E-Newsletter 240

Hello everyone,

Well we've never issued a Newsletter quite like this one before. It's been in preparation now for just over a week but as the current situation has changed from day to day, so has the newsletter. With the announcement today about the closure of pubs and other music venues and the uncertainty surrounding the amount of time this is going to go on for it seems like a good point to let you all know what's in place at the moment. It's highly likely there will be more changes but we'll do our best to keep you all informed on the website, via Facebook, Twitter and with additional newsletters.
Obviously everything at the club until the end of August has been postponed (except Chris Cleverley, June 25-more on this later). We're going to review things at the end of May to see where we stand.
This includes the Roland Walls Weekend (City of York Folk Weekend) which was to have taken place June 5, 6 and 7.
If you've already bought tickets for any of our events that have had to be postponed you can get a refund from the internet ticket provider or you can hang on to your tickets as they will be valid for the new date.
This applies to all events except The Paperboys which was to have taken place at The Crescent on April 5. This is cancelled. If you have already bought tickets, you'll be able to get a refund from seetickets.com Go to their support section for further details.

Here's what's happening with the bookings we've had to postpone:-

• MAZ O'CONNOR
  Maz was due to appear at the Black Swan Folk Club on Thurs March 26. This date has now been transferred to the City Screen Basement Bar, Coney Street, York YO1 9QL and the new date is Wednesday Sept 9
  Tickets available at www.wegottickets.com/event/497157
  English singer and songwriter Maz O'Connor has been described by The Guardian as 'one of folk's brightest young talents'. Though she grew up in the wild Lake District of the Romantic Poets, her roots are in Ireland, and these shine through her music. She spent her teenage years singing in folk clubs, studied literature at Cambridge and has since settled in East London: these diverse influences work together to make Maz's songwriting something unique.
  After the release of her acclaimed album 'The Longing Kind' in 2016, Maz has been writing and collaborating extensively, as well as touring the U.K. and Europe, opening for such acts as David Gray, Thomas Dybdahl and Rosanne Cash. She's been commissioned to write songs for the UK Parliament and The Royal Shakespeare Company. She is now working on her own piece of music theatre.
  'Maz O'Connor's ace, apart from her remarkable songwriting talent, is her captivating voice ****' (Q Magazine)
  'There is an inquiring intelligence as well as an emotional sensibility at work here…she plays and sings beautifully *****' (Songlines)
  'The perfect mix of youthfulness and gravitas ****' (The Guardian)
• ELIZA CARTHY RESTITUTE LIVE was due to have taken place at The Crescent Club YORK YO24 1AW on Fri April 10. It will now be held at The Crescent on Sunday Jan 24 2021 at 7-30pm tickets on sale at seetickets.com
  Eliza Carthy MBE should need no introduction. A multi-award winning singer, songwriter and musician from a formidable English music dynasty.
  Describing herself simply as a "modern English musician", Eliza Carthy is one of the most recognisable faces of the English folk revival. Her first "solo" album of traditional music in 14 years, Restitute is literally a homely affair, recorded at Eliza's home in the picturesque Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire.
  The band for the Restitute tour comprises Eliza Carthy, Ben Seal, Ben Somers, Willy Molleson and David Delarre with a support slot and special guest appearance from Saul Rose.
  In addition to the Restitute material, the band will perform songs from brand new recordings of original songs by Eliza Carthy & Ben Seal – taken from their forthcoming album Through that Sound my Secret was Made Known.
• KATHRYN ROBERTS and SEAN LAKEMAN at the National Centre for Early Music in York YO1 9TL
  This event was due to take place on Wednesday April 22. The new date is Tues November 17 at 7-30pm
  2020 marks 25 years of making music together for this popular wife and husband duo. Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman have long established themselves as one of the UK folk scene's most rewardingly enduring partnerships.
  To celebrate and acknowledge this milestone, the couple will revisit and reinterpret songs which span their career. From the early days of folk supergroup 'Equation' through to the current release 'Personae' with a nod or two along the way to their extracurricular musical adventures, the evening promises a whistle stop tour through their artistic journey to date. 'It's folk music for the modern age.' The Telegraph

We're currently in the process of rescheduling the following event for later this year:-
GRACE PETRIE at The Crescent Club YORK YO24 1AW which was to have taken place on Monday May 18.

CHRIS CLEVERLEY is due to appear at The Black Swan YORK YO1 7PR on Thurs June 25. This event is promoted by Broken Record and at the time of writing it's hoped that it will still go ahead. Ticket information to be announced.
With a visceral lyrical style, akin to the American greats Elliott Smith and Paul Simon, Chris shines a light on diverse, arresting themes from deteriorating anxious minds, via damaging gender constructs, to mystical tales of the occult. With "Haunting" lyricism (The Sunday Times) and an "Impressive" guitar technique (The Telegraph), it is no wonder Folk Radio UK have described him as "one of the most vital voices of today's folk generation".
FATEA Male Artist Of The Year 2019

DREVER, McCUSKER, WOOMBLE are due to appear at The Crescent YORK YO24 1AW on Monday August 24 at 7-30pm
Tickets from www.ents24.com
As the old adage goes, if you want something done, ask someone busy. And if you want to hear some of the freshest, savviest, sweetest and most original songwriting around, look no further than three of the busiest musicians in Scotland, now in cahoots as a trio: Kris Drever, John McCusker and Roddy Woomble. With their respectively distinguished pedigrees ranging freely across the folk and rock spectrum – and overlapping via several previous projects – each brings a wealth of diverse experience to the table, in a collaboration impelled primarily by that most magical of musical catalysts: pure enthusiasm.

Also scheduled to appear at The Black Swan Folk Club later this year are:_
ANTHONY JOHN CLARKE (Sept 10), CHRISTINE COLLISTER and MICHAEL FIX (special club night Fri Sept 18) MARIA DUNN (Sept 24) SAM KELLY & JAMIE FRANCIS (Oct 8) LUCY FARRELL (Oct 15) SAM CARTER (Oct 22), CHARLIE DORE & JULIAN LITMANN (Nov 19) MARTIN CARTHY (Dec 3)

OTHER NEWS

The Witham Community Centre in Barnard Castle has closed for the time being.

Reeth Memorial Hall is closed for the foreseeable future.

St Wilfrid's Folk Club in Ripon has been suspended until further notice.

Thorganby Folk have postponed their event with Plumhall and White Sail on March 28. Their next planned gigs are Gilmore and Roberts on May 16th and Ninebarrow on Nov 15th.

Toni Bunnell's show 'Tracking the Changes' March 29th at The Basement Bar City Screen York is postponed.

And the following music sessions in York are suspended:-
The Maltings (tunes only) Tanner's Moat - Tuesday evenings
The Golden Ball, Bishophill - Sunday evenings
The Three Legged Mare, High Petergate - Friday evenings
The Fox, Holgate. Havin' the Craic (1st Wed of the month)
Eagle & Child,(French & Breton)(2nd Wed of the month) from the music.

Roland's Ride

Finally a charity cycle ride inaugurated last year and named after Roland Walls(our late club organiser) by his long-time friend Peter Rees and raising money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association will take place again as far as we know on Sunday 31st May 2020.
The ride in Roland's memory starts and finishes at Darlington Arena, home of Mowden Park Rugby Club. Cost of entry is £25 and all this money will go to MNDA; the majority for research, but a proportion to local mnda groups to help in their work supporting people with the disease. You can get more information and register on-line at:- www.sgpetch.co.uk/rolandsride

That's all for this rather unusual newsletter. Watch the website, Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates. Please, keep 2 metres apart, keep washing your hands and stay well.

Chris and Black Swan Folk Club