Issue 21 2/2002
FolkWorld's
Readers Top 10 of the year 2001
If you have not found it yet: FolkWorld has published in Mid-January FolkWorld's
Best of 2001 listings. This time, the Readers' CD favourite was Lunasa, while
the Editors went for Rosapaeda. In FolkWorld's Best of 2001, you will find a
Readers' CD Top 10, an Editors' Cd and Live Top 10, and a CD Top 5of FolkWorld's
regular contributors.
Click here to see FolkWorld's
Best of 2001
Batty's new old singer
Scotland. After Karine Polwart has left the Battlefield Band in December to
concentrate on her other musical projects, a new old singer has joined the Scottish
institution. Former Battlefield Band singer Pat Kilbride comes back to join
the lads as a singer. Pat comes from Co. Kildare in Ireland, and has played
music for an early age, learning first the classical piano. He later taught
himself guitar and cittern and developed these skills as a member of "The Pavies"
along with Paddy Keenan and Davy Spillane. Pat was originally a member of the
band in the late 70's for a couple of years, recorded one album with them "At
The Front", and also toured with them throughout Europe.
The new line-up is then Alan Reid, Alasdair White (the recent replacement for
fiddler John McCusker), piper Mike Katz and Pat Kilbride. As the Batties comment:
"The Batty train just keeps on rolling!!" Let's just hope that their
train stays as reliable as it has always been, unlike the recent developments
on the privatised British railway system...
BBC
Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award 2002
Scotland. The BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award was successfully
inaugurated last year by virtuoso concertina player Simon Thoumire (Footstompin'
Records; photo), in association with Celtic Connections Festival. Inspired by
the quality of the young talent emerging in Scotland, and always striving to
heighten the profile of Scottish Traditional Music; Simon devised and organised
this annual event. The winner is presented with the fantastic opportunity of
a record deal with Footstompin' Records, and invitations to various festivals
including Tønder in Denmark, and next years Celtic Connection's BBC Radio
Broadcast.
The finals took place at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall Sun 27th January, and
proved to be a fantastic evening. The seven contestants were: Ross Ainslie (pipes),
Ruaridh Campbell (fiddle), Findlay Napier (voice, guitar), Jennifer Port (clarsach),
Emily Smith (voice, accordion), Jamie Smith (fiddle) Lori Watson (fiddle). A
capacity audience were treated to some amazing performances. The young performers
all rose magnificently to the occasion and the audience roared their approval
for each one.
The unanimous winner was "Emily Smith" of Dumfriesshire, who is a stunning singer
and will now go on to produce an album with Foot
Stompin' Records.
The judges who had to choose between seven extremely talented finalists were
Carsten Pandura, Artistic Director of Tønder Festival, Thistle & Shamrock broadcaster
Fiona Ritchie, musician John McCusker, Michael Bird of The British Council and
Dougie Pincock, Director of Music at Plockton Centre for Musical Excellence.
The first Dutch Drone festival
The Netherlands. On 23rd March 2002 a special festival for drone instruments
takes place in Maurik, Holland. Organised by the Dutch foundation for bagpipe
and hurdy-gurdy this will be a special day full of workshops and concerts. This
festival is for anybody who plays either bagpipes from the West European mainland
or hurdy gurdy. Also people who would like to get to know these instruments
are welcome to join and try the instruments theirselves or just watch how other
musicians play. The price is only 5 euro for the whole day including concerts
by Ashels, De swen, Bijoux and many other artists. For more information please
visit: www.antenna.nl/draailier-doedelzak/
Landlady back in the pub
for a day...
Ireland. Ann Carbery, who had long been running the Carbery\'s Pub in Drogheda,
passed away last summer. The pub was (and hopefully will keep on being) a fine
little haven for traditional music lovers. It has been told that her coffin
was brought, open, inside the pub, where the wake took place amidst music and
songs. Luigi from Italy, who sent in this item, commented: "I can't even
hope a better end for myself."
HARLEKIN RECORDS - Your source for FOLK MUSIC (North America, Ireland, Great
Britain), COUNTRY, BLUEGRASS and related music. Always more than 10.000 different
compact discs, LP-records and video tapes in stock!
Harlekin Records and
its full catalogue is available in the Internet, at www.harlekin-records.de.
Contact: E-mail Harlekin-Records@t-online.de;
Jürgen Feuß, Postfach 110142-FW, 28081 Bremen / GERMANY. Phone: +49
421 7 49 10, FAX: +49 421 70 0051
Dutch Folk Music - new
FolkWorld series
FolkWorld/The Netherlands. Dutch folk music is widely unknown - as was shown
even at last year's WOMEX held in Rotterdam, where there was a distinctive lack
of Dutch folk music representation. FolkWorld's Eelco Schilder takes this as
a reason to start a FolkWorld series about Dutch folk music, to make Dutch music
more widely known. You can read a prologue to the series
in the article section of FolkWorld.
Eelco would appreciate it very much if you could send him any questions you
have regarding Dutch traditional music. Are there any artists you know but would
like to know more about? What is your personal opinion about Dutch traditional
music? Please contact him if you have any questions or suggestions and assist
him in writing "an intriguing History of Dutch Folk Music". Write
to Eelco.
A
new McCalman
Scotland. After the tragical death of Derek Moffat, one of the founder members
of the McCalmans (see the obituary by Iain
McCalman), the Macs decided to continue touring (which was also a wish of
Derek). The new member is Stephen Quigg. This is what the Macs say on the website:
"The McCalmans would like to thank everyone for their support and good
wishes following the tragic death of founder-member Derek Moffat. It would be
difficult to over-estimate the loss which we all feel, but we are delighted
to welcome Stephen Quigg as a permanent member of the band. Stephen has been
The Macs support act on some 16 tours of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland,
and is a long-time friend of the band. Already he's become as firm favourite
on our tours of Denmark and Germany and he also manages to lower the average
age of the group considerably."
More Infos on the McCalmans' website, http://www.mccalmans.co.uk
Pure Irish Drops Tour 2002
Germany and surrounding countries. Florian Fürst's Pure Irish Drop Tour,
with its three musicians traditionally touring in autumn in Germany and Middle
Europe, has announces its line-up 2002. The tour will take place under the aspect
"TEACHERS, SOURCES & IDOLS" and will focus on older musicians, who have influenced
a lot of those younger musicians, that have just made careers now or are in
the process of doing so. The Line-Up will be: Joe Burke - accordion, Cathal
McConnell - vocals, flute and whistle, Dinny McLaughlin - fiddle.
Joe Burke is to the B/C box what Michael Coleman was to the fiddle, a player
of immense technical resource and imagination who has left a definitive stamp
on the music. He has given workshops and masterclasses at home and abroad and
has influenced a generation of box players. Cathal McConnell, a founder-member
of Boys Of The Lough, is one of the best flute and whistle players in the Irish
tradition and a greatly respected singer. His naturally relaxed and friendly
stage presence allied to an air of bespectacled confusion endears him to audiences
everywhere. A lot of musician call him as the source of a lot of music and their
style of playing. Dinny McLaughlin has taught many good musicians including
Ciarn Tourish (Altan), Liz Doherty and Maréad N´Mhaonaigh (Altan) and many more.
He is a very fine player and is well known and respected in Ireland. He composes
a lot of his own stuff and has lately released a CD "Play It By Ear".
The tour takes place from September 19 to October 13, 2002. More infos at www.ffmusik.de.
Irish Folk in prestigious
UK Photo Mag
Ireland/Germany. A small portfolio of live gig shots by Sean Laffey from the
November 2001 "Mad For Trad" concert tour of Germany (promoted by Magnetic Music)
are to feature in the April edition of the UK magazine "Black & White Photography".
The magazine is one of the many titles of the Guild of Master Craftsman Publications.
"It's a real honour to be included in this magazine, which highlights the very
best black and white photographers from around the world, a big thanks to all
the musicians, stage crew and Petr Pandula of Magnetic Music who allowed me
access to the concerts" said Sean Laffey.
Brussels premier folk venue
moves
Brussles. The concerts organised in la Tentation will not take place there anymore
but at other venues in Brussels. The website has also changed to www.latentation.be
instead of www.latentation.org (the latter now mainly used for renting the hall
la Tentation). Yet the programme stays mighty...
New Roots - competition
for young musicians from the East of England
England. England is establishing a new regional level, and this is now even
represented by the folk music competition scene. While on the higher level,
there is as always the BBC Young Tradition Awards competition, the East of England
has this year its own young musicians competition. The closing date for applications
has been the 28th February. The competition has been open to traditionally based
musicians under 25, living in the East of England region - that is Hertfordshire,
Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk.
Performers short-listed by the judges will be invited to take part in the final,
taking place on Sunday April 14, 2.00 pm at The Abbey Theatre Studio, Westminster
Lodge, St Albans. This will be followed by a concert at 7.00pm in The Abbey
Theatre Studio featuring the Fraser sisters plus competition finalists. For
concert tickets and other enquiries ring 01727 852111.
UK Tour Dates for April 2002:
Thu 4th York Barbican Centre 01904 656688 Fri 5th Tyneside Whitley Bay Playhouse 0191 252 3505 Sat 6th Halifax Victoria Theatre 01422 351158 Sun 7th Salford Quays The Lowry 0161 876 2000 Mon 8th Derby Assembly Rooms 01332 255800 Tue 9th Liverpool Philharmonic Hall 0151 709 3789 Wed 10th Leicester De Montford Hall 0116 233 3111 Thu 11th Northampton Derngate 01604 624811 Fri 12th Dudley Town Hall 01384 812812 Sat 13th Malvern Forum Theatre 01684 892277 Sun 14th Reading The Hexagon 0118 960 6060 Mon 15th Guildford Civic Hall 01483 444555 Tue 16th Cambridge Corn Exchange 01223 357851 Wed 17th Cardiff St David's Hall 029 2087 8444 Thu 18th Barnstaple Queen's Theatre 01271 324242 Fri 19th Southampton Guildhall 023 8063 2601 Sat 20th London Shepherd's Bush Empire 020 7354 3300 Sun 21st London Mean Fiddler 020 7434 0403/4
Radio Dublin
Ireland. Radio Dublin is probably the longest serving free radio station in
the world. The station went on air in 1966 as "Radio Baile Atha Cliath" providing
only a part-time Sunday afternoon service for ten years. Many splits later,
the station went to 24 hour broadcasting in the late 1970's when it was at the
height of it's popularity. The name Radio Dublin has so much history attached
that it will always have a special place in the hearts and minds of anybody
who's ever listened to radio in Dublin.
Mattie Lennon presents a ballad programme on Radio Dublin from 7.45 - 9.00 a.m.
every Sunday. If you want to keep in touch with the folks at home you can e-mail
the program here,lennonaspect@iol.ie
or you can ring in (within the Republic of Ireland) on 1550 92 36 55. Radio
Dublin is available in and around Dublin at 100FM.
Poland
calling
Poland. The Polish folk music scene is widely unknown in the rest of Europe.
As Poland will probably already very soon part of the European Union, this should
be changed! Andrew Nixon gives in an article in this issue an introduction to
the Polish folk scene, to festivals, bands and much more. Click
here to read the article.
FolkWorld would be interested in similar introductions to other Middle and Eastern
European folk music scenes and bands. Please get in touch
with the editors if you think you might be able to provide it (no payment
though, as always at FolkWorld...). Please also contact us, if you know interesting
bands from that part of Europe (best would be, if you could tell us the e-mail
address or webpage).
Irish Music Workshop in
Prague
Prague. From 28 to 30 June 2002, the second Irish Workshop Weekend takes place
in Prague. Participation for the courese (ca. 10 hours), accomodation and food
will cost just about 100 €. The teachers are: Fiona Butler (Irland): flute/whistle,
Sabine Pichler (Irish Trad. Heads): fiddle, Klaus Feketics (An Tor): DADGAD-guitar,
Barbara Steinort (More Maids): Irish bouzouki. More infos from Sabine, sabine@tradheads.de
or from Jan Rab: rab@adns.cz
Three's Company
England. Three's Company - a new artist led agency has been launched. It is
run on a co-operative basis by artists based in Yorkshire. They have had support
from Yorkshire Arts to produce a CD with tracks from most of the artists they
are representing. This is nearly finished, and event organisers and press representatives
can order a copy from Three's Company.
The main aims of the organisation are to promote high quality performances from
established performers and to support new ventures. The following acts are currently
involved with the project and if you want any more information about any of
them, please contact the agency: The Demon Barbers (Damien Barber, Bryony Griffith,
Will Hampson, Rich Ashby & Lee Sykes - folk fusion band), The Demon Barber Roadshow
(The band & dance performances from Black Swan Rapper, Dog Rose Morris and Tiny
& Fiona Taylor), Withy Creek (Maggie Boyle, Jon Brindley & Chris Parkinson),
Steve Tilston Grace Notes (Maggie Boyle, Lynda Hardcastle & Helen Hockenhull),
The Witches of Elswick (Fay Hield, Bryony Griffith, Gillian Tolfrey & Becky
Stockwell), Napper, LeFaux & Boyle Fay, Hield & Damien Barber, Black Swan, Rapper.
Contact: Three's Company: PO Box 152, Keighley BD21 0YT 01535 661991 three_s_company@hotmail.com
Folk musicians as "Film
Stars"
England/Scotland. Kate Rusby and husband John McCusker are involved in the latest
film by director Damien O'Donnell (East Is East), titled Heartlands. Multi-instrumentalist/composer
McCusker wrote some of the score while Kate contributed a specially-written
song and they both feature in a scene as performers in a folk club. Produced
by Richard Jobson, the film traces a journey of enlightenment for the main protagonist,
northerner Colin, who finds there's more to life than he realised. Filming took
place in the latter months of last year, a good time was had by all, and Heartlands
is due for release in March 2002.
Info from the BBC
Radio 2 Folk News website.
The dulcimer returns to
Ireland
Ireland. "...Today, however, the dulcimer is a forgotten instrument in Ireland,
with little evidence of a revival." (Chapter 11, The Hammered Dulcimer: A History,
by Paul Gifford, 2001.) Christie Burns, originally from New Jersey and this
year studying music at University College Cork, has since October been meeting
and interviewing Ireland's few hammered dulcimer players. Being a dulcimer player
himself, he is writing my senior thesis on the hammered dulcimer in Ireland.
Gifford's short section on Ireland in his book of dulcimer history gives the
impression that Andy Dowling of Dublin was the last person in Ireland to play
the hammered dulcimer, and he passed away in 1991! In his travels and research
so far, Christie has located at least half a dozen living, breathing, passionate
players, each of whom think they are the only dulcimer player in Ireland. They
have never had an opportunity to meet each other or play together, since Ireland
has no dulcimer clubs or organizations promoting the instrument.
This summer, during the last weekend of July, the city of Cork will be host
of the First Annual Cork Dulcimer Festival. The dulcimer players of Ireland,
as well as participants from abroad, will be gathering to trade tunes, techniques,
and stories. We will enjoy the company of and performances by: Barry Carroll
of Co. Dublin, who followed the example of the late John Rea of Co. Antrim by
recording a CD of dulcimer and uillean pipes; Seamus Brady of Co. Waterford,
a championship sean-nos singer whose homemade dulcimer "sings" airs as gracefully
as Seamus's voice; David James, our featured performer, coming all the way from
Indiana with his famous tweed cap.....and more! The festival will be both audio-
and video-documented, and will include dulcimer performances in venues around
the city for general public audiences as well as private workshops for the dulcimer
players who attend.
The Cork Dulcimer Festival will be taking place July 26, 27, 28. For more information,
contact Christie Burns +353(0)85 718 1211 or cburns@ucla.edu
40 years The Chieftains
Ireland. Ireland's ambassadors for Irish music, at the same time one of the
definite best Irish Folk bands in the world, the Chieftains, celebrate their
40th birthday. Their music still sounds as fresh as ever, and hey - with fourty
the life only properly starts! Congratulations from FolkWorld!
10 years Peace Concerts
Passendale
Belgium/England. To mark their tenth anniversary, Peace Concerts Passendale,
reminding of the cruelties of the First World War and wars in general, will
be presenting an outdoor performance featuring many of the musicians who have
been associated with Peace Concerts over the years. The cast includes June Tabor,
Willem Vermandere, Coope Boyes & Simpson, Une Anche Passe, Koen De Cauter and
Patrick Riguel.
The Peace Concerts/ Vredesconcerten Passendale Tenth Anniversary Concert takes
place on 24 August 2002 at Tyne Cott Cemetery, Passendale, Flanders, Belgium.
Performance starts 4pm; Entry Free.
Info www.zonnebeke.be
Zonnebeke Cuture and Tourism Service / Dienst Cultuur en Toerisme, Ieperstraat
5, Zonnebeke - Tel 00 32 (0)51 77 04 41 / Fax 00 32(0)51 78 07 50 / e-mail cultuur.zonnebeke@belgacom.net
Ely Folk Festival
England. Ely is a charming little town near Cambridge, most famous for its huge
cathedral. Yet Ely has also a recommandable folk festival, always held on the
2nd weekend in July. The new url is www.elyfolk.co.uk,
and the dates for 2002 are 12th-14th July. The event will be held at Ely Outdoor
Centre, Ely Cambridgeshire.
A
pub full of performers - Two in a Bar
England. In England, music organisations are currently campaigning against another
of these strange laws that just avoid cultural activity. Known as the "Two
in a Bar", this law allows only up to two live performers in pubs that
do not have the (often rather expensive) entertainment license. This law has
really bizzare aspects - for example, it officially does not allow MIDI techniques.
And even more bizarre, in many interpretations of the law, if the audience sings
along to a performer, the whole audience is seen as performers - making out
of the pub a big stage with no audience...
More background and info at the sufFolk/Folk in England
column.
Snapshot
- the Fun Photo Competition
Who are the musicians on this snapshot?
Tell us the band of these two Belgian brothers and WIN
3 CDS at once (of your choice out of a selection of six folk music
(promotional) CDs)!
Answers until 05/05/2002 to FolkWorld.
Click here to read the conditions
of FolkWorld competitions
In the German news you can find as additional news:
All material published in FolkWorld is © The Author via FolkWorld. Storage for private use is allowed and welcome. Reviews and extracts of up to 200 words may be freely quoted and reproduced, if source and author are acknowledged. For any other reproduction please ask the Editors for permission. Although any external links from FolkWorld are chosen with greatest care, FolkWorld and its editors do not take any responsibility for the content of the linked external websites.