5 Pete Castle
Born in Kent, Pete started playing guitar aged 15 at the height of the 1960s Merseybeat boom and he formed a band, volunteering to sing "until they found a proper singer"! He came across folk music at college in 1965 and was on a semi-pro-high-learning curve from 1970 - floorspots, local bookings, organising folk clubs and a folk festival; then gigs further afield,
finally giving up his teaching job and going 'on the road' in 1978. Pete started releasing albums shortly afterwards and at the suggestion of a club organiser/head teacher in Brighton, he also started working with children in schools, libraries, etc., and has continued ever since. He has toured all over the UK and in America as a folksinger/storyteller/community musician in every kind of venue, appearing on radio, constantly absorbing songs and stories, releasing albums, running folk clubs and getting involved in community productions and then in 1988 his Steel Carpet music label was born. Always giving us a really lovely evening of fine singing (with gentle guitar) of largely English traditional songs (a few self-penned) and sometimes telling stories, Pete's reputation quietly grows over the years. An earlier CD 'Mearcstapa' attracted glowing reviews and airtime (inc R3's 'Late Junction') and there are now 8 more CDs - the latest 'Oyster Girls & Hovelling Boys' is being well aired on BBC folk stations. Pete also appeared with Keith Kendrick, Roy Harris and Derrick Hale on the well-known album'The Derby Ram' and was part of "Popeluc" (Pete and daughter Lucy plus Ioan Pop from Romania) who played traditional music from Transylvania and Britain. Unfortunately, his CDs are difficult to resist and there are Songbooks, a Storytelling CD and 3 kids' CDs as well as "Popeluc's" albums. Bring your voices.
12 Anything Goes preceded by brief AGM at 7.45pm
19 Anything Goes
Play or Sing, read a Poem, tell a Story, listen, fetch the beer, anything
26 The Claque (Tom Addison, Barry Lister, Dave Lowry & Sean O'Shea)
See also http://foreshorefolk.com/The-Claque
Distilled from legendary past groups, this smooth blend of four rich voices gives warmth and harmony to the English tradition. Tom, Barry, Dave and Sean got together as a group in 2006, ironically in response to excitement generated after they were asked to sing together at the funerals of two dear friends, Martin Bloomer and Cyril Tawney. Dave and Barry were half of "Isca Fayre" in the 1960/70s, Tom was a member of the iconic "Songwainers'" in the 1970s and now (with Barry) is in the recently reformed line-up of the same group. Sean and Barry sang in "Hollinmor" in the 1970s. They've all known each other for 40 years while singing in clubs and promoting festivals in the south-west of the UK, but it was 25 years before Tom said one day "We ought to sing together", so they have! They now combine running two clubs (in Exeter and Sidmouth) with performing in clubs and festivals wherever they're invited and they have a Wildgoose CD 'Sounding Now'. Try not to miss them!