Da Fishing Hands

I'm really looking forward to beginning work on a brand new project spearheaded by Inge Thomson, also featuring Fraser Fifield, Steven Polwart and Graeme Smillie. It's a new body of work with music by Inge and lyrics from Lise Sinclair. 

Da Fishing Hands is a collection of songs and instrumental pieces commissioned by Fair Isle Marine Environment and Tourism Initiative (FIMETI). The project highlights the influence of marine heritage on Fair Isle and raises awareness of the significance of the sea in the survival of this island community.  You can read more about the project in Inge's interview with Folk Radio here.

23rd May - Fair Isle Community Hall

24th May - Hillswick Hall with special guest Martin Simpson: tickets

25th May - Mareel: tickets

 

 

Spring news

These last couple of months have shot past. I had a great time supporting Anais Mitchell in Gateshead's Little Theatre; For Folk's Sake said some very nice words about the evening here.  Then work continued in earnest for Admiral Fallow's self-curated night at the Glasgow Film Festival; we wrote new music for ten short films of a few minutes each, and performed it at the Old Fruitmarket underneath the big screen.  It was an enjoyable challenge for us all! Special thanks must go to Tom Harrison for all his hard work throughout the project. I've been doing some tutoring for New Rhythms for Glasgow, a fantastic organisation who provide a whole range of music and arts opportunities in the community. It's well worth checking out their programme of events.

Next up, Wildings will be back in the studio at Gran's House, to complete the tracking of our debut album. The three of us have been busy with separate commitments over the past few months, but it's always a lot of fun when we get together. I'm looking forward to playing some more tunes with Fiona and Jen this weekend!

Watch this space for more news soon, including a trip to Shetland and a gig in cyberspace...

Woven

I've just about recovered from this weekend's performance of 'Woven', my New Voices commission, at Celtic Connections! A huge thank you to the festival for the opportunity, everyone at the Mitchell Theatre for helping it run smoothly on the day, and of course the band - Fiona, Mairearad, Ali, James and Phil - for all their hard work. I've really enjoyed the whole process, right through from the beginning of October up to the gig, and am thrilled with this Scotsman review today. Really looking forward to getting out and about to enjoy the rest of Celtic Connections, and also to hearing Lorne MacDougall and Rachel Newton's New Voices concerts, on 26th Jan and 2nd Feb respectively.  The New Voices strand to the festival is a really inspiring and worthwhile one; if you haven't already got tickets for these, check out the CC website for details.

Wading about in the murky waters of music composition

Celtic Connections have commissioned me to write a brand new piece as part of their annual New Voices concerts. I'm in very good company next year, with Lorne MacDougall and Rachel Newton also featuring. My concert is at 1pm on 19th January, Mitchell Theatre, Glasgow; here's the festival event page. I've got a lovely band playing with me: Fiona MacAskill (fiddle), Mairearad Green (accordion), Ali Hutton (guitar), James Lindsay (upright bass) and Phil Hague (percussion). It's a daunting but very exciting challenge; watch this space for updates...

 

 

Gateshead Old Town Hall gig

This Saturday 2nd November I'll be supporting Mairearad Green and Anna Massie in Gateshead. You can find more information here. I did my work experience at Folkworks when they were based at the Old Town Hall, ahead of their move to the Sage Gateshead a few years back. Really looking forward to playing there, and hearing Mairearad and Anna, too. I caught them in Glasgow earlier this year and they were fantastic.