A warm welcome from Scad the Beggars

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Scad the Beggars

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We have actually been on the go, in various guises, since 2002. 

This was when we first got together to promote the

Traditional Music and Song of North Antrim 

Here's a photo of the original line up.

This Blog then, is a little potted history of our musical journey, so far, we hope you find it interesting. 

Before I start though, perhaps I should just explain that the expression 'Scad the Beggar', which we adapted for our name, is a local term for Mealie-Crushie, which is oatmeal fried in bacon fat, known in some parts of Scotland as Creesh-Mealie - so now you know!

For those not familiar with the music & song of this area, let me explain that, due to the close proximity of Scotland, the music and song popular in North Antrim has always been heavily influenced by Scottish material, so during any typical musical soirée in North Antrim, you would always expect to hear a healthy mixture of both Irish and Scottish material.

If you live in North Antrim, we sincerely hope that you will manage to come along a enjoy our weekly informal Sessions in the Bushmills Inn. If you are yourself a musician and or singer we would especially encourage you to come along and join us, to share your musical talent.

On the other hand, if you are planning to visit this area and would like to come along to one of our Sessions, whether to join in yourself or just to listen, then please do get in touch, either through this Blog or by sending me an  E-mail we look forward to meeting you.

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Scad the Beggars ..... NEWS!

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1. 'Scad the Beggars' on TV

Watch out for us on your TV, cause we actually feature in a new TV Advert for Northern Ireland, which is doing the rounds just now, in early 2010, & is being seen throughout Scotland, England & Wales.

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2. Dick Glasgow on BBC 1's 'Country Tracks' 

Dick Glasgow was featured in a recent edition of BBC 1's 'Country Tracks'. 

The show ended up at Dick's other regular weekly session in the Springhill Bar, Portrush, where, as well as featuring clips of the musicians & their music, Dick was interviewed at length by the lovely Ellie Harrison and even gave her a brief lesson in the art of playing the Bodhran.

BBC 1's 'Country Tracks' 

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On the new BBC Ulster Scots website there's a recording of an interview,

dating from 2004, which I gave, where I express a few thoughts

on Ulster Scots Music.

Interview: Part 1

Interview: Part 2

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Now, let me introduce you to the members of Scad the Beggars .........

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Dick Glasgow ~ Fiddle, Hammered Dulcimer, Mandolin & Concertinas.

Dick Glasgow, a Scotsman, born in Edinburgh by the way, just to confuse everyone, has played the Traditional Music of Scotland and Ireland for nearly forty years. 

Dick, who is the founding member of Scad the Beggars, is a full time musician who spends his days tutoring children in local Primary Schools, encouraging them to learn to play music and is keen to promote Traditional Music in North Antrim.

Dick giving a school presentation

His Grandfather was a Highland Piper and his Great Grandfather was a Fiddler so I guess you could say music is in his blood. Naturally enough he plays the Fiddle, but he also plays the Hammered Dulcimer, an instrument which has a long history in Co. Antrim, but nowhere else in Ireland. So Dick is keen to play his Dulcimer at every opportunity, to help keep alive this dying Antrim tradition. 

Another of his musical passions is the Concertina and unusually, Dick not only plays the Anglo Concertina but also the English Concertina. The former is the Concertina of choice for Traditional Irish musicians while the English Concertina is the instrument favoured by Concertina enthusiasts in Scotland.

Anyway, here is Dick playing a selection of Traditional Scottish Tunes on his Hammered Dulcimer.

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The Boys and Girl from County Clare ~ The Movie

Dick coached one of the actors for the movie, 

to have him look like he really was playing the Fiddle. 

Dick also had the honour of choosing the tune, 

'The Rolling Waves', for the movie. 

He also had a cameo role at the start of the movie. 

You can see him here in this clip, as the brother's Fiddling Dad.

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Dick has also produced two tapes and one CD.

Tape one: 'Rathlin Sound'

Tape Two: 'To the Bridge' 

For the tapes Dick chose numerous local musicians

to play the variety of North Antrim tunes he selected for this project.

For the CD, 'From a Northern Shore',  

Dick wrote a number of tunes especially for this project.

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I was lucky enough to be asked to play on a Northern Irish TV show this week. 

It promotes live music here & you can still catch it on the:

Blas Ceoil BBC2 iPlayer

To learn more about my world of Traditional Music, visit my Blog:

Dick Glasgow

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Sabine Glasgow ~ Harp, Vocals & Fifes

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Another founding member of Scad the Beggars is Sabine Glasgow. 

Although a native of Germany, she has lived for almost 30 years now in first Scotland and then Northern Ireland.

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Sabine has a lifelong interest in the Traditional Music and Song of not only Scotland and Ireland but also Wales.

Wearing a number of different musical hats she is equally at home playing her Clarsach for Church Weddings, her Gothic Harp for Medieval Fayres and Jousts, in full Medieval Costume of course, or her Knee or Lap Harp for Pub Sessions with Scad the Beggars. 

Sabine is also very fond of playing wind instruments too, so during any performance by Scad the Beggars, you are likely to hear her play Fife and Flute, Shawm and Crumhorn

Here is Sabine on her Harp, accompanying her husband Dick, who is playing a Scottish tune, The Vital Spark, on the English Concertina.

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Dick & Sabine also enjoy playing the Ancient Music of Ireland.

They usually play this music in costume at period events each year.

Here they are playing in their tent at an event with friends:

'Nuada'

Ferris is playing the English Great Pipe & Sam Symphonia,

Sabine is on Harp & Dick on Hammered Dulcimer.

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During this past Summer, '09, Sabine, Dick & their friends Ferris & Sam recorded four tracks

of Medieval Music with percussionists Wilson & Thomas for a new movie 'Your Highness'

This Medieval fantasy is actually being filmed in Northern Ireland & we spent three very

exciting days in costume being filmed as the Medieval Band, for the movie.

Here we are in costume.

Sabine with a very exotic wig.

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Alan Wade ~ Scottish Smallpipes

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Local man Alan Wade played in Pipe Bands for years and indeed comes from a very musical North Antrim family, for his father played not only Highland Pipes but also Uilleann Pipes.

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Fortunately, Alan followed in his father's footsteps and although he still plays the Highland Pipes, he is keen to promote his chosen instrument the Scottish Smallpipes when he plays with the Beggars in Session and Concert.

Alan is one of the founding members of Scad the Beggars and here he is, playing a selection of Scottish tunes on his Scottish Smallpipes.

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Riley Piddington ~ Lead Vocals & Guitar

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Riley Piddington is a local man who supported the Black Nun Folk Club for many years, regularly performing floor spots on Guitar with his 'partner in crime' Desie Hasson.

Riley has been fond of singing Irish and Scottish Ballads for many years now, with his love of this musical form going back to the days of the Folk Revival.

Here is an example of Riley at work with the Beggars, at one of our weekly Sessions.

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Desie Hasson ~ Percussion & Vocals

Local man Desi Hasson, a recently retired School Principal, also supported the Black Nun Folk Club regularly for many years and performed floor spots with Riley Piddington on many occasions.

Desie wears a number of musical hats, so as well as playing Folk and Traditional material regularly with Scad the Beggars, he also hosts monthly Garage Sessions at his home, at which he plays a full drum kit and slightly heavier musical forms shall we say are practiced, where the sound of electric instruments would be more the norm.

However, with the Beggars, he's equally at home when, either rattling the Bodhran along with a bunch of Reels ....

... or, laying down a funky Conga groove behind a singer.

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Sam Fleming ~ Northumbrian Pipes, Harmonica & Whistles

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Although a native Ulsterman, Sam spent a lot of years living in England, where he developed a passion for the Small Pipes of the North of England, called Northumbrian Smallpipes.

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However, Sam has actually been a Piper for many, many years now.

Here he is, as a member of the James Seaton Pipe Band, way back in 1957.

So what were you doing in 1957? 

As well as being a piper by nature, yes he used to play the big Highland Pipes, he is also a dab hand at the Diatonic Harmonica the Tin Whistle & Low Whistle too.

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Brian Shaw ~ Lead Vocals & Percussion

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The most recent member of the Scad the Beggars ensemble is Englishman Brian Shaw.

For the past twenty five years he lived on the Isle of Skye, but recently moved to the Causeway Coast and has been singing with us, ever since.

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Brian sings and since joining us, has learned to master the Bodhran, Spoons & Kazoo, the last mentioned especially suiting his favourite brand of music ... the Blues. 

When Brians around you need not be surprised to hear a Gershwin or Cole Porter number in the mix. 

Well, you know what they say, variety is the spice of life!

Anyway, here's Brian singing 'Careless Love'.

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Scad the Beggars ~ Friends

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As we play regularly in local Pub Sessions, we often come in contact with Musicians and Singers who are just passing through or are actually on holiday in the area. We always encourage such musicians to join us, so that we might share each other's music and song. This open policy to our sessions has led to many wonderful musical evenings and new friendships being formed with musicians from all over the place.

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Saturday 3rd October

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Clive, who is a Portstewart man born & bred, is now living in England, but on this recent trip back home, he called in to see us & to share some of his music with us & we all had a great night. 

I must just say, these Salterelle Piano Accordions are the Bees Knees of PAs as far as I'm concerned. 

For my money, when it comes to PAs, that lovely dry sound is hard to beat.

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Saturday 26th September

Last Thursday night we had Uilleann, Border & Scottish Smallpipes at our session in Portrush, then last night in Bushmills, we had a different Uilleann Piper {Trevor Stewart}, plus the Scottish Smallpiper {Alan Wade} & a Northumbrian Piper {Sam Fleming}.

As a Fiddler, I just love playing along with Pipes and it was brilliant having those three very different pipes & their own music, all at the same session. 

However, I must confess, I was constantly tuning the Fiddle up & down, for nearly four hours, between the Uilleann & the Scottish Smallpipes, as they were never exactly in with each other, but it was worth every minute of it.

Luckily I had my spare Fiddle with me too, so I was able to tune that to F for the Northumbrian Pipes.

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Saturday 22nd August

We had a great night, with old friends & new joining us, including: 

Emmett & Emmett junior, over on holiday from Nottingham.

Excellent musicians and Emmett senior is a member of  the group Acushla

 

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Saturday 15th August

We had a great night, with a few musician friends joining us and a number of singers too. 

The night included one song in Irish and another in Welsh. 

......... oh yes and a Willie Nelson song too!

Well, you can't beat variety!

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1st August 2009

Last Saturday, we were joined by Co Antrim Fiddler Kathleen Smyth (see below) and also by Stiofán ó hEochaidh and his wife. 

Stiofán, who is a regular musician at the sessions in the Springhill Bar, Portrush, not only plays Flute, Whistle & Bodhran but he also sings and here he is, last Saturday night, singing an unaccompanied song with us, in Irish.

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25th July 2009

We had a great night recently, when well known Co Antrim Fiddler Alec Kerr of the 'Antrim and Derry Country Fiddlers Association' joined us. 

As luck would have it he arrived in on a night when four Scottish musicians also called in to join us for a few tunes.

Here's a shot of Alec playing a couple of tunes with Norman Mackay

Here are three members of the Argyll group 'Canterach' galloping along through a set of Reels, with Rebecca Brown on Fiddle, Norman Mackay on Accordion & Angus McLaughlin on Low Whistle.

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These four excellent Singers from Scotland joined our Session one evening and treated us to some delightful Scottish Songs.

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Another very special night was when the last two resident Co. Antrim Hammered Dulcimer players, the late Nat Magee and William Rea, joined our session for a few tunes.

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Renowned Co Antrim Uilleann Piper and Flute Player John Hughes, joined us one night, along with our friend Kathleen Smyth on Fiddle, for a few tunes.

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This lovely local singer has joined us on many occasions and is always only too pleased to give us a song or two.

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Rick Davis from Chattanooga comes over every year to study the history of the Hammered Dulcimer in Co. Antrim. He always makes a point of joining us at our Sessions to share his latest tunes with us & borrow some of ours. Here he is galloping through a few fast ones, with our Desie in hot pursuit!

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This charming and very musical English couple, have joined us on a number of occasions and we always enjoy their visits.

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Co. Antrim Fiddler Kathleen Smyth is a very good friend of the Beggars and always joins us when she is in the neighbourhood. She is known and loved the length and breadth of Ireland for her excellent musicianship and warm friendly personality. 

We always look forward to her visits.

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Two more regular visitors are this couple of fine English musicians. They have a holiday home nearby which is very fortunate for us, for it means we get to share some music with them each year. They both play F & D sets of Northumbrian Pipes and when they are around, you can also expect to hear some dazzling finger work on Accordion and see some very fancy footwork on English Step Dances.

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We were in for a special treat when this lovely lady borrowed Riley's Guitar.

Mr & Mrs T'J' Hull, all the way from Milwaukee, joined us on their Honeymoon and we enjoyed a memorable night with them, as T.J. in particular, produced some amazing Fiddle playing on the night.

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We have, of course, enjoyed many more nights than I've listed here, when visiting musicians joined us for a nights crack, too numerous in fact to mention. However, the finest night in the history of our sessions so far, without a doubt, was the night previous guests of the Black Nun Fest, Malinky, joined us for a session.

These guys are without doubt, some of the very finest musicians and singers in Scotland today and it was a real honour and privilege for us, when they joined our wee session for a night.

We heard in one night alone, the most delicate, controlled and unpretentious singing our session has ever experienced, coupled with some amazing musicianship including award winning Fiddle playing. 

I've never seen our audience so affected by the music and song, the whole night was a pure delight.

Unfortunately, it was one of those nights when I didn't bring my camera, still, here's a photo of Malinky off on tour, somewhere in the World.

Judging by those sunglasses, I think it's safe to say they weren't in Scotland or Ireland, when this photograph was taken!

Malinky

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