April 07

Astute readers will notice that I've been updating my gigs for the last six months but the news section has stayed the same. So what's been happening since November?

My move to the south of England involved an enforced break from gigging as I set up my studio here. I've just got back into the gigging scene, with some solo gigs at Hambledon, Birmingham and the fantastic Fareham Easter Festival, and a great tour management trip to Germany - my first for several years. My companions on a ten-gig St Pat's tour were the Tannahill Weavers, Last Night's Fun and Lauren McColl and Barry Reid. A special highlight was playing in a carved-out 350-seater concert hall, 670 metres underground in a salt mine (Erlebnisbergwerk Sondershausen). All our careers reached a new low point that night! Here's a picture of Last Night's Fun on stage down the mine:

This was another harmonious tour with never a cross word. Lots of gigs in the former East Germany meant that we not only enjoyed great hospitality at the gigs, but that we spent several post-gig evenings enjoying very cheap, very potent cocktails - especially in Eisleben.... Our last gig in Gladbeck was a monster, and so was the session in the brewpub afterwards. Some of us had early flights home the next day, so bed was avoided as a waste of time. Special thanks to supercrew Tuffi, Stefan and Oli, and our tour promoters Magnetic Music.

My studio is now fully set up in its new, delightful surroundings, and bookings are starting to come. I've also been back and forth up North to record some loyal former customers on my mobile rig too - thanks Mark, Russell, Rachel, Cameron, Mally! Watch my studio page  for photos soon!

My Celtic Session Guitar DVD is now in the last stages of production and will soon be on sale at Mrs Casey Music. I'm really excited that this project has borne fruit and that it will get some serious promotion from a company well experienced in the field.

See you all round the festivals this summer!

Here's all my gigs - performances, sound engineering and tour management jobs included.

Solo 17.6.07 Woolston and Bursledon Folk Club, nr Southampton

Duo 1.7.07 Concerts in the Park, Cross Flatts Park, Leeds 14.30 FREE CONCERT

Duo 8.7.07 Ely Folk Weekend What a line-up!

Solo 7.12.07 Milkmaid Music Club, Bury St Edmunds

I will also be at several 2007 festivals looking after some of the live sound engineering -

4-6.5.07 Whitby Moor and Coast,

6 - 8.7.07 Ely Folk Weekend

27-29.7.07 Warwick Folk Festival

24-27.8.07 Shrewsbury

- maybe more: watch this space.

Come and say hello on the Music Room stand at

25-28.5.07 Chippenham

19-22.7.07 Trowbridge

9-11.8.07 Cropredy

Want to see where I/we've played up to now? Keep scrolling down!

October 06.

Well, I hope you've all had an excellent summer. In the UK we had a massive heatwave - climate change is happening for sure.

My last update was very brief, as it found me in the throes of moving house yet again - for what I hope will be the last time for many years to come! A big change for me - I'm down in the sunny south of England, near Portsmouth. The new house has a large extension, which was already being used by the previous occupants as a recording studio. Very quiet, views of the garden, ideal. As of 1st. October, it's up and running! Details on the studio page .

Life was very busy just before the move, as you may imagine. Apart from the usual house-moving stuff, I recorded a CD for the excellent Mark Mawby (www.wildfolk.co.uk) which is now going through the review process with several publications. I went all the way to Stonehaven, near Aberdeen for a lovely gig at the folk club there. I used to visit Stonehaven as a child, on holiday in Aberdeen. Parky and I got a last-minute call to do the Cross Flatts Park concerts in Leeds, on the afternoon England beat Ecuador in the World Cup - thanks to all who forsook the TV and came to see us. Then it was another local job, PA at the Cleckheaton Festival again - with a nail-biting wait for last-minute equipment to augment my PA system. All credit to Thomann in Germany for supplying what I needed at super-speed.

A couple of Damhsa gigs at the Halifax Irish festival next - including playing on a great open-air stage in the incredible Piece Hall. Oh, and in amongst all that, Parky and I recorded a DVD! It's a project I've been working on for a while: a guitar accompaniment instruction DVD for guitarists wanting to get into Irish and Scottish music sessions, and dance music accompaniment. As I write this in early September, it's just gone off to the USA to be (hopefully) released worldwide commercially. I'll keep you posted on that one too!

On the night before my house move, I had a solo gig booked at the world's oldest folk club, the Topic in Bradford. Parky joined me for it and we turned it into a goodbye 'do'. Bradford has played a big part in my life since I first went there as a student in 1969. The room was packed with lots of friendly faces, and we had a great evening - even if we did have to load two vans with furniture the next morning and drive for 5 hours!

After all that, it was perhaps a blessing in disguise that my usual August activity for the last eight years - on the road continuously with The Music Room - did not materialise this year. Instead, I had time to edit the DVD, do a lovely solo gig at the Edinburgh fringe (nice to see old friends from far and near at that one too), and to spend a couple of weekends doing live PA sound engineering at Warwick and Shrewsbury festivals. Live sound is a very rewarding task - even though it gets a bit intense sometimes, when you have 5 minutes to re-assign 24 channels.....

So - please keep coming back to this site to find out about the new studio. There will be an enforced break in gigging now for a while, until everything settles down after the move. By early next year, I hope to have a whole new string of gigs set up down south - watch this space!

June 06

Hello again all.

A very quick update indeed - I'm in the middle of arrangements for moving my house and studio yet again - this time to the South of England! More details later...

Since the last update, there's been more activity on the gig front (see gigs played below) including a hectic 4 gigs in 3 days at St Patrick's. I've also ventured back into the live sound engineering world, with jobs at Whitby Moor & Coast and  Leeds CCE already done, and Cleckheaton and Shrewsbury festivals still to come - see you there.

After recording an album for Irish Dance outfit Damhsa, and doing sound for them at a few live gigs, I was sorry to hear that their excellent guitarist/cittern player, Neill Baillie, was leaving the band. It seemed that the sensible thing to do was to offer my services on guitar and vocals, so there are now some Damhsa gigs to tell you about as well! The first one at York Early Music Centre is behind us and it went very well indeed.

STOP PRESS!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Topic Folk Club gig on 6th July looks like being my last gig as a Yorkshire resident (I've lived here for 23 years). So Chris Parkinson has agreed to do it with me, and we're turning it into a bit of a farewell party. It would be great if I could see Yorkshire friends old and new at that gig. The Topic has asked you to book a ticket by e-mailing john@john-waller.co.uk, or you can call him on 01274 400894.

December 05

Hello again all.

Thanks for coming back to my site!

All change since my last update. In the last month, I've managed to move house - very hectic! Sadly this also involved the breaking up of my marriage, but here is not the place to go into that. Thanks to all my pals and colleagues who have given their support.

You'll understand that work has taken a back seat for a while..... Nevertheless there have been a couple of studio jobs during that time (See the studio page for details by clicking here:  studio page). I've also produced a Winter Specials mini-catalogue for The Music Room, so watch out for something nice coming through your letterbox soon if you're on their mailing list. Although my studio in the new Music Room building has been open for a few months now, I've been waiting for the rest of the building to 'catch up' so we can open the doors to all comers. Well, opening day is very close and looks like happening soon after the Christmas period.

Another development is that my music partner Chris Parkinson is back from his long tour with the John Wright Band, and we're now actively seeking UK gigs for the first time. A few solo gigs have also come in - so it looks like the gig monster might be after me again! I'm not complaining - quite the contrary. It's about time I got into some gigs again. Please get in touch if you have any suggestions.

November 05

Regular readers will know that July to September is a hectic time for me every year, as I go on the road with The Music Room to lots of festivals. This year was no exception - but there was one big change. Instead of our usual 'megastore' at Sidmouth festival in the Ham marquee, this year we were banished to the fringes in the Church House. Chris Parkinson and I (and later John Turner) had a very good week despite our somewhat difficult location, and we'd like to thank all you Sidmouth regulars and new friends who made their way to our stall.

Because we were open for fewer hours each day, it meant that Parky and I could do a little more participation in the musical side of the week. We did a folk club spot together, and we each played a concert spot too. It was nice to play our part in the new Sidmouth festival set-up.

Another new venture was live recording at several festivals. Because the opening of my new studio within The Music Room was delayed, I set up recording facilities and did some great live recordings for artists. See the studio page for details by clicking here:  studio page

And watch out for a programme from me soon which you can listen to on Radio Britfolk - an exciting new project to get listeners around the world for the music of the British Isles. www.radiobritfolk.co.uk

As the studio gets to be more and more of a full-time thing, gigs are becoming a thing of the past. In the immediate future, just one solo gig coming up. Possible German tours in the offing - watch this space.

May 05

What - an update so soon? You wait for months then two come along.

This is a quickie just to say thanks to everyone who made our recent German tour the usual enjoyable excursion. It's lovely to get on the road with Parky and hear all his traditional stories again - every year they become more traditional...

Despite several Bavarian dinners of big lumps of meat with fried potatoes, indigestion night of the tour award goes to - North Sea Ferries! (Prawns were back on the menu).

This update is really to tell you about progress on my studio premises - so please have a look at my studio page if you want to know more.

As the studio gets to be more and more of a full-time thing, gigs are becoming a thing of the past. In the immediate future, just one gig with Parky. Possible German tours in the offing - watch this space.

January 04.

And a good New Year to you all.

Six months since the last update - unpardonable! Sorry to all the frequent visitors. Regular readers will know that life is busy at the best of times, and it could get boring having me banging on about workload - if I didn't want to do it, I wouldn't be doing it!

But apart from my normal fare of gigging, recording, tour managing and Music Rooming, I've recently moved house (self-inflicted pain, I know..), and my wife Gail has been in hospital for minor and successful surgery. But things are settling down now and it's time for an update.

2004 should be a bit more structured for me, as I've had the time to organise my gigging activities to be mainly within the months of March, May, October and November. For the rest of the year I can be found doing various jobs for The Music Room - notably publications - website and catalogue. And a very exciting development will be the siting of my little recording studio into the Music Room building. At last there'll be space to record more than three people at a time, and tall people won't feel hemmed in by my basement any more! The new studio space is taking shape as I write this, and in the meanwhile, I have a very quiet corner of our new house all set up, with views over the Spen valley. So please feel free to contact me for recording.

Last summer seemed to be the usual whirlwind of festivals - mostly Music Room jobs with a bit of sound crew work at Whitby. A nice couple of trips to Scotland, solo in August and with Parky in December. Our duo gigs in Allendale and Scotland were the first real outing for our duo in the UK, apart from our regular Leeds park gig in summer, and a couple of festivals. It was very nostalgic to re-visit some Scottish gigs with Parky which I had first done with Tom Napper 25 years ago!

The Irish Folk Festival in Germany took place in October/November, 32 gigs in all. I took over the tour management job for the last section of the tour. After the relatively 'rock'n'roll' atmosphere of the St Patrick's Day tours, it was a very pleasant surprise to be playing in the likes of the Koeln Philharmonic and the Leipzig Gewandhaus. Our musicians and crew couldn't have made my job easier, the crack was mighty, and it was an honour to join the band on the last night, accompanying Paddy Keenan on the Kesh jig set - the first track from the very first Bothy Band album from 1976. I don't know about you, but I can remember exactly where I was when I first heard that, and realised that our music would never be the same again. I was with Martin Bretting from Germany, in Virgin Records in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Where were you?

A late season highlight was the Both Sides the Tweed festival in Eyemouth, Scotland. On the bill was the John McCusker Band, who were excellent, and then the evening evolved into one of those magical musical collaborations as we had a wee dram and a late pint which lasted till 5.30 am. John, Iain MacDonald and myself made up three quarters of our long-standing Battlefield Band lineup, aided and abetted by the rest of John's band. Great tunes and songs in a small group, tucked away in the back of the pub on a cold night. Lovely!

But that doesn't pay the rent, so what about the coming year? Gigging will take a bit of a back seat as I concentrate more on the Music Room and Glade Recordings. But I'll make it to a lot of festivals this year - be sure to say hello!

Here's the updated gig list:
Solo gigs:

14.2.04 The New Hampton, Wolverhampton

Gigs with Chris Parkinson

5-21.3.04 German tour:
Booked to date:
5.3. Inselnacht Seevetal
6.3.Heidbarghof Osdorf (Hamburg)
7.3
8.3
9.3 Palette Kappeln
10.3. Folk Club Iserlohn, JuZ Karnacksweg
11.3. Bischofsmuehle Hildesheim
12.3. Rathaus Stuhr
13.3. Kloendeele Goslar
14.3.
15.3.
16.3. Fuchsbau Lorsbachtal (Hofheim)
17.3. Burg Rheinfels, St Goar
18.3.
19.3. Musikcafe Alt Ergenzingen.

2.5.04 Moor & Coast Festival, Whitby
8.5.04 Holmfirth Festival

June 24.03

Hello again! Almost seven weeks since Parky and I got back from our German tour - where has the time gone?

Actually, that's easily answered - two CDs completed in my studio; Rahel Guzelian and Colin Scarth. Three solo gigs and a festival with Parky. Oh, and an (almost) full-time job back at the Music Room.

What a great time we had in Germany. First, fourteen fun-filled gigs on the St Patrick's Day Celebration Tour. Despite war breaking out in Iraq (remember?) everyone managed to have a good time, all of the time. Fourteen gigs and never a cross word - putting my tour manager hat on, let me say a big thanks to all the members of the Leonard Barry Band and the Paperboys and to our gallant crew Olaf, Stefan and Oli. Putting my musician hat on, thanks to Parky for the hour on stage that makes all the work worthwhile. And of course to Petr, Bernd and the team at Magnetic Music.
Then we had four days off, and set out on our own duo tour of clubs and small theatres - a chance for me to revisit lots of old Battlefield Band venues. We managed to get the two of us, two guitars, two accordions, a keyboard, stands, cables and bits and pieces, two PA loudspeakers, a mixing desk, several hundred CDs and all our personal luggage into a Peugeot 406 Estate car. 29 pieces of luggage in all. A bit of extra air in the back tyres and the car coped admirably. So did we - after years of touring with bands, big PA systems and lots of people, it seemed like a holiday. A special thanks to all our promoters:

Bernd Laudi
Gerd Gervais
Günther Hoppe
Angelika Armborst
Hans-Peter
Willi Brundl
Edgar Woeltje
Ingo Leonhardt
Bertie Hahn
Manfred Hessler
Helmut Breyer
Hans Mohr
Wolfgang Schall
Rolf Grasser
Eberhardt Bort
Werner Eichele
Hese Schroeter
Peter und Ursula Brosche
Christa von Essenberg und Wolfgang Riedelbaum

You did us proud and we hope to see you all again next time around. We already have a couple of gigs booked for next year! And thanks to all the Battie fans for keeping the faith and showing up again and again - especially Brigitte, Romana, Sabine and Dagmar.

And then we did our duo thing at Chippenham Festival. That's always the most pleasant weekend, all the more so because, apart from a couple of things at Whitby, that was our first proper UK festival booking. Two main stage spots and a few workshops - thanks to our audiences for showing up at the infamous "tea-time slot" and staying to the end both times! Already looking forward to Moor and Coast and Holmfirth next year.

After all these duo gigs it was quite a shock to the system to be playing solo again at Piercebridge, Bedlington and Embleton - thanks Hutch, Bryan and Terry. Embleton was a new one for me - a warm reception and great chorus singing, and a lovely night-time drive home through the Lake District.

A special solo job which I'd like to draw your attention to: Festival Folk at the Oak on the Edinburgh Fringe, 2 nights 27 and 28 August 03. I know lots of you used to make the effort to come to Battlefield Band gigs at the Edinburgh Festival, especially foreign visitors who wanted to see us on our "home turf". Well, Folk at the Oak must be one of THE most select Edinburgh gigs - seats for 30 people only, non-smoking, no amplification. A totally delightful experience miles away from the glitz of the big venues - but booking essential because of the tiny venue. Details from Paddy Bort at 0131 6502458 or e-mail ebort@ed.ac.uk

And it's been an important time for me in my work at the Music Room, the specialist traditional instrument shop. After several years of part-time involvement there, they've rewarded (?) me with more full-time work. As of next year, I'll spend 8 months with them and 4 months on the road - but this year, it all has to be squeezed into an existing schedule. A bit of an organisational nightmare, which is why this update has been so long coming! But being busy is better than being idle...

January 19.03

And a happy New Year to you all. Here's hoping you all had a good start to the new year; we spent New Year's Eve in novel surroundings - my brother-in-law Chris Sherburn (of Last Night's Fun) has bought a Humber Keel, a large cargo boat which he's converting into living space. The conversion was far enough advanced that all the family saw the new year in on the boat, adding a few blasts of our horn to the many other ships and boats on the Aire and Calder Navigation. A few tunes and daft songs around the fire - great!

And thanks to all promoters and audience on my little flurry of solo gigs in the last few weeks, especially last week at Dewsbury, only four miles from home - the home gigs are always the most nerve-wracking. The end of November took me to Lancaster for a Jacobean concert in the same room where Charles Dickens gave readings from his books, and then up to Edinburgh for the ever enjoyable evening at the Wee Folk Club in the Royal Oak. The Oak is a legndary music pub - it's where you know there will always be music and a late-night drink. Sadly, at the end of this month it will be the end of an era; Sandra and Dorothy, who have presided over the bar for more years than anyone cares to remember, will be giving up the tenancy there. We all owe them a great debt for having kept our spirits up through the years; we've had some great nights in there. It was always a treat after a big show in some of Edinburgh's grandest halls, to finish off the evening with feet planted firmly on the ground, around the piano at the Oak. A new landlord is taking over and we wish him all the best; of course we fervently hope that he will change nothing of the magic formula and that it will continue to be home from home.

The next few weeks will see some more studio activity here, with Mally's marathon continuing, and a visit from my old pal Colin Scarth, songwriter/guitarist who guested on my first two albums. I'll also be getting involved with the Music Room website again after an absence of a couple of years: watch out for updates there shortly (see links page). And in March it'll be time for Chris and me to set off again on our annual German jaunt - see dates below. I'm specially pleased with our duo tour in April - we'll be re-visiting a lot of old Battlefield gigs. So here is the updated gig list:

November 02:
Hello again,
Thanks for re-visiting my pages.
Chaos reigns even more than usual here - all my own fault. On November 5th, I switched my office computer on to hear a clunking noise which I had never heard before, but I knew instinctively to be a spectacular hard disk crash. Of course I hadn't done any backups for ages and I lost loads of data, accounts etc. It was so bad I just had to shrug my shoulders and try to proceed. If this has never happened to you, please be warned - data recovery is possible, but too expensive for mere mortals! So I just had to put in another hard disk and re-create all my work............
Luckily, my studio computers are always backed up. But hey, enough already!
It's been relatively quiet in the studio lately, just ongoing visits from Mally and Rahel (Rahel has just successfully undergone brain surgery - congratulations! Nothing to do with working in my studio....).

A charity ceilidh in the local Catholic church hall was a really enjoyable gig. Our area of Leeds has a large Irish population, and once in a while, St Anthony's Hall transforms itself into a village hall in Co. Clare for an evening. It was an honour to play in the band with great Irish players like Brian Aylward and Paddy Ruane. And my PA system, which was a last-minute replacement for the gig, impressed Brian so much that he bought it the next week - so Chris and I had to get a new PA  pronto for our trip to Germany at the end of October!

And that trip was not without incident either. The storms which swept Europe in mid-October brought the roof down at the Kerem in Delmenhorst, a venue where I've played loads of times with the Battlefield Band - but not this time! The concert venue was shut down for repairs, so we ended up setting out all the way to Berlin just for two gigs! Let me tell you, some creative accounting was needed to make that trip look OK on paper. Never mind, we'll be back at Richtershorn (Berlin) and Bestensee again, so well attended were the gigs we did. Thanks to Bernd, Frank, Gerd and Andrea, Volker and Dagmar for making our trip so enjoyable. Und danke vielmals an das zahlreiche Publikum! Our Easter duo tour in Germany is looking very healthy by comparison - see below.

I draw a veil over the next two weeks - taken up purely with computer nonsense - but then it was back on the gig trail again. The Hollybush Folk Club in Redbourn, Herts, meets in a little schoolroom out the back of the pub. I think I was so relieved to be playing again, it was a really good night for me - and what a high standard of floor singing there too. Over the next ten days, I'll be in Lancaster, Edinburgh, Uppermill, Bollington and Gnosall - look forward to seeing you all.

Solo gigs:
 

14.11.02 Hollybush Folk Club, Redbourn, Herts. info 07850 163241
23.11.02 Royal King's Arms Hotel, Lancaster. Info tel 01524 582810
24.11.02 Wee Folk Club, Royal Oak, Edinburgh
27.11.02 Uppermill Folk Club, Lancs
29.11.02 Bollington Folk Club, Cheshire
1.12.02 Gnosall Folk Club, Staffs.
11.1.03 Shoddy Doggie, Station Hotel Dewsbury tel 01924 441606
12.1.03 Traditions at the Tiger, Long Eaton, Notts, info 0115 9736718
12.2.03 Swinton Folk Club, Manchester
2.6.03 The George, Piercebridge, Newton Aycliffe
13.6.03 The Dun Cow, Bedlington

Early September 03 Scotland tour. Please contact Oscar Music Agency on
0141 634 1095 for bookings
 

with Chris Parkinson:
 

31.10 - 5.11.02 Germany, including
1.11 Westernrestaurant Richtershorn, Berlin, Tel 030 675 9924
2.11 Am Wiesengrund, 15741 Bestensee Tel: 0 17 16 93 85 22
3.11 Kulturkneipe Kerem, Delmenhorst, tel 04221 74030. Bitte beachten! Delmenhorst wegen behoerdlich angeforderten Dacharbeiten abgesagt!

14.3.03 - 29.3.03 St. Patrick's Day Celebration Tour, Germany, with Paperboys, Leonard Barry and friends.
 

14.03.03	Gladbeck	Stadthalle	02043/992682
15.03.03	Lünen	Hansesaal	02306/1042299
17.03.03	Eisleben	Landesbühne	03475/602070
18.03.03	Eisleben	Landesbühne	03475/602070
19.03.03	Apolda	Stadthalle	03644/562642
20.03.03	Paderborn	Capitol	05251/8785800
21.03.03	Köln	Alter Wartesaal	0221/91288514
22.03.03	Wilhelmshaven	Pumpwerk	04421/913690
23.03.03	Cuxhaven	Hapaghalle	04721/797173
25.03.03	Dessau	Marienkirche
26.03.03	Schöppingen	Alte Ziegelei	02555/8037
27.03.03	Leverkusen	Stadthalle Hitdorf	0214/4063384
28.03.03	Nordhorn	Alte Weberei	05921/2930
29.03.03	Saalfeld	Meininger Hof	03671/359590

 

4.4.03 - 27.4 03 Germany, including

4.4.03 Rathaus Stuhr 0421 / 56 95 244
5.4.03 Zum Amtsschimmel Sulingen
7.4.03 Stadtgalerie Kiel
9.4.03 Jugendzentrum Karnacksweg Iserlohn 02371 967070
10.4.03 Cafe Hahn Koblenz tel 0261 42302
11.4.03 Burg Rheinfels tel 06741 7879
12.4.03 Die Kapelle, Prinz Carl Anlage, Worms 10-14  Tel.: 06241 308-0
13.4.03 Laboratorium Stuttgart
15.4.03 Prisma im Bottich, Pforzheim 07231(?) 101222
17.4.03 Bischofsmuehle Hildesheim, tel 05121 131901
18.4.03 Private Feier, Berlin
19.4.03 Landgasthaus Gervais, 15741 Bestensee Tel: 0 17 16 93 85 22
23.4.03 Dehnberger Hoftheater, Lauf/Dehnberg 09123 / 954490
24.4.03 Lauffen (Wuertt.) Phoenix
25.4.03 Gaildorf, Brauerei Häberlen. 07971 5753
26.4.03 Podium Kaufbeuren 08341 13002
27.4.03 Connemara, Eisenberg/Pfalz

Wart ihr bei unserem Auftritt im Westernrestaurant Richtershorn (Berlin) am 1.11.02? Oder habt ihr es verpasst? Schickt uns bitte eine Mail und ihr bekommt eine wichtige Nachricht zurueck! Bitte hier klicken:  mailto:info@alistairrussell.co.uk

10-11.5.03 Holmfirth Festival TBC

24-26.5.03 Chippenham Festival

23.10.03 - 1.11.03 Holland Tour contact Dave Tearney 0031(0)515 419302

That's all now folks! Thanks for your continued interest.
 
 

October 02
Hello again,
Not long since the last update, but the good A19 reviews continue to come in, and a couple of new gigs to tell you about.
Life has calmed down a bit after a very hectic summer; just the usual studio activity (Rahel nearly finished her CD, and Mally completed his re-issue of the legendary "Absolute Beginners" melodeon tutor with accompanying CD). A very nice trip to Holland in September, with two enjoyable gigs in Wateringen and Sneek. Thanks to Dave for getting the gigs together, and thanks to Chris for selling me a lovely Sobell guitar - my previous Sobell has since found a new home in the USA.
I was honoured to be asked to play at the birthday celebrations of Paddy and Margaret, from the Bradford dancers Persephone, last week. It's actually a more daunting job than any, to play for a circle of friends rather than a relatively anonymous audience. But all went well for me and the birthday girls.
An interesting gig has come in for 23.11 - a concert with Isla St Clair for the Lancaster Jacobite weekend. I'll be dusting off my Scottish repertoire for that! Isla has a great fund of ballads from the North-East of Scotland, which may come as a surprise to those who remember her only for the Generation Game on TV.

Here are the new dates and I hope to see you along the road somewhere!

September 3 02.

Well, the summer has flown by at its usual hectic pace. August has 31 days, of which I spent 22 days at festivals and 6 days in the studio.....
I went to Sidmouth once again as a stringed instrument demonstrator with the Music Room. My musical partner Chris Parkinson was also there in the squeezebox department, as were Mally and Finola (books etc) Ron (percussion and strings) John Spiers (squeezables) and John Turner (the benign overseer). It's a giant undertaking, involving four vans and an 80-foot stand constructed in situ, which takes two days to erect. But what a great team we had this time! Everything went smoothly and never a cross word. Thanks folks, and thanks to any of you who came to visit us at Sidmouth.
Then it was off to Whitby as a performer, sound engineer and MC. A much more sedate pace than Sidmouth and the usual friendly crowd. Finally, I'm just back from Fylde, once again with the Music Room.
And in between, more recording with Rahel Guzelian, and Ben Harker and Emily Weygang, who completed their CD in less than four days - well-rehearsed and keeping it simple! They're creating quite a stir on the English scene. Watch out for them.
Now I have three days at home and I'm off for a long weekend, two gigs in Holland!
Rave reviews are still coming in for the 'A19' album. Go to the discography page for an update.

My trip to Germany in October/November with Parky is now down to a long weekend 31. 10 - 5.11. Next April will be a longer jaunt with gigs being arranged now. Here are current gigs booked:

Solo gigs:

17-23.8.02 Whitby Folk Week, Whitby, N. Yorks
6.9.02 Wateringen Holland, info 0031(0)515 419302/ 420319
8.9.02 Sneek Holland, info 0031(0)515 419302/ 420319
14.11.02 Hollybush Folk Club, Redbourn, Herts. info 07850 163241
24.11.02 Wee Folk Club, Royal Oak, Edinburgh
27.11.02 Uppermill Folk Club, Lancs
29.11.02 Bollington Folk Club, Cheshire
1.12.02 Gnosall Folk Club, Staffs.
12.1.03 Traditions at the Tiger, Long Eaton, Notts, info 0115 9736718
12.2.03 Swinton Folk Club, Manchester

with Chris Parkinson:

17-23.8.02 Whitby Folk Week, Whitby, N. Yorks
31.10 - 5.11.02 Germany, including
1.11 Am Wiesengrund, 15741 Bestensee Tel: 0 17 16 93 85 22
2.11 Richtershorn
8.3.03 - 25.3.03 St. Patrick's Day Celebration Tour, Germany, with Paperboys
4.4.03 - 27.4 03 Germany, including
4.4.03 Rathaus Stuhr tbc
24.4.03 Lauffen (Wuertt.)
 

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July 2002
Thanks for visiting again. Last update was just as my A19 album was released. I'm pleased to say it is selling well at gigs and on the web. Reviews have been stunning to say the least. You can read them on the discograpy page . It's so good to know that my feelings about this album have been borne out by the reviews.

A short tour in June was my first opportunity to get the live audience's response. First came a surprise gig. I was at Chippenham Festival as stringed instrument person with the Music Room, and I volunteered for a really interesting workshop with Pete Coe and Eileen McGann about the business side of our music. Then I was asked to do a concert spot at the main Saturday evening show, as another artist was ill. This turned out very well and I'm hoping that Parky and myself will be back there next year for a 'proper' spot.
Then a string of excellent gigs - the prestigious Ram Club in Surrey, and Edinburgh Folk Club - both very well attended, and return bookings at Cramlington and Chapelton - thanks, folks! Burntwood Folk Club in Staffordshire honoured all their June bookings despite being turned out of their long-established venue and forced into a less than ideal Working Men's Club hall. I hope they get their old venue back soon - enough said! And in amongst those gigs, what has now become an enjoyable annual visit to Wimborne Festival in Dorset. Great music as usual and friendly company as usual. Highly recommended!
A rare outing in July for Chris Parkinson and me - a free show as part of the summer concert series in the park at the end of my back garden in Leeds! Despite atrocious weather, the rain stayed off and a good-sized audience, including all the neighbours, showed up. Thanks to you all.

My studio has had some use lately too. Mally has been in recording a new CD to accompany his re-issued Absolute Beginners Melodeon Tutor. The CD we did a while back, 101 Easy Peasy Tunes, has been released with its accompanying book, and can be got from mally.com. Rahel Guzelian, a songwriter from Bradford, has also completed her basic tracks and some overdubs for a future CD. Next project after that is a debut CD for young York duo, Ben Harper and Emily Weygang.

After so many years on the road, I'm often asked how I cope with the travelling. Well, these days it's MUCH less strenuous than before, but my 'secret weapon' for the past 11 years has been the motorhome which I converted with much sweat and tears out of an empty van. Anyone who has embarked on such a job understands why motorhomes bought 'off the shelf' cost so much. Anyway, for 11 years the van was my haven of peace at festivals, on solo tours, and while incarcerated for weeks on end recording Battlefield albums. But in May, it developed engine trouble which meant spending loadsa money on repairs, or getting a new van. I bit the bullet, got a new van and spent countless 14-hour days converting the beast in time for this year's festivals. Luckily I had amassed enough experience last time to do a quicker job this time! I'm now proudly residing in a new motorhome which should last at least another 10 or 11 years. Its next trip is 11 days at Sidmouth festival - an impossible endurance test for me without the van - I don't mind admitting I'm getting soft in my old age.

April 2002
Thanks for visiting again. As you can see from the discography page, things have been very busy lately!

At last my new album, A19, was released on 29th. March. We had a great launch party on the 28th at The World's End, a friendly old pub in Pudsey. Things got very crowded and everyone enjoyed meeting old friends. I didn't want to fall into the trap of doing a full sit-down concert - we much preferred an informal evening, with great food provided by the pub, and a good music session to round off the evening. The formal proceedings were limited to a 30-minute spot by Chris Parkinson, Ian Fairbairn and myself. It was great to see lots of different people - friends, family, musicians, booking agents, festivals, studio customers, workmates, radio, press and above all, audience members were all represented.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. First there was the small matter of the St. Patrick's Day Celebration Tour of Germany and Switzerland. Thanks in part to a great lineup (Broderick, Chris Parkinson and myself, and The Paperboys) thanks in part to great organisation as usual by Magnetic Music, and thanks most of all to the audiences, who turned out in great numbers, we had a superb tour, the best I can remember of this type. Chris and I just 'clicked' musically and we had a whale of a time - so did the audience, judging my the number of CDs they took home.

Here's a picture of the Paperboys having a party in one of the buses:

And since I got home, I've been busy getting CDs out to radio stations and magazines. There have been loads of radio plays already and I'm very pleased with the response. You can read the very first review on the discography page .
The studio has been busy too, with Dave O'Flaherty's ongoing project, and an overwhelming amount of high quality original material recorded by Karl Dallas. How he's ever going to get all that stuff organised into just one CD I don't know!
I'll keep you posted.

That's all for now!

A few changes to the upcoming gig list:

Solo gigs:
21.4.02 The World's End, Pudsey (with Aiken's Drum)
4.6.02 Cramlington Folk Club
5.6.02 Uppermill Folk club - postponed - see below.
7.6.02 Ram Club, Claygate, Surrey
8.6.02 Wimborne Folk Festival, Dorset tel. 01202 623740
11.6.02 Chapelton Folk Club, Lanarkshire
12.6.02 Edinburgh Folk Club
14.6.02 Burntwood, Staffs, Bridgecross Social Club, Burntwood, 01543 271 269
17-23.8.02 Whitby Folk Week, Whitby, N. Yorks
27.11.02 Uppermill Folk Club, Lancs
29.11.02 Bollington Folk Club, Cheshire
1.12.02 Gnosall Folk Club, Staffs.
12.2.03 Swinton Folk Club, Manchester

25.10.02 - 2.11.02 Celtic Hallowe'en Tour, Germany, tbc.
8.3.03 - 25.3.03 St. Patrick's Day Celebration Tour, Germany, tbc

February 2002.
Thanks to all who have visited recently. Since my change of domain name and the more frequent updates, there has been a great increase in hits to the site - thanks to you all!
Only a month since the last update, but what a month! Loads of recording with Mally, Paul Flannery and Sarah Mallinson for the ongoing tunes marathon, a new CD in progress from Bradford all-rounder Dave O'Flaherty, upcoming sessions with Karl Dallas - still going strong at 71 - and of course the final arrangements for my own solo CD release 'A19'. Read all about it on the discography page .
And an excellent gig last week, my first ever (!) in Wolverhampton, at the Newhampton. Thanks Dave.

A few changes to the upcoming gig list:

Solo gigs:
4.5.02 Scottish event, Hebden Bridge - details later.
4.6.02 Cramlington Folk Club
5.6.02 Uppermill Folk club - postponed - see below.
7.6.02 Ram Club, Claygate, Surrey
8.6.02 Wimborne Folk Festival, Dorset tel. 01202 623740
11.6.02 Chapelton Folk Club, Lanarkshire
12.6.02 Edinburgh Folk Club
14.6.02 Burntwood, Staffs, Bridgecross Social Club, Burntwood, 01543 271 269
17-23.8.02 Whitby Folk Week, Whitby, N. Yorks
27.11.02 Uppermill Folk Club, Lancs
29.11.02 Bollington Folk Club, Cheshire
1.12.02 Gnosall Folk Club, Staffs.

Duo gigs with Chris Parkinson, broderick and the Paperboys (St.Patrick's Day Celebration Festival Tour 1):
08.03.02 Nonnweiler - Mehrzweckhalle Primstal 20 oo 06873/6600
09.03.02 Eschbronn Kreis Rottweil - Mühlbachhalle / Mariazell 20 3o 0741/42267
10.03.02 Landsberg (n. Augsburg) – Sportzentrum 19 oo 0180/3261000
11.03.02 Aalen - Festhalle Fachsenfeld 20 oo 07361/522359
12.03.02 Kehl/Appenweier - Schwarzwaldhalle 20 oo 07805/3398
13.03.02 CH - Zug - Theater Casino 20 oo +41/41/7290505
15.03.02 Freising – Luitpoldhalle 20 oo 08161/41700
16.03.02 Garching - Bürgerhaus 20 oo 089/32089138
19.03.02 Schotten (bei Fulda) – Festhalle 06044/6651
20.03.02 Albstadt (Wuertt.)– Thalia Theater 20 oo 07431/1601230
21.03.02 Leonberg (bei Stuttgart)– Stadthalle 20 oo 07152/975511
22.03.02 Tübingen - Sudhaus 21 oo 07071/23456
23.03.02 Rastatt - Festhalle Wintersdorf  20 3o 07222/32920

Thanks for your visit. Now here are the links, followed by the old news updates:

January 2002.
Happy New Year to you all, and thanks to everyone for coming back to the site. Visits have increased dramatically since changing my domain name.

My new album is now 95% complete and I'm thrilled with it, although it's always hard to be objective about your own CD. Mixing starts today, and Chris Parkinson is on his way as I write, to give me a hand with the mixdown - it's always good to have an extra pair of ears, especially when it's your own stuff you're mixing!

I just had a frantic four-day trip, the likes of which I haven't undertaken for a while. First I drove to Edinburgh, taking my hard-disk recording machine with me to John Martin's home studio. Some of you may know my song "The Ceilidh in the Kitchen", about high jinks in John and Rosie's Edinburgh flat. Well, I couldn't record that song without including John's lovely fiddle playing, so he did a bit on that song and several others. Then the extremely talented (and newly ex-Battlefield) Karine Polwart came round and added some sublime backing vocals to three tracks. John McCusker did a bit for me last week too, despite his busy schedule, and I'm lucky to have such amenable friends. Guest musician list is now complete at:
Maartin Allcock, Chris Parkinson, Mick Doonan, Kieran Halpin, Ian Fairbairn, Paul Flannery, John Martin, Brian Aylward, John McCusker, Karine Polwart, Chris Sherburn and Dave Burland.
But I've been careful not to turn every number into a big band thing - there are only a couple of "production numbers" and others are quite simple with just two or three things going on. There's even a totally unaccompanied track.
Anyway, after John and Karine's recording on Thursday, what did we do? We re-enacted the song "The Ceilidh in the Kitchen". Off we went for a wild session at Sandy Bell's, joined by most of Battlefield Band (shell-shocked from recording their new album) and back to John's for a ceilidh. Not the best start for my weekend ahead:
Friday night, a short hop to Morpeth in Northumberland for a gig at The Pegswood Project. A warm welcome and great chorus singing. Then back home in the middle of the night. Up early next day, all the way to Wymondham near Norwich. A super gig at the re-located Milkmaid Folk club. Well done Terry, and lang may yer lum reek! And a bed upstairs above the gig - no driving that night, hence the inevitable tea, toast and setting the world to rights in the small hours.
Sunday, the longest drive of the week, across country to Southport near Liverpool. The Bothy Folk Club, like the Topic in Bradford, has been going for years. At last I got booked to play, and what a great audience for singing they have! If you love singing, I can't think of a better place. A quick detour via Liverpool to drop the organisers off, and home to bed. A super weekend and thanks to all audience members!

A couple of changes to the gig list now: Uppermill has been moved and there's a new gig at short notice in February. See you around!

Solo gigs:
11.1.02, Potters Folk Club, Peggswood, nr. Morpeth, Northumberland.
12.1.02, The Milkmaid Folk Club, The Railway, Wymondham, Norfolk, 01953 604202
13.1.02, The Bothy Folk Club, Southport, tel 0151 924 5078
16.2.02, The Newhampton, Wolverhampton, tel 01902 336393
4.6.02 Cramlington Folk Club
5.6.02 Uppermill Folk club - postponed - see below.
7.6.02 Ram Club, Claygate, Surrey
11.6.02 Chapelton Folk Club, Lanarkshire
12.6.02 Edinburgh Folk Club
14.6.02 Burntwood, Staffs, Bridgecross Social Club, Burntwood, 01543 271 269
17-23.8.02 Whitby Folk Week, Whitby, N. Yorks
27.11.02 Uppermill Folk Club, Lancs
29.11.02 Bollington Folk Club, Cheshire

Duo gigs with Chris Parkinson, broderick and the Paperboys (St.Patrick's Day Celebration Festival Tour 1):
08.03.02 Nonnweiler - Mehrzweckhalle Primstal 20 oo 06873/6600
09.03.02 Eschbronn Kreis Rottweil - Mühlbachhalle / Mariazell 20 3o 0741/42267
10.03.02 Landsberg (n. Augsburg) – Sportzentrum 19 oo 0180/3261000
11.03.02 Aalen - Festhalle Fachsenfeld 20 oo 07361/522359
12.03.02 Kehl/Appenweier - Schwarzwaldhalle 20 oo 07805/3398
13.03.02 CH - Zug - Theater Casino 20 oo +41/41/7290505
15.03.02 Freising – Luitpoldhalle 20 oo 08161/41700
16.03.02 Garching - Bürgerhaus 20 oo 089/32089138
19.03.02 Schotten (bei Fulda) – Festhalle 06044/6651
20.03.02 Albstadt (Wuertt.)– Thalia Theater 20 oo 07431/1601230
21.03.02 Leonberg (bei Stuttgart)– Stadthalle 20 oo 07152/975511
22.03.02 Tübingen - Sudhaus 21 oo 07071/23456
23.03.02 Rastatt - Festhalle Wintersdorf  20 3o 07222/32920
 

Now here are the old updates, after the links:

December 2001.
Just a couple of new gigs listed below, and a chance to wish you all a very happy Christmas and a good New Year.
Somewhat muted by news last week of the death of Tony Cuffe, Scottish guitarist and singer who succumbed to cancer. His wife and family have lots of support in Boston, and will be back in Scotland for a memorial service in January.
I spent 1981 on the road with Tony and Ossian. I have seldom met such a nice, easy-going guy. He will be greatly missed.
Since the last update, I've done two very enjoyable gigs at Bradford and Bollington. The Topic Folk Club in Bradford has been going since 1956, believe it or not. It has found a great home in recent years in the Melborn Hotel in Whiteabbey Road. Unfortunately, in July, Whiteabbey Road was also the scene of some of the worst street riots in the UK for 20 years. Both the pub and the folk club suffered an appalling lack of custom after the riots, so I really went to town on publicity for my gig last month. It was rewarded by the biggest turn-out at the club since July, an amazing number of highest quality floor singers, and a great evening was had by all. So if you were one of the ones I badgered to show up, thanks very much!
In the studio, the Aiken's Drum and Gifford Rolfe CDs have been successfully completed. You can visit Aiken's Drum and hear some tracks at
http://www.aikensdrum.com/
The next project out of the studio will be my own solo CD at last - it's all but ready. I've been so fortunate to have some great people accompany me on the recordings. Thanks in advance to Maartin Allcock, Chris Parkinson, Mick Doonan, Kieran Halpin, Ian Fairbairn, Paul Flannery, John Martin and a few more still to come.
Then I'm looking forward to getting to work with Yorkshire mother/daughter duo Viv and Angeline Bjerregaard, great singers and players.
So here we go with the updated gig list:

Solo gigs:
29. November, Topic Folk Club, Bradford. tel. 01274 834837
30. November, Bollington Folk Club, tel. 01625 573596
11.1.02, Potters Folk Club, Peggswood, nr. Morpeth, Northumberland.
12.1.02, The Milkmaid Folk Club, The Railway, Wymondham, Norfolk, 01953 604202
13.1.02, The Bothy Folk Club, Southport, tel 0151 924 5078
4.6.02 Cramlington Folk Club
5.6.02 Uppermill Folk club
7.6.02 Ram Club, Claygate, Surrey
11.6.02 Chapelton Folk Club, Lanarkshire
12.6.02 Edinburgh Folk Club
14.6.02 Burntwood, Staffs, Bridgecross Social Club, Burntwood, 01543 271 269
17-23.8.02 Whitby Folk Week, Whitby, N. Yorks

Duo gigs with Chris Parkinson, broderick and the Paperboys (St.Patrick's Day Celebration Festival Tour 1):
08.03.02 Nonnweiler - Mehrzweckhalle Primstal 20 oo 06873/6600
09.03.02 Eschbronn Kreis Rottweil - Mühlbachhalle / Mariazell 20 3o 0741/42267
10.03.02 Landsberg (n. Augsburg) – Sportzentrum 19 oo 0180/3261000
11.03.02 Aalen - Festhalle Fachsenfeld 20 oo 07361/522359
12.03.02 Kehl/Appenweier - Schwarzwaldhalle 20 oo 07805/3398
13.03.02 CH - Zug - Theater Casino 20 oo +41/41/7290505
15.03.02 Freising – Luitpoldhalle 20 oo 08161/41700
16.03.02 Garching - Bürgerhaus 20 oo 089/32089138
17.03.02 A - Wien - Mautner Markhof     0043 1 7488710
19.03.02 Schotten (bei Fulda) – Festhalle 06044/6651
20.03.02 Albstadt (Wuertt.)– Thalia Theater 20 oo 07431/1601230
21.03.02 Leonberg (bei Stuttgart)– Stadthalle 20 oo 07152/975511
22.03.02 Tübingen - Sudhaus 21 oo 07071/23456
23.03.02 Rastatt - Festhalle Wintersdorf  20 3o 07222/32920
 
 

Now here are the old news pages after the links:

Nov 2001.
Well, it's a week since I got back from the German Halloween tour. Time for an update. The concept of the Celtic Halloween tour, run by Magnetic Music, is to take a Breton band, a Scottish band and an Irish band on the road, with excellent tour organisation, book them into town halls and such-like venues, and see what happens. In the past, this tour has been blessed by some great outfits; Glaz, Canterach, Damp in the Attic, Kieran Halpin Band, Anna Murray Band, Le Gop etc.
This year, for the first time, we had a situation where the majority of the musicians were German nationals, or Celts based in Germany. As anyone who has spent a long time in the world of Celtic music knows, one of the most delightful traits our scene is the open acceptance by native Celtic musicians of other nationalities who want to play our music. This sometimes doesn't go down too well with the more nationalistic elements of the Irish-American, or indeed Scottish-Canadian audiences, but it's a plain fact that our music has been enriched beyond measure by the input of musicians worldwide. Germany is particularly strong in Irish and Scottish music, but our first band on stage every night was different.
Yannick Monot is a Breton accordionist, guitarist and singer, who was bitten early in his career by the Cajun bug. After several trips to Canada and Louisiana, his music is now a fascinating blend of all those traditions, backed up by an extremely tight band of German backing musicians, Nouvelle France.
Stephen Campbell and Ian Smith, on fiddle and guitar/vocals, were our most traditional act. They come from Scotland's Central Belt, where they served their apprenticeships playing all kinds of music. But then they moved (independently of each other) to Donegal, where they soaked up the local traditions of singing and fiddling. The music they play together is a fascinating blend of pure Scottish tradition with typical Donegal wildness.
Our last band, graced with the guest musician Siobhan Kennedy from Dundalk, was Garifin from Hamburg. This band has a place in my affections because of the years they spent coming to Battlefield Band concerts as audience members, culminating in the formation of an excellent and exciting band. Lots of harmony vocals, keyboards, percussion, and excellent traditional tunes playing. The nearest thing Germany's got to the eclecticism of Battlefield Band. Go and visit them at http://www.garifin.de/
Anyway, the tour, albeit a short one of two weeks only, was much better attended this time than last year - surprisingly, after the events of September 11th had taken such a toll on social events worldwide. We travel around in two minibuses and a massive PA truck. The crack was mighty, and if you read German, you can read the tour diary and see pictures on Garifin's website.
My recording studio is continuing to be in demand. The Aiken's Drum album is finished, and the Gifford Rolfe project is nearing completion. My own album now has 11 basic tracks down, with two to go. Then overdubs and off we go, hopefully by December. The gigs list has been slightly added to, with one date change, at Burntwood - please note. So here is the up-to-date list:
 
 
 
 
 

September 2001.
Another quickie update to welcome you to my new url - hope the redirection worked OK.
Summer has been very hectic as usual - playing at Wimborne and Whitby festivals, "Music Rooming" at Chippenham, Warwick, Sidmouth and Fylde festivals, a solitary folk club gig at South Shields, recording with Mally, doing new CDs in my studio for Duncan McFarlane , Aiken's Drum and Gifford Rolfe, recording some backing vocals for Alan Reid and Rob van Sante's forthcoming album, having a whale of a time at John McCusker and Kate Rusby's wedding, and somehow finding time to fit in two holidays - a long one in Florida and a short one in Greece!

Here are the gigs yet to come:
I'll be tour managing again on the German Celtic Hallowe'en Festival with Garifin, Ian Smith and Steven Campbell, Yannick Monot and Nouvelle France. Dates are:
19.10.01 Mosbach - Alte Mälzerei 20 oo   06261/82236
20.10.01 Freising – Stadthalle 20 oo    08161/41700
21.10.01 Tübingen – Sudhaus 21 oo    07121/23456
24.10.01 St. Ingbert - Stadthalle 20 oo   06894/13517
25.10.01 Reinsfeld / Zelt 20 oo
26.10.01 Nordhorn - Alte Weberei 20 oo   05921/2930
27.10.01 Bad Pyrmont – Kursaal 20 oo
28.10.01 Salzgitter – IG Metall Großer Saal   05341/884412
30.10.01 Wernigerode - Stadthalle 20 oo   03943/690624
31.10.01 Lünen – Hansesaal 20 oo    02306/1042299

Then some solo gigs in England:
23. November, Cannock Folk Club, Staffordshire postponed.
29. November, Topic Folk Club, Melborn Hotel, Whiteabbey Rd, Bradford.
30. November, Bollington Folk Club, Cheshire

12. January 2002, The Milkmaid Folk Club, The Railway, Wymondham, Norfolk, 01953 604202

Then another trip to Germany on the St. Pat's tour, playing with Chris Parkinson again, along with Ragus Irish Dance troupe and the Paperboys from Canada - hi Geoff!

08.03.02 Nonnweiler - Hunnenringhalle 20 oo 06873/6600
09.03.02 Eschbronn Kreis Rottweil - Mühlbachhalle / Mariazell 20 3o      0741/42267
10.03.02 Landsberg – Kultur & Sportzentrum 19 oo
11.03.02 Aalen - Festhalle Fachsenfeld 20 oo 07361/522359 ( tbc )
12.03.02 Kehl/Appenweier - Schwarzwaldhalle 20 oo
                       07851/482338
13.03.02 CH - Zug - Theater Cassino 20 oo +41/41/7290505
14.03.02 CH - Bern - Kulturscheune Uptown 20 oo +41/848400400
15.03.02 Freising – Stadthalle 20 oo 08161/41700
16.03.02 Garching - Bürgerhaus 20 oo 089/32089138
17.03.02 tba
19.03.02 Schotten – Festhalle 06044/6651
20.03.02 Albstadt – Thalia Theater 20 oo 07431/1601204
21.03.02 Leonberg – Stadthalle 20 oo 07152/97550
22.03.02 Tübingen - Sudhaus 21 oo 07071/23456
23.03.02 Rastatt - Festhalle Wintersdorf  20 3o 07222/32920

Then some more solo gigs in England:

4. June 2002 Cramlington Folk Club
5. June Uppermill Folk Club
7. June The Ram Club, Claygate, Surrey

That's all the current news. Once again you can scroll down for the previous updates.....
 

One feeble excuse for my lack of updates has been that the early part of 2000 was fully taken up with learning about e-commerce websites, and setting one up for the Music Room. Along with James Noon, I spent seven months with my head full of web jargon. In the end we went live with our massive website, with many thousands of products to sell, and loads of useful text content. In June I was taken off that job, and James now tries to fit in the updates with his successful web publishing business. Take a look at
http://www.the-music-room.com/

After that, I was lucky that my small recording business took off with a vengeance. Thanks to local musicians such as Rosie Clegg, Nickie Willis, Barry Smith, Ceili House and Seamus Markey, I was immediately up to my eyeballs in recording work. Thanks too to the superstar session musicians who've helped out with all those projects - Tom McConville, Chris Parkinson, Ian Fairbairn and Erik Faithfull.
So successful did the recording business become that it became part of our decision to move house - so now we're in a new place with a large basement, where I've set up all the recording gear in excellent conditions.

Anyone who's moved house knows the chaos involved. Ours was no exception - we'd been accumulating junk in our last house for 13 years. But we got the new place six weeks before we moved in, which let us get all the messy jobs out of the way. A good job too, as I was due to leave for Germany the day after we moved. The time had come round again for the Celtic Halloween Festival, this time with the Anna Murray Band, Ganam and Le Gop. My job as tour manager to seventeen people, with three vehicles on the road for three weeks, is hectic but rewarding. And my involvement with Magnetic Music has got bigger - I set off in March with a new musical partner, the House Band's Chris Parkinson, as players on the St. Patrick's Day festival tour. The tour went very smoothly, as do all Magnetic Music enterprises, and we had a whale of a time with our fellow musicians. You must get the new North Cregg album - it's fantastic! (see St. Pat's date list below).

A fortuitous meeting has got me back on the solo gig trail in the UK too. Whilst working at the Music Room, I met up with Bob and Ros Gilchrist from Glasgow. They are managers for the excellent and very popular John Wright band, and booking agents for a few select performers. I was lucky to be offered a place on their roster, and they've got me quite a few gigs already - see below. So from doing hardly any singing last year, it's shaping up for a busy time to come. I've  finished an album of Irish and Scottish material with Parky, and then I'll get cracking on my solo album again. See the Discography page for details of our new album!
 
 

Now here's the gig list:

UK solo gigs:
Wednesday 17.1.01, Dorking Folk Club, Watermill Hotel. tel 01306 888530
Thursday 18.1.01, Maidenhead FC, The Ferry, Bridge Road,Cookham, 01734 448239
Friday 19th.1.01, Woolston Folk Club, Obelisk, Woolston, Southampton, tel 01703 570082

5 April Nitten Folk Club, Dean Tavern, Newtongrange, nr. Edinburgh. Tel 0131 4453361
12 April  Bromsgrove FC , The Lady Bird, Aston Fields, 01527 874069
7 May  Gainford FC, The Lord Nelson, Gainford, Nr. Darlington, 01325
315117
9 May  Cottingham FC, The King Billy 1V, East Yorkshire, 01482 844543
11 May Black Diamond FC, The Turks Head, Lawson St, Birmingham   Tel:  0121 358 2665
13 May  The Wee FC, Royal Oak, Infirmary St, Edinburgh 0131 557 2976
14 May   Glenfarg FC, Glenfarg Hotel, Perthshire 01383 738922
15 May   Chapelton Inn nr Strathaven  01357 520528
17 May   Falkirk FC, Polish Club, Arnot St Falkirk 01324 613395
20 May   Rugby club, Guisborough 01642 475471
22 May   Cramlington FC, Comrades Club, Cramlington  01670 715106
23 May   The Cross Keys, Uppermill  01457 833897
30 May   Redburn Hotel, Kilwinning Rd, Irvine 01294 551047

9-10 June Wimborne Festival, Allendale Centre, Wimborne, Dorset. Tel. 01202 623740
15 July  South Shields folk club, The Old Ship, Sunderland Rd, 0191 536 3137
18-25 August, Whitby Festival, N. Yorks, tbc.

23. November, Cannock Folk Club, Staffordshire
29. November, Topic Folk Club, Melborn Hotel, Whiteabbey Rd, Bradford.
30. November, Bollington Folk Club, Cheshire

Summer festival dates, and November club/Arts Centre dates available throughout the UK - contact Oscar Music Agency on 0141 634 1095.

German gigs with Chris Parkinson, Drimindubh and North Cregg:
08.03. Düsseldorf Tor 3 0180/5212512
09.03. Lünen Hansasaal 02306/1042299
10.03. Goslar Tagungszentr. Achtermann 05321/42423
11.03. Bad Wildungen Kursaal 05621/94537
13.03. Eisleben Landesbühne (ausverkauft) 03475/602070
14.03. Apolda Stadthalle 03644/562642
15.03. Leverkusen Stadthalle 0214/4063384
16.03. Gladbeck Stadthalle 02043/992682
17.03. Wilhelmshaven Pumpwerk 04421/913690
18.03. Cuxhaven Hapaghalle 04721/797173
20.03. Leer Zollhaus 0491/67649
21.03. Schöppingen Alte Druckerei 02555/8037
22.03. Hamburg Schlachthof 040/87976230
23.03. Hameln Sumpfblume 05151/93210
24.03. Paderborn Kulturwerkstatt 05251/280512

Next year we'll be on the St. Pat's tour again. Watch this space for dates!

That's the news in April 2001.
Here are the previous news pages if you need to catch up.

October 99
Well, it's been a very busy few months since my last update, and this one is long overdue. Thanks for all the e-mails from regular readers, giving me a hard time about my tardiness....
I'll leave the previous newspage underneath this one for new visitors.

Sounds!
I did some recordings with Maartin Allcock a while back, to try and generate some interest in USA booking agencies. Nothing has come of that yet, so I thought it would be nice to put some of the songs here on the website. I'll put a new one up every few weeks and keep the newsgroups informed.

Gigs!
The early part of this year was fairly active by my new relaxed standards. A standout gig was a double header with Chris and Denny in Southampton, aboard the SS Shieldhall (securely moored in the docks!). Glasgow readers will be amazed that this ship, long active in the Firth of Clyde, is now a restored and renovated tourist attraction. For many years, the Shieldhall performed a very vital role in the public health of the city, making daily trips to sea with a very unpopular cargo - use your imagination.

Other memorable gigs were two nerve-wracking local performances, always the hardest to do:-
The Grove Inn in Leeds is just a small pub with a concert room in the back, but everyone's played there, up to and including Mark Knopfler, and the audience is very discerning. My self-promoted show went superbly, and I even caught myself having a good time - unheard of at a home-town gig!

Easter saw a new festival in Yorkshire - the naff-named but well-put-together Jig'n'Swig Festival. Veteran Leeds promoter John Keenan provided a mighty lineup, including myself on the acoustic stage. Despite losing money, enough enthusiastic people attended to convince John to go ahead again next year.

In summer, I had a great time at two very different festivals. Wimborne, in the South of England, is a small town which goes wild at festival time, with all the pubs vying to put on folk entertainment and the streets full of an odd mixture of Morris Dancers and local scantily-clad ravers on a Saturday outing. And the "official" festival in the Allandale Centre has become one of the strongest in England for Celtic music. After three days of diddley-diddley, even I had had enough - that is, until the mighty Lunasa hit the stage and got everyone back on their feet. What a band! And what a lovely session we had back at the performers' hotel. Kevin, you're a toff!

The end of summer wouldn't be the same for me without Whitby festival, the first one I ever attended when I was seventeen years old. It's a venerable traditional festival which has kept a loyal audience, but moved with the times just enough to have a very healthy contingent of young performers every year. It lasts for a whole week, and every year we come away feeling part of a very special family. So thanks, Malcolm, Martin & co., keep it up!

Just now, I'm in a gig wilderness, but far from musically inactive. Here's what else is happening:

Recording:
The  Mally   project is now threatening to take over the world, or our lives at least. Mally and I set out to do some recordings to issue as a companion CD to his new tune book. But everything went so well that he's decided not only to do CDs for the new books, but to go over the back catalogue as well. This means we have 7-800 individual tunes to record! We're well into the second hundred now. I have to come clean with you - he's even got me playing accompaniments for Morris tunes! And, do you know, it's quite difficult!

The Music Room:
My part-time involvement there is just about to take on a new level as the business expands. More in the next update. But this summer, I was more than pleased to attend some more festivals as part of the Music Room roadshow. I enjoyed my first-ever visit to The National Festival, a first at Chippenham, too, where the sessions were so amazing. Hello Philippe, Ruth and Damian! Then back to home ground at Beverley.
The high-point was Sidmouth again, where the Music Room took a cast of thousands - enough to make up our own band which played at our very own melodeon competition. Another great moment for me was another chance to perform with Battlefield Band at the enormous Sidmouth arena. Despite the whole show being conducted in a torrential downpour, it didn't seem to deter the happy crowd at all. They were all up dancing all the time - mind you, the ground was too wet to sit on!

Germany:
In a couple of weeks' time, I'll be renewing acquaintance with Magnetic Music, the Battie's German booking agency, as I set out on a new venture, tour managing on the road for the Celtic Halloween Festival. This is a package tour of three bands which takes Germany by storm for a few weeks, as does the St. Patrick's Day tour every March. The crew for these tours is a happy band of ex-Battlefield and ex-Toss the Feathers personnel. Indeed, it was Moray, ex-Battie soundman, who got me into this. My companions from 22 October till 6. November will be Scottish "supergroup" Canterach, hot new Irish band Damp in the Attic, and good-time Cajun outfit Yannick Monot et Nouvelle France. Ich freue mich schon drauf, meine deutschen Freunde wiederzusehen!

So, friends, that's the October update. Excuse me for the long wait. I've been very busy and that's a good thing!

Now, here's the previous newspage:

My last Battlefield gig was late 97, in Peine in Germany. I was thrilled to be presented with a leaving gift from the lads - the biggest Swiss Army knife you ever saw! This prompted me to pass on my then current Swiss Army knife to John, as he's the one who opens up all the impregnably wrapped boxes of merchandise. Symbolic or what?

For the first few months after leaving the band, I spent all my time getting the career of Chris Sherburn and Denny Bartley off the ground. I was doing management, gig bookings, publicity, album production and distribution etc etc.
All that hard work paid off, with Chris and Denny now well established in the UK (14 festivals in 1998 alone!), and on their way in Europe and the USA. But it was nice to talk to folk club and concert promoters about the boys, and one by one, the gig requests for myself came in. After six months or so just getting my breath back, I felt ready to do some solo gigs. Chris and Denny are now looking after their own bookings again, while I still look after the Sound Out Music albums.

So it's thanks to the promoters who've given me a gig so far, at Gilwern, Llantrisant, Dorking, Leigh-on-Sea, Kingswinford, Marske, Holmfirth, Heighington, Harrogate, Arundel, St. Leonards, Southampton and Ely folk clubs, Gosport and Whitby festivals, and Arts centre gigs at Tunbridge Wells, Leicester and Blaxton with Tom and Pauline.
In November, we went to see the now not-so-new Battlefield Band lineup in Saltaire. Well done Mandy for filling the hall on a Monday night. It was a blast to get up on stage with the lads and perform "The Ferret" as an encore, especially as it got the crowd up for massed dancing.
Blaxton Village Hall is a really friendly place that puts on a real who's who of Folk Music. Tom, Pauline and myself did the last gig of 98 there, on my wife Gail's birthday. It's traditional for audience and performers to order massive amounts of pizza for the interval. Luckily the audience is understanding of artists trying to sing after the break! My first gig of 99 was also first gig of the year for Ely Folk Club . Ely's a charming spot in the Fens. It was great to see some Battlefield fans and ex-pat Scots there. They have a great festival there too.
I had one other gig that was nothing to do with music - a non-speaking part in a forthcoming TV drama documentary about the Yorkshire Ripper, being filmed in Leeds for UK airing in the autumn. It was my first time on TV as a non-musician. I had to play a TV cameraman, being instructed by the real cameraman on how to hold it, while being filmed. A strange kind of Alice-through-the-looking-glass experience! We were filming all night long, the crack with the old pro actors was great, and the food was out of this world. Oh, and the pay was good too - almost as good as being a musician!
 

Forthcoming solo gigs are at

• Queen's Head, Belper, 27.2.99
• Easter Festival, Leeds Convention Centre, Morley, 3-5 April 99
• Wimborne Festival, 11-12 June 99
• Whitby Folk Week, 21-27 August 99

• The Shieldhall, Southampton on 26.2.99

If you've read my biography page, you'll have seen that I'm trying to set up an American tour with Maartin Allcock. A demo CD has been recorded, and has found its way to several US agents; we hope to have more news on this very soon. Maart is currently on a UK tour with his band WAZ! We went to see them in Bradford and it was fab.

On my new studio, I'm also putting together basic tracks for a new solo album of mine. Once again, watch this space for label and release details!