Please note that all information and listings on this site are provided as an information service only,
and should notbe taken as approval, endorsement or recommendation by SEFAN in any way.
See also our disclaimer

download a copy of brochure and booking form here (.pdf )

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Venue: Benslow Music, Benslow Hills, Hitchin, Hertfordshire. SG4 9RB.
Tel: 01462 459446   Web: www.benslowmusic.org    Email: info _at_ benslowmusic.org

All Contrafusion dances and workshops are at:
Hothfield Village Hall, Park Drive, Hothfield, Ashford TN26 1EQ.
Only five minutes from M20 J9.

    http://www.contrafusion.co.uk / info _at_ contrafusion.co.ukfor Contra Dancing in Kent
John Sweeney, Dancer, England   john _at_ modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574
http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive Events, Instructional DVDs and Interactive Maps

CONTRAFUSION regular sessions

Mondays - Ashford: Hothfield Village Hall
Tuesday AFTERNOONS - Maidstone: dancing for the Over-50s Hazlitt Arts Centre.
Thursday AFTERNOONS - Ashford: dancing for the Over-50s The Stour Centre.

(under 50's very welcome at all dances, sessions and classes)

Cole Stacey
Friday 4 May, 8.45pm Stage 2
Tickets £10 in advance, £12 on the door
Described by Steve Knightley (Show Of Hands) as an impassioned and ambitious young songwriter, Cole Stacey is a singer-songwriter whose rapidly growing reputation has led to continued airplay on BBC radio, sell-out shows opening for Hayseed Dixie, Cara Dillon and Martin Simpson, headline shows nationwide and appearances at festivals including Bristol Folk Festival, Glastonbury and Sidmouth. In 2012 he is touring accompanied by exceptional violinist & multi-instrumentalist Joseph O'Keefe, followed by a string of high-profile performances and festivals.
"Quality acoustic music." Acoustic Magazine

Boo Hewerdine & Brooks Williams
Tuesday 8 May, 8pm
Tickets £12.50
Hewerdine is an English songwriter and lead singer of indie legends The Bible. Williams is a slide guitar wizard from Georgia, USA. Their plan was to record an album using vintage mics and equipment live in just 5 days. The aim was to capture the sound of two guitarists and singers from completely different backgrounds working together in harmony and after a day and a half they realised it was finished and that the result was even better than they'd hoped for. The album is being released in April 2012 and Boo and Brooks will be touring it here.

Blazin' Fiddles
Thursday 10 May, 8pm
Tickets £18
Take a group of the hottest contemporary fiddle players from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and you've got the award-winning Blazin' Fiddles. No other band quite captures the excitement, passion and sensitivity of Scottish fiddle music as well as Blazin' Fiddles, having grown from a showcase tour of individual fiddlers. Like rare single malts, each member of Blazin' Fiddles draws the distinct flavour of music from their own part of the Highlands and Islands, forming one of the best live acts today.
“The Led Zeppelin of the folk world.” The Scotsman
MEAL DEAL
For an additional £13 per person you can enjoy A Taste of Scotland (vegetarian options available) served in Café in2. Please go to www.stables.org for menu details. Book in advance through the Box Office to reserve your table.

Mairi Morrison & Alasdair Roberts: Urstan
Tuesday 22 May, 8.45pm Stage 2
Tickets £10 in advance, £12 on the door
A unique collaboration between Gaelic singer Mairi Morrison and Scottish folk singer-songwriter Alasdair Roberts, Urstan features traditional Gaelic songs (with a few Scots songs and self-written tracks too) arranged in new ways. The Scottish Gaelic tradition is incredibly rich - each area has its own repertoire of songs. Mairi Morrison represents the traditions of Bragar on the Isle of Lewis, culturally one of the richest of all the Gaelic-speaking parts of Scotland. Alasdair Roberts is a non-Gaelic speaking Lowlander, a folk singer and writer of songs who has a growing interest in Gaelic culture.

Tim Edey & Brendan Power
Saturday 26 May, 8.45pm Stage 2
Tickets £10 in advance, £12 on the door
Tim Edey is one of the finest players on the Celtic music scene, a virtuoso on acoustic guitar and button accordion, touring and recording with Sharon Shannon, Mary Black, Altan and Capercaillie. Brendan Power is one of the most creative harmonica players around, recording with Kate Bush, Sting and Van Morrison. He sings, composes original songs, and throws in some nifty beatboxing too. The duo's blend of passion and virtuosity is infectious. They love to improvise, so every time they do a piece it's different and fresh, with a sheer mad spontaneity which captures audiences everywhere!
“It's folk Jim, but not as we know it!” Mike Harding, BBC Radio 2

Iona
Sunday 3 June, 8pm
Tickets £17.50
From the beginning, Iona's aim has been to write spiritual, atmospheric music that stirs the emotions, weaving complex patterns echoing
the intricate knotwork of Celtic art. Often inspired by the great figures of the Celtic Golden Age such as Columba, Aidan, Brendan and Patrick, Iona's music is as timeless as the message that reaches out to us across the centuries. Combining rock, folk, progressive, ethnic and ambient elements with the crystalline voice of Joanne Hogg, Iona create a blaze of colours and textures, all the sounds fusing into a heartfelt, beautiful cry.
“... Rarely has the new age Celtic thing been given so many welcome twists, or played with such conviction.” Q Magazine

Dougie MacLean
Thursday 7 June, 8pm
Tickets £18
Dougie MacLean is Scotland's pre-eminent singer-songwriter and a national musical treasure who has developed a unique blend of lyrical roots-based songwriting and instrumental composition. Internationally renowned for his song Caledonia, his music for The Last Of The Mohicans and his inspired performances, Dougie performs at The Stables for the first time. His songs have been covered by Paolo Nutini, Amy MacDonald, Ronan Keating, Mary Black, Frankie Miller, Cara Dillon, Kathy Mattea and many other top performers.
“A musical hero.” Wall Street Journal

Bella Hardy
Tuesday 12 June, 8pm
Tickets £15
Acclaimed singer Bella Hardy - three times nominated in the BBC Folk Awards - has a voice that's as mesmerising as it is faultless. She launched her debut solo album Night Visiting in 2007 to overwhelming critical support and has established herself as one of the finest young folk acts around, singing unaccompanied ballads or entwining her hypnotic voice with her own fiddle accompaniment to breathtaking effect. Songs Lost & Stolen is Bella's third album release, a stunning and ambitious step forward from a unique and fascinating songwriter.
“…Seductive and original.” The Telegraph

Hannah James & Sam Sweeney
Friday 22 June, 8.45pm Stage 2
Tickets £10 in advance, £12 on the door
Hannah James & Sam Sweeney are one of the foremost duos performing English folk music today. 2012 sees the release of their highly anticipated second album State And Ancientry. They play predominantly English songs and tunes on accordion and fiddle and their live show includes Hannah's renowned high-energy clog dancing. Hannah and Sam were half of four-piece band Kerfuffle and began performing as a duo in 2008. Their debut Catches & Glees was critically acclaimed and the following year they were nominated for the Horizon Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2010.

LEWES SATURDAY
FOLK CLUB
updated 10.12.10

LEWES SATURDAY FOLK CLUB

Elephant & Castle, White Hill, Lewes BN7 2DJ
www.lewessaturdayfolkclub.org/
Residents: Bryan Creer, Dave Earl, Sandra Goddard, Valmai Goodyear, Suzanne Higgins, Steve & Diane Nevill, George Oakley, Robert O'Mahony, Derek Seed

LEWES ELEPHANT FOLK MUSIC WORKSHOPS 2012

The workshops last a full Saturday or Sunday
& the tutor performs at the Elephant & Castle, White Hill, Lewes BN7 2DJ UK,  in the evening.
Booking forms can be printed from the website www.lewessaturdayfolkclub.org/

       Telephone (01273) 476757 for details.
email: valmaigoodyear _at_ aol.com

For a full list of past and future workshops, please visit the website here

ENGLISH TUNES PRACTICE SESSIONS

'The Lewes Favourites' at the Elephant & Castle
on the fourth Tuesday in the month

These are a regular opportunity to practice tunes popular in local English sessions, whatever instrument you play, to whatever standard, and whether or not you read music. It's a chance to identify some of those tunes you recognise when you hear them but can't quite remember, to put the names to familiar tunes, and to play them over until you are sure of them. You can record the sessions. Admission is free.

You can download 180 of the tunes plus 33 recent additions in Noteworthy Composer, ABC and midi form from the Lewes Arms Folk Club website www.lewesarmsfolkclub.org/: go to Links and then to Lewes Favourites. The 'Lewes Favourites' tune book compiled by Andy Warburton contains background information and pictures as well. It is available from the contacts below or through the website, price £10 plus £1 p&p, by cheque payable to 'Lewes Arms Folk Club' (that's right). A supplement of the additions is available at the sessions.

We meet in the Elephant & Castle club-room, White Hill, Lewes BN7 2DJ from 8.00 p.m. onwards on the fourth Tuesday of every month.

CONCERTINAS ANONYMOUS

An informal session for concertina players of all systems to learn tunes together, swap ideas & techniques & maybe show off your party piece in an unpressured atmosphere.
The Elephant & Castle
(upstairs) 8.00 pm
Second Tuesday evening of the month
Admission free

For further information
ring Bryan Creer at home on 01323 505372
Bryancreer _at_ aol.com
www.lewessaturdayfolkclub.org/LAFC/concanon.html

ENGLISH TUNES SESSIONS at Glynde - MOVED

The English tunes session which used to be at the Trevor Arms in Glynde on the first Sunday afternoon of the month has moved to The Black Horse. It now starts at noon and finishes at 2.30 p.m. at the landlady's request. Bryan Creer leads on English concertina & fiddle. There is ample parking in the grounds of County Hall opposite.

Valmai Goodyear 01273 476757
Lewes Saturday Folk Club
Residents: Bryan Creer, Dave Earl, Sandra Goddard, Valmai Goodyear, Steve & Diane Nevill, George Oakley,
Robert O'Mahony, Derek Seed