3tynespodcast

Today, my guest is one of the most respected figures in the world of Northumberland folk music – the traditional singer David McCracken. David farms sheep and cattle on the hills above the North Tyne valley. He draws on a lifetime’s experience of making music with his family and community to create his own songs about rural life in the Borders and beyond. He composes entirely in his head and write...

Today’s guest is the drummer Francesca Knowles. Fran plays with accordionist Amy Thatcher in a duo that was recently included in the highly selective roster of Northern Line musicians supported by Jazz North. The novel blend of jazz and folk, and of drums and accordion, plus the virtuoso musicianship evident on their first album, Emergency of a Female Kind, has received glowing reviews. The duo is...

Today’s guest is Ovingham singer songwriter, Sam Shields - a familiar face in Northumberland performing solo with his guitar or with his band The Regiment. In this episode, Sam talks about his distinctive British take on Americana, the importance of authenticity, the joy of lyrics, managing social media and the pleasure – or otherwise – of hearing your own voice. Sam plays three songs specially fo...

Today’s bonus episode is a preview of Alston Live Festival 2025. Paul Frear and Jess McCormack talk about this year’s line-up, how an effective social media campaign has boosted ticket sales and a new opportunity for sponsors. The festival will be held in Alston on the 18th and 19th of July. Everything you need to know about tickets and accommodation is on the website at www.alstonlive.com . This...

Today’s show is all about the ukulele – possibly Northumberland’s most popular instrument along with the guitar and fiddle. The episode is divided into three parts. In the first, we talk to luthier and guitar player Paul Mason who, from his home in the North Tyne valley, has been making ukes for the past five years. In the second part, singer-songwriter and ukulele teacher Ian Brown gives me an in...

Today’s show is all about the ukulele – possibly Northumberland’s most popular instrument along with the guitar and fiddle. The episode is divided into three parts. In the first, we talk to luthier and guitar player Paul Mason who, from his home in the North Tyne valley, has been making ukes for the past five years. In the second part, singer-songwriter and ukulele teacher Ian Brown gives me an in...

Today’s show is all about the ukulele – possibly Northumberland’s most popular instrument along with the guitar and fiddle. The episode is divided into three parts. In the first, we talk to luthier and guitar player Paul Mason who, from his home in the North Tyne valley, has been making ukes for the past five years. In the second part, singer-songwriter and ukulele teacher Ian Brown gives me an in...

Today. I’m talking to Craig Atkinson and Peter Aldcroft, two of the team that organises the Allen Valleys Folk Festival, about their plans for 2025. Once again, this festival will offer a diverse range of musical styles, both traditional and progressive, that fall under the broad banner of folk, with ticketed sessions complemented by a number of free events in Allendale, including workshops, spoke...

Today’s guest is Fiona Lander – composer, singer, multi-instrumentalist, jazz fan and teacher. Based in the North Tyne valley, Fiona is one half of the duo Landermason, performing traditional and contemporary folk in jazz, blues, classical and other styles. She also works with choirs – notably, the Northumberland-based Dark Sky Voices – and composes music for schools to perform and for commissions...

It’s now quite common for churches, whether grand or small, to host secular music events. But, not so long ago, this would have been unthinkable. The idea that churches should confine their activities to respectful worship is strongly rooted in centuries of tradition. And it is only in the past 10 to 20 years that a warm welcome has been more widely extended to people visiting a church for an even...

Today’s guest is Laura Tindall, Head of Music at the Queen Elizabeth High School in Hexham. When we recorded this episode in the autumn of 2024, Laura had been in post for about 6 weeks. We talked about how music is taught in schools and in particular about what is included in the GSCE and B Tech music courses, including how both modern and classical music are covered and the importance of perform...

Today’s guest is Calum Tordoff, a singer songwriter from the Tyne Valley who’s very familiar to audiences in the North East. His distinctive music deals with a disparate range of topics that incudes love, relationships, friends falling out of taxis and mates going off to sea. Calum’s influences lie in 60s pop as much as in the alternative folk scene and this is evident in his melodic style and aut...

My guest today is producer, sound engineer and composer Julie Bartley. Julie is one of the few women successfully working in the male-dominated recording industry in the North East. She advocates to strengthen the role of women in music generally and has formed a network to support women in their careers. In this episode, Julie describes how a lifelong fascination with sound technology led her to...

Happy Christmas everyone! And my best wishes for a peaceful New Year. In this episode I encourage you to use Bandcamp as a way to help musicians make a living from their work. The link to the site is https://bandcamp.com/ And I am pleased once again to be able to thank the people who have helped me upload nearly 40 episodes since the first one was published in May 2023. They are: Mike Coleman Paul...

My guest today is Ray Taylor, Musical Director of the Hexham Male Voice Choir. The Choir has been singing for well over 70 years, covering a large catalogue of secular and choral music that includes popular modern song and familiar classics. It performs live several times each year, often together with other music groups and choirs. The current membership numbers just over 20. Ray became Musical D...

If you’ve been to a gig, play or creative event in your local community hall, chances are that it was made possible by Highlights North. In this episode, Kate Lynch, Director of Highlights Rural Touring Scheme, describes the challenges faced by venues and performers in putting on gigs in rural areas, and how Highlights works to overcome them. Highlights is a charity that supports events in rural v...

Today’s guest is luthier Gary Southwell. Gary makes fine classical guitars in his workshop in Redesdale. His instruments have been commissioned by, among many other eminent musicians, Julian Bream, John Williams and Paul Simon. He has pioneered the use of Fenland Black Oak (also known as Bog Oak), a type of dark, almost black wood that has been buried for thousands of years and is found in only a...

Come on down and enjoy the rowdy atmosphere of a session at the Turks Head pub in Alston! The Turks Head is a pub in Alston, Cumbria, in the upper South Tyne valley ( https://www.facebook.com/Turksheadalston ). Run by Tom and Lesley Mearns, it is a friendly, traditional pub that is popular with visitors and locals alike. Informal music sessions happen in the bar on Sunday afternoons on a semi-regu...

Wark is a small village in Northumberland, and one of only four places where vehicles can cross the North Tyne upstream of Hexham. Its Mechanics Institute and Town Hall is the venue for some remarkable gigs organised by folk singer and songwriter Ian K Brown (who is a guest in another episode of the podcast). Musicians are drawn from across the North of England and the Borders to perform an inform...

The North’s premier small folk festival was another triumph this year. Sold out well in advance, the three-day event hosted an eclectic range of musicians, dancers and poets, with plenty of opportunities for people attending the festival to join in at sessions and workshops - some of which were open to the public, like the family ceilidh on Saturday afternoon and the customary burning of the wolf...

Today we’re at a ceilidh at the Community Centre in Hexham, dancing to tunes played by the Hexham Village Band under the watchful eye of caller Joey Oliver. The Village Band was established in 2011 by David Oliver. It’s a community band, open to anyone who wants to play, regardless of musical accomplishment. Rehearsals take place once a week in Hexham and the tunes are learned by ear, not played f...

This episode is all about a day at the Bellingham All Acoustic Festival – better known as BAAFest – in early September, 2024. The festival has been a prominent feature of the Northumberland music calendar since its inception in 2010. It would not happen but for the commitment and enthusiasm of its founders, Paul Mason and Fiona Landers (who perform as Landermason). In 2024, the festival was held o...

Katie Doherty is a singer and song writer who lives with her family on a sheep farm in the north Pennines. With her band The Navigators, Katie is a frequent and popular artist appearing at grass roots venues and festivals in the Three Tynes area and beyond. Her music is often described as folk for its focus on storytelling and the use of melodeon and fiddle accompaniment to her piano. But it cross...

Hi Welcome to the 3tynespodcast. Today’s guest is the multitalented Phil Ogg.  Phil Ogg was born in Prudhoe and has been a familiar presence on the music scene in Northumberland for many years. He has worn many hats during his career, including singer, songwriter and guitarist as well as community music enthusiast, lately evident in the many gigs he organises in the 3tynes area through his non-pro...

Yakka Doon is the stage name for the folk persona of Claire Welford, a singer and songwriter who lives on the edge of the North Pennines. Her distinctive voice and rich lyricism create a style that is unique in folk circles and one that rewards close listening. Claire also plays bass in the slowcore band The Last Path, a style that appears to be a complete contrast to Yakka Doon but one that has s...