KentFolk News February 2005

Managed to find the time to listen to some music myself the other day, see the photo-report on the new section: [Current Gig Photos].

KentFolk is hoping to put on quite a bit of music this year :
The first is a St. Patrick's Night special - Thu. 17th March, with Camine : Top quality celtic music. Ramona Egle on fiddle and whistle, Zinta Egle on guitar. Remarkable harmony singing from these twin sisters. In the Red Lion Hotel, Canterbury Road, Wingham, Nr. Canterbury, Kent. CT3 1BB
With Irish food (excellent) : £12.00. Telephone: (01227) 720 217 Facsimile: (01227) 720 112 Email: reservations_at_redlionwingham_dot_co_dot_uk

Then there is a Spring Cajun dance with Wild Turkey, on Saturday 7th May, (the week-end after Rochester Sweeps festival 2005), in the Littlebourne Thatched Barn.

The most ambitious is a long week-end in the Summer, when there will be a "Fiddlers Various" showcase, with 7 fiddlers, in the Littlebourne Thatched Barn on Sunday 5th June. There will also be pub gigs : Saskia Tomkins will be in the King William IV in Littlebourne on Friday 3rd June, and Laura Targett (Monkey Puzzle) will be in the Red Lion in Wingham on Monday 6th June.

Then there is an Autumn Barn Dance in the Littlebourne Thatched Barn, on the 24th September, with the Longstone/Camine fusion that was such a success 2 years ago.
See the [KentFolk Gigs] web page and the [Tickets] pages for links to more information.

Here is a photo of the Littlebourne Thatched Barn in our February snows, hopefully it will warm up a bit by the Summer :

Please do support the events if you want anything like this to happen again.

Adrian O - our very own Story Teller and Landscape Photographer - has taken camera (and Sue !) on a round the world exploration - I have seen some of his previous photographs, and can not wait to see what he brings back.
But we are getting the stories as he goes - it hurts me deeply but I have not had time to put them up as they come - but here are the first set:
Follow the Adrian `O's travels link to find out more .... I am updating as they come in (usually over the week-end).

KentFolk paid the first visit of what I certainly hope will be an annual pilgramage, to the London Fiddle Convention, at Cecil Sharp House. This was the 13th, but the first time I had heard of it ! see the second photo-report on the new section: [Current Gig Photos].

Manston are doing flights to Shannon - out on the Friday evening, back on the Sunday night - and some of their flights are only 75p at the moment. Clare is a great county for music - why not give it a try ?

Celtic

Celtic and other Sessions
If you have been looking for the Wednesday Celtic session at the George Inn, Stone St. this has now terminated again - the session is back in the Anchor Inn in Wingham, until further notice. However there are also now sessions in a number of pubs on different days of the week:

Tuesdays:
On the last Tuesday of the month there is a mixed session/folk evening in the Kings Head, Hythe.

Wednesday:
Celtic session at the Anchor Inn, Wingham, on the A257 near Canterbury. New musicians very welcome.

Thurday:
This mixed session has now moved to the Three Tuns, 16 Tanners St., Faversham;
There is also a Celtic session in the White Hart Hotel, Hythe.

Sunday:
On the 1st Sunday and 3rd Sunday there is a Celtic session in the Compasses, Sole Street, Crundale. CT4 7ES

The last Sunday Celtic session at Deal has no home at the moment.

From: andy renshaw andy_at_camine_dot_co_dot_uk
Subject: Camine gig list

Welcome to the Feb / March Camine email up date.

Camine / Percussion Junction.
Follow the huge success of last years Camine / Percussion Junction concerts at the Horsebridge Arts Centre & Global Weekend ^Å^Å^Å they^Òre at it again. Ramona, Zinta & Andy will be joined on Wednesday Feb 16th by the fab percussionist Kevin Richards on djembe and congas, forming a funky AfroCelt fusion, for a special concert at the Broadstairs Cultural Centre in Crow Hill, Broadstairs, Kent. The Cultural Centre is a great new venue and proving a big hit, so book early!!
Tickets £6.00. 01843 860246 for booking & information. info_at_broadstairsculturalcentre_dot_co_dot_uk

March 3rd Camine supporting Keith James (songs of Nick Drake). Jagger Centre, Dartford, Kent.

March 4th George Inn, Stone St, (Canterbury to Hythe Rd) (01227) 709247 (9-11pm). Ever popular monthly residency.

March 17th ST. PATRICK'S DAY. The Red Lion Hotel, Wingham, Kent (9-11pm) (01227) 720217. Tickets £12.00.
Including Irish menu.

March 19th The Plough & Harrow, Borden, Nr. Sittingbourne, Kent (9-11pm). 07887 535828.

March 22nd The Duke of Cumberland Hotel, Whitstable, Kent. (01227) 280617 (9-11pm).

Other News...............

Andy will be making his début appearance as a DJ on Mon Feb 28th at The Blind Dog (formally the Cardinals Cap) in Canterbury. The evening comprises four DJ^Òs playing fruity mix of global fusion, Celtic, African, Latin and god knows what. A one way ticket to funk central!

The mighty Music for Change are back with Club Caramba. This spring sees the once a month global events in Canterbury bring bands from Brazil, Bulgaria, Iraq and Senegal plus workshops, story telling, food and film. St. Pete^Òs Methodist church hall, High St, Canterbury. Kids £1 & adults £3 ^Ö a bargain for such top bands and suitable for all the family. The first one will be on March 5th and will be the music and culture of Brazil. 11am till 3pm. More info from www.musicforchange.org.

If you are travelling any distance, it is always worth giving the venue a quick ring, as changes do happen from time to time. If you would like to be removed from the Camine mailing list, please email andy_at_camine_dot_co_dot_uk and I will take you off.

More of the same _at_ www.camine.co.uk

Hope to see you at a gig soon. Andy, Ramona & Zinta.

Cajun

From: Kent Cajun
Subject: Mardi Gras - Thank You!

Dear all,

This is to say a very big Thank You to everyone for their efforts to support the Mardi Gras party on Saturday.

Not only was it a wonderful (not to mention colourful!) evening but after paying for the hire of the hall, £69 was raised for the Tsunami Appeal.
So, thank you again - look forward to the next time!

Satu
From: Kent Cajun
Subject: Cajun Dance Workshop - Sunday

Hi there,

A reminder for y'all:

This month's Cajun Dance Workshop with Kay Anderson and Wild Turkey takes place this coming Sunday (27th February) in Whitstable. Venue: St Peters Church Hall, Cromwell Road, Whitstable, CT5 1NA from 2.30pm to 4.30pm (doors open at 2.15pm). Entry £3.50, for more info contact Karin on 01227-779178 or see www.kentcajun.org.uk/danceworkshops.html

Please note that this venue does not have a bar, so bring your own drinks.
Hope to see you all there!

Satu

www.kentcajun.org.uk - Promoting Cajun and Zydeco music and dancing in Kent!

Folk

Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2005 19:38:35 -0000
From: David Pleasants chiefy_at_tesco_dot_net

Subject: CRABBLE FOLK SUPPER FRIDAY 25 MAR 05, WHITE HART FOLK CLUB, LANCASTER MARITIME FESTIVAL

Hi Folks,

Sorry the warning order is a bit late this month but I have hardly caught up with myself since I came back from skiing, thankfully in one piece.
Don Thompson has very kindly jumped in to do the Crabble finishing spot for me this month as I had not managed to spam anyone for it so far! Looking ahead for the next couple of months, "Like It or Not" will be doing the finishing spot in March, which is, of course on Good Friday, a fact I only tumbled to recently! Bill will be running things that night for me and the White Hart the night before as I shall be at Lancaster along with Mick and Brenda, Dave and Maureen and Kerry and Mandy. I hope therefore that the rest of you will rally round Bill for those two nights to keep things going.

In April we have a welcome return by "Morvern Shores" to do the finishing spot for us. We haven't seen them for a while so it will be good to have them back.

Turning to the "White Hart Folk Club", we are currently not meeting in the White Hart Hotel as it is under refurbishment, hopefully this message has got around to everyone. We have been putting a notice on the door redirecting people to our temporary home at "The Watersedge", formerly the "Red Lion" in Red Lion Square in Hythe. We have had some good nights there but we do intend to move back to the White Hart once the refurbishment is finished. We have had good vibes from the new landlord already as he very kindly allowed us to use the room on 20 Jan 05 for our guest night with Keith Kendrick. The pub itself was not open that night as they had already started the refurbishment, having only taken possession that day, but they still allowed us to use the room and a tremendous time was had by all, not least Keith.

Mentioning Keith leads me on to remind you that we have "Capella" as our next guests on 14 Apr 05. We had a super night with them two years ago and they have also visited the club when we had their friends "LocTup Together" appearing so please put this on your calendars and tell your friends to come along so that we have a really good turn out that night.
Those of you who were at The White Hart to hear Keith Kendrick will have heard Ken Latham do his superb version of "Shallow Brown" as well as I have ever heard him sing it and he is the best performer of that song that I have heard anyway. Sadly though Ken had a heart attack the following week and spent four days in the QEQM hospital at Margate. Fortunately he is recovering well and I have just had a long chat with him. He asked me to pass on his thanks for the card which was signed by those at the Three Mariners and the Watersedge on 9 and 10 Feb respectively.

Finally, a brief mention of Lancaster for the maritime fans amongst you. The local council will no longer fund the festival after this year so there is a possibility that it could be the last ever Lancaster Maritime Festival. If you don't want to miss the chance of going then this is the year to do it. Typical isn't it ,I finally get to sing with a group that is performing at Lancaster and it could be the last one!

Regards

David

Breton Music and Dance

There is a recently started French and European Session in the Rose in Wickhambreaux, on the second Monay of the month (see below). This is a top quality session in an excellent local pub.

There are regular French and Breton music and dance sessions on the 3rd Sunday of every month at 1.00pm at Hollingbourne Village Hall.

From: Steve Barrett
Subject: Les Batons

Hi
Just to let you know that there is a French Music Session at the Rose,Wickhambreaux, Kent (not far from Canterbury),on Monday 15th November at about 8.30pm.

If you are interested please try and come along - if enough are there it will become a regular session.
If you want to know more please email Martin Sutcliffe at
"tincliffe_at_yahoo.com"
See you soon
Steve
(01303 253717)

Blues

From: Bottleneck Blues blues_at_bottleneckblues_dot_co_dot_uk
Subject: Wed 16th March



The Bottleneck Blues Club

_at_ Zaffa, Maidstone. Wed 16th March

Presents

Geoff Achison & The Souldiggers

An evening of World Class Jazz/Rock/Blues

Doors 8:00pm to late....late licence, waitress service, food....a proper "grown-ups" night out!

[IMAGE]

Well notwithstanding blizzard conditions, a fatal outbreak of Bilharzia & a massive overload of an affliction known as "Football" last night's gig at The Roffen with the Steve Arvey Band was a tremendous occasion. Yes, it was the worst turnout we've had in over 5 years but the show was terrific & Steve showed us that the Yanks truly deserve their reputation as consummate showmen.

It was a shame that presenting somebody all the way from Chicago, Illinois proved so underwhelming to many ~ but those that did support the gig had a wonderful time as did the band.
Right....Geoff Achison is back!!!!....We kick off his tour at The Beauvais Festival, France on 9th March where he is appearing with John Mayall & Chuck Berry over two nights. I'm driving The Souldiggers over in the early hours of the 9th & Geoff is being flown in to Paris by Air France, a major sponsor of this week-long blues festival, a couple of days earlier to recover from jet-lag.

The organisation needed for these tours is massive....I have to plan months in advance...back-line has to be sourced, accommodation booked, transport provided, work permits applied for & that's before any venues are contacted & persuaded to book the artist.
It's worth it though when I see how much, you the audience, enjoy the concerts. That's what we all do it for you know....certainly not for the money....blues/roots must be the least financially rewarding sector of the music industry.....but we all love it!!
For those not in the know, Geoff Achison is one of the World's finest musicians, he's won many awards, been featured on Jazz FM, BBC Radio 2 & on American television. His UK Souldiggers are simply the finest bunch of artists I could put together ~ Sam Kelly (Jamaica) on drums, Dave Clarke (New York) on bass & Paul Jobson (Chipping Norton) on keys ~ they don't come better & it's a great privilege working with guys of this calibre.

OK...I await the first table cancellation blaming the fact that The Budget is on Wed 16th March!!

Geoff also appears with his band & the amazing Mike Dowling at The Roffen on Tues 29th March & three other UK festivals plus many venues during his 2005 tour. All the dates are on-site www.bottleneckblues.co.uk so if you're getting this Eletter up-country you can still catch Geoff & The Souldiggers near you. Check out Geoff on www.geoffachison.com

I still have capacity at both Bottleneck gigs.
IF YOU HAVE BOOKED A TABLE FOR THE FORTHCOMING GEOFF ACHISON GIGS PLEASE AT LEAST GIVE ME SOME NOTICE IF YOU DON'T INTEND TO SHOW UP ON THE NIGHT......THANKS.

John.

From: Vic & Tina Smith tinvic_at_globalnet_dot_co_dot_uk
Subject: 11 Items of Folk Music News from Sussex

1] FOLK AT THE ROYAL OAK, LEWES EAST SUSSEX.
Thursdays at 8.00 pm
Contact tinvic_at_globalnet_dot_co_dot_uk or 01273 478124
Website www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~tinvic

Programme for the coming months:-
Feb 24th * £4.00 * BOB DAVENPORT
One of the cornerstones of the English folk revival, Bob's engaging singing and endearing performances are always popular.
Mar 3rd * £4.00 * ANDREW FRANK & GEORGE HINCHLIFFE
Andrew performs an eclectic range of songs and is joined tonight by the leader of The Ukulele Orchestra of G.B.
Mar 10th * £4.00 * NOEL DUMBRELL
This much loved performer will be bringing a little taste of Old Sussex with him. Lovely singing and outstanding harmonica playing.
Mar 17th * £4.00 * VIC GAMMON, ANNIE DEARMAN & STEVE HARRISON A very fine combination of English tunes and songs from a highly talented multi-instrumentalist trio.
Mar 24th * £4.00 * JIM CAUSLEY
An enormously promising young singer and accordion player from the West Country makes his first appearance for us.

[Sorry, this is coming out truncated - I will chase ...]