Happy New Year, everybody!
I've had a lovely few weeks. On 21st December I was part of a reunion concert at Sage Gateshead, led by Eliza Carthy and celebrating 25 years of the Folkworks Youth Summer School. It was a twelve piece band of former Summer School participants - some of whom I hadn't seen for a good few years! We had a day and a half to put together a concert's worth of material, showing a bit of what we're all up to now and with a nod to some classic Summer School tunes and songs along the way. It was great to catch up and play music with everyone, and there was a real celebratory atmosphere.
(photo by Mark Savage)
Then there followed a blur of after eights, jaffa cakes and cheese.
And yesterday the new year began with Scot:Lands, a multi-venue performance event happening throughout Edinburgh for its Hogmanay celebrations. I spent the day at the Assembly Roxy, looping a concert called Heart:Land with Roddy Hart and the Lonesome Fire, Withered Hand, Tommy Reilly, Andrew Mitchell and Alice Marra (The Hazey Janes) and some lad called Louis Abbott who I can't seem to shake off. A lovely way to start the year! Here's an end-of-show photo, stolen from Roddy:
Tomorrow I'm heading back to Gran's House Studio with Fiona MacAskill and Mairearad Green for the second instalment of my New Voices album recording, with a few more days booked in for early February. Really looking forward to hearing the tunes coming together with the rhythm section parts laid down by Phil Hague, James Lindsay and Ali Hutton back in November. So stay tuned for more updates on Woven in the coming months..
Take care and all the best for a happy, healthy 2015 x