Photos of Claire by Paul Jennings. Eek, I’ve been asked to write a blog! What a compliment – but what on earth am I going to write about?? Surely most reading this will be in the same boat – life as a musician? The only advice I could give myself was to write about what … Continued

Singing has always been my biggest passion in life and at the forefront of my growth as a human being. Anything that I do, the career choices that I make, always has my desire to sing at its root. In my very early years, I was always, almost subconsciously, exposed to Gaelic song in many … Continued

My name is Graham Rorie, I’m a full time self-employed fiddle and mandolin player from Orkney living in Glasgow. I thought I’d focus this blog on how I got past the mental and logistical blocks of setting up a new project. Something I put off for far too long and can’t wait to get started … Continued

Hello there! My name is Hayley Keenan and I am a full-time musician and educator. I am a founding member of folk band ‘Talisk’ and play the fiddle alongside Mohsen Amini (concertina) and Graeme Armstrong (guitar). I am also a member of ‘Jim Jam Ceilidh Band’ and run a folk club in Largs called, ‘Largs … Continued

I’ve always had a bit of a problem with humanity’s desire to place someone based on fairly rudimentary questions: Where are you from? Errm.. What kind of music do you play? Errrrm. What’s your favourite album? Favourite guitarist/flautist? Or my particular favourite (sarcasm intended): Where did you ‘get into’ the music? Almost never implying music … Continued

When I was asked to write this piece, I figured I had plenty of time to decide what to write about and also plenty of time to write it, as I was going to be away music-ing without the usual distractions that home offers. But alas no, here I am on deadline day, backstage at … Continued

Irish traditional (trad) music is an engrained part of Irish culture. All over the world, where there is an Irish contingent or presence, there will always be music not too far away. We’ve seen so many amazing bands such as Planxty, The Gloaming, De Dannan all come from trad circles and which has become some … Continued

When I was fourteen, I took the notion to learn how to juggle.  I only ever managed three juggling balls at any one time, although I did learn a couple of tricks that mildly impressed my friends.  It’s safe to say that even if I had perfected the art and managed to work with several … Continued

Almost exactly two years ago, box player extraordinaire and famously tall person Joseph Peach invited me round to his flat to discuss the logistics and practicalities of transforming an idea he had into a film. The film was to follow a tall ship on it’s voyage round some very hard to reach islands, and at … Continued

Take care of your body – it’s the only place you have to live. By Corrina Hewat www.corrinahewat.com (Photo above by Sean Purser) I have written and rewritten this blog dozens of times already and I find I am writing too much information to digest in one go.  There is too much I am not … Continued