ABOUT ACOUSTIC ROTHERHAM

SUPPORTING ACOUSTIC MUSICIANS + IN YORKSHIRE

CONTACT JMUCREATE PRIVACY POLICY JMUCREATE TERMS AND CONDITIONS J MUCREATE DISCLAIMERS

PART OF ROTHERHAM ART EVENTS

SUPPORTING LOCAL LIVE MUSIC IN YORKSHIRE

WHY, WHEN AND WHAT

Acoustic Rotherham Hiring Fairs was the brain child of The Rawmarsh Mashers, and like all good ideas, pinched from others, mainly the now defunct monthly Hiring Fair in Loftus.

Fed up with two or three song sets at Open Mics, Sessions and Folk Clubs we needed a stage where we could develop our ideas and Test them on an unsuspecting public.

More importantly we discovered on our travels that we were not the only Act to be frustrated by singing what seemed to be the same songs to the same people every week as we toured around our favourite haunts. We discovered a huge body of talent, from singer song writers to full bands all looking for an opportunity to showcase their potential in a longer set format.

On what was a bright October Sunday afternoon in 2008 the first Acoustic Rotherham Hiring Fair was held at The Monkwood, Rawmarsh, and following it’s success, it has become a solid quarterly date, and remains popular with Artists.

Our home is now at The Queens or Crown, Rawmarsh, depending upon which Pub is available. This because of a stand we had to take a couple of years ago when it was discovered that the then Land Lord was entertaining meetings of the BNP , something which as firm socialists we could not over look.

Over one hundred and ten different Acts have now performed on an Acoustic Rotherham stage.

The Hiring Fairs are open to everyone, no matter what standing, we always encourage new and emerging talent to appear, especially young people.

JMUCREATE.COM, already the home of the rawmarshmashers.com became the base for acousticrotherham.com. And the Web Site just grew and grew, responding to the information that Artists and interested people wanted, from additional information resources to a full listing service.

David Kidman’s Review service also allows artists to have their work Reviewed and have it published on the Acoustic Rotherham Web Site and “Folk Roundabout” the quarterly Folk Magazine.

The Web Site has gone from strength to strength in terms of popularity with the musicians and others of South Yorkshire. Our readership makes us one of the most read sites of our genre in the UK. Only the big glossy sites, like Spiral Earth, are ahead of us according to Alexia the International site tracking Organisation.

Our weekly all encompassing News Blog now has a regular weekly readership in excess of 200 via the various Internet places it is published.

Acoustic Rotherham has been involved in a number of initiatives to take Acoustic Music out to new audiences. We’ve toyed with Working Men’s Clubs, even running a Folk Club in one for a short period of time, a concept that while introducing the un-inducted to the modern scene did not really did not hold.

We’ve also promoted various evenings of music with a variety of Partners, more latterly at The Rotherham Open Arts Festival.

It was sad that the Myke Barritt Music Trust failed in 2012, sad for many reasons, most of all the development of Acoustic and Folk Music in Rotherham.

However, Rotherham Art Events has burst on the scene, and Acoustic Rotherham is now a firm Partner and an important part of this not for profit CIC.

This link up will I believe be important to the development of a healthy Folk and Acoustic scene in Rotherham. We do have many Open Mics and Singers Clubs at various venues around Rotherham, however what sadly became clear during the 2012 Fringe Festival, while the Clubs maintain a relatively healthy membership interest in even top performers from the Region and even National names cannot attract an audience.

It was clear that a new strategy had to be found, we have decided to go at the genre from a different direction by providing support to the amazing talent and creativity of our Rock comrades, and moving sideways.

This has meant a hiatus in Acoustic Rotherham Events, but we hope to be back on course in March.

We will also be planning to put on one or two big shows with our local artists providing the support during 2013, and marketed as part of the LIVE AT THE TRADES programme.

Some will argue that this is a move away from the grass roots, but I feel it is a necessary step. Acoustic Rotherham and any other organisation has no right to try / demand that local groups join in on their activities, thus it is difficult to provide support to them without appearing to be patronising or without giving the impression that we are seeking to take over. By developing a stepping stone through Acoustic Rotherham quarterly events and Live At The Trades events, we may help to push our folk and acoustic talent, especially young talent towards new and wider audiences.

The link up also gives us considerably wider audiences and with Rotherham Art Events promoting The Youth Festival, Slamfest and the music bits of The Fringe Festival we stand a better chance of creating a worthwhile music hub in Rotherham.

SO ONWARDS TO A STRONGER 2013 FOR FOLK AND ACOUSTIC MUSIC.