Happy New Year to everyone! 2016 is here and is promising to be an exciting year with some cherished projects continuing as well as some new projects in the planning. Keep checking the Facebook page for updates, and if you are reading this on the website, do subscribe to receive this monthly newsletter in your inbox. |
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It has taken a while to put together this day of events celebrating James Hill, but now that it’s just around the corner, this is the time to buy your tickets. Our evening concert promises to be a cracking event exploring the music and shared heritage of Tyneside and Clydeside. There will be a few solo sets from me but I'm relishing the opportunity to perform some material in the first half of the concert with my old mate, the wonderful guitarist Frank McLaughlin. In the second half we’ll be joined by our partner in crime from Glasgow, one of Scotland’s finest traditional singers, Mick West. It’s both a pleasure and a privilege to welcome these two fabulous musicians back to Tyneside. You can buy tickets for the concert (£10 / £7) directly from me ( stewart@stewarthardy.co.uk / 0191 237 2358) or on 0191 285 9554. Do encourage friends and family to come along and join us! |
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Masterclass for Folk Fiddle
Sat 23rd Jan, 2pm @ St Mary's Heritage Centre, Gateshead
Time to announce the participants for this extremely special event, the Masterclass for Folk Fiddle. Five wonderful fiddlers will be working as soloists or in duos on material composed by or associated with James Hill. Melissa Whitehead, from the Scottish Highlands, and Grace Smith, from Teeside, are both graduates of the Folk Degree at Newcastle University and currently reside on Tyneside. The McLaughlin brothers, Euan and Lewis, live in Edinburgh and study at the City of Edinburgh Music School. Peter Sloane, who attends the Royal Grammar School in Newcastle upon Tyne, is our local representative and is both a welcome and familiar face to those who follow our leading youth ensembles. All are extremely talented fiddlers and I'm very grateful to them for agreeing to participate in this event.
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James Hill Talk
At 11am on the same day my good friend, the author and Northumbrian Piper, Graham Dixon, will be talking about his experiences writing and producing ‘The Lads Like Beer’ book and CD. Tickets for this are free but you will need to reserve your place at gateshead.gov.uk/whatson. |
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Fiddle Tutors Forum
Weds 6th Jan, 1.30 - 3.30pm @ St Mary's Heritage Centre, Gateshead
This exciting new venture aims to bring together fiddle teachers from across the north-east to network, share resources and support each other. We enjoyed our first social event in December, and are looking forward to our first Forum meeting on 6th January.
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Maddison's Thread
December’s gigs with Lee Maddison were lots of fun and very satisfying. If you haven’t heard him, Lee is a terrific songwriter from Hartlepool who combines wonderful insight with a great ear for melody. He has been writing some really interesting new material recently and we will play around with some of those songs in the recording studio this month. With luck and a following wind these will find their way onto a new Maddison's Thread CD which is due out later this year and which I feel very privileged to have been asked to produce.
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 Bottle Bank Band
We had a hectic couple of days in the recording studio at the end of November; setting out with the objective of putting together five tracks for an EP, the music just kept flowing and so we kept on recording! Given everybody’s busy schedule it has been tricky to find dates when we are all free, so Sophy and I will be going back into the studio this month to mix the tracks with Tony Davis. We are very excited to hear the results. Keep checking back to be first to hear of the release date.
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Bill Elliott & Kevin Youldon
Sun 31st Jan, 7.30pm @ South Shields Folk Club, The Customs House, South Shields
I'll be popping along to South Shields Folk Club and jamming on a few songs and tunes with my old friends Bill and Kevin. Laura Connolly (Demon Barbers, Holly and Ivy Roadshow) will be making an appearance as well so expect a couple of fantastic, breath-taking clog dances.
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George Welch and Stewart Hardy
Fri 19th Feb, Morpeth Gathering Fundraising Concert @ Morpeth Town Hall
It is always a joy to work with George, and we are delighted to have been asked to play at a fundraising concert for the Morpeth Gathering on the evening of Friday 19th February. We don't yet have details regarding tickets but check the Facebook page where information will be posted as soon as it is available.
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Holly and Ivy Roadshow
What a December we have had with the Holly and Ivy Roadshow! Our busiest yet and for me, the most fun we've ever had. Over the space of three weeks we performed 42 shows, enjoying the hospitality of 22 different schools across the north-east, many of which we are looking forward to seeing next year as they have already booked for Xmas 2016. Then there were the Christmas Evenings at Beamish - 5 shows a night for 4 nights, up close and personal with the audience! Many thanks to all those who came to say "Hi", join in the songs and dances, shake the jingle stick and bash the pots, pans and buckets. Time to put the raggy jackets away for another year.
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Mick West Trio, "He Called for a Candle"
Rothbury Roots, 27th Aug 2015
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