Monday 5th October - Our First Night!!
Vicki Swan and Jonny Dyer
Although best-known for their instrumental skills with Scottish Smallpipes, accordion and even Swedish Nyckelharpa, the duo are well recognised for their songs arrangements too. With their blend of traditional material and contemporary interpretations, they have developed a sound that is both familiar and fresh.
We were extremely pleased that Vicki Swan and Jonny Dyer opened our first night and damned fine evening it was too...
See www.smallpiper.co.uk for details
Monday 2nd November - Emma Scarr/Chris Sarjeant
Emma Scarr has been active on London’s live scene for approaching two decades. A proficient performer on guitar, fiddle and banjo, in recent years she has concentrated on song craft.
Her pedigree includes a long association with the hugely popular Northern Celts, widely celebrated for their upbeat, feel-good performances at pubs, festivals, sessions and ceilidhs in and around London. The Celts’ stock in trade is a mixture of folk music, bluegrass and country, both traditional and contemporary.
See www.myspace.com/emmascarr
Chris Sarjeant has been recently described as,"….a very major addition to the British Folk Scene…” by BBC Folk-musician of the year Tom McConville who added that his guitar work is “…impeccable…” and that he possesses, “….one of the best voices ever!” Chris has forged this enviable reputation despite only launching himself onto the Folk scene two years ago, since then he has been steadily winning audiences over with his arrangements and interpretations of Traditional English song.
See www.myspace.com/sarjeanttaylor
Monday 7th December - Rún/Steven Finn
Rún collect and arrange old folk songs written in the ancient language of Erin. So far, thanks to Nora from Donegal, they have a nice wee collection of well-known ditties and are now adding to their repertoire with some unusual old forgotten songs from the province of Ulster. Rún are five fantastic lassies who perform four-part vocal arrangements of old Gaelic songs like ’An Cailín Rua’ (the red-haired girl), ’Casadh an tSúgain’ (twisting the hayrope) and ’Bo Na Leath Adhairce’ (the one-horned cow). Rún is the Gaelic word for ’secret, wish or love’ (cf. rune). See http://www.myspace.com/runceol
Steven Finn’s ears were filled with the music of Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Johnny Cash and old time country music. Aged 15 he began teaching himself the guitar, learning songs like Leadbelly’s ‘Bourgeois Blues’ and Charlie Daniels’ ‘The devil went down to Georgia’. On hearing Bob Dylan songs Finn started to write his own words and in doing so found a lifelong passion for Jazz and Folk Blues, a getaway car he could drive.
See
http://www.myspace.com/stevenfinn for more details
Monday 1st February - Oliver Talkes, Matthew Ord, and extra special guest Lily Neill
Matthew Ord is a London based singer and guitarist performing the traditional music of the British Isles and North America. A dedicated musician with a deep passion for folk music from an early age, his repertoire reflects the length and breadth of these traditions, drawing together the Delta and Piedmont blues, Scots and English Ballads, jigs, reels, slow airs, nursery rhymes and protest songs, all skilfully performed with warmth and conviction.www.myspace.com/mattheword
Oliver Talkes is a highly regarded Singer Songwritertaking his influences from unashamedly from the Folk/Country genre and was a front man for the Southern Tenant Folk Union until recently
See www.myspace.com/olivertalkes
We are extremely pleased to announce that (currently) Helskini based Lily Neill has very kindly offered to open proceedings on this evening in advance of her date at the Green Note on the 15th so make sure you arrive nice and early.
'Lily Neill is recognized as “…part of the new Harp revolution extolling aspects of harp music never previously heard,” 2005 Irish Music Magazine. She was a prize-winner at the All-Ireland Harp competition and has won numerous awards, honours and scholarships for her technical and artistic abilities as well as her original compositions. More recently, Lily was named LiveIreland.com's “2006 New Female Artist of the Year.”'
See www.myspace.com/lilyneill or www.lilyneill.com
Monday 15th February - Lily Neill and support from Paul Mickletwaite- special show at The Green Note, Camden
MondayMonday is very pleased to be hosting this performance by Lily Neill, and on this occasion we are very pleased to be spending the evening at Camden's highly regarded Green Note - see www.greennote.co.uk. Lily Neill is recognized as “…part of the new Harp revolution extolling aspects of harp music never previously heard,” 2005 Irish Music Magazine. She was a prize-winner at the All-Ireland Harp competition and has won numerous awards, honours and scholarships for her technical and artistic abilities as well as her original compositions.More recently, Lily was named LiveIreland.com’s “2006 New Female Artist of the Year.” Lily’s musical style is at once rich in tradition and uniquely her own.
Her experiences working with artists from different genres and backgrounds, from folk to classical and rock spheres, have played a major part in shaping and continuing to shape Lily’s music. Central to Lily’s style is her utilization of techniques and repertoire from instruments other than her own. In defining Lily’s style, The Green Man Review writes, “It is delightful to welcome a new talent and one that is brimming with ideas, creative energy and yet has a [vice-like] grip on traditional methods and methodology, while pushing the envelope stylistically.”
See www.myspace.com/lilyneill or www.lilyneill.com
Paul Mickletwaite is a London based Singer and Guitarist taking his influences from the likes of Martin Simpson and Chris Woods amongst others, Paul will be opening this evening - see www.myspace.com/paulmicklethwaite
Monday 1st March - The Kittiwakes/Black Peak and support spots from Raven, Roosevelt Bandwagon and Charlotte Sterland
See http://www.myspace.com/kittiwakes
See http://www.myspace.com/blackpeak
Monday 15th March 2010 - Wendy Arrowsmith and support from The Road
Born and raised in the suburbs of Glasgow, Wendy’s musical influences as a child were mostly Trad Jazz or Church hymns! Although she learnt Burns and other traditional Scottish songs at school, it wasn’t until she moved to England to marry that she began to really delve into traditional folk music. Wendy has sung many different styles of music – ranging from large scale classical choral works, operetta and musicals to backing vocalist for a prog rock band! But with folk music she has found songs that come from the heart and allow great emotional expression and social commentary. She describes herself as “a singer who plays guitar”, but this shouldn’t detract from Wendy’s musical abilities not just on guitar, but also on whistles, bodhran, mandolin and most recently accordion.See http://www.myspace.com/wendyarrowsmith
"THE ROAD is an acoustic Folk/Blues band, newly formed from old friends. We play original compositions together with American and British Traditionals freshly arranged!
Kelly Hunter.......... Vocals
Neil McArthur.........Guitar
Graeme Taylor.......Guitar, Mandolin, Banjo
Les Davidson........ Guitar, Mandolin
Michael Gregory.....Percussion.
Between us we have decades of Biographical credits...Michael Gregory and Graeme Taylor played with The Albion Band and The Home Service.
Les Davidson has played with Joan Armatrading, Gilbert O'Sullivan and Mory Kante, among many others.
Neil McArthur has been musical / vocal arranger for Harry Nilsson and Yusuf Islam. He was musical director for the international hit " Five Guys Named Moe "
Kelly Hunter is a Singer and Actress of many years standing, currently leading a double life as she sings in this band and plays leading roles at the Royal Shakespeare Company at the same time..
See The Road on Youtube
Monday 5th April - Katriona Gilmore & Jamie Roberts/Ski Jordan and support spots by Kit & Cutter and Eoin Quiery
"Katriona Gilmore (Rosie Doonan & the Snapdragons) and Jamie Roberts (Kerfuffle) have been performing together on the folk scene since 2006, while studying together at Leeds College of Music. Their self-penned material ranges from blazing instrumentals to songs which have been described as ‘heart-wrenching’, spanning all manner of subjects, to contemporary arrangements of traditional songs. Jamie’s dextrous percussive and lap-style guitar work is a visual as well as a sonic delight, while Katriona’s intricate fiddle playing shifts seamlessly from sensitive to fiery and back again in the blink of an eye." See http://www.gilmoreroberts.co.uk
"a most prodigiously talented songwriter. Imagine the spirit of Woody Guthrie came calling on an Irishman in Liverpool..." LIVESTOCK MUSIC FESTIVAL
See www.myspace.com/eoinquiery
Kit and Cutter are a regular feature on the folk scene in South East London, indeed it could be said that they are the folk scene in certain parts of South East London, after many many months of negotiation (and begging) they have agreed to sing a few songs this evening for your pleasure, unfortunately for contactual reasons we are unable to display an image of Kit and Cutter..
Monday 19th April - Chris Sarjeant with Paul Micklethwaite and Raven
A night of traditional and contemporary folk song with Chris Sarjeant and support slotsChris Sarjeant has been recently described as,".a very major addition to the British Folk Scene.." by BBC Folk-musician of the year Tom McConville who added that his guitar work is "...impeccable.." and that he possesses, "...one of the best voices ever!"
Chris has forged this enviable reputation despite only launching himself onto the Folk scene two years ago, since then he has been steadily winning audiences over with his arrangements and interpretations of Traditional English song.
See www.myspace.com/chris.sarjeant To open the evening Raven and Paul Micklethwaite will be performing shorter sets between 8pm and 9pm
See www.myspace.com/ravenfolkmusic
Monday 3rd May - Galley Beggar and Ellen Mary McGee with support spots from Ryan Carr and Garry Smith
www.myspace.com/galleybeggar
www.myspace.com/thecrescentsun
His music is a mix of old-time country and jazz and he just wants to write songs that would make Woody Guthrie proud."
See http://www.myspace.com/ryancarrguitar
See http://www.myspace.com/garrymsmith
Monday 17th May - Lou Brown plus support to be confirmed at The Wilmington Arms, Rosebery Avenue, Clerkenwell, London
"Great, great singer with great songs." - Clive Gregson
"Good songs, great lyrics." - Steve Tilston
"We've got her album, it's really good." - Stu Hanna, Megson & producer for Show of Hands
"She held the audience captivated… with her beautiful songs." - Maverick magazine
See www.loubrownmusic.com or www.myspace.com/loubrownmusic
Monday 7th June - Suntrap/Jason Steel plus support slots at The Wilmington Arms, Rosebery Avenue, Clerkenwell, London
See www.suntrap.org
See www.myspace.com/jasonsteelmusic
Monday 21st June - Freddie Smith & Phil O'Farrell/Jen Doyle and Joe Fowler and support slots from Charlotte Sterland and Ryan Carr
"This award-winning Celtic fiddle and guitar duo have captivated audiences for over a decade with their exciting arrangements of traditional and original tunes."
See http://www.myspace.com/fredandphil
Jen Doyle (fiddle) and Joe Fowler (guitar). Jen Doyle, an energetic and experienced fiddler with a wealth of knowledge and performance experience is accompanied by singer/guitarist Joe Fowler from Aussie folk rock group 'Sham' performing tunes and songs from the folk traditions of England, Ireland and there home country of Australia.
Visit www.myspace.com/jendoylejoefowler
Monday 5th July - Brooks Williams and support from Emma Scarr at The Cross Kings, York Way, London N1
His latest CD The Time I Spend with You is a high-energy, up-beat recording of rootsy originals, blues classics and finger-picked instrumentals (the title track actually written in the UK); a very personal recording it shows an artist at ease with his musical roots, but more than that, a musician who simply loves the music he plays; rooted in the blues but as fresh as any music you are likely to hear. He’s passionate about passing it on to the next generation of guitarists too; his workshops and master-classes as legendary as his concerts; he’s a natural, inspirational teacher and his instructional DVD Guitar Groove: a Session with Brooks Williams in which he shares his unique approach to teaching is out now. It’s pleasantly difficult to pin down Brooks Williams; he’s a diverse and versatile musician who is quite simply one of the most entertaining and engaging performers on the circuit today.
www.brookswilliams.com www.myspace.com/redguitarbluemusic
Monday 19th July - The Ric Sanders Group with support from Sandpaper Tango at The Green Note, Parkway, Camden, London N1
Since 1985 Ric Sanders has been the violinist with the British institution Fairport Convention, touring the world and contributing many instrumental compositions and arrangements that have become fixtures in their repertoire. In 2001 Fairport received the BBC's "Folk on 2" Lifetime Achievement Award. Although considering himself primarily a jazz musician, Ric is equally adept in rock, folk and world music. Early in his professional career he toured with the renowned classical/rock percussionist Stomu Yamash'ta, and then went on to play with the celebrated jazz pianists Johnny Patrick and Michael Garrick. In the late 1970's he was in both The Albion Band (appearing on the classic album Rise Up Like the Sun) and the legendary jazz-rock group Soft Machine. In addition to Fairport, he has worked with a remarkably diverse roster of artists including Rick Wakeman, Dave Cousins (The Strawbs), Jethro Tull, Robert Plant, Roy Harper, Gary Brooker (Procol Harum), Pentangle, Gordon Giltrap, Andrew Cronshaw, June Tabor, Martin Simpson, Charlie Landsborough, All About Eve, The Mission and John Etheridge
Vo Fletcher has recorded and performed with such notable artists as Nigel Kennedy, Touch & Go, Rik Mayall, Dave Swarbrick, Andrew Cronshaw, Martin Simpson, Chris Leslie, Simon Nicol, Donovan and many others. Vo contributes many fine compositions to the Ric Sanders Group repertoire.
Michael Gregory first worked with Ric as a fellow member of The Albion Band during the Rise Up Like the Sun period. His vast experience as both a drummer and percussionist found him working with the Maddy Prior Band, the John Kirkpatrick Band, Home Service, Martin Simpson and the late John B. Spencer. More recently, he has been in demand for film and theatre work where he has played with The Royal Shakespeare Company, The Royal National Theatre, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and in West End productions.
See www.myspace.com/sandpapertango
Monday 2nd August - Christi Andropolis and David Newey and support from You are Wolf at The Green Note, Parkway, Camden, London N1
Hailing from New York State, Christi’s musical influences circle from the Southern States of the US to the UK, exploring connections between roots music on both sides of the Atlantic. Her performance ranges from delta-style blues to Appalachian ballads, and includes her own original, earthy songs - effortlessly blending the traditional with the contemporary, and firmly establishing the breadth and diversity of her talent.
Having... toured the US and the UK extensively in the past five years, Christi is fast becoming one of the most recognisable artists on the scene today. Her voice is extraordinarily powerful and expressive, her fiddle playing a creative and dynamic combination of lead and accompaniment. Christ’s debut album ‘Rust and Holler’ will be available at gigs from January 2010, and on official release from 20th September through Furrow Records.
David is one of the most in demand acoustic guitar players in Britain today. Using a unique combination of flat-pick and finger style techniques, he has performed with many; most recently with 2009 folk musician of the year Tom McConville and traditional songstress Emily Portman. His playing is highly distinctive, from the extremely subtle to rock and roll, taking in some traditional tunes in between. His songwriting is of the personal and the political, and straddles the divide between traditional song and contemporary. David’s new album ‘Cities and Power’ is released this autumn, also on independent Furrow Records.
As a duo, Christi and David produce a huge sound, combining all of their influences, and make for an unprecedented and charismatic performance. Their 2010 schedule will take them all over the UK, playing to a huge variety of audiences; from folk and acoustic clubs and venues, to the main stages of festivals.
See www.myspace.com/christianddavid
See www.myspace.com/youarewolf
Monday 16th August - Matthew Ord & Jacquelyn Hynes at The Green Note, Parkway, Camden, London N1
Along the way he has shared the bill with legendary guitar players Albert Lee, Pierre Bensusan, Martin Carthy and Martin Simpson and respected folk performers such as Seth Lakeman, Tom McRae and Kathryn Williams. He has performed at many of the UK's major festivals including Glastonbury and Cambridge Folk Festival and twice at the SXSW music festival in Austin, Texas.
See www.myspace.com/mattheword
She has supported some of Ireland’s leading musicians including Martin Hayes and Denis Cahill, Michael McGoldrick and Dezi Donnelly, Mary Coughlan, Niamh Parsons, and the scottish singer Karen Matheson, and this summer supported the world famous LUNASA in May and subsequently appeared with Donal Lunny and Friends in concert in Ireland in June.
Her World music project TARABA with Najma Ahktar, Zinga Rabhi, Howard Haigh, Aidan Burke and J.Eoin recieved an Arts Council England Awards for All in 2007.
In 2008/9 Jacquelyn was one of only two recipients of the Katherine McGillivray Fund Awards which allowed her to take up a place at the Irish world Academy of Music and Dance in Limerick where she is currently completing a Masters in Irish Traditional Music Performance.
She has recently been invited to appear as a soloist at the And’Art International festival in Marrakech, Morroco this autumn.
See http://www.myspace.com/jacquelynhynes
Monday 6th September - The Askew Sisters and support from Laura Victoria at The Green Note, Parkway, Camden London NW1
"Hazel's rich gutsy voice and inventive melodeon playing combined with the skill of Emily's singing fiddle or soulful cello are a new force to be reckoned with!" Stirrings Magazine
"What the Askew Sisters do so well is tell the story and allow the music accompanying to help that story-telling along." EDS Magazine
