May 2013 – Irvine Folk Club

Joan and Anne’s (and Elma’s) sponsored walk – completed but still time to donate!!

Two Irvine Folk Club members – Joan Muir & Anne Clarke plus Joan’s dog Elma – successfully completed a fundraising sponsored walk on Sunday 19^th May organised by The Tailor Craft – one of Irvine’s Incorporated Trades. The three intrepid walkers braved a warm breeze on a mercifully dry day to complete what must easily have been a three mile route.

The sponsored walk was undertaken to raise funds for Irvine Folk Club. For anyone who wants to contribute but hasn’t had a chance to do so, the sponsor sheet will be available at the Folk Club this Wednesday 29^th May when My Sweet Patootie are the guests. Speak to Joyce about making a donation for the fundraising sponsored walk.

PS. Joan, Anne & Elma have now fully recovered from their expedition.

Guests: My Sweet Patootie, Wednesday 29th May

Prepare to be entertained in grand style at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 29^th May when My Sweet Patootie tops the bill. The Irvine Club is one of only three dates in Scotland that this brilliant trio from Canada are playing on their UK tour.

Patootiefied was the name of the second album of My Sweet Patootie. Their third called Good Day is just out. The three members of My Sweet Patootie are Terry Young, Sandra Swanell and Bradford Novak. One review described them as ‘Two parts exemplary musicianship and one part vaudeville comedy’. They tell tall tales and corny jokes – a modern day music hall. Expect to hear heart-breaking ballads in between finger-snapping tunes.

My Sweet Patootie started off in 2007 as a duo. Sandra and Terry were members of the fabulous and immensely talented Tanglefoot who played in Irvine on a number of occasions. They both have a classical music background and a mutual love of swing, Americana and country blues. Sandra has played the violin all her life and was Principal Violist with the Georgian Bay Symphony. Terry as well as playing guitar, banjo and mandolin at a jaw-dropping level is a classically trained tenor.

In Spring 2012 My Sweet Patootie became a trio when percussion-vocalist Bradford Novak joined . This new trio from rural Ontario is an acoustic roots band that brings twinning vocal harmonies, monstrous fingerstyle guitar, sizzling fiddle, percussion plus abundant charisma in one fabby package.

For info and in case this might ever rescue you in a Pub Quiz: My Sweet Patootie is a term of endearment popular in the 1920’s meaning a sassy sweetheart. The name of the band implies the vintage flavour of their music.

The Club meets in Vineburgh Community Centre at 8pm and it’s BYOB.

With sadness we report the death of Brendan Duffy, former MC at Irvine Folk Club

News of the untimely death of Brendan Duffy has been received with much sadness. Brendan was a former MC at Irvine Folk Club, particularly in Redburn Hotel days and worked as a Planner at Perceton House with Irvine Development Corporation. He took ‘laid-back-ness’ to new levels. It was almost routine for Brendan to ask whilst MCing ‘What was it that I was to remember to say?’ He loved the craic and the camarederie that folk music brought and was himself a fine singer – but he didn’t think so.

In recent years, Brendan coped with deteriorating health in a ‘let’s get on with it’ style. Having spent much of his retirement with his wife in Northern Ireland, they had been living in Kilmarnock for several months to be nearer to their son and daughter and their families. Brendan died peacefully at home in Kilmarnock on Wednesday 15^th May and is survived by his wife Maureen and their son Ciaran and daughter Siobhan. The sympathy of everyone at Irvine Folk Club goes to Maureen and the family. Brendan is fondly remembered.

Barron Brady – Wednesday 15 May

Simon Barron and Rosalind Brady, funnily enough, are Barron Brady – the special guests at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 15^th May. Described by Bob Harris of BBC Radio 2 as having a beautiful sound, this will be the first visit of Barron Brady to the Irvine Club.

Having begun performing across the UK five years ago, Barron Brady have received consistently good reviews, with Festival and Club organisers impressed with the duo’s innovative arrangements, well crafted self-penned songs and strong vocal harmonies.

Simon and Rosalind live in Devon and the Irvine Club is included in their Spring Northern Tour – but then from Devon it’s almost always going to be north! They are contemporary songwriters and also interpreters of English folk song. As well as being strong vocalists, Ros plays the harmonium and whistle and Simon excels on fingerstyle guitar. Barron Brady have recorded three albums with Karen Polwart being just one of the people taking to print as a fan of their sound.

The young, enthusiastic and talented Barron Brady are at Irvine Folk Club on 15^th May in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road. The Club starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.