Oct
5
Welcome to the na-mara website!
Submitted by admin on Mon, 2009-10-05 11:10
na-mara are a St Albans (UK) based duo - Paul McNamara (Guitar and vocals) and Rob Garcia (Guitar and mandolin). Their repertoire is varied and ranges across the Celtic diaspora. It includes music from the British Isles, Brittany, Asturias and Galicia, and songs from the British Isles, Brittany and northern France for voice, guitars, mandola and mandolin. na-mara are increasingly including their own songs and music in their shows. The band has been playing around the folk clubs in Herts, Beds, Bucks, Cambs but are increasingly being invited to play at venues further afield.
Jan
17
15th January 2010 – a return to Cambridge Folk Club
Submitted by admin on Sun, 2010-01-17 17:24
Two full spots in one week, fantastic fun! As at St Neots on the previous Tuesday, we were invited to headline for the evening at Cambridge Folk Club. Cambridge FC has always been incredibly welcoming and supportive of what we do, and so it is always a real pleasure to return.
Jan
17
12th January 2010 at The St. Neots Folk Club
Submitted by admin on Sun, 2010-01-17 17:19
Following an extensive period of rehearsals following our time in the studio, Rob and I were raring to go. As such, it was with great concern that we watched the snow pile up, the roads become more difficult and the ice and slush get worse. Thankfully, the weather eased to make it certain that we could get on the road and start what looks to be a busy and exciting 2010 for us.
Dec
27
Into the studio, mid-December 2009
Submitted by admin on Sun, 2009-12-27 11:06
The main reason why we have been relatively quiet over the final quarter of 2009 is that we have been preparing to go into the recording studio and record our current repertoire. Some might wonder why it has taken us so long to do this. We are passionate about our music and our ‘project’ and devote a lot of our free time to it. However, both of us have full-on, full-time, work and family commitments. As such, we are ‘time poor’ and finding the requisite amount of time to go into a studio and do things properly is very hard to do.
Dec
26
Herga Folk Club, 30th November 2009
Submitted by admin on Sat, 2009-12-26 13:05
We had visited the renowned Herga Folk Club in 2008 where we had the honour of meeting the great Johnnie Collins, who had been very supportive when we explained to him what we were trying to achieve through na-mara. It was, therefore, with great sadness that we heard that Johnnie had died earlier in the year; neither of us knew this and had been really looking forward to seeing him again. He was a major figure in the folk world and will be very sorely missed.
Dec
26
King Harry Pub, St Albans, 6th October 2009
Submitted by admin on Sat, 2009-12-26 12:45
There is a nice sing-around session held first Tuesday of the month in the King Harry Pub and, having not said hello to friends there for a while, we decided to drop in and play a few songs and tunes in the session. Always nice to see friendly faces and Rob and I want to do more in our home town.
Dec
26
Tudor Folk Club, Chesham 28th September 2009
Submitted by admin on Sat, 2009-12-26 12:39
After a restful summer in which we both recharged batteries and moved on to seeking out and developing new material, it was good to be back playing again and it was particularly nice to be back at the excellent Tudor Folk Club in Chesham. We had played in a sing-around there earlier in the year and had kindly been invited back to do a couple of extended sessions at the end of another of their sing-arounds.
Dec
26
The Cambridge Folk Festival, 31st July 2009
Submitted by admin on Sat, 2009-12-26 12:02
Well, the day arrived. Cambridge Folk Club had honoured us by asking us to join with others and represent them in the Club Tent at the Cambridge Folk Festival. For both of us, this was the most exciting of invitations. Neither of us had visited the festival before and had only the most hazy idea of what to expect - but, clearly, the reputation of the festival goes before it and we knew it would be a very big deal!.
Oct
4
The Bull at Barton-le-Clay, 15th July 2009
Submitted by admin on Sun, 2009-10-04 19:10
It is always a pleasure working with Ross Scrivener and, as such, we were very pleased to travel to The Bull at Barton-le-Clay to give support for his new venture there. A very encouraging turn-out for the evening - inlcuding one person who had made the trip especially to see us. Dedication indeed!
Following some excellent floor spots we perfrormed around a 40 minute set. This gave us chance to continue to work up some new material, including Nellie Torrence and Jeannie Waldie, as well as get some much needed performing in prior to the CAmbridge Folk Festival club tent.
Jul
12
Two tales of one city, 1st and 4th July 2009
Submitted by admin on Sun, 2009-07-12 17:20
You win some, you lose some – not every experience can be enjoyable and we witnessed the extremes of performing in central London this week.
