Programme 2007
January 4th, Open Stage
January 11th, Jez Lowe £7 Tickets available
As a "live" performer, Jez is one of the busiest around accompanying
himself on guitar, cittern, dulcimer and harmonica. He is in great
demand solo or with his group The Bad Pennies. Recorded by Fairport,
The Dubliners and numerous others, back by popular demand.
www.jezlowe.com
Support: Katriona Gilmore & Jamie Roberts
"A fresh & promising young duo right up on the crest of
the new acoustic wave. Check these guys out ....now!" -
Seth Lakeman
See their web site for more informtion,
January 18th, Open Stage
January 25th, Mike Deavin £5
A wonderful way with words and music, Mike brings freshness, and vitality to thought provoking self penned songs. A regular performer at Broadstairs Folk Festival and much loved locally with a loyal following.
Support: Supported by Clive Batkin & Joel McDermott - excellent local musicians who excel at imaginative arrangements of traditional music and of their own compositions. Folk and Roots Instrumental Music. Their web site
February 1st, Open Stage
February 8th, Nancy & James Fagan £8 Tickets available
World renowned, multi talented, charming, wonderful singing, exciting
musically guaranteed. What can be said that hasn't been already? If you
haven't seen them before... where have you been! Get your tickets early so
as not to be disappointed.
www.kerrfagan.com
Support: Malcolm Hobbs
Local celebrity with charm, wit, bouzouki, mountain dulcimer, guitar and voice... superb!
February 15th, Open Stage
February 22th, Zoox £5
A superb trio, Fiddle, Mandolin, Saxes, Whistles. Contrabassoon, Percussion
& Vocals. Sassy rythms, foot tapping beat with delicate balance of strings.
www.zoox.co.uk
Support: Bob Wakeling
I've been responsible together with others for starting "The Herga Song Club" in Wealdstone
in 1959 and later the "Pumphouse Folk Club" in Watford. I've been singing even longer and
have hundreds of songs to draw from. I'm a resident at "The Cellar Upstairs" in London at
the moment. My main interests are traditional ballads and songs and modern songs of social
comment. I sing with guitar and 5-string banjo and also unaccompanied.
March 1st, Open Stage
March 8th, Pete Morton £6 Tickets on Sale
Pete is a songwriter and performer from Nottingham, England with a wealth of great songs and
stage presence. His show is dynamic and intense as well as approachable and funloving. He
seriously believes there are 'six billion eccentrics' in the world and that particular song
is fastly becoming a signature tune for people everywhere.
Pete is a performer with a unique style, playing a mix of both contemporary
& traditional material he is someone you just have to listen too!
www.petemorton.com
Support: Acoustic showcase set by "The Simon Hopper Band"
... telling new stories through new songs with a craftsman's eye and a poet's fist.
Old England is new England, and it hurts. The songs are influenced by Brit-Folk, Joni
Mitchell, Loudon Wainwright, Ron Sexsmith & Dylan.
Simon has shared the stage with Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, Clive Gregson & Iain
Matthews, among others. Clive and Iain have gone on record in praising his craft.
File, if you must, under jazz-influenced, acoustic, soul-based folk rock...
or better still, just listen.
Web site
March 15th, Open Stage
March 22th, Leon Rosselson £6 Tickets on Sale
Prolific, gritty, funny, clever, militant, Leon's songs fall into many
categories and some not at all. Many much loved favourites have been
put together by other well known artists to show their appreciation of
this mans talent.
Web site
Supported: By Local Duo - Delta Echoes.
Country Blues of 20's & 30's
on National Steel & Acoustic guitars
As their name implies, Delta Echoes play 1930s Delta blues and early
string band/jug band music, plus an eclectic mix of Western swing, early
Hawaiian music, gospel and hokum.
Web site
March 29th, Open Stage
April 5th, Patty Vetta & Alan Franks £6
For the past twenty years Patty Vetta and Alan Franks have been performing and recording
Alan's songs and receiving rapturous reviews for their work. The first of their four albums,
"Will," was voted one of the best Roots albums of 1995; one of the songs from that CD,
"The Wishfulness Waltz," became the title track of an album by the legendary folk rock
band, Fairport Convention. The songs range from the comic and satirical, such as
"The Day It Started Raining Millionaires on Wall Street," to the poetic and reflective,
such as "G.I.'s Lament," about the predicament of an American serviceman in wartime England.
They have given hundreds of performances at clubs, festivals and on the radio. The late Jake
Thackray, with whom they perfomed, said of them: "Franks's songs are lovely, true, addictive
things. I wish I could write and think and play like him, and sing like Patty Vetta."
She started her singing career at the age of five with a rendition of Bach's Magnificat.
She turned professional in her teens, touring the world with The Settlers and singing with,
among others, Johnny Cash and the Everly Brothers. As well as being a songwriter, Franks is
an award-winning poet as well as a playwright and journalist.
Their web site
Support: Sublime to the Ridiculous
Janis Haves - a touring singer/songwriter for about 6 years with two albums
released. She toured with Peter Bruntnell and Michael Chapman as one third
of the 'Songwriters in the Round' tour and also opened for the legendary guitarist
Albert Lee on two consecutive UK tours. Janis has have performed billed slots at
Oxford and Ireby festivals. In her spare time she also runs Angelic Music an independent
record label specialising in female singer/songwriters and regularly hosts a show for
britfolk radio called 'It's a Girl Thing'. Her
web site
Tony Carling - who has also performed effortlessly all across the country in folk clubs
and festivals and also in the USA where he has written songs with anyone from low life
drifters to hit songwriters he happened to meet at the bar. Truly a master lyric writer,
his songwriting brings to life in hilarious fashion, the real characters he meets in the
underworld of the London building trade including a delicious fast food floozy called Fiona,
Mickie the Brickie with the wicked broken nose and the one woman he'll never forget - known
only as 'Salt of the Earth' and so many more besides. His
web site
And finally their Web site
April 12th, Open Stage
April 19th, Colum Sands Tickets on Sale £8
A member of the internationally renowned Sands Family from County Down, Colum's
reputation as a songwriter is widely known. Many of his songs have been recorded
by performers like Andy Irvine, Liam Clancy, Billy Connolly, Maddy Prior.. to name
but a few. He is a great storyteller and fine singer too. Sit back, relax and
enjoy his charm.
Web site
Support: Indie Kaur & Chris Lawrence
Supurb vocal range from Indie with sensitive guitar accompaniment from Chris
with maybe an unusual instrument thrown into the mix.
Chris's web site
April 26th, Open Stage
May 3rd, Lester Simpson £6
Well known for his involvement in many other line ups, he leave the Boyes(!) at home
tonight for a rare solo performance to entertain us with wit, song and music.
His web site
Support: New roots Finalist Ben Walas
Ben is the first of this years finalists from the St Albans New Roots Competition to play for us. He is only 13 (and a
half) but has been playing the Melodeon for almost 3 years. He plays out with the Moulton
Morris Men (when they let him off dancing).
May 10th, Open Stage
May 17th, Clive Gregson Tickets on Sale £8
Clive has become as well known for his musical collaborations as for his solo work,
linked with artists as diverse as Richard Thompson, Christine Collister, Eddi Reader,
Boo Hewerdine and Nanci Griffith. Above all Clive's solo live shows are something
special and definitely not to be missed. "... he does the lot." The Independent
His web site
Support: New roots Finalist Jennifer Considine
May 24th, Rory McLeod Tickets on Sale £8
Ex-circus clown and fire-eater. A one-man soul band, poet and storyteller, singing his own unique upbeat
dance stories. A modern travelling troubadour using tap shoes, acappella, harmonica, guitar, trombone,
spoons, finger cymbals, bandorea, djembe and various percussion instruments!
His web site
Tickets are already going fast for this event, so don't delay in getting yours.
Support: Bob Scruton (TBC)
St Albans based Blues veteran Uncle Bob has been
around playing guitar and singing the Blues for more years than he cares to remember
- real Blues plus self penned Heretic Folk and general genial raucosity - with, and
without the Kamikaze Instant Kazoo Band.
May 31th, Open Stage
June 7th, Open Stage
June 14th, Delta Echoes Band £TBC
Country Blues of 20's & 30's
on National Steel & Acoustic guitars
As their name implies, Delta Echoes play 1930s Delta blues and early
string band/jug band music, plus an eclectic mix of Western swing, early
Hawaiian music, gospel and hokum.
Their web site
Support: STRANGEWORLD
The wonderful thing about STRANGEWORLD is that there are no musical boundaries.
With the diverse musical backgrounds that the four members bring with them....
the band has become a melting pot of styles and ideas.......thus creating a unique sound.
Their web site
June 21st, Open Stage
June 28th, Isla St Clair Tickets on Sale £8
An honorary degree from Aberdeen University for her contribution to
Scotland's music and a solo performance in front of the Queen at the
Royal Albert Hall to critical acclaim - as you can see Isla is till keeping
herself very busy. Her enjoyment of the songs is very evident which goes
to making this a memorable night.
Her web site
or tradmusic
Support: Simon Stephenson
Finalist in the New Roots Competition he is now studying music at University.
He is one of the new, young, emerging talented performers.
July 5th, Open Stage
This Thursday is to be a special Open Night everyone is very welcome to come and enjoy local music, song and poetry in good company. Featuring poetry written by a good friend of the club Stephanie Stewart who died suddenly last year. Steff loved all the arts and excelled in writing poetry some of which has been published. She was a fantastic artist who created pictures using textiles. She taught in special needs and her work was exhibited in many places including St Albans Cathedral. Steff was such great fun and you knew you would always have a good time in her company. She is greatly missed. As a very good friend of Steffs in visiting from America we have taken the opportunity to dedicate the evening to her and celebrate her life in the way she would have loved. Having a great time, telling jokes, singing, playing and enjoying the company.Also to help the party along we are lucky to have a group called Nuada www.nuada.net who will be visiting us as they tour around. Between them they play a variety of instruments including bagpipes, gemshorn, guitar, digeridoo,hurdy gurdy and many more and they sing!
So If you knew Steff come along and join in and if you didn't come along and just enjoy.
July 12th, Debbie McClatchy £6
An expert entertainer of enormous presence and sensitivity, always in warmest rapport with her audiences,
whether in an intimate club, a concert hall, festival marquee or a school. She plays a huge range of
musical instruments, but her main tool is her old-time mountain banjo. Debby is recognised as one of
the finest frailers of the banjo in the accompanying style and is much valued as a workshop teacher.
Her combination of good-time, old time instrumentals, glorious singing, with occasional outbreaks of
freestyle Appalachian stepping and mountain fiddling, has made her one of the most popular and appreciated
of traditional performing musicians and teachers. Get Debby to work for you - once you've seen and heard
her, you'll want to have her back.
Her web site
Support: Rosa's Daughters
Rosa's Daughters are a harmony duo who love singing. Their repertoire covers Traditonal
Engish songs, self-penned material through to contemporary singer/songwriters.Whatever
catches their ears really. They play between them a variety of instruments including
guitar,citterne,hungarian cittera, appalachian dulcimer and if the occasion
arises......keyboards..plus a wide range of percussion stuff.
Their web site
July 19th, Open Stage
July 26th, Open Stage
August Club Closed
September 6th, Open Stage
September 13th, Dan Quinn & Will Duke £6
Will Duke and Dan Quinn sing traditional songs in unison and play English country
dance tunes on melodeon and concertina. Will was greatly influenced by the playing
of the late, great Scan Tester of Horsted Keynes, Sussex and actually owns and plays
one of Scan's old concertinas. He started singing and playing concertina around Sussex
in 1972 and was asked to join the augmented Etchingham Steam Band that played for
dances. When that band packed in, Ashley Hutchings and Shirley Collins went on to
form the Albion Dance Band and Vic Gammon to form the Pump and Pluck Band. Will was
in both for a while but soon left the former to concentrate on Pump and Pluck and
with them, recorded the double album "A Tale of Ale". He then opted for the quiet
life until he met Dan Quinn in a pub in Sussex. A mutual liking for traditional music
and song led them to singing and playing together and eventually recording two (so far)
CDs: "Wild Boys" in 1996 and "Scanned" in 2001.
Their web site
Support: The Coproliters
Playing music to get your toes tapping!
September 20th, Open Stage
September 27th, Kate Lissauer £6
Currently resident in England, Kate is a highly regarded exponent of American old-time country
music. She brings her love of mountain, bluegrass and folk music to life through her passionate
instrumental and vocal style.
See her web site
Support: Chris & Tim
Foot stomping mean banjo and fiddle combine to bring a bit more old-time to out in the sticks Redbourn.
October 4th, Open Stage
October 11th, Dave Fletcher & Bill Whaley £6
Regular guests at the club because they are so good.
A truly wonderful pair whose harmonies are a joy their playing
superb their chat brilliant. Do we like them? You bet we do and
so do everyone who listens to them.
See there web site
Support: Na-Mara
Na-Mara are a St Albans based duo - Paul McNamara (Guitar and vocals) and Rob Garcia
(Guitar and mandolin). Our repertoire ranges from arrangements of Irish fiddle tunes for
mandolin and guitar, to songs and ballads arranged for voice, guitar and mandolin.
web site
October 18th, Open Stage
October 25th, Sublime to the Ridiculous £5
Tony Carling & Janis Haves a duo who compliment each other with their own take on life
seen through opposite sides. Thoughtful, discerning and often hilarious.
There web site
Support:
November 1st, Open Stage
November 8th, Mick Ryan and Pete Harris Tickets £6
Performing together for nearly 15 years, at least 7 albums to their credit
and numerous stage musicals. Throw in a great sense of humour, good guitar
playing and harmonising voices. These boys have got Class!
There web site
Support: Christine Connolley and Steve Last
Christine and Steve sing traditional and contemporary folk songs with
voices which blend in superb harmony, either a capella or accompanied by
Steve on guitar.
There web site
November 15th, Open Stage
November 22th, Tom Kitching & Gren Bartley £8
Big in festivals now see them close up and personal. Up and coming two fine musicians,
fiddle, guitar and voices. Music range is anything from blues, folk, contemporary,
mountain music from gentle to pacey.
There web site
Support:
November 29th, Open Stage
December 6th, Strange World £6
"Strangeworld play such beautiful music that takes you o places well beyond any earthly
location, Straight to the heart! Great musicians, wonderful tunes," Pete Morton
The wonderful thing about Strangeworld is that there are no musical boundaries.
With the diverse musical backgrounds that the four members bring with them....
the band has become a melting pot of styles and ideas.......thus creating a unique sound.
Their web site
Support: Malcolm Hobbs
Lovely interpretations of folk songs with Guitar, Bouzouki and Appalachian Dulcimer
accompaniment. He also passes on his ready wit and knowledge about his material and
life in general, which is why he is so popular and in demand.
December 13th, Open Stage
December 20th, Xmas Party everyone welcome FREE!!
December 27th, CLOSED
Forthcoming Nancy Kerr & James Fagan, Issy & David Emeney
2008 program