Newsletter - May 2008

Melting Pot acts will be appearing throughout Winchester MayFest this week, from the opening bash at the Bishop on the Bridge on Thursday 15th May to the closing gigs on Sunday lunchtime. All the gigs are listed below, or see the summary  on our web site.

We will also be hosting a Melting Pot stage at Romsey's Beggars Fair on Saturday 12th July - look out for us on the bandstand in the Memorial Park from 11 am to 5pm. I'll send further details nearer the time.

While I'm on the subject of the Beggars Fair, its growing success means there is a need for many more stewards than in previous years in order to comply with the licensing requirements. If you think you may be able to help out, even if it's only for a few hours, please do let me know. Either email beggars@...  or register online.

We'd like to welcome new Melting Pot members Contraband and Steve Picken. Contraband have their own take on bluegrass, blending it with country, blues and folk influences. Steve's impressive guitar playing has long been known, and now he can mainly be found working with singer and songwriter Polly Wood.  Sadly, Chien Bizarre are no longer gigging, although a new project could well be on the way soon featuring many of the same musicians.

There's plenty of live music still to be heard, however, and here's the comprehensive Melting Pot listings for the next couple of months:

Atlantico - www.atlanti.co.uk

Saturday 7th June at 9pm

Talking Heads, Portswood Road, Southampton

Sunday 6th July at 12 noon

Summer Sounds Festival, Vigo Road Park, Andover

Sunday 6th July at 2pm

Queen Elizabeth Gardens, Salisbury

Saturday 12th July - time TBC

Beggars Fair, Memorial Park, Romsey

Contraband

Friday 16th May at 9pm

Winchester MAYfest, Old Market Inn, The Square, Winchester

Wednesday 21st May at 9pm

The Dolphin, Osborne Road South, Southampton (right by St Denys station)

and on alternate Wednesdays subsequently

Saturday 12th July at 8pm

Beggars Fair, The Star, Romsey

Louche Manouche - www.myspace.com/louchemanouche

Tuesday 13th May at 9pm

The Dolphin, Osborne Road Southampton

and on alternate Tuesdays subsequently

Thursday 15th May from 9pm

Winchester MAYfest - Bash on the Bridge

at the Bishop on the Bridge, High Street, Winchester

Friday 16th May at 9pm

Winchester MAYfest, Bishop on the Bridge, High Street, Winchester

Saturday 17th May at 9pm

The Shoe Inn, Salisbury Road, Plaitford, Romsey

Monday 26th May at 2.30pm

The Hobbit, Bevois Valley, Southampton

Friday 30th May at 9pm

The Trusty Servant, Minstead, New Forest

Saturday 31st May at 9pm

The Bent Brief, Lodge Road, Southampton

Sunday 1st June at 3pm - TBC

The Guide Dog, Earls Road, Southampton

Tuesday 3rd June at 9pm

The Platform, Town Quay, Southampton

and every four weeks subsequently

Saturday 7th June at 9pm

Bell Street Cafe, Bell Street, Shaftesbury, Dorset

Friday 13th June at 9pm

Royal Oak, North Gorley, near Fordingbridge

Saturday 14th June at 12 noon - TBC

Wimborne Festival, Dorset

Friday 20th June at 9pm

Trusty Servant, Minstead, New Forest

Saturday 21st June at 9pm

The Shoe Inn, Salisbury Road, Plaitford, Romsey

Saturday 12th July - time TBC

Beggars Fair, Memorial Park, Romsey

Miros - www.miros.org.uk

Friday 16th May at 9pm

Bridge House Hotel, Ringwood Road, Longham, Dorset

Sunday 18th May at 12.30pm

Winchester MAYfest, Bakers Arms, High Street, Winchester

Friday 30th May at 9pm

Bridge House Hotel, Ringwood Road, Longham, Dorset

Friday 27th June at 9pm

Bridge House Hotel, Ringwood Road, Longham, Dorset

Saturday 12th July - time TBC

Beggars Fair, Memorial Park, Romsey

Quattrio

Saturday 17th May at 1pm

Winchester MAYfest, St Laurence's Church, The Square, Winchester

Saturday 12th July – time and venue TBC

Beggars Fair, Romsey

Steve Picken and Polly Wood - www.myspace.com/stevepicken

Sunday 18th May at 2pm

Winchester MAYfest, The Eclipse, The Square, Winchester

Thursday 22nd May at 9pm

Blue Keys Hotel, Northlands Road, Southampton

Sunday 8th June at 8.30pm

Wedgewood Rooms, Albert Road, Southsea

Reel Sound Music acoustic night - entry £4

Sunday 22nd June at 1.30pm

Platform Tavern, Southampton

Thursday 3rd July at 9pm

Bent Brief, Lodge Road, Southampton

Thursday 10th July at 9pm

Blue Keys Hotel, Northlands Road, Southampton

Chris Whitfield - www.myspace.com/chriswhitfieldguitar

Sunday 18th May at 2pm

Melting Pot presents...

Pressgang and Chien Bizarre
Thursday 17th January 2008 at 8pm
Talking Heads, 320 Portswood Road, Southampton
£6 on the door

A folk band like no other, Pressgang take traditional songs into places that
no other band dare to go. New sounds from an accordion, whirling dervish
instrumentals, a capella singing and rapping are just a taste of the full
ingredients. Add to this storytelling, drama and audience participation and
you¹ll have an idea of the stage show that got them all over Europe and the
USA without a major record label or management. It has to be seen to be
believed.

Support from the pan-European sounds of Chien Bizarre.

Map to venue:
http://uk.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?lat=50.9293&lon=-1.3852&scale=5000&ico
n=x
The Talking Heads: http://www.thetalkingheads.co.uk
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.0/1216 - Release Date: 09/01/2008
10:16

Welcome to the winter edition of the newsletter, taking you up to the
end of 2007 in style.

First, a new venture for Melting Pot - a workshop for musicians.  "PA
for Musicians" is a musician-friendly guide to the dark art of sound
engineering, hassle-free sound checks and those strange furtive
creatures called engineers.  Led by Cliff Eastabrook, the workshop is on
Sunday 2nd December from 2pm to 6pm at Unit 6 Rehearsal Rooms,
Southampton. Full details
<http://www.meltingpot.org.uk/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=blo\
gsection&id=2&Itemid=9>  are on the Melting Pot web site.

On to news from the bands. Not content with a gig list as long as your
arm, Louche Manouche <http://www.myspace.com/louchemanouche>  also have
a "big date" at the wonderful Hanger Farm Arts Centre in Totton on
Saturday 15th December.  The evening brings you the full band who'll be
playing in various line-ups and en masse. Support from the dazzling
fingerwork of Chris Whitfield.

If you fancy going out tonight, Miros <http://www.miros.org.uk/>  are at
the Royal Oak in North Gorley (near Fordingbridge).  Miros is a now a
quartet since adding Matt Tarling to their line-up.  A fantastic
fiddler, with years of experience on and off-stage, Matt adds that all
important ingredient to their overall sound. Tonight's set will have
more of an "irish" flavour - including some of their favourite jigs and
reels of course.

Although Skimmington Ride is no more, members of the group will be
getting together with King John's Morris for a special Christmas evening
at the Dolphin in St Denys on Thursday 20th December. Traditional
Christmas songs, carols, tunes and, of course, the legendary King John's
Morris mummers play (mind the lights!). Full details below.

Finally, some advance notice for 2008: Melting Pot presents Pressgang,
exciting, vibrant and radical folk music, back together and as strong as
ever, at Talking Heads on Thursday 17th January.

Atlantico <http://www.atlanti.co.uk/>

Saturday 8th December
Talking Heads  <http://www.thetalkingheads.co.uk/> , 320 Portswood Road,
Southampton

Chien Bizarre <http://www.chienbizarre.co.uk/>

Saturday 24th November
Dansez Francais
<http://www.btinternet.com/~mulreany/Dansezfrancais.html> , Patcham
Memorial Hall, Old London Road, Brighton

Thursday 13th December
The Dolphin, Osborne Road South, St Denys, Southampton

Miros <http://www.miros.org.uk/>

Friday 16th November at 8.30pm
Royal Oak <http://www.royaloakgorley.co.uk/> , North Gorley, near
Fordingbridge

Friday 7th December
Bridgehouse Hotel <http://www.thebridgehousehotel.co.uk/> , 2 Ringwood
Road, Longham, Ferndown, Dorset

Chris Whitfield  <http://www.myspace.com/chriswhitfieldguitar>

Saturday 15th December
Hanger Farm Arts Centre  <http://www.hangerfarm.totton.ac.uk/> , off
Aikman Lane, Totton, Southampton S040 8FT
Support for Louche Manouche

Louche Manouche <http://www.myspace.com/louchemanouche>

Friday 16th November
The Bent Brief, Lodge Road, Southampton

Friday 23rd November
The Trusty Servant, Minstead, near Lyndhurst

Tuesday 27th November
The Dolphin, Osborne Road South, St Denys, Southampton

Sunday 2nd December at 3pm
The Guide Dog, Earls Road, Southampton

Tuesday 4th December
The Platform <http://www.platformtavern.com/> , Town Quay, Southampton

Saturday 8th December
Royal Oak <http://www.royaloakgorley.co.uk/> , North Gorley, near
Fordingbridge

Tuesday 11th December
The Dolphin, Osborne Road South, St Denys, Southampton

Saturday 15th December at 8pm
Hanger Farm Arts Centre <http://www.hangerfarm.totton.ac.uk/> , off
Aikman Lane, Totton, Southampton S040 8FT
with Chris Whitfield

Friday 21st December
The Trusty Servant, Minstead, near Lyndhurst

Thursday 27th December
Royal Oak <http://www.royaloakgorley.co.uk/> , North Gorley, near
Fordingbridge

Christmas at the Dolphin
with King John's Morris <http://www.king-johns-morris.org.uk/>  and
members of Skimmington Ride
Thursday 20th December at The Dolphin, Osborne Road South, St Denys,
Southampton
An evening of traditional Christmas songs, carols, tunes and, of course,
the legendary King John's Morris mummers play (mind the lights!).

The Dolphin is right next to St Denys station. Why not come by train, be
green and enjoy the Christmas spirit (or ale) without worrying about
breathalysers? Last trains from St Denys:
23:25 to Romsey via Chandlers Ford
23:33 to Southampton Central, Romsey and Salisbury
00:06 to Southampton Airport, Winchester and London (connection to
Southampton Central and Poole)
More train times from National Rail <http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/> .
Melting Pot - www.meltingpot.org.uk <http://www.meltingpot.org.uk/>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Long running Romsey-based folk band Skimmington Ride has disbanded after
the departure of the longest-standing and only remaining founder member
Keith Newton.

The rest of us, Arthur, Cath, Nic, Mark and Vicki, are taking a short
break and planning to work together on new projects from early 2008.

Skimmington Ride has been around longer than anyone cares to remember
and were most closely associated with the Tudor Rose pub in Romsey where
we had a fortnightly (later monthly) residency for many years. We'd like
to thank everyone who has been with us over the years and look forward
to new ventures and adventures in the future.

For information about other Melting Pot acts (some of which involve
members of Skimmington Ride) see our web site at
http://www.meltingpot.org.uk <http://www.meltingpot.org.uk>



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

A couple of changes to the last gig list:

Skimmington Ride will not be at the Bent Brief tonight, Thursday 20th
September. For a while we thought Louche Manouche might be doing this
one, but it's actually going to be big screen rugby. So don't turn up
unless you want to watch Wales beating Japan.

Louche Manouche will, however, be at the Bent Brief on Saturday 6th
October.

Melting Pot Newsletter Autumn 2007
----------------------------------

Melting Pot is expanding! We'd like to welcome on board Atlantico,
sizzling and exuberant eight piece Latin dance ensemble, and Chris
Whitfield, stunning finger-style acoustic guitarist. Full details on
the Melting Pot web site.

The first big occasion after the summer holidays is the next Melting
Pot Presents... event at Talking Heads in Southampton, this time
featuring some special guest artists.  You may have noticed I
occasionally disappear for odd weekends and come back babbling about
gigs in France or Italy with a Welsh folk rock band.  Well, now's
your chance to find out what it is Cath does on her holidays and
catch Here Be Dragons in a rare UK performance.

On Friday 7th September Melting Pot presents a wild night of Celtic
and acoustic folk with attitude.  Here Be Dragons bring their brand
of high-energy Celtic music from Wales with support from Skimmington
Ride and Chris Whitfield.

More about Here Be Dragons at http://www.herebedragons.info



Atlantico - http://www.atlanti.co.uk
---------

Saturday 13th October
Talking Heads, 320 Portswood Road, Southampton
http://www.thetalkingheads.co.uk

Sat 8th December
Talking Heads http://www.thetalkingheads.co.uk


Chien Bizarre - http://www.chienbizarre.co.uk
-------------

Friday 28th September
The Bent Brief, Lodge Road, Southampton

Friday 26th October
Square & Compass, Worth Matravers, nr Swanage, Dorset

Tuesday 30th October
Ringwood Folk Club, Elm Tree Inn, Hightown, Ringwood

Friday 2nd November
Queen Elizabeth Country Park, Horndean, Hampshire

Saturday 24th November
Dansez Francais, Patcham Memorial Hall, Old London Road, Brighton


Louche Manouche - http://www.myspace.com/louchemanouche
---------------

Tuesday 21st August
The Dolphin, Osborne Road South, St Denys, Southampton

Friday 31st August - evening (time TBC)
The Ropewalk Community Festival, Neighbourhood Advice Centre, 53
Derby Road, Southampton

Sunday 2nd September at 4pm
Wellow Village Hall, School Road, West Wellow, Romsey
French themed event for Wellow Twinning Association

Tuesday 4th September
The Dolphin, Osborne Road South, St Denys, Southampton

Tuesday 11th September
The Platform, Town Quay, Southampton http://www.platformtavern.com

- Every other Tuesday at the Dolphin
- One Tuesday of the month at the Platform
- Last Sunday afternoon of the month at the Guide Dog (except August)
You can work the rest out for yourselves or check the band's MySpace
site

Saturday 15th December
Hanger Farm Arts Centre, off Aikman Lane, Totton, Southampton S040
8FT http://www.hangerfarm.totton.ac.uk


Miros - http://www.miros.org.uk
-----

Friday 21st September
Bridgehouse Hotel, 2 Ringwood Road, Longham, Ferndown, Dorset
http://www.thebridgehousehotel.co.uk

Friday 12th October
Bridgehouse Hotel http://www.thebridgehousehotel.co.uk

Friday 9th November
Bridgehouse Hotel http://www.thebridgehousehotel.co.uk


Skimmington Ride - http://www.myspace.com/skimmington
----------------

Friday 7th September
Talking Heads, 320 Portswood Road, Southampton
http://www.thetalkingheads.co.uk
Support for Here Be Dragons

Thursday 20th September
Bent Brief, Lodge Road, Southampton


Chris Whitfield - http://www.myspace.com/chriswhitfieldguitar
---------------

Friday 7th September
Talking Heads, 320 Portswood Road, Southampton
http://www.thetalkingheads.co.uk
Support for Here Be Dragons

Saturday 15th December
Hanger Farm Arts Centre, off Aikman Lane, Totton, Southampton S040
8FT http://www.hangerfarm.totton.ac.uk
Support for Louche Manouche

It always happens - send out the gig list and within a couple of days
it changes! Due to unforeseen (and hopefully very temporary) closure,
Skimmington Ride will not be at the Dolphin this evening. Hopefully
we'll get another date soon.

A big thank you to everyone who came along to Talking Heads last Friday
- a great gig and a brilliant relaunch for the new Melting Pot.  If you
came on Friday and want to see more, or if you missed the launch gig and
want to catch up, here's where all the Melting Pot acts are at for the
next couple of months.

More details of all the bands are on the Melting Pot web site at
www.meltingpot.org.uk <http://www.meltingpot.org.uk>  with links to each
band's own site and/or MySpace space.

See you soon!
Cath

Chien Bizarre - unusual quirky tunes on clarinet, accordion, fiddle,
guitar and hurdy-gurdy

Friday 30th March at 8pm
Supporting ColvinQuarmby at Salisbury Arts Centre, Bedwin Street,
Salisbury - £10 entry

Saturday 31st March at 8pm
The Bent Brief, Lodge Road, Southampton - free entry

Saturday 21st April at 8pm
The Square and Compass, Worth Matravers, Dorset - free entry

Louche Manouche - gypsy swing in the footsteps of Django

Tuesday 27th March at 9pm
The Dolphin, Osborne Road South (over the bridge from St Denys station),
Southampton - free entry

Tuesday 3rd April at 9pm
The Platform Tavern, Town Quay, Southampton - free entry

Tuesday 10th April at 9pm
The Dolphin, Osborne Road South, Southampton - free entry

Tuesday 24th April at 9pm
The Dolphin, Osborne Road South, Southampton - free entry

Sunday 29th April at 3pm (afternoon gig)
The Guide Dog, Earls Road, Southampton - free entry

Tuesday 8th May at 9pm
The Dolphin, Osborne Road South, Southampton - free entry

Tuesday 22nd May at 9pm
The Dolphin, Osborne Road South, Southampton - free entry

Sunday 27th May at 3pm (afternoon gig)
The Guide Dog, Earls Road, Southampton - free entry

Miros - inspiring jazz folk with Celtic roots

Friday 30th March at 8.30pm
Bridge House Hotel, Ringwood Road, Longham, Ferndown, Dorset - free
entry

Friday 27th April at 8.30pm
Bridge House Hotel, Ringwood Road, Longham, Ferndown, Dorset - free
entry

Friday 25th May at 8.30pm
Bridge House Hotel, Ringwood Road, Longham, Ferndown, Dorset - free
entry

Skimmington Ride - folk music with attitude

Thursday 29th March at 9pm
The Dolphin, Osborne Road South, Southampton - free entry

Thursday 5th April at 8pm
Folklights Extra with Brian Hooper and Anam Cara at the Abbey Hotel,
Church Street, Romsey - £4 entry



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi

You're receiving this message because several years ago you signed up
for the Melting Pot mailing list and received news and gig dates from
Souls of Fire, Las Patatas Bravas, Skimmington Ride, the Frescobaldi
Consort and the Travelling Talesman. This message is to let you know
that Melting Pot is being relaunched, with a new web site and a
revitalised email list to keep you up to date with the latest bands
and projects from members of these groups. The site has just gone
live at http://www.meltingpot.org.uk

To tie in with the launch, Melting Pot holds its first promotion on
Friday 23rd March at Talking Heads, 320 Portswood Road, Southampton.
The gig features four acoustic bands in one gig: the pan-European
sound of Chien Bizarre, folk with attitude from Skimmington Ride,
jazz folk with Celtic roots from Miros and gypsy jazz rhythms from
Louche Manouche.

On the new Melting Pot web site you'll find full details of all the
current Melting Pot acts:
- Chien Bizarre
- Louche Manouche
- Miros
- Skimmington Ride
- The Travelling Talesman
- Melting Pot Theatre Band

You can link to the bands' own sites and MySpace spaces, and buy
their CDs online. There will also be archive material from past
projects.

We hope you enjoy the new site and look forward to seeing you at a
gig soon!

All the best
Cath

MELTING POT NEWS - SPRING 2004

Changes afoot! This is probably the last newsletter you'll receive
from me for some time as I will be going abroad for two years to do
Voluntary Service Overseas. I'll be working for the National Legal
Aid Clinic for Women in Lusaka, Zambia as a database developer and
will be leaving on 20th May, so will obviously not be playing with
Skimmington Ride and the Frescobaldi Consort for a while!

Fiddling duties in Skimmington Ride will be taken over by Chris
Townsend who you may have caught in action with any or all of Man in
a Brown Hat, Chien Bizarre and Minced Head - all three bands have
played at the Beggars Fair and at the Tudor Rose. Chris has already
played our April date at the Tudor Rose and will be joining us
tomorrow at the Dolphin in St Denys, on Sunday at the Fulflood in
Winchester and next Sunday at the Tudor Rose. Tomorrow is the last
gig with all of us, since I will be away this Sunday and Mark will be
away next

Sunday. It would be great to catch as many of you as possible at one
of these gigs before I go away.

The Frescobaldi Consort is celebrating its 20th anniversary this
year. Although we don't have any performances planned, we will be
having a big party with lots of the people who have played with the
Consort over the years. We've recently welcomed a new member, Pat
Glynn, who plays the lute, and we're still looking for another full
time recorder player. We're looking for competent sight readers, able
to play (or willing to learn) all sizes of recorder; if this is you,
or someone you know, do get in touch at consort@...

Not really band news, but you may also like to know that Nic and I
got married on Easter Saturday after twenty years together. The
reception featured short performances by the Consort, the Travelling
Talesman and a hastily reconstituted Souls of Fire (acoustic). We
had a really amazing day and our feet are only just beginning to
touch the ground again!

Hopefully this won't be the last Melting Pot newsletter and I'll be
able to find a willing victim, sorry volunteer, to keep the news
coming.

Hope to see some or all of you at the Dolphin or the Tudor Rose - if
not, goodbye, thank you, and see you in two years' time!

Love
Cath


GIG DATES

Thursday 22nd April at 9pm
Skimmington Ride
Dolphin, Osborne Road South, Southampton
(right next to St Denys railway station)

Sunday 25th April at 9pm
Skimmington Ride
Fulflood Arms, 28 Cheriton Road, Winchester
http://www.fulfloodarms.co.uk/

Saturday 1st May at 7.30pm
King John's Morris dance in the Cornmarket, Romsey
followed by a song and tune session in the Tudor Rose with King
John's Morris, Skimmington Ride and anyone else who turns up.

Sunday 2nd May at 9pm
Skimmington Ride
Tudor Rose, Cornmarket, Romsey

Sunday 6th June at 9pm
Skimmington Ride
Tudor Rose, Cornmarket, Romsey

Sunday 4th July at 9pm
Skimmington Ride
Tudor Rose, Cornmarket, Romsey

Friday 9th and Saturday 10th July
Beggars Fair, Romsey

MELTING POT NEWS - JANUARY 2004

Firstly a big thank you to everyone who came along to the Skimmington
Ride Christmas gig in December. King John's Morris mummers excelled
themselves and it was a treat to hear Vicki and ex-Tudor Rose
landlord Steve hurling insults at each other during their rendition
of the Pogues' "Fairytale of New York"!

Later in January members of the Frescobaldi Consort and Skimmington
Ride are joining forces as the Melting Pot Theatre Band for a
Southampton University Players production of the Merry Wives of
Windsor at the Nuffield Theatre. Cath (that's me - violin), Jane
(recorder), Ingrid (bass viol and curtal) and Nic (cittern) will be
live on stage in costume playing music from Shakespeare's time. We've
recorded a CD EP including all the music used in the play, and the CD
will be on sale at the performance. The Merry Wives of Windsor is at
the Nuffield Theatre, Southampton (http://www.nuffieldtheatre.co.uk/)
from Tuesday 20th January to Saturday 24th January. Tickets are £9
(£8 concessions) and are available from the Nuffield Theatre Box
Office on 023 8067 1771.

On Sunday 18th January the Tudor Rose in Romsey welcomes Chien
Bizarre featuring Mac and Duncan from Souls of Fire (on melodeon and
clarinet) along with Chris on fiddle and Doug on guitar playing folk
tunes from France, Britain and further afield.

Hope to see you at a gig soon!
Cath


*********
GIG DATES
*********

Sunday 18th January at 9pm
Chien Bizarre
Tudor Rose, Cornmarket, Romsey

Tuesday 20th January to Saturday 24th January
at 7.30pm (8pm on Friday and Saturday)
Southampton University Players present
The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare
with music by the Melting Pot Theatre Band
Nuffield Theatre, University Road, Southampton
Box Office 023 8067 1771
http://www.nuffieldtheatre.co.uk

Sunday 1st February at 9pm
Skimmington Ride
Tudor Rose, Cornmarket, Romsey

Sunday 7th March at 9pm
Skimmington Ride
Tudor Rose, Cornmarket, Romsey

Sunday 4th April at 9pm
Skimmington Ride
Tudor Rose, Cornmarket, Romsey

MELTING POT NEWS - SUMMER 2003
------------------------------

OK, so it's been a while, but we're still around and still
making music!

The Frescobaldi Consort has recently expanded to include
two new members taking us to a six piece line-up. The new
line-up debuts on on Saturday 5th July with a concert
entitled The Triumph of Oriana which features music from
the Elizabethan "Golden Age" and includes pieces by Byrd,
Dowland and Morley. The concert is at Edmund Kell Church,
Bellevue Road (off London Road), Southampton at 7.30pm.
Tickets are £6 (£4 concessions) to include an interval
glass of wine, and can be obtained in advance from
023 8067 9585 or on the door.

Skimmington Ride are now playing the first Sunday of every
month at the Tudor Rose in Romsey, and the next gig is on
Sunday 6th July at 9pm.  We're not taking a summer break
this year so for the first time in many years we'll be
there in August too, on Sunday 3rd. We're also at the
Dolphin in St Denys, Southampton (right by St Denys railway
station) on Thursday 24th July and hope to be back there
about every two months.

Romsey's Beggars Fair is on Saturday 12th July for a whole
day of music, dance and street entertainment. The
Frescobaldi Consort are at Prezzo, an Italian restaurant
in Palmerston Street, at 1.30pm and in King Johns Garden
at 3.15pm. Skimmington Ride are on for the usual riotous
evening at the Tudor Rose from about 9pm. We're still short
of stewards for the day, so if you're planning to come and
can spare some time to rattle a tin - even an hour would be
great - please email me now.

The Beggars Fair sees the debut of new band Methane which
features Cliff (Travelling Talesman, ex-Morrigan, ex-Press
Gang etc) Eastabrook making a welcome return to bass with
Chris Davey and others. They're due to burst upon an
unsuspecting world sometime around 3pm (check the time on
the day) at the William IV, Latimer Street, Romsey.

Finally, congratulations to Kelly, ex-Souls of Fire
trumpeter, who gets married to Victor in September.
Various ex-Souls will be serenading her up the aisle in
sunny Spain.

Hope to see you at a gig sometime!
All the best
Cath


FULL LISTINGS
-------------

Saturday 5 July 2003 at 19:30
The Frescobaldi Consort presents The Triumph of Oriana
Edmund Kell Unitarian Church
Bellevue Road (off London Road), Southampton
Entry £6 (£4 concessions) to include an interval glass o
Advance tickets available from 023 8067 9585

Sunday 6 July 2003 at 21:00
Skimmington Ride
Tudor Rose
Cornmarket, Romsey, Hampshire

Saturday 12 July 2003 at 13:30
The Frescobaldi Consort
Prezzo (Beggars Fair performance)
Palmerston Street, Romsey, Hampshire

Saturday 12 July 2003 at 15:15
The Frescobaldi Consort
King Johns Garden (Beggars Fair performance)
Church Street, Romsey, Hampshire

Saturday 12 July 2003 at 21:00
Skimmington Ride
Tudor Rose (Beggars Fair performance)
Cornmarket, Romsey, Hampshire

Thursday 24 July 2003 at 21:00
Skimmington Ride
The Dolphin
Osborne Road South, Southampton (right by St Denys station)

Sunday 3 August 2003 at 21:00
Skimmington Ride
Tudor Rose
Cornmarket, Romsey, Hampshire

Sunday 7 September 2003 at 21:00
Skimmington Ride
Tudor Rose
Cornmarket, Romsey, Hampshire

Happy New Year! (OK so it's been 2003 for three weeks now, but better
late than never..)

Skimmington Ride are now at the Tudor Rose only once a month, on the
first Sunday of the month.  However, we've got a couple of dates in
other places to make up for it.  Winter gigs go like this:

Sunday 26th January at 8.30ish
Fulflood Arms, Cheriton Road, Winchester
http://www.fulfloodarms.co.uk

Sunday 2nd February at 9pm
Tudor Rose, Cornmarket, Romsey
http://www.tudorroseromsey.co.uk

Thursday 20th February at 9pm
The Dolphin, Osborne Road South, Southampton
(next to St Denys railway station)
No website, but here's a map:
http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?X=443000&Y=114000&scale=10000

Sunday 2nd March at 9pm
Tudor Rose, Cornmarket, Romsey

Sunday 6th April at 9pm
Tudor Rose, Cornmarket, Romsey

Cheers
Cath

MELTING POT AUTUMN DATES
------------------------

Saturday 23rd November at 8 pm
The Frescobaldi Consort presents An Autumn Garland
King John's House, Church Street, Romsey
Romsey's historic King John's House provides an atmospheric backdrop
for an autumn programme of consort and chamber music from four
centuries including music by  Vivaldi, Byrd, Loeillet and Telemann.
Tickets £6 (concessions £4) available on the door or in advance from
023 8067 9585

Sunday 24th November at 9 pm
Skimmington Ride
Tudor Rose, Cornmarket, Romsey

Sunday 8th December at 9 pm
Skimmington Ride
Tudor Rose, Cornmarket, Romsey

Friday 13th December at 6 pm
The Frescobaldi Concert play Christmas music
for King Johns House WI Christmas Market

Thursday 19th December at 9 pm
Skimmington Ride
The Dolphin, Osborne Road South, Southampton
(next to St Denys station)
A welcome return to a great little venue

Sunday 22nd December at 8 pm (note earlier start time!)
Skimmington Ride Christmas Special
Tudor Rose, Cornmarket, Romsey
All the usual Christmas mayhem including carol singing and the King
Johns Morris mummers play. Mind the light!

STOP PRESS!

Skimmington Ride
Thursday 19th September 2002 at 9pm
The Dolphin, Osborne Road South, Southampton

Skimmington Ride escape from Romsey yet again, this time to The
Dolphin in St Denys - right next to St Denys railway station.  It's a
great pub - nice people, excellent beer (lots of real ales) and a
friendly atmosphere - and we're really looking forward to our first
gig there tomorrow (or possibly today by the time this message gets
sent...).

Skimmington Ride can, as ever, still be found at the Tudor Rose in
Romsey on Sunday 29th September at 9pm, and every other Sunday from
then until Christmas.

ADVANCE NOTICE

Saturday 23rd November 2002 at 8pm
The Frescobaldi Consort
King John's House, Church Street, Romsey
A concert featuring some of our favourite music, some for recorders
on their own, some for recorder/s with violin, harpsichord and bass
viol.  Includes music by Vivaldi and Telemann.  Tickets and further
information from 023 8067 9585.

Sunday 22nd December 2002 at 8pm
The Skimmington Ride Christmas Special
Tudor Rose, Cornmarket, Romsey
Carol singing, mummers (we hope!) and special Christmas set. Come
along for a great pre-Christmas party atmosphere (i.e. too many
people crammed into a very small space).

Just in case you'd forgotten...!

The Beggars Fair is on this Friday and Saturday 12th and 13th July in
Romsey. Over 60 acts in twelve venues, including Las Patatas Bravas
on the Cornmarket stage on Saturday afternoon, and Skimmington Ride
on Saturday evening (guess where?).

Look out for Captain Driver's Delight featuring Mac (ex Souls of
Fire) on Friday night at the Tudor Rose, and Duncan and Mac (also ex
Souls of Fire) performing as a duo on Saturday.

In addition, this year's Beggars Fair sees the release of Skimmington
Ride's first CD, a special limited edition EP (only 100 copied) which
will be on sale at the Beggars Fair and on the Melting Pot online
store only as long as stocks last.

Friday 12 July
Captain Driver's Delight - 8.30pm at the Tudor Rose
Saturday 13 July
Captain Driver's Delight - 10am on the Cornmarket stage
Duncan & Mac - 1.30pm in King John's Garden
Las Patatas Bravas - 4.15pm on the Cornmarket stage
Duncan & Mac - 8pm at the Abbey Hotel
Skimmington Ride - 8pm at the Tudor Rose

NB: All performance times subject to change at no notice! Check times
at venues on the day.

Look forward to seeing you there!
Cath

Beggars Fair website: http://www.beggarsfair.com
Melting Pot shop: http://www.cdstreet.com/artists/meltingpot

Just a quick reminder that Skimmington Ride will be at Legends in
Bevois Valley, Southampton tomorrow Friday 28th June. Kick-off is 9pm
and it's free entry.
Hope to see you there!
Cath

O
     O
  ____o____
  \  O o  /
  /    o  \   ******************
|   o     |  MELTING POT UPDATE
  \_______/   ******************


              *
May 2002  *    *
            *

No sooner do I send out a newsletter than another gig suddenly
appears!  Las Patatas Bravas make a rare public appearance at
Legends, Bevois Valley, Southampton on Friday 31st May at 9pm - and
it's free.  Guitar instrumentals - cult film and TV themes - classic
surf - cool shades.

Plus a quick reminder that The Frescobaldi Consort present A Spring
Garland at Edmund Kell Unitarian Church on Saturday 11 May at 7.30pm.
Chamber music to greet the spring including pieces by Vivaldi,
Telemann and Byrd. Tickets available from 023 8067 9585.

Thanks to everyone who came along to see Skimmington Ride at Legends -
  we had a great time and hope to be back on Friday 28th June. The
next Skimmington gig is Sunday 12th May at the Tudor Rose,
Cornmarket, Romsey.

Nic's latest track Arabesque is now available on MP3.com - check it
out at http://artists.mp3s.com/artist_song/2385/2385379.html

Despite my appeals no reviews have appeared on the CD Street site
yet - there must be some budding critics out there! Get writing at
http://www.cdstreet.com/artists/meltingpot/ and we still could do
with some volunteers to help with the Beggars Fair - email me if you
think you can help out.

If you missed the last newsletter it's on the YahooGroups site at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/meltingpot_uk/ and you can join, leave,
change your email address etc from that page too.

All the best
Cath

O
     O
  ____o____
  \  O o  /
  /    o  \   **********************
|   o     |  MELTING POT NEWSLETTER
  \_______/   **********************


                 *
April 2002  *    *
                  *


Latest
------
The Melting Pot website has finally been updated - not a major
redesign, but a bit of a spruce up and check that everything's up to
date. We now have a proper online CD sales facility courtesy of CD
Street, priced in dollars but it'll accept orders from anywhere and
the CDs are still despatched from our living room. And, most
important of all, it works. All the time.

One of the facilities offered by CD Street is the ability to add CD
reviews so I'd like to invite all of you who feel so inclined to
write a review of the CD of your choice, whether it's Souls of Fire,
Las Patatas Bravas or the Frescobaldi Consort. Anonimity is assured
if you're shy! Go to http://www.cdstreet.com/artists/meltingpot/,
click on your chosen CD, then click the "Review this recording" link
to add a review.

Escape from Romsey
------------------
Friday 19th April sees Skimmington Ride escape the confines of the
Tudor Rose to play Legends in Bevois Valley, Southampton. Can't get
out on Sundays? Can't get to Romsey? Now's your chance! Since it's a
first gig at a new venue it would be great to see as many friends as
possible on Friday. Don't worry though, we're not abandoning the
Tudor - we're still there every fortnight.

Recorders for the spring
-----------------------
It's been all change for the Frescobaldi Consort following the
release of their CD, An Italian Feast, in November 2001. Nicky has
moved to London, so we welcome back Gilly who returns after a break
of about ten years. She's just in time to join us for our first
concert of the season at Edmund Kell Unitarian Church, London Road,
Southampton on Saturday 11th May.

Dragons on the prowl
--------------------
Back in December of last year I got invited to join Welsh folk-
rockers Here Be Dragons for a four-night tour of Italy, which was
great fun - at least by the last gig when I'd finally learnt the set!
Following on from that, I got invited back again this year for an
eight-day tour March. Check out the silly photos on their website at
http://www.hereBdragons.co.uk.

Solo Nic
--------
By the time you read this, Nic's latest solo creation should be
uploaded to his MP3 site at http://www.mp3.com/nicbradford. The
track, Arabesque, is a haunting eastern-influenced ambient number
featuring wordless vocals from Vicki Hobbs. Have a listen and let us
know what you think. Souls of Fire fans who liked Mitzva Tants will
love this!

Beggars needed
--------------
Advance warning: This year's Beggars Fair in Romsey is on 12/13 July
2002. For my sins, I've volunteered to coordinate the stewards this
year. We need between 20 and 35 bodies to help everything run
smoothly - stage crew, programme sellers, info stand helpers, or just
rattle a tin for a while. The more people we have, the less each
person has to do. Email me at cath@... if you think you
can help. The Beggars Fair website has moved to
http://www.beggarsfair.com

All the best, hope to see you at a gig sometime soon,
Cath


GIG LIST
--------

Friday 19 April 2002 at 9pm
Skimmington Ride
Legends, Bevois Valley, Southampton

Sunday 28 April 2002 at 9pm
Skimmington Ride
Tudor Rose, Cornmarket, Romsey, Hampshire

Saturday 11 May 2002 at 7.30pm
The Frescobaldi Consort
Edmund Kell Unitarian Church, Bellevue Terrace (off London Road),
Southampton

Sunday 12 May 2002 at 9pm
Skimmington Ride
Tudor Rose, Cornmarket, Romsey, Hampshire

Sunday 26 May 2002 at 9pm
Skimmington Ride
Tudor Rose, Cornmarket, Romsey, Hampshire

Sunday 9 June at 9pm
Skimmington Ride
Tudor Rose, Cornmarket, Romsey, Hampshire

Sunday 23 June at 9pm
Skimmington Ride
Tudor Rose, Cornmarket, Romsey, Hampshire

Saturday 6 July at 2pm
Early Music Day at the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum
including the Frescobaldi Consort
Singleton, near Chichester, West Sussex

Sunday 7 July at 9pm
Skimmington Ride
Tudor Rose, Cornmarket, Romsey, Hampshire

Friday 12 and Saturday 13 July
Beggars Fair, Romsey
including Las Patatas Bravas, Skimmington Ride and over 40 other acts

Welcome to the Melting Pot mailing list. Keep up to
date with news and listings for all the Melting Pot
acts:

Souls of Fire
Las Patatas Bravas
The Frescobaldi Consort
Skimmington Ride
The Travelling Talesman


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices
http://auctions.yahoo.com/