APPALACHIAN CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL
History, Nature, Culture
Howay the Lasses
ACMF welcomes Howay the Lasses to the stage this summer in a whirlwind tour of concerts in July 2023. Check back for updates!
‘Howay The Lasses’ are a vibrant new collaborative that celebrate the lives of notable women heroes of the North East of England through original songs and arrangements. Singer and accordionist Annie Ball, father and daughter singer-songwriter combination Gareth and Bronwen Davies-Jones, and cellist Katie Tertell began working together during the lockdown of 2021. The result is an engaging and original canon of material in tribute to the lives of historical characters such as engineer Rachel Parsons and mathematician Janet Taylor as well as contemporary figures like artist Sheila Graber and even the Newcastle United Women’s Football team.
See Howay the Lasses in Concert - Summer 2023
July 20, 2023 at 7pm
The Levitt AMP Shenandoah Junction Music Series
Free Public Event
The AMP at Sam Michaels Park
235 Sam Michaels Lane
Shenandoah Junction, WV 25442
July 23, 2023 at 3pm
Live Music: Howay The Lasses
Free Public Event
Brambleton Library
Meeting Room A
part of the Loudoun County Public Library System
22850 Brambleton Plaza
Brambleton, VA 20148
Based in and around Newcastle Upon Tyne/Northumberland ‘Howay The Lasses’ have set out to share through original song how these characters have inspired and shaped the region and the wider world. Their music weaves together a rich tapestry of traditional sounds and musical landscapes with each musician bringing their unique style and creative background to surround and elevate the accomplishments and adventures of these special women.
The North East of England is rich with the discoveries, achievements and successes of women across all strands of life - from writers, poets and painters, to engineers, champions of industry and social reformers. Some of these stories both contemporary and historical are known to a degree - others not so well. Not many at all have been determinedly celebrated in original songs within the musical story telling tradition. As musicians based in the North East, Annie, Bronwen, Katie and Gareth have joined forces across style and genre and begun to remedy that through their new collaborative adventure. Their new material celebrates the lives of, and highlights the stories about notable North East women both contemporary and historical.
In the Press...
“...a moving paean to the lives of women from the North-East of England, from the fêted to the altogether more obscure.. ear-catching three-part vocal harmonies.. an uplifting foot-tapping delight.”
Songlines Magazine (4 Stars)
“Blows struck and awareness raised, Howay The Lasses add another keystone to the North East musical legacy.”
At The Barrier
“Howay the Lasses gives a new life to these sometimes unsung heroines, scientists, artists and social reformers who have reshaped our society by their example. An intriguing concept album to savour”
Bright Young Folk
“A testament to true stories of female empowerment set amid the stereotypically
patriarchal landscape of the North East, this is a terrific and highly listenable album, the fact that it is just Howay The Lasses Vol 1 fueling anticipation of what
other unsung heroines they have to illuminate.”
Folking.com
“..this is an enjoyable album to listen to telling the stories of women who otherwise may
be hidden from history. With great vocals and instrumentals and intended as a first volume,
we can eagerly look forward to the second.”
The Morning Star
“A track that sits comfortably with the traditions of this great club but also looks to the future and celebrates the beginnings of something new and exciting.”
NUFC Women’s Team Matchday programme on the song “Howay The Lasses”
St James’ Park, 27th November 2022
“This album.. is a powerful lesson to our society as it manages to highlight, with the thoughtful
use of words and strong melodies, the obstacles these women had to face; an empathetic experience all round.”
Bright Young Folk
