Category: Guests

For technical reasons you can’t access the Irvine Folk Club website at the moment via the www.irvinefolkclub.co.uk address. The website is still up and running though and accessible through a second address. You will find the site if you Google Irvine Folk Club or you can access it directly here. www.irvinefolkclub.trad.org.uk

We are currently doing some training on updating the website, so over the next couple of weeks you might a few more emails than normal. We apologise in advance for any errors. Man didn’t get to the moon without the odd snag, hopefully Joyce and Anne’s journey into cyberspace will be a smooth one!

Encourage your friends to join the club email mailing list.  Everyone who is subscribed to the Club Website will be getting this email automatically.  If you have any friends who you think would like to know what is happening at the club, the best way to keep in touch is to ‘subscribe’ to our news via the website.  All you need to do is to enter an email address on the website.  And it’s FREE!

The guests on Wednesday 30^th October at Irvine Folk Club are Drever, McGuire and Young.  We will be adding more information over the coming days. Meantime tell your friends.  Find out more at  www.drevermcguireyoung.com

 

Barbara Dymock is back at Irvine Folk Club and this time with Christopher Marra, brother of the late Michael.  They top the bill on Wednesday 16^th October at the Irvine Club which meets in Vineburgh Community Centre.

Barbara Dymock was a member of the celebrated Ceolbeg in the ‘70’s and  now, after a 20 plus year break to concentrate on her career and raise three sons, is described as a tradition bearer.  Methil born Barbara learned Scottish and Irish traditional songs from her grandparents. As a student at Dundee, she took part in the University Folk Club and began taking a serious interest in music. A founder member of Coelbeg, Barbara was also part of other musical collaborations including Rathlin and Palaver. Along with Christine Kydd, she formed a duo called Sinsheen. That duo remains in place to this day.

Barbara took a break from music when the long hours of a Junior Doctor ‘put a dampner on social activities’. Now she’s back – happy to hang round sessions and festivals and has released an album, Hilbert’s Hotel. Produced by the late Michael Marra, it includes the first CD recording of his song Maggie Sha’. The album has been well received with reviews rejoicing in Barbara’s return to the folk scene.

Barbara loves being part of the constant evolution of tradition.  It’s that enjoyment which has sustained her 35 year interest in music. At Irvine Folk Club, Barbara will be joined by Christopher Marra. With a musical career spanning four decades, Dundonian Chris is a much respected guitarist and has played in many bands. As well as the new musical collaboration with Barbara, his other current band is The Hazey Janes.

Barbara and Christopher have a considerable musical pedigree. Make sure you are in the audience to hear them on 16^th October at Irvine Folk Club.

The Club starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.

For more details see: www.barbaradymock.com

 

 

Don’t be fooled – there’s four of them and three of them are women.  But what’s in a name!  The Bevvy Sisters are a new band for Irvine Folk Club and they make their debut appearance at the Club on Wednesday 18^th September.

The Bevvy Sisters emerged some years ago as an off-shoot from the Edinburgh based Loveboat Big Band. Since then they have played Festivals and Clubs up and down the UK including appearances at Celtic Connections and the Transatlantic Sessions.

Heather Macleod, Kaela Rowan and Lindsay Black are three of the Sisters – the name of the male is a mystery yet to be revealed but chances are that he is the accompanist on guitar or maybe string bass.  Information on The Bevvy Sisters is hard to come by. What is known is that the three seasoned voices of Heather, Kaela and Lindsay form glorious harmonies to sing a repertoire that includes vintage, contemporary and original songs featuring  Jazz standards, Americana, Gospel and Folk. And their stage performance is nothing if not lively.

The Bevvy Sisters have a huge and growing fan base, including Eddie Reader. Indeed, she likes them so much she wants to be an understudy! , At Irvine Folk Club prepare for heartbreak and hilarity, sweetness and sass from the much acclaimed Bevvy Sisters. ‘From  lovelorn to lighthearted, and from murderously melancholic to cowgirl romantic’ was how one reviewer described the content of a Bevvy Sisters gig.

Therefore, to hear this bundle of energy and vocal magic, be in the Irvine Folk Club audience on Wednesday 18^th September for 8pm in Vineburgh Community Centre to hear The Bevvy Sisters.  And appropriately it’s BYOB at Irvine Folk Club!

An Australian fiddle player and a Wigtownshire piano player are the guests at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 7^th August. Their names respectively are Malcolm Bushby & Rosie Lindsay and they come highly recommended.

Tasmanian Malcolm has a strong Scottish heritage and grew up listening to the traditional music of Scotland and Ireland. So immersed in music was he that at age thirteen he toured Scotland with a Tasmanian Celtic band called Tantallon – after the East Lothian castle. Young Malcolm was impressing audiences and that led him to appearances at numerous festivals in Australia and frequently was a support act to touring folk artists in Tasmania.

After moving to Newcastle upon Tyne, Malcolm joined the North East young folk ensemble Folkestra under the direction of Kathryn Tickell. With them he played at various UK venues .He has studied with fiddlers of the calibre of Aidan O’Rourke and Stewart Hardy and by all accounts, Malcolm is considered to be one of the finest young fiddle players on the Scottish scene. No mean feat! As if that wasn’t enough, he also plays bouzouki.

At Irvine, Malcolm will be joined by Rosie Lindsay.   Wigtownshire Rosie is a Folk & Trad Music graduate of Newcastle University and has recorded a solo album which featured Malcolm.  Like Malcolm she really enjoys playing the traditional music of the UK and in particular from her home area of Dumfries & Galloway.

Malcolm Bushby & Rosie Lindsay are the final guests before the 46^th Marymass Folk Festival.  Reasons aplenty therefore to get along to Irvine Folk Club in Vineburgh Community Centre on Wednesday 7^th August  to hear Malcolm & Rosie and limber up for Marymass.  The Club starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.

Marymass Folk Festival

As mentioned, Marymass Folk Festival is but a blink away! The festival dates are Wednesday 21^st – Sunday 25^th August.  Programmes giving all info are out, but if you can’t find one phone Joyce on 01294 551047

In a change to the scheduled programme, the special guests at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 24^th July will be Mhairi Baird, Laura Jane Wilkie & Suzane Houston.  This female trio are part of the ever burgeoning ‘conveyor belt’ of young skilled musicians that Scotland is producing.  Two of them sing and between them they play Flute, Whistles, Fiddle and Piano.  Their repertoire is drawn from a variety of sources and influences but mainly Scottish and Irish traditional material.

Mhairi has played at Irvine before as a soloist while Laura Jane and Suzane will be making their debut appearance in Irvine.  They go under their own names which might make them sound like a team of Lawyers but no need to doubt their sound musical credentials.

And then it will be only one more Club Night until The 46^th Marymass Folk Festival! The Festival starts on 21st August and the closing notes will be on the 25^th August. As you can expect at Marymass, it’s a strong line-up of artists. In addition to the concerts and sessions there is a Youth Fiddle Workshop this year led by Emma Durkan. For 12 – 18 year olds on Saturday 17th & Sunday 18^th August it’s aimed at Intermediate and above levels. At only £6 each day it’s a steal.

For more info on the Fiddle Workshop and to reserve a place phone Joyce on 01294 551047. It’s the same number for all Marymass Folk Festival  enquiries and tickets.

Rallion is a folk band with the terrific knack of combining  three exceptional musical talents to create an exciting contemporary sound playing traditional music – and they are the welcome guests at Irvine Folk Club  on Wednesday 10^th July.

Rallion is a much respected band.  This is a group of three very talented and experienced musicians. Fiona Cuthill is the fiddle powerhouse and is complemented by the superb vocals of Marieke McBean and the virtuoso guitar and bouzouki playing of the ubiquitous Stevie Lawrence. The band is drawn from Glasgow and Perth. Classically trained singer Marieke is from the Netherlands and moved to Scotland in 2001 because of her love for traditional Scottish music.  Think of Scottish folk music with a soulful edge and you have Marieke’s voice.

Fiona Cuthill is an impressive and distinctive fiddle player and an acclaimed composer whilst Stevie Lawrence is a much sought after session player.  His playing of the guitar and bouzouki covers the whole range from driving rhythms to sensitive phrasing. Stevie also plays with the Red Hot Chilli Pipers. What comes through any performance of Rallion is the evident joy in their music and the fact that they love playing together.  Their repertoire includes fast-paced modern compositions played in traditional style as well as slower more thoughtful pieces.

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

Finally, it is sad to report the unexpected but peaceful death of John Montgomery.  The fiddler in the much-missed .Saltcoats Harbour Band, John enjoyed all sorts of music but particularly classical and Scottish Traditional. John was a gentle man who was a dear friend to many. John is survived by his wife Irene and her two daughters Laura and Shona.

Three seasoned performers from Adelaide will be the guests at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 26^th June. They are John Munro, Mike O’Callaghan and Pete Titchener, each of them with long careers in the music business and together they are a class act.

They say their strengths lie in their writing and choosing good material and then applying dynamic arrangements and harmonies.  When Eric Bogle is prepared to put his stamp of approval on them, then their claims must surely be well-founded!

It was the internationally known band Colcannon that brought the three men together. Colcannon topped the bill at a Marymass Saturday night concert some years ago, so Irvine is known to them. John Munro having toured with Eric Bogle for 35 years is certainly no stranger to Irvine audiences. Pete Titchener and John Munro still perform with Eric in Australia.

Munro, O’Callaghan & Titchener play instruments as only experienced session and backing musicians can. Add to that their tight harmonies and the fact that they enjoy one another’s company and it’s a trio to be reckoned with.

Hear them at Irvine folk Club in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road on Wednesday 26^th June. The Club starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.

The 46th Marymass Folk Festival

Information leaflets are now being distributed for The 46^th Marymass Folk Festival. The dates for this year’s thrash are 21^st -25^th August. All info is available at Irvine Folk Club or phone Joyce on 01294 551047.

Finally, if you are on your travels and looking for music you would do well to be in the glorious Kingdom of Fife on 28^th & 29^th June for the Falkland Traditional Folk Festival.  Looking just a bit further ahead, the Stonehaven Folk Festival dates are 11^th -14^th July. See Scotland and enjoy excellent, live music – a superb combination.

The rich and varied vein of talent on offer at Irvine Folk Club continues when Briege Murphy is guest on Wednesday 12^th June. The Ulster born and raised singer and songwriter is well thought of by many of the folk luminaries for her fine songs and lovely singing.

Born in South Armagh where she still lives with her husband and two daughters, Briege was brought up in a family steeped in music.  Following the release of her first album The Longest Road  in 1995, Briege became established as one of the strong women in Irish music. Her four subsequent albums have confirmed her status as a songwriter of note.

She has been described as an Irish Nanci Griffiths.  Accompanying herself on guitar, some of her songs are inspired by the beautiful surroundings in which she lives and in others Briege brings to life situations common to people’s own experiences.  Be prepared also for offerings such as the tongue-in-cheek  Saving Up To Be Famous.

Briege Murphy is known for her effortless warmth and sincerity and Irvine Folk Club can hear for themselves on Wednesday 12^th June at Vineburgh Community Centre.  The Club starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.

Arran Folk Festival and Folk night in Ardrossan

Elsewhere, two local events are happening this weekend.  On Friday 7^th June there is a Folk Night in Ardrossan’s Lauriston Hotel featuring The Scott Wood Trio, Andy Chung and Pinch O’ Salt. Meanwhile across the water, Arran Folk Festival will be underway from Thursday 6^th – Sunday 9^th June.

It is with huge sadness that the unexpected death of Nick Keir is reported.  Nick died in hospital in Edinburgh on Sunday 2^nd June as the result of an embolism.  He was 60 years old.  Edinburgh man Nick had been battling cancer for the last 14 months.

It was as a student at Stirling University that Nick formed the band Finn mac Cuill which went on to record two albums and tour Europe. He also wrote many songs for the 7.84 Theatre Group. He then went on to work at The National Library in Edinburgh and it was while there that Nick was invited to join The McCalmans in 1982.  Nick was ‘the middle one’ of The Macs and he remained with them until they hung up their instruments in 2010.

He wrote many fine songs and was a skilled instrumentalist. However, Nick was particularly  good when The Macs would ‘ham it up’  in songs like Goodnight Sweetheart, Wrecked Again and Don’t Sit on my Jimmy Shands.

He released a solo album recently, The Edge of the Night.  It has been attracting consistently good reviews one describing it as “an accomplished triumph in which the singer comes across as a man at peace with himself.”

Nick had been booked to play at Marymass this year.  He was delighted to have been asked and was looking forward to it.

Nick is survived by his Mum and a brother.