Issue 19 9/2001

FolkWorld News


FolkWorld Advertising
FolkWorld/UK. For anybody from the United Kingdom interested in advertising in FolkWorld, we have the good news that from now on FolkWorld has an account in Britain. With that, UK residents can benefit from easy payment via the most common British cheques or via transmittance. Hopefully this makes advertising more interesting for some of you out there. FolkWorld's advertising rates are as low as always; you can get an idea at our Advertising in FolkWorld page.


Happy news from John and Kate...
Scotland/England. Congratulations to John McCusker and Kate Rusby, as they are getting married this August. Along to this, John is leaving the Battlefield Band, to have more time at his new home in Yorkshire. John wants to spend now more time involving in Kate's music.Kate has, by the way, just recently published a new album, where of course her soon-to-be husband is once again heavily involved. To keep in touch with John's and Kate's news, you can check out their website : www.johnmccusker.demon.co.uk (if it gets updated) and www.katerusby.com

Photo: Kate Rusby, photo by The Mollis


Alasdair White, photo from www.battlefieldband.co.ukBattlefield Band's new fiddler
Scotland. Alasdair White is the newest addition to one of Scotland's most established, and still one of the best, folk bands. Replacing John McCusker (see above), Alasdair plays fiddle as well as diverse other instruments, and composes also himself music. Alasdair comes from the Island of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, the Gaelic speaking islands off the north west coast of Scotland, and has been making his mark on the music scene for many years now. In 1997, in an article about Gaelic language and culture "The Scotsman" (Scotland's National newspaper) notices him at a music session on the island:- "... on a stool to one side of the dancers was a 13 year-old maestro of the Highland fiddle playing surging strathspeys and reels with maturity and expertise beyond his tender years. Tapping his Nike trainers on the floor was Alasdair White from Stornoway - the island of Lewis's young musician of the year". But it's not only on the fiddle that Alasdair shines - he also plays Highland and Small pipes, whistle, banjo, cittern, bodhran.
He is joining (just for all those who have problems to keep track with the many changes in the band) Alan Reid, piper and flautist Mike Katz and singer and guitarist Karine Polwart. No doubt this will be another strong line-up.
See www.battlefieldband.co.uk

Photo: Alasdair White; from www.battlefieldband.co.uk


Brian McNeill, photo by The Mollis Brian McNeill to be become Head of Scottish Music
Scotland. Going one more generation back in Battlefield Band fiddlers, ex Battie Brian McNeill has also some news. Brian has become Head of Scottish Music at the RSAMD (Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama). He'll work on a flexible basis which will allow him to continue performing, although on a more restricted schedule. This imaginative appointment continues the current trend of support for traditional music within academia, along with the new folk music degree starting at Newcastle University this coming September. (News item from BBC Radio 2 Folk Pages)

Photo: Brian McNeill, by The Mollis


Penguin Eggs
Canada. Our collegues of Penguin Eggs, Canada's up-to-now-internet-only folk, roots and world music magazine, moved to print this summer with a bumper issue. Good luck to that venture! Who knows, maybe FolkWorld gets at some stage inspired by that idea.... but definitely not now!We've also updated our web site
For Pengiun Eggs, check out http://www.penguineggs.ab.ca.


Ian Green, Andrew Green and Brenda McCulloch in front of the Greentrax "Wall of Sound", photo by Peter Grant Greentrax birthday
Scotland. Scotland's favourite folk music label, Greentrax, run by the wonderful Green family and extended by some more personal during the last years, celebrates this year its 15th birthday. As a prezzie to themselves, and all of their friends, they are releasing on the 1st of September a 15th Anniversary compilation which comprises 20 tracks showcasing artists who have recorded for Greentrax in the past 5 years but not included on previous showcase compilations. The main event in this Greentrax year of celebration will take place on Saturday, 27th October, 2001 with a spectacular showcase concert in the Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, commencing at 7.30p.m.(to 11.00p.m.). Tickets can be booked now: Queen’s Hall Tel: 0131 667 7776.
Happy birthday and all the best to Greentrax! You might now be interested to read again the interview with Greentrax published last October in FolkWorld.

Photo: Ian Green, Andrew Green and Brenda McCulloch in front of the Greentrax "Wall of Sound", photo by Peter Grant


New World Music Mag website
England/Internet. There is a new world music web-site called 'worldmusic.org.uk' which features short reviews, news and resources on a range of traditiaonally-based music from across the world. The site incorporates 'Spire Folk' the local folk site for North Derbyshire which will continue to provide local folk news and gig information. More features shall be added in near future.


Liam O'Flynn in Tonder, photo by The Mollis High Profile Irish Festival in Holland
Netherlands. Watch out for the first november weekend (3rd and 4th November 2001): In Vlaardingen in Holland is then a big fundraising Irish Music festival taking place, featuring the likes of Maire Brennan and band, Liam O'Flynn and friends, Tommy Sands band, Marian Bradfield, Bumblebees with Triona Ni Dohmnail plus plenty of Dutch Irish bands. The festival starts on Saturday at 3, Sunday at 2 pm, and finishes both days after midnight. Be careful though, as the programme is on both days the same! Tickets and infos from Tel. 010 4093200, 010 4340500 or 0186617663.

Photo: Liam O'Flynn, photo by The Mollis


Tinto on tour - new concept for the festival
Scotland. This year Tinto is going on Tour. Instead of a happening at Wiston Lodge, its customary home, on the first weekend in September, a series of concerts have been planned to take Tinto Folk Festival to parts of South Lanarkshire it would not normally reach, to the North, South, East and West of the county. New Lanark (1 and 2 September 2001), Crawfordjohn (5 October 2001), Douglas (2 February 2002) and Biggar (13 April 2002) were the 4 venues chosen to host each event that will make up ”Tinto 6”, (Tinto on tour) culminating in ”Tinto 7”, (Tinto Back Home) in 2002. All four events take place in cooperation with local folk branches. THe main event seesm to be the New Lanark one, coinciding with the Victorian Fair in the charming town of New Lanark, famous for being an utopia for an autarc workers city. The Douglas event is dedicated to Robert Burns, and incorporateds also a Burns Supper.
Tinto 7 will be back in Tinto, in September 2002. Complete information at http://www.tinto-folk-festival.com


mad for trad - Irish Music
Internet. "mad for trad" is the name of a new recommended website presenting itself as "Home of Irish Traditional Music on the Web". With simple navigation you find all areas of interest for Irish Trad fans (although up to now in most areas still not a too huge data base). In the news section you find e.g. short reviews of festivals, at artists you can check out biographies (and buy CDs), at festivals you find short info of the festivals worldwide. A data base for Irish Musicians is being built up. bei Artists und Festivals kann man Kurzinformationen zu den Festivals bzw. Biographien der Künstler finden. Eine Tourneedatenbank für irische Musik ist in Planung. Ein CD-Mailorder ist ebenfalls an die Website angeschlossen.
For musicians you find a tune archive, as well as tutorials of famous musicians such as Karen Tweed, Gerry O'Connor or Karan Casey for diverse instruments (the tutorials are not free though).
Still building up its content, but definitely already now worth a visit. Go to www.madfortrad.com


Claire McLoughlin & John Morran, photo by The Mollis

Musicians' wedding
Scotland. The Scottish virtuoso concertina player Simon Thoumire got married to Deaf Shepherd's fiddler Clare McLaughlin. There was great ceilidh with the fantastic Fire in the Bog and lots of alcohol consumed...
Congrats from FolkWorld!

Photo: Claire with John Morran in Deaf Shepherd 1998; photo by The Mollis


Pure Irish Drops "sounds from the north"
Europe. The Pure Irish Drops tour in Germany and surrounding Europe has this year the theme Northern Irish music traditions. Organiser Florian Fürst chose for this tour Desi Wilkinson (Vocals, Flute, Whistle) from Belfast, Cathal Hayden (Fiddle, Banjo) and Jim McGrath (Accordeon) from Derrygonnelly. They will play at the concerts both solo and as an ensemble. Well worth to see!
On tour between 20. September and 14. October. Infos and tourdates at http://www.ffmusik.de


Traditional Folk & Music Directory: call for entries
Ireland. Lacethorn, the publishers of the well known Irish Music Magazine, are about to publish a DIRECTORY for Traditional and Folk Musicians. The Directory will be available free to key people in the industry world wide and will be distributed through book stores in Ireland, the UK, and in specialist Irish shops in the US As the majority of Folk Musicians have to play an International Circuit to make a living, the Directory will take a global view of Traditional and Folk Music. The directory's sections are as follows: Musicians, Music Shops, Instrument Makers, Recording Studios, Record Labels, Promoters & Agents, Media (Print, Broadcast and Journalists), Festivals, CCE, Set Dancing, Venues, Official Bodies, Internet Resources, Miscellaneous. Irish Music has an EXCEL form for each of these categories, which Sean Laffey can send to you should you wish to have an entry in the directory. All entries are free and the Directory will be circulated free to all Irish based musicians who appear in the listings. THE DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES IS OCTOBER 15. The directory goes to layout on October 28th and will be available free to musicians and the Irish Music Industry at the IMM Awards night in Dublin in the second week of December.
Interested parties can contact Irish Music Magazine, Sean Laffey


Snapshot - Fun Photo Competition; photo by The MollisSnapshot - the Fun Photo Competition
Strange percussion instruments - but of which band or which musician?
All correct entries take part in a competition where you can WIN 3 CDS at once (of your choice out of a selection of six folk music (promotional) CDs)!!!!
Answers until 20.11.2001 to FolkWorld.
Click here to read the conditions of FolkWorld competitions.


In the German news you can find as additional news:


To the (older) FolkWorld News of Nr. 18
To the (newer) FolkWorld News of Nr.20

To the content of FolkWorld online magazine Nr. 19

© The Mollis - Editors of FolkWorld; Published 9/2001

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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