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THE MUSIC DIARY…

Welcome to our wonderful Folk Club, which is staging live shows every Wednesday in the Pontyclun Institute Athletic Club at 8.30pm. 

Our Zoomaround sessions start on the first Tuesday of the month (8.15pm for 8.30pm) – https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89787380016 Meeting ID: 897 8738 0016 – no password. We hope to see you there!

 

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August 3, 2022: Beach Party with Jack Dawgs (Wales)

Howlin’ good-time music! Jack Dawgs is one of the latest Swansea bluegrass bands which was put together by Gower Bluegrass Festival organiser and guitarist Roland Emmanuel – Roland, who started a number of local bands including The Grass Snakes and Roots ‘n’ Galoots, can be seen in the picture, standing right next to the double-bass player.

It’s August, it’s the long, hot summer, and so compere Pat has organised a Beach Party – bring your virtual deck chairs, your shorts and your sandals! The Beach Party includes competitions for Knobbly Knees and Bulging Biceps – with prizes!

(£8 entry, £5 members)

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August 17: Fellow Pynins (USA)

Fellow Pynins is a Portland, Oregon-based award-winning contemporary folk duo with a keen and bucolic sense of vocal harmony and song craft anchored in the balladry tradition. The duo consists of Dani Aubert (claw-hammer banjo, bouzouki) and Ian George (guitar, mandolin). They are songwriters, collectors and interpreters. Since 2016 the duo has toured the US incessantly and has gathered significant traction in the UK/ and Ireland, gracing festivals such as Cambridge Folk Festival, Wilderness Festival, Omagh Bluegrass Festival, and selling out legs of their most recent UK and Ireland tour. In 2019 they were named by NPR’s Bob Boilen as one of the best Tiny Desk submissions and the same year won the Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time duet competition. Watch their ‘Pretty Polly video.

(£8 entry, £5 members)

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September 7, 2022:  Road Not Taken

Road Not Taken are a Bristol-based four-piece who are currently coming to Llantrisant on their September Wales-and-England tour. Having honed their craft over a number of years of performing live, their debut album Fragment brings together eight songs, inspired by the tradition. It’s a collection of five inventive and atmospheric arrangements of traditional folk songs and tunes, two originals and a creative arrangement of a popular classic. Singer Anita Dobson’s clear and striking vocal soars over hypnotically beautiful melodies from Claire Hamlen on violin and viola, underpinned by Ant Miles’ understated finger-style guitar and Joe Hamlen’s creative use of harmonium, banjo and bass guitar. (Ant is chairman of Downend Folk Club and director of Fancourt folk agency.) 

Sadly, this will be their final tour for the forseeable future. They say: “We were on tour when Covid hit in 2020 and had to cut it short. We’ve not been able to do much between now and then, so it will be lovely to get back out on the road together and play some music for you. We love performing together, but the pandemic has changed all of our lives and unfortunately we can’t really see a way to make the band work going forward. We wanted to go out with a bang, so we do hope you’ll come and join us at a gig in September.” 

Please watch Road Not Taken’s video of ‘Hares On A Mountain’ /’Devlin’s Favourite’.

(£8 admission, £5 members)

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September 14, 2022: Showcase with Aidan Sheehan’s Harmonica Club 

Although currently based in the Pantmawr Inn, Rhiwbina, Aidan Sheehan’s user-friendly, sociable and never serious harmonica nights actually started in the Old School House Centre in Llantrisant. Every now and then, Llantrisant Folk Club kindly invite the Harmonica Club back to their original home to play – and they love doing that. These musicians regularly attend The Second Tuesday Folk Club and Open Mic at Whitchurch Rugby Club in Cardiff, where Aidan (apart from playing a harmonica and Cajun accordion in the roots-and-good-country band The Whisky River Boys) is the MC.

So, come along and enjoy the show! Welcome to the world of harmonicas! they’ll be presenting some folk, country, jazz and singalongs – song-sheets provided. Don’t miss it!

(£3 entry)

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September 28, 2022: Hungrytown (USA)

After more than 15 years of world-wide touring and three album releases, Rebecca Hall and Ken Anderson – otherwise known as Hungrytown — have earned a reputation for the quality and authenticity of their song-writing.  Lyricist Rebecca is credited with compositions “that sound as timeless as any traditional songs” (Northern Sky, UK) while producer /multi-instrumentalist /husband Ken is lauded for his “remarkable affinity for instrumental embellishment” (No Depression) and for crafting Hungrytown’s “gorgeous vocal harmonies” (Folk and Roots, UK).

Hungrytown’s introduction to folk music came when a close friend, who died young due to a tragic misdiagnosis, entrusted to them her collection of 1960s folk albums and her guitar, which has since been featured on all of their albums. Inspired by the grit and true-to-life experiences she heard in these traditional ballads, Rebecca was inspired to write the lyrics that later became her first songs, aided by Ken’s flair for musical arrangement. Soon afterwards, Rebecca released two solo albums, Sings! (1999) and Sunday Afternoon (2002), both produced by Ken. In the winter of 2003, the duo quit their desk jobs, moved to the green hills of Vermont and decided to pursue a full-time career as touring musicians. They released their first CD, Hungrytown, in 2008; Any Forgotten Thing in 2011; and Further West in 2015. The couple continue to spend more than half of each year on the road in North America, Europe and New Zealand. 

Please watch this video of Hungrytown performing ‘Hard Way To Learn’ in the BBC Wiltshire studio.

(£8 admission, £5 members)

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October 19, 2022 – Fundraising evening for MacMillan Nurses, organised by Julie Croad

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November 2, 2022: Ryan Young & David Foley (Scotland)

Ryan Young brings new and exciting ideas to traditional Scottish music, receiving international praise for his spell-binding interpretations on the fiddle. Focussing on traditional Scottish music, Ryan brings new life to very old, often forgotten tunes by playing them in his own unique way. His fiddle playing is brimming with fresh melodic ideas, an uplifting rhythmic drive and a great depth of dynamics and precision. His sound is very distinctive and takes you on an emotional and adventurous journey in any performance. He studied and graduated with a first class honours degree in Scottish Music from The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and has now also completed his Master’s in Music. Ryan has been nominated twice for the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award; he won the Celtic Connections Danny Kyle Award and was as a finalist in BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician (2015 and 2016). 

Ryan is accompanied by David Foley; please watch a video of Ryan and David playing The Leith Folk Club, Edinburgh. 

(£8 admission, £5 members)

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November 9, 2022: Showcase with Huw Williams – Songs From The Shows (Wales)

Who honestly doesn’t love the wonderful ‘Happy Talk’ from South Pacific? Huw decided to take on the challenge of a vast compendium of memorable hits from London’s West End or New York’s Broadway – and he’ll be performing to you right then and and there!

(£3 admission)

 

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November 16, 2022: Janie Meneely, Rob Van Sante & John Conolly

Grimsby Folk Club co-founder John Conolly. American Janie Meneely and Dutchman Rob Van Sante perform maritime folk music from both sides of the pond and their own instant-classic originals. These are songwriters whose material is often mistaken for old folk songs. John, who plays guitar and squeezebox, is an internationally-known songwriter who wrote ‘Fiddler’s Green’, and the mug-swinging chorus has been sung in pubs from Brittany to Bermuda, from Washington to Warsaw and from Berlin to Baltimore. Janie has heard ‘Twiddles’ performed by artists who introduced it as a traditional forebitter – nope, it’s one of hers. Guitarist Rob, when not touring with Janie in the wake of their duo CD Partners, tours and records with Alan Reid of the Battlefield Band.

John, Rob and Janie have toured successfully in the USA and UK, and they’re looking forward to bringing their salty and stirring music to Llantrisant Folk Club.

(£8 entry, £5 members)

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November 30, 2022:  Showcase with Stone Mountain Ramblers (Wales)

Tony, Lee, Martin and Ian are based In Cwmbran and have just formed themselves into an acoustic quartet. They are looking to get involved with the folk scene and will be working on developing a varied repertoire with a focus on developing vocal harmonies.

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December  14: Christmas Party #1 with Chiefly Ourselves

Bring a SMALL plate of something to share and fabulous Christmas raffle.

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December 21, 2022: Christmas Party #2: The Magical Christmas Tree with Emily Sanders, Chris Parkinson and Pete Morton

(£8 admission, £5 members)

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January 11, 2023: David Boulton

David is a singer and songwriter from Stoke On Trent. In the dim and distant days, he used to gig with his friend  Jeff Parton in the duo His Worship And The Pig. David says: “Since we retired, I have been surprised by the level of interest still shown in the music we made and performed for over 20 years. People enquire about CDs or specific tracks and are playing them as part of their repertoire. Some, have even been recorded by other performers or used for various celebrations and a few for some touching remembrances and memorials.

“All this made me think that there is still a reason to keep these songs alive and available. I’m also hoping that people who haven’t heard the songs might also be interested…  I hope to trigger some fond memories of those times too.”

(£8 admission, £5 members)

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March 15, 2023: Megan Henwood & Findlay Napier (England/Scotland)

(£8 entry, £5 members)

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March 29, 2023: Mike & Dylan James (Brittany)

(£8 entry, £5 members)

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April 12, 2023: Tania Opland & Mike Freeman (Alaska/UK)

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October 11, 2023:  Colum Sands (Ireland)

 

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August 7, 2024: Les Barker

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For past guests, click here

For booking Information & general enquiries…

Pat Smith			Mick Tems
Telephone	01443 226892		Telephone	01443 201634
Mobile	07989 209824		Mobile	07531 812400
Email (click)	Pat Smith		Email (click)	Mick Tems