Added on Friday 26 Oct 2012

Perthshire Amber 2012 launches today, Friday 26 October

Caledonia Hotel at Edradour Distillery near Pitlochry.

The festival, like last year, is based in the centre of Dunkeld.Celtic Music Radio will be broadcasting live from various events including from 'Amber Central' in Dunkeld.

After the great response the festival had to the changes last year, organiser Dougie MacLean and his team have decided to spend another year based in the historic and picturesque town of Dunkeld in Perthshire.

All the Perthshire Amber venues throughout Perthshire (from iron age crannog to castles, cathedral, town halls and concert hall!) will be Special Venues and Dougie says 'we have a welcoming home for our base in The Royal Dunkeld Hotel. There is a lovely upstairs function room for the Open Mic, Cabaret Amber, Songwriter Showcase and other various demonstrations.

Celtic Music Radio will have its base at The Royal Dunkeld Hotel for the 'live' broadcast of the Open Mic sessions on Saturday afternoon and the Carbaret Amber on weeknight evenings.

Ross Macfadyen, Gordon Hotchkiss, Liz Clark and Alex Jenkins from Celtic Music Radio will be at the events with interviews from the artists appearing at Perthshire Amber 2012 and chatting to visitors reviewing the concerts and sessions.

Celtic Music Radio 1530AM will broadcast live on Saturday afternoons the Open Mic sessions on Saturday 27 October and Saturday 3 November.

This year the afternoon Open Mic sessions will be held in the "Wee Festival Hall" and The Royal Dunkeld Hotel. Hosted by Ewen Sutherland, who is a fine performer in his own right as well as a wonderful and encouraging compare. Dougie and Ewen formed a folk duo while at school and then went on to form a band called Puddock's Well, which had an influence on the development of what is now called "the celtic music scene"- with members Andy M Stewart and Martin Hadden joining well known folk band Silly Wizard And Dougie himself joining The Tannahill Weavers.

The Open Mic concept has been in existence for years at music festivals, but of late has become more widely known through the very successful Open Mic sessions started by Danny Kyle at Glasgow's Celtic Connections Festival. The Open Mic gives the chance to musicians, who aren't performing at the evening concerts, to get involved in the weekend's music.

The most important thing about an Open Mic is the audience. Over the past years the audiences at the open mic sessions helped to make the events enjoyable for all the performers involved.

Open Mic Saturday 27 October from 1.00pm until 4.00pm

• 1. Kim Seymour
• 2. Evana Ferguson
• 3. In Cahoots
• 4. Looking for Lola (Kathryn Orr, David Mitchell, Amy McLean, Aimee Laws, Ian Murray)
• 5. David Murdoch
• 6. Bedsitsongbirds (David Lewis and Jeneva Storme)
• 7. Mark McAnaw
• 8. George Martin
• 9. The Deadly Winters
• 10. Lauren Kelly
• 11. Open Sea
• 12. Howard Hawksley
• 13. Brian Curran 14.Three's a Crowd
• 14. Reptile House

Cabaret Amber on weeknights

Cabaret Amber is the Monday to Thursday, early evening festival club! A place to gather and enjoy some fine music and where festival goers meet and compare the days activities or plan the night ahead.

The venue is the Wee Festival Hall at Amber Central, upstairs at the Royal Dunkeld Hotel.

Celtic Music Radio will broadcast live Cabaret Amber from 5.00-7.00pm on Monday 29 October through to Thursday 1 November.

It is hosted by Perthshire Amber favourites Gina MacLeod and Alan Jordan who will introduce you to some of the great emerging talents on the scene today as well as some of their own musical friends.

Their welcoming manner, Gina's beautiful voice and Alan's singer-songwriter talents make them the perfect team.

Cabaret Amber, Monday 29 October - Thursday 1 November 5.00-7.00pm.

Ross Macfadyen at the Celtic Music Radio base at the Perthshire Amber 2011 Open Mic session.

Jim Byrne will be playing at the Open Mic, Perthshire Amber on Sunday 28th November

End of British Summertime this weekend

British Summer Time (BST) ends on Saturday night 27 October and therefore clocks go back one hour at the start of British Winter Time at 01:00 on Sunday 28 October 2012.

This will be important to overseas listeners to Celtic Music Radio who listen online.

New Show on Celtic Music Radio

Friday 2nd November

Al's Show

Watch out for Al's Show from 6 - 8pm when the most affable and enthusiastic Mr Alan Grant will entertain you with "Traditional Celtic Music with some not so trad songs dotted about." I hope he's going to bring his accordion with him and maybe we'll even hear something of his talented daughter Shona Grant.