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.
STUART gave us an excellent night a couple of years ago, and this time he will be accompanied by Aberdonian fiddler CAROL. Stuart is a very fine singer, songwriter and instrumentalist (guitar & mountain dulcimer) whose songs recount tales of gypsy funerals, fox hunting, North Sea trawler fishing, dustmen, skinheads, 16th century prostitutes, fairground workers, emigration, piracy on the Irish Sea and the odd protest rant for good measure. Catchy, engaging and melodic he writes mainly in a 'contemporary traditional' style akin to Jez Lowe and Steve Tilston - tales of hope, death, love, life, the city and the sea - born of observation and personal experience. His new album 'A Yard of Ale' has gained some great reviews: 'This guy is clearly a talent. Pure class' (The Living Tradition), 'A great singer, songwriter - he writes really finely crafted songs that feel to me to be deeply rooted in the tradition' (Mike Harding), 'This is an exceptional release, one of quite formidable character' (FATEA Magazine), 'This collection of songs is really quite special' (Folk London). Quite!
http://www.stuartforester.com£8 members/£9 non-members
KYLE grew up in the Alaskan Bush where her parents were teachers. She immersed herself in the Yupik language and its songs, then as a young woman travelled to Cape Breton to study traditional Gaelic and Cape Breton fiddle styles. Once there, she struck up a friendship with fiddler Jerry Holland and wrote songs before heading over the sea to the Isle of Skye to learn Gaelic and its singing styles. Her own songs - beautifully crafted, assured & charming - echo the longings of her ancestors and narrate a range of contemporary issues in a similar way to James Keelaghan. Now Kyle has hooked up with rising young UK folkies and BBC Folk Award nominees JOSIENNE and BEN, who complement her sound perfectly. Classically trained then nurtured in Folk, they provide beautiful guitar & vocals and have recorded an EP, 'One Morning', with Kyle.
http://www.kyleannecarey.com£9 members/£10 non-members
A major talent, Dublin-born JOHN was a founder member of Irish super-group Solas, touring the world's concert halls and playing to packed houses. Influenced by the likes of Nic Jones, Martin Carthy, Richard Thompson, The Watersons, Dick Gaughan, John Martyn and Paul Brady, John has been a professional musician since the age of 16! Renowned for his powerhouse rhythmic style, intricate picking and innovative arrangements, he spreads his talents far and wide, touring with stellar talents such as Martin Hayes, John McCusker, Michael McGoldrick, Tim O'Brien & Kate Rusby as well as composing for films and appearing on countless Celtic and Folk albums as the session man of choice. He's also toured recently as MD and guitarist with Joan Baez as well as being the lynchpin of the BBC Transatlantic Sessions house band. Now it's time for John to hit the road as a solo artist and showcase his considerable talents as a guitarist, singer and songwriter, having firmly established himself as one of the most versatile, creative and prolific voices in folk and traditional Irish music.
http://www.johndoylemusic.com£10 members/£11 non-members
This stunning young band return due to insatiable and unrelenting demand after last year's roof raiser - just check out the videos! The Outside Track's marriage of Canadian, Scottish and Irish music and song is rapturously received around the world. Hailing from Scotland, Ireland, Cape Breton and Vancouver, its five members are united by a love of traditional music and a commitment to nurturing it into the 21st century. Always 'on the road' (winners of the Live Ireland "Group of the Year" 2012) they combine virtuoso fiddle, accordion, harp, guitar, whistle & flute with great songs and glorious step-dancing interludes. Hugely entertaining, MAIRI RANKIN, AILIE ROBERTSON, FIONA BLACK, CILLIAN O'DALAIGH and AOIFE SCOTT are masters of their instruments and perform with boundless energy and joie de vivre. Between them they've picked up a stack of awards and are at the very top of their game. Look at their website, see the amazing pedigrees of these fantastic musicians and then marvel at how we persuade them to play for us! Do not miss!
http://www.theoutsidetrack.com£10 members/£12 non-members
This much-loved odd couple of PAUL SARTIN (oboe, violin, vocals) and PAUL HUTCHINSON (accordion) have a unique sound and a reputation as consummate live performers who mix humour and intricate traditional English folk music in equal measures. Busy lads on the folk scene, they're hugely talented, devilishly dexterous, wickedly-inventive, genre-defying and don't fit into any box except their own. Every strand of influence past, present and future is woven into their sound tapestry - classical, jazz, pop, music hall - and they take simple delight in delighting you, enlightening you and above all entertaining you. True minstrels in the gallery, no two shows are the same. 2014 is their 20th anniversary year, with the release of a new live album 'Belshazzar's Feast Live!: The Whiting's On the Wall'. It's been a while since last they were here (they're very busy in a multitude of settings), so welcome back chaps - just watch your backs on our stage!
http://www.belshazzarsfeast.com£10 members/£11 non-members