Author: Joyce Hodge

Rod Sinclair from Fife, has lived in Denmark since the late ‘60s, has a lengthy professional musical career and is the guest at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 14th March.

Whilst Banjo appears to be Rod’s favoured instrument, he is described as a multi-instrumentalist, a singer and a writer. Little is known about the beginnings of his journey into music, but suffice to say that Rod, originally from St Andrew’s, has managed to carve out a successful musical career spanning five decades.

His eclectic repertoire perhaps mirrors the varied aspects of his musical career. Not only has he played at the famous Denmark Tonder Festival 44 years in a row – yes, 44! – Rod has appeared three times with Volbeat, a Danish Heavy Metal band. Alongside his solo career, he is also part of Ransvik – a trio that comprises a Swede, a Dane and Rod the Scot! In addition, in 2012 Rod published an illustrated book called Meal Ticket featuring tales from places including Scotland, Russia and Denmark accompanied by traditional recipes. He also does Whisky Sessions, which seem to feature a range of Malts eg Talisker, Lagavulin, Port Ellen and provide a bit of background to their place of origin through song. Plainly, Rod Sinclair is not a man to sit on his hands wondering when the next booking is coming along!

Rod’s appearance at Irvine is one of four Scottish dates he is doing in March. He certainly sounds like an interesting guy and it’s always good to hear a Banjo. To hear Rod Sinclair at Irvine Folk Club, be at Vineburgh Community Centre on Wednesday 14th March for 8pm on Wednesday 14th March.

Irvine Folk Club has been cancelled tonight due to the weather conditions. Sorry for the short notice.
Kent is a popular visitor to Irvine and it’s disappointing – but outwith our control. Apologies to the people who
contacted Vineburgh to be told it was on and then the decision was made to close the centre.

Irvine Folk Club are finalists in the Arts and Culture Section of the Provost’s Civic Pride Awards 2018.
George Jackson and I attended a reception in Saltcoats Town Hall last Thursday night to meet the other finalists and were presented with a framed certificate by Provost Ian Clarkson. Voting will close at 12noon on Thursday 8 March 2018.
Please cast your vote at www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/provostscivicprideawards

Kent DuChaine the nomadic Bluesman from Minnesota. Leadbessie is his Steel Guitar and they are back at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 28th February – welcome news for his many fans in the area. His abundant energy and enthusiasm for the Blues plus his exceptional Guitar playing, combined with the power of his voice means it’s a night not to be missed at the Irvine Club.

Kent was born in Wayzata, Minnesota. He started with the Ukulele when he was six and knew then that he wanted to be a musician. Having formed a garage band at 13, it was reading Eric Clapton album notes that led him to check out a Robert Johnson album at his local library – the music of the Mississippi Delta had captured him.

Kent learned to play slide guitar and after a ten year search, found his beloved Leadbessie – ‘a beat-up 1934 National Steel Guitar’ as he describes her. Kitted out with extra heavy strings to cope with his ferocious style, the name Leadbessie is an affectionate amalgam of Blues legends Leadbelly and Bessie Smith.

In the late ‘80s, Kent had a three year spell playing over 200 Shows with Johnny Shines. Johnny’s death hit Kent hard and he elected then that his career would be as a solo Blues player. Every year since then, Kent has traveled back and forth from his home in Georgia USA to Europe every year for three tours of four to seven weeks duration each. Approximately that stacks up to ten thousand Shows and three million miles! Plainly, Kent is a hard worker and off stage he is a quiet almost shy man who lives to spread the Blues.

Kent sings and writes songs about the people and situations he has met in his life and always brings something of his own interpretation to covers of standards such as Little Red Rooster, St James Infirmary, I’ll Be True To You or Trouble in Mind. One of his albums features a song he wrote about Marilyn – a 1956 Cadillac in which he lived and toured throughout the ‘80s. Perhaps it’s Kent’s Guitar playing that he is noted for as much as his voice. His intricate, finger-picking slide-guitar and use of his hand as a hand-hammer is a much admired skill of Kent.

For sheer intensity of performance, it’s difficult to beat Kent DuChaine. If you like the Blues, make sure you are in the Irvine Folk Club audience on Wednesday 28th February for 8pm. The Club meets in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road and it’s BYOB.

By all accounts these two sisters, Cassie and Maggie MacDonald from Halifax Nova Scotia are something special and should not be missed. Irvine Folk Club has them as special guests on Valentine’s Day – is it necessary to say that’s the 14th February!

Cassie and Maggie’s recent album The Willow Tree Collection won The Trad Album of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards – and they’re only in their early twenties. Described as an ‘unbelievably gifted duo’, they are on their first UK tour and the Irvine Club is their last UK date before they go to Germany with gigs from 22nd February until the end of March. Phew!

The UK tour included three appearances at Celtic Connections which is fitting for a duo that plays trad and contemporary Celtic instrumentals and vocals. Powerful, lively Fiddling comes from elder sister Cassie whilst Maggie supplies clear acoustic Guitar and Piano skills.

Their notes don’t say who does the Foot Percussion or the Stepdancing! The excellent blend of vocal harmonies, in English and Gaelic, comes from the closeness that is so often the case with siblings – think Everlys. Expect material that ranges from soft and breathtakingly beautiful to loud and boisterous.

Get yourself along to Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 14th February for 8pm to hear Cassie & Maggie MacDonald. The club meets in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road. It’s BYOB and there’s a good Cafe available.

Looking ahead, info is now available at www.girvanfolkfestival.org.uk on the 44th one which runs from Friday 4th to Sunday 6th May.

And finally, for Irvine Folk Club members, the AGM of Irvine Folk Club is on Wednesday 21st March 7.30pm in Vineburgh Centre.

Pauline Alexander & Sandy Stanage say that a good song is a good song and that’s what they will demonstrate when they top the bill at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 31st January.
The fine vocals of Pauline are equally matched by the extraordinary fingerstyle Guitar playing of Sandy. He began playing the Guitar at 12 years old. At Secondary School he got friendly with Jim ‘Midge’ Ure and they started a Band. Then in his adult life, Sandy has been a member of a number of Bands including Molendinar, Kentigern, the short-lived Scotland Yard with Marilyn Middleton Pollock & Ian Bruce, 3’s A Crowd with Alan Jones & Stevie Lawrence and latterly as a solo performer. As well as using his mastery of the Guitar in the duo with Pauline, on occasion Sandy also teams up with ex-Kentigern member Sylvia Barnes.
Pauline’s debut album Thoughts For The Masses, was selected by Iain Anderson as his Album of the Week on his BBC Radio Scotland show. The album features some of her own material and she also sings contemporary, folk and blues. Pauline has played in Irvine before, as support for Dougie MacLean in 2014 at The Maritime Museum.
Elsewhere, the 25th Celtic Connections continues until 4th February. The mammoth event emphasises the Connections part of the name and that’s why there is such a diverse list of artists. Check out the programme to find out what attracts you or be bold and take a chance!
Elsewhere, the 25th Celtic Connections continues until 4th February. The mammoth event emphasises the Connections part of the name and that’s why there is such a diverse list of artists. Check out the programme to find out what attracts you or be bold and take a chance!
After Celtic Connections closes, The Star Folk Club starts back on 13th February with Arthur Johnstone & The Stars Band. The Star meets at The Admiral in Glasgow’s Waterloo Street.

Time to dust off the Christmas & New Year festivities and mark in your diary that Irvine Folk Club starts 2018 with Jed Grimes as special guest on Wednesday 17th January.
From South Tyneside, Jed Grimes is a singer, guitarist, producer, raconteur and arranger. He also plays lap steel guitar and bouzouki. Jed has been a member of a number of bands, most notably Hedgehog Pie and The Hush. In recent times Jed has gone solo.
It was in the hope that it would open the door to meeting girls that Jed started playing a cheap plywood guitar. He then fell in with the Doonan family, and from there became a member of Hedgehog Pie. They were really successful in the 1970s and Jed remained a member of three different Hedgehog line-ups in that time. Jed was also a member of Dust the Needle, Pacamax and the aforementioned Hush.
His material is taken from Northumberland, Ireland and Appalachia and he sings traditional and self-penned songs in a voice known for its richness and depth. Known for not taking image management too seriously, Jed enjoys sharing a story and a chorus with an audience of whatever size.
Twice nominated for BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Jed’s first solo CD was Head On with his most recent being North Face released in 2016. It was Jed who put together a much acclaimed 40 track CD box set called Northumbria Anthology.
Hear Jed Grimes at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 17th January in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry. It’s BYOB, a Café is available and it all starts at 8pm.
The very next day on 18th January the 25th Celtic Connections bursts into action. The Programme says that the opening gala concert

Real Time, a very talented band tops the bill on Wednesday 20th December – the final night at Irvine Folk Club for 2017. It’s a three-piece outfit on this occasion and features Kenny Speirs, Eilidh Grant & Fiona Cuthill – all three having appeared in different bands in Irvine over the years.
Denholm based Kenny Speirs has appeared at the Irvine Club on numerous occasions. His first Irvine appearance was probably with The John Wright Band when the Club was based at The Redburn and since then as a soloist and as a member of a variety of duos and trios and also Real Time. Kenny plays acoustic guitar, sings and also writes songs.
Eilidh Grant is known for her stunning vocals. She has a real passion for the music of Burns and also is at home with contemporary and trad material. Along with Celine Donoghue & Katherine MacLeod, Eilidh makes up the other third of the popular Celtic Quines.
Classically trained Violinist Fiona Cuthill is certainly no stranger to Irvine. Usually, Fiona is to be found alongside master player of the guitar and bouzouki Stevie Lawrence in the band Rallion. She is also known as a fine composer.
Borders based Real Time started life some 15 years ago and since then has gone through a number of line-up changes. Their repertoire comes from both sides of the Border plus some contemporary items as well as self-penned material.
The Real Time combination of three such talented musicians should make for a really good night to mark the end of 2017. Forget rushing around in ever-decreasing Christmas circles for a while and get yourself along to Irvine Folk Club for 8pm on Wednesday 20th December at Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road to hear Real Time. Irvine Folk Club restarts on Wednesday 17th January with Jed Grimes.
Elsewhere, remember that January 2018 sees the start of the 25th Celtic Connections and programmes, out now, are stappit-fu with details on bands from all airts and pairts and corners of the world.

Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 6th December will welcome back Luckenbooth, a band who last played at the Club some four years ago.

Luckenbooth is a Lanarkshire based outfit whose stated aim is to sing songs that suit the audience. Whilst that might sound a bit obvious, it’s not always the case with musicians who sometimes have a set list and plough on regardless. Here’s to the Luckenbooth approach!

Luckenbooth is a term that describes a brooch dating back to Mary Queen of Scots time and essentially is two entwined hearts. At that time it was the equivalent of an engagement ring. The band liked that background and called themselves Luckenbooth when they formed almost 20 years ago.

The band plays a wide range of instruments. Christine on vocals, keyboards, whistle and percussion; Mhairi on fiddle, viola and vocals and Alex on guitar, vocals, mandolin, whistles and flute are Luckenbooth. The three-piece band plays mainly at Clubs and Festivals around Scotland’s central belt and are content with that catchment area. Their repertoire is a mix of traditional and contemporary, and, as mentioned earlier, the band tailors their set to suit the audience. Luckenbooth love to get their audiences singing along and their choice of material reflects that. Humour also plays an important part of their performance with Christine having the responsibility of finding new jokes!
Two of the band come from a classically trained background and the predominant musical influences of Luckenbooth include Ewan McColl, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot, Ossian, Jez Lowe and the psychedelic folk band of the sixties, The Incredible String Band.

Irvine Folk Club audiences like good songs and enjoy singing along. Luckenbooth fits that identikit picture to a tee. Hear Luckenbooth at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 6th December at Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road. The Club starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.

Kieran Halpin is the special guest at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 22nd November and he is a guest to put in the ‘unmissable’ category. The man who writes great melodies and sings with the passionate, gravelly voice is back.

A career that started in 1974, with 20 plus albums to his name, thousands of gigs played at venues all over the world, a prolific songwriter of great quality – these are the key musical facts about Kieran Halpin. What the facts don’t tell you is his continuing search for new approaches to present his songs nor does it describe the powerful nature of a live Kieran Halpin performance. This unassuming man has an easy stage presence, an incisive wit and connects with his audience so very well.

Kieran plays acoustic guitar, regales the audience with explanations of where each song comes from and links it all together with some very funny asides. His thought-provoking lyrics and memorable melodies can make you think, laugh or cry. Numbers like ‘Nothing to show for it all’, ‘Berlin Calling’, Closing time in Paradise’ are some of his songs that come to mind.

Kieran Halpin has played on a number of occasions at the Irvine Club. He is invited back because he is such a gifted writer and performer. Kieran is also one of the hardest working artists with upwards of 160 gigs each year. In September he was touring in New Zealand and South Australia then in October it was Germany and now he is back in the UK. Yet with all the travelling his busy touring schedule entails, Kieran still finds time to write songs. His recent CD, Doll, released this year, has eleven new self-penned songs on it.

If you are a fan of lyrics, it would be a mistake to miss Kieran Halpin at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 22nd November. The Club meets in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road, starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.