Issue 17 12/2000

FolkWorld News

The FolkWorld Top 10 2000
FolkWorld has compiled once again a Top 10 of the year 2000. And now we want to know from you, which was your favourite CD of 2000. The results of FolkWorld's Reader Top 10 2000 will be published in the next issue.
Those who cast their votes will take part automatically in a CD competition where you can WIN twice 4 CDS at once (of your choice out of a selection of eight folk music (promotional) CDs)!!!!
Go to the FolkWorld Top Ten and the Voting Form.

Altan members open Pub
Ireland. Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh and Dermot Byrne, core members of Ireland's probably best traditional band Altan, have bought a pub in Teelin in beautiful south west Donegal. This is an area the band take a lot of their music from and the pub "Cúl a 'Dúin" is - of course - a music friendly venue.
The owners won't be seen very often in their pub, though, as Altan keep up their successful story. After having done a 8 concert tour in Holland, they have celebrated the vote of their album "Another Sky" as Traditional Album of the Year in the Irish Music Magazine. Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh and Dermot Byrne will then appear in the successful String Sisters project at Celtic Connections Festival in January in Glasgow, before Altan head out to the USA in February for a four weeks intensive tour. After that the band returns to Europe for a couple of dates in Norway, before crossing back to the States for an April tour. Details at www.altan.ie

Photo: Altan's Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh & Dermot Byrne; Photo by The Mollis

Successful Zwolle Session
The Netherlands. There is a succesfull folk-session in Zwolle, in the Netherlands. Every second Sunday of the month in the afternoon, starting at 2.30 p.m., at Zamenhofsingel 5, Zwolle. Just pack your whistles or guitars into your bag and come along... Additional infos from phantommask@yahoo.com

New Scottish collective record company
Scotland. A group of Scottish independent record labels are to put together a collective company with the aim of establishing wider distribution for their products. The musicians, who include some very well known names in the traditional, contemporary music scene, have been experiencing some problems in finding distribution for themselves. It is obviously easier to work with established record companies who have large catalogues, rather than deal with the administrative hassle of working with many different individuals.
That this collective company takes the abbreviation ARC (for Artist Realisation Collective) might become a bit of a problem, with a big Scientology-related World music record company having the same letters. Still this ARC, not related to the other one, seems to be a positive venture, aiming to offer distribution companies an administrative central contact to all top quality independent musical groups and individual artists in Scotland and Eire who perform regularly on Festival/Concert stages in Europe and the U.S. Plans are to launch the company in 2001, when a sampler CD featuring the artists concerned will be released. This will be available to distribution companies only, and not for general release.
Peter Stott of Artist Realisation asks for comments and advice on the sense of such a project. One first advice from FolkWorld already: Change the name! Still we wish good luck for this interesting venture.
Contact is: Artist Realisation, Peter F Stott, 11 Harling Drive, Troon KA10 6NF, Scotland. Tel/fax +44 (0) 1292 316968. pete@naereal.freeserve.co.uk

Sido Martens (ex-Fungus) needs our support
Holland. Two issues ago FolkWorld published an interview with Sido Martens, then still one of the Fungus members. Only a few weeks after this interview our reporter heard that he left the band for a second time in his career.
Now Sido Martens has launched a unique project. He is looking for at least hundred people who would like to invest in his new CD. He wants to make a personal work without any influence of record-company or other institutes. So he is looking for these people who are willing to pay 100 Dutch guilders before the end of January. The money he will use for renting a studio and pay the expensive of guest musicians (and knowing Sido, this will be top-musicians). The investor gets a newsletter, a personal numbered and signed CD and is invited to the presentation concert of the CD.
FolkWorld thinks that musicians who take these kinds of initiatives should be supported. This is the way to make a work that is 100% the musician. Another reason for supporting Sido is that our Dutch correspondent is highly impressed by Sido's concerts. So, if you live in Holland visit his web page and read more about this project. If you live outside Holland, contact Sido at his personal e-mail address and ask how to participate in this unique project and get yourself a personal collectors item with beautiful music.
Internet: http//listen.to/sidomartens E-Mail: martens@bart.nl
News item by Eelco Schilder

Australian Folk Festival live in the net
Australia/Tasmania. The Cygnet Folk Festival - the leading folk/world/roots festival in the Australian state of Tasmania - is planning a second live webcast this coming January 2001, on 12-14th Jan. The festival website at http://www.cygnetfolkfest.southcom.com.au will feature a live feed in Real Audio from one of the concert venues.
This year the festival is proud to feature major Spanish band Felpeyu as well as many Australian acts from the mainland and Tasmania. You can already hear tracks from 10 bands on our website right now. So it looks like there is no excuse to visit this big festival - if not in person, than at least virtually...

Portuguese top web mag
Portugal. Some colleagues in Portugal are running a very attractive and professional internet magazine on tradtional music, which is highly recommended also to FolkWorld readers. At-Tambur is written in Portuguese, but they will provide a service that automatically translates the content to english, using ALTAVISTA Babel Fish free Service. Although the translations are sometimes quite miserable, it is definitely better than understanding nothing at all from this interesting mag.
At-Tambur.com is an electronic World Music magazine that delivers information about portuguese traditional music and dance, and everything that happens in Portugal around World Music. This portal is updated every day with news, and weekly with CD reviews, articles and sounds from researchs about Portuguese Music, collected by musicians and ethno-Musicologists all over the country.
At-Tambur means in Arabic "the Drum" and in Persian "the Guitar", and this word is the origin of the portuguese word "drum", but maintains - in some regions of southern Europe - both meanings.
Visit At-Tambur at http://attambur.com. The Translation Service is at http://www.attambur.com/translate.htm. As FolkWorld, also At-Tambur offer a free newletter subscription; this is found at http://attambur.com/mailing_list.htm

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Interactive Online Guitar Course
Internet. Will we need in future "real" music teacher, real music workshops? At least there are test for alternatives - or simply additions. "The World's first truly interactive online guitar course", as they say, has been launched by Songplayer.com, "making music tuition easier, faster and better".
This online guitar course is completely free, and is especially useful for those wanna-be guitarists who own a guitar and haven't yet quite worked out how to play it. Launched worldwide on December 1st, this unique set of lessons has been designed to teach individuals at their own pace. Starting at a very basic level - "What's the difference between an electric guitar and an acoustic guitar?" - the virtual tutor uses photographs and video to guide the novice right through to playing simple songs. This course has several major advantages over traditional methods, such as: It's the most inexpensive way to study guitar. The student has full control over what they want to learn and when they learn it. Any part of the course can be re-visited at any point. Anyone following the simple steps will quickly be able to play simple songs. Once the simple songs are mastered, guitarists can learn to play along with their favourite stars. See songplayer.com

Skye and Lochalsh Traditional Music Project
Scotland. Louise Mackenzie, a native of Nigg in Easter Ross and accomplished traditional fiddler, composer and music tutor, has been appointed to co-ordinate an initiative to encourage and promote different aspects of traditional music in Skye and Lochalsh. Her post - which is for twelve months initially, but with the possibility of running for a further three years - has been created as a result of a 65,000 Pound funding partnership involving the Scottish Arts Council's National Lottery Fund, the regional LEADER II Programme, Skye and Lochalsh Local Enterprise Company and The Highland Council.
The initial inspiration for the Traditional Music Project came as a result of a feasibility study into sector's potential commissioned in 1997 by the Skye & Lochalsh Local Enterprise Company. Following intensive consultation by local company Macmeanmna, the study concluded that a wide spectrum of traditional music activity was already on-going in Skye and Lochalsh, ranging from instrument tuition in schools and private coaching to píobaireachd competitions and Féisean. However, the study identified several areas worthy of attention - notably local township-based tuition and the promotion of large outdoor events. The study's main recommendation was that a year's pilot project should be run and this should, ideally, pave the way for a further three years work in the sector.
The project is also seeking to employ community-based co-ordinators, and would like to hear from people who might like to be considered for a range of part-time contracts coming over the next few months.
Louise will be based initially within the Féisean nan Gàidheal office in Portree. Her contact address is Skye & Lochalsh Traditional Music Project, c/o Féisean nan Gàidheal, Nicolson House, Somerled Square, Portree, Isle of Skye, IV51 9EJ. Her telephone number is 01478 613355, fax 01478 613399 and e-mail louise@feisean.org.

Photo by The Mollis.

Tragic Death: Kirsty MacColl
England/Mexico. British folk/pop singer/songwriter Kirsty MacColl passed away in the Mexican holiday resort Cozumel at a bathing accident. The 41 year old was run over by a motor boar, sailing in a beach area reserved for swimming.
MacColl, daughter of the British folk revivalist Ewan MacColl, had published records since an age of 19. She became famous especially by the collaboration with the Pogues in "A Fairytale of New York, where she sang in duo with Shane MacGowan.
She leaves two children.
(Reuters)

English Song Project Concerts in Winter
England. The English high quality a capella trio Coope Boyes & Simpson have a couple of interesting concert projects in England in the pipeline.
Steve Henderson, whose Mr Kite concerts have done much to raise funds for local and national good causes in Leyland, has asked the band to devise an evening of songs in support of the work of Amnesty International to be performed in the imaginatively designed spaces of Worden Arts Centre in Leyland. "No Tyrant Dread: Songs of the Struggle for Human Rights" is the title of this Concert for Amnesty International at the 10 February 2001.
Just two weeks later, the 24 February 2001, they will be singing at an event for Ashgate Hospice, Chesterfield Miners'Welfare in Chesterfield.
Then, to mark the fifteenth anniversary of the end of the Miners' Strike on 6 March, the trio has put together a new words and music production about the life and work of coal miners featuring the The Rolling Stock Company - the lively and talented choir Barry directs and Ray Hearne, whose inspired songwriting celebrates the spirit of South Yorkshire communities. With traditional songs and stories, first hand accounts and some of the best of more recent songwriting, "Hearts of Coal" promises to be funny and moving. The venue is still to be confirmed.
Additionally, they have a couple of "usual" club concerts, not only in England, but also (in March/April) in Belgium and the Netherlands. All dates and further infos at the website, or from Georgina Boyes.

Skye Live - Scottish music gigs around the world
Scotland. Skye Live! is a new free internet live music listing, featuring worldwide concerts of bands and musicians with a Scottish connection. They list gigs worldwide Bands listed include the Tannahill Weavers, the Battlefield Band, Blazin Fiddles and many more. Definitely useful. The address of the site is http://www.skyelive.com

Photo: Ivan Drever & Duncan Chisholm, by The Mollis

Scotland debut of Tejedor from Asturias
Scotland/Asturias. One of the best iberian pipers, José Manuel Tejedor, is visiting with his brothers and group the big Scottish Celtic Connections Festival 2001 in Glasgow. They play three concerts, on the 11th, 12th and 13th January. A definite highlight of Celtic Connections!

Scottish Label supporting Brain Tumour research
Scotland. The established folk music label Temple Records (among others for Battlefield Band) will be supporting over the next three months the Brain Tumour Research Fund by donating 1 Pound for every CD and book purchased from their website to this research project in Glasgow. If you want to take this as a reason to do some online shopping at Temple, or just want to find out more about the research work, visit Temple's website.

New Belgian folkclub
Belgium. FolkStage is the name of a very promising new folk club based in Hasselt. For the next few months, the club offers performances of top acts such as Barachois, Sharon Shannon, Show of Hands, Rawhide, Wolfstone, The Levellers. For September, they plan to have a folk festival. More info: http://www.folkstage.com

Photo: Sharon Shannon, Photo by The Mollis

Early announcement...
Belgium. To mark already in the calendar: The Folkfestival Na Fir Bolg in Vorselaar happens in 2001 from the 6th to the 8th July. Coinciding with Rudolstadt TFF in Germany, by the way...

Snapshot Results
The last one was a really difficult one, when we wanted to know to what band these socks belong to. The photo was taken at the Folk Festival in Rudolstadt, and the photo shows one of Germany's new favourite bands in the roots music genre, Lecker Sachen.

Photo: Lecker Sachen, Photo by The Mollis.

In the German news you can find as additional news:

To the (older) FolkWorld News of Nr. 16
To the (newer) FolkWorld News of Nr. 18

To the content of FolkWorld online magazine Nr. 17

All material published in FolkWorld is © The Author via FolkWorld. Storage for private use is allowed and welcome. Reviews and extracts of up to 200 words may be freely quoted and reproduced, if source and author are acknowledged. For any other reproduction please ask the Editors for permission.

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