Welcome

Ladies and gentleman, welcome to Iona Leigh’s first official newsletter. This newsletter will be sent out monthly going forward and will include exclusive offers, free downloads and other interesting goodies so we hope that you will find them interesting and useful.

In this Issue:

In this issue we will cover all of the exciting things that Iona has been up to in the past month including -

• Phoenix FM to play Iona on the radio this weekend!
  
• Iona performing live and upcoming performance dates
  
• News about Iona’s upcoming album
  
• New Videos with Interviews & Gig Highlights

Iona Leigh On The Radio this weekend!

John Sharp from Phoenix 96.7 fm (Calderdale) Radio or web radio, will be playing Iona at approx. 9.35am this Friday (3rd October) and his colleague Nigel will be playing it on the Sunday (5th of October) on his morning folk show "Nowt So Queer As Folk" between 10am and midday. So all please listen in. Thank you John and Nigel for your support!

If you would like one of Iona’s songs to be played on air again in the future, then please text your song request to: +447766404142. Start the message with the word 'Phoenix' and then let them know what your request is. Alternatively, you can contact the DJs via email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Phoenix Radio 96.7FM, broadcasts to Calderdale, and to many parts of Bradford, Kirklees and Leeds, from its studios in Halifax, Calderdale. The listening audience has a population of well into the 100,000s on 96.7FM, and billions more around the world who tune in to listen online at PhoenixFM.co.uk

Iona has been doing some fabulous gigs with the newly formed Iona Leigh Trio; featuring Rachel Coleshill on fiddle and John Doole on guitar at some of London’s top Folk/Acoustic venues, including a feature at the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith, where they received a encore and have been invited back to perform a 20 minute support set on Iona’s 25th birthday – the 17th of October.

The Iona Leigh Trio also played a gig last Sunday in one of London’s trendiest hot spots, at the InSpiral Lounge, Camden Town, where they had the whole audience clapping and singing along before receiving yet another encore! Iona will be returning to play there again later in the year. Please see the following link for video highlights from that gig:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-T0c5moN63g

(If you would like to book Iona Leigh please write to: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

Iona has some exciting gigs coming up in London and it would be great to see you at one of these shows! Please see the details below, and check the website regularly for updates at:
http://www.ionaleigh.com/Gigs.html

17 Oct 2008, 7:30 PM - Irish Cultural Centre
Blacks Road, Hammersmith, London, W6 9DT
Entry is £6 (buy tickets at the door)

The Gloss Club singer / songwriters night presents Iona Leigh as a support act for Tinderbox, a band that recently performed a number of headline shows to capacity crowds. Additionally, they were lucky enough to support a number of talented and high-profile acts including Kris Drever, Ralph McTell, Uiscedwr and Megson.

21 Oct 2008, 08:00 PM - The Queen Boadicea
292 - 294 St. John Street, Clerkenwell, London, ECIV 4PA
Entry is £6 (buy tickets at the door)

Iona will be performing a set of material from her new album at London’s "CLUBACOUSTIC" night, which aims to provide a platform for singer-songwriters of all types and styles of music to develop, network and showcase their talent. The venue that is very atmospheric with "shabby chique" leather sofas, mirrors and architectural features.

05 Nov 2008, 20:00 08:00 PM - Hootananny
95 Effra Road Brixton, London, SW2 1DF
Entry is £6 (buy tickets at the door)

Iona Leigh will be performing a half hour set (on fireworks night) as part of the first of the season’s weekly acoustic nights, which Timeout has called; "One of the best nights out south of the river" Timeout. Please come along – bring your friends and join in the fireworks night celebrations with some great live music!

Iona spent most of the summer writing, rehearsing, arranging and recording her brilliant new album with producer Nick Turner of Scotland’s Watercolour recording studio and media production company based in Ardgour, Fort William, at the heart of the Scottish Highlands. The studio is owned and run by producer Nick Turner and his wife, musician and broadcaster Mary Ann Kennedy.

The pace of life in Ardnamurachan suits the company approach; with offices informally run, but with an eye to detail focused on creativity and the production of original material. The studio has been responsible for a huge number of recordings, many of them award-winners, and covering a wide spectrum of musical genres - Traditional, Country, Pop and Rock, Jazz, Bluegrass , Spiritual, Classical and Medieval.

Iona claims; “In the mornings, it would often be raining outside the bothy, where all the musicians and I were staying, but by lunch time we would all be sunbathing in the courtyard, and in the early evenings the midgies would be out hunting for their dinner! Summertime in the Scottland is just heavenly - with birds singing, the river babbling, and the beautiful flowers in full bloom – I felt completely inspired during the whole recording process!”. Please see Iona’s 1st video diary where she speaks about the upcoming album:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qRY5p5t8j-w

Uilleann pipes & flute - Jarlath Henderson, from Dungannon, County Tyrone, is a three times ‘All-Ireland Champion’ uilleann piper, and teacher with the renowned Armagh Pipers Club. Jarlath has taught and performed at a number of international piping festivals on television and radio. In December 2003 he became the first Irish musician to win the prestigious BBC 'Young Folk Musician Of The Year', a major national award.

Drums & Percussion - Paul Jennings is one of Scotland's top percussionists, and his unique style of playing has seen him play with a host of top name acts and artists within the Scottish and World music scene. Jennings has already gained much experience as a recording and touring musician with artists including; Peatbog Faeries, Capercaillie, Wolfstone, Jenna Reid, Emily Smith, Blazin Fiddles, and Dochas.

Violin & Viola - Gillian Frame comes from the Isle of Arran on the West Coast of Scotland. Hailing from a family of musicians she was introduced to traditional Scots and Irish music at an early age. In January 2001 Gillian won the prestigious Young Scottish Traditional Musician of 2001 Award and since then she has been rapidly gaining experience in all areas of traditional music, including; performing, recording and teaching contexts.

Acoustic Guitar & Backing Vocals - Findlay Napier, guitarist and vocalist, is a founding member of Back of the moon who won Best Up and Coming Band and Folk Band of the Year at the Scottish Traditional Music Awards and the Bolad De Loic Raison at Lorient Festival Interceltique. Findlay co-managed and performed with back of the moon through three critically acclaimed albums, and numerous North American and European tours.

Bass Guitar - Colin Cunningham, a bassist from Dundee, who now works as a band and session musician in Glasgow. Whilst embracing a wide range of popular musical influences, Colin’s main concentration is as a key member of one of Scotland’s most renowned Celtic Rock bands ‘Wolfstone’. This band have been the headline act for many major festivals throughout the world, and sold thousands of albums over the last few years, achieving two gold albums.

Harp - Mary Ann Kennedy’s musical career covers several roles as performer, producer, writer and teacher. She has won several major awards, including the Concours Internationale de l'Harpe Celtique and both National Mod Gold Medals. Her band, Cliar, won the all-time Best Album accolade at the inaugural Scots Traditional Music Awards, and earned her a Saltire Award. Her broadcast credits as presenter and performer include major BBC Radio and Television series.

Iona Leigh’s New Videos!

Iona and the album musicians took a bit of time out from their busy recording schedule to perform a live version of Selkie Song, one of the new tracks from the upcoming album. We will be adding this new video to the website in November – so watch this space! In the meantime, you can watch some live video footage from her gig at the InSpiral Lounge in Camden, as well as an interview with Iona, where she discusses the process of recording her new album. For all videos please visit:
http://www.ionaleigh.com/Video.html

Thank you from Iona Leigh!

“I would like to thank all of my loyal fans for your constant support and appreciation of my music! Please tell all your friends about my new music, pass this newsletter on, and invite your friends to visit my website where they can get free downloads when they sign up to the mailing list! If you have any feedback regarding this newsletter or anything you’d like to tell me, please feel free to reply to this mail. Thanks again! Love & Blessings, x Iona”.

PERMISSION & PRIVACY

You have received this email because you "opted-in" and requested to receive the Iona Leigh Band Letter or as a courtesy because you are a member of the media. If you feel that you have received this email in error, you may unsubscribe from this newsletter by clicking the link below.