NORTHUMBRIAN MUSIC
NIGHTS
Biography of
Cappy's
Drift
CAPPY'S DRIFT
This brilliant new band from the North Pennines of England has more musical experience than can be appreciated from just a simple listening session. These musicians not only make superb music together, they also make the instruments that make the music, and then they teach that music to others in their community. Members of the band are all participants at various music sessions around Tynedale, where live music is a thriving and much-loved activity for one and all.
Andrew Morgan of Allendale has been playing fiddle for some thirty years, and is a regular member of the Windy Mills Ceilidh Band, which is much sought after for weddings and other lively dance functions. Andy is a skilled luthier, making instruments as diverse as the bass mandolin, mandola, guitar, and cello.
Ray Sloan from Wall makes his living fashioning Northumbrian and Uillean pipes, and his solo renditions on his own finely crafted instruments are a real delight to anyone who appreciates the particular Northumbrian sound. It's no wonder he's Tynedale Council's official piper! His pipes are in great demand from customers around the world, so that a waiting list of at least 18 months is the current expectation when placing an order.
Paul Bloomfield from Westgate in Weardale is a musical educator in his day-time job, but at night he plays keyboards, guitar, fiddle, and any other instrument that catches his fancy. His communication skills in music are a wonderful complement to the band, and his instrumental backing helps to create the unique sound of Cappy's Drift.
Also providing exquisite harmonies, and venturing into sweet melodic territory on his own, young Andrew Lawrenson has been holidaying in Catton with his family for as long as he can remember, though he spends the winter months in Fife. He's just finishing his university degree in Latin and English at Newcastle, and has been playing Northumbrian pipes since he was a tiny tot. Andrew is a winner of numerous piping competitions around the region, and is a regular piper at Wallington House.
The band's name comes from a combination of classic Northumbrian song and a unique feature of the lead-mining that characterised the North Pennine region a hundred years ago. 'Famous old Cappy' was a beloved dog now immortalised in traditional song, while the ancient drift mines that still dot the region are gently back-sloping incursions into the hillsides. Old friends might also say to each other, 'D'yeh catch me drift?' when they want to check whether their listener understands what they're trying to say. It's a little bit of the North Pennines character to be slightly inscrutable.
Sure to please in any function, festival or occasion where people love to listen to live music, Cappy's Drift are true music lovers who love to make their own unique sound that reflects their origins in the North Pennines.
