By Fiona Lander

As our 40 date Autumn Tour draws to a close, we look back at the highs and lows of the travelling musician at this time of year. 
 

Without a doubt, one of the highlights has been ‘Highlights’ itself. This is the name given to the rural touring scheme in the North East and ....Cumbria..... (There are around 40 of these scattered around the ....UK....). When we were offered 10 village hall dates back in the Spring, we had no idea just how much we’d enjoy them! In fact we don’t want it to end! Several have been completely sold out, with audiences of between 50 and 100 packed in for the night. There’s something quite special about these events which take place just twice a year. In the smaller communities, it has actually felt like the whole village has turned out for the night. Fantastic…and great to see kids there too! So with much positive feedback from both audience and organisers, we are hungry for more of this type of work – it’s hard work but very rewarding indeed.

Having driven from Northumberland down to the South coast 3 times in less than 8 weeks (bad planning I know), we have been fortunate to have seen the Autumn colours developing magnificently across the country. It’s felt like one long extended Autumn for us and with so little rain, it’s been perfect for touring with Sweep (our border collie).  The biggest downside to travelling at this time of year is that the days are much shorter. You spend most of the day on the road then see virtually nothing when you arrive! Fine if you know the place but frustrating when it’s new territory. (I was really looking forward to seeing Broadstairs and Masham!) Just have to go back sometime…  

Gig wise, there are too many to mention by name but highlights have been Woodworks Festival, supporting While and Matthews at Forest Folk, Dartford Folk Club, The Wynd Theatre and our very own album launch at Hexham Abbey Festival! We also particularly enjoyed playing to an intimate crowd at The Square and Compass, Worth Matravers and then more formally at Bournemouth Folk Club. Both terrific venues in their own way! As we headed back north, Masham Arts Festival was another little gem. This week-long festival over Half Term happens every other year and hosts a wonderfully different selection of events…ghosts stories round the fire….instrument making with vegetables to name but a few! Of course there are loads of art and musical events too. It’s very much a community project with over 90 volunteers! We were impressed.

On a different tack and definately not a highlight…constant wear and tear on the van, combined with an overlooked annual service, resulted in a worrying and very slow drive up the A1 from ..North Yorkshire... We only just made it to the next venue but with a flat battery and failing lights, we were forced to stay overnight at a friends house just 20 miles from home! Thankfully it was a cracking gig to a sell out crowd with bumper CD sales, so our spirits remained high! Once at the garage… turned out the alternator had packed up too. Thank goodness we were almost home. Could have so easily happened in Dorset!

Late nights go with the job and are to be expected, but 7 full gigs on the trot is exhausting and not to be recommended…especially when you’re doing all the driving and PA yourselves…not to mention dog walking!

Thank goodness for YOGI TEA! Without their fabulous Throat Comfort variety (of which I have many boxes) we probably wouldn’t have got through the Tour. Definitely a must for all serious singers!

Finally…I must mention my new best friend….introducing Blackberry! There’s nothing nicer than discovering you’ve sold a CD whilst sitting in a traffic jam on the M25!

AUTUMN TOUR BLOG

PART 2
 

As thousands of people descend upon the North East of England for the annual Great North Run, we head off in the opposite direction for the next leg of our tour.

Our first stop is BBC Radio Cambridgeshire for a quick pre-record on Sue Marchants evening show, before our gig at Cambridge Folk Club. A great supporter of live music and an amiable character, Sue really got us in the mood! Although no one came along as a direct result of this interview (probably a bit short notice!) there were people who came specifically, having heard us at the recent Cambridge Folk Festival. Result!
 

It’s always nice when gigs work out geographically. We try hard to plan for this but it’s easier said than done! In cold, wet weather you don’t mind sitting in the car for several hours, but if it’s hot and dry, like now, short drives across the English countryside are very welcome…especially when travelling with the dog. ....Suffolk.... in September is beautiful, probably no more so than Hawstead Green, where we were guests at a friends wedding. Just a short set tonight after the speeches!

Sunday morning is another glorious day and judging by the TV coverage of the Great North Run, it’s pretty much nationwide. I find myself feeling a tad homesick as I watch the footage of the incredible event. Memories of my own efforts 5 years ago come flooding back. Perhaps I’ll do it again next year! Then I discover that my nephew, who took part in the Junior Quayside Race (under 12’s) came 3^rd. FANTASTIC!

Not such good news greets us as we turn up at The White Hart, Aldeburgh. “You obviously didn’t get my message then?” is our welcome from landlord Chris. It turns out that we are unable to perform in the pub due to the beaurocratic dablings of the Suffolk Coastal County Council, which has put an end to all live music events at this well known music pub. Chris informed us that he is still allowed to have KARAOKE and DISCO’S! How mad is that? Let’s hope this proves temporary and his full music licence is up and running again soon. Anyone who can offer support in this matter please do.

So after an unexpected but welcome early night, we head to the Southern Counties for the final gigs on this leg of the Tour. Firstly a support slot at ..Forest.. Folk, Hampshire, for Chris While and Julie Matthews, then a headline at Dartford Folk Club. On route we discover that our new album‘Tree of Souls’ has had its first airing on national radio! BBC Radio Wales’ presenter Frank Hennessey has always been a good supporter of our music and hosts an excellent 2 hour show called ‘Celtic Heartbeat’.  Thanks Frank! Back to the gigs…it was great to see the crowds turning out for both these venues. The cosy village hall in ..North Boarhunt.. sells out every time apparently, attracting a different crowd each time. It’s a brilliant set up and one we hope to play again! Dartford Folk Club on the other hand, is a long established club enjoying the recognition of being Radio 2’s Folk Club of the Year in 2008. Having never visited the club before, it was obvious to us by the end of the night just WHY they got the award. All the right ingredients there – an ideal and supportive venue, an excellently run club, a good varied programme, a loyal crowd of regulars (who come whatever’s on) and 14 real ales at the bar. YES 14 real ales at the bar!! Paul really hopes to play there again!

One final mention must go to the Woodworks Festival. This small 2 day festival of all things woody is a real gem! Located in the ....Forest.. of ..Marston Vale.... just outside ....Bedford...., it was a real pleasure to play at. We had a cracking day, weather wise and Michelles home made cakes were simply superb. With only 8 acts over the 2 day event, we felt honoured to be invited! Others on the bill included Colvin Quarmby, Barron Brady and Zoox.

So, a few nights back at home to catch up with the washing and prepare for our official Album Launch at Hexham Abbey Festival. Around 150 people turned out at The Forum Cinema for our big day which filled us with both excitement and nerves...there's no doubt, it's always harder on home turf! Laura-Jayne Hunter opened up for us, with her disitnctive 'looping' effects. Clever stuff admitedly, but I for one was craving a song or two without any added extras! She has a really great voice. The whole afternoon was well received and a memorable occasion for us both. Thanks to everyone who came along to support us...particularly those who travelled a fair distance. It was just a pity we had to clear the PA/lights off the stage immediately after the gig. (There was a film debut about Morris Dancing being shown across the nation and 200 eager people waiting to come in!)
       

In Part 3 we’ll share our thoughts on ‘rural touring’ as we look forward to 13 village hall dates around the North East and ....Cumbria..... In the meantime, please visit our brand newly designed website. (There should be a new CD there you can buy!)
 

Tree of Souls Lama 005

www.landermason.com

LANDERMASON AUTUMN TOUR

PART 1

We just love touring…and because we spend almost as long setting up the tours as actually doing them, we try to make the most of every single day on the road. People often say to us…why don’t you get a camper van? But half the fun of touring is meeting new people, staying over after the gig and sharing stories! Being club organisers ourselves www.baaclub.co.uk we find this extra time valuable for exchanging info about venues and musicians, not to mention audiences!

So with a fully loaded van…PA, lights, piano, 2 guitars, 2 saxophones, clarinet, whistles, suitcase drum, camping gear, CD’s, clothes and a dog, we’re all set! Obviously long stretches on the road can’t be avoided when you live as far north as ....Bellingham.... in Northumberland, but being totally in control of your own tour means you can build in the odd day off at a campsite or a friends house. (It’s surprising how much we see of our distant relatives these days!) In fact we make very useful couriers for the family when Christmas approaches!

So what about the gigs….well 6 out of the 8 venues didn’t even require our PA, but seeing as the last 2 did…we still had to lug it all round the country. ....Wales.... Millennium Centre (the Glanfa Stage)…is one of my personal favourite venues, it has great acoustics for the wind instruments but is not so great for guitar. There’s a guaranteed audience every time (as the concert is free to the general public). There’s a top notch Steinway Grand piano for me to play too! Hey what could be better? This time round we were lucky enough to warm up a huge crowd just before a performance of ‘The Sound of Music’ starring Connie Fisher!      

Next stop Broadmayne Village Hall, ..Dorchester.. (the home of the Sunray Folk Club).Wonderful natural acoustics and a warm welcome. Our mix of material went down well with the regulars. We sold the very first few copies of our new album ‘Tree of Souls’ here, so quite a special night for us. To top it all, the evening was recorded beautifully, so we now have a lovely memory of our visit.  

After some well deserved quality time off at with Sweep (our border collie) at Eweleze Farm, nr Weymouth www.eweleaze.co.uk we headed up to Lincolnshire for a Craft Festival in Alford then onto Norwich for a charity 1 day Festival at The Brickmakers. This is essentially a rock venue but for 1 day a year, all types of musicians are invited to take part. I think there were 35 different acts over the course of the day and around 850 people through the door! We were well placed outside in the acoustic tent along with all the other song writing acts. I’ve just heard that over £2000 was raised for the local school! Both these festivals were brilliantly organised and clearly well supported by the locals. Great to see!

Up to the ..North Norfolk.. coast for another campsite stop and a relaxing walk along the beach at ....Holkham.. ..Bay.... prepared us well for our next 3 gigs. Spalding and Wivenhoe Folk Clubs were both quite quiet nights, with audience numbers down. Possibly post Bank Holiday blues…schools back??? Who knows? Despite all this, we enjoyed both evenings very much and sold a healthy number of CD’s at both!!!

Our final 2 gigs were in small theatres. The Quay Theatre in ....Sudbury...., ....Suffolk.... was the chosen venue for the launch of our new album ‘down south’. It was great to see so many familiar faces there, as well as a good few new ones too! Local singer song writer Al Linsday opened the night for us with a lovely set. www.al-lindsay.co.uk

Our last stop on this leg was the Rosehill Theatre in Whitehaven. Our performance was the final event over the weekend of 50^th Birthday Celebrations. Nigel Kennedy played the night before! Both venues are wonderfully intimate and a treat to perform at.   

Off to get the van looked at…got a rattling exhaust and we drive to ....London.... tomorrow!!

Looking forward to gigs in Hampshire, Bedfordshire, ..Yorkshire.., ....Cambridge.... and ....Kent.... on the 2^nd leg. Maybe see you there!

TOUR BLOG PART 2 by Fiona

Mini Yorkshire Puds – Spoons – Ice Cream & Tunings

The first stop of the 2nd leg took us back to a venue we performed at about 5 years ago, (soon after our return to the North East). Only this time, we had a much bigger audience! Porters Coffee House, situated right on the Metro Station platform in Tynemouth sounds like it would be a draughty spot…but once inside, all thoughts of cold, chilly station platforms soon disappeared with a selection of comfy sofas, candle lit tables and even a log fire burning!  As well as this, trays of delicious warm tasty morsels were handed round during the interval…the MINI YORKSHIRE PUDS stuffed with a sausage were the biggest hit! Oh yeah and there was music too…honest!!!....

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Next, a drive down to an Oast House in ....Kent.... for a 30^th Birthday party. The ‘Moore or Less Folk Club’ in Rainham booked us for their big bash after seeing us perform at Sheppey Folk & Blues Club. A lovely crowd turned out for the celebrations and there was much singing along, sweet eating and cake munching between drinks during the night! Particularly memorable for us were the full harmonies on ‘Stay with Me’ and the addition of SPOONS in ‘Whittington Jig’. Thanks to all concerned. We feel honoured to have been part of this special occasion.  

Photos/comments from the night can be viewed on www.mooreorlessfolkclub.co.uk/2009.aspx

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After a relaxing stay with friends and a lovely walk along the Medway, we ambled up to The Red Lion in Manningtree, Essex. The last gig we did here was one of our best nights ever, so I was a little nervous we weren’t going to match it! How wrong I was…as this turned out to be just as good, if not better! THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone in the audience who made us feel like ‘stars for the night’. Thanks Also to Twinset & Pearl who opened for us.....

With comments like “you’re the most exciting act I’ve seen in a long time” and “When are you playing down this way again?” it’s no wonder we felt good afterwards! Paul was also described as ‘by far the best guitarist ever seen at the club’. What an accolade…and to completely top it all, we were thoroughly spoilt by our hosts Chris and Myrtle (once again). Thanks for such wonderful hospitality.....
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So up to the Wirral… a first visit to Merseyside for both of us. We aimed to arrive before dark but a stop off at the delightful Market town of Nantwich for a coffee, put us back an hour or so. It was one of those glorious days when the sun shone from dawn to dusk and we were in the car for 7 hours of it…never mind…the English countryside looked awesome and we felt proud.....

The gig was at The Old Manor Club in Wallasey (just across the ..Mersey..). There was a small but perfectly formed audience who enjoyed joining in and hearing our stories. Another set of SPOONS featured…this time in ‘Words Unsaid’…love it! ....

The only down side to this gig was the lack of accommodation afterwards, so a very late drive back home to Northumberland had to be made. (It’s times like these when you’re glad both halves of the DUO can drive!) ....

NB. We have since been offered a bed for next time!....
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So to our final gig this leg…and what a memorable one to finish with… we opened up for MARTIN SIMPSON at the Memorial Hall in Reeth, ..North Yorkshire... Although we only played for half an hour, it was well worth the visit. The village looked stunning, the ICE CREAM (from the Parlour) was exquisite and the gig was a ‘sell out’! Meeting and hearing Martin play in such an intimate venue was a treat and backstage we discussed ‘life on the road’, ‘touring fodder’, ‘....Bellingham....’ and musical things like ‘TUNINGS’ and ‘being in tune’! (Thank goodness I had my piano with me!)....

As we came off stage, Martin described our set as “very musical” and publicly thanked us at the end of the night. He said we were great!  Thanks to John Little for the booking, Wearsound for the sound, all the audience for listening and Terry for taking the photos! It really was an excellent night.....
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(Check out our ‘On the Road’ album of pics on MySpace to see some shots from the gig.)

TOUR BLOG PART 1 (FEB 09) by Fiona

It’s been a very busy few weeks for us and boy have we done some miles! So much so that Paul is resting whilst I look back and reflect on happy times!....

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We kicked off our tour back in February at the Topic Folk Club in ..Bradford..…a first visit for us! It was great to finally meet David Kidman, our MC for the night, as he had written and published a very favourable review of ‘The Reason’ on his website www.netrhythms.com Thanks to everyone who came along, especially Rahel and Tony for booking us and also for the generous hospitality after the gig.  We hope to be back sometime!....

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Next stop was Forest Folk, a small but friendly club in the heart of The Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. Having visited this area several times before, with large groups of school children from ..Essex.., I was particularly looking forward to this stop! Turns out the Folk Club is only a stones throw from the ‘Sculpture Trail’ (a place we always included in our weekly itinary!). With a last minute venue change (just up the road thank goodness) there was some concern as to the numbers turning up… but the mention of jazz in our promo blurb and some airplay on BBC Radio Wales pulled in some extras on top of the regular club members! Thanks to Frank Hennessey for his continued support of our music on ‘Celtic Heartbeat’). After a hearty breakfast at Bev and Chris’s, we hit the road again, dropping further south to ....Cardiff.... for a lunchtime performance at the ....Wales.... Millennium Centre. ....

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The WMC in Cardifff has to be one of my favourite venues ever…with a ready set up PA, stage and soundman…not to mention the £70,000 grand piano I get to play! (that was 2^nd hand too!) The Glafa Stage in the foyer of this impressive building sounds rather unglamorous but it’s actually an excellent venue and provides a platform for all types of music, all ages and all abilities! The acoustics are wonderful for all the ‘blowy’ things I play…but best of all… the performances are all TOTALLY FREE! Check out the programme of events at www.wmc.org.uk....

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So back up the M6 to Northumberland for a few days of recovery, general catching up and preparations for the next Baa Club night. Our guest this month at ‘Bellingham All Acoustic’ was the fantastic slide guitarist Johnny Dickinson, who drew our biggest crowd to date and guess what?...I was invited to join him on clarinet for a rendition of ‘Summertime’ as an encore. Thank you Johnny…what a treat! See pics of the night at www.myspace.com/baaclub.co.uk....

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Still on a high from the previous night but up early Friday morning…for a long drive down the A1 to Kings Lynn, Norfolk. The Acoustic Kitchen, run by Pete Kitchen is another real gem! But as often is the case with small venues…there were not enough people supporting his efforts. ‘The meal’ as he calls it, consists of an evening with 2 or 3 acts, set in a historic quayside building…worth a visit even without the gig! The small audience appreciated the vocal delights of both local song writer Joanne-Louise Parker and then our mix of folk and jazz. On the basis of our performance, we’ve been invited back to ‘The Kitchen’ to perform a whole evening next year sometime! www.acoustickitchen.co.uk....

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Saturday consisted of a long drive across country to Kings Heath, ....Birmingham..... It was quite nice to know that someone else was doing the PA for this one! All we had to do was open up for popular folk trio FAUSTUS…in BOTH halves!! Never done THAT before! The Red Lion Folk Club (which serves up stunning food) draws large numbers every week and tonight was no exception. The crowd were treated by this truly entertaining band and many seemed to enjoy our music too…sold a few more CD’s. Special thanks to Della and Chris for making us and Sweep so welcome. (All the dogs had great fun together after the gig!)     ....

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The final stop of this leg was all the way back across to The Cider Shed in ....Norwich....! (Yes ridiculous planning I know…but it wasn’t originally that way and things changed beyond our control).  Following our last visit to ‘The Shed’ over a year ago, a larger crowd turned out for us and the pub was packed for most of the gig. Great to see so many faces from last time…cheers everybody! We’ll be back for sure. ....