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Tudor Folk Club
Chesham, Bucks, England

Archive July to December 1999

12 July 1999: Colvin & Quarmby. "Bassist Nick Quarmby (Phil Beer Band) has teamed up with songwriter Gerry Colvin (a songwriting partner of Alison Moyet.) Refreshing music, heartbreaker ballads, wry ironic humour, feelgood songs, and genius turns of phrase. They've got the lot!" says their entry in their agency's page in Chris Conway's site, while Phil Beer's Gossip Page had "this month's top ten on my turntable" which includes "Colvin and Quarmby: Colvin and Quarmby. An album which I played on recently by Gerry Colvin and the bassist from my band Nick. I like this." ...but of course, he's updated the page since then. Here's some more stuff from their agency's publicity blurb:

Gerry is a consumate entertainer with a taste for musical danger. His songs range from the whimsical to the frankly Larsonesque; giving his own unique slant on life. Sweet harmonies, great songs and an air of enthusiasm and unpredictability promise an evening you won't regret or forget!
"I've always known Colvin could touch parts other writers can't reach, but there are moments here that will reduce you to an emotional wreck. That he's not a huge star isn't just criminal, it's a miscarriage of musical justice, the industry's blind, cruel defiance of divine will" says Mike Davies in Beat, November 1998

26 July 1999: Bram Taylor. from St. Neot's listings... "Bram is an entertaining artist with a distinctive voice and relaxed stage presence. He plays from a large repertoire of traditional songs, together with contemporary and humorous material, performed on acoustic guitar, duet concertina or unaccompanied."

Extract of 'Bram in conversation with Lewis Jones' in Buzz! issue 57, Autumn/Winter 1998:

"Bram this year celebrates 25 years as a paid folk performer. Born in Leigh, into a family with a proud mining tradition, he spent seven years as a resident singer at his local folk club before "people started offering me money to sing". It all developed from there. Lewis: Would you regard yourself as a singer-songwriter or an interpreter of songs?
Bram: I'm an interpreter of songs. People, mainly friends, send me lots of material, some of it heving been perfromed or recorded before. It has to have a good tune, good lyrics, stand on its own merits, and make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.
I recorded three albums before I had a go at writing my only song. It was "Lessons of Time", co-written with George Armstrong. I can't write them but I can pick them Lewis: Who has influenced you, and who do you most admire?
Bram: Harvey Andrews, Vin Garbutt, Gary and Vera Asprey, Marie Little and Tony Rose. I was also influenced by Paul Simon and Bob Dylan Lewis: Has your selection of material changed over the years?
Bram: I've moved towards more modern material bu, before I perform, I ask club organisers if their audience wants a traditional or mixed bag performance. Mostly, they want the latter."

13 September 1999: Patty Vetta & Alan Franks. Patty and Alan were with us last summer, and we welcome them back with their gentle mixture of traditional and blues based material.

Album review by Liz Law in the summer issue of Folk Roundabout, which is a very comprehensive listings-plus-reviews publication for the North East of England (sorry, no web-site, but you can e-mail them here. "Ladders of Daylight: This is a very enjoyable record, though I notice it was released in 1997 - I know I'm behind with these reviews, but I didn't think my backlog was as big as that...
Patty Vetta is not a name I have come across before and on this album she sings on most of the tracks, but is not credited with any instrumental role. That is mostly fulfilled by Alan Franks, who plays a pleasant guitar, and banjo on one track as well as adding a couple of vocal tracks of his own. He also wrote all the songs, which reveal a variety of influences; there are jazz-flavoured songs, some with a bluesy tinge, and some are reminiscent of early Ralph McTell.
The duo are joined by several musicians on various tracks - Steve Reynolds and Dave Olney play double bass; on one track together! Chris Leslie [presumably THE Chris Leslie of Fairports?] is on fiddle, Pete Sayers on autoharp and dobro, Tony Harris on guitar, spoons, banjo, hi-strung guitar and bass, David Fitzgerald on alto saxophone and Irish whistle and Charlotte Moore and Reg Meuross on vocals.
Some of the songs have a familiar ring to them, as though they may be similar to another song, but none that I could place exactly. Patty has a very pleasant, relaxed sounding voice, so if new songs in a rather easy listening vein (in the nicest possible sense) is your cup of tea, listen to this album for a nice pot of Earl Grey.

...also, a link to their trailer at the recent Redditch Festival

27 September 1999: Legacy. Featuring Juliet Bell - fiddle, bodhran, mandolin & vocals; Paul Burgess - guitar, mandolin, bodhran, whistle, vocals; Clare Sanders - flute, whistle, bodhran, vocals; and Mal Simms - lead vocals, bodhran, guitar, whistle. They play music from Britain and Eire: traditional, contemporary and originals; jigs, reels, hornpipes and songs...

"From their origins as a session band playing on the south coast, Legacy have developed into one of the most successful and sought after acts around. 'They're a bit good aren't they?' - Dave Swarbrick" says their entry in their agency's page in Chris Conway's site

Also, quoting their agent's blurb:

"The secret of their current success is the wide range and virsatility (sic! c'mon, guys, at least spell check your proof, eh?) or their repertoire which ranges from wild Irish jigs to plaintive Scottish airs, from rousing choruses and shanties to moving ballads and popular standards.
Juliet Bell is 21 years old. She has been playing since she was a child. She has trained under the Irish fiddle virtuoso Brendan McGlinchey. At 22, Clare Sanders is already acknowledged as one of the finest of the new generation of flute players. Paul Burgess brings an astonishing command of Jazz, Rock and Blues influences to his driving guitar and mandolin playing, while Mal Simms' experienced professionalism and musical direction gives power and maturity to the youthful energy and dynamism of the others."

Finally, yet another extract from the increasingly indispensable Folk on Tap: this time from an interview by Mark Williams in the Summer 1999 issue:

'I asked about the distinctive "Legacy" sound. They ponder this for a moment and then Clare explains.
"I suppose it's just a wonderful accident. It is all the influences and the mixture of styles. Jules and I have a classical background. I have played Jazz. Paul has played everything: Hard Rock, Blues, Jazz, Avant Garde. Mal has been deep into Folk and Celtic music for years but also his mother was a great Jazz singer. It is not like being brought up with jigs and reels as you are in Ireland but then we are not an "Irish" band. We play tunes from all over: Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Brittany, and even England! But we also play songs. We arrange everything ourselves whether it is an Irish lament or a sea shanty."
Jules agrees and adds:
"The other thing is we overlap instrumentally.... We do not have [pipes,] melodeon or concertina.... Somehow our sound is more elemental, more sparse, less crowded. On the other hand we can all sing... and can do unusual four part harmonies which sound different because... Mal and Paul are both tenor voices"'

11 October 1999: Anam. Be there. 'Nuff said...

Extract of a review by David Jones from the Summer 1999 edition of Folk North West. (Who now have a web site, if you'd like more details of or to subscribe to this fine magazine which covers, er, the North-West (Stoke seems to be its southern border, through Cheshire and on up to Lancs, and including North Wales): club listings plus CD and gig reviews):

"ANAM - Live - Accrington Town Hall - Friday 12th February 1999:
Anam have undergone a major change to their highly talented line-up, with Aimee Leonard departing, while Fiona Mackenzie, from the Isle of Lewis, and Edinburgh-based Anna-Wendy Stevenson have joined a band who have been winning over devotees since its inception in 1992. Formed by Brian O'headhra (pronounced Bree-n O'Hara), the line-up is completed by Treasa Harkin and Neil Davey, a Cornishman and their sole token to all things English!! They glide effortlessly between instrumentals and songs, which are heavily influenced by gaelic, be it north of the border or across the Irish Sea. Their instrumentation includes guitar, bodhran, bouzouki, mandolin, fiddle, button accordion and whistle, a mix which ideally complements Anam's repertoire.
snip listing of gig... reels... song... jigs... song... hornpipes... song... tune set... song... Cornish gavottes... Scottish tunes... slipjigs/lullabies... snip [you get the idea?]
...I can see only success ahead for five musicians who clearly enjoy what they do, while being able to transmit that enthusiasm to their audience, the latter being a skill that too many of their contemporaries seem at odds with."

Nice enough review tho' this is, I can't help feeling David has somewhat overlooked Treasa on accordion. Certainly when I last saw the band, it was her delicate balance of subtlety and drive, of restraint and fire which impressed me enormously. As I said: "Be there"

Stop Press: I was there: and they were absolutely stonkingly brilliant.

25 October 1999: Pete & Lucy Castle. We're extremely lucky and honoured to have Pete and Lucy as a duo: a rare privilege! Here's an extract from their web site:

"PETE CASTLE: has been a stalwart of the English folk club and festival circuit for over twenty years, the last 19 of them as a professional performer of traditional songs and ballads. He also works in schools and in the wider community as both musician and storyteller. He has recorded widely and appeared many times on radio and TV. ...his style has... developed and matured and although he occasionally surprises people with a contemporary or self-written song, or plays with musicians from other cultures, he's remained loyal to the traditional English songs, especially ballads, which have always been at the core of his repertoire. ... Without compromising his style he seems to be able to please both the most serious of folkies and the lay-person who would not usually go to a folk event.
LUCY CASTLE-HOTEA: ...has built on an up-bringing in British folk music and a 'classical' training to become one of the leading fiddle players of her generation."

8 November 1999: Craobh Rua. "Everything that's good about Irish traditional music - they play it from the heart and they play it superbly." Belfast Telegraph. "This Belfast band's playing of traditional Irish music ranges from blistering sets of reels to beautiful and sensitive interpretations of traditional Gaelic tunes and original songs. The four piece lineup includes uilleann pipes, tin whistle, fiddle, bodhran, banjo, mandolin, guitar and bouzouki in addition to vocals and they have performed with the likes of De Dannan, Aly Bain and Alan Stivell." I nicked this critique from The Gantry's programme. I can't find a site for them, but try the following:

The Ultimate Seisun Band by Maureen Brennan in Dirty Linen in-depth review/interview/pictures from 1997
Trailer for their recent star billing at the Redditch Festival with a really good picture of the lads
Folk World interview
Irish Music article
KRL, their record label has album details
their current KRL publicity picture (warning! - 180kb)

22 November 1999: Moon Coin.  Exclusive interview:

Don’t let the fact that Mooncoin are a Norwich-based band playing predominantly Irish and English music fool you. As this exclusive interview with their spokesman, Ulrich Schwabe (call him ‘Uli’) illustrates, their influences range a little more widely than that.
"Chris Schwabe is our singer and she also plays whistle, melodeon and percussion. Born Christine Webster, she comes from Portsmouth originally. We met in Leipzig, and have been playing together for, oh, thirteen years, including three in the 'Tanz und Spring Band' - a ceilidh band. I’d been playing in various other line-ups and styles for many years previously. My instruments are fiddle, mandolin and percussion.
"Skrypt - he just uses the one name - is our guitarist and he joined us in June of this year.< br> "We draw our material from Irish, Swedish - we do a number of haunting tunes from Sweden - and Chris brings some English ballads to the mix.
"My background is varied: classical, rock and folk. I really like the Fairports, early Steeleye Span, Clannad, Wolfstone, Capercaillie, Solas... Skrypt and I also play in a folk-rock band called Kesh.
"Mooncoin played at the main German folk festival in Rudolstadt and are booked to play there again in July 2000.  We also played the Ely festival last July.
"We’re based in Norwich and will play parties, art centres, theatres, and private parties. We had a recent gig at a Danish bank which was great fun - we had a story teller, and we played incidental music for her as well as our usual set.
"We still like to play in informal sessions, and just like to play for the fun of it."

Also, from the uk.music.folk newsgroup:

"There's a high-powered group who play in Norwich called Moon Coin. I've seen them in the Cider Shed at Banham, Norfolk. Sort of Celtic wall of sound. Good to play with, they're very tolerant."

...and:

"Mooncoin played at Ely Folk Festival, a trio playing fiddle, mandolin, percussion, guitar, banjo, whistle, melodeon and vocals. Nice sound and very talented. Norwich based."

6 December 1999: Mike Silver. Top notch. Great voice, great songs, lovely warm human being...
Here's a review of Mike's CD "Heartland", by Diane Jessurun at The Incredibly Small Concert Hall:

"Mike Silver's 14 song CD Release "Heartland" is some of the best Indie music I've heard in a long time! Mike is an excellent singer/songwriter with such emotion and style that will most surely lead him to a successful career in music. From the first track "Dirty Water" all the way through the CD, Mike's tranquil voice and honest, true to life lyrics, take you on a journey of experiences and melodies. At times Mike sounds a little like Sting and sometimes a little like John Denver. All in all he is a wonderful musician and I just can't say enough about how much I enjoy this CD. One of my favorite tracks is "Farmer's Son". Mike sings this song accapella and it moved me almost to tears. Each song is beautifully written and recorded, and again I can't say enough about this CD and recommend it to everyone." The latest Mike Silver CD "Double Back" is now ready.  It's a compilation CD comprising 15 tracks from two of Mike's previous LPs "Free" (1984) and "No Machine" (1986) not previously issued on CD. It's available at £12 (incl p+p) from FAYMUS Productions, P.O. Box 748, Luton, Bedfordshire LU1 5ZA, England. Hear an edited MP3 version here.

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