For our 30th birthday on 21st October 2013 we updated our 'Compleat History of the Ram Club' booklet (PDF format, 10Mb). Click to view or download - it's a 'must read', with a list of all the guests we have ever had plus some stories and pictures!
Below is a list of the past guests from September 2006.
Due to an unforeseen and unfortunate incident on deck ("Kiss me Hardy " etc...), JENKINS' EAR will be unable to perform at the Ram Club as planned. Instead our very own BOB will be stepping into the firing line. Bob used to do quite a lot of gigs at clubs and festivals around the area not so long back, but for various reasons (including a career change) he 'retired', contenting himself with doing floorspots, writing for 'fROOTS' magazine and being involved with the odd Folk festival. BOB is a very fine singer and fingerstyle guitarist. His repertoire covers everything from Traditional ballads to Contemporary songs. He is not afraid to throw in old favourites and memorable classics that everybody knows, all with his own interesting interpretation. There are also songs that only he does that ought to be standards, like Gordon Bok's 'The Hills of Isle Au Haut'. Tonight he is accompianed by ANDY JOHNSON, so come along and enjoy a mellow, melodic and relaxed Club Night.
Two young players at the forefront of the thriving Edinburgh folk scene. CLAIRE is a fabulous flute, fiddle and whistle player who has toured extensively with bands TABACHE and CRAOBH RUA (here in '97, '98 and '01). AARON was here last March, accompanying Tom McConville & Pauline Cato with sublime guitar & bouzouki, as he has done with countless other bands on tour or CD. In 2005 he was Instrumentalist of the Year at the Scots Trad Music Awards, a rare feat for an Englishman (albeit with Irish roots)! Both sing, and their stunning debut CD Secret Orders, released in 2006, is full of beautiful interpretations of trad & contemporary Scottish & Irish songs, brilliantly played and passionately expressed with energy, feeling and sensitivity.
Genius is often only truly recognised retrospectively. When folklorists and sages of the future reflect on the folk music of today they will, no doubt, dust off Jez's CDs, marvel at the quality, concur with the reviews, rave at the Radio Ballads and gawp at the sheer all-pervasiveness of his wonderful songs in the fabric of the folk scene, and rank him up there with the likes of Burns, MacColl and Dylan. And deservedly so, as anyone who has found themselves humming one of his many classic vignettes of North East life will know. Tonight the new-look but still imperial BPs, namely KATE BRAMLEY (fiddle), ANDY MAY (pipes, accordion, piano) & DAVID de la HAYE (bass) apply the shine...and harmonisation is as close as they get to becoming Euros!
Another extraordinarily talented instrumental/vocal duo currently shaking the tree, SHONA & DAMIEN have been nominated for the 'Horizon Award' at this year's, ahem, BBC Folk Awards. Now 21, Shona has played the piano accordion since she broke her arm at age 11 and has won just about every gong going. Amazingly, in 2004 she was the only Folk musician and the only female to win one of the five Fame Academy Bursaries, allowing her to study for the new Folk & Traditional Music degree at Newcastle University. She's also guested with the Northern Sinfonia and tours with Crosscurrent, as does Damien, who has already graduated from Newcastle! From Ireland, he is brilliant on guitar, an excellent singer and is currently revolutionising banjo playing. Together they play a sparkling set of traditional & self-penned Irish-influenced tunes and songs.