http://homepage.mac.com/smallpiper/blog/smallpiper.html The ramblings of a couple of itinerate folkies! Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:11:13 +0000 60 http://homepage.mac.com/smallpiper/blog/smallpiper.html#ilc289317592 It's been a long cold winter and we've been cosy by the fireside. Winter is pretty much over now and it's time to come out of hibernation! We've recorded for Chris Flegg, Cloudstreet and Marc Gunn in the last month, bass parts mostly, so watch out for their brand new albums!

We had fun watching the olympics, crocheting Swedish Olympic Hats, going to the new Scandi Session in London and most importantly working on some new songs. If all goes to plan, we should have our new Epic Swedish Murder Ballad out in time for the start of April. It's been years in the making, from research to translation from Old Norwegian and Old Swedish, a mix of several different versions and an unhappily retuned nyckelharpa. It contains the best (or worst) rejection line ever. Want to hear an exclusive preview?
Click here!
You'll have to come and hear the song live to see what happens after this rebuff....

13.03.10 The Verge, Hyde, Manchester (support)
23.03.10 Take Thyme Cafe, Banbury, Oxfordshire
10.04.10 Red Lion Folk Club, support to Norma Waterson & Martin Carthy, Birmingham
12.04.10 Midway Folk Club, Stockport, Cheshire
19.04.10 Colchester Folk Club, Colchester, Essex
08.05.10 Acoustic Routes, double bill with Rebecca Hall Cambridge, 07971 299659
28 - 31.05.10 Chester Folk Festival, Kelsall

Hope to see you there!
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Vicki & Jonny]]> Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:59:51 +0000 http://homepage.mac.com/smallpiper/blog/smallpiper.html#ilc279032905 Time has really flown, sorry for the lack of updates! Business back to normal now. We're nearly finished for the season and we've had a really great time! We'll put up a gallery soon from the year, but for the moment you can see the pictures of the major surgery that the double bass underwent in the summer. (If you can't see the pictures because you're not on FaceBook let me know and we'll put it on the website!) The bass has recovered very well and is fighting fit again ready for a new season. Plans are under way to bring the bass out far more often with George Papavgeris next year, so watch this space! Talking of George, having recorded on his brand new album we're playing at the CD launch this Sunday in London. We're really looking forward to this as the whole cast is performing, Paul Sartin, Pete Flood and the Tindalls. It'll be a totally awesome night!

We're playing for the Lewes Saturday Folk Club on the 14th November with a workshop in the day. We've expanded it from just Scottish Smallpipes to a day of playing together. Based on pipe music and style, it should be a fun day! Click here for details.

That's all the news for now, but we'll try to blog again very soon and even do a video diary from George's launch!
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Vicki & jonny]]> Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:08:24 +0000 http://homepage.mac.com/smallpiper/blog/smallpiper.html#ilc274643026 We hope that you've all had a most fantastic summer! It has felt like our feet haven't touched the ground! We have lots of photographs to sort through and add to our gallery, but for now we'd like to let everyone know about the gigs that we have left in the autumn.

02 - 04.10.09 Tenterden Folk Festival Tenterden, Kent
05.10.09 Folk on Monday, Islington, London
08.10.08 Maudslay Thursday, double bill with George Papavgeris, Coventry
17.10.09 Sutton Folk Club, Sutton
14.11.09 Scottish Smallpipes Workshop day in Lewes, Elephant and Castle, Lewes, Sussex
14.11.09 Lewes Saturday Folk Club, Elephant and Castle, Lewes, Sussex

Monday 4th October is the start of a new club in London: Folk on Monday so it would be great to see loads of people join us for that evening and Mark is joining us for Maudslay Thursday in Coventry on the 8th October. We are also playing as George Papavgeris' Los Marbles, so it should be a great evening!

Saturday 14th Novemeber is very exciting, we're running a day of Scottish Smallpipe Workshops before performing in the evening. Having run some workshops in the North for the Cumbria Pipers, it's time for the pipers in the South to have day! Book early as places are limited. Get in touch and let us know what you'd like us to do and we'll do our best in incorporate it!

Thank you to everyone who ever got in touch with Mike Harding we are very grateful for the radio play in July. Please keep mailing him and requesting our tracks ... a second play would be mighty!

We were played by Verity on BBC radio 3's Late Junction last week. You can catch this show until Wednesday.

That's all for todays rambling! Some photographs from the summer to follow soon!
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Vicki & Jonny]]> Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:43:45 +0100