From: Alan Castle [folkspots_at_btinternet_dot_com]

Sent: 29 July 2010 12:08

Subject: Tenterden Folk Festival 2010 update

 

TENTERDEN FOLK FESTIVAL 2010

Thursday 30th September to Sunday 3rd October

 

George Papavgeris

One of the least likely exponents of contemporary English folk music currently appearing at festivals and clubs across the country is singer songwriter George Papavgeris. 

 

George was born in Salonika in Greece and came to English folk music after being interested in a wide variety of music.  He started in  school choirs where he discovered Carmina Burana by Carl Orff, but in the 1960’s he says he became a guitar-bashing singer of protest songs in Greek “boites” and briefly played lead guitar in a teen band; "Drosophila Melanogastris" or "aphids" to us.  He progressed to mediaeval French and Italian songs and as the music at teenage parties in Greece at that time was mainly English and American pop, he soon became interested in that as well as in some Italian and French pop music.  He says he still drools over Mireille Matthieu's eyes & voice!  However while in the UK in the 1970’s he final fell in love with English folk music and started playing it solo and also joined a trio called the Cosmopolitans.  He also heard the songs of the King's Singers and got some more madrigals under his belt.  In the 1980’s he rediscovered Byzantine chant and sang in a choir that won the 1982 Eisteddfod and then in the 1990’s he found some gems in the Netherlands, but back in the UK in the 2000’s he picked up his folk threads again with the help of the Herga and St Albans folk clubs.  In between times he was listening to the Beatles, Who, Canned Heat, Jethro Tull, Moody Blues and ELO as well as Jake Thackray, Clive James and Pete Atkin, Tom Lehrer, Stan Rogers, Graeme Miles, Robb Johnson,  Dave Webber, Steve Hughes and the multitude of superb contemporary songwriters.  From singing in a Greek school choir to workings as a singer song writer on the English folk scene is not a typical route but it certainly worked for George as since 2001 he has written 212 songs and recorded eight albums.

 

George will be at Tenterden Folk Festival on the Saturday and Sunday when he will perform in concerts and folk clubs and lead a workshop.  Make a point of seeing him, and hearing him, over the weekend.

 

Vic Ellis – one man band

Another unusual exponent of English folk music is Vic Ellis – one man band.  Vic will be taking to the streets of Tenterden with his drums, cymbals, bells, horns, melodeon, kazoos, whistles and dance steps and may even find the energy and dexterity to include a song or two.  Vic is sure to draw a crowd with this traditional form of street entertainment which is said to originate with the pipe and tabor players of the 13th century and went through a period of particular popularity in the 1920s.  

 

 

 

Booking:

To buy your tickets, book your craft fair, street stall or music fair pitch or if you would like to be otherwise involved in the Festival contact us now.

 

Festival information:

More details of Tenterden Folk Festival 2010, guests, accommodation and camping can be found on our website at www.tenterdenfolkfestival.org.uk.

 

To receive our regular email updates send an email to info_at_tenterdenfolkfestival_dot_org_dot_uk with "add to festival news list" in the subject box.

 

 

 

Alan Castle

 

Folk Spots

alan_at_folkspots_dot_co_dot_uk

www.folkspots.co.uk

 

Tenterden Folk Festival

info_at_tenterdenfolkfestival_dot_org_dot_uk

www.tenterdenfolkfestival

 

 

Oyster girls & hovelling boys

Folk songs from Kent Vol. 3 (2008)

 

A new CD from Folk Spots and Steel Carpet Music featuring Pete Castle, Andy Turner, Bob Kenward and Roger Resch, The Millen Family, Marian Button and Dave Mason.