Ards INTERNATIONAL guitar festival
5–9 April
2017
www.ardsguitarfestival.co.uk
GIG GUIDE
20th Ards International Guitar Festival 2017
WEDNESDAY 5 APRIL TIME
EVENT
VENUE
PRICE
8.00PM
John Feeley
Ards Arts Centre
£10
Support from The Classical
Guitar Society of Northern Ireland
THURSDAY 6 APRIL TIME
EVENT
VENUE
PRICE
11.00AM – 12.30PM
Classical Guitar Clinic with John Feeley
Ards Arts Centre
£10
8.00PM
Will McNichol and Luke Selby with special guests The Joseph Leighton Trio
Ards Arts Centre
£5
TIME
EVENT
VENUE
PRICE
1.00PM
Tour of the Avalon Guitar Factory
Avalon Factory
FREE
1.00PM – 2.00PM
Augustus Allen
Ards Arts Centre
FREE
5.00PM
George Lowden in conversation with Ralph McLean
Ards Arts Centre
FREE
8.00PM
Jon Gomm in Concert Support from Amrit Sond and Becky Langan
Queen's Hall
£15
10.00PM
Tony Villiers and The Villains
The Ivy Bar
£5
FRIDAY 7 APRIL
END WEEAKSS P
Why not buy a weekend pass for access to all gigs for the bargain price of £50?
AR CLINIC GUIT
See pages 20-21 for details of all Guitar Clinics
Please refer to the map on the back page for venue location
www.ardsguitarfestival.co.uk Box Office: +44 (0)28 9181 0803 SATURDAY 8 APRIL TIME
EVENT
VENUE
PRICE
12.00PM – 1.30PM
Guitar Clinic with Jon Gomm
Haptik
£10
12.00PM
Tour of the Avalon Guitar Factory
Avalon Factory
FREE
1.00PM
Tour of the Avalon Guitar Factory
Avalon Factory
FREE
2.00PM – 3.30PM
Hugh Buckley in conversation and in session with Ronnie Greer
Ards Arts Centre
£5
4.00PM – 5.00PM
Narciso Saul
Ards Arts Centre
FREE
8.00PM
Rumours Re-Told Various Artists Revisiting the classic Fleetwood Mac masterpiece
Queen's Hall
£15
10.00PM
Voodoo Hounds
The Ivy Bar
£5
TIME
EVENT
VENUE
PRICE
11.30AM – 1.00PM
Classic Album Brunch with Ralph McLean
Ards Arts Centre
£7
DADGAD Guitar Clinic with
The Ivy Bar
£10
SUNDAY 9 APRIL
2.00PM – 3.30PM
Sarah McQuaid 4.00PM
Weekend Wind Down Errol Walsh, Ted Ponsonby and Joe Murray support from Niall Hanna
The Ivy Bar
£5
7.30PM
Songbirds on Sunday Sarah McQuaid with Eilidh Patterson and Brigid O’Neill
Queen's Hall
£12
Special thanks to Anthony Toner as guest programmer and to Marty Coney and all at The Ivy Bar, Ernie McMillen and the team at Avalon Guitars, Lowden Guitars and to Paul McMordie, Paul O’Neill and Darren Porter.
John Feeley With support from the Classical Guitar Society of Northern Ireland
GUITAR CLINIC
PG 20
WEDNESDAY 5 APRIL, 8.00PM Venue: Ards Arts Centre Tickets: ÂŁ10, includes a glass of wine/soft drink
Described by the Washington Post as 'Ireland's leading classical guitarist', John Feeley studied at Trinity College, Dublin, Queen's College of the City University, New York, and the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, where he graduated with a PhD in music. He has taught at the American Institute of Guitar, Memphis State University and the Conservatory of Music, Dublin Institute of Technology. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at the Conservatory of Music, DIT. In addition to his solo and chamber music concerts, Feeley has performed widely with orchestras: the American Symphony at Carnegie Hall; the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland; the Ulster Orchestra; and the Irish Chamber Orchestra, among others. He has won a number of prizes in international competitions, including the Special Award for interpretation in the Mauro Giuliani competition, Italy. Highly regarded for his performance of new works by Irish composers, he has had many works written for him.
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He is a regular performer at international guitar festivals. He has also recorded with The Chieftains and famous Spanish Soprano Montserrat Caballes. As part of this performance, John will premiere a new piece, 'Bagatelle for Guitar' by Northern Ireland composer Greg Caffrey. www.facebook.com/classicalguitarwithjohnfeeley
THE CLASSICAL GUITAR SOCIETY OF NORTHERN IRELANd
In support of John FeelEy
CGSNI aims to promote locally the classical guitar and its music. The Society meets once a month in the Ulster College of Music and is open to players of all ages and abilities as well as those who simply have an interest in the classical guitar. The Society meetings provide an opportunity for amateur players to perform for each other in a supportive environment, and experienced players are on hand to offer advice and encouragement. There are many opportunities for ensemble playing and the Society promotes a number of workshops each year assisted by guitarists Sean Woods (Derry) and Patrick Zeoli (Berlin). www.cgsni.org
www.ardsguitarfestival.co.uk
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Will McNicol & LUKE SELBY With special guests The Joseph Leighton Trio THURSDAY 6 APRIL, 8.00PM Venue: Ards Arts Centre Tickets: £5 Will McNicol (guitar) and Luke Selby (drums) join the festival programme hot on the heels of the release of their EP Hitchhiker – Postcards from South America, a collection of five pieces – three originals and two interpretations of Brazilian compositions. Will has won multiple awards for his playing and composition and is a Fellow of Trinity College London in Guitar Recital. A former winner of Guitarist magazine’s Acoustic Guitarist of the Year, he is equally at home on steel and nylon string instruments. Luke Selby is a sought-after session drummer who is also much in demand as a tutor. He has studied with some of the finest musicians in his field, including Steve White, Paul Brodie and Craig Blundell. www.willmcnicol.co.uk
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Joseph Leighton Trio
In support of WILL MCNICOL & LUKE SELBY
Ards Guitar Festival celebrates the emergence of new guitar talent in this special concert featuring rising star of the instrument, Joseph Leighton and his trio. Hailing from Derry, Joseph was involved with jazz drummer and composer David Lyttle as part of his artist residency with the Brilliant Corners Festival in 2016 and was also selected to attend a Jazz and Creative Music workshop last August at the Banff Centre in Canada. Leighton emerged as a guitar talent in his early years at Foyle College, where he became a leading member of the Foyle Jazz Band, performing at the college and throughout the city. While at college, he formed the jazz fusion trio The Kashmir Krows, who played a series of acclaimed concerts at the City of Derry Jazz Festival, including a memorable support slot for Kyle Eastwood. Other opportunities are ahead – following an audition in Dublin last year, he has been accepted to study jazz at Berklee College of Music, Boston this year, and has also been selected to receive funding and mentoring for one year from ‘Moving on Music’ promotions.
www.facebook.com/joe.leighton59 www.ardsguitarfestival.co.uk
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Jon Gomm in concert
GUITAR CLINIC
PG 20
With special guests Becky Langan and Amrit Sond FRIDAY 7 APRIL, 8.00PM Venue: The Queen’s Hall, West Street, Newtownards Tickets: £15, Bar available Based in Leeds, Jon Gomm is an acoustic singer-songwriter with a revolutionary virtuoso guitar style, where he uses one acoustic guitar to create drum sounds, basslines and twisting melodies all at the same time. Jon wrote his first song at the age of six, and was soon accompanying his father to gigs in his hometown of Blackpool. Touring musicians would often stay at the Gomm household on the understanding that Jon would get a guitar lesson – which meant he had one-to-one instruction from such blues legends as BB King and Jack Bruce of Cream. Nowadays, Jon tours worldwide. In January 2012, his song Passionflower went viral online, with the video passing six million hits, resulting in national TV appearances in the UK, Portugal, Holland, Brazil and Turkey. A truly and fiercely independent artist, with his own label and no mainstream industry support, Jon uses mostly online social networks for promotion, and has a huge, truly supportive fanbase resulting in headline tours throughout the world. His debut CD Hypertension has sold over 50,000 copies at the time of writing, and his second CD Don’t Panic sold out within three days of appearing on Amazon. His videos are watched tens of thousands of times within minutes of appearing on YouTube.
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"One of the world's most successful, gifted and inspirational guitar players." Acoustic Magazine www.jongomm.com
In support of Jon gomm
Two exceptional contemporary percussive/fingerstyle guitarists…
Becky Langan
Amrit Sond
Born in Rochdale, England (1992), Becky Langan is a percussive fingerstyle guitarist who explores the outermost reaches of the acoustic guitar through her use of altered tunings, two-handed tapping, percussive tempos and natural harmonic melodies drawn from her inspirations Andy McKee, Jon Gomm, Maneli Jamal and Thomas Leeb.
Grammy Award winner and Solid Air Records artist Amrit Sond’s unique contemporary instrumental music draws on elements of world music, jazz, classical, folk, rock and new acoustic techniques (two-handed tapping and percussive slaps) – all shaped into a highly-refined and melodically-driven compositional approach.
In 2016, Becky was a semi-finalist on Guitar Star, which aired on Sky Arts – the TV show which scoured the UK to discover a world-class guitarist. Throughout this competition, Becky recorded at Abbey Road Studios with producer Tony Visconti and received mentoring sessions from many iconic musicians, including Tony Iommi, George Benson, Wilko Johnson, Jon Gomm and Preston Reed.
Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, he was exposed to African Folk Music at a very early age, and, being of Asian origin, Indian Music was always the backdrop of his family home life. He later studied art and his family moved to the Middle East (Kuwait) where he then became interested in Arabic and eastern music. This, coupled with the African and Indian Music influences he grew up with, has helped shape his unique compositions.
www.facebook.com/beckylanganmusic
Amrit has been featured in the US Fingerstyle Guitar Magazine, has appeared at Opera North Leeds Grand Theatre, the Acoustic Avalon Show in Leicester, the Cambridge Folk Festival, London Guitar Festival, the Frankfurt Musikmesse and many other festivals and venues throughout the UK and Europe.
www.ardsguitarfestival.co.uk
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George Lowden in Conversation Hosted by Ralph McLean
FRIDAY 7 APRIL, 5.00PM Venue: Ards Arts Centre Tickets: Free, pre-booking essential, refreshments provided In 1961, the ten-year-old George Lowden made his first guitar – it had “fishing line for strings”, he recalls, “bent over nails for frets, and a square soundbox”. From such humble beginnings, George Lowden has developed a unique and acclaimed approach to instrument making that has helped him become one of the most distinctive and revered luthiers in the world. Along the way, his instruments have been adopted by some of the finest guitarists and performers in the world, including folk and rock legends like Eric Clapton, Ed Sheeran, Richard Thompson and Snow Patrol along with instrumental virtuosi such as
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Pierre Bensusan, Alex de Grassi and Thomas Leeb. Lowden’s signature Jon Gomm Guitar launches in Spring 2017. In this special event for the festival, George will sit down with BBC Radio Ulster’s Ralph McLean to talk about his inspiration, his passions and the guitars that have taken his name to concert stages across the world. www.lowdenguitars.com
Tony Villiers and the Villains in concert FRIDAY 7 APRIL, 10.00PM Venue: The Ivy Bar Tickets: £5 Tony Villiers And The Villains have recently been causing a bit of a stir with their unique blend of folk-blues originals, and a series of live performances that underpin the passion and bite of Villiers’ material. The songs, which have received numerous awards in the US, and are described by BBC’s Ralph McLean simply as ‘Superb’, are beautifully complemented by the fine musicianship of The Villains: special guest Anthony Toner on guitar, Aidan McGillian on percussion and Kevin Mahoney on bass guitar.
“Dylan and The Band in Big Pink… after a couple of bottles of red.” Trevor Hodgett, R2 magazine
“Superb songwriting rooted in a great tradition.” Ralph McLean www.tonyvilliers.com
With influences ranging from Bob Dylan, Leadbelly and Jimmy Reed to Lou Reed, Hank Williams and Woody Guthrie, this promises to be an unmissable evening of real music. www.ardsguitarfestival.co.uk
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Hugh Buckley In Conversation and in Session with special guest Ronnie Greer
SATURDAY 8 APRIL, 2.00PM Venue: Ards Arts Centre Tickets: £5, includes a glass of wine/beer, bread and cheese A relaxed afternoon of music and chat with the acclaimed Dublin-based guitarist Hugh Buckley in conversation with Ronnie Greer, one of Northern Ireland’s foremost blues and jazz guitar talents. A self-taught guitarist, composer, arranger, educator and author, Hugh has performed throughout the world as a sideman and also leading his own groups. Along the way he has shared the stage with artists such as Jim Mullen, Louis Stewart, Brad Mehldau, Harry Allen, Ruben Gonzales, Georgie Fame, Christine Tobin, Van Morrison, Lisa Stansfield and Ronnie Drew. Besides featuring on many recordings as a session player, he has released three CDs of his own, and in 2013, launched his acclaimed book ‘The Guitar Chord Doctor’. He is also the organiser and host of the extremely
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successful ‘Dublin Guitar Night’, which showcases guitar players across all genres. Besides performing, Hugh regularly conducts guitar workshops and teaches privately. He holds a first-class honours Master of Music degree from DIT Dublin. This relaxed Saturday afternoon session will see Hugh in good company, sharing the stage with Ronnie Greer. The afternoon will take the form of an informal chat about influences, techniques and approaches to jazz and jazz guitar, and will feature a number of performances by Hugh and Ronnie, solo and together.
www.hughbuckleymusic.com www.ronniegreer.com
Voodoo Hounds in Concert
Enler Delta Blues Club presents Enler Delta Blues Club
SATURDAY 8 APRIL, 10.00PM Venue: The Ivy Bar Tickets: ÂŁ5 Belfast-based blues/rock band Voodoo Hounds have been jamming and performing together for five years with appearances at the Enler Delta Blues Club, Woodstock Festival, the Dunfanaghy Jazz and Blues Festival and numerous bars and clubs the length and breadth of Ireland. Expect an eclectic, foot stomping, riff driven evening of classics from AC/DC to ZZ TOP, some rocked up soul and a heavy dose of blues by Muddy Waters, BB King, Louisiana Red and Freddy King, all delivered in the Hounds own inimitable style. Brought together by a mutual love of old school Rhythm and Blues, Voodoo Hounds are: Geordie Beckett on lead vocals and guitar, J Scott on bass, Hal Gordon on drums and Joe Curley on lead guitar. www.facebook.com/enlerdeltabluesclub
www.ardsguitarfestival.co.uk
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Re-TOLD Various artists revisit the Fleetwood Mac classic Hosted by Lisa Flavelle SATURDAY 8 APRIL, 8.00PM Venue: Queen’s Hall, West Street, Newtownards Tickets: £15, Bar available It’s been 40 years – and over 45 million sales – since Warner Brothers released Rumours, still Fleetwood Mac’s biggest selling album, and the soundtrack to a turbulent time in the band’s personal drama. Now a cast of major talents unites for a unique one-off event to bring the album to life. The album will be performed in its entirety – side one, a special interlude and then side two, including some unique interpretations and new arrangements – by an assembled cast of performers that includes: Donal Scullion, Brigid O’Neill, Anthony Toner, Stevie Moore, Gary Lutton, Billy Cook, Gavin Ferris, Ken Haddock, Matt McGinn, Suzy Coyle, Ellen Weir, Cormac Neeson, Emer Maguire, Lazy Flies – with more to be confirmed…
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Watch out for a special interlude featuring alternative arrangements of some of the album favourites by Matthew Malcolm, Amrit Sond, Narciso Saul, Paul Mahon, Paddy Anderson, Una Clarke and Wookalilly, among others. The performers will from time to time be accompanied by a house band that features Davy Bates, Ross Montgomery, Paul McMordie and Junior Afrifa. The whole occasion will be hosted by Lisa Flavelle, a true music lover and Director and Presenter at Belfast 89FM.
Jimi............... The Ultimate Guitar Hero? Classic Album Brunch
Ralph McLean discusses the life and work of Jimi Hendrix
SUNDAY 9 APRIL, 11.30AM TO 1.00PM Venue: Ards Arts Centre Tickets: £7, includes tea/coffee and brunch option It's been half a century since Jimi Hendrix exploded into history with 1967's release Are You Experienced? (closely followed that year by Axis: Bold As Love). Over the course of the all-too-brief four years that followed, through incendiary live performances and ground-breaking recordings, Hendrix re-wrote the rulebook on guitar playing and cemented a lasting reputation as the original – and many say still the ultimate – guitar hero. In this relaxed hour-long talk, award-winning broadcaster Ralph McLean discusses the life and work of Jimi Hendrix, accompanied by clips of Jimi's landmark guitar solos, songs and performances. Some light catering will be available – a chance to chill out on a Sunday brunch-time, and hear some of the sounds that changed the course of guitar.
Artwork by Steve McDowell fb.me/stevenmcdowellart
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Weekend Wind Down
Errol Walsh & Ted Ponsonby WITH Joe Murray AND special guest Niall Hanna SUNDAY 9 APRIL, 4.00PM Venue: The Ivy Bar Tickets: £5 As the festival enters its last day, The Ivy Bar welcomes a wonderful afternoon of mellow acoustic music from some of Northern Ireland’s finest players and singers.
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Errol Walsh and Ted Ponsonby will be joined by Joe Murray on bass and harmonies, a trio offering a selection of country, blues and folk steeped in the Americana tradition – expect some fine picking and seasoned vocals and harmonies from this experienced trio.
ERROL WALSH & TED PONSONBY Errol Walsh, who hails from the Glens of Antrim, is an award-winning singer songwriter who has fronted revered bands such as Rodeo, Stagalee, Honky Tonk Heroes, Tender Mercies and many others. Over the years he has worked in Canada, Australia, America, and throughout Europe. Ted Ponsonby is a songwriter, producer and engineer from Letterkenny in Donegal. A noted session musician in Ireland, Ted has worked with Maura O'Connell, Dolores Keane, Freddie White, The Henry Girls, Sean Keane, Andy White, Arty McGlynn, and many other notable Irish musicians... including a short stint with Van Morrison. Ted’s inimitable skills on dobro and guitar are the perfect foil for Errol’s lived-in voice and care-worn tales of life, love and luck. Their new joint project, Just Sayin’… is an eclectic roots album covering a fluid and interesting collection of evocative and often introspective songs in which Errol explores many of the genres that have influenced him during his career. Support for this special afternoon show will be courtesy of Niall Hanna. www.errolwalsh.com www.facebook.com/niall.hanna.5
Niall Hanna A beautiful acoustic player and performer in the folk tradition, Niall hails from County Tyrone, where he is fast developing a reputation for his delivery of traditional songs and instrumentals, alongside more contemporary material. He was recently selected for the Young Musician's Platform Award from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and is a name to watch in acoustic guitar and folk circles.
www.ardsguitarfestival.co.uk
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Songbirds on Sunday
Sarah McQuaid in Concert
GUITAR CLINIC
With special guests Eilidh Patterson and Brigid O’Neill SUNDAY 9 APRIL, 7.30PM Venue: Queen’s Hall, West Street, Newtownards Tickets: £12, Bar available One of Europe’s hardest working and most talented fingerstyle guitarists, Sarah returns to Ards after almost seven years constantly on the road, performing for audiences throughout the USA, Europe and the UK. Of one of her concerts last autumn, The Huffington Post wrote: “Finding treasure feels great, and such is the case with musician Sarah McQuaid... I’ve attended hundreds of concerts of all kinds, and her subtle mastery onstage launches her straight into my fave shows ever. One voice, one guitar, and the wondrous reminder of the magic of music. Sarah has the gift.” Sarah is playing a series of festival dates this year, while taking a break from her touring schedule to focus her energies on writing and recording a fifth solo album, as well as penning a sequel to The Irish DADGAD Guitar Book, the popular tutor she authored on the alternative guitar tuning she uses exclusively. www.sarahmcquaid.com
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PG 21
Eilidh Patterson Eilidh (pronounced ‘I-Lee’) is a singer/ songwriter from Derry. In recent years, she has performed in the United States, the UK and in Europe, winning new audiences wherever she goes with her voice and songs. Her relaxed stage presence invites the listener to sit back and enjoy her unique take on life and love. A talented fingerstyle player with a captivating voice, Eilidh has released two albums (When The Time Comes and This Is Now) and most recently, an EP called Grown-ups Need Lullabies Too. www.eilidhpatterson.com
Brigid O’Neill Having this year received the prestigious Arts Council NI Artist Career Enhancement Award and travelled to Nashville, where she played the iconic Bluebird Cafe, Music City Roots Show, and a series of other high profile gigs, Co. Down singer-songwriter Brigid O’Neill has been riding the crest of a wave since the release of her well-received EP debut of original songs Arrivals and Departures. In 2016, she released a new single ‘Don’t Make Me Go to Town’, co-produced with Michael Mormecha and the song has been gathering acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. www.brigidoneill.co.uk www.ardsguitarfestival.co.uk
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guitar clinics
Classical Guitar with John Feeley THURSDAY 6 APRIL, 11.00AM TO 12.30PM Venue: Ards Arts Centre Tickets: £10 In delivering a guitar clinic, John Feeley is always willing to react to the questions, needs and interests of those guitarists who attend – but in broad terms, he will discuss a number of different aspects of the instrument and performance, including arrangements – and some of the technical and interpretative aspects of Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Contemporary music. John will also discuss the challenges he faced in arranging his recent recording of the Bach Cello Suites for guitar. Please bring your guitar.
Innovative Techniques with Jon Gomm SATURDAY 8 APRIL, 12.00PM TO 1.30PM Venue: Haptik Tickets: £10 Whatever area of music he’s explaining, Jon likes to make sure he offers two things: First, a truly unique perspective that the audience will never have encountered, no matter what their experience level. And second: Genuinely practical, instantly usable information. His openness and wit make sure every session is fun and memorable. In this Clinic Jon explains how to approach an instrument as if you’ve never seen one before, and the innovative techniques which result from that. All musicians welcome! Please bring your guitar. This clinic is suitable for guitarists of all abilities!
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Guitar Clinic
Exhibition
Introduction to DADGAD with Sarah McQuaid
First 3 no Flash
SUNDAY 9 APRIL, 2.00PM TO 3.30PM Venue: The Ivy Bar (upstairs) Tickets: £10
THURSDAY 30 MARCH – SUNDAY 9 APRIL Venue: Ards Arts Centre, Georgian Gallery Preview: Thursday 30 March, 7pm-9pm
Sarah McQuaid is the author of a book of guitar tuition, The Irish DADGAD Guitar Book, described by The Irish Times as “a godsend to aspiring traditional guitarists”, and has developed this ‘Introduction To DADGAD’ workshop for players with little experience of DADGAD. Sarah has presented her DADGAD workshops at music schools, festivals, arts centres, private homes and other venues in the UK, Ireland, the USA, Holland and Germany.
This exhibition is a collection of photographs of great guitarists in action. Named after the general music photography rule – shooting the first three songs without flash, this collection of images by music photographer Carrie Davenport showcases a wide range of performers giving it their all onstage.
Please bring your guitar.
A solo exhibition by Carrie Davenport
During her career Carrie has shot for the likes of Kerrang! Magazine, Getty Images, Hot Press and the BBC at some of the biggest events in the world including SXSW in Texas, Rock Werchter, Bilbao BBK, Download, T In the Park and Electric Picnic. www.carriedavenport.com
www.ardsguitarfestival.co.uk
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Free Fringe Events
Augustus Allen
Narciso Saul
FRIDAY 7 APRIL, 1.00PM TO 2.00PM Venue: Ards Arts Centre, Georgian Gallery Tickets: Free, booking advised
SATURDAY 8 APRIL, 4.00PM TO 5.00PM Venue: Ards Arts Centre Tickets: Free, booking advised
Augustus Allen is normally seen at the front of N.I based band, The Emerald Armada. Occasionally, he ventures out alone to play and introduce new songs to new audiences, as well as the much loved Emerald Armada back catalogue.
A uniquely talented guitarist and singer, Narciso Saul interprets tangos, milongas and Argentine folk music as well as creating his own compositions. Influenced by the great modern tango creators, his music is close to jazz and improvisation, but also explores the milonga, milonga-candombe and chacarera, Argentine rhythms stemming from African music.
For those who have seen the Armada in full swing, will know they are a force to be reckoned with, however in this intimate environment listeners will be drawn to the true meaning behind those rowdy, crowd pleasers. Augustus is a true crafter of emotive, heartfelt and captivating songs. It’s sure to be a treat for those looking to relax and listen to great stories being told. 22
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tours of the avalon guitar factory FRIDAY 7 APRIL, 1.00PM SATURDAY 8 APRIL, 12.00PM AND 1.00PM Venue: Avalon Guitar Factory Tickets: Free, booking essential This unique tour provides visitors with an insight to the production line of the hand crafted guitar. Your guide and Luthier will take you through the various sections of the factory demonstrating the step-by-step processes, from timber preparation to the stringing and tuning of the celebrated Avalon guitar. Three tours have been arranged which are free of charge – advance booking is essential as numbers are limited. No ticket‌ no tour!
www.ardsguitarfestival.co.uk
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avalon guitar factory
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Ards and North Down Borough Council Offices
ards arts centre
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Shopping centre
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blai rm ayn er oa d
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NORTH STR EET
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queen’s hall
Haptik
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THE Ivy Bar
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PAYMENT / BOOKINGS Tickets can be purchased in person or over the phone at Ards Arts Centre with credit cards, cash and cheques. Tickets can also be purchased from any of Ards and North Down Borough Council’s Visitor Information Centres, and North Down Museum.
You can book online at www.ardsguitarfestival.co.uk Please note that tickets cannot be held without payment and are non-refundable. There will be a £1 postage charge on all tickets posted out.
BOX OFFICE
OPENING HOURS
Ards Arts Centre Town Hall, Conway Square Newtownards, BT23 4NP
Mon – Thurs 9.00AM – 5.00PM Fri 9.00AM – 4.30PM Sat 10.00AM – 4.00PM
www.ardsguitarfestival.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 28 9181 0803
Email: ardsguitar@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk
Ards International Guitar Festival
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