Ashley Hutchings' Rainbow Chasers

Ashley Hutchings’ Rainbow Chasers

Tickets are already on sale for this year’s Tenterden Folk Festival and the guest list is now virtually finalised. On of the top of the bill acts is Ashley Hutchings’ Rainbow Chasers.

The rainbow Chasers are;

Ashley Hutchings - vocals, acoustic bass guitar;

Ruth Angell - vocals, fiddle, violin, acoustic guitar, shaker;

Jo Hamilton - vocals, viola, acoustic guitar, keyboard;

Mark Hutchinson - vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, keyboard and tambourine;

Ashley Hutchings is to British folk rock what John Mayall is to British blues. Beginning in the 1960s, Ashley co-founded some of these islands' legendary folk rock groups, including Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and the Albion Band. His skills as a bassist, and understanding of musical forms beyond folk, have enhanced every band with which he has been involved (others include the Etchingham Steam Band and album session work with everyone from Richard Thompson to The Watersons). He is not only a musician and composer of note, but also a poet and musical director at the National Theatre. Ashley is also the person who discovered the young Nick Drake and alerted producer Joe Boyd to the legendary singer-songwriter's fledgling talents. The song “Given Time” on the new Rainbow Chasers album, is dedicated to Nick Drake's memory.

A remarkably youthful 60 year old, Ashley’s career is celebrated in a 4-C.D boxed set “Burning Bright” (Free Reed) released in April 2005. However, never one for standing still and contemplating the past, Ashley is already working with a brand new band THE RAINBOW CHASERS. In this exciting new project Ashley is joined by fiddle player Ruth Angell and Jo Hamilton on viola, both recent graduates of The Birmingham Conservatoire and talented young guitarist Mark Hutchinson.

Ruth played violin on Jim Moray's album "Sweet England” and performed alongside him at the BBC Folk Awards 2004. She is a member of both jazz ensemble Surge and a fiddle quintet run by the Albion Band's Joe Broughton.

A highlander from Scotland, Jo is a singer-songwriter in her own right and is working on a solo album. She previously worked with Ashley as a violinist and singer for the final Albion Band tour in 2004. Mark is a member of Tickled Pink and performs regularly with Simon Care and Guy Fletcher. A solo album is due next year.

This group of young, soon-to-be-famous, innovative musicians delivers one of the freshest sounding, moving and emotive, folk-inspired début albums in "Some colours fly” on the Talking Elephant label (TECD073). Talking Elephant are one of the many sponsors of Tenterden Folk Festival 2005.

The Rainbow Chasers “Young Musicians’ Workshop” is supported by the Foundation for Sport and the Arts through the SEFAN Youth Programme.

The latest details of the Festival, the full guest list and a ticket booking form is posted on our web site at www.tenterdenfolkfestival.org.uk

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Alan Castle, Tenterden Folk Day Trust, 15 Repton Manor Road, Ashford, Kent, TN23 3HA

Press release – 14^th May 2005

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Last updated 14^th May 2005