Ros Gasson - 28 January 2009, 11:58

Dahooley Ceilidh Band
Started performing in 1995, and still going strong, as a professional ceilidh band
The original band members all met through ALP classes in the early 90’s. Performing highlights include a trip to Hong Kong in 1997, to play at Hogmanay celebrations, and annual gigs in the Edinburgh Corn Exchange for the St Columba’s Hospice Burns Supper

http://www.dahooley.co.uk/

Jannet Fink - 28 January 2009, 13:26

Blue Yarn & Copper Wire
Jannet Fink – violin
Jan Waddell – accordion
Carole Clarke – voice

Our first opportunity to perform outside the schoolgates (where we met since our children all go there) was via the SMG performers list. So far we played at an African party, a couple of ‘Craigmillar Books for Babies’ events, at Fountainbridge Library and at the Volunteer Awards Event.

Blue Yarn & Copper Wire play European Folk Tunes and Songs

Anne Renshaw - 28 January 2009, 17:53

Anne Renshaw – amateur singer/songwriter
I gained confidence in performing solo at SMG‘s ‘Cafe Ceilidh’ and then later at ‘The Big Seat by the Fire’ both of which I started going to in 2007. I also started writing my own songs that year, using these performance opportunities to guage reaction to them. Contacts made through this and SMG‘s ‘Linten Adie’ class led to singing at pub and folk club sessions and I’ve now had several floor spots at a couple of clubs. Highlights so far are being asked to be one of three acts at a concert(The Flowers of Edinburgh)last April, Winning the audience vote at the Edinburgh Folk Club songwriting competition last June for my song ‘The Slender Tree’ and doing a half hour songs/chat interview for Radio Borders earlier this month (January).

Alex Binnie - 29 January 2009, 13:58

Alex Binnie (Mixed Instrument classes for around five years now, also graduate of Linten Adie)
I’ve been playing pipes and fiddle for many years now, but SMG has certainly helped my solo career, such as it is; the Cafe Ceilidh format is just right, a really encouraging atmosphere for would-be soloists.
High points? For pipes certainly playing in Standard Life Head office during business hours (pandemonium!), and for fiddle the chance to impress fellow pipers at our Burns Suppers.
Thanks to Ros there have also been chances to play informally in public on occasion.

Trish Santer - 30 January 2009, 12:25

Trish Santer
I have been involved with SMG for nearly 10 years now, and pretty well gone full circle! I started off playing bodhran with the Skeerwud band, which was an offshoot of the then ALPSMG.
Then SMG helped me to find a private button accordion tutor, Leo McCann (ex-Malinky):I had been struggling unsuccessfully to learn from a book until then! To try to help my playing along, I joined James Ross’s Mixed Instrument class, and met many nice people through this, sometimes playing together in each others’ homes. I have also been a part of Linten Adie and other singing classes, write songs, and regularly perform at Cafe Ceilidh, Big Seat and a number of folk clubs, and festival Open Stages, both solo and in various combinations with other instrumentalists and singers. I also took up mandolin in Nigel’s classes.
I have been on several trips to France with Linlithgow Twinning Association, where we play and sing for our French hosts, and they do their music for us.As a result of this international friendship we now have an invitation to Lorient Festival this year. One high spot was playing “support” to the resident band on the Rosyth to Zeebrugge ferry!
I have very recently joined Ceildh Caleerie, and this is where the circle comes round, as I’m back to playing bodhran!

David Haggart - 31 January 2009, 00:34

David Haggart
started with s.m.g about 4 years ago as an “Absolute beginner” Thanks to quite outstanding patience by “tutors” Gica Loening, Mike Vass, and lots of support from all at “The Diggers“Pub I have now reached the Dizzy” heights of “upper Intermediate” Some may dipute this!including myself!!when practising!I have played “Solo” recently in various Pubs and for friends. also at” The Seat by the fire” things have definately improved! as my dogs have stopped howling!and my wife now WANTS to hear me play!!! big thank you to “ros“for encouragement and listenig and learning at the Diggers! I am over 65 have enjoyed every minute of the invaluable lessons so give it a try!

Maureen Morris - 2 February 2009, 14:14

I was introduced to Sangstream Folk Choir in 2001 by Carol and Richard Forsyth, who I had known for years and who had joined the choir in 2000. Previously I had only ever sang in the car or kitchen and never really knew any scottish songs. I discovered that as well as singing the melody I love singing and arranging harmonies. A couple of years later the three of us got together to sing at a Burns Supper night and then we were asked to sing for a convention of European Registrars hosted by the General Register Office Scotland which was meeting in Edinburgh. The three of us now call ourselves The Thrie Forths and have sung at a number of gigs including the Sangstream & Friends concert 2008, where our version of the Keltie Clippie was very well received.

Vic Higham - 3 February 2009, 12:50

Button Ben Band
Sue Higham – button accordion
Ros Gasson – fiddle
Vic Higham – mandola

We have been playing together for many years at the regular Diggers session on Wednesday evenings, from which several performing partnerships have evolved. Last year a publishing company asked Ros if any musicians from SMG could provide background music for an event at Adam House to celebrate 500 years of publishing in Scotland, so we put together about an hour’s worth of sets and duly performed at said event in April. Since then we have been asked to provide background music at a number of book signing events to promote the Maw Broon But an’ Ben cookbook (hence our name!) The most memorable one was in January this year in the Queen Anne room at the top of Edinburgh Castle to promote The Broons’ Burns Night cookbook. Superb acoustics, free haggis tasting, free whisky tasting – great atmosphere!

The Publishing Company kindly donated a significant sum of money to SMG for our efforts.

We have also provided music at lunchtimes in St George’s café, at the Edinburgh Open Doors day at the Assembly Rooms, at a recent ALP recruitment event and at the Big Seat.

Contact: Ros at SMG

Ros Gasson - 3 February 2009, 17:31

Received from Stan Reeves:

The Robert Fish Band emerged from the Adult Learning Project and the Scots Music Group. We started as an open rehearsal group on a Saturday morning for anyone who wanted to play for ALP fundraising Ceilidh Dances, in St. Brides and other local venues. Stan and Vernon were ALP workers playing button box and fiddle respectively and formed the core and lots of people dropped in and played in the early days. Local musos like Marta McGlynn, Johnny Cradden (guitar and Skeerwud Band tutor) joined in. After a year of fundraising gigs we decided to make a closed group and were called “The Pentland Flyers” and “The Red Hot Polkas” before settling on “The Robert Fish Band”. The first RFB line up was Johnny on Mandolin, Bouzouki and guitar, Roy Carbarns (Local club musician) on guitar. Colin White (ALP Numeracy tutor), Dave Copper, Colin’s friend, Stan, Vernon. Some other fiddlers guested (including a young Bruce McGregor! Alasdair Fraser and Liz Docherty)

Sarah Northcott joined SMG as Stan’s whistle student but then took fiddle lessons and within a year or so was playing alongside Vernon.

The RFB has played all over the place since then. ALP established monthly ceilidhs in the Assembly Rooms in 1991 and we were the house band then until 2000 playing for ALP and loads of other voluntary organisations. Council letting policy changed and priced vol orgs out of the assembly rooms. So from a good public ceilidh almost every weekend in the nineties, there are now only two or three per year. Highlights at the Assembly Rooms were playing during the Commonwealth Heads of Government conference, when we also organised and played before the biggest strip the willow in the world closing the mound to traffic and dancing from the top to Princes Street. We played at “The Hooley” for the opening of the Scottish parliament with all the MSPs, and Cathy Peattie MSP (ALP Song Student) sang the Freedom Come All Ye

We still play regularly, made a CD and have played in Brittany, and Germany.

Ros Gasson - 3 February 2009, 18:05

Snap Chouchenn played together (very sporadically!) over a period of around 5 years. The band started off with 4 musicians – 2 of us from Edinburgh, and 2 from Commana in Brittany. We met on an ALP exchange trip to Donegal in 1999. Inevitably band practices were not that regular!

Over the following 5 years, we met to play together in Brittany, Edinburgh, Donegal, and also had some lovely reunions at Rowborough Farm in the Cotswolds.

Highlights include Stripping the Willow in Brittany, Gavotting in St Bride’s, a live appearance on Raidio na Gaeltachta,a memorable kitchen percussion session, possibly the first ever ‘two-tier scottishe’....and of course Bryan’s doughnuts…

Karine Polwart - 3 February 2009, 20:22

Karine Polwart joined Eileen Penman’s Women and Folksong class in 1997 (I think). She was a founder member of a capella group Stairheid Gossip with Eileen and four other classmates and also formed Scots-Irish band Malinky in 1998. She replaced Eileen as song class tutor in 2001 and taught SMG classes for a couple of years whilst also performing as a member of vocal duo macAlias and Battlefield Band. Since 2005, she’s pursued a successful solo career as a singer and songwriter. She was inaugural winner of Scots Singer of the Year at the Scots Trad Music Awards and is a 4 times winner at the UK wide BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

Karine Polwart - 3 February 2009, 20:24

Female vocal harmony group Stairheid Gossip formed from Eileen Penman’s immensely popular Women and Folksong class back in 1998. Since then the group have performed across the UK and Ireland and recorded a CD for acclaimed Scottish folk label Greentrax. I’m sure they can add more details themselves!!

Sarah Northcott - 4 February 2009, 09:23

Matt Smith & Sarah Northcott met when Matt joined Sarah’s Mixed Instrument Class many moons ago….

Sarah began playing traditional music in Stan’s Whistle class (see Robert Fish Band above). She then joined Johnny Cradden’s Mixed Instrument class (playing fiddle) which was soon oversubscribed, and Sarah was asked to teach a class of her own.

Matt spent much of his childhood following the Westminster Morris Men from pub to pub while his dad played the accordion. Despite this, he retained an enthusiasm for traditional music which really began to flourish when he simultaneously discovered Guinness, Irish music and DADGAD guitar tuning in the pubs of Coventry in the early 1990s.

Matt & Sarah have performed at various venues around Scotland and as far afield as the Celts in the Cotswolds Festival (supporting Catriona MacDonald). Their music ranges from traditional English and Scottish dance tunes, via Scandinavia and Brittany, to their own original (and sometimes quirky) tunes. They released a CD called “Cow TV” in 2004 and are planning another.

Ros Gasson - 6 February 2009, 18:53

Received from Morag Dempsey

Linties hatched from a Scots Music Group singing class run by Scott Murray, at the end of 2001. With Scott’s help and encouragement we started singing together – our first outing was at the SMG‘s Big Seat by the Fire, closely followed by a spot at Stirling Folk Club supporting Sangsters. Since then we’ve enjoyed performing at many folk clubs and festivals, and in 2008 released our first CD ‘Waitin on a bus’. Linties recently performed at Edinburgh Folk Club’s Burns Supper and are guests at Keith Festival this June.

Linties also learned to create their own harmonies at SMG harmony classes led by Yvonne Burgess.

Possible highlight was making the “Highly Commended” list at Celtic Connections’ Danny Kyle Open Stage in 2007 but we love performing anywhere, anytime. This simply wouldn’t have happened without the start that SMG gave us.

http://www.myspace.com/linties

Ros Gasson - 12 February 2009, 15:58

Received from Gordon Wilson

Andrew MacIntyre Experience includes Andrew MacIntyre (pipes, whistle) Ann Ward (concertina, flute) Pamela Carr (concertina, flute) and Gordon Wilson (fiddle). They are an amateur group that got together in 2006, having met through SMG sessions/classes. They continue to perform occasionally. Performing highlights include Fiddle Festival open stage in 2007, and playing for Christmas lunch at the Cowgate Centre

Ros Gasson - 12 February 2009, 15:59

Received from Gordon Wilson
Andrew MacIntyre (pipes whistles) and Gordon Wilson (fiddle) started playing as an amateur duo in 2006, having met through SMG sessions. Both attend SMG classes. They have performed at a variety of community events, including Burns nights and Argyll association ceilidhs

Ros Gasson - 12 February 2009, 16:00

Received from Gordon Wilson

Mystery Peat – or Gamash were Anne Hunter (fiddle, voice and others), Mits Ota (Fiddle, mandolin, guitar, others) Gordon Wilson (fiddle) Anja Salinger-Carsley (Cello), and Andrew MacIntrye (Pipes whistles). They first performed together in 2003 after most of the group’s members met each other in Derek Hoy’s SMG fiddle class. They were an amateur group, and currently aren’t performing. Performing highlights include playing in the Botanic Gardens, Mayfield scouts, and a fundraiser for Garvald in St Bride’s

Ros Gasson - 24 February 2009, 22:34

The Cryptkicker 5 are 1 guitarist and 4 fiddlers from the SMG ‘Diggers’ session, who initially got together to perform on the open stage at Fiddle 2007. It was so much fun, they’ve carried on playing at various events since then. Highlights include performing at the SMG Campaign Ceilidh (most notable for the acoustics in the dressing room!), Edinburgh Folk Club and Penicuik Folk Club

Vic Higham - 28 February 2009, 20:12

Simeon MacCrae and Friends

Corinne Clarke – fiddle
Sue Higham – button accordion
Andrew MacIntyre – pipes & whistles
Vic Higham – mandola

We are an amateur group of past/present SMG students and came to know each other through the regular Wednesday night Diggers sessions. In 2006 we started playing in the Base at Boroughmuir on class nights with the object of encouraging other students to join in and play in a relaxed, mixed instrument environment.

Our first public gig was at Stockbridge Festival in September 2007. A lovely sunny day meant that few people came into the marquee to hear us so it was a bit like performing on the radio – it seemed we were broadcasting over the PA to the rest of Stockbridge!

Our most memorable (and perhaps scariest) gig was at the Open Stage of Fiddle 2007. We’ve also played at the Argyll Society Ceilidh a couple of times and, of course, at the Big Seat.

We will be performing a few sets at the Diggers Fundraising Concert for SMG, to be held in the Pleasance Cabaret Bar on the Ides of March.

Hazel Forsyth - 9 March 2009, 16:36

Hazel Forsyth, singer/song-writer

I didn’t feel confident enough to sing in public until I went to Queensland, where I started a folk group. We had one professional gig before we had to split up. Back home in Edinburgh I wanted more singing, and in 2004 enrolled with the Scots Music Group’s Linten Adie daytime class.

With great tutor support I took ‘baby steps’ by singing at very informal singarounds, progressing to solos during concerts given by the Linten Adie choir and then at the SMG‘s Big Seat folk club. This then gave me courage to perform at ALP‘s pot-luck suppers and ‘Welcoming’ afternoons, pub sessions such as The Royal Oak, and the Cafe Ceilidh afternoons at the Storytelling Centre.

Already a fiction writer and poet in English, I began to write songs in Scots. I attended workshops at the Storytelling Centre and am working on combining singing and storytelling.

I’m now confident enough to sing for all sorts and sizes of audiences, for example in the Netherbow Theatre, at the Edinburgh-Argyll Society ceilidhs, and (soon) The Priory at South Queensferry. I like to sing traditional songs and some contemporary folk songs, plus slave and blues songs and spirituals, along with some of my own work.

Hazel Forsyth - 16 March 2009, 12:08

Linten Adie

The SMG‘s Linten Adie class meets on Tuesday mornings at St Bride’s with tutor Scott Murray of Sangsters, who took over from Mary McCann during 2007.

Our 2001 ‘ancestor’ was a daytime class of 8 or 9 students called Chantin, Snappin & Birlin, started by Stan Reeves of ALP, who tutored dance and instruments, with Mary McCann teaching song. Founder members think warmly of this class. Eventually moothie and whistle classes were set up separately.

Then Mary, with SMG‘s help, started a class at St Bride’s Community Centre. We are grateful to St Bride’s for giving us a base and supporting us. To encourage us to perform, Mary held end-of-term class singarounds in which we shared songs and learned from each other, and took us to workshops to broaden our experience and perhaps develop hidden talents. Our first concert was for St Bride’s Social Club. Other St Bride’s concerts ensued, then we branched out by entertaining folk in a club for dementia sufferers at Oxgangs.

A name for the choir was chosen and we’ve been Linten Adie ever since. Class numbers have built to 30 and we are asked to sing for a variety of audiences. We host regular Cafe Ceilidh sessions at St Colm’s and the Storytelling Centre. Our other outreach activities in 2008 totalled 18. Some of the venues were St Bride’s, St George’s West, St Andrew’s Clermiston, Lauriston Convent, Gorgie City Farm, the Eric Liddell Centre, the Netherbow Theatre, Balerno Folk Club and Dundee’s Caird Hall. This year’s shaping up to be just as busy.

Ros Gasson - 18 March 2009, 11:02

Received from Caroline Jones:

I have started playing at several local Accordion and Fiddle clubs both by myself and with my friend who learns accordion with SMG.

I would not have done this had I not taken up lessons with SMG last year after not having played my fiddle for about 12 years!

Maureen Morris - 22 March 2009, 13:04

Sangstream were formed just over ten years ago by Christine Kydd as an ALP class. Jenny Clark took over musical directorship of the choir at the end of 2000 and encouraged the choir to go out and perform in public. The current musical director is Mairi Campbell.

With the raised profile the numbers of people wanting to join the choir increased and a decision was made at an AGM to limit the number of choir members to 50, which at the time seemed an improbable number as we had a membership in the high 30’s.

The choir has been involved in a fair number of concerts over the last few years including laying on our own concerts as part of Edinburgh’s Ceilidh Culture and inviting guests to perform with us. Last year we sang at the launch of the Ceilidh Culture in The Hub, went to Barga at the invitation of Hamish Moore to take part in a concert and took part in the Three Harbours Festival. We have a concert at the beginning of April in St Brides, Edinburgh.

Scott Murray - 20 April 2009, 09:05

Lucy Pringle
Lucy started off in the same singing class as her fellow Linties (see above) and performed with them before going off to have a ball in Australia for a year or so (having won the Trad Singing at TMSA‘s Muchty Fetival).
She has been making a name for herself since returning to Edinburgh and recently won a Danny at Celtic Connections with her splendid guitarist Chris Wright.
Listen to her exquisite Scots singing here:
http://www.myspace.com/pringlewright
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76BjhJxLA2Q

Kenneth Graham - 3 June 2009, 17:52

The Wanton Pegs

Rebecca McDonald – Fiddle
Martin Finnigan – Mandolin/Whistles
Kenny Graham – Guitar/Cittern

Opening gig last Saturday supporting Conrad Ivitski Molleson’s Stringjammer at Leith Folk Club.

More to come!

Trish Santer - 6 July 2009, 15:49

SONRISA!!
This group of six singers was formed to add a few songs to the repertoire during Ceilidh Caleerie’s recent trip to Spain: the group comprises David Tweedie, Duncan Sutherland, Heather Harbinson, Anna Fraser, Lilias MacDonald and Trish Santer. The group initially had no name, but eventually took on Helena’s frequent admonitions to the band to “SONRISAAAAAA!!” (Smile!)
Songs chosen included the Eriskay Love Lilt and Mairi’s Wedding, with Fiona Campbell providing the “Step we gaily” with her Scottish step-dancing.
Helena was a wonderfully imaginative translator too, doing all the dance calling in Spanish.
Some pics of Sonrisa (smiling?) can be seen in the Flickr slideshow of Ceilidh Caleerie in Spain.

Pauline Thompson - 10 July 2009, 10:41

Pauline (Famous in (but not for!) Flood Risk Management!)

SMG has “changed my life”!!! And I am not exaggerating. Started singing with Sangstream (who are still my main social life!) and they twisted my arm to get the viola and violin out of the cupboard and play a bit at some of their concerts and a lot at all their social events. I bet they are regretting encouraging me – there is no shutting me up now! That led to all sorts of different classes with SMG and much further afield. I have become a fiddle tourist and been several times to Skye, Beauly, Taransay, Ullapool, Lismore, Orkney… and even the depths of Oxfordshire to try some Bluegrass…

My latest foolish exploit was offering to do a ceilidh for a conference at work – it could have been embarrassing! But I was very lucky and convinced Sarah Northcott, Andrew Macintyre, and Davids Begg and Gillespie (all SMG pals) to help me out. No shortage of talent for filling in a few solo spots over dinner. Getting them dancing was rather a daunting task with many international students and not a lot of women (9!) – but we managed it! PHEW – I don’t have to give up the day job in embarrassment just yet! Though with all this music I don’t really have time to go to work…

Fiona Jamieson - 28 August 2009, 16:39

Fiona Jamieson

I’m a fiddler in the ‘Southsiders’ a wee band that has raised money for the Vine Trust helping street children in South America. We play the occasional ceilidh, and in nursing homes and sheltered housing. When I started with the band about 8 years ago, I mimed the greater part of the first gig!! SMG has brought on my playing and confidence no end and given me endless fun. I’m now managing to play without music which I never thought I could do. It’s great for my brain and my health!

Bob Murray - 26 September 2009, 19:56

Noisy Shoes

Mixed instrumental band “Noisy Shoes” was formed by Bob Murray mainly from regular players at The Tass Wednesday Session. That session started life as a tutor-led session after Scots Music Group classes, and still gets much of its new blood from SMG students. Informal groupings had been pulled together on various occasions over the years, but Noisy Shoes as a “proper band” was started at the beginning of 2009.
The band can have anything from three to eight members, depending on the event, and will typically have a mix of fiddles, mandolin, accordion, cello, whistle, bass guitar, guitar, and voice.
Noisy Shoes tend to choose gigs that look like they would be interesting or fun, or that are for events and organisations they would like to support.
Performing highlight must be (and possibly always will be !) playing at Burns Cottage in Alloway on 25 January 2009, the Bard’s 250th birth anniversary. And the spine-tinglingly-special high point of that was rounding off the afternoon’s anniversary events by singing Auld Lang Syne (original tune) at the front door of the cottage.

Contact; Bob Murray 0131 552 1220 http://www.noisyshoes.com

Scott Murray - 11 October 2009, 14:35

Sibbi Laing

Sibbi goes to the Song – Guitar Accompaniment & Interpretation class on a Tuesday, and has attended other SMG classes in the past.

She now sings solo at sessions (‘a lovely singer’ says Jim Weatherston of Nitten FC, and her Tuesday evening tutor agrees), and with her pal Moira and sister Caroline is a member of ‘Silver Darlings’ who sing a cappella, in harmony. After a ten year break to raise children, get pressured at work etc. they are practising hard before performing at Perthshire Amber Festival’s Open Mic on Saturday 7th November, and doing an extended spot at Nitten Folk Club on Thursday 3rd December, supporting Sangsters.

They did a 5 song set at Nitten Folk Club which had the audience enthralled. See what you think of them by listening to a clip from their spot at Perthshire Amber Festival

Sibbi, Moira and Caroline (Silver Darlings) now have their own MySpace page – terrific arrangements and singing

David Leslie - 24 November 2009, 18:08

Tanteerie

Tanteerie are Jane Jackson, Penny Forsyth and Tom Kane, who met through Sangstream and started singing as a threesome in 2002. Busy lives have prevented them performing as much together as others would have liked, but they have topped the Garden Sessions download charts on several occasions (sample download), and their beautiful a cappella harmonies, mostly arranged by Jane, have been known to silence the rowdiest of bars. However, with Penny’s imminent departure from Edinburgh, what are they going to get up to now?

Ros Gasson - 15 January 2010, 19:53

The Diggers Band

The Diggers Band is a varying collection of musicians who have been playing and singing regularly in the Diggers session for many years. Most of the band members learned to play through the Scots Music Group. We first got together to organise a fundraising concert for SMG in March 2009. Since then, we’ve also been involved in a fundraising concert at the Royal Scottish Academy, and are now looking forwards to an appearance at a Sangstream concert in March 2010