Judy Dinning-Guitar/Vocals/Bodhran
Kenny Speirs-Guitar/Vocals
Tom Roseburgh-Keyboards - Fiddle on albums - Joe Wright (Real Time), Iain Anderson (Hell and High Water, Home Thoughts), Chuck Fleming (Live Concerts), Fiona Cuthill (Live Concerts).
Influences
Scottish and Northumbrian Traditional and Contemporary songs and tunes. Robert Burns, Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne. Bruce Springstein, Wolfstone, Lindisfarne - just about anyone - any genre.
Sounds Like
REAL TIME - AN ECLECTIC MIX OF TRADITIONAL AND CONTEMPORARY SONGS AND TUNES. SCOTTISH AND NORTHUMBRIAN INFLUENCES.
SPRING NEWSLETTER 2008 - April
Greetings, everybody, from my home in that most beautiful of Scottish Border villages, Denholm. Outside it’s been bitterly cold, the wind is blowing a gale and the snow is thick on the ground – yes, it’s April! While the rest of you are enjoying bright Spring sunshine, Tommy, Judy and I are huddled round a blazing log fire trying to keep warm. It’s so cold we’ve even been forced to drink whisky (what a hardship), but if you lived here all year round you’d understand why the Scots invented it!
Anyway, this time of year is traditionally associated with new beginnings and looking to the future, so what better time to launch our new album “BORDER SKIES”, our fourth C.D., and although it’s always hard to top what’s gone before we think it’s our best yet. We’re particularly excited to team up with our great friends FIONA CUTHILL and STEVIE LAWRENCE for this recording, no strangers to most of you who will have seen these two brilliant musicians join us on stage many times. Fiona is one of the best fiddlers to emerge from the blossoming Glasgow scene and along with Stevie plays with the highly acclaimed Rallion. Stevie was a founder member of Iron Horse, and since then the list of performers he has collaborated with reads like a Who’s Who of folk music. He is an amazing multi-instrumentalist, and on this album he plays percussion, bouzouki, guitar, whistles, bass and even Scottish small pipes. Is there no end to this man’s talent? It kind of makes you wonder what the hell he’s doing playing with us! (Actually, I’ve got some photos of Stevie in a very compromising position with a troop of Lancashire clog dancers).
As the title suggests, the 11 track album includes several songs from both sides of the Border. “Shake Loose The Border”, a call to arms for the Reivers, and “Bonny At Morn”, the haunting Northumbrian anthem, are big production numbers which contrast with the simplicity of “Elibanks And Elibraes” and the heart-stopping “I’m Looking For My Own Lone Ranger”. Other highlights include Irish songs “Once I loved” and “Red Is The Rose”, while Judy’s ever-popular rendition of “Water Of Tyne” is included here for the first time. All in all we hope everyone enjoys our latest offering as we launch the new album over a series of special concerts in May.
Before that, Fiona will be joining us on our annual tour of Germany, which starts on 17th April. She speaks fluent German, so that will make a change from our feeble attempts, and a huge improvement on Tommy’s only three words, “Eine bier bitte”! In fact, these are the only three words Tommy has managed to learn in any of the many countries we’ve toured over the past six years…funny, that…Other European adventures in the offing are a summer return to Norway (really looking forward to that one), our biggest tour yet of Denmark in the Autumn, and into 2009 a tour of Holland in January that will include the biggest and best venue on the circuit there, the Folkhook in Sevenum. Our favourite Folk Festival, Saltburn, is also in the diary for August, so if you fancy a terrific weekend of brilliant music in a beautiful location with a friendly and intimate atmosphere, don’t miss it. You can also catch us in the Borders at Innerleithen and at F in the Garden in August.
So, that’s it for now. We’ll up-date you later in the year with our news. Maybe we’ll team up with the clog dancers – we’d probably get a big fat grant from the Arts Council for that one!
Hope you enjoy the album.
Cheers,
Kenny.
Great music on your page; with strong vocals, lovely arrangements and sweet fiddle, I've really enjoyed listening to your music! Thanks for adding us to your friends.
Affirm Success*JEWEL* You have some ambition to be realized, some creative purpose in your mind which you wish to accomplish. To attain to this end you deny failure, you affirm success, you visualize a picture of that which you wish to achieve. That being so, and having made up your mind, now STICK TO IT. Do not change your affirmation, do not alter your mental image. KEEP IT UNCHANGED until it is accomplished. If you vary it and change it you will bring the utmost confusion into your life. Therefore do not change, modify or alter the main creative plan of your life, see to it that the image remains unimpaired, getting clearer and more sharply defined from day to day. If you do this you will see it working out with mathematical precision in your life. by Henry Thomas Hamblin [1921],
Peace and Infinite Respect The 5th Jewel The light movement Protection and Guidance Keep the fire burning!!!11 THANKS 4 ADDING ON 2 THE CIPHER GO BEYOND CYBER SPACE- GET THE NEWSLLETTER BY EMAIL AND GIVE IT TO SOMEONE IN NEED!!
Thanks for adding me. Thanks to Johanna I have been familiar with your music for awhile now. I enjoy it very much. Glad you are on myspace and I can keep current =) I look forward to hearing more.
I would recognize that sensational voice anywhere! WHEW! Please do us the pleasure of allowing us to open for your band. It is grand to make your acquaintance, thanks for dropping in. When you get a moment, please check out this videos for the folks we are raising money, prayers and awareness for in Ireland and the U.S.- http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=WkPYcfjfMUo (feeding souls) http://www. feed333. org/store. cfm (feeding children) Off to check out a bit more of your site here. Blessings from us~ MBB
hi there ,just popping up to say hi ,its been a while since isaw you at the candlelight club ,newton aycliffe , hope you are all well and the music is going great take care and be happy
Once drove an old sedan, up north, From a place in Sydney to Cairns; Then to Kuranda I went forth, By train, to look without set plans.
I browsed through the trendy market, With fresh fruits of tropical kind; Walked to the creek through lush thicket - Nature’s hand giving peace of mind.
I dined in a scenic cafe; Then, outside, as I wrote for yen, Some passing Kooris called-out: “Hey, You go walkabout with your pen.”
Request or question, I don’t know - Assured voices, elderly men. That’s now several years ago, And I’ve seen the world - with my pen.
happy new year! we're currently filling up our calendar for january/february as we're running a special introductory rate for those two months only of £300/3 days or £600/week including engineers fees (our normal rate will be £150/day). we offer 16-track analogue recording, a range of valve amplifiers, tape delay and spring reverb units, plus protools/logic editing capabilities. contact us for studio availability. x the green door studio
Hello Judy, Kenny et al, thanks for the add. I'm so pleased I found you on here, nice to hear the music you have on the site. Hopefully we will see you down at the Candlelighters in Newton Aycliffe sometime, mind you the old venue's been flattened and the new one takes a bit of finding...
Hello, thanks for the add! Your music is wonderful, and I enjoyed reading your page. Hopefully I'll get to hear you play live one day! All the best, Lori
hey guys, hope you're well. please forgive another shameless plug, i thought it would be nice to go round everyone individually to spread the word...
'coming up for air' (previously unreleased track from 2003), and my record 'growing flowers by candlelight' are now available on digital download from i tunes worldwide (they'll be on other download stores soon also).
'flowers' is also available on cd from ainsliemusic.com (all copies sold through the site are signed and i ship worldwide), all branches of beanscene and edinburgh branches of hmv.
