Radio Scotland blog

Take the Floor events guide w/c 12 Oct

2012-10-12T13:05:18Z

Your weekly list of ceilidhs, traditional music events and classes in Scotland compiled for you by Dawn Baxter and the Take the Floor team.

FRIDAY 12th October

ACCORDION AND FIDDLE CLUB
Coldingham - Crosslaw Caravan Park - Scott Band - 7.30pm

CONCERT
Midlem - Midlem Village Hall - The Proclaimers + Blueflint (support)

RSCDS
Kinross - Weekend School - Hamilton and Clydesdale Branch

SATURDAY 13th October

CLASS
Dundee - Wighton Centre, Dundee Central Library - Fiddle Class (Improvers - 11am)
Dundee - Wighton Centre, Dundee Central Library - Fiddle Class (Beginners - 12 noon)
Dundee - Wighton Centre, Dundee Central Library - Whistle Class (Beginners - 12.30pm)
Dundee - Wigton Centre, Dundee Central Library - Medieval Harp with Simon Chadwick - 2pm

FIDDLER'S RALLY
Dunoon - Queen's Hall - With Alasdair Whyte - 7.30pm

]]> SUNDAY 14th October

ACCORDION AND FIDDLE CLUB
Annan St Andrew - St Andrew's Social Club -Garioch Blend SDB - 7.30pm
Montrose - Park Hotel, John Street - Marie Fielding and Duncan Black - 2-5pm

MONDAY 15th October

ACCORDION AND FIDDLE CLUB
Beith - Beith Bowling Club - John Renton SDB - 7.30pm
Duns - Masonic Lodge, Newton Street - Brandon McPhee Trio - 7.15pm
Inverness - The Waterside Hotel - Johnny Duncan Duo - 7.30pm

CLASS
Carnoustie - British Legion - RSCDS Class - 7.30pm

Concert
Glasgow - Stereo - The Shee

Fitness Class
Edinburgh -Pentland Community Centre, Oxgangs Brae - Tartan Trainers Exercise class - 6pm

FOLK CLUB
Glenfarg - Glenfarg Hotel, Main Street - Stephen Quigg- 8pm

TUESDAY 16th October

ACCORDION AND FIDDLE CLUB
Castle Douglas - Urr Valley Country House Hotel - Stewart Robertson - 7.30pm
Dalriada - Argyll Inn, Lochgilphead - Donald Macleod Trio - 7.30pm
Livingston - Hilcroft Hotel, Whitburn - Addie Harper - 7.15pm
Mauchline - Mauchline & District KFC Supporters Club - Alan Helm & Gillian Birnie - 7.30pm
Perth - Salutation Hotel, South Street - Maggie Adamson and Brian Nicholson - 8pm
Wick - Mackay's Hotel - Colin Donaldson Trio - 7.30pm

CLASS
Dundee, Wighton Centre, Dundee Central Library - Scots Song - suitable for beginners - 2pm

CONCERT
Midlem - Midlem Village Hall - The Proclaimers + Blueflint (support)

DANCE CLUB
Edinburgh - Inverleith Church Hall, Ferry Road - Atholl Scottish Country Dance Club - 7.30pm

WEDNESDAY 17th October

ACCORDION AND FIDDLE CLUB
Dunblane - Victoria Hall - Burns Bros Trio - 7.15pm
Teviotdale - Buccleuch Bowling Club - Marian Anderson - 7.30pm

CLASS
Fife - Kenoway Community School - Accordion Class - George Lawrie - 7-9pm - *Tickets £5.60/half price first lesson*
Midlem - Village Hall - Live Music - Old Time Class (GB Scott) - 8-10pm - *Tickets £2*

THURSDAY 18th October

ACCORDION AND FIDDLE CLUB
Coalburn - Coalburn Miners Welfare - Scott Band - 7.30pm
Ladybank - Ladybank Tavern - Leonard Brown & Malcolm Ross - 7.30pm
Tynedale - Hexham Ex-Service Club - Roger Dobson Band -

CLASS
Glasgow - Maryhill community Halls, Maryhill Road - Ceilidh Dance Class - 7pm
Penicuik - Town Hall - Ceilidh Class - 8-9:30pm - *Tickets £2.90/£1.50*

Concert
Glasgow - The Star, St Andrews In the Square - Kieran Halpin - 8.30pm
Skye - The Aros Centre - The Shee

Sunday Morning with... 14 October

2012-10-12T11:25:00Z

Years spent in an isolated existence on an island off Mallaig gave artist, Rob Fairley, the solitude and space to pursue his twin passions for art and climbing. This week he joins me in the first hour of Sunday Morning, with me, Cathy Macdonald to talk about how this lifestyle informs his spirituality.

]]> Following Channel 4's programme on Tuesday night about a group of Jewish mothers competing for the distinction of being crowned "Jewish Mum of the Year", we ask how accurately a reality television series reflects the Jewish community.

Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, is one of the greatest religious observances in Islam which must be performed at least once in a lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim. A major event within the faith, we hear from someone who is about to take part in this years pilgrimage, about the preparations that precede it.

It was set up to give the homeless a chance to earn an income, but how has the Big Issue magazine maintained its momentum and continued to impact on people's lives 21 years since it was first established?

Too much time spent watching a screen can have serious health implications for young children according to a recently published report. I'll be asking just how realistic it is to curb this habit in today's technology-led lifestyle.

And marking the 50th anniversary of the opening session of the Second Vatican Council, in which the Catholic Church tried to locate its position in the modern world - Professor John Haldane of the University of St Andrews explains what it's all about.

All this and a great mix of music to ease you into Sunday morning. That's Sunday Morning with me, Cathy Macdonald. I hope you can join me.

The Harmony Game

2012-10-11T09:15:39Z

Roddy Hart writes about this week's show:

Art Garfunkel - that lanky, tightly curled, nostril flaring champion of a man - just so happens to be the punchline to my favourite story of all time. Alas, dear reader, it's not suitable for recounting in this keenly regulated blog (so they tell me), but suffice to say if you ever happen to bump into Another Country's Ricky Ross then don't let him leave your sight until he tells it to you. And so it's for this very reason (the name now triggering some rather bizarre imagery) that I can often forget just how phenomenal a singer Artie actually is. It only takes a few seconds of listening to Simon and Garfunkel live in the mid 60s - our Live On Arrival choice this week - to be reminded just how spine tingling that tenor and falsetto can be. There is something otherworldly about the man and his talent, as if beamed in from another planet specifically to align with one of the world's most gifted songwriters and go on to define a new generation of music fans. And if the extra-terrestrial were at play, it would certainly explain the nostrils.

]]> But of course, take the feeling that Art's voice can inspire when heard solo and multiply it a thousand times when Paul adds a harmony. Grown men have been known to weep when the two collide with such precision of phrasing and timing (not a manly man like me though, naturally) - a divine intuition that exists only in the chosen few. And the harmony game, I'm glad to say, is alive and flourishing today, with bands like Fleet Foxes and Dawes from America, and new starlets The Staves from England, all doffing their caps to Simon and Garfunkel, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and beyond. It's a skill I envy - my attempts at close harmony can end up coming scarily close to Spinal Tap's graveside Elvis tribute - and it's one that should be treasured. Just look at the Beach Boys very public falling out this week, Mike Love slinging Brian Wilson the cruelest of dinghys by booking tour dates without him after the band made their triumphant 50th anniversary return recently. The lesson? If you are born to sing together, then no matter how much you annoy each other, keep singing. You owe it to us.

So on the show this week, we will rejoice in harmony of all kinds. Plus, we have a welcome return from Aimee Mann (our Record Of Note), and go Undercover with Tin Pan Alley's wunderkinds Carole King and Gerry Goffin. You know the drill: 10.05pm on BBC Radio Scotland.

Finnan Haddie Risotto

2012-10-10T12:00:29Z

Here is the latest recipe from The Kitchen Café. To be downloaded, kept, cooked and enjoyed.

John Quigley's Finnan Haddie Risotto

The Kitchen Café is on BBC Radio Scotland, every Wednesday 1315-1400

Radio drama newsletter

2012-10-08T14:45:06Z

Here's the latest newsletter from our colleagues in radio drama, detailing the dramas and readings coming soon on the BBC radio network including The Strange Case of Dr Hyde which broadcasts on BBC Radio Scotland later this month.

Sunday Morning with... 07 October

2012-10-08T09:45:00Z

I first met my first hour guest, writer and Port of Leith, sea chaplain, Tim Bell - while working on a BBC Radio Scotland programme some years ago, so it was a pleasure to welcome him into the studio to talk about his career and about some of the values and ideas which have shaped his work. He describes himself as 'a landlubberly native of Northumberland' but has lived in Leith for 30 years with his family and is an elder in the Church of Scotland. And as you might expect the Northumbrian pipes feature in his musical choices.

]]> Two years after the death of their daughter, Linda, (an aid worker) who was abducted in Eastern Afghanistan and subsequently died during a rescue attempt by US special forces; John and Lorna Norgrove explain how visiting Afghanistan, the places and people with whom Linda worked, and seeing the projects now funded by the 'Linda Norgrove Foundation' have helped them come to terms with their daughter's tragic death.

Archaeologists from the University of Glasgow have begun looking for traces of a Bishop's Palace in a Scottish Borders village - a discovery which may put Ancrum at the "very centre of medieval religion and politics". Archaeology officer Dr Chris Bowles explains how it's an "extraordinary site" and hopes the latest evaluation could underline its importance.

Last summer ex- teacher Susie Reid travelled to Brazil as a volunteer for a Christian charity called New Destiny. She spent two months working at the charity's outdoor centre in the south east of the country, near the city of Belo Horizonte, working with local youth leaders in the slums -or favelas - of the city, who bring groups of kids out to the centre for a weekend of outdoor activities and support. The experience made a great impression on Susie, and she's shared some of her memories with us.

As part of 'The Scottish Mental Health Arts And Film Festival' - theatre company Solar Bear are putting on a production: Inside, Outside, In our Stride. The production is for individuals experiencing long term metal health issues to express themselves within a workshop and then to take their production and perform it for the wider community. We'll be hearing from 'Tony', one of the participants in the group and Emma Hagen, psychodrama practitioner, who facilitates the group.

All this and a great mix of music to ease you into Sunday morning. That's Sunday Morning with me, Cathy Macdonald. I hope you can join me.

Take the Floor events guide w/c 05 October

2012-10-05T12:00:00Z

Your weekly list of ceilidhs, traditional music events and classes in Scotland compiled for you by Dawn Baxter and the Take the Floor team. This week's show features music from Lynne Chrisite and her Scottish Dance Band. Don't miss it.

FRIDAY 5th October
CEILIDH
Glasgow - Clarkston Hall - David Oswald and his band

CONCERT
Edinburgh - Queen's Hall - Duncan Chisholm
Peebles - Eastgate Arts Centre - The Shee

]]> SATURDAY 6th October
CEILIDH
Benbecula - Church of Scotland Hall - 8pm

CONCERT
Glasgow - Oran Mor - The Long Notes

FOLK CLUB
Milngavie - Milngavie Folk Club, The Fraser Centre, Douglas Street - Dick Gaughan - 7.30pm

SUNDAY 7th October
ACCORDION AND FIDDLE CLUB
Arbroath - Arbroath Artisan Golf Club - Dick Black Dance Band - 8pm
Gretna - Athletic and Social Club - Stuart Anderson Trio - 7.15pm

MONDAY 8th October
CLASS
Carnoustie - British Legion - RSCDS Class - 7.30pm

Fitness Class
Edinburgh - Community Centre, Oxgangs Brae - Tartan Trainers Exercise class - 6pm

FOLK CLUB
Glenfarg - Terrace Bar, Glenfarg Hotel - Rab Noakes- 8pm

TUESDAY 9th October
ACCORDION AND FIDDLE CLUB
Blairgowrie - Red House Hotel, Coupar Angus - Joan Blue and Stella Clark - 7.45pm
Dunfermline - CSSA, Castle Road, Rosyth - Marion Anderson Scottish Dance Band - 7.30pm
Renfrew - Moorpark Masonic Hall - Leonard Brown - 7.30pm
Thornhill - Thornhill Bowling Club - Roy Hendrie - 7.30pm

CLASS
Dundee, Wighton Centre, Dundee Central Library - Scots Song - suitable for beginners - 2pm

DANCE CLUB
Edinburgh - Inverleith Church Hall, Ferry Road - Atholl Scottish Country Dance Club - 7.30pm

FOLK CLUB
Edinburgh - Victoria Park House Hotel - Vicki Swan and Jonny Dyer - 7.30pm

WEDNESDAY 10th October
ACCORDION AND FIDDLE CLUB
Forres - Victoria Hotel - Johnny Duncan Duo - 7.30pm
Inveraray - Argyll Hotel - Steven Carcary Trio
Langholm - British Legion - Duncan Black and Marie Fielding - 8pm

THURSDAY 11th October
ACCORDION AND FIDDLE CLUB
Windygates - Windygates Institute - Wayne Robertson and Claire Telford - 7pm
West Barns - West Barns Inn - John Morgan

CLASS
Penicuik - Town Hall - Ceilidh Class - 8-9:30pm - *Tickets £2.90/£1.50*
Glasgow - Maryhill community Halls, Maryhill Road - Ceilidh Dance Class - 7pm

God's Jukebox

2012-10-03T15:36:35Z

Roddy Hart writes about this week's show:

One of the undoubted privileges of doing this show (and there are many) is being able to raid the BBC music archives for inspiration when putting a playlist together. Back in the days when I used to dep for the inimitable Iain Anderson (which gave me a rather unexpected start in the radio game), I would turn up at the production offices armed with numerous polybags full of CDs grabbed from my own modest collection. If the faces of my producers displayed the perfect mix of compassion and consternation at my brazen attempts to hijack their carefully considered shows, then imagine how they felt when I began my own Thursday night slot and duly discovered the BBC's BVJ (Big Virtual Jukebox). Archiving just about every record you can possibly think of (within reason), it is the ultimate plaything for us radio geeks: accessible, cross-referencing, fast and seemingly bottomless. If God has his own jukebox, then this would surely be it.

]]> So as is becoming routine, I began my week sifting through tracks new and old to suggest for inclusion on Thursday's show. Although I'm still partial to a record store visit and always will be, the BVJ is proving irresistible when it comes to researching songs for our Undercover Writer feature. Each week we pick a songwriter and then visit some particularly attractive interpretations of their work - when we featured Elton John for example (a man with whom my love affair exists exclusively in the 1970s), the BVJ threw up Kate Bush doing a berserko and brilliant version of "Rocket Man". And I certainly wouldn't have discovered Buffalo Tom's lo-fi countrified version of Paul Weller's "Going Underground", or Natalie Merchant's spot on live version of Bowie's "Space Oddity", had it not been for the BVJ.

Which leads me to the genius that is Randy Newman - this week's Undercover Writer. Although of course widely revered by his peers as an acutely gifted songwriter, he has always seemed to hover on the fringes of the mainstream and so I feared I may struggle to track down some decent covers of his work. How wrong I was. In addition to the usual hackneyed versions of some of his better known songs (step forward Tom Jones, and please make sure you leave that hat on), I uncovered an embarrassment of Randall Stuart Newman related riches: Aaron Neville singing "Louisiana 1927", Dusty Springfield lightly dancing her way through "I Think It's Going to Rain Today", Linda Ronstadt with the knowingly provocative "Sail Away", Neil Diamond with a fingerpicked version of the normally piano led "Feels Like Home", Voorman featuring Don Preston tackling the wonderfully acerbic and ever so slightly cheeky "Short People". Oh, and Joe Cocker with a superior take on "You Can Leave Your Hat On" (sorry Tom). Not all will make the final cut, but we can all thank the Big Virtual Jukebox for those that do.

Also on the show, we'll be putting LAU's exceptional new album "Race The Loser" under the microscope as my Record Of Note, and our Live On Arrival comes from the indomitable Roxy Music. Can't say fairer than that. So I do hope you'll join me on Thursday night from 10.05pm on BBC Radio Scotland.

Coq au Vin

2012-10-03T12:00:00Z

Here is the latest recipe from The Kitchen Café. To be downloaded, kept, cooked and enjoyed.

Neil Forbes' Coq au Vin

The Kitchen Café is on BBC Radio Scotland, every Wednesday 1315-1400

Sunday Morning with... 30 September

2012-09-28T13:00:42Z

As host of the Olympics and Paralympics, broadcaster Clare Balding cemented her status as Britain's unofficial national treasure. Now with the publication of her funny but moving memoirs, 'My Animals and Other Family', she flexes her muscles as an author - something she always wanted to achieve, but for some reason seemed outwith her grasp.

On this week's Sunday Morning with me, Cathy Macdonald she recounts some of her adventures growing up in a horse-obsessed household and bucking the trend against her family's attitudes toward women.

We hear about the difficulties surrounding the distribution of Bibles to Iraq's Christian community and the everyday challenges they face living in a volatile environment.

Reverend Chris Foxon gives his verdict on the modern-day reworking of the story of Jesus in the current musical tour of 'Jesus Christ Superstar', which was staged in Glasgow earlier in the week.

As a solution to the post-war housing crisis, Glasgow's Overspill project provided a new life for many families. Half a century on we hear how it also inspired one man to conquer his literacy challenges and take up writing.

And we hear about the difficulties faced by those with adult literacy issues, and how tackling them really can change lives.

There's the usual great selection of music to brighten up your Sunday morning, so catch up with us this week on BBC Radio Scotland, or later on the i-player.

Take the Floor events guide w/c 29 September

2012-09-28T11:20:45Z

Your weekly list of ceilidhs, traditional music events and classes in Scotland compiled for you by Dawn Baxter and the Take the Floor team.

SATURDAY 29th September

DANCE
Elgin - New Elgin Hall - Dance with Sheila Peters - 8pm

CEILIDH
Glasgow - Glasgow University Union - Deoch n Dorus - 8pm

]]> SUNDAY 30th September

ACCORDION AND FIDDLE CLUB
Forfar - Plough Inn - Neil Dawson Scottish Dance Band - 7.30pm
Teviotdale - Buccleuch Bowling Club - Open day - 2.30pm

MONDAY 1st October

ACCORDION AND FIDDLE CLUB
Coldingham - Crosslaw Caravan Club - Scott Band - 7.30pm

CLASS
Carnoustie - British Legion - RSCDS Class - 7.30pm

Fitness Class
Edinburgh - Community Centre, Oxgangs Brae - Tartan Trainers Exercise class - 6pm

FOLK CLUB
Glenfarg - Terrace Bar, Glenfarg Hotel - Open Stage- 8pm

TUESDAY 2nd October

ACCORDION AND FIDDLE CLUB
Campsite - Glazert Country House Hotel - Marian Anderson Scottish Dance Band - 7.30pm
Islesteps - Locharbriggs Social Club - Lindsay Weir Trio 7.30pm
Keith - Royal British Legion - Brandon McPhee - 7.30pm
Seghill - Seghill Comrades Club - Gavin Piper

CLASS
Dundee, Wighton Centre, Dundee Central Library - Scots Song - suitable for beginners - 2pm

CONCERT
Stirling - The Tolbooth - Kathryn Tickell - Northumbrian Voices - 8pm

DANCE CLUB
Edinburgh - Inverleith Church Hall, Ferry Road - Atholl Scottish Country Dance Club - 7.30pm

FOLK CLUB
Edinburgh - Victoria Park House Hotel - Fidil - 7.30pm

WEDNESDAY 3rd October

ACCORDION AND FIDDLE CLUB
Dingwall - National Hotel - Maggie Adamson Duo - 7.30pm
Glenfarg - Village Hall - Donnie McGregor - 8pm
Stonehouse - Violet Social Club - Karyn McCulloch - 7.15pm

CONCERT
Dundee - Wighton Centre, Dundee Central Library - Lunchtime Concert with Harp expert Simon Chadwick - 1.15pm

THURSDAY 4th October

ACCORDION AND FIDDLE CLUB
Isle of Skye - The Royal Hotel, Portree - Ewan Galloway Trio - 7.30pm
Lewis And Harris - Sea Angling Club, Stornoway - Dochie McCallum Band - 8pm
Oban - Argyllshire Gathering Hall - Deoch N Dorus - 7.30pm
Rothbury - Queen's Head Hotel - Ian Cruickshanks Duo - 7.30pm
Turriff - Commercial Hotel - The Garioch Blend - 7.30pm

CLASS
Penicuik - Town Hall - Ceilidh Class - 8-9:30pm - *Tickets £2.90/£1.50*
Glasgow - Maryhill community Halls, Maryhill Road - Ceilidh Dance Class - 7pm

Friday 28th - Sunday 30th September - Deeside Harvest folk Festival
Guests include Dougie MacLean, Frieda Morrison and Aileen Carr
More information from www.harvestfolkfestival.com
Friday 28th - Sunday 30th September - Dunbar Traditional Music Festival 2012
Guests include Phil Cunningham, Aly Bain and Sandy Legget
More information from http://www.dunbarmusicfestival.co.uk/

Has Julie Heard These Songs?

2012-09-27T16:00:05Z

1987...... late 1987. I am in the home of the 'family of music' CBS Records in Soho Square, London. I'm there to meet Bob Clearmountain who is in London to work with our band and intends to re record one of our songs in order to make it sound like the smash record everyone tells us it should be. Bob's in the A & R office and together we make our way to the studio where we'll be working. I tell him how much I like the new Bruce Springsteen album. (Tunnel of Love has come out in September) He likes it too. We share a few sentences on the themes of love, disillusionment and fear which seem to rise to the surface from Tunnel of Love. 'Yeah' says Bob, as he looks bewildered at the London traffic, ' I said to him at the time,......'Has Julie heard these songs?'

]]> A few months later Bruce Springsteen's short marriage to Jilianne Phillips was over. The man who had paid to go through that Tunnel of Love had come out the other side a slightly more perplexed figure than the one who had gone in. He didn't go up to the fat man sitting in the ticket office and ask for his money back but heck he did decide a few more shots on the waltzers might be worth the money. By spring '88 I was in pole position to see the Tunnel of Love Express tour open in Madison Square Gardens NY. Bruce looked at Patti Scialfa all night and Patti looked back. The rest was history.

Five years earlier I was leaving Dundee to come to Glasgow. I remember trying to make sense of my friend, Andy's, 4 track cassette recorder. It was great. For five minutes it sounded like you were making an album. Drums on one track, bass, keys vocals.....wasn't this how The Beatles did it? Bruce Springsteen also bought one. He set it up in his house and recorded what we now know as Nebraska. The story goes that Bob Ludwig refused to master it, and again the rest is history.

On Friday we celebrate the significant anniversaries of these two seminal albums. Some would say they may be the best albums Bruce has ever recorded. You can judge for yourselves but both records have drawn country artists in and we'll play you some great covers of the songs as well as the unbeatable originals.

That's not all. As promised we also chat to Grizzly Bear who return with a great new album and we'll ask all the right questions to the men from Brooklyn and hear some of these new songs.

All the usual mix of old and new from five past eight this Friday on BBC Radio Scotland.

The Hipsters

2012-09-27T10:15:16Z

Roddy Hart writes about this week's show:

Cool can be a slippery kind of character, and the most unquantifiable of concepts. These days measured mostly in skinny jeans, thick rimmed Costello-esque glasses (failing eyesight optional), a nice checked shirt and a penchant for a banjo-jam in the woods, us musicians would do well to remember that many have gone before and many will come after in search of its elusive glow. It is a cruel beast, one that pins the chosen few momentarily to the zeitgeist, whilst making fools of the rest of us. But while some are busy running after something that may serve them all too fleetingly, others are quietly going about their business making beautiful music year after year with no regard for what is going on outside their studio walls. Trends and fads come and go, but it's the ability to last that really counts.

And so this week sees the release of Deacon Blue's new record "The Hipsters" - my Record of Note on the show - 25 years after the Scottish (now) quartet made their bow with debut album "Raintown". They have long been a band for the big occasion, and have enjoyed massive success with songs like "Real Gone Kid", "Wages Day" "Dignity", "Twist and Shout" and "Your Swaying Arms". For me, their 1991 record "Fellow Hoodlums" is one of the great Scottish albums of all time, full of working class romanticism and sweeping bravado, and in many ways "The Hipsters" shares its swagger and confidence. Expertly produced by ex-Delgado Paul Savage, the sound is that of a band who still have much to say: reinvigorated and ready to rejoin the musical landscape with some zest. They are as vital as ever, and in songs such as "Here I Am In London Town", "Stars", "The Outsiders" and "There Is No Way Back To You", BBC Radio Scotland's very own Ricky Ross proves there is plenty of gas in the songwriting tank. This is certainly no hark back to former glories, but instead a band still hungry to engage and looking forward. And what could be cooler than that?

Elsewhere on the show we have Paul Weller as our Undercover Writer, so expect to hear some unusual interpretations of The Modfather's work. We'll also be Live On Arrival with Billy Bragg, and if you thought you had the measure of the Essex man's "one voice one guitar" schtick on record, then think again: there is much to enjoy from his live offerings. That and the usual mix of the great and the good. And it's all on Thursday night at 10.05pm on BBC Radio Scotland.

Scallops with chanterelles

2012-09-26T12:00:49Z

Here is the latest recipe from The Kitchen Café. To be downloaded, kept, cooked and enjoyed.

Steven Devlin's Scallops with chanterelles, black pudding & pancetta

The Kitchen Café is on BBC Radio Scotland, every Wednesday 1315-1400

Sunday Morning with Cathy Macdonald 23 Sept.

2012-09-22T08:26:19Z

In the first hour of this week's Sunday Morning, with Cathy Macdonald, former journalist and television presenter, Kristiane Backer will be discussing 'From MTV to Mecca' - her inspiring story of how, at the height of her career as one of Europe's leading pop culture icons, she converted to Islam.

A new BBC2 3-part series called "Dead Good Job" has been going behind the scenes in the world of modern day funerals; I'll be discussing the series and exploring the changing face of modern funeral rituals.

There's a lot more than dead people and gravestones in our ancient cemeteries, but what do visitors on the organised tours of Angus Council's historic Kirkyards get from their visits? The council is promoting the Kirkyards as amenities to be enjoyed, but also as fascinating places to learn about our ancestors' beliefs and ways of life. We'll be finding out more on this week's show

Acclaimed historian and science writer Francis Spufford discusses his new book, " Unapologetic" and explains why he believes that, despite everything, Christianity can still make surprising emotional sense!

And can documentaries really mobilise film-goers and change the world? Simon Bateson, director of Take One Action - the UK's "global change film festival" explains all.

Plus a great selection of music - it's worth tuning in to Sunday Morning With Cathy Macdonald on BBC Radio Scotland.