E-Newsletter 253
30th August 2022
Hello everyone
We hope you’ve had a good summer and with our first September show at the club this Thursday it’s time to give you some details about what will be happening this Autumn and for the rest of 2022 plus a few dates we already have planned for next year.
We start, with what promises to be a superb night, at the club on Thursday (Sept 1st) with a rare appearance from mother and daughter duo
CHRIS and KELLIE WHILE.
Many know Chris from her work with Julie Matthews, St Agnes Fountain, The Albion Band, Fairport Convention and as a soloist. She is an acclaimed songwriter.
Kellie has performed with the Albion Band, E2k and the Reel and Soul Association.
Mon Sept 5 the return of LIAM O’MAONLAI and WHITE SAIL at The Crescent Club, YORK
If you were there you’ll remember what a great Sunday afternoon gig it was in the club room last year when Liam played the first inside concert for us after ‘lockdown’. Justifiably, this time it’s a larger venue for the Hothouse Flowers front man. Once again Liam is ably supported by ‘local heroes’ WHITE SAIL.
Thurs Sept 8-Back once more from Canada on a short tour
MARIA DUNN and SHANNON JOHNSON are at The Black Swan Folk Club. No strangers to the Black Swan we’re expecting to hear some great new songs written by Maria and fine fiddle playing from Shannon.
Thurs Sept 15 GRAINNE HUNT at The Black Swan Folk Club
First time in at The Black Swan folk Club for a contemporary nu-folk Irish singer/songwriter with a rich background in performance and songwriting. Grainne has shared stages with Glen Hansard and U2, and has opened for Gladys Knight and Eagle Eye Cherry. She's toured extensively throughout Europe and the US. Her influences range from The Dubliners to Joni Mitchell, Mary Black to John Mayer.
Thurs Sept 22 ‘OPEN MIC’ at The Black Swan Folk Club
You never know what to expect at our ‘Open Mic’ evenings. Over the last few months we.ve had some great performances from singers and musicians, some making their debut, some who drop in to see us occasionally and some regulars. Come along and put your name on the list if you want to perform. If you just want to listen you’re very welcome as well. No advance tickets just a minimum £3 donation on the door.
Thurs Sept 29 CATHRYN CRAIG and BRIAN WILLOUGHBY at The Black Swan Folk Club
Brian and Cathryn are among our most highly rated guests at The Black Swan Folk Club.
Individually they have worked with the like of The Righteous Brothers, Shel Silverstein. Mary Hopkin. the Strawbs and Nanci Griffith.
A show that will have you tapping your feet, singing along to the choruses, enjoying their stories and being in awe of Cathryn.s great singing and Brian's inventive guitar playing.
Friday Sept 30 BREABACH are at the National Centre for Early Music YORK
A band we’ve hosted several times in the past. Securely ranked among Scotland’s most skilled and imaginative contemporary folk acts, Breabach unite deep roots in Highland and Island tradition with the innovative musical ferment of their Glasgow base. A must-see event for fans of Scottish folk music.
Tues Oct 4 YE VAGABONDS are at The Crescent Club
From their first appearance in the folk club room only a few years ago the popularity of this brother duo has risen rapidly and once again we’re presenting them in a concert venue. Brían and Diarmuid MacGloinn grew up playing music together around their hometown of Carlow, a small town in the southeast of Ireland. After moving to Dublin in 2012, they quickly became a staple of the live music and session scene in Ireland, playing their own original songs as well as folk songs from Ireland, Scotland, England and America.
Thurs Oct 6 ANTHONY JOHN CLARKE is at The Black Swan Folk Club
AJ was due to be our guest at the club back in January but unfortunately we had to postpone. However we’ve been able to organise another date fairly quickly. Anyone who's seen AJ before will know that this is bound to be another highly entertaining evening with stories and original songs, best known of which are "The Broken Years" (about ‘The Troubles’ in Northern Ireland), "The Only Life Gloria Knows" (about homelessness), and "Tuesday Night Is Always Karaoke"
Wed Oct 12 DAOIRI FARRELL is at the National Centre for Early Music
Back with us again singer and bouzouki player Daoirí (pronounced ‘Derry’) Farrell is described by some of the biggest names in Irish folk music as one of most important singers to come out of Ireland in recent years. Six months after releasing the album ‘True Born Irishman’ Daoirí won two prestigious BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2017 for Best Newcomer and Best Traditional Track, and performed live at the awards ceremony at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Support will be from Irish singer songwriter Paula Ryan
Thurs Oct 13 ‘OPEN MIC’ at The Black Swan Folk Club
Sun Oct 16 JOSH BURNELL BAND at The Crescent Club
Revamped with a new sound, look and album, Joshua and his band return to the stage. After playing the folk festivals of the UK and releasing two albums of traditional songs, Joshua now returns to his original song-writing, exploring themes from traditional folk fused with his dynamic brand of retro pop-infused folk.
His latest album, Flowers Where The Horses Sleep, is inspired by the lives of people both past and present and explores humankind’s remarkable ability to find beauty, even in the ugliest of times; an ability as relevant now as ever.
Thurs Oct 20 JOHN and DI CULLEN at The Black Swan Folk Club
First time at the club for John and Di. They've built up a great reputation with Di´s voice and John´s delicate guitar playing adding to their vocal harmony. They will be covering a selection of traditional and contemporary material including new, inventive and intelligent songs which are by turn poignant, wistful & hilarious.
Thurs Oct 27 CLIVE GREGSON at the Black Swan Folk Club
2020 saw Clive Gregson’s 40th year in the music business when he was due to mark the end of an era as he’d decided to retire from solo touring at the end of the year. Yes, you’ve guessed it, the pandemic put paid to that! To belatedly celebrate his illustrious four-decade career, Clive will be fitting in as many live dates as practically possible this autumn and we’ve managed to secure a date with him at the club. Singer-songwriting and guitar playing of the very highest calibre.
Fri Oct 28 ‘Beware of the Bull’ JOHN WATTERSON (FAKE THACKRAY) and PAUL THOMPSON launch their new JAKE THACKRAY biography at the National Centre for Early Music
Fresh from publishing their much-anticipated biography of the late, great Jake Thackray, John Watterson (‘Fake Thackray’) and Paul Thompson combine their talents as performers and authors to present an evening like no other, featuring Jake’s brilliant, hilarious songs and stories from his remarkable life.
Admired by Neil Gaiman, Jarvis Cocker, Jon Richardson and Arctic Monkeys, among many others, Jake is increasingly recognised as one of the greatest and most original British songwriters of the twentieth century; a unique talent, whose songs are full of wit, poetry, irreverence and humanity.
Thurs Nov 3 ‘OPEN MIC’ at The Black Swan Folk Club
Thurs November 10 TOM McCONVILLE and MICHAEL BIGGINS
No stranger to the club award winning fiddle player TOM McCONVILLE returns to the Black Swan Folk Club with his new accomplice MICHAEL BIGGINS. Two musicians who have been awarded BBC Folk Musician Of The Year and BBC Scottish Trad Musician of the Year independently.
Tom ‘s fiddle and Michael’s piano and accordion playing are amongst the finest there is, powerful and exciting with a range of songs performed in great style. They have a range of music including Irish, Scottish, Bluegrass and Jazz plus songs all performed with a great sense of style, verve and humour.
Thurs Nov 17 ALLAN TAYLOR at the Black Swan Folk Club
One of our most popular guests who has performed for us many times. Allan Taylor is one of the last of the travelling troubadours who came through the London and New York Greenwich Village folk music scene of the sixties and seventies. He’s travelled the world performing at festivals, concert halls and clubs. Considered to be one of the foremost singer-songwriters and guitarists in his genre, with more than one hundred and fifty recorded versions of his songs by artists in ten different languages, he’s made more than twenty CDs/Albums and continues to write, record and tour throughout Europe.
Wed Nov 23 MARY GAUTHIER at The Crescent Club
Another singer-songwriter of the highest calibre. Grammy-nominated and now accomplished author, Mary Gauthier released her new album Dark Enough To See The Stars (Thirty Tigers) in June 2022. Over the course of eight studio albums, Mary Gauthier has firmly planted herself as a truth teller, a songwriter unafraid to dive into the emotional core of her chosen subject. Her poignant songs move people deeply and often evoke an emotive response. It is one of the many things that connect her so deeply to her fans, and why they love her. On Dark Enough To See The Stars, she mourns the loss of dear friends that include John Prine, Nanci Griffith and David Olney.She also takes a different course by offering an optimistic side of herself with songs that celebrate the joy of new love and personal contentment.
Thurs Nov 24 CHRISTINA ALDEN and ALEX PATTERSON at The Black Swan Folk Club
A Black Swan Folk Club debut for this duo. Christina and Alex have been playing music since they were children both raised in musical households in the Norfolk and Suffolk countryside.
They are multi-instrumentalist songwriters and have been working together for over seven years from their home in the centre of Norwich. Their music is firmly
bedded in the folk tradition of storytelling and their writing often reflects on the
relationship between humans and the wild; from unlikely friendships between a wolf and bear, migratory movements of Artic foxes and people across land and ocean and the importance of re-wilding and enabling space for nature to renew.
Sun Nov 27 TALISK at The Crescent Club
If you’ve seen them before you’ll know what an electric night this is going to be.
Ground-breaking, chart-topping, genre-bending, globetrotting, instantly enthralling, it’s little wonder that Talisk rank highly amongst the most in-demand folk-based groups to emerge from Scotland in the last decade.
Mohsen Amini (BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards’ Musician of the Year 2018), Graeme Armstrong and Benedict Morris (BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2019) fuse concertina, guitar and fiddle to produce a truly innovative, multi-layered signature that has captivated audiences around the globe. At its core, three seemingly acoustic instruments – but in the hands of three master craftsmen; one unmistakable, bold sound and a captivating live show.
Thurs Dec 1 ‘OPEN MIC’ at The Black Swan Folk Club
Wed Dec 7 MARTIN CARTHY at The Black Swan Folk Club
A legendary artist who needs no introduction.
Lifetime Achievement Award – BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2014
It’s a real honour to have Martin back at the club once again. For more than 50 years Martin Carthy has been one of folk music’s greatest innovators, one of its best loved, most enthusiastic and, at times, most quietly controversial of figures. His skill, stage presence and natural charm have won him many admirers, not only from within the folk scene, but also far beyond it. This will undoubtedly be a full house and a very special occasion to be able to see a true legend of folk music up close.
Thurs Dec 8 OPEN MIC at The Black Swan Folk Club
Thurs Dec 15 BLACK SWAN FOLK CLUB Christmas Party
Our annual Christmas Party where everyone’s invited to join in the fun with seasonal songs and music. Free admission.
Thurs Dec 22 ‘Celtic Christmas Strings’ with
MAIRE NI CHATHASAIGH and CHRIS NEWMAN at The Black Swan Folk Club
Our special Christmas show for this year!
There’s something magical about harps, and particularly at Christmas, though Máire and Chris’s alchemy on harp and guitar creates a very special magic at all times. Individually famed for originality, innovation and virtuosity on their respective instruments, together they have created one of the most distinctive voices in modern acoustic music and brought their unique musical vision to venues large and small in twenty-two countries on five continents. Their many recordings express both the depth of their commitment to tradition and an eternally playful, curious and adventurous spirit. Their Christmas show features a breathtaking blend of traditional Irish music, swing jazz and bluegrass, plus festive favourites given a fresh voice with arrangements that are intricate, inventive, moving and beautiful, and performed in their characteristically heart-warming style.
Moving in to 2023 so far we have the following artists lined up:-
THE CHURCHFITTERS at The Black Swan Folk Club on Thurs 26 January
ELEANOR McEVOY at The Crescent Club on Sunday 5 March
CHARLIE DORE and JULIAN LITTMAN at The Black Swan Folk Club Thurs 9 March
IONA LANE at The Black Swan Folk Club on Thursday May 4
All our concerts at the Crescent Club and the NCEM are in association with Please Please You Promotions.
Ticket links and availability for all the above can be found by going to the Black Swan Folk Club website www.blackswanfolkclub.
Also watch our Facebook and Twitter pages for updates.
Other folk related events coming soon locally include:-
Our resident poet F Mary Callan gives her musical another outing on Tues 27 September in St Aelred’s Community Centre, Fifth Ave YORK YO31 0PN
Defeat, deportation, regime-change, relocation, what fresh disaster looms over the Tobias family? Funerals, self-isolation, family meltdown force the new generation to step up to the mark, accompanied by an under-cover angel and the family dog.
Based on the Old Testament story of Tobias and the angel, sad songs and a happy ending help us process age-old Covid themes.
For York 50+ festival, Mary and friends bring us a short version of her first full-scale musical. Suitable for all the family.
Ripon Live Music at Ripon Arts Hub present
Faustus on Saturday October 15th
and Peter Knight’s Gigspanner Trio on Saturday November 12th
The NCEM in York have
Catrin Finch and Seckou Keita on Oct 8th
John McCusker on Nov 2nd
Lady Maisery on Nov 16
Furrow Collective on Dec 12
and Green Matthews on Dec 17
Every week you’ll find there’s a tune session on Tues evening from 8pm onwards at The Maltings, Tanner’s Moat in York.
And singer-songwriter DAN WEBSTER will be launching his new album at The Crescent Club on Fri October 21st.
Looking forward to seeing you at our events.
Chris and The Black Swan Folk Club