As some of you may be aware, 2002 was a particularly eventful time for me certainly towards the latter part of the year. No sooner had I started to talk to bassist Rick Kemp (Steeleye Span) about forming a new band that we would put onto the road, when Rick told me that there was a lead guitarists job on offer with Steeleye, and would I be interested in joining forces with them on their 'Reunion tour'. It wasn't something I had to ponder over for very long, and before I knew it, I was handed a couple of CDs, with something in the region of nineteen tracks to learn in the space of four weeks - just the kind of challenge I like. The tour, consisting of seventeen shows, ran from November 29th to December 20th, and turned out to be a great success.
Looking now to the future, I should tell you about the "Questions of Time" concert which takes place on Thursday May 1st. The idea behind this concert comes from two sources. Firstly, it's been about eighteen months since I last staged a concert in the Preston area, and secondly, some time ago I embarked on a BA (Hons) Music Degree at the University of Central Lancashire; one of my subjects involves staging a performance, or presentation - so, I thought - why not combine the two? The presentation will take up a relatively small part of the show - just after the interval. It is called "Questions of Time" and is a combination of music set to moving images and computer graphics, which will be back-projected onto a screen. It should prove to be an interesting evening, and includes a few special guests.
Click here for further information & ticket details.

Ken Nicol joins Steeleye Span for their 'Reunion Tour'

Read Ken's diary of the Tour.

From the BBC 2 folk web page............
2/01/03
STEELEYE SPAN Present (The Very Best Of) Park Records PRKCD64 One of the most influential bands in British folk music returns with a classic line-up for this album and accompanying tour. Bassist Rick Kemp, fiddler Peter Knight, guitarist Bob Johnson and drummer Liam Genocky join the unmistakable vocal presence of Maddy Prior on a double CD of tracks culled from the band's thirty-year output, all with shiny new arrangements. If you don't find all your favourite numbers from the early years, you've only yourself to blame - the choice was made by a recent online poll of Steeleye fans - but there's plenty to go at. All present and correct are The Blacksmith, When I Was On Horseback, Blackleg Miner, Cam Ye O'er Frae France, Misty Moisty Morning, Lyke Wake Dirge and more. Add two mainstream hits - All Around My Hat and Gaudete - and a range of songs from later albums and you have 18 tracks of updated classic folk-rock. It'll be interesting to check out reaction to the revamped classics - the originals will have nestled cosily in many a heart for three decades. Is cherished memory best left unmolested? Discuss.

If you catch the tour, expect to see ex-Albion Bandit Ken Nicol standing in for Bob Johnson, whose minor heart condition is keeping him off the road. Word is, it's going great, Ken's done a great job of learning all the material in short order, and Steeleye 2002 are enjoying a triumphant reprise.

From the BBC 2 folk web page............

STEELEYE SPAN BACK ON THE ROAD
Park Records has organised a classic Steeleye Span reunion pre-Christmas tour and album. Unfortunately, Bob Johnson has had to pull out of the tour for health reasons. He will be replaced by Ken Nicol. Though perhaps best known as an acoustic guitarist and vocalist (and for his songwriting and vocal contribution to The Albion Band), Ken is no mean electric guitarist and he is greatly looking forward to the Steeleye tour. According to insider sources, Ken avows he has never heard All Around My Hat but is quietly confident that he will have learnt the tour repertoire in a month. See our tour dates section for details.

More to follow..............

Due to personal circumstances, plans to record an album with Albion Band fiddle player Joe Broughton in 2002 were not realised. However, we did honour the dates we had already put in our diaries, all three of them, and we had a great time doing so.
If events allow in the coming year, we fully intend to go ahead with our original idea............ so watch this space.

Click here to see where Ken & Joe are playing...well, have played.

Stay posted for further developments.

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