Dear all,

 

Well it’s been eventful since my last entry. The new youtube video is uploading as we speak so hopefully should be with us very shortly. A little note – apologies for the current disappearance of the youtube video on my homepage. There’s been a right to-do over the guy’s youtube channel and it’s been taken down but the people who accidentally got it taken down are trying to sort it out so hopefully it will return very soon.

 

So what’s been happening then? Continue reading “Darren and Kylie” →

Dear all,

Well as you can see the website has been overhauled and looks brand spanking new! Added to which, scarily, you can now comment on these blogs so the public can see. Good lord…I welcome comments it would be great to hear from you (although don’t let it turn into youtube style world war 3 – see previous blog)

Continue reading “New Website!” →

Dear all,

Well I am muddy. I am in a hotel on the Isle of Wight and despite wearing wellies (which my poor comrade Mr Pound did not have, poor sod) I somehow managed to get mud on my trousers and a quite prodigous amount of mud on my banjo cases and bag and indeed my car. Still not to worry, I frankly don’t give a jot because Priddy Folk Festival and Isle of Wight Folkstation were bloody fantastic and no less. Wonderful gigs with terrific crowds, good CD sales and great atmospheres. Thanks to one and all, especially to the Isle of Wight organisers for allowing us to watch the Wimbledon final in their caravan! On that note, poor Andy Murray. He played superbly and was unlucky enough to be playing the greatest player of all time. His tears at the end of the game were very moving and I think everyone’s warmed to an admittedly sometimes difficult character just that little bit more after that. Continue reading “Mud Glorious Mud” →

Dear all,

A lovely week last week with much giggage. First up Walsh and Pound played at Dartford Folk Club which was a very nice gig and great to stay with Lisa Bradley who is always good craic. After two nights with family and friends, some of my favourite people in all the world, I played at Bath Banjo Festival which was great fun and Leon Hunt was, as ever, superb and showed why he’s the finest bluegrass banjo player this side of the water. So began a solo-tastic gig weekend as I moved up the country to Knighton Village Hall on Saturday night which was again excellent if a very very late start! Big shouts to my old pal Pete Wearn who did a great set as did the almost sinfully talented 15 year old Lydia O’Dowd. That voice is something else it really is, a star of the future. Continue reading “Solo-tastic” →

Dear all,

Just a brief note to say that my live session on Stafford FM is available as a podcast for a limited time only at http://staffordfm.com/stafford-fm-news/podcasts/folk-podcasts/.

Full blog to follow.

Dear all,

Well the gigging resumed last Sunday and a good one it was too at Wimborne Folk Festival with the Pound. Damien O’Kane and Lunasa were fantabulous as well of course and all round it was a cracking night. Then on the Monday I was live on Stafford FM doing a live session which was really enjoyable. The podcast will be available soon and I’ll put a link to it on here. Continue reading “The Euros” →

Dear all,

A cracking jubilee weekend was had filled by nothing to do with the jubilee as far as I was concerned, just good old gigging! First up was a gig at the Unity Theatre in Liverpool which was excellent, perhaps not quite as phenomenal as the February gig at the Philarmonic but still pretty damn good. I was also reminded several times just why I bloody love Liverpool so much. The people are so damn funny and friendly it is just wonderful and the best example was before the gig. Will and I were walking down the street and discussing the taxi ride we were getting later from the venue to the hotel and I said ‘last time I got it I can’t remember how much it was’. Quick as a flash the scouse bloke walking the other way says ‘yeah you still owe me for that fare by the way’. Only in Liverpool. Continue reading “Boats!” →

Dear all,

A marvellous weekend last weekend starting with a welcome return to gigging with Kathryn Davidson at Tarset Village Hall in Northumberland. It was a cracking night and Sunday was great too playing the Hexham gathering in..well..Hexham with the Pound. In between the two gigs was one of my oldest and dearest friends’ wedding which was absolutely lovely and I even did a bit of playing for it too. Continue reading “Stupid bloody timeline” →

Dear all,

May I take this opportunity to say a big thank you to all of you who continue to read this blog. It gives me no end of pleasure and the reason I say this particularly is I found out this morning just how many people visit this website regularly and that makes me very happy indeed! Continue reading “Pedestrians crossing” →

It was quite an experience for me to go back to Newcastle the weekend just gone primarily because on the Monday I was reminded a little of folk degree life, in particular (not wishing to sound patronising to those involved) first year folk degree life. I was invited by an old friend to go out to the pub with he and a bunch of first years and given that this delayed driving home, I all too gladly agreed. Anyway, the reason I mention this is because after a while of sitting and chatting about folk music, the inevitable impromptu folk session happened. In the middle of a city centre pub, five people were suddenly playing folk music.

Continue reading “The folk degree – a good thing?” →