THE FAMOUS WILLOWS FOLK CLUB
MAY E-MAIL NEWSLETTER
Hi everybody, and welcome to the Willows' May Newsletter! I think the only way I can really start this newsletter is by saying "Thank goodness it's May!" As most of you probably know, running the Willows during April has been a very stressful time and I'd be lying if I said that it had been easy - firstly with Arundel Football Club's requesting the use of the function room at short notice for Wood Wire & Words' gig on 30th April, and then with Derek Brimstone's sudden and unexpected cancellation, with eight days' notice. Honestly, truthfully, I can't remember an unluckier period in the time we've been running the club! Can I say thank you to everybody who has expressed their support to us and to the club during this difficult month, both by getting in touch and also by coming along and supporting the evenings - it really was (and is) very much appreciated, and made coping with the many trials and tribulations much easier! :)
Anyway, thankfully April is now behind us and we ought to be able to get back to business as usual! Which brings me to the main event for May at the Willows, namely an exciting guest appearance from the legendary Scottish band, THE TANNAHILL WEAVERS! As many of you will know, due to the high demand we expected, we've been selling advance tickets for the Tannahills' gig. I know I've said this before, but selling advance tickets is an awful lot of extra work and pressure, but when we're expecting a potential sell-out, we feel it's better than having someone travel a distance and turn up on the night disappointed, having to be turned away. However - perhaps due to the amount of advertising resources we've had to siphon off in notifying people about Derek Brimstone's cancellation and the Wood Wire & Words relocation, whilst the uptake on Tannahill tickets hasn't exactly been poor, it has been slow compared to some other gigs. At the present time we've sold just over half of the tickets for the band, with 64 out of 120 having been sold - however, this is with 11 days to go before the gig! So needless to say we could do with selling some more tickets! If any of you on this list haven't purchased your Tannahill tickets yet and would like to come, we would love to see you, and would also welcome any assistance you'd be able to provide in spreading the word about the gig! This promises to be a really exciting and unique evening and we hope that you will feel able to come and share it with us! :)
Don't forget too that during May we have two more of our famous Come All Ye - Open Stage Nights, as well as a guest appearance from a really good friend - more on all of this below! :)
LAST MONTH AT THE WILLOWS
Despite all the trials and tribulations that befell the Willows last month, we were nonetheless very fortunate to have some fantastic evenings, not least of all our Come All Ye - Open Stage Nights, of which, owing to Derek Brimstone's cancellation, we actually ended up enjoying three! The Brimmo substitution Come All Ye I'll give special mention to in a minute, but as always, Mum & I would like to start by saying thank you to everyone who turned up to our two regularly scheduled Come All Ye's, not least of all the many fantastic performers - in order of appearance, they were Cornflower Blue, Reg Daniel, Claire Booth, Phil Green, Mike Paine, excellent band Harvest Home, Ray Hedges, Greg Harper, Brian Davey, Graham Trotman, John Griffiths, new friend Ian Tyzack, Bryon Winslade, David Bott, Little Jo, Emma, Geoff Weston, new young performer visiting from Bulgaria Peter, Angela, and last but by no means least, newcomer and great performer Ronnie. What a lineup! :)
Following Derek Brimstone's unfortunate cancellation due to health issues, we felt that it was too late to schedule another guest, and so instead elected to run a special Come All Ye - Open Stage Night. Due to the short notice, for one night only we felt the fairest thing to do was to make the evening free of charge, as we knew that there were likely to be a number of disappointed Derek Brimstone fans turning up - despite our best efforts at notifying people in the short time frame we had, this did indeed prove to be the case, with several people journeying from as far away as Buckinghamshire to come and see Derek. However, everyone who turned up was treated to a fantastic evening of music from a brilliant variety of performers, namely (again in order of appearance) Mike Paine, Geoff Weston, Graham Trotman, Reg Daniel, Mike Hubbard, Will Warman, Ray Hedges, Harvest Home Light (a three-piece version of Harvest Home who had played the previous week!), John Griffiths, Geoff Cox & Janet Spence, Paul Barnetson, Peter Carver, ace Irish group The Village Band, new duo DNA, Brian Davey, top musician Ian Prior, and skiffle queen Judith Greenfield. Again, thanks everybody for helping to make this such a memorable night! :)
Our first guest night in April was a real treat, when we welcomed duo CHERRINGTON & WARD to the club for the first time in a decade! Cherrington & Ward (or Paul and Pamela, respectively) enjoyed great success and popularity on the folk scene, including at the Willows where they played back in the late 1990s, but had since taken a break to focus on other projects. The soundclips I heard of their latest album, "Sail On By", lead me to think that they'd go down well at the Willows, but I have to say even I was surprised by just how well they did! Pamela's vocals and overall stage performance just brimmed with enthusiasm, warmth and vibrancy, whilst Paul's guitar work served as the perfect platform - both are gifted audience communicators, and this also shone through in their performance. Perhaps the most refreshing thing about their show as well was seeing an act who had so successfully struck a balance between new and unfamiliar material (all of which worked fabulously) with more popular and better known pieces, from the folk classic "Wild Mountain Thyme" all the way through to the blues standard "Nobody Knows You (When You're Down and Out)". The duo did a roaring trade in CDs, and with a performance like they gave, it's easy to understand why! Their busy schedules keep them away from the folk clubs a lot these days, but I hope it won't be too long before we see this terrific duo again! We also enjoyed some terrific floorspots, including amongst others John & Pete, the duo formerly known as Janus. :)
Finally we closed April with another appearance from our good friends, family band WOOD WIRE & WORDS. To be honest, this was always going to be a unique evening - due to the last-minute relocation to Clapham & Patching Village Hall (after Arundel Football Club requested the use of the function room for that night), we just hoped that enough people would still come out and support us in spite of the strange circumstances. As it was, we needn't have worried - almost 70 people turned out to see this brilliant three-piece, who brought their usual instrumental excitement and awesome vocal harmonies to the stage, lighting up the room with the power and passion of their performance. In fact, it has to be said that the village hall really suited them very well, with the room's reverberating acoustics really showcasing Claire Rozzell's immaculate and driving bass playing. I make no secret of the fact that I love this band, and so it's brilliant to see them generating so much support - and, needless to say, a big thank you to everyone who turned out to support us for this unique evening. Also, whilst it will be good to get back to normal, nonetheless I have to give a massive thank you as well to the kind folks in charge of Clapham & Patching Village Hall (especially my good friend Geoff Jago-Lee) who helped make the hire of the hall such a pleasurable experience! We also had some great floorspots on this night, including (amongst others) an appearance from singer-songwriter Robert Brown and ace mandolin player (complete with vintage Gibson mandolin that set me drooling!) Robin Bailey. :)
THIS MONTH AT THE WILLOWS
Wednesday May 7th & May21st : £2.00
Come All Ye - Open Stage Night
Our popular Open Stage Nights continue to enjoy huge popularity - they offer fantastic music from some of the finest folk performers in the South, with a guaranteed warm welcome to all, a friendly atmosphere and the Famous Willows Raffle - essential for anybody who loves good music! This month we have two Come All Ye's - whatever you do, don't miss either of them! :)
Wednesday, May 14th : £7.00
THE TANNAHILL WEAVERS
A real coup for the Willows, as we prepare to welcome one of Scotland’s very finest folk bands of the past 30 years! “The Tannies”, as they are known, are acclaimed all throughout Europe and the world for their awe-inspiring performances of Scottish folk music, with a powerhouse of sound that will take your breath away! Although their skills as instrumentalists are noteworthy, perhaps the most powerful and exciting element of their act are their amazing vocals, with jaw-dropping five-part vocal harmonies that can sweep an audience along and carry them on a musical journey they won’t forget. Driving, exciting, passionate, engaging, awe-inspiring, moving and powerful, the Tannahill Weavers are a critically acclaimed tour de force who leave every audience stunned and spellbound - don’t miss this rare opportunity to see this incredible band in the intimacy of a folk club setting!
N.B.: We are selling ADVANCE TICKETS for this gig - please contact us for more details!
Wednesday, May 28th : £4.00
J.D. WALKER
Back because you demanded it, we once again welcome this truly outstanding singer, guitarist and all-round entertainer to our stage! J.D. is an enchanting professional musician who’s played in folk clubs on-and-off throughout his life - his easy, relaxed style, coupled with a wide and eclectic repertoire of songs from his long and successful career, have made him a firm favourite for many. Scottish by birth, J.D. performs folksongs from right across the board, both traditional and contemporary - Burns meets Buddy Holly and all points in-between!
THAT'S ALL FOR NOW, FOLKS!
Well, that's it for this newsletter - I hope you've enjoyed hearing about the club. As always, if you'd prefer not to receive mailings from the Willows, or feel that you've received this newsletter in error, please send an e-mail to chris@willowsfolkclub.org with the subject line "Unsubscribe" and we'll delete your e-mail address from our records.
Take care for now everyone, and hope to see you again soon. And remember - "Wednesday night is Willows night!" :)
All the very best,
Chris Davis
The Famous Willows Folk Club
Arundel, West Sussex.
chris@willowsfolkclub.org
www.willowsfolkclub.org
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The Famous Willows Folk Club now meets in the function room of Arundel Football Club, Mill Road, Arundel, BN18 9PA. The Football Club is at the rear of the large public car park directly opposite Arundel Castle, in the left-hand corner. Go through the wrought-iron gate and the clubhouse is to your right. For more information e-mail chris@willowsfolkclub.org .
If you’d like to receive a copy of our monthly Newsletter by e-mail, please send an e-mail to chris@willowsfolkclub.org asking to be added to our E-mail Newsletter list and we’ll do the rest!
