Montrose Folk Club

Since the release of their debut CD “Lay Your Dark Low” in 2013, Salt House have established themselves as one of the most existing Bands on the Scottish Music Scene.

The music of Salt House is a combination of new Songwriting, along with the reworking of old Lyrics and Tunes. Their sound is rooted in the rich Songwriting tradition of Scotland and the British Isles.

2017 marks the arrival of a new Voice for Salt House, with their first performances and recordings featuring a new Lead Singer in Jenny Sturgeon. R2 Magazine has described Jenny Sturgeon as “a Singer Songwriter who brings together the Old and New with a rare skill”.

Salt House are now award-winning Fiddler, Lauren MacColl, also a member of Rant, on fiddle, viola and vocals, Ewan McPherson, also of Shooglenifty, on guitar, mandola, vocals and jew’s harp, as well as lead singer, Jenny Sturgeon on harmonium, shruti box and guitar.

Nae Plans is the daredevil, off-the-cuff virtuoso Scottish musical performance which features two Scottish musicians of the higher calibre.

Nae Plans are Fiddler, Adam Sutherland, together with Keyboard player/Vocalist, Hamish Napier.

Each performance of Nae Plans is unique, demonstrating the incredible talent of two of Scotland’s finest musicians. Nae Plans always operate without a Set-list and without any prepared programme, responding to requests to put the audience at the centre of an energetic, dynamic, electrifying live performance. The Herald described a recent Nae Plans Concert as “a spontaneously chosen set that packed heat, skill, dynamics, fun, a tender country ballad and impromptu interaction”.

Fiddler, Adam Sutherland, is a member of The Treacherous Orchestra, Session A9 and the Peatbog Fairies, having previously been a member of Salsa Celtica and Manran.

Multi-instrumentalist and singer, Hamish Napier, whose instruments include keyboards, whistles and flutes, previously toured extensively with Back of the Moon and now plays with The Treacherous Orchestra and the Jarlath Henderson Band.

Fara formed in 2016 to bring together four of the most talented young musicians of the Scottish Folk scene in Jennifer Austin, Kristan Harvey, Jeana Leslie and Catriona Price.

All of the Band members grew up in Orkney under the musical guidance of Douglas Montgomery of The Chair and Saltfishforty. The Band create a unique Sound from their instrumental line up of three fiddles and piano to produce fiery music rooted strongly in their upbringing amongst Orkney music. Fara also feature the outstanding vocals of Jeana Leslie, a BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Winner, previously, when performing as a Duo with Siobhan Miller.

Fara have in 2017 been nominated at both the BBC Radio Scotland Trad Awards and at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. In fact, the Band played for the audience at the Royal Albert Hall in London in connection with the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

With vibrant arrangements full of rich harmonies, energetic fiddle playing and driving piano, a concert by Fara is an exciting and fulfilling experience.

James Keelaghan has been described as “Canada’s finest Songwriter” by Dave Marsh, the award-winning American music critic and historian of Bob Dylan and The Band. Those few but powerful words of praise say it all about an artist who continues to set the bar at a lofty height.

For almost a quarter of a century now, James Keelaghan, the poet laureate of the Folk and Roots music world has gone about his work with a combination of passion, intensity and curiosity.

Keelaghan’s brilliantly defined craftsmanship and artistic vision make him one of the most distinctive and readily identifiable voices of not only the Canadian music scene but of the international singer-songwriter community.

In his concert at Montrose Folk Club, James Keelaghan will be playing new material in addition to some of his timeless classic songs such as Fires of Calais, Cold Missouri Waters, Jenny Bryce and Hillcrest Mine.

Accompanying himself on guitar, James Keelaghan will be appearing in a duo with Hugh McMillan on bass guitar and backing vocals.

Peter Bruntnell has been described by the Guardian as a cult hero and also by them as “the Alternative Country genius from Surrey”.

Over many albums, Peter Bruntnell from Kingston upon Thames has produced rich and refined Songwriting, but is almost unknown to the mainstream media.

Despite his lack of public profile, Peter Bruntnell has received ringing endorsements from the likes of Peter Buck of REM and many rave reviews for his Nine CDs.

The songs produced by Peter Bruntnell really are exceptional. They constitute a canon of classically constructed, melodically rich, lyrically ingenious and emotionally affecting songs that bears comparison with many of the great Songwriters.

The most recent album release of Peter Bruntnell, entitled “Nos da Comrade” featured a lead Single release called “Mr Sunshine”, a rollicking deconstruction of a certain U.S President and the Golf Course which destroyed an Aberdeenshire Site of Scientific Interest.

Claire Hastings won the prestigious BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year Award in 2015. Originally from Dumfries, and a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Claire Hastings is currently living and working in Glasgow.

As well as being an outstanding Singer of both Traditional and Contemporary material, Claire Hastings has also developed into a fine Songwriter. The cream of her Songwriting featured on her debut album called “Between River and Railway”, which was released in 2016 to critical acclaim. It was described as an exquisite album in Songlines Magazine.

Claire Hastings has made numerous appearances on BBC Radio Scotland and on the BBC Radio 2 Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe, as well as on BBC Alba. In addition, she features prominently on the Soundtrack for the Anthony Baxter documentary called “You’ve Been Trumped Too”.

Claire Hastings will be accompanied at Montrose Folk Club by Master Guitarist and “right hand woman” to Professor Phil Cunningham at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Jenn Butterworth.

By popular demand, Sinderins are returning for their annual visit to Montrose to play an Acoustic Set at Montrose Folk Club following upon their very successful concerts at the Club in 2015 and 2016.

Sinderins are cult heroes in their native Dundee, where they have enjoyed no less than seven sold out shows at the Gardyne Theatre and one at the Dundee Rep Theatre, since their initial appearance in 2012.

The Band features a front line of no less than three Singer Songwriters in Stevie Anderson, Gavin McGinty and Dave Webster, together with Tom Barbour on Bass Guitar. Their music combines Rootsy elements of Blues, Rock and Country, with ethereal vocal and instrumental soundscapes, creating a genre-defying sound.

After the success of their debut Album, Sinderins released in 2016 their long awaited follow up Second Album, funded by a Pledge Campaign to which many among the grass roots following of the Band throughout Scotland contributed. The Second Album highlighted the development in the overall sound of the Band and in their Songwriting since their debut.

This is certain to be a popular night and a great end to the 2017 season of the Club.