Author: Joyce Hodge

The always popular Alastair McDonald will be the final Irvine Folk Club guest for 2012 when he tops the bill at the Club on Wednesday 12th December.

Alastair is the folk-singing, jazz banjo player or the jazz banjo playing folk singer – it depends where he’s appearing! He is equally at home in folk clubs, jazz venues, theatres, concert halls or churches. His TV and Radio appearances are too numerous to mention and likewise the number of albums he has recorded. Suffice to say that since becoming a fulltime performer in 1970, Alastair has built up a successful career in Scotland and globally too.

Glasgow born Alastair emigrated with his family at the age of eight to Australia. It was while growing up in the Australian outback that he developed an interest in ‘home made’ entertainment. Returning to Scotland four years later, there was a growing pop scene and skiffle had also arrived. At just 21, Alastair was already regarded as one of the leading jazz banjo players.

As years passed Alastair’s musical horizons extended and took him into variety shows, pantos, plays, TV and Radio work. His continued popularity is down to his commitment to entertain – akin to the philosophy of the late Johnny Silvo. Performances by Alastair McDonald can be described by words like wholesome, helpful, uplifting, cautionary. Always he plays to entertain the audience.

Alastair is a very popular guest at the Irvine Club and you are advised to get along early on the 12th December to Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road. The Club starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.

Please note, Irvine Folk Club starts up again on Wednesday 9th January with Redhook Rapids – there’s two of them!

The duo from Northern Ireland Fil Campbell & Tom McFarland fill the guest spot at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 28th November.  Fil is a singer and songwriter, her husband Tom is a fine percussionist and both are well known and respected musicians on the folk circuit. Fil has recently released her sixth CD A Place Of My Own. It is a collection of material first released in the 1930’s and 40’s by female singers. The album was produced by husband Tom.

Fil & Tom  have fairly lengthy links with Irvine Folk Club.  For those who have not heard them, prepare for a wide range of material from blues and folk and country to contemporary as well as self-penned stuff.  Fil does not have the classic modern female ‘folk’ voice.  It is much softer and less hard-edged. Tom is a talented multi-instrumentalist, backing vocalist and studio recording engineer.  His interest in percussion stretches to instruments from all over the world and his instruments include bodhran, congas, bongos, the African djembe…and really just about anything that can be hit or shaken!  Both Fil & Tom are involved with teaching music.

Be prepared to be entertained by the easy on the ear Fil Campbell & Tom McFarland  at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 28^th November with some understated and subtle arrangements and  fine singing.

The Club meets in Vineburgh Community Centre, starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.

Elsewhere, The Star Folk Club is on the move. They will be flitting from  their present venue at The Saints  to basement of The Admiral in Waterloo Street. The first night there is Tuesday 12^th February. The Admiral is just five minutes from Glasgow Central and yes, The Star will be meeting on Tuesday nights at The Admiral.

Finally, Martin Fay – one of the founder members of The Chieftains – has died. Martin played fiddle for almost 40 years with the band.

Broom Bezzums is a duo based in Germany, with their origins in England and  they are the guests at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 14^th November.  Mark Bloomer and Andrew Caddie are Broom Bezzums.

With four albums to their name, these two talented multi-instrumentalists have a sound which might lead you to think that there were more than two people on the stage. Hands, feet and mouths are all used to create the Broom Bezzums’ sound.

From Northumberland, Andrew Caddie cites Alistair Anderson as one of his early musical influences when the great man came to Andrew’s first school to demonstrate the concertina and pipes. And it was Kathryn Tickell who taught Andrew fiddle and pipes. After busking around Europe, Andrew did a degree in Folk & Traditional Music at Newcastle and since then has been a much sought after musician.

Mark is a Brummie and his first love is drumming. He was a drummer with several Birmingham based punk, Indie and psychedelic rock outfits. From there he gravitated to more roots based music and left for a two week holiday in Ireland – he stayed four years!  Playing on the Cork session scene, he became a stalwart guitarist, and then hit the road again to travel Europe and ended up in Germany.

Between them, Mark and Andrew play Northumbrian Pipes, Guitars, Mandola, Fiddle and Bass Drum.  They both do vocals.  Their recently released fourth album Winterman has mostly traditional songs with a Winter or Christmas theme. They also do some self-penned material. For impressive musicianship, easy charm and good material then get along to Irvine Folk Club on 14^th November to hear Broom Bezzums.

The Club meets at Vineburgh Community Centre. It starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.

Bram Taylor is the guest at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 31^st October – a man who by common consent is a no-frills, down-to-earth, easy-on-the-ear performer.  Expect clear and strong vocals, an entertaining sense of humour and an excellent selection of material.

From Leigh in Lancashire, Bram’s parents were keen that their son play in the local Brass Band but somehow, young Bram moved to the guitar. Starting off playing with various duos and trios, Bram eventually went solo.  He now has ten albums to his name, the most recent being Jokers & Rogues released in January this year.

Bram is an experienced performer on both the UK and international folk music scene and has built up a reputation for his fine singing.  His touring takes him all over Europe, the USA and of course the UK. He has played at the Mariposa Festival in Ontario a couple of times and was particularly pleased when he was playing there alongside his heroes from the sixties Gordon Lightfoot and Don McLean.

Bram’s vocal strengths mean he is a confident acapella singer and his instrumental accompaniment is on duet concertina and acoustic guitar. His material is a mix of traditional and contemporary. Peggy Gordon, Ralph McTell’s Weather The Storm, Bogie’s Bonnie Belle and Sing Me A Song Mr Bloom might all feature in a Bram Taylor set. He describes himself as a collector and interpreter of songs – whatever their vintage.  His method of selection is simple – is it a good song?

So, after you’ve been guising, celebrate Hallow’een by listening to Bram Taylor at Irvine Folk Club.  All witches and warlocks welcome at Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road for an 8pm start. It’s BYOB and that goes for Treacle Scones too!

Just when you thought most kind of musical combinations had been heard at Irvine Folk Club…think again.  Vicki Swan and Jonny Dyer are the Club  guests on Wednesday 17^th October and they are a unique duo combining a mastery of a variety of instruments, good harmony singing and an extremely varied repertoire.

Based in Essex, this husband and wife duo started off as a very talented instrumentals only partnership. They have since emerged as impressive songwriters and arrangers and singers.  Vicki Swan is half Swedish and a second generation piper who started out on the musical ladder as a five year old. She studied double bass at the Royal College of Music where she eventually became principal double bass.  Jonny Dyer had been singing choral music, soul and jazz for as long as he can remember and although offered a place at Colchester Institute to study music, elected to do a Masters in Historic Building Engineering.

Between them they excel at playing Scottish Smallpipes, the Nyckelharpa (a kind of keyed fiddle closely related to the Hurdy Gurdy), Flute, Double Bass, Guitars, Accordion, Piano and Low Whistle.  Expect to hear amazing jigs, murder ballads, Swedish songs, self-penned songs and traditional material with a modern interpretation.

Vicki and Jonny also do a range of workshops including guitar technique and repertoire; developing accompaniment skills and techniques for creating original tunes. Their most recent album is Stones On The Ground and like all of their releases, earned good coverage on national and local radio and good press reviews.

The Club starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.

Strong harmony singing is always popular and is in short supply, so the guest appearance of Ragged Glory at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 19^th September is doubly welcome.  It will be their first time at the Irvine Club.

Ragged Glory is a four-piece band. They met at Nitten Folk Club some six years ago – Nitten being the local name for Newtongrange inMidlothian. George Archibald is a Nitten resident, May & Jim Weatherston are in Edinburgh and Aberdonian Charlie Milne completes the line-up. Their whole purpose is to have fun and, singing good songs with strong harmonies certainly contributes to that!  Quiet Joys is the title of their CD and includes material from Burns, Karine Polwart, Phil Spector and Stan Rogers among others. They have two Edinburgh Folk Festival Fringe ‘Sell outGarlands’ to their name.  A ‘Garland’ is given to shows which sell-out at the international festival. Not bad going!

Ragged Glory is also part of Ian McCalman’s much acclaimed ‘Far, far from Ypres’  a story told in song about events of World War 1.  The production relies on strong singing and it therefore speaks volumes about Ragged Glory that Ian invited them to take their part in a line-up ofScotlands’ finest voices.

Reviews of Ragged Glory all make mention of their good choice of songs, strong harmonies and their evident enjoyment in what they do. Therefore, cut along to Irvine Folk Club in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Roadon Wednesday 19^th September for 8pm.  It’s going to be good.

Finally, two dates for your October diary.  On Wednesday the 10^th October, The Whistlebinkies are playing at Irvine Burns Club. It starts at 8pm and admission is £10.  And on Friday the 12^th October at Irvine Sports Club at Marress there will a Folk for Heroes Concert. It starts at 7.30pm, admission is £5 and it features a number of local folk musicians.  More details on both nights to follow. Irvine continues to help keep music live!