Strung Up

Barn Dance Band for Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Hertfordshire

2011-09-27T06:32:00.000-07:00

Kinderhook Barn Dance Band has started another busy Autumn of barn dances which continue through October and November. September brought barn dances for village associations, 40th, 50th and 60th birthdays among the bookings in Bucks and Oxfordshire. October continues with weddings and barn dances for the RSPCA and a Cancer Charity.
Details of Kinderhook can be found at https://sites.google.com/site/kinderhookbarndance

Irish Session in Australia

2011-08-16T19:47:00.000-07:00

I'm back in Queensland, Australia and have been going each Sunday to the Irish session again in Finbar's Irish Bar, Maleny. There's always a good crowd of musicians and a large appreciative audience in the bar who applaud at the end of each tune or song even though the TV is showing the Rugby League match at the same time! It's a perfect evening for me - playing traditional music and watching rugby at the same time (even though it's league not union.) In this first photo I'm caught playing and watching the rugby.
The piper and the fiddle player with her back to the camera are from Cobh in County Cork.

A speciality of the pub is the wonderful pizzas they sell. Many are sold while the session is on.

The photo below is taken the week before my daughter Amy's wedding. She can be seen behind me below with my wife behind her. There were a group of ten of us from England that evening.

Even my son Andrew managed to join in on tin whistle.

John, the landlord is very supportive of the session and will always join in if he's not too busy (and sometimes when he is) on his low whistle or with a song, as he is in the photo below.

Red Kite Rising

2011-05-30T00:33:00.000-07:00

It was a busy weekend for Red Kite Rising, a new band I'm involved with on the mandolin. On Saturday night we played live on Marlowfm radio. We played two twenty minute sets on their World Folk Music programme. This was after I'd played a lunchtime set at Chippenham Folk Festival with the Oxford Fiddle Group.
On Sunday afternoon, Red Kite Rising played a set at Buckingham's 'Music in the Market.'

Red Kite Rising at 'Music in the Market' Buckingham

Andy -bass, Matt - guitar, Karl-drums, Me-mandolin, Lorna-fiddle
The repertoire is all our own material, wriiten mostly by Matt with some by Andy

It was a fine afternoon, cloudy but warm and there was a good crowd to enjoy the music which lasted from lunchtime into the early evening.

West Cork, Ireland - Easter 2011

2011-04-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

I've just returned from two weeks in West Cork, Ireland where there was plenty of music going on. The Ballydehob Traditional Festival took place on the weekend before the Eatser. Ballydehob is a picturesque village with five friendly bars and many very good traditional players living nearby. The weather was gorgeous throughout the weekend. I played in sessions at Levis's Corner Bar on Friday evening, The Sandboat on Saturday and Rosie's on Sunday. See http://www.ballydehobtradfestival.com/ for more information.

Welsh dancers performing in the open air at the Ballydehob Festival

Irish dancers in the street outside Levis's on Suday afternoon

The session in Rosie's on Sunday

The following weekend, Easter weekend brought more music. On Good Friday I was booked to play at the Boathouse, Ahakista. Luke, a local fisherman and boatbuilder transforms his boathouse into an unofficial bar every Friday evening for locals, friends and family to enjoy a drink and good company. This is particularly popular on Good Friday when all the bars in Ireland are closed.

Performing at the Boathouse, Ahakista

Views from the Boathouse

The annual 'Ceoil on the Coast' Musical festival at Kilcrohane took place on Easter Saturday, Sunday and Monday. I took part in the tradional session in Eileen's bar on the Saturday evening.

Frank, me, Paul Finbar (with hat) who unfortunately had his spoons with him!

Special Birthday Surprise

2011-03-29T01:43:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, I had the surprise of my life when I was whisked away, blindfolded, to a secret location. It turned out to be a surprise birthday party for me organised by my family. It certainly was a surprise - I knew absolutely nothing about it and as the blindfold was removed there were friends and musicians (not that the musicians aren't also my friends!) dating back to my schooldays. As this is a music blog, I won't dwell on the wonderful food, drink and friendship but concentrate on the music. Being led by son to the venue

The blindfold is removed. Absolute shock at 70 people in front of me

The session started after lunch.

Joining in were members of the Oxford Fiddle Group, The Haddenham Shamrocks, 8 past and present members of the Kinderhook Barn Dance Band and a few others!

3 generations of musicians in this picture - Andrew on whistle in the middle, his father on banjo in the foreground and his grandfather on accordion in the background.

The session continues

Adrian and Rita

The Ian English Boodlum Band doing a spot - keyboard, washboard kit, guitar and phono fiddle!

@'The Sailor with the Navy Blue Eyes' - making me rather wet after attempting to vent and drink water at the same time??

Stuart, all the way from Exeter to play the musical saw. Stuart led the jug band I joined in 1967. You can see a picture of him in 1967 on the 10 Oct 2010 blog. He's on the extreme right, next to me on the double bass.

A duo waiting to do their spot! Eve with her great-grandfather.

Something different for a Saturday morning

2011-03-04T06:06:00.000-08:00

These blogs are not so frequent now because it's not easy to find something different to write about. However last Saturday morning offered a different music experience.
Burnham Beeches Rotary Club invited Towersey Morris to wassail some apple trees that they had planted in a park in Farnham Common, Buckinghamshire.
The weather was not kind - cold and persistent drizzle but this did not deter the Morris men or the others that had gathered for the ceremony.

Musicians leading the Wassailing

Playing under my invention - the hands free umbrella. I must patent it!

Placing toast on the apple trees and soaking it in cider to ensure good growth!

Jug Band Music revisited

2010-10-25T01:03:00.000-07:00

In 1967, I was one of a group of boys at the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe, Bucks who formed a Jug Band and performed in concerts at school and for other local organisations such as Youth Clubs, The British Legion, Women's Institute, Folk Clubs, Charity Groups etc.

Jug Band Music, for those who don't know, was American Music played in the twenties and revived in the sixties. It's a mixture of blues, ragtime and jazz played using some improvised instuments like a jug, washboard, washtub bass as well as easily obtainable instruments like guitar banjo, harmonica and kazoo.

School friend Trevor Toms was in the jug band and I've played in bands with him ever since.

A chance meeing with Roger Martin-Fagg, another 1967 jug band member in August 2010 has caused us to get together to play and record some of those old tunes. Below is a publicity photo of the jug band taken in December 1967. Trevor is on the extreme left reading a book, Roger is in the centre with his hand up and I'm next to him with the double bass.

Roger has a recording studio in the loft of his garage so yesterday we had our first session and put down four tracks - Jug Band Music, Boodle-Um Stomp, Take Your Fingers Off It, and San Fransisco Bay Blues.

In the recording studio
The instrumentation is Roger - keyboards, Trevor - guitar, banjo, ukulele, jug, backing vocals and me - double bass, mandolin, phono fiddle, swannee whistle, watering can and lead vocals.

The afternoon can only be described as tremendous fun bordering on schoolboy hysteria!

Trevor and Roger
Two more recording sessions are planned to complete a CD. Watch this space!

Roger with me, reunited musically for the first time in 41 years! Trevor trying to relive his talents on the jug!

Oxford Fiddle Group in Leiden, Netherlands

2010-08-31T01:04:00.001-07:00

Leiden, Netherlands is twinned with Oxford and the Oxford Fiddle Group went to Leiden 26-30 August 2010 primarily to take perform in the Rapenburg Festival. However, we did seven performances in four days ranging from bars and music venues to a performance for a group of Special Needs youngsters.

We stayed at the picturesque Stochemhoeve Campsite in the Cronesteyn Park on the edge of the city. Individuals in the group had varying levels of accommodation at the site - staying in the house, a chalet, trekking hut, tent etc. Mine was definitely the lowest level and can be seen next to the trekking hut below where group members are getting ready for breakfast. It's the orange dot under the gazebo needed for rain protection.

We played in three bars in various parts of the city as performances or sessions including The North End English Bar.

On the Friday evening we performed at the Q-bus Music Venue. The photo above and the two below show the performance.

We played twice on the streets around the Leiden canals. The two photos above show us playing outside the Town Hall.

The highlight of the weekend was taking part in the Rapenburg Festival - playing on a huge stage on a barge on the canal. The audience was made up of people on either side of the canal and people in various boats. There was even a wedding reception boat listening! Although there was plenty of rain during our stay, the sun came out for our Rapenburg Concert performance and there were even people dancing on the canal side.

Our hosts from Leiden Twinning Association gave us a wonderful time and the people of Leiden were friendly and welcoming. Our fiddle music from The British Isles and North America went down really well wherever we played and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves despite the weather and my tent!

Cuddington Fete July 2010 - always a special day

2010-07-23T05:24:00.000-07:00

Cuddington Village in Buckinghamshire always goes "to town" with its fete. There's always a theme and all the village gets involved. This year's theme was medieval and unlike many villages, the fete starts with a procession from the Village Green to the village hall. In Cuddington's case the hall in question is The Bernard Hall, made famous in numerous episodes of the television series "Midsommer Murders."

This year was no exception and the photos show this year's band 'Balance the Straw' of Matt (whistle) Penny (fiddle) me (bouzouki) and Tim (some sort of homemade instrument!) Some of us managed more of a medieval theme in our costume than others but it was a great day and our traditional music played on these instruments seemed to be appreciated.

I have been involved in providing the music for the fete for a number of years in various forms - playing for dancing from the Appalachian Dance team The Haddenham Hoofers, playing in the procession and entertaining the visitors taking cream teas at Tirringham Hall.

King Arthur and Queen Guinevere leading the procession through the village

Towersey Morris Christmas 09

2010-01-03T01:45:00.000-08:00

There was a packed programme over the Christmas period for Towersey Morris and for me playing my most recent instrument aquisition - the English Concertina. On 20 December we performed at Cecil Sharp House's Festival of Christmas Carols and Customs in London.
Boxing Day saw us at our local - The Three Horseshoes, Towersey with a large crowd in the sunshine.

Boxing Day at the Three Horseshoes

Boxing Day

New Year's Day found us in very cold but sunny conditions at The Mayflower, Hazlemere, Bucks as guests of North West Morris side Taeppa's Tump from Maidenhead. I was under some pressure as I was the only musician apart from a guitar accompaniment. My 9 months since taking up the concertina was fully tested!

New Year's Day at the Mayflower

The following day, our final performance of the Christmas period was at the Haddenham Village Ceilidh.

Wasps' Nest found in Guitar

2009-08-10T18:16:00.000-07:00

In the last blog I spoke about collecting a guitar I'd bought on Australian ebay. We had a four hour trip inland from the Sunshine Coast through the Bunya Mountains and beyond to the tiny town of Bell. Pictured below is me collecting the guitar from the Bell Art Gallery which the seller was running on this Sunday afternoon.

The new strings that were on it were too light for me so I decided to change them. When I started the first string I noticed something strange in the top corner by the neck inside the guitar. It was a wasps' nest! With the help of a screw driver, I managed to prize it out whole. Here it is pictured below.

Luckily there were no signs of life. I wondered if I was the first person ever to discover a wasps' nest inside a guitar! I suppose it could only happen in Australia - or perhaps you know different!!

Irish Session in Australia

2009-08-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

I'm in Australia visiting my daughter and family on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Yesterday we drove up into the Blackall Mountains (The Hinterland as it's known) to Maleny - about a 35 minute drive. There I took part in an Irish Session at Finbar's - a bar run by an Irish man. There were eight of us playing fiddles, mandolin, guitar, whistle, keyboard and bodhran.

It was a most enjoyable evening spent playing familiar and not so familiar Irish tunes in a really friendly atmosphere. It's amazing that you can travel halfway round the world and feel so at home - almost like being with The Haddenham Shamrocks!

I even ended up doing a couple of songs on the guitar I bought on Australian ebay!

Details of sessions in Brisbane and surrounding areas can be found at http://users.tpg.com.au/folkrag

Towersey Morris tribute to Denis and Sheila Manners

2009-07-05T00:20:00.000-07:00

Last weekend in the scorching sunshine, local Morris Sides met at the Three Horseshoes to pay tribute to Denis and Sheila Manners, founders of the Towersey Festival, Towersey Morris and Towersey Folk Dance Group.

Towersey Morris outside the Three Horseshoes

Various Morris Musicians joining together

Oxford City Morris

Barefoot Belly Dancers joined in the dancing

Other Morris Dance Sides taking part were Long Crendon, Owlswick and Cry Havoc, Oxford.

The May Day Weekend

2009-05-05T10:54:00.001-07:00

The May Day weekend was very busy for me this year. In addition to the normal May Day activities, The De Kegelaar Folk Dance Group from Antwerp were guests of the Haddenham Hoofers and two were staying with me for the weekend.

The May Day weekend started for me at 5.30am on Friday 1st playing for the Towersey Morris Men at the Towersey Crossroads as day broke. I then played for them at Thame Town Hall at 8am and three schools and a Day Centre in High Wycombe at 10am, 11am, midday and 2pm.

After a short break, I met De Kegelaar with the other Hoofers at The Rose and Thistle, Haddenham at 5.30pm. An enjoyable meal and conversation was followed by a music session with the Hoofers and De Kegelaar musicians.

On Saturday morning, De Kegelaar and Haddenham Hoofers took part in the Haddenham May Day procession and danced on the Green.

Haddenham Hoofers dancing at Haddenham May Day celebrations

Hoofers musicians

After lunch, Hoofers and De Kegelaar performed outside Thame Town Hall. In the evening, De Kegelaar performed at the Haddenham Ceilidh.

On Sunday morning I played for the Towersey Village May Pole Dancing and then for the Towersey Morris Men.

Towersey Morris men at The Towersey May Day celebrations

I then rushed to Cuddington where De Kegelaar and Haddenham Hoofers were dancing outside the Bernard Hall.

De Kegelaar outside the Bernard Hall

Hoofers out side the Bernard Hall, Cuddington

The weather for Friday, Saturday and Sunday was glorious but as usual, it changed for Bank Holiday Monday, where its was rather cool for the Wheatley May Day celebrations.
I played in the procession, May Pole dancing and the barn dancing which followed. The musicians then retired to the Cricketers Arms, Littleworth for a music session.

Wheatley May Pole dancing

Musicians at the Wheatley May Pole

St George's Day at the Rose and Thistle

2009-04-29T10:59:00.000-07:00

St George's Day was celebrated at the Rose and Thistle, Haddenham, Bucks with Traditional English food and music.
13 Folk Musicians who normally meet at the 'RAT' for a traditional Irish session became the Haddenham RATS performing traditional English tunes and songs . One of the highlights was Land of Hope and Glory when St George's flags were waved by the audience as they sang along.

Fiddle Group tour of West Cork - Easter 09

2009-04-24T08:08:00.000-07:00

Eight of the Oxford Fiddle Group travelled to West Cork Ireland over Easter for a 5 date tour which started on the Thursday before Good Friday at the Fastnet Bar, Goleen.

The Fastnet Bar, Goleen

The following morning found the Fiddle Group busking at Bantry Market. This was unfortunately cut short by a shower so we all retired to the excellent Organico Vegetarian Cafe for lunch.

Bantry market

All the bars and restaurants are closed on Good Friday so the Fiddle Group had a rather unusual evening booking. Luke Brosen, a fisherman and boat builder at Ahakista has converted part of his boathouse to an area where locals socialise on a Friday evening. The Oxford Fiddle Group turned up to a big party at the Boathouse with food, drink and spectacular back drops, both inside and outside the Boathouse.

The view outside the boathouse on our arrival

The entrance to the Boathouse, full of people waiting to hear the Oxford Fiddle Group

Performing in the Boathouse, Ahakista with a mast and mainsail behind us

Tom revealed a secret - his 1959 D/D# melodeon (called an accordion in Ireland) which he'd rebuilt and worked out how to play. This was his debut performance!

An appreciative audience at the Boatyard

More at the Boatyard

On Easter Saturday we played at Casey's Hotel, Baltimore.

We were joined by local musician Michael Collins on his accordion who seemed to know nearly all our repertoire! He plays a D/D# and told Tom he's the only one Michael had met who also plays a D/D# accordion. Perhaps there's someone else out there who does ??

The days were spent making music in the house, going for walks by the sea and in the hills, and wonderful banquets in the house provided by Lynn.

Returning to the house after a brisk walk to the Lobster Pot Bar in Goleen

On Easter Sunday and Monday, The Oxford Fiddle Group played at Fitzpatrick's, Kilcrohane as part of the 'Ceoil on the Coast' Music Festival.

Fitzpatrick's Bar during the Music Festival

Easter Sunday at Fitzpatrick's

Fiddle Group at The 2009 Oxford Folk Festival

2009-03-29T02:15:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, The Oxford Fiddle Group performed at their local Folk Festival, The Oxford Folk Festival. A Number of venues are used in the centre of Oxford for the festival. The Fiddle group performed at the Holywell Music Room on Friday evening, St Michael's Church in Cornmarket on Saturday lunchtime and The Newman Rooms, St Aldates on Sunday evening.

St Michael's Church performance

The Saturday lunchtime concert was to launch the Fiddle Group's second CD - beyond the Spires. Further details can be found at http://www.oxfordfiddle.co.uk/

After this concert the Oxford Fiddle Group led a session in the 'Far From the Madding Crowd.' They were joined by the Bonn Group 'Reel Bach Consort' who also joined them on Sunday evening for the farewell Ceilidh.

http://www.reel-bach-consort.de/

The weather was gorgeous throughout the weekend so the parades and dances through the city centre went particularly well.

St Patrick's Night at The Rose and Thistle, Haddenham

2009-03-25T03:24:00.000-07:00

The Haddenham Shamrocks performed Irish tunes and songs at The Rose and Thistle's St Patrick's Night in Haddenham, Buckinghamshire. This was the first performance for the session group that meets twice a month in The Rose and Thistle.

There was a packed crowd and tremendous atmosphere in the bar as people ate, drank and sang along to the Irish music.

Eleven musicians turned up to play the Irish tunes on fiddle, concertina, accordion, melodion, whistle, banjo, mandolin, guitar and bodhran that had been played in the sessions over the last year.

The Oxford Fiddle Group Tour of the Algarve

2009-02-20T01:24:00.001-08:00

I've just returned from a tour of the Algarve, Portugal with the Oxford Fiddle Group. A really wonderful five days of music, eating, drinking and good weather. We left the snow of the UK for the non stop sunshine of the Algarve. We had a busy programme of performing Saturday to Tuesday but there was plenty of time to enjoy the Algarve.

The tour was well advertised and every venue was sold out. Below is an advert in Portugal's English newspaper.

The text of this advert reads:

THE OXFORD FIDDLE GROUP ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Following a highly successful tour of the Algarve two years ago, The Oxford Fiddle Group will be in the Algarve again playing four concerts from 14th to 17th February. They will be playing music from their varied repertoire of English, Irish, Scottish and American music whose origins range from folk, country and classical genres. The group plays a range of tunes and songs from foot tapping jigs and reels to catchy hornpipes and beautiful airs and laments. They never fail to engage audiences with their muisc, their witty ad libs and their obvious enjoyment and since their last Algarve tour, The Oxford Fiddle Group have performed in West Cork, Bonn and Grenoble. Their first CD 'Bonny Kate' sold out within 10 months (luckily for those who haven't already bought it - it has been re-released) and they have just finished recording their second CD 'Beyond the Spires'. "The full band consists of about twenty fiddle players," said group leader Jed Mugford, " and we have nine players travelling out to the Algarve in February. We had such a great time last time we were in Portugal that we are all looking forward to this trip." The players on the this tour are pictured left to right: Adrian Broadway (bass, mandolin), Marilyn Mills (concertina), Chris Mills (guitar, banjo), Jed Mugford (fiddle), Christine Ellis (fiddle), Tom Bell-Richards (lead fiddle), Wendy Creber (fiddle), Peter Day (fiddle) and not in the picture Rita Blewitt (fiddle, concertina).

The four venues on this tour are: 14 February - Phoenix Nights Restaurant and Bar, Monte Carvoeiro; 15 February - Beira Rio Restaurant and Bar, Tavira; 16 February - Faja Lobi Restaurant, Alvar; 17 February - Silves Cine Theatre Club, Silves

Early booking is recommended - their concerts two years ago all sold out!

More information on the Oxford Fiddle Group can be found at www.oxfordfiddle.co.uk

We were even interviewed on the local Kiss FM station and two tracks from our latest CD 'Beyond the Spires' were played.

The Performance at the Silves Cine Theatre Club

We hired a minibus to transport us around and the PA equipment. We brought our instruments on the plane. Obviously I had to bring a bass guitar rather than the double bass!

Time to relax in Silves

A paddle in the sea at Lagos

The English celebrate Burns' Night

2009-01-25T01:51:00.000-08:00

On the weekend when Australians have an extra day holiday to celebrate Australia Day, many English celebrate the birth of the Scottish poet, Robert Burns, who was born on 25 January 1759. The increasing popularity of celebrating this Scottish tradition in England is matched by the St Patrick's day celebrations in England. Against this, it seems a shame that many traditional English celebrations have all but died out and we don't seem to do much for St George's day or Shakespeare's birthday either.
However, The Mizen Ramblers, never slow to see an opportunity, dusted of their Scottish repertoire and played at two Burns' Nights events. One was for a village association and one for a school Parents Association.
Both events were very well organised and well attended with all really entering into everything, including some lively dancing to the Mizen Ramblers. We started off the evenings with Scottish music as the guests arrived. The band was then well fed while the traditional Burns' Night ceremonies took place. This was followed by dancing to The Mizen Ramblers and the evening was finished off with the singing of Rabbie Burns' Auld Lang Syne.

Piping in the haggis.

'Address to a haggis'

The Mizen Ramblers in action

Dancing to the Mizen Ramblers

The Boodlum Band at The Players Theatre, Thame

2009-01-18T11:59:00.000-08:00

The Ian English Boodlum Band are appearing at

The Players’ Theatre, Nelson Street, Thame

Sat 7th February 7.45pm

The Ian English Boodlum Band (Ian English, Adrian Broadway, Dave Reece and Trevor Toms) return with their fast-moving show of offbeat comedy and zany songs. In their opening set they use a backline of ukulele, keyboard, phono fiddle, double-bass and washboard to accompany their songs and humour that will lift your spirits and dispel any January blues that have rolled-over into February!
In the second set they return as rock legends BAM! with their own brand of pulsating, thrusting, hunky, gutsy, ironic R&B - somewhere between rock and a hard bass. Fans travel a long way when BAM! are gigging, although not always in the direction of the gig.
With a show crammed full of comedy, music, magic and wit, you can be sure you won’t leave wanting more!

Tickets £8 (£7) available from: 'Tickets Anywhere' 5 Greyhound Walk, Thame.

01844 217228

Straw Bear Festival at Whittlesey

2009-01-10T11:19:00.000-08:00

A very cold Saturday morning saw the Haddenham Hoofers travelling over 80 miles to Whittlesey near Peterborough to take part in the annual Straw Bear feastival.

This festival, following Plough Monday (the 1st Monday after Twelfth Night) dates from when no one quite knows and died out at the end of the 19th century but was revived in 1980. The Straw Bear - a man dressed in a straw costume and his attendant keeper lead a procession of over 250 dancers, musicians and performers from various parts of the British Isles performing traditional 'Molly', 'Morris', 'Clog' and 'Sword'. There is also American style 'Appalachian' dancing, street performances and Mummers plays. A decorated plough pulled by a local Morris side is now a established part of the procession.

Following the procession, street dancing and entertainments take place. Some of the dancers, musicians and entertainers perform in the local halls and pubs.

At the end of the day, the Straw Bear is ceremoniously burned (minus the man inside of course.)

For more information visit http://www.strawbear.org.uk/

https://sites.google.com/site/haddenhamhoofers/

The Straw Bear Procession

The Hoofers danced in the street in the morning with other Appalachian groups. The temperature was -3!

Junior Hoofers braving the weather

How to play the banjo in -3 temperatures, accompanied on guitar by Matt Morton.

After visiting the soup kitchen laid on by the parish church for lunch, The Hoofers spent the afternoon performing in the 'Childers Hall' - slightly warmer!

It was an enjoyable day, particularly when we joined forces with other Appalachian side musicians to play for the dancers.

New Year's Day at the Killy

2009-01-01T11:22:00.001-08:00

New Year's Day was busy as usual at The Killingworth Castle Inn at Wootten near Woodstock, Oxfordshire for traditional music and dance. It all started at midday and went on until late afternoon.

Outside were a number of dance sides performing

In the warm bar, a session carried on throughout the afternoon with many musicians taking part.

The session took a brief pause in the early afternoon for the traditional Mummers Play.

The Inn was packed with musicians and others enjoying the traditional new year entertainment.

Anywhere for a Barn Dance

2008-12-24T09:10:00.000-08:00

Kinderhook has played at some unusual venues during its 26 year existence, like school playgrounds, Beaconsfield cricket pitch and even the main car park in Tring High Street. Recently we did a barn dance in a Railway Station! The Oxford Rewley Road station building was dismantled at its original site in Oxford city centre and re-erected at The Buckinghamshire Railway Centre, Quainton. It was here that we did a 60th birthday barn dance. It was actually the second time we'd done a barn dance at this venue. I also performed as a Victorian Entertainer for two days as part of the centre's Victorian Christmas days this month.

The dancers with a coach from the Royal Train of 1901 in the background

Kinderhook playing by the booking office

Me (2nd left) with the other ' Victorian Staff ' in front of the 1901 Royal Train coach

Haddenham Shamrocks

2008-12-10T08:09:00.001-08:00

The Irish session at The Rose and Thistle, Haddenham, Buckinghamshire (every second and fourth Tuesday of the month) continues to develop.

We now meet in the main bar so there's always an audience for the session. It's a cosy atmosphere with log fire in the Winter months and a very supportive landlord.

There's a core group who are regular attenders and so the repertoire, social atmosphere and hopefully the overall sound have developed positively since the sessions started last January.

Songs are now included in the Irish repertoire but everyone joins in every tune and song unless they need a rest!

A third of the 15 regulars live in Haddenham itself and just over a third come from Thame and local villages. 3 travel all the way from Oxford to be with us.

This is the last session before Christmas. In the background you may be able to see Bodhran Bev - unable to play because of a broken arm!

Oxford Fiddle Group CD2 Recording

2008-11-22T11:19:00.000-08:00

Recording is well under way for the Oxford Fiddle Group's second CD. This afternoon we had a four hour recording session and 10 tracks have been recorded so far.

Tom organising the fiddles

The santuary of the double bass corner

The material is well rehearsed from the Tuesday evening get togethers so the recording is a fairly relaxed affair. We always have a leisurely food break with the 'Bring-a-plate-of-food' lunch.

Lunch break

It is hoped that the CD will be finished and available by February 09, in time for our tour of the Algarve, Portugal. Details of the CD and other information about The Oxford Fiddle Group can be found at www.oxfordfiddle.co.uk

Here I'm managing to get away from the double bass for a moment

to play some mandolin on the CD

'After the Fair' Bampton Free Folk Festival

2008-11-03T07:53:00.000-08:00

I spent this weekend at the Free Folk Festival in Bampton - Devon not Oxfordshire! It's called 'After the Fair' Festival because the Charter Fair takes place on the Thursday - the 750th this year.
The festival is almost all sessions from lunchtime onwards in four venues - The Bridge House Hotel, The Quarryman's Rest, The White Horse and The Blackberries. The sessions on offer were Song, Irish, English, Breton and a mixture of everything while Morris Dancing etc happened outside the venues.

A White Horse Session

A French session

The Breton musicians on bombarde and melodeon

Some English 'Table Top' Dancing

It was a great weekend of session music which seemed to be enjoyed by all. I met up with Rob Hopcott who writes a blog about festivals and sessions in Somerset, Devon & Dorset and also recognised Devon musicians who I last met in the Kilcrohane Music festival, West Cork.

Oxford Fiddle Group in Grenoble, France

2008-10-29T03:44:00.000-07:00

I've just returned from a musical trip to Grenoble, France with the Oxford Fiddle Group. We were there as part of the 20th anniversary celebrations of the twinning of Grenoble and Oxford. Our hosts were the " Rigodons et Traditions" - Musique traditionnelles du Dauphine
They made sure we had a wonderful time full music, friendship, food, wine and other activities!

I apologise for so many photos but so much was packed into our stay.
On our arrival on Friday evening, we spent an excellent evening at the home of Christian and Joce Vignon from Rigodons. An unbelievable meal was followed by music and dance.

Friday evening

Saturday, warm and fine was spent playing to crowds at Place de Metz and Rue Poulet in Grenoble.

Place de Metz The Place de Metz performance appeared in the local Sunday paper

Rue Felix PouletRue Felix Poulet performing with Rigodons & Traditions

A big audience at Rue Felix Poulet

All ages getting involved!

Saturday evening was spent with a different group of Grenoble folk musicians. An excellent meal laid on by the rather quaint 'Stop Croc' was followed by a lengthy session. Oddly, George Woodcock, an English man living in Grenoble who organised the session, brought along his son's half size double bass which I used instead of my bass guitar.

The session at the Stop Croc

Some things never change even though the bass is a bit small!

Sunday was a glorious day. We performed in Rue Lafayette and then in Place St Claire

Rue Lafayette

Sunday evening saw us driving out of Grenoble to perform with Rigodons et Traditions at St Jean de Moirans Centre Socio-Culturel. It goes without saying that every performance, indoors or outdoors, daytime or evening had plenty of food and drink to accompany it.

St Jean de Moirans Centre Socio-Culturel

On Monday we were taken up into the Alps for a tour which finished in the Chartreuse cellars for extended tasting! It was at this point that my camera battery died so the only photo taken on Monday was the one below on the tour.

Our final performance was on Monday evening at the Maison des Clubs, Sassenage. The evening started with an Oxford Fiddle Group 45 minute concert and was followed by food, drink and then 'Soiree Folk' avec des amis du Folk de la region grenobloise. It meant lots of people (who had listened to the concert) dancing to music by Oxford Fiddle Group, Rigodons and other local musicians. This was an excellent end to an outstading 4 days.

Oxford Fiddle Group at Dinton Village Hall

2008-10-18T04:58:00.001-07:00

The Oxford Fiddle Group are performing traditional songs and tunes from UK, Ireland and the USA at

Dinton Village Hall, near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire

Fri 14 November 7.30 for 8pm

Tickets, £10 each, include supper and are available from
Adrian Broadway: adrianbroadway@googlemail.com

Adlington Morris visit Haddenham and Thame

2008-10-11T08:16:00.000-07:00

Today, on a glorious sunny Saturday morning Haddenham Hoofers (Appalachian Step Dancers) met touring Adlington Morris Men from Cheshire (http://www.adlingtonmorrismen.ik.com/) for a morning of dance. We started at the village green, Haddenham, Bucks at 10am!

Adlington Morris with Haddenham village green in the background.

Adlington Morris with The Red Lion, Haddenham in the background. Saturday morning seemed to be rather difficult for some Hoofers to make. I was the only one providing the music and a number of dances featured the junior section of the Hoofers.

Haddenham Hoofers with Haddenham village green in the background.

We then all moved on to the busy Thame High Street - Adlington Morris outside Thame Town Hall.

Haddenham Hoofers outside Thame Town Hall. We all moved on to perform outside The Abingdon Arms in Thame before lunch.

Killingworth Castle Session

2008-10-10T02:07:00.000-07:00

Last Monday, the first Monday in the month, was the traditional session at the Killingworth Castle Inn, Wootten near Woodstock, Oxfordshire. There's always plenty of music going on at 'The Killy' at Monday was exception.

There was a great variety of instruments and tunes from England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Shetlands, USA, France and Sweden.

The King Stone Rapper side from Chipping Norton called in for a couple of dances in the crowded bar.

The Killy has a great deal of live music going on - mostly folk and acoustic as can be seen from their board in the bar.

Traditional Music for Weddings

2008-10-05T02:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon, I played as the Mandola Minstrel for a wedding reception at the Oxford Belfry. I was booked to play for two hours after the ceremony while photos were being taken and the guests were drinking in the bar. I've recorded traditional accompaniment to play along to. These sounds come out of a wicker basket at my feet. It's great fun - just like playing 2 hours of traditional tunes at a pub session (well nearly!)

The tunes are early tunes like Kemp's Jig, La Morrisque, The Unquiet Grave, Bear Dance, Horses Bransle; quite a few Playford tunes such as Drive the Cold Winter Away, Grimstock, Newcastle, Argeers, Childgrove, Nonesuch, Parson's Farwell and a few Morris tunes like William and Mary, Constant Billy, Mrs Casey. I also include Oxford/Oxfordshire tunes like Old Tom of Oxford, Molly Oxford, Princess Royal and Old Mother Oxford.

It's a good feeling to play these tunes to an audience that wouldn't normally listen to this type of music.

I was even asked by the bride and groom to have my photograph taken with them!

Haddas at Haddenham

2008-09-14T00:32:00.000-07:00

I live just 3 miles from Haddenham in Buckinghamshire, a village full of traditional music and dance, mostly centred around the village green.

The Village Green, Haddenham

The Duck Pond and Church by the Village Green

The Red Lion, looking out on the green, has a traditional music session on the last Wednesday of each month.
The view from the side of the Red Lion across to the village green.

The Rose and Thistle (affectionately known locally as The RAT!) hosts an Irish music session on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month.

The St Mary's Centre, opposite the Red Lion and a stone's throw from the the Rose and Thistle (which can be seen in the background) is the home of the Appalachian step dance group, The Haddenham Hoofers, who meet every Thursday evening.

The nearest Saturday to May Day sees a procession from the village hall to the village green and displays of Maypole dancing, Haddenham Hoofers dancing and Morris Dancing by the occasional Haddenham Morris side and other local sides.

On the evening of the 3rd Friday in June, a dance around the village takes place involving Haddenham Hoofers and various members of Haddenham, Owlswick, Long Crendon and Towersey Morris sides. It starts at the Kings Head and finishes at the Red Lion, usually with a tune session after the dancing.

There's also The Haddenham Ceilidhs, held on the 1st Saturday of the month in the large village hall. The first Saturday in December becomes the Haddenham Folk Festival.

Behind the duck pond is the Manor Farm Barn, a marvellous barn which is used for barn dances and other community events. In April I played in a barn dance for a 60th birthday. Last night I did a barn dance with Haddas Band, the Haddenham based band.

Haddas Band in the Manor Farm barn, Haddenham

The Haddenham Schools pupils are included in traditional dance. Many take part in the Maypole dancing. Haddenham Hoofers have gone into the Junior School to do Appalachian dance workshops. In July, Haddas Band ran a barn dance for pupils at Haddenham St Mary's Infant School. Some former pupils now dance with the Hoofers and lasts night's barn dance had local children from 5 - 17 taking part.

Oxford to Cambridge

2008-09-06T03:11:00.000-07:00

Living close to Oxford, I have done a number of barn dances and concerts at Oxford University Colleges but yesterday evening, I travelled to Cambridge University to do a barn dance with 'Strung Up'.
It is unusual for me to travel 75 miles for a barn dance but we drove to Wolfson College Cambridge during the Friday night rush hour. Surprisingly, it was a clear run to Cambridge after we all met up at Stewkley.
The students came in after a dinner and all entered into the spirit, even though the dimmed lights made it look more like a disco than a barn dance!

Strung Up - Ed Houghton (guitar) Adrian Broadway (bass) Jonathan Ginn (fiddle) Tim Mason (banjo)

Tim Rooke calling in the darkened hall

Summer in West Cork

2008-08-30T01:49:00.000-07:00

The summer Season in West Cork, Eire was very busy and very successful for me with solo gigs and performances with various bands.
I played a weekly solo gig at Fitzpatrick’s, Kilcrohane every Wednesday from 30th July through August.
Matt and Lorna Morton travelled down from County Mayo to join me for a weekend of bookings as ‘Gawkey’ – Fri 1 Aug at the Fastnet Bar, Goleen, Sat 2 Aug at The Tin Pub, Ahakista and Sun 3 Aug at Fitzpatrick’s, Kilcrohane. We played traditional Irish tunes and songs which were well received at each venue.

Gawkey at the Fastnet Bar, Goleen

I played in various sessions. The one below was a mixture of tunes and songs and took place in O’Meara’s Bar, Goleen with young and old joining in.

Session in O'Meara's Bar

On the 10 Aug, I played with ‘Take the Floor’ at the Myross Wood Fete, Leap.

‘Take the Floor’ at the Myross Wood

The following weekend I played bookings Chris and Marilyn Mills from Oxford as ‘The Quarries.’ We played Fitzpatrick’s, Kilcrohane on Fri 15 Aug and the Tin Pub, Ahakista on Sat 16 Aug.

Quarries at The Tin Pub, Ahakista

The Tin Pub is a strange venue with breath taking views as can be seen below:

View from the Tin Pub beach

The entrance to the Tin Pub

Bound for West Cork

2008-07-18T00:43:00.000-07:00

I'm just about to embark on my annual musical pilgrimage to West Cork. There's a hectic programme of performing and sessions for the next month. I'm doing solo gigs and performing with 2 groups coming over from England and 2 Irish groups.

'Gawkey' - me with Matt and Lorna Morton

A couple of dates are unconfirmed but the bookings are as follows:
July 30 Fitzpatrick's, Kilcrohane - solo
Aug 1 Fastnet Inn, Goleen - Gawkey
Aug 2 Fitzpatrick's, Kilcrohane - Gawkey
Aug 6 Fitzpatrick's, Kilcrohane - solo
Aug 8 Fastnet Inn, Goleen - Goleen Rovers
Aug 10 Myross Wood Fete near Leap - Take the Floor
Aug 13 Fitzpatrick's, Kilcrohane - solo
Aug 15 Fastnet Inn, Goleen - Quarries
Aug 16 Fitzpatrick's, Kilcrohane - Quarries
Aug 17 Goleen Festival - Goleen Rovers
Aug 20 Fitzpatrick's, Kilcrohane - solo
Aug 22 O'Mearas, Goleen - Goleen Rovers
We always get a really warm welcome from Eileen at Fitzpatricks and the audience made up of locals and holiday makers.
There are plenty of mixed music sessions in Goleen and Bantry and a particularly good traditional session at Ballydehob.

'Take the Floor' at Caseys Hotel, Baltimore

Goleen Rovers at the Goleen Festival 2007

Irish in Haddenham

2008-07-09T11:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening was the twice monthly meeting of the Irish session at the Rose and Thistle in Haddenham, Bucks.
It is unlike a normal session. It takes place in the back room of the pub so there are only the musicians in the room.
In the first half of the evening we try out more obscure Irish jigs, reels, polkas and hornpipes collected by Tony Blay. This is more of a workshop session led by Tony. The tunes are arranged into sets and rehearsed so that they become part of the group repertoire.
The second half of the evening is more in the traditional session style with different musicians playing Irish tunes and others joining in.

There is a good variety of Irish folk instruments played at the session: fiddle, whistle, flute, concertina, accordion, banjo, mandolin guitar and bodhran.
Pictured above are Dave, me and Penny.

Pictured above - Tony and Tim.
There are fourteen members of the group with about 8-10 attending at any one session.

Bruce
The session takes place on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month starting at 8.15

Festival Time

2008-07-06T07:53:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was the start of the festival season for Haddenham Hoofers - two festivals in a day!

We started off at the Buckingham Festival at lunchtime, performing outside the old gaol in the town centre.

The Hoofers' Band - Ed Houghton (guitar) Tim Brooks (fiddle) me (double bass) Tim Mason (5 string banjo) and Penny Heydon (fiddle)

We then went on to the Haddenham Beer Festival to perform in the afternoon. The weather stayed sunny (despite the forecast) and the Beer Festival was extremely busy.

This photo shows the Hoofers getting ready for the first dance with the beer festival crowds looking on.

The Haddenham Hoofers are performing at the Sidmouth Folk Festival 1-8 August and Towersey Village Festival 21-25 August

Kinderhook plays at a Schools Folk Dance Festival

2008-06-25T13:19:00.000-07:00

Today, 'Kinderhook' played at the High Wycombe and District Primary Schools Folk Dance Festival. This is an annual outdoor event and Kinderhook have played at the festival for the last six years. About fourteen or fifteen schools take part which means over 200 children. As you can see from the photos, the weather was good and all seemed to enjoy this annual traditional event.

Trevor Toms on guitar and me on banjo playing for the dancing

Traditional Music Sessions

2008-06-21T08:23:00.000-07:00

There are a number of traditional music sessions in Bucks and Oxfordshire where musicians regularly meet to play tunes together. They all vary slightly in what goes on and who goes. Most include the occasional song - some include quite a few!
The sessions I like the best are those where it's mostly traditional tunes played by a variety of instruments (not too many accordians or melodions!) by good players. I usually take my Gold Tone tenor banjo so that I can play the tunes rather than accompany them.
My favourite traditional music sessions are:
1. The White Swan at Whitchurch, Bucks which takes place on the 3rd Monday of the month. Some really good musicians turn up here and many tunes are played during the evening (and hardly any songs). The Landlord (from the Czech Republic) serves up loads of free food to the musicians during the evening. The photos below show the session from last Monday at the White Swan.

I'm at the back of the photo on banjo with Matt Morton (from Kinderhook) next to me on flute.

Concertinas together! Pippa with the Anglo Concertina and Pete with the English Concertina - both excellent players. I see Pete North at the Killigworth Castle session mentioned below.

2. The Killingworth Castle Inn, Wootten near Woodstock, Oxfordshire which takes place on the 1st Monday of the month. There are always plenty of musicians in this pub which is well known for its live music, particularly traditional.
3. The Cuckoos Nest, Gawcott, Bucks which takes place on the second Monday of the month. This is a new session which started in April.
4. The Rose and Thistle, Haddenham, Bucks which takes place on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month. This is an Irish session run by Tony Blay. It started in January 2008 and is struggling a bit with numbers. I hope it survives.

There are other sessions which I have been to in the past but don't go to now:
The Gardners Arms, Tackley, Oxfordshire, 2nd Sunday.
The Cherry Tree, Steventon, Oxfordshire - 3rd Sunday - English only - quite a long way for me;
The Eight Bells, Long Crendon, Bucks - 1st Wednesday - very local for me but too much reading music and singers.

Details about traditional sessions can be found in the free publication 'Shire Folk' a guide to folk and roots music within a 30 mile radius of Oxford (http://www.shirefolk.org.uk/)

Sunnyside Serenaders

2008-06-15T03:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I played two bookings with Mike Gardiner as the duo 'Sunnyside Serenaders'.

We are a rather 'strange' musical duo playing 'Goodtime Music through the Decades' mixed with traditional tunes and songs - which ever is appropriate for the booking. Mike plays fiddle and celtic harp and I play guitar and harmonica.

In the afternoon we played at the Coleshill Village Fete in Buckinghamshire. It's a quaint old fashioned style fete which had everything from cream teas to ferret racing!

We were positioned next to the cream teas so that people sitting at the tea tables could be entertained by us. The photos above show Mike playing the celtic harp and me on guitar and harmonica. We were doing a West Indian Calypso at the time!
We went straight from the fete to perform at the Haddenham Rotary Club annual dinner at the Cock and Rabbit Graziemille Restaurant at the Lee, near Wendover, Buckinghamshire.
Both bookings went really well but we were both fairly exhausted after 6 hours playing.
For more information about the 'Sunnyside Serenaders' contact adrianbroadway@googlemail.com

Mouse and Trousers

2008-06-15T03:04:00.000-07:00

On Friday evening I played a barn dance with 'Mouse and Trousers' at the Wovercote festival (near Oxford). I play with them when one of the regular band members can't make the booking. Mostly I 'dep' for the bass guitar player but this time I was playing the tunes on the tenor banjo to dep for a melody player.

In this photo are: Chris Mills (guitar) me (tenor banjo) John Winterbottom (bass guitar) Gareth Morris (drums & calling) Stephen Passey (fiddle).
The photos below show the last time I played with Mouse and Trousers at Wheatley, Oxfordshire on the May Bank Holiday weekend.

Pictured (looking very serious!!) are: Tom Bell-Richards (fiddle) Gareth Morris (drums) me (bass guitar) Heather White (whistle) and Chris Mills (guitar)

Pictured here (the only one smiling!) is Marilyn Mills on English Concertina

A busy June weekend

2008-06-08T05:34:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the start of some busy musical weekends for me. Friday evening saw me playing double bass in a 50s band at Brill Sports and Social Club - an interesting experience!

By Saturday afternoon, I was on more familiar territory playing banjo for the Haddenham Hoofers at Bourton Meadow, Buckingham. Musicians also pictured are Ed Houghton -guitar, Penny Heydon - fiddle and Tim Mason - 5 string banjo.

Saturday evening was an open air barn dance at Ardley, Oxfordshire with the Mizen Ramblers. The sun was still shining when this photo was taken but it got a bit chilly in the darkness later on! I'm playing my 5 string acoustic/electric bass guitar. Also pictured from left to right: Tom Bell-Richards - fiddle, Jed Mugford -fiddle, Mike Gardiner - fiddle and Trevor Toms - guitar.

Harping on

2008-05-31T06:16:00.000-07:00

The first photo above shows me playing my electric mandolin at a barn dance with Sarah Goss on fiddle. Sarah played fiddle in 'Kinderhook' from 1994 although in latter years she has only played as a dep when available because of her busy career as a solo harpist.
The second photo shows Sarah with the harp at a recent wedding where I was a guest. I'm in the photo with 3 month old grand-daughter Ava.
Sarah's harp playing added a wonderful atmosphere to the wedding reception with a variety of musical styles.
Anyone interested in booking Sarah can contact her at gosssarah@hotmail.com

Fiddles on the River

2008-05-31T05:37:00.000-07:00

We'll play anywhere! Yesterday evening four of the Oxford Fiddle Group - Monica (viola), me (guitar), Tom (fiddle) and Jed (fiddle) performed on the Salters boat 'Goring' for a birthday celebration group travelling down the River Thames from Donnington Bridge, Oxford. The boat had been hired for the occasion and there was a buffet and a bar for guests and band. The cruise lasted 4 hours (7-11pm) so there was plenty of playing and some singing except when going through the locks - Iffley then Sandford. Apparently music isn't allowed in the locks.

The One String Phono Fiddle

2008-05-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

The first photo shows me with my one string phono fiddle after a performance outside St Michael's Church in Oxford.
I have two one string phono fiddles believe or not! The one in the first two photos was my grandfather's and was handed down to me by my grandmother after his death. The second two photos are of my second phono fiddle which was saved by my father-in-law when helping an elderly neighbour clear 'rubbish' she no longer wanted out of her loft. The horn of the instrument was in rather a state but has been restored by Steve Harper, A tin whistle maker from Gawcott, Bucks.
Phono Fiddles were made by the English 'Stroh' company between 1910 and 1942 along with other strange instruments like the Stroh violin, 'cello, guitar and mandolin.
The design uses a pin bridge bearing on a diaphragm, the resulting sound being amplified by the horn. This is the same principle as used by the wind-up gramophone of the same era. Recording equipment of the early 20th century was primitive and required a loud output from the performer. Stroh believed that the louder sound of their instruments directed towards the microphone would improve recordings. It never really caught on!
The second photo above shows how to play the instrument. There are knee grips to hold the phono fiddle between knees. This phono fiddle is the 'Parlour' model. The other one is the 'Concert' model (see the 4th photo). It is slightly larger and louder.
I performed 'Danny Boy' on the phono fiddle in a Granada Television programme called 'Nice Time' hosted by Kenny Everett and Germaine Greer in 1969. They requested phono fiddle players to write in to appear on the show. My grandmother wrote in nominating me but unfortunately she died before I passed the audition and appeared on the show.
I've played the phono fiddle in various bands: Yogi's Ragtime Jug Stompers (1967-1969); Pond Street Grog Bottle Blowers & String Ensemble (1969-1972); Boodle-um Jug Stompers (1972-1982); Sunnyside Serenaders (1984-1988) and Ian English Boodlum Band (1992-present day).
The type of band name gives you a clue to the type of music suitable for the phono fiddle.
FiddleOn magazine ran an article on the phono fiddle and me in the Winter/Spring 2008 issue-
(http://www.fiddleon.co.uk/).

The Ian English Boodlum Band

2008-05-29T00:56:00.000-07:00

The above shows the IAN ENGLISH BOODLUM BAND, currently on their GATEWAY TO OBLIVION Tour.

The band has been described as follows:
“The Ian English Boodlum Band’s show is packed with so much zany humour, offbeat music and parody that you definitely won't leave wanting more!”
“With their own brand of wacky songs and offbeat humour, these musicians are all soloists in their own right, and it’s only when they play together the trouble starts.”

The line-up is: Ian English (vocals/keyboard), Adrian Broadway (vocals/double bass/phonofiddle/mandolin/watering can), Trevor Toms (vocals/ukulele/guitar/banjo/jug) and Dave Reece (vocals/drums/washboard),

The band metamorphose into heavy-mental legends 'BAM!' for the final part of the act. BAM! finish off the evening, in every way, with tracks from their album ‘It’s So Easy To Rock And Roll’. Fans travel a long way when BAM! are gigging, although not always in the direction of the gig

The Ian English Boodlum Band are appearing at The Court Theatre, Pendley, Tring, Hertfordshire on Tuesday 24 June at 8.30pm Tickets are £8
See http://www.image-house.co.uk/CourtTheatre/Pages/shows/ianenglish08/ianenglish08.htm for more details.

Kinderhook

2008-05-28T01:06:00.001-07:00

My regular band for barn dance bookings is ‘Kinderhook.’ The band has been going since 1982 and the first photo above shows the Kinderhook 25th reunion at Killingworth Castle Inn, Wootten-near-Woodstock, Oxfordshire in May 2007. There have been a number of personnel changes and the photo shows some of the musicians who have played in the band over the years.
Kinderhook is a four piece band and the current line up is listed below with the year they joined and instruments played:
Adrian Broadway (pictured above) 1982 – bass guitar, mandolin, banjo, harmonica, calling; Trevor Toms (pictured above) 1983 – guitar, banjo, drum tracks; and two from the following four: Sarah Gates 1991 – flute, piccolo, recorder; Sali Toms 1999 – flute; Matt Morton (pictured above) 2003 – whistles, soprano sax; Lorna Morton (pictured above) 2003 – fiddle.
Barn Dances are still popular in England as a social event and most of our bookings are for private functions such as weddings, silver and ruby wedding anniversaries, birthday parties (18th -80th!) Village and School Associations. We take bookings mainly in the Buckinghamshire/ Oxfordshire/Hertfordshire area.
Kinderhook can be contacted at adrianbroadway@googlemail.com

Searching for Folk Tunes

2008-05-27T05:27:00.000-07:00

If you are trying to find the 'dots' for folk tunes, here are some web sites and information that maybe helpful.
For English, Irish, Scottish and American tunes try http://www.thesession.org/ You can search for the name of the tune. If you find the tune and would like to print it out or send it to someone else, I suggest the following:
click ABC, Highlight all the text & copy
Go to http://www.concertina.net/
click Tune-a-Tron
click ABC Convert-A-Matic
paste, submit, PDF sheet music
You can save it as a PDF file to print off or send to someone else.
Another site for Irish tunes is www.ceilidhsoc.org/music.html

http://comhaltas.ie/shop/detail/foinn_seisiun_cd_volume_1/ has nice versions of a whole lot of Irish standard tunes to listen to played at sensible but not patronising speeds.
There's a lot of other nice stuff on the Comhaltas site too. In particular some excellent videos.
If you've not come across it before Comhaltas is the main Irish traditional music organisation - Full name - Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (Association of Irish Musicians)
This pronounced something like Kool-tas Kool-tori air-ann
There's a pronunciation guide with sound samples as well so one can find out how to say "Buíon Cheoil Fheadóg Mhór" properly!

Please let me know via a comment if you have found this useful.

Many thanks to Tom Bell-Richards (Oxford Fiddle Group and Mizen Ramblers) Matt Morton (Kinderhook) and Tony Blay (Haddenham Irish Session) for some of the above information.

Oxford Fiddle Group Concert

2008-05-26T12:15:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy year for the Oxford Fiddle Group. There have been many bookings and listed below are some that were particularly special.

In October 2007, we played in concerts and a barn dance in Bonn, Germany. The first photo above shows us performing at an open air concert in the city centre. I'm playing my Dean 5 string acoustic/electric bass guitar.

In April 2008 we performed on the main stage at the Oxford Folk Festival. This took place in the Oxford Town Hall and the second photo shows the performance. I'm playing my double bass.

We are playing at our second concert in six months at the Jacqueline Du Pre Building, St Hilda's College, Oxford OX1 4DY on 1st June 2008 starting at 8pm.

Tickets are £10 (£8 concessions) and are available from Tickets Oxford, The Oxford Playhouse, Beaumont Street, OXFORD, OX1 2LW or
online: www.ticketsoxford.com • email: ticketsoxford@oxfordplayhouse.com • phone: 01865 305305

We are working on our second CD which should be available from early Autumn 2008.

The Oxford Fiddle Group meets every Tuesday 8-10.30pm in Headington Quarry Village Hall, Oxford to play folk tunes from the British Isles, Europe and the USA. About 20 fiddles plus accompaniament from guitar, double bass, concertina and celtic harp make up the group.

More details can be found on the Oxford Fiddle Group website: http://www.oxfordfiddle.co.uk/

Haddenham Hoofers in Antwerp

2008-05-25T07:30:00.001-07:00

The Haddenham Hoofers (Appalachian Step Dance Group) travelled to Antwerp on the weekend of May 9-11 May to take part in a folk dance festival. I played banjo for the dancing which included very hot open air performances in the square in Antwerp on Saturday and concert performances on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon.

Other groups performing were Les Joyeux Vendéens from France and De Kegelaar, the host group from Belgium.

Haddenham Hoofers meet every Thursday evening in St Mary's Church Hall, Haddenham, Buckinhamshire to rehearse Appalachian Step Dancing to live music. They perform mainly in the Summer months locally at festivals, fetes and other events. They also perform at National Folk Festivals. In 2008, performances include: The Straw Bear Festival of Dance, Whittlesea, Sidmouth Folk Festival and Towersey Village Festival.

For more information: https://sites.google.com/site/haddenhamhoofers/