Here is Page 2 of our catalogue of past guests to let you know what you have been missing over the last few months - an insight into the calibre and variety of guests you can see at our little club.
Guests D - M
Welcome to one of Cardiff's veteran folk-club organisers and a very fine singer, too. Roy moved to Nottingham, where he left his mark on The Tiger club, the Broadside singers and Topic Records before he settled in Cardiff once more. A masterful performer, Roy gently coaxes the audience in giving it what matters most - the song.
24 years’ experience as a folk singer, concertina player and actor has made Tim one of the most exciting and interesting performers today. With a wide and unique repertoire of material and a particular interest in the songs and traditions of the West Country of England and East Anglia, Tim is constantly in demand in folk clubs, festivals, schools and community venues as a solo artist and also with his group The New Scorpion Band.
For more information, click here.
Lynne and Dave stunned and delighted us all when they left their Ffynnon partner, Stacey Blythe, behind and brought us the duo performance. Sadly, Dave died of a heart attack while the band was in New York, leaving us the legacy of an artistic, inventive bass player who made made each moment a joy to be with.
For the record, we have reproduced Ffynnon's pages - thanks, Dave, for all this marvellous music.
"The UK's Premier Flatpick Guitarist"
Chris's performances feature a variety of songs, audience
participation, anecdotes and arrangements of Celtic, Appalation
and Texas fiddle tunes. Classical pieces by Handel and Mozart
and self written material on guitar, banjo and mandolin
Awarded BBMA "Instrumentalist of 1996" and Guitarist Magazine's "Acoustic Guitarist of the Year" for 1997
For more information click here.
Ray is undoubtedly one of the foremost traditional singers you are ever likely to see. One of the famous Fisher family who have been synonymous with all that is best in Scottish song, Ray learned many of her songs and much of her style from such famous exponents of the Scottish tradition as Jeannie Robertson, the Stewarts of Blair and Lizzie Higgins. She brings to her singing a directness that draws the audience right into the song as the story unfolds.
One of the legendary High Level Ranters, Johnny is a songwriter and musician. He draws his material from the rich heritage of that area, representing a continuous tradition of music spanning 350 years. Accordeon and Northumbrian pipes are his main instruments, although he is also famed for his prowess on the piano.
Gill and Barry Day are folk activists… not only do they organise and perform at pubs and parish halls around their home in the Forest of Dean, but they do it with joy and enthusiasm. Both are known for their powerful voices – Barry sings a wide range of material with choruses and audience participation, while Gill digs deep into Old Tyme Music Hall. The two are responsible for the increasingly popular Cotswold Capers festival and various wassailing and other good time weekends.
The salt of the earth! We already know Joy Bennett, who's guested twice on her travels - and Joy brings four luscious ladies who are experts on sea shanties, maritime songs, traditional work songs, songs of fishermen and their wives and songs in the Irish tradition. Quotes on their CD: "Whether leading a singalong aboard the Peking at South Street Seaport in New York or firing up a festival stage, this group is a winner..." - or Roy Harris has said: "whatever the sceptics may say, women can sing shanties. Joy Bennett, Maggie Bye, Alison Kelly, Bonnie Miller and Deirdre Murtha certainly can."
Just the man for Xmas! Stand-up comic, fall-down comedian, surreal snigger-snogwriter, guitar hero, tall story-teller, champion tiddly-winker, friend to the pantomime horse, erstwhile slice of bacon and all-round good egg. Our scouts have seen Keith in many a festival and have come back rubbing their eyes disbelievingly – how can he get as marvellous as this? PLUS: All your Xmas specials!
Jim Mageean and Johnny Collins
They’re everybody’s festival favourites – shanties and songs of the sea, industrial ballads and rip-roaring belters, all delivered by two powerful voices which leave a long-lasting impression. Jim (sea song and shanty expert) comes from Newcastle and East Anglian Johnny (enormous beard and voice) lives in the Home Counties, so this is a rare occasion.
Sarah Grey comes from New England, USA, but there was a time when she was so taken by Llantrisant Folk Club and Wales in general that she moved to the Llantrisant area, with her son Keiron in tow. Keiron, born in the USA, is now an mighty traditional singer and musician, influenced by his mother, and Sarah is still delighting audiences with her simple, beautiful New England songs and tales - she's a true singer and storyteller. The traditional artist Roy Harris says of a Sara gig: "I came away even more convinced that she belongs in the company of those greats of tradition she so admires... To hear her play and sing, to observe that body language, tapping foot and smiling face, is to know an artist totally at one with her music. Sing on, Sara!"
Sara and Keiron are international festival artists, and Llantrisant Folk Club is very proud to welcome them back. Last visit Wednesday November 7, 2007
John McCormick was born and raised in Indianapolis. He is a modern minstrel with gentle wit, sensitive vocals, and wicked guitar skills. He has mastered the intricate styles of the American, Irish, Scottish and English folk traditions while developing a rich, resonant and wonderfully expressive voice. John regularly performs throughout Europe and North America - and he still managed to pay a call to the Llantrisant Folk Clubroom for a foretaste of his exquisite performances.
(from New York)
Friends for 25 years, Bob and Dan teamed up for the first time in 1997. They've sung together from Dublin to Denmark to San Francisco, lectured and taught at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, the Sidmouth International Festival and the Inishowen International Ballad and Folk Song Seminar. Back home in New York, they're leaders of The New York Packet, South Street Seaport Museum's maritime music group, and frequently play at Irish music sessions with 1986 All-Ireland Champion fiddler Brian Conway.
Since early in 2001, Mary and Anahata have been working together to pursue the highest standards in performance of traditional English music. Their highly musical and enthusiastic approach has won them a steadily growing reputation for their singing and playing in folk clubs and festivals. Mary sings traditional songs, mostly in English and a few in Welsh, and plays banjo and concertina. Anahata accompanies with melodeons, concertina and cello, and they play instrumental arrangements, mostly of English traditional music. Don't miss them!
Bob was our first guest way back in 1980 - and we've been waiting 25 years to welcome him on his second visit! This 73-year-old, Tyneside-born, London-based, soaring tenor has just recorded his latest CD, The Common Stone, after a break of 28 years, and standing among the songs can be found Martin Carthy, the Watersons, Linda Thompson and guitarist Richard Thompson. It's a tribute to Bob’s standing: an expression of the affection in which he is held by younger singers whom he influenced and often gave exposure at the legendary London clubs he ran. The Common Stone reflects this approach, with traditional material such as The Wealthy Squire or She Moved Through the Fair rubbing shoulders with You Are My Sunshine, Brecht’s Song of a German Mother and Geordie ditties, too. Prepare to be captivated - and stunned.
Jerry (from New York) is widely known for his powerful voice and his consummate mastery of the older traditional styles of singing. He is also among the best players of the English concertina around and he is widely known for scholarship as well as performance.
His workshops for singers, involving both voice and traditional style, are widely respected in the US, and he taught singing at the Easter School connected with the National Festival in Canberra, Australia (2003) and at the National Festival of Scotland (2002). Last performed at the Folk Club on September 21 2005.
Hold on to your seats! Gracenotes are Maggie Boyle (flute and bodhran), Helen Hockenhull (keyboards) and Lynda Hardcastle (recorders). They perform a cappella and accompanied arrangements of traditional and contemporary songs in three-part harmony - just listen to what the reviewers have said about them... "The voices glide like birds circling on warm air currents" (fRoots)... "They don't come much better" (Time Out)... "Nothing short of stunning" (Jim Lee, Dirty Linen, USA). The group started performing in 1993 and their first album Down Falls The Day was released in 1994. Their second album, Red Wine and Promises, was released in 1998 on Fellside Records, and their third, Anchored To The Time, also on Fellside, came out in 2001.
Think of Anne and you think of Icarus - that stunning, beautiful song that had many acoustic musicians, including Martin Simpson and June Tabor, queueing up to record it. Anne has been writing songs ever since she can remember, and performing in UK folk clubs ever since she was first able to persuade a barman to serve her with orange juice.
Anne lived in Lyon, France, when she suddenly realised that her songs were beginning to travel without her back in England. She came back, and worked as Reviews Editor for Karl Dallas's Acoustic Music magazine. Nic Jones came across Anne and her songs at this time, and from then on her reputation spread slowly but steadily through the folk circuit.
Anne now works mostly solo, although she teams up with Steafan Hannigan from time to time for recording (he has worked on all Anne's four albums) and occasional touring in the USA. Anne's work always attracts attention - songs which take myths and legends and weave them into a new relevance, songs which pack a surprising emotional punch through the ancient tales. Anne last visited the Club on Wednesday 4th January 2006
James (from Canada)is renowned for mining the past for musical inspiration. His most celebrated songs tell the stories of extraordinary events from history through the eyes of ordinary people. Now, after eight albums, three Juno nominations, a Juno award and a total of 17 years as one of Canada's best-known exports on the folk circuit, Keelaghan mines his own history with Then Again. He reworks 11 of his best-loved tunes, bringing them up to date with the versions he now shares with his audiences. Meanwhile, James continues to win accolades for his songwriting; he just won first place in the folk category of the USA Songwriting competition for the second year in a row. He also earned praise for his tribute to a Canadian songwriting legend with his cover of the Canadian Railroad Trilogy on the recent Gordon Lightfoot tribute album Beautiful. Last visited the Club on May 31st 2006.
(photo © Mick Tems)
Truly amazing stuff! From Great Britain, the Southwestern US, and Toronto, Canada, Finest Kind are the remarkable trio from Ottawa whose exquisite harmony singing and brilliant vocal arrangements bring a fresh sense of excitement and discovery to the performance of old songs. Formed in 1991, Finest Kind are Ian Robb (ex-member of St Albans Folk Club and a concertina player extraordinaire) Ann Downey (guitar, banjo, bass among other instruments) and Shelley Posen (professional folklorist, versatile singer and multi-instrumentalist). Roy Harris, expert, writer and reviewer, says: “Exemplary! We could do with them over here for a while – they would refresh our folk scene greatly.” They last visited Llantrisant Folk Club Wednesday November 12, 2008
Lynne and Pat are two of the most experienced and established harmony singers on the folk scene - and what harmony it is! They have a leaning towards traditional English material, but occasionally diversify and perform their own material and Victorian/Edwardian songs. Their interpretation of both contemporary and traditional material is sensitive, moving and has plenty of humour. Lynne and Pat have trespassed, touted, marshalled, organised and appeared at clubs and festivals in careers spanning two millennia. They offer a wide range of musical material, traditional, Victorian, Edwardian, Contemporary, Rude, Silly and Self-penned, all delivered with their unique blend of harmony and humour.Their latest album The Moon Shines Bright is available now from WildGoose Records. Last visited Llantrisant Folk Club on Wednesday July 26th 2006.
John, who comes from Swansea, is a 16-year-old acoustic guitarist who really enjoys playing to many audiences, including the Talgarth Festival and Gower Guitar Festival, where the festival rebooked him for next year. He's into the music of Tommy Emmanuel, Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed and has been inspired to cover their songs and write his own. He played to Tommy Emmanuel in The Point, Cardiff - that's John (in the white shirt) jamming with Tommy, in the blue shirt! John has a website, too - www.johndignam.tk . Played as a Showcase artiste at Llantrisant Wednesday August 30, 2006
Llantrisant Folk Club gives an ecstatic welcome again to Claudine Langille, Jon Scaife and Graham and Camille Parker. We’ve lost count of how many times we’ve been thrilled and delighted by their electric atmosphere, their high-energy conviction and their superb musicianship (hot banjoist Camille is an ex-member of Touchstone, the sensational Irish-American band, Jon plays breathtaking guitar, Graham’s a fiddler extraordinaire and Camille has a voice which has captivated the minds and hearts of audiences the world over.)
As Graham puts it: “We’re not a rock band that celts, we’re a Celtic band that rocks.” Or listen to Rock’n’ Reel’s review: “A sound which is flawless and an atmosphere which is incredible. Even the most reserved audience would find them irresistible - they play each number as if it’s the final one.”
Last appeared at Llantrisant Folk Club Wednesday May 7, 2008
Steve Gilette and Cindy Mangsten
Steve and Cindy got married in 1989, and have toured the world together since then - but this is their first time as guests in Llantrisant Folk Club. They have a magical touch just playing as a duo - songwriter Steve has written for a host of artists, including Garth Brooks, Linda Ronstadt and Iain Matthews, but singers and musicians queued up to record Steve's ballad Darcy Farrow.
Cindy ("One of the finest singers in American Folk Music", according to the American folk magazine Come For To Sing), accompanies herself on guitar, banjo, English concertina and mountain dulcimer, her repertoire stretching from haunting ballads to writers as diverse as Jack Hardy and Nancy White.
Steve and Cindy have recorded three albums: Live In Concert, The Light Of Day (on Compass Rose Music) and A Sense Of Place (Redwing Music). The London-based magazine Folk Roots commented that Steve and Cindy are "still just about the classiest duo around, with more of their sublime traditional and contemporary folk." Last appeared at Llantrisant Folk Club Wednesday September 27th 2006
(from Canada)
From Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick - prepare to be totally amazed! Tom plays accordion, bodhran, keyboards and synths, while Mark plays fiddle and guitar. As Lillian Wauthier said:
"Their music almost defies description... ranging from many unusual originals to Celtic, gospel, contemporary, bluegrass, vaudeville and swing influences - and great exciting polkas! - they are in a class of their own. Their phenomenal energy, vivacity, charm, breadth of vision and consummate musicality results in one of the most exciting and mesmerizing shows you'll ever hope to see and hear. Their enthusiasm and love of music is so encompassing and pervasive that the audience is swept up in a contagion of joy. Many in the packed house had never heard them before and there were constant looks of incredulity on peoples' faces and exclamations of wonder and amazement."
Last appeared at Llantrisant Folk Club Wednesday October 11, 2006
Julie makes a welcome return to Wales – and she brings with her a message of hope and a belief that music can change the world for the better. With over 40 years singing out over injustice, inequality and war, Julie Felix is a voice that needs to be heard now more than ever.
Her
career spans four decades. She became a household name
after arriving in the UK from California, when she became
the resident singer on the Frost Report and then got her own
TV series, with guests including Spike Milligan, Leonard
Cohen, Donovan and Dusty Springfield. She has recorded with
John Paul Jones, Kiki Dee and Martin Carthy, and has
appeared on stage with Bill Wyman and Roy Harper. Always
an activist, she protested against the Vietnam War, took
part in a peace march through Latin America in the 1980s and
has been involved in women’s and gay rights, and peace
projects including protests against the Gulf War. Recently
she has been working alongside Christian Aid and Oxfam and
Adopt-A-Minefield. Julie believes that the power of music
can have a positive effect on the all-too-often harsh world,
and she presents her message of hope with enthusiasm,
passion, conviction and humour.
Her huge UK tour coincides with the release of her new CD, Bright Shadows. Her repertoire includes her own original material, Dylan classics, traditional Mexican folk songs and Native American chants. This eclectic material is all delivered in a rich, velvety voice that fills an auditorium, invested with great honesty and feeling. Julie visited Lllantrisant Folk Club on Wednesday November 22, 2006 in a concert sponsored by Arts Council Wales and Rhondda Cynon Taff Night Out scheme.
Keith Kendrick and Sylvia Needham
Vocal and concertina magic from Derbyshire’s fabulous duo! Keith Kendrick’s career has spanned nearly four decades, and involved a relentless pursuit of the best ways to communicate to others the inspiration that has motivated him. If you want an example of someone for whom folk music and life have become completely inseparable – a true folk musician – look no further than Keith. Sylvia is a fine and highly-skilled singer in her own right, with an immense and varied repertoire. A 'teller of stories through song' who effortlessly transports the listener into every scenario, she brings to the duo a unique and remarkably complimentary sense of harmony and delivery which can incite lemmings to turn back... hear them! Last appeared at Llantrisatn Folk Club Wednesday February 21, 2007
Ray believes in
the Rhondda
- that The Valleys are the heart and loving future of
Scot, born in Leith in 1948 to a Scots Gaelic-speaking mother and an Irish father. Alistair Clark, reviewer for The Scotsman newspaper, takes up the story:
"Dick Gaughan has never been easy. The songs he delivers ask questions that some listeners may have thought never existed - so they may not, instantly at least, know the answers. When the answers duly come, delivered in a voice that throbs with a unique kind of controlled, vibrating passion, he can shake the most complacent mindset out of its skull.
"You go home from a Dick Gaughan session feeling exhilarated, not just at the wonderful skills of the most potent singer ever to emerge from the Scottish folk-music revival, not just at the astonishingly fluent and explosively eloquent guitar playing, but by the sense of the stark exposition of wrong and the tremulously argued legitimacy of right. Even those who disagree profoundly with his view of life recognise the conviction and the supreme artistry."
Last appeared at Llantrisant Wednesday November 21 2007
Tom Kitching & Gren Bartley (England)
Tom and Gren come from deepest Loughborough and play an aromatic hotpot of folk, world and blues from around the globe. This is a great opportunity to catch the pair on their way up. Recently signed by Fellside records, and with a busy festival schedule, the future looks bright.
A Young Folk Award finalist in 2003, Tom plays fiddle with a unique flair, adding depth and context to material, drawing on his broad command of styles. Gren is simply a superstar of the finger style guitar in the making - leaving audiences flabbergasted with the speed and control of his picking, the sensitivity and variety of his music will draw you deeper in.
Last appeared at Llantrisant Folk Club on Wednesday April 23, 2008
BBC Wales Celtic Heartbeat's favourite presenter, songwriter, Hennessys musician and personality! Frank's engaging chat, intelligent persona and absolute love for folk music will be sure to please and delight. Frank's songs range widely from Tiger Bay, Farewell To The Rhondda and The Old Carmarthen Oak to Cardiff Born, Cardiff Bred, Billy The Seal, Hearts On Fire and his latest 'hit' - Always Beautiful, a love song to Frank's home city, Cardiff. Warning: When Frank does a gig, crowds of fans come out of the woodwork and fill the place up.
Last appeared at Llantrisant Folk Club Wednesday October 8, 2008
Making contact
For booking information and general club enquiries, contact Pat Smith:
Telephone 07989 209824 or 01443 226892
Email ................. Pat Smith
Copyright © 1998 Mari Arts.
Last modified: 16 November, 2008