Box and Fiddle
Year 26 No 03
November 2002
Price £2.00
44 Page Magazine
9 month subscription £18 + p&p £5.40
Editor – Karin Ingram, Hawick
B&F Treasurer – Charlie Todd, Thankerton
The main features in the above issue were as follows (this is not a comprehensive detail of all it contained. The Club reports, in particular, are too time consuming at this stage to retype).
Editorial
This has been a really busy month, and things show no sign of slowing down next month either! Lack of space has forced us to hold back several articles – regulars ‘Collectors Pieces’ and ‘The Piping Shrike’, a report by Heather on her visit to Dufftown Dancers’ 50th Anniversary Weekend, and a report on Gary Forrest’s gig in Denholm, when he was supported by a box and fiddle playing duo by the name of Cunningham and Bain. All of these will be in your December issue along with reports on both the Shetland and Perth Festivals.
The first weekend in November is set aside in many people’s diaries for Bill Black’s Stanley Weekend. I’m sure that this year will be as fantastic as ever. On Sunday 3rd November there is a Day with the Ranco Accordions (Piano and Button-Key) in the Windygates Institute. The following weekend I’ll be heading for the Alnwick Northumbrian Gathering, where I’m calling with the Lyne Valley Band at the dance on Friday, 8th November. Heather and I are also planning on taking part in some of the dance workshops, so we’ll let you know how we get on. Highland Showtime takes place in The Eden Court Theatre, Inverness on Saturday 16th November, and that same weekend sees this year’s Brian Laurie National Accordion fun Festival in The Normandy Hotel, Glasgow. Fiddle 2002 is in The Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh from 22-24 November. Add all those to all the other club nights and dances that are taking place, and you could be out every night of the month!
See you next month – if I can stand the pace!
Karin Ingram
Ceilidh Capers with Sandy Legget
by Karin Ingram
How did it all start?
I was aged about 10 and my cousin, Jim Bell, came to stay with us for a wee while. Jim was a bit older than me and was an accomplished accordionist, already competing and performing at ‘gigs’. I used to listen to him practicing in the house and my mum and dad asked me if I would like to learn the accordion too. They bought me a 96 bass Guerrini and I was off!
Was there any other music in the family?
To be honest with you, no! My granddad on my father’s side played the bagpipes a little but other than that, the main interest in Scottish music came from my father’s tremendous collection of old ‘78’ records. He still has them today although sadly, not the means to play them, although I do believe it is possible to get them copied onto a more modern format. Perhaps if any of your readers have experience of this sort of thing they could let me know!
Who taught you?
In those days I stayed in Dunbar, the same town as John Leslie so he was the obvious choice of teacher. John’s style was classically based and he encouraged all his pupils to sit exams and to compete in all classes at both Perth and Musselburgh Championships. I enjoyed competing, with very limited success, the two highlights being victory in the Intermediate Duet playing The Mexican Hat Dance with Ian Hutson and a triumph in the 1983 Higher Intermediate Solo – mum still has the cup!
I also changed accordions, moving to a full size, 120 bass, brand new Bugari Armando which my mum and dad very kindly bought for me. It had white bass keys with red lining, a rarity in those days, very stylish and one of the photos here shows me aged about 13 with the new instrument. John also ran an Accordion Orchestra and I enjoyed playing at various functions, mainly in south-east Scotland, with them. It was great experience for later life playing at concerts and as well as the orchestral arrangements, John liked to give each player the chance of a solo spot at the concerts. The John Leslie Accordion Orchestra gave me my first recording experience when we recoded an L.P. Accordion Versatility. Great fun!
As a wee aside from there, we did return to Perth in 1995 and managed to secure a victory in the Trio and Band competitions. I was keen to try and do the ‘Grand Slam’ with victory at Musselburgh the following March so that we had all four titles together but the competition coincided with our honeymoon. I would like to say I narrowly lost and went on honeymoon but I’m afraid I would be telling lies, however, in March 1997 we Trio and Band there too!
How did you progress from there?
From there Ian and I used to play at various functions, none of them desperately exciting. My Gran used to run ‘The Dunbar Pensioners’, so you could be sure, if they couldn’t get anyone else to come along and entertain them at their monthly get together, Ian and I would be ‘invited’. There was also the usual round of school concerts, WRI, Women’s Guild, coffee mornings, coffee evenings and fund-raising concerts.
I’ll never forget the first time we received payment for playing. We’d been asked to play at a concert in Paxton Village Hall and at the end of it the chap who had booked us, Tommy Grieve of ‘Riverside’ handed us an envelope each. We didn’t open them till we were traveling home in the back of Ian’s mum’s car and we nearly had a fit when we saw we had been paid £7 each!!! A fortune in those days I can assure you.
From there my musical interest had to compete strongly with rugby and for a few years I was content to play only occasionally. We used to play every other Sunday at The West Barnes Inn and musical encouragement and influence in those days came from people such as Davie Patrick, Andrew Knight, Graeme Cockburn and Gordon Clark to name but four.
Do you still have the Bugari?
Sadly no. Around 1987 I bought a Hohner Morino IVN from Graeme Munro who stayed in Haddington and for a while kept both accordions, but when I moved into my own house in 1991 I decided to sell the Bugari as it was never played and sat in the cupboard – it seemed a shame! I still have the Morino; it’s a lovely box and I wouldn’t swap it for the world.
When was the Carseloch Ceilidh Band formed?
In 1995 I moved through to Ayrshire with my work and round about the same time we had passed an audition with BBC Radio Scotland for ‘Take the Floor’. I decided that the band needed a name, I didn’t want to be Sandy Legget and his SDB and, as we stayed in Carseloch Road, decided that The Carseloch Ceilidh Band would be a fine name. Original line-up for that first broadcast was myself, Andrew Knight on fiddle, Peter Wood on second box, Shauna on piano, Doug Cargill playing bass and the drummer was Ally MacIntyre.
In September of that year we recorded Dusk till Dawn, the band’s debut CD, and the only change from ‘TTF’ was Steven MacInnes who joined the band as the drummer.
How did you and Steven meet then?
I first met young Master MacInnes when he was playing in a pop band on the Cal Mac Pier, Tobermory during one of my earliest Mull festivals. I remember saying to Ian Hutson as we trudged up the steep steps to The Western Isles Hotel, “Listen to that young fella on the drums, I wonder if he is any use at Scottish Dance Band drumming? Imagine my surprise a couple of hours later when he appeared on stage at The Mishnish for a tune! Our friendship developed from there but it wasn’t until late 1995, when I was searching for a drummer to go to Bulgaria at fairly short notice, that he began to play regularly with us. He was able to go to Sofia, which in those days was quite a scary place, and soon after began coming down for gigs, initially at The Riverside Club in Glasgow. Steven now plays with us as often as he is able to, especially if he is able to come down for a weekend of gigs rather than just the one night, and he and I are now firm personal friends as well as musical colleagues.
So how do you manage the rest of the time?
I am very fortunate that there are other musicians who play with us on a regular basis, adding that extra dimension to the sound of the band. I would like to mention Graeme Cockburn in particular as his singing talents are put to particularly good use on many occasions.
Do you get back to Dunbar to play?
I don’t get back to Dunbar as often as I would like to. Sunday nights at The West Barns Inn are still going strong, though now that Rhona has started school it will prove very difficult to play there and then get her to school on Monday morning.
The Dunbar Traditional Music Festival takes place at the end of September each year and that often provides us with an opportunity to ‘go home’. Luckily we are quite often asked to play at the Saturday night dance and that is always good fun and there are many sessions and informal tunes throughout the weekend too.
How do you fit everything in?
With great difficulty! I have to say that it isn’t easy juggling the demands of a young family, a demanding job and a busy ceilidh band and you’ll notice the order that I have placed these three things in!
Shauna and I are very fortunate that we have been blessed with two smashing wee kids, Rhona (4) and Struan (2). Shauna gave up her work when we had Rhona although she continues to play at most of the gigs that the band undertakes. My giving up work was not an option and, to be honest, I am quite happy about that. I’m an Air Traffic Control engineer at the Scottish and Oceanic Air Traffic Control Centre at Prestwick, and I find my music a superb release from the daily bustle at work. It sometimes isn’t easy , trailing back from a distant Accordion club and only getting a couple of hours’ sleep before heading back into work but I suppose I am the type of person that finds it difficult to sit still anyway and be bored if I wasn’t doing something! Suffice to say it’s not often I find myself sitting in the house wondering what to do with myself.
One gig a couple of years ago sticks in my mind. Andy Murray and I had been over performing at Ballymena Accordion club and enjoyed a smashing day and night’s hospitality with our Irish friends. We were due to get the midnight ferry from Larne, which should have delivered us onto the mainland at around two in the morning leaving us a shortish drive up the coast, a few hours’ sleep then off to work. When we set sail the Captain advised us that it was ‘a wee bit rough’ and he would be ‘deploying the ships stabilising equipment’. It turned out it was a Force 8 gale and once we had set sail we couldn’t dock at Cairnryan because there was another ship in difficulty there. We then sailed up and down the coast waiting for the gale to subside, finally docked at half past seven in the morning, just in time to get to work for nine!
What about the current line-up, when did you start playing together?
The current band first played together at the Shetland Accordion and Fiddle Club Festival last year, October 2001. I had been let down fairly late on and with only a week to go managed to get ahold of Iain Anderson and persuade him to come up with us. We met in Edinburgh and over a pint at Aberdeen Airport, discussed what tunes we might play in Unst that evening. I told Iain not to worry that we had never played together before, we’d have a wee tune in one of the session rooms that afternoon, a run through before the dance in Unst and that would be fine. We arrived at The Islesburg Centre, walked up the stairs and were met at the top, still with our coats on, by Irene Jamieson. “Fine to see you Sandy”, she exclaimed, “and your whole band’s here, excellent, we’ll get you to open the Festival , you’ve only got five minutes to get onto the stage, Iain Peterson is just about to make his opening speech!” The best laid plans…! However, we opened with a Boston Two Step and never looked back.
The Clickimin Grand Dance that year was terrific fun too. Andy Ross, the MC, was winding the crowd up before we started to play and we were up for it too and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The Sunday night party, where all the musicians and Festival organisers and helpers enjoy themselves was super fun too. The Shetland musicians always like to put on something special to keep us ‘Southmoothers’ in our place and we responded with our own version, we decided to sing part of a Boston Two-Step! It seemed like a good idea at the time! It went down well enough and we were well chuffed. However, at the airport the next day, whilst waiting forlornly for the fog to clear, a young lady who had attended the Festival (Heather Graham) got chatting to Steven and me. We asked her if she had enjoyed the Festival, what was her favourite part etc whereupon she produced this mini-disc player and asked us if we wanted to hear ourselves singing The Quarter Master’s Stores. It was not great, I have to confess, but it was lively and certainly different!
As a footnote to my ramblings about the Shetland Festival, we were unable to fly home that day due to the foggy weather, something not even National Air Traffic Services can do much about I’m afraid. We had to go by boat, arriving in Aberdeen at 8 o’clock on the Tuesday morning. In a fit of madness earlier in the year, I had agreed to perform at Wick (yes, Wick) A&F Club that evening so Steven, Iain and I trudged up to Wick from Aberdeen and duly performed that evening. Once we got going we actually thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and the crowd seemed very appreciative too. It then seemed the obvious thing to do to have a drink or two with our hosts after the Club had finished, our tiredness seemed to have disappeared; I’m sorry to say it soon returned the next morning!!! That’s showbiz as they say!
Do you get up to Shetland at any other time during the year?
I’m extremely fortunate to have been up to the Northern Isles fairly regularly since my first visit in January 1996. Peter Wood invited me up then to perform at Up Helly Aa and composed the tune Sandy’s Shetland Stag Week to mark the occasion. For the last four years I have been invited to perform at Anderson High School with Da fustra band and that is always a super night, good tunes and good fun too.
I have also managed to become a fairly regular visitor to The Shetland A&F Festival, normally held around mid-October. The organizational talent behind this event is phenomenal, it must take hours and hours of work to arrange travel and accommodation for so many visiting musicians and enthusiasts, and the success of the Festival is a tribute to all the hard work carried out by the Committee.
I have also had the privilege of visiting Shetland in a private jet! My work commitments took me round Sumburgh, Stornoway and Tiree over a couple of enjoyable days two winters ago, our first port of call being Sumburgh. Only stayed for about four hours before moving on to Stornoway, my shortest visit yet!
What does the future hold?
We are probably as busy just now as we will be able to be without going full-time.
We have recorded CD number three, Ceilidh Capers, which is available now directly from me, from Highlander Music and from all good music stores – oh yes, and from High Level Music in Lerwick according to Peter Wood! The inspiration for the CD came from The Shetland Festival in 2001; we had such a good time we decided we had to record together, and I am very pleased with the outcome. It is a return to the mix of tunes, mainly Old Time Dance style, which we first recorded on our debut album Dusk Till Dawn, and contains something for everyone: my own favourite is the track we put together for Strip The Willow in Shetland 2001, a cracking set of jigs and reels which I think, come over very well on the recording.
The other musical ambition I have is to perform at an Outside Broadcast for ‘TTF’. All five of our recordings for the programme have been studio sessions, we’ve never quite managed to secure an OB so if you’re reading this Mr Mutch, you only have to ask!
I have also recently developed the Band website, www.ccband.co.uk which has been up and running for a few months now. My work colleague and neighbour, Steve Graham, was instrumental in the development of the site and his hard work and enthusiasm is much appreciated by me. We are starting to get a few visitors to the site now so if any readers are doing a bit of ‘surfing’ please visit the site and leave us your comments in the guest book.
What do you think about the current ‘health’ of the Scottish Dance Music scene?
Speaking from my own perspective, it seems fairly healthy I have to say. There are many excellent bands out there performing at various types of functions and events, many more of the musicians I talk to seem to be performing at functions outwith the UK, which is always nice and bands generally seem to be busy.
There also seems to be a good mix of styles amongst the bands, from the traditional ‘Scottish Country Dance’ bands through the bands that perhaps suit an ‘Old Time Dance’ better and then there are bands who prefer to target their style at a younger audience, the ‘Ceilidh Dances’ that are still popular. There are some bands out there who try to cover all three styles, changing their style and tempo to suit the audience of the night, and that is the category The Carseloch Ceilidh Band falls into. I find it challenging to be playing at a Ceilidh for a couple of hundred young people one night and then the next night, slow things right down and perform at a Scottish Country Dance. Personally I don’t see anything wrong with this approach, it certainly works for us and I enjoy the variety offered by this method. It could be argued perhaps by concentrating on one type of function, the band sound can develop to a greater extent but I believe it is all down to the individual band; if it works, go for it!
I’m not sure if there is enough space in this article for me to chip in to the debate, which I have followed with great interest, regarding the artistes’ fees and the admission prices of the A&F Clubs around the country but here goes! I don’t think it is appropriate for me to judge who is right and who is wrong; all I want to do is offer the thoughts of a humble artiste.
I accept that the actual performance time, on stage, at an A&F Club is around an hour and a half at the most. However, that is by no means the whole story and the evening for the guest artiste begins much earlier. Often, the Club will be a fair distance away, involving a drive of an hour or two there and the same back and in these days of busy roads, an allowance for hold-ups has to be made. Also, it is prudent to arrive at the club some time before you are actually due on stage, to prepare, enjoy a bit of ‘crack’ and recover from the journey. There is also usually an hour’s gap in the middle of the performance to allow local musicians to entertain the audience and perhaps draw a raffle. The end result of all this is that the hour and a half performance can take anything up to seven or eight hours in actual time. By the time petrol is paid for, and the babysitter too, the actual money earned is little more than the minimum wage!
However, and this is the crux of the matter in my opinion, none of this should come as a surprise on the night. The fee should have been arranged beforehand and a quick glance at the road atlas will allow a swift guess at the amount of time it will take to travel to the Club, so the artiste is making an informed choice about taking the gig on or not. If an individual, or band for that matter, don’t feel that the fee is appropriate reward, surely the easiest thing is just to politely decline the invitation.
Any advice you could give our younger readers?
Enjoy yourselves! Playing in a Ceilidh Band or Scottish Band for that matter is a tremendously rewarding experience and the potential to travel all over the world is there with hard work, dedication and, above all, luck. If you are just setting out along the long road stick in and work hard but above all else, enjoy yourself and have fun!
Take the Floor
by Alan Mair (Chairman RSCDS)
To Primary 6 and 7 children the prospect of dancing on the radio might have seemed a rather weird thing to do, but when four of the finest luxury busses seen in Fife pulled up outside the schools to take them to Dunfermline for the recording any doubts about the wisdom of giving up a whole day in their classroom were quickly dispelled.
As they made their way to The Glen Pavilion, watching a video and secured with seatbelts in the comfortable seats (except when they HAD to use the toilets!) they must have felt like VIPs. And so they should. They were 230 of the 12,000 Primary school children in Fife who have been introduced to Scottish Country Dancing by the Fife Council Visiting Teacher Service and who annually demonstrate their prowess at a series of thirty Festivals held throughout the Kingdom at the end of November.
On this occasion these pupils from Ceres, Freuchie and St Columba’s Schools in North-East Fife, from Kinghorn, Kirkcaldy West and Torbain, Milton of Balgownie, Piyyeuchar West and Star of MArkinch in Central fife and from Canmore, Crossford and Inzievar in West Fife were guests of the BBC for a recording of ‘TTF’ to celebrate National children’s Week and they had been working hard over recent weeks to practice the dances on the programme.
On stage were Nicky McMichan and his band who gave a performance which demonstrated a maturity well beyond their years. My own favourite, which might surprise many, was the waltz Kathleen which, despite being in a rhythm with which the dancers were not very familiar, kept them all in step and, as Robbie pointed out, encouraged everyone onto the floor. Music and dance enthusiasts alike must be pleased to know that the future is safe in such talented young players.
There was further assurance of this in the gentle combination of harp (or was it clarsach?) and fiddle (or was it violin?) by the twins Lorna and Maeve Gilchrist. Equally well received by the young and not so young members of the enthusiastic audience was folk-singer Findlay Napier.
Children are consummate scene-stealers and this group of dancers was no exception. Their enthusiasm was palpable as was their appreciation for the band and performers on stage. This speaks volumes for the visiting teachers and classroom teachers alike for encouraghing, in them, an interest in all aspects of our traditional culture. Who can tell if, in due course, one of these children might become Chairman of the RSCDS or Editor of the Box and Fiddle? What is certain is that the BBC will have no difficulty finding a new presenter for ‘Take the Floor’.
In record time (if you can excuse the pun) the last dance was over with only one retake – a good day’s work for all concerned. One of the buses sped past me on the way out of Dumfermline – I hadn’t noticed they were quite as high as that before!
Czech Out Charlie Goes Pole Dancing
by Charlie Todd
It’s encouraging to reads in the B&F about Accordion Festivals, both of the home grown variety and the international aspect as featured by Gary Blair, but every year throughout Europe and beyond many countries host another type of Festival – ‘Folklore’ Festivals of traditional music and dance. Comparatively unknown in the UK, these Festivals range in size but commonly will be attended by three to eight foreign groups and a number of ‘local’ groups from the host nation. Bearing in mind that most groups can number between 35 to 40 members, dancers, musicians, singers, etc, then the scale of the enterprise can be envisaged.
The C.I.O.F.F. (Conseil International des Organisations de Festivals de Folklore et D’Art Traditionnels) is an umbrella organisation, which sets standards and guidelines for the organisation and running of Festivals and their website lists over 250 Festivals in 30 countries. Additionally there are many which operate independently. The format varies from one to another but there are certain component parts common to most, namely;
Accommodation – group members are either hosted by families or accommodated in University/College Halls of Residence which are vacant for the summer anyway. The former has the advantage of seeing how people of the host nation live but necessitates them transporting you to meeting points every day. The latter allows all the groups to live, eat and hopefully socialize together. One of the main aims of the C.O.I.F.F. is to promote international harmony. Accommodation and meals are provided by the Festival hosts but don’t expect 5 star accommodation and fare. Part of the charm of these outings is the requirement to ‘muck in’ and make the best of unfamiliar surroundings. Think of it as a few days of ‘National Service’.
Performances – groups will be advised in advance roughly what will be expected from them. Bearing in mind that there may be a considerable number of groups present there may be occasions when only a four or seven minute presentation will be required (as part of a ‘Gala’ performance at which every group will perform) while at other times two, three or four groups may combine to present their 15, 30, 45 or 60 minute programmes as part of an evening’s entertainment. The odd parade will be thrown in, which will more than likely involve dancing along the way – if only to fill in the delays – and a joint Religious service is quite common on a Sunday morning.
Music – the emphasis in definitely on acoustic instruments although generally excellent PA systems and sound engineers are available. For short performances and street parades electronics become totally impractical. Being able to play for your dancers at the drop of a hat without the need to resort to ‘the dots’ is definitely an advantage, although there’s no problem with reading for your longer, set piece, performances. Pipers (especially pipers in full dress) are an enormous hit the world over, as is the kilt. The latter is an interesting point as our younger players move away from any form of traditional dress. All I can say is that it’s what organisers are looking for and everyone else is dressed up like Christmas trees too, so what have you got to lose? Scottish groups are few and far between, coming as we do from the outer fringes of Europe (along with Finland and Siberia!) but everyone knows about the kilt and would be immensely disappointed if we turned up without them.
Dancing – it’s a definite advantage to have Scottish Country and Highland available for the stage performances with Ceilidh held in reserve for the social events. Alternating the dancing as well as the music of the pipes and the dance band provides a variety to the programme which few countries enjoy.
Drink – yes, let’s not forget that Continental Europe produces some of the finest lagers in the Universe and as guests we have a solemn duty to try them all – even if it does keep us up till 5 a.m. every morning. Central Europe, in particular, has many particularly fine lagers allied with many hours of summer sunshine – a formidable combination. I for one fight the threat of de-hydration very effectively.
Right, so far so good, but many musicians may be wondering by now why they have never heard of these Festivals. Firstly there are very few hosted in the UK never mind Scotland. The Dunedin Dancers in Edinburgh host a week long (independent) Festival every second year to which they invite four groups. Other than that I know of none so it’s unlikely that you’re going to come across them at this end in the normal course of events.
Secondly, the only problem with attending them is that the group themselves have to meet the cost of travel to the Festival which, when it’s in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary or wherever, can be the same as a week’s holiday in Spain. Again this is an area where some form of central funding would be appropriate since it’s Scottish culture which is being promoted. As well as paying to go you’re also losing money by not being available for gigs at home. On top of that, groups contain few, if any ‘passengers’ i.e. members who don’t contribute directly to the performance, so ‘partners’ as such have to be left behind. (But console yourself with the fact that they hate it when you do make the mistake of taking them!)
Anyway the result of all this is that the few Dance Groups who make the effort to organize suitable programmes have great difficulty in obtaining the services of suitable musicians. What makes that all the more ironic is that Groups, particularly from Eastern Europe, will easily feilf 5 to 8 musicians of the highest calibre. Fortunately for us all, ‘Folklore’ was one of the areas encouraged during the dark days of Communism and it has come through unscathed. Accordionists from the various ‘Russian’ states, although playing traditional music, will frequently have been tutored up to ‘Conservatory of Music’ standard. Take it from me, the whole experience can be unforgettable.
My reason for writing this article (other than the inevitable pressure from Karin) is to encourage both musicians and Dance Groups to use the Box and Fiddle as a forum for declaring and interest and getting together. Scottish groups are immensely popular but so few in number that it’s not difficult to get an invitation and the website referred to above is a good place to start.
Having this year attended the Sumperk Festival in the Czech Republic with the Nottingham based Galloway Dancers and the Zelona Gora Festival in Poland with Edinburgh University’s New Scotland Country Dancers I can guarantee it’s an experience you won’t forget in a hurry.
Tale of a Lost Accordion
by William Marshall
A Dance Band Almanac
by Dave Francis
The evening was already warm and airless………..
The Piping Shrike
by Jean Lumsden
Well, spring has come to South Australia…………………………
Greeting from Inverness
by Margo MacLennan
We are moving up to our mid term holidays…………………..
CD Reviews
Ceilidh Capers – Sandy Legget & the Carseloch Ceilidh Band – CCBCD2 Independent
High Flyin’ – High Strings – AMCD01 Independent
The Fiddler’s Companion – LEGACY03CD – Ythan Music Trust
Tight Squeeze – KODA – SHIELCD017 Shielburn Asociates
Natalie MacMaster Live – CDTRAX238D – Greentrax
Book Review
Waves of Sound – A Collection of Original compositions for Fiddle and Accordion by Judi Nicolson – DEEAY Music
Take the Floor – Saturdays with Robbie Shepherd
2nd Nov 02 – James Coutts SDB + 1st feature on Glenfiddich Fiddle Dhampionships
9th Nov 02 – Colin Dewar SDB – OB from Memorial Hall, Dufftown + guests Charlie McKerron, Marc Clement & Eric Simpson
16th Nov 02 – Graeme Mitchell SDB + 2nd feature on Glenfiddich Fiddle Championships
23rd Nov 02 – Bruce Lindsay SDB
30th Nov 02 – Charlie Kirkpatrick SDB – St Andrews Night OB from Clydebank + guests The Three Scots Tenors
CLUB DIARY
Aberdeen (Westburn Park Lounge) – 26th Nov 02 – Bill Black SDB
Alnwick (The Farrier’s Arms – Shilbottle) 13th Nov 02 – Gary Forrest SDB
Annan (St Andrew’s Social Club) - 17th Nov 02 – George Hood
Arbroath (Viewfield Hotel) - 3rd Nov 02 - Iain Cathcart SDB
Armadale (Masonic Hall) – 7th Nov 02 – Gary Sutherland SDB
Balloch (St. Kessog’s Church Hall) – 17th Nov 02 – Colin Dewar
Banchory (Burnett Arms Hotel) – 25th Nov 02 – Graeme Mitchell SDB
Banff & District (Banff Springs Hotel) – 27th Nov 02 – Alasdair Salter
Beith & District (Anderson Hotel) – 18th Nov 02 – Robert Whitehead
Belford (Community Centre) – 28th Nov 02 - tbc
Biggar (Municipal Hall) – 10th Nov 02 – The Bon Accords
Blairgowrie (Moorfield Hotel) - 12th Nov 02 - tbc
Bromley (Trinity United Reform Church) - 12th Nov 02 – John Stevens
Button Key (Windygates Institute) – 14th Nov 02 – Donal Ring
Campbeltown (The Royal Hotel) -
Campsie (Glazert Country House Hotel) - 5th Nov 02 – Gary Donaldson Trio
Carlisle (St Margaret Mary’s Social Club) - 7th Nov 02 – Gary Forrest Trio
Castle Douglas (Urr Valley Country House Hotel) – 19th Nov 02 – Karyn McCulloch
Coalburn (Miners’ Welfare) - 21st Nov 02 – Ian Cruickshanks SDB
Crathes (Crathes Hall, Banchory) - 10th Nov 02 – All players welcome
Crieff & District (Crieff Hotel) 7th Nov 02 – Neil MacEachern Trio
Cults (Culter Sports & Social Club) 13th Nov 02 – Dick Black Band
Dalriada (Argyll Arms Hotel, Lochgilphead)
Dingwall (National Hotel) – 6th Nov 02 – Simon Howie Quartet
Dunblane (Victoria Hall) – 20th Nov 02 – Alan Roy
Dunfermline (Headwell Bowling Club) – 12th Nov 02 – Club night
Dunoon & Cowal (McColl’s Hotel)
East Kilbride (The Village Inn) – 28th Nov 02 – Andrew Gordon Trio
Ellon (Station Hotel) – 19th Nov 02 – The Garioch Fiddlers
Fintry (Fintry Sports Centre) – 25th Nov 02 – Ian Muir SDB
Forfar (Plough Inn) - 17th Nov 02 – Ian McCallum SDB
Forres (Victoria Hotel) – 13th Nov 02 – Jimmy Cassidy
Galashiels (Abbotsford Arms Hotel) – 7th Nov 02 – Gary Donaldson Trio
Galston (Barr Castle Social Club) – 11th Nov 02 – Colin Dewar
Glendale (Black Bull Hotel, Wooler) – 21st Nov 02 – Lyne Valley Band
Glenfarg (Lomond Hotel) - 6th Nov 02 – Paul Anderson
Glenrothes (Victoria Hall, Coaltown of Balgownie) - 26th Nov 02 – Dick Black Band
Gretna (Halcrow Stadium) - 3rd Nov 02 - David Sturgeon SDB
Highland (Drumossie Hotel) – 18th Nov 02 – Bobby Coghill
Inveraray (Argyll Hotel) - 13th Nov 02 – Iain Cathcart SDB
Isle of Skye – (The Royal Hotel, Portree) - 7th Nov 02 – Ross MacPherson Trio
Islesteps (The Embassy Hotel) – 5th Nov 02 – MacKay Family Band
Kelso (Ednam House Hotel) – 13th Nov 02 – Donal Ring
27th Nov 02 – The Occasionals
Kintore (Torryburn Hotel) – 6th Nov 02 – Burns Brothers Duo
Lanark (Ravenstruther Hall) - 25th Nov 02 – Gary Forrest SDB
Langholm (Crown Hotel) – 13th Nov 02 – Iain MacPhail SDB
Lesmahagow (Masonic Hall) – 14th Nov 02 – Richard Smith Trio
Lewis & Harris (Stornoway Legion) - 14th Nov 02 – Allan McIntosh & the Heather SDB
Livingston (Hilcroft Hotel, Whitburn) 19th Nov 02 – The Big Squeeze
Lockerbie (Queen’s Hotel) - 26th Nov 02 – The Big Squeeze
Mauchline (Harry Lyle Suite) - 19th Nov 02 – Paul Anderson
Montrose (Park Hotel) – 6th Nov 02 – Cults A&F Club
29th Nov 02 – Graeme Mitchell SDB
Newburgh (The Ship Inn) - 28th Nov 02 – Colliston Sound
Newmill-on-Teviot (Newmill Country Inn) - 6th Nov 02 – James Coutts
Newtongrange (Dean Tavern) – 25th Nov 02 – Scott Leslie SDB
North East (Royal British Legion, Keith) –
Oban (McTavish’s Kitchen) – 7th Nov 02 – Allan McIntosh SDB
Orkney (Ayre Hotel, Kirkwall) –
Peebles (Green Tree Hotel) –
Perth (Salutation Hotel) – 26th Nov 02 – Ian Muir Trio
Premier NI (Chimney Corner Hotel) - 5th Nov 02 – Willie McFarlane Band
Renfrew (Masonic Hall, Broadloan) – 12th Nov 02 – Ian Thomson SDB
Rothbury (Queen’s Head) - 7th Nov 02 – Gordon Pattullo
Selkirk (Cricket Club) - 14th Nov 02 – Tom Orr
Shetland (Shetland Hotel, Lerwick) -
Stirling (Terraces Hotel) -
Sutherland (Rogart Hall) - 23rd Nov 02 – Dance to Hector McFadyen
Thornhill (Masonic Hall) - 12th Nov 02 – Andy Kain Duo
Thurso (Pentland Hotel) – 4th Nov 02 – Lindsay Weir Trio
Turriff (Royal British Legion) – 7th Nov 02 – Sandy Legget Trio
Tynedale (Hexham Ex Service Club) – 21st Nov 02 – John Morgan
West Barnes (West Barnes Inn) 14th Nov 02 – Judith Linton Trio
Wick (MacKay’s Hotel) – 19th Nov 02 – Lomond Ceilidh Band
Yarrow (Gordon Arms) -
THERE WERE CLUB REPORTS FROM :-
1. Aberdeen
2. Alnwick & District
3. Annan
4. Arbroath
5. Armadale
6. Balloch
7. Banchory
8. Banff & District
9. Beith & District
10. Belford
11. Biggar
12. Blairgowrie
13. Button-Key
14. Campsie
15. Carlisle
16. Castle Douglas
17. Coalburn
18. Cults
19. Dingwall
20. Dunblane
21. Dunfermline
22. Fintry
23. Forfar
24. Forres
25. Galashiels
26. Galston
27. Glendale
28. Glenrothes & District
29. Gretna
30. Inveraray
31. Isle of Skye
32. Islesteps
33. Kelso
34. Kintore
35. Lanark
36. Langholm
37. Lesmahagow
38. Lewis & Harris
39. Livingston
40. Lockerbie
41. Montrose
42. Newburgh
43. Newmill
44. Newtongrange
45. North East
46. Oban
47. Premier
48. Renfrew
49. Rothbury
50. Thornhill
51. Turriff
52. Tynedale
53. West Barnes
54. Wick
CLUB DIRECTORY AS AT OCT 2002
(Clubs didn’t necessarily notify the Assoc when they closed so the following may not be entirely correct. Only the clubs submitting the reports or in the Club Diary above were definitely open.)
1. Aberdeen A&F Club (1975 – present)
2. Alnwick A&F Club (Aug 1975 – present)
3. Annan A&F Club (joined Assoc in 1996 but started 1985 – present)
4. Arbroath A&F Club (1991? – present)
5. Armadale A&F Club (Oct 1978? or 80) originally called Bathgate Club (for 2 months) Closed
6. Balloch A&F Club (Sept 1972 – per January 1978 issue – present)
7. Banchory A&F Club (1978 – present)
8. Banff & District A&F Club (Oct 1973 – present)
9. Beith & District A&F Club (Sept 1972 – per first edition – present)
10. Belford A&F Club (joined Sept 1982)
11. Biggar A&F Club (Oct 1974 – present)
12. Blairgowrie A&F Club (
13. Bromley A&F Club
14. Button Key A&F Club (
15. Campbeltown A&F Club (
16. Campsie A&F Club (Nov 95 – present)
17. Carlisle A&F Club (joined Sept 1993 -
18. Castle Douglas A&F Club (c Sept 1980 – present)
19. Coalburn A&F Club (
20. Crathes (aka Scottish Accordion Music – Crathes) (Nov 1997 -
21. Crieff A&F Club (cSept 1981)
22. Cults A & F Club (
23. Dalriada A&F Club (Feb 1981)
24. Dingwall & District A&F Club (May 1979 – per first report)
25. Dunblane & District A&F Club (1971 – present)
26. Dunfermline & District A&F Club (1974 – per first edition)
27. Dunoon & Cowal A&F Club (
28. East Kilbride A&F Club (Sept 1980)
29. Ellon A&F Club (
30. Fintry A&F Club (Dec 1972 – reformed Jan 1980 – present)
31. Forfar A&F Club (
32. Forres A&F Club (Jan 1978)
33. Galashiels A&F Club (joined Sept 1982 - present)
34. Galston A&F Club (Oct 1969 – per first edition – closed March 2006)
35. Glendale Accordion Club (Jan 1973)
36. Glenfarg A&F Club (formed 1988 joined Assoc Mar 95 -
37. Glenrothes A&F Club (Mar 93?
38. Gretna A&F Club (1991) Known as North Cumbria A&F Club previously (originally called Gretna when started in June 1966 but later had to move to venues in the North of England and changed name. No breaks in the continuity of the Club)
39. Highland A&F Club (Inverness) (Nov 1973 – present)
40. Inveraray A&F Club (Feb 1991 - present)
41. Islay A&F Club (23 Apr 93 -
42. Islesteps A&F Club (Jan 1981 – present – n.b. evolved from the original Dumfries Club)
43. Isle of Skye A&F Club (June 1983 – present)
44. Kelso A&F Club (May 1976 – present)
45. Kintore A&F Club (
46. Ladybank A&F Club (joined Apr 98 but formed
47. Lanark A&F Club (joined Sept 96 – present)
48. Langholm A&F Club (Oct 1967 - present)
49. Lesmahagow A&F Club (Nov 1979 – closed May 2005)
50. Lewis & Harris A&F Club (Aug 1994 -
51. Livingston A&F Club (Sept 1973 – present)
52. Lockerbie A&F Club (Nov 1973 - present)
53. Mauchline A&F Club (Sept 1983 - present)
54. Montrose A&F Club (joined Sept 1982 - present)
55. Muirhead A&F Club (Dec 1994 -
56. Newburgh A&F Club (joined 2002 but founded
57. Newmill-on-Teviot (Hawick) (Formed late 1988 joined Assoc 1999
58. Newtongrange A&F Club (joined Sept 1977 - present)
59. North East A&F Club aka Keith A&FC (Sept 1971 - present)
60. Oban A&F Club (Nov 1975 - present)
61. Orkney A&F Club (Mar 1978 - present)
62. Peebles A&F Club (26 Nov 1981 - present)
63. Perth & District A&F Club (Aug 1970 - present)
64. Premier A&F Club NI (April 1980)
65. Renfrew A&F Club (1984 -
66. Rothbury Accordion Club (7th Feb 1974) orig called Coquetdale
67. Selkirk A&F Club (
68. Shetland A&F Club (Sept 1978 - present)
69. Stirling A&F Club (Oct 1991 - )
70. Sutherland A&F Club (
71. Thornhill A&F Club (joined Oct 1983 – see Nov 83 edition – closed April 2014)
72. Thurso A&F Club (Oct 1981 - present)
73. Turriff A&F Club (March 1982 - present)
74. Tynedale A&F Club (Nov 1980 - present)
75. Vancouver
76. West Barnes ( - present)
77. Wick A&F Club (Oct 1975 - present)
78. Yarrow (prev known as Etterick & Yarrow) (Jan 1989 – )
Not on official list at the start of the season (closed, did not renew membership or omitted in error?)
79. Acharacle & District A&F Club (cMay 1988)
80. Ayr A&F Club (Nov 1983 – per Nov 83 edition) Closed
81. Bonchester Accordion Club (Closed?)
82. Bridge of Allan (Walmer) A&F Club (Walmer Hotel, Bridge of Allan) (c March 1982)
83. Brigmill A&F Club (Oct 1990) Closed
84. Buchan A&F Club
85. Callander A&F Club (
86. Campbeltown & District A&F Club (c Dec 1980)
87. Cleland (cNov 1981 – March 1985) originally called Drumpellier A&F Club (for 2 months)
88. Club Accord
89. Coquetdale A&F Club (Feb 1974 or c1976/77 – 1981/2? – became Rothbury?)
90. Coupar Angus A&F Club (cSept 1978 - ?)
91. Cumnock A&F Club (October 1976 - forced to close cDec 1982 - see Jan 83 Editorial)
92. Denny & Dunipace A&F Club (Feb 1981)
93. Derwentside A&F Club
94. Dornoch A&F Club (first mention in directory 1986)
95. Dumfries Accordion Club (Oughtons) (April 1965 at the Hole in the Wa’)
96. Dunbar Cement Works A&F Club (Closed?)
97. Dundee & District A&F Club (1970? – 1995?)
98. Edinburgh A&F Club (Apr 1981) prev called Chrissie Leatham A&F Club (Oct 1980)
99. Falkirk A&F Club (Sept 1978 - )
100. Fort William A&F Club (21st Oct 1980 – per Dec 1980 B&F)
101. Gorebridge (cNov 1981) originally called Arniston A&F Club (for 2 months)
102. Greenhead Accordion Club (on the A69 between Brampton and Haltwistle)
103. Kirriemuir A&F Club (cSept 1981)
104. M.A.F.I.A. (1966 – 1993?)
105. Monklands A&F Club (Nov 1978 – closed cApril 1983)
106. Morecambe A&F Club (joined Sept 1982)
107. Mull A&F Club
108. Newcastleton Accordion Club
109. New Cumnock A&F Club (cMarch 1979)
110. Newton St Boswells Accordion Club (17th Oct 1972 see Apr 1984 obituary for Angus Park)
111. Ormiston Miners’ Welfare Society A&F Club (closed April 1992 – per Sept Editorial)
112. Reading Scottish Fiddlers (cMarch 1997
113. Renfrew A&F Club (original club 1974/5 lapsed after a few years then again in 1984)
114. Straiton Accordion Club (c1968 – closed March 1979)
115. Stranraer & District Accordion Club (1974 – per first edition)
116. Torthorwald A&F Club (near Dumfries)
117. Tranent A&F Club
118. Walmer (Bridge of Allan) A&F Club
119. Wellbank A&F Club
Advertising rates
Full Page - £120
Half Page - £60
Quarter Page - £30
B&F Treasurer – Charlie Todd, Thankerton
The main features in the above issue were as follows (this is not a comprehensive detail of all it contained. The Club reports, in particular, are too time consuming at this stage to retype).
Editorial
This has been a really busy month, and things show no sign of slowing down next month either! Lack of space has forced us to hold back several articles – regulars ‘Collectors Pieces’ and ‘The Piping Shrike’, a report by Heather on her visit to Dufftown Dancers’ 50th Anniversary Weekend, and a report on Gary Forrest’s gig in Denholm, when he was supported by a box and fiddle playing duo by the name of Cunningham and Bain. All of these will be in your December issue along with reports on both the Shetland and Perth Festivals.
The first weekend in November is set aside in many people’s diaries for Bill Black’s Stanley Weekend. I’m sure that this year will be as fantastic as ever. On Sunday 3rd November there is a Day with the Ranco Accordions (Piano and Button-Key) in the Windygates Institute. The following weekend I’ll be heading for the Alnwick Northumbrian Gathering, where I’m calling with the Lyne Valley Band at the dance on Friday, 8th November. Heather and I are also planning on taking part in some of the dance workshops, so we’ll let you know how we get on. Highland Showtime takes place in The Eden Court Theatre, Inverness on Saturday 16th November, and that same weekend sees this year’s Brian Laurie National Accordion fun Festival in The Normandy Hotel, Glasgow. Fiddle 2002 is in The Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh from 22-24 November. Add all those to all the other club nights and dances that are taking place, and you could be out every night of the month!
See you next month – if I can stand the pace!
Karin Ingram
Ceilidh Capers with Sandy Legget
by Karin Ingram
How did it all start?
I was aged about 10 and my cousin, Jim Bell, came to stay with us for a wee while. Jim was a bit older than me and was an accomplished accordionist, already competing and performing at ‘gigs’. I used to listen to him practicing in the house and my mum and dad asked me if I would like to learn the accordion too. They bought me a 96 bass Guerrini and I was off!
Was there any other music in the family?
To be honest with you, no! My granddad on my father’s side played the bagpipes a little but other than that, the main interest in Scottish music came from my father’s tremendous collection of old ‘78’ records. He still has them today although sadly, not the means to play them, although I do believe it is possible to get them copied onto a more modern format. Perhaps if any of your readers have experience of this sort of thing they could let me know!
Who taught you?
In those days I stayed in Dunbar, the same town as John Leslie so he was the obvious choice of teacher. John’s style was classically based and he encouraged all his pupils to sit exams and to compete in all classes at both Perth and Musselburgh Championships. I enjoyed competing, with very limited success, the two highlights being victory in the Intermediate Duet playing The Mexican Hat Dance with Ian Hutson and a triumph in the 1983 Higher Intermediate Solo – mum still has the cup!
I also changed accordions, moving to a full size, 120 bass, brand new Bugari Armando which my mum and dad very kindly bought for me. It had white bass keys with red lining, a rarity in those days, very stylish and one of the photos here shows me aged about 13 with the new instrument. John also ran an Accordion Orchestra and I enjoyed playing at various functions, mainly in south-east Scotland, with them. It was great experience for later life playing at concerts and as well as the orchestral arrangements, John liked to give each player the chance of a solo spot at the concerts. The John Leslie Accordion Orchestra gave me my first recording experience when we recoded an L.P. Accordion Versatility. Great fun!
As a wee aside from there, we did return to Perth in 1995 and managed to secure a victory in the Trio and Band competitions. I was keen to try and do the ‘Grand Slam’ with victory at Musselburgh the following March so that we had all four titles together but the competition coincided with our honeymoon. I would like to say I narrowly lost and went on honeymoon but I’m afraid I would be telling lies, however, in March 1997 we Trio and Band there too!
How did you progress from there?
From there Ian and I used to play at various functions, none of them desperately exciting. My Gran used to run ‘The Dunbar Pensioners’, so you could be sure, if they couldn’t get anyone else to come along and entertain them at their monthly get together, Ian and I would be ‘invited’. There was also the usual round of school concerts, WRI, Women’s Guild, coffee mornings, coffee evenings and fund-raising concerts.
I’ll never forget the first time we received payment for playing. We’d been asked to play at a concert in Paxton Village Hall and at the end of it the chap who had booked us, Tommy Grieve of ‘Riverside’ handed us an envelope each. We didn’t open them till we were traveling home in the back of Ian’s mum’s car and we nearly had a fit when we saw we had been paid £7 each!!! A fortune in those days I can assure you.
From there my musical interest had to compete strongly with rugby and for a few years I was content to play only occasionally. We used to play every other Sunday at The West Barnes Inn and musical encouragement and influence in those days came from people such as Davie Patrick, Andrew Knight, Graeme Cockburn and Gordon Clark to name but four.
Do you still have the Bugari?
Sadly no. Around 1987 I bought a Hohner Morino IVN from Graeme Munro who stayed in Haddington and for a while kept both accordions, but when I moved into my own house in 1991 I decided to sell the Bugari as it was never played and sat in the cupboard – it seemed a shame! I still have the Morino; it’s a lovely box and I wouldn’t swap it for the world.
When was the Carseloch Ceilidh Band formed?
In 1995 I moved through to Ayrshire with my work and round about the same time we had passed an audition with BBC Radio Scotland for ‘Take the Floor’. I decided that the band needed a name, I didn’t want to be Sandy Legget and his SDB and, as we stayed in Carseloch Road, decided that The Carseloch Ceilidh Band would be a fine name. Original line-up for that first broadcast was myself, Andrew Knight on fiddle, Peter Wood on second box, Shauna on piano, Doug Cargill playing bass and the drummer was Ally MacIntyre.
In September of that year we recorded Dusk till Dawn, the band’s debut CD, and the only change from ‘TTF’ was Steven MacInnes who joined the band as the drummer.
How did you and Steven meet then?
I first met young Master MacInnes when he was playing in a pop band on the Cal Mac Pier, Tobermory during one of my earliest Mull festivals. I remember saying to Ian Hutson as we trudged up the steep steps to The Western Isles Hotel, “Listen to that young fella on the drums, I wonder if he is any use at Scottish Dance Band drumming? Imagine my surprise a couple of hours later when he appeared on stage at The Mishnish for a tune! Our friendship developed from there but it wasn’t until late 1995, when I was searching for a drummer to go to Bulgaria at fairly short notice, that he began to play regularly with us. He was able to go to Sofia, which in those days was quite a scary place, and soon after began coming down for gigs, initially at The Riverside Club in Glasgow. Steven now plays with us as often as he is able to, especially if he is able to come down for a weekend of gigs rather than just the one night, and he and I are now firm personal friends as well as musical colleagues.
So how do you manage the rest of the time?
I am very fortunate that there are other musicians who play with us on a regular basis, adding that extra dimension to the sound of the band. I would like to mention Graeme Cockburn in particular as his singing talents are put to particularly good use on many occasions.
Do you get back to Dunbar to play?
I don’t get back to Dunbar as often as I would like to. Sunday nights at The West Barns Inn are still going strong, though now that Rhona has started school it will prove very difficult to play there and then get her to school on Monday morning.
The Dunbar Traditional Music Festival takes place at the end of September each year and that often provides us with an opportunity to ‘go home’. Luckily we are quite often asked to play at the Saturday night dance and that is always good fun and there are many sessions and informal tunes throughout the weekend too.
How do you fit everything in?
With great difficulty! I have to say that it isn’t easy juggling the demands of a young family, a demanding job and a busy ceilidh band and you’ll notice the order that I have placed these three things in!
Shauna and I are very fortunate that we have been blessed with two smashing wee kids, Rhona (4) and Struan (2). Shauna gave up her work when we had Rhona although she continues to play at most of the gigs that the band undertakes. My giving up work was not an option and, to be honest, I am quite happy about that. I’m an Air Traffic Control engineer at the Scottish and Oceanic Air Traffic Control Centre at Prestwick, and I find my music a superb release from the daily bustle at work. It sometimes isn’t easy , trailing back from a distant Accordion club and only getting a couple of hours’ sleep before heading back into work but I suppose I am the type of person that finds it difficult to sit still anyway and be bored if I wasn’t doing something! Suffice to say it’s not often I find myself sitting in the house wondering what to do with myself.
One gig a couple of years ago sticks in my mind. Andy Murray and I had been over performing at Ballymena Accordion club and enjoyed a smashing day and night’s hospitality with our Irish friends. We were due to get the midnight ferry from Larne, which should have delivered us onto the mainland at around two in the morning leaving us a shortish drive up the coast, a few hours’ sleep then off to work. When we set sail the Captain advised us that it was ‘a wee bit rough’ and he would be ‘deploying the ships stabilising equipment’. It turned out it was a Force 8 gale and once we had set sail we couldn’t dock at Cairnryan because there was another ship in difficulty there. We then sailed up and down the coast waiting for the gale to subside, finally docked at half past seven in the morning, just in time to get to work for nine!
What about the current line-up, when did you start playing together?
The current band first played together at the Shetland Accordion and Fiddle Club Festival last year, October 2001. I had been let down fairly late on and with only a week to go managed to get ahold of Iain Anderson and persuade him to come up with us. We met in Edinburgh and over a pint at Aberdeen Airport, discussed what tunes we might play in Unst that evening. I told Iain not to worry that we had never played together before, we’d have a wee tune in one of the session rooms that afternoon, a run through before the dance in Unst and that would be fine. We arrived at The Islesburg Centre, walked up the stairs and were met at the top, still with our coats on, by Irene Jamieson. “Fine to see you Sandy”, she exclaimed, “and your whole band’s here, excellent, we’ll get you to open the Festival , you’ve only got five minutes to get onto the stage, Iain Peterson is just about to make his opening speech!” The best laid plans…! However, we opened with a Boston Two Step and never looked back.
The Clickimin Grand Dance that year was terrific fun too. Andy Ross, the MC, was winding the crowd up before we started to play and we were up for it too and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The Sunday night party, where all the musicians and Festival organisers and helpers enjoy themselves was super fun too. The Shetland musicians always like to put on something special to keep us ‘Southmoothers’ in our place and we responded with our own version, we decided to sing part of a Boston Two-Step! It seemed like a good idea at the time! It went down well enough and we were well chuffed. However, at the airport the next day, whilst waiting forlornly for the fog to clear, a young lady who had attended the Festival (Heather Graham) got chatting to Steven and me. We asked her if she had enjoyed the Festival, what was her favourite part etc whereupon she produced this mini-disc player and asked us if we wanted to hear ourselves singing The Quarter Master’s Stores. It was not great, I have to confess, but it was lively and certainly different!
As a footnote to my ramblings about the Shetland Festival, we were unable to fly home that day due to the foggy weather, something not even National Air Traffic Services can do much about I’m afraid. We had to go by boat, arriving in Aberdeen at 8 o’clock on the Tuesday morning. In a fit of madness earlier in the year, I had agreed to perform at Wick (yes, Wick) A&F Club that evening so Steven, Iain and I trudged up to Wick from Aberdeen and duly performed that evening. Once we got going we actually thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and the crowd seemed very appreciative too. It then seemed the obvious thing to do to have a drink or two with our hosts after the Club had finished, our tiredness seemed to have disappeared; I’m sorry to say it soon returned the next morning!!! That’s showbiz as they say!
Do you get up to Shetland at any other time during the year?
I’m extremely fortunate to have been up to the Northern Isles fairly regularly since my first visit in January 1996. Peter Wood invited me up then to perform at Up Helly Aa and composed the tune Sandy’s Shetland Stag Week to mark the occasion. For the last four years I have been invited to perform at Anderson High School with Da fustra band and that is always a super night, good tunes and good fun too.
I have also managed to become a fairly regular visitor to The Shetland A&F Festival, normally held around mid-October. The organizational talent behind this event is phenomenal, it must take hours and hours of work to arrange travel and accommodation for so many visiting musicians and enthusiasts, and the success of the Festival is a tribute to all the hard work carried out by the Committee.
I have also had the privilege of visiting Shetland in a private jet! My work commitments took me round Sumburgh, Stornoway and Tiree over a couple of enjoyable days two winters ago, our first port of call being Sumburgh. Only stayed for about four hours before moving on to Stornoway, my shortest visit yet!
What does the future hold?
We are probably as busy just now as we will be able to be without going full-time.
We have recorded CD number three, Ceilidh Capers, which is available now directly from me, from Highlander Music and from all good music stores – oh yes, and from High Level Music in Lerwick according to Peter Wood! The inspiration for the CD came from The Shetland Festival in 2001; we had such a good time we decided we had to record together, and I am very pleased with the outcome. It is a return to the mix of tunes, mainly Old Time Dance style, which we first recorded on our debut album Dusk Till Dawn, and contains something for everyone: my own favourite is the track we put together for Strip The Willow in Shetland 2001, a cracking set of jigs and reels which I think, come over very well on the recording.
The other musical ambition I have is to perform at an Outside Broadcast for ‘TTF’. All five of our recordings for the programme have been studio sessions, we’ve never quite managed to secure an OB so if you’re reading this Mr Mutch, you only have to ask!
I have also recently developed the Band website, www.ccband.co.uk which has been up and running for a few months now. My work colleague and neighbour, Steve Graham, was instrumental in the development of the site and his hard work and enthusiasm is much appreciated by me. We are starting to get a few visitors to the site now so if any readers are doing a bit of ‘surfing’ please visit the site and leave us your comments in the guest book.
What do you think about the current ‘health’ of the Scottish Dance Music scene?
Speaking from my own perspective, it seems fairly healthy I have to say. There are many excellent bands out there performing at various types of functions and events, many more of the musicians I talk to seem to be performing at functions outwith the UK, which is always nice and bands generally seem to be busy.
There also seems to be a good mix of styles amongst the bands, from the traditional ‘Scottish Country Dance’ bands through the bands that perhaps suit an ‘Old Time Dance’ better and then there are bands who prefer to target their style at a younger audience, the ‘Ceilidh Dances’ that are still popular. There are some bands out there who try to cover all three styles, changing their style and tempo to suit the audience of the night, and that is the category The Carseloch Ceilidh Band falls into. I find it challenging to be playing at a Ceilidh for a couple of hundred young people one night and then the next night, slow things right down and perform at a Scottish Country Dance. Personally I don’t see anything wrong with this approach, it certainly works for us and I enjoy the variety offered by this method. It could be argued perhaps by concentrating on one type of function, the band sound can develop to a greater extent but I believe it is all down to the individual band; if it works, go for it!
I’m not sure if there is enough space in this article for me to chip in to the debate, which I have followed with great interest, regarding the artistes’ fees and the admission prices of the A&F Clubs around the country but here goes! I don’t think it is appropriate for me to judge who is right and who is wrong; all I want to do is offer the thoughts of a humble artiste.
I accept that the actual performance time, on stage, at an A&F Club is around an hour and a half at the most. However, that is by no means the whole story and the evening for the guest artiste begins much earlier. Often, the Club will be a fair distance away, involving a drive of an hour or two there and the same back and in these days of busy roads, an allowance for hold-ups has to be made. Also, it is prudent to arrive at the club some time before you are actually due on stage, to prepare, enjoy a bit of ‘crack’ and recover from the journey. There is also usually an hour’s gap in the middle of the performance to allow local musicians to entertain the audience and perhaps draw a raffle. The end result of all this is that the hour and a half performance can take anything up to seven or eight hours in actual time. By the time petrol is paid for, and the babysitter too, the actual money earned is little more than the minimum wage!
However, and this is the crux of the matter in my opinion, none of this should come as a surprise on the night. The fee should have been arranged beforehand and a quick glance at the road atlas will allow a swift guess at the amount of time it will take to travel to the Club, so the artiste is making an informed choice about taking the gig on or not. If an individual, or band for that matter, don’t feel that the fee is appropriate reward, surely the easiest thing is just to politely decline the invitation.
Any advice you could give our younger readers?
Enjoy yourselves! Playing in a Ceilidh Band or Scottish Band for that matter is a tremendously rewarding experience and the potential to travel all over the world is there with hard work, dedication and, above all, luck. If you are just setting out along the long road stick in and work hard but above all else, enjoy yourself and have fun!
Take the Floor
by Alan Mair (Chairman RSCDS)
To Primary 6 and 7 children the prospect of dancing on the radio might have seemed a rather weird thing to do, but when four of the finest luxury busses seen in Fife pulled up outside the schools to take them to Dunfermline for the recording any doubts about the wisdom of giving up a whole day in their classroom were quickly dispelled.
As they made their way to The Glen Pavilion, watching a video and secured with seatbelts in the comfortable seats (except when they HAD to use the toilets!) they must have felt like VIPs. And so they should. They were 230 of the 12,000 Primary school children in Fife who have been introduced to Scottish Country Dancing by the Fife Council Visiting Teacher Service and who annually demonstrate their prowess at a series of thirty Festivals held throughout the Kingdom at the end of November.
On this occasion these pupils from Ceres, Freuchie and St Columba’s Schools in North-East Fife, from Kinghorn, Kirkcaldy West and Torbain, Milton of Balgownie, Piyyeuchar West and Star of MArkinch in Central fife and from Canmore, Crossford and Inzievar in West Fife were guests of the BBC for a recording of ‘TTF’ to celebrate National children’s Week and they had been working hard over recent weeks to practice the dances on the programme.
On stage were Nicky McMichan and his band who gave a performance which demonstrated a maturity well beyond their years. My own favourite, which might surprise many, was the waltz Kathleen which, despite being in a rhythm with which the dancers were not very familiar, kept them all in step and, as Robbie pointed out, encouraged everyone onto the floor. Music and dance enthusiasts alike must be pleased to know that the future is safe in such talented young players.
There was further assurance of this in the gentle combination of harp (or was it clarsach?) and fiddle (or was it violin?) by the twins Lorna and Maeve Gilchrist. Equally well received by the young and not so young members of the enthusiastic audience was folk-singer Findlay Napier.
Children are consummate scene-stealers and this group of dancers was no exception. Their enthusiasm was palpable as was their appreciation for the band and performers on stage. This speaks volumes for the visiting teachers and classroom teachers alike for encouraghing, in them, an interest in all aspects of our traditional culture. Who can tell if, in due course, one of these children might become Chairman of the RSCDS or Editor of the Box and Fiddle? What is certain is that the BBC will have no difficulty finding a new presenter for ‘Take the Floor’.
In record time (if you can excuse the pun) the last dance was over with only one retake – a good day’s work for all concerned. One of the buses sped past me on the way out of Dumfermline – I hadn’t noticed they were quite as high as that before!
Czech Out Charlie Goes Pole Dancing
by Charlie Todd
It’s encouraging to reads in the B&F about Accordion Festivals, both of the home grown variety and the international aspect as featured by Gary Blair, but every year throughout Europe and beyond many countries host another type of Festival – ‘Folklore’ Festivals of traditional music and dance. Comparatively unknown in the UK, these Festivals range in size but commonly will be attended by three to eight foreign groups and a number of ‘local’ groups from the host nation. Bearing in mind that most groups can number between 35 to 40 members, dancers, musicians, singers, etc, then the scale of the enterprise can be envisaged.
The C.I.O.F.F. (Conseil International des Organisations de Festivals de Folklore et D’Art Traditionnels) is an umbrella organisation, which sets standards and guidelines for the organisation and running of Festivals and their website lists over 250 Festivals in 30 countries. Additionally there are many which operate independently. The format varies from one to another but there are certain component parts common to most, namely;
Accommodation – group members are either hosted by families or accommodated in University/College Halls of Residence which are vacant for the summer anyway. The former has the advantage of seeing how people of the host nation live but necessitates them transporting you to meeting points every day. The latter allows all the groups to live, eat and hopefully socialize together. One of the main aims of the C.O.I.F.F. is to promote international harmony. Accommodation and meals are provided by the Festival hosts but don’t expect 5 star accommodation and fare. Part of the charm of these outings is the requirement to ‘muck in’ and make the best of unfamiliar surroundings. Think of it as a few days of ‘National Service’.
Performances – groups will be advised in advance roughly what will be expected from them. Bearing in mind that there may be a considerable number of groups present there may be occasions when only a four or seven minute presentation will be required (as part of a ‘Gala’ performance at which every group will perform) while at other times two, three or four groups may combine to present their 15, 30, 45 or 60 minute programmes as part of an evening’s entertainment. The odd parade will be thrown in, which will more than likely involve dancing along the way – if only to fill in the delays – and a joint Religious service is quite common on a Sunday morning.
Music – the emphasis in definitely on acoustic instruments although generally excellent PA systems and sound engineers are available. For short performances and street parades electronics become totally impractical. Being able to play for your dancers at the drop of a hat without the need to resort to ‘the dots’ is definitely an advantage, although there’s no problem with reading for your longer, set piece, performances. Pipers (especially pipers in full dress) are an enormous hit the world over, as is the kilt. The latter is an interesting point as our younger players move away from any form of traditional dress. All I can say is that it’s what organisers are looking for and everyone else is dressed up like Christmas trees too, so what have you got to lose? Scottish groups are few and far between, coming as we do from the outer fringes of Europe (along with Finland and Siberia!) but everyone knows about the kilt and would be immensely disappointed if we turned up without them.
Dancing – it’s a definite advantage to have Scottish Country and Highland available for the stage performances with Ceilidh held in reserve for the social events. Alternating the dancing as well as the music of the pipes and the dance band provides a variety to the programme which few countries enjoy.
Drink – yes, let’s not forget that Continental Europe produces some of the finest lagers in the Universe and as guests we have a solemn duty to try them all – even if it does keep us up till 5 a.m. every morning. Central Europe, in particular, has many particularly fine lagers allied with many hours of summer sunshine – a formidable combination. I for one fight the threat of de-hydration very effectively.
Right, so far so good, but many musicians may be wondering by now why they have never heard of these Festivals. Firstly there are very few hosted in the UK never mind Scotland. The Dunedin Dancers in Edinburgh host a week long (independent) Festival every second year to which they invite four groups. Other than that I know of none so it’s unlikely that you’re going to come across them at this end in the normal course of events.
Secondly, the only problem with attending them is that the group themselves have to meet the cost of travel to the Festival which, when it’s in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary or wherever, can be the same as a week’s holiday in Spain. Again this is an area where some form of central funding would be appropriate since it’s Scottish culture which is being promoted. As well as paying to go you’re also losing money by not being available for gigs at home. On top of that, groups contain few, if any ‘passengers’ i.e. members who don’t contribute directly to the performance, so ‘partners’ as such have to be left behind. (But console yourself with the fact that they hate it when you do make the mistake of taking them!)
Anyway the result of all this is that the few Dance Groups who make the effort to organize suitable programmes have great difficulty in obtaining the services of suitable musicians. What makes that all the more ironic is that Groups, particularly from Eastern Europe, will easily feilf 5 to 8 musicians of the highest calibre. Fortunately for us all, ‘Folklore’ was one of the areas encouraged during the dark days of Communism and it has come through unscathed. Accordionists from the various ‘Russian’ states, although playing traditional music, will frequently have been tutored up to ‘Conservatory of Music’ standard. Take it from me, the whole experience can be unforgettable.
My reason for writing this article (other than the inevitable pressure from Karin) is to encourage both musicians and Dance Groups to use the Box and Fiddle as a forum for declaring and interest and getting together. Scottish groups are immensely popular but so few in number that it’s not difficult to get an invitation and the website referred to above is a good place to start.
Having this year attended the Sumperk Festival in the Czech Republic with the Nottingham based Galloway Dancers and the Zelona Gora Festival in Poland with Edinburgh University’s New Scotland Country Dancers I can guarantee it’s an experience you won’t forget in a hurry.
Tale of a Lost Accordion
by William Marshall
A Dance Band Almanac
by Dave Francis
The evening was already warm and airless………..
The Piping Shrike
by Jean Lumsden
Well, spring has come to South Australia…………………………
Greeting from Inverness
by Margo MacLennan
We are moving up to our mid term holidays…………………..
CD Reviews
Ceilidh Capers – Sandy Legget & the Carseloch Ceilidh Band – CCBCD2 Independent
High Flyin’ – High Strings – AMCD01 Independent
The Fiddler’s Companion – LEGACY03CD – Ythan Music Trust
Tight Squeeze – KODA – SHIELCD017 Shielburn Asociates
Natalie MacMaster Live – CDTRAX238D – Greentrax
Book Review
Waves of Sound – A Collection of Original compositions for Fiddle and Accordion by Judi Nicolson – DEEAY Music
Take the Floor – Saturdays with Robbie Shepherd
2nd Nov 02 – James Coutts SDB + 1st feature on Glenfiddich Fiddle Dhampionships
9th Nov 02 – Colin Dewar SDB – OB from Memorial Hall, Dufftown + guests Charlie McKerron, Marc Clement & Eric Simpson
16th Nov 02 – Graeme Mitchell SDB + 2nd feature on Glenfiddich Fiddle Championships
23rd Nov 02 – Bruce Lindsay SDB
30th Nov 02 – Charlie Kirkpatrick SDB – St Andrews Night OB from Clydebank + guests The Three Scots Tenors
CLUB DIARY
Aberdeen (Westburn Park Lounge) – 26th Nov 02 – Bill Black SDB
Alnwick (The Farrier’s Arms – Shilbottle) 13th Nov 02 – Gary Forrest SDB
Annan (St Andrew’s Social Club) - 17th Nov 02 – George Hood
Arbroath (Viewfield Hotel) - 3rd Nov 02 - Iain Cathcart SDB
Armadale (Masonic Hall) – 7th Nov 02 – Gary Sutherland SDB
Balloch (St. Kessog’s Church Hall) – 17th Nov 02 – Colin Dewar
Banchory (Burnett Arms Hotel) – 25th Nov 02 – Graeme Mitchell SDB
Banff & District (Banff Springs Hotel) – 27th Nov 02 – Alasdair Salter
Beith & District (Anderson Hotel) – 18th Nov 02 – Robert Whitehead
Belford (Community Centre) – 28th Nov 02 - tbc
Biggar (Municipal Hall) – 10th Nov 02 – The Bon Accords
Blairgowrie (Moorfield Hotel) - 12th Nov 02 - tbc
Bromley (Trinity United Reform Church) - 12th Nov 02 – John Stevens
Button Key (Windygates Institute) – 14th Nov 02 – Donal Ring
Campbeltown (The Royal Hotel) -
Campsie (Glazert Country House Hotel) - 5th Nov 02 – Gary Donaldson Trio
Carlisle (St Margaret Mary’s Social Club) - 7th Nov 02 – Gary Forrest Trio
Castle Douglas (Urr Valley Country House Hotel) – 19th Nov 02 – Karyn McCulloch
Coalburn (Miners’ Welfare) - 21st Nov 02 – Ian Cruickshanks SDB
Crathes (Crathes Hall, Banchory) - 10th Nov 02 – All players welcome
Crieff & District (Crieff Hotel) 7th Nov 02 – Neil MacEachern Trio
Cults (Culter Sports & Social Club) 13th Nov 02 – Dick Black Band
Dalriada (Argyll Arms Hotel, Lochgilphead)
Dingwall (National Hotel) – 6th Nov 02 – Simon Howie Quartet
Dunblane (Victoria Hall) – 20th Nov 02 – Alan Roy
Dunfermline (Headwell Bowling Club) – 12th Nov 02 – Club night
Dunoon & Cowal (McColl’s Hotel)
East Kilbride (The Village Inn) – 28th Nov 02 – Andrew Gordon Trio
Ellon (Station Hotel) – 19th Nov 02 – The Garioch Fiddlers
Fintry (Fintry Sports Centre) – 25th Nov 02 – Ian Muir SDB
Forfar (Plough Inn) - 17th Nov 02 – Ian McCallum SDB
Forres (Victoria Hotel) – 13th Nov 02 – Jimmy Cassidy
Galashiels (Abbotsford Arms Hotel) – 7th Nov 02 – Gary Donaldson Trio
Galston (Barr Castle Social Club) – 11th Nov 02 – Colin Dewar
Glendale (Black Bull Hotel, Wooler) – 21st Nov 02 – Lyne Valley Band
Glenfarg (Lomond Hotel) - 6th Nov 02 – Paul Anderson
Glenrothes (Victoria Hall, Coaltown of Balgownie) - 26th Nov 02 – Dick Black Band
Gretna (Halcrow Stadium) - 3rd Nov 02 - David Sturgeon SDB
Highland (Drumossie Hotel) – 18th Nov 02 – Bobby Coghill
Inveraray (Argyll Hotel) - 13th Nov 02 – Iain Cathcart SDB
Isle of Skye – (The Royal Hotel, Portree) - 7th Nov 02 – Ross MacPherson Trio
Islesteps (The Embassy Hotel) – 5th Nov 02 – MacKay Family Band
Kelso (Ednam House Hotel) – 13th Nov 02 – Donal Ring
27th Nov 02 – The Occasionals
Kintore (Torryburn Hotel) – 6th Nov 02 – Burns Brothers Duo
Lanark (Ravenstruther Hall) - 25th Nov 02 – Gary Forrest SDB
Langholm (Crown Hotel) – 13th Nov 02 – Iain MacPhail SDB
Lesmahagow (Masonic Hall) – 14th Nov 02 – Richard Smith Trio
Lewis & Harris (Stornoway Legion) - 14th Nov 02 – Allan McIntosh & the Heather SDB
Livingston (Hilcroft Hotel, Whitburn) 19th Nov 02 – The Big Squeeze
Lockerbie (Queen’s Hotel) - 26th Nov 02 – The Big Squeeze
Mauchline (Harry Lyle Suite) - 19th Nov 02 – Paul Anderson
Montrose (Park Hotel) – 6th Nov 02 – Cults A&F Club
29th Nov 02 – Graeme Mitchell SDB
Newburgh (The Ship Inn) - 28th Nov 02 – Colliston Sound
Newmill-on-Teviot (Newmill Country Inn) - 6th Nov 02 – James Coutts
Newtongrange (Dean Tavern) – 25th Nov 02 – Scott Leslie SDB
North East (Royal British Legion, Keith) –
Oban (McTavish’s Kitchen) – 7th Nov 02 – Allan McIntosh SDB
Orkney (Ayre Hotel, Kirkwall) –
Peebles (Green Tree Hotel) –
Perth (Salutation Hotel) – 26th Nov 02 – Ian Muir Trio
Premier NI (Chimney Corner Hotel) - 5th Nov 02 – Willie McFarlane Band
Renfrew (Masonic Hall, Broadloan) – 12th Nov 02 – Ian Thomson SDB
Rothbury (Queen’s Head) - 7th Nov 02 – Gordon Pattullo
Selkirk (Cricket Club) - 14th Nov 02 – Tom Orr
Shetland (Shetland Hotel, Lerwick) -
Stirling (Terraces Hotel) -
Sutherland (Rogart Hall) - 23rd Nov 02 – Dance to Hector McFadyen
Thornhill (Masonic Hall) - 12th Nov 02 – Andy Kain Duo
Thurso (Pentland Hotel) – 4th Nov 02 – Lindsay Weir Trio
Turriff (Royal British Legion) – 7th Nov 02 – Sandy Legget Trio
Tynedale (Hexham Ex Service Club) – 21st Nov 02 – John Morgan
West Barnes (West Barnes Inn) 14th Nov 02 – Judith Linton Trio
Wick (MacKay’s Hotel) – 19th Nov 02 – Lomond Ceilidh Band
Yarrow (Gordon Arms) -
THERE WERE CLUB REPORTS FROM :-
1. Aberdeen
2. Alnwick & District
3. Annan
4. Arbroath
5. Armadale
6. Balloch
7. Banchory
8. Banff & District
9. Beith & District
10. Belford
11. Biggar
12. Blairgowrie
13. Button-Key
14. Campsie
15. Carlisle
16. Castle Douglas
17. Coalburn
18. Cults
19. Dingwall
20. Dunblane
21. Dunfermline
22. Fintry
23. Forfar
24. Forres
25. Galashiels
26. Galston
27. Glendale
28. Glenrothes & District
29. Gretna
30. Inveraray
31. Isle of Skye
32. Islesteps
33. Kelso
34. Kintore
35. Lanark
36. Langholm
37. Lesmahagow
38. Lewis & Harris
39. Livingston
40. Lockerbie
41. Montrose
42. Newburgh
43. Newmill
44. Newtongrange
45. North East
46. Oban
47. Premier
48. Renfrew
49. Rothbury
50. Thornhill
51. Turriff
52. Tynedale
53. West Barnes
54. Wick
CLUB DIRECTORY AS AT OCT 2002
(Clubs didn’t necessarily notify the Assoc when they closed so the following may not be entirely correct. Only the clubs submitting the reports or in the Club Diary above were definitely open.)
1. Aberdeen A&F Club (1975 – present)
2. Alnwick A&F Club (Aug 1975 – present)
3. Annan A&F Club (joined Assoc in 1996 but started 1985 – present)
4. Arbroath A&F Club (1991? – present)
5. Armadale A&F Club (Oct 1978? or 80) originally called Bathgate Club (for 2 months) Closed
6. Balloch A&F Club (Sept 1972 – per January 1978 issue – present)
7. Banchory A&F Club (1978 – present)
8. Banff & District A&F Club (Oct 1973 – present)
9. Beith & District A&F Club (Sept 1972 – per first edition – present)
10. Belford A&F Club (joined Sept 1982)
11. Biggar A&F Club (Oct 1974 – present)
12. Blairgowrie A&F Club (
13. Bromley A&F Club
14. Button Key A&F Club (
15. Campbeltown A&F Club (
16. Campsie A&F Club (Nov 95 – present)
17. Carlisle A&F Club (joined Sept 1993 -
18. Castle Douglas A&F Club (c Sept 1980 – present)
19. Coalburn A&F Club (
20. Crathes (aka Scottish Accordion Music – Crathes) (Nov 1997 -
21. Crieff A&F Club (cSept 1981)
22. Cults A & F Club (
23. Dalriada A&F Club (Feb 1981)
24. Dingwall & District A&F Club (May 1979 – per first report)
25. Dunblane & District A&F Club (1971 – present)
26. Dunfermline & District A&F Club (1974 – per first edition)
27. Dunoon & Cowal A&F Club (
28. East Kilbride A&F Club (Sept 1980)
29. Ellon A&F Club (
30. Fintry A&F Club (Dec 1972 – reformed Jan 1980 – present)
31. Forfar A&F Club (
32. Forres A&F Club (Jan 1978)
33. Galashiels A&F Club (joined Sept 1982 - present)
34. Galston A&F Club (Oct 1969 – per first edition – closed March 2006)
35. Glendale Accordion Club (Jan 1973)
36. Glenfarg A&F Club (formed 1988 joined Assoc Mar 95 -
37. Glenrothes A&F Club (Mar 93?
38. Gretna A&F Club (1991) Known as North Cumbria A&F Club previously (originally called Gretna when started in June 1966 but later had to move to venues in the North of England and changed name. No breaks in the continuity of the Club)
39. Highland A&F Club (Inverness) (Nov 1973 – present)
40. Inveraray A&F Club (Feb 1991 - present)
41. Islay A&F Club (23 Apr 93 -
42. Islesteps A&F Club (Jan 1981 – present – n.b. evolved from the original Dumfries Club)
43. Isle of Skye A&F Club (June 1983 – present)
44. Kelso A&F Club (May 1976 – present)
45. Kintore A&F Club (
46. Ladybank A&F Club (joined Apr 98 but formed
47. Lanark A&F Club (joined Sept 96 – present)
48. Langholm A&F Club (Oct 1967 - present)
49. Lesmahagow A&F Club (Nov 1979 – closed May 2005)
50. Lewis & Harris A&F Club (Aug 1994 -
51. Livingston A&F Club (Sept 1973 – present)
52. Lockerbie A&F Club (Nov 1973 - present)
53. Mauchline A&F Club (Sept 1983 - present)
54. Montrose A&F Club (joined Sept 1982 - present)
55. Muirhead A&F Club (Dec 1994 -
56. Newburgh A&F Club (joined 2002 but founded
57. Newmill-on-Teviot (Hawick) (Formed late 1988 joined Assoc 1999
58. Newtongrange A&F Club (joined Sept 1977 - present)
59. North East A&F Club aka Keith A&FC (Sept 1971 - present)
60. Oban A&F Club (Nov 1975 - present)
61. Orkney A&F Club (Mar 1978 - present)
62. Peebles A&F Club (26 Nov 1981 - present)
63. Perth & District A&F Club (Aug 1970 - present)
64. Premier A&F Club NI (April 1980)
65. Renfrew A&F Club (1984 -
66. Rothbury Accordion Club (7th Feb 1974) orig called Coquetdale
67. Selkirk A&F Club (
68. Shetland A&F Club (Sept 1978 - present)
69. Stirling A&F Club (Oct 1991 - )
70. Sutherland A&F Club (
71. Thornhill A&F Club (joined Oct 1983 – see Nov 83 edition – closed April 2014)
72. Thurso A&F Club (Oct 1981 - present)
73. Turriff A&F Club (March 1982 - present)
74. Tynedale A&F Club (Nov 1980 - present)
75. Vancouver
76. West Barnes ( - present)
77. Wick A&F Club (Oct 1975 - present)
78. Yarrow (prev known as Etterick & Yarrow) (Jan 1989 – )
Not on official list at the start of the season (closed, did not renew membership or omitted in error?)
79. Acharacle & District A&F Club (cMay 1988)
80. Ayr A&F Club (Nov 1983 – per Nov 83 edition) Closed
81. Bonchester Accordion Club (Closed?)
82. Bridge of Allan (Walmer) A&F Club (Walmer Hotel, Bridge of Allan) (c March 1982)
83. Brigmill A&F Club (Oct 1990) Closed
84. Buchan A&F Club
85. Callander A&F Club (
86. Campbeltown & District A&F Club (c Dec 1980)
87. Cleland (cNov 1981 – March 1985) originally called Drumpellier A&F Club (for 2 months)
88. Club Accord
89. Coquetdale A&F Club (Feb 1974 or c1976/77 – 1981/2? – became Rothbury?)
90. Coupar Angus A&F Club (cSept 1978 - ?)
91. Cumnock A&F Club (October 1976 - forced to close cDec 1982 - see Jan 83 Editorial)
92. Denny & Dunipace A&F Club (Feb 1981)
93. Derwentside A&F Club
94. Dornoch A&F Club (first mention in directory 1986)
95. Dumfries Accordion Club (Oughtons) (April 1965 at the Hole in the Wa’)
96. Dunbar Cement Works A&F Club (Closed?)
97. Dundee & District A&F Club (1970? – 1995?)
98. Edinburgh A&F Club (Apr 1981) prev called Chrissie Leatham A&F Club (Oct 1980)
99. Falkirk A&F Club (Sept 1978 - )
100. Fort William A&F Club (21st Oct 1980 – per Dec 1980 B&F)
101. Gorebridge (cNov 1981) originally called Arniston A&F Club (for 2 months)
102. Greenhead Accordion Club (on the A69 between Brampton and Haltwistle)
103. Kirriemuir A&F Club (cSept 1981)
104. M.A.F.I.A. (1966 – 1993?)
105. Monklands A&F Club (Nov 1978 – closed cApril 1983)
106. Morecambe A&F Club (joined Sept 1982)
107. Mull A&F Club
108. Newcastleton Accordion Club
109. New Cumnock A&F Club (cMarch 1979)
110. Newton St Boswells Accordion Club (17th Oct 1972 see Apr 1984 obituary for Angus Park)
111. Ormiston Miners’ Welfare Society A&F Club (closed April 1992 – per Sept Editorial)
112. Reading Scottish Fiddlers (cMarch 1997
113. Renfrew A&F Club (original club 1974/5 lapsed after a few years then again in 1984)
114. Straiton Accordion Club (c1968 – closed March 1979)
115. Stranraer & District Accordion Club (1974 – per first edition)
116. Torthorwald A&F Club (near Dumfries)
117. Tranent A&F Club
118. Walmer (Bridge of Allan) A&F Club
119. Wellbank A&F Club
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