Garway Folk Festival Weekend

Currently taking the world by storm, Vicki and Jonny are rightly establishing themselves as one of the best duos around on the folk scene today.  Although best-known for their instrumental skills with Scottish Smallpipes, accordion and even Swedish Nyckelharpa, the duo are well recognised for their songs arrangements too.  With their blend of traditional material and contemporary interpretations, they have developed a sound that is both familiar and fresh. Vicki and Jonny’s strong educational background makes their workshops as powerful for a festival event as their performances.

The finest ambassadors for West Country folk song! Although their speciality is songs of the West Country, their repertoire draws from a huge range of traditional and, to a lesser extent, modern songs. Barbara sings and Tom both sings and plays guitar, mandola, concertina and melodeon.  Tom is also a renowned caller for traditional dances. They work full-time in traditional music and dance, with gigs all over the UK. And they love every minute of it!

Their latest album (their fifth) is shown on the right.

Listen to "Bampton Fair"...

Purveyors of inventive, intelligent music, featuring the virtuoso combination of John Hymas' strings, the athletic accordion of Paul Hutchinson and guitar/bouzouki man Tony Harris' light, fluid fingerings. Exhibiting bags of technical brilliance and the gift of making music clever and funny at the same time the music ranges from stylish and understated to gutsy and gleeful. John writes for various types of ensembles from contemporary chamber music to big band jazz. He is also a member of roots outfit The Rumbajax. Paul is acknowledged as one of the leading exponents of the accordion, possessing a refreshingly original style, great musicianship and lots of humour. He also plays with Paul Sartin in the highly successful Belshazzar’s Feast. Tony has played in various groups including the Flying Fish band and Kempion, with whom he toured Europe extensively, and has worked with piper Greg Morrow and alongside Paul in the Breezeband. Latest album: New Tricks

Dave was signed to Plant Life Records back in the 80s and his “Room For Thought” (see the video!) album was produced by Steeleye Span’s Nigel Pegrum.  Dave has supported many internationally known artists including Jasper Carrott, Mike Harding, Richard Digance, Richard Thompson, Tom Paxton, Fiddlers Dram, Dougie MClean and Ralph McTell. He has toured in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, Belgium and the Middle East, and has played at major Festivals including Lacock & Chippenham,Towersey, Cambridge and Trowbridge. Dave will be doing some solo spots as well as appearing with Hilary Pavey, in a duo which was formed in 2005. 

Dave has promised to get his fine old McCann Duet concertina out of storage for the weekend, and will also be running a songwriting workshop.

Hilary is a fine and sensitive guitar player, providing an ideal backdrop to her lovely voice. She has written countless beautiful songs, many of which tug irresistably at the heartstrings, though some raise an appreciative smile instead! Loved and admired throughout the West Country, Hilary really is not to be missed. 

Hilary will be doing solo spots as well as duetting with Dave.

Musician Andy Davies gives up a lot of his time to work with young musicians from Herefordshire and surrounding counties, and this year the work really paid off with an invitation to appear in the main stage finale at the prestigious Bromyard Fok Festival. This video, made during that session, will show you why!

Some of the Tunewrights in the video have moved on and for others it's exam time, so we'll have younger cut-down version at Garway, but we're really glad that some of them will be able to join us. As well as performing on Saturday they'll be running workshops for other young musicians who'd like to bring their instruments along.

A duo with a passion for comtemporary irish/celtic music. Their style is mainly Irish/Celtic, but with a healthy taste of music from around the world and quite a few of the tunes are self-penned. The repertoire gathers tunes from some of the bands they've been inspired by in  recent years,  interspersed with lots more traditional melodies. 

Skirrid are David England (mandola,mandolin, whistles, D-flute, pipes)and Isabel Kirmes (guitar, whistles, tenor recorder, percussion) with occasional guest vocalist, egg-shaker and bodhran player Keith Holder (who is on the Garway Folk Weekend committee - now how did that heppen?)

On May Day 2007 the nucleus of Them Boonies performed together for the first time, playing folk music for an audience of 200 dancers in South Herefordshire. Soon after Selina, Paddy & Richard were joined by the sweet voiced Kate Hardy (one time singer with Baka Beyond), and now, two years and four bass players later, with Lesley and guitarist Chris, they play a gentle blend of many kinds of Americana and English folk songs, at gigs, festivals and parties all over the marches.

Ceilyx is a folk-rock band based in Herefordshire. The lineup is Alfie Gidley (Guitar, Vocals, Bass, Keyboard, Mandolin), Alex Cook (Bass, Guitar, Vocals, Trumpet), Rosie Tasker (Keyboard),  Lucia Thompson (Fiddle, Vocals),  Edward Pullin (Fiddle), Ben Marshall/Joel Tasker (Drums), Pete Challenger (Mandolin Shredding, Fiddle Shredding, Guitar, Vocals). 

Guitar maestro and sound engineer extraordinary! Video coming soon.. (when Bob remember's to send it).

Another sound man with a great history in folk song. Currently a member of The Claque (you can see them in the video on the right - Tom's the one in the red shirt!), Tom has a great voice and was once a member of the Songwainers - probably the best, and certainly the most eclectic, of all the West Country folk groups. A reviewer on Mudcat (the brilliant folk music website) a while back said "Tom is one of the great 'undiscovered' singers of England." We agree, and you can judge for yourselves at some of the sessions!

Bromyard festival stalwarts and lead members of the excellent Bordewey/Young ceilidh band at our ceilidh, the two Daves will also be offering us some of their traditional songs and tunes on fiddle, guitar and melodeon.

Pete Grassby

Pete is a fine musician and singer, well-known as a solo performer at clubs and festivals around the UK and abroad (and is also the founder member of the Aardvark Ceilidh band). Pete collects many tunes and dances during his travels and brings them to the band.  He also plays for and dances with Coventry Morris and has been known to call for other bands. Pete is also known as the Melodeon Repairer, and will be offering melodeons and other instruments for sale at his outlet in the market area, as well as demonstrating their use in his inimitable style.

Kevin has been a resident singer, MC or organiser of loads of London folk clubs over the years. These days, as well as organising the Walthamstow Folk club he is one of the regular presenters of The Traditional Music Hour on 104.4FM in London, also syndicated on Radio Britfolk.
Kevin knows everybody in the folk music world, and was a concert MC at Sidmouth Folk Festival for 18 years and also MCs at Towersey Festival. Now, he's agreed to be our main MC for the concerts at Garway - although knowing his liking for a good pint and a good song, I'm sure he'll be in some of the pub sessions too!

Although they live in landlocked Herefordshire, Cathead have been singing sea-shanties for a number of years and are favourites at maritime festivals around the UK. Their songs tell the story and conjure up a way of life that has disappeared with the passing of the days of sail.  They sing for fun and love people to join in - what a great session for the final "stragglers" evening of our weekend, in the pub!
By the way, the cathead is a small stubby beam that projects from the bow of a sailing ship for the anchor to be lashed up to - catted - in order to keep it out of harm's way during the voyage.

Father and son team of Pete and Cohen. Pete comes from a punk background but has recently realised the error of his ways and now promotes vegan folk. Cohen is an amazing young musician who plays fiddle, melodeon, concertina, harmonica and mandolin, all with a skill and style way beyond his years. 

You can also see Cohen playing with the Tunewrights, while we lesser players sit and go green with envy.

Infinite Cherries! are ace melodeon player Sam Mabbet (13) from Oxfordshire and Dylan Cairns-Howarth (12), the junior Welsh Celtic Fiddle Champion from Aberystwyth. Here they are in concert at Aber Folk Club, February 2010. They've played at Sidmouth Festival and Towersey Festival, and we look forward to seeing them at Garway. As well as concert and folk club spots, they'll be joing the Young Musicians meet on Saturday morning.

The traditional Leominster morris dances were last recorded in the very early part of the 20th century, when many of the traditions foundered, especially as a result of the First World War. The dancers are described as having worn "print jackets." The current Leominster Morris was formed in 1983 by men who had danced in other sides but who found themselves living in and around the town, with a common desire to revive the old Leominster tradition. They perform prodominantly local 'Welsh Border' dances, but also some Cotswold dances.

Foxwhelp are our local Morris side - or at least as local as possible! They used to be based around Ewyas Harold - about 8 miles from Garway - but these days the dancers and musicians come from as far away as Hay on Wye and Kington. Mainly dancing the Cotswold tradition, they are also renowned for their Mummers plays and their yearly "Day of Morris".

The Shropshire Bedlams and Martha Rhodens Tuppenny Dish are two linked teams of Morris Dancers based in Bishops Castle, Shropshire.

They were founded in 1975 by John Kirkpatrick after he joined Hammersmith Morris in 1959. He started the Shropshire Bedlams in order "to explore the previously neglected repertoire of the Welsh Border Morris". 

At a similar time the partner womens team the Martha Rhodens Tuppenny Dish was created. Although dancing Border Morris, they choose not to wear the traditional Border disguise. They wanted a womens style - energetic, strong and graceful using big movements - so they use handkerchiefs rather than sticks to emphasise the big movements.

We're very pleased that these two seminal dance sides can be with us at Garway. Their influence on the traditional dance scene has been enormous, and they always give great entertainment too!

Widders Morris

To most people a widder is slang for the infamous black widow spider, but to those who have seen Widders Morris in action a widder is a strange looking creature covered in coloured rags, wearing a top hat and waving a stick, whilst jumping arounde frantically trying to dance border Morris. The Widders perform all over the country at festivals and dance weekends, and are working on new dances in the Border style based on local places and industry. They are based in the Chepstow area, which is on the estuary of the River Wye (Afon Gwy) and the River Severn.

(website)