The BIG Sing-a-long! 2 pm Thursday 12th August at Queen's Hall, Edinburgh
Aug 10 2010
Only a couple of days now 'til The BIG Project's children's choir event - and I'm delighted to say that we've had two last minute additions to our band (Mattie Foulds on drums, Steven Polwart on guitar, Lorna Thomas on bass and myself on piano).
At the Queen's Hall this Thursday, 12th August at 2pm, award winning songwriter Karine Polwart will be joining us on vocals, as will the lovely singer/songwriter Yvonne Lyon. A veritable feast!
Rehearsals with the young people have been going really well, I'm very excited and looking forward to the event. Hopefully see some of you there, it's heartwarming, uplifting stuff. Full info for tickets on the gigs page.
Songs we'll be performing include Karine's inspirational "I'm Gonna Do It All", Ron Sexsmith's "There's Gold In Them Hills" and Michael Jackson's "Man In The Mirror". We've got some fantastic young singers, I'm feeling very proud...
The Burns Unit BBC Blog Site performance
Aug 03 2010
This weekend past, The Burns Unit had a great time at Cambridge Folk Festival - click here to catch some of our cohort here chatting to Mark Radcliffe and performing "Sorrys".
You can check out some of the nice things people are saying about us at www.theburnsunitband.com
Hopefully see you in Glasgow ABC tomorrow or Edinburgh Queen's Hall on Monday 9th August!
Cheers for now,
Kim :)
The Burns Unit: Side Show released today!
Aug 02 2010
I'm delighted to say that The Burns Unit band release our debut album, Side Show, today, on exclusive license to Proper Music Distribution. It's a very varied album that has grown out of a fantastic songwriting retreat back in 2006, and is a little bit genre defying - so far, some of the best descriptions I've read have been "an indie-folk love in", "kaleidoscopic" , "baroque pop" and "Bollywood punk".
To hear for yourself, head on over here where you can listen to and buy the album if you like it as much as we do! And in case you're not familiar with the project, "we" is myself, award winning songwriter Karine Polwart, ex-Delgados rock goddes Emma Pollock, dub and grime rapper MC Soom T, musical maverick Future Pilot AKA, alt-royalty, King Creosote, along with two Canadians - energetic piano man Michael Johnston and outstanding drummer/producer Mattie Foulds. We've just had a fantastic weekend performing at Cambridge Folk Festival and are looking forward to gigs at Glasgow's ABC this Wednesday and Edinburgh's Queen's Hall next Monday - check out the gig page for full details, it would be great to see you there! And keep your eyes on www.theburnsunitband.com, we've got lots of ideas in the pipeline for the future....
Kim :)
The BIG Sing-a-long! at the Queen's Hall, Edinburgh
Jun 30 2010
This very special Edinburgh Fringe event promises fun for all the family! Lift the roof off the Queen’s Hall at this interactive sing-a-long show.
The show takes place on Thursday 12th August, from 2 - 3 pm.
I'll be accompanying the BIG Project’s children’s choir, who will teach you hits by Westlife, Kings Of Leon, Michael Jackson and the Glee cast, action/world songs, body percussion and more. Also joining me are Mattie Foulds (drums), Steven Polwart (guitar) and Lorna Thomas (bass).
Listen, join in, laugh, sing and be moved.
Tickets are £5/3 - full details on the gigs page!
Brought to you by The BIG Project: supporting children and young people to learn, achieve, have fun and feel good about themselves. To find out more, visit: www.thebigproject.org.uk
House On The Hill
Apr 12 2010
House On The Hill is continuing its journey into the world...
Click on the following links to check out reviews for the song as recorded on Emma Pollock's lovely new album, The Law Of Large Numbers, and in her live sets.
Album review, The Skinny, click here.
It's exciting to hear a new version of our co-write - I recorded the piano and backing vocals on the track, and there is a fantastic string arrangement, too - you can listen to a wee sample at iTunes or download it there!
I hope you enjoy the song in its new incarnation! You can find out more about the rest of the album and Emma at www.emmapollock.com.
Cheers for now,
Kim :)
NEWFANGLED FOLK REVIEW!
Mar 31 2010
Newfangled Folk has received its first review in The Scotsman! We're delighted to be described as "an enjoyably absorbing night" with "a wealth of lovely backing harmonies".
You can read the full review by clicking here.
NEWFANGLED FOLK ON BBC RADIO SCOTLAND
Feb 27 2010
On Thursday, myself and Yvonne Lyon were interviewd about our new venture and tour (along with David Ferrard), Newfangled Folk, on Archie Fisher's Travelling Folk, where they played a track from each of our latest albums.
We also got a mention on Iain Anderson's show on Thursday night, and he played Heavy Skies. If you'd like to hear either broadcast, you can listen again for the next few days by clicking here.
Looking forward to the tour, hopefully see some of you there!
Kim :)
NEWFANGLED FOLK
Feb 02 2010
Myself, David Ferrard and Yvonne Lyon are going to be touring across Scotland shortly as "NewFangled Folk" - presenting our own original songs alongside Scots and American folk songs. We hope you can join us!
SPRING TOUR DATES
March 18 - The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen
March 19 - Peter Potter Gallery, East Lothian
March 20 - House Concert, Fife
March 26 - The Lot, Edinburgh (as part of Edinburgh’s Ceilidh Culture)
March 27 - Sounds In The Suburbs, Glasgow
(This gig will be in candlelight to mark WWF's Earth Hour: http://scotland.wwf.org.uk)
April 1 - Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline
May 3 - Red Rooms, Perth
For full details, please see the gigs page.
PEARL AND THE PUPPETS SUPPORT - GEORGE SQUARE
Dec 16 2009
I've been asked to support Pearl And The Puppets tomorrow night in George Square, Glasgow, so sorry for the short notice but would be great to see some friendly faces there! I'll be on from 7 - 7.30 pm, let's keep fingers crossed for lovely weather...
Radio Scotland - Burnsong
Nov 24 2009
This week, the winning songwriters in the Burnsong Gathering 2009 are hidden away for their songwriting retreat, before their performance in the Scottish Parliament on St. Andrew's Day.
I'll be speaking about the Burnsong project and my experiences in the Songhouse on the Radio Cafe this lunchtime from 1.30pm - and also talking with Julie Fowlis and Simon Thoumire about approaches to songwriting.
Hope you can tune in!
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE SONG
Jul 02 2009
A few years back, I entered a competition which really changed the path I was taking in my life.
The Burnsong Gathering in 2005 was a national songwriting competition, where the prize for myself and sixteen other selected songwriters was a week of focusing only on songs - we were tutored in songwriting and wrote songs each day. At night, we had the chance to listen to some fantastic songwriters performing, which was really inspiring. This gift of time to focus on songwriting alone was a bit like fertiliser for me, leading to more songs and, in my opinion, better ones too. It made me decide to give up my teaching job and devote my time to writing, recording and performing songs. And I'm very happy with the journey so far.
So I wanted to let you know that if you've got any new songs that you're ready to share with the world, I'd highly recommend the Burnsong Gathering 2009 - this year, an international songwriting competition - looking for songs of hope and optimism, friendship and freedom. If the week's retreat (the prize which will be offered to 12 songwriters) is anything like the one I experienced, you'd love it!
It's all about the song - and about celebrating the anniversary of our national bard, Robert Burns, by nurturing and encouraging songwriting in Scotland.
You can find out more about this competition, and the whole Burnsong project, by visiting www.burnsong.org
Good luck!
Kim Edgar, Yvonne Lyon, & David Ferrard
Feb 14 2009
Last year, I met a couple of songwriters whom I’ve been pleased to work with since – David Ferrard, an Edinburgh based songwriter with whom I shared a Scottish showcase room at The Folk Alliance, Memphis, Tennessee, and Yvonne Lyon, a fantastic songwriter from the west who I’ve recently been collaborating with after being put in touch by our mutual friend, Karine Polwart.
This year, we’ve decided to work together as a trio, writing and performing, and see what happens! So we’ll be debuting at Edinburgh’s Ceilidh Culture Festival, performing on Saturday 18th April at 8pm in The Lot, Grassmarket. Tickets and further information are available from www.ceilidhculture.co.uk or on 0131 221 3390.
Shetland Hogmanay 2008
Shetland Hogmanay 2008
It was a real joy to return to Shetland again this year for Hogmanay, and to once again receive a warm welcome from local friends Yvonne and John Robert. This year, my wellies featured heavily, with snow and rain on the cards – I even wore them during a session at The Lounge! I won’t forget seeing four orcas at Sumburgh Head and the many beautiful skies, the fantastic food prepared and shared (the salted beef and bannocks after midnight were amazing!) and the outdoor speakers providing stories and songs well into the night at the Shetland Museum!
The Burns Unit
Jan 05 2009
I’m delighted that my Burnsong Songhouse companions, with whom I spent a fantastic week songwriting back in December 2006, have decided to form a band! We’re called the Burns Unit, and we feature:
Karine Polwart, Emma Pollock, MC Soom T, myself, Future Pilot AKA, King Creosote, Michael Johnston, and Mattie Foulds on the drums!
We have our debut performance as an official band at Celtic Connections on January 16th at The ABC on Sauchiehall Street – tickets from www.celticconnections.com
Straight after that, we’re off to a fantastic studio in rural Midlothian, to record an album, which will be tons of fun!
Check us out at www.myspace.com/theburnsunitband or you can hear Emma, Mattie and myself talking about our forthcoming gig and album at STV\s website:
album of the week on iain anderson show, bbc radio scotland, week beginning 10 march 2008
Mar 10 2008
4 - 94.7 FM and 810 MW. The show runs from 10.30 pm each weeknight, or listen again at www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/radioscotland . . .
SIBC Playlisting! march 2008
Mar 01 2008
I’ve just been informed that “Red”, the first track from “butterflies and broken glass” has made the A-list for playlisting on SIBC, Shetland’s fantastic radio station! Very pleased to think part of me is up there just now, I had such a fantastic time there over Hogmanay 2006, can’t wait to return. . . .
north american folk alliance, 20 - 24 february 2008
Feb 20 2008
What a mad week! I’ve had a great time at the Folk Alliance, meeting industry professionals from North America and across the world, showcasing “butterflies and broken glass” with endless gigs into the wee small hours, and getting the chance to hear some outstanding performers - highlights for me were jim photoglo, vienna teng, the refugees and rachel reis. Makes me want to get home and practise. . .
for more information, visit www.folk.org
radio 2 new songwriters academy, bristol 7 - 9 february 2008
Feb 07 2008
I was delighted to be among 15 songwriters invited to bristol this weekend for a songwriters academy - a chance to collaborate and work to a deadline with other songwriters under the tutelage of Glen Skinner, to perform our songs in an open-mic dinner, and to receive feedback from industry professionals on our songwriting. Sacha Skarbek, who wrote “You’re Beautiful” with James Blunt, was generous in sharing his experiences and his approaches to writing and to the industry, and we also benefitted from industry and legal advice. “where there’s a hit there’s a writ!” is one phrase I won’t forget, and also a fantastic joke about a family of balloons. . . I hope there will be a few collaborations in the future with some of the songwriters I met there, lots of inspiring folk from across the UK.
for more information, visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/newtalent/music/songwriters/
for more information, visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/newtalent/music/songwriters/
Album Recording: August-October 2007
Oct 20 2007
I’ve been having a ball! Hired a Bosendorfer for a week, to record in a beautiful location - heriot toun studio in the borders, a beautiful live/work space designed for artists which was a joy to record in - check it out at www.heriot-toun.co.uk
Many thanks to the Scottish Arts Council for their funding support towards the costs of the album - it’s been a real treat to work with a range of outstanding musicians, engineers, and producers. Listen out for news of the new album, Butterflies and Broken Glass in the coming months!
Many thanks to the Scottish Arts Council for their funding support towards the costs of the album - it’s been a real treat to work with a range of outstanding musicians, engineers, and producers. Listen out for news of the new album, Butterflies and Broken Glass in the coming months!
The burnsong songhouse, dumfries, december 2006
Dec 30 2006
i was lucky enough to be invited by dumfries and galloway arts association to participate in the burnsong songhouse, getting to stay in the amazing “house on the shore” near dumfries with the lovely people above: emma pollock, karine polwart, mc soom t, michael johnston, sushil k dade, (future pilot aka), king creosote (kenny anderson) and also chris difford (not pictured as he was already on the way to another burnsong gig!)
it was a fantastic experience - writing, and then performing with such lovely, and talented, folk. please click here to read my daily blog about the experience.
if you don’t already know their music,
i’d highly recommend checking out my fellow housemates below:
www.emmapollock.com
www.karinepolwart.com
http://www.myspace.com/mcsoomt
www.michaeljohnston.ca
www.futurepilotaka.com
www.kingcreosote.com
www.chrisdifford.com
it was a fantastic experience - writing, and then performing with such lovely, and talented, folk. please click here to read my daily blog about the experience.
if you don’t already know their music,
i’d highly recommend checking out my fellow housemates below:
www.emmapollock.com
www.karinepolwart.com
http://www.myspace.com/mcsoomt
www.michaeljohnston.ca
www.futurepilotaka.com
www.kingcreosote.com
www.chrisdifford.com
 | © 2008 Kim Edgar |
