Garden Sessions celebrates 2nd Anniversary in true Folkie style with Live Concert...

To date the Garden Sessions has covered almost every major folk festival in Scotland, and continues to gain listener-ship and expand its dedicated following across the globe.

On Thursday May 1st, The Garden Sessions celebrated it's 2nd Birthday at the Pleasance Cabaret Bar in Edinburgh. The special concert (available as episode 59 of the show) featured Glasgow based group The Paul McKenna Band, made up of some of the best of the new generation of traditional musicians, and are continually receiving acclaim for their new and exciting arrangement and performance of folk songs.

Scott Gardiner lives and breathes the Bothy Ballad tradition- having been brought up on a farm in the north east and performing since early childhood. Scott was recently nominated Scots Singer of the Year at the Scottish Trad Music Awards.

Martin Boland has been described as 'the man with the lived in voice' by The List magazine. He is one of the main figures behind famous folkie haunt the Royal Oak in Edinburgh, and is undoubtedly one of the best loved songwriters and raconteurs on the Edinburgh folk scene.

Lucy Pringle is a very recent addition to the folk scene and is already being ranked alongside the most resplendant female voices in folk such as Kate Rusby, and Karine Polwart. The concert also featured Edinburgh's finest a cappella group, Tanteerie.

Questions were raised by a few concerned folkies though as they felt that the Birthday Cake may have tasted slightly of Garlic. Dave "The Angles" Gimble said "I don't understand how this happened, it was the other side of the chopping board that had been used to chop Garlic the day before and I scrubbed it for ages..." The Garden Sessions apologizes unreservedly for this error, Dave assures us that next year's cake will be perfect (though he was quoted as saying that last year).

The Garden Sessions would like to thank everyone who was there once again, and of course - to Heather MacKenzie on sound.

Pictures from top: Paul McKenna Band, Martin Boland, Silver, Jack and Dave, Chris Wright & Lucy Pringle, Tanteerie, Jonathan Kemp & Scott Gardiner, Heather MacKenzie. Photographs by Robin Mair & Allan Foster.

Listen Now to Episode 59 of the Garden Sessions, the Special 2nd Anniversary Concert...

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Contact the Garden Sessions Newsdesk at news@gardensessions.co.uk