Logo - Hilary Bix Designs At The Joiners Arms, in Market Place, Bideford, every Thursday from 8pm.
A singaround except for occasional guest artistes.
Singers, Musicians, Poets, Storytellers and audience welcome at this friendly club.
For more information - Hilary Bix - 01237-470792
Known as a club that encourages singers and musicians, we have seen beginners take their first faltering steps in folk music and then turn into performers able to perform on a national stage. Our guest nights have featured some fantastic performers, Nancy Kerr & James Fagan, Dave Webber & Anni Fentiman, John Kirkpatrick, Pete Morton, Cloudstreet, Pete Coe, Chris Coe, and Steve Knightley, its quite a list and apologies to all those great artistes we have not mentioned.
Guest Nights for your diary -all other nights are singarounds.
Guest Nights: we don't charge for those nights but we do take a collection which we hope is generously made
Dates for your diary,
2009
22 January Belshazaars Feast
5 February Tom Bliss
9 April The Wilsons
7 May Donal O'Connor
21 May Cockersdale
18 June Colum Sands
Belshazaars Feast - January 22nd 8pm
Picture Alan Cole/Music Festival Photos 
Paul Sartin & Paul Hutchinson, two of the finest musicians around on the folk club and festival circuit. They are also one the funniest, if not the funniest acts around today.
Playing a wide range of musical styles and wandering through the genres advertently and inadvertently their audiences come back again and again to see them, this will be my fourth time. I will never tire of seeing them perform.
At Cheltenham Folk Festival they were given a five minute ovation and a demand for an encore (sadly not given - Cheltenham run a very tight schedule) and they were worth it.
Free with a collection - be generous
Tom Lewis - a great night
An absolute hit at the 2007 Bideford Folk Festival, another chance to see this wonderful performer.
As winner of the inaugural "Trophée Stan Hugill", French fans dub Tom "The Springsteen of Sea Shanteys". Old Songs Festival in Altamont NY declared "This man knows the sea ... from the bottom up!", whilst Living Tradition (UK) says "Although I always knew he was good, I was not quite prepared for HOW good". 24 years in the British Royal Navy, "provides him with that vitally authentic stance with which to tackle nautical song" Living Tradition.
Tom's repertoire—from traditional shanties to songs fashioned out of his own seafaring background—recruits his audience for a voyage by turns reflective, dramatic and humorous. Now resident in Canada's Rocky Mountains, Tom was born in Northern Ireland and that Celtic heritage is obvious in his clear, strong voice, evoking quiet sorrow for a fisherman lost to the sea just as honestly as it powers out a shanty "to be heard above the gales."
With songs that have become folk standards; known and sung wherever great choruses ring out; Tom accompanies himself on button accordion and ukulele—but it's that powerful vocal style and infectious humour—that quality of entertaining—which keeps audiences coming back again ... and again.
For more information about Tom www.tomlewis.net
"Heather Dale cheerfully disregards the stereotypical limits for both folk singer-songwriters and Celtic balladeers. Tapping into the continuing evolution of Celtic peoples worldwide, this Canadian recording artist offers a new type of Celtic music for the 21st century: a playful, passionate blend of tradition and innovation. "Her music is powerful stuff, reminiscent of Loreena McKennitt and Sarah McLachlan but with a depth and resonance rooted in its mythic sources." (Vancouver Sun)
Heather fuses traditional stories with a healthy mix of Celtic folk, blues, jazz and world music influences. Particularly known for her interpretations of ancient legends, she excels at finding modern themes within old and often overlooked material. Heather Dale released her seventh CD "The Gabriel Hounds" in 2008, with fourteen original tracks that explore the idea of being balanced between the known and the unknown. The album encompasses wild folk-rock fairytales, pastoral instrumentals, scathing historical commentary and simple tunes about facing life's transitions. They're songs about honesty and loss, humour and bravery -- with inspiration drawn from the diverse cultures that house the modern Celtic diaspora. "Heather's songs express something that honors tradition, but in keeping with the best of traditions they break new ground." (WDVR FM, New Jersey)
Heather tours full-time (100+ concerts per year) across North America and Europe with fellow multi-instrumentalist Ben Deschamps. Their live shows usually feature a dozen folk instruments, from mountain dulcimer to double bass, along with Heather's rich and evocative voice. "Quite apart from being brilliant musicians/songwriters Heather and Ben are very comfortable people to be with -- a joy to listen to and a pleasure to remember... One of the most fun-loving and innovative acts we've seen for years."(Stortfolk Folk Club, UK)
Further details and sound clips are available at www.HeatherDale.com
Janet Russell 12th June 2008 Entry Free - Collection
Janet Russell: Janet first made a name for herself on the folk circuit in the ‘80’s as a young singer songwriter writing with hard-edged humour about issues affecting women. Her “Secretary’s Song” was the most requested song on “Folk on 2” in 1987/8, and “Breastfeeding Baby in the Park” has been taken up by the pro-breastfeeding lobby nationally and internationally. Her work on Scottish traditional material with Scottish singer Christine Kydd has received huge critical acclaim, particularly in her native Scotland, and in the US.
Janet has now worked on the folk scene professionally for more than 20 years, starting in Edinburgh pubs, in 1980/81, and has experience of folk clubs, arts centres, concert halls, church halls and village halls of all sorts and sizes in the UK, Europe, and the USA. Throughout this time Janet has worked with other musicians, such as Sisters Unlimited colleagues Sandra Kerr, Rosie Davis and Peta Webb, and Scottish singing partner Christine Kydd, and also toured the show “Take These Chains from My Heart”, written by partner Jim Woodland with storyteller Taffy Thomas. Janet worked as musical director for Mikron Theatre for ten years, and is recognised as an accomplished vocal harmony workshop leader. She is a member of the Natural Voice Practitioners’ Network and a director of Yorkshire Dales Workshops, “promoting participation in folk arts”. At the end of 2001 Janet produced the first English performances of “The Christmas Truce” with Coope Boyes and Simpson. “Well done. Professional, moving, beautifully sung.... Best wishes - Roy” (from Roy Bailey) a show which received a standing ovation at the Sheffield Raise Your Banners Festival in November 2001. The show ran successfully again in November 2002. In March 2005 the same team put on two performances of “Hearts of Coal” celebrating the lives of miners and mining communities with the Roses and Thorns choir, a magnificent group of 80 voices from across northern England.
Janet leads three community choirs, in Silsden, Burnley, and Settle and continues to perform and to facilitate voice and harmony workshops whilst bringing up her two sons with partner Jim Woodland.
Find out more about Janet at www.harbourtownrecords.com/russell.html
Pamela Ward and Paul Cherrington are a lively duo presenting a mixture of music from traditional and contemporary folk to ragtime and blues. They started their musical careers after winning the Brewhouse music prize in a U.K. folkfinder competition in the late 80's. This resulted in their first album "Hand of Fate".
They have been featured session artists with recordings at Pebble Mill for late night shows on BBC Radio 2 and toured extensively throughout the U.K. They have also performed abroad, mostly in the Middle East and for British and U.N. forces stationed in Cyprus.
Pam has worked as a session singer on a wide variety of projects. These include commissions from Denmark and the recording of 14 tracks for the album "Songs Of The British Islands" which was commissioned by the British embassy in Japan. One of the recordings on her solo album "Just An Old Fashioned Girl" recently reached No.1 in America on the CM Radio (Celtic Music) charts.
Her versatile, mature and melodic voice is equally suited to pure and haunting traditional songs as it is to the more gutsy blues style of Bessie Smith as she takes the audience through the gamut of emotions; from cheeky humour to passion and pathos.
Paul's accomplished guitar playing acts as the perfect foil to Pam's voice whilst never detracting from the vocals.
All in the audience can expect to be delighted, amused, moved and inspired, but most importantly entertained by this dynamic duo who present an impressive and professional performance whilst so obviously enjoying themselves. We look forward to seeing you, it should be another great guest night.
Derek Gifford appeared at Bideford Folk Club on Novenber 8th 2007 Derek gave us a very entertaining evening, he writes a good song, sings a good song and is very funny to boot. Everyone enjoyed his performance, Derek is perhaps best known for his collaboration with poet Keith Scowcroft which produced the immensely singable song 'When all men sing'. Derek has set many of Keith’s poems to music and the cassette ‘When All Men Sing’ was released in 1989 through Fellside. This was a collection of 11 Scowcroft/Gifford compositions. The title song has become something of a folk ‘standard’ having been recorded by a number of well known national artists and is being sung across the world much to the delight of both Derek and ’Scowie’! Pleasingly other songs in the repertoire have also been taken up by others. A few years ago at the National Folk Festival someone entered the Traditional Singers’ competition with the Walling Song announcing it as traditional. Thus Derek and Scowie now rank among the best ‘traditional’ song writers!
Cloudstreet October 2007 Another excellent night full of great songs and laughter with Cloudstreet, were as energetic and versatile as usual with a selection of great songs, they really are the master of great songs with so much variety. If you missed it - you missed a great night.
Cloudstreet present fabulous songs with magnificent harmonies and loads of laughter. Australian duo Nicole Murray and John Thompson breathe new life into the tradition and always give an energetic performance.
Nicole plays flute, tin whistle and guitar and violin, and is an accomplished writer of songs and flute tunes. John plays guitar, English concertina and whistle writes some great songs.
"…a delightful duo who not only inspire one another but put an indelible smile on the faces of their audiences. Strong harmonies, side-splitting stories and ballads brought to life in a way we hadn't seen before. Heartily recommended." - James Fagan and Nancy Kerr Lynne Heraud & Pat Turner: May 2007 They were excellent singers and very funny! 
Lynne Heraud & Pat Turner are two of the most experienced and
established harmony singers on the folk scene. They have a leaning
towards traditional English material, but occasionally diversify and perform
their own material and Victorian/Edwardian songs. Their interpretation
of both contemporary and traditional material is sensitive, moving and has
plenty of humour.
They offer a wide range of musical material, traditional,
Victorian, Edwardian, Contemporary, Rude, Silly and Self-penned, all
delivered with their unique blend of harmony and humour.
I was there.....you may have missed it but .....
It was a great evening, Lynn and Pat have a great repertoire of songs and beautifully sung. They kept the audience entertained for one and a half hours with their songs and banter, the laughter reminded me of Les Barker nights!
Dearman, Gammon and Harrison: September 2007
You may have missed it, Anni, Vic and Steve gave us a really good night, great songs and very subtle accompaniment
Anni Dearman, Vic Gammon and Steve Harrison perform English traditional songs and tunes in a robust and firmly rooted English style, accompanied on various squeezeboxes, banjo and mouthorgan. They appear regularly at folk clubs, festivals and in concerts. Their CD Black Crow, White Crow was released by the English Folk Dance & Song Society in March 2005.