New session in Bishops Castle

News from Trevor Hedges:

“Since the demise of the popular folk session at The Sun Inn in Clun we’ve been looking for a new home – and it looks as if we may have found one. You probably know that The Six Bells in Bishops Castle is in new hands and Mandy, Keith and the team have already made big improvements to the place. There used be a great session in The Six Bells twenty-odd years ago and we’re hoping that with Stuart Altman and Scott Zwetsloot in the chair we’ll be able to resurrect some rather excellent traditional music. The first session is on March 25th – we hope you’ll come along and give it a whirl!”

Added to the Regular Events page.

David Harley

Changes to this blog

I’ve been carrying out extensive changes to this blog (among others), many of them arising from the fact that I need to spend (even) less time on it. Mostly it’s been a matter of amending some out-of-date info or hiding pages that aren’t useful/updated right now, so it’s a lot less cluttered. However, there are two major changes.

1. All the pages I’ve modified this time round should have today’s date at the top. This is in the hope that if at some point in the future I’m unable to update the blog and no one else has come along to take up the slack (hint, hint…) it will be reasonably obvious that the information is out of date.
2. I’ve modified the ‘Regular Events’ page – which is probably what most people come here to look at – to a slightly more cohesive format. Specifically, events that happen less frequently (e.g. every month) are grouped following the weekly event for that day, rather than in a separate group.

David Harley

My Folklife column

[Update: after discussion with the editors, the May issue will be my last column for Folklife.]

For the last few years I’ve been writing a short column for Folklife with a listing of regular events in Shropshire. However, I’m planning to quit writing the Shropshire page for the magazine at or before the end of 2020 as I spend very little time in Shropshire now and, surprisingly, I’m not getting younger. As a matter of fact, I’m in the process of decreasing the amount of maintenance I do on this blog, for similar reasons. I will, for now, continue to contribute occasionally to the Facebook group since that’s mostly just a case of sharing links from other Facebook resources.

Folklife is now published every four months rather than quarterly, a print magazine with a free online version and with quite a few online resources, including news-pages for several areas including Cornwall, Bristol & Gloucestershire, Devon, Somerset, Wiltshire, Herefordshire, Worcs, Brum, Coventry & Warwickshire, Wales, and Oxfordshire. (The links for those pages were broken again, so I’ve just removed them. You can still reach the site via the link above, however, but that’s actually a redirect to the new site.)

If anyone has a little time they wouldn’t mind spending on a Shropshire column for Folklife in place of mine, let me know via the contact form and I’ll put you in touch with the editor. Come to that, if you feel like helping with the Sabrinaflu blog…

David Harley

CD review: Gemma Mae Anderson

Another review for folking.com: nice album, but a bit pop-y for my taste. https://folking.com/gemma-mae-anderson-life-own-label-gmaz…/ Still, making money for Versus Arthritis is a good thing.

David Harley

Folk down the track/Knucklas update

The Castle Folk Night due to take place on the 16th January has been cancelled for this month only.  This is because 2 days later we are having our annual KNUCKLAS WASSAIL – please come and join us!

Saturday 18^th Jan KNUCKLAS WASSAIL – the procession  starts at 7pm from 3 Castle Green (don’t forget torches and your posts & pans to make a noise)  or meet in the Castle Inn at 7.45pm for the Wassail ceremony! Music session and songs to continue afterwards.

AND ON

Saturday 25^th Jan BURNS NIGHT – 7pm Knucklas Community Centre –  Meal, Wine, Whiskey, Music & Dancing – £20 –  Phone me on 528223 to book your tickets.

All the best

XXSiggy

Both events organised by the Knucklas Castle Community Land Project

 

CD review for folking.com – Atlantic Union

ATLANTIC UNION – Indulgence (Blue Island Records CD 20191)

The Newfoundland trio’s 4th CD sees them including more of their own tunes and songs, and there are some real gems here.

David Harley

CD review – Yehla Collective

Thirty years on from the ‘Velvet Revolution’ in what was then Czechoslovakia: THE YEHLA COLLECTIVE – Steel Strings And Iron Curtains – Songs that Ignited The Downfall of Communism (Sun King Records)

Added to the reviews page, of course.

David Harley

Shroppie Fly & Kings Head Market Drayton: updated info.

Alan Thompson tells me that:

“The session at the Shropshire fly at Audlem is on again every Monday night from around 8pm and has been for about two months now hope this helps.

The session at the Kings Head on the third Thursday is still on but is now run by John MorganEvans however the pub has just been sold so this could change I will let you know when I have more information.”

Thanks, Alan. The Regular Events page has been updated.

David Harley

Thom Morecroft album launch in Shrewsbury

Thom Morecroft contacted us about an album he’s releasing called the feng shui and the sushi, and an accompanying launch night gig in Shrewsbury.

He tells us that “I’m a Liverpool-based Singer-Songwriter who’s been played on 6music and I have a nice press clip from Paul du Noyer who founded Mojo and Word Magazine somewhere too.”

“The gig is on the 12th December at The Pour House in Frankwell, with tickets at £7 otd and £5 in advance. Support comes from Calum Gilligan and Lee Heaps.”

The address for the venue is Albert’s Pour House, 128 Frankwell, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY3 8JX, and there’s a Facebook events page here.

David Harley

 

CD/DVD review – concert for Jack Bruce

A review for folking.com. A bit different to most of the releases I review there…

David Harley