Tight harmonies, sizzling fiddle and percussion plus monstrous guitar – all adds up to My Sweet Patootie being the special guests at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 23rd May. The Band’s name is a slang term of endearment popular in the 1920s and was chosen by them to capture their vintage flavour and the satirical edge to some of their songwriting.
My Sweet Patootie first played in Irvine in 2013 and have been back a couple of times since, including headlining at a Marymass concert in 2014. The Band started off in Canada in 2007 as a duo with Sandra Swannell and Terry Young. They were both former members of the terrific Canadian Band Tanglefoot of fond memory, and so their CVs were always going to be decidedly good! In 2012 they added a percussionist and of late, for UK tours, My Sweet Patootie has Devonshire man John Jackson in the line-up.
Terry Young is a jaw-droppingly good acoustic guitarist, classically trained Tenor and in general, he is a talented multi-instrumentalist. Sandra Swannell is a classically trained violinist and violist and was Principal Violist with the Georgian Bay Symphony. She and Terry share a mutual love of Swing, Americana and Country.
My Sweet Patootie have been described as two parts exemplary musicianship and one part vaudeville comedy. They tell tall tales and corny – really corny – jokes. A kind of modern day music hall. The Irvine audience can expect to hear heart-breaking ballads in between finger-snapping tunes.
Pandemonium, their most recent CD was released in August last year and was recorded at their own Nowheresville Studio near Meaford in Ontario. Their second CD was called Pattootified and not to labour the description, the Irvine audience might well be Patootied-oot, such is the abundant energy and energy of the trio.
My Sweet Patootie are touring the UK in May & June and the Irvine Club is a venue that they enjoy. So, to hear this thoroughly entertaining Band, get along to Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 24th May for 8pm to Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road where it’s BYOB.
Elsewhere, the 35th Orkney Folk Festival dates are 25th – 28th May. Based in Stromness, it’s apparently one of the Festivals on the ‘Go if you can’ list. Closer to home, the annual Folk Night organised by Ardrossan Highland Games is at the town’s Lauriston Hotel on Friday 9th June starting at 7.30pm. The guests will be Andy Chung and Stephen & Pernille Quigg. Phone 07949 811115 for tickets priced £10.