First Big Night in Washington

It's Friday night here, we've been in DC since Monday night and playing at the Festival since Wednesday. As usual we're pretty rough round the edges, and getting used to the heat has been hard work. But the natives are friendly and things are going ok.

Tonight we had one of our most special nights ever. We played as the "headline act" for the Northern Ireland evening concert at the big marquee called the Lagan Stage. I guess it holds about 600 people. Very scary...

...but it was amazing. The audience were clapping and cheering and really enjoyed the songs, the message, the stories in between and the cultural connections stuff as well. We played half an hour of easily the best reaction we've ever had. Lots of people spoke to me at the end to say how wonderful it was to hear the gospel message at such a huge secular festival; others were keen to hear more about the Ulster-Scots-Virginian-American links. I can't even begin to describe how good it was and how positive the reaction was. Getting 600 Americans to do the actions for "Fu an Skailin" was something special!!

We are very blessed that our limited talent is being used for such positive outreach. Keep prayin' - tomorrow night will be a whole new ballgame . It's the formal setting of The Kennedy Centre. Shirts and ties job (gulp)

Iver an oot fer noo.

Anither wee step for't

Our version of "My Ain Countrie" is on the Smithsonian Folklife Festival cd "Sound Neighbours - Contemporary Music in Northern Ireland".

Exactly 10 years ago I visited the Smithsonian shop to buy this great cd.

10 years on I can buy yin o my ain in tha same shap!

We're fleein oot at half eleeven themorra forenoon. A wunner whit wull happen iver the neext twa weeks? Pits me in mind o "for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth"

Washington here we come...(gulp)

We fly out on Monday 25th June. Just got our performance schedule through.

21 one hour performances in 10 days, plus I have 3 public panel discussions to take part in, plus a number of other important meetings forbye. An fowk in Bangor cannae unnerstan us maist o the time - I dinnae know whit the yins in America'll mak o' us.

This is going to be hard hard work... prayer would be greatly appreciated.

Joel and the Tattoo Parlour

Now, before you reach for your Old Testaments in bewilderment, let me explain.

One of the great things about the LCBs is that we get to meet a fantastic variety of people from all walks of life.

One day a crowd of very cool (and a lot younger than us) metaller types came to see us at Killicomaine Baptist Church in Portadown, having travelled all the way from Larne. They're members of, and friends of, a Christian rock band called Crimson Fight (maybe the translation of that in Ulster-Scots is "Rid Fecht"?!). They've come to see us a few times since and have even posted mobile phone clips of us on Youtube! Really great people.

One of them, Colin Muir, created a Myspace page for us, and just the other day we got an email from Joel Neill. Here it is, totally unedited:

......

Subject: Wee story for you boys...
Date: 30 May 2007

How's it going boys? Haven't seen you or spoken in a while. I just thought I'd e-mail and tell you a funny thing that happened to me last week.

Now, you'll have to enter my heavy-metal world for a moment here (apologies), but I was at my tattoo shop (Skullduggery on the Dublin Rd. in Belfast) getting a few bits and pieces coloured in. They were playing this american Hillbilly gospel music, and when I asked about it they told me that their friend had sent it over for them. They also said it's "a shame we've nothing to send back".

Says I: "...well...I know something."

So, off I go today to a tattoo shop with Gran Time Comin'. Quite a surreal experience for me I'm sure you can imagine!

Just thought I'd let you know, you never know where your music goes!

Joel CrimsonFight
Larne

......

So it's great to know that our music is making it into all sorts of places, ears, heads and hearts. Graeme got a letter the other day from a (probably middle aged) woman who used to attend Killaughey Mission Hall here in the Low Country many, many years ago, and was delighted to hear the gospel in the language her grandmother used to speak. And I got one from Vancouver in Canada a while back saying more or less the same thing.

It goes to show that you can be used for mighty things, even if you're as amateurish as we are! (You can discover Crimson Fight for yourself here)

Night night

Oul Hymns

We're in the studio again, recording a track for a promotional CD. We've been invited to do "Shall We Gather At The River", a great old hymn written in Pennsylvania by Robert Lowry. Some say he was of Scotch-Irish descent. I'll go with that - he wrote many classics that the Ulster-Scots should claim if we can! (eg anyone who can write "Christ Arose", "We're Marching to Zion", "All the Way My Saviour Leads Me" and "Nothing But the Blood of Jesus" is someone we should definitely claim!!)

It's made me think about oul hymns and how expressive many of them are. The beauty of their language can be stunning. They tend to float into my head FAR more often that any of the Mission Praise youth fellowship fluffy singalongs we used to sing 20 years ago. People throughout the years have consciously, with the very best of intentions, tried to keep Christianity relevant to their generation, and music has been "modernised" many times to try to reach out.

However I wonder if this approach - rather than modernise - might actually trivialise? In fact, maybe the Low Country Boys are trivialising the gospel too. Or maybe I'm just getting oul masel. But the MP favourite "Father God I Wonder" has always troubled me as there is no mention of Christ in it! Christianity without Christ??!! And these triumphant "Days of Elijah" style "praise and worship" songs also concern me. "Days of Jeremiah" would surely be far more appropriate for the present age.

Here's one from the Believer's Hymnbook (the Brethren Sunday morning book). It has always humbled me:

I hear the accuser roar
Of ills that I have done,
I know them well - and thousands more
Jehovah findeth none.

Though the restless foe accuses
Sins recounting like a flood.
Every charge our God refuses;
Christ has answered with His blood.

Here is one with some absolutely magnificent wordplay, written in the mid 1800s by the old Anglican vicar Samuel Whitlock Gandy. (sometimes this is added to the one above)

His be the Victor's name
Who fought the fight alone;
Triumphant saints no honour claim,
His conquest was their own.

By weakness and defeat,
He won the meed and crown;
Trod all our foes beneath His feet
By being trodden down.

He Satan's power laid low;
Made sin, He sin o'erthrew;
Bowed to the grave, destroyed it so,
And death by dying slew.

Bless, bless the Conqueror slain,
Slain in His victory;
Who lived, who died, who lives again
For thee, His church, for thee!


When the power of those words sink in - wow! So we're thinking about recording a CD of hymns from the Believer's Hymnbook (vocal-only of course). Feel free to make some suggestions of some you'd like us to include.

The Life of Brian

No, not the Monty Python satire (or blasphemy, depending upon your p.o.v.), but rather the life of a friend and former colleague of mine. Brian Richmond was diagnosed with terminal cancer of the pancreas a few weeks ago.

(This is a hard post to write. I will probably come back to it and change bits here and there over the next few hours and days, to try to express myself better.) He has been given about 6 months to live (maybe 3, maybe 12 or so). It's not long.

Brian and I used to spend hours every week in GCAS talking about old American music, international politics, and the mission halls that we both grew up in. Brian's was a Woodvale/Shankill urban Belfast childhood - whilst mine was Low Country/rural. He grew up, as we would say, "under the sound of the gospel", but has yet to find salvation.

I think its fair to say that he doesn't believe there is any hope of physical healing, or indeed that there is life beyond this world. I believe in both. Not in a weird, exploitative, "holy roller" Benny Hinn or Kenneth Copeland give-me-your-money-and-I'll-trick-you-into-believing-you've-been-healed nonsense. I believe in a God who is ultimately in control, who is equally just and merciful, who holds our breath in his hand. I believe that God can reach, heal, and save Brian. If Brian is reading this I know he'll understand my sentiment.

I spent a lovely time with Brian, his wife Terry and their 7 year old son Matthew last Friday evening and Saturday morning, at their home outside Moville in Inishowen, Donegal.

I would ask you to remember Brian, Terry and Matthew in prayer. When my time is up, I hope have the grace and calm that Brian has. When Brian finally passes on, be it this year or in 30 years time, I hope he has the Saviour that I have. Christ is my Saviour through nothing special I have done for Him, but through my simple faith in what He has done for me.

You can read Brian's blog here

Scotland, Washington and Stuff

Just finished our last NI concert for a while - it was at McQuiston Memorial Presbyterian Church in East Belfast. A magnificent building with marvellous acoustics, a great big traditional red brick Victorian church with a balcony on 3 sides and wooden pews. We had a great time - and we hope that the hundred or so folk who were there enjoyed it too!

Next stop is Ayrshire (birthplace of Robert the Bruce, Murdock Nisbet, Hamilton & Montgomery, Robert Burns, William Wallace, William Ritchie - the list is endless) to spend the weekend in Prestwick at the Baptist Church, and then off to Washington DC on Monday 25th June. We'll be practising twice a week to get into shape (musically speaking) before we go. Lots of practical stuff to sort out too.

Just heard tonight that we might be asked to do a 45minute set at The Kennedy Centre in Washington (which describes itself as "America's National Cultural Centre". Maybe a bit like the Royal Albert Hall in London.

No pressure there then. Gulp...

Hugh Moore & The Louvin Brothers

Went to the meetin at Carrowdore Mission Hall tonight - it's in a different building now, but it's where Graeme and I went to Sunday School. Hugh Moore was singing and Roy Ferris preached. It was great.

Hugh was one of the singers who really made a big impact on me when I was wee. He still has a brilliant bass voice. He used to sing with a guitar, now it's backing tapes. Tonight he really blew me away when he sang the old Louvin Brothers song "Thank God for My Christian Home".

Brilliant song, sung really well by a good man tonight. Excellent stuff.

"SOBAH" Volume 2?

Looks like it'll be the autumn before we get this one out; probably not a bad thing as we have some big ideas for it and it'll be better if we take a bit of time to get it right. Sorry if you've been hoping for (what we also hoped would be) a Spring release. We hope it'll be worth the wait.

Draft track list:

1 Are You Washed in the Blood of the Lamb (Lament)
2 Sin’s Dark Valley
3 Portavogie Boys (instrumental)
4 Portavogie (instrumental)
5 How About You? (Thomas Dorsey)
6 House of Gold (Hank Williams)

BAIRNS
7 Some Say the Divil’s Deid (traditional chorus)
8 Jesus loves the wee wee weans like me (traditional chorus)
9 I love the Gospel rock n roll (traditional chorus)

HAME
10 The Lord’s My Shepherd
11 Sweet Rivers (Big Smith)
12 Hard Trials Will Soon Be Over
13 Ye’re A’ Welcome Hame

DRINK
14 The Drunkards Raggit Wean
15 Wreck on the Highway (Roy Acuff)
16 Jim and Me (Songs of Might version)
17 Down in the Dumps I’ll never go (traditional chorus)

18 Shield of Faith
19 I Hae Gien Masel Tae Jesus
20 Drifting Too Far From The Shore / Haven of Rest
21 Instead of Me (tune: Londonderry Air)
22 Get Thee Behind Me Satan

Real Power Sharing in Northern Ireland?

We're at the start of an election campaign here in Northern Ireland. It looks like the DUP may well agree to share power with Sinn Fein sometime very soon. The political term for this form of government is (surprise surprise) "power sharing".

Here's a spiritual angle on the same idea:

""He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" (John 1:11,12)

That's liker it.

News Letter 2006 RECORD sales, "SOBAH" Volume 2 & Smithsonian CD for "My Ain Countrie"

Just got word last week that our debut "Gran Time Comin" was the best selling cd for the Northern Ireland daily newspaper the News Letter last year (the print edition is light years better than the online one- they need the services of a good graphic designer! - here's a good overview of the paper's history - it's the oldest English language newspaper in the world, founded in 1737 ). They have a shop facility for readers to buy books and CDs etc. We outsold the next best selling cd by almost 3:1.

The amazing news is that the News Letter have ALREADY ordered more copies of "Sangs o Bairns an Hame" than they sold of "GTC" to fulfil postal orders they've received - and it's only mid-February.

Things are going well. Just need to get back into the studio and get Volume 2 finished. With me having been knocked out of action for most of January we're behind schedule, but hopefully we'll have it out before we head to Washington in June.

•••• STOP PRESS•••• "My Ain Countrie" from "Gran Time Comin" has been selected to appear on the forthcoming Smithsonian Folklife Festival audio cd. It is one of the first gospel songs ever recorded in the world, by William MacEwan the Glaswegian evangelist.

(Apologies to everyone whose email we haven't replied to yet - will try to do so over the weekend)

"Victory in Jesus" and Sixteen Horsepower

What? Strange title eh? Let me explain. I bought a clever turntable (record player) a few weeks ago which will allow me to start to digitise the old 78rpm records that have been in the family for a few generations. Last night I digitised The Gleaner Quartet, an old Belfast gospel group, singing "Victory in Jesus", on the Evangelical Records label. I have no idea what year it was recorded, but it's absolutely magnificent. If all goes according to plan, and if I can get legal advice on copyright, I'd like to produce a CD of some of these old gems called "Fae Ma Granda's Oul Records" later in the year, with the title unashamedly inspired by the Johnny Cash album My Mother's Hymn Book

If you've never heard "Victory in Jesus" you're really missing something special.

David Eugene Edwards is the Colorado-based frontman of a now-defunct American alt-country band called Sixteen Horsepower. For a sheltered Ulster-reared believer like me (and maybe like you) he's a highly unconventional man. But I wonder how John Knox and Robert Blair were viewed in their generation? Did they look as foreboding as that photo of David? Musically, Sixteen Horsepower is impossible to describe - if you think that some of the Johnny Cash "American Recordings" gospel stuff is heavy, it's featherlight compared to Sixteen Horsepower. You can download a wonderful vocal-only recording of David and his grandfather singing "Victory in Jesus" here

"O victory in Jesus,
My Savior, forever.
He sought me and bought me
With His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him
And all my love is due Him,
He plunged me to victory,
Beneath the cleansing flood"

"But thanks be to God, which giveth us
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
1 Corinthians 15:57

In this interview, he says "...“Religion is kind of a weird word today … you know I grew up in the Church. My Grandfather was the preacher of the Church that I went to. It was small and he led the music. Socially that was a major part of my life. There are a lot of people that grow up in the Church or what ever and they don’t care about it or they don’t follow it. Just because your parents believe doesn’t mean you are going to. But I have always believed in it, in the Bible, and it’s a huge part of my life, it affects everything I do. There is no separation between it and my regular life … you know what I mean … That’s what I sing about..."

and also

"...no one wants to be thought of as a Christian because it’s not cool. It’s not the cool thing to be in the world's eyes for the most part, but I can’t do anything about it because that’s what I am. You know it’s not even necessarily a choice really. I mean there is a choice involved, in a sense, but I believe that God took hold of me rather than me taking hold of him. I mean there is that exchange but it starts with him rather than me..."

Here's another interview with David, and here's another, and here's another, and here's another. Worth reading, and worth thinking about.

January so far

Well, January's been a funny month. Mark went into hospital for what was meant to be a minor operation, and ended up off work and unable to leave the house for over two weeks. (Just got back to work today) He went in on the same day that Graeme's wife Judith had their second child - a wee lass this time (Julia).

So this meant the Kilrea concert was a three-man effort (no Mark), but we were back out on Saturday night past in North Belfast at Clifton Park Avenue Baptist Church. It was great - those inner city working class congregations really know how to put on a good night! They're not afraid to sing with real gusto, and they make a great drap o tay forbye. Some of the Ulster-Scots mightn't have been understood so well, but they got maist o it wi nae bother ava. Gibson was on fine form with the cowbell and the washboard, and Ivan did the usual (but still very funny) joke about the two of them being twins!

We were round at Ivan's last Thursday, starting to get our weekly practice & prayer meetings back into gear after Christmas, and ended up playing some great old songs which we might play live, or even record. A wee Sunday School chorus "I Love Him Better Every Day" which becomes "I Love the Gospel Rock n Roll" (the lyrics are "my feet are on the Rock and my name is on the Roll" - it's yet anither yin Graeme and Mark learned from their Aunt Rhoda and Aunt Betty in Carrowdore Mission Hall), and then the old Monroe Brothers song "Drifting Too Far From the Shore", which we segued into the first verse and chorus of the old hymn "Over the Deadline", and it really worked well. The seafaring theme works for us here in the Low Country near Portavogie, and having been to Fraserburgh during 2006 the common culture and faith of Ulster and Scotland is demonstrated yet again.

So, some good and some not so good, but it's all beyond our control anyway. We're just trying to make ourselves available.

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.)