Cat at Croppers

Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens) announced on BBC Radio 5 Live that he will guest at Fairport's Cropredy Convention 2009, a rare chance to see him perform in a festival setting.

Speaking on the Simon Mayo show on Tuesday (7 July 2009), Yusuf said: "I'm going to do Fairport's Cropredy, I'm going to try to pop in." He expects to perform several of his songs backed by members of Fairport Convention.

Fairport Convention founder-member Simon Nicol says: "As Cat Stevens, Yusuf has penned many classic songs and richly deserves his stature as one of popular music's greats. Nothing has been nailed down yet but it would be marvellous to share a stage with him."

Gareth Williams, Fairport's Cropredy Convention festival director, said: "Yusuf and Fairport go back a long way - they were stablemates on Island Records, Fairport's drummer, Gerry Conway, played in Yusuf's band for many years, and Simon Nicol joined him in the studio for the 'Numbers' album. We usually keep our special guests under wraps because we love to surprise our Cropredy audience. But now that the 'Cat' is out of the bag we can confirm we've been talking to Yusuf about a guest appearance at Cropredy."

After a long career break, Yusuf returned to the musical fold two years ago. "I've gone back to music because I love it," he says. His new work has been critically acclaimed and his most recent album, Roadsinger (released in May 2009), has been extremely well received. Rolling Stone lauded the album's "classic sound in tight, sweet ballads" and BBC Music found it "as mellow and meditative an experience as you would expect" citing "the album’s stand-out track, the ravishingly beautiful instrumental miniature Shamsia."

FolkCast 042 - The Meaning Of Life?

The latest edition of FolkCast is now available for download ... and for comment!

This month, Jo and I give our opinions on the music in the show - and now we want to hear what you think. So, good or bad? Hot or cold? Marmite or... whatever the opposite of Marmite is?

See the ShowNotes for details of what we've played, and then let rip! But in a constructive fashion, eh?

Cheers,

Pholky Phil

What has a hazelnut in every bite?

In 2009, Topic Records celebrates its 70th anniversary. This makes it the oldest, truly independent record company in the world
and an extremely sprightly, almost ageless senior citizen compared to youngsters Motown, Island and Rough Trade who also enjoy big anniversaries this year.

To celebrate this significant moment in Topic's illustrious history, in September this year Topic will publish 'Three Score and Ten', a 7 CD set complete with a 108 page book, charting 7 decades of
recording and social history.

The label will also co-host TOPIC 70, a series of 3 concerts at
London's South Bank, an event complete with a photographic exhibition and
live foyer events.

Topic, which started as an off-shoot of the Workers Music Association
in 1939, has released a unique and important array of recordings : from
Paul Robeson, Pete Seeger, Vanessa Redgrave and Ewan McColl, to Nic
Jones, Shirley Collins, Dick Gaughan, Martin Carthy, The Watersons,
June Tabor, John Tams and Martin Simpson, to the current generation,
including the multi award-winning Eliza Carthy.

Topic has also been responsible for releasing acclaimed field recordings
from around the globe, but most significantly perhaps, from the UK,
where the ground-breaking 20 cd 'Voice of the People' set was met with
critical and popular acclaim on release in 1999, the label's 60th
birthday.

THE WATERSON FAMILY & THE ELIZA CARTHY BAND - 11 September - Royal
Festival Hall The Waterson Family are one of England's premier singing
families and their performances, featuring closely woven harmonies, have
played a hugely influential role in popularising folk music.

MARTIN SIMPSON & BIG BAND - 17 September - Queen Elizabeth Hall
Throughout his career virtuoso folk guitarist and singer, Martin
Simpson, has continually built on his great love of British,
Anglo-American and Afro-American traditional forms.

This concert presents a unique opportunity to see Martin perform with
other stellar musicians including Danny Thompson, Andy Cutting and BJ
Cole.

JUNE TABOR in Concert - 18 September - Queen Elizabeth Hall June Tabor
is rightly renowned as one of Britain's greatest interpreters of popular
song.

Ipswich Riverside Folk Weekend

A fine folkie accordion player and singer of my drunken acquaintance lets slip that the annual Ipswich Riverside Folk Weekend is all tee-ed up and ready to roll on the weekend of Friday 12th to Sunday 14th June.

The venue is the Steamboat Tavern, and included in a great line-up of local talent is the redoubtable Sid Kipper!

Click here for all the details!

Suzanne Vega's charity gig

AMERICAN singer songwriter Suzanne Vega is to headline a one-off concert in the UK to raise money for street children in Latin America.

Suzanne, whose hits include Tom’s Diner, Luka, Left of Centre, Marlene on the Wall, Frank & Ava and Zephyr & I, will play the benefit gig to celebrate the tenth anniversary of children’s charity Casa Alianza in the UK.

The singer, who has had seven British top 50 albums, is a long-standing supporter of the charity which helps street children in Mexico, Honduras and Nicaragua.

The concert at Birmingham Town Hall on 12 July is the only date so far announced in the UK on Suzanne’s European and Asian tour which also takes in dates in Hungary, Germany, Russia, Italy and Israel.

Widely regarded as one of the most brilliant songwriters of her generation, New York based Suzanne Vega emerged as a leading figure of the folk-music revival of the early 1980s when, accompanying herself on acoustic guitar, she sang what has been labelled contemporary folk or neo-folk songs of her own creation in Greenwich Village clubs. Since the release of her self-titled, critically acclaimed 1985 debut album, she continues to give sold-out concerts in many of the world’s best-known venues.

Suzanne, a long-standing supporter of Casa Alianza, maintains her commitment to children’s rights and is delighted to be headlining this 10th Anniversary Benefit Concert for Casa Alianza.

“I am really glad that Casa Alianza came up with the idea of this concert and am really happy to be taking part,” she said.

“Casa Alianza is an organisation which becomes deeply involved where it sees the need. It offers help, education and legal representation for children who are living on the streets.

“I love English audiences and really hope they come out to support us.”

Performing with Suzanne Vega is guitarist, songwriter and producer Gerry Leonard who was music director for David Bowie on his 2003/4 Reality world tour and DVD and has also played with Laurie Anderson, Rufus Wainwright and Avril Lavigne.

The event at Birmingham Town Hall on July 12 from 7.30pm is being presented by Stourbridge music venue Katie Fitzgerald’s whose co-manager, Black Country musician Eddy Morton, will be support artist.

“We are delighted that a singer songwriter of such international renown as Suzanne Vega is supporting us with this benefit concert,” said Eddy.

Casa Alianza funds a series of projects including street educators, hostels, education, health advice, legal representation and family reintegration for children living rough on the streets of Central America and Mexico.

It works with more than 12,000 children each year, many of whom have been abandoned, orphaned or abused.

Tickets for the Casa Alianza 10th Anniversary Benefit Concert cost £27.50 and are available on 0121 780 3333 and the website.

For more information see www.casa-alianza.org.uk

SETH LAKEMAN - UK TOUR & FESTIVAL DATES

Seth Lakeman's UK tour starts on Sunday in Birmingham
and takes him to towns and cities including Barnstaple, Perth, Reading, Buxton and Warrington. The show at the outdoor Minack Theatre in Porthcurno, Cornwall, on Tuesday night will be filmed and Seth will be doing a signing at 2pm at Border's Cardiff before he plays at St David's Hall that night.

There are still tickets left for some of the dates on the tour but the Minack Theatre, Shrewsbury, London and Saltaire have already sold out.

Seth will be playing a new festival in Suffolk this September - Harvest at Jimmy's. Taking place on 12th and 13th September, Harvest at Jimmy's is a
family-friendly spectacle of food and music taking place on Jimmy Doherty's
farm, a name a lot of you will be familiar with from his BBC documentary
series. Seth will be headlining the Sunday evening and a whole host of
talent will be joining him, including chefs James Martin and Rachel
Allen both showcasing their culinary skills. There'll be plenty of other live music, children's
entertainment and food including the Jamie Oliver Experience.

Tour dates and festival appearances:

May
Sun 17 -Symphony Hall, Birmingham
Tues 19 - Minack Theatre Porthcurno SOLD OUT
Fri 22 - Theatre Seven Shrewsbury SOLD OUT
Sat 23 - St David's Hall, Cardiff
Sun 24 - Union Chapel, London SOLD OUT
Mon 25 - Victoria Hall, Saltaire SOLD OUT
Tues 26 - Opera House, Buxton
Wed 27 - Hexagon, Reading
Thurs 28 - Queens Hall, Barnstaple
Fri 29 - Parr Hall, Warrington
Sat 30 - Festival of Arts, Perth

June
Wed 3 - Komedia, Bath
Sun 21 - Beverley Folk Festival
Sat 27 - Folk Im Schlosshof, Germany

July
Fri 3 - National Forest Folk Festival
Sat 4 - Two Rivers Folk Festival
Thurs 23 - Trowbridge Village Pump Festival

August
Sat 1 - Stokes Bay Festival
Sat 8 - Belladrum Scotland
Fri 14 - Cropredy Festival
Sat 29 - Shrewsbury Folk Festival
Sun 30 - Solfest, Cumbria

September
Fri 11 - Bromyard Folk Festival
Sun 13 - Harvest at Jimmys
Fri 25 - Pontardawe Arts Centre

An Evening with Steve Knightley and Martyn Joseph

22 Jun 09 - WINGFIELD, SUFFOLK
Wingfield Barns, Church Rd, Wingfield, Eye, Suffolk, IP21 5RA
Tel: Richard Patterson, 01379 384080

23 Jun 09 - CANTERBURY
Kingston Barn, Kingston Rd, Kingston, Canterbury, CT4 6JB
Email: debs@folkinthebarn.co.uk

24 Jun 09 - Nr LIPHOOK, HANTS
Venue TBC Phone for details Tel: 01428 725276

01 Jul 09 - DEVORAN, Nr TRURO
Devoran Village Hall, Quay Rd, Devoran, Cornwall, TR3 6PW
Tel: 01872 864662 (after 6pm)
Email: devoranvh@live.co.uk

02 Jul 09 - TOPSHAM
The Globe Hotel, Fore St, Topsham, Exeter, EX3 0HR
Tel: 01524 414043
Website - www.imageacoustic.com

03 Jul 09 - WELLINGTON, SOMERSET Arts Centre, Eight Acre Lane, Wellington, Somerset TA21 8PS
Tel: 01884 33969 : Email mike@mikgle44.plus.com : Online - www.imageacoustic.com