Hospice Hootenanny

Old Time/Bluegrass Concert in aid of the North Devon Hospice
Category: Music and Dance

Starts: Saturday, June 14, 2008

 

Organised by Martin & Marianne Lucas, founders of the Wildwood Flower Mountain Music Club (an acoustic ‘open mic’ club), the concert features Kate Lissauer & The Buffalo Gals, Cloudy in the West, Carrivick Sisters and the Thunderbridge Bluegrass Boys. There will also be a American Shapenote Singing Workshop during the day from 10am – 3pm.

Kate Lissauer & The Buffalo Gals – headlining: UK’s top Old Time string band with UK’s queen of the fiddle, Kate Lissauer. This 6-piece band will have you dancing in the aisles, and band member, Sybs Riesen, will amaze you with her fantastic Appalachian flatfoot dancing. A great hit wherever they play, certainly a band to raise the roof and have you shouting for more.

'Cloudy in the West' - local 4-piece bluegrass band from Cornwall. This band has played at the popular Cornwall Bluegrass Festival and other venues round the country, and have a large following of enthusiastic fans. Their repertoire includes influences from popular artists such as Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs and the Stanley Brothers.

Carrivick Sisters: 18 year old twins - Laura & Charlotte Carrivick (who won the Southwest Street Entertainer of the Year Competition 2007, the first prize being a guest spot at Glastonbury this year). Laura & Charlotte play multiple instruments, sing great harmonies and are fast gaining a reputation as a top young act on the Old Time music scene.

Thunderbridge Bluegrass Boys: Another 4-piece bluegrass band with fantastic harmonies, hailing from Wellington. They write a lot of their own songs in the bluegrass style and these have proved to be extremely popular. They have a strong following in the local area and are fast gaining a reputation as one of the top UK harmony bluegrass bands. They brought the house down at last year's Cornwall Bluegrass Festival, as they have done at several other venues.

SHAPENOTE SINGING WORKSHOP CHOIR
10.30am – 3pm (please note change in start time from main brochure)

The idea is that those who would like to will be able to perform at the concert in the evening, 2 songs they have learned with Cath Tyler during the day. This should make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. (Please note: to perform at the concert, concert tickets will need to be purchased!)

There will also be an Old Time/Bluegrass 'session' in the afternoon between 2.30 pm - whenever! Venue: Black Horse, Torrington.

Wildwood Flower Mountain Music Club:
Martin & Marianne Lucas started the Wildwood Flower Mountain Music Club (an acoustic ‘open mic’ club) in January 2004 because they themselves have a keen interest in singing and playing Old Time/Bluegrass/American roots music and they felt there may be others with similar interests, who would like to get together to either play, sing, or just listen to this genre of music.

Examples would be Old Time music from the Carter Family, Uncle Dave Macon



(1920/30’s), Bluegrass artists such as the Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, (the kind of music featured on the 'O Brother Where Art Thou?' and 'Cold Mountain' film soundtracks) and also, in a similar American roots-style, more contemporary performers’ music such as Gillian Welch, Iris DeMent and Emmylou Harris.

The club has proved to be a great success so far, with a regular core attendance of performers who number around twelve and audiences anything between 20 and 70, depending on time of year. The club meets monthly on the second Wednesday of every month in the upstairs room at the George Hotel in South Molton at 8.30 pm and everyone who enjoys this kind of music is made very welcome – we are a very friendly crowd. The club is non profit-making and the £2 charge at the door (£1 for performers) enables the club to book bands, duos, etc, for special nights thus keeping admission charges to a minimum. The club so far has managed to book three times US flatpicking guitar champion, Steve Kaufman, (sold out), Carl Jones and Beverley Smith (virtually sold out), Old Time virtuosos, and last June, Kate Lissauer and the Buffalo Gals (another sell out, brilliant night), Thunderbridge Bluegrass Boys (sold out), Sara Grey, Kieron Means, Ben Paley (virtually sold out), Geoff & Vida (virtually sold out).

Marianne has also started organising workshops for those interested. The first of these was an Appalachian Step Dance Workshop, which proved so successful that a monthly dance club has been started and meets once a month on the last Wednesday (run by experienced tutor and dancer, Jo Wright) at the George Hotel, 8 pm.

OTHER FORTHCOMING EVENTS:

Saturday, 16 February 2008 – 8.30 pm ‘PINEY WOODS’ with Kate Lissauer, Dave and Tim Bing, and Jim Martin. The talents of all 4 players are well-documented and this night should not be missed.

Monday, 28 April 2008, 8 pm – Dick Smith/Mike O’Reilly Band – fantastic bluegrass band with the talents of Mike O’Reilly’s inimitable style of presentation. This should be a really fun night, with great music.

Friday, 9 May 2008, 8.30 pm – Beverley Smith and Carol Jones – a welcome return of this lovely couple who sing and play some beautiful Old Time songs and tunes, not to mention their exceptional talents on guitar, mandolin (Carl), and guitar and fiddle (Beverley).

For more information about the club contact: Martin and Marianne on 01237 472083 or e-mail wildwoodflower@mountainn music.co.uk

£15 (£13 Cons/Plough Supporters)
Concert + workshop: £20 (£17 Cons/Supporters)
Workshop only: £7 (£6 Cons/Supporters)

 

Time: 7.00pm – 11.00pm
Price Details: Concert only: £15 (£13 Cons/Plough Supporters)

Access:

Address: Plough Arts Centre, Fore Street, Torrington, Devon ,

 

Website: www.plough-arts.org
Email:
Telephone: 01805 624 624

 

For more information please visit www.plough-arts.org