June is going to be a busy and exciting month.  Bottle Bank Band CD Launch concerts will be taking centre stage for much of the month, but I'm also looking forward to the TFA Annual Summer Concert and the fabulous Northumbrian Minstrelsy concert at Sage Gateshead. In addition, I'll be heading to East Yorkshire for the Beverley Folk Festival with Maddison's Thread and there will be just enough time left for a little bit of teaching!
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Bottle Bank Band
CD Launch Concerts in June
Chloe, David, Sophy and I are all getting rather excited about these concerts and the launch of our debut CD! All the details of the concerts are below. Please be sure to get in touch to buy your tickets - we would love to have your company! If you can't make it to a concert but would like to buy our CD, these will be available online on Bottle Bank Band's website from 10th June.
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Bottle Bank Band CD Launch:
Thurs 9th June, 7.30pm
St Mary's Heritage Centre, Gateshead
Tickets: music@stewarthardy.co.uk / 0191 237 2358
Online tickets available on Eventbrite
Bottle Bank Band @ Allendale: Friday 17th June, 7.30pm
Allendale Village Hall Leadgate, Allendale, NE47 9PR
Tickets available from Allendale Co-op and the Post Office
Reservations: Northumbrian Music Nights on 01434 685047
More info & tickets: music@stewarthardy.co.uk /
01434 689929 (Ali)
Bottle Bank Band @ Gallery 45, Friday 24th June, 7.30pm
45 Main Street, Felton, Northumberland NE65 9PP
All tickets from Gallery 45: feltongallery45@gmail.com /
01670 783424
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Maddison's Thread @ Beverley Folk Festival
Sun 19th June, from 1pm
 Lee will be taking Maddison's Thread down to Beverley Folk Festival to play in the Sunday afternoon Concert and to share the stage with such great acts as Jez Lowe and The Churchfitters. Here's the listing for the band!
http://www.beverleyfestival.com/artists/maddisons-thread/
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 Tyneside Fiddle Alliance Concert
Thurs 23rd June, 7.30pm
Rehearsals have been going extremely well for the TFA concert, and we have had fantastic attendances at recent meetings. St George's Church in Jesmond is a beautiful venue with great acoustics in which to play, so come along for a real treat of a concert from the TFA and special guests, Windy Gyle Band. Tickets can be bought from TFA members, or email fiddle.alliance@gmail.com and are a bargain at just £5 (Children £3).
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Northumbrian Minstrelsy Concert
Sun 26th June, 8pm @ Sage Gateshead, Sage 2
The Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne are hosting a concert to celebrate their work collecting and publishing North East folk music, not least the celebrated tome “Northumbrian Minstrelsy.” As an avid reader of dusty manuscripts I am hugely grateful to the Society for its invaluable work. I'm delighted to have this opportunity to support their concert and share a stage with such fantastic local musicians as Johnny Handle, Jez Lowe, Carolyn Robson, Andy May and The Border Directors.
Tickets available from Sage Gateshead.
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JSArts Mixed Instruments Workshop
Fri 3rd - Sun 5th June @ JSArts, Grantham
 This course in June for Mixed Instruments is fully booked and promises to be another great weekend in Grantham. The next course offering is looking at the music of James Hill and will run on 8th - 10th July. There are just a few places left on this course, so do get in quickly if you would like to come along. Email Jimmy to book your place.
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Historically Informed Summer School
15th - 19th Aug 2016 @ Scarborough
 I'll be in Scarborough for this lovely week of tutoring at HISS 2016. Over the past years it has proven to be a great mix of early and folk music, with talented tutors and interesting participants. Places are still available and can be booked at hiss.org.uk
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Folk Summer School @ Halsway Manor
August 30th - September 1st 2016
The second part of of my summer holiday (ahem, I mean work!) will be at the lovely Halsway Manor as part of their highly regarded Folk Summer School. With five other wonderful tutors covering many aspects of music, song and dance it is bound to be yet another remarkable week. Full details and booking information can be found on the Summer School web page.
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Stewart Hardy & Frank McLaughlin
Kitchen Concert, 21st May @ Grantham
 What fun! Many thanks, as ever, to Jo and Jimmy for hosting this event. Frank and I had a great time and were made to feel very welcome. The atmosphere was wonderfully relaxed and the audience were a delight to play for. Thanks to all those friends who came along during the day to share their music with us and a special "hello" to the Rawlins family who I was delighted to meet at the concert. Their daughter, Beth (herself a fiddle player who attended the Folk Degree in Newcastle whilst I was there), is doing fabulous work out in Montenegro setting up a cultural centre. Frank and I would like to wish her all the best.
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Maddison's Thread
Recording Sessions
 Drummer, Darren Moore and bassist, Nigel Spaven, put down their parts for the new Maddison's Thread CD. Darren has been a real find (well done Lee!) and I'm looking forward to working with him in the band. Nigel was his usual magnificent self, playing his wonderful lyrical lines with nonchalant ease! Lee and I had a very enjoyable trip north of the border to South Lanarkshire where the virtuosic Angus Lyon recorded some truly gorgeous accordion lines for us in his studio, "Gran's House." Finally, percussion wizard par excellence, Brendan Murphy, did an astonishing session for us at the Cluny Studios, amazing us all with his musicality and professionalism. Can't wait to see what next month brings!!!!
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Bottle Bank Band at Embleton Village Hall, Oct 2014
Temptation Rag. Video by Andy Craig.
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