Tue 8 Jul 18:30pm
On Tuesday 8 July we’re delighted to welcome Folkstock Arts Foundation for a special evening shining a light on female songwriters! There’ll be live performances from 8pm from Kal Lavelle & Stephanie O’Brien plus a songwriting masterclass in our cafe area from 6.30pm for any budding young female writers out there.
Places are strictly limited for the early session – please RSVP for your free place here: http://www.
Here are a few words from the organisers about what is in store…
“Few emerging singer songwriters have been asked to support top acts such as Ed Sheeran on tour, even fewer have notched up a staggering 50,000 views on just one of her songs published on respected indie internet video channel, Ont Sofa. By having their songs registered on PRS both artists have been able to benefit from the support and revenue collection available from registering with PRS for Music, which in turn has allowed them to pursue careers as musicians.
However, despite all of this, they are not household names. You might not have heard of them. Yet. But that is set to change. And this is your chance to meet and hear them perform before they hit the big time !
Both are spell-binding female performers in their own right. Nothing unusual about that, you could be forgiven for thinking. However, as the recent Women in Music conference in London revealed, “Only 13% of the songwriters registered on PRS for Music are women”.
Shocked to hear this startling statistic at the South Bank conference earlier this year, the successful soulful-folk-pop singer-songwriters decided to do something about it. Teaming up with Helen Meissner from Folkstock Arts Foundation, a community interest company which mentors, records and promotes up and coming independent artists, Song Sisters has become a national double headline tour this summer.
But this is no ordinary tour. The girls are committed to making a difference and improving the statistics. Rather than sitting back and being smug that they are in the 13%, they want to encourage other female songwriters to get their songs finished and registered and by way of practical support, they are offering FREE ENTRY Masterclasses for women only. Deliberately planned to coincide with the summer holidays, to encourage as many singer songwriters as possible, the sessions will run from 6.30 – 8pm and incorporate a song surgery as well as tips and advice and a question and answer element with both Stephanie and Kal on hand to help.
We are delighted to announce that there will also be representation available from PRS for Music at the events and information about how to register plus tips on making a career out of music.”
“Beautiful” – Alex Zane
“Exquisitely beautiful & raw, it’s as if she’s talking directly to you!”. Perez Hilton
“One to watch” Daily Mirror
Kal Lavelle is an Irish born singer songwriter now living in London.
Kal Lavelle has gained huge support from her friend Ed Sheeran (Grammy nominated, Brit Award winner). He took her on tour in the UK & Ireland in 2011 and asked her to support him at his biggest headline show (thus far in the UK), Thetford Forest, Suffolk, in 2012, playing to 10,000 people!
On the 1st of Jan 2012, the Sunday Mirror (UK National Newspaper) listed Kal in their “Hot for 2012” Ones to watch list.
Stephanie has a colourful history; from her time as singer in London close harmony trio The Puppini Sisters, to collaborations with Michael Buble and Carole King, she is one to keep busy.
Her songs dance the line between the heart-warming and heart-breaking, delivered in her unique blend of jazz, pop and folk. Having released her debut EP ‘Leave Your Heart at the Door’ early this year, she continues to garner attention from an ever-expanding audience; with her most recent release of a brand new track ‘Alive’- previewed in a spectacular live-performance video.
She presents an unforgettable live performance in which her ingenuity in looping her voice, guitar and violin, magically reproduces the sound, feel and energy of a complete band.