Kelso Folk
Kelso Folk and Live Music Club

One of our favourite local and international stars, Kieran returns to fit in a summer gig the day before his appearance at the Rothbury Festival over the border in Northumberland. Not to be missed! With our usual open mic before the guest appearance. Kieran is a superb songwriter, widely covered by others, and a powerful guitarist and singer. His songs are from the feet as well as from the mind and the heart, as a well-travelled performer with a great journey behind him and no doubt many paths to explore ahead.

Beppe Gambetta is one of the world’s guitar heroes. We have booked him a long way in advance for Friday December 7th 2012, filling in a date on his UK tour. This is the week after St Andrews, last reasonable day of the calendar for any kind of concert gig in Kelso as the party season books up every room you can find.

He’s a very fast and powerful plectrum cross/flatpicker -

http://youtu.be/YIfIAGm1-NU

and he will do a workshop (paid separately, next morning) if we want for individuals:

http://youtu.be/6gkdU6tAzHY

but not in German!

Live Act Music Lessons (James Robertson, Roxburgh Street, Kelso) and Steve Clinkscale Music based in Melrose are hosting a music road show at The Cross Keys Hotel in Kelso.

The Event

The event will run from 1pm – 9pm on Thursday 15th of March 2012. Entry is free to members of the public. Doors open from 1pm to 5pm to view the stalls and products on display. From 6pm-9pm there will be free workshops and demonstrations by first-class musicians, specialising in drums and guitars.

Trade Show Demonstrations

This event has an educational element where musicians from all backgrounds and abilities can talk to the experts and see first-hand the fantastic range of products available.  This will give those who attend the event a greater understanding about the advantages and disadvantages of each product to enable them make a more informed choice when it comes to purchasing an instrument. The products will be later demonstrated by the musicians who are currently touring Scotland with this road show.

The special guest musician on the day is Matt Marriott, a prodigious guitarist with a jaw-dropping technique that has to be seen to be believed.  Matt will host the Cort guitar workshop and demonstration from 7.30pm.

-Duallist Drumkit and Pedal Demo 6.00pm

-UFIP Cymbals Demo 6.45pm

-Cort Guitars Demo with the amazing Matt Marriott 7.30pm

Every Friday from around 9pm (overlapping with our ACE Centre open mic situated about 1km away) the club has an open session, partly traditional tune sets and partly songs. If you want tunes or traditional songs, it’s best to arrive early even if our anchors do not appear to be in place! After 11pm you can expect it to get busier with more guitars and singers.

Most weeks a small sound reinforcement system is used. The pub can be very busy as it’s both an award-winning restaurant and a popular bar linked to the Tempest Brewery. This is Kelso’s own small craft brewery under the same management as the Cobbles – don’t come without trying their unique draught ales.

There is no charge, but a collection is always made towards club funding.

Every Friday, Kelso Folk and Live Music Club holds an open mic at the ACE Centre, Abbotseat (entrance down the right hand side of the Kelso Ice Rink building as seen from the road, adjacent to the Golf Club).

Arrive at 7.30pm when the stage opens – normally with one or two of our regulars – followed by a spot for younger musicians and singers from 8-8.30pm. Apart from this, the usual order is to go clockwise round the room one song at a time – late arrivals may be fitted in out of order, but if you want to do two or three spots, arrive early.

The open mic ends around 10.30pm.

Volunteers to help with the setup and knockdown of the small PA system are much appreciated.

STOP PRESS – some posters with one price have been sent out, and Friday looks like being a scorcher… barbecue time for many… so we are now DROPPING the ticket price to the lower one shown on a number of posters. That is – the Club will pay the ACE centre room fee, and admission is now only £3 for concessions or club members, £5 for all others.

Except – we are admitting UNDER-18s (who are known to the Club or the ACE Centre, or accompanied by parent/s) free of charge. We appreciate that we often have great guests but our regular under-18 performers, who are always admitted free for the open mic, can’t always pay to enter. Exposure to live music of many kinds is vital when you are forming your own style. So – for this night, free entry.

US acoustic duo Hungrytown provide a great close to May for the ACE Centre club Fridays. We do not usually have two guest acts within one month, but when a chance comes up to fit in with a UK tour by US artists, we can be flexible. May is a lovely month in Kelso too!

To find out more about Ken Anderson and Rebecca Hall, visit their website:

http://www.hungrytown.net/

Steve Hicks and Lynn Goulbourn got rave reviews from some of our Club members who saw them in Berwick – so we’ve invited this duo to give an ACE Centre performance on May 4th. That’s Bank Holiday weekend Friday so please turn up and give them a great audience!

See their MySpace site for more info and to listen to their music:

http://www.myspace.com/hicksandgoulbourn

From March 12th 2012, every second Monday in the month will host a quiet session at the Cobbles Inn. This may be in the upstairs function room, as after Easter the pub will be open on Mondays for the public.

Quiet Sessions are for both songs and tunes, but it’s not just a chance to play the same stuff over again without the usual noise of the pub!

• Slow airs
• Harmony
• Fingerstyle guitar
• Unaccompanied song
• Solo melody instruments
• Content-aware percussion
• New material – original or found
• Listening
• Acoustic instruments only unless (like electronic pipes or solid body electric guitar) requiring a small battery amp
• Swapping or introducing material to others
• Trying arrangements

All club members are welcome but you should, please, have paid your £5 per annum membership as this classes as a club private function. Because it will usually be in the function/dining room, under-18s can attend; under-16s accompanied by an adult.