Kathryn Tickell

Off to New York

2009-11-28T11:43:00.000-08:00

...on Tuesday, to do some more stuff with Sting.
This is just a quick post as I'm trying to think of what I need to pack (I'm a very frugal packer, and usually take only the absolute minimum - I have to carry the bag, plus my pipes and fiddle, so I hate taking too much!)
Those of you who were at the recent band gigs may be interested to know that MY EAR IS STILL BLOCKED. AAAAAGHHHH! (sorry to shout, but it's driving me mad...and to be honest, shouting is the only means of communicating with me these days...!) It has actually improved a little bit, but I'm still pretty much deaf in one ear. Absolutely perfect for a longish flight then having to play music....(in tune, hopefully) Doctors say that I don't need to worry until it's been blocked for 3 months....HA!
Anyway - better go and change the fiddle strings, oil the pipes etc etc...
All for now,
love
kathryn

Fantastic Folkestra!

2009-11-22T13:54:00.000-08:00

Buoyed up on a cloud of euphoria and white wine I probably shouldn't be trying to type this...BUT....
I had a rehearsal today for the gig on Dec 20th for The Sage Gateshead's 5th Birthday celebrations...
It's going to be a stormer of a gig - I've only gone and got Sting as a special guest...(Hooray! Hurrah! Haroo!!!)
Anyway - Folkestra are going to perform and as it's the Sage's 5th birthday extravaganza I thought we should open it up and say that any ex-Folkestra members are very welcome to attend...SO...we had a rehearsal today (and the only rehearsal that I can be at- I'm off to the US very soon and only get back just before the Sage gig... aaaghhh!!)..AND IT WAS FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!
Sorry to shout... but it really was.
We hadn't really publicised the gig so I wasn't expecting too many people to turn up to the rehearsal, but we ended up with a band of about 40 people....which is an awful lot larger than Folkestra has ever been...and also a band of a size that makes it very difficult to hear what is happening from one side of the stage to the other....
SO - there is a chance that each end of the band might be at a completely different tempo from the other...but let's just hope not and pray for fair weather...!?!
But what I really wanted to speak about was the camaraderie and the positive feeling that pulsed through today's rehearsal...there were people there from the first days of Folkestra (Laura Hewison, Peter Tickell, the Joneses, the Lewises, etc etc) and from then onwards - Heather, Leanne, Julia, the lovely Laura...finest saxophonist ever to grace the ranks of Folkestra...okay, the ONLY one...(but even if there had been others we would have loved you most!) and of course the boys ghetto...Dan, Greg, Dave, Kev, Rob, Stuart ..(where are you Joe...????! Okay - China - that's not a bad excuse...!)
Those who know me (perhaps you don't...and if you don't - please understand that I am an Old-School disciplinarian who believes in ruling by fear alone, without the faintest hint of praise...) may be rather taken aback to hear that I came home and cried...with pleasure (and an unworthy hint of pride...!) at what a fantastic experience today's rehearsal was.
As well as beautiful music, I witnessed a wonderful conviviality and feeling of communal pride and support for a brilliant band.
THANK YOU ALL!!!!!
kxx

Wigmore Hall

2009-10-15T12:40:00.000-07:00

Just a quick one - I'm at home cooking the tea and just waiting for it to be ready...
Got back yesterday from a brief trip down to London to play 'Kettletoft Inn' with the Nash Ensemble at the Wigmore Hall. I last played it up in Orkney with Psappha and I seem to remember writing something then about how strange it seems to meet up with musicians you don't know and have never met before, do a couple of short rehearsals and then go on stage with them.
Well - it still seems strange, and although I'm getting more used to the idea (and have really enjoyed working with Psappha and the Nash Ensemble - fantastic players!) I would LOVE to get the chance to play the piece with the same group on several consecutive days/concerts.
It's a great piece to play, but would really sing out even more if everyone had the opportunity to get past the notes on the page and really let go a bit!
Only actually playing in one piece meant that that I got the chance to sit and listen to the rest of the concert - wonderful music in a beautiful setting.
Only problem was that I was a bit worn out from 2 days in London, one of which started extremely early with an appointment at the US Embassy to get a visa - what a stressful experience - I was terrified I was going to do something wrong/ not have the right paperwork/forget my passport/etc etc etc...but surprisingly enough it all went without incident (I speak for myself only...Peter and Julian didn't fare quite so well...but that's a different story....)
Dinner's ready - better go!
k

Shona Kipling & Emily Portman

2009-09-27T02:32:00.000-07:00

...will be doing a double-bill concert at The Sage Gateshead on October 10th. If you happen to be around then try and get to see them.
Shona is a great young accordionist and Emily is a singer who also has been doing some very interesting work writing new songs which feel like old folksong/fairy tales - they're really worth hearing.
They are both graduates of Newcastle University's Folk & Traditional Music degree course and I'm sure you'll be hearing more about them.
They will also be getting a few of their friends to come along and perform with them - it'll be a great night of music and song and well worth supporting.
Got to dash now - Sunday dinner then Folkestra rehearsal await....!
k

Sting stuff

2009-09-27T02:23:00.000-07:00

Well, Peter, Julian and I just spent a rather surreal fortnight in Durham cathedral rehearsing then peforming with Sting. It was material from his forthcoming album 'if on a Winters night' and we had an amazing time.
The music was incredibly quiet and intense, with lots of space - incredible for a band of 40 players! Sting said it was the quietest music he'd ever done, with the biggest band! The players were inspirational though - all very generous musicians who were happy to underplay and to sit back and leave the spaces for the music to shine through (rather than just showing off and trying to play as many notes as possible - there was none of that)
I could go on and on about the fantastic friends we made, but I'd be here for hours and hours, so best not (I have a Folkestra rehearsal to do this afternoon and need to leave soon)
Suffice it to say that we had a fab time, we enjoyed the music, I'm more a fan of Sting than I was before we started (and I was already a fan then!) and the sessions in the hotel bar afterwards were amongst the best/most enjoyable/most surprising/most diverse/most friendly I have ever been involved in.
And I was very delighted to see that Mary Macmaster managed to get a Gaelic song into the concerts and on the album (it's one of my favourite tracks, along with The Snows they melt the Soonest) Well done her!
k

Bellingham Show

2009-09-03T12:55:00.000-07:00

...was last Saturday. The weather was better than last year (when it was cancelled altogether) but was very windy. I was judging the piping competitions and we had to get extra tent pegs to anchor the tent down. One of the other tents did actually blow away and we all watched in horror as it blew off down the field towards the pony classes (luckily there were a posse of local men hot on its heels who managed to catch it and bring it down before any harm was done!)
There weren't as many entries as I would have liked in the competitions, but with a bit of gentle persuasion we managed to get a few more pipers to play. Thank you to all the competitors - there were quite a few people who had come to listen, so it was good to give them something to listen to!
And I managed to complete the judging and have a decent wander round the show field without being assasinated by angry pipers, so my judging can't have been too controversial...!?
Off down to London tomorrow for a duo gig with Peter. We're not on until 9.45pm and Peter has got his heart set on us going for a night out down in the Big City...Ronnie Scott's has been mentioned more than once (he went there when he was in London with the Peatbog Faeries and had a fantastic time - I keep telling him that I'm not quite as wild and unruly as a bunch of kilted Scotsmen, but he reckons that there's not much in it....!) but we'll see how we feel after the gig (well - we'll see how I feel...there's absolutely no doubt that Peter will be full of life and raring to go, but I'm not so sure about me - I'm getting on a bit you know!)
Then back home Saturday, then off to Durham on Monday to do some more rehearsing with Sting in Durham Cathedral - should be interesting. St Cuthbert would probably turn in his grave (or his coffin). Actually St Cuthbert is said to have been a bit of a misogynist, so Sting would probably be okay, but my presence so close to his shrine might not be particularly appreciated (although I played there in Jon Lord's Durham Concerto and didn't feel anything untoward, so I'm sure it'll be okay!)
Anyway - enough about St Cuthbert!
I've got a bit of a cold so it's time for a hot toddy.
All for now,
kathryn

Foties...

2009-08-25T12:07:00.000-07:00

Yup - we've been geting some new band photos done. Not new band, just new photos...thank heaven!
The photographer had found us a brilliant location (she said) - a ruined church over near Alnwick somewhere. But I was convinced it was going to rain today and thought that driving over to Alnwick to stand looking soggy in some ruins wasn't going to be very cool (and would take us all an extra hour to get there) So, I thought (without really thinking at all...) that there must be something kind of arty and ethnic and photographable right here at home....and we could always come inside if it rained.
Of course the weather turned out to be lovely. The photographer got completely lost trying to find our house. John (who is pointing the front of the house for us) had spent all morning using a commercial grinder to grind down the stones...covering everything (EVERYTHING) in fine dust...in fact the whole house was kind of hidden in a cloud of greyness.
I ended up ringing the farmer next door to see if we could go to his place instead. And we did. And it was so clarty that the photographer got completely stuck in the mud. We sat on hay bales (very folky, you may be thinking, but NO - we were being ironic, possibly!) and pranced around like idiots in our best clothes, while the terrier yapped, the hounds barked, the farmer laughed, and the photographers boots got muddier and muddier. A grand time was had by all.
And Peter (who has lost a lot of his puppy fat since our last band photos, and who was determined to look thin and cool) was posing SO much that the whole thing took twice as long as it should have done, because he had to be constantly told to stop assuming rock star poses and actorly posturing - for goodness sake - we're only a Northumbrian folk band in a hay shed.....!!!!
x

Too daunting

2009-06-03T14:09:00.000-07:00

Oh no, not again....
I've left it too long and now the backlog of things to tell you has been seeming far too scary to ever even attempt it...but...it's got to be done....
So here goes -
well, in brief - yes I went down to see the queen, and stood in the wrong place, curtseyed at the wrong time (and in the wrong way, apparently!) and called her the wrong thing, but apart from that it was a great experience!
Since my last post I've also been recording with Sting, doing my own gigs, leading a workshop day at the Yehudi Menuhin school in Surrey, spending some family time cooking sausages in a frying pan over the fire beside the river near our house and marking various things at the Folk & Trad music degree course at Newcastle Uni (and lots of other things too, but I just wanted to come on and do a quick catch-up post so that it didn't feel quite so daunting next time...!)
Oh - and today I've just come back from a rehearsal with Psappha down in Derbyshire for our performance of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies' piece Kettletoft Inn, which we're playing at the St Magnus Festival in Orkney later this month. It is very strange for me to go and rehearse, from the written music, once, with people I've never played with before, and won't again until the day of the concert...but that's the way it works it seems, and I have to say that it was great to do it without a conductor and just work directly with the actual players (and of course classical musicians are amazing at reading and interpreting written music on extremely tight time schedules, and the Psappha players did seem particularly open minded, and didn't give me too much of a hard time about my unsuppressable inclination to play melodies my own way and not to bother too much about what's written down ('the dots')...which must have made their lives a bit more difficult) I look forward to playing it with them again.
It's been beautiful weather recently. Really, really wonderful, and long overdue.
It's made everyone that I know happier - I hope you've all been enjoying it too.
All for now,
kathryn x

Thanks

2009-02-09T01:55:00.000-08:00

...for all the messages of support and congratulations following the announcement of me getting the Queen's Medal for Music - it was lovely to receive them all.
As you can imagine I was totally delighted (and a bit shocked!) to get the award, and had a lovely day at The Sage Gateshead receiving the certificate from Sir Peter Maxwell Davies.
I haven't got the actual medal yet - I have to go down to London and see the Queen for that, and so far the Queen and I have not managed to synchronise our diaries....!!!!?
All very surreal...
k x

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-23T09:10:00.001-08:00

Hi all,
Just a quick one to wish you all a very happy festive season.
I've got all my shopping done, presents bought and cards sent.
Hooray!
Although I have to admit that my christmas cards were a bit of a disaster - I missed the posting date, then tried to write them all in a hurry, and wrote 'merry christmas and all the best for 2008' on the first 30...I thought briefly about opening them all and changing it, but decided just to send them as they were...some people might not even notice, and it'll probably give a few of my friends and family a laugh at my expense...
Anyway - there are loads of things I should be getting on with, but I'm getting into the festive spirit, and ignoring them all!
Went out last night to a couple of local hostelries, the Riverdale and the Hollybush. Good to meet some people who remembered my Granny & Granda Robson and who talked lovingly of them, and their time at Willow Bog Farm.
Better go now - I've got presents to wrap up!

Wishing you all the very best for 2009.
kathryn

Snowing

2008-12-04T03:08:00.000-08:00

It's totally white here! It looks fantastic but I'm glad I don't have to drive anywhere today. I've got the rayburn on full blast, and the fire on in the living room and am quite enjoying the feeling of being safe, warm and somewhat removed from the rest of the world.
The dog went out for his walk this morning and came back with loads of little balls of ice festooning his ankles - looked very silly. Maybe I should get him some little dog boots?! (Okay - BIG dog boots!)
Playing in Sedbergh tomorrow, so I'm a bit worrried about driving there/back, but I'm going to try not to think about it until the morning, when hopefully the roads will be a bit clearer.
All for now,
k

New Hartley & Rothbury

2008-12-01T02:36:00.001-08:00

Had a really nice night in New Hartley - I think Peter and I were more relaxed at this concert than any of the others. I'm not sure why - there was just a very friendly atmosphere.
Then last night was Rothbury. It was lovely for me to be back there, and to see many old friends and neighbours. I even got a little tearful when playing Rothbury Hills!
I've played on that stage at the Jubilee Hall many times, since I was about 10 years old entering the fiddle competitions at Rothbury Traditional Music Festival, and so has Peter (in fact he admitted to finding it hard not to keep smiling ingratiatingly at the area of the hall where the fiddle judge always used to sit!!)
The weather has turned extremely wintery and cold over the last few days, so the drive home was taken very slowly and carefully, going over the bleak moorland roads, where the headlights were picking out the beautiful (but worrying) glittering sparkle of frost and ice. Got home safely though, and had a couple of glasses of a rather nice New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc to celebrate!
All for now,
k

Bellingham & Holy Island

2008-11-29T05:56:00.000-08:00

Just in the middle of doing a few local gigs with Peter...Holy Island last night and Bellingham the night before. It's been great playing near to home...very near, in the case of Bellingham, where we got Dad up to sing for the encore (very unrehearsed, but seemed to go down well!) We were playing in the town hall which has just had a new heating system installed...and it's certainly working!! (Unlike St Mary's Church on Holy Island, where the heating had been on since 11am and it was still freezing!)
Thanks to John at the Riverdale Hotel for his hospitality after the concert - much appreciated.

And then it was on to play on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, which was a real privilege (despite the chill!) Although we had taken a PA system with us we decided to play acoustic, as it sounded so lovely in the church, and somehow it just felt right to play with just the natural sound in that beautiful setting. So we were a bit quieter than usual, but we had a lot of positive comments from the audience so I think it was the right decision. It actually felt really good just to stand there and play, just us, with no amplification; it's a long time since I've done a concert like that.
And we were playing just in front of the oldest wall of the oldest building on Lindisfarne...
It was quite special.
And tonight it's New Hartley Community Centre - now that should be a totally different experience!!
All for now,
kathryn

2 gigs

2008-10-05T05:38:00.000-07:00

Just back from gigs in Alford and Ingleton.
A good time was had by all (well, all of us anyway, and hopefully the audiences too...)
At Alford we played in a rather unusual marquee type thing, all lined inside with billowing white fabric, which was draped so low that it was actually touching the top of my head when I was on stage...Peter and I had to be very careful with our violin bows in case we punctured it!
Lovely friendly audience, and then we wandered over the road to where we were staying (couldn't have been more handy) and discovered that the bar was open and there was a pool table. Fantastic!
Actually it wasn't that fantastic for me, as I didn't win a single game. Even Julian won at least one!
And then the boys (well, boys will be boys) decided to challenge each other to an arm wrestle, so I didn't do very well there either, even though they let me use both arms. Hmmm, sometimes I think it's time we had more girls in the band!
And then it was across to Ingleton. The weather was atrocious, but we beat the rainy day blues by travelling via Bradford and stopping there for lunch....curry of course. And it was superb. Although Peter ordered miles too much and we had enough left to take some home with us (which I just had for breakfast - yum!)
Enjoyed playing at Ingleton - again a lovely crowd, and also the sound on stage was really good, and made us enjoy the gig even more.
And then we drove home, feeling as if we'd been away much longer than 2 days and ready for a rest!

Ripon

2008-09-13T17:31:00.000-07:00

Just got home from playing at Holy Trinity Church, Ripon tonight.
What is going on with the roadworks/traffic management there??!
It took forever to find the church. No, that's not quite true - we found it easily - but could we find a road that took us there - not a chance!
Had a nice gig. Lovely to have Joss back after his baby (Leon) was (....eventually!!!) born. And very nice for me to see some old friends from Lincolnshire, who I knew when I was about 5 years old!

The boys were off to Bromyard festival straight after the gig, but I was driving home. And guess what....? It was just as impossible to find a way out of Ripon as it was to find a way in!
But - I managed it after a while of driving round and round....and round.
And now I'm home.
Phew!

Home again home again

2008-07-27T12:23:00.000-07:00

Been home for a few days - and it's been sunny! Fantastic! This is what I've been looking forward to for absolutely ages - a couple of days off, at home, in the sun. Brilliant!
I needed a bit of a rest after the Proms thing. It went well by the way...my piece worked, and although we didn't play it as fast as I'd hoped it still seemed to provide a rousing finale, with a great response from the audience (thanks, if any of you were there!)
I know my mum was out there, cheering - it was her first visit to the Proms, and although she loved it she was a little indignant because she got told off for tapping her handbag in time to the music. (Mothers! Can't take 'em anywhere!!)
And Folkestra were totally fab. I think they got the most applause out of anything in the 2 Folk day Proms - the audience loved them.
I wish they hadn't been at the beginning of the 2nd half though - as I'm sure that most of the newspaper critics must have been still in the bar at that point - well that's the only conclusion I can come to as to why Folkestra didn't even get a mention in a couple of the national press reviews I read. I really couldn't believe it - they played and peformed so well, and got such a rapturous reception.
There'll be a new Folkestra lineup come Sepember though, as some of the older members grow up and join the big bad world. We've got a few new young'uns coming in though, so it's all still looking positive.
Anyway - I'm off back outside to enjoy the last rays of evening sun.
Thanks for reading,
k

Prom looming

2008-07-17T02:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm down in London with Folkestra and we're just about to start our first rehearsal for my Proms piece. I'm really excited, but also a bit nervous - although I wrote it, today will be the first time I actually get to hear any of it!!
Wish me luck!
k

Proms 20th July

2008-06-26T06:44:00.000-07:00

Phew! I've done it!
Today was the deadline for me to hand over the score for my Proms piece, which will be premiered at the afternoon Prom at the Royal Albert Hall on July 20th.
I was absolutely delighted to get the commission to write a piece for the occasion, but it's been quite a challenge...
The piece is written for London Sinfonietta, Folkestra, Hungarian group Muszikas and myself - quite a combination!
The title of the music is 'Confluence' and it is about the imaginary junction where the river Rede (Northumberland) meets the Thames and the Danube.

That particular Prom is a free one - so get yourself some tickets and come and have a listen.
Cheers!
k

The Guardian - oops!

2008-06-24T03:12:00.001-07:00

Hmmm...it looks like this blog has been read and quoted in the Guardian newspaper.
My last post was about the SPNM concerts I've been doing (one still to go in Cheltenham in a couple of weeks)
Anyway - the other day someone said to me that telling Guardian journalists that people shouldn't come to my concerts was not the best possible career move...I was totally baffled, and remained so until I saw the article in question and worked out that the quote could only have been taken from this blog.
I really appreciate the fact that am lucky enough to have some very supportive audiences, who are willing to take a chance and come and hear some of my stranger projects without being too put off. BUT - I do think that in return it's only fair that I try to explain in advance what it is that I'm doing, so people can decide whether it sounds like their kind of thing or not, and decide whether or not they want to give it a go.
SO - I'd put a bit of an explanatory note on this blog about the SPNM project (which I've been really enjoying) and the Guardian decided to include only the line "Basically, if you like very traditional music then this may not be the concert for you." ("said Kathryn Tickell") And, yes, it's true...but if I had only one sentence with which to publicise that concert that wouldn't have been the one I would choose!
I don't suppose the SPNM (or Cheltenham Festival) were very impressed with me about that particular bit of publicity...!
Anyway - for future reference, for any journalists reading this...all the forthcoming concerts you can see on the gig list will all, without exception, be absolutely wonderful, and of course EVERYONE is going to love ALL the music and I thoroughly recommend that as many people as possible come to see us, all the time.
(!!)
k x

SPNM 'Folk from Here'

2008-05-30T09:14:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd better tell you a bit about two rather different concerts that you'll see listed in the gig list, one in London next week and one in Cheltenham in July. They are listed as being part of the SPNM 'Folk from Here' series and they are being produced by the Society for the Promotion of New Music. The SPNM has in the past concerned itself mostly with contemporary classical music, but with this series it is changing the focus a little (under the direction of it's current Artistic Director - my pal Kuljit Bhamra, tabla maestro!)
So - these concerts will feature me & Kuljit, Marie Fielding on fiddle, Jonathan Meyer on sitar and Julian Sutton on melodeon playing some (very) new music written especially for us by 4 composers chosen from the SPNM shortlist. It's all been a bit scary (for the composers as well as us I think...it's not the easiest combination of instruments to write for...!) and we end up half hidden behind banks of music stands, trying to read all the notes the composers have written for us. Eek!
It's been a really interesting and challenging project to be involved in, and I've really enjoyed the unusual sound combinations of the instruments (particularly the pipes and sitar - I want to do that again!)
Kuljit, Marie and I have also written new pieces for the project, and there are a couple of fiddle reels (just to give us a break from music-reading!)
Basically - if you're into very traditional music then this may not be the concert for you, but if you're feeling daring and want to hear something very, very different then we'd be delighted to see you.
Cheers!
k

oops - yes it's been a while!

2008-05-30T07:43:00.000-07:00

Okay - I accept the gentle reminder, and here I am!
It's been an absolutely ridiculously busy few weeks, with various different projects, some touring, some composing, some University stuff (rather stressful for all concerned, as it's assessment time... marking deadlines...responsibility...eek!) It's all good, it's all interesting, but the challenge is in trying to get through it all, keep calm and enjoy it!
Anyway - just another few days before I actually get some time at home. Can't wait! I'm hoping that the weather will be fantastic and that I can go down by the river (only a hundred yards or so from the house) light a fire, drink some wine and cook some sausages and generally relax, enjoy the weather, the scenery and the break (although possibly not the crazy dog who will no doubt be galloping round the field at top speed, occasionally running into the river, shaking himself all over me then careering off again, stopping only to bark furiously at anyone passing by on the other side of the river!)
Off to France tomorrow morning, then back the next evening. More Uni marking on Monday, then down to London on Tuesday, home again Thursday.
Phew!
k

New stuff!

2008-04-16T04:01:00.000-07:00

Hello! We've been away for a little jaunt down to Worcester & Oxford. We'd had a few extra rehearsals beforehand to try and work out some new material...and we succeeded...and we played it...and we were very happy!
It's great having new tunes to play - a little nerve-racking to start off with, but exciting.

On another note - thanks to those of you who have been in contact to say you enjoyed 'The Durham Concerto'. For those of you who don't know about it, it's a new piece, nearly one hour long, written by Jon Lord (ex keyboard player from Deep Purple, and a real gentleman) for cello, violin, Northumbrian pipes, Hammond organ and orchestra (Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.) It's been performed twice - in Durham cathedral (fantastic place to play) and Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, and seemed to go down very well both times.
Following a conductor has never been my strong point, but I think I played more or less in the right place at the right time!!

The Folk & Trad music degree course at Newcastle Uni has resumed after the Easter break, so I'm heading off there in a few minutes to do some work with the 3rd year Ensemble groups. Quite looking forward to seeing/hearing them again - I must have missed them!

Fareham & Gosport Easter Festival

2008-03-27T06:52:00.000-07:00

Phew! It was a bit of a stressful day for us on Saturday - we set off at 7am - plenty of time (we thought) to get to Fareham by 4pm...but no.
There was an accident up ahead of us on the motorway, which resulted in it being closed for several hours, and we just had to sit there, waiting...
For the first half hour or so we were joking about how it could be a re-run of our gig at Sidmouth Festival a few years back (when we got there with minutes to spare, abandoned the car in the road outside, thrust the keys at someone who looked vaguely trustworthy so they could park it somewhere, and were on stage doing the first number five minutes later!) But three hours later, when we'd travelled less than 2 miles, we knew it was going to be much worse...

Many, many thanks are due to the Festival organisers and sound crews, who shifted things around, and re-organised everything so we could still play. Thanks too to the other bands who played at unscheduled times, and of course to the audience that waited for us. THANKS!!!

I think in future, if we're playing at the other end of the country we have to give up relying on the roads, and just get there a day early!

Back home in Northumberland the daffodils are out (but looking slightly battered after the farmer's cows escaped and came to live in our garden for a couple of days) the hens are all (4) laying, and the dog needs a haircut...

trip out

2008-03-19T08:43:00.000-07:00

I've got a few days at home, during which I am supposed to be composing some music. Deadlines are approaching, but not fast enough...as usual I'm doing anything apart from compose until the last possible moment!
Tonight I've decided that rather than get on with my own music it would be far more inspiring to go and hear someone else's, so we're about to drive up to Musselburgh to hear Mr McFalls Chamber (and friends) performing the music of Martyn Bennett.
Martyn was an old friend of mine (he played on my second album, Borderlands, back in the mists of time when he must have only been about 13 years old!) and his death in 2005 was a real shock. Even though I knew he had been battling Hodgkins Lymphoma for several years he just seemed too young and too talented to just suddenly not be there any more.
One thing about music though is that it stays with us - so it will be wonderful to hear Martyn's music tonight, and great to meet up again with the maverick ensemble Mr McFall's Chamber.
Better get ready to go - the hens have to be shut away, eggs collected (hopefully) and the dog taken round the field.
All for now,
kathryn

DUO CD

2008-03-17T03:08:00.000-07:00

It's out! It's available at gigs, and (as of this afternoon, hopefully) from the website...!
It's a no-frills pretty honest representation of what Peter and I do live (and called, appropriately enough, 'what we do')
Hope you like it,
k

It worked!

2008-02-21T03:24:00.000-08:00

And I promise not to just talk about dinners in future - I was sent copies of all my old journal entries from the old website and it was a bit embarassing how many of them were about food!
It was funny reading them all - when I get home next week I might see if I can re-post some of the better ones - it seems a shame that they've all disappeared.
Better go and pack my bag,
k

Is this working?

2008-02-21T03:17:00.000-08:00

If you're reading this then I suppose it must be!
Sorry it's been such a long time since I wrote, but the website got redesigned and nobody told me what my new password was!
I'm off on tour today with Peter - playing in Salford tonight.
We're very well equipped - he got a sat-nav for Christmas, which should be handy. Peter's present to me was the Good Pub Guide, which I'll definitely be taking - it's good to be able to plan where you might stop for lunch (and a good pub dinner isn't that much more than a horrible service station one, and in much more relaxing surroundings)
Anyway - I'll stop now and see if this has worked.
Hope Peter & I might be playing somewhere near you,
k

Dinners

2007-12-05T08:50:00.001-08:00

I've got a kitchen! ...with a cooker...and a sink...it's fantastic!!

After several months of cooking on a camping stove in the living room we have now moved back into the kitchen, where the new rayburn means that there is constant warmth and cooking facilities.

Since we reclaimed the kitchen I've been really busy and haven't had the time to fully appreciate it, but over the last few days I've been re-acquainting myself with the art of cooking.
I've lost all my cookery books (well, I'm sure they're in a box somewhere, but I haven't found them yet) except one Delia Smith book, so I've been giving that a good try-out and have done a beef goulash type thing and also Mexican chilli chicken with tomato salsa. I also suddenly developed a craving for sweetcorn chowder and invented a recipe for that, involving smoked haddock (how ridiculous that it costs more to have it without dye...?!) creme fraiche and fresh and tinned sweetcorn...very excellent! (as my mum would say)

And yes - I know I haven't written in this journal for ages, and that there are loads of things I could be telling you about - but right now I'm mostly interested in cooking!!
Got to go - there's a banana and chocolate cake recipe in the Rayburn cookbook which is calling to me....

Julian's wedding!

2007-09-18T05:28:00.000-07:00

Iwona is a brave girl to take on 'the Picasso of the melodeon' Julian Sutton!

But she's also quite a lucky girl; Julian is the most honest person I know, incapable of deceit. And not bad on that melodeon either...

The wedding was lovely - lots of music, dancing and good friends.

I'm still recovering!

Just a Quickie

2007-08-24T05:29:00.000-07:00

To say that we survived the Italy/Slovenia trip (had quite a nice time in fact!)

Last night I went to a concert in Durham where I was lucky enough to hear Maurice Bourgue play the suite for oboe and piano by Pavel Haas. It made me cry - what a player.

Everything including the kitchen sink!

2007-08-01T05:30:00.000-07:00

In my last journal entry I was looking ahead with some trepidation to all the travelling we have to do over the next few days

I've changed my mind now...I'm looking forward to it! Partly because of the gigs - the band is playing really well together at the moment and I'm loving it. Also because we get to go to Italy, even if it is only for one day. And finally because the house is becoming increasingly un-homely...
For the past week we've had no kitchen, but at least the sink still worked so we could pick our way through the rubble and fill the kettle. But today the sink was taken away. So that means that the only water we have is the sink in the tiny downstairs shower room - a dark little place with no window. And now all the downstairs lights have gone off, with no prospect of them coming on again in the next few days...quite a good time to go away I think!

Better go and get my bag packed.

Long Drives

2007-07-31T05:31:00.000-07:00

It's going to be a bit of a tiring week I thinkWe're off to Italy, which normally I'd be really looking forward to, but this time we're going to spend more time travelling than actually being there.

Tomorrow night I'll drive down to London and we'll stay in a hotel near Stansted airport ready to leave early next morning (we can't fly from Newcastle, as the car has to be down South ready for us to get to Wickham festival on Saturday) Then we arrive in Italy and do a gig there, and I'm sure we'll have a lovely time. Unfortunately the next night's gig isn't in Italy at all, but in Slovenia - the Okarina Festival, in the worryingly named town of Bled. So that's going to be a long drive. Then after the gig in Slovenia we drive back overnight to Venice, where we get a flight at 5.30am, getting us back to Stansted, where we get in the car and drive to Wickham, ready for a soundcheck at 4pm. Then the next day we drive to Aldeburgh - another longish drive, then the next day I drive home. Wonderful!

I shouldn't complain really - the travelling is a pain, but the gigs more than make up for it. At least I hope they will!

Just a quick message to all of you who were at the Buxton concert - thanks so much for making it a lovely gig for us. We really enjoyed playing. And the theatre was lovely. And my flowers are still looking healthy - thanks!

Work is still going on in the house - we still have no heating, and now the kitchen is completely out of action...which is a great excuse to go out and try all the local restaurants and pubs. I think we've tried them all now, and are going round for the second time!