Ballad Workshops - Glasgow Jan 2013

Subject: Ballad Workshops - Glasgow Jan 2013
From: GUEST,Guest EKanne
Date: 11 Jan 13 - 04:54 PM

Glasgow Ballad Workshop is delighted to announce a series of three guest events during -- but not of! -- Celtic Connections.

On Sunday 20th January we are delighted to welcome back the Spiers family from Aberdeenshire, with their long history of performance and great links to source singers.

Sunday 27th January welcomes Brian Peters, that tremendous enthusiast for English versions of Child ballads.

And Sunday 3rd February is a very special performance by The Young Yins (members of the Ballad Workshop over the past couple of years).

All events are in Avant Garde, King Street, Glasgow from 1 - 4pm, with doors open at 12.30pm, and prices are £7/£5conc. -- with a discount for a block booking of all three events (£18/£12).

However, as space is limited, booking is advised -- so please email me on
                                                    [e-mail]

Subject: RE: Ballad Workshops - Glasgow Jan 2013
From: GUEST,EKanne
Date: 12 Jan 13 - 01:21 PM

Our first guests are Tom Spiers and family.

Tom was a member of the Aberdeen Folk Club in the 1960s when regular guests included great source singers like Jeannie Robertson, Jimmie MacBeath and Davie Stewart. He became a member of the folk group The Gaugers (with Peter Hall and Arthur Watson) and featured on several influential recordings where his impressive ability to sing ballads whilst also playing fiddle was admired.
Tom's wife Margaret absorbed traditional songs over the many years of their involvement in the folk club and finally began to sing out to great acclaim at traditional festivals, where she won prizes for her very natural and sensitive response to great material.
And it should be no surprise that their daughter Emma was also a natural musical sponge, although her musical talent was first apparent in the rather different area of karaoke!
Together their voices demonstrate that lovely family sense of phrasing and rhythm and harmonies are instinctive.

Previous visits to the Ballad Workshop have been very popular, so I'd encourage advance booking to ensure your place!

Subject: RE: Ballad Workshops - Glasgow Jan 2013
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Jan 13 - 06:22 AM

Sounds good EKanne - I'll e-mail you a booking!

Subject: RE: Ballad Workshops - Glasgow Jan 2013
From: GUEST,Drumshanty
Date: 13 Jan 13 - 06:23 AM

There's more info about the workshops and guest events at the website

Glasgow Ballad Workshop

Subject: RE: Ballad Workshops - Glasgow Jan 2013
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 13 Jan 13 - 08:16 AM

Tremendous! Well worth attending, and I wish I could make the journey.

Valmai (Lewes)

Subject: RE: Ballad Workshops - Glasgow Jan 2013
From: GUEST,EKanne
Date: 14 Jan 13 - 02:59 AM

Our second guest, on Sunday 27th January, is England's wonderful Brian Peters -- multi-instrumentalist and passionate advocate for Child ballads.

Having seen several of his ballad presentations at other festivals, I can promise our audience an afternoon of real commitment, a grand variety of material and quite a few surprises along the way. Brian's energy and enthusiasm are infectious, so it's entirely to be expected that tickets are selling well already.
If you're thinking of coming, please BOOK NOW -- see email contact in original post.

And finally, our third event (on 3rd February) should be a pretty special experience as we've handed the stage to nine or so of our younger regulars who've been beavering away to put together a nicely balanced programme, even including some fine stepping!

Subject: RE: Ballad Workshops - Glasgow Jan 2013
From: randjgc
Date: 14 Jan 13 - 08:23 AM

Great news, great programme EKanne. I will be there, at all three. Roughly how long will each gig be? Also, what's the parking situation on Sundays?

Subject: RE: Ballad Workshops - Glasgow Jan 2013
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 14 Jan 13 - 08:07 PM

Free parking if you can find a space (single yellows OK too): the venue is in a one-way street though (as are many other central Glasgow streets, so it can be a wee bit complicated to find your way if you don't know the city). Big car park nearby, but you can usually find a free space just outside it!

Subject: RE: Ballad Workshops - Glasgow Jan 2013
From: GUEST,EKanne
Date: 16 Jan 13 - 12:34 PM

Apologies for the delay in getting back to you, randjgc, but I saw Tattie Bogle's post about the parking options and hadn't realised that there was no reply to your question about the duration of the events.

Our starting time is 1pm, but if you arrive earlier you might want to cheer yourself with a bowl of Avant Garde's fine home-made soup -- recommended by several of our members! And on a special guest event we usually finish about 4pm (which leaves plenty of time for any visitors to make their way uptown for official CC concerts).

And tickets for this Sunday are going well, so please don't hang back if you're thinking of booking......

Subject: RE: Ballad Workshops - Glasgow Jan 2013
From: Anne Neilson
Date: 18 Jan 13 - 02:39 PM

Got my cookie back!

And hoping for a continuation of good fortune -- that the weather is kind -- because we've a grand audience lined up (never mind our guest performers!).

Subject: RE: Ballad Workshops - Glasgow Jan 2013
From: Gallus Moll
Date: 18 Jan 13 - 07:48 PM

Sorry I am missing this one Anne (and everyone else) - got a 91st birthday to attend so that takes priority!
Should manage the following two Sundays (weather / transport / lateness of previous evenings' Burns Suppers permitting!)

Subject: RE: Ballad Workshops - Glasgow Jan 2013
From: Anne Neilson
Date: 21 Jan 13 - 04:12 AM

Well, not surprisingly, yesterday's great selection of ballads from Tom, Margaret and Emma was a real treat -- well-chosen, unusual versions with grand tunes and lots of background information.
And the contributions from the floor were pretty nifty too.

Now we are wishing the Spiers family a safe trip home today (lots of snow threatened for Aberdeenshire).

And we've also got all our fingers crossed that weather during the week ahead will play nice for us, because our next guest Brian Peters also has to travel a fair distance.
We had a smashing visit from Brian last year, and those who were lucky enough to be there have already booked in for Sunday 27th -- so please get in touch to guarantee your place.

                            Email me:- [e-mail]   and we'll make you welcome.

Subject: RE: Ballad Workshops - Glasgow Jan 2013
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 21 Jan 13 - 06:10 PM

Brian's done some splendid ballad days for us in Lewes - a fine mixture of musical skill, scholarship and enthusiasm. On his last visit he produced an unpublished tune for a Child ballad which had been collected not that long ago - a jaw-dropping bit of research.

Valmai (Lewes)

Subject: RE: Ballad Workshops - Glasgow Jan 2013
From: Anne Neilson
Date: 28 Jan 13 - 11:37 AM

Absolutely FABULOUS afternoon from Brian Peters yesterday! He sang some great versions of ballads with tremendous passion, commitment and background knowledge -- and all those present went away invigorated and enthused.

And next Sunday is our final guest event in this sequence, featuring Workshop members - some young in years though with performance experience, and some who would admit to a few more years but who are more recent to singing out. We should also have a bit of stepping for those who appreciate a visual element in performance.
Places are filling up nicely, but if you'd like us to squeeze you in, please email me at the address given above.

It would be grand to see some 'catters there!

Subject: RE: Ballad Workshops - Glasgow Jan 2013
From: GUEST,Drumshanty
Date: 01 Feb 13 - 09:39 AM

Be-bump....

Click here!

Subject: RE: Ballad Workshops - Glasgow Jan 2013
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 01 Feb 13 - 02:40 PM

Is anyone actually going to sing "The Young Ones"? (almost old enough to be a trad ballad?!)
The Young Ones

Subject: RE: Ballad Workshops - Glasgow Jan 2013
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 01 Feb 13 - 02:43 PM

Apologies for the last post! A fit of silliness!
I shall be there on Sunday, and bitterly regret not managing last week!

Subject: RE: Ballad Workshops - Glasgow Jan 2013
From: GUEST,Diva
Date: 02 Feb 13 - 07:21 AM

That should have been on our communal song list......heeeheeee