Joe O’Donnell’s Shkayla

ALSO - NEW ARTICLE BY PETE CLEMONS FROM COVENTRY TELEGRAPH HERE 

"The captivating sound of Joe O’Donnell’s Shkayla brings together the spirit of Celtic tradition and the

dynamic grooves of modern rock and jazz. It’s a unique and powerful sound that has evolved since band leader and ace electric fiddle-player Joe O’Donnell moved to Coventry in 1998.

Joe O'Donnell

Members - Joe O'Donnell, Si Hayden, Martin Barter, Adrian Litvinoff, Brendan J. Rayner

Joe's Website

http://thejoeodonnell.com/

Joe O’Donnell is one of the finest electric violin players performing in the Celtic tradition. He’s also widely acclaimed as a first-class mandolin-player, singer and composer.

Born in Limerick, Ireland, Joe began taking classical violin lessons at the age of twelve. After seven years of study he won two scholarships for the Royal Irish Academy of Music to study orchestral work. When Joe left the Academy, he took up playing lead guitar but returned to the violin two years later. During this time he played for various groups, including Decca’s Granny’s Intentions, who had also featured Gary Moore on guitar. This started a busy and productive period in the world of progressive rock music, with Joe playing a key role on both sides of the Irish Sea.

In 1971, Joe moved to London and joined Woods Band for nine months, featuring Terry and Gay Woods, founder members of  Steeleye Span. It was at this time that Joe started making electric violins for his own use, including violectra and 8-string violins.

In 1973, Joe joined East of Eden stepping into the shoes of their celebrated fiddle-player Dave Arbus. He was featured on their hit album Another Eden and toured Europe with the band until they split in 1978.

In 1977, Joe released Gaodhal’s Vision, a concept album of his own compositions, heralded as a fusion of Celtic music with jazz and rock. Drawing on Irish Celtic mythology, the music tells the story of the exodus from the Carpathian Mountains to Ireland by a race of people known as The Milesians. The project followed a deal with Decca after Joe approached Tubular Bells producer Tom Newman and Jon Field. Joe was joined on the album by Rory Gallagher, Steve Bolton, Theodor Thunder (Alan Price Band) and David Lennox (Ginger Baker, Blodwyn Pig, The Equals). The album was re-released in 2004 on Sony’s BMG label with three new bonus tracks.

In the 1980s, Joe lived in Guernsey. During this period he remained active in folk-rock music, and appeared

Martin Barter Keys

with various line-ups at festivals in Brittany and the Channel Islands.

In 1998, Joe moved to Coventry, to work with producer and musician Martin Jenkins, former member of acclaimed folk bands, Dando Shaft, Hedgehog Pie and Whippersnapper. Joe released his album, Shkayla and around this time formed the first line-up of the band, Shkayla with Martin and his guitarist son Ray Jenkins.

In 2004, Martin and Ray took up new projects and a new line-up of Shkayla was established, when Joe recruited guitarist Dave Perry (ex-US band, In Athens and Norwegian prog-rock band The Truth Monkeys) and keyboards-player Martin Barter (ex-Birmingham band, The Alliance).

In 2006, the expanded five-piece line-up of Joe O’Donnell’s Shkayla performed Gaodhal’s Vision at the Warwick Folk Festival. This introduced new band members, drummer Paul Johnston (of Midlands folk-rockers Meet On The Ledge) and bassist Mark Fulton. The

show also featured The Celtic Vision Orchestra conducted by Christopher Evans, plus dancers Sinead Lightley, Amardeep Nanra and Indigo Dance & Performing Arts. The show was recorded for later CD and DVD releases.

In 2008, Joe completed the long-awaited new Shkayla album Celtic Cargo. He is now touring with the band’s latest line-up in which Martin Barter and Mark Fulton have been joined by guitarist Si Hayden and drummer Brendan J.Rayner.

Joe uses Sonic Violins and a unique ceramic violin made by John Stevens.

Singing songs in English and Gaelic and playing soaring fiddle melodies and improvisations, Joe is accompanied by a team of first-class musicians who really understand and do justice to the dynamic spirit of Celtic and rock music.

From https://www.facebook.com/JoeODonnellsShkayla

This is such a beautiful track -

Si Hayden

And Watch this one on Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni-LwCyVBvo

Don't Pick a Flower

Don't Pick a Flower was a curiously named folk duo was based at the Coventry Arts Umbrella club c 1971 led by poet and songwriter John Leopold who led many of the folk and poetry sessions at the Umbrella around that time.

Although I saw them at the Umbrella, I can't remember all the details. They played at the Umbrella Club on " May 11th 1971 Don't Pick a Flower - John Leopold's folk duo. Poetry and Folk session. Contemporary and own songs."

I have a note in my 1971 diary for Sunday14th February at the Plough Club on the London Road. A gig and disco run by Silk Disco. Dando Shaft were playing along with Music Box (Colin and Rob Armstrong). The entry says I got the addresses of Music Box and Don't Pick a Flower at that gig with a view to them playing at the Umbrella Friday night band nights I was organising at the time. I'm not sure that I put either outfit on at the Umbrella in the end for whatever forgotten reason but collecting contact address was part of the process.

Don't Pick a Flower were a gentle harmony folk duo with interesting lyrics as far as I can recall. They seemed to be around the Umbrella a lot at that time, weekends, sitting in the coffee bar, playing guitar and chatting.

I can't be sure but the full name may have been Don't Pick a Flower Unless You're Sure - although i may be confusing that with a quote i heard somewhere.

John Leopold had been involved with various poetry and folk events at the Coventry Arts Umbrella in the very early 70's and although John often played in the Umbrella coffee bar as conversation raged on every subject - often to the wee hours.

John Leopold had performed with the Umbrella Poets in the 1970 presentation of Geoff Pegg's Knotted Sheets (launch of his poetry chapbook for Outposts) at the Belgrade Theatre. He performed one of his songs called Dinosaurs Lament. I seem to think John play at other venues with the Umbrella poets during this period as well as folk clubs.

A short bio of John Leopold exists in the Knotted Sheets programme that reads -

John Leopold
The writer of the other song, Dinosaurs Lament. A talented songwriter and guitarist who takes personal preference to the 12-string variety. His songs are apart from anything produced by other writers and they use some excellent chord sequences..

Trilogy

Trilogy
were an acoustic group formed c 1973 by Al Hatton (ex - original version of Indian Summer) and consisted of -
Al Hatton - Acoustic Guitar and Vocals
Ron Ablewhite (Ex Torqwood) Acoustic guitar and vocals
Roy Brewster - assorted percussion

Al Hatton

They played both folk clubs and venues associated with bands. They later developed into a full band Just Jake and Ottoman.
incorporating members of

We covered this band in Hobo Magazine -


From Hobo 1973

"Another band to emerge (bearing some connection to Indian Summer) is Al Hatton's band. Al used to play bass for Indian Summer. Al is now playing acoustic guitar with three others known as Trilogy. The group have another guitarist and percussionist and make some nice sounds, using original material."

From Hobo 1974

TRILOGY
"Who are due to play the Windsor Free Festival during the last week of August, are a new band featuring Al Hatton (late of Indian Summer) on acoustic guitar; Ron Ablewhite (Ex. Torqwood) also on guitar and Roy Brewster on assorted percussion. All members compose and contribute vocals."

JOHN WANDERS BACK

"Ex Wandering John guitarist - John Alderson, returned from Sandersfoot in Wales, where he was reported to be living in Hobo issue 2. John met up with Trilogy -

TRILOGY

"Trilogy were also reviewed in issue two. An acoustic band. They are expanding their line up to include keyboard player Martin Barter who also sings, Rog Jackson on bass, John Alderson on lead and slide guitar along with the original members of the trio - Roy Brewster on congas and percussion, Ron Ablewhite on acoustic guitar and vocals and Al Hatton on acoustic guitar and vocals. They write all their own material which without classifying it too much, is, suffice to say, funky with harmonies. The band appeared recently on Midland's Today and are entering the Melody Maker contest. I caught the original band at the White Bear pub in Willenhall Wood recently with blues soloist Mick Stuart.

Ron Abelwhite is now an artist operating in Cumbria - 

Ron Ablewhite - Artist Biography

Ron Ablewhite spent many years in commerce and advertising in the Coventry area, painting on a part-time basis, before moving to Cumbria in 1993 when he became a professional artist. He created and developed the “Collectables Range”, a unique portfolio of over 60 limited edition prints of scenes in Cumbria and the Lake District. These images capture moments in time, which are reflected in the atmosphere, unique light conditions, buildings and livestock that make Cumbrian images so universally popular. http://www.cachetuk.com/acatalog/Ron_Ablewhite.html

And http://www.thornthwaitegalleries.co.uk/artists-exhibiting-at-thornthwaite-galleries/78-artists/111-ron-ablewhite.html

If anyone has any info or material on the Coventry folk outfit Torqwood (in which Ron Ablewhite originally played) please get in touch - hobozine@googlemail.com

Sneaks Noise

Original formation (1965) was Jon McIntosh, Ted Crum, Jane Parks and Giles Poole.

Reformed around 1970 comprising Jon McIntosh (Double Bass), Ian Wall (Vocals), George Van Ristell (Guitar, Banjo and vocals) and Ian Elson (fiddle, viola, mandolin and tenor banjo).

Sneak's Noise back after 20-year gap; WHAT'S ON: Folk. 2005

by PETE WILLOW

MEMBERS of local legends Sneak's Noise are rolling back the years this weekend and lining up for a night of nostalgia in Brinklow.

The band's name goes back to Shakespeare when servants at the Boar's Head in London's Eastcheap called for Sneak's Noise to entertain Falstaff and his cronies.

The band's founder members, Ted Crum and John "Tool" McIntosh, started playing traditional English songs in 1966.

One of their memorable early gigs was in the city's Locarno Ballroom where they performed a song about the Aberfan Disaster at a fundraising event.

Tool now plays in electric bass folk-rock ceilidh band Peeping Tom, but he became the lynchpin of Sneak's Noise as it went through line-up changes in the 70s.

The band was instantly recognisable with Tool's double bass complete with macabre human skull perched on the tuning pegs.

With Graham Bradshaw on vocals and guitar and George Van Ristell on banjo and mandolin, Sneak's Noise were residents at Logfire Folk Club in Leamington.

In 1971, they formed Kenilworth Folk Club, which met in the Virgins and Castle before moving to the Burnt Post in Coventry.

The trio will play its first gig in nearly 20 years at Brinklow's Wurzel Bush Folk Club tomorrow when Ted Crum also makes a guest appearance.

Tool has borrowed a double bass for the occasion, although the skull has long gone.

The concert opens a new season of monthly big-name events now taking place on Saturday nights at the club's venue, the British Legion, Heath Lane.

The music starts at 8.15pm with resident duo Clive Ryder and Maggie Coleman.

n Tickets from 01788 832021.

......................

Mary Elson - wife of Ian Elson has sent some action photographs by photographer Dave Birch which I am now adding to this post -

Armpit Jug Band

ARMPIT JUG BAND on MY SPACE

Songs - Mr Slater's Parrot / Morning Blues / Ask Me No Questions / Stealin / Just Because.

The Armpit Jug Band began life in Coventry UK in 1970 after emerging from Coventry College of Education University of Warwick.

Stringbean Cumming. vocals kazoo washboard

Jazz Beasley. Conductor traps guitar sax clarinet harmonica

Hot Lips Haines. banjo jug guitar tuba

T-Bone Jones guitar mandolin vocals

Dr Groove Green piano harmonica.

From this site -

http://www.dannyhaines.com/armpitjugband/begin.htm

"Before the Armpit Jug Band there was the Gosford Armpit Band. And before that there were several

disparate and desperate individuals wandering the mysterious and joyous landscape of the early 60s.

Jazz Beasley and Hot Lips Haines, his surly companion in schoolboy criminality, were struggling out of the musical straightjackets of the Boys Brigade to form the ill fated Tame Valley Juke Stompers. It foundered on the rocks of discordant incompetence. Little Wedge Beasley was kicking at his pushchair straps and beating his Tommee Tippee in time to Budgie and Iron Maiden.

Somewhere on the others side of the Birmingham tracks, in the depths of Shard End, was

T Bone "Axeman" Jones, treading the solitary path of a blues Visionary. He was to be a catalyst in the evolution of Fleetwood Mac . . . He told Peter Green to give all his money away.

In the days when Fred West was just another cowboy builder with a spare bag of cement .... somewhere in

Gloucester was Stringbean, the tortured aesthete standing alone in the shadows of the match factory . . . England's Glory! He tossed a coin up into the foggy glare of a sodium lamp and lost his bus fare home.

Jazz and Stringbean, with others too inept to mention, became the Gosford Armpit Band while students in Coventry. At first it was just holding hands . . . but before they knew it they were going steady. There were hours of rehearsal . . . ( was it 3 or 4?) . . . in a tiny room made of  fetid with the secretion of bodily odours and the acrid smouldering of Park Drives. At last they were ready to thrust themselves into the world of musical history. "

ARMPIT JUG BAND. NO SWEAT. LP. 1975. EURO 50
On COTTAGE Records Label - COT.201R. Stereo. 1975

RECORD IS IN EX CONDITION
PICTURE SLEEVE IS ALSO EX AND SIGNED BY THE BAND (AUTHENTICATED BY A BUSINESS CARD OF THE BAND WHICH WAS OBTAINED AT A CONCERT).
TRACKS ARE:- The Entertainer, Sweet Sue, Overseas Stomp, San Francisco Bay Blues, Slender Doris, Beedle-um-Bum, Ain't she sweet, Ukulele Lady, Washington at Valley Forge, Henry Thomas, Jug Band Music, Coney Island Washboard Roundelay, Careless Love, The Entertainer.
A HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE AND SCARCE RECORD

Gothic Horizon

GOTHIC HORIZON C1971 / 72

Andy Desmond and Richard Garret (Gothic Horizon)

A folk based band operating in the early 70's from Warwick (I think). I saw them play the Coventry Arts Umbrella and Earlsdon Cottage. They had an album on sale at the gigs which I think must have been Jason Lodge Poetry Book. The band made two albums according to this site and one single. (You can buy the albums and single from that site too.). Ron Lawrence and Grey Richardson of  the Coventry folk rock band APRIL were involved with the recording.

Albums
Jason Lodge Poetry Book 1971                   Tommorow's Another Day 1972

Single
Wilhemina Before Sunrise 1971

http://lysergia.blogspot.com/2006/01/gothic-horizon-jason-lodge-poetry-book.html

Beautiful debut album by UK band Gothic Horizon. The music exposed on this album is
highly unique, transparent and fragile. Kinda like Left Banke meets Honeybus larded and sauced with UK folk. A real beautiful album. Originally released on Argo in 1970 Gothic Horizon made two albums: 'The Jason Lodge Poetry Book' (Argo ZFB 26) 1970, which also gained an American release: ([USA:] London PS592) 1971; and 'Tomorrow Is Another day' (Argo ZDA 150) 1972.

Their music is not gloomy, brooding, damp, ghoulish, dark, threatening, creepy, bloody, horrifying or any of the other adjectives which spring to mind when one thinks of "Gothic". Instead it is warm, chatty, light, breezy, informal, witty. The albums are sometimes hyped as "psych-pop" (the former especially on account of its convoluted title and colourful pop-art cover) or even "acid-folk", but essentially they are neither of these things; they tends mostly towards folk and acousticism. However there are some tracks here to delight the psychedelically-inclined. The title track of the first album, 'The Jason Lodge Poetry Book', is great. Complex pop of sufficient quality to delight the pop-syke faithful. 'Song For Susan' is so close in sound and style to Fairfield Parlour that it just about escapes charges of plagiarism. 'A J Lone's Dog' is ragtime pop; and unsurprisingly with a title like 'Willow Tree Vale Song' this song is folk. But 'A Third For Jason Lodge' is very weird. Bizarre changes and references to flying, mushrooms and toadstools! (by Dave Thubron)

Tracklist: http://www.last.fm/music/Gothic+Horizon


1. The Jason Lodge Poetry Book
2. Song For Susan
3. Odysseus
4. A.J. Lone's Dog
5. Willow Tree Vale Song
6. Six Summers Back
7. Song
8. Althea Williams
9. Wilhelmina Before Sunrise
10. St. Valentine's Day Massacre
11. A Third For Jason Lodge
12. Pisces
13. A Farewell Ode To Port Sunlight

Bitrate: 192, ripped from vinyl



Dave Commented -
I first met the guys when helping out at the Earlsdon cottage folk club in Coventry where Richard & Andy were regular & popular guests. Bass & drums on the album were provided by Ron Lawrence & Gray Richardson of Coventry folk band APRIL for whom my buddie bullet & i were unofficial & very much unpaid roadies. Gothic were always well received in Coventry and i am delighted to say i still own a signed vinyl copy of the LP. i hope they are both well. Dave

Sean Cannon

Sean Cannon - by Pete Willow, from Folks No 6 - March / April 1979

Roving Journey Man -

Spotlight on Sean Cannon

"Sean Cannon played his first guitar during the winter of  1962 /63 when taking lessons in the Swabian district of Germany. The material he was taught was mainly a selection of folk songs local to that area, most of which only required three or four basic chords and he states that many of the numbers he plays now are no more complicated. For three years he moved around the continent, staying in Germany, Switzerland and Spain, before eventually returning to Britain and moving to Coventry in 1965.

Although he had no burning ambition to be a professional folksinger at the time, Sean found himself heading Bill Hartnett, who introduced him to the Cofa's Tree Folk Club, which Sean attended at first as a spectator rather than a performer. In the meantime he was playing guitar and singing for his own amusement although early influence set in. he learnt material through he Clancy Brothers songbook and sang songs remembered from school and rebel songs, which at the time were more acceptable for folk club performances. Inspiration also came from seeing the Dubliners perform at Cofa's Tree. (Sean was later to support two concerts with them in Coventry and Redcar - (and later than this article in 1982 - he joined them - Ed.). Eventually Sean was to be seen giving regular floor spots as well as playing at various all-night parties, along with early compatriots, Lenny McIihone, Gibb Todd, The Kerries and Rod Felton. 

in that direction more through circumstance than anything else. In Coventry he met up with multi-instrumentalist,

Round about 1967, Sean and Bill, along with whistle and banjo player, Paul Welsh, became involved in a band called The Gaels. At this time they ran a club at Monks Kirby, later to be hosted by Dave Sampson. This became a very popular Saturday night folk venue, regularly packed out to the extent that many of the potential audience had to spend the evening in the bar down stairs. This was where Sean met up with guitarist Pat Cooksey, who used to entertain those who couldn't get in, whilst the club itself carried on upstairs!

The Gaels split up in 1970, as members got involved with marriage and college, and Sean found himself with time on his hands again. He still had no aspirations to be a professional soloist and when asked to do a booking he at first refused. He was finally persuaded to do his first solo gig by Pete Brown; the venue was Swadlingcote and the fee two guineas. This led to a return booking plus one or two more in other clubs.

Sean was able to travel further afield when he met up with the late Paul Riley, who at the time was roady for various acts, including Noel Murphy. Paul offered Sean lifts around the country, where he was able to play floor spots at clubs and obtain work as a result. It was when playing in a London club in 1972 that Sean was approached by Jean Oglesby who offered to obtain work for him, and since then the Oglesby-Winder agency has provided him with most of his bookings.

An even busier time is ahead for Sean now (ie 1979)when this article was written) as he has been booked to appear on the forthcoming Planxty Tour. This opens on Easter Sunday at the Hammersmith Odeon, takes him around the country for a while (including the nearest date to here (Coventry) - 20th April at the Birmingham Odeon), then ten dates in Germany, a couple in Switzerland, back to Germany then on to France, Belgium, a concert in Paris, a tour of Brittany and finally to Ireland, with a couple of appearances at Belfast and Derry included.

Sean's first album came out last year on the Cottage label, entitled The Roving Journey Man, Erin the Green (CBS Ogham, 1979) and the titles were -

1. The newry highwayman
2. The banks of the bann
3. The bantry girls' lament
4. Siúil arún
5. The bay of biscay
6. The yellow bittern (an bunán búi )
7. The red-haired man's wife
8. Ned of the hill (Eamon an chnuic)9. The bonny bunch of roses
10. Erin the green

appropriately named as he reckons he travels about 50,000 miles a year to gigs. (His Morris Minor alone clocked up 30,000 miles since last April.) he has recorded a new album on the Ogham label for release hopefully in April. Sean hasn't thought of a title for it yet (but we can now tell you in with hindsight that it was called '

..but he's frantically doing research to write his own sleeve notes on the songs. Many sources of Sean's material are from records and books, although he sings songs learned from his mother and from friends, including Pat Cooksey.

Perhaps the main reason for Sean's popularity in folk clubs is his incredibly clear and haunting voice which, backed by an unimposing accompaniment on his Angelica guitar, adds great depth to the songs he performs. Particularly enjoyable are his his vocal 'instrumentals' where he sings wordless jigs and reels to a three chord backing. Irish folk music is very popular on the continent and Sean's presentation must stand out as unique compared with the great variety of five or six piece bands that tour around.

With all of his commitments  and the fact that he's living in Yorkshire these days, Sean feels a little out of Dyres Arms where his old colleagues play regularly. he recalls that the music played in the days of the Cofa's Tree was extremely good. Generally these days he sees folk enthusiasts as people who like songs for their face value, when the folk revival started there was more of a political interest, with many left wing connotations in the material played. "The standard of playing now is better than ever. The instrumental ability of many artists today would have been amazing fifteen years ago" Sean speaks modestly of his own guitar playing though the tremendous feeling  that he puts into his arrangements of songs leaves him in the minds of most club audiences as one of the most outstanding soloists performing in the world of music today.

touch with the Coventry folk scene, although he visits the city as often as he can  to give impromptu performances, usually at the

Ed - Sean moved back to Coventry form Barnsley in the mid 90's.

..................................................................................................

More of the Gaels on the Hobo A to Z of bands - Here