THIS IS A LIST OF ARTISTS THAT APPEARED IN FOLKSTATION 2009

David Hughes

An Island based singer-songwriter, whose music ranges from folk-rock to jazz, he details a varied and eclectic list of influences including John Martyn, Ry Cooder, James Taylor, Bing Crosby, and Frank Zappa! Sometimes heard busking for Amnesty International, he fronts his own ‘Fantasy Band’ comprising ‘Dave Hughes’, his songs, and a series of great musicians willing to sell themselves for money and the prospect of unending adulation!

Elaine Greenwood

Elaine Greenwood alternates effortlessly between keyboards, guitar and her beautiful vocals, which are very easy on the ear and well known throughout the island and on the mainland. She sings in popular island group Remedy as well as teaching music and leading a samba band!

Graham McCullough

Graham McCullough is a man fulfilling his dream of making a living from a love of songwriting and performing his music.

After a long and distinguished career in the field of broadcast TV graphics, Graham took early retirement in 2007 to pursue his dream and was ‘discovered’ by John Waterman of IW record label, Solent Records. John saw Graham at an Open Mic night at The Quay Arts Centre, Newport and promptly signed him to a publishing and recording deal that led to him releasing a taster digital EP of love songs on 14th February 2009. Hopefully, the romance associated with Valentine's Day will still be thick in the air long after the roses have wilted and DJ's and their listeners up and down the land will find the songs refreshingly cheery, uncluttered and surprisingly stylised.

The songs feature Graham on vocals and guitar, with the musical maestro 'Wobbly Bob' (Brace) on Piano and Violin, adding warmth to the enticing guitar phrases and poignant lyrics. With nine additional songs already written and currently being recorded for Graham's first album entitled 'Simple Songs of Love and Life', we are heading towards the summer release of a musical compilation of such genuine warmth, heartfelt honesty and distinction, it might just capture the essence of a long, hot and hazy summer.

Jamie Griffin

Jamie Griffin is an Island singer/songwriter who regularly plays live around the Isle of Wight, England and Europe. In 2006 he played 157 gigs while 2007 consisted of 255 live performaces with regular tours in and around the Cotswolds, Switzerland and Germany. He has also played the IW Folk and Blues Festival and the IW Festival – He appears there again in 2009!.

Based in Newport, he plays Blues, Jazz, Folk and some of today’s artists songs as well as his own. Jamie plays the acoustic guitar but also likes to play Mandolin and Harmonica. His recent album ‘Unlike Maybe’ is compiled from his 2006 song writing. In 2007 he recorded his second album ‘Only on a Weekday’. All the tracks were written and produced by Jamie in his studio in Brighstone, on the Island, with some guest players.

Jamie Griffin is a young singer/songwriter from the Isle of Wight and listening to this self-produced CD it is evident that he is quickly developing his art. The songs are well-structured , Jamie's guitar playing complements the material”
Vic King - www.iowrock.net

“Jamie Griffin is an Island based singer/songwriter rising quickly in reputation as one of our most talented acoustic musicians to hit the islands gig circuit”
Cora Wade - editor of www.wightvibe.com

Last Orders

The Island’s own and original, Last Orders have been bringing the sounds of Irish traditional music to the Isle of Wight since the mid-80's; this band has a huge reputation and appear at all the major Island events. The line-up for FolkStation comprises Kevin Flux - flute and uilleann pipes, Ben Hickman - violin, Mark Hickman - guitar, bouzouki and vocals, John Newman - banjo, mandolin, guitar and vocals

Limited Edition

The FolkStation team are delighted to announce the headline act for the Saturday evening concert will be a new band put together by the renowned fiddle player Tom Leary - Limited Edition.
Limited Edition is a fantastic collaboration of highly acclaimed musicians well known to the folk & folk/rock world. The highly talented line-up comprises:

Tom Leary on Fiddle (Feast of Fiddles, Tanna, Little Johnny England) - see below for biography

P J Wright on Guitar (Little Johnny England, Dylan Project) – see below for biography

Graeme Taylor on Guitar (Gryphon, Albion Band) - founder member of ground-breaking early 70s eclectic band Gryphon, which Melody Maker dubbed 'The 13th-Century Slade'. Graeme has also played with an assortment of rock and R'n'B bands from the mid 70s through the 80s including ‘The Albion Band’ and ‘Home Service’. More recently, he has been Rolf Harris' unashamedly loyal guitarist now for twelve years,. Rolf’s band, ‘The Roo Brothers’, has appeared three times at Glastonbury festival, since Rolf's hit in 1993 with Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven

Jon Davie on Bass (Gryphon, Home Service) - bass guitar player with British folk rock bands including ‘Gryphon’ and ‘Home Service’. Under the name John Thomas, Jon was also a member of ‘The Banned’, a British punk/New Wave outfit in the late 1970s.

Lucid

How can a band be totally original and unique but still have a 70s feel? That is what always comes to mind when listening to Lucid. This amazing band formed only in June 2007, but listening to them, one can’t help but feel that they have actually been playing together since the 70s. They formed originally as a duo comprising Ollie and Blue, but Blue had such a long history of performing with her twin sister Sunny, she was an obvious addition. With their individual passion for songwriting and individual singing talents, the harmonies came naturally, and so were born their debut album ‘Jigsaw Dreams’.
They say you never know what’s around the corner, especially when it turns out to be Nik Potts who by chance was double booked with the band one night. A compromise was made and he joined them. Their sound then became even more impressive, so Nik was invited to join them as the fourth member of Lucid.

But something is missing - a drummer! And who was the best drummer they all knew? The conclusion was the same for all of them - Joe Redston.

So now we have 5 accomplished musicians - a pianist, 2 acoustic guitarists, bass player, violinist and a drummer plus 4 vocalists in one band, giving them a versatility which is hard to match.

Living on the Isle of Wight is not easy for any singer/songwriter, and Lucid like any other band needed to spread their wings, which they do frequently in the West Country. They also tour Europe once a year.

Again surprises are always around the corner as when returning from one of their tours they were met with an email from MCS, one of Europe’s leading music publishers, who having heard Lucid’s debut album ‘Jigsaw Dreams’ promptly offered the band a three year publishing deal … As they were in the process of finishing their second album, it all fitted into place nicely.

Men of Wight

The side was formed in 1970, and has been dancing solidly ever since. The dances come mostly from the Cotswolds, though there are a few from elsewhere in the country, and they have even been known to do the odd bit of sword dancing. They perform on Thursday evenings from May to September, normally at one pub at 8:00pm and another at 9:00, and at the occasional weekend do. From October to April they practice indoors instead (and visit the pub of course).

Millicent's Favourite

Playing original and traditional music with 'clog' percussion, 'Millicent's Favourite' evolved from the fusion of traditional clog, step dance music and the original compositions of Simon Gardner and Andrew Noctor. Simon and wife Linda, originally joined-up with Andrew Noctor whilst performing for the Isle of Wight Cloggies.

Hailing from Newport, 'Millicent's Favourite' are:

Simon Gardner (Tenor Mandola, Acoustic Bass, and guitar)

Linda Gardner (Recorders, Clog Percussion)

Andrew Noctor (Acoustic Guitars, European Bodhran)

Robin Whitehead (Fretless Bass, Percussion)

Web link: http://www.myspace.com/millicentsfavourite

Oyster Girls

The Oyster Girls is a ladies' Morris dance side from the Isle of Wight. The side has been dancing for over twenty years, though with much change of personnel over the years. The very first dance that the group learned was to the tune ‘The Oyster Girl’, hence the name. (No, they don't eat oysters while dancing, or sell them, or even wave them around or clash with them in dances).

The Oyster Girls dance loosely in the north-west tradition of Morris dancing, and wear clogs while dancing. Some of the dances originate from the north-west, but others have been made up themselves. They call it the Isle of Wight tradition, and it is very, very old, dating all the way back to the last Millennium! Some of their dancers are even older...

Pete's Sake

This Island duo from Porchfield combine the talents of Phil Chase’s vocals and guitar with Becky Haydock’s masterful fiddle playing, to produce a blend of songs and tunes, mainly in the traditional folk style.

P J Wright

He's backed Bobby Vee and Del Shannon, but PJ Wright is best known as guitarist and lead vocalist with ‘Little Johnny England’, slide and pedal steel guitarist with the ‘Dylan Project’, and long time sideman with R’n'B legend Steve Gibbons.

Feted as a guitar virtuoso, this Leicester-born musician is also a talented songwriter penning folk-rock inclined songs and socio-politically concerned lyrics about the working man and the daily grind, with the odd relationship number thrown-in for good measure. Compositions such as Johnny England and Forty Years On meld a poetic sensibility and an understanding of traditional song.

RadioTones

The Radiotones were formed three years ago to play the music of Merle Travis, Bob Wills and other "western " artistes of the 1940's. The band consists of Roger Hillier on string bass, Martyn Mackrill on electric guitar and Dave Godby on guitar, mandolin and dobro. The music might be described as cheerful jazzy country you can dance to with some instrumental virtuosity thrown in.

Scottish Fiddlers

The Isle of Wight Scottish Fiddlers is an open access community group dedicated to raising money for good causes, whilst giving its members an opportunity to enjoy playing the traditional fiddle music of Scotland and other Countries. The group is entirely self financing and does not charge for its services or travelling expenses when playing at concerts across the Isle of Wight.

Formed in 1986 by ex-pat Borders Scot, Jack Ellis, with the simple aim of bringing together a few people who might enjoy playing Scottish fiddle music, the present group, directed by Clive Rickards, is about 20 strong, and includes not only violins, but an accordion, a piano, a bass, cellos, a viola, and flutes.

The Fiddlers have played at many venues, including the Millennium Dome, Medina Theatre, Appuldurcombe House, Ventnor Winter Gardens, the Quay Arts Centre, Barton Manor, and numerous churches and village halls … and they have even played at sea on board the Paddle Steamer Waverley during a storm!

Through their numerous concerts the Isle of Wight Scottish Fiddlers have raised thousands of pounds for good causes at home and abroad including the RNLI, Macmillan Nurses, Cancer Research, the Earl Mountbatten Hospice, Romania, Kosovo, countless Churches, and many other local community organisations.

Shoot the Moon

Shoot the Moon are an Isle of Wight based duo featuring the talents of Becky Rice and Nick Inett. Becky, who sings and plays guitar and mandolin, hails originally from London, but has spent the last few years playing very well received solo gigs on the Island. Nick, who also sings and plays guitar, mandolin and harmonica, has been playing in various bands on the Island for the last 20 years. After some un- planned but successful open-mike night jams together, they came up with the idea of blending some traditional and modern folk songs, with their own interpretations of some up to date, and well known pop songs. They also write their own material and are planning to unleash some self penned songs in the near future.
“With a mixture of both of our voices, and a combination of different instruments, we aim to perform songs in a style that we think offers a slightly different sound than a lot of other bands, and in doing so, we hope that anyone listening will find something in what we do, that they enjoy. So....folky pop or poppy folk? You decide!"

Smoke and Mirrors

Smoke and Mirrors have already been hailed as the Island’s ‘Folk Supergroup’! The band comprise a ‘who’s who’ of veteran Island musicians - Tim Marshall, Phil Chase, Martin White, Becky Haydock, Brian Sharpe, Sarah Miller and Jenny White – and always perform a storming set taking you through what feels like an anthology of English folk-rock!

Tali Trow

Tali Trow has been playing in bands and performing as a session musician for a number of years, appearing on bills with the likes of Tom Mcrae, Kasabian and Cherry Ghost. Early in 2007 he recorded his debut solo album, ‘The Teaspoon Incident’, with the help of some wonderful artists. Spurred on by the writing process and the success of the session, he, and the musicians he had recorded with, took the album on the road touring the South Coast and London to great response.

'The best act of the night...' Andy Burrows – Razorlight
'You've got rhythm' Tony Hatch - performer, broadcaster and composer

Tom Leary

Since moving south from his native Durham in the North East of England, Tom Leary has worked extensively live and in the studio with many of the great names from the folk and rock scene. He has worked with members of Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull, Humble Pie, The Electric Light Orchestra and the Albion Band appearing on many albums with these and many more.

A humorous and interesting man, there is not much that Tom has not seen or done within the music world. Tom is a beautifully tender player with a great gift for writing melodic tunes as well.

Tom is a member of the legendary ‘Feast of Fiddles' with Dave Mattacks (Fairport Convention, Mary Chapin Carpenter), Peter Knight (Steeleye Span). Chris Leslie (Fairport Convention). He is famous within ‘Feast of Fiddles’ for his laugh amongst other things, his mirth is highly infectious.

The last five years have been spent playing live with Kevin Dempsey, Phil Bates (E.L.O), Little Johnny England (of which he was a founder member) and touring with Feast of Fiddles.

He has also recorded two solo albums. 'Calm Waters' (1997) and the most recent release 'Off the Rocks' (2002). Tom's latest project is his new band Tanna' with Peter Knight (Steeleye Span) and Kevin Dempsey (Whippersnapper). Tom also plays regularly with the well known Oxfordshire Ceildh Band 'The Hookey Band'.

Tom now lives in Oxfordshire and can also been seen playing with Albion Morris with Ian Cutler. Great fun to be with and hilariously funny, Tom is just the tonic you need after a long, bad day

Wight Belles

The Wight Bells are a ladies Morris side based on the Isle of Wight who dance in the North West tradition. Their roots began in 1998 and they started dancing out in May 1999. Throughout the summer they dance out every week at various locations and events on the Island. Dances are named after some of these local places.

Wild Oats

The Wild Oats are a six piece band from the Isle of Wight.

The diverse range of playing styles and influences of individual band members has come together as a genre that has been branded ‘folk n roll’.
Since the release of their charity single ‘Paper Tigers’ a year ago, they have had a good amount of radio airplay along the south coast and have raised nearly £2,000 for children with learning disabilities.

Right from the very beginning The Wild Oats sound grew organically. Cutting their teeth playing live, the band were gigging their material without rehearsal and developing the songs as they went from venue to venue.

They had a busy summer in 2008 playing several festivals in the south, including a headline slot in the Kashmir tent at the Isle of Wight Festival.

Since then the band have had a short break and are now back, developing new material and looking to put together an album of songs old and new from the ever growing Wild Oats catalogue.

"They prove the Isle of Wight has got guts, great live and a perfect festival band. If I was 18 I'd be going to see them every night!" Laurence Hill, Brighton Komedia.

"Just great! What's not to like, nice and loose... great for sunny weather and festivals." Martin Snodin, Acoustic Sussex.

"Awesome!" Chris Packham, TV Presenter.

This event is organised by FolkStation Limited