The New CD > Dublin > Washington DC > new website

It's been an absolutely amazing month. We released "Sangs o Bairns an Hame" Volume 1 at the end of November and have sold an astounding 1000 copies already - the Christmas rush caught us by surprise and we had to rush-order a second run of a further 1000. Thanks to everyone for your support - we hope you like it! We're hoping to get Volume Two out in Spring/Summer dv.

Also, we got invited by major Irish traditional band Kila to play a show with them in Vicar Street in Dublin on 22nd December, but sadly we weren't able to do it at what was for us relatively short notice. We wish we'd have been able to do it, but hopefully there'll be a next time.

Finally, we've been invited to go to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC next June/July for their annual 10 day festival. This is a massive privilege and opportunity for us, so hopefully we'll be able to go.

We're also finalising a new web site which we hope will be live during January. We'd like it to become a source for all sorts of old Scots and Ulster Scots gospel material that we've gathered up over the years (copyright issues permitting). There's a real appetite out there for the stuff and we'd like to make it available.

Over and out - Happy New Year!

Finished Recordin!

All done. Here's the final list and running order -

1 The Great Atomic Power
2 Reddin Up the Yaird
3 A’ Ma Hope (nane like Jesus)

Bairns
4 Come Awa the Noo my Freens
5 Three in Yin and Yin in Three
6 Come Awa the Noo
7 Walking in the King’s Highway
8 Climb Climb up Sunshine Mountain

Hame
9 Beautiful Golden Somewhere
10 I'll Fly Away
11 If You See My Saviour
12 Hallelujah I’m Ready to Go

A Wheen aboot Drink
13 The Hallelujah Man
14 G-L-O-R-Y
15 Jim And Me

16 Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing
17 Jesus Kens It A
18 Jesus is my Hairt’s fond love / Yer faither

On schedule for a release first week in December - available in all the same shops as before (ie all Faith Mission shops and the shops listed on our main web site.

Dinnae be mean - buy a wheen for aa yer freens!

Wor Sangs

In nae parteeklar order, here's the sangs we hae stairtit tae record ower at Wullie's studio in Kirkistoun. A brave wheen nae doot. Maist o them we hae been performin tae fowk aroon the country fer the past year or sae, a wheen we hae jist learnt. The CD's gan tae be named "Sangs o Bairns an Hame - an a Wheen Aboot Drink Forbye", an here's the list sae far:

Are You Washed In The Blood of the Lamb
The Great Atomic Power
Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing
Jesus Kens It A
The Portavogie Boys
Sin's Dark Valley
Jesus is my Hairt’s fond love / Yer faither
Shield of Faith
Reddin up the Yaird
A’ Ma Hope

(Bairns)
Come awa the noo my freens
Three in yin and yin in three
Come awa the noo
Walking in the King’s Highway
Climb Climb up Sunshine Mountain
Some say the Divil’s deid

(Hame)
Beautiful Golden Somewhere
I'll Fly Away
If You See My Savior
Sweet Rivers
Ye’re A Welcome Hame
Hallelujah I’m Ready

(Drink Forbye)
The Hallelujah Man
G-L-O-R-Y
Jim And Me

25 sangs is mair nor eneuch fer the fower o us tae be wrasslin wi ower the neext wheen o weeks! So it'll lightly enn up being twa single CDs (Volume Yin afore Christmas, and Volume Twa aroon Eastertime o neext year), an no yin big dooble yin aa at the yin go. This 25 wull be on Volume Yin - we hae a midden mair tae learn fer Volume Twa, and this'll gie us a wee streetch mair time tae learn the new yins.

Wullie's heidin awa tae the Canary Islands neext Setterday fer a week, so we'll hiddae try tae hae a brave bit redd up afore he gans. He'll be nae use yinst he's back hame - burnt up like a Sooth Roke labster.

Studio Progress!

Well, we're back in Studio 19 in Cloghy here in County Down. So far we've put down a load of rough guide tracks with a click, and are also laying down some final vocal/instrumental stuff too.

Did a good version of "I'll Fly Away" one night last week which is sounding great; last night we worked on some more stuff like the old Louvin Brothers song "The Great Atomic Power" and "G.L.O.R.Y" as well. We're really getting into an old Thomas Dorsey song from the 20s called "If You See My Saviour", and we're trying some new instruments like fiddle, dulcimer and mandocello too. So it's early days but sounding good.

We're also thinking of playing a slow-paced instrumental version of "Are You Washed in the Blood of the Lamb". This was the hymn the small congregation in Darkley was singing that fateful Sunday night in November 1983. We were all youngsters at the time, worshipping in similar wee wooden halls, and the atrocity had a massive impact on our lives. It's usually a bright and bouncy hymn - to hear it as a deep, resonant lament played mainly on the mandocello is strong stuff. It brings a lump to the throat. We'll see if it makes the final track selection.

All being well there'll be a few tracks where Gibson and Ivan take on lead vocal duties too - can't wait for that!

We've got a shortlist (ha!) of 43 songs, and if all goes according to plan we'll have the new CD out in early December. Fingers crossed for the next six weeks.

Three Ulster-Scots Revivals: Stewarton, Sixmilewater and Kirk O Shotts

Some of you will know that through my Ulster-Scots Agency role I've been working on a whole range of initiatives to mark 2006 being the 400th Anniversary of what many regard as the foundational event of Ulster-Scots history - the Hamilton & Montgomery Settlement of 1606. Visit the growing web site here

Part of the story is the amazing impact of the early Presbyterian ministers who came from Scotland, and the clear links between three revivals (Stewarton, Ayrshire 1623 - 1630 / Sixmilewater, Co Antrim 1625 - 1634 / Kirk O' Shotts, Lanarkshire 1630) I don't know if anyone has ever seen the connections before, so I'm looking forward to seeing people's reaction to the story when it's printed in the next edition of the Agency's monthly newspaper The Ulster Scot.

At Stewarton (2 miles away from where Sir James Hamilton grew up, and where Montgomery's uncle was once the minister), the ministers involved in the revival were Rev David Dickson and Rev Robert Blair. At Sixmilewater the ministers involved in the revival were Rev James Glendinning, Rev Robert Blair, Rev Josias Welch, Rev John Ridge, Rev Robert Cunningham and Rev James Hamilton(he was namesake and nephew of Sir James Hamilton). At Kirk O Shotts the ministers involved in the revival were Rev Hance, Rev Robert Blair, Rev David Dickson, John Livingstone and Rev Robert Bruce. Just two months after the Kirk O' Shotts revival, Sir James Hamilton invited Livingstone to Ulster to become minister at Killinchy in County Down.

The other amazing detail is that Blair, Hamilton, Livingstone and a part-time minister called McClelland were the four ministers who commissioned the Eagle Wing on the first attempted emigration from Ulster to America. They sailed from Groomsport on 9th September 1636, the morning after Sir Hugh Montgomery's grand Scottish state funeral at the Priory in Newtownards. (for more info on the Eagle Wing, click here and scroll down the page to "Page 102" in blue type)

For me, these demonstrate the religious/spiritual foundation of Ulster-Scots history, which for a variety of reasons is often ignored. I'm neither an historian nor a writer, but I hope that somebody out there is inspired enough by these connections to do some "proper" research on them.

--------------------------------

Update: Crawford Gribben has written about the three revivals in his book The Irish Puritans. Order it from Amazon.co.uk

Dark Afore Dawnin

Since we started out we've been inundated with songs, hymns, choruses and poems, all sent to us by people who'd found out about the sort of stuff we play. There's a real treasure of old Ulster-Scots and Scots language gospel material out there in people's collections. If you have any please send it to us as we intend to completely revamp our website and post a lot of this material there, musical notation and all.

Meanwhile as a wee taster here's one my da (Eric Thompson) gave us a while back, from an oul book he has somewhere at hame:

Dark Afore Dawnin
(by Etta Gracey Stoee - supplied by Eric Thompson July 03)

Dinna ye ken the signs o His comin?
Dinna ye hear the soun o His feet?
Ken ye na this is the dark afore dawnin?
Dawn o' the morn sae braw an sae sweet?

The nicht has been drear, but ne'er was it lanesome
E'en through the valley when shadows lay lang
His rod and His staff thegither gied comfort
Fitsair an weary, we aye had a sang

Can we forget, when we were aa greetin
The touch o His haun that wiped awa tears?
The promise He gied us, nae, niver tae leave us
Ne'er tae forsake us, it banished oor fears

Oor herts are sae sair, an' nigh sick wi langin
For the soun o His voice, an the sicht o His face
But the nicht is faur spent, an a bonnie day breakin
An then we shall meet Him - aye - saved by His grace

We have about 80 odd pieces like this gathered up. Hopefully the new site'll be live before Christmas with the whole lot online.

Back Soon!

The blog's really taken a back seat for the last while - far too much to do but all of it good stuff. Played at the Fraserburgh Gospel Music Convention in Scotland back in April, and were back across in July for the Moniaive Gala Weekend Festival. Wonderful experiences! The Low Country Boys hit our usual 50+ performances during 2005 and look like doing easily that again by the end of 2006. To be honest it's hard, gruelling work, but we've had so much encouragement from people we've met along the way that we're going to keep going for as long as we can.

So we're currently in the studio starting work on our second CD, which may well be a double CD, provisionally titled "Sangs o Bairns an Hame (an a Wheen Aboot Drink Forbye)". The first one "Gran Time Comin" has shifted 3000 copies in under 18 months - tone deafness is sweeping the nation!

We're aiming to record 35 tracks, from which we'll choose maybe 26 to go on the double CD and then post the leftovers as free MP3s at www.lowcountryboys.com - all live dates are listed here too but we're fully booked till March 2007. Graeme's wife Judith is due to have their second child in mid January, so our bookings in early 2007 will be limited.

So this blog is just a short update to give you all some idea of what we're at. Look forward to hearing from you all soon.

(Meanwhile make sure you check out what Colin Maxwell is up to, and even Dr Crawford Gribben gave us a mention last month.)

On TV again - BBC NI - "Dander with Drennan"

Yep, it'll be broadcast in March 2006, but yesterday was spent with a production crew who are making a series with Willie Drennan on a walking tour across Antrim, Down and the south of Scotland. For episode one, Willie comes to the Low Country of County Down where he has a dander and a yarn with Mark, and then joins in for a jam session in Ivan's house and a wee chat with Graeme, Gibson and Ivan.

StraightForward Productions are handling it for BBCNI (cant find their web site, but this might help: http://www.screenproducersireland.com/companies/straight_forward.php ) and we had a really great time with Derek, Tony, Christine and Cara. Barbara made some piping hot vegetable soup to keep us on the go.

In the end, we filmed 2 tracks - a new medley "Jesus Is Ma Hairt's Fand Luve / Yer Faither" and Willie joined us on fiddle for Hank Williams' "I Saw The Light".

We were at it from 10am till 4pm - great crack and we're looking forward to seeing the programme. (apparently Willie nearly drowned the day before on a wee boat coming into Donaghadee Harbour, but sadly the camera crew didnt capture it on film!)

Gotta go!

Ballymena, Magherafelt, Comber & Portadown

It sounds like a real Tour of the North - The Ballymena Arts Festival event was great, organised by our good friend Colin Agnew, who brought Tony Collins (visit http://www.tonycollins.org ) over from Glasgow, and also arranged the opening act as well. They were stunning even though they only played two or three pieces - they're an old-time guitar and musical saw duo and were spellbinding. Literally the most astounding version of Amazing Grace I have ever heard. They had to leave immediately after their set so we didnt even get a chance to speak to them , so now trying to find out more about them to see if they might like to tag along with us at LCB shows. We did an hour and a half set and really enjoyed meeting up with some old friends again. The best bit was getting to play the new track "The Hallelujah Man" which Colin gave us, because Colin's mum and aunt were there and came over for a chat and photos at the end. The Hallelujah Man was James Lamont, their father. A great song and we're delighted they've passed it on to us. Crowd of about 180 (filled to capacity)

Magherafelt was ok-ish, it was held in Rainey School, and we did a short 20min set. However it was an organisational nightmare - nothing to do with us - so let's just leave it at that. Poor turnout of only around 70 people as there were two other big events on locally on the same night.

Comber was in the 2nd Presb Church Hall with the new incarnation of the Ulster-Scots Folk Orchestra - and it was a mighty night! Willie Drennan on fiddle, mandolin, tin whistle and of course the Lambeg Drum, with a new accordion player called Ken Hopkins, a new fiddler/dancer called Kerry who was fantastic - a great night. They did an hour, then a fifteen minute interval, then we did half an hour and stayed onstage with them right to the end. Another great night with another crowd of about 180 (filled to capacity)

Portadown was in the Town Hall - we were one of 4 acts who took part, we went on last and did a half hour set. All new stuff not on the "Gran Time Comin" cd, and it all went down really well. Crowd of about 120 (maybe 3/4 capacity)

Hurricane Katrina cancels LCB performance in Co. Down!

Tonight's scheduled performance at Ballygowan Presbyterian Church (http://www.presbyterianireland.org/congregations/ballygowan.html) was cancelled - sorry to anyone who had travelled to see us.

The preacher for the week-long mission was due to have been the Rev Clint Pressley from Dauphin Way Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama (visit http://www.dwbc.org) - but due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina he wasn't able to travel.

We hear it's being rearranged for March 2006 so hopefully we'll be able to take part in the new year.

We wish the folks in Alabama, Louisiana and all of the states affected by hurricane damage a very speedy recovery and every blessing in their hour of need.

County Cavan Town Hall

Tomorrow evening sees us heading off to County Cavan to play in Cavan Town Hall. We're playing with a woman who's also from County Down (Ballynahinch Presbyterian) who sings Psalms in Irish.

An interesting linguistic combination - our Ulster-Scots and her Irish - but regardless of what the language is, the message is the same!!

------

Update: It was a 2hr 45min drive both there and back again, got home just after 2am. The Irish singers were Joyce Gibson from Ballynahinch Presbyterian and Jacynth Hamill from Belfast. Really lovely people and we got on very well - their music is worship-oriented (plenty of overheads and audience participation) and as you know ours is very evangelical with sin, conviction, repentance, salvation and the christian life all combined (we handed out our leaflets in abundance). The balance and mix was good.

It was a good night (a lovely clear, crisp evening) with a crowd of about 80 people which the organisers were delighted about. We did a set each followed by an interval and another set each. We tried a few of the newer tracks too which seem to be sounding better each time. Still getting used to the PA system - Barbara did a good job with it.

Joyce and Jacynth are involved in the Irish language services at Fitzroy Presbyterian Church, which is holding its first ever Ulster Scots service next month. (we're not playing at it in case you were wondering)

Many thanks to Pat Nally, Charley McAdam and everyone else who gave us such a great welcome.

Northern Ireland Music Industry Commission CD Launch

NIMIC launched their "New Folk Roots and Traditional Music from Northern Ireland" cd yesterday - a double set of what they describe as "the finest artists from Northern Ireland." Ivan and Mark went - Gibbo and Graeme couldn't get off work.

One of our tracks - Did Christ O'er Sinners Weep - is included on it, with the majority of the other stuff being Irish trad stuff - some very trad and some pretty contemporary interpretations of Irish trad.

We met Robert Watt there (he's on the cd too) - he's well known in Ulster-Scots circles as one of the world's best solo pipers. And of course the magnificent Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band are on there too.

NIMIC say the CD will be sent out around the world to promoters, record companies and radio stations. Hopefully we'll get some feedback.

It's kinda funny to be selected because we know we're not that good. In fact when we were asked to be on it we thought it was some joker having us on... tone deafness must be sweeping the nation!

http://www.nimusic.com

The Harvest is Past and the Summer is Ended

Sorry its been quiet round here.

July was really busy and the highlights for us were playing in Drum in County Monaghan, and also at the 12th July "Field" at Barnett's Park / Malone House. Absolutely amazing weather and really great crack too. We did Portstewart Town Hall one night and the organisers were turning people away - they had to open the balcony for the first time in ages and there were even people sitting on the stage area too.

August was quietish with a couple of church bookings which had been long-term commitments, but we took most of August off as a break and to help us pull together some new stuff. We've got a list of nearly 20 tracks for our next album (!) which has the working title of "Sangs o Bairns an Hame" - a lot of the material is about Heaven and a lot of them are Sunday School choruses folk have sent to us.

September was good - Portadown Town Hall one night, Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle (audience of 650), Waterside Theatre in Londonderry (crowd of about 350) and just this week Carrowdore Presbyterian Church (full house in the church hall with seats in the aisles - crowd of around 150). A few weeks ago we had a great night at Killead Presbyterian (near the airport) with a crowd of about 150 too.

Things are going well - we're still enjoying it - and we hope we can survive a fairly hectic run-in to Christmas and the New Year.

The Broken String Band

Well well well, we met a superb Ulster-based 5 piece bluegrass band last Friday evening, at the Star of the Maze Orange Hall (near Down Royal racetrack).

A local historical re-enactment group called "The Rising Sons of Dixie" put on a great night's crack and a load of good ol' Southern homecookin. We were there to provide a wee bit of music, as were the Broken String Band.

They're based around Belfast and Bangor and are "proper" full-time musicians (not just rakers like us) Really good guys - Gibson and Ivan knew one of them, Ivan Moorehead, from bands they were in in days gone by. Their fiddle player is Geordie McAdam (used to be in Appalachian Strings) as did Wilson the bass player. Michael the banjo player/vocalist used to be in the Soundhogs, and the mandolin player Adrian is Ivan Moorehead's brother. They were absolutely superb. If you want some real, pure, 16-notes-a-second bluegrass, these guys are for you. They did two sets, we did one in the middle - the evening kicked off around 9 and it was well after midnight before we got away.

When we did the Ulster-Scots stuff we may as well have been speaking Chinese, the poor folks in the audience hadn't a notion what we were talking/singing about - even with our lyric leaflets in their hands. Especially when I said "hoo can A dae ocht whun A hinnae got ocht tae dae ocht wae"... hmm... and then there was the joke about the Iraqis in Portavogie... must remember that these things only work in Ulster-Scots speaking areas!! We finished with an acapella version of "Did Christ Oer Sinners Weep", which we'd dug up out of an old Confederate army hymnbook.

I must admit we were wile rouch, instruments really going out of tune and everything a bit haywire, but we had a good night and met some really nice people too - including the Broken String Band.

I'm sure you'll be reading more about them very soon (if they had a web site I'd put a link here - but you can check them out each Wednesday night in session at Balloo House restaurant/pub, near Killinchy in County Down)

Killicomaine Baptist Meeting House, Portadown - Sunday 5th June

Another really good night; place was packed out so extra seats were brought in, making the area we were standing in pretty tight. Graeme's been struggling with a sore throat so he croaked his way through. I'd guess maybe 150-ish people were there, young and old.

Gibson unveiled the new Mastertone banjo tonight; we opened with "Hallelujah I'm Ready to Go", next was Big Smith's "I Am The Door" and finished off with "I Saw the Light", with everyone singing along. Pastor Harvey Shaw preached, we did "My Lord Keeps a Record", and when the meeting was finished at 8pm only about 10 people left...

... so we kicked off all over again and did "Fu an Skailin", "Come Awa the Noo", "A Joy That Turn't my Hairt Frae Stane", "Gran Time Comin", "My Sins are A Awa", our own special Ulster-ified version of "What A Friend We Have in Jesus" and a rough and ready version of the Louvin Brothers standard (also covered by Uncle Tupelo) "The Great Atomic Power". A good night's crack and fellowship - all recorded onto digital video tape so there may well be VHS / DVD evidence somewhere!

Then - of course - everyone piled into the big back room for tea, sandwiches and buns. Met some lovely people including a group of metallers/rockers who travelled all the way from Larne to see us play (and even asked us for autographs at the end!) We reckon Larne to Portadown is a round trip of over 100miles. Impressive (or else daft?!)

Back home to the Low Country after 11pm, ready for bed.... next stop the Confederate Night at Star of the Maze next Saturday.

Radio Ulster - George Jones

So after Ballyclare it was over on the ferry, across Strangford Lough, to meet up with the BBC Radio Ulster team and the Big Yellow Bus (the vehicle they use for outside broadcasts) at the Dufferin Arms in Killyleagh (see http://www.dufferinarms.com ).

George had contacted us after the Good Friday show we did with him and invited us along. Once again we met some good people (Mark bumped in to an old school friend - Robbie Meredith - who now works for BBC Northern Ireland) had some fun, did a soundcheck in a wee room in the pub and got stuck in.

We did three tracks - "Hallelujah I'm Ready" and "My Sins are A Awa", a short interview and then later on in the show we played "My Lord Keeps a Record". Kinda nerve-wracking being on live radio but we really enjoyed it.

George told us that the Del McCoury Band are coming to Belfast later in the year, so we're looking forward to that one; for those of you who saw them playing with Steve Earle in the Ulster Hall on "The Mountain" tour a few years ago you'll know how brilliant they are.

Gibson's new banjo has arrived - a Gibson Mastertone. Now he has no excuse...

And good to see you again Robbie, give us a shout/email some time!

Ballyclare May Fair - last Thursday evening

We had a great time at this event, playing in the assembly hall of the High School to about 300 / 350 folk with our friends in the Ulster-Scots Folk Orchestra. The May Fair is a big deal, with fairgrounds, markets, a horse fair in the middle of the town itself - so we were delighted to be asked to play there.

Lord Laird kicked things off as guest of honour having just flown back from London that same afternoon. As usual the USFO played up to the interval, we came on and did half an hour and they came on to play "I Saw the Light" with us (fiddles flying!). We stayed onstage together till the end with a rendition of "Auld Lang Syne" to end the evening. We met some lovely people and enjoyed a great Ulster-Scots Supper of wheaten bread, soda bread, potato bread, lorne sausage, beef sausage and haggis. Gallons of tea - good, simple Ulster-Scots grub, and delicious too! As usual there were folk there who were keen to have a yarn afterwards, some of whom had Low Country family connections and others who just wanted to talk about music, faith and language. Really good night!

Check out the Ulster-Scots Folk Orchestra web site at http://www.ulster-scots-folk.com

Virginia Calling

This email from James Barbour from Virginia:

"...I'm from North Carolina just south of Virginia. We have a wee festival in my little town every fourth weekend in September. We call the event Mule Days. My family started the annual tradition over sixty years ago. It all comes together in the small town of Benson. Just of the interstate 95. If ya'll ever make it here around that time drop in on us..."

"...I just wanted to ask if you would be making any possible trips to the states. we have a many folk and Bluegrass shows here that you would indeed be a wonderful part of and would allow your sound to be spread thru out the world. just an idea. I do have another question for you though. I was told my last name was from a Scottish decent. I was wondering if by chance you would know. as you noticed the spelling of my name at the opening of this letter it is pronounced (bar-ber) which i was told was also a name from the Scottish..." 

thanks,
James Barbour


We were pleased to let James know that the name Barbour has a great Scottish heritage - for example, the 14th century writings about the Scottish King Robert the Bruce were written by John Barbour.

Low Country Boys hit Alabama!

The internet is an amazing thing - this email came from Lynne Neal is Seale, Alabama:

"...I'm glad to have found y'all and look forward to receiving the CD.  I am Scotch-Irish through and through, my mother's maiden name was Bruce and her Grandfather Bruce made fiddles and played with an informal group of friends any time they could get together!  I love this kind of music, and as a Christian, like the gospel music aspect very much.

Thanks so much for making this available to us all!

Lynne Neal.....from the Heart of Dixie.....Alabama  (and I hope you do get to visit the great state of Alabama sometime.....it's beautiful!)..."


So far we've probably sent more than 30 CDs to the States. Maybe we'll make it to Alabama some day?!

Thanks Y'all

Thanks to everyone who has supported the Low Country Boys so far - 1000 cds sold in 10 weeks since it was launched, airplay all over Ulster and Scotland, 2 live broadcasts with George Jones of Radio Ulster (in the studio on Good Friday, and just last Friday live from the Dufferin Arms in Killyleagh), a full hour interview with Ronnie Morrison of Downtown Radio on his "Gospel Hour" show a few weeks back - all amazing and we're thankful to everyone.

Looks like there's life in this oul Ulster-Scots language and the oul Gospel for a while yet!