Howdenjones: April 28th 2006
From Their Website:
Kate and Paul met through their work with young people at a community music project, and immediately established an appreciation of each other's approach to writing and performing original songs. This soon lead to them working closely together on a live set. They first performed together in July 1998. Following this, Kate and Paul booked themselves into Ken Nicol's studio in Preston "to see what happened". The resulting debut CD " Kate Howden and Paul Jones" was launched in April 2000 and though it outsold expectations was initially intended as a extended demo. Through cold calling and mailshots, bookings began to increase. As well as Folk Club bookings, Kate and Paul supported established artists including Niamh Parsons, The Oysterband, Jackie Leven, Coope, Boyes and Simpson. Returning to the studio in August 2000, Kate and Paul recorded "Silver Waters", an album of 14 jointly penned songs. Released in March 2001, "Silver Waters" received highly complimentary reviews.
Since recording "Silver Waters", Kate and Paul continued visiting folk clubs around the country, and establishing themselves as guests. Through a raised profile in the music press, and the creation of their website : www.howdenjones.co.uk, Kate and Paul are attracting increasing attention from folk club organizers and festival promoters. During the summer of 2001 Kate and Paul visited various festivals, including Saddleworth, Saltburn, Whitby, Clitheroe, Wombwell and Fylde, and in July met up with Tony Taffinder. A multi-Instrumentalist, Tony added guitar, bouzouki, whistles, bass guitar and also voice to a new line-up that became the trio Kate Howden, Paul Jones and Tony Taffinder. Kate Paul and Tony worked together for 18 months and recorded the third CD 'Room to Breathe' in April 2002.
In September 2003 Kate and Paul returned to playing as a duo for their autumn tour. "You couldn't put a fag paper between their harmonies" Dave Wane, Swinton Folk Club. "Superb original songs". Paul Baron, Bedford Folk Club. During the tour, and with the future in mind, they were joined at various gigs by guest musicians. "howdenjones" the band, is the result of this. With Laurence Canty on bass, Sarah Cheffins on fiddle and Trevor Wagstaff on percussion, Kate and Paul's material has taken a fresh and even more dynamic turn. In November 2003, "howdenjones" recorded a live CD, launched in February 2004 at The Platform in Morecambe. Recorded at Glasson Dock by Dave Angus and Tom Roseburgh of Big Sky Studios, Galashiels, this CD proves the power, beauty and honesty of Kate and Paul's songs and captures the roller-coaster ride of their live performance.
Howdenjones’s website can be found at http://www.howdenjones.co.uk/