A new band to the Irvine Club, this acoustic trio comes from the Inverness area and play a mix of folk, Americana and country. That said, up until the end of 2012, Red Hook Rapids was a duo!
Donald Forbes and Ally Macleod are the original Red Hook Rapids members. They got together in Summer 2010 when Ally was recording a solo album Astor Place and Donald was the sound engineer. A shared devotion to a particular strand of American music ultimately resulted in Red Hook Rapids coming about.
Donald plays lead guitar and he and Ally share lead vocals. They were both established singers and songwriters in their own right prior to teaming up as a duo. They share a love of strong harmonies and describe their music as folk with country influences playing a hybrid of British and American material. They have one album to their name – Closer To Home – released in June last year. Red Hook Rapids became a trio in December 2012 when guitarist Stewart Campbell joined them.
So, shake off any start-of-the-year blues and get along to Irvine Folk Club in Vineburgh Community Centre on Wednesday 9th January to hear Red Hook Rapids. The Club starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.
Finally, the 20th Celtic Connections bursts into life on 17th January and continues until 3rd February. There is a huge guest list and umpteen venues so still time to make plans to mosey along and soak up the atmosphere.