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Leith School of Art Open Day

Edinburgh Philosophy and Psychology Group

April Verch Band at the Traverse

The Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

The Pentlands Book Festival 

 

Leith School of Art Open Day: if you’re interested in taking anything from an evening class in Mixed Media to a weekend workshop in Oil Painting, a weekly class in Art and Spirituality or even a one year full-time Foundation Course, Leith School of Art probably has just what you need. Housed in a Norwegian Seamen’s church in Great Junction Street (with some classes taking place in St James’ Church on Leith Links), the school has a high staff/student ratio and aims to offer an art education that emphasises the whole person in curriculum and pastoral care.

Drop in today and see the school in action; take a tour of the buildings, chat with staff and students and get a feel for this unique and creative environment. Portfolio reviews are also available – please contact the school in advance on 0131 554 5761 to book a slot. 10am-3pm, Leith School of Art, 25 North Junction Street. There will be a second open day on Thursday 29th October.

Edinburgh Philosophy and Psychology Group resumes its monthly meetings tonight at a new venue. Discussions are non-academic and group members come from a range of ages, backgrounds and nationalities. Attendance is usually around 20-30 members, non members are welcome and group meetings are FREE – with free snacks! Tonight’s discussion topic is The Meaning of Life. Does life have a meaning at all or is existence a meaningless accident? Or do we give life meaning and, if so, what? 8-9.30pm, Southside Social Bar, 42 Buccleuch Street. For more information see the group’s website here

April Verch steps, sings, and fiddles with a fresh approach to deep North American traditions. Touring the world to share songs from The Newpart, her milestone 10th album, Verch and her band – banjo/bassist Cody Walters and newly joined guitarist/mandolinist Lucas Chohany – keep the community-fired celebratory side of their traditional music at the forefront, honing a keen awareness of how to engage contemporary listeners.

At the heart lies Verch’s delicate voice, energetic footwork, and stunning playing; a trifecta of talents she brings together simultaneously to jaw-dropping effect. Even as she plays with the tradition she inherited in her native Ottawa Valley, Verch’s energetic and breathtaking performances speak to the heart of roots music with mature and reflective songwriting, interpreting, and storytelling.

Fiddler, singer, and stepdancer April Verch knows how relevant an old tune can be. She grew up surrounded by living, breathing roots music – her father’s country band rehearsing in the “Newpart,” the beloved Verch family room; the lively music at church and at community dances; the tunes she rocked out to win fiddle competitions – and decided early she wanted to be a professional musician.

She took that leap, and has been quietly leaping into new, nuanced places for more than two decades. Moving from exuberant stepdancer to fiddle wunderkind and silver-voiced singer, Verch may still spend many a fond hour rehearsing in the Newpart, when at home and not on tour, but like tradition itself, she has never been content to stand still.

On The Newpart, recorded with producer Casey Driessen, Verch digs deep into songs and tunes from the era before the often-mined mid-century heyday of bluegrass and folk. Harkening back to vaudeville and beyond, Verch and her fellow trio members pare down their arrangements, highlighting the simple pleasures of upright bass, guitar, clawhammer banjo, mandolin, voices, fiddle, and stepping in intimate conversation.

Yet Verch never forgets the roots of her music, that connection to the people out there in the audience, on the dance floor, to the community sparked by a good song. “It’s all about touching people, about bringing them together in a community to celebrate music. I’ve understood that better and better as time has passed: how to take this music that is at the center of my life, and make it live and breathe for other people.”

April Verch Band at the Traverse Theatre on 9 November 2015 as part of the Soundhouse Residency. Tickets here.

The Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair 2015 takes place between 28 October and 1 November 2015 at the Out of the Blue Drill Hall 30-38 Dalmeny Street EH6 8RG.

They have a huge line-up of authors to entertain you with ceilidhs, films, book launches and talks.  More information here.

The Pentlands Book Festival – Bookings Now Open! As part of Book Week Scotland, Currie and Juniper Green Community Councils and Currie Library have planned a great programme of literary events from 23rd to 29th November. From a Teddy Bears’ Sleepover to an afternoon with ‘the hive-mind of Edinburgh and Scotland’s comics talent’ the Edinburgh League of Comics, a Conversation with Scots dialect author Anne Donovan and a Wine Women and Song session with Christine de Luca and Diana Hendry, there’s something (in fact many things) for everyone; you can even enjoy some History on the Hoof – an historical walk around Baberton with local residents who, in 2014, published Baberton Mains, Past and Present – a ‘warts and all’ history of the 40 year old Wimpey estate and the lands, farms and families that went before. Tickets for all events can be obtained from Currie library or booked through eventbrite, and all are FREE; for more information visit the Festival’s website here.

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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.