Welcome to Friends of Folk and I hope you will find the information on the website of interest and I look forward to seeing you during 2012 at one or more of the gigs detailed below. Over the past few years there have been many great evenings with exciting musicians and I look forward to meeting friends old and making friends new over the coming months.
Friends of Folk
If you have any query, comments or request please do not hesitate to contact me at jim@friendsoffolk.org.uk.
With every best wish
Friends of Folk
Jim Minall
2012 GIGS...........
Summary of dates
Saturday 11 February - Kimbers Men - Rose Theatre
Saturday 25 February - Kevin Dempsey & Gren Bartley - Rose Theatre
Saturday 25 March - Urban Folk Quartet - Rose Theatre
Tuesday 3 April - Maddy Prior with Giles Lewin & Hannah James - Rose Theatre
Sunday 8 April - Feast of Fiddles - Grand Theatre, Blackpool
Monday 9 April - Feast of Fiddles - Leeds City Varieties
Saturday/Sunday 5/6 May - Maddy Prior Stepping Stones Festival
Friday 25 May - Chris & Siobhan Nelson - New Longton Village Hall
more details of all below........
Saturday 11 February
KIMBER'S MEN
at The Rose Theatre, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk
Box Office: 01695 584480
www.edgehill.ac.uk/rosetheatre
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Kimber’s Men are:-
John Bromley – Ship’s cook
Neil Kimber – Ship’s bosun
David Buckley - Captain of the Titanic
Joe Stead – Ship’s doctor
Gareth Scott – Ship’s powder monkey
Friends of Folk
Audiences have raved over Kimber’s Men, their harmonies being described as superb. Performing at an impressive list of sea and folk festivals from Ireland to Denmark, in Britain they have sung at festivals from Scotland and Northumberland to Cornwall and Jersey.
Formed in the summer of 2001, they now comprise Dave Buckley (Ships Captain); Gareth Scott (Powder Monkey) and founding members, the ship’s cook, doctor, and bosun.
Recently featured in the BBC4 and BBC2 productions of ‘Sea Songs’, they have released five CD’s.
http://joestead.com/Kimberbio.htm
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Saturday 25 February
KEVIN DEMPSEY & GREN BARTLEY
at The Rose Theatre, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk
Box Office: 01695 584480
www.edgehill.ac.uk/rosetheatre
Friends of Folk
Kevin Demspey & Gren Bartley
Friends of Folk
Kevin Dempsey has music in his soul. His multi-facetted career is testament to his talent as a guitarist, singer, songwriter and record producer. His uniquely wide range of professional experience in both the UK and the USA provides the bedrock for his unique range of skills. Kev is not only a talented solo performer but also an ensemble player of outstanding ability. He is sought out by many other musicians who enjoy not only his company but also know that his craftsmanship will always seek the most sensitive chord, the perfect arrangement, the ultimate lyrical sound or sheer driving rhythm, all to blend seamlessly into great pieces of music.
www.kevindempsey.co.uk
Friends of Folk
Gren Bartley sits on the edge of the ever growing link between English and American folk music. He explores the whole range from traditional English songs to the darkest American blues ballads. Add to this his impressive songwriting with "a depth and insight of someone twice his age" and you will find an artist that is sure to be an important contributor to the roots scene for many years to come.
Gren's live act is his strongest asset. His guitar playing is "effortlessly astonishing" and his lyrics serve perfectly to accompany the audience through the spectrum of musical landscapes he visits. But it is his soft yet absorbing voice that provides the thread of continuity throughout the set. He has toured all over the UK and is quickly building a core of fans wherever he goes. Catch him now... quick.
www.grenbartley.com
Saturday 10 March
URBAN FOLK QUARTET
at The Rose Theatre, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk
Box Office: 01695 584480
www.edgehill.ac.uk/rosetheatre
Friends of Folk
Friends of Folk
Joe Broughton, Paloma Trigas, Frank Moon and Tom Chapman are The Urban Folk Quartet. Four highly accomplished musicians, a dozen instruments and four voices coming together to put on a high energy show of grooving, globally-influenced folk music that will take your breath away. In just two years since launching, The UFQ have taken the European folk scene by storm, taking their blinding brand of electrifying acoustic music across the continent, packing out concert halls and playing major festivals. This summer saw The UFQ embark on their biggest adventure yet - a rollercoaster ride of gigs across Spain, Germany, Canada, Italy and the UK, playing everything from secluded coves to 30,000 capacity festival fields.
Friends of folk
Tuesday 3 April
MADDY PRIOR
with Giles Lewin and Hannah James
at The Rose Theatre, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk
Box Office: 01695 584480
www.edgehill.ac.uk/rosetheatre
Friends of Folk
Maddy Prior has a history of collaborating with unexpected musicians. Looking to approach traditional and written material from interesting and varied perspectives.
On this tour she teams up with Giles Lewin, a multi-talented instrumentalist and singer with a classical background diluted by some years in the band After Hours. He is a stalwart of the Carnvial Band, another long-time collaboration of Maddy’s.
They will be joined by Hannah James, who is now a part of Lady Maisry, and has been in the Demon Barbers and Kerfuffle. She brings singing, accordion, clog dancing and youth.
Sunday 8 April
FEAST OF FIDDLES
at The Grand Theatre, Blackpool
Box Office: 01253-290190
Friends of Folk
Friends of Folk
Feast of Fiddles is a musical entertainment like no other. Yes it's fiddles and yes there's folk music but there's so much more. Pretty much every genre is covered and the dynamic range is huge. In 19 years of annual tours every guest dragged along by an enthusiast has gone away happy! If you love good music - whatever it is - Feast of Fiddles is for you!
"Don't miss this one - it's certainly one of the highlights of my year!" - Jim Minall
Friends of Folk
Feast of Fiddles are also at Leeds City Varieties on Monday 9 April
Box office: 0113-243-0808 www.cityvarierties.co.uk
Friends of Folk
Plus a new festival with Maddy Prior Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 May
This festival presenting the best in contemporary folk is to be an intimate affair, Stepping Stones Festival is Maddy Prior’s house party among the Bewcastle fells. This celebration of music is a chance to experience a small family friendly festival with free camping set within some of the most beautiful wild and untouched countryside of the Borders.
The music brings together artists and friends old and new , there will be an open mike stage and a children’s area and activities, the festivities will continue until 11pm on both the Saturday and Sunday evening.
For more information go to www.steppingstonesfestival.co.uk
email: info@steppingstonesfestival.co.uk
Friends of Folk
Friday 25 May
CHRIS & SIOBHAN NELSON
at New Longton Village Hall
Ticket enquiries: call Jim Minall on 07837-367560
Send cheque for £8.00 payable to 'Friends of Folk'
to 56 Victoria Park Avenue Leyland PR25 1UG
or at on-line shop www.fofshop.com
First working together in acclaimed 1980s 'rogue folk' band The Cluster of Nuts, Chris and Siobhan are now wowing audiences with their engaging performances as a duo. Siobhan's singing is frequently described as spine-tingling, but she also 'lets rip' in a more powerful style when required! Chris's sensitive accompaniment, on fiddle, mandola, tenor (4-string) guitar or viola, helps give this duo its unique flavour.
Chris and Siobhan's typical live set includes a great mixture of material, including traditional songs (mainly, but not exclusively, English) and original arrangements of songs from a variety of great writers. Added to the mix is some fine a cappella singing, a smattering of American 'old-timey' songs, and often a fiddle tune or two. They have a long-standing collaboration with singer-songwriter Barry Wake (the third member of occasional trio Nelsons Wake), and Barry's moving and thought-provoking songs often prove to be highlights in Chris and Siobhan's performances.
Equally at home in an intimate acoustic setting or on the 'big stage', Chris and Siobhan have appeared at numerous festivals and folk clubs over the years in various guises: as a duo, and with Nelsons Wake, The Cluster of Nuts Band, The New St George, and Loose Screws Appalachian Dancers & String Band; Chris was a member of the 'American roots' band Midnight Flyers (with bluesmen Arnie Cottrell and Pete Harris) and bluegrass combo The Merseybillies. Chris and Siobhan are also popular Resident Singers at Southport's Bothy Folk Club.