Bob Wood – 9th August

Returning to play at Irvine Folk Club after an absence of a good number of years, Kellys Heroes will top the bill on Wednesday 20th July. They were a very popular band and so expectations are high this time round.
Kellys Heroes first played in Irvine when The Redburn Hotel was the Club’s home – an indication of the quick passage of time! They went down well and subsequently appeared at Marymass Folk Festivals. Then due to family circumstances, the band was off the road for a while. But now they’re back.
The rich strength of Kellys Heroes is Helen O’Connell’s fine playing of the Button Accordion and Melodeon plus the powerful rhythmic Guitar and Bodhran playing of Steve Hall and Tony Duggan respectively. And all three do vocals too. As might be expected, the fast and furious Celtic songs and tunes are in their set list as well as gentle ballads and contemporary material from the likes of Eric Bogle, Ewan MacColl and Christy Moore.
It will be good to have this East Midlands based Band back in Irvine. Hear them for yourself, whether it’s the second or the first time, at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 20th July at Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road. The Club starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.
Finally, look out in your local Library for The 49th Marymass Folk Festival programme giving full details of the five day bash. The dates are Wednesday 17th – Sunday 21st August and the programme will also be available at www.irvinefolkclub.org or else phone Joyce on 01294 551047.

The guest at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 6th July 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. Artists of the calibre of Archie Fisher, Tom McConville, Steve Tiltson and Jez Lowe all wax lyrical about Bob’s expertise and they know a thing or two about good music.

Bob has played at countless Clubs and Festivals throughout the UK and has contributed to a number of albums by other artists. Being in demand to appear on other artists’ CDs probably accounts for the fact that he has released only two of his own. His deft and much admired guitar picking skills make his guitar workshops very 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 on his second appearance at Irvine Folk Club, get along to Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road on Wednesday 6th July for 8pm. It’s BYOB at the Club and there’s also a good café available.

Elsewhere, two glorious parts of Scotland are hosting Trad Music Festivals. First up is Falkland this weekend 1st – 3rd July and, from 7th – 9th July it’s the turn of Newton Stewart & Minigaff. Superb places to visit plus good music equals wonderful!

Our guest list until the end of the Year is now complete. Here is the list for your diaries.

July 6th Bob Wood
July 20th Kelly’s Heroes
August 3rd Enda Kenny

August 17th – 21st THE 49th MARYMASS FOLK FESTIVAL

August 31st The Mairs Family Band
September 14th Mark and Cindy Lemaire
September 28th David Francey
October 12th Jack Law’s Band
October 26th Saffron Summerfield
November 9th Fraser Nimmo
November 23rd Forgaitherin (Glenfarg)
December 7th Alan Reid and Rob Von Sante

With nearly thirty years’ experience playing on the Americana, Country and Folk circuit, the John Hinshelwood Band will be strutting their stuff at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 22nd June. They last played at the Club almost four years ago.

The well established name of John Hinshelwood on the Scottish Americana circuit has come about from playing at Country Festivals, Bluegrass Festivals, Folk Clubs and Arts Centres all over the UK. Glasgow based John describes himself as a singer and songwriter. He plays acoustic guitar and does vocals.

His respect and admiration for the late Gram Parsons led him to form The City Sinners – a six-piece outfit set up to perform a show based on Gram’s life and music. The Sinners continue to play on an ad hoc basis. Canadian vocalist Sandra Gellatly was recruited to the Sinners and went on to form a duo with John Hinshelwood. A result of this collaboration was a CD in 2009 called Shattered Pleasures. It featured 9 original compositions by John. Lowering the Tone is John’s third CD and was released last year.

Tim Black on acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin and vocals and Ed McGlone on bass and vocals complete the John Hinshelwood Band line-up.

Americana could be described as an amalgam of American musical styles, including folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. To check out this very loose description, get along to Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 22nd June at 8pm to hear the John Hinshelwood Band. The Club meets in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road and it’s BYOB.

Elsewhere, the winners of the 2015 BBC Folk Award Jossienne Clark & Ben Walker are appearing at The Star on Tuesday 28th June. The Club starts at 7.30pm in The Admiral Bar in Glasgow’s Waterloo Street.

A new band from Ireland, The Jeremiahs, will top the bill at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 8th June and Mike Harding has described them as ‘one of the most exciting bands to come out of Ireland in a long time’.
The band won the Best Vocal & Instrumental Album of the Year at Live Ireland last year and one commentator reckons that the four men who make up the band are examples of that rare breed – unassuming musicians. The band was formed in 2013 and they play both traditional and contemporary music in a style that demonstrates their combined abundance of skill.
The four band members are Dublin born Joe Gibney on vocals and whistle; JC Morel from Bordeaux on fiddle and mandola who was drawn to Dublin after hearing a recording of The Bothy Band and moved there to study Irish music; James Ryan whose percussive style of playing on guitar and bouzouki is a hallmark of the band and from Co Clare Brian Corry on whistle, fiddle and mandola. James is also a Sound Engineer – a handy and money-saving talent to have in a band!
The Jeremiahs are superb musicians whose repertoire of songs includes rousing sea shanties, songs of love, hardship and loss with arrangements that vary from the barest minimum to complex interweaving of driving guitar chords and fiddle and whistle.
The story is that this band is not-to-be-missed. The Jeremiahs is an interesting name but from what is known, it doesn’t appear that they will have any difficulty impressing the Irvine audience on Wednesday 8th June. The Club meets in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road at 8pm and it’s BYOB.
Elsewhere, if you’re looking for music near to home, then take a sail to Arran this weekend where the Arran Folk Festival will be in full swing from 3rd to 5th June. The programme looks good and Arran is always good to visit. Name appearing include Tim Edey, Claire Hastings, young band Talisk and of course Gillian Frame. Just go!

Dan McKinnon
From Halifax Nova Scotia, Dan McKinnon make his debut appearance at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 25th May and by all accounts, this is an artist in the not-to-be-missed category.
Dan started off playing French Horn in various ensembles and youth orchestras and this kindled his love for a variety of musical styles. It was at the end of his first year at Teacher Training College that he picked up his sister’s acoustic guitar and discovered his newfound musical passion.
Canada’s best known and best loved folk musician Stan Rogers remains Dan’s biggest musical influence. He first heard the music of Stan Rogers in 1979 and it was several years later before he heard him live. Dan has now clocked up 30 years of being a professional musician and has six Recordings to his name.
He has a rich and warm, strong baritone voice and a Finger Picking Guitar style. Dan tells stories in song. His songwriting skills are said to be as powerful as his voice.
Dan tours annually in the UK, also plays in the USA and has toured South Australia. He is in such admiration of Stan Rogers that he created a Dan sings Stan show which includes snippets about Stan’s life as well as his songs.
So for those already in the know about the talented Dan McKinnon or the simply curious, make your way on Wednesday 25th May for 8pm to Irvine Folk Club in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road.
Looking slightly ahead, on Friday 10th June the Ardrossan Highland Games Folk Night at The Lauriston Hotel features Dave Gibb,Bluegrass Band The Daddy Naggins and Ayrshire man Ciaran Sinclair. Tickets at £10 from The Lauriston.

A one-man folk industry in the shape of Pete Coe will be the guest at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 11th May. Those who have been in the audience at one of Pete’s previous Irvine gigs will reckon the one-man folk industry description to be pretty accurate. Who else do you know who does step-dancing while playing and singing at the same time!
Tall, lanky Cheshire born Pete is dry of wit and has an impressive instrumental versatility. He has been a professional musician since 1971 and has played at Festivals, Concerts, Clubs, Dances and Schools throughout the UK, Europe, Asia, New Zealand and the USA. From this, he has accumulated a vast repertoire of traditional and original songs and performance experience.
Pete can switch with ease from Melodeon to Banjo to Dulcimer to Bouzouki and uses his feet as percussion. He plays classic ballads, tells rural yarns and travellers’ tales, sings songs of love and loss and industrial protest that he has learned from the song-carriers and songsmiths he has met over his lifetime.
Pete has released a number of CDs and been a member of a number of significant musical outfits including the marvellous and colourful New Victory Band and as part of a much-loved duo with his then wife Chris.
Therefore, to hear this man of many parts – singer, songwriter, raconteur, step-dancer, multi-instrumentalist who is Pete Coe, be at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 11th May for 8pm at Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road.
Finally, from 6th – 8th May the 15th Moniaive Folk Festival will be worth a visit whilst at the opposite end of the country from 26th – 29th May, Orkney Folk Festival will be en fete! Rarely is there a week without a Folk Festival somewhere in Scotland. They all help to keep music live.

Ian Bruce, Ian Walker & Moe Walker

Ian Bruce & Ian Walker have become a trio! Ian W’s wife Moe has joined the band and you can hear all three of them at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 27th April. Whilst Moe has on occasion joined the Ians on stage, this is the first time for Irvine audiences that she will be a formal band member.

Visits by Ian Bruce & Ian Walker are always welcome. They are two gifted songwriters with fine voices who play guitar and banjo respectively – and they are really nice guys. Moe is a singer and lends another dimension to an already classy duo. Sadly, little background info on Moe is available being that she is new-ish – all things in time!

Ian Bruce now resident in Edinburgh and Bo’Ness based Ian Walker joined forces in 1987 as an occasional duo, they quickly established themselves as a winning musical combination. Ian Walker says that his introduction to the world of entertainment was via the legendary Scots actor and entertainer Jimmy Logan. Ian has honed his skills playing at countless Folk Clubs and Festivals amassing a wealth of experience that comes from decades in the business. A very fine Banjo player, Ian sings and plays in an uncomplicated way and believes passionately in the power of music.

It’s hard to pin down Ian B’s style – his repertoire includes traditional material, country plus some almost pop items. What’s certain is that his exceptional vocal range and fine guitar playing make him an artist that is hard to match. As well as playing alongside the other Ian, Ian B also does solo gigs and over the last year or so, has teamed up again with big brother Fraser under the name Mrs Bruce’s Boys. If you have heard the marvellous Far, Far From Ypres show produced by Ian McCalman, then you have heard the powerful vocals of Ian Bruce.

The thoughtful and challenging songwriting style of both Ians continues to produce gems. Ian W’s Hawks and Eagles Fly Like Doves was used on a CD to mark the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in Britain and the respect of other musicians is evident from the number of artists who cover material from both Ians.

Ian Bruce, Ian Walker & Moe Walker are at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 27th April. The Club meets in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road and starts at 8pm. Better get there in good time to make sure of a seat.

Winter Wilson is one of the hardest working and most talented duos on the UK acoustic music scene and happily, Irvine Folk Club is included in their current touring schedule. The husband and wife team top the bill at the Irvine Club on Wednesday 13th April.
The duo are back by popular demand. The fine singing, stunning harmonies and off-the-wall humour of Winter Wilson on their debut appearance at the Irvine Club ensured that they would be back. Kip Winter and Dave Wilson turned full-time professional musicians in 2012 and their busy touring schedule indicates that it was the right choice.
Kip’s nomadic upbringing saw her being raised in Holland, Germany, England, Scotland and France. She loves singing anything, but especially folk and blues. Kip learned to sing harmonies on long car journeys back to the Outer Hebrides in the family car and as well as having a fine voice, she plays Accordion, Guitar and Flute.
Lincolnshire man Dave bought his first Yamaha Guitar as a 17 year old and taught himself to play by studying The David Bowie Songbook. As well as having an excellent voice, Dave plays Guitar and Banjo. He is also recognised as an accomplished contemporary acoustic songwriter whose songs are much in demand.
Together, Winter Wilson have released seven CDs including a song on their Cutting Free release which was written especially for Kip’s Mum by their good friend the late and much missed Nick Keir.
Winter Wilson is a class act. Their faultless harmonies seem effortless and added to their well-chosen repertoire and easy on-stage chemistry all add up to a duo well worth a listen. To hear Winter Wilson be at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 13th April for 8pm in Vineburgh Community Centre where it’s BYOB.
And finally, The Glenfarg Folk Feast takes place 8th – 10th April in stunning Kinross. All info from 01577 830370 or www.glenfargfolkclub.com
ENDS