...folk provides the theme but jazz determines the style Landermason News

TOP NIGHT AT THE SAGE GATESHEAD!

On Sunday 20th April we shared the intimate stage of Hall Two with Gareth Davies Jones and Megson!!!

Well what a night…and what a treat….firstly to play in such a sought after venue with incredible acoustics and sound system…and secondly, to meet and hear two other knockout acts, both of whom deserve far wider recognition.

We each played for 40 minutes then came together at the end for a chorus of ‘The Sheffield Grinder’.

So with plenty of CD’s sold and a very content audience, it was time to say our goodbyes and head home…really hope to be back sometime!!!

A BIG thanks to Folkworks for giving us all the opportunity to showcase our material in this wonderful space.

'ANGEL OF THE NORTH ' CELEBRATES 10 YEARS !!

The magnificent sculpture 'Angel of the North' by Antony Gormley is celebrating it's 10th year in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear this year. There have been many songs written about and named after 'The Angel' particularly from artists in the North East and we are happy to be one of them. We perform our own haunting tribute to 'The Angel' when ever we play LIVE and feel proud each time we sing it !! The catchy la la la chorus at the end really gets people going too !! Have a listen to the track and see what you think. (see CD'S PAGE) 'Happy Birthday Angel' and thanks for the inspiration.

CELTIC CONNECTIONS 2008 - DANNY KYLE OPEN STAGE

On Sunday 20th January we performed to a packed house in The Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow as part of the Celtic Connections Festival 2008!! The 'Danny Kyle Open Stage' is a recognised platform for musicians to play a 20 minute set in front of an audience of judges who select 6 acts from well over 100 to perform in the final. Sadly we didn't get chosen this time round but still had a fantastic time whilst up there. Check out this amazing festival.

LIVE SESSION ON TALKSPORT RADIO

Fiona and Paul recently visited London to promote their new album on TALKSPORT RADIO . They were interviewed by Mike Mendoza and performed a couple of songs live in the studio for his early morning show, which is well known for promoting new and emerging artists. Several tracks off the new album 'The Reason' were also played. (see PHOTOS)

FIRST SALES IN HMV

The new album has now been officially launched with 'PROPER' and the first nation wide album sales of 'The Reason' in stores of HMV have been made!! The CD is available to buy in all HMV stores and other good music shops around the UK. Get your copy NOW!

OUR 'LITTLE FISHY' SONG MAKES THE MOJO TOP 10 !!

Track 4 'When the Boat Comes In' from The Reason has been included in the TOP 10 PLAYLIST in MOJO MAGAZINE!!! October issue 2007

NATIONAL AIRPLAY FOR NEW ALBUM ON BBC RADIO 3

When the Boat Comes In' from The Reason was chosen as the opening track by Lucy Duran on her World Routes Show on BBC Radio 3 on August 6th 2007. The new album has had lots of airplay since July on various other stations around the UK...including BBC Radio Suffolk, Newcastle, Lancashire, Kent, Derbyshire, Cambridgeshire, Gloucestershire Scotland and Wales. Several online radio shows have also played tracks. These include internetradio.co.uk, nessmp3.net, bpa-live.com and mfr.co.uk/don

'The Reason' is also attracting some great press. (See REVIEWS for more info).

A SCOTTISH TRIO

UPSTAIRS AT THE TAYBANK, Dunkeld....WEE FOLK CLUB, Edinburgh…STIRLING FOLK CLUB

This trio of gigs was a wonderful conclusion to the Scottish leg of our tour. The 3 venues, although so completely different, are all well know on the folk scene and each one drew an eager crowd.

The Music Room upstairs at the TAYBANK thetaybank.co.uk is a superb room not only to perform at but also to look at, with a wealth of instruments and memorabilia collected over the years. It’s no wonder they call it ‘Scotland’s Musical Meeting Place’!!

The ‘WEE FOLK CLUB’ royal-oak-folk.com in Edinburgh was exactly that! Probably the smallest and most intimate venue on the planet, seating around 25! This downstairs cellar bar at the award winning Royal Oak, was host to 30 different acts, one for every night of the Festival and titled ‘Folk at the Oak’. Our contribution according to organiser Paddy Bort “brought a touch of class to the club” and we were invited back to play again. (Read the LIVE review of this gig)

So finally onto STIRLING FOLK CLUB stirlingfolkclub.co.uk for what turned out to be a truly great evening where our folk/jazz blend went down a storm! This club in our book certainly has a real ‘feel good’ factor…they definitely know how to enjoy themselves!

NEW ALBUM TO GET NATIONAL DISTRIBUTION !!!

Landermason have been offered a national distibution deal with Proper Music Distribution, the UK's largest independant distributor of specialist music. (More details to follow)

ALBUM TOUR… THE SCOTTISH LEG

First stop GLENFARG VILLAGE FOLK CLUB. It’s always a pleasure to play here. A warm welcome awaited us on our return visit to this popular club. The folk and jazz mix seemed to be appreciated by both audience and bar staff alike! It was only a shame several of the regulars were away on holiday at the time.

DUNFERMILNE FOLK CLUB was a quiet night, but only in audience numbers...perhaps this was something to do with the previous 3 guests not actually turning up at all…or maybe that we were listed as ‘Jazz’ in the local paper??? Anyhow a special mention must go to Lindsey, who played a Vietnamese mouthharp, miked up through a digital delay and a battery operated amp. A most unusual yet beautiful presentation of Scottish tunes!

We anticipated a big audience at the CLACHAIG INN.Glen Coe and were not disappointed! We think on reflection, that the mountains were probably the main draw for this very international crowd and not us…but a great gig none the less!!

Well it stayed dry for the HIGHLAND GAMES in Bught Park, Inverness (unlike many parts of England experiencing the worst floods in 50years). Having been invited as the token international guests, we became honorary Scots for the day and were renamed LanderMcMason!! Our 20 minute set in ‘Tullochs Traditional Music Tent’ (which included the requested James Scott Skinner tune ‘Hector the Hero’ by Fiona on saxophone) was nestled amongst a wonderful programme of Highland music and dance. The atmosphere was warm and friendly with every opportunity for audience participation taken up!

So back off to the west coast again, down Glen Shiel and across the bridge to Skye for a couple of days on this stunning island. A brief stop off at Portree for some essential groceries followed by a few informal tunes in the Isles Inn got us right into holiday mood, before heading further north to Staffin campsite (a wonderfully sheltered spot nestling between the Trotternish Ridge and the east coastline). We felt like we were the only English people there!...so with no official gigs planned, we could really soak up the beautiful surroundings by enjoying some good long walks and searching for basking sharks in the warm sunshine. Sadly we didn’t see any but Paul did manage to catch a glimpse of 4 small fish whilst snorkelling!!!

Feeling nicely weathered and relaxed…we were ready for work again! This time it was at the award winning and very busy ‘OLD INN’ in the picturesque fishing village of Gairloch. This was a really great night all round and one we hope to repeat.

The next evening (following a recommendation by one of the locals the previous night) saw us unexpectedly singing for our supper at THE MELVAIG INN…a little gem of a place tucked away further up the coast. After our tasty meal of fresh langoustines and venison casserole we entertained the diners as the sun set slowly over the bay.

It did seem rather ironic that we were asked by one of the locals if ‘we actually enjoyed touring’?!!!

From a sound point of view, the back room of the INVERSHIN HOTEL simply superb. So much so that we could have played for hours!! Instead we did an hour set to a mostly musical crowd then joined in with the usual Friday night session in the bar. Great craich…especially as a bunch of Aussies on the ‘Haggis Tour’ were in for the night! The highlight for us had to be the performance of ‘Waltzing Matilda’ by Archie (their guide) on Scottish bagpipes…even Sweep was impressed, if not a little startled!! Thanks to Graham for making us feel so welcome…had a great time. See you again.

So finally for this part of ‘The Reason’ tour, our evening in Portmahomack was quite memorable! The CALEDONIAN HOTEL which overlooked the Dornoch Firth, reminded us of The Aldersyde Hotel, Lamlash on Arran. The magnificent sea view improved as the night went on, so by the time we had finished our 1st set, a most glorious sunset was crying out to be photographed! CD sales just had to wait for once….where’s the camera!! Our 2nd set was enjoyed so much by both existing fans and several new ones (who had all waited very patiently to buy their CD’s) that cry’s for ‘MORE’ filled the room. At this point, we abandoned the stage to retrieve yet more instruments from the car outside, so to fulfil their request. Then after a quick tune up and a “so where were we again?” by Fiona, the cry for ‘MORE’ restarted and the music continued!!!

NB. We must point out that this is not something we do normally at gigs but seeing as most of the audience were resident in the hotel that night, it didn’t seem to matter!

ALBUM TOUR… (PIT STOP 2)

Cambridge / Derbyshire / Leicestershire / Kent

After only a few days back at home, (during which time we hoovered the lawn, mowed the carpets and washed our clothes!) we were both keen to get back on the road again.

A trip down the A1 to CAMBRIDGE FOLK CLUB www.cambridgefolkclub.org for a double bill with the Bishop Gundfulf Morris Experience. Sadly for both parties concerned, it clashed with Ely Folk Festival weekend so that audience was a little thin. Having said that, we gave one of our best performances to date and were asked back as headliners! Following this, we spent the night at The Blue Ball, Grantchester and are happy to confirm that the breakfasts are indeed ‘legendary’…as Christina Olsen recently pointed out! Thanks to John and Karolin, John, John, Big Black Dave and Justin. It was a really great night thanks!!!

Next stop…Derbyshire for some REAL MUSIC IN THE KILN www.real-music-club.com .This relatively new set up is certainly a desirable place to play. It was a bit like being inside Noddy’s red brick hat! We only played a half hour support for 4 piece Newcastle based band ‘Diesel Therapy’ www.dieseltherapy.com but managed to impress the audience enough to shift a load of CD’s. The challenging acoustics of this unusual venue were handled superbly by Stuart and Des, whilst smooth organisation of the club was shared between Rob, Neil and several other volunteers. (See review)

Before hitting base camp for a 2nd time, an informal session at PEBBLES ART CAFÉ www.pebblesartcafe.co.uk

in Allendale made the perfect Sunday afternoon stop off. This was the official opening of ‘Hexham and Beyond’ an exhibition of paintings by artist David Robson (several of which are used in the artwork of ‘The Reason’). What a nice opportunity to catch up with family and friends, have a cream tea and admire the newly framed Northumbrian scapes).

So back down the A1, this time to the picturesque village of Normanton on Soar for what was to become a really memorable evening at the NORMANTON ACOUSTIC MUSIC CLUB www.montysmusic.com Never before have we SOLD OUT of CD’s…lucky we had some more in the van!!! David ‘the host’ for the night described the sales as unprecedented in the clubs 6 year history. Thanks especially to John for fitting us in to the busy program and for providing such a great PA.

The final date on this leg of the tour was right down in the furthest extremities of Kent, at ‘the friendly folk club with a sea view’…otherwise known as FRIDAY FOLK CLUB in Walmer near Deal. www.dealfolkclub.co.uk

It was great to see and hear Brian and Marian (Kentish duo ‘No Worries’) and excellent to discover they’d secured a booking at the club for 2008. It was a real pleasure to play at this club, we really enjoyed the informal atmosphere and hope to be back!

2007 TOUR HIGHLIGHTS SO FAR… (PIT STOP 1)

10 VENUES…7 COUNTIES…& 1700 MILES!!!

Each of the 10 venues performed at so far have been special in their own way. A LIVE SESSION in the BBC RADIO SUFFOLK Studios kicked things off nicely and certainly helped to draw some of the locals to several of the gigs in the area. A big thank you to Stephen Foster for supporting our music and helping us promote the new album.

Our first night at ALDEBURGH (White Hart Inn) coincided with the Festival week, so there was a real buzz about the place. It’s not often we go to another gig immediately after our own, but there was simply no option!! Off to the Pump House we went to catch the late night session by ‘AMBIENCE’ a top notch jazz outfit and of course a few drinks too! Not bad for the 1st night of the Tour we think!

The BRICKMAKERS www.thebrickmakers.com in NORWICH next day was the perfectly chilled out gig we anticipated…a few more bodies would have been nice at this AWARD WINNING live music pub, but with all those lovely new bright lights and cooling fans on stage, we were completely lost in the music and could have been playing to 1000’s!! Following a memorable breakfast next morning beside the menagerie, we headed down to IPSWICH to record 5 tracks in the studio for Stephen Foster’s DRIVETIME SHOW. As well as bit of chat, we recorded ‘Please Yourself’, ‘Words Unsaid’, ‘Take 5’, ‘Drummer Man’ and ‘Sax Jig’. Several tracks off the new album were also featured.

Our first Folk Club of the tour took us to ST NEOTS www.stneotsfolkclub.co.uk in HUNTINGDONSHIRE. This was a really lovely evening in quite possibly the most unexpected venue for a ‘folk club!! It resembled a small nightclub, formerly used for pole dancing…!! Fantastic harmony singing from the audience on several numbers and a surprise appearance from a friend back home made this a very special night!

Onto KENT for 3 more dates. Firstly in ROCHESTER, at www.themanofkent.org.uk where absolutely everything on offer EXCEPT us was local! What a great little pub with a really thriving music scene. (We’re only sorry the dogs didn’t get on!). Next came ORPINGTON FOLK CLUB www.orpingtonfolkclub.fsnet.co.uk a well established and popular club. Our mix of folk and jazz seemed to go down well and CD sales were very healthy. A return visit to The Barge at GILLINGHAM saw us perform on the brand new stage. Quite a treat for any musician really…another live music hidden gem.

Heading back up to EAST ANGLIA for a couple of nights gave us a chance to catch up with some old friends, some of whom came to support us at ‘The 6 Bells Inn’ in WALSHAM LE WILLOWS, a friends brothers pub in heart of rural SUFFOLK. Others chose to see us ‘UPSTAIRS AT THE RED LION’ in MANNINGTREE, just across the border into ESSEX. This well known acoustic music club drew a fantastic crowd who sang and clapped along from start to finish...even 6 year old Thomas stayed right till the end for the first time ever! Thanks to Mike and Barry for a terrific support act and for making us feel so welcome. We hope to be back again.

After a well earned day off, we headed west across to the Severn bridge and into WALES. The CARDIFF MILLENNIUM CENTRE www.wmc.org.uk is certainly an impressive building. We performed for about an hour on the TESCO STAGE and were treated to an amazing sound system together with a concert grand piano!! Neither of us wanted the set to end…let’s hope the audience felt the same!! Whilst still on a high from the afternoon concert, we drove a little further west to PONTARDAWE for an evening gig at the weekly acoustic music club (see www.pontyacoustic.org.uk) A warm welcome awaited us here and the audience were most appreciative however the highlight of the night for us was listening to local guitarist JOHN DIGNAM, who played support for us. Check him out at www.myspace.com/johndignam

Sadly due to the appalling weather this country has seen recently the last venue of this part of our tour at FOLK ON THE WATER at SAUL CANAL FESTIVAL was CANCELLED. However…we WILL be there next year in 2008! Hope to see you there! www.junctionevents.org.uk

ALBUM LAUNCH NIGHT BIG SUCCESS

On June 9th 2007, Landermason launched their new album 'The Reason' at The Queens Hall, Hexham in Northumberland. The evening was well attended with 150 tickets sold. Fiona and Paul were joined on stage for several tracks by Andrew Lisle (percussion), Tim Appleby (bass) and Pip Emler (vocals). Read the LIVE REVIEW of the night and see some stunning PHOTOS taken by www.jlphotographic.com

LANDERMASON ONLINE SALES

The abum 'Angel of the North' is now accessible via 31 digital companies including AppleiTunes, Napster and CD Baby. Current top seller on downloads is 'Water of Tyne' followed by 'Saxophone Jig'.

ALBUM GUESTS

Northumbrian superstar fiddler PETER TICKELL spent a day during December with Fiona and Paul in the studio. He will be featured on 2 tracks on their forthcoming album (see photos).

BBC Young Folk Award Finalists XYZ fiddlers Sarah and David Jones spent a day with Paul and Fiona in the studio guesting on the track written and indeed named after them!

The instrumental piece titled XYZ was written specifically after they heard the young trio perform for the very first time. Since the recording session, David and guitarist brother Matthew have gone on to WIN the 2007 BBC Young Folk Award in their newly formed band called 'LAST ORDERS'!!!

RADIO BRITFOLK PLAY ANGEL

Presenter Ali O Brien recently selected the title track 'Angel of the North' as one of the chosen CD tracks on her show 'Sounds Folk'. www.radiobritfolk.co.uk

Another Scottish Visit!

What is it about this place...they just can't keep away! Guest spots at Crail and Glenfarg Folk Clubs both went down a storm and return visits are being planned already. Thanks for the warm welcome at these wonderful places. (See photos)

FOLK ON THE PIER FESTIVAL, CROMER MAY 2006

This was a another fantastic festival hosted by Deckchair Productions. The sun even shone on the Pier! Landermason shared the Pavilion Theatre stage on the Friday afternoon with award winning duo, John Tams and Barry Coope and Prego. The large audience were certainly appreciative of the mix on offer! This was a particularly welcome contrast for Paul and Fiona who performed in a very draughty beer tent two years previous! In the evening, Landermason split the bill with Swedish fiddlers Reed and Bjornsdotter as part of the Fringe events folkonthepier.co.uk

A SESSION ON A LAKELAND MOUNTAIN

Fiona and Paul's music reached new heights when they performed several pieces on the summit of Yewbarrow! A crowd of family and friends gathered at the Wasdale Head Inn to ascend the mountain on mass to celebrate Mike Naylors 50th birthday. The weather was superb, views unforgettable...how lucky we were!!! (see photos)

LANDERMASON ON BBC RADIO2!!!

Landermason received their first national airplay on February 4th! Track 2 'I Will Be Back Soon' from their latest album 'Angel of the North' was played on the Bob Harris Saturday night show.

TALL SHIPS 2005

Landermason were invited to play at The Sage Gateshead as part of the Tall Ships Celebrations. A half hour set on the outdoor stage in Performance Square was followed by an acoustic set in the concourse of the main building. (see photos)

BRAMPTON LIVE 2005

July saw a return visit to this fab festival in Cumbria. Another great line up of top acts and sunshine yet again! This year Fiona and Paul played a half hour set on the Indoor Stage and then later on, entertained a very appreciative crowd outside the bar area.

FESTIVAL FOLK WINNERS

Landermason regained the Hexham Round Table Cup on Monday 14th March in the Tynedale Music Festival. The adjudicator Gareth Green awarded an 'outstanding' for their performance of XYZ and Mr Drummer Man.

CONCERT FOR TSUNAMI

£200 was raised at Great Whittington Village Hall on February 19th for the disaster. Landermason were joined by Radio 2 Young Folk Award Finalist 2004 Kathryn Davidson and the impressive trio XYZ from Gosforth. The audience, aged 5 to 85 were treated to a musical feast of songs and tunes.

COMPILATION CD

Insangel13 music promoter Phil Hughes has put together a CD of 20 original tracks by artists/bands in the North East of England. Landermason's submission 'See Me Through' is track 17 and has been rated in the top 3 by reviewers! (See insangel13.co.uk for details)

BEER FESTIVAL FIRST!

The Landermason link with poet Mike Naylor, resulted in a long-awaited performance at the Wasdale Head Inn Beer Festival 2004. This was a 'first' for both the organizers and musicians alike, but a great night was had by all, in what is probably the most remote bar in the Lake District! wasdaleweb.co.uk