Ian Robertson Acoustic Music

24 Jan 2012

I am starting to use the "Robertsons Court in Session" brand name for all gigs whether solo or with other artists as I feel it keeps a continuity of name.
Kicking of on Thursday 26 Jan is my new weekly session in The Ale House, 18-22 Clerk Street, Edinburgh. This will be an Open Acoustic session with musicians welcome to come along and join in. I am hoping to build up a night similar to what was happening with the Mantlers in previous years. So come along if you are in the area and lets have some fun :)

See you soon
Ian

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15 Jan 2012

Here we are into 2012 and three months have passed since I updated this page.... this is partly because I have been so busy with trying to keep up with so many other things. My resolution for this year is to prioritise and action my various web pages that I have.
So what is going on in the life of Ian Robertson - Well the first gig of the year was with Oz as Robertsons Court in Session last night in the Hebrides Bar. What a great night we had and it was busier than expected on this traditionally quiet period. We are back in The Scotsmans Lounge this Saturday for the start of 2012's Fortnightly gigs in this great Old Town bar. For the first part of the year I will be concentrating on Robertsons Court more than the solo side of things but as the year progresses I will be trying to bring to fruition an idea for a project but have to obtain permission to use some songs from a writer friend of mine... more on that at a later date.
I am also hoping to start working on some new material both original and covers so look out for the updates on that.
That's about it for now so until next time .... keep the music live :)
Ian
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02 Oct 2011

September has come and gone so quickly I nearly missed it!! Had some good gigs this month all with Oz on bass. The Corstorphine Inn gigs went really well and looks like they will become a regular feature in our gig list. As usaual the Hebs and Scotsman gigs were fun with some great interaction with the punters. Both bars were pretty busy for September as there is usually a lull after the festival so that was good. Oz played his last gig for a while on 24th as he will now have arrived in Australia on his annual visit to see the family, hope he has a great time. I will have him back playing on 28th October. So is it all solo gigs whilst he is away? Well some are and some not. I was joined by Allan Robertson  last Friday in the Scotsman. Allan plays guitar and sings in his own right, currently with a band called
"Reckless Roses" They have lots of energy and play regular in Ryries Bar at Haymarket Edinburgh and the Black Rose in Rose Street Edinburgh well worth going to see. I have a couple of solo gigs in The Rabbie Burns bar in the High Street which will be totally acoustic and unplugged. Joining me, on bass, for at least one gig will be "Maggie"
There is a possibility of other musicians joining me but no firm details as yet. October sees me getting a couple of Saturdays free so they will be a welcome rest.
Well get ready to "Hap" up for the Autumn weather coming and come along to some of the gigs and join in with the music.
Cheers
Ian
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29 August 2011

Well the Festival is more or less finished now and we will see the streets of Edinburgh suddenly getting a lot quieter, but life goes on for the regular entertainers within the city and we have to try and keep the punters coming into the bars we play in (not always an easy feat at this time of year)
So what is happening/about to happen in the life of Robertson? Well it has been a good august with lots of fun filled gigs especially in the Hebrides and Scotsman's Lounge bars. Coming up this month myself and Oz, as Robertsons Court, have a new venue - The Corstorphine Inn. I popped in tonight just to get a feel for the place as it is years since I was in that bar. It is a nice layout and I am looking forward to our first night on Sat 3rd September. I have no solo gigs planned this month so it is the main ones with Oz at the two aforementioned bars. The Greenmantle is not on the listings this month due to it being the main time for the Uni intakes so they are prettybusy with the various Freshers parties, Wild fun for the "Mantle" staff! Lol!
Things will be a bit different in October as Oz is heading down unbder for most of the month so I am looking at a couple of options, Watch this Space!!
Well that's about it for now, so as usual Take care, keep listening to live music and pop back for a visit soon. Remember don't be afraid to leave a message or comment, good or bad as I can take criticism (well not too much ha! ha!) See you soon
Ian
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09 August 2011

With Festival time upon us here in Edinburgh the city is pretty busy with the Old Town alive with the hustle and bustle of tourists. As usual the High Street is alive with the throng of various buskers and street acts either trying to make a bit of cash or promoting their shows. This is a great time of year to be here.
Although I am not doing anything in the Edinburgh Fringe this year I still have my regular gigs to play and already I have seen a difference in numbers in the bars. Last Friday in the Scotsman's Lounge was a real fun night with lots of people getting right into the music by singinging and / or dancing along with us.
That's the good side, however even at this time of year some places have been feeling the pinch and due to this some are cutting back on the music as they are finding it difficult to justify the finance of paying artists to perform. I have experienced this by losing my Thursday Acoustic session. Still at least there are still gigs out there so keep a look out and come along for a listen.
Happy Festival everyone :D
Ian
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17 July 2011

Well here we are half way through July and hardly seen a summers day, just as well the gigs are indoors!!
No real news to pass on at the moment.
Robertsons Court gigs are going really well and we have been getting some good receptions with some nice feed back so pretty happy on that front. Started my Acoustic session in the Hebrides and quite enjoying playing unplugged again, just need to try and drum up some interest from some other musicians now. In addition to the usual gigs we are playing the Radical Road bar in Willowbrae, this is a really good venue and quite hard to arrange gigs there as they are booked months in advance.
The Festival is coming soon and I am now feeling pretty sad at not having a show this year, however there has not been enough time to put one together so it will just be the normal gigs.

Well folks take care and hopefully the better weather will be here soon!!
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27 June 2011

I got to send everyone apologies for the lack of contact on the site but it has been a bit of a tough few months, having got over the Flu virus I had through March and into April . As I mentioned in the last post that I missed a few gigs and then things got a bit quietr for a while. Then the gigs slowly started picking up, however being so busy at work and then getting hit with Vertigo, caused by inner ear problems still lingering from last year, I have been pretty tired of late. However life goes on and we have to pick ourselves up and stay happy otherwise it is downhill all the way, and anyone who does know me will realise I am pretty much 'The glass is half full' type of guy.
Well enough ofthat...... and what has been happening on the gig front. I have been playing most of the gigs with my big 'Oz' friend, Gordon Kingsford Smith. He has become a very important part of the 'Robertsons Court' brand and his support and friendship, as well as some really good Bass playing, means a lot to me. We now play in The Scotsman's Lounge every second Friday and this is becoming a popular night for us. Saturdays see us play The Hebrides bar almost on a fortnightly basis, The Greenmantle more or less twice monthly and The Grey Horse (Balerno) around once every 5 weeks or so. I am just about to Kick of a solo acoustic session in the Hebrides every second Thursday, alternating with a great singer songwriter, Keven Gore. I am hoping to gain another couple of venues so we can spread our wings a bit more. Watch the Gig page for more detailed information.
On the Crumbling Jack front things have been very quiet due to some of the aforementioned things as well as Alan also having had a spell of ill health and then busy with his own work. We are planning to get together late July to re visit plans for the future.
I have made contact with some old School friends whom I have not seen in years, in fact some not from school days (to long ago to mention). They have told me that they are organising coming to a gig to listen, heckle, sing along with and maybe even toss the odd tomato! Lol! That should be a laugh if nothing else.
Well that is about it for now and hopefully more info will be here soon.

All the best and lets keep the music live!!

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02 May 2011

How wrong I was in my last post, it took me another 4 weeks to really get over that virus. Due to this I had to cancel a few gigs which was a real pain, however here we are now into May and things are kind of mixed at the moment.
As I have been performing both solo (using my own name) and with other musicians (using different names dependant on line up) things were, at times, a bit confusing for publicity purposes so I have now consolodated everything into one brand - Robertsons Court in Session. This means whatever line up I choose the name stays the same.
So what's in store for May? Well gigs have reduced a bit due to two of my regular venues stopping music, for a while at least. The Hebrides is now under new management and closed for a refurb. Not sure if the Music will continue but hoping for some details in a couple of weeks. Anyhow Saturdays are all booked and also my fortnightly gigs on Fridays at the Scotsman are well estabished now. Apart from that I will have to get the promotions head on and start finding some new venues. Anyhow keep watching the Gig page for updates. Most of this month I will be accompanied by Oz on bass.
Remember if you are in Edinburgh, drop by one of the gigs and say "Hi"

Take care
Ian

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20 March 2011

Still reeling a little from this torturous Flu Virus that hit me two weeks ago, but pretty sure I am turning the corner and should be back to full fitness by the end of this week. Just as well as I could be heading into a busy period both on the work and music fronts.
Music wise I have some new gigs coming up starting in the Tollbooth Tavern, Canongate, Edinburgh on Sat 26 March. From Friday 1 April I will be playing every fortnight in The Scotsman Lounge, Cockburn Street, Edinburgh. There may also be another couple of things in the Pipeline so watch this space.
Hoping to have some new pics on show from The Crumbling Jack, Queen's Hall gig in the next couple of days as well as some recordings. They will be posted both here and at www.crumblingjack.com

More updates soon
Ian
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15 March 2011

Well the big one is over and I can honestly say that The Queen's Hall lived up to the reputation of being a great place to play. We arrived late afternoon just as the Banana Row crew were completing the stage an light set up. I was first to do a sound check being as I was ready and willing and also first there!! Just running through a couple of verses on the stage was a good feeling and really set the night up for me. After all the guys had been through the various sound checks and ran through some numbers in the different formats we were going to perform in it was nearly show time. I must confess, although a bit nervy, I was calmer than I expected. The hall was filling up nicely and our worries of not getting the audience we had hoped for were quickly dispersed. After getting the call and the introductory music started we headed ont the stage, Alan, myself, Bill Craib and Gaetan Brajus. As the music faded a voice said "Ladies and Gentlemen please welcome on stage Crumbling Jack" Bill counted us in and we hit the opening number "Nothing Would Have Been Any Old Fun At All" Finally one of my dreams had become a reality, I was on stage at this old venue and it felt really good. We worked our way through the first half of the show and I have to say that the guys done really well, Alan producing his best vocals to date, Bill solid on Bass as always and Gaetan doing a fantastic percussion job on the Cajon. I think I was doing pretty well also!!
We had a great reception throughout and the audience seemed to happily go through this musical Journey with us. All to soon the first set ended and we left the stage to a really nice applause ringing in our ears.
The second set saw the guys from Lincoln City Joining us on stage for a more rock sounding set. Straight into "The Duke" and a solid Guitar Riff by Ben MacDonald as well as the driving Bass of Doug Kemp, strong drumming from Slawomir Justynski and Grant Bolton's keyboard filling the sound it really boosted the atmosphere for the start of this set. Remember we have Alan, who just over a year ago was not even considering singing so many songs let alone rock songs, fronting up this part, and doing a pretty good Job. The Lincoln City Guys done a great job and I really enjoyed performing with them, it was a shame it was such a short set for them but five songs was all we could fit in.
We then had a special guest in Verona Chard who travelled all the way from London to perform her version of Fever as well as a debut performance of Alan's song "Your Leaving" She had the audience mesmerised by her performance.
Crumbling Jack then finished of the second set which included some old classics from the American song book of Cash Simon and Denver.
We left the stage to great applause and a warm feeling of achievment.
It was, for me at least, one of the musical highlights in my performing career.
This night was made possible through the writings of Alan Reid and the support of both our families who have stuck by and encouraged us to keep going and not give up.
Craig Hunter from Banana Row has to be given a special thanks as he became a main Sponsor and supplied the sound and lighting along with a great crew. His part in all this cannot be underestimated.

So since then I have been pretty ill with a serious Flu Virus and not had a chance to see all the Pictures that Craig took for us or to hear the recording that was done, you can guess what my priorities will be over the next week or so.

Apart from that I am hoping to well enough to get back to the gigging this weekend with "Rustic Two" playing at the Hebrides with Oz on Bass and Gaetan on Cajon, if you around come along.

I will also be adding some pics from the show as well as some recordings to the Crumbling Jack website.

Take care and keep popping back for updates on what I am up to next.
Ian
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PRESS RELEASE
Issued: 21st February 2011
 
CRUMBLING JACK DEBUT AT QUEEN'S HALL
WITH 25 NEW SONGS FROM A.A.REID COLLECTION
LIFE BEFORE THE PEN
 
LIME TEA PROMOTIONS has announced the full line up for The Queen's Hall in Edinburgh on March 4th, when folk band CRUMBLING JACK will be headlining a concert showcasing the work of songwriter A.A.Reid. Also on the bill will be rock band, LINCOLN CITY and the London based singer VERONA CHARD who will be giving the first public performance of one of Reid's songs, the haunting ballad Don't Leave Me. The two and a half hour concert will include 25 new songs from Reid's first collection of poems and songs Life Before The Pen as well as some classic songs from the great seventies songbook.
 
Joining Reid and singer Ian Robertson on stage as Crumbling Jack will be veteran bass man Bill Craib, and the young percussionist from France, Gaetan Brajus. The Lincoln City line up features drummer Slawek Justynski, keyboad player Grant Bolton, guitarist Ben MacDonald and bass man Doug Kemp. Robertson and Reid will be fronting both bands.
 
Says Robertson: "I'm really looking forward to the evening and getting a reaction from the audience after spending so much time in the rehearsal room over the winter preparing the full Crumbling Jack set for first public performance. Frontng up the rock band Lincoln City is also going to be a terrific experience as the sound may be complimentary, coming from the same pen as it does, but completely different to what we do with Crumbling Jack. The Queen's Hall is an amazing venue and it will undoubtedly be as memorable a night as the brilliant songs that Alan has written. I couldn't be more looking forward to the gig."
 
Tickets for the concert price £15 and £12 for concessions are currently on sale from The Queen's Hall Box Office, and from Tickets Scotland. The concert starts at 8pm.
 
For further information:
Ian Robertson
0780 103 3604
 
Life Before The Pen: The Poems and Songs of A.A.Reid is now available from Waterstone's, Blackwell and on line from Amazon. Price £20. The volume includes over an hour of recorded music, Songs From Lincoln City (Part One), recorded at the Banana Row studios in Edinburgh.

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26 December 2010

As you can see I have not updated the news page for a few months, couple of reasons really - 1. I have tended to use the blog page and 2. not really had a lot to report in regards to my solo work as it has just been trundling on with nothing spectacular happening.
So, another yeart is almost over and it has been quite a mixed year for me. I have been involved in several things which have made me look at the direction I should be taking for the future, and the outcome of it all is .... not clear cut yet! Lol Anyway here is what has been going on and what is planned.
Solo work - This has been a bit sporadic as I have had so many collaborations going on, however the future plans are that I will continue to do some bar gigs on my own. Further down the lines I will, hopefully, planning some gigs aimed more at concert and private party style shows. I had planned on trying to release a CD this year but after a lot of thought decided that it is not the right time as I would probably only end up with a CD of songs similar to many other artists in the folk genre at the moment.
The Mantlers - This collaboration was formed originally with myself and Harry Sunderland (Bodhran) performing in the Greenmantle, Edinburgh. As our sessions grew we were joined by Mike Bennett (Mandolin/Banjo). This was a lot of fun, however due to all my commitments growing I decided to end this collaboration at the end of August.
Rustic Two - I am joined by Gordon "Oz" Kingsford Smith (Bass) to make up this duo which is an extension of my solo work and we continue to play together, albeit sporadically.
Robertson & Reid - This was a project that came into being after Poet/Songwriter Alan Reid approached me in the Royal Oak to get together to form a variety act which consisted of Alan reciting his Poetry, me singing some of his Original as well as a few carefully picked "Classic" songs. Also included was some Monologues, comedy and selected guest artists. We had a winter 8 week run in 2009 at the Royal Oak, A special one of show at The Lot and also a performance at thge Edinburgh Fringe. This continues to be an ongoing project although not too much "Live" work at the momentr.
Crumbling Jack - This came to life just a few weeks before Robertson & Reid was due to be advertised at the Edinburgh Fringe. Alan Reid and I decided that as we had been succesfully building an act that could be made up almost entirely of Alan's songs we should unleash "Crumbling Jack" at one of the Fringe shows. We set to work stripping back the songs (previously recorded and performed by Lincoln City) to a very basic acoustic format. Once this was accomplished we enlisted the services of Bill Craib, one of Edinburgh's finest Bass players, and put on a highly succesful performance at the Fringe. Since then we have announced our forthcoming concert at the Queen's Hall, Edinburgh in March 2011, as well as an Industry Showcase in Los Angelese for May 2011. There is an excitement brewing with Crumbling Jack and I think this could be my main musical work for the coming year.

Well that is all for now folks and I would like to Thank you for your support over the last year and wish you all a very happy and prosperous New Year

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29 August 2010 - Breaking News

It has just been confirmed in the last few days that Crumbling Jack will play The QUEENS HALL Edinburgh on Friday 04 March 2011
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29 August 2010 - The end of an Era

It is with a little sadness but also with some excitement that I have announced my parting company with "The Mantlers" Harry Sunderland (Bodhran) and Mike Bennett (Mandolin / Banjo / Guitar). I will be concentrating on some solo work and The Crumbling Jack Project with Alan Reid.
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16 July 2010

I said on my last update that time was passing quickly, well here we are again and it is almost another 7 weeks down the line and not a word from me.
Still here I am now.
So what is going on?
The weekly Mantlers session is going strong with a good crowd in every week and sometimes as many as a dozen musicians. This is a real fun gig to do.
I am running another weekly session in the Captains Bar which has started up as a music venue. It is a small bar but Pamela is trying hard to get the music on most nights of the week. The session is very much relaxed and I welcome any musicians into the fold, so if you are around come along and give us a song / tune.
I am starting to get a bit busier as the Festival period approaches with the gigs building nicely.
The Robertson & Reid project has been coming on well although we have had a break from rehearsals due to Alan being away on hols, however we get back to rehearsing in earnest on Tuesday at Banana Row's fine facility. Our shows for the Edinburgh Fringe are at te Lot in the Grassmarket on 18 & 19 August. The first show is The Robertson Reid Show where we will be doing a shortened version of our Indie Variety night, the second night it is our Alter ego Crumbling Jack where we concentrate more on the musical side with a scattering of Alan's poetry. We hope to have a couple of other musicians joining us so watch this space. For full details about Robertson & Reid go to:
www.robertsonreid.org.uk

The site has also passed the 5000 visits which is great and I would like to thank you all for your continued support.
Cheers
Ian
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31 May 2010

Time is passing so quickly and I am not keeping up with all my updates, too many sites but hey I will get there in the end.
Well I am just getting over a few days of feeling really ill, throat closed up, sinus blocked and head swirling. After throwing lots of medecine down things seem to be getting better and I am starting to feel a bit chirpy.
Anyway what's happening or going to happen?
The Robertson Reid rehearsals are going well and we have our Leith festival gigs coming up. WQe are top and bottom billing at the Literary Festival being held in Bond 09 Commercial street. First slot starts at 11am then we finish the night at 11pm.
My solo gigs have taken a bit of a back seat lately due to the fact I have been doing the "Mantlers Session" with Harry and Mike at the Greenmantle in Edinburgh (Every Thursday + the first Saturday of the month) and they have been good fun. Also my "Rustic Two" project with Gordon "Oz" Kingsford Smith is kicking off again in mid June.
I am also hoping to do some recording very soon, but not decided whether to do a live or studio recording. Any thoughts - drop me a line.

Check out some of the new Artists links I have put up as I am sure you will enjoy

Cheers
Ian
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04 April 2010

Hope everyone is having a good Easter weekend and not eating too much chocolate!

So what's been happening since the end of Feb?

Well I have continued with my regular gig at the Greenmantle, which has turned into a really good session with quite a few different musicians turning up to join in. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of unsigned talent that is on offer. Especially when you see some of the so called professional acts that are around at the moment.
I have two collaborations on the go at the moment one is Rustic Two where I am joined by Gordon 'Oz' Kingsford Smith on bass guitar and we are having some fun even though it is only 2 - 3 gigs a month at the moment.
The other is a completely new direction for me, Robertson & Reid. I have joined with a Poet/Songwriter to put together a variety show where we have Monologues, Poetry and Song. In all our shows we have guest artists and they have been really popular and creating a bit of a buzz, which is really exciting. We are performing at both the Leith and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals and are also about to start filmimg a series of six shows for which a short pilot show was filmed at our last gig in The Lot in Edinburgh. The quality of the video was not as good as we hoped but it captures the essence of our show. Excerpts, and more information, can be seen at www.robertsonreid.org.uk

 I am hoping over the next month or so to build on gigs although the Robertson & Reid project is taking up a fair bit of my time. My long term plans are to build on a folk act possibly bringing in a couple of other musicians for some shows.

Keep a check on these pages for more info and feel free to join the site or leave a comment on the Guestbook Page.

All the best
Ian
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26 February 2010

Well here we are another month nearly gone already, time is passing so quickly that I can't keep up.

So what's been happening in the life of Ian Robertson Acoustic Music?
Well Livepianoman had an absolutely fantastic line up of artists on the show he co-hosted on Awesome radio. All the acts were unsigned artists mainly from The Reverbnation website, and what a selection he made it was well worth tuning in. Click on Livepianoman to go to his site.

I have also been struggling a bit lately as I have been having problems with hearing in my right ear and my balance has been a bit wonky too. Possible middle ear infection but will not know for definate until my hospital appointment comes through (which will not be quick due to the long waiting lists that we do not have anymore!!!!!) As you can imagine it is fun gigging when affected like that. Still it could be worse....I think!!

I have added a tune widget to my music page so why not head there now and have a listen.
Feel free to Leave a comment, good or bad, on the Guestbook page. I will publish it as long as there are no obscenities.

Not much else to report on at the moment but will be back soon with some more updates so in the mean time take care and thanks for looking in and remember you can become a member by clicking on "Join this site" at the bottom right of the Welcome page.

Ian
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12 February 2010

Hi folks,

It has been a while since I passed on any updates, but here we are and things are running along nicely at the moment.

Firstly a big thank you to everyone for supporting me and helping me to Nos 3 in my local area Folk Chart on Reverbnation, it is incredible to find myself in this position as there are a lot of great artists out there.
www.reverbnation.com/ianrobertson

Secondly I am getting a couple of tunes played on www.awesomeradio.net who are partnered with www.indieshowcase.net I have to thank James Clarke aka Livepianoman for this opportunity as he is one of the DJ's on the show which is airing on 14 Feb.

Radioshow airtime depends on your time zone as follows:

Australia - Mon. Feb. 15/10 @ 8:00 am EDT
UK - Sun. Feb. 14/10 (Valentine's Day) @9:00 pm GMT
Canada/U.S. - Sun. Feb. 14/10 @4:00 pm EST... See more

For time zones in other countries, pls use this link: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/custom.html?sort=1

TO LISTEN IN ONLINE on the "Play it forward" co-host radio show:

Pls go to http://www.indieshowcase.net
At the top of page, beside the words "Tune in:", click on the media player of your choice.

TO JOIN JAMES, SHASHONA, MYSELF & many others in the CHATROOM:

In "Main Menu" box on left side of that same page, click on "Chatrroom".
You will be prompted to enter a name you want to go by in the chatroom for others to see.

The chatroom will be open before, during and after the "Play it forward" radio show airs. James, Shashona and I would love for you to listen to this special show if you can, and would also love it if you could pop in and say hi to us in the chatroom. Stay as long as you want. James will be able to come in and chat with us when the songs he has chosen are being played "on air".

Please come by to listen to the show and/or come in to show him your support and MOST OF ALL......enjoy some brilliant indie artists who truly deserve this exposure.

James & Shashona will rock the house !!!! Hope to see you there !

Take care and keep the music flowing

Ian
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27 January 2010
A belated Happy New Year to one and all.

The festive season is now a distant memory and things are back to normal, the madness has passed. So what has been happening. Well I played my last weekly gig in the Royal Oak Edinburgh on Saturday 23 January and it was a good one with a great atmosphere. I decided to have a break from the Oak after having played there for some time. This was mainly due to personal circumstances and the early start time for this gig. I would like to thank the management, staff and customers of the Oak for all the support during the time I have been performing there, it really has been a fun gig. I will miss it but will still turn up for some of the regular sessions.

Gigs are now resuming at the Grey Horse Inn, Balerno as well as new ones at the Murrayfield Hotel Edinburgh so watch the Gigs page for info. These are gigs that I do as a Duo with Gordon "Oz" Kingsford Smith under the name Rustic Two.

If you are in the Edinburgh area please come along to a gig and make yourself known to me as I would love to meet any readers of my pages.

Take care and have a great 2010
Ian
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13 November 2009

Hi Folks,
Well very little has been happening over the last couple of weeks as I have been a bit under the weather so missed a couple of gigs, but glad to say I am feeling a lot better now.

During October I was approached by AA (Alan) Reid, a poet and songwriter, to see if I would be interested in a collaboration with him. This was to put together a show that we could eventually take to next years Edinburgh Fringe. After some discussions and ideas being mooted we decided to go for it and immediately put on a preview show in The Royal Oak lounge to a small invited audience. The night went fairly well but after the focus groups it was decided to rework some material. This has now been done and with the Introduction of a third person, namely Gordon who has been plucked from stacking shelves in Sainsbury's, we start a seven gig weekly preview on Tuesday 17 November.
See the pages that I have dedicated to Robertson Reid.

I am in the process of negociating possible gigs outwith my regulars at the moment so keep a look out either here or on the gig page.

That's about it for now so take care and please drop by my Reverbnation site and try and help me climb the folk charts.

http://www.reverbnation.com/ianrobertson

Thanks and talk again soon
Ian
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27 October 2009

Apologies to any regular visitors to the site for not having any updates for you, but things have been a bit crazy lately. One of the problems of working gigging and having to many web pages to deal with. Anyway looking forward I am going to concentrate more on this site.

So what's been going on and planned for the future?
Over the last couple of months I have carried on doing the regular gigs ie Thursday nights in the Greenmantle is the Mantlers session where I am aided and abetted by Harry Sunderland on the Bodhran. This has been going well and we get a steady flow of musicians coming along, happily it is an ever changing crowd so it keeps the music interesting and varied. Saturday evening I have my regular Royal Oak gig which is still going strong and has not suffered the usual after Festival slow down this year. Also still going well is the once/twice monthly gig in Balerno at the Grey Horse.

There has been a couple of other things that have transpired lately.
Firstly after a succesful trial gig, with Oz (Gordon) Kingsford-Smith on bass, under the guise of Rustic Two a regular monthly slot at The Kinleith Arms, Lanark Road has been achieved.
Secondly and I must say quite excitingly, I have been asked to collaborate with the Poet and Songwriter A.A. Reid where I will supply the musical side of gigs where Alan will combine some stotytelling with Poetry. We had our first evening in front of an invited audience a couple of weeks ago and it was highly succesfull.
I will be adding a page to this site at a later date dedicated to this work and explaining some of the background.

Well I think that's about all for today, please check out the rest of the sites for various other updates and thanks for your continuing support.

Ian
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18 September 2009

Happy September weekend to you all (Local holidy weekend in central Scotland).
It has been pleasing to see that I have been getting a fairly steady stream of visitors to this site, I must admit it has been more than I expected. I hope that people are returning but it is difficult to tell.

I would love to get some feedback, good or bad, from you guys out there on either the guestbook page or by sending a message through the contact page.

Well things are back to normal on the gigging side since the festival finished and I must admit it has been nice to have a couple of quiet, low key nights where the songs can be introduced in more detail and sung a bit more softly.

Sounds Acoustic is a night that I have started in the Greey Horse in Balerno for musicians to get together and play a few songs, have some discussions and maybe even form collaberations. We are there every Tuesday except the 1st Tues of the month (Balerno Folk club night), so if you are around come along.

Well take care folks and keep the music live
Ian
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01 September 2009

Hi folks,
It has been a busy month playing some extra gigs because of the Edinburgh Festival, however most of the gigs have been really good and I have met some fantastic people from all over the globe. They have been visiting our fair city knowing they come to one of, if not the largest festival in the world.

This month starts of reasonably busy also but gigs will be a bit quieter and more relaxed. The sessions in The Greenmantle have gone from strength to strength and along with Harry (who plays Bodrahn) it has become known as the Mantlers session. What we will now see, hopefully, is the return of some fantastic visiting musicians who were dropping by before the festival but, due to their own commitments in August, could not make it during this period.

Also the Royal Oak will become a bit more sedate for a while and we can get back to the quieter but nice singalong and storytelling nights we have come to love.

To save a bit time I am changing my gig page and just showing a link to one of my other sites as it is getting pretty hard keeping up with everything at the moment, I wish I could give up the day job ha! ha!

Well please drop by the music pages and have a listen and then drop a comment or message to me. Hoping to have some new songs posted in the not too distant future.

all the best
Ian
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03 August 2009

Here we are on my new website and I have a lot of things to do to get it up to speed so whilst I am building things up please feel free to pass on any thoughts or ideas you may think would be useful to me.

So anyway what's happening on the music front?

I have a farly busy month ahead with my usual weekly gigs in the Greenmantle on a Thursday and the Royal Oak on a Saturday. These are both session nights and musicians and singers are more than welcome. In addition to these I have a couple of extra nights in the Greenmantle as well as playing the Grey Horse in Balerno. See Gig page for more info.

On Tuesday 11 August I will be starting an Acoustic club in the Grey horse which will be weekly, except for the first Tuesday of each month as the room is used by the Balerno Folk club. The idea of this night is for musicians and singers to get together in a session, share ideas and possibly even enter into a collaboration. So if you are interested please come along. Agsin see Gig page for info.

Well thats all for now

Ian
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