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Belladrum Festival announces Potting Shed and Trailer Trash stages link-up to create new Moose Hollow area – with return of member of the legendary Cateran band


By Margaret Chrystall


Medicine Music– in conjunction with Hootananny of Inverness – introduces Moose Hollow for this year's Belladrum Festival on as the event returns from July 28 to 30.

The area and its line-up is being collated by Potting Shed Stage and Belladrum veteran Rob Ellen – who has added a member of the legendary Inverness band The Cateran to the band and musicians' line-up.

Cameron Fraser makes his return to Inverness at the head of Boulder Fields, the Edinburgh-based acoustic band blurring the boundaries between Americana, indie, punk and Scottish folk.

Cameron was the songwriting force behind the late 80s early 90s Inverness phenomenon that was thrash rock band The Cateran.

The Cateran with Cam Fraser.
The Cateran with Cam Fraser.

The Cateran are famously credited with giving Nirvana their first European tour as their support and also introducing The Proclaimers to Inverness when they headlined the first Faultline Festival.

Cam Fraser.
Cam Fraser.

Talking about the Moose Hollow move, Rob says: "I’m delighted to announce Medicine Music has been offered more space at Belladrum Festival this year to grow the Potting Shed and our unique ethos.

"We are moving into the Trailer Trash Stage area, and will be programming both stages to run in tandem and to complement each other (as is our tradition) in what will become Moose Hollow!

"To that end The Trailer Trash Saloon Stage will as ever be the place for country music and The Potting Shed Stage/Moose Stage as ever for exploring the roots and shoots of Americana.

"We will be supporting four community music projects this year.

Strange Blue Dreams.
Strange Blue Dreams.

"The Eagles Sessions Forres will be presenting four acts, artists' collective Wake Up The Sun from Ayrshire run by Wild Hours Wully will be presenting three acts, Holy Smokes Records from Glasgow showcase three acts led by Strange Blue Dreams and Nairn's Bandstand Bar Sunday Session will be represented by MoRK.

"We will also be supporting EndoSpell local community councillor Andria Dalgetty’s efforts to help 1.5 million Endometriosis suffererers. Andrea will be on hand to discuss and will be performing on stage.

"We will have a Fire Pit picking party led by Good Guy Hank who maintain a session in the Tay Bank in Dunkeld Thursday, Kevin Noon who runs a festival and an indie label and studio on his farm in Lanarkshire, and the aforementioned Andrea Dalgetty who organised EndoSpell, her drive-in festival on her croft on the Black Isle in the lockdown and runs garden shows on her own outdoor stage.

The Potting Shed All Stars will be led this year by Isaac Sutherland (Friday night) and The Carloways' Mikey MacLennan on the Saturday night.

All Star special guests include MaryJean Lewis, whose Uncle Jerry Lee Lewis was inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame this year and with her mum and her sister headlined the first Belladrum in 2004 as The Lewis 3.

She also came back to headline the 10th Potting Shed Stage, so we are delighted she will be helping us launch our all new Moose Hollow Arena

Other acts to look out for:

from Texas:

Kalinec & KJ – Texan Brian Kalinec and Pennsylvanian KJ Reimensnyder-Wagner who met by chance during one of Brian’s shows in East Texas in 2013. As Kalinec & KJ, they have toured the US and released Let's Get Away in July 2021. Brian is a Houston legendary songwriter, accompanist, label boss and promoter.

From Nashville:

Mark Allen, resident entertainer at Opreyland, Mark presents the TV show Have Guitar Will Travel which is produced by his production company Bench Mark Productions.

As ever we will be supporting British emerging songwriters in Americana and country roots music, we are delighted to have local Elgin chiel songwriter Mal MacWatt who is now making an international name for himself, look out for, Kattee Kross and Chris Andreucci, too.

On the band front, Longstay And The Hellfire Club represent Scoticana and Dorecacana Festival boss and San Diego songwriter of the year 2016.

Colin Clyne, now with his home in Stonehaven, presents his brand-new band The Broken Creels.

The Stones Holy Rollers bring some surf twang from Edinburgh, and alt-country punks My Pocket Rocket represent the second home of country music which is of course Perth.

From the Highlands, The Whiskys are back and head up a strong local contingent including The Galipaygos who are combining with our friends Dropkick for a exclusive Moose Hollow show, and Stetsonhead’s Ali Dooner brings his new project Wounded Moose, aptly, to Moose Hollow for a premier festival appearance.

From further afield there is a Scottish Scandinavian country music collaboration featuring our own Calum Jones who has played the Potting Shed Stage every year since he played impromptu at 14. This year he introduces The Swedish Cowboy who he met on a tour of Scandinavia.

The cast as ever will be presented by our comperes beyond compare Fash Stewart and Darren Poyzer – and our house band this year will mix and match and play impromptu (as is tradition) and feature the amazing Owen Nicholson (The New Madrids, Tickety Two and My Pocket Rocket) on pedal steel guitar.

Rob said: "That’s just some of the Hootananny down on Moose Hollow for this Belladrum – ya’ll come ya’ll! It is dedicated to the memory of brother Mark Ellen."

More from: https://belladrum.co.uk/ and medicinemusic.co.uk


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