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USA Jan-Feb 2010 Tour Review
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Tuesday, March 02, 2010
We flew into Chicago on January 29th (and boy, were our arms tired!) before driving into Iowa for our first gig at Holy Trinity Catholic Church. As it was out first trip to the mid-west, we were both surprised and delighted to play to a full house. Given the quality of the food on offer, though, the audience may not have come to see us at all. We must remark on the magnificent scenery on the road west from Chicago. Some of those hills must be 15 feet high…
Our next show was due north in Minneapolis/St Paul on the 31st. As well as having ample opportunity to enjoy the sights of the twin cities, we learned of some of the great American cultural icons who’ve come from the state of Minnesota. Garrison Keillor, F Scott Fitzgerald, Bob Dylan, Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura. Our host Cormac at the Celtic Junction was once a dancer with Riverdance. He has swapped the stardust-sprinkled world of Michael Flatley and Jean Butler for Malinky, poor bloke. Still, as far as we know, the great Flatley’s got nothing on Steve Byrne when he’s let loose in the disco.
On the way back to Chicago we drove through Wisconsin. Nobody noticed, not even Mark. And he was the one driving.
We played a lovely house concert in Flossmoor, a scenic suburb of Chicago, and had a couple of days off. Naturally, we spent the first of them driving round The Loop screaming. Having decided to take the train into town next time, the lads had a fine time sightseeing in the Windy City. The one sight we couldn’t see was the sight of Millennium Station, though. We weren’t helped by the fact that everyone we stopped for directions was a visitor as well, and we missed our train home. Note to the City of Chicago – signposts please!
On 4th February we were back in Ann Arbor for our near-annual trip to Zingerman’s Deli. Oh, and we played a show in The Ark as well. That was important, but not as important as stocking up on Brownies and blue cheese. One of them makes a van smell nice… It was great to be back in The Ark, having last played there in January 2008.
Our trip ended with another show at Happy Days Visitor Centre, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio. How they loved all our new University of Michigan paraphernalia. Our concert was recorded for local TV, but David Letterman’s unlikely to be losing sleep over it (whatever else he might be losing sleep over!). The trip was noteworthy for the worst weather any of us has ever seen. While Washington DC was being comprehensively snowed under, we suffered the merest glancing blow from the same storm as it passed, but it still resulted in 60mph winds and snow all the way from Ann Arbor to Cleveland. That’s the last time any of us complains about Scottish weather.
So our tour came to an end, as all good things must. The flight to Amsterdam was uneventful; naturally the fates that govern Schiphol couldn’t possibly let us go without an event of some sort, so we had a four hour delay and a broken guitar case when we got back. Ah well, that’s what insurance is for… | |
| | FOLK BAND OF THE YEAR 2009 NOMINEES!
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
We are thrilled to say that we have been nominated once again as Folk Band of the Year in the 2009 MG Alba Scottish Traditional Music Awards! Also Steve has been nominated as Scots Singer of the Year. This tops a great year for us so far with possibly our busiest tour calendar yet in the band's life.
It's a public vote to decide the winners, so please consider voting for us, if your loyalties aren't too split!
You can vote here: http://www.handsupfortrad.co.uk/tradmusicawards/
The awards ceremony is on 28th November at Dumfries's DG One venue. Wish us luck! | |
MALINKY USA AUTUMN TOUR BEGINS 17th SEPTEMBER
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Hello one and all!
We are jetting off to JFK airport on the 17th September to begin our autumn tour of the USA!!
We're very excited to be going on tour again, and hope to see some of you at the shows. Please check our 'calendar' page for details of individual shows and how to buy tickets. | | | |
Malinky do the Czech Republic
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Next month sees Malinky make their first trip to the Czech Republic for a Highland Games at Sychrov Castle.
We're very excited! We fly out on the 28th of August and return on the 30th.
http://www.skotskehry.cz
for more info | | | |
| | Feis Chataibh Ceilidh Trail
Monday, July 20, 2009
Mike and Dave spent last week in Golspie in Sutherland in the North of Scotland preparing a group of young musicians from the local area for a 3 week tour taking in many local venues.
They thoroughly enjoyed their time in Golspie and look forward to their return later in the year.
heres a video clip from the first gig
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ED3L3Im9nAQ | |
| | TOTE BAG COMPETITION
Monday, July 20, 2009
Exclusive Malinky Tote bag up for grabs.
Caption required for this photo!!!
Judges decision is final,
send your caption to info@malinky.com for your chance of winning an exclusive Malinky tote bag!!
Malinky | |
Malinky on the Garden Sessions
| | Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Those nice folks at the Garden Sessions included a wee tribute to us on our 10th Anniversary, including some late night interviews with various Malinkies as part of their Celtic Connections podcast. Check it - and all their future podcasts - out here:
http://www.gardensessions.co.uk/podcast_80.htm | |
Guardian Review
| | Saturday, January 03, 2009
We were very pleased to receive a nice review from Robin Denselow of The Guardian, saying "After all these years, Malinky should be one of the folk bands of 2009". See the full review on our publicity page | |
Flower & Iron - Boston Globe top picks of 2008
| | Saturday, December 27, 2008
We heard today that our new CD has been chosen as one of the Boston Globe's top picks of 2008! We're very chuffed to be featured in the list alongside so many fantastic acts, and luminaries like the legendary Pete Seeger.
Read more at The Boston Globe online | |
MALINKY and FIONA nominated in 2008 Scottish Traditional Music Awards!
| | Friday, November 07, 2008
The nominees have been announced for the 2008 Scottish Traditional Music Awards, and we are delighted to discover that we have been nominated in the category of Scottish Folk Band of the Year. To make things even more exciting, Fiona has been nominated in the category of Scots Singer of the Year.
The competition in these categories is pretty fierce, and we really hope that you will not only vote for us, but ask your friends to vote for us as well! Anyone with a computer can vote online, plus there are downloadable hard copy forms for people you know can't access a computer. You don't have to be Scottish to vote!!
You will find information on how to vote here.
Okay, so it's not as momentous a decision as McCain v Obama, but it means a great deal to us. Please take time to vote!
Thank you very much
Malinky | |
Malinky on BBC Radio Scotland
| | Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Steve and Fiona appeared this week on Mary Ann Kennedy's Global Gathering show, talking about the band's new album, the 10th anniversary and the special celebratory show at Celtic Connections 2009. Listen back here until 28th Oct; it's around 1hr 28mins into the show. | | | |
October News
| | Wednesday, October 15, 2008
NEW ALBUM
We are delighted to announce the arrival of our fourth album "Flower and Iron", recorded at Butterstone Studios, Perthshire in July 08 and released on Greentrax Recordings on the 1st of October (licensed to Mad River Records in the US).
The Boston Herald said: "......soars on the strength of three quality vocalists and recalls the halcyon days of such song-oriented bands as Silly Wizard, the Battlefield Band and the Tannahill Weavers. Add fine string playing and a knack for well-chosen traditional and modern songs, and Malinky’s fourth album is potent." Visit the CDs and Music page for more details.
US TOUR
We are just home from our fourth tour of the US this year.We started off at the Loon Mountain Highland Games, and spent three days basking in the sunshine and readjusting to US food portions (if a large fries is not enough, "dog bowl" is what you want!)
Next up was the Celtic Classic Festival in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Just before our first gig there we managed to fit in a wee trip to the Martin Guitar Factory in nearby Nazareth. This was very enjoyable, even for the non fret-heads. Fiona even bought a T-shirt! Thanks to Dick Boak and Chris Thomas for their great welcome. Fellow Scots groups Findlay Napier and the Bar Room Mountaineers and Bodega were also in attendance at the Celtic Classic and much fun ensued. Sadly the last day brought a torrential downpour and many gigs were rained off. Malinky played to a drenched main stage crowd, rounding off our festival.
We had some days off on the way to Michigan so we drove north to Canada to visit old pals and do two fun house concerts. En route we paid Niagara Falls a visit. Stunning! We spent two nights in Toronto with Joan and Jeff Weed who were most excellent hosts. It was great to meet up with some old friends from the Goderich Festival and spend another night at McCarthy's session with its immaculate Guinness! West then to Kitchener for our second house concert hosted by Bob and Linda Myers. Bob makes a mean stew. Thanks go to Andy and Niamh Webster for helping to organise this.
Back over the border then for a trio of gigs in Michigan. The first two were in Mount Pleasant and Sault St. Marie hosted by John Sheffler of CMU Public Radio. John treated us to lunch, dinner and post-gig pizza, a generous man! Both gigs were recorded for broadcast at a future date.After a sorrowful parting with John and co we drove south to Traverse City for one final gig before a very long drive back to New Hampshire. We stopped in Ann Arbor (Zingerman' s deli - wow), Cleveland and Chatham en route. Thanks go especially to Brenda for putting us up in Cleveland.
Elysium Arts Folk Club, Rollinsford, NH was a fantastic intimate gig. Joe Simes even let us try out his collection of bouzoukis and guitars, and we met up with our friends Craig and Liz Werth. Craig plays with Scots-Canadian songwriter David Francey and they shared our Glasgow Celtic Connections show in January 2008. Nice to meet him on home turf!
Billie Hockett is a most amazing woman, she is not your average silver surfer, in fact we'd speculate she knows more about computers than the whole band put together. She runs "Music For Robin" in Concord MA, and even let us stay the night. Check out the tour gallery for some pics of the band and Billie. We met up with our friends Matt and Shannon Heaton for excellent pre-gig Thai lunch in the Boston sun.
The weather improved, we absorbed some vitamin D, and arrived at our penultimate gig in Hartford University, Connecticut. We met Chris Teskey of Mad River Records (our US label boss) in person for the first time. Thanks to him and his publicist Judith Joiner for all his help promoting the new record.
The tour was brought to its conclusion in fine fashion at the Susquehanna Folk Music Society in Harrisburgh PA. Thanks very much to Jess Hayden for looking after us so well (dinner was fabulous).
Thank you very much to everybody involved in making us feel so welcome - we look forward to our return in 2009!
GERMAN TOUR
The band commences a tour of Germany on the 14th of November. Abbie MacQuarrie of Boston will be standing in for Mike Vass on fiddle, who is still working through crossover diary commitments since joining the band a few months ago. Who knows, we might even persuade to add her step-dancing talents to the mix!
Please visit our Calendar page for more info.
Malinky x | |
Mark Dunlop solo album
| | Monday, August 18, 2008
Mark has been working quietly away for the past five months on his album of songs and tunes from his home area in the north of Ireland.
The album is released on Greentrax Recordings, CDTRAX307, on Sept 1st in time for Mark's duo tour of Germany with Steve [see www.stevebyrne.co.uk for gig dates.]
It's called 'Islands on the Moon', named after a comical mishearing of an Antrim neighbour, and features Mark in the spotlight showcasing his voice on songs such as 'Shane Crossagh' a tale of a local outlaw, 'The Breaking of Omagh Jail' and a more mellow revisiting of the Irish standard 'Black Velvet Band' to Mark's own tune.
The album was recorded in late spring 2008 in Dunloy, Antrim, produced by Steve. Features Chris Wright on guitars, cittern and mandolin, and Heather Montgomery on fiddle.
The album will be on sale on Mark & Steve's duo tour in Germany, and on the Malinky US tour in Sept/Oct. | | | |
North American Tour – Feb and March 2008
| | Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Toronto
Although it was very nice to meet our chums Katy, Andy and Lisa again it would have been nicer if it had been warmer than -28. Boy, Canadians really know the meaning of the word “cold”. Fortunately they gave us a very warm welcome.
Calgary
There’s not much more to say about Calgary Folk Club than “brilliant”. The organisation, the crowd, the accommodation – all brilliant. The city itself is kind of interesting. It was historically a frontier town and it still seems like one today – independent and isolated on the plains. We didn’t all make it up the famous tower, either due to fear of heights or fear of paying the admission fee, but the views of the Rockies were fantastic. The views through the glass floor of the observation platform, on the other hand... Check out our gallery to see what we mean!
Edmonton
The drive from Calgary to Edmonton is wonderfully scenic…
Who are we kidding? That part of Alberta makes the Netherlands look like Nepal. Sadly, we had no time to investigate Edmonton, but the people of Calgary had given us their interpretation of what to expect. Only in the second largest country in the world could two cities separated by a three hour drive be thought of as bitter local rivals. Anyway, to knock that subject on the head we aren’t saying the Winter Olympics are in any way more prestigious than the Commonwealth Games. Honestly.
Vancouver
We spent several days around Vancouver and the appropriately named Sunshine Coast, played some nice gigs, and took in the best scenery of the tour by far. Everyone in Canada said that Vancouver was the cleanest, tidiest, prettiest city in the country; just the sort of city you could take home to meet your parents. Having seen it, we’d be inclined to agree. However, after a few pleasant days we had to board another flight to Canada’s rowdy downstairs neighbour; the one who has loud parties late at night and parks in front of their drive. The US of A! What would we find in sunny California?
The Calaveras Celtic Fayre, Sonora CA
This is what we found in sunny California. Note the spelling of “fayre”. If this conjures mental images of jousting, suits of armour, large men eating large bits of dead animal, buxom serving wenches etc, you’re spot on. In what was easily the craziest place we’d ever been in we also saw a man dressed as King Arthur, another man dressed as a Faun, another man dressed as a leprechaun, several Queen Victorias, and a man in a singlet whose job it was to roll around in muddy puddles pretending to have the Black Death. Welcome to California! In what may (or may not) have been representative of the state that voted Arnold Schwarzenegger in as Governor, everyone we met was slightly bonkers, but in a very good natured way. A Martian on a reconnaissance mission would have been extremely baffled. Nevertheless, we enjoyed a good couple of days and made some new friends.
So that just about wrapped it up for our tour. We made it back without any arrests, deportations, or parking tickets. We’d like to thank Tim Hortons for keeping us alive.
Best Wishes
Malinky
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Pictures fae America and Canada
| | Wednesday, April 02, 2008
We've finally overcome jetlag sufficiently to post some photos from our recent trips in January and March. Why not take a peek?
Malinky | |
2008 - the story so far...
| | Tuesday, February 26, 2008
The Trip to New York
This sounds like it should be the name of a reel. We discovered that if you want to quit drinking then New York is the place to go. Not due to any absence of the demon drink, of course, but because of the PRICE of it. Imagine the headlines
“Scots and Irish in drink quit shock”! See pages 4,5,7 and 12
We spent several fantastic days in NY for the APAP Conference at the 6th Avenue Hilton ($10 a pint) and managed to take in as many of the sights as we could. Where to begin? We could begin by describing the beauty of Central Park in winter; the bare branches, the little fat squirrels, the island of tranquility in the ocean of humanity. Or we could tell you about the trip on the Staten Island ferry, the luminescence of the Manhattan skyline in the dark, and the unmistakeable shape of the Statue of Liberty beckoning travellers with her torch as she has done since 1886. Maybe, instead, we should tell you about the site of the former World Trade Centre. If you didn’t know any better you’d never know that it was any different to any other major city redevelopment site. If you didn’t know any better… Certainly a trip to be made once, but that was a pretty sombre afternoon.
Looking on the bright side of life, there’s a lot to enjoy in being in the kind of place where you can say “it’s 3 a.m., I’m going out to buy a new camera” and BEING ABLE TO DO IT!!!
We’d like to thank Robyn and Ellen of Wooden Ship Productions for putting on the showcase of Scottish music – it was good to meet up with some of our pals from home and abroad while we were there. The concerts were a lot of fun, if a little atypical of your usual run-of-the-mill gig. The good news is that we’ve already obtained a few gigs on the strength of them. We’re glad to be making friends stateside!
Voorheesville Gig
This was tremendous fun as we’d had a day off prior to the gig and were nice and fresh. The audience was terrific, the venue was great, the sound was good, and the pizza was even better! Voorheesville saw the first appearance of the new Malinky T-Shirts, of which more later…
Ann Arbor Gig
We had good fun in Ann Arbor, mainly due to having friends living there who were able to show us the cool stuff. Coolest of all was Zingerman’s Deli – anyone for blackcurrant vinegar? We also spent plenty of money on University of Michigan stickers for our instrument cases. Decked out in blue and yellow, we were very well received by the audience at The Ark who have a great attachment to the University.
Happy Days Visitor Centre, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Gig
We had a fantastic audience who came out in force and made us feel very welcome. We also had a trio of local young Irish dancers in tow that night – needless to say they kicked up a storm. When they’re grown up and famous we’ll be able to say “we knew Clan Badger back in the old days…”
Malinky Merchandise
We’ve teamed up with All Star Awards and Ad Specialties Inc who have produced a new range of T-Shirts, stickers and totebags for us. All of these will be for sale at our shows and we will soon be able to sell directly through our website. T-shirts with our new logo are available in Med – XXL in blue, green, or white. Bumper stickers are white/red, and totebags have our logo in red.
New album update
The fourth Malinky album, as yet untitled, will be recorded at Butterstone Studios, Perthshire, Scotland during July 2008. More news as and when we have it. Stay tuned!
Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr Tom Paxton
We must share this one with you. On 14th February we received this e-mail out of the blue.
Hi,
I want to tell you I heard you all this morning on folkalley.com and very much enjoyed it. You have a very clear vision, it seems to me, and I truly hope you'll continue together. I, for one, will be happy if you do.
All the best,
Tom Paxton
Anyone who knows the least bit about folk music knows about the legendary Tom Paxton. It goes without saying that we’re very honoured to have received this.
Off to Canada and the US
We are heading across the water again tomorrow for some more gigs.
Friday 29th February
Calgary Folk Club, Calgary, Alberta, Canada – 8.00 p.m.
Saturday 1st March
Northern Lights Folk Club, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada – 8.00p.m.
Sunday 2nd March
Rogue Folk Club, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada – 8.00 p.m.
Tuesday 4th March
St Bart’s Church Hall, Gibsons, Sunshine Coast, BC – time TBA
Thursday 6th March
Qualicum Beach, Vancouver Island, BC, Canada – time TBA
Saturday 8th March
The Calaveras Celtic Fayre, Angels Camp, California, USA
We’re expecting cold weather, though hopefully not in California!
Best Wishes
MALINKY
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Live from Folk Alley.com
| | Thursday, February 21, 2008
We just received this link from the folks at Folkalley.com who recorded our show near Cleveland, Ohio at the Happy Days Visitor Centre in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, during our January tour in the USA.
It's a full live show including a turn from some local young Irish dancers. Hope you like it!
Malinky live from Folk Alley | | | |
Celtic Connections 2008
| | Thursday, November 22, 2007
We’ve always had a strong link with Celtic Connections, dating back to January 1999 when we were among the inaugural winners of the Danny Kyle Awards for new talent.
We’ve been privileged to have appeared at every CC festival bar one since then and we’ve shared the bill with acts such as The Boys of The Lough, Brolum, and Ranarim.
We’re delighted to announce that we will be appearing at CC 2008. The show will be at the Classic Grand on Sunday 3rd February at 7.30 p.m. (to purchase tickets click here) and will include a performance by our friend David Francey, writer of “The Flowers of Saskatchewan” and some special guests.
We can’t wait!
Malinky | |
Home from Southend! :: First trip to Essex (etc etc)
| | Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Well, okay then. We weren't only in Essex. Still, we've just finished our October UK tour. Who'd have thought the Great British Motorway system could be so numbingly tedious? However, we made up for it by the bonnie towns we played in. Firstly, we played at Selkirk Rugby Club in the Borders. A pity a match was in progress at the time but apart from minor bruising and one broken tooth we finished the evening largely unscathed. Continuing the sporting theme, we played around (a round, geddit?) in St Andrews and managed to avoid any ghastly knitwear. Canterbury was just as scenic as we remembered, and we played to a very supportive crowd at the Canterbury Environment Centre. The historic city of York saw us with time on our hands for a spot of sightseeing. We only had 3 hours to kill, so obviously there was no point in queueing for Betty's. Instead, we went to a different teashop that didn't have a colossal queue outside, and soon discovered why! Ah well, we live and learn. It was great to be back in Wales, albeit briefly, and good to see Mick Tems looking so well. Lichfield saw us playing at the Guild Hall. At least now we know where they got the inspirations for Hogwarts! One of the most genuinely beautiful venues we've ever played. Having had enough of the M6, M42, and M25, we took the back roads to Norwich. Although it took an eternity to get there, it was well worth it. Finishing up in deepest Essex was fun - everyone sounds like Ian Dury (even the grannies!). Jellied eels did not, fortunately, make an appearance.
2008 will see more UK-based touring for us; no doubt we'll have many more horror stories about traffic jams and terrible service station food, BUT!! We don't want to bore you with those. Instead, we'll concentrate on the beautiful venues, the lovely audiences, the hard-worked but accommodating soundmen, the B&B proprietors who serve breakfast AFTER 08.30, and we'll undoubtedly post a few pictures of Fiona asleep in the car (again!)
Going to America!
In association with Wooden Ship Productions we shall be setting out for New York and the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) Conference in January 08. The conference will be attended by the decision-makers from across North America and around the globe who actively engage touring artists to perform in their communities including Presidents/CEOs/executive directors, programmers/curators/artistic directors/producers, as well as their colleagues in marketing, development, facilities management, finance and administration. This is a major event, and we're looking forward to it hugely. Obviously, being able to see a bit of New York whilst we're there will be a bonus. All work and no play, and all that jazz!
When we go we'll make sure we send back a letter to The Proclaimers.
We'll be back in Michigan, home of our first US gig last August, for a gig at The Ark in Ann Arbor. Naturally, we hope to pick up a flood of gigs on the strength of that one ...
On that note, best wishes to everyone. We'll be in touch!
Meanwhile, check out the updated US and Canada dates for early 2008 on the concert dates page. | |
Home from Across the Pond :: First trip to the US and Canada
| | Saturday, August 18, 2007
We've just returned from the band's first ever trip to the US and Canada, courtesy of the fine folks at Wooden Ship Productions.
We're all struggling a bit with the jetlag so we'll keep it brief for now!
We flew into Canada at the beginning of August, hired a car and drove up to the lovely Port of Goderich on Lake Huron, and stayed the night there, before driving up to Evart, Michigan - via a 3 hour wait at the border! - for our first US gig. We were hosted by Dan Elliott and Melora Theunick of the town's Downtown Development Authority. We played a lovely afternoon show in blistering heat at the old railway depot, as part of their summer Evart Musicale Series. A fine start to our US gigging career!
It was then back down to the border and up to Goderich, with Mark and Steve leaving the others there to chill out while they took the rental car back to Toronto airport. So a good 15 hours after leaving Evart that morning, they arrived very thirsty at the pub in Goderich, having hooked up with a festival driver and Mr Brian McNeill himself, to get a ride back along the 401 and through Stratford, Ontario (again!!).
We spent the week teaching at the Goderich Celtic College, which is a fab four days' worth of classes for all ages and abilities, with most of the tutors being drawn from the lineup for the Goderich Celtic Roots Festival on the subsequent weekend.
We had an absolutely fab time, and we will be posting pics, clips and more tour-diary type blethers up here shortly!
Meanwhile, check out the updated US and Canada dates for early 2008 on the concert dates page.
Off for another nap!
PS - this is us outside one of our fave places in Canada - the Canadian institution that is Tim Hortons! | | | |
Summer!
| | Sunday, June 10, 2007
We're just fresh back from a lovely trip to the new Gate to Southwell Folk Festival near Nottingham, England. A great effort from all the guys there and we're very pleased to have been asked to appear as part of a really strong lineup, especially for their first festival. Good to have another one on the summer circuit.
We're getting geared up for a busy summer ahead now, and lots of things going on for various folks in the band, moving house, changing jobs, and a whole screed of band organinsing including the slightly laborious process of arranging visas for our upcoming trip to the US in August!
We had a lovely trip to Sardinia in May courtesy of the fantastic Gianluca Dessi, a great musician, ethnomusicologist and concert organiser from Sassari. He's also got a great band himself called Band-Re - check them out here. It was a fantastically sunny trip and we enjoyed learning about the very distinct Sardinian culture and language, including the launeddas, the traditional Sardinian triplepipe which has an amazing tradition all of its own.
And we also made a return trip to the splendid Doune and Dunblane Fling at which we appeared around five years ago. Good to meet up with some folks we haven't seen for a while there and we've always had a good bit of support from the folks around the Stirling area. Thanks guys!
This week coming we're at North Edinburgh Arts Centre, a great community facility out in Muirhouse, and then a bit of a break before heading to Austria and some UK dates in July.
We're working away on new material just now with a view to getting back into the studio in late autumn, so we'll keep you posted on when album number four is due!
cheers for now,
Malinky | |
Home from Memphis :: New North American Booking Agent
| | Monday, February 26, 2007
After a packed few days we returned today tired but very happy from the Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, Tennessee, where we saw lots of fantastic music, met up with many old friends and made many new ones.
We're very pleased indeed to announce that as a result of our showcases and meetings at the conference, we are now represented by the fabulous Robyn Boyd and Ellen Irose at Wooden Ship Productions, based in New York state. We will be touring in the USA in 2008.
Keep an eye on the website for more news on the details, but we expect to be there in spring and autumn 2008, as well as attending the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) showcase in New York in January 2008. We're very excited!!!
If you're interested in adding to these tours, please see our contacts page.
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Happy New Year!
| | Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Hi folks and a warm welcome to 2007!
Just a short note to say that we're up to our eyes right now with all the organisation for our Celtic Connections show with Ranarim and our exciting trip to Memphis, Tennessee!
We're very chuffed to say that we've been selected as official showcase artists for the North American Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis in February, and thanks to support from the Scottish Arts Council we'll be heading over there to perform and hopefully make some waves!
We'll also be giving the website a makeover especially since we had some new photos taken in late November before heading off to the Netherlands.
We had a lovely time over there with a great tour organised by the splendid Assie Aukes and we enjoyed seeing the Netherlands' version of Christmas in all the wee towns' market squares! More updates and photos to come when we find some time!!! Back to rehearsing....
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Back home & good news!
| | Tuesday, November 07, 2006
We're just catching our breath after a great tour of Germany in October, once again thanks to the great folks at CelticSound agency. We'll get some photos and a bit of a tour diary up for you soon, once we get the time! Suffice to say it was a brilliant time, and important for the current lineup to have our first big tour together, and we were all thrilled at the reception the German audiences gave us. One of our favourite places to play!
We're all really busy this month with getting ready for 2007, especially our gig at Celtic Connections with the fabulous RANARIM from Sweden, who we've been trying to work with ever since we met them back in the spring of 2005. We're hoping to do some versions of ballads from both traditions, and Steve is currently working on putting Scots text for The Twa Sisters to the Swedish tune for their version of the song. The gig will be part of the Showcase Scotland weekend too so we're looking forward to being part of that, with the chance to be seen by over 150 promoters from across the globe.
Also, as you'll have seen from the homepage, Steve has been nominated as 'Scots Singer of the Year' in the 2006 Scottish Trad Music Awards! It's a public vote, so if you want to take part, click on 'home' in the menu and you'll see the link in the top right of the page. A few of our musical friends are also nominated, including our former singer Karine Polwart and the splendiferous Kris Drever. The awards ceremony is on 2nd December, so keep your fingers crossed!
We're also preparing to go back to the Netherlands in December for 10 gigs just before Christmas, organised by the wonderful Assie Aukes who has taken us over there a couple of times before. This will be our longest tour in the Netherlands to date, from 9th-17th December. See the concerts page for more details.
We're also booking now for April/May and summer festivals 2007. Please contact Stoneyport Agency for details of availability (see the contact page).
Hope to see you somewhere at a gig soon! | |
Off to Germany!
| | Tuesday, October 03, 2006
We're just about to head off on our first German tour with the current lineup, our third Malinky tour with the fantastic folks at CelticSound, Manfred and Ingrid Buchwald, whom we met on the Scottish Folk Festival Tour of Germany back in 2002.
We'll be all over the northwestern part of Germany, with trips down as far as near Stuttgart and a long-awaited return to Berlin to finish the tour.
We're looking forward to meeting up with many old friends on the way and having the most amazing crack as usual! Joining us on the road is the splendid Gavin Ramsay as our soundman, driver and tour manager.
We'll be putting up bits and pieces of news from on the road and hopefully creating a new 'tour diary' page for the site, so keep your eyes peeled! There'll be pleanty of photos too we hope.
Some of you may recall our long and hilarious escapades from the German tour 3 years ago when we wrote a tour diary for the BBC's Celtic Roots site. Here's hoping this tour can live up to it!
On a musical level, we're also looking forward to our first proper long tour with this lineup and getting some new material that we've been working on over the summer 'match fit' so to speak. We'll hopefully have a new recording in the offing in the not-too-distant future, but it's all still at the very early stages.
Till then, wish us luck - we're off to the bierhaus! Auf wiedersehen! | | | |
Songlines: The World Music Magazine - review
| | Tuesday, May 02, 2006
We're thrilled to receive a four star review from Songlines magazine in their May issue. Thanks to Andy Jurgis for letting us know about it!
The Unseen Hours
****
Not just back on their feet, but dancing
This is an important album for the Scottish-based band Malinky, given that
it is released in the wake of two stalwart members - award-winning singer
Karine Polwart and box player Leo McCann - leaving the band last year. On
the evidence shown here however, Malinky are still in fine fettle and
confidently moving on. Remaining founder members Steve Byrne and Mark Dunlop
both have very good voices, as well as a range of instrumental skills, while
lyrical fiddle player Jon Bews had already made a considerable impact on the
band. Newcomers Fiona Hunter (vocals and cello) and Ewan MacPherson
(mandolin and guitar) have both settled into the band amazingly effectively.
Malinky are one of the liveliest interpreters of the Scottish tradition and
this album will underpin their reputation for inspired singing and
contemporary instrumental arrangements. Few other bands are able to deliver
so apparently effortlessly. Although the album revolves around nine songs,
there are three instrumental sets too, bringing further variety - not least
through Dunlop's bodhrán and Hunter's cello, both of which add considerable
resonance. Byrne's voice turns 'Flowers of Saskatchewan', a song by Canadian
singer-songwriter David Francey, into a highlight. Perhaps the most
characteristic song of all though is the traditional ballad 'The Bonnie
Banks o Fordie', originally combined with a Swedish tune, in which Hunter's
pure vocals are excitingly complemented by the upbeat instrumentation. All
in all it's an album which won't disappoint.
Andy Jurgis
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Penguin Eggs: Canadian review
| | Sunday, April 16, 2006
We've just received this lovely review from the top Canadian folk and roots magazine, Penguin Eggs. Thanks to Roddy Campbell for sending it on.
Boasting a fresh new line-up since 2002's 3 Ravens; The Unseen Hours finds Scotland's Malinky in most excellent form. Acoustic-based traditional or traditionally-influenced songs and tunes rule the day. The singing is great; alternating between the lead vocals of Steve Byrne, Mark Dunlop and new member Fiona Hunter, all of whom have distinctive and memorable voices. The instrumentals are skillfully played and brilliantly arranged, featuring a heady mix of bouzouki, guitar, whistles, bodhrán, fiddle, cello, mandolin and tenor banjo. Contemporary rhythms creep in here and there but never overwhelm the piece or spoil the trad feel of the album. Tastefulness and restraint are in evidence throughout. Highlights include a suitably spooky Edom O Gordon, a rousing Nova Scotia set including a Donald Angus Beaton tune, and a Scandinavian influenced version of the murder ballad The Bonnie Banks O Fordie set to a new tune.
Recommended.
By Tim Readman | | | |
GERMAN TOUR - Oct 2006: more news
| | Wednesday, March 22, 2006
We've just received more details of the venues on our forthcoming German tour:
05.10.2006 - Syke, Rathaus
06.10.2006 - Bielefeld, Neue Schmiede
07.10.2006 - Twist, Heimathaus
08.10.2006 - Marburg, KFZ
11.10.2006 - Heiligenhaus, Der Club
12.10.2006 - Illingen, Illipse
13.10.2006 - Esslingen, Dieselstraße
14.10.2006 - Niederstetten tbc
15.10.2006 - Berlin-Lichterfelde, Petruskirche
Send us an email if you've any queries! | |
Busying away!
| | Sunday, March 19, 2006
It's been a while since we've written but things have been busy over the past couple of months. We've been busy gigging around Scotland and rehearsing more material, plus we're working on a promotional live DVD which will be available to promoters in April or May depending on production schedule. We'll also have full press packs available soon.
Steve is busy with his preparations for the Ceilidh Culture festival which takes place in Edinburgh from 1st - 22nd April. Ewan's currently in Uist working with the folks from Fine Friday for Live Music Now! and will be busy deputising for Steve in Emily Smith's lineup during March and April.
Otherwise we've been busy preparing publicity for our next German tour which kicks off in October; we're printing the posters already!
We're also really pleased to announce another tour of the Netherlands in December 2006; more news to follow in coming months.
Stay tuned for more news about exciting tours in the offing for 2007, and of course, check our gig diary for gigs in the nearer future, including Pitlochry's Festival Theatre in a couple of weeks, a return to the splendid Orkney Folk Festival, and Arran Feisfest in June.
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Celtic Connections
| | Thursday, January 19, 2006
While we're not playing at Celtic Connections this year, we will have a wee bit of a presence through our booking agency, Stoneyport, who will be appearing at the Showcase Scotland Trade Fair on Sunday 22 January from 12-3pm in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. Over 150 festival promoters from all across the world come to Glasgow for the Showcase weekend. Come along to the stand to pick up information about us and the many other fabulous acts on Stoneyport's books.
Steve will be appearing as part of the festival's Songs of Scotland series alongside Scott Gardiner, Jim Malcolm and Joe Aitken, performing songs from Angus. The concert is on Saturday 21st January in the Universal Bar (just off Hope St) at 7.45pm; to book tickets call the Celtic Connections box office on 0141 353 8000.
On that same tack, Steve releases his solo project of songs and poems set to music from his home area at a special launch on Friday 20 January at 2pm in the Clyde Foyer of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. The album is called Songs from Home and is released on Greentrax Recordings. See Steve's website for further details. | |
Review for The Unseen Hours from The Herald
| | Saturday, December 10, 2005
Our new CD reviewed by the Glasgow Herald newspaper
By ROB ADAMS
Scots/Irish quintet Malinky have established themselves on the international folk scene with their dedication to a largely song-based repertoire. Even losing the estimable Karine Polwart as lead singer has not swayed their determination to keep ballads, both centuries old and more recently written at their music’s forefront.
This first album with their new line-up - multi-instrumentalist Ewan MacPherson arrived with singer/cellist Fiona Hunter as Polwart and box-player Leo McCann departed - finds them revelling in darkly atmospheric tales, sunnier intervals and skilful instrumental arrangements.
Hunter’s confident Scots singing on the majority of tracks, Steve Byrne’s soft Angus tones and bodhrán player Mark Dunlop’s likeably forthright delivery present a variety of vocal approaches on a collection that should enhance the group’s reputation.
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ALBUM LAUNCHES
| | Wednesday, November 16, 2005
We'll be having two launch events towards the end of the month to celebrate the release of The Unseen Hours.
On Tuesday 29th November, we'll be having an event at The Left Bank, on Guthrie Street (just off Chambers St) in Edinburgh, from 7-9pm, where we'll play a short set. Entry is free.
Two days later on Thursday 1st December, we're celebrating in Glasgow with a full gig at the Star Folk Club, in St Andrews in the Square, Saltmarket. See our gigs page for a link to their website and all the gig details.
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Malinky in the new 'Living Tradition'
| | Tuesday, November 15, 2005
There's an article about us in the new Living Tradition magazine, giving a wee bit of info background about the changes in the band and the new album.
Copies can be bought via The Living Tradition Website
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Online purchasing live!
| | Sunday, November 06, 2005
We're pleased to announce that you can now buy our new album The Unseen Hours direct from us via the 'music' page on this site.
CDs are £12.50 including postage to the UK. For international shipping, please contact us first.
Happy shopping! | |
THE UNSEEN HOURS released!
| | Tuesday, November 01, 2005
The third Malinky album, The Unseen Hours, was released today on Greentrax Recordings. Hurray!
We've put up mp3 clips of some of the tracks on the 'music' page of the site, click on the headphone symbol to download and listen. Clips are around 40 secs long and files are no bigger than 650kb so download shouldn't take too long. It's available for sale in all good record shops and online via the links on the music page.
We're glad it's out at long last - hope you like it!
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malinky on radio scotland
| | Saturday, October 29, 2005
Steve and Fiona were interviewed by Archie Fisher on BBC Radio Scotland's Travelling Folk programme on Thursday, 27th October 2005. They spoke about the new album and Archie played some tracks on air - "The Sun's Cousin", David Francey's "Flowers of Saskatchewan" and our tune set "The Icon". You can can listen back to the show online via the link above (click on 'listen again') for the next week or so. We expect the album to arrive from the pressing plant on Monday so not long to go now!!! | |
malinky on eBay!
| | Tuesday, October 18, 2005
It's been brought to our attention that a signed copy of our first record is up for auction on eBay! We don't expect it to raise very much but it gave us a laugh! Have a look at the listing here and get your bids in! Looks like it was from the 2002 Scottish Folk Festival tour of Germany when we played Hamburg's fantastic Musikhalle.
Update: It went for a whole €4,94 (£3.36)! They was robbed mate.... | | | |
NEW ALBUM NOW ON PRE-ORDER!
| | Monday, September 26, 2005
Our new CD The Unseen Hours is now available to pre-order via MusicScotland.com!
Recorded in June 2005 at Watercolour Studios, Ardgour in the Scottish highlands, mixed at Castlesound Studio, Pencaitland, and produced by the fabulous John Morran,The Unseen Hours is due for release on Greentrax Recordings on 1st Nov 2005, catalogue no CDTRAX276. We can't wait!!!
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new malinky website launched
| | Monday, September 19, 2005
Welcome to the new Malinky site!
Thanks to everyone for being so patient while we got the new site up and running. We're working with a fantastic product called MusicSitepro, designed specifically for musicians to have more input and control over their site, and this means we'll be able to keep you posted on almost every aspect of the band, including latest news and gigs, new photos from on the road, and updates on our albums as soon as we get them.
We're still in the process of finalising the site and it will undergo more changes in coming weeks as the new album is launched, but for the most part we are back online. Keep checking back for latest news on the new album and upcoming touring plans!
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