.uk, www.bobfoxmusic.com
back to contents
The Barker Band Announce UK Dates In Support Of Their Acclaimed Album, Sorry For The Kissing

Those London based country-tinged indie rapscallions The Barker Band have announced a series of UK dates to promote their new album, Sorry For The Kissing, released last month on their own Barker Band Records. Hailing from West London and led by twins Jake and Sam Barker, and featuring the beautiful vocals of Nella Johnson, The Barker Band have carved their own notch in the bedpost of the UK’s roots scene with a host of memorable live shows and two albums that drew plaudits from practically everyone that had the pleasure of hearing them. Influenced by the country sound of The Dillards, Ralph Stanley, and Crosby Stills & Nash, The Barker Band also add touches of Status Quo and even The Ramones to their unique sound.
UK Dates
Sunday 7th June The Borderline, London - supporting Carrie Rodriguez
Tuesday 16th June The Luminaire, London - Supporting Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
Friday 19th June Charlotte Street Blues, London
Sunday 21st June The Boogaloo, London
Sunday 28th June Glastonbury Festival - Avalon Cafe
Saturday 11th July Downhome Festival - Sussex
Saturday 25th July Summertyne 09 Festival, Gateshead
Saturday 25th July The Hop, Wakefield
Sunday 26th July Sideways Saloon@ Odder Bar, Manchester
Saturday 1st August Barker Band Barndance - Details to follow
Sunday 30th August Come Down and Meet The Folks, London
www.thebarkerband.com
back to contents
Lisa Knapp - TOUR
'A major discovery' - Mojo
'The sexiest folk album of the year' - Word
'It's easy to see why this young singer is the toast of the folk scene…her vocals, like those of Anne Briggs, come across as strange and stirring as a spring day.' - The Observer

Lisa Knapp burst on to the alternative folk scene in Spring 2007 with a stunning debut album 'Wild & Undaunted'. The album went on to become Mojo's folk release of the year and led to two BBC Folk Award nominations for Lisa in early 2008. Released on Lisa's own label out of her life-long home of Tooting in South London, the album catapulted her to the heart of both the traditional and nu-folk scenes winning her main stage shows at both Cambridge and The Green Man Festivals and more. Along the way, Lisa garnered rave reviews from the press, whilst Radio 1's champion of experimental music Huw Stephens declared himself to have, 'fallen in love with her beautiful album'.
Lisa has since performed at prestigious festivals in the UK and worldwide, on major collaborations with artists including Shirley Collins, Martin Carthy, Alasdair Roberts, Bellowhead and with James Yorkston and others, as part of the 'Tribute to Lal Waterson' for the BBC Electric Proms. Lisa and James recently reunited for a tour of Scotland.
Lisa is now due to tour England, in the company of her new 3 piece band. Her second album is due for release in early 2010.
Lisa Knapp dates - May/June 2009
www.myspace.com/lisaknappmusic
Sun 31st May Purcell Room, London - 0871 6632500 /£10/7.45pm
Weds 3rd Jun Derby Assembly Rooms - 01332 255800/£12&£14/7.00pm
Thurs 4th Jun Howard Assembly Room, Leeds - 0113 2489999/£10/8pm
Fri 5th Jun The Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal - 01539 725133/£14/8pm
Sat 6th Jun The Sage Gateshead - 0191 443 4661/£13.50/8pm
Thurs 11th Jun The Stables, Milton Keynes - 01908 280800/£14.50/8pm
Sat 13th Jun Trinity Theatre, Tunbridge Wells - 01892 678670/£14/8pm
Sun 14th Jun South Hill Park, Bracknell -01344 484123/£13.50/7.30pm

back to contents
Another Great Festival on the Isle of Wight!
Music Song Dance and Steam ...
15 Acts Confirmed to Play the Islands Newest Festival
The Isle of Wight's newest music festival - now in its second year - is once again attracting World-class musicians from across the British Isles who will join a host of Island musicians and bands for an exciting three-day festival this July … And the event boasts the unusual but unique backdrop of an operational steam railway!
Set in a beautiful rural location, FolkStation, which takes place over the weekend of 10th to 12th July, will be staged in the three-acre tree-lined grounds immediately adjoining Havenstreet Station on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway. With individual day tickets and three-day camping tickets available, music lovers, families and folk fans of all ages will be able to enjoy high-quality folk, blues, folk-rock and acoustic music from two stages, plus music and traditional dance displays within the Station itself.
Headlining FolkStation for 2009 is 'Limited Edition' - a new band formed by the renowned fiddle player Tom Leary. A member of the legendary 'Feast of Fiddles', Tom has worked extensively live and in the studio with many great names from the folk and rock scene, including Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull, Humble Pie, and The Electric Light Orchestra. Tom is joined by the acclaimed guitar virtuoso P J Wright, plus Graeme Taylor and Jon Davie - both former members of the ground-breaking early 70s band 'Gryphon', which Melody Maker once dubbed 'The 13th-Century Slade'! Graeme's musical credentials also extend to being Rolf Harris' unashamedly loyal guitarist for twelve years, appearing alongside Rolf three times at Glastonbury Festival!
Commenting on the quality of the headline act, festival organiser Mike Butler said, "After the success of our first event last year, we've worked hard to ensure we bring more top quality musicians to the Island. As a band and as individual musicians, these guys have a huge following nationally and always please audiences wherever they perform".
Throughout each day on Saturday and Sunday, FolkStation is presenting a range of bands, singers and musicians on the two stages and also at other locations on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway. They will be supported by Island-based Morris sides adding a special flavour to the event dancing on the platforms and around the stations.
FolkStation co-organiser Malcolm Hector said, "We believe our festival is really quite unique and we're pleased to be able to provide a platform to showcase so many Island artistes, many of whom already have a big following locally … And of course there's the added interest of the steam trains running past and in some cases it will take a steam train ride to find the performers!"
Leading Island musicians performing at this year's FolkStation include Island singer/songwriter Jamie Griffin from Newport, performing Blues, Jazz and Folk on accoustic guitar, mandolin and harmonica. Other soloists include Tali Trow, vocalist Elaine Greenwood and singer songwrite Graham McCullough, while a band already hailed as the Island's new 'supergroup' are bound to attract a lot of interest. The line-up of 'Smoke and Mirrors' reads like a 'who's who' of veteran Island musicians and always perform a storming set taking the audience through what feels like an anthology of English folk-rock.
Ryde-based Wild Oats, a six-piece Folk'n'Roll thing described as 'Awesome' by TV presenter Chris Packham have already secured an avid following locally since appearing twice at the annual IW Festival. Newcomers to the Island's music scene 'Lucid' will add their original sound to the proceedings, while the Island's own Irish musicians, Last Orders bring the sounds of Irish traditional music to FolkStation.
"If last year is anything to go by, I know FolkStation will be a great little festival", said IW Steam Railway General Manager, Peter Vail. "The organisers have worked hard to bring in acts widely known in Folk and blues circles, and we're aiming to make this a really friendly event. Blend the music with our perfect backdrop of the IW Steam Railway, plus a real-ale bar, and FolkStation will offer a welcome relief to big festival fatigue".
Festival-goers wishing to make sure they catch all of the music and entertainment are being offered the chance to camp on site for the weekend with camping facilities available. For those travelling to the Isle of Wight, Wightlink Ferries are offering combined cross-Solent travel and festival tickets.
There will be a full-service of steam trains on the Isle of Wight Steam Railwy throughout the FolkStation weekend, plus real-ale bar and a wide-range of refreshments available.
www.folkstation.co.uk
*
back to contents
All Things Considered - Album Launch

Berkshire roots band All Things Considered release their debut album 'Scarecrow' on Monday 15th June, with a launch party taking place at Jagz Club in Ascot, Berkshire on Friday June 12th.
Formed in 2007, it took a fair while for ATC to get off the ground, first performing as a 3 piece of vocals, acoustic guitar and percussion, before adding violin and acoustic bass to the set-up. The goal was to blend both traditional and contemporary influences in to a style that would sit well in folk music circles, but also appeal to a wider audience. The band has been described as having a 'folk fusion' or contemporary roots' sound.
They first entered the studio in August 2008 with long time producer friend Al Heslop of Creative Control Studios, who are based at South Hill Park Arts Centre in Bracknell. Although still gigging extensively in between the recording sessions, it was the album that has been the top priority over the last few months. Now the record is ready for release, the band are about to embark on their largest gigging run of their short careers with multiple dates over the coming months in promotion of it. All Things Considered - Scarecrow is released nationally on Monday June 15th, available through iTunes, Amazon and also the ATC official site www.allthingsconsidered.org.uk
All Things Considered Launch party at Jagz, Ascot, Berkshire
with support from Naama Hillman. Tickets £6 for entry or special £10 ticket for entry and copy of the new album - available from www.allthingsconsidered.org.uk

*
back to contents
LEIGH FOLK FESTIVAL 2009

In these cash-strapped, credit-crunched times, a free, midsummer, seaside music festival just a 45 minute train ride from London is an enticing prospect, both for pocket and the good of the soul!
The Leigh Folk Festival, which this year runs for a full week between Sunday June 21 and Sunday June 28, is widely recognised as the largest free folk festival in the UK. Now in its 18th year, it attracts visitors from all across the country, while still maintaining its connection to the local community.
Uniquely for a festival on this scale, this is a free event, granting open access to all and opportunities to see and hear some of the finest folk artists in the country. ‘The same mix of music, camping, foodie stalls, and laid-back vibe as Glastonbury, without the startling ticket price!’ – The Observer.
The festival takes place at various venues around Leigh-on-Sea and Southend, culminating in a full programme of events in Leigh Library Gardens and St Clement’s Church on Saturday 27 and the final day’s extravaganza in Old Leigh on Sunday 28.
As ever a wildly diverse music programme is lined up, stretching from traditional folk sounds to the most experimental fringes. Watch out for performances from BBC Folk Awards finalists Faustus, former Sneaker Pimps singer Kelli Ali – now heading in a psych-folk direction, the much-fancied Smoke Fairies, and a welcome return from acclaimed US bluegrass/country star Rachel Harrington. Alongside will be local heroes Phil Burdett, the Owl Service, Wills Fargo, the Goldmaster All Stars and the Famous Potatoes, amongst a great many more.
More leftfield highlights will include a concert in St Clement’s Church pairing free jazz saxophonist Trevor Watts with Steeleye Span fiddler Peter Knight, and an intriguing collaboration between Welsh-Iranian folk singer Roshi and the cult electronica of Isnaj Dui.
Building on the huge success of 2008, another series of folk music and dance related ‘workshops’ will be held, and once again a festival CD featuring tracks selected from the 70+ acts appearing is to be produced.
A full programme of children’s events is scheduled for June 27 & 28, including a circus skills session, Punch & Judy, storytelling, dances and craft workshops.
This year’s dance programme features an international line-up, including a side from France alongside morris, flamenco, Appalachian, Irish, belly dancers and more besides.
In the quest to seek out new talent, another ‘open mic’ competition is to be held this year, as well the unique opportunity to join ‘The Leigh Folk Philharmonic’ – an all ages, all abilities big folk band, for a performance in the Library Gardens.
Sunday’s centrepiece procession along the High Street in Old Leigh will be an unmissable spectacle, led by the Westcliff Piping Society and concluding with an openair ceilidh.
Apart from associated club nights and Saturday evening’s concert and dance, all events are free: the festival is funded by grants from local authorities and other bodies, local businesses and organisations, but most importantly by public donations throughout the weekend.
Full programme details will be posted on the festival websites, as well as in the colour souvenir programme, which will be available shortly before and during the event.
www.leighfolkfestival.co.uk www.myspace.com/leighfolkfestival2009
*
back to contents
EASTLEIGH MUSIC FESTIVAL 10th - 12th July 2009
@ Leigh Road Recreation Ground, Eastleigh, Hampshire.
Various ticket prices for main events & also FREE concerts, entertainment & performance workshops.
Visit http://www.eastleighmusicfestival.co.uk or call 023 8065 2333.
Eastleigh Music Festival is a three day outdoor music celebration and community arts event where there will be a fantastic opportunity to enjoy great live music from both high profile international and local artists. There is also the chance to get involved with various dance and music workshops. During the day on Saturday and all day Sunday the site is FREE with open access to all. On Saturday afternoon there will be performances from around 25 up and coming local bands and musicians. On the Sunday there will be music from across the globe, in our multicultural celebration. Over the course of the weekend there will be great performances and extensive activities for all ages, including circus skills workshops, climbing wall, football skills, various arts & craft workshops, sustainability stalls, food, and a full bar. Ticketed concerts shall take place during the evening on both the Friday and Saturday.
After the success of last years Festival, with Friday night performances from Seth Lakeman and Nick Harper this years festival promises to be a great weekend, with an ever increasing stellar line-up at affordable prices.
The Festival is held on Leigh Road Recreation Ground, which is a few minutes walk from Eastleigh Train Station and easily accessible from the M3 and M27. The 2 festival stages will be covered by two big tops so that performances can be enjoyed regardless of what the weather will be during this year’s British summer time.
Friday 10th July
EDDI READER
One of the UK’s most extraordinary solo performers & former member of hit 80s band Fairground Attraction.
THE DEMON BARBERS
Best Live Act, BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2009.
'The Demon Barbers are one of the best live bands I've ever seen. If you get a chance to see them - don't miss it - they are brilliant' Mike Harding, BBC Radio 2
ROSS AINSLIE & JARLATH HENDERSON
‘Two stupendous young musicians’ Mojo Magazine
Tickets £15, Concessions £12 (Under 10s free with a paying adult).
Gates open at 6pm.
Saturday 11th July
Headline Act – TBC
KING CREOSOTE
‘Utterly Fabulous’ The Guardian
‘Marvelously fresh and entertaining’ The Mail on Sunday
+ support TBC
Sunday 12th July - Eastleigh Mela
FREE all day event featuring live music, dance, workshops, stalls and extensive activities for all the family. The Mela is a fantastic and vibrant event where you can see talented local performers share the stage with world class acts. In the evening TZEE, KASBIAH KNIGHTS and KISSMET shall take the stage fresh from their performances at Glastonbury. Kissmet are an east west band at the forefront of the British Asian fusion scene, combining elements of Bhangra, Rock and classical Indian Raags they create a truly unique blend of ‘grass roots’ Anglo-Indian music. The Eastleigh Mela promises to be a great day out for all the family.
11am – 9.30pm
*
back to contents
“The Green Note Festival of Latin Music 2009”
‘Camden’s annual festival celebrating the passion, beauty and diversity of Latin American music’
Live music venue, Green Note, is proud to announce its third Festival of Latin Music, which will run from 19th June -18th July 2009. Since its launch in the Summer of 2007, The Green Note Festival of Latin Music has proved to be an immense success. It is a unique event - a month long festival, held at an intimate venue, spanning 5 weekends this summer. As usual, the line-up is pretty eclectic, exploring a range of Latin American musical styles and influences. It is a celebration of the Capital’s vibrant Latin American music scene and showcases the cream of London’s Latin musicians, as well as featuring some special guests & key exponents of Latin American music from around the world.
During the festival period, Green Note will host gigs every weekend, spanning a range of styles – from the traditional to the contemporary- with many different Latin American countries and genres represented: from traditional indigenous folk to classic styles such as Argentinean tango and Brazilian Samba; from the always popular Salsa & Cuban Son to the equally irresistible and danceable - but perhaps lesser known – Colombian Vallenato. Some acts will explore more contemporary, fusion styles, where music from other cultures is combined with traditional Latin influences, moving into territory which is more innovative, experimental and cutting edge. This year we will also be introducing a Latin Jazz Jam special, where musicians are invited to come along, bring their instruments and take part in the evening’s music. This is a festival which has something for everyone – whatever their taste in music! And with a line-up which features such a diverse range of acts under the general umbrella of “Latin Music”, it pushes the boundaries and broadens the concept of what is traditionally associated with this genre.
Since opening its doors in August 2005, Camden Town’s Green Note has gained a reputation for being one of the best intimate live venues around for Folk, Roots, Blues, Jazz and World music. The venue is run by people passionate about music, something that is apparent in the diverse and consistently excellent programme of live acts. Touted by many, as “Camden’s best kept secret”, Green Note is now well on its way to becoming a key point on London’s live music map. The Green Note Festival of Latin Music, a highlight in the venue’s musical programme for 2009, has become an annual event - the perfect way to kick-start summer.
Programme - The Green Note Festival of Latin Music 2009:
Friday 19th June: “SAMBA CONVERSATIONS” featuring BOSCO DE OLIVEIRA
An evening of Brazilian roots music: the hippest Samba de Raiz & classic Samba, featuring compositions & stories of the masters of Samba from throughout the last century. Presented by renowned percussionist & historian, Bosco De Oliveira.
Saturday 20th June: KOGUIWA
Sizzling new band playing a hot repertoire of Cumbia shake & Afro-Colombian groove. Led by Anthar Kharana & featuring Camilo Menjura on guitar & Veronica Arcila on vocals, this inspiring group of young musicians bring a fresh twist to the rhythms, dances and melodies from the Caribbean coast of Colombia.
Sunday 21st June: ENSAMBLE CRIOLLO
Led by Wilmer Sifontes & Diego Laverde, this unique ensemble play “Joropo” or “Llanera” music, originally from a region in the West of Venezuela & East of Colombia. It features the distinctive & beautiful sound of the Latin American harp, the Venezuelan cuatro, as well some innovative rhythms & percussion. An eclectic & irresistible musical blend.
Friday 26th June: AHMED DICKINSON CARDENAS + BETO CALETTI
Virtuoso Cuban guitarist, Cardenas, has received great critical acclaim for his debut album with music from the late Ñico Rojas, which combines traditional Cuban rhythms with harmonies & styles deeply penetrated by jazz. Appearing tonight with his trio, featuring guitar, percussion & violin. Support from Brazilian roots musician & composer, Beto Caletti.
Saturday 27th June: FUERZA VALLENATA
Led by renowned Colombian singer, Eddie Parra, this band play irresistible, authentic “Vallenato” music originating from the northern coastal region of Colombia. Sharing some melodic similarities with Cajun and Zydeco from Louisiana, this lively, danceable, accordion-driven music blends the musical traditions of African slaves and European imperialists. Sunday 28th June: “CANCIONES DEL CORAZON” with MARTHA ACOSTA & GUILLERMO ROZENTHULER
Mexican Canción & Argentine Tango are amongst Latin America’s strongest popular song traditions. Stories of love, sorrow and passion, sung with heartfelt fire and tenderness. Two of London’s most celebrated Latin vocalists share an evening of beautiful melodies & enchanting storytelling.
Friday 3rd July: LOS CHINCHES
With their roots in Peruvian Cumbia, an infectious mix of traditional Colombian rhythms, Andean and Amazonic melodies & a helping of 60's rock psychedelia, Los Chinches bring you classics of the “Chicha” genre and their own fresh interpretation of a groove that rocked the Amazon in the 1960's.
Saturday 4th July: FORRO PORRO
Accordion & drum-driven red hot South American sounds. Four talented musicians, well-renowned in the jazz, folk & world music scenes, come together to specialise in the fiesta sounds of Brazilian Forró & Colombian Vallenato and Cumbia. Joyful, infectious music guaranteed to raise the spirits and get folk dancing!
Sunday 5th July: GREEN NOTE JAZZ JAM: LATIN FESTIVAL SPECIAL featuring HISPANICA.
Our monthly Jazz Jam is in its third year and has become a haven for musicians and fans alike. This month it goes Latin. London-based jazz improvisers, Hispanica, lead the music with their unique spirit & unusual, driving rhythms, inspired by flamenco, Spanish folk and Latin-American music. Come along and join us for an unforgettable night of live music!
Friday 10th July: MAGNUS MEHTA’S PEÑA featuring ROWLAND SUTHERLAND
Spirited, spontaneous & authentic Latin music. Drawing primarily on the music of Cuba, Peña play an invigorating mixture of Son, Salsa, Cha Cha Cha, Rumba, Bolero & Latin Jazz. Led by percussionist Magnus Mehta & featuring internationally-acclaimed flautist, Rowland Sutherland, Peña’s inspiring, danceable sound will leave you refreshed & energised.
Saturday 11th July: GRUPO LOKITO
Fusing Congolese & Latin music in an exuberant explosion of sound! Grupo Lokito features a dynamic line-up of musicians who have made London their home, offering you the chance to be carried away on a sea of Afro-Cuban rhythms.
Friday 17th July: FAMILY ATLANTICA
Celebrated vocalist & cuatro player, Luzmira Zerpa leads her ensemble, which blends traditional Venezuelan songs & originals with explosive Afro-Latin percussion, flute & electric guitar: a fresh perspective on the beautiful folk traditions of Venezuela.
Saturday 18th July: LA CUBA RITMO BAND
Creating an atmosphere of high voltage and excitement with their energetic mix of traditional Cuban Salsa, Timba & Son, with a little Cumbia, Reggaeton & Merengue thrown in for good measure! One of the hottest Salsa bands in the UK.
Tickets: £8/£9/£10 in advance. Tickets for all shows available via www.wegottickets.com
For more info see www.greennote.co.uk or www.myspace.com/greennotefestivaloflatinmusic

*
back to contents
Eilen Jewell Announces UK Dates For October In Support Of Upcoming New Album, Sea Of Tears

All the way from Boise, Idaho Eilen Jewell and her band have announced UK tour dates in October in support of her new album, Sea Of Tears, released in the UK on June 1st. Joining Jewell for these dates are her regular touring band – guitar genius Jerry Miller, trapmeister Jason Beek, and upright bass legend Johnny Sciascia. Jewell has built a fervent audience both in US and here in the UK where her live shows have been received with universal acclaim.
Sea Of Tears Released on Signature Sounds on June 1st
October, 2009
6th BRIGHTON (Venue TBC)
7th The Luminaire, LONDON
8th St Bonaventures, BRISTOL
9th Forest Arts, NEW MILTON
10th Arts Centre, NORWICH
11th St Bede’s, CHORLEY
12th The Maze, NOTTINGHAM
14th Stereo, GLASGOW
15th Jumpin’ Hot, NEWCASTLE
16th The Band Room, NORTH YORKSHIRE
17th Village Hall, TINGEWICK
www.eilenjewell.com

*
back to contents
The 11th Teignmouth Folk Festival has this year extended a welcome to a number of artistes from around the globe in addition to plenty of home grown talent.
The 2009 event, which is held between 19 – 21 June, boasts a fine line-up of performers guaranteed to whet the appetite of all folk music enthusiasts.
James Fagan and Nancy Kerr are an award- winning duo, with impeccable folk music credentials. James is a member of Australia’s foremost folk music family whilst Nancy is daughter of British folk music legend Sandra Kerr. Their wonderful singing and impeccable musicianship on bouzouki and fiddle have made them one of the folk music circuits most in-demand acts.
Emily and Hazel Askew are two extremely talented young women who have been building an enviable reputation as energetic performers of English music on fiddle and melodeon. Their musical prowess, together with fine voices, will prove that this duo, christened ‘The Sisters of Stomp’ by fellow festival guests Fagan & Kerr, are a musical force to be reckoned with.
Britiish-born singer/musician Tom Lewis has been resident in Canada for many years and is recognised as being one of that country’s finest interpreters of maritime songs.
Award-winning Danish/Swedish trio Habbadam, perform music gleaned from the traditional music archives of the small Baltic island of Bornholm
The New Rope String Band are veterans of the folk scene and have an enviable reputation for mad-cap on-stage antics combined with musical virtuosity. Their concerts are totally unpredictable and always guaranteed to raise a smile.
The festival will also feature a host of fine local talent including Halfway Harmony, The Castletown Boys, Exmouth Shanty Men, Stormin’ Norman, Ollie Nelder, Charbote plus many more.
Saturday 20th June will see the welcome return of the festival ceilidh featuring Phoenix.
A host of dance teams will be providing colourful displays around the town.
The festival will also feature informal music and song sessions, storytelling, punch & Judy plus a range of workshops.
www.teignmouthfolk.co.uk

back to contents

Moseley Folk Festival returns for a fourth year to the beautiful slopes of Moseley park. After last year's sell out performances by Jose Gonzales, Seth Lakeman and Morcheeba it was a challenge to match the bill. Somehow the festival team have managed to put together an even stronger lineup this year.
This year's festival-goers will be treated to headline performances from Beth Orton (Saturday) and Jethro Tull (Sunday) on a bill that is amongst the strongest of all the international folk festivals. Artists at this year's Moseley Folk Festival will include Cara Dillon, Bert Jansch, Jim Moray, Woomble/ Drever/ McCusker, this year's BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Best Live Act The Demon Barber Roadshow, Adrian Edmondson and the Bad Shepherds who perform punk classics in a folk style and, after a 35-year absence, cult folk band , Comus.
Moseley Folk Festival's Friday night headliners will be Saint Etienne, performing their 1991 classic album Foxbase Alpha. Bob Stanley has kindly agreed to curate Friday's lineup, and so far he's made some excellent choices including Swedish songstresses Frida Hyvönen, Mary Hampton and Seeland.
Music apart, regulars to the festival will notice many changes. A second bar, a new healing and workshop area nestling in the dell behind the fishermen's hut, more sessions and live music in and around the pubs of Moseley.
Purity Brewery from Studley, Warwickshire will again supply the bar with their award winning ales. Our festival caterers will be back by popular demand including a pig roast, fresh falafels, Jamaican cuisine, and new for this year German sausages.
For the kids the notorious storytelling pirates will be back in town with a few new tricks up their sleeves. Andy Hamilton's hand powered fairground rides are back and free on Saturday and Sunday. There's also face painting, and music making workshops to keep them entertained.
Beth Orton
When Beth Orton broke on to the music scene in the mid-1990s the term 'folktronica' was virtually invented for her. Initially recognised for her collaborations with William Orbit and The Chemical Brothers, she soon established her own unique mixture of folk, pop and electronica with the acclaimed 1996 album Trailer Park. In the years that have passed since its release Orton has moved away from Trailer Park's electronic sound and moved towards more stripped-down, traditional folk. Her career has seen her win numerous awards, including the millennial Brit Award for Best Female, and along the way she has amassed a large, dedicated and diverse fan base.
Jethro Tull
With thirty-odd albums to their name and sales totalling more than fifty million, Jethro Tull truly are folk heavyweights. Shortly after their 1968 birth, Tull were deservedly rivalling the likes of Zeppelin and the Stones for the title of 'World's Most Successful Live Act'. Prolifically performing over the years since then, they have continued to give their audiences one unforgettable experience after another.
Saint Etienne
Over the near twenty years they've been active, Saint Etienne have gradually become one of the most respected and admired acts of their generation. They've united fans of every genre with their infectious blend of dance, pop and indie - and at this year's Moseley Folk Festival the three core members Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs, and Sarah Cracknell are uniting to play their classic 1991 debut Foxbase Alpha in its entirety, along with other crowd pleasers from their past.
Cara Dillon
Former child prodigy Cara Dillon's collaborations with her husband Sam Lakeman have long been admired by appreciative audiences worldwide. Her sensitive interpretations of traditional works and beautifully crafted original pieces have pushed Dillon to the very top of her field, where her captivating, emotive voice seems likely to allow her to remain for a long time.
Bert Jansch
The quiet, unassuming but highly revered master of the acoustic guitar defines dedication to music. His prolific career has spanned almost half a century and Bernard Butler, Noel Gallagher and Jimmy Page amongst the many musicians who claim to have been influenced by him.
Comus
35 years after disbanding, Comus are back together. The long, long-awaited reunion of this cult folk band, who are famed amongst record collectors for claiming fantastically high prices for their vinyl, has been helped in no small part by internet chat rooms and a Swedish metal band.
The Demon Barbers
2009 started with a bang for The Demon Barbers when they were presented with Best Live Act at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards - just deserts for their energetic and eclectic live displays throughout the previous year. The rest of the year seems likely to reap them plenty more accolades. At the festival they will perform their Demon Barber Roadshow including their famous sword dancing routine.
Jim Moray
The plaudits Jim Moray has received over his relatively short career have come from a range of publications so wide that it'd be almost impossible for the most successful, most generous musicians to not be a little jealous.
Adrian Edmondson and the Bad Shepherds
One afternoon, just before Christmas in 2007, Adrian Edmondson was wandering around London, drunk. The next morning, hung-over, he awoke to find a mandolin sitting in his house - a mandolin he had no memory of buying. Sooner or later, Adrian Edmondson and the Bad Shepherds were born: a band who play punk music on folk instruments, with Edmondson on vocals, and mandolin.
Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick
Two of the most influential people in Folk music, guitarist and singer Martin Carthy and virtuoso fiddler Dave Swarbrick got back together in 2006, after a recording break of fourteen years. An amazing achievement considering that in the interceding years Dave Swarbrick had died. well, according to The Daily Telegraph at least.

Tickets:
Friday Adult £20
Saturday Adult £35
Sunday Adult £35
Weekend Adult £65
Family Weekend (2 Adults & 2 Kids under 16) £140
Tickets can be purchased from our website www.moseleyfolk.co.uk
Or from the following Birmingham outlets:
Swordfish Records
14 Temple Street
Birmingham B2 5BG
0121 633 4859
Polar Bear Records
10 York Road
Kings Heath
Birmingham B14 7AZ
0121 441 5202
Marcus Galleries
135 Alcester Road
Moseley
Birmingham B13 8JP
0121 442 0620
By telephone through our 24 hour telephone ticket agents:
Seetickets - 0115 912 9000
The Ticket Sellers - 0844 870 0000

back to contents
Otis Gibbs is a man in search of an honest experience. Some people refer to him as a folk artist, but that is a simplistic way to describe a man who has planted over 7,000 trees, slept in hobo jungles, walked with nomadic shepherds in the Carpathian Mountains, been strip-searched by dirty cops in Detroit, and has an FBI file. Otis has played everywhere from labor rallies in Wisconsin, to anti-war protests in Texas, Austria and the Czech Republic, Feed & Seed Stores in the Midwestern U.S. and in countless, theaters, festivals, bars and living rooms. Much of his work concentrates on the world that is ignored by pop culture. Sometimes forgotten, obsolete or simply marginalized, it is a world that doesn’t fit into a twenty-second sound bite or a White House talking point. Otis has spent the last fifteen years traveling across America and abroad documenting this world, and has a story to share about each stop along the way.
Otis grew up in the rural town of Wanamaker, Indiana. He first stepped on stage at the age of four, when he sang Jimmie Rodgers’ “Waiting for a Train” at a neighborhood honky tonk. While his parents worked countless hours trying to make ends meet, Otis was often in his uncle’s care. Not accustomed to parenthood, the uncle was sometimes bored, so the two would frequent bars, where Otis sang for tip money (which meant more booze for his uncle). Otis was hooked, and would often ask if they could go back and sing some more songs. The answer, “Only if you promise to never tell your parents.”
Otis started working when he was in high school. He stacked concrete blocks, flipped burgers, drove an ice cream truck, pumped gas, and did countless other crummy jobs. After discovering writers like Edward Abbey, Henry Miller and Lawrence Ferlinghetti, he started questioning what he was doing with his life. He was tired of working jobs that didn’t stimulate, or interest him in the least. So, in his own words, he decided to just “drop out.” Over the next four years, Gibbs earned and lived off less than $3,000 a year and had never been happier. He got rid of his car and shared apartments with artists, musicians and radicals (often living with 5 to 10 people). He also took advantage of the free time and wrote hundreds of songs. Otis sacrificed many of the comforts most of us take for granted, so that he could live a creative life.
The next few years were spent touring and releasing four indie records. The most notable being “49th and Melancholy,” (a stripped-down acoustic record, that was recorded to two-track reel-to-reel in a friend’s laundry room). There was also “Once I Dreamed of Christmas,” a collection of songs he’d written “for people who don’t like Christmas.”
In 2004, his critically acclaimed, “One Day Our Whispers” was released. It was an unpopular time to speak truth to power, but the album’s optimism and anti-war undertones resonated deeply with people who felt uncomfortable with the direction America was heading. Though songs like “I Wanna Change It,” “Thirty-three” and “Ours is the Time” have been described as protest songs, Otis prefers to call them “love songs for young radicals.” “The Peoples Day” was later included in a Wall Street Journal list compiled by Billy Bragg of the “Top Five Songs with Something to Say.” This placed Gibbs in the company of Bob Dylan, The Clash, Sam Cooke, and Chuck Berry.
His latest album, “Grandpa Walked a Picketline,” is a glimpse inside of an America that you don’t see on the evening news, but it is the America most of us see at our doorsteps. The album showcases Otis’ ability to breathe life into the characters of his songs. One such example is “Caroline.” The song tells the story of a woman who married too young. She finds herself stuck in an abusive relationship and secretly fears that her children will suffer the same fate. The populist anthem, “Everyday People” shines a light on the struggles our grandparents endured in the workplace. As the line in the song suggests, their generation’s willingness to take a stand, “made things better for you and me.” “Preacher Steve” is certain to ruffle some feathers, but a closer listen will reveal that the only people who should be offended by the song are those cynical clergymen who prey on fear for profit. This album is a reminder that Otis, above all else, is a damn fine songwriter. “Grandpa Walked a Picketline” was produced and mixed by Chris Stamey, engineered by legendary Motown engineer, Bob Olhsson, and was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee with an impressive list of players including, Al Perkins, Don Dixon, Tim Easton and Will Rigby.
Otis currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee with his long time girlfriend, Amy Lashley, their dog and two cats. Recently, he’s been examining ways of using bird feeding as a form of civil disobedience.
OTIS GIBBS
UK/Ireland Tour • May – July 2009
May
Fri 1st SELBY Selby Town Hall Arts Centre£7, 7.30pm 01757 213758 / www.selbytownhall.co.uk
Sat 2nd KILKENNY Carlsberg Kilkenny Rhythm & Roots Festival Club House Hotel €15, 4pm 0035356 7794664 / www.kilkennyroots.com
Sun 3rd KILKENNY Carlsberg Kilkenny Rhythm & Roots Festival Cleere’s €15, 1pm 0035356 7794664 / www.kilkennyroots.com
Mon 4th KILKENNY Carlsberg Kilkenny Rhythm & Roots Festival Ryan’s €12, 5pm 0035356 7794664 / www.kilkennyroots.com
Tues 5th BRIGHTON The Prince Albert £7, 8pm 01273 325440, www.thegildedpalaceofsin.com
Weds 6th NOTTINGHAM The Maze (co-headline with Chris Mills) £10, 7.30pm 0115 947 5650 / www.cosmicamerican.com / www.themazerocks.com
Thurs 7th LEICESTER The Musician £7, 8pm 0116 251 0080 / www.themusicianpub.co.uk
Fri 8th BRISTOL The Polish Club £12, 8pm 0870 44 44 400 / 0117 929 9008
Sat 9th WEST COKER (Somerset) The Royal George FREE, 7.30pm 01935 864395
Sun 10th EXETER Voodoo Lounge at Exeter Phoenix£8, 8pm 01392 667080 / www.exeterphoenix.org.uk
Weds 13th SWANSEA The Chattery £8, 7.30pm 01792 473276 / http://homepage.ntlworld.com/thechattery
Thurs 14th BASINGSTOKE The Forge at The Anvil £12, 7.30pm 01256 844244 / www.theanvil.org.uk
Fri 15th MANCHESTER The Ruby Lounge £6, 7.30pm 0161 832 1111 / www.therubylounge.org
Sat 16th NEWCASTLE Jumpin' Hot Club @ The Studio in Live Theatre £8, 7.30pm 0191 230 4474 (The Cluny box office) / www.jumpinhot.com
Mon 18th GLASGOW The Twisted Wheel (part of Glasgow Americana) £7, 7.30pm 0141 204 5151 / www.fallenangelsclub.com
Tues 19th CREWE Crewe Roots @ The Horse Shoe £9, 8pm 01270 213 706 / www.creweroots.co.uk
Weds 20th LONDON What's Cookin' @ Upstairs @ The Sheep Walk FREE, 8.30pm 07904 210218 / www.whatscookin.co.uk

June
Sat 20th LEICESTER The Big Session (Indoor Main Stage) 0116 233 3111 / www.bigsessionfestival.com
Mon 22nd BARNSTAPLE The North Devon Music Festival 01271 324242 / www.northdevontheatres.org.uk/northdevonfestival/festival.asp
Weds 24th SHEFFIELD The Grapes £5, 8:15pm 0114 249 0909
July
Fri 3rd LONDON The Borderline £9, 7pm 0844 847 2465 Sat 4th SUFFOLK (Easton Farm Park) The Maverick Festival www.maverickfestival.co.uk
back to contents

BRAMPTON IS BACK!
- Last minute funding secures future of biggest folk roots festival in north of England -
- Barbara Dickson, Andy Fairweather Low & Drever/McCusker/Woomble among headliners

Eleventh hour news of a successful Arts Council England grant application means the 15th Brampton Live folk roots festival will go ahead this July - with one of its strongest line-ups to date.
Delighted organisers of the popular three-day festival near Carlisle, Cumbria will receive a £35,000 Lottery-funded Grants for the Arts Award - to support the festival's migration from Carlisle City Council management into ownership by a newly formed independent company, Brampton Live Festival Ltd. The company has been set up by Ken and Sue Bradburn, who founded the festival in 1995.
Co-director Mick North said: "This is fantastic news and absolutely crucial to the future of the festival. Without this grant, we'd be facing the possibility of scaling the festival down or even taking a year out. We're really pleased that the Arts Council have recognised the festival's achievements and potential with some serious funding. Now it's all systems go to deliver Brampton Live 2009 and we hope supporters old and new will get behind it."
Carlisle City Council's £30,000 commitment to the festival for the next two years was instrumental in securing Arts Council support. Council Leader Mike Mitchelson, who is also Brampton's local councillor, said: "Brampton Live is a well established event and by working with the new management company we can ensure it develops and grows. This year's event signals a new era for the festival and we look forward to working with, and supporting, Brampton Live Festival Ltd."
The Cumbrian festival will be buzzing again, returning to its home at Brampton's William Howard Centre from July 17-19 and offering music on three stages, workshops, camping and a festival market.
Co-director Ken Bradburn, who books the musicians, now faces a big challenge to complete an all-star line-up in time. He says: "We couldn't contract anybody until funding was confirmed and we were certain the festival had the green light. We're playing catch-up but I'm confident we will be offering another spectacular mix of home-grown and international artists."
Award-winning singer and West End actress Barbara Dickson is already confirmed as the Sunday night headliner. Says Ken: "It's fabulous news. Some might think she's a more mainstream performer than they'd expect to see at Brampton Live, but she has impeccable folk credentials from her early career and she's increasingly returning to her roots."
Dickson's singing career started in folk clubs around her native Fife in the Sixties and, in the early Seventies she sang at a Liverpool folk club run by a young student teacher called Willy Russell! This led to her appearing in his award-winning musical, John, Paul, George, Ringo….and Bert, her idiosyncratic interpretation of Beatles songs making the show hugely successful.
Barbara, who had chart hits with Answer Me and Another Suitcase, Another Hall from Evita in the Seventies, went on to star in Blood Brothers, her acclaimed performance winning her the Society of West End Theatres "Actress of the Year in a Musical" award in 1984. Her recording of the song I Know Him So Well (a duet with Elaine Paige) from the Tim Rice musical Chess held the No 1 UK chart spot for weeks and became a worldwide hit while in 2000 Barbara was named "Best Actress in a Musical" for her role as Pools winner Viv Nicholson in Spend Spend Spend.
Her latest album, Time and Tide features writing collaborations with the acclaimed West Cumbrian multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley, who has also produced the album.
Adding to a strong Scottish contingent in the line up will be one of the bands of the moment - the much-lauded trio of Kris Drever, John McCusker and Roddy Woomble (with special guests Heidi Talbot and Boo Hewerdine); 2008 Scots Singer of the Year Emily Smith and band and high octane festival favourites, Peatbog Faeries. Other confirmed artists include the indefatigable Oysterband, Andy Fairweather Low, The Spooky Men's Chorale (Australia), Mary Gauthier (USA), Eliza Gilkyson (USA), Mabon (Wales), Chris While & Julie Matthews, Nancy Kerr and James Fagan, Chris Sherburn and Denny Bartley, Elbow Jane, and comedy folk band The Lancashire Hotpots, with more to be announced.
Early Bird tickets will soon be on sale until the end of April via the festival's website at www.bramptonlive.net and from Carlisle's Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery on 01228 618700, where tickets can also be bought in person.

back to contents
Stokes Bay Festival Line-Up Announced
Thursday 30 July to Sunday 2 August 2009
Stokes Bay near Gosport, Hampshire
The Proclaimers; Seth Lakeman; Oysterband; The Hamsters; Edward II; Dervish; Blazin' Fiddles; Adrian Edmondson & The Bad Shepherds; Steve Knightley (Show of Hands); and The SAS Band (Spike's All-Stars) are among the first artists confirmed for this year's Stokes Bay Festival being held in the picturesque setting of Stokes Bay near Gosport, Hampshire from Thursday 30 July to Sunday 2 August.
The 4-day family-friendly Festival is widely regarded as being one of the safest and most relaxed festivals in Britain with not a single incident of trouble being reported in the last three years.
Concerts are held in a 3,000 capacity circus 'Big Top' while other festival attractions include a solar-powered cinema, street theatre, storytelling, childrens entertainers, a crafts fayre, exotic foods fayre, real ale bars and scenic campsite.
The Festival is staged just yards from the unspoilt Stokes Bay seafront in Hampshire with stunning views across the Solent to the Isle of Wight.
Day and weekend Festival tickets are now on sale with 'earlybird' discounts to the end of March. Under-16s are half-price and under-10s are free.
"Anyone looking for an affordable, safe and friendly festival this summer as an alternative to a holiday abroad will find just what they're looking for at Stokes Bay", said Festival Organiser Peter Chegwyn. "We have great live music coupled with a host of other festival attractions all held on a safe and secure site with a warm and relaxed intimate atmosphere."
Full details can be found on the Festival website http://www.stokesbayfestival.co.uk
Tickets are available online via the website or by phone from Ticketsouth, telephone 023 8071 1818.
back to contents
Gryphon Reunion Concert
www.gaudela.net/gryphon/
32 years ago Gryphon disappeared without trace under the onslaught of the new and totally unforgiving Punk Rock movement. This was a rather a surprise to their very loyal fan base, as Gryphon had represented one of the most interesting and unusual bands of the British progressive movement.
In 1973 Gryphon were commissioned by Sir Peter Hall to write the music for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of “The Tempest”. They went on to perform the music at the Old Vic, being the only band of its type ever to have performed there. Gryphon toured the US in late 1974 as a support act to Yes, playing stadium gigs including the Houston Astrodome, Texas, and Madison Square Garden, New York. They also supported Yes on a UK tour as well as support for Steeleye Span in the same year, and even appeared on the King Biscuit Flower Hour radio concert series. They were later supported by Richard Digance at a soldout concert in the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. During this period alone they played in front of approximately 500,000 people.
Gryphon are to date the only band to have appeared on BBC Radios 1, 2, 3 and 4 all in the same week! This is testament to the diversity of their music and how difficult it was to classify the group into one specific genre. The five studio albums they produced between 1972 and 1977 demonstrate their evolution from an all-acoustic medieval music quartet to a progressive stadium rock band.
On Saturday 6th June 2009 the original band will return to play an acoustic concert of material from their first two albums, “Gryphon” and “Midnight Mushrumps,” at The Queen Elizabeth Hall on the Southbank in London. For this performance they will be joined by special guest Graham Preskett.

back to contents
Steven Finn, the roots musician and songwriter, has joined Paul Jones (from Manfred Mann) and Paul Lamb in becoming one of only three UK-based harmonica players to be endorsed by Hohner Harmonicas.

Steven says "I began writing songs and teaching myself the guitar aged 15, then picked up a harmonica to learn the tunes I loved by Sonny Terry, Sonny Boy Williamson and Rory McLeod. How did they whoop, holler, sing and play at the same time? To now be recognised by Hohner is a real honour".
In 1999 Steven formed a band with bodhran player John Joe Kelly (from Flook) and Andrew Dinan on fiddle and they recorded 'Before the flood'. He played main guitar for Emiliana Torrini for 2 years travelling the globe playing gigs including the Montreaux Jazz festival and Glastonbury.
Now as a solo performer, with bottleneck guitar, tap shoes, voice and harmonica, Finn has been described as a 'one man folk and blues train'. With his energetic performances, Finn draws on old folk-blues music whilst addressing contemporary issues with raw passion. He has supported Martin Carthy, Paul Brady, Michael Messer, Isaac Guillory, Mary Coughlan, Kathryn Tickell, Lunasa, Capercaille and The Beautiful South amongst others.
2008 saw Finn release his debut album 'Houdini's Blues', an album of sparse beauty which was well received by critics and audiences alike and which brought him to Hohner's attention.

"Songs you want to listen to again and again" (Bristol Folk House - live review)
"Slapping harmonica. One mighty fine album" (Folk Blues & Beyond)
"This is a very cool album and well worth getting. Poignant lyrics, accompanied by great guitar and harmonica. We will be hearing more of the name 'Steven Finn'" (Folk Radio)
"A little gem in a league of its own" (Rootstime Radio, Belgium)
In May 2009 Steven embarks on a solo tour of Germany, playing 20 gigs over 28 days.
Visit www.myspace.com/stevenfinn for songs, video and more.
Live near London? Why not catch Steven at the Green Note, Camden, on March 19th www.greennote.co.uk

back to contents

This year, the highly successful Beverley Folk Festival, is acknowledging the popularity of the many American folk artists who have played at the event over the years. This year it will be focussing on this music as one of its main features and will be hosting it's first ever “Americana Stage” as a part of its programme of National and International artists.
The Folk Festival’s Artistic Director, Chris Wade said “I am delighted to be developing the Americana element of the festival, which I think will add a great deal to the already exciting programme of weekend’s activities. I hope that this will be the beginning of something that will grow and grow in future years”.
Helping with the event will be Hull based songwriter, Glenn Williams, whose songs have been performed and broadcast all over the world and have received numerous accolades in the USA.
The Americana Stage is to include concerts; workshops on song writing, instrumental performances and other topics, as well as story-telling sessions. The Americana Dance Party with performances incorporating song, music and dance will provide audiences with the chance to participate in, as well as listen to, some great music.
Artists already confirmed to appear include from the United States, Bruce Molsky, Curtis Eller, Spencer Bohren and Jeni & Billy.
Glenn Williams will also be performing with Paul Hewson.
Other acts confirmed over the weekend include; Billy Bragg, The Peatbog Faeries, Seth Lakeman, Lunasa, The Lonnie Donegan Band with Peter Donegan, Eric Bogle and John Munro, The Demon Barber Roadshow, Tanglefoot from Canada; Peter Robinson & Eliza Carthy, John Hegley, Belinda O’Hooley & Heidi Tidow, with many more still to be announced.
For anyone wanting a GREAT weekend away – look no further, come and relax in the shadow of Beverley’s historic Minster and sample some first rate music and fine ales straight off the Yorkshire Wolds!
For further details of the festival and its artists or to book online go to – www.beverleyfestival.com
or contact our Festival Hotline on 01377 217569
back to contents
BIG SESSION FESTIVAL 2009 DE MONTFORT HALL & GARDENS, LEICESTER - 19/20/21 June
[Presented by DMH and Coda]
NOT LONG LEFT FOR EARLY BIRD TICKETS - FULL LINE-UP ANNOUNCED
There is just over a week remaining to snap up the few Early Bird tickets left for this year's Big Session Festival.
With the full weekend line-up now complete and day tickets due to go on sale from the 1st March it's clear this year's bill is proving to be a big hit for music fans. Building on its award winning green credentials and its eclectic mix of emerging and well established artists crossing the boundaries of the new folk tradition, the line-up this year is looking strong.
At the top of the bill this year the ever popular LEVELLERS (Friday) celebrating their 21st year on the road and the ONLY UK festival date outside of their own festival Beautiful Days, the brilliant BILLY BRAGG (Saturday), OYSTERBAND (Sunday) will wrap up proceedings with a storming set and after the great audience response to the OYSTER CEILIDH BAND set in 2008, they're back and raring to go. A new addition to this year's bill for Oysterband fans, the band's frontman John Jones will be performing with the RELUCTANT RAMBLERS. To fulfil one of his favourite passions, John will be arriving at this year's festival on foot after completing a series of long distance walks between gigs.
We are very pleased to invite back two brilliant performers and world class folk musicians, ELIZA CARTHY and KATHRYN TICKELL with their respective bands. THE DEMON BARBERS, who were recently voted best live band by Radio 2 Folk Awards join us for their festival debut, alongside rising star Ella Edmondson.
We've got top Scottish Songstress KARINE POLWART, ADRIAN EDMONDSON & THE BAD SHEPHERDS performing some classic punk songs - folk style, the newly reformed firm festival favourites EDWARD II and some up and coming international artists crossing the boundaries between folk, blues and Americana, DELTA MAID, BASKERY, OTIS GIBBS, Austrian folk brass band with Turkish singer FATIMA SPAR & THE FREEDOM FRIES and the formidable DIANA JONES.
From nearer to home Scottish singer-songwriter ALASDAIR ROBERTS, Brighton five-piece THE MISERABLE RICH, LIZ GREEN, BABEL, BREABACH, WES FINCH & THE DIRTY BAND, folk award nominees THE SHEE, SPIRO, BLYTH POWER and Wakefield lass ROSIE DOONAN & THE SNAP DRAGONS.
As always the festival will be offering a quality range of foods from around the world, not to mention huge range of reasonably priced real ales. Accommodation is a snip too, secure camping costs only £5 per tent for the entire weekend, and because of its location, Big Session is arguably the most accessible (just 1 hour from St Pancras and Sheffield) and environmentally family friendly festival in the UK.
Unfortunately we don't have the space to blow our own trumpet any more or write reams about the superb artists we've got in store.
Go online for further details and even if we say so this has got to be the most exciting line-up to date, there is just over a week left to get your Early Bird Tickets at the super credit crunch busting price of only £60 for the whole weekend. Prices increase on Sunday 1st March.
www.bigsessionfestival.com for further information.

back to contents
back to contents
This generation's most inventive folk band and Winners of BEST GROUP at the 2009 BBC Folk Awards return with highly anticipated new album

LAU
'Arc Light'
Album released: March 30th 09
(Navigator Records NAVIGATOR20 - CD DD LP)
'Wintermoon'
Digital Single released: March 23rd

www.lau-music.co.uk
'Creative and genre bursting' **** The Scotsman
'Balancing frenzied hi-octane moments with those of aching beauty. Album of the Year' FROOTS Magazine
'a combined sense of style, adventure and fun that turns the album into an utter corker' Telegraph 'Lau are so special' **** The Guardian
'as trad as you like but starkly gorgeous in parts, warming and wonky in others, like an epic lock-in somewhere suitably remote, peat-smelling and rain-lashed.' Plan B
'Lau's explosive live performances have been generating a major buzz around the UK folk circuit, and this brilliant debut confirms their standing as one of the most exciting new acts in years' Songlines 5/5
Twice winners of BEST GROUP at the Radio 2 Folk Awards, Lau are back with their highly anticipated second album, 'Arc Light', released March 30th 09 on Navigator Records (still a young label but firmly establishing itself with a roster which includes: Bellowhead, Faustus, Under One Sky, Jon Boden, Chris Wood et al.)
The follow up to their hit debut, 'Lightweights and Gentlemen', 'Arc Light' is Lau at their very best. A collection of both traditional and self-penned songs which highlight their unique take on folk music. Highly regarded musicians in their own right, the combined talents of Kris Drever, Martin Green and Aidan O'Rourke make for a formidable and all-conquering trio. It is no surprise they were once again triumphant at this years BBC Folk Awards. Some songs from the new album have been showcased live at recent sell out shows in Tokyo and Glasgow's Celtic Connections, never off the road for long Lau begin the 'Arc Light' tour of the UK on Valentines Day. Including performances at Folk Festivals in Oxford and Derby, Lau also play some more traditional rock venues on this tour, which gives an indication of the kind of thrilling live show you can expect. Lau employ rising, epic song structures not usually associated with Folk music and more akin to those on the leftfield of rock and jazz. The new album sees Kris Drever debut some of his own songs for the first time including the new radio single 'Wintermoon' and there is a special Mojo commissioned Beatles cover as a bonus track on the first pressing of Arc Light.
Lau on tour:
February 09
14th The Platform, Morecambe
15th Fibbers, York
26th Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
27th The Met, Bury
28th The Lickey Parish, Bromsgrove
March 09
1st Tin Angel, Coventry
10th The Junction, Cambridge
21st Oxford Folk Festival
24th The Luminaire, London
25th Black Box, Belfast
27th Cornerstone, Didcot
28th Feast of Folk, Derby
May 09
15th Arts Centre, Ashcroft
16th The David Hall, Petherton
23rd Tolbooth, Stirling
24th Chester Folk Festival
back to contents
Saturday 12th September 2009
Tommy Peoples - Fiddlers Various 2009 - Fiddle Workshop & Recital - Lewes Saturday Folk Club (formerly the Lewes Arms Folk Club), Lewes, near Brighton, Sussex, BN7 1YH. Fiddle Workshop (20 places) £40; folk club recital (approx 50 places) £9. www.lewesarmsfolkclub.org; Tel. 01273 476757
Master Irish fiddler Tommy Peoples from Donegal has again accepted an invitation from Beau of KentFolk and Valmai of The Lewes Saturday Folk Club to visit the South East of England in the Autumn of 2009, as a Fiddlers Various special event.
http://www.kentfolk.com/FiddlersVarious/Tommy-Peoples-2009/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday 13th September 2009
Tommy Peoples - Fiddlers Various 2009 - Fiddle Workshop & Concert - Littlebourne Thatched Barn, near Canterbury, Kent, CT3 1TU, Fiddle Workshop : 2pm, £30; Concert: Doors 7:30pm for 8pm, £15. 01227 721 736, 07875 170 593, www.KentFolk.com/tickets.
Master Irish fiddler Tommy Peoples from Donegal has again accepted an invitation from Beau of KentFolk and Valmai of The Lewes Saturday Folk Club to visit the South East of England in the Autumn of 2009, as a Fiddlers Various special event.
http://www.kentfolk.com/FiddlersVarious/Tommy-Peoples-2009/
This years Celtic Connections festival took place in Glasgow between 15th January and 1st February, visit the BBC site for details.
The website has over 40 exclusive video clips of performances from artists including Arlo Guthrie, Lunasa, Martha Wainwright, Eddi Reader, Drever McCusker and Woomble, Baskery and Abigail Washburn amongst many others.
Users can also watch all of the performances from the Auld Lang Syne concert that took place in Glasgow on January 24th - featuring performances from Dick Gaughan, Michael Marra, Karen Matheson, Dougie MacLean and Emily Smith amongst others.
Video footage from the Transatlantic Sessions concert on the 1st of February will also be available soon!
As well as all the video content - our intrepid photographers have been snapping a whole host of gigs during the festival!!
View the site at www.bbc.co.uk/celticconnections

And to read F&Rs reviews of part of the festival visit here
back to contents
Recorded in the old, wood-panelled president's office of a defunct bank in a series of late night sessions over the course of a year, Shoot the Moon Right Between the Eyes: Jeffrey Foucault Sings the Songs of John Prine offers compelling new interpretations of thirteen John Prine originals and will be released in the UK on April 6th. In solo and duet arrangements with friends and touring companions including Eric Heywood (Ray LaMontagne, Richard Buckner, Son Volt) on pedal steel, Mark Erelli on electric and lap steel guitars, David Goodrich (Chris Smither) on electric guitar, Peter Mulvey on acoustic lap slide, Kris Delmhorst and Annelies Howell on backing vocals, and Zak Trojano on drums, Foucault conjures a terrain both spare and atmospheric.
Raw and intimate, Shoot the Moon Right Between the Eyes covers familiar and lesser-known songs spanning twenty years of Prine's career. You can hear amplifiers pop, the heater tick, and the chairs creak as Foucault settles down to capture Prine's timeless simplicity and depth while leaving his own indelible stamp on songs like 'The Late John Garfield Blues,' 'Storm Windows,' and 'He Was in Heaven Before He Died.'
"When I was seventeen my Dad brought home John Prine's first album and it became my private religion for a while. I learned to play the guitar by learning his songs, and my Dad and I still play them around the table after supper when I'm home. They've kept me company for years in hotel rooms and foreign countries, on stage and away from it, telling the truth in beautiful and unexpected ways. This is a record I always wanted to make..." Jeffrey Foucault
www.jeffreyfoucault.com
back to contents
"Make room for another impeccable starlet-to-be" - The Word
"Her treatment of traditional songs is exquisite"-
Mike Harding, BBC Radio 2

JACKIE SCOOPS 2009 HORIZON AWARD
Jackie Oates, hailed as one of the finest young fiddle singers to emerge onto the UK folk scene, has scooped the Horizon (Best Newcomer) title at the 2009 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards (held in London last night).
Exeter-based Jackie (25) won out against competition from Bella Hardy, Jeana Leslie and Siobhan Miller and The Shee.
She also won Best Traditional Track with The Lark in the Morning taken from her acclaimed recent album The Violet Hour, produced by Show of Hands' multi instrumental wizard, Phil Beer - himself nominated for the coveted Musician of the Year title.
In this category she beat opposition from Bellowhead, Chris Wood and her brother Jim Moray.
The finely executed track also features Belinda O'Hooley on piano and Phil Beer on electro-acoustic bass.
Jackie's first self-titled album was named as one of MOJO's Top 10 albums of 2006 while The Violet Hour (left) was released on Beer's new Chudleigh Roots label last year. Jackie has toured with Beer and, like him, is based in Exeter, Devon, having moved there from Staffordshire seven years ago to study English at the university.
Born in Cheshire, Jackie was taken from a young age to folk clubs and festivals around the country by her Morris dancing parents and started playing violin at the age of seven, honing her skills through disciplined, classical playing. But she says: "I knew that my heart lay in traditional music so when I went to university I rebelled!"
Once in Devon she quickly tapped into its rich seam of acoustic music and now works with a network of West Country musicians. She says:"Exeter has a strong singing environment - there seem to be hundreds of singarounds and the music is excellent."
Jackie's sensitive, unadorned treatments of traditional songs work well alongside more contemporary material; her five-string viola playing offers great range, depth and tone while her pure voice sounds like it was made to sing traditional songs - she has been tipped by some as a natural successor to the great traditional singer Shirley Collins, a key contributor to the English folk revival of the 1950s and 60s.
As well as viola, Jackie plays other instruments including shruti box and octave violin. Listing influences from Dick Gaughan to June Tabor, she is to be found regularly gigging across Devon and the UK. A highlight on her 2007 calendar was appearing at the Royal Albert Hall in a sell out Show of Hands gig while she won the Tradition award in the 2007 FATEA (Cambridge and Beyond) Awards. She also appears on albums including Show of Hands' penultimate album, Witness, Jim Moray's Sweet England and Rachel Unthank and The Winterset's Cruel Sister.
Last year, Jackie made her acting debut as Maggie in the Mick Ryan "mini folk opera" The Navvy's Wife on the festival circuit.
When not performing, Jackie tutors some 30 youngsters in violin - about two thirds in classical playing and the rest in traditional music. She works with Folk South West, TAPS and Shooting Roots and also organizes singing workshops and the children's choir at Sidmouth Festival.
www.myspace.com/jackieoates
back to contents
Across The Pond Tour News and Blog
Across The Pond is now available again as an audio blog - see http://ontouracrossthepond.blogspot.com for a range of roots based acoustic music and news.
back to contents
Big Session Festival
Fri 19 - Sun 21 June 2009
De Montfort Hall & Gardens, Leicester

Initial line-up announced and Early Bird Tickets go on sale
Now in it's fifth year, the Big Session Festival returns greener and bigger than ever in 2009 from 19 - 21 June.
The line-up is already taking shape and announcements to date include: Billy Bragg, Oysterband, Edward II, Eliza Carthy Band, Adrian Edmondson & The Bad Shepherds, Kathryn Tickell Band, Peatbog Faeries, Breabach, Blyth Power, The Shee and Ella Edmondson. Further line-up announcements are expected soon, check the website for updates www.bigsessionfestival.com
To coincide with Oysterband's 30th Anniversary Tour kicking off on the 20th November at Derby Assembly Rooms, early bird tickets will go on sale from 10am on Thursday 20th November at the super low price of only £60 for the whole weekend. Telephone the Box Office on 0116 233 3111 or online from the 1st December: www.bigsessionfestival.com
The Festival is set in De Montfort Hall & Gardens with live music across three stages, open session's, family friendly and kidz zone activities, on-site camping, food market, over 40 real ale's and stalls.

back to contents
Tish Hinojosa
Our Little Planet
Continental Song City
Born in San Antonio, Texas, singer songwriter Tish Hinojosa has long been a talented and much revered artist both in the US and Europe. Here, on her new studio album ‘Our Little Planet’ - released on CRS on November 17th – Hinojosa , inspired by her rediscovered love for country music, the 12 self-penned songs on this collection feature a deeply Americana mix of traditional bluegrass and Tish's trademark sound of contemporary folk and tex-mex.
The album is produced by and her long-time accompanist, Marvin Dykhuis, who also co-wrote the title song, as well as playing most of the instruments. It also features appearances by celebrated pedal-steel player Greg Leisz, duets with Texas country legends Rosie Flores and Dale Watson, as well as with rising star Carrie Rodriguez, all of which combine to add delightful new textures to "Our Little Planet's" stripped-down country sound.
http://www.mundotish.com
back to contents

Junctions: English Music Breaking Formation

The Tacet Ensemble

Spiers & Boden

Celebrating the vital force of English music, Junctions combines the best of traditional English folk and contemporary classical music. Spiers & Boden and the Tacet Ensemble join together in concert to explore common threads in their musical languages. Alongside pieces from their own repertoires, they will be performing collaborative pieces written by Jon Boden, Ed Hughes, Alison Kay and John Spiers.

"The Tacet Ensemble bring imagination and sensitivity to all their performances of the music of our time" - Michael Finnissy

Spiers & Boden are "..,the finest instrumental duo on the traditional scene" - the Guardian

Sat 29th November 2008 - 7.30pm

Komedia, 44-47 Gardner Street, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1UN

£12 / £10 concessions

Box Office: 01273 647100

www.komedia.co.uk

Sat 6th December 2008 - 8pm

The Stables, Stockwell Lane, Wavendon, Milton Keynes, MK17 8LU

£12.50

Box office: 01908 280800

www.stables.org

Thurs 11th December 2008 - 8pm

The Jacqueline du Pré Music Building, St Hilda's College, Cowley Place, Oxford, OX4 1DY

£16 / £14 (concessions £4 off)

Box office: 0870 750 0659 (office hours)

01865 305 305 (evenings/weekends)

www.st-hildas.ox.ac.uk/jdp

Promoted by Oxford Contemporary Music

www.ocmevents.org

Saturday 13th December 2008 - 8pm

Cranleigh Arts Centre, High Street, Cranleigh, Surrey, GU6 8AS

£13 in advance / £15 on the day

Box Office: 08456 128128

www.cranleighartscentre.org

Promoted by Electric Voices

www.electricvoices.org

Saturday 10th January 2009 - 8.15pm

The Studio, Hawth Theatre, Hawth Avenue, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 6YZ

£12.50 / £10.50

Box Office: 01293 553636

www.tickets.hawth.co.uk

Saturday 17th January 2009 - 7.30pm

The Wilde Theatre, South Hill Park, Ringmead, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 7PA

£15 / £13.50 members / £11 NUS, UB40, under 21s

Box office: 01344 484123

www.southhillpark.org.uk

Please note the above listings give on-stage times not doors-open times.

---------------------------

www.tacet-ensemble.com

www.spiersandboden.com

New Acoustic Music Club For The North Tyne Valley.
North East musicians Fiona Lander and Paul Mason otherwise known as the duo 'Landermason' are setting up a regular live music night at the Riverdale Hall Hotel in Bellingham, Northumberland.
Bellingham All Acoustic or the 'Baa' Club will take place in the back conservatory of the hotel on the last Thursday of every month (except December) at 8.30pm. This intimate room (seating 40 maximum) will provide the perfect surroundings for the enjoyment of acoustic music.
Fiona explains "The idea is to promote live music at two different levels. Firstly to provide a platform for invited guest artists who we feel deserve a wider audience. Some of these will be local, others from further a field. Secondly we want to encourage music making within the local community. We plan to have several floor spots before the guest comes on, so if anyone feels they could contribute a song, tune or verse on the night, then we'd love to see you. Everyone is welcome, even if you just want to come along, sit back and listen!"
The club kicks off on Thursday 30th October with North East songwriter PETE SCOTT. Pete, who has supported major names such as Lindisfarne, Janis Ian, Judi Tzuke, John Martyn and Richard Thompson has released 3 solo albums to date. His music has also been included in 'The Northumbria Anthology', a musical celebration of the North East of England's history and culture. Don't miss this wonderful live performer who is sure to bring a smile to your face! www.petescott.co.uk Admission £6.00
Other guests booked throughout the year are Kathryn Davidson & Dan Walsh, Gareth Davies -Jones, The Caffrey's, Richard Grainger and Adrian Nation. Keep checking for updates on the website.
For those who wish to make a night of it, an early evening 2 course dinner is available in the hotel restaurant before the concert at £12.00 per head.
Table reservations 6.30 for 7pm
Bookings 01434 220254
For more information about Bellingham All Acoustic:
Tel. 0778 8804784
www.baaclub.co.uk
www.myspace.com/baaclub

back to contents
LONGDOGS RELEASE LIVE SHOW OF HANDS ALBUM FOR CHARITY
Show of Hands live at Exeter Phoenix, 8th December 2007
Longdogs, the web-based Show of Hands fans organisation, is proud to announce the release of the above CD, the proceeds from which will be divided equally between the national childhood cancer charity CLIC Sargent and the 'Paediatric Oncology' fund at Bramble ward in the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.
The release, on Longdogs own label, was prompted by the news that Steve and Clare Knightley's son Jack had contracted acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a life threatening but often curable cancer. The diagnosis was confirmed on November 23rd 2007, the day before Jack's sixth birthday and the day that Show of Hands were due to embark upon their most ambitious tour to date.
After the cancellation of the first three gigs the tour went ahead with Phil Beer and Miranda Sykes. Steve was able to make two of the gigs - Bristol, and Exeter, the last night of the tour where the material for this album was recorded.
It should be noted that this release is not part of the official Show of Hands catalogue but a selection from the band's current live repertoire that they have made available to Longdogs for the purpose of raising funds for the nominated charities. That said, it's a professional piece of work that compares favourably with previous official live releases and successfully captures the atmosphere at what was a very emotional gig, and is a must for every Show of Hands fan's collection.
Speaking on behalf of Longdogs, Richard Barnes said: "From the moment the news of Jack's illness broke not just Longdogs' members but Show of Hands fans generally responded with a fantastic show of support and goodwill. Phil and Miranda soldiered on with the tour along with Slaid Cleaves and Michael O'Connor in support and the vast majority of fans who had bought tickets still turned up to support the band and generously contribute to the collections for CLIC Sargent organised at the gigs."
After a ten year presence on the internet Longdogs has become much more than the humble "Show of Hands fans on the 'net" organisation it set out to be and, whilst retaining its independence from the band, has worked closely with them on a number of projects, particularly in raising money for charitable causes such as Children's Hospice South West and Teenage Cancer Trust. Says Richard: "Jack's illness brought the issue of childhood cancer very close to home, and this time we wanted to really make a difference. Various suggestions came and went, including a sponsored mass parachute jump (thank goodness that one went away!) but hours before the final gig of the tour the perfect opportunity presented itself with a call from Steve. He would be doing the gig and they were thinking of recording it - would Longdogs be up for releasing the result on CD? Naturally the answer was yes."
The gig was recorded by Show of Hands sound engineer and tour manager Chris Puxley and edited and mastered by Steve and Phil in their own time, so production costs up to this point were zero. Soon the degree of support from beyond the immediate Show of Hands camp became heart-warmingly evident.
Says Richard: "One of our members Debbie Koritsas kindly donated some great shots of Steve and Phil for the album artwork. We approached top CD and web designer Brad Waters who instantly offered to do the artwork for free. Brad in turn contacted Dave Summers at Disc Manufacturing Services in Plymouth who offered to manufacture 1000 copies absolutely free of charge with the words 'Sometimes there is more to life than making a profit'.
"So collectively we have produced a great CD for the small cost of the MCPS licence. We're just a bunch of enthusiastic amateurs at Longdogs and we are eternally grateful to all the professionals who gave their time and expertise to make this possible. The album has been available on Longdogs for a couple of weeks now and the response has been fantastic. I have no doubt that the 1000 copies will sell quickly and realise our aim of raising around £10,000 for the charities."
The album track listing is:-
1. Longdog (Knightley)
2. The Setting/Mary of Dungloe (McTell/Trad Arr Knightley/Beer)
3. Cutthroats, Crooks and Con-Men (Knightley)
4. Blue Cockade (Trad arr Knightley/Beer)
5. Crazy Boy (Knightley)
6. Blind Fiddler (Trad arr Knightley/Beer)
7. Exile (Knightley)
8. See My Baby Again (Knightley)
9. Secret World (Gabriel)
10. Are We Alright (Knightley)
11. The Dive (Knightley)
12. Don't Be a Stranger (Knightley)
13. Country Life (Knightley)
14. Roots (Knightley)
15. Cousin Jack (Knightley)
16. The Falmouth Packet/Haul Away Joe (Beer/Trad arr Knightley/Beer)
The CD is officially launched at Show of Hands' gig at Rugby Roots on 27th September and will thereafter be available to purchase from the merchandise stand at all Show of Hands gigs. It's already available online at http://www.longdogs.co.uk/soh/exetercd or by "snail mail" from Longdogs, email richard@rugbyroots.com for ordering details.

back to contents
back to contents

Lisa Redford Releases Third Album 'Clouds with Silver'
Lisa Redford ("one of our finest singer/songwriters" Bob Harris, BBC Radio 2) returns with her eagerly anticipated third studio album CLOUDS WITH SILVER a glorious and heartfelt follow up to the critically acclaimed LOST AGAIN (2005).
Featuring eleven finely crafted self-written songs CLOUDS WITH SILVER takes Lisa's blend of exquisitely melodic acoustic music to another level. With most tracks recorded live, the album is infused with a real intimacy, showcasing Lisa's soulful and powerful voice and heartfelt lyrics. From album opener, the upbeat radio friendly "Come Back Down", to the sweeping uplifting "Live Your Life", through to the plaintive yearning ballads "The Boy Who…" and "Makes Your Heart Sing", the album is full of standout tracks. Other highlights include the dreamy "Call Me" and "NY Song" which also display her dynamic and evocative voice and immense gift for melodic hooks. The album closes with live tracks "New Years Day" and "Time to Grow". Recorded live in the studio with just her voice and acoustic guitar, these two tracks totally capture the raw heartfelt emotion of Lisa's live performance.
Recorded mostly in New York City at Monkeyboy Studios, the album is co-produced with respected producer and multi-instrumentalist Brad Albetta (Martha Wainwright, Rufus Wainwright, Teddy Thompson) who also adds some subtle sonic dimensions on bass and keyboards. The acoustic songs are also enriched by some truly beautiful string arrangements. "Makes Your Heart Sing" and "Here Alone" feature strings by one of Nashville's most highly regarded producers David Henry (Josh Rouse, Alison Krauss, REM) and New York based violinist Claudia Chopek (Ryan Adams, HEM) created the wonderful lilting arrangements on "NY Song" and "Live Your Life". More of New York's most outstanding musicians guest on some of the tracks. Superb drummer Matt Johnson (Jeff Buckley, Rufus Wainwright) adds his talent to the two full band tracks and the excellent guitarist Jim Campilongo (in Norah Jones's The Little Willies) contributes his trademark Telecaster sound to the upbeat Americana track "When You Come Home".
Lisa's two previous albums SLIPSTREAM and LOST AGAIN, have gained widespread glowing print reviews and received airplay on radio stations around the world. Her track 'Dragonfly' was featured on a 'Best of British' special on BBC Radio 2 which showcased the Best British songwriters. Lisa has also built a reputation as a compelling live performer and, along with many festival appearances, has opened for many respected artists including Kathryn Williams, Brian Kennedy, Chuck Prophet, Devon Sproule, Kate Campbell, Laura Veirs, Jesse Sykes, The Handsome Family, The Deadstring Brothers, Boo Hewerdine and The Arlenes.
On CLOUDS WITH SILVER, Redford dramatically fulfils the promise of her previous albums with her arresting vocals, refreshing melodic sound and reflective lyrics. "Like all my work, this album has been a real labour of love for me. From the writing and recording process to playing all the acoustic guitar parts and producing, I've been totally involved in every aspect" says Redford. "The songs are very contemplative and tinged with melancholy but, as the title reveals, they are full of hope and ultimately leave an uplifting and positive message." Already in 2008 she has played some of New York's most prestigious acoustic venues and had one of her songs, the acclaimed 'Dragonfly', feature in an independent movie in LA. With the release of CLOUDS WITH SILVER, further testament to her talent, Redford's music is set to gain her an even bigger audience. Hers is striking music that is sorrowful and dreamy, but not simply for awash of studio atmosphere. Lisa's songs, as well as her voice, have a tempered reverence that coats the sadness with an aura of beauty.

Clouds with Silver is available to order from Fish Records, iTunes and will be distributed through Proper Distribution.
For more information on Lisa Redford, please contact Jokat Pr. Tel: 011 44 1603 452850 Mob: 07832 130453 email:
infolisaredford@aol.com
www.lisaredford.com
www.myspace.com/lisaredford www.youtube.com/lisaredfordmusic

back to contents
Leading Folk Artists Sign Up For Darwin Song Project
Eight leading folk musicians from the UK and America have signed up to take part in a unique music project to mark the bicentennial of the birth of evolutionist Charles Darwin.
BBC Folk Award winners Chris Wood and Karine Polwart, folk stalwart Jez Lowe, Scotland’s Emily Smith, American artists Krista Detor and Mark Erelli, Bellowhead’s Rachael McShane, and Stu Hanna from rising folk duo Megson, have all signed up to take part in Shrewsbury Folk Festival’s Darwin Song Project, part of the nationwide Darwin200 celebrations.
The project will see the eight multi talented musicians living together in a 16th Century country house near Shrewsbury in Shropshire - where Darwin was born - from March 13 to 20 2009.
They have been commissioned by Festival organisers to produce songs related to Darwin, his life, work, or any other topic linked to the town’s most famous son.
The songs will be premiered by the artists at one of the first ever concerts to be held at Shrewsbury’s new Theatre Severn on March 19 and a Darwin Song Project CD will also be recorded at the event for future sale.
The musicians will also be invited to perform the Darwin songs and their own music during Shrewsbury Folk Festival from August 28 to 31 2009.
The project is being funded by Shrewsbury Folk Festival, the Arts Council, Shropshire County Council and Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council.
Festival Director Neil Pearson said: “We are delighted to have signed up eight such talented musicians and singer songwriters to the Darwin Song Project. We know they will all bring a different dimension to the project and produce some truly original work.
“This is a pioneering project and we believe it’s the first project of its kind in England; it will be interesting to see what songs come out of the week long residential.
“The artists will be living and working at the farmhouse near Shrewsbury and they can either work collaboratively or individually.
“We’re providing them with Darwin resources prior to and during the project, and we are sure they will also draw inspiration from the Shropshire countryside, the area where Darwin spent his formative years.”
Darwin’s birthplace on The Mount in Shrewsbury overlooks the West Mid Showground where the annual Shrewsbury festival is held, and his great great grandson Randal Keynes will visit the musicians at the house to speak to them about his famous relative.
They will also be taken around Shrewsbury to get a feel for the town where Darwin grew up.
Neil added: “This is the first time that the Festival has ever commissioned new music. We were keen to find a way to link our event into the Darwin200 celebrations and as an organisation we are always interested in finding ways to offer both artists and audiences a unique experience.
“Shrewsbury Folk Festival is a champion of innovative approaches to music and the Darwin project will hopefully make a fascinating contribution to the folk world.”
Jon King, Shrewsbury’s Darwin Festival Director, said: “I am very excited by this project. The artists involved bring a wealth of experience and a particular sensibility to the subject matter. I'm intrigued to find out how they respond.?”
The Festival has also launched a website – www.darwinsongproject.com – to keep people up to date with the project.
back to contents
The 1 hr 15 minute program contains interviews and songs from Vicky Swan & Jonny Dyer, Kirsty McGee & Mat Martin, Rubus, Tom Bliss and Nancy Kerr & James Fagan.
http://www.littleatoms.com/folk/leighfolkfestival2008.mp3
back to contents
Debut Album from Folk Dance Duo Folkus Pocus
‘Under No Illusion', the debut album of the folk dance duo Folkus Pocus, was launched at the Lichfield Folk Festival on 21 June 2008. Published by the English Folk Dance & Song Society (EFDSS), the album features 17 tracks ranging from traditional tunes such as ‘Morpeth Rant' and ‘Pipe on the Hob' to tunes from Playford's 17th century dance collection including ‘Parson's Farewell', as well as American contra dance reels and some recently written tunes.
The CD booklet includes the descriptions of three previously unpublished dances, and all the tunes are played at dance speed.
The album will appeal to dancers, callers and musicians, particularly within the folk dance club scene, as well as folk dance festival enthusiasts.
Folkus Pocus are Caroline and Dan Hollingshurst, two young instrumentalists who met while studying music at university. Caroline's life-long love of folk dance music combines with Dan's improvised jazz and classical music background to create arrangements that are fresh, vibrant and eminently danceable!
Caroline's main instrument is the fiddle, but she also plays the flute and recorder on the CD, while Dan plays the piano. Read more about the duo at www.folkuspocus.com
The EFDSS is grateful to the Lichfield Folk Dance Festival and Lichfield Folk Dance Club for financial assistance with the production of this album.
‘Under No Illusion' by Folkus Pocus [EFDSSCD16] is published by the English Folk Dance and Song Society. Copies are available from the EFDSS, Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regent's Park Road, London NW1 7AY. Tel: 0207 485 2206. www.efdss.org Price: £13.95 plus £2.00 p&p. <
back to contents www.efdss.org
THE FOLK HANDBOOK - WORKING WITH SONGS
FROM THE ENGLISH TRADITION
Backbeat Books, in a partnership with the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS), has just published The Folk Handbook - Working with Songs from the English Tradition.
The Folk Handbook is an authoritative overview of the English tradition and its continuing relevance. It includes the words and melodies for over eighty traditional songs, with detailed explanatory notes illuminating each song's origins and meaning. A number of essays place the tradition in a wider cultural and musical context, in particular examining its continued impact on contemporary performers in the UK and the US.
The spiral bound, hardcover book also includes an extensive discography, bibliography and a fourteen-song CD of field recordings compiled from the Veteran Records archive.
Malcolm Taylor, Library Director of the English Folk Dance and Song Society's Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, worked extensively with Backbeat Books on The Folk Handbook. Malcolm said, "This will be a valuable resource book for folk song enthusiasts of all ages and for those involved in music education. The English Folk Dance and Song Society is proud to be working with partners such as Backbeat Books."
The songs in the book have been selected by Malcolm Taylor, and David Atkinson, Editor of the EFDSS's Folk Music Journal, who also wrote annotations to the songs. They include 'Scarborough Fair', 'Barbara Allen', 'The Daemon Lover' and 'George Collins'
Vic Gammon has contributed an introductory essay, while folk singer Martin Carthy has written about performing traditional songs. The book's other contributors and editors include Mark Brend, John Morrish, Ricky Rooksby, David Sheppard, Stephanie Smith and Nigel Williamson.
Mark Brend at Backbeat Books says, "The English Folk Dance and Song Society is the carrier of a vast amount of knowledge and expertise on the subject of English traditional song, and we were happy to work with it to produce what we think is a unique book."
There is an associated website www.folkhandbook.com which contains supporting material for The Folk Handbook, including MIDI files of the tunes for the songs in the book.
"This is a very fine, user-friendly collection, a sharing of experience and knowledge by some of our best contemporary English folk singers and scholars". Charlotte Greig, The Independent on Sunday, 19 August 2007.
The Folk Handbook -- Working with Songs from the English Tradition. ISBN 978-0-87930-901-5. Available from all good bookshops.
The Folk Handbook is also available from the English Folk Dance and Song Society, Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regent's Park Road, London NW1 7AY. Tel: 020 7485 2206. www.efdss.org The price is £19.95 (book and CD), plus £2 p&p.

back to contents
CLASSIC FOLK SONG COLLECTION IN NEW EDITION
One of the most influential books of folk songs ever printed in England is being re-published in a completely revised edition by the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS).
Marrow Bones was originally published by the EFDSS in 1965. At the time, no self-respecting folk singer was ever without it in their jeans pocket or guitar case.
Marrow Bones had been out of print for many years until folk enthusiast Malcolm Douglas from Sheffield offered to completely revise the song book. Enlisting the help of Steve Gardham from Hull, Malcolm returned to the original manuscripts of the songs to check all the texts and tunes.
The songs published in Marrow Bones all come from the collections made by two brothers, Henry and Robert Hammond, working in Dorset, and by George Gardiner, who collected in Hampshire. The songs were all collected in the Edwardian era - the golden age of folk song collecting in the first decade of the twentieth century.
Marrow Bones includes songs of love, songs of the sea and seafarers, and songs from the countryside. Titles include 'The Female Cabin Boy', 'Bold General Wolfe', 'Gamekeepers Lie Sleeping', 'The Lark in the Morning', 'The Rambling Sailor' and 'The Tailor's Breeches'. The song 'I Live Not Where I Love' was popularised by Tim Hart and Maddy Prior, before they formed Steeleye Span. Other songs from the book have been sung and recorded by such well-known singers as Martin Carthy and John Kirkpatrick.
The early twentieth-century singers of the songs in Marrow Bones include the prolific singer Marina Warner from Upwey in Dorset, who remembered the tunes of a hundred songs. Other singers from Dorset included Robert Barratt from Puddletown, and fisherman Joseph Elliott of Todber. Hampshire singers include Daniel Wigg from Preston Candover, whose photograph is included in the book's cover design. Many songs were collected from residents of workhouses, a sad reflection of the poverty of the era.
The original edition of Marrow Bones was compiled and edited by Frank Purslow, who sadly died in April, just before this new edition was published. Frank acted as a consultant to the new publication, and very much approved of the revised edition.
The new edition of Marrow Bones includes the words and tunes of a hundred songs, plus extensive notes on each song. There is a Foreword by Vic Gammon, course leader of Newcastle University's Folk and Traditional Music degree programme; an extensive introduction; biographies of the Hammond brothers, George Gardiner and Frank Purslow; and an extensive bibliography, including internet resources.
"This is a most welcome reprint." Martin Carthy, English Dance & Song, Autumn 2007.
Marrow Bones was the first of four books of selections from the Hammond and Gardiner collections. It is intended to publish revised editions of the other books over the next few years.
Marrow Bones: English Folk Songs from the Hammond and Gardiner Manuscripts, selected and edited by Frank Purslow, Revised with New Notes and Commentaries by Malcolm Douglas and Steve Gardham. ISBN 978-0-85418-202-0.
Marrow Bones is available from the English Folk Dance and Song Society, Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regent's Park Road, London NW1 7AY. Tel: 020 7485 2206. www.efdss.org It is £15.95 plus £2 p&p.
back to contents
Viv Youell's song Love in the Afternoon has been chosen by UK Music Search podcast listeners as their Summer Anthem - proof that folk can win and can inspire.
For further details and a link to the podcast, go to www.vaionation.co.uk/user/tinkerbell/blogentry/998
*
back to contents
1st June 2007 saw the launch of a brand new website: www.scotchsnap.com, where you can download original Scottish compositions penned by many of Scotland's best musicians.
We have 28 composer profile pages, each with a list of compositions available, 900 scores, collections of fiddle tunes by Donald Riddell, Eric Allan, Paul Anderson, Niel Gow & Sons, Captain Simon Fraser, William Marshall, J.S. Skinner, James Kerr and Alexander Walker.
Our scores are in digital notation that can be listened to and downloaded to your printer with no waiting for postal delivery.
Traditional musicians often carry around volumes of books just for a few tunes. On www.scotchsnap.com you can hear and see, buy single pages and make up specific sets from just 50 pence per page. Using the creative search system you can find both brand new tunes and ancient tunes that are out of print.
For the classical musician we have some exciting new compositions and arrangements for a variety of instrumentation and voices, ranging from easy to advanced difficulty.
This is an exciting new venture with the potential to promote hundreds of Scottish composers/arrangers to a world market. If you are writing music of professional standard and would like to be featured on scotchsnap.com please contact us for more information on info@scotchsnap.com
*back to contents
Singer-songwriter Anna Shannon is celebrating after scooping first and second places at the Captain Cook Seafest in Whitby on the 27 May. Anna entered two original songs in the competition "A Song for the Sea". "Safe Home" which won her BBC Radio Yorkshire songwriter of the year award last year, took first place and " Just a Tiny Boat", describing Grace Darling's rescue of nine people from the wreck of the Forfarshire, came second. Anna will now go through to the finals in September. This success coincides with the release of her latest album "Ready for the Shout", which consists of 11 original songs of a maritime nature and is being sold in aid of the RNLI. Members of the Scarborough Lifeboat crew and Filey Fishermans Choir Harmony Group appear on the album as guests.The album has been accepted by the RNLI to be sold in their outlets. Anna will be appearing at the Scarborough Seafest in July.
See myspace.com/annashannon for details.
*back to contents
ADA Recordings have released two new albums which were launched at "Celebrating Cyril", the recent national memorial event for Cyril Tawney.
"The Song Goes On" (ADA 108CD), is a double album consisting of re-mastered recordings of archival traditional gems, beginning with the first song Cyril ever broadcast (1957), interspersed with a few of his classic compositions and a sprinkling of offerings from fellow songwriters. The collection ends with Mick Ryan's special recording of the title song which he wrote as a tribute, shortly after Cyril's death.
The other new release is a limited edition of a concert recorded at the legendary Holsteins in Chicago in 1981. "Cyril Tawney - Live at Holsteins" (ADA 109CD) is a fine example of Cyril in his heyday, on top form before an appreciative and knowledgeable audience and obviously loving every moment of this flawless performance.
All Cyril's CDs are available from ADA, shops, and via his website
Copies of the "Celebrating Cyril" Commemorative Programme are still available. In fact the programme part takes up only two pages out of the forty page booklet, which is principally about and by Cyril. Besides reprints of some of his classic articles ("The South West Folk Revival- the Early Years", "A BBC Folk Life Department – Why Not"?, "The Folksong Penny") there are verses, anecdotes and extracts from his (as yet unpublished) childhood memoir. Proceeds will go to the fund to preserve his archive.
The Programme is available via Cyril's website and from the English Folk Dance and Song Society. All the necessary information is at www.cyriltawney.co.uk

THIEVES TARGET DEVON MUSIC CHARITY
Devon's folk and community arts development charity Wren Music has been hit by thieves who have stolen vital equipment used by young people all over Devon. In late January a large trailer containing all of Wren's "junk music" instruments was stolen from Okehampton's Exeter Road Industrial Estate.
The junk music instruments are made out of all manner of brightly painted recycled objects, such as kitchen sinks, gas pipes, giant plastic barrels, scaffolding, and dustbin lids. As long as you can hit it with a stick or a ping-pong bat, it counts as an instrument in a junk band.
Over the years, the junk rig has been used by children and young people all over Devon and farther afield, in schools, in community settings, at carnivals and fairs, and in special needs establishments, as well as in musical theatre productions, such as the play "A Wonderful Alteration" staged in Newton Abbot in 2006 as part of the Brunel 200 celebrations. Tens of thousands of young people have had the chance to play on the wide range of instruments.
Wren Music's Artistic Director Paul Wilson is appalled by the theft: "Whilst the trailer will cost over three thousand pounds to replace, the cash value of the junk rig is negligible, but the social, musical and community value is huge. Wren's junk builder Paul Tucker and others have put literally years of work into making the rig strong, safe, resonant and child-friendly - it feels like someone has stolen a work of art."
Wren Music has a long history of helping to create junk bands. In 1993, they started a series of workshops in Estover, Plymouth. Out of that sprang the famous "Weapons of Sound" junk funk band, who have played all over Europe, including the opening of the Commonwealth Games. Since then, Wren has used its junk rig to help numerous junk bands to form. The latest of these is Re-Cyc, a weekly junk workshop band for young people in and around Barnstaple.
The stolen trailer is white with a red stripe around the top with the words TOW A VAN 22P, twin axle, eight feet long, five feet wide with six feet headroom. The junk rig includes lots of bright yellow wide diameter pipes, dark blue large plastic drums, yellow wheel rims, and white metal piping with red and green ends. Wren Music would like to hear from anyone who may have found either the instruments or the trailer - call 01837 53754, or email info@wrenmusic.co.uk.
If the instruments are not recovered, Wren Music will have to create a new junk rig from scratch, sourcing materials, tuning, preparing, and painting. This will be a long process, and mean that young people will not be able to use the instruments for several months.
Wren Music would like to hear from any businesses or people who may be able to donate items that may be suitable for a new junk rig, such as six inch diameter gas pipes, 50mm diameter steel tubing, car wheels, plastic bins or drums, or metal A frames. The charity will also need a replacement trailer or the money to buy one, and would be very grateful for all support.
Virtual Open Mic is a new on-line open mic radio website which will be featuring a wide variety of music leaning towards the acoustic and folk types.
See www.virtualopenmic.com for more details.
NEW BOOK AND CD
from the EFDSS...
Traveller's Joy
Songs of English and Scottish Travellers and Gypsies 1965-2005
Compiled by Mike Yates; musical transcriptions by Elaine Bradtke; editorial assistance by David Atkinson and Malcolm Taylor; audio recordings by Mike Yates.
". a plain speaking music with real passion and real humour. at the very heart of what it means, culturally speaking at least, to be English, Scottish or Irish, especially as those notions continue to develop apace."
Norma Waterson Traveller's Joy is a celebration of the extraordinary and ultimately unique musical legacy of the Gypsies and Travellers of England and Scotland.
The eminent singers and folklorists Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger once wrote that 'the travelling people have become the real custodians of English and Scots traditional song'. No wonder, then, that over the years folk song scholars and collectors have been fascinated by this rich heritage. Mike Yates is no exception and has met and recorded many fine singers from the travelling people of England and Scotland. Examples from their repertoires are presented here.
Traveller's Joy is first and foremost a songbook - a collection of over fifty songs to be learned, sung, and enjoyed by the reader. It is not meant to be a scholarly dissertation, though the intention is to portray the singers and their music with honesty and sensitivity. To enhance and complement the texts and musical transcriptions, an accompanying twenty-track CD allows the reader to hear some of the performers themselves. In addition, there is an authoritative introductory essay by Mike Yates, along with biographical sketches of the singers, notes on the songs, photographs of the singers and of travelling life, and a bibliography and discography.
Published December 2006. ISBN -13 978 0 85418 200 8; IBSN -10 0 85418 200 4
WebShop www.efdss.org Tel.020 7485 2206 Fax. 020 7285 0534
EFDSS, Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regent's Park Road, London, NW1 7AY.
Price £18.50+ £2 p&p (UK only, Overseas rates available on request). Trade rates available
ZetCast is a not-for-profit collective administered by Shetlanders Marvin Smith, John Smith, Bryan Peterson and Jimmy Carlyle who aim to provide a valuable resource to the Shetland community while promoting Shetland culture, music and arts to the world.
Mr Peterson said “Most of the current shows are music orientated but we have a wide range of content in the pipeline. The shows, which are all produced by locals, are recorded and uploaded and folk can access them via the www.zetcast.com website.
"The beauty of podcast technology is that anyone with a microphone and a computer can record a show and anyone with an internet connection and set of speakers can listen to them. We call it ‘citizen-driven media: made by the community for the community’."
Mr Peterson said listeners did not need to be tied to their computer to hear the shows once they are downloaded from the site.
"Any device that plays MP3s can be used, so you can transfer episodes to your portable music player and listen whenever you want."
One of the shows, the Shetland Sessions, is already making waves in musical circles.
Mr Marvin Smith the voice behind the Shetland Sessions said "Wherever you travel in musical circles you are likely to hear the name “Shetland” linked to quality music making. Shetland Sessions gives you, the listener, the chance to hear and experience the real sound of Shetland. The show will feature exclusive live recordings and radio session’s by the very best of Shetland’s musicians".
The first show is a highlight itself with exclusive content from a live performance of Shetland’s Jenna Reid recorded earlier in the year in Shetlands Fetlar Hall.
Mr Smith added "This is a very positive outcome of ZetCast since many who would wish to travel to Shetland to hear the traditional tunes played in Shetlands own backyard, but can't for whatever reason, can now at the press of a button listen to the sounds from anywhere in the world".
The site itself gives users a myriad of ways in which to access its content. From direct web based players at the click of a button, downloadable audio files, and linked feeds to pull into users own software, theres a choice for everyone.
Mr John Smith of www.yadUK.co.uk relayed that the objective of the site was to be as accessible as possible.
"Many sites of a similar vain are hard to navigate and users are often left confused as to where to find the actual music. We tried to step away from this and make the user experience as simple as we could. If users have access to the Internet - they have access to Shetlands music."
The website has also been built in accordance to the UKs Disibility Discrimination Act so making it accessible to users with disabilities. Users can also gain access via mobile devices should they wish to take this route.
ZetCast is also running a competition on its site in which folk can win an iPod portable music player, donated by the Shetland Mac Shop www.shetlandmacshop.co.uk.

Rock'n'Reel is back!
www.rock-n-reel.co.uk
Rock'n'Reel….a music magazine covering the very best in roots, rock, blues and beyond.
The new publisher of Rock'n'Reel is Richard Ellin who was the commercial publisher of 'CD Review' and advertisement director…'Forte' (Trust House Fortes magazine).
Ellin was consultant to Mercedes on the re-launch of their consumer publication. He was involved in the launch of the Today newspaper and has also worked for the BBC on 'The Radio Times'.
A fan and subscriber to the original Rock'n'Reel first published in 1998, Richard Ellin is committed to the magazine's long term future as a serious music journal.
Rock'n'Reel started life as a fanzine with modest ambitions and grew into a fully fledged magazine; this development will now continue with the relaunch in December 2006. The new version of Rock'n'Reel will appear nationally as a one hundred and forty page glossy bi monthly with its own distinctive cover mount CD entitled 'UN-HERD' Un-Herd Volume 1 includes music by Canned Heat, Ani DiFranco, Steve Hackett, Eleanor McEvoy, Paul Lamb and The King Snakes, Colin Scot, Heartless Bastards, Die Hunns, Luke Doucet, Denison Witmer and more. There will be a further free CD in the Un-herd series affixed to the cover of each subsequent issue of Rock'n'Reel. Never a magazine to cow-tow to the vagaries of musical fashion, Rock'n'Reel has attracted some of the best music writers in the British Isles.
Editor Sean McGhee returns with most of the original writing team who are equally delighted and excited to be working again on the magazine promising lots of exclusive interviews and interesting music features and off the wall photography.
Rock'n'Reel has been completely redesigned in full colour with reader friendly layouts. The review section will be divided into categories of styles allowing readers to locate their favourite music in a more satisfying and absorbing way.
The first issue of the relaunched Rock'n'Reel includes interviews with Shane MacGowan, Donovan, Paul Rodgers, Flogging Molly, Christy Moore, Jacqui McShee, Arlo Guthrie, Andy Roberts, Dick Gaughan, Legendary Shack Shakers, James Yorkston, Spiers & Boden, Joe Brown, and features on Bob Dylan, Marc Bolan, Nick Drake, Arthur Lee and Syd Barrett … plus all the usual CD, live, DVD, book reviews and news.
A one year subscription to the magazine includes a five CD offer. The collection courtesy of Terra Nova and Osmosys Records gives the listener almost five hours of hard core folk, world music and comedy as well as left field contemporary sounds. The offer earns the subscriber seventy one tracks which include some very rare pieces by well known performers as well as gems from up and coming artists. Potential subscribers can take up the offer by either visiting the web-site www.rock-n-reel.co.uk or by purchasing the first edition which includes full subscription details and an application form.

The new compilation CD entitled Forged in Sheffield will be out at the end of October 2006!
This unique collection features tracks from some of the finest folk artists based in Sheffield: Hekety, Silverwheel, Rackaback, Minnie Moosika, Glorystrokes, Derwenna, skyhook, Crucible, Box of Shivers, James Raynard, Outre Manche, Richard Masters, Treebeard, Trinculo, Hiraeth, Tegwen Roberts, Jon Boden.
See www.sheffieldfolk.co.uk for details or myspace.com/forgedinsheffield for clips..
GRAMMY-NOMINATED BLUEGRASS BAND THE GRASCALS TO RELEASE NEW STUDIO ALBUM, LONG LIST OF HEARTACHES, IN NOVEMBER
SECOND ALBUM ON ROUNDER RECORDS FEATURES GUEST PERFORMANCES BY GEORGE JONES, DIERKS BENTLEY AND OTHERS
The Grascals, the International Bluegrass Music Association’s (IBMA) reigning Emerging Artist of the Year, will release Long List of Heartaches, the follow-up to their 2005 Grammy-nominated, self-titled debut album, in November. Featuring guest performances by Dierks Bentley, George Jones, the Jordanaires and Steve Wariner, the CD further defines the group’s stylistic blend of traditional bluegrass and country sounds. Like their first album, Long List of Heartaches was produced by The Grascals--Terry Eldredge and Jamie Johnson on lead vocals and guitar, Jimmy Mattingly on fiddle, Danny Roberts on mandolin, Terry Smith on bass and harmony vocals, and David Talbot on banjo and harmony vocals. The album includes 13 tracks, showcasing the band’s pristine vocal harmonies and virtuoso musicianship.
A new website aimed at the live roots, folk, blues etc music scene in Cumbria called http://www.mostlyacousticcumbria.co.uk has been set up.
It contains information on:
Local artists / bands
Local services (eg, music shops, music tuition, pa hire, recording studios, pr, etc etc)
Local venues
Jam Nights
Gig Guide
Useful links
Events (eg festivals, one-off events , workshops etc)
Forum

The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library today launches VWML Online.
Indexes to the collections of some of the best-known folk music collectors of the twentieth century are now available on the Library's website - http://library.efdss.org
In the early years of the twentieth century, musicians and activists such as Ralph Vaughan Williams in East Anglia, Cecil Sharp in Somerset (and the Appalachian Mountains of the USA), Lucy Broadwood (Sussex), Henry and Robert Hammond in Dorset and George Gardiner in Hampshire collected hundreds of folk songs and tunes from agricultural workers, Gypsies and artisans in towns and villages in rural communities in England and beyond. For some - such as Vaughan Williams - the songs provided the inspiration for his compositions and editing The English Hymnal. Others, including Cecil Sharp, adapted the songs for use in schools. In recent decades, these songs have become increasingly popular as performed by musicians such as Martin Carthy, Norma Waterson, their daughter Eliza Carthy, and Kate Rusby. And now a whole new generation is becoming aware of the folk arts that surround them.
VWML Online allows anybody to search these important collections by titles, the source singers' names, and their place of residence and dates of collection.
Perhaps you live in a village or town that was famous for its singing, or are related to a dancer whose tunes are now performed by morris musicians up and down the country? You might well track them down here.
And in the case of the Cecil Sharp collection, there are also photographs of some of the musicians he met a century ago: marvellous images of the people who in many cases sang the songs and played the tunes that had already passed through several generations of the same family.
The indexes are also linked to the Roud Folk Song Index, a monumental database of 146,000 references to songs collected from oral tradition all over the English-speaking world. The Roud Index, compiled over many years by researcher and author Steve Roud, is an on-going project which is constantly being up-dated. Once armed with a Roud Number or reference to a song, you are on your way to finding it - most likely in the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library - the Archive of the English Folk Dance and Song Society.
Librarian at the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, Malcolm Taylor, explains, 'This is the first stage in a longer-term development to make all the Library's catalogues and indexes available online through our website. A specialist Library like ours lives or dies by the depth, breadth and effectiveness of the catalogues. We are proud to be able to make this unique resource available to a wider audience'.
The work has so far depended on the voluntary help of university computer science lecturer Richard Butterworth, and full-time staff in the Library. They have worked on the project whilst continuing to answer the constant flow of requests from folk enthusiasts, the media and educationalists all over the world. The next stage will be more dependent on external funding.
Eddie Upton, Director of Folk South West which covers many of the counties in which extensive song collecting took place, said, 'This is a fantastic resource which will be indispensable to folk music enthusiasts all over the country. I can't wait to use it myself'.
Further information: Malcolm Taylor 020 7485 2206 ext 29. library@efdss.org

Angelic Music
New label offers springboard for female artists
A brand new record label has launched a competition for female singer/songwriters, with first prize of a free national press and radio promotional package and a performance at the label launch party in London later this year.
Angelic Music was launched in January 2006 by Janis Haves, an artist herself with a mission to foster female talent in the music industry. Already the label has created a thriving network community called 'Angels Out There' for female artists to meet each other and share advice on anything from getting gigs and promoting shows to recording, touring and technical advice.
Janis Haves said: "Now I'm looking for an artist with the right song and a great voice to spearhead the project. The competition is open to all genres of music and the winning artist and song will be the lead track on a compilation CD of female singer/songwriters from around the world, for autumn release. She'll be promoted in through national press and radio, and will also be invited to perform at the launch party in London in the autumn."
Eddi Reader (ex Fairground Attraction) is supporting Angelic by writing and recording a song especially for the album and said she was "delighted to be involved!"
The competition is supported by Songlink International (a "who's looking" information network for songwriters and music publishers) with free memberships for the winner and runner-up. Songlink International editor/publisher David Stark, Pam Sheyne (Genie in a Bottle - Chrinta Aguilera) and Megg Nichol from the British Academy board will be among the judges.
Janis Haves added: "There are more women performing and recording independently today than ever before - yet most music marketing is still aimed primarily at the male market. Angelic Music is there to help these women reach each other, and grow as both musicians and artists."
Competition entry forms can be found on the Angelic website and artists can enter up to three songs in one entry - Closing date of the competition is 31st June 2006. For more details about the competition, Angelic Music and Angels Out There, go to www.angelicmusic.co.uk.
Strangeworld
Since the demise of Shave the Monkey in 1994 a number of projects have been undertaken by the ex-members of the band. Duncan now plays with Glastonbury band "Dragonsfly", Guido Rincon has been playing with Ian Cutler's "Sloughterhouse" whilst Bryan Causton is busy launching a very different acoustic group called "Strangeworld". Debuting at Hitchin Folk Club, the group make their first main radio appearance on BBC Shropshire next Sunday (5th Feb). Their first album, "Leap of Faith" has received great reveiws from Taplals, amongst other folk mags. More info on their website
www.strangeworldmusic.com
NEW PUBLICATION FROM
THE ENGLISH FOLK DANCE AND SONG SOCIETY

The Anglo-Concertina Music of William Kimber
Dan M Worrall
Foreward by Roger Digby
Published October 2005 Special Introductory Price until 31/12/05 £11.50 (£15.99 from 01/01/06) ISBN 085418194146
96pp b&w illustrations
¢ The first published collection of transcriptions of Kimber's music including both melody and chords
¢ A selection of 28 tunes
¢ Background notes on William Kimber and the Anglo-Concertina as an instrument
¢ Guidance for those learning the tunes
¢ Explanatory notes to accompany the transcriptions
'Dan Worrall has produced this collection of transcriptions which presents in conventional music notation the exact notes that William Kimber played'
from Roger Digby's introduction
Dan Worrall has been playing the Anglo-Concertina for over 30 years during which time he has developed agreat admiration and affection for the playing style of William Kimber
Further information from EFDSS, Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regents Park Road, London NW1 7AY Tel 0207 485 2206 e-mail info@efdss.org
Order from the above or www.efdss.org. Please allow £2.00 for p&p (UK only. Overseas rates available on request)Trade rates available.
========================================================
Radio Britfolk - from July 1st - at www.radiobritfolk.co.uk
========================================================
Radio Britfolk is a new and exciting web-based radio project for the UK folk world, and it's happening right NOW! Developed by a group of professional folk musicians, it aims to become a major hub and world-wide shop window for the folk music of these islands, available 24/7 on your home computer
It's a new concept in folk radio.
Imagine an on-line folk festival - with main stage shows (like other radio stations), themed shows and documentaries (sometimes with a strong local slant), programmes showcasing lesser-known music and artists, plus workshops and tutorials (how to play an instrument etc.). Imagine each programme is supported by web-based content so you can look as well as listen and find links to artists, instrument makers and record companies. Now imagine you can tune in 24 hours a day, wherever you are in the world, and find programmes offering a balance of traditional and new music from Wales, Ireland, Scotland, England and beyond, with all genres and styles represented. Good, yes?
Radio Britfolk is licensed from 1st July, and that's when weekly programming starts - even though not all the features (such as the shop and the bulletin board) will be complete by then. Soon there will be 10-20 hours of folk programming available at any one time, with the schedule changing every week.
Behind the front page of available programmes, there will be listings pages, an on-line shop, message board, news and links pages and more. Anyone can become a member (and access past programmes and additional in-depth features). People can sponsor various parts of the site, and even post their own album tracks on the Britfolk Billboard, a separate section reserved for promotion.
Potential programme makers who are able to offer top quality ideas, professional presentation and production values are encouraged to submit proposals for shows to the Radio Britfolk executive programming team. The details of how to do it are all in the FAQ on the website. It's not an exclusive club. Many programmes are presented by well-known musicians and established broadcasters, but we encourage anyone with a good idea to get involved.
So who's involved already? A diverse bunch of performers, broadcasters, media people and journalists - a mixture of names you'll already know and some you won't - who perceive a need for broad-scope folk radio. The brain behind the web site is Phil Snell of Limbo Creatives, Yorkshire-based folkie and programming genius.
The Radio Britfolk team is excited about this and they hope you will be as well when you hear it. Go to www.radiobritfolk.co.uk, and give it a listen. and see how you'd like to be part of it! Remember, pre July 1st it's only a trial site. From July 1st there will be a new set of programmes. Radio Britfolk needs your support, so keep logging on and checking what's available as the concept develops. Listen, become a member, make programmes and support independent, democratic folk radio on the internet.

"BORDERS YOUNG FIDDLES CD
Borders Young Fiddles are five of the most accomplished young fiddle players in the country. Their first CD contains about half Borders traditional music and half their own original music in the Borders 'style'.
The CD has had extremely favourable reviews and is a landmark in Scottish fiddle music bringing the Borders 'style' back to the centre of scottish fiddle playing.
Have a look at www.islemusicscotland.com"
*back to contents
The First Week in August - Fifty Years of the Sidmouth Festival by Derek Schofield
The Festival - 50 years in the making. The Book - 20 years of research and archiving, 3 years of detailed writing and collating by the author. The History of the biggest Festival of its kind in Europe and probably the longest established arts Festival in England is now published.
Just one hundred folk dancers gathered in the beautiful East Devon town of Sidmouth in the first week in August in 1955. Their intention was to perform for the general public, and enjoy the friendship and fun of a week's holiday with dancing. Fifty years later, the motives are just the same. Only now, the Festival participants are numbered in their thousands, and the programme has been extended to include not only the folk dances of England, but also song, music, storytelling, dance and theatre from across the globe.
Sidmouth International Festival has always reflected, and often led, the folk music and dance movement. It was the first major folk festival in the country, and it continues to set the standard. The many new initiatives over the last fifty years have included separate song events, international dance and music groups, a Children's Festival, a workshop programme, world roots music, theatre productions and a youth programme called Shooting Roots. The venues include the Parish Church and pubs, marquees in the middle of the town and the magnificent open-air amphitheatre of the Knowle Arena.
For fourteen-year-old Willow Smallbone, "Sidmouth Festival is truly a part of my heart", whilst Pamela Gold feels that, "The title of the event fails to conjure up the colour, excitement, spectacle, verve and vitality that abound: it has a completely universal appeal."
The First Week in August - Fifty Years of the Sidmouth Festival has 224 pages, over 450 photographs, more than 120 of them in colour, and a map of venues and sites through the years. It is a year-by-year account of just how this event has become the most significant folk and roots music Festival in the country, spreading the fame of Sidmouth across the world.
Now available in many bookshops and by Mail Order from the Festival Office tel: 01629 827010 for £25 (inc P&P in the UK).
Festival Office, PO Box 296,
Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 3XU
Tel: 01629 827011 Fax: 01629 821874
Linda Fisher writes a weekly column in the Gloucester Citizen, which deals deals with blues and associated acts who are appearing withing 50 miles of Gloucester, read the column here.
Read a feature on up and coming young singer-songwriter Jen Charlton along with three full length mp3s to download

Featured Artist
Click above for a review of London based Siansa's newly released Album and further information....
Bex Marshall is a young "cross genre" Singer-Songwriter based in the London area, *click here for an interview with Bex

The Rose of the Ribble Valley
Graham Dixon has just had his first Novel published - "a story of a Folksinger and a Folk song." ....
"Folk Singer, GEOFF, is the ‘Front man’ with ELDERFLOWER PUNCH – a four-piece musical group who, when they perform, pack the pubs and folk clubs of Northwest England. WAYNE plays bass; CHLOE, a student archaeologist is the singer and LUTE is the mandolin player. The band are plagued with cancellations, due to the ‘ridiculous’ law which allows no more than two performers to play at any one time, in venues that do not hold a very expensive ‘Public Entertainment License. BRIAN CLAYTON, an old folk-singing friend comes to the rescue when he opens a new ‘Live Music Venue’ in the area.
Brian’s wife TINA is from a ‘well to do’ family, her father FRANK CROXLEY and her devious brother STANISLAW run a large company and own much of the land and property in the Ribble Valley. The Croxleys have many secrets and past indiscretions locked away with other skeletons in the family cupboard. The beautiful ROSEMARY appears to Geoff, first of all in a vivid dream experienced after sampling a strange drink made from the rose petals collected from Croxley’s Wood, and then (apparently) in the flesh on a car park after a gig. From the ensuing conversation it appears that Rosemary is a ghost and has been dead for almost three hundred years. Rosemary is trying to find out what happened to her fiancé BRYAN of CLAYTON who was an eighteenth century street musician come minstrel and the author of the song THE ROSE OF THE RIBBLE VALLEY.
The story, sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic sees Geoff and Chloe getting mixed-up in a clever illegal drugs operation as they try to solve the mystery of Bryan of Clayton and his beloved Rose of The Ribble Valley.
For further information and to order a copy of Grahams Novel visit www.roseoftheribblevalley.ukart.com
Paul Castle of the outstanding London based Cajun/Bluegrass Trio The Rosinators wrote a regular monthly column called 'Across the Pond' for the major US 'about.com' folk site, run by US singer songwriter and 'Fast Folk' organiser Hugh Blumenfeld. Paul has kindly allowed us to provide links to his archived columns listed below.

07/01 #22: Summer Issue: Festivals + Feature on David Crosby
www.balladtree.com/articles/pond22_0701a.htm
06/01 #21: Features: Martin Carthy's 60th Birthday concert;
Telephone chat with Shawn Colvin
Roy Harper's 60th Birthday concert
www.balladtree.com/articles/pond21_0601a.htm
05/01 #20: Feature: Copper Family, Dylan's B'day, New BBC mega-website www.balladtree.com/articles/pond20_0501a.htm
04/01 #19: Feature: Interview with Maddy Prior.
www.balladtree.com/articles/pond19_0401a.htm
03/01 #18: Feature: Paul goes to Vancouver Folk Alliance + feature on Rick Scott and Canada's Pied Pumkin String Ensemble
www.balladtree.com/articles/pond18_0301a.htm
02/01 #17: Feature: BBC Folk Awards and interview with top US bluegrass guitarist, Dan Crary
www.balladtree.com/articles/pond17_0201a.htm
01/01 #16: Featuring Lucy Kaplansky in the UK and complete Celtic Festival listings
www.balladtree.com/articles/pond16_0101a.htm
12/00 #15: Kate Rusby review and photos.
www.balladtree.com/articles/pond15_1200a.htm
11/00 #14: Featuring the newsbreaking interview with Martin Carthy re: Paul Simon and "Scarborough Fair."
www.balladtree.com/articles/pond14_1100a.htm
10/00 #13: Feature: UK News, Interview with Mary Black's bass player, James Blennerhassett
www.balladtree.com/articles/pond13_1000a.htm
09/00 #12: Feature: Paul interviews Cry, Cry, Cry's Lucy Kaplansky.
www.balladtree.com/articles/pond12_0900a.htm
08/00 #11: Feature: Paul Castle comes across the pond and sees more here in a week than I saw all year. His exploits (with a camera) plus the monthly UK tour info [HB].
www.balladtree.com/articles/pond11_0800a.htm
07/00 #10:Feature: Cambridge Folk Festival Sandy Denny biography 'No More Sad Refrains'
www.balladtree.com/articles/pond10_0700a.htm
06/00 #9: Feature: Exclusive interview with Richard Thompson about performing at the Joni Mitchell tribute concert
www.balladtree.com/articles/pond09_0600a.htm
05/00 #8: Feature: Words of encouragement from Bob Brozman
www.balladtree.com/articles/pond08_0800a.htm
04/00 #7: Feature: Festival season.
www.balladtree.com/articles/pond07_0400a.htm
03/00 #6: Feature: St. Patrick's Day brings out the Celts.
www.balladtree.com/articles/pond06_0300a.htm
02/00 #5: Feature: Interview with Jez Luton, UK guitarist with Jez Lowe's Bad Pennies and Tom Paxton
www.balladtree.com/articles/pond05_0200a.htm
01/00 #4: Feature: The huge, international Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow.
www.balladtree.com/articles/pond04_0100a.htm
12/99 #3: Feature: Celebrating New Years Eve - Scots style.
www.balladtree.com/articles/pond03_1299a.htm
11/99 #2: Feature: Guy Fawkes Day.
www.balladtree.com/articles/pond02_1199a.htm

Feature: On-line Resouces and publications.
Also, feature on ex-Fairport Convention drummer Dave Mattacks, now touring with Mary Chapin Carpenter www.balladtree.com/articles/pond01_1099a.htm

******Bex Marshall Interview ******
Bex is a young up and coming singer-songwriter based in the London/South of England area with her own distinctive sound. She spared us a little bit of time to share some thoughts and inspirations with us.
Could you tell us a little about your musical background, what influenced you to follow a musical direction?
A. Now I look at it and think its the only thing I really feel I can do well enough to be able to make a living out of ,also the fact that its the thing I love to do writing and performing. Before when i really didn't know what I was going to do with my life and kept thinking somthing will turn up but I knew subconciously that somthing would come from my music eventually its all about saying "Go for it girl" I was brought up with The Beatles, Eagles, Elkie Brooks to Rod Stewart and of course Elvis good old fashioned songs with meanings and great sing along lyrics my Mum and Dad are my best friends and I spent alot of time when I was a teenager with them socially so perhaps thats why I write the type of songs I do and people used to say I was good at singing and playing so i just practiced some more until I was really good. I feel at home on stage like I belong up there its just very natural thing, I never get nervous, I just look forwad to performing like I'm putting my fav C.D on! I was always egged on to get up at parties etc and I love it.
Whilst you have a sound that is very much your own you seem to have a number of influences including a strong dose of country, is there any particular artist/genre etc that has encouraged you to develop your music in the style you have?
A. Well apart from the above mentioned, i think that all the people I listened and listen to now sing with that American tinge, I don't really know what i do there, when i sing Blues it goes, yeah I can sound really Country if i want to but I don't like to milk it, as Im not trying to be anything but a mixture of all the things i like I can take of different singers, Tina Turner, Cher, Elvis,Macy Gray but I think my voice is a mix of Rock, Blues and country I've it just comes out so I'm not going to mess with it, I had singing lessons for a few weeks and my tutor said what on earth do you do in your throat, but when i tried to sing a rock song the way she wanted me too I sounded like Charlotte Church (no offence).
I used to love that film "Best little whore house in Texas" with Dolly, and Neil Youngs "Harvest" is in there somewhere, my Dad always played Jose Feliciano which inspired my guitar playing imensley he's my guitar hero definately.
One of the fallacies around, in the mainstream, is that younger musicians are only interested in the more commercially (and probably easier) pop music, what influenced you to develop in a more country direction?
A.Well not all of my music is country at all, but there is a influnce sure, more Fleetwood mac/ Clapton i think, somtime my guitarist gets carried away with the country licks so it goes both ways in the studio however it would be toned down just a little as I'm not a huge lover of hard core country but I don't mind the odd slide guitar and mandolin.
You have just released your debut ep, tell us about that and the songs on it and any immediate plans for a follow up album?
A."Time and time again" musically is co written by a friend of mine called Bill Birks who apparently wrote the riff after a bad time with his woman at the time, and when I constructed the song and wrote the words I was just thinking about the fact that every body loves to love so they do, whether its the right one or not and that every one who is in a long relationship gets a bit bored or distracted at periods. Its called the bad times! As for a follow up album yes indeed I would like to say at the end of this year for sure.
What future plans do you have, We understand you have spent some time in the states, do you see your musical future over there or in the UK market?
A. I love America its a big play ground as is the whole world but its great fun and musically every body is so much more receptive to original work I hope to return back this year to do a follow up tour to last year on a big Harley Davidson of Triumph motor bike, as I ride one here and will hopefully be making a documentary this time but thats in the pipeline as for the markets, musically trends change so frequently who knows what will be the in thing next, I'm just going to keep doing what I do and give it to who ever likes the sound of it!
A)You are now playing with a backing band as well as more solo acousticmaterial, do you plan to continue this or combine the two?
For a long time now I have been playing as both solo and with a full band, I think it all depends on the venue, acoustic is wonderful for the more intimate feel and i like to play more of my easy listening, more lyrical tunes at those times where as with the band there is so much more to listen to musically the more up tempo material which is quite powerful its more time consuming also as when your trying to teach 5 other musicians arrangements, but some how I like to play anywhere as long as the sound is good and they look after the musicians properly. Some times i will play for over 3/4 hours if I'm happy and every one is enjoying it, even if the band have left me on stage.
Many thanks
Bex is still hard at work gigging in the London area (and elsewhere), to find out when and where visit her home pages at www.bexmarshall.co.uk and order her CD after listening to the clips available.

Previous 5 Sites | Skip Previous Previous Next
This RingSurf Folk Music Net Ring
owned by Folk and Roots.
Skip Next | Next 5 Sites | Random Site | List Sites