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Eve Goldberg Concert Coming! - Jack ColeA recent Internet post reported: "Eve Goldberg says she's living proof of what happens when you force feed folk music to innocent children. Raised on a steady diet of guitar lessons, coffeehouse concerts, and home-made music, it was inevitable she¹d turn out to be a roots and folk performer.
And with her new album "Crossing the Water" on the Borealis label ... Eve's ready to give her folky roots ample room to shine. Produced by Ken Whiteley, "Crossing the Water" is an intimate, uplifting album that blends blues, country/bluegrass, gospel, and swing with contemporary folk."
There is less than a week to go until Eve's house concert, and we still have many tickets remaining. If you can support one of the folk events going on Saturday April 12, please do so, and if it's our concert with Eve then I am even happier.
Our house concerts feature refreshments, door prizes, and a friendly and intimate atmosphere. James Morgan and myself will be performing a short opening set. I can promise that this concert will send you home happy and singing.
Please email me or call 578-6298 for tickets ($10, $8 for 12 & under).
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Last Month and Next - Jack ColeMarch turned in one of the most enjoyable Circles in a long time. We welcomed back some of our best harmony singers, along with lots of songs which gave them a chance to do their thing. There was plenty of laughter, too, which was a welcome respite from the misery of the world.
We enjoyed a lovely, lugubrious version of Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream (sorry, but I still like it that way :-) ), and were privileged to hear a new, similarly-themed song, that Linda finished only moments before. We made it around the circle of 29 once before opening things up in the second half.
The Circle meets next on April 26, at 8 PM. Bring your favourite singalong songs! (May's Song Circle is being moved from the fourth Saturday to the fifth Saturday!)
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Celtic College 2003 - jcThe preliminary staff & an indication of course offerings for Goderich's Celtic College is shown below. The College begins on Monday, August 4.
There are many familiar names missing from the staff this year (including some of the mainstays of the evening sessions), making way for a sea of new blood and (presumably) new techniques and styles. Many of the newcomers are drawn from 3 UK groups, Dervish, Calasaig and Crucible. I've added short notes about each.
It's great to see that dulcimer is offered once again (way to go Jean!) and that there is a continuing improvement in choices for singers. Looks like another fantastic week of summer school!
More information will appear at www.celticfestival.ca (but not yet!).
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(Folk) Net Radio - jcA while back James Morgan pointed me at spinner.com, which also identifies itself as "Radio@Netscape Plus". A two minute download, and 175 channels of music are available! The user interface is very simple and in no time at all I had the Folk and Celtic channels in my favourite station list, and was enjoying both familiar and brand new artists. Here's a list of performers I've heard in the last few minutes: Gina Forsythe, Louise Taylor, Tom Paxton and Anne Hills, Jack Hardy, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, David Olney, Geoff Muldaur, Dan Zanes, Emmylou Harris, Michael Jerling, Art Thieme, Josh Ritter.
These are not samples: the entire songs are played, and the sound quality (on my high speed link) is first rate. They claim that it works over dialup connections, too. And it's not just promotion for new, trendy albums - the Joni Mitchell cut was from Court and Spark!
Best part - the service is free, although a warning must be given ... If you hear something that you like, you can just click the CD NOW button and purchase it, new or used, shipped to your door!
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Closing Notes - jc<> There WILL be a Chequegnat 2003! The neighbours met this week and picked June 7, 2003 as the date of our third "welcome to summer". As in the past, Old Chestnuts are welcome, and this is our way to show the neighbours that we appreciate having a place to meet. We'll start up the music at 2 PM and go until dark. Stay tuned for more details next month.
<> The Eaglewood Folk Festival returns for its 14th year at Pefferlaw's Eaglewood resort the weekend of August 22-24, presenting performances by Canadian songwriters and musicians, and offering camping, crafts, and all day workshops. Approximately 25 Canadian artists will be performing. Confirmed artists include Mose Scarlett, Jackie Washington, Ken Whiteley, Nancy White, Don Ross, Scott Merritt, Marianne Girard, Eve Goldberg, Trevor Mills, Alfie Smith, Kristin Sweetland, Blain Fullbrook, and Mark Reeves. For tickets, information and directions, visit www.eaglewoodfolk.com.
<> The Penguin Eggs album of the year for 2002 is Harry Manx's "Wise and Otherwise". It was voted for by over 40 Canadian journalists, folk festival and folk club artistic directors. Kathleen Edwards and Ruthie Foster were chosen favourite new discoveries for last year.
All the results are in the current Spring Issue of Penguin Eggs, available at Wordsworth Books and other area bookstores.
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Celtic College Lineup - jc NOTES:
* All staff and course proposals are preliminary and subject to change!! A piano player is to be added yet.
* Since so many staff are new, I've included some notes on a few (and their groups) at the end.
FIDDLE (all levels and much more) Pierre Schryer, Moira Breatnach (*), Tom Morrow (#), Patrick Ourceau, Seamus O'Dowd (#), Cynthia MacLeod, Celine Donoghue (&), Jess Arrowsmith (@)
WHISTLE & FLUTE (beginner - advanced and much more) Sean Keane, Loretto Reid, Liam Kelly (#), Andy McLauchlin, Janice Crewe
SONG (Irish, Scottish, English, Harmony, Arranging and more) Cathy Jordan (#), Kirsten Easdale (&), Keith Easdale (&), Gavin Davenport (@), Helena Reynolds (@), Richard Arrowsmith (@), Jess Arrowsmith (@), Sean Keane
HARP (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Accompaniment and more) Robin Huw Bowen, Thomas Loefke
GUITAR (Accompaniment, DADGAD) , MANDOLIN (Beginner - Advanced), BOUZOUKI, TENOR BANJO Brian McDonagh (#), Michael Holmes (#), Keith Johnstone (&), Andy Webster (&), Celine O'Donoghue, Brian Taheny, Gordon Belsher
BUTTON ACCORDION, ANGLO CONCERTINA, ENGLISH CONCERTINA (Beginner, Intermediate, Composition) Frank Edgley, Matt Heumann, Shane Mitchell (#)
BODHRAN (Beginner, Intermediate) Leon Taheny, Gordon Belsher
FRETTED DULCIMER, HAMMER DULCIMER (Beginner, Intermediate) Jean Mills, Mary Lou Battley
ARTS (Blacksmithing, calligraphy, celtic design, stonecarving, copper enameling, celtic jewelry, stained glass, marquetry, bookmaking, paper making, sugan weaving) Darrell Markewitz, David Rankine, Laura Travis, Catherine Crowe, Brenda Roy, Brigitte Wolfe, Diane Edwards, Gloria Sullivan-Lambert, Linda Wiebe, Grant Taylor
Language, Culture, Storytelling & Dance (Gaelic, music history, dancing, storytelling, music collecting and archiving) Peter Kennedy (+), Peter Blow, Gearoid OhAllmhurain, Maureen Mulvey, Helena Reynolds (@), Richard Arrowsmith (@), Cynthia MacLeod, Niamh Myers, JoAnn Ras
Recording, Repair (Instrument repair, recording, acoustic sound) Ernie King, Joe Melady, Brian Taheny, Stephen Darke, Travis Teed
(+) Peter Kennedy (this year's Ernie King Tradition Bearer Award winner) is "one of the great collectors of tradition", with 60 years of field recording of Irish and English songs. He will be sharing his collections and experiences.
(*) Moira Breatnach was the original fiddler with Riverdance.
(#) "Dervish is one of the tightest, most balanced acoustic bands I've ever seen, overshadowing even an excellent performance by Ireland's hallmark band, the Chieftains, the previous evening in nearby Reading. Besides Cathy Jordan (vocal), Tom Morrow (fiddle) and Shane Mitchell (accordian), the band is Liam Kelly on flute and pennywhistle, Brian McDonagh on mandolin and mandola, Michael Holmes on bouzouki and Sheamie O'Dowd on fiddle and guitar. Jordan also played bodhran and bones, and kept up a charming banter between tunes." - Review in Rambles magazine
(&) "Calasaig are one of the Scottish Traditional Music Scene's hardest working young groups..." - THE HERALD. "...the best young (multi-instrumental) band in Scotland..." - THE LIST. "...Calasaig establishes a place as an excellent interpreter of Scottish music..." - DIRTY LINEN.
(@) "A dynamic folk ensemble from Sheffield, Crucible combine driving instrumental music with richly layered harmony song. Crucible draw from diverse influences, blending traditional music and song with contemporary rhythms and composition. Working with a wide range of instruments, Crucible's performances spark with raw energy and infectious tunes."
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Some Events in The Area (as space permits!) Check out the Grand River Folk Community site for more. Apr 10 Ron Hynes, Registry Theatre. $20. 578-1570. Apr 12 Eve Goldberg, Old Chestnuts House Concert. $10. 578-6298. Apr 18 Black Walnut Folk Club, Mill-Courtland Centre. $3. Also May 16. Apr 19 Wailin' Jennies, Guelph, 837-0038, $15 Apr 20 Mill Race Trad Sessions, Camb., Golden Kiwi, 4:30. Also May 4 Apr 26 Old Chestnuts Song Circle. 578-6298! 8 pm. Themeless! May 1 Grand River Dulcimer Club, Folkway Music, Guelph. $3 May 3 Mill Race Singaround at Ernies, Cambridge. 8 pm. $3 May 24 Sara Grey, House Concert, Cambridge. 8pm 622-1481
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About this newsletter..... It’s emailed. It’s on the Web at http://www.mgl.ca/~jhcole and available at Circles. Also available by regular mail, but for that I request a few stamped envelopes or a contribution to postage. Call 578- 6298 or write jhcole@mgl.ca for more information. If you are getting this by mail and have eMail, please let me know! Will this winter never end? How about this mass stupidity? Well, a busy time and a bad back continuing into the spring. Junos last night for Lynn Miles and Zubot and Dawson - and hardly any reporting of it. "Who and who?" Sigh. Lynn at least is coming to KW in June, with Shari Ulrich and Connie Kaldor. Sold out, too, I expect. Now THAT must be a nice feeling! :( jc