It’s going to be big, noisy and very exciting and it all starts this Friday with Woodenbox.  Many of you will remember their session from a couple of years back and since then they’ve managed to lose a ‘fistful of fivers’ and keep things simple with a one word monikor. They’ve also given birth to a fab new album, tracks from which they will play this Friday as well as an interesting cover version which they’ve rustled up for us.

As ever though we’ll make sure you hear the best of the new things out there. I’m pleased to say we’ll continue to enjoy the new offering from Patty Griffin, we’ll reflect on a wonderful Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell concert in midweek and we’ll make some introductions too. Has anyone out there heard Valerie June yet? Believe me you will very soon. New things too from Houndmouth, Blue Rose Code and Kacey Musgraves. We’ll celebrate some wonderful country from Marty Robbins and Lee Ann Womack and heck I’d imagine we’ll surprise you with the odd thing or two too. It all kicks off at five past eight on BBC Radio Scotland.

Then of course there is Hype Machine 2, which is a defiantly more old school contraption requiring a definite dash of oil to start it up.  But once firing on all cylinders it is more reliable in nature, certainly more robust and able to withstand sudden changes in the weather.  It has consistency, if you will.  And so this week sees hype of the more slow-burning kind produced by its engine – The National’s new album “Trouble Will Find Me”.  Regular listeners of the show (and indeed readers of this blog) will be well aware of my love for The National, a group of four brothers and one friend based in Brooklyn, New York, that quietly and with little fanfare has presented itself as one of the best bands in recent times. 

I first became aware of them about 6 years ago when they played Glasgow’s Nice and Sleazys to approximately 15 people.  In the interests of full disclosure I admit that they had little effect on me, mainly because I was there to see a friend’s band who were opening the show, but I was reminded of them a few years later by my guitarist John (always one step ahead of the curve in these matters) who demanded I listen to their album “Boxer”.  It didn’t take long for their hook to sink into my skin, and in their music I felt something I hadn’t for quite some time: a connection.  The often profoundly moving everyman poetry of Matt Berningers words, not to mention his lugubriously arresting baritone vocals; the lo-fi meets hi-fi orchestration, layered and dense and infinitely investigable; and the drumming – don’t even get me started on the drumming.  Just some of the many things I greatly admire about what the chaps from The National do.

Since forming in 1999, the band has had to endure the long road to recognition.  It hasn’t been easy, but there is no doubt that what has propelled them forward at such a steady pace is good old fashioned word of mouth and a kind of steely eyed devotion from their fans.  That began to turn in to hype with the release of 2010’s “High Violet” – most likely the band’s masterpiece, and a good place to start for the uninitiated – and has built to a quiet fever with their 6th album “Trouble Will Find Me”, released this coming Monday.  What’s pleasing is that they haven’t pandered to the masses – this is The National resolutely refusing to be drawn into our world, instead insisting that we come and spend some more time in theirs.  Only time will allow us to judge where it sits in what is already an impressive body of work, but it’s typically weird and pretty wonderful.  As our Record of Note – alongside some fantastic music from the likes of Camera Obscura, The Strokes, Stornoway, Kurt Vile and more – you can find out what all the hype is about this Thursday at 10.05pm on BBC Radio Scotland.

I’ve had a wonderful few weeks and I did mean to send everyone a postcard from Brighton...

That’s why, having spent a number of weeks on the road, I’ll be very happy to be land-locked in studio 6 on Friday night with a pile of new records to share with you. This Friday, my friend, there are no guests, no session versions, only great new records. And boy, do we have some great new music for you.

Here’s what we have lined up so far: New records from the fab Phosphorescent, Ruth Moody and Holly Williams. New discoveries….we hear from Daniel Meade for the first time. Daniel’s from Scotland and we’ll also share some great new records from fellow Scottish artists Woodenbox and Peter Roe. We’ll introduce you to Brazos and we’ll hear some great vintage recordings from Hank Thompson, The Carter Family and Tom T Hall. Does that whet your appetite enough?

As I mentioned earlier I’ve been on the road these last few weeks. I’ve been pleased to have My Darling Clementine as my special guests each night and Michael and Lou have given me a sneak listen to their new record. Tomorrow night I’ll be able to share some of that with you. The album comes out in september and I hope we can catch up with them for all their news later this year.

One of the loveliest things about my road trip was meeting people who listen to the AC. (not just in Scotland either). Here’s my fellow blogger Adam and me enjoying an after show beer in London at The Union Chapel. Adam it was great to put a face to such a loyal and articulate listener.

I’ve been nearly everywhere man…..so tomorrow night I’ll be back in the saddle again… It’s being with Gregor Philp – I can’t stop punning. I’ll have stopped by tomorrow when the old valves will start to glow just on five past eight on BBC Radio Scotland. Do join me if you can. 

 Do it badly however and you can end up with something as, ahem, “challenging” as Lou Reed and Metallica’s “Lulu”. Sadly not the album of covers from the Lennoxtown chanteuse’s back catalogue that we’ve been praying for all these years, but instead a difficult and frequently impenetrable collection of songs that had critics reaching for their pens with the sort of feverish glee only reserved for the most terrifyingly extraordinary of associative works. The album is a concept of sorts, based on two plays written by German playwright Frank Wedekind and featuring Lou’s spoken word set against the thrashing angst of Metallica’s menacing instrumentals.  Upon its release in 2011, Pitchfork called it “exhaustingly tedious”, The Telegraph “grueling”, Blabbermouth “a catastrophic failure on almost every level” (the reviews hurtling steadily downhill from there).  And to think, on paper it seemed like a sure fire hit!

I know from my own experience that deciding to journey with a co-pilot on any musical expedition is both exciting and scary, simply because you just don’t know how it will turn out. I’ve always been a writer of the solitary kind, mostly because I worry irrationally about how to best tackle creative differences before they’ve even arrived. This may be attributable to some early co-writing experiences that I didn’t particularly enjoy – it seemed to me to be a wasted occurrence, producing what I found to be songs of compromise and mixed messaging. Turns out I was wrong, in part, because naturally it all depends on who you collaborate with – maybe a sign of my advancing years but these days I am less stubborn, more willing and able to sit in a room with someone who can bring a whole new perspective to my own writing style. Add this to the fact that outside of the writers’ den I have been lucky enough to have enjoyed some lovely collaborations as a singer with artists such as Kris Kristofferson, Eddi Reader, and Gemma Hayes, and I can see why so many musicians seek solace in melodic partnership.  Misery likes company, after all.

I’ve been musing this of late because of the beautiful new record from Tift Merritt and Simone Dinnerstein – “Night” – that brings the ostensibly disparate worlds of a singer/songwriter and a classical pianist together.  Described as “two explorers seeking a common musical path”, this is the get-together of two undoubtedly kindred spirits from different musical backgrounds and disciplines. It shouldn’t really work, but it does. It’s a beguiling collection of songs – delicate, enchanting and completely arresting – and such is the obvious synergy and connection that the two have on record it’s almost as if they have been heading towards this meeting place all their lives. We played a track from it on the show last week – “Colours” – and it provoked such the reaction that we’re making the whole album our Record of Note this week. Expect to hear a few choice selections from it, alongside Leonard Cohen as Undercover Writer and Live on Arrival with Nina Simone, plus all the usual good and the new.  But remember it takes two to tango – to make sweet music together, we need you there this Thursday from 10.05pm on BBC Radio Scotland.

So, when we took to the air on Thursday night, prompted by our celebration of Roy and his work I casually posed the question: “Who owns your favourite and most distinctive voice in song?”.  Cue a veritable tsunami of thoughts and musings.  From Bon Iver to Jeff Buckley, Joni Mitchell to Mark Linkous, it turns out you know and love your unusual voices too, which naturally makes me leap with joy and unbridled ecstasy.  My own voice of note from recent years would have to be Matt Berninger of The National – a sort of indie Leonard Cohen, pouring a magnificently bottled baritone over his band’s songs like sweet honey.  I’m not alone in my appreciation of his talent, but I’ve met a fair few people who just can’t stomach his low growling vocals.  And yet it seems a truism that everyone who hears his voice can’t forget it.  It has that elusive beast about it: character.

Because whilst technical ability is all fine and well, give me Bob Dylan over Mariah Carey any day of the week.  Being pitch perfect is overrated anyway – we’ve all come up against those accomplished singers at our local karaoke nights, and they always spoil our drunken fun.  What really matters is the ability to connect on some sort of primal level with an audience – to actually make them feel something.  And invariably that can only be done by the simple act of being human in song: a crack of fragility, a touch of tenderness, a hint of anger, a shot of compassion.  Whatever it may be that adds the more unusual of qualities to a voice, it is character that breeds distinctiveness.  And distinctiveness is what brings us back to our favourite artists, time after time. 

And talking unforgettable voices, this week we lost another great singer in George Jones.  I’ll hold my hands up and say I was never overly familiar with the work, but I was familiar with the voice.  Frequently referred to as one of the greatest country singers of all time, his was a set of vocal chords that screamed pure emotion and so I’m thankful that we’ll have the chance to investigate and celebrate this purveyor of perfect phrasing on the show this week.  Add in the 80 year old Willie Nelson (we’ll pay tribute as a taster to what Ricky has in store on Friday’s Another Country), and a host of great artists on the block with new material – including Vampire Weekend, The Staves, and Daughter – and you have a whole choir of characters to immerse yourself in.  To hear our voices of choice all you have to do is turn the dial this Thursday at 10.05pm on BBC Radio Scotland.

The do’s and don’ts of being a good grandparent is something we explore with Rob Parsons – author and the founder of Care for the family, and grandmother Rev Gillean Mclean. Full of useful tips, it’s a must-read for grandparents to be.

Historian, Anne Ellis retells the story of a tough regime aboard a boat for boys trained for life at sea, less than a hundred years ago and we have another excerpt from The Listening Project.  With a selection of good music to set you up for the day, it’s well worth getting up for, or having a lie in to. Sunday Morning, with me, Cathy Macdonald.

And one man who undoubtedly deserves his place in the pantheon of rock icons is Roy Orbison.  Despite what seemed like a relatively fast rise to the top – a Sun Records protégé who sold one of his first compositions “Claudette” to The Everly Brothers in 1957 then went on to have a string of hits – Orbison had his fair share of adversity, firstly suffering some heartbreaking personal tragedies and then struggling for a number of years to keep his career afloat in the face of a rapidly changing music industry.  Between 1960 and 1964 he had a staggering 22 singles placed on the Billboard Top 40 (including “Only The Lonely”, “Oh, Pretty Woman” and “Crying”), but the death of his wife and two sons in separate accidents in the late 60s was followed by a prolonged period in the wilderness.  The 70s were not kind to him, Orbison apparently suffering from crippling self-doubt due to poor record sales, and yet a number of artists including Bruce Springsteen and Gram Parsons kept the flame alive by covering his songs.  His resurgence in the 1980s was partly down to auteur David Lynch including the poignant “In Dreams” in his film Blue Velvet, and partly down to his place in American supergroup The Traveling Wilburys.  When he died of a heart attack in 1988 at the age of 52 – with a successful solo album riding high in the charts and acclaim for his work with the Wilburys – Roy Orbison was once again back at the top.  It only took him 20 years or so.   

We’ve dipped in to his work from time to time on the show but – as our duly appointed Undercover Writer this week – it isn’t until you hear his work interpreted by other artists that you truly realise what a special talent he was.  As a deft pop writer and stunning balladeer he was untouchable at times, but what gave the Big O the edge when pitched against his peers was his voice.  No matter how valiantly an artist may try, no one can sing Orbison like Orbison.  The voice was a gift from god – honeyed, golden and with a truly incredible range (some even suggesting that his natural baritone could reach up to four-octaves) – it was perhaps the 8th wonder of the world.  And it’s that gift, alongside all the other alchemic elements of his very being (the image, the songs, the mythology) that have ensured his longevity long after his passing.  I’m often prone to searching for answers in this blog so I suppose the lesson is that whatever you do in life, if you have the talent, belief and right work ethic then make sure you keep your head down and keep the faith because things are more than likely to come good in the end.  Us young bucks could learn a lot from the man with The Voice.

So on the show this week we’ll celebrate Roy (who would have been 77 this week) and his work.  We’ll also hear from the new Steve Earle record as Record of Note, and dip into the archives to hear Maria McKee Live on Arrival.  New music comes from Camera Obscura, Bill-Ryder Jones, Luke Sital-Singh, Jonas Alaska and more.  And it’s all happening this Thursday at 10.05pm on BBC Radio Scotland.  Legendary.

In the second hour of the programme, I’ll be asking how we could radically change the future of Scotland – a subject covered in another book by writer Alf Young about a road journey both he and his son Ewan took, exploring inspirational community projects across Scotland.We’ll be celebrating a landmark anniversary for one broadcaster who’s 200th Thought for the Day can be heard this Wednesday on Radio Scotland, and finding out what keeps him keen.

Fifty years after the death of celebrated author C S Lewis – I’ll be finding out from biographer and fellow Oxford don, Dr Alister McGrath, why so many people still regard this former atheist as a Christian icon?
And well-known and much loved former broadcaster and priest – the late Father John Fitzsimmons is remembered as the outspoken priest who was a man of many parts…Plus another lovely listen, an excerpt from The Listening Project, all coming up in this weeks two hour show. Join me for all of that and some of my own favourite pieces of music to ease you into Sunday morning.

But hang on in there, Cliff, all is not lost!  Because “cool” – just like music – is subjective by nature, which means one man’s Phil Spector is another man’s Phil Collins.  And that’s lucky, because I never thought I’d see the day that John Denver even remotely entered the Kingdom of Cool’s highly mutable orbit.  In fact, for so long Denver was a byword for naffness – a wholesome, geeky, sweet as apple pie singer/songwriter from Roswell, New Mexico, so saccharine he could rot your teeth at a hundred yards.  I must admit I have never been the biggest fan, but that may be in part down to my own haunted memories of late night party sing-songs to the drunken refrains of “Leaving On A Jet Plane”.  Being the only guitar player in the building I was usually entrusted with the necessary rendition, but by the time my fellow revelers would call for a 15th chorus you can rest assured my bags were packed and I was ready to go.

I realise now that “Leaving On A Jet Plane” is naturally a bit of a classic, part of the undeniable fabric of any easy-listening upbringing and one of John Denver’s best songs.  But my own experience – and a vague awareness of soft country behemoths “Annie’s Song” and “Country Roads” – did put me off further investigation of the man and his work.  And yet this month sees the release of “The Music Is You”, a rather unexpected John Denver tribute album featuring a whole host of distinctly Zeitgeisty artists, forcing me to reconsider my position.  So, on the aforementioned Jet Plane we get indie darlings My Morning Jacket (who also popped up on a recent Buddy Holly tribute with a stunning version of “True Love Ways”), new Californian hipsters Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros take on “Wooden Indian”, whilst Lucinda Williams husks her way quite beautifully through “This Old Guitar”.  Years of ridicule and dismissal from many quarters, and then all of a sudden Denver is cool.

I suppose the lesson in all this is that the song is all that matters in the end.  Because there is no doubt John Denver was definitely a man who suffered for his image, and there is something refreshing hearing these songs in the hands and voices of others.  What comes across is a songwriter at times both earnest and occasionally overwrought, yes, but also genuine, heartfelt and with one hell of an ear for a melody.  So on the Roddy Hart Show this Thursday night we celebrate Denver as our Undercover Writer and hear some choice cuts from what is indeed a fine tribute album.  If you’re a fan you’ll love it, and if not then maybe – just maybe – we’ll challenge your own preconceptions and change your mind.  After all, trading musical passions is about as cool as it gets.  Now, where’s that Cliff Richards record? 

On a lovely drive back through the hills of Galloway I returned to some old playlists; in particular the songs of two years ago we loved on the AC. The annoying thing was hearing old friends but forgetting the artists name and the titles of the records. (Nathaniel Rateliff and Gregory Alan Isakov were two highlights!)The memory is the music I guess. It’s what we all want to happen when we hear music…we want to be taken somewhere. In so many cases – and often for me in my teens and early adulthood – I wanted to be somewhere else. I wanted to be in the place I heard that song taking place or I wanted to be the guy singing the song or often I wanted to imagine people waiting to hear what song I’d play next – a radio audience. I wrote a song I found recently about that very wish. It’s called Frank The Graveyard Man – about someone who loves being on the radio late at night and mixing it up a bit. His songs choices  are so poignant that the listener can’t help but imagine what the heck is going on in his private life. It reminded me of a lecturer I once enjoyed listening to. Was he really telling us about Anthony and Cleopatra or was he revealing his own marital failings and foibles? I dare say you might concoct a strange picture if you tried this with the AC – so I’m bound to advise you against it. Nevertheless music sparks the imagination and none of us is immune to the tricks it can play. It changes the colour of our sky and makes the coldest and harshest of truths a little more bearable – and for that we are all grateful.

On Friday we collectively imagined the worlds of Aoife O’Donovan, Steve Earle, Jim Jones, Ry Cooder and Beth Orton. We will inevitably remembered again why we love country music and to that end we will have a star witness:

Caitlin Rose is that rarest of AC visitors – the third time returnee. Since she first charmed us with the Dead Flowers EP a couple of years back she has been a very busy young woman. Steeped in the ways and lore of Music Row she has, wisely in my opinion, decided not to fall to heavily under the spell of the charms of these fabled streets. She has instead set her own course, written her own songs and she is therefore a more rounded and original artist for all of that. She came in with some of her touring ensemble and cut some songs from her excellent new album, The Stand In. She also covered a brilliant song I first heard performed by Linda Ronstadt.

In the week of Margaret Thatcher’s death, we revisited the iconic address she gave to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 25 years ago. It was an address that became better known as ‘The Sermon on the Mound.’  The Very Rev Dr Finlay Macdonald  was there, and he shared his memories of that day in May 1988,  with me .

How do we get ethical values to permeate the welfare system? I’ll be discussing this issue with the Rev Ian Galloway, Minister of Gorbals Parish Church, and John Deighan, the Parliamentary Officer for the Catholic Church.

We’ve probably all daydreamed about walking away from our jobs, and the responsibilities of modern living.  Buddhist nun Ani Lhamo did just that, she’s lived for the last 20 years in the Samye Ling Tibetan monastery in Scotland. She told me about her spiritual journey and talked about the  extraordinary 4 year retreat she once undertook.

The classic play ‘Dr Faustus’, centres on greed and defiance of the authority of God that has Faustus sell his soul to the devil in exchange for power and knowledge. There’s a new radical version of the play at Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre which updates the tale into our world of celebrity, bankers and media moguls. The play was controversial when it first appeared over 400 years ago, but what do Christians think of it today? We sent Ronnie Convery to review it and he joined me in the studio to reveal if it still has the power to shock.

As part as of our Listening Project conversations, we heard from best friends since childhood, Kim McLeod and Ann Roberts, who have stuck together through thick and thin. And we had a great selection of music to ease you into Sunday morning...Listen again.

And the 30-minute live edition of Later is particularly enjoyable, giving bands and solo acts a chance to perform in the way they have been accustomed to (if they’ve been doing it right).  But it was one of the jovial-Jools interviews with Suede – back with their first new album in 12 years – that got me thinking.  Frontman Brett Anderson was asked about the daunting process of recording again after being away for so long, to which he replied something along the lines of “when you get into a studio you want to make Sgt Pepper, but once you get that out of your system you just get on with making the best record you can”.  It was a throwaway remark, but the point was that not every album can be a classic and nor should it try to be.  Suede’s new approach was to make as “live” an album as the studio permitted, harnessing the energy and excitement that this looser tactic can create.

The other point here is that not all albums are good in their entirety, but can offer some real gems if you look in the right places.  Indeed, something I’ve regularly written about is the effect of the digital age on music and there is no doubt we are in the disposable era – single tracks are King, albums unfortunately not quite the force they once were (get with the 21^st century Granddad!).  And one band perhaps ahead of the curve on this one was The Kinks.  Whilst there is no doubt that the English quartet had their fair share of great albums – “Something Else by The Kinks” and “The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society” are amongst my own personal favourites – it was as a writer of phenomenal singles that Ray Davies made his name.  Evenly spread across a range of albums, tracks like “Waterloo Sunset”, “You Really Got Me”, “Lola”, “Victoria”, “Sunny Afternoon”, “Apeman” and “Days” proved that reaching for classic album status isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.  In the end, it’s the song that counts (and if you happen to get a run of 12 of them on the same album then you’re truly blessed).

 So, disposable singles or not, Ray was real right from the start.  One of the great writers of our time in fact, and we’ll celebrate his work as part of our Undercover feature on The Roddy Hart Show this week, alongside a Record Of Note from Keaton Henson and some live John Martyn.  The place to be, as always, is BBC Radio Scotland from 10.05pm this Thursday night.

After the 8 o’clock news, I’ll be talking to writer and journalist, Martin Palmer who’s appearing at Glasgow’s Aye Right Festival about his fears that we’re losing touch with our religious landscape.  He’ll also be sharing some of the stories behind Glasgow’s sacred sites.

Radical changes in the welfare benefits system are affecting millions of people in this country, but what happens when a Christian organization gets involved in another Government scheme and has to take the flak for it.

How do you re-assess your life when faced with the news that you may only have a limited amount of time left to live – we hear about an incredible woman’s List for Living, and how it’s formed the basis of her plans for her future.

We’ll also hear about the wave of modern church building in Scotland commissioned by the Catholic Church in the 1960’s.

That’s Sunday Morning, with me, Cathy Macdonald, on BBC Radio Scotland.

There is naturally an almost endless stream of older music to investigate (I’m currently obsessing over Karen Dalton, particularly her affecting vocal performance on the song “Something On Your Mind”, for example), but the lifeblood of any show worth its salt is new music.  In addition to my own determination to hunt out the best albums that our moribund record stores have to offer (ok, I admit I do go online when it’s too cold to venture out), I have been grateful for the assistance you have offered on our collective voyage of discovery.  Bands like Dawes and Father John Misty made it on to our playlists simply because you were persistent enough to ensure I actually checked them out (both now firm favourites of mine).  And you also gave us the heads up on some sublime music closer to home – Robin Adams being one artist of particular note exciting to uncover.

In return I hope we have given you something that lifts your spirits and drowns your sorrows in equal measures.  Whether it be Sam Cooke or The Clash, Paul Buchanan or The Milk Carton Kids, Springsteen or Midlake, our big melting pot of music is there to prove that good music is good music.  No tags necessary.  And we’ve done it together, the best kind of musical collaboration there is.  But there’s no stopping us now.

So tonight on the show, as always, we rejoice in some musical offerings both classic and new.  Our Record of Note comes from Edwyn Collins, back with a punchy album that exhibits all the analogue-goodness that we’ve come to expect from the great man; we are Live On Arrival with The Pernice Brothers; and as for Undercover, well there was only ever one man who could help us celebrate hitting the big 12 months in style: Bob Dylan.  We hope you’ll join us tonight from 10.05pm on BBC Radio Scotland.  Your presence, and not your presents, is all that we require.

FRIDAY 29th March

CEILIDH
Aberdeen – Music Hall – Ceilidh with Clachan Yell – 8pm

SATURDAY 30th March

CLASS
Dundee – Dundee Central Library Creche – Guitar class with Paul Campbell – 1.15pm
Dundee - Wighton Centre, Dundee Central Library – Fiddle Class (Improvers – 11am)
Dundee - Wighton Centre, Dundee Central Library – Fiddle Class (Beginners – 12 noon)
Dundee - Wighton Centre, Dundee Central Library – Whistle Class (Beginners – 12.30pm)
Dundee – Wighton Centre, Dundee Central Library – Ann Heymann: Harp Workshop – 2pm

EASTER TEAS
Wick – Pipe Band Hall – Fayre – 11am

MONDAY 1st April

ACCORDION AND FIDDLE CLUB
Benbecula – Church of Scotland Hall – Saturday Ceilidh Night – 8pm
Coldingham – Crosslaw Caravan Park, School Road – Roddy Matthews & Friends – 7.30pm
Thurso – Pentland Hotel, Princes Street – Logan MacGregor SDB – 7.30pm

FITNESS CLASS
Edinburgh –Pentland Community Centre, Oxgangs Brae – Tartan Trainers Exercise class – 6pm

FOLK CLUB
Glenfarg – Glenfarg Hotel – Open Mic

TUESDAY 2nd April

ACCORDION AND FIDDLE CLUBS
Campsie – Glazert Country House Hotel, Lennoxtown – Lindsay Weir Trio – 7.30pm
Forfar – Plough Inn – Ladybank Club Visit – 7.30pm
Islesteps – Locharbriggs Social Club – Neil Hardie SDB – 7.30pm
Keith – Royal British Legion, Balloch Road – Johnny Duncan – 7.30pm

CLASS
Dundee, Wighton Centre, Dundee Central Library - Scots Song – suitable for beginners – 2pm
Aberdeen – St Nicolas Church Hall, Kincorth – RSCDS Ceilidh Class – 7.30pm

WEDNESDAY 3rd April

ACCORDION AND FIDDLE CLUBS
Dingwall – National Hotel – Neil Hardie SDB – 7.30pm
Glenfarg – Village Hall, Greenbank Road – Steven Carcary Trio – 8pm
Stonehouse – Violet Social Club – Judith Linton Band – 7.15pm
Templepatrick – Kinahan’s Restaurant – Declan Aungier – 8pm

CLASS
Fife – Kenoway Community School – Accordion Class – George Lawrie – 7-9pm - *Tickets £5.60/half price first lesson*
Midlem – Village Hall – Live Music – Old Time Class (GB Scott) – 8-10pm - *Tickets £2*

THURSDAY 4th April

ACCORDION AND FIDDLE CLUBS
Creiff – Creiff Hotel – Adin Graham – 7.30pm
Galashiels – Clovenfords Hotel – Stuart Anderson Band
Oban – Argyllshire Gathering Hall – Graeme Mitchell – 7.30pm
Portree – The Royal Hotel – Andrew MacDonald Trio
Rothbury – Queen’s Head Hotel – Ewan Galloway Trio – 7.30pm
Stornoway – Sea Angling Club – Susan MacFadyen Trio – 8pm
Turriff – Commercial Hotel, Cuminestown – Sandy & Jimmy Lindsay – 7.30pm

CLASS
Glasgow – Maryhill community Halls, Maryhill Road – Ceilidh Dance Class – 7pm
Penicuick – Town Hall – Ceilidh Class – 8-9:30pm - *Tickets £2.90/£1.50*