Grantham Folk Festival

Subject: RE: Grantham Folk Festival
From: GUEST,Carole and Eleanor Mooney, Cleethorpes
Date: 02 Jun 08 - 10:35 AM

We went on the Sunday to see Flossie, the Bezzas and Pete Morto. Great concert, people friendly and helpful. Sparsely attended but good atmosphere & venue. Here's to the next one!

Subject: RE: Grantham Folk Festival
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 02 Jun 08 - 08:20 AM

Well I missed the Saturday night concert, because I wasn't well. But otherwise it was great. Sparsely attended really, but very good natured.

One ommission, there didn't seem to be any singarounds and apparently Grantham Folk Club was holding a session that Sunday night - so it could have been co-ordinated a bit better. I only saw one morris team in the market square, but they gave a spirited performance.

All the guests that I saw were quite excellent and I attended Keith Christmas's guitar seminar, and Pete Morton's songwriting seminar - which were all quite matey - as there were few attending.

Its got the basis of a decent festival. There are lots of rooms in the arts centre - which would be great for singarounds. Its clean comfortable and its accessible for disabled people and there are lifts to all floors.

Also Something Nasty in the Woodshed closed the friday night concert and I thought they were very talented and mega competent - sort of celtic rock. Apparently they are a local band. Having such a band as local folk celebrities is surely going to be a big plus. If they can keep it together - they will soon have an enormous following.

And I think this is important - having a local celebrity that provides the zeitgeist. In the same way that The Blackpool Taverners did for Fylde, and Fairport do for Cropreddy, and Stitherum do for gainsborough - Something Nasty could make Grantham their annual showcase.

Anyway - thats my take on it. I'll try and support it next year if I possibly can.

Subject: RE: Grantham Folk Festival
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 02 Jun 08 - 06:18 AM

So - did anyone go, and how was it?

Subject: RE: Grantham Folk Festival
From: BusyBee Paul
Date: 30 May 08 - 04:34 AM

If I'd known a few weeks ago I'd have gone. But, sadly, I have other plans now.

Have a good one Al.

Subject: RE: Grantham Folk Festival
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 30 May 08 - 04:27 AM

Okay this is what I have been able to find out. there seems to be some people booked to appear at The Guildhall Arts Centre in B Grantham this weekend. Its at the back of the Isaac Newton statue in the mainsquare. This is the contents of an e-mai I got from them:-

The line up for the folk weekend is as follows:-



Friday 30/5       7.30 PM            Prelude

                        8.45 pm            Allan Taylor

                        10.00 pm          Something nasty in the Woodshed





Saturday 31/5    6.30 pm            Rachel Rose Reid

                        7.00 pm            Keith Christmas

                        8.00 pm            Sultans of Squeeze

                        9.00 pm            Rachel Unthank and the Winterset

                        10.00 pm          Sarah Savoy and the Francadians (USA)



Sunday 1/6/       2.30 pm            Ceilidh with Gocannen & Cathy Lesurf (until 4.30 pm)

                        6.00 pm            Flossie Malavaille (France)

                        7.00 pm            The Bezzas (UK/Sweden)

                        8.00 pm            Pete Morton


However there are some workshops and seminars around 3pm on the Saturday. Not sure where.

I don't know about getting in free but I've heard that you can get in the seminar for a fiver, from the box office.

Here is a website with the phone number. Its all a bit cryptic though!

http://www.guildhallartscentre.com/event-details/?id=99

I'll be wearing my mudcatters badge - do come and introduce yourself if you make it there!

al

Subject: RE: Grantham Folk Festival
From: Rasener
Date: 30 May 08 - 04:21 AM

There you go Tom

Grantham Guildhall Arts Centre
St Peter's Hill
Grantham
NG31 6PZ

Grantham Guildhall Arts Centre
Grantham Folk Festival
Concerts/Workshops/Exhibitions

May 30th/31st & June 1st

Contact: Box office 01476 406158

Weekend Admission price: £45.00 / £40.00 concessions
£25.00 under 14s
With this ticket you have access to all concerts and workshops throughout the three days

Friday day price £12.00 / £10.00 concessions
Saturday day price £20.00 / £18.00 concessions
Sunday day price £20.00 / £18.00 concessions

Friday 30th May

7.30pm : Prelude , consisting of Brian and Irene Hume and Chris Ringer on Bass, acoustic guitar and vocals, the trio are influenced on both a musical and lyrical level by American harmony-based soft rock acts. Prelude shot to fame in 1974 with an a cappella version of the Neil Young' s 'After The Goldrush'.

8.45pm : Allan Taylor , the consummate performer, a writer of literary gracefulness whose chronicles encapsulate the realism of otherwise unsung heroes. His songs have been recorded by more than a hundred performers of various nationalities, proof enough that this will be an experience to remember.

10.00pm : Something Nasty In the Woodshed - Not a folk band nor a rock band but a band with their toes dipping in both ponds. Their repertoire is largely traditional with a few self-penned songs thrown in with wit influences ranging from Celtic to Northumbrian.

Saturday 31st May

Workshops:

Afternoon - Kesteven Morris, Dancing on St Peter's Hill Green
2.00pm – 3.00pm Keith Christmas, Open G tuning for guitar
2.00pm – 3.00pm John Kirkpartick , Accordion workshop
3.30pm – 4.15pm Family story-telling session
3.30pm – 4.30pm Chris Parkinson, Button Accordion Workshop

Concerts:

6.30pm : Raised by storytellers and musicians, Rachel performs worldtales and songs for adults, and sometimes for brave children, and there will be an opportunity to hear both kinds of tales with us at the festival. She is the UK's Young Storyteller of the Year 2007 (awarded by the Traditional Arts Team) and has performed at festivals and venues including Festival at the Edge, Beyond the Border, Alden Biesen (Belgium), Slaithwaite Moonraking and the Tricycle Theatre. More information and clips can be found at www.rachelrosereid.com

7.00pm : Keith Christmas, blues inspired singer/songwriter, creates an orchestral feel where ingenious compositions are wedded to solid guitar technique and tone. Not exclusively rock, blues, jazz, or folk, Keith is an artist not to be missed.

8.00pm : Sultans of Squeeze, consisting of John Kirkpatrick and Chris Parkinson on a combination of squeeze-boxes. Watch two accomplished musicians enjoy and explore the endless possibilities that their instruments.

9.00pm : Rachel Unthank and the Winterset, winner of the Horizon Award at the BBC Folk Awards this year, their music is bewitching, dreamlike, down-to-earth and as tough as it is gentle. Their album 'The Bairns' is being hailed as 'a classic in its own lifetime.'

10.00pm : Sarah Savoy and the Francadians - strong, independent and fun-loving, she keeps her audiences dancing, belting out sassy blues, growling through honky-tonk-inspired Cajun songs of the 1940's and 50's.

Sunday 1st June

Workshops:

2.00pm – 3.00pm Bezzas , Fiddle workshop
3.30pm – 3.30pm Pete Morton, Songwriting workshop

Family Ceilidh:

2.30pm – 4.30pm : Govannen, named after the Celtic blacksmith God, Adele McMahon, Dan Britton and Chris Conway blend jigs and reels with traditional and contemporary Irish songs. Joined by singer Cathy Lesurf. This is your chance to kick your heels up and join in!

Concerts:

6.00pm : Flossie Malavaille's laid-back charm, dry humour, powerful voice, great choice of material, clever comedy and entertaining banter make her a joy to watch. Songs include Allan Taylor's 'Roll on the day', Kieran Halpin's 'Making up the miles' but also Edith Piaf's eternal favourites 'No regrets'.

7.00pm : The Bezzas , Emma Reid and Roger Wilson, mix up some unlikely musical bed-fellows; weird and wonderful fiddle tunes sparring with weird and wonderful songs, performed beautifully with an obvious love of their craft.

8.00pm : Pete Morton , dynamic, fun-loving and approachable, singing from the heart, he tells compelling stories of the human condition. Pete is a bard in the old tradition and a songwriter with a truly contemporary edge.

Cheers
Les

Subject: RE: Grantham Folk Festival
From: GUEST,Tom Bliss
Date: 30 May 08 - 03:57 AM

Can anyone tell us where and when and who?

Subject: RE: Grantham Folk Festival
From: GUEST,pasher
Date: 30 May 08 - 03:52 AM

This seems to be the most under publicised festival ever.
No website, nothing on the venue website, only hints of artists playing on various other sites.
I heard last night that ticket sales have been so bad that the organisers have put the word out that if you phone the booking office and tell them that you are a muso or a morris dancer, you'll get in free.
Worth a try I reckon ;-)

Subject: RE: Grantham Folk Festival
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 29 May 08 - 02:18 PM

there's a rude joke in there somewhere dying to get out, Tom...

Subject: RE: Grantham Folk Festival
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 29 May 08 - 02:17 PM

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you Ruth!

Subject: RE: Grantham Folk Festival
From: GUEST,Tom Bliss
Date: 29 May 08 - 02:14 PM

I've been a fan of Keith's for decades - stupendous guitarist and a good songwriter. Get him to sing 'War Behind Walls.' Rumour has it that we have relations in common (all my cousins are Christmases, which is nice when they all come at once) but I've never been able to verify it. T

Subject: RE: Grantham Folk Festival
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 29 May 08 - 01:45 PM

a different one, perhaps... :)

Subject: RE: Grantham Folk Festival
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 29 May 08 - 01:42 PM

no life changing experience for you then!

Subject: RE: Grantham Folk Festival
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 29 May 08 - 01:41 PM

I'm in London on the Saturday, I'm afraid.

Subject: Grantham Folk Festival
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 29 May 08 - 01:31 PM

Does anybody know anything about this event?

I have wrenched from Grantham town hall a schedule. I am going on this Saturday, as someone has told me Keith Christmas (who is doing a guitar seminar on the subject of open G tuning) will be a life changing experience for me.

But are there any sessions anywhere....?

hello, is there life out there?

Festival time in Grantham! Arriba! Arriba! Let joy be unconfined and the wine of human happiness flow like the cups of strong tea in The Windsor Fish Restaurant!