Issue 26 10/2003

FolkWorld News


A UNIQUE FOLK MUSIC CALENDAR FROM SCOTLAND
- WIN ONE OF FOUR SIGNED COPIES

FolkWorld/Scotland. A calender full of folk music and art Linda McCann is a Scottish artist. She makes fantastic clay figueres of mainly Scottish and Irish folk musicians and also colourful sketches. This year she has a special project - she has made a folk music calender for 2004. The Graphic Designer Miker Garden has put together out of her sketches, photos of the figuers of musicians and photos of the musicians a unique combination. Each month covers a different band / musician, including Flook, Malinky, Altan, Michael McGoldrick and The Dubliners. Additional to the photos and sketches there is always a short introductional text to the musicians.

Linda moved in 1998 to Edinburgh and the vibrant folk scene there was the inspiration for this kind of clay figuers. The debut of her figuers were at Celtic Connections 2000, where she made figures for the Danny Kyle Awards. Since then she has created a large number of figures of musicians. Linda has another link to the folk music scene - she is married to the excellent accordion player Leo McCann.

To find out more about Linda's calendar and her other projects, please look at her homepage, www.canndhu.com. If you want to stock up highly original Christmas presents, order your copies of the calendar from

Canndhu Productions, P.of.Box 23341, EDINBURGH, EH1 3WQ
Tel: +44 (0) 131 476 4363
info@canndhu.com



Picture from Linda McCann's calendar

With FolkWorld, you have also the chance to win one of four signed calenders (two are signed by Malinky and two by Aly Bain & Phil Cunningham). To participate in the competition, please look at the calendar's december picture, and name us as many of the musician on the picture you can recognize! Entries are accepted until the 15 November 2003.
Click here to read the conditions of FolkWorld competitions

Competition completed!


Marc Robine died
France. Marc Robine, one of the great French folk singers, died on the 27 August 2003 of cancer. Marc's style was somewhere between chanson and traditional French song; he attracted both a folk and Chanson audience. He was a very good songwriter, singing poetic songs about journeys of life, love, homesickness. At the same time, he did also a lot of valuable research into the history of French traditional song. One of his most impressive works was an anthology of French song, featuring traditional and contemporary French songs of the last few hundred years. His tours took him mainly through France, Germany and Northern Africa, mostly accompanied by Patrice Lacaud on diatonic accordion. Marc was also a fan and regular of the Danish Tønder Festival. He died just a day before this years Tønder Festival.
We have lost a great singer and kind warm hearted person.


Happy birthday Newfolksounds!
The Netherlands. Newfolksounds, one of the high quality European folk magazines celebrates this summer its 25th anniversay.
The Dutch magazine started off in 1977 with the name "Janviool". When starting, it was more a magazine from musicians for musicians. Over the time, this emphasis has more and more shifted towards a readership of consumers, and a more journalistic and professional approach to the magazine. Today, the magazine is very much a fanzine, with news, articles, interviews, event calendar. The magazine covers folk music from all over the world, yet with a focus on European and in particular Celtic music, as Celtic folk is still the biggest segment in the Dutch folk music market. The features strike a good balance between well known and newcomer acts. The lay-out looks today very professional, and Newfolksounds also features good folk writers. One of the editors is Eelco Schilder, who has, on top of that responsibility, still enough time to review several dozen CDs for FolkWorld magazine.
May this great magazine last another 25 years and more!
If you understand Dutch, it is definitely worth to check out Newfolksounds. Information can be found at www.newfolksounds.nl


New line up of La Bottine Souriante
Canada. La Bottine Souriante, one of the most popular folk bands around, has gone through a major line-up change:. Both La Bottine Souriante's icon and lead singer/musician Yves Lambert (the one with the hat, accordion and funny dialect), and one of the musical geniuses of the band, Michel Bordeleau (fiddle, string instruments and sitting stepping) have left the band during the last few months. They are replaced by two young musicians, Pierre-Luc Dupuis and Éric Beaudry. FolkWorld has been at one of their first gigs in this new line-up, and even though the music was still great, we were not convinced if La Bottine will be able to keep their reputation as best band in the world. Read the full review.


The continental Irish Folk Festival on the "road to tradition"
Germany. The Irish Folk Festival 2003 is touring again through Germany and Switzerland in October/November, with 34 appearances ."The Road to Tradition" is this year's theme, and the bands that perform will be Paddy Keenan & Tommy O'Sullivan, Catriona McKay & Chris Stout, the Éilis Kennedy Band and young band Galldubh. With its 29 years of age, the festival will still be fresh and attractive. Full information can be found at http://www.irishfolkfestival.de


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The Whistlebinkies and other celebreties
Scotland. It was one of this year's weddings most looked out for by the boulevard press: Stella McCartney married Alasdhair Willis on Saturday 30th August 2003. It was a top notch celebrity event, and all those famous people were able to experience a folk celebrity: Amongst all the secrets and celebrities, the Scottish band Whistlebinkies performed at the wedding service. The service took place at Mount Stuart, on the beautiful Isle of Bute. Whistlebinkies played ' Achmore Loch' as Sir Paul McCartney walked his daughter Stella down the aisle.


A decade of Deaf Shepherd
Scotland. Congratulations to Deaf Shepherd, Scotland's best traditional folk band, who celebrated their 10th Anniversary by performing at the Queen's Hall in Edinburgh on 17th August 2003.


Blazin in Beauly ‘03
Scotland. Blazin Fiddles annual fiddle extravaganza Blazin in Beauly (October 20th to 24th) is now into it’s third year. This years event looks to be the best yet with guest artists Frankie Gavin, Bruce Molsky, Charlie McKerron, Duncan Chisholm, Anna Massie and Archie MacAllister. Together with the Blazers themselves and some help from actors, writers and locals, Blazin in Beauly is seen by many of those who attend as the most enjoyable, exciting and inspiring music festival in the country.


Dobler's Johnny CashJohnny Cash (1932-2003)
USA. Country legend Johnny Cash passed away on September 12th at the Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, just half a year after the death of his beloved wife June Carter Cash. Johnny Cash's indescribable career spanned nearly five decades. That meant more than 1,500 songs, over 130 hits on the Billboard Country charts and 48 singles on the Billboard Pop charts, more than 50 million sold records, 45 albums still in print, and 11 Grammys. As Rich Kinezie observed, Cash strengthened the bonds between folk and country music so that both sides saw their similarities as well as their differences. He helped to liberalize Nashville so that it could accept the unconventional and the controversial and he did as much as anyone to make the 'outlaw' phenomenon possible. The Man In Black was a complex, unpredictable, ball of talent and energy that no one has ever been able to pigeonhole or categorize. Johnny Cash's legacy will live on forever. His music, integrity and deeds will survive time itself. His contributions to mankind are immeasurable. A man loved by millions the world over; he will be deeply missed by all. (www.johnnycash.com) [wt]
More about Johnny Cash for our German readers: FW#25.


Lisdoonvarna and other Irish Festivals
Ireland. Strange things happen - sometimes. The town of Lisdoonvarna moved 200 km eastward from County Clare to Dublin town. More precisely, the Lisdoonvarna revival festival had to move. Clare County Council said No, reasons cited were traffic disruption, inadequate infrastructure, litter problems and damage caused to farmland. Sean Laffey, editor of Irish Music magazine, notes: Is the new entertainment law symptomatic of a puritan backlash? Are laws taking the fun out of Ireland, have we all become too complacent sitting inside our new houses looking out on the faceless suburbs that have mushroomed since the Celtic Tiger walked the land? Lisdoonvarna/Dublin festival headliner Christy Moore (-> FW#1,FW#2a,FW#3) sighs:

Everybody needs a break, climb a mountain, jump into a lake
Some jet off to Frijiliana, but I always head for Lisdoonvarna
If it's music you want, you should go to Clare
Cause Woodstock nor Knock nor The Feast of Cana can hold a match to Lisdoonvarna
Well, that's already history at the time of writing, but there's still some craic and ceol at the end of summer:
September 26th to 28th means the 2nd Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival. Longford town celebrates the memory of banjo player Johnny Keenan, brother of famous uilleann piper Paddy Keenan (-> FW#23) with a mix of Celtic and bluegrass music. Expect Altan (-> FW#22), Eamonn Coyne (-> FW#24), Four Men & a Dog, and many banjoists and non-banjoists more.
Any American guests may feel safe from terrorism if coming over. Air Lingus banned the songs of The Wolfe Tones from transatlantic flights after a complaint of passenger Roy Beggs Jr., member of the Ulster Unionist Party and the Northern Irish Assembly. The group's version of the Irish republican ballad `A Nation Once Again' was named as the world's favourite song by the BBC World Service recently (-> FW#25).
But that's a different story altogether. Another musical hero to commemorate is harper Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738 -> FW#20). During the Harp and Cultural Festival from 3rd to 5th of October at his birthplace in Nobber, Co. Meath, a monument will be unveiled. [wt]


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New monthly music venue for Glasgow
Scotland. Traditional singer, Kirsten Easdale is to run a new monthly club for Cy Laurie in his city centre venue Laurie's. Cy is also the owner of Glasgow's Riverside Club and he ran the successful Tron Ceilidh House in Edinburgh for many years, where singer Elspeth Cowie ran a similar club for him. The new Trad In The City concerts will take place one Saturday a month at 8.30pm in The Music Room at Laurie's, King St, Glasgow and aims to showcase some of the finest acoustic music solo artists, duos and trios currently touring the country.
For further infos about Trad in the City, contact Kirsten Easdale Tel: 0141 779 9228 email k@easdales.fsnet.co.uk


In the German news you can find some additional news:


To the content of FolkWorld No. 26

© The Mollis - Editors of FolkWorld; Published 10/2003

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. Although any external links from FolkWorld are chosen with greatest care, FolkWorld and its editors do not take any responsibility for the content of the linked external websites.


 

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