Day: May 20, 2013

Guests: My Sweet Patootie, Wednesday 29th May

Prepare to be entertained in grand style at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 29th 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.

Photo of My Sweet Patootie guests are Irvine Folk Club

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 15th 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.