Haborlite Music: Future Acts
Here you can find out a bit more about the acts we've booked.
| August | Aly Bain & Phil Cunningham | |
| September | theCAST | Archie Fisher |
| October | Bruce Molsky | |
| November | Southern Tenant Folk Union |
Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham
Venue: The Arts Guild Theatre
Date: Saturday 23rd August
Doors: 7:30pm
Showtime: 8pm
Cost: £15.00
"They are simply the best traditional musicans you are ever likely to hear"
Mike Russell ... The Glasgow Herald
Aly Bain MBE
Aly Bain is Scotland's supreme traditional style fiddler. His playing is unique - driving, impassioned and pure - with vibrant, unmistakable tone that has earned him a following of ardent fans throughout the world. Born in Lerwick, Shetland in 1946 Aly began playing the fiddle at the age of eleven. In his early twenties, Aly headed to mainland Scotland. His dramatic playing, with great tone and technical ability brought early recognition as an outstanding musician of the folk music revival, and almost overnight, raised the level of expectation for music lovers throughout the country.
To quote Billy Connolly of these early days, 'I had never heard the clarity of tone or the beauty. ...I had never heard the passion.'
Aly embarked on a life of intensive playing, recording and travel that continues to this day. He helped establish the folk band Boys of the Lough with whom he toured extensively and recorded for many years.Simultaneously, Aly pursued a solo career in collaborative and television projects.
In addition to his solo albums he has appeared on albums by 'Hue and Cry', Eddie Reader, Richard Thomson and 'Fish'.
Although Aly's musical base is in Scotland his extensive travels have led to an appreciation and mastery of many kinds of music. He has applied this knowledge to the production of several networked television series bringing traditional music to a constantly widening audience, including the renowned series 'Down Home', which has now reached almost cult status
across America, the internationally famous 'Shetland Sessions' and 'Transatlantic Sessions 1 & 2.' The Transatlantic format was revived, with great success, at this year's Celtic Connections Festival, Aly co-producing with Jerry Douglas.
Aly's collaboration with Norwegian composer Henning Sommero and the Scottish Ensemble saw the release of the widely acclaimed album 'Follow the Moonstone'. His most recent collaboration with Swedish multi-instrumentalist Ale Moller, created the album 'Fully Rigged'- a celebration of shared Nordic heritage.
Aly has received many honours for his services to music, including four Doctorates and an M.B.E., and numerous Honorary Citizenships in the USA. He continues to be an ambassador for Scotland abroad and a powerful advocate for traditional music.
His teaming up, star collision, with brilliant accordionist/composer Phil Cunningham has added yet another dimension of appreciation for audiences everywhere. They have toured and recorded together since 1988 and to date they have recorded four albums, released on Aly's own record label Whirlie Records.
Widely regarded as one of the most exciting and innovative accordion players of the times,
Phil Cunningham has taken this instrument from strength to strength,
setting the standards by which many young players fix their sights today.
His early work with leading Scots band Silly Wizard (1976-1986) reclaimed a place for the instrument in the traditional music world and his astonishing dexterity and musicality has delighted audiences across the world.
The accordion being only one of the strings to his bow..multi instrumentalist Cunningham works extensively in the television and film world as a composer , music director and presenter, He is much sought after as a record producer and he manages to juggle all of these diverse commitments to enable him to continue touring with long time musical partner and friend Aly Bain.
His compositions are covered by musicians the world over, and he continues to write and add to his prolific repertoire. The depth and beauty of his slow airs is reknowned among audiences and performers alike.
His proudest moments have been the premiers of his two orchestral suites for Symphony orchestra and Celtic instruments. His last piece “Ceilidh” was written for and performed by acclaimed Scots percussionist Evelyn Glennie and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
He teaches regularly, both children and adults alike and is currently trying to establish a Traditional youth orchestra in the Highlands of Scotland.
Phil was awarded the MBE in 2002 for services to Scottish Music and was voted Best Instrumentalist in the inaugural Scottish Traditional Music Awards in 2003
theCAST
Venue: The Royal West of Scotland Amateur Boat Club
Date: Friday 12th September
Doors: 7:30pm
Showtime: 8pm
Cost: £10.00 for Members & Guests
Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis are a Scottish duo known as The Cast. Their three albums, Greengold, The Winnowing and Colours of Lichen, have attracted generous critical acclaim. They bring a fresh approach to the most respected traditional material through their inventive use of vocal and instrumental harmonies and their own songs stand strong alongside the traditional material.
Since the release of their third album in September last year, The Cast are being recognised for their subtle and deep approach to the tradition, ( See Press ):
SCOTS SINGER OF THE YEAR '08, Trad music Awards.
BURNSONGWRITING WINNERS, 07 ( Smile of Cry)
FEMALE MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR '08- Liveireland
COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR '08- Liveireland
Mairi works in Scotland as a session musician, she has her own dance band ( Bella McNabs), teaches at home and runs a community folk choir.
She also enjoys free improvisation and meditation.
She and Dave have two daughters.
Dave is an eloquent writer and has written many lyrics, namely 'The Piper and the Maker' ( The winnowing), and Song for Cove (Greengold) and 'Smile or Cry'(Greengold), which are well loved works.
Another main strand of The Cast's work has been their commitment to teaching and encouraging Scottish traditional music and dancing in schools and Dave's outreach programme of songwriting in schools in Banff has been nominated for Community Projects of the Year 2007.
Dave co-founded and directs a course of professional development for adventurous traditional musicians looking to develop their ideas in music. This is in it's seventh year and goes from strength to strength in both England and Scotland.
Mairi runs her own fiddle courses on the island of Lismore. Since 2006 both Dave and mairi have been tutors at the Coast String Summer music school in B.C
Mairi Campbell - Voice, fiddle, viola
Dave Francis - Guitar
Bruce Molsky
Venue: TO BE CONFIRMED
Date: Friday 17th October
Doors: 7:30pm
Showtime: 8pm
Cost:
Alone or with fellow musicians; guitar, fiddle, or banjo in hand, Bruce Molsky has been exploring traditional music from an astonishingly broad range of cultures over the past two decades – synthesizing them and refracting them through his own evolving sensibilities to the point where the sources of his inspiration transform themselves into a sound that is uniquely his. While most identified with traditional American old-time music, Molsky’s influences range from the Appalachian soul of Tommy Jarrell to Delta blues; from the haunting modal strains of Irish music to the rhythmically nimble music of Eastern Europe.
Soon Be Time is Bruce's newest solo recording (Compass Records, May 2006) and features his unique approach to traditional music. His other recordings have become staples for music lovers of every genre. Among his six solo recordings, Contented Must Be (Rounder) was released in April 2004. Poor Man's Troubles (Rounder) won a 2001 "Indie" award for Best Traditional Folk Recording and received great praise from the Washington Post, Washington Times, Bluegrass Unlimited and others. Bruce has been featured on Garrison Keillor's acclaimed A Prairie Home Companion radio show. He appears as special guest artist on Darol Anger's Diary of a Fiddler (Compass Records), and has been featured in and occasionally writes for Sing Out!, fRoots, Fiddler Magazine, Living Tradition, Acoustic Guitar, Acoustic Musician, and The Old Time Herald.
The collaboration Highland, Heath & Holler (Bruce, Martin Hayes & Alasdair Fraser) starts its first tour in fall 2006. Fiddlers 4 (with Darol Anger, Michael Doucet and Rushad Eggleston) was a 2003 U.S. Grammy Nominee! Bruce is also a member of Andy Irvine's acclaimed Mozaik (Andy, Bruce, Dónal Lunny, Nikola Parov and Rens Van Der Zalm.) His participation in the latest recording "Abaraka!Tack!" from Swedish/Senegalese duo Ellika & Solo helped earn them the 2005 Swedish "Grammy".
Bruce continues to tour extensively in the U.S. and Europe as a solo artist. He has performed at Lincoln Center in New York and The Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, DC. The long list of great players with whom Bruce has worked includes luminaries like Mike Seeger, Liz Carroll & John Doyle, Dirk Powell, Kevin Burke, Stuart Duncan, Bill Frisell and Tony McManus.
Bruce is highly sought-after as a fiddle and banjo teacher, and teaches his own intensive instrument workshop all over the U.S. He is a regular instructor at Mark O'Connor Fiddle Camp, Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp, Alasdair Fraser's Valley of the Moon and Sierra Fiddle Camps, Swannanoa Gathering, and others.