All profits to St Michael’s Hospice.

Tickets £10 including a buffet supper. Tickets direct from Falcon hotel on 01885 483034 or call in to reception. More here.

Three Bromyard lads playing red hot Gypsy Jazz on the main stage as part of the big Sunday evening concert.They went down a storm and showed what talent Bromyard has all year round, not just at Folk Festival time.

Since then Remi Harris, one of TJ’s two guitarists, has built a major following as one of the UK’s top young jazz guitarists. Whilst technically very accomplished his playing is very entertaining and appeals to both jazz lovers and the not so keen.

He is playing, along with the rest of the Remi Harris Trio, at Bromyard’s Crown and Sceptre this coming Saturday, 21st January 2012, from 7.30pm. Tickets are £12 each and include a hot buffet. The function room at the Crown and Sceptre has recently been refurbished to a very high standard and will present an ideal venue for an evening of music and good food.

Tickets can be bought at Dots Gallery on Broad Street or by calling Ros – 01885 410318 or 07812 041179.

We were back in the swing of things on Sunday night at the Rosie and although we were only a select few there was some nice music and we had a good time. Francis was suffering from too much of too many things over too short a time so had to bow out half way through the proceedings but the rest of us filled in and a fair old racket ensued.

Tonight it’s the first 2012 session at the Falcon and I’ll be heading down there in an hour or so. Do come along if you can – I do enjoy the company.

I think Bromyard is lucky to have two such good weekly music sessions so please help keep live music alive by coming along, whether to play or listen, to the Rose and Lion every Sunday evening and/or the Falcon every Tuesday.

Dave Haig’s carrot! Although this carrot is very large it’s still just a baby, less than a year old, so last Sunday was its first outing. Dave is normally found with his 12-string in one hand and a pint of HPA in the other but this time he was fully occupied holding his great big ‘un. Rumour has it he has a giant pear to go with it!

What will he bring with him tonight? Come along to the Rose & Lion at 8.30pm, 18th December, to find out.

And for serious carrot fans here’s a close up, with full graphic detail:

It would be great if you could come and if you could give me an idea if you can make it that would help ensure the Falcon only do twice as much food as required.

And if you can’t make it and I don’t bump into you in the next week then let me wish you a real good ‘un for the coming festivities.

This will be the 5th year in succession that Bromyard musicians, involved in the town’s regular pub sessions, put on a concert appearance for early arrivals for the Folk Festival and regular supporters in the town.

Music starts at 8.00 pm prompt and runs through till 11.30 with a terrific range of local talent. All are welcome but get there early as the music will start at 8.00 prompt and a large audience is expected.

Guests include:

Kiwi’s Fiddle
Young local 4-piece band playing mainly traditional Irish. Melodeon, fiddle, flute, whistle, guitar, bodhran, vocals.

The Broken Brothers
Dave Evans and Francis Budden playing Dave’s and Francis’s own songs plus bluegrass-tinged standards.

Granny’s Attic
Young 3-piece band featuring multi-instrumentalist Cohen Kilcoyne plus George and Lewis. Fiddle, concertina, melodeon, mandoline, guitar and vocals.

Pete & Stevie Geoghegan
Bromyard’s best known folk music couple featuring Stevie’s wonderful singing and whistle playing with Pete’s guitar and mandola accompanying. Old friends to many festival visitors.

Loxley
Sally Stamford’s excellent 3-piece featuring Arthur Hyde (guitar, bazaar, uke and vocals), John Eyre (guitar and vocals) and Sally Stamford (shakey egg and vocals). Interesting songs with outstanding harmonies.

Tony Burt & the Bromyard Sessions Big Band
Currently recording Tony’s album of self-penned songs, “Devil’s Diamond”, this 7-piece band produce a big sound featuring Tony Burt on guitar and vocals, Dave Haigh second guitar, Dave Evans lead guitar, Jim Rolt double bass, Mark Lewis bodhran, Aly May whistles and the ubiquitous Cohen Kilcoyne on concertina, melodeon and fiddle.

There will be John Silver’s normal array of real ales from Wye Valley and Brains and all set in the atmospheric surroundings of the Falcon Mews.

At the start of the evening the place was packed by the “Knitters and Natterers”, a friendly group of ladies who, er, well, natter whilst knitting. Several of them stay on for the session and clicking needles can sound quite like bones or spoons if you let your mind wander.

So all you ladies who are torn between knitting Fairisle jumpers and foot-tapping to jigs and reels, do come along and do the both!

There had been some kind of “do” during the day upstairs in the Falcon so we were lucky enough to get the left-overs. Quite a few home baked ham, smoked salmon or eggy butties were dished out but there superabundance of puddings was something to behold.

Highlight of the evening was a world exclusive (or more likely a Bromyard exclusive) of Aly, our exquisite whistle player, singing and playing a borrowed piano accordion. Hope she does more of that in future.

Overall a really enjoyable evening, good and varied music, great camaraderie, sticky puddings and well kept ale.

Every Tuesday – from 8.30pm – free entry – players and listeners most welcome, knitters too but from 6.30pm.

Message from the Town Crier:
“The Festival has been organised for Saturday 5th May and Sunday 6th May 2012. It is envisaged that the local primary schools could be involved in some way this year. Events are scheduled to take place on the Town Green and I have tried to book some decent weather for this, the first Bank Holiday in May.”

Get it in your diaries!

Apparently Bromyard Wind Band are short of players so if as well as strutting your stuff on the folk circuit you fancy something more mainstream take a look at their website.