All posts by Gavin Atkin

Traditional and old fashioned songs, dances and tunes in mid-Kent

Sing forgotten old local carols with us!

carolling 1

Come and learn some lost local old carols with us .

We’re working on the carols because they’re fun to learn, but also because we’re planning to sing them at two evenings of carol singing with song sheets in the pub at the West End Tavern, Marden from 8pm on the 13th and 20th December.

This is not a choir – just a cracking good sing – but further practices will be announced for those who would like to get to know them in advance. These practices will be at Marden.

We’re all used to hearing the same few carols each year – but actually there are many more around the country. Most of the ones we’ll be singing come from a book of lost local carols researched and edited by George Frampton, and published by the Faversham Society.

For information contact Gavin at 07985 522734 and gmatkin@gmail.com

 

Traditional and old fashioned songs, dances and tunes in mid-Kent

Our big autumn weekend – the 28th and 29th November

If you don’t get our emails, you might be especially pleased to know that we’re running one of our weekends on the 28th and 29th of this month, with all sorts of good folks in attendance! Do come along and get involved with anything you can make!

  • 28th November – songs and tunes session (and probably an early carol or two) in the Bell & Jorrocks function room 2-5pm. We’re looking forward to hosting a really nice collection of friends…
  • 28th November – barndance with the Horsmonden workshop folks playing the music, and Malcolm Woods calling, featuring a spot from Annie and Steve, and – and – AND the legendary Frittenden barndance games! (£7 adults, £4 usual concs). From 8pm
  • 29th November – relaxed ‘survivor’s session at the Marden village club from 12-3, roughly
  • 29th November – end of the monthy mixed tunes and songs session from 8pm at the Bell & Jorrocks, Frittenden, this time featuring our great friends Annie Dearman and Steve Harrison

There will be a tunes workshop at the Gun, Horsmonden on the 25th November from 8pm, when we’ll be practising for the dance, if you’d like to join us.

Matt Quinn, Traditional and old fashioned songs, dances and tunes in mid-Kent

Matt Quinn comes to Frittenden this Sunday

3041041

Matt Quinn is our visitor at the Frittenden session this Sunday the 25th October from 8pm.

Expect to be entertained and impressed by this personable young man’s performance – he’s been described as a ‘wonderful melodeonist, duet concertinist, fiddler, mandolinist, singer and dashing man about town’.

Of course it’s a session so bring a song, a dance, a tune, a story or anything that seems appropriate, and is either traditional, old fashioned or entertaining – for that is our agenda…

He’s having amazing fun with his career in music, and it shows in his playing and singing – and often in his gig list.

He grew up in a household full of traditional music, studied the Newcastle folk & traditional music degree course. From 2009 to 2013, he was a part of Radio 2 Young Folk Award finalist and Warhorse song man Dogan Mehmet’s band The Boombox Karavan, and now performs solo and with The Dovetail Trio, The New Slide, Geckoes, The English String Band, the Mick Ryan folk opera A Day’s Work, Le Sessions du Confiture and a few other things…

When he’s not on the road, Matt also works two days a week at Hobgoblin Music’s Brighton branch, where’s he’s the resident squeezebox expert.

Here he is singing and playing one of his greatest hits: