Category: Guests

It is great to be saying that Steve Turner will be the guest at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 3rd February. He last played at Irvine about five years ago

Manchester born Steve comes from a family of concertina players and singers. His musical career started off he says ‘as a pretend Geordie’ in the Canny Fettle band in 1970 playing concertina. From then until 1991 he toured with them internationally and in the UK and also established himself as a professional solo musician. He drifted away from folk music for thirteen years and used that time to build up an internationally known stringed instrument business, from which he is now semi-retired.

After that ‘break’ in his performing career, Steve made a welcome return to the folk scene – some say as an even better performer. He is a man of considerable talents and his style is understated. Known best as a master of the concertina, Steve also sings superbly and sings clearly – always relaying the full meaning of songs. He also plays cittern, mandolin and tenor banjo. He is much sought-after as a concertina accompanist and gives workshops on accompaniment. As well as being a talented performer he also has a delightful personality.

Steve regularly tours the length and breadth of the UK and has also toured in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. He played at Celtic Connections a couple of weeks ago as part of The King’s Shilling production. Steve has six albums to his name, the most recent one being Rim of the Wheel.

For those of you for whom Steve Turner is a new name, get along to the Irvine Club on Wednesday 3rd February to hear for yourself this very fine, self-taught concertina player. You will not be disappointed. The Club meets in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road, starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.

And finally, it is sad to report the untimely death of Iain Frame of Arran. In his early days as a Community Worker in Irvine, Iain was a regular attender at Irvine Folk Club. When Iain and his wife Maggie moved to Arran, it was no surprise that he was one of the founder members of Arran Folk Festival. The family’s musical background undoubtedly played a major part in their daughter Gillian’s decision to make a career in music. As Gillian is a Trad Music Tutor in North Ayrshire Schools, the annual Young Trad Musician of the Year competition scheduled for 10th February has been postponed. The sympathy of everyone at Irvine Folk Club goes to Maggie and the family.

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Irvine Folk Club will host their very own Burns night later this month.
The club will meet on Wednesday January 20 at Vineburgh Community Centre not for a supper, but an evening of celebrating the music and verse of the Bard in the town where Burns lived and worked for a while and found inspiration for some of his writing.
The club Burns night starts at 8pm, its BYOB as usual and there will be some appropriate food, but, as club Treasurer Joyce says: “Don’t go without your dinner before you come!”
Last week’s guest Brian McNeill – who was in tremendous form – confirmed that floor singers and musicians are the backbone of any good folk club.
Since its inception, the Irvine club has been fortunate in attracting a steady stream of good singers and musicians to do floor spots.
The club Burns night gives the floor singers, musicians and a particularly skilled Burns verse speaker a chance to showcase their own favourites from the music and verse of the Bard.
Club memberships are also now due – priced at £15.
The only ‘elsewhere’ to mention at this time of year is Celtic Connections in Glasgow – the 10th year that Donald Shaw has been in charge. There’s a stack of concerts and workshops plus late night sessions in venues all over Glasgow, but the key venue is of course The Royal Glasgow Concert Hall. Whether it’s strathspey and reels, new voices, gaelic americana or afro celtic, there will most likely be something to suit you
For more information head over to:www.celticconnections.com

Brian McNeill – composer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, teacher and novelist is the first guest of 2016 at Irvine Folk Club. He will be the special guest at the Club’s opening night on Wednesday 6^th January. What a start to the year.

Brian is a bairn ie he hails from Falkirk. For over four decades he has been at the centre of folk music in Scotland whether as part of the Battlefield Band of which he was the founder member, as a soloist or as Head of Scottish Music at the RSAMD for six years.

As well as his arsenal of fiddles and guitars, Brian also plays concertina, mandocello and bouzouki. He is an accomplished songwriter with songs like No Gods and precious few heroes and Strong women rule us all with their tears being just two that come to mind. Falkirk Council thought so much of Brian’s song about the Falkirk Tryst that some lines from it were carved in stone at a popular viewpoint in the town. The Lads O’ The Fair is the song and it’s about a piece of the town’s social history. Brian was delighted that the song was so much thought of by ‘his own’.

Brian has toured around the globe and has umpteen albums to his name as a soloist, part of Battlefield and two with the late Iain MacKintosh. A voracious reader of crime fiction, Brian has written three crime & mystery novels. How many hours are in his day!

Brian heads up Scotia Nova: Songs for the Early Days of a Better Nation – a show produced by Ian McCalman for Celtic Connections on 20^th January. It makes sense therefore to get along to Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 6^th January to hear the talented Brian McNeill. The Club meets at Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road and starts at 8pm.

And finally, Sessions continue at The Ship Inn on Tuesday nights and, in various Glasgow venues, a who’s who of artists take part in Celtic Connections from 14^th – 31^st January. All info at celticconnections.com

Anyone who knows anything about good singing will be delighted to learn that Irvine Folk Club’s special guest on Wednesday 9th December is Christine Kydd. It’s far too long since Christine sang in Irvine and she will ensure that the final Club night for 2015 will be one of exceptional singing and full of life.

Christine was Glasgow born and raised but grew up musically in Edinburgh. Brian McNeill describes her as a great interpreter of song and Karine Polwart says that Christine features in a number of her favourite Folk Albums.
Singing traditional or contemporary songs, whether in duos, trios, as a soloist or in a choir, Christine’s warm and inviting vocals demonstrate a passion for discovering the riches of songs. She accompanies herself on Guitar but it is her impressive vocal talents and equally impressive skills as an educator that bring the respect and accolades.

For almost ten years Christine has been a Scots Song tutor at The National Centre for Excellence. She has umpteen albums to her name including appearances on four volumes of The Complete Songs of Robert Burns. It’s possible you could have heard her as one half of a duo with Janet Russell, as part of the super-trio Chantan or with Calluna. Christine has shared stages with the likes of Sheena Wellington and the late and much missed Jean Redpath. Her Kist o Sangs for Choirs was featured earlier this year at The Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh. In short, the expertise and experience of this lady is in much demand. Nor does Christine just sing or teach songs. She also excels at giving the contextual information of songs and the background.

So, get along to Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 9th December at Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road for 8pm to hear the very talented Christine Kydd. The Club is BYOB and there is an excellent Café.
This Saturday 5th December, an Irvine Folk Club contingent will travel the road and the miles to Dundee to learn how the Club’s nomination in Folk Club of The Year has fared. The award ceremony takes place in the Caird Hall.
And finally, Irvine Folk Club’s first night in 2016 is Wednesday 6th January when Brian McNeill will be the guest.

The duo from Northern Ireland Fil Campbell & Tom McFarland fill the guest spot at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 25th November. Fil is a singer and songwriter, her husband Tom is a very fine percussionist and both are well known and respected musicians on the folk circuit.

They have just released a new CD. It’s called Back There and it has 11 tracks. The album was produced by husband Tom in his Ballyneddan Studio.

Fil & Tom’s links with Irvine Folk Club go back to Redburn Hotel days. For those who have not heard them, prepare for a wide range of material from blues, folk and country to contemporary as well as self-penned compositions. Fil was born in Belleek. She does not have the classic modern female ‘folk’ voice. It is much softer and less hard-edged. She has been involved in the music industry one way or another all her life. As a music promoter and publicist in her early days, Fil was the first promoter to book U2 in the North of Ireland!

Belfast born Tom is a very talented multi-instrumentalist, backing vocalist and supplies sensitive accompaniment. His interest in percussion stretches to instruments from all over the world and his instruments include bodhran, congas, bongos and the African djembe. If something can be hit or shaken then Tom can play it! He is also a studio recording engineer, video editor and he does voice-overs. Both Fil & Tom are also 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 25th November with some understated and subtle arrangements plus sensitive vocals. The Club meets in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road, starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.

And finally, Hands up for Trad – the 13th MF ALBA Scots Traditional Music Awards take place on 5th December in Dundee’s Caird Hall and Irvine Folk Club has been nominated in the Folk Club of the Year category. The Irvine Club is approaching its 50th anniversary and this is the first time that it has been nominated for national recognition. On 5th December there will be the Awards and a Gala Concert and a contingent from Irvine Folk Club will be there. The Award is decided by public vote online and you can add your vote by going to www.irvinfolkclub.ord.uk/voting
This is the last day for voting so if you haven’t already done so please cast your vote today!!!

To make it easier for friends to vote for Irvine Folk Club in the Trad Awards you could point them to a link on the Folk Club website which will then take them directly to the voting page. Tell them to go to www.irvinefolkclub.org.uk/voting

You could share this address in a Facebook post, in an email to your contacts or even by good old fashioned word of mouth!

Irvine Folk Club has been nominated for Club of the Year in the Trad Awards. Here is a link to the voting page. It’s easy to do – and as the club approaches its 50th year it deserves this recognition.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/tradawards2015

Irvine Folk Club have been nominated for Folk Club of the Year 2015. Please vote for us. If you go into projects.handsupfortrad.scot you should be able to vote. Voting stops on the 22nd November. Support your local club which is preparing to celebrate its 50th Anniversary next year.

Here is a direct link to the voting page: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/tradawards2015

The guests at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 11th November are Maria Dunn with Shannon Johnson and all reviews and information suggest that the Irvine audience are in for an excellent night. Both are based in Alberta in Canada and are in the UK for a month-long tour.
Maria Dunn was born in Scotland but moved to Ontario with her parents as a young child. She is now based in Edmonton, Alberta. She has five CDs to her name – all of them produced by Shannon Johnson, one of Western Canada’s most-in-demand record producers. Maria is a singer and also plays guitar, accordion and whistles. She honed her accordion skills accompanying fiddlers at weekly pub sessions. Her playing can meld folk, bluegrass and country.
Maria also has a formidable songwriting talent. She writes about the lives of working men and women and hopes that her songs will give a richer understanding of history and make for a more compassionate take on today’s world.
Appearing alongside Maria is Shannon Johnson. She began studying violin aged three and was playing professionally at eight! Since then, numerous fiddling awards at national and international levels have come her way. Shannon also has an excellent voice and is said to have a raucous sense of humour.
It’s strongly recommended that you are at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 11th November to hear Maria Dunn and Shannon Johnson. The Club starts at 8pm in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road and it’s BYOB.
Elsewhere, on Friday 20th November in the University of Glasgow Memorial Chapel a concert will mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of Thomas Muir –‘the father of Scottish democracy’. It is part of a series of events celebrating the life and times of a remarkable man. A contemporary of Burns, Thomas Muir was transported to Botany Bay for 14years for advocating universal suffrage and parliamentary reform. Dick Gaughan, Rallion and the Kirkintilloch Male Voice Choir are some of those appearing. Tickets are £15 from www.thomasmuir.co.uk/thomasmuir250

Kent DuChaine the nomadic Bluesman from Minnesota is back at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 28th October and this will be welcome news for his many fans in these parts. His abundant energy and enthusiasm means there is no chance of nodding off when he is playing. Kent’s guitar playing is exceptional and combined with the power of his voice and his passion for the Blues means it’s another night not to be missed at the Irvine Club.

Kent’s potted history is: born in Wayzata, Minnesota; formed a garage band at 13; and it was reading Eric Clapton album notes led him to check out a Robert Johnson album at his local library. So taken aback was Kent by the album, that he almost wore it out listening to it. The music of the Mississippi Delta had captured him.

In 1969 Kent learned to play slide guitar and ten years later he found his beloved Leadbessie – ‘a beat-up 1934 National Steel Guitar’ as he describes her. It’s kitted out with extra heavy strings to cope with his ferocious style and there is now a whole lot of gaffer tape on Leadbessie as well! The name Leadbessie is an affectionate amalgam of Blues legends Leadbelly and Bessie Smith.

Kent lives to spread the Blues and has clocked up countless thousands of miles and close on 100 overseas tours from his South Georgia base in the USA. Songs about Kent’s youth, his adventures, family and friends are linked by frank anecdotes in true troubadour style.

He 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. His intricate, finger-picking slide-guitar and use of his hand as a handhammer beat, all contribute to the sheer intensity of a Kent DuChaine performance.

Wednesday 28th October is a night for Blues fans to enjoy at Irvine Folk Club with Kent DuChaine. The Club meets in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road, starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.