23rd May – Hans Theesink and Brooks Williams

Two giants of the Blues are in the UK for a tour and Irvine Folk Club is one of only three Scottish venues where you can hear Hans Theesink & Brooks Williams. Put Wednesday 23rd May at Irvine Folk Club in your diary!
Performing together and separately for this one-time collaboration, the tour is called Steady Rollin’ Blues and it’s not to be missed. Hans and Brooks share a love of the old songs, finger-picking in the Piedmont style and bottleneck slide. Both men have played at the Irvine Club and Marymass Folk Festivals. Hans has played solo, with his Band and also – and unforgettably – with the genius virtuoso Tuba Player from Harlem John Sas. When Brooks played at Marymass a couple of years ago, the audience were just blown away by his playing and singing. Therefore, having both of them is quite a coup for the Irvine Club and reflects its good reputation.
Dutchman Hans Theesink (pronounced Tay-sink), is probably Europe’s number one Blues expert. He has been on the road for 50 plus years and has over 30 albums to his name. Hans is a gentle giant with a rich baritone and jaw-dropping mastery of his National Steel Resonator, Mandolin and Harmonica.
Brooks is from Statesboro, Georgia and is ranked in the Top 100 Acoustic Guitarists. He is a mean finger-picker, a stunning slide guitarist and has a voice which you ‘can melt into’. Brooks has released 22 albums and tours worldwide relentlessly.
You catch the drift. On Wednesday 23rd May at Irvine Folk Club, don’t miss the opportunity to hear two ambassadors of country blues. The venue is Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry and the Club starts at 8pm.
Looking a bit ahead, on Friday 8th June at Ardrossan Indoor Bowling Club, Andy Chung and Ciaran Sinclair are playing at a concert organised by Ardrossan Highland Games. Tickets are £10 and it starts at 7.30pm.