Amaya Huntly

Amaya on BBC Radio York with Charles White (aka Dr Rock) "A kind of Desert Island Discs!"

2010-09-13T03:50:00.000-07:00

BBC Radio York : Amaya chooses playlist for Dr Rock


Charles White (aka Doctor Rock)

I have just finished recording an hourlong show at the Scarborough studios for BBC Radio York with Charles White and producer Jerry Scott, and what a privelage it has been. Charles White invited me to talk about the music I love, to play some tracks which have inspired me, as well as some tracks from my recent album, "All For One" and some live performances. It's been incredibly enjoyable, and I can promise you an extremely eclectic programme, from The Beach Boys to Brahms!

The show will be aired on Radio York (103.7FM, 104.3FM and 95.5FM) this Sunday 19th September at 6pm. If you miss it, you can catch it on iplayer (www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer) for six days after this date!

For more information on the show or on Dr Rock, please visit the station's website on www.radio.york@bbc.co.uk
Alternatively, read below for an extract from the website:

A lifelong Rock and Roll enthusiast, he ran the first ever college course on the development of Rock and Roll, which led to him being christened "Dr Rock" by the national press.

His television work includes Dr Rock's Guide to Hollywood, which won an Outstanding Achievement Award at the 1996 New York Television and Film Festival.

The Dr Rock Show ran on both Yorkshire and Tyne Tees Television and he appeared on the ground breaking 1980's series, The Tube.

He's the only authorised biographer of both Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard and even finds the time to write for the Observer and Independent newspapers as well as for magazines such as Tatler and Rolling Stone.
He is the undisputed Doctor of Rock.

Amaya and The Merry Men - Blue Crush - Sunday 22nd August - 5pm

2010-08-16T16:58:00.000-07:00

Amaya & The Merry Men are coming to the lovely Blue Crush for one splendid Sunday afternoon, 22nd August at 5pm, and are cordially inviting you to come join them! It isn't often that we play, so catch us when you can!

The three sets comprise of original songs written by Amaya, yet brought to life by the great musicianship, harmonies and talents of The Merry Men. Each song is unique, yet has a quality of its own. Some take you right to the ......West End, others transport you to the wild west while some just carry you through stories of triumph, war, love, sunny days and medieval queens. One thing is sure: The Merry Men will entertain, charm and make you smile.

There will also be a selection of covers (I'm sure we can squeeze in some Hank Williams in there!) as well as hand selected favourites from Country 'n' Western and broadway musicals, and some newly composed songs, just to keep things fresh. It would be lovely to see your handsome faces amongst the crowds (yes, there will be crowds!!)

The line-up will be:

AMAYA HUNTLY - Piano, vocals

ALI HUNTLY - Guitar, harmony vocals

RICH 'RED-EYE' HODGSON - Bass guitar
TOM TOWNSEND - Drums, harmony vocals

Bring ye friends, and tell anyone who you think may like to come along!

Thanks for your support!

Photographs by Jean Illingworth.

Amaya and Ali at Bridlington Spa

2010-08-01T03:49:00.000-07:00

Amaya and Alistair will be headlining a splendid musical evening at Bridlington Spa on Thursday 5th August as part of the Acoustic Nights being held this summer. Support acts are local act MPG, David John, Noel Horsaman, and Geni.

The night promises to be delightful!

The evening starts at 8pm, and entrance is £5.

Doors open 7.30pm. Tickets available on the door,

or in advance from the Box Office (01262 678258),

or online at www.TheSpaBridlington.com

For more details telephone 01262 400680 or

e-mail holburnstudios@btconnect.com

Amaya & The Merry Men at the Tap and Spile

2010-05-24T04:27:00.000-07:00

Amaya & The Merry Men are coming to the Tap and Spile at 4pm on Sunday 30th May for a splendid afternoon.The three sets comprise of original songs written by Amaya, yet brought to life by the great musicianship, harmonies and talents of The Merry Men. Each song is unique, yet has a quality of its own. Some take you right to the West End, others transport you to the wild west, while some just carry you through stories of triumph, war, love, sunny days and medieval queens. Added to the mix will be some Hank Williams gems, as well as hand selected favourites from Country 'n' Western and broadway musicals, and some newly composed songs, just to keep things fresh. The line-up will be Amaya Huntly, Ali Huntly on guitar, Rich Hodgson on bass and Alastair James on drums.

Amaya Solo Gig

2010-05-09T06:11:00.001-07:00

After a successful solo set at the Music Café Night at the Stephen Joseph Theatre last week, singer/songwriter Amaya will be performing at the Spa Pub on Saturday 22nd May. The set will include a mixture of different styles, from songs by Hank Williams to big show stoppers from Chicago, as well as original songs by Amaya. This gig comes a week before a refreshing come-back from Amaya and The Merry Men who will be performing at the Tap and Spile on Sunday 30th May, with a new line-up.

For more information, please visit her website: www.amayahuntly.com

Amaya & The Merry Men performance

2010-03-19T04:05:00.000-07:00

Amaya & The Merry Men (Alistair Huntly, Rich Hodgson and Tom Townsend) will be playing at the Ramshill Hotel in Scarborough on Saturday 20th March, 9pm.

This is their first gig since the successful album launch (ALL FOR ONE) in December 2009.

A blend of blues, jazz, country, theatrical, plenty of harmonies and and lots of fun!

Make sure you don't miss out! Come and support live music.

Alistair and Amaya at The Spa Pub, Saturday 20th February, 9pm

2010-02-16T17:11:00.000-08:00

After a very successful gig at the Spa Pub a month ago, brother and sister Alistair and Amaya will be returning to this welcoming venue with an ecelectic mix of covers and originals. Songs will include Hank Williams favourites such as "Cheating Heart" and "Chains" as well as loved Buddy Holly song such as "True Love Ways". Also on the set list are Mexican gems "¿Has Amado A Una Mujer De Veras?" ("Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?"), Buena Vista Social Club's "Chan Chan" and original songs that both Alistair and Amaya have written.

Food is often brought out during the interval by the friendly landlord, and the atmosphere is always positive and friendly. Come along for a nice Saturday evening with great company and fantastic music for all tastes!

The Spa Pub,
45, Victoria Rd,
Scarborough,
North Yorkshire, YO11 1SH

Amaya at the Sun Inn, Beverely - Tuesday 8.30pm

2010-02-08T04:40:00.000-08:00

After visiting the Sun Inn in Beverley during their open mic sessions that are held every Tuesday, Amaya was asked to return and invited to perform as a guest. The evening will commence at half past eight, and will include other performers from Beverley and surrounding areas (or musicians who just happen to be driving through!)

The Sun Inn is an extremely cosy pub with barrels for stools, beams on the ceilings and is situated directly in front of the minster. Truly welcoming, come along if you want to listen to some acoustic live music, or if you want to contribute to the night yourself! (It may be suitable to add here that musicians get free drink tokens, wink wink nod nod..)

Amaya's set will be about 45 minutes.

Hopefully see you there!

Check out this podcast! Amaya and The Merry Men on Is This Thing On by Nick Tann

2010-01-28T16:54:00.000-08:00

Amaya and The Merry Men have travelled far and wide.. and are now being listened to in the South East!!

The very kind Nick Tann has been playing tracks from our new album, All For One, on his podcast 'Is This Thing On' which can be found on the link below.

There are other new artists that he is also playing - great music out there so make sure you have a listen!!
Spread the word!

Is This Thing On?

Amaya & The Merry Men: In search of an agent!

2010-01-06T09:47:00.000-08:00

Amaya and The Merry Men are currently looking for a new agency to take them on board. If you are from an agency and are looking for new artists, please contact Amaya via the contact details which can be found through the website. We are also interested in performing as support artists at concerts.

Alternatively, if you know of agencies that are on the lookout for new artists, we are interested to hear from you!

Don't forget that the new band album, 'All For One' is available at Mojo's in Scarborough for £10 of which £1 goes to a local charity.

Ryedale Live CD for Charity

2009-11-19T05:25:00.000-08:00

Ryedale Live has produced a compilation CD which features some of Scarborough’s leading acoustic musicians and makes the perfect Christmas gift, whilst at the same time raising money for Ryedale Special Families!

The CD features 35 tracks, each one donated free of charge by performers (some of whom are pictured on the left) at one of the Ryedale Live shows since the start of the organisation last year.

The tracks, which are a selection of seasonal and non-seasonal songs, feature local, national and international artists, and some recordings were done specifically for the CD, including Edwina Hayes wonderful version of Joni Mitchell’s “River”, which she recorded just 2 weeks ago on a recent visit to Nashville. Alice Shaw’s “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, Eoghan Colgan’s “O Holy Night” and Malton based choir Harmonia’s version of “In The Bleak Midwinter” are all original recordings not heard before.

Scarborough’s Amaya, Alastair James, Anna Shannon, Billy Nielsen and Raven are all featured on the CD, with Ryedale’s David Swann, Four Quarters and Paul Judge also contributing. York based artists featured include Andrew Stones, David Ward Maclean, Holly Taymar, Paula Ryan, Stan Graham and Union Central, plus there is a true international flavour from London’s Leddra Chapman (who recently featured on Terry Wogan’s breakfast show), Angie Palmer from France, Brooks Williams from Chicago, Amrit Sond from Kenya and Janette Geri from Australia!

The attractive CD cover, which was done by Pete Sellers at Cloud Nine Design in Pickering, features some of the Ryedale Special Families children.

Ryedale Live’s Rob Davies, who organised the CD said “The idea started out with us hoping to get 12 or so tracks together and we were overwhelmed with the generosity of our musician friends. It is a truly wonderful collection of music and makes a perfect Christmas present. We hope to sell 100’s of copies and raise lots of money for this worthy cause.”

The double CD costs just £7.99 (plus £1.00 post and packing) and all proceeds will be donated to Ryedale Special Families. Copies can be ordered from Ryedale Live by calling 01653 690503 or emailing mail@ryedalelive.co.uk Alternatively, you can call Ryedale Special Families on 01653 699000 to order copies.

If you live closer to the Scarborough area, the CD is also for sale at Mojo's Cafe:
18-20 Northway, Scarborough, North Yorkshire YO11 1JL
Tel: 01723 351983

Album Launch Gig - Friday 18th December, 9pm at the Ramshill Hotel

2009-11-10T07:14:00.000-08:00

Amaya Huntly and her band will be performing just before Christmas at the Ramshill Hotel on Friday 18th December, 9pm.

The gig will be the album launch of band's recent CD which will include new songs such as "All For One", "Relive the Masquerade" and "Won't Let Anybody In", as well as well-known favourites such as "Sunny Afternoon", "Mary Jane" and "Roll On the Dice". The album is being recorded at Sonic Moles Studios with talented musician Simon Coles. (www.myspace.com/sonicmoles).

The Ramshill Hotel has recently been taken over by Gillian Waterworth and her partner Terry Neal. Gillian told the Scarborough Evening News:

"One of the things we want to do is establish the pub as a venue and get lots of local bands and singers performing here."'

(The rest of this article can be found on the Scarborough Evening News Website)

Amaya and her band, Rich Hodgson, Tom Townsend and Ali Huntly, are happy to be a part of this new revamp of the hotel. Be sure to come down and enjoy a night of music and fun!

Where is the Ramshill Hotel?

Click on this link to see where it is on the map:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=the%20ramshill&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

Ho ho ho! The band has the first recording sessions for the new album, set to be out in time for Christmas!

2009-10-28T12:38:00.000-07:00

The band's new album has finally started recording! We hope to have the album ready for Christmas. Until then, here are some photos to give you a sneak peek into where all the magic happens...

Ali through the little TV...

Rich through the tv...

Tom in the next room...

Rich in the next room...

Listening through the tracks after a hard day's work!

November 15th gig at the New Tavern cancelled

2009-10-05T02:40:00.000-07:00

Due to very sad and unfortunate circumstances, the pub at which the band were going to perform on this date has been closed down. The two extremely popular live music venues, Tap 'n' Spile and the New Tavern closed their doors for the last time earlier this month. Scarborough Evening News spoke to the landlord, Matt Coulson:

"[Matt Coulson] took over the Tap and Spile in January 2008 and has also served as the vice-president of the Scarborough Licensed Victuallers' Association.He added: "Hopefully both the Tap and Spile and the New Tavern will survive and the live music element will survive because that's what brings people in these days."Mr Coulson says he will miss both pubs and his regulars had been very supportive.He said: 'A lot of people are genuinely sorry to see me go. I suppose I will have to look for a job – I am unemployed and homeless.'"

The rest of this article can be found on the following link:

http://www.scarborougheveningnews.co.uk/business-news/Smoking-ban-factor-in-closure.5714524.jp?CommentPage=5&CommentPageLength=10

The band would like to thank Matt for all the support he has given to live music in Scarborough. Not only did he provide two fantastic pubs where musicians were always welcome, but he also let bands use space to rehearse, and frequently let them use his PA. The New Tavern and Tap and Spile were Amaya's favourite venues for her band, as it will have been for many other local musicians, and will miss performing there. Hopefully they will be able to perform there again in the future.
Good luck Mattie!

However, the band will soon find an alternative venue for their gig which will coincide with the release of their first 'band album'. Recording commences next week! Watch this space for any updates!

Ferris Wheel - Released September 2006

2009-09-24T21:21:00.000-07:00

Tracklist:
01. Johnny at the Gas Station
02. Tired Eyes
03. Listen To Me
04. Sunny Afternoon
05. So Dumb
06. Roll On the Dice
07. It's All About
08. Sophie (is that still your name?)
09. Still in the Eye of the Storm
10. So Long
11. In a Jiffy
12. Ferris Wheel
13. Suzie

Sailing Away - Released January 2006

2009-09-24T20:54:00.000-07:00

Tracklist:
01. The Girl Who Ran With The Wind
02. Sailing Away
03. Getting Money
04. Lonesome Nights
05. Morning Dances
06. Crazy
07. Yes
08. Mr. Mckenzie
09. Take Him To The River
10. Just Your Name
11. The Voice
12. Space Song
13. No Man's Land
14. The Boy Who Lived In The Castle In The Mist