Issue 10 7/99

FolkWorld No. 10 proudly presents:
The Isle of Bute Folk Festival - one of Scotland's best
FolkWorld/Scotland. Set on the beautiful scenic and exotic holiday island Bute (the Scottish riviera!?) in the Firth of Clyde with magnificent views on the hills of Argyll and the Firth, the Isle of Bute International Folk Festival 1999 boosts once again with a superb programme. FolkWorld proudly presents this festival, as it is without doubt one of the best and friendliest weekend festivals in Scotland - a real favourite in the Scottish scene.
The 1999 version of the festival takes place from 23rd - 26th July 1999. Among many others, it features Ceolbeg, The Tannahill Weavers, Ivan Drever & Duncan Chisholm, The Silencers, Ben Sands, Salsa Celtica, Macumba and Frank Robb. There are a lot of fun events happening - from Ceilidhs and sessions over kids events and a barn dance to a ceilidh trip on the Waverley steamship. Additionally, there is the famous World Ceilidh Band Championships and the Bute Birl - a musician's pub circuit. Not to forget the the Geeza Brek Club, one of the Original Danny Kyle's Open Stages.
More of the programme can be found on the festival homepage; and you can get further information from Peter Morrison.
The Isle of Bute Folk Festival was a favourite of the late Danny Kyle; so it would not be a surprise to meet a funny goast guy with a bonnet at some session or the other...

Castillo de Ainsa
Spain. "Castillo de Ainsa" is a festival in Aragón in Spain, presenting a month of highest quality folk music acts. This year's festival is the eighth one. Taking place in July and August, it features among others Donal Lunny (23.7.) from Ireland, Mari Boine Band (29.7.) from Scandinavia, Lunasa (30.7.) from Ireland, Gjallarhorn (5.8.) from Finland, Dervish (6.8.) from Ireland, Lais (12.8.) being one of the greatest, all-female trio from Belgium. More infos here.

Diwall - Breton Band
France/Brittany. Diwall, one of the new bands in Brittany that started playing in 96, has now its second album available at Coop Breizh . Playing in Brittany, but also in Great Britain, France, Belgium & Switzerland very often, they 'll go in Germany in September. As says Dom anDUFF, guitar & song in the band: "We have some contacts in Germany, and we are very pleased to go for the first time this year . I hope it will be a good experience with another great folk scene in Europe". They won the first price this year in Tralee Ireland, during the pan-interceltic festival . Diwall on the web.

...been hunting for strings for a charango or a rubber ended bhodhrán beater? A low whistle or a rosewood flageolet?
"Erbses Bauchladen", running an online-Shop in the internet since June 1998, is dealing in musical instruments and accessories which are sometimes a little hard to come by. At

European World Music Radio in Germany
Germany. West German radio station WDR has launched a new station called Funkhaus Europa having a very modern concept. Playing the whole day only world and folk music from Europe and beyond, it features European news and music shows. During the evening and night, there are world music shows from all over Europe, in languages from Finnish and English to Italian and Turkish. Also interesting for European music fans, as the music selection features regularly also roots music from Europe.
Funkhaus Europa can be heard in Northrhine-Westfalia at 103,3 UKW, in Northern Germany at MW 936 KHZ.

Big Birthday of European Irish institution
Germany/Ireland. The Irish Folk Festival Tour in Germany celebrates this year its 25th birthday. Having become during the years one of the most important forums for Irish Music on the European continent, it has featured a huge number of the best of Irish musicians. The birthday festival tour is more a view into the future of Irish music than a flashback on the last 25 years. Highlight will be the first-ever German appearance of the American Irish top band Solas. The traddies Beginish will have their first German tour. Another act from the US scene on the Irish Folk Festival is Cathy Ryan, coming with two "friends". Old friends of the festival and the Irish scene will be Davey Arthur & Seamus Creagh.
The tour takes place between 14th and 31st of October in Germany and Switzerland. Infos from Carsten Linde (artistic director) or Christian Winkelmann (media contact).

Figgy Duff - 25th birthday reunion
Canada/Newfoundland. Figgy Duff would have this year its 25th birthday, reason enough for a reunion tour. The idea of a reunion grew from a chance musical session of former band members and longtime fans at a private function in the late summer of 1998. The realization that it would have been Figgy Duff's 25th anniversary, in the selfsame year of Newfoundland's 50th anniversary of Confederation, infused the concept with a sense of destiny.
"The Voyage Home" will see a reunited Figgy Duff play across Newfoundland from July 10th - 16th 1999. Bringing the band full circle, Figgy Duff will revisit the outports where 25 years ago they began to learn the music of the people. This will be the first time band members have toured ensemble since the 1993 passing of founder and songwriter Noel Dinn. The Voyage Home will be a tribute to Noel Dinn's vision, to the many traditional singers and players who inspired and supported the band, and to Figgy Duff's legacy; "... convincing a generation who followed that there is value and beauty in tradition". A fitting finale for one of Newfoundland's most influential musical groups. And who knows, maybe the musicians have enough fun on this tour to have more reunion gigs...
Infos at the Amber Music website.

WIN Swedish Singles with Video - Limited Edition!
Sweden. FolkWorld raffles two copies of Garmana's single "Gamen". Garmana are a very popular Swedish hard folk band with their very own style, their new "full" album is reviewed in this issue. The single features the songs "Gamen" and "Konungen och Trollkvinnan"as well as a live recorded video of "Gamen" showing Garmana at their best with an extatic Swedish audience. Additionally, you can install yourself a Swedish version of Quicktime programme - good to update your Swedish knowledge;-) Being a limited edition only, this is a real collector's item! Thanks to Westpark Music, the German distributor and label of Garmana, for providing these singles.
To take part in the competition, tell us what the Swedish word "Konung" from the Title "Konungen och Trollkvinnan" might mean (you can well guess the right answer, it's not that difficult!). Answers until 15/9/99 to FolkWorld.
Click here to read the conditions of FolkWorld competitions

Competition completed!

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MAGNETIC IRISH SUMMER NEWS

Foreigners Tax - No News
Germany. Last year, FolkWorld reported about the so called "foreigner's tax" in Germany, meaning that foreign perfomers playing in Germany have to pay much higher taxes than German ones. Last year there was some hope that with the governmental change this tax might be changed again. But the hopes did not come true - nothing has changed in Germany. The only change is that even less foreign performers are toruing Germany....

Change in Pure Irish Drops European (mainland) tour:
The excellent tour prsenting traditional Irish music in new combinations is featuring this year the youngest ever line up. The tour will feature Danu's Breandan McCarthy (box), Michelle O'Brien (fiddle) and Aine Fitzgerald (flute). Emer Mayock cannot take part in this tour because of her work with Afro Celt Sound System. More infos: ff-musikbuero: http://www.ffmusik.de, tel/fax +49-30-24721875
Photo: Brendan McCarthy (mit seiner Danu Kollegen Jessi Smith und Tom Doorley)

Christy Moore recording again
Ireland. It's official after resting his weary bones for the last 18 months, Christy Moore is out off retirement, but there are some stipulations. Christy announced that although it was hard going for the first three months at home, finally had a chance to relax and enjoy life. While at home Christy caught up with achievements of his local county kildare football team, regularly attending football matches. Christy will return to recording, but there are no plans for any tours yet. Quite recently he has recorded a new album (in his own garden shed) with some help from a friend of his son, the album took 6 months to complete. Details of the album are sketchy at present but Christy has said that there are 3 new songs to date.
He recently performed on Monday 17th May in Lisdoonvarna in front of 250 excited fans, who were totally unaware of the secret performance planned. (Infos from the CD Ireland Newsletter.)

Obituary: Eithne Ní Uallacháin
Ireland. Sad news from Ireland: Eithne Ní Uallacháin, singer, musician and composer with the band Lá Lugh, has passed away this May. She is survived by her husband ( fiddle player ) Gerry O'Connor and four children.
Eithne was one of Ireland's best Gaelic singers. She would sing the songs with her sweet, warm voice in a natural destinctive style. Having grown up in a Gaelic speaking family, she had a huge repertoire of traditional Gaelic ballads. She was also a master on the concert flute. Her passion was in particular the music and song from South-Eastern Ulster, her family home. Eithne became internationally known with the band Lá Lugh, which featured also her husband, fiddle player Gerry O'Connor.
God bless her and may she rest in eternal peace.

Pressgang with Hammered Dulcimer
England. Pressgang, the English folk rock band, plan to do full dance concerts as well as unplugged/acoustic shows this autumn. Reason is that they now include Maclaine Colston, the top Hammered Dulcimer player, and that they "have lost more acapella and instrumental numbers that are perhaps more suitable for folk clubs." Pressgang are planning their next tour in Germany, Switzerland and Austria for October 1999. Bookings are now made with the UK contact.

The future of Folk concerts??
USA/World. On May 13th 1999, a premiere happened to folk music: The first known folk event to use the internet as its venue. Twenty-two year old songwriter Josh Ritter made his Internet debut with a performance broadcasted live on www.hereandnow.net, in both audio and video to an audience worldwide. Josh's music is a "fresh take on the American folk tradition, fusing vibrant and imaginative lyricism with raw, sparkling musicianship". FolkWorld was not "at the concert" to report - maybe this is simply not the future that a folk music lover would like to let happen to the music. Folk music is something to experience first of all live; and cannot give anything of its original appeal if it happens in such an anonymous "venue" like the internet. Still, to compete with other music styles, why not try out new forms of getting attention.
If you like to know more about such projects, you can visit www.hereandnow.net. It is the first Internet site to broadcast live, uncut audio and video to the Internet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Radio show axed - no Best of Irish
Ireland. As an addendum to the Bob Conway story that appeared in FolkWorld No. 9, Sean Laffey reports that Bob's Radio show has been axed, in a set of sweeping changes to Radio 2 Ireland. The Best of Irish CD has been put on hold as he no longer has full access to airtime. He has signed tracks and had gone to the trouble of a National TV contest to design the cover on Children's TV. The cover was completed and everything ready to roll - when the station pulled the plug on him.
That's what happens if a popular radio show tries out some folk music...

Photo: Bob Conway & Co., photo by Sean Laffey

Profolk CDs soon on sale
Germany. Last issue featured an article on the 1999 Profolk sampler CD, criticising that this CD is promotional only, and not on sale in the shops. We have now the good news that the Profolk 2000 CD Sampler will finally go on sale as well, though it is financially difficult. Good luck, Profolk!

Best of Scottish music
Scotland. Another one of the greatest, and well established, weekend festivals in Scotland has this year a very Scottish line-up, festuring the best of Scottish musicians. From 16th - 18th July 1999, the magnificent Stonehaven Folk Festival is on. In the cosy fishing town of Stonehaven on Scotland's East Coast, there is a gathering of bands like Alasdair Fraser & Tony McManus, Andy M Stewart & Gerry O'Beirne, Anam, Oige, Mad Pudding etc. Not to forget the famous and unique Stonehaven Aqua Ceilidh in the open air swimming pool... It's been a favourite of the late Danny Kyle, a sign of highest quality. (Infos from Pat Cruse).

Techno moves into Edinburgh Ceilidh House - an obituary
Edinburgh. The famous Tron Tavern/Ceilidh House, well-known as the premier folk music pub in Edinburgh, maybe even the best folk pub worldwide, is gone. For many years, the Tron has been for the Edinburgh folk music scene the favourite meeting place; it's been one of the main attractions for the folk tourists. The sessions and the folk club concerts in the cosy pub in the centre of the old town will stay unforgettable.
The brewers Bass shut the Tron Tavern at the end of April and will shortly re-open it as a theme pub called It's A Scream, which will have techno-type music in it and techno fittings. So not only the music, but also the traditional design of this old pub will be gone. They say the new pub is aimed at the student market. The profit per square metre of floor space of the Ceilidh House was not high enough to meet the brewers' required rate of return on capital. There was extensive coverage against the closure of the old pub in the local newspaper. But all brewers know that all they need to do is wait for the fuss to die down.
Still, folk life in Edinburgh has to go on. The regular Tron sessions have moved across to Whistlebinkies (just opposite of the former Tron Tavern) and are going very well, being "as good as ever". The concerts of the folk club have stopped. The organisers may look at something in the future but are chilling out and re-thinking for now.
Now all of you students know that there is another boring pub with the standard interior and without any historical background in Edinburgh's Old Town for you, making the choice between the already big number of hip and screamy, standardized and boring pubs around the Royal Mile even more diffcult.
Edinburgh has lost what was for FolkWorld's editors its main attraction. Hopefully this won't do too much harm to the Edinburgh scene. May the sessions at the Whistlebinkies become even stronger!

Photo: Session in the Tron - gone but not forgotten; Photo by The Mollis.

Irish music workshop
A workshop weekend for Irish music will take place at the 'Burg (=castle) Blankenheim' from 19.-21. of november 1999.
There will be workshops for harp, guitar, bodhran and tin whistle. The workshops include information on the instruments and the different instruments will be played together. Parallely there will be a workshop for Irish set and step dance by the group Kasia to the other workshops. The event beginns on 19/11/99 6.00pm and finishes on 21/11/99 ca. 2pm. More information: Petra Cichy und Ralf Schuh, Hauptstr. 71, 51399 Burscheid, tel: +49 (0)2174/78598, e-mail: thorralf@t-online.de (Ralf Schuh)

LOAM-Volksmuziekdag (folk music day) in the Netherlands:
On 12/09/1999 there will be a course for Irish music by Jenny van Diggelen, playing together of instrumentals, f 40,-, incl. lunch, ParnassOs, Utrecht. For information and subscription: LOAM-bureau, Keizerstraat 3, 3512 EA Utrecht, tel.:030-2302301, E-mail: loam@knoware.nl, WWW: http://www.knoware.nl/users/loam

Snapshot - the Fun Photo Competition
To which musician/which band belongs the motive shown on the photo?
It's a hard one this time. But if you name us eiter the name of the musician or the band to which this belong, you can WIN 3 CDS at once (of your choice out of a selection of six folk music (promotional) CDs)!!!!
Answers until 15/9/99 to FolkWorld.

Competition completed!

Last issues Snapshot - the solution
Who are the musicians on this snapshot, taken at Tønder Festival '96?
The musician shown on this picture are: John McCusker, Norma Waterson, Allan Taylor, Rod Sinclair and Alistair Russell.

• Irische Summerschool in Schnega, Germany
• Orbituary: Peter Garbor died on 18.05.1999
• Folk Fest Kirkel 1999
• Robert Zollitsch is the winner of the German Folk award

To the (older) FolkWorld News of Nr. 9
To the (newer) FolkWorld News of Nr.11

To the content of FolkWorld online magazine Nr. 10

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