Bob Wood – 9th August

Due to very sudden serious illness in Wendy’s family she won’t be able to be at Irvine on Wednesday night. However Fiona Cuthill and Stevie Lawrence will be our guests and it should be a good night.

The Irvine Folk Club audience is in for some spectacular singing and playing on Wednesday 2nd March when The Wendy Weatherby Band are the special guests. The four Band members are each in their own right extremely talented musicians and joining forces, they will demonstrate the wealth of talent on the Scottish music scene.
Sandy Brechin, Stevie Lawrence, Fiona Cuthill and of course Wendy Weatherby make up the Band. All of them in some guise have appeared in Irvine – although only those who used to frequent the Irvine Club when The Redburn Hotel was its home will have heard Sandy play here. He is an off the wall Scottish Accordionist who plays superbly and with great energy. He plays in the popular ceilidh band The Jimmy Shandrix Experience, Burach, Seelyhoo and his own Sandy Brechin Band.
If you’ve heard Iron Horse or Rallion at the Irvine Club then you’ve heard the mesmerising guitar and bouzouki playing of Stevie Lawrence. He is an unassuming fellow who has toured all over the globe and is in great demand as a session musician. Stevie also plays in a duo with Fiddler Fiona Cuthill. She is a classically trained musician from Glasgow and is also a member of Rallion. Fiona’s Fiddle playing is quite exceptional and it will be great to hear her again in Irvine.
Wendy Weatherby is a Cellist, Singer and Composer and is the linchpin of the Band. She has wide musical interests and with her clever and sensitive Cello playing and warm vocals, it’s easy to understand why she has played at Folk and Jazz events all over the world. Wendy has composed music for theatre and film – she was part of the terrific John Bryden productions The Big Picnic and The Ship.
Four distinguished musicians in one Band. Make sure you are in the audience on Wednesday 2nd March to hear The Wendy Weatherby Band at Irvine Folk Club in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road. The Club starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.

From Nimes in France via Darlington comes Flossie Malavialle and she is the guest at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 17th February. Flossie has been at the Irvine Club a number of times and is a popular guest.

Flossie plays cover versions of a wide range of songwriters including McCartney, Allan Taylor, ABBA, Janis Joplin. She also plays music from different genres particularly Jazz as well as material by Jacques Brel and Edith Piaf. Eclectic or what? Her strong and clear voice is accompanied by her energetic acoustic guitar style. Flossie has 12 albums to her name, the most recent one, If I have to go, released in Spring 2015.

Having now been based in England for almost two decades, Flossie’s accent is difficult to describe and she uses the resultant franglais patter throughout her performances. She trained and taught as a teacher in France and now being Darlington based, she is a singer who on occasion does supply language teaching. Flossie tours all over the UK mainly as a soloist but sometimes as a duo with Keith Donnelly who also appears on some of her albums.

To hear Flossie Malavialle, make sure you are in the Irvine Folk Club audience at Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road on Wednesday 17th February. The club starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.

Elsewhere, a Banjo, Mandolin, Guitar Festival takes place from Friday 11th – Sunday 13th March in Kelvinside Academy in Kirklee Road in Glasgow and it sounds like very heaven for devotees of these instruments. ‘Heavy Classic’ is a band from Germany and they headline the Opening Concert. They play guitar, mandolin and cello in impressive style. Workshops galore are available for players of all abilities on the Saturday. Sounds excellent and it’s an easy venue to get to. All info at bmgfestival.org or phone 07415 758146.

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