25^th June

I understand that the Hospice Hootenany Benefit Concert organised by Martin & Marianne Lucas of the Wildwood Flower Music Club in North Devon raised about £1500 for the raising funds for the North Devon Hospice. Thanks to Kate Lissauer's Buffalo Gals, Cloudy in the West, the Carrivick Sisters, Thunderbridge Bluegrass Boys and Cath Tyler for her excellent Shape Note workshop.

*************************************

Those of you who were at Gainsborough Fetsival will remember that Carole Chant was involved as 'star' of a promotional video for the Arts Council. It's aim is to encourage people to take up playing an instrument and gives the option of 9-month interest-free loans from a wide selection of music shops.

The video is out now on the Take it Away website and can be selected from a small number of other videos on a very obvious menu. It features Carole's narration and music from a home session over clips from the festival. Who do you recognise.....

www.artscouncil.org.uk/takeitaway/

*************************************

Sara Grey is putting out feelers to see whether there would be any interest in a weekend old time session at the Taybank Hotel in Dunkeld next June.

She thinks it would be a good idea to have a nice cozy session up in Scotland.... there aren't many of those up in the wilds and the Taybank is a great music venue.

If you are interested in finding out more email her at the address below. If there is enough interest she will discuss the matter with the Taybank landlord.

There are lots of B&B's in the Dunkeld area,and probably plenty of camping. It would be a good way for people to combine it with a holiday.

This would definitely not be a festival...just a weekend session.

*************************************

Here's a link to an interview by National Public Radio's David Brower with Alice Gerrard & Brad Leftwich on Tommy Jarrell. It is in honour of the fact that Tommy has just been inducted into Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame.  It's about 7 minutes

http://wunc.org/programs/news/archive/NDB0613TOMMY_JARRELL.mp3/view

The other inductees were Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, The Carter Family, David Johnson, Dolly Parton, Ralph Rinzler, Ralph Epperson, Wayne Henderson and Sam Love

*************************************

Here is some of the line up for this year’s 20th North Wales Bluegrass Music Festival held on 4th to 6th July in the beautiful walled town of Conwy. Three days of toe tapping, hard driving bluegrass music!  People arrive Thursday and stay over until Monday to soak up the electric atmosphere and pickin’ sessions round the clock!

Comprehensive information is available on www.northwalesbluegrass.co.uk

Headlining bands include Special Consensus and Tennessee Hob from America, New Section from the Czech Republic, Bononia Grass from Italy and the cream of British, Scottish and Irish bands: - The Down County Boys, New Essex Bluegrass, Chris Moreton, The Britannia Band, The Crocker Brothers, Longway (formerly Runaway String Band’ from Edinburgh), The Morris Boys, Brian Golbey, Papa Truck, Tin Box Company and The Coffin Dodgers

All enquiries phone 01492 580454 or 01492 515921

*************************************

12^th June

The Going To The West Fets will open at 7.30 on Friday at Angle School with the Grumpy Bush String Band - they will start on time, so try to be a little bit early. They will be followed by Jock Tyldesley and Vera van Heeringen, Sara Grey and Ben Paley and then Moonshine before finishing up the night with a square dance or two.

The workshops on Saturday will start at 10.00 - finalised schedule at www.goingtothewestfest.com/Fest/Program.html

The Saturday night concert starting at 7.00 will feature the same line up without the Grumpy Bush String Band and with the wonderful Kittyhawks, and again a few squares at the end of the night.

Sunday morning will start out gently with some singing followed by a relaxed open stage / performance workshop.

All of course interspersed with lots of jamming! And tea and cake available all day on Saturday to fuel us!

*************************************

Pete Coe sends the following about the Living Traditions Summer Schools:

Traditional Music & Dance Week July 13th - 18th, 2008

Barons Craig Hotel near Dumfries

There will be Appalachian dance workshops by Sue Coe as well as lots more related activities with Pete probably leading some tune sessions for playing for Appalachian dance

Further details at: www.glaisnock.org/htmfiles/about_000.htm

*************************************

Kerry Fletcher will be at

Victoria & Albert Museum Music Day, London, Saturday 21st June

http://www.vam.ac.uk/activ_events/families/index.html

Running maypole and clog dancing workshops during the day - I guess family oriented.

And she will be with fiddler Tim Brooks at the Traditional Music Day, Stowmarket, Suffolk, Saturday 30th August

http://www.eatmt.org.uk/traditional_music_day.htm#Traditional%20Music%20Day%202008

Step dancing galore, fabulous singers and musicians

*************************************

Monday 16th is Old Time & Bluegrass Night at The Walnut Tree Inn, Blisworth, Northamptonshire. 8.00pm start

Further info ring Andrew Metcalfe on 01604 862256  a.metcalfe340@btinternet.com

Next session will be July 21st

5^th June

I know he's not old time but the club is part of this listing - the esteemed Dick Gaughan's gig at Court Sessions next Friday 6th June, won't be at The Selkirk, but Tooting Constitutional Club [the old venue] 111 Tooting Highs Street, SW17 0SU.

*************************************

Michi Mathias, well known fiddle-playing member of this organisation and the one who stuffs all the Old Time News envelopes, is doing a charity 100km/62mile Trailwalk (well, run and walk) in aid of Oxfam and the Gurkha Welfare Trust.

I quote from her email:

I met some Gurkhas last year while out on the Downs for a little run, and they were at a checkpoint giving water to people on a 100K walk which had started the morning of the day before!  The walkers didn't look in very good shape, and when the Gurkhas suggested I might like to do it next time, I smiled politely and filed it away under ridiculous ideas. 

But....somehow the idea didn't go away.  Still in brain months later. Found three running friends also nuts enough to consider it.   Signed up for the damn thing.  Everyone says it's a life-changing experience and all that--so far it's made my fiddle-playing worse by taking up too much time in training for it.   If you want to see what it's all about, have a look here:

http://www.justgiving.com/teamfarrago

So, if you feel like getting Michi to act as proxy for your own (possible lack of) exercise and sponsor her as well, check out the link and you can donate online.