Montrose Folk Club

The appearance of Irish music legend, Andy Irvine, will be one of the highlights of the current season. Andy Irvine is one of the great Irish singers, whose voice is one of a handful of truly great ones which gets to the very soul of Ireland.

As a musician, singer and songwriter, Andy Irvine has maintained his highly individual performing skills throughout his career over four decades. Originally a member of Sweeney’s Men in the Sixties, then a member of Planxty in the Seventies, Patrick Street in the Eighties, through more recently to Andy Irvine and Donal Lunny’s Mozaik, Andy Irvine has been a world music pioneer and an icon for traditional music and musicians. As a solo performer, Andy Irvine fills the role of the archetypal troubadour with a Show which reflects his lifelong influence, Woody Guthrie.

The Jellyman’s Daughter are rising stars of Americana music. They have been described as sounding like “they have come down from the same cold mountain as The Civil Wars or the Grammy-winning duo of Robert Plant and Alison Crauss.

The Front Line of the Band is the Edinburgh-based duo of Emily Kelly on vocals, guitar and mandolin and Graham Coe on vocals and cello. Emily and Graham are backed up by their bassist, Paul Gilbody.

When Emily and Graham sing together, their harmonies squeeze the heart. They have created a new sound in the way that they combine cello and acoustic guitar or mandolin with influences ranging from bluegrass to rock. The cello of Graham Coe in particular adds a unique element with his rhythmic, percussive and unconventional playing.

The Jellyman’s Daughter are currently working on their Second Album as well as touring Canada in September. Their first album was one of the Top Albums of The Year of the Sunday Herald whilst Maverick Magazine described it as demonstrating “originality by the bucket-load”.

From the south-west of Scotland, Robyn Stapleton was awarded the prestigious accolade of BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year for 2014. She has rapidly become established as one of the leading Singers in Scotland.

Robyn Stapleton has one of the finest voices in Scottish music with a uniquely pure tone, wonderful control and an empathy and sensitivity for Scottish song. Her newly released debut album, “Fickle Fortune” has received outstanding reviews. She will be appearing at Montrose Folk Club shortly after completing tours of the UK, Germany and Denmark.

Robyn Stapleton will be accompanied by outstanding multi-instrumentalist, Aaron Jones, a long-time member of The Old Blind Dogs and of the Scottish/German collaboration, Lita. In addition, Aaron Jones spends much of each year touring all over the world as a member of the Kate Rusby Band.

Founded in 2006 by Belfast born, Liverpool/London raised and now Edinburgh resident musician, Pat McGarvey, Southern Tenant Folk Union are an Edinburgh-based six-piece Band with their own original take on roots and Folk Music.

Over the past ten years, Southern Tenant Folk Union have appeared on the Andrew Marr Show on BBC One and the world famous chat show, “The Late Late Show” on Irish TV as well as at all the leading festivals such as Celtic Connections, Beladrum etc.

The Sixth Album of the Band entitled “The Chuck Norris Project” is a beautiful set of songs. The Band are touring all over the UK throughout October and November.

The current line-up of the Band features, in addition to Pat McGarvey, the talented Scottish Singer/Songwriter, Rory Butler, winner of a Danny Kyle award, fiddle player, Katherine Stewart, percussionist, Steve Fivey and double bass player, Craig Macfadyen from Inverness.

In 2013, The Red Dirt Skinners became the first performers to succeed at both the British Blues and the British Country Music Awards. Drawing influences from Folk, Country, Blues, Americana, Jazz and everything in between, the sound of The Red Dirt Skinners is instantly recognisable.

Blending exceptional harmonies with the unique instrumentation of soprano saxophone and acoustic guitar, the sound of The Red Dirt Skinners is unforgettable. The Red Dirt Skinners are a husband and wife duo, Rob and Sarah Skinner. After winning Instrumentalist of the Year at the British Blues Awards in 2014, Sarah Skinner became the first female artist to be endorsed by Trevor James Saxophones.

The 2014 Red Dirt Skinners Album called “Live In Aberdeen” was described by Fatea Magazine as “the best live album of the Year” whilst Blues in Britain Magazine described their most recent 2016 release, “Behind The Wheel”, as a “beautiful mature piece of work by two class musicians”.

Brooks Williams from Statesboro, Georgia, USA (the town made famous by Country Blues legend, Blind Willie McTell) creates electrifying and super-charged Blues and roots music.

The music of Brooks Williams has been described as a “beautiful fusion of Blues, Old Country and Americana”.

Brooks Williams is both a great Singer and a great Guitarist. In 2013, he was nominated “Best Male Vocalist” by the foremost UK Roots music web publication, Spiral Earth. In addition, he is a brilliant Guitar Picker, ranked in the “Top 100 Acoustic Guitarists”.

The songs of Brooks Williams are rooted in Blues and Old Country, but they are also alive with ironic characters and rich in Blues sensibility.

Cardboard Fox are an exciting new Bluegrass four-piece, who were the winners of the 2015 Spiral Earth Award for Best Debut.

Cardboard Fox feature the sibling harmonies of Charlotte Carrivick and Laura Carrivick (who have toured for several years as The Carrivick Sisters) on guitar/vocals and fiddle/vocals respectively. The vocals of Charlotte and Laura are augmented by the extraordinary talents of mandolin player, Joe Tozer, together with the driving double bass playing and harmony vocals of John Breese.

With a focus on original songs, containing a strong Pop and Bluegrass sensibility, as well as an energetic live show, Cardboard Fox are a Band which is going places.

Following an EP in 2015, Cardboard Fox have released their first full album called “Out of Mind” in 2016.

Kaela Rowan is the Singer with the popular Celtic Fushion Band, Shooglenifty. Kaela is now establishing her own solo career having released her second album, The Fruited Thorn in 2016.

From an eclectic range of early influences, including John Martyn, Planxty and Joni Mitchell amongst others, Kaela Rowan has forged her own unique path in the Scottish music scene. She is best known as the lead singer with the influential Scottish Band, Mouth Music, with whom she recorded four albums and toured globally in the Nineties. Before joining Shooglenifty, she was a member of The Bevvy Sisters.

In 2014, Kaela Rowan released her debut solo album entitled Menagerie, featuring mainly her own compositions. The Fruited Thorn is principally Kaela’s reinterpretation of great Scottish songs.

The Kaela Rowan Band features two other members of Shooglenifty in percussionist and multi-instrumentalist, James Mackintosh, also of the John McCusker Band and of the Mike McGoldrick Band, together with Ewan MacPherson, also of Salt House, on guitar and mandolin.

Wizz Jones is a legend of English Acoustic Blues Music. He has been named as an important early influence by John Renbourn, Eric Clapton and Keith Richards, amongst others. In 2012, Bruce Springsteen opened his concert in Berlin with a performance of the Wizz Jones song, “When I Leave Berlin”.

Inspired by hearing Big Bill Broonzy and Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Wizz Jones learnt his guitar style from the likes of Davey Graham and Long John Baldry, while playing in the coffee bars of London’s Soho in the Sixties.

After Fifty Years “on the road”, Wizz Jones continues to tour and is performing as well as he ever did. Wizz has a unique guitar style, an eclectic repertoire and “a right hand worthy of Broonzy”.