| Folk and Roots presents FolkOnMonday, a night of the best of the folk and roots scene held on the first and third Mondays of the month in London. Our next night will be held on Sunday 6th May - presenting Imogen Gunner and The Imoband and support from Jacquelyn Hynes and J Eoin - at Green Note, Camden  With a winning combination of energy, verve, originality and instrumental prowess, plus more than a touch of musical magic, Imogen Gunner and the Imoband’s captivating live performances never fail to leave their audiences spellbound.
See www.folkonmonday.co.uk for further details and join the facebook group to keep in touch with whats happening and make a note in your diary |
Folk and Roots provides a monthly guide to whats happening around the Folk, Roots and Acoustic Scene, click on the Calendar above for details. |
Refreshingly different, reassuringly traditional, Pilgrims' Way are a 3-piece band with a big personality and big sound.
Playing their own particular brand of Folk music, they were brought together by a series of chance meetings at sessions around the North West of England, bonding over red hair and a shared love of traditional music, they have been shaking up assorted kitchens, public houses and folk venues ever since.
Their influences individually are many and varied but they share a deep respect for the tradition and take as their inspiration some of the most influential bands from the 60s/70s revival.
Pilgrims' Way are touring throughout January and beyond see www.pilgrims-way.net
From 6th – 23rd March, BBC Radio 2 Folk Award nominees Lady Maisery will be taking their unique brand of harmony singing on the road for a 15 date national tour.The trio burst onto the folk scene in 2011, creating a real buzz at summer festivals with their enchanting style of vocal harmony and inventive interpretations of traditional songs and ballads. Their debut album Weave & Spin, received wide critical acclaim and at the end of the year was declared an ‘Album of the Week’ in The Independent. 2012 began on a high for the band, with nominations for Best Newcomer at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, and Best Debut at the Spiral Awards, as well as a captivating appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour which won them many new fans.
See www.ladymaisery.com
skyhook are characterised by breathtaking twin fiddles combined with sublime guitar, bouzouki and voice. They shift seamlessly between exhilarating dance music, with unique interplay and harmonies from the fiddles, to spine-tingling songs which are sensitively arranged and beautifully sung. skyhook play with a joy and precision that's hard to match.
skyhook have a number of dates during February and April - see www.skyhookmusic.com for details.
Moonrakers are four consummate musicians playing harp, fiddle, whistles, guitar, mandola and female/male vocals, Moonrakers specialise in Irish, Scottish, Welsh and English traditional and contemporary tunes and songs, presenting “exquisite music” (BBC). They are rapidly creating a buzz in the world of acoustic music, with three albums receiving glowing reviews in the music press (“Just OOZES quality”- Living Tradition; “highly infectious”- Maverick) and appearances at many festivals, arts centres and churches in the Southern counties.
This "fine organic collection of apt musicianship" (Earbuzz) displays "a true respect for the British folk tradition" (eMusic). For more information, sounds and videos, go to www.moonrakers.net.
Mummers, Maypoles and Milkmaids
This exhibition brings together 50 photographs of regional rituals performed throughout the year in England.
Costumed processions, symbolic dramatizations, traditional dances and fire ceremonies mark the changing seasons and celebrate nature’s bounty. Many of these customs claim an ancient origin.
London practices are well documented including Borough Market’s Apple Day celebrations and Twelfth Night Wassailing on the South Bank.
Award-winning photographer Sara Hannant’s vibrant images offer a captivating and surprising glimpse of contemporary ‘Merrie England’.
This exhibition will be on display at The Horniman Museum, Forest Hill, South London until October 2012, see www.horniman.ac.uk for details.
 "The greatest Celtic harper of our age" (Live Ireland) and TG4 Irish Traditional Musician of the Year 2001 with "one of the UK's most staggering and influential acoustic guitarists" (fRoots) "When it comes to virtuoso work on this ancient and delicate instrument, Maire Ni Chathasaigh is in a class of her own" The Guardian "An eclecticism and spirit of adventure that is quite thrilling... Virtuoso playing... bewitching string fantasies and a wonderfully "Brilliant, innovative harping and guitar-playing of astonishing virtuosity and versatility" Songlines "A gorgeously complex mix of the lovely and lyrical and the positively jubilant by two top-notch players. A real treasure" Dirty Linen (USA) Máire Ní Chathasaigh & Chris Newman are touring at the moment, see www.oldbridgemusic.com for details. |
 "Acoustic chill-out band MuHa is a part of new musical migration movement in the UK known as New Roots from Eastern Europe. It was formed in 2004, when Iryna Muha, Ukrainian born singer and songwriter, moved from New York, settled in Lincolnshire and met Dmitry Fedotov, a Latvian rock legend. They play a mix of Russian/ Ukrainian folklore and the original material influenced by Slavonic traditions. The diverse backgrounds of the band members enrich the experience of their music by Brazilian sounds, Indian rhythms, Irish influences and Cuban elements. The band features 2 acoustic guitars, harmonica, violin, variety of percussion (bodhran, berimbau, cajon, bongos), jews harp and kathak ghungroos." MuHa play often around the Midlands area see www.muha.co.uk for details. |