091915

 The Urban Folk Quartet - Five Hundred Miles - The Escape - SAE Records www.theufq.com/
The Churchfitters - The White Bird of Oxenham - Get Wise - Churchfitters www.churchfitters.com/
Beggar’s Bridge - Daughter of the Dales - Short Stories Tall Tales - www.beggars-bridge.co.uk/


Van Morrison - The Way Young Lovers Do - The Essential Van Morrison CD 1 - Sony Legacy www.vanmorrison.com/
Andy Cohen - Windy and Warm - Road Be Kind - Earwig Music www.andycohenmusic.net/
Oh Pep! - The Race - Living EP - Star House Collective www.ohpep.com/

The Urban Folk Quartet - Resisté - The Escape - SAE Records www.theufq.com/
The Churchfitters – Grain of Sand - Get Wise - Churchfitters www.churchfitters.com/
Beggar’s Bridge – Devil’s Claw - Short Stories Tall Tales - www.beggars-bridge.co.uk/

 

Van Morrison - Fair Play - The Essential Van Morrison CD 1 - Sony Legacy www.vanmorrison.com/
Andy Cohen – Seaboard Train - Road Be Kind - Earwig Music www.andycohenmusic.net/
Oh Pep! - Tea, Milk & Honey - Living EP - Star House Collective www.ohpep.com/

 

The Urban Folk Quartet: “Joe Broughton, Paloma Trigás, Tom Chapman and Dan Walsh are The Urban Folk Quartet. Since forming in 2009, The UFQ’s genre-defying, all-embracing approach to folk music has captivated audiences in high-energy performances across the world. 2015 brings “The Escape”, a brand new studio album showcasing material that the band have crafted over the course of their first year with their latest member, banjo player, guitarist and singer Dan Walsh. The Escape Tour takes place across the UK this year, as well as taking in dates in France, Belgium and Denmark. The Urban Folk Quartet’s distinguishing features have much less to do with the traditional idea of genre. Yes, this is fiddle-led music that draws heavily from celtic dance forms and traditional song but from there on in it is unlike any folk band you have ever heard. Just as English country dance unassumingly met with big band jazz musicianship in the mid 20th century, The UFQ’s approach to the folk ethos is to embrace any and every influence that genuinely makes sense of their time and place and makes sense in their music. From funk grooves to middle-eastern melodies, afro beat to north Indian rhythms.

“A sizzling hot ensemble who fuse folk with elements of dub, house and rock with an ease that shouldn’t naturally follow that list of genres. Built on the rhythms of a cajón-wielding percussionist and oud-playing bassist, the phenomenal fiddlers led the quartet in one of the tightest line-ups I have ever seen.” - Olivia Haughton, Songlines

The first of those phenomenal fiddlers is Galician Paloma Trigás, who has shared stages and recorded with the likes of The Chieftains, Sharon Shannon and Altan, during her tenure touring the stadiums of the world with Spain’s biggest folk star, Carlos Nuñez. The second is Joe Broughton (Albion Band,) long established on the folk scene as the fieriest English fiddler and showman of his generation. Also an exceptional guitarist and mandolin player, in The UFQ Joe deftly shares multi-instrumentalist duties (often mid-song) with Dan Walsh. Touted as one of the finest banjo players in the country as well as a gifted singer and guitarist, Dan (Seth Lakeman Band, The Levellers, Walsh & Pound) joined UFQ in 2014, as guitarist, oud player and founding member Frank Moon stepped out of touring life. The lineup is completed by Tom Chapman, widely considered to be the most accomplished and innovative cajonero the UK has to offer.” - Artists’ website

The Churchfitters: “is a folk band like no other. A bass guitar made out of a frying pan. Heart-wrenching vocals accompanied by a musical saw. Foot-stompingly fast fiddle mixed with infectious funk-rock bouzouki. And traditional  tunes reinvigorated with mesmerising jazz sax. The four virtuoso musicians from England and France strut their stuff on a stage that bristles with instruments - adding flute, banjo, dulcimer, tin whistle, guitar, ukulele, stand up dustbin bass and a sackful of percussion to their ensemble. And let’s not forget the unique ‘bing-bong’ machine made out of hack-saw blades. Throw in some exquisite harmonies, a slew of startlingly original songs and a few jokes that create instant rapport and you’ve got a high energy show that always leaves audiences cheering. How do you adequately describe such a musically diverse, uplifting band? You leave it to Mike Harding, a self-confessed ‘huge, huge fan’. He calls them ‘totally brilliant and beautiful’.

Meet the Churchfitters

Rosie Short (London) ‘Like Annie Lennox in full flow’ - Rosie’s achingly beautiful voice is equally at home singing husky blues, plaintive femme folk or ethereal originals. A talented songwriter, she’s also a ‘one woman orchestra’, deftly swapping between flute, saxophone, banjo, tin whistle, dulcimer, ukulele and any number of things you can shake, rattle, or whack with a stick.

Chris Short (London) Chris is a feverishly fast fiddler who has the annoying habit of getting people, who were sitting quite comfortably, out of their seats and dancing. When required, he also plays slowly and most of the other speeds. A mean mandolin player, he sings great vocal harmonies too. Finally, he’s a raconteur with a great sense of humour – but then you need that if you play the musical saw.

Boris Lebret (Lannion, France) Part bass player, part mad inventor, Boris hates to play a regular instrument when he can cobble together a better one out of scrap metal. Like when he discovered four strings weren’t enough for his driving bass rhythms, so he simply reached for the Black & Decker and bolted on another six.

Nelson (Colchester) We’re not sure how, but whether he’s playing a snare drum or a wobble board Nelson still manages to look like ‘Mr rock ‘n’ roll’. With his snappy rhythms he can rip through a rollicking jig or shimmer along to a sumptuous ballad. A flair for vocals and bags of charisma to boot make him the perfect fourth member of the band.” - Artists’ website

Beggar’s Bridge: “are a six-piece band from Hull who write tuneful and engaging song-stories in the best folk traditions, often based upon tales of people, places and events from their home county of East Yorkshire. Their sound has a timeless quality to it, feeling at once traditional, yet contemporary. It’s not just the music which makes a Beggar’s Bridge gig memorable, though; the song-stories are explained with a good helping of earthy humour, making for an experience which is not only musically satisfying, but amusing and informative too…” - Artists’ website

Van Morrison: Van The Man... turned 70 August 31st!

 

Andy Cohen: “Andy Cohen grew up in a house with a piano and a lot of Dixieland Jazz records, amplified after a while by a cornet that his dad got him. At about fifteen, he got bitten by the Folk Music bug, and soon got to hear records by Big Bill Broonzy and the Jim Kweskin Jug Band, both of which reminded him of the music he grew up to. At sixteen, he saw Rev. Gary Davis, and his course was set. He knew he had it in him to follow, study, perform and promote the music of the southeast quadrant, America¹s great musical breeding ground.” - Artist’s website

“ROAD BE KIND reflects Andy s life over many years on the road, folkin around with the blues. A masterful acoustic guitarist, folklorist, and genuine troubadour, Andy never ceases to impress with his expert knowledge and high level of playing traditional blues, folk and true Americana music. This new album offers, in addition to traditional songs, several written by old friends whose voices he wants to keep alive, plus, as a special treat, his self-penned Five And Ten Cent Blues, the song Andy says sets the tone of his life and is his personal favorite.” - Editorial review on Amazon.com

www.amazon.com/Road-Be-Kind-Andy-Cohen/dp/B0143536OO

Oh Pep!: “The sometimes foot-stomping, somewhat heart-breaking, multi-award-winning original contemporary folk Melbourne duo Oh Pep!,release their Living EP on August 21st through Star House Collective.  Comprising of  two of Australia’s brightest young talents Olivia ‘Liv’ Hally and Pepita ‘Pep’ Emmerichs, Living EP  features a mix of reworked visions and new releases. The Race is the first single to be taken from the EP.Not even 23 years old, Oh Pep! have been awarded Young Folk Performer of the Year 2014 and nominated for Best Folk Roots Album by The Age Music Victoria. They have released two EPs to date and gained rapid momentum, touring Australia, the USA and Europe. Amongst others, they’ve been invited to play at The Woodford Folk Festival, Port Fairy Folk Festival  the National Folk Festival in Canberra, and Folk Alliance International, Kansas City.” - Artists’ website

Oh Pep will be in concert with Little Rock Folk Club on Fri Sep 25th - info at www.littlerockfolkclub.org/

 

 

mail: albion@kuar.org
FAAB archives
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/Fromalbionandbeyond