Author: Joyce Hodge

16th September – Tommy Sands

Tommy Sands. Just mention his name and the eyes light up of those who have heard his songs. Tommy is the very welcome guest at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 16th September. He is doing only five Scottish dates on this tour and Irvine is very fortunate to have secured one of them.
The term ‘internationally renowned’ is a term used a great deal, but it really does apply to Tommy Sands. Lines like ‘sow the seeds of justice’ from Tommy’s acclaimed song ‘Daughters and Sons’ led the late Seamus Heaney, Irish poet and Nobel Prizewinner for Literature, to write – ‘You feel you can trust the singer as well as the song’.
Born in Mayobridge in Northern Ireland, Tommy Sands is a singer, a songwriter, radio broadcaster and social activist. As part of the well-known Sands Family, he played in venues from the Carnegie Hall to Moscow’s Olympic Stadium. As a solo artist, Tommy engages audiences with his songs and stories and his charm. He weaves legend, humour and thought-provoking messages into his songs – many of his songs are about helping shape a better world. His passion is peace and he is often described as The Bard of Peace. The University of Nevada awarded him an Honorary Doctorate for his outstanding work as a musician and ambassador for peace and understanding.
Tommy is involved in peace concerts, lectures, school programmes, workshops and in all of them he shares his songs and their message of tolerance and peace. He is the man who wrote classics such as ‘The Music of Healing’, ‘The Age of Uncertainty’ and ‘Who Knows Where The Wind Blows’.
On Wednesday 16th September at the Irvine Club, Tommy will captivate the audience with his musical skills and his songs of encouragement, enlightened ideas and the joy of living. Make sure you are in the audience at Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road. The Club starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.

4th September – Fifty Shades of Blue

After another really excellent Marymass Folk Festival, Irvine Folk Club is back on Wednesday 2nd September with 50 Shades of Blue. Their name reflects the fact that their music includes a strong Blues influence!
50 Shades of Blue is a duo based in Glasgow. They play at gigs mostly in and around West Central Scotland. You might have heard them at The Drovers Inn or King Tut’s. They play original material plus covers of favourites from folk, bluegrass and blues. Listen out for a very snazzy Washboard, a Bodhran, Percussion and Guitar when they are at Irvine. 50 Shades of Blue will be different, that’s for sure. Hear them at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 2nd September at Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road. The Club starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.
A ‘heads-up’ that Tommy Sands is the guest at the Irvine Club on Wednesday 16th September – you might want to put that in your diary.
Back at the 48th Marymass Folk Festival, two World Championships were played out on the final day of the Festival. Yes, Georgina Wilmot from Wormit in the glorious Kingdom of Fife won the Whammy-Diddling and Stephen Quigg from Saltcoats won the Chuckie-Chucking. Contestants in the two World Championships came from far and near including Voisins in France, Stavanger in Norway, Ireland and Dundee as well as nearer home. So keen was a musician to get the hang of Whammy-Diddling that a Whammy-Diddle was spirited away to Rostrevor to allow practice for the 2106 event! All part of the magical mix that is Marymass Folk Festival.

5th August – Fraser Bruce

Fraser Bruce is back at Irvine Folk Club and he tops the bill on Wednesday 5th August after a fairly lengthy absence from the folk music scene. He was a very familiar face in the early days of the Club when it met weekly at The Eg although, depending on your age, this might be the first time you’ve heard him.
London born and Rutherglen reared, Fraser sang solo for a number of years singing traditional ballads as well as contemporary material. Then as now, he accompanies himself on acoustic guitar. There came a time when he brought his wee brother Ian to gigs and later they formed a formidable duo: each having a powerful voice and excellent guitar skills. In particular, their harmonies were spot on. They recorded three albums and toured worldwide. Ian then moved on to a solo career and Fraser took a break from the folk scene. But now he’s back.
Fraser has four shows at St Bride’s as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He will be appearing alongside brother Ian and Moe & Ian Walker. The programme describes them as ‘four veteran performers’!
Wednesday 5th August is the final Club night before the 48th Marymass Folk Festival starts on 19th August. Therefore, limber up for Marymass by going along to Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road on 5th August to hear Fraser Bruce. The Club starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.
Speaking of Marymass, tickets are now available and Folk Festival leaflets giving all details of the five day bash are in all sorts of outlets. If however, you need to check info or want to reserve tickets – and that would be a smart idea as Vineburgh, the venue for the Thursday and Friday concerts, is a small, intimate venue – contact Joyce on 01294 551047 or visit www.irvinefolkclub.org.uk

Have just heard that Ian will accompany Fraser on his visit to Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday.

22nd July – Claire Hastings

BBC Radio Scotland Young Musician of the Year for 2105 Claire Hastings is the special guest at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 22nd July. She is well thought of by her peers and music critics alike – even if she plays the Ukulele as her chosen instrument!
Claire is from Dumfries and sings and plays with a confidence that belies her years. She has a very fine voice and is said to be a compelling storyteller. After she graduated from the RSAMD with a degree in Scottish Music, Claire and her Ukulele travelled round the world for 18 months before she decided that being in Glasgow is where she really wanted to be.
She has been involved in a variety of workshops around Scotland including leading a Singing Workshop on Mull for people with Dementia and more recently delivered Tiny Tunes for Tiny people to a Mother & Baby Group in Edinburgh.
Claire has also undertaken several teaching projects including one for people in Glasgow with Mental Health issues and working with Feis Rois in Dumfries & Galloway primary schools teaching Scottish music and singing. Currently she is training to be a Colourstrings teacher and maybe she will explain what that is to those of us who don’t know.
As well as all of that, Claire is part of a duo with Robyn Stapleton and part of the Top Floor Taivers band. Claire’s debut album is promised for early 2016!
At the Irvine Club on the 22nd July, the talented Jenn Butterworth will be alongside Claire. So to hear the current Young Trad Musician of the Year, get along to Irvine Folk Club for 8pm on 22nd July to Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road where it is BYOB.
And finally, Saver Tickets priced £40 are now available for this year’s Marymass Folk Festival and cover concerts on the Thursday, Friday and Marymass Saturday Night. It’s a bargain. Contact Joyce on 01294 551047 or email JoyceIFC@aol.com

8th July – Chuck Fleming and Benny Graham

‘What’s gannin on?’ is a well-used phrase on Tyneside and is doubtless a favourite with the guests at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 8th July Chuck Fleming & Benny Graham. Chuck is from Loanhead in Midlothian now living in Co Durham whilst Benny is a Tynesider through and through.
Chuck & Benny have been playing together for years in Pubs, Clubs and Festivals and have now decided that this is the year to go on tour – well, over Hadrian’s Wall for a start! Happily, the Irvine Club is included in the tour schedule as Chuck has been a favourite with Irvine audiences going back to when he was the fiery fiddler with the legendary JSD Band playing in what was then The Drill Hall in Irvine – now the Volunteer Rooms.
Chuck is a terrific fiddle player and also plays mandolin and guitar. Over the years he has worked with the likes of Kathryn Tickell and awesome concertina player Alistair Anderson. He was founder member of Five Hand Reel and now teaches fiddle and mandolin. The irrepressible good humour of Chuck is well known and on stage nothing seems to phase him.
Benny Graham is a singer and songwriter who served his musical apprenticeship in North East of England Folk Clubs. It was there that he learned the songs that grew out of the heavy industries that grew out of coal, steel and ship building on Tyneside and also the musical culture of the rural North East. He has a very good voice and also plays Button Box Accordion. After working for a few years as solo performer, Benny formed the three part harmony group Pegleg Ferret and toured the UK and the Continent.
His career then took a different direction when he joined a premier Tyneside theatre where he has since worked as a singer, songwriter and also a stage and production manager. Benny has numerous albums to his name.
Chuck Fleming & Benny Graham will be a mighty presence at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 8th July at Vineburgh Community Centre. The Club starts at 8pm and yes, it’s BYOB. Make sure you can be there.

24th June – Sean Donnelly

Long since known for the freshness he brings to songs that others might have discarded for being too familiar, the gentle fellow with the storyteller’s voice Sean Donnelly is back at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 24th June. This is a change to the scheduled programme.

A native of Co Tyrone, who ‘emmigrated’ to Newcastle Co Down in the early ‘70s, Sean Donnelly has been popular on the folk club circuit for a number of years. He has made countless radio broadcasts and his seventh album And Our Time Together containing songs new and old, is one of which he is particularly proud.

Gentle, quiet, unshowy, easy relaxed style are all words that are used repeatedly when people describe Sean. He has a knack for knowing a good song when he hears one and has accumulated a vast repertoire that draws heavily but not exclusively from the traditional wells of Ulster song. He also writes songs. Sean has a quiet storyteller’s voice with a distinctive Northern Ireland enunciation and a delicate guitar style that is the envy of many. He plays an open-tuned guitar that complements his singing ideally.

Tommy Sands who knows a thing or two about singing says of Sean ‘there is a gentleness in the man’s voice and a kindness in the guitar that unwrinkles the mind and body’ . What a gift Mr Sands has for finding the right words!

Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 24th June is the place to savour the songs, the singing, the stories and the music of Sean Donnelly. The Irvine Club meets in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road, starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.

Finally, the 48th Marymass Folk Festival programme giving full details is now out. They are available in all sorts of places but, if you can’t find one then phone Joyce on 01294 551047 or visit www.irvinefolkclub.org.uk

10th June – The John Hinshelwood Band

With nearly thirty years’ experience playing on the Americana, Country and Folk circuit, the John Hinshelwood Band will be strutting their stuff at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 10th June. They last played at the Club almost four years ago.

The well established name of John Hinshelwood on the Scottish Americana circuit has come about from playing at Country Festivals, Bluegrass Festivals, Folk Clubs and Arts Centres all over the UK. Glasgow based John describes himself as a singer and songwriter. He plays acoustic guitar and does vocals.

His respect and admiration for the late Gram Parsons led him to form The City Sinners – a six-piece outfit set up to perform a show based on Gram’s life and music. The Sinners continue to play on an ad hoc basis. Canadian vocalist Sandra Gellatly was recruited to the Sinners and went on to form a duo with John Hinshelwood. A result of this collaboration was a CD in 2009 called Shattered Pleasures. It featured 9 original compositions by John. Lowering the Tone is John’s third CD and was released last year.

Tim Black on acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin and vocals and Ed McGlone on bass and vocals complete the John Hinshelwood Band line-up.

Americana could be described as an amalgam of American musical styles, including folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. To check out this very loose description, get along to Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 10th June at 8pm to hear the John Hinshelwood Band. The Club meets in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road and it’s BYOB.

Finally, the annual Folk Night organised by Ardrossan Highland Games is on Friday 12th June in The Lauriston Hotel. It features Dave Gibb, Spancil Hillbillies and Ayrshire man Ciaran Sinclair. Tickets are £10 from 07967 810550. The concert starts at 7.30pm