Artistes notes

ARTISTES NOTES:

Friday 5^th to Sunday 7^th October

Dedicated folk music fans will know most of the guests at Tenterden Folk Festival, but not all of them, so in the free souvenir programme which is now available we have included brief details of many of the guests.

ARTISTES NOTES:

TOM BLISS was born in Guildford and started writing songs at a very early age. On leaving school he began playing folk clubs around Surrey and London and made his first solo radio broadcasts in New Zealand in 1973. Tom spent many years developing his song writing and forming bands, and experimenting with various styles, including folk. Tom finally returned to his folk roots which convinced him that traditionally based folk music was what he should have been doing all along!

JIM BAINBRIDGE first picked up a melodeon in 1964 after moving to London and hearing local Irish musicians and has been on the traditional music scene since his days as leader of Marsden Rattlers. His material is now more songs than music, often light and humorous, but sometimes thought provoking. He plays melodeon and his style is modelled on the older Irish and Scots tradition, but with much material from his Tyneside roots.

DUCK SOUP are based in and around Brighton and are Adam Bushell, who plays marimba, mandolin, guitar and percussion, former Oyster Band member Ian Kearey on piano, slide guitar, guitar, mandolin and mouth organ and former Flowers and Frolics member Dan Quinn on melodeons and vocals. They create an unusual and addictive sound.

STEVE TURNER comes from a family of singers and concertina players. His grandfather is known to have sung and played the instrument in the 1890's. Steve began his own career on the Manchester folk scene at the end of the 1960s and joined the Geordie band "Canny Fettle" in 1970. Since returning to the folk scene as a solo performer, Steve has released several CDs and made appearances at festivals including Sidmouth, Whitby and Bromyard, as well as numerous folk clubs.

KAUSARY are one of Europe’s best-known Andean bands and are based in the UK. They boast an exciting, expressive and talented line-up that will enchant any audience with their sounds of Latin America. Whether it’s music ‘for the heart’ or ‘for the feet’ they entertain and delight every audience. Experience the passion of Latin America and see why audiences all over the country are thrilled and captivated by the band’s atmospheric performances. There first appearance at Tenterden is sponsored by Hobgoblin’s Crawley shop.

DAVID JONES has an enormous repertoire of folksong from both sides of the Atlantic. He has performed throughout his native Britain and North America, where he now lives, singing songs from the great days of sail, Music Hall favourites, traditional ballads, and the works of contemporary writers. He sings both a capella and with guitar or concertina accompaniment and involves his audience in refrains and choruses ranging from boisterous to sentimental.

KEITH KENDRICK has been performing on concertina, guitar and voice since the late 1960’s when he was a member of the “The Druids”. He has subsequently been part of various other well known and popular line-ups including “Ram's Bottom”, “Muckram Wakes”, “The East Kent Hoppers”, and “The Anchor Men”. He currently works solo, with the trio “Three Sheets to the Wind” and as half of several duos.

SYLVIA NEEDHAM will be appearing as one half of a duo with Keith Kendrick as well as solo. Sylvia is a fine and highly skilled singer in her own right with an immense and varied repertoire. She is described as a teller of stories through song who effortlessly transports the listener into every scenario with a unique and sense of harmony and delivery which complements Keith down to earth style.

JALI SHERRIFO KONTEH was born in Brikama in The Gambia where he still lives. You only have to listen to a few notes of his music and you can hear that family sound in his playing as Sherrifo is the half-brother of Dembo Konte, youngest son of Alhaji Bai Konte and a brilliant musician, singer and kora player. Sherrifo appeared at Tenterden Folk Festival 2004 and is back in England for a tour so we could not resist rebooking him.

PETE CASTLE is a professional singer of traditional songs, Since 1978 he has worked as a folk singer at clubs and festivals all over Britain. Pete also works as a storyteller and is doing an increasing amount of work in schools and on community projects. As well as working solo he has worked with a number of groups most famously "Popeluc", with his fiddle playing daughter LUCY CASTLE, who performed a mixture of traditional British and Romanian folk music and were very popular in both countries.

THE HOLDSTOCKS live in the USA but Dick originally comes from Medway. Whether they are singing traditional ballads, songs of the sea, old time tavern songs, songs of the California gold rush, or contemporary songs of social significance, Carol and Dick are bound to please any audience that has the good fortune to see and hear them.

HENGEST AND HORSA are an East Kent based, four piece folk band with Darien Bragg on vocals, bodhran and percussion, James Fuller on Mandolin, Octave Mandolin, guitar and vocals, George Lipchinzki on guitar and vocals and Dan Griffiths on fiddle. This young band play a mixture on contemporary and traditional folk music.

THE DRIFT appeared at Tenterden for the first time last year and is back by popular demand to play for The English Barn Dance on Saturday. This exciting four piece band from mid-Sussex play a mix of English and European dance music on a variety of unusual, but traditional, instruments. The Drift’s line up will be Mel Stevens on French bagpipes, hurdy gurdy, fiddle and clarinet; Peter Lyons on fiddle; Richard Smith on hurdy gurdy; and Keith Macdonald on accordion and French bagpipes. The band will be joined by caller Chris Shaw.

THE SIMON HOPPER BAND. Simon is a singer/songwriter of some individuality. He has been a shadowy figure around the folk scene in London for two decades and in 2006 he re-emerged with this fine new band which did a set at TFF 2006. We are very pleased to be able to bring them back and for a concert spot at the new Sunday concert this year.

TREFOR AND VICKI WILLIAMS are from North Wales and have appeared at many festivals, clubs and concert venues across the UK including Tenterden. They perform an eclectic mix of traditional (some Welsh language songs) and contemporary folk, from medieval to self-penned, accompanied by guitars and mandocello, fiddle and concertina.

Well know and talented local performers John Barden, Marian Button, Peter Collins, Bob and Kathy Drage, Bo Foaks, Bob Kenward, The Marsh Warblers, Dave Masterson, Adrian O’, The Rattlaz, Vic and Tina Smith, Andy Smythe, Spare Parts, Travelling Folk and some surprise guests complete this year’s festival line up.

You can pick up you free copy of the full programme from the Tourist Information Centre or Libraries in Tenterden, Ashford and Maidstone (Maidstone from Monday 24^th September) as well as many of the venues in and around Tenterden. Alternative send an A5 sae to TFF 2007 Programme, 15 Repton Manor Road, Ashford, Kent, TN23 3HA.

Details of Tenterden Folk Festival 2007 guests, accommodation and camping are now posted on our website at www.tenterdenfolkfestival.org.uk.

To receive our regular email updates send an email to info@tenterdenfolkfestival.org.uk with "add to festival news list" in the subject box.

Last updated 22^nd September 2007