Category: Guests

Joan & Elma tackle gruelling walk….for Folk Club funds.

On Sunday 18th May Irvine Folk Club member Joan Muir and her dog Elma will be taking part in the Annual Harbourside Sponsored Hike organised by the Tailor Craft – one of Irvine’s seven Incorporated Trades.
Already, Joan and Elma are in training for the event. They hope to get a number of sponsors to raise funds for the Folk Club.
‘It’s a bit of a slog’ said Joan ‘but the effort is worth it if it helps the Club. Describing the event as a Hike is maybe a bit of an exaggeration as all of us know Irvine is fairly flat, but it’s good fun except when you go the wrong way as was the case last year – and that was with two sighted friends!!’
A sponsor sheet will be available at the Club this Wednesday 14th May when Flossie Malavialle is the guest. Sponsorship money will be collected the following Club night on Wednesday 28th May.
Please support this annual fundraiser for Irvine Folk Club.

Flossie Malavialle is the guest at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 14th May.
It is just over two years since she last appeared at the Irvine Club and a visit to Irvine has been included on her busy Scottish tour which is sure to please her admirers. She is an entertainer.

From Nimes in France but resident in the North East of England these last 12 plus years, Flossie has a clear and strong voice and accompanies herself on acoustic guitar. Her repertoire is very varied and could include anything from Janis Joplin to Nat King Cole and from Edith Piaf to Colum Sands.

Flossie’s first appearance at Irvine some years ago went down very well. She has a commanding stage presence and, for the most part, sings well known songs. She now has 10 albums to her name. As well as her solo gigs, Flossie is one half of the Dark Horses duo – the other half being guitarist Keith Donnelly. In short, she’s busy.

She had taught English in France for 12 years before going to Darlington on a teacher exchange to improve her English. As she had been singing in Clubs in France for years, the natural thing to do was to visit the local Folk Club in Darlington. It was then that Flossie took to life on this side of The Channel and here she has remained.

Hear Flossie Malavialle at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 14th May in Vineburgh Community Centre. The Club starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.

And looking ahead, full details on this year’s Marymass Folk Festival are available. Festival Leaflets are in all North Ayrshire Libraries plus all sorts of other places too. You can also go online at www.irvinefolkclub.co.uk or phone Joyce on 01294 551047. Festival Concerts tickets are now on sale and as the mighty Battlefield Band are headlining the Marymass Saturday Night concert on 23rd August, securing a ticket well in advance might be a wise idea.

Finally, the Moniaive Folk Festival is on this coming weekend 9th -11th May. All Moniaive info from alan@snadermill.co.uk

Louise Jordan is a young singer, composer, musician and record producer. She is currently on a UK tour and Irvine Folk Club welcomes her on Wednesday 30th April.
Born in Winchester, growing up in Salisbury and now living with her husband in Fordingbridge, Louise has two albums to her name. Both of them she produced herself in her purpose-built studio at home having learned how to use Pro-tools. The two albums are on her own label Azania Records. This is a lady who just gets on with things!
It was in Salisbury that Louise worked through her piano, cello and singing grades. In her late teens, thinking that playing guitar would be different from reading scores, she taught herself guitar.
Whilst doing a Law degree, music dipped into the background. She thought that by using her Law qualification she could help change the world and so Louise worked with Young Offenders and as a Youth Worker before training as a Teacher. Realising that Teaching was not for her and not wanting to go back to Law, it was with the encouragement and support of her husband that she decided to pursue a musical career.
The main strength of multi-instrumentalist Louise is her voice. Her songs are about what she knows and about people overcoming life’s challenges. She cites the downside of being a solo artist as realising that someone’s got to drive!
At home, Louise and her husband are putting together Forest Live – a series of live shows at Fordingbridge. They are both of the mind that music is part of everybody’s life and do what they can to involve people.
Louise Jordan makes her debut at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 30th April in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road. The Club starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.
And almost finally, the Folk Sessions at The Ship Inn at Irvine’s Harbourside are going from strength to strength and attracting a huge range of musical styles. The sessions are weekly on Tuesdays and start at 8pm.
And finally, not long now to the Girvan Folk Festival, Friday 2nd – Sunday 4th May.
All info on Girvan at www.girvanfolkfestival.co.uk

The guest at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 16th April is in the ‘not-to-be-missed’ category. Anthony John Clarke is the name and make sure you are in the audience to hear this much acclaimed singer and songwriter.

The softly spoken, fast talking and very engaging Belfast born Anthony John Clarke has been on the folk circuit for a number of years having been hooked on music from an early age when he heard Barry McGuire singing ‘Eve of Destruction’ and Bob Dylan’s ‘Like A Rolling Stone ‘. As a young man, AJC heard Al Stewart, John Martyn, Claire Hamill and Christy Moore at Belfast University and that cemented his admiration of songwriters. Ray Davies of The Kinks is included in AJC’s favourite seven songwriters. Despite having 12 albums to his name, two songbooks and being held in high regard among his peers and fans, AJC reckons he is still very much an apprentice songwriter!

Starting off playing a second-hand Eko Ranger 6 as a youngster, AJC has become well known for his accomplished playing of a snazzy, red acoustic guitar. He plays songs that make you sit up and listen and ponder the story being told. Some of his songs like ‘Gloria’ have almost become standards. Whilst others like ‘Spray A Little Perfume’ and ‘Banjo Antarctica’ are much requested wherever he goes….and AJC has a very busy diary. Next month he is up and down the UK and then on to Denmark. June he is in the Netherlands and Germany, whilst February 2015 already has New Zealand dates.

AJC sees entertaining the audience as his first responsibility. And this he does so very, very well. Therefore, to hear terrific songs with a unique delivery sung by a singer and songwriter of great quality, get along to Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 16th April in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road to hear Anthony John Clarke. The Club starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.

And still in Irvine, The Sessions at The Ship started last week and got off to a great start. About a dozen musicians turned up including a young trio who played Small Pipes and Fiddle. It was so good that someone from Paisley missed her last train and had to get a lift home! Sessions at The Ship start at 8pm and they are on every Tuesday at The Ship Inn in Irvine’s Harbourside. Go along and hear for yourself.

And finally, folk musicians from all over Ayrshire will be playing at a concert in The Ayr Gaiety on Friday 11th April as part of 40th Anniversary celebrations of Girvan Folk Festival. Tickets available from The Gaiety. Go!

Ayrshire Folk at The Ayr Gaiety……..
Some weel kent faces will gather in the Studio Theatre at The Ayr Gaiety on Friday 11th April to flag up the fact that 2014 is Girvan Folk Festival’s 40th anniversary. Amongst those performing are Sean & Robyn Grey from Coylton, Willie Sinclair and Dick & Maureen McAllister from Irvine, a squad from Girvan plus Paul Creighton & Stevie McCann under the name New Legacy.
Hosting the evening in his own inimitable style will be Gordon Potter. The evening starts at 7.30pm and tickets are on sale now.

News snippets…….
A reminder that The Ship Sessions start tonight Tuesday 1st April at 8pm in The Ship Inn at Irvine’s Harbourside……and, in a conversation with Bob Wood who guests at The Club this Wednesday, Bob said to Joyce that this would be the second time he had played in Irvine. The first time being on Christmas Night 1968 when he played at The Eglinton with Rab Noakes. Jings!

Folk music sessions start at Irvine’s Ship Inn on Tuesday 1st April and it’s no April Fool ruse! The Ship Sessions start on April 1st and will continue weekly thereafter. The starting time is 8pm and as with all such Sessions, there is no admission charge.
The new development came about when Joyce Hodge and Anne Clarke of Irvine Folk Club were discussing plans for this year’s Marymass Folk Festival with Chris and Jamie Murray of The Ship where Festival Sessions take place.
Anne said, ‘In the course of conversation, it quickly became obvious that The Ship would be an ideal venue for Sessions on a regular basis. Chris and Jamie were keen on the idea and we were confident that singers and musicians would be equally keen. We’re delighted that Folk Music Sessions will be a weekly fixture on the Irvine calendar.
The weekly Sessions at The Ship at Irvine’s Harbourside are open to folk musicians and singers from all parts and, once established, you just wouldn’t know who might drop in! Budding musicians are welcome and of course everyone who would rather listen than participate.

The guest at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 2nd April is Bob Wood. He is described by Ian McCalman as ‘one of Scotland’s best kept secrets’ and Bob’s debut album remains as one of Ian’s ‘most played’. Not a recommendation to be sniffed at!
Although a native of Ayr, Bob moved to the bright lights of London a number of years ago and there he has remained. He is a founder member and organiser of The Ram Folk Club in Surrey and it is in and around London and the Home Counties that Bob has established himself as a very accomplished finger style guitarist and an excellent singer. With artists of the calibre of Tom McConville, Steve Tiltson and Jez Lowe all waxing lyrical about Bob’s expertise, the Irvine audience can look forward to an entertaining evening.
Bob has played at countless Clubs and Festivals throughout the UK and has contributed to a number of albums by other artists. His deft guitar picking skills make his guitar workshops much sought after. The workshops focus on alternative guitar tunings and song accompaniment. His extensive repertoire of songs includes traditional material as well as more contemporary songs. As well as his solo career, Bob does regular gigs with Benny Gallagher of Gallagher & Lyle fame and it’s a partnership they they both very much enjoy.
Therefore to hear the much respected Bob Wood from Ayr make his debut appearance at Irvine Folk Club, get along to Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road on Wednesday 2nd April for 8pm. It’s BYOB and there’s a very good café too.
Looking ahead, the 40th Girvan Folk Festival celebrations take place from Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th May. Altan, Arthur Johnstone & The Stars Band, Chris Miles, The Tattiehowkers Ceilidh Band are just some of the impressive guest list. Bookings for events are available online at www.girvanfolkfestival.co.uk

‘Whatever you say, say nothing, when you talk about you know what’ is a line from one of the seemingly endless flow of original songs by Colum Sands and he is the very welcome guest at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 19th March. An internationally acclaimed songwriter and a hardworking and successful performer and a record producer – Colum packs a lot into each day.

Colum has been singing for 30 plus years, having started out as part of the renowned Sands Family way back in the early 70s. It was then that The Sands first played in Irvine and a close and lasting friendship has endured with the Irvine Club since then. Colum, like his brothers has carved out a very successful solo career in the last 25 or so years and is much respected among his peers as a gifted songwriter. As a result, his songs have been recorded by a number of household names.

Colum is from Newry and is a gentle fellow. He has been described as a universal storyteller and has a warm, moving and funny on and off stage presence. His songs record life past and present and some of his work in recent times has helped break down cultural barriers particularly in places like Israel where he has been working with other musicians.

Having learned to play the fiddle from his late Father, Colum also plays concertina and is also a fine guitar player. When he first played in Irvine he played the double bass too – but travelling with it had its difficulties!

Colum takes his music all over the world and has played in over thirty countries. As well as smaller venues like Irvine Folk Club, Colum has played in New York’s Carnegie Hall. In addition, for the last 20 years Colum has presented BBC Radio Ulster’s Folk Club from Belfast. And somehow he manages to record albums. His most recent one being Turn The Corner.

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear one of the folk scene’s most accomplished and entertaining performers Colum Sands when he plays Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 19th March. The Club meets in Vineburgh Community Centre, starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.

Barluath

Glasgow based five piece outfit Barluath are the welcome special guests at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 5th March. Bar-lhu-ah is how to pronounce the name and, for the record, it’s the name for an ancient bagpiping embellishment, which because it consisted of 19 separate grace notes, meant it was too difficult to practice. So now we know!
The five Band members met while studying at the Royal Conservatoire in Glasgow, where between them their tutors read like a who’s who of the giants in Scottish music. Barluath play traditional contemporary music of Scotland, Ireland and America. Formed in 2010, as well as playing Folk Clubs and Concerts they have played at Celtic Connections and Piping Live! and also Washington DC as part of the St Andrew’s Day Celebrations in the USA.
Ainsley Hamill from Cardross does lead vocals. She is also a member of Bannal the ladies waulking song group. On piano and keyboards is Alistair Paterson from Bishopton. Alistair was a Mod Gold Medal winner for Piano in 2006 and 2007 and is in demand as a session musician. Colin Greeves from East Kilbride is on pipes and whistles and came through the ranks via the National Centre for Excellence in Trad Music at Plockton where he was tutored by the renowned solo piper Ian MacFadyen.
Edinburgh man Edward Seaman plays pipes, whistles and bouzouki and began playing the pipes when he was 12. After studying at Plockton he moved to The Conservatoire where his tutors included Finlay MacDonald for piping and Marc Duff for whistles and bouzouki. Finally, on fiddle is Eilidh Firth from Dundee. She is a member of The National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and was section principal of The National Youth String Orchestra of Scotland. Eilidh is already an experienced teacher and her work has taken her to New York and the Fiji Islands so far. Her tutors having included Alastair McCulloch and Marie Fielding must have helped considerably!
Liz Clarke who hosts the Danny Kyle Open Stage at Celtic Connections never tires of saying that with Barluath the tradition is in very safe hands.
Hear Barluath at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 5th March in Vineburgh Community Centre complete with the excellent cafe. The Club starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.