26th November – Brooks Williams

Irvine Folk Club has Brooks Williams as the special guest on Wednesday 26th November and given the man’s busy diary and the thousands of miles he covers, the Club it seems has struck it lucky.
Brooks Williams is an American acoustic guitarist and a singer and a songwriter who is described as a joy to watch and a classy act from start to finish. Born in Statesboro Georgia he walks a line between blues and Americana with a style that combines roots, blues, jazz, classical and folk.
He has been performing for 25 years and has released 19 CDs, the most recent being New Everything – an album he takes great pride in. Included in these 19 albums are some devoted to folk and some entirely instrumental guitar. He is ranked in The Top 100 Acoustic Guitarists – his instrumental version of Amazing Grace has been described as mind-blowing.
Each year Brooks devotes a significant part of his time to leading workshops on guitar and songwriting. Workshops have taken him to Turkey, Belgium, France, the UK, all over the USA and in 2010 he was in Tanzania in East Africa working with Primary School pupils using his resonator guitar. Brooks has released two instructional DVDs on blues guitar and slide guitar both of which have been praised for their accessibility.
Added to all of the above, Brooks is a visiting lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge where he works with aspiring musicians. His diary shows that on Sunday 23rd November he is playing on The Isle of Man, Wednesday 26th at Irvine, Thursday 27th in Dorset and Friday 28th in New York!! Busy or what!
Be at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 26th November for 8pm to hear the very talented and much acclaimed Brooks Williams. The Club meets in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road and it’s BYOB with a great café.

12th November – Bram Taylor

From Leigh in Lancashire, Bram Taylor is the welcome guest at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 12th November. He has a growing fan base in this neck of the woods having played at the Club and Marymass Folk Festival a couple of years back.
Bram has a busy diary that covers appearances throughout the UK and also includes the US of A and Europe. He has played a couple of times at the Mariposa Folk Festival in Ontario where he was delighted to be on the same bill as his heroes from the Sixties Gordon Lightfoot and Don Mclean.
Described as a collector and interpreter of songs, a set from Bram might include contemporary material from the likes of Colum Sands or Eric Bogle as well as traditional songs like ‘Bogie’s Bonnie Belle’. When selecting songs, Bram always asks himself ‘Is this a good song’. To date this has proved to be successful, having 10 albums to his name and all recorded on Fellside Records. The session musicians on Bram’s albums are a guide to the respect he enjoys among his peers – Stuart Hardy, Steve Lawrence, Wendy Wetherby, Alastair McCulloch and Tom McConville being just some of the names to be found on the credits.
Bram has a strong and clear voice and plays guitar, duet concertina and baritone ukulele. He has an engaging personality both on and off stage. Hear Bram Taylor at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 12th November in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road. The Club starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.

29th October – James Keelaghan

Canadian folk singer and songwriter James Keelaghan is currently on a busy tour of the UK and Irvine Folk Club is on the gig list. James will be at the Irvine Club on Wednesday 29th October.
Calgary born but now based in Winnipeg, James has been in the music business for over 25 years and has nine albums to his name. It’s said that he has one of the most distinctive and easily identifiable voices in Canada. Much admired as a songwriter, his nine albums have brought him an enviable share of nominations and awards from Australia to Sweden.
James’ Dad was an Irish man and it is to him that James owes much of his early musical inspiration. His Dad was also a great storyteller and James is still trying to be as good as his Dad. The love of storytelling gave James a passion for language and history and both aspects are evident in his songwriting. As well as his own material, James also does some covers, Gordon Lightfoot being a favourite.
Appearing with James at Irvine will be Canadian multi-instrumentalist Hugh McMillan. Expect to hear a mix of roots, rock, Americana and contemporary folk when James Keelaghan plays at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 29th October in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road. The Club starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.
Finally, the 2015 Celtic Connections programme is now available. From 15th January – 1st February, 2100 artists will play at 300 events over 20 venues in Glasgow. Names to look out for include the Californian Feetwarmers, the interestingly titled Dick Gaughan and Lynched, longtime lead guitarist in the E Street Band Nils Lofgreen, Kieran Goss and Fairport Convention. The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall has full details.

Hey Harley – 15th October

Hey Harley is a new American duo based in Nashville featuring two excellent musicians and they are the special guests at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 15th October. The Irvine Club is part of a two month tour of the UK and Europe.
Lizanne Knott and Bill Reveles are Hey Harley and although they have recorded a number of albums as individuals, the duo’s debut record will be launched in January 2015. Hey Harley plays Americana and fans of that genre in Nashville are united in the belief that the only thing better than a great musician is two great musicians – and that’s the case with Hey Harley.
BBC Radio’s Bob Harris has championed the singing and playing of Lizanne Knott since her debut release in 2002 and since then she has featured frequently in his radio shows. Her most recent album released in 2013 ‘Standing in the English Rain’ was one of Top 20 Folk Albums of that year. A vocalist, award-winning writer and fine guitarist, her voice is described as having an almost hypnotic quality and along with her self-deprecating humour it’s little wonder that Lizanne is described as a class act.
Bill Reveles is an L.A. songwriter, singer, producer and arranger. He has four solo albums to his name and works regularly with L.A’s best session players. Such is the reputation of Hey Harley that Taylor Guitars offered a coveted artist partnership to the duo for their tours. Their musical skills will be evident at the Irvine Club as Hey Harley move effortlessly from country to jazz to soft shoe shuffle.
Hey Harley, a new duo can be heard at Irvine Folk Club in Vineburgh Community Centre on Wednesday 15th October and it starts at 8pm.
Finally, news of the sudden death of Tommy Jeffers has stunned Irvine Folk Club. Club MC Willie Sinclair called for a round of applause last week to mark the memory of Tommy and it was done with much fondness and respect for a long standing member and supporter of the Club and Marymass Folk Festival. The condolences of everyone at Irvine Folk Club go to Tommy’s wife Christine, their son Colin and family.

Sad News

It is with great sadness that I report the death of one of Irvine Folk Club’s most faithful members Tommy Jeffers. Tommy and Christine were in France with the Ramblers Group visiting the our French Twin Town of Voisins. On a sight-seeing tour of Paris Tommy suffered a massive heart attack and unfortunately he died.
Christine is being cared for by her French friends until arrangements can be made to bring Tommy home. I will post details of the funeral arrangements when I have them.

1st October – Ben Sands

Ben Sands is the guest at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 1st October and that will make good reading to his many fans and admirers. He has been a regular and very welcome visitor to the Irvine Club over the years and it’s always good to hear him again.
From Newry in County Down where he still lives, Ben was born into a family where music, singing, storytelling and wit were a cornerstone that made life a bit more bearable and sometimes memorable against the hard grind of daily life on a small farm. As a youngster, Ben tried his hand on any instrument that came his way. He now concentrates on guitar, banjo, mandolin, whistles and fiddle although on occasion he has been known to wrestle a tune from the uillean pipes!
Ben is a singer, songwriter, musician, storyteller and arranger and has charmed his way round Europe and beyond since the 1970’s and throughout that time has continued to play with The Sands Family for special concerts. He sings and writes songs about life and love and the ways of the world and his humour is never very far away.
He has five solo albums to his name, the most recent being ‘Live in Berlin’ released last year. As well as that, as part of The Sands Family, time has been found to make 17 albums !
For an evening studded with good songs and gentle humour get along to Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 1st October at Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road for 8pm to hear Ben Sands.
Finally, weekly sessions at The Ship Inn in Irvine continue on Tuesdays. They start at 8pm and singers and musicians are welcome.

17th September – Sunjay Brayne

The debut appearance at Irvine Folk Club of Sunjay Brayne comes up on Wednesday 17th September and not only is Sunjay a new face, he has yet to reach his 21st birthday. New and young and talented forbye!
By all accounts, Midlands-based Sunjay is a rising star on the Folk and Acoustic circuit. Such are the guitar skills of Sunjay that some reviewers say he is reminiscent of Ralph McTell and John Martyn. Match that with an authoritative voice that belies his years and the reasons for the glowing reviews become apparent.
Sunjay picked up the guitar aged four and hasn’t put it down since. As a youngster he was introduced by his Dad to the sounds of Don McLean and Buddy Holly and now Sunjay’s guitar picking skills are said to be among the very best. The material played by Sunjay is heavily influenced by the Blues but also draws from Folk, Country and Rock.
Nominated for the BCC Radio 2 Young Folk Award in 2012, Sunjay has three albums to his name, the most recent having been released this month. To promote the album, Sunjay is on a 40 date UK tour, which happily takes in the Irvine Club.
For one so young, Sunjay has a confidence, maturity and ease on stage and is held in high regard by folk world luminaries such as Steeleye Span. Hear Sunjay Brayne at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 17th September in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road. The Club starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB. Club info flyers giving details of who is appearing at the Irvine Club are now widely available and by visiting www.irvinefolkclub.org.uk

September 3rd – Other Roads

Regarded as one of the finest contemporary folk bands, Other Roads are the guests at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday September 3rd. Their excellent musicianship will make for an excellent first club night back after a particularly memorable Marymass Folk Festival.
Pete Abbott, Gregor Borland and Dave Walmisley are talented multi-instrumentalists. They play an impressive selection of instruments including fiddle, bouzouki, mandolin, guitars and harmonica. Expect to hear some fine harmony singing too.
The Other Roads repertoire reflects their diverse backgrounds in Scotland, England and Zimbabwe resulting in an eclectic mix of traditional, contemporary and original material that ranges from soft ballads to foot stomping Celtic fiddle tunes and choruses.
The friendship that is shared by Pete, Gregor and Dave shines through, as does the sheer enjoyment of what they do. Other Roads put the emphasis on firmly on entertainment and this they achieve very well.
As well as being multi-instrumentalists, their other musical talents include teaching Scottish fiddle all over the world, arranging music and song writing. Despite all of that, one of the band hankers to be a rock star playing bass.
The band played a two month tour in New Zealand at the beginning of the year and since then have been touring extensively in the UK. Following a September tour of the UK, which includes the Irvine date, they tour the Netherlands and Germany.
Other Roads will be at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday, September 3rd, in Vineburgh Community Centre. The club starts at 8pm and its BYOB,
The website for Irvine Folk Club is now available at www.irvinefolkclub.org.uk