E-Newsletter 43

Happy New Year to you one and all. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that you are ready to enjoy some great music in the months ahead. We’ll certainly do all we can at the Black Swan to make that possible.

1. YORK FOLK DAY OPEN MEETING. The planning meeting trailed in the last E-News has now been fixed for 8pm Monday 16th January in the Oak Room at the Black Swan Inn. There will be three main agenda items: (1) planning for the City of York Folk Day 2006, which takes place on Saturday 20 May, (2) any possible contributions by the York folk fraternity to the York Music Live weekend, 26-29 May and (3) an open discussion of Black Swan Folk Club business matters.
   Regarding Folk Day, we need to think of improvements we can make on previous year’s events, while if we want to do anything collectively for Music Live we need to move fairly fast as there is a late January deadline for funding applications. Both those topics are for the whole York folk scene. My apologies for tagging specific club business on the end of the agenda, but it seemed more sensible than fixing another meeting on another night. If you have any suggestions or positive ideas to contribute on any of these subjects, please try to come along on the 16th.

2. VIN GARBUTT SOLD OUT. Not surprisingly, Vin Garbutt’s 26th January show at the Black Swan has sold out and I already have a waiting list in case of any returns. So far as I know, your next chance to catch Vin in the immediate York area is on Friday 7th July at Pocklington Arts Centre (01759 301547).

3. VIKKI, EDDIE & MARTYN. Our early 2006 club guests at the Black Swan Inn are all old favourites and will be well known to at least some of you. This Thursday (5th) Vikki Clayton makes a rare trip north from her Midlands base, to enchant us all over again with her sublime voice and warm personality. Eddie Walker (19th) is a real pro, with a wide folk & roots repertoire and some great guitar picking (on a York-built Ralph Bown instrument, naturally!). Martyn Wyndham-Read’s visit (2nd Feb) follows the release of his new CD of contemporary songs, including his take on "These Are My Dreams" by our own Stan Graham. All three of these nights are PAY ON THE DOOR events, entry £6 full / £5 concessions.

4. MORE GOODIES AT THE NATIONAL CENTRE FOR EARLY MUSIC. On top of our Thursday club programme, we present February concerts at NCEM with Ashley Hutchings Rainbow Chasers (Tuesday 14th) and Swåp (Friday 24th). There will be more about both of those in future E-News. Also at NCEM, Sheffield-based business Jewels Promotions are putting on Canadian singer-songwriter trio The Wailin Jennys on Wednesday 8th February and Appalachian music, song & dance show The Gathering on Wednesday 8th March, with the latter featuring our old friend Debby McClatchy. Not to be outdone, the NCEM themselves promote Aly Bain & Phil Cunningham on Wednesday 22nd March. The Box Office reopens any day now on 01904 65388, boxoffice@ncem.co.uk.

5. AUDEN AND FOLK EVENT. Full details have been announced of the City of York Auden Society’s "Auden And Folk" concert, celebrating the interest of York’s most famous poet W H Auden in traditional folk lyrics. The evening will be introduced by leading folk scholar Vic Gammon, with Martin Carthy as headline act, singing some of the songs collected and anthologised by Auden in The Poet’s Tongue and The Oxford Book of Light Verse. Also performing will be the duo Odin Dragonfly (Heather Findlay & Angela Gordon) and local singers David Ward Maclean, John Brown and Pete Outhart & Martin Bartlett (of Two Black Sheep fame). This unique concert takes place on Saturday 18th March, starting at 7.30pm, at the Tempest Anderson Hall in Museum Gardens, York. Tickets are £14.50 (concessions £12), on sale through the NCEM Box Office as per the contact details above.

6. SELBY, POCKLINGTON & GOOLE EVENTS. Venturing outside York, I’ve had new season details from some nearby arts venues. Selby Town Hall’s schedule includes Acoustic Strawbs (11th Feb) and Chumbawamba Acoustic (18th March) with Uiscedwr and Flook to follow later. More details on www.selbytownhall.co.uk. Pocklington Arts Centre (www.pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk) has always offered plenty of folk and acoustic acts, this year with Cara Dillon on 7th March and Oysterband and Show of Hands coming later. Chumawamba Acoustic also feature at Goole Arts Centre (25th March) together with local heroes Last Night’s Fun (21st January). There is a Martin Carthy solo show (3rd March) and an interesting production by Dave Sealey (of Cosmotheka) on the life and work of monologue king Stanley Holloway (11th March). Find out more at www.thegategoole.com.

7. SINGER SEEKS GUITAR ACCOMPANIST. Louisa Cooke is a vocalist who has just moved to York after doing a lot of singing in London. She’d like to carry on singing here but needs to find someone to accompany her on guitar. She puts it like this: "28-year old female vocalist looking for acoustic folk/jazz/blues/country guitarist influenced by Joan Baez, Isaac Guillory, John Martyn, Shawn Colvin, Janis and Joni. Looking to do mixture of traditional and original material." You can contact her on loucooke77@yahoo.co.uk, 07881 944827.

8. AND RAY SEEKS MAGAZINES. Meanwhile Ray Black in Harrogate, no longer running a folk club, has more time for other folk pursuits and is trying to complete his collection of EFDSS magazines. In particular, he is looking for some issues of English Dance & Song from the 1930s and 1940s (plus one stray issue from 2001, Vol 63 No 3). More generally, Ray is in the market for old magazines containing or discussing folk songs and tunes (but NOT general folk mags such as Folk Roots or Living Tradition). For a full Wants list, contact Ray on blackmale@talk21.com, 01423 502875. Also on the look out for back numbers of the Folk Music Journal is Mike Feist in Otley, contactable on 01943 464647.

9. CALLING YOUNG ACOUSTIC MUSICIANS. The Wickersley Folk Day in South Yorkshire (March 11th this year) holds an annual Young Acoustic Roots competition for musicians aged 12-21, with cash prizes for all finalists and a concert spot at Cleethorpes Folk Festival for the winner. Any young folkies out there who might be up for it can obtain a free entry form from Pete Thornton-Smith on 01709 546555, pts@barrel.demon.co.uk. The closing date is January 31st.

10. SATURDAY BLACK SWAN ROOTS GIGS. Just space to mention upcoming Black Swan Inn gigs by contemporary folk duo Pillowfish (Tom Drinkwater, Helen Bell) on Saturday 21st January and the splendid Miles Cain the week after, 28th.

I’ll have another E-News out late in January. Meanwhile, keep supporting live music.