Nice to the club room looking so full last night for such an excellent performance by THE NEW DEAL STRING BAND. It was particularly pleasing to see TOM PALEY on such good form; amazing singing and playing of fiddle, banjo, guitar, harmonica and autoharp from a man who is only a month shy of his 80th birthday!

Next Thursday, 31st January, we shall be presenting the first appearance in Lewes of THE BOAT BAND. They send this message:-

After playing for many years, trawling the venues of Britain and beyond, THE BOAT BAND have picked up a huge and varied catch of tunes: Creole, Caribbean, gospel, Cajun, Irish, zydeco and blues-not much slips through the net.If it can be played on accordion and fiddle (or trombone, washboard, trumpet, banjo etc), if it touches the heart and moves the feet, it`s in the repertoire.

Our latest venture takes the band away from the cajun twosteps of South Louisiana to the dance music of northwest England, drawing on the rich tradition of some thousands of tunes collected by and from the musicians of Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria. Our favourite current source of good tunes is the Langdale fiddler William Irwin. and The Boat Band have released a CD called "A TRIP TO THE LAKES" featuring these tunes.

Come along to this gig and enjoy the English tunes and songs nestling in alongside the already eclectic offerings, whether it's at an all out ceilidh, a strictly cajun dance or a sit-down concert. The line-up is based on: Kate Barfield (fiddle, trombone, vocals), Greg Stephens (guitar, banjo, vocals), Tony Weatherall (accordions, vocals), plus occasional special guests.
See you there.
Love XXX The Boat Band XXX

Hear the band on the Royal Oak Myspace site
and read more about them on News section of The Royal Oak Website