p23FQ 55. Oct 2017

folk nights in Worcester

the Somerstraditional folk club

every Friday, 8.30pmAlma Tavern, 74 Droitwich Rd (A38) Worcester WR3 7HT (01905 28103)

4 miles from M5 J7 ~ 5 miles from M5 J6

WORCESTERSHIRE

Hear us ! Sample tracks from our Club CD on website “a place where traditional song is at home”

Folk Nights every Friday • Oct: 6 Folk Night, with Choruses to start 13, 20, 27 Folk Nights• Nov: 3 Folk Night, with Choruses to start 10 Folk Night 17 Folk Night, featuring Chris Stewart .............. 24 Folk Night• Dec: 1 Folk Night, with Choruses to start 8, 15, 22, Folk Nights (29 no folk night)• Jan: 5 Folk Night, with Choruses to start 12, 19, 26 Folk Nights

Member’s Special Nights! Sat Oct 7 Harvest Supper with guests Dave Webber & Anni Fentiman for Members only; by advance booking only, no tickets on the night

Come and join us, any Friday!Chris info@somers-folk-club.org.uk; Sam / Eleanor 01684 561378

www.somers-folk-club.org.ukVisitors £2 … your 1st Friday visit is FREE !

IAN PITTAWAY ® The Magic of Medieval Music “Ian’s instrumental virtuosity can’t be faulted, masterful on anything he turns his frets to.” ~ English Dance & Song magazine Ian is a historical music (12th-15th centuries) performer on stage and TV. Hear a Spanish song

about a miraculous pork chop; 13th-century English songs about the

brass tacks in his underpants; a Canterbury Tales tune; medieval dances; the crossover between folk music and medieval music; and much more, all sung and played on the everyday instruments of the middle ages: harp, bray harp, gittern, lute and koboz. Songs, tunes, stories, some joining-in choruses, medieval musical instruments close-up, an evening for peasants or gentry of any age!

• Tue 7 November, 8pm: Kiveton Folk ClubAll ticket details are at http://www.ipmusic.org.uk/medievalmusic‘UNCLE JACK’S RAINBOW’: Stories of Mystery & Imagination’

by CHRIS LOWE ®. ISBN 978-0-9932681-0-6The enhanced 2nd edition of ‘Uncle Jack’s Rainbow’: Stories of Mystery & Imagination by Chris Lowe The Storyteller is selling well so get your copy now! Add a little more magic to your reading! For ages 10 to 90.

Contact: storytellerlowe@gmail.com or ansaphone 0121 308 2298. Price £5 plus £1.50 postage and packing. ® Chris Lowe

® HOBGOBLIN MUSIC BIRMINGHAM Centre, B4 6BS. • see on Stocks Hobgoblin's full range of folk and acoustic musical instruments, spares, accessories and tutor materials, and specialises particularly in woodwind (folk and orchestral), accordions and melodeons. Hobgoblin Music in Birmingham have recently expanded their Violin range to now include high quality professional instruments alongside starter Violins. The shop also now has the services professional restorer and Violin expert Stephen Silcock on hand evey Tuesday and Wednesday for anything from bow rehairs, all types of Violin resoration or just some advice on valuations of antique instruments. The teaching side of the shop is going strong with Keith Kerans providing 5 String Banjo, Mandola, Mandolin and Guitar lessons (to name but a few) every Friday and Saturday, so please get in touch on 0121 212 9010 for more information and to book a place. ® Mark McCabe, Hobgoblin Music Birmingham,

0121 212 9010, sales@hobgoblinbirmingham.co.ukwww.hobgoblin.com/shops/birmingham • Twitter @hobgoblinbrum

• Facebook: hobgoblin.birmingham • YouTube: HobgoblinBirmingham

THE NIGHT WATCH ®Ian Pittaway with Andy Casserley as The Night Watch.• 7 Dec, 6pm: Haden Hill Christmas Event, Haden Hill Museum, Halesowen Rd, Cradley Heath, B64 7JU• 14 Dec: Oak House Candle-lit Evening, Oak House Museum, Hall Green Road, West Bromwich, B71 2EA www.the-night-watch.org.uk

.• A Night Watching The Night Watch – playing our favourite medieval and renaissance songs and tunes. 1 July 8:00 pm. Artrix Art Centre, Slideslow Drive, Bromsgrove, B60 1GN. Tickets 01527 577 330 or online http://www.artrix.co.uk/whats-on/music/the-night-watch

SOMERS TRADITIONAL FOLK CLUB ®, The Alma Tavern (01905 28103), 74 Droitwich Rd [A38], Worcester WR3 7HT

Fridays, 8.30pm • see As ever, the Somersmany fun Friday evenings this summer! We greatly enjoyed

visitors, notably our friends from the Black Diamond Folk Club during

our annual Harvest Supper on Saturday Oct 7 (Club Members only; advance booking only). We are

Dave Webber and Anni Fentimanthe Club (Dave was a Somers regular - and committee member!) and extremely well-regarded on the folk scene over many years. The Harvest Supper is an annual Somers tradition, and is free (including entertainment and all food and drink) for Club Members who attend regularly. On Friday Nov 17 we will feature multi-talented musician Chris Stewart, so come along and enjoy a great selection of material which, as well as traditional and contemporary folk (the latter including some of his own original songs), will include blues and perhaps other genres, all expertly accompanied on a variety of instruments. There may even be one of his translations of ancient Chinese poetry …..

www.somers-

folk-club.org.uk/CS/trax/

An extra dimension to the Somers community, the Somers lunch club (a social get-together, not a musical event at all!) meets from 12.30

to 2pm on the 1st Tuesday of every month (more details are available at the Club on Fridays). Not been to the STFC? Your 1st Friday will be free! All visitors are most welcome, whether performers or audience. The Club is open every Friday (except 29 December this year). See you at the Somers soon! Happy singing!

~ EleanorSTFC info: www.somers-folk-club.org.uk

Chris info@somers-folk-club.org.uk; Sam & Eleanor 01684 561378

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DRAGONHEAD ®: Cajun & Folk News just in: Blues Open Mic at the Anker Inn Weddington Road Nuneaton CV10 0AN, 2nd & 4th Tuesday in the month, starting 10th October - performers are guaranteed 4 songs but spaces are limited - phone/text to reserve your spot, 07837604055. Hosts Dragonhead.

BIRMINGHAM & WESTwards (Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall, Wolverhampton) performers & MUSIC SHOPS

WARWICKSHIRE Other Dragonhead dates: • 18th October Banbury Folk Club ® • 25th November Bedworth Folk Festival ® • 5th December Willenhall Folk Club. John & Anne - "Dragonhead"

dragonheadfolk@gmail.com, 02477 053 245http://dragonheadfolkmusic.co.uk

p24FQ 55. Oct 2017

® ATHERSTONE FOLK CLUB, Rose Inn, Main Road, Baxterley, Atherstone, CV9 2LE. , 8.00pm Hosts Finger in the Jar. We aim to have something for everyone; traditional, modern, shanties, comedy, dance and sessions just for musicians. Entry free for club nights, with a collection for the guests that night

18 October, The Kevins will return, 15 November and Belzebub will be our guests, with Greenman Rising raising the roof at the Christmas Party on 20 December. Floor singers wishing to perform at the club, please contact Phil Benson at phil@atherstonefolkclub.org.uk in plenty of time, please. We

® Phillip Bensonphil@atherstonefolkclub.org.uk 01827 711514

https://www.facebook.com/groups/atherstonefolkclub ® HAMMERED DULCIMER MEET, Studley. 2nd/4th Thu evenings Contact Sally Whytehead, 01527 64229; http://dulcimer.org.uk/calendar.html

® FOLK AT THE LARDER, The Larder, 50 Long Street, Atherstone, Warks CV9 1AU. 1st Wed, 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm, all year Folk in a café (The Larder), run by anyone who turns up. (Well, not

Those who find themselves at a loose end on the 1st Wednesday afternoon of the month are welcome to come and join a few friends just singing for the joy of it. Free Entry, although you will not want to miss out on the food and drink available in this 1940s themed eatery, served by contemporarily-attired waitresses. See www.facebook.com/TheLarderAtherstone ® Phillip Benson

phil@atherstonefolkclub.org.uk 01827 711514https://www.facebook.com/groups/1194655407220890/

And now at The Larder, Ashby, too, on the 4th Wednesday!https://www.facebook.com/groups/845024928916928/

New ® BLUES OPEN MIC, NUNEATON, 2 & 4 Tues - see Dragonhead, on previous page

cOVENtRY & WARWIcKSHIRE report by Malc GURNHAM

As always loads of folk related activities going on across

about Bedworth Folk Festival. After massive delays due to uncertainty over venues, I am at last pleased to say that the 41s t Bedworth Folk Festival ® will go ahead this year over the week-end of 24th to 26th November, however, sadly, this will be the last time the festival will be in a three-day format, as the Rugby Club has now been lost to housing development, leaving the festival with nowhere to accommodate caravans and camper vans overnight. Fortunately The Civic Hall in Bedworth and The Arts Centre will remain as the main festival venues for this year, and an excellent guest line-up has been secured so it will be a really special occasion - The Melrose Quartet, Granny’s Attic, Kevin Dempsey, Scarecrow, “Caffrey, McGurk & Madge”, GU4 (A special reunion!), and The Laners, Jess & Richard Arrowsmith, are amongst a line-up with something for everyone, catch up with all the latest news and book tickets on the festivals web site www.bedworth-festival.info or on the Facebook page. See The future of the festival remains very uncertain, possibly going back to its one-day format of 15 or so years ago, if it does survive - watch this space for developments, meantime be sure to get yourself along to this year’s event - it may be your last ever chance! Whilst on the subject of festivalsRagged Bear Music Festival, has its second gathering on Saturday 28th

Stick in the Wheel, Mawkin and many more, all based at The Crew in Nuneaton, web site is www.raggedbear.com And if you are a concert goer, plenty for you to nearby - at The Musician at LeicesterConnection (15th Oct), Kelly Oliver (26th Oct), Edwina Hayes (30th Oct), Gilmore & Roberts (16th Nov), Sally Barker & Vicki Genfan (20th Nov), and Mawkin (21st Nov), whilst in Birmingham (Symphony Hall and Town Hall) you can catch The Pretenders (15th Oct Symphony Hall), The Waterboys (19th Oct Symphony Hall), Ralph McTell (24th Oct Town Hall), Celtic Women (30th Oct Symphony Hall), the amazing percussion of Afro Celt Sound System & The Dhol Foundation (10th Nov Town Hall), Oysterband (21st Nov Town Hall), Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain (7th Dec Symphony Hall) and Kate Rusby (16th Dec Town Hall).

regular folk events in the Coventry and Warwickshire area - these include: Mondays: Warwick Folk Club, every other Monday at The Warwick Arms Hotel, High Street, Warwick; guests include Alkevan & The

Sceptics (23rd Oct), Steve Tilston (20th Nov), Les Barker 4th Dec), also The Fox Acoustic Music Club, at the Fox in Nuneaton every Monday (session), and The Nursery Tavern, Coventry hosted by Brenda Hart (1st Monday). Tuesdays: Royal Arms Acoustic, Royal Arms, Main Street, Sutton Cheney, Nr Market Bosworth, (1st Tues, guests each month) and Stockton Folk Club, at the Stockton Club, Stockton, S Warwickshire, hosted by “Away with the Fairies” (4th Tues). Wednesdays: is the regular weekday for the thriving North Warwickshire folk scene, - Nuneaton Folk Club at The Crown, in the town centre (1st Weds) guests are Belzebub (Oct 4th), Danny Pedlar & Rosie Butler-Hall (Nov 1st) and Maria Barham (Dec 6th). Bedworth Folk Club ® at the Newdigate Club in Smorrall Lane, Bedworth (2nd & 4th Weds), guests there are Gary & Vera Aspey (11th Oct, concert format); Tom Patterson & Dave Morton (25th Oct acoustic); K C Jones (8th Nov, concert format); pre-festival sing with Malc Gurnham & Gill Gilsenan (22nd Nov acoustic); and Christmas Party featuring Stanley Accrington (13th December).Atherstone Folk Club ®, now settled in to its new home at The Rose, Baxterley, near Atherstone, (3rd Weds) guests The Kevins (18th Oct), Belzebub (15th Nov), & Christmas Party with Greenman Rising (20th Dec). Also on Wednesdays: The Stratford Folk Club, at the Stratford Alehouse (1st Weds) and Rowington Folk Club, now at The Fox & Vivien, Leamington (3rd Weds), guests The Melancholy Brothers plus The Willow & Tool Band (Oct 18th), Nick Evans plus The Coventry Mummers (Nov 15th), Christmas Party (Dec 20th). Thursdays: Coventry The Tump, meets weekly at The Humber Pub on Humber Road, guests there include: Ron Truman Border (12th Oct), Amy Kakoura & Andrew Sharpe plus Scarecrow (26th Oct), Bill Bates (30th Oct), and Christmas Party with The Peas (21st Dec), and Sty Folk meets weekly on Sundays at The Green Lane

So plenty for everyone, see YOU at a folk event somewhere soon - keep safe.

Malc Malc Gurnham malcgfolkfax.nethttp://bedworth-festival.info, www.bedworthfolkclub.co.uk,

North Warwickshire info: http://nowfolk.org.uk

Malc is the organiser of ® Bedworth Folk Festival, & of ® Bedworth Folk Club (2nd & 4th Wed; performs in the duo ® Malc Gurnham & Gill Gilsenan and in the ® Glorishears Ceilidh Band; and provides the ® Folkfax website (news, gossip and information about a lot of aspects of folk music, especially in the UK and particularly in the Midlands), the ® Fat Sam Music Studio, and ® Folkfax Web Design.

top right: Ralph McTell; then left to right, Melrose Quartet, Granny’s Attic, GU4, Scarecrow, Stanley Accrington

COVENTRY & WarwickSHIRE Solihull news will be welcome from our Members

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