NEWS
OCT 2021: VIN'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY
AVAILABLE NOV 8th! Vin’s autobiography as told to ex-Gazette journalist and Vin fan Mike McGeary in the year before Vin’s sudden passing. The project was shelved for a few years but Mike returned to it and now with additional contributions from family, friends, peers and fans, it’s publication is imminent. I contributed to it and can’t wait to see the finished article. I’m sure it will be a great read for Vin fans and non-fans alike. You can order here: vingarbutt.com
11-14 MARCH 2021: ONLINE VIN FEST
At the tail end of the lockdown winter, Stockton-based musician, Vin fanatic and all round spirit mover, Mike McGrother, put together ‘The Gathering‘, a 4-day online music event celebrating the life and music of Vin. It featured an online concert given by many of Vin’s peers performing his songs. There was a radio special on BBC Tees and an interview with Mike McGeary ghost writer of Vin’s forthcoming autobiography. I was honoured to kick things off with an online screening of clips from ‘Teesside Troubadour’ and ‘A Century in Stone’ and then, via Zoom, do a Q&A with the audience around the world. I also helped devise “Vin’s Way” a walk connecting many key local places poignant to Vin’s life and songs. Hopefully next year, Covid will be a distant memory and the walk and whole event can be held for real. Salute to Mike for the epic vision and graft putting all this together.
22 JULY 2017: VIN FILM AT STAINSBY FEST
Since the 1970s, Vin had performed at Stainsby Festival in Derbyshire. This year the organisers booked the film to screen in tribute. It was an honour to introduce it, alongside Vin’s sons Tim and Louis. Standing outside the packed marquee when the film was running, it sounded just like it was Vin live!
JUNE 2017: VIN TRIBUTE PAGE
Please check out THE TRIBUTE PAGE compiling all the media and obituaries.
16 JUNE 2017: VIN'S FUNERAL
Vin was given a fantastic send off at Middlesbrough Cathedral today. Around 800 people attended including all his family and so many of his friends and fans from across the country and the world.
6 JUNE 2017: VIN HAS PASSED AWAY
Incredibly shocked and saddened to report that Vin passed away today at James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough aged 69. He recently had heart surgery on a failing valve and all seemed to be going well. It is devastating news. He is going to be missed so much and by so many. See TRIBUTES PAGE
SAT 26 NOV 2011 at 11am
DVDs & Vin CDs on sale!
15 OCT 2011: PREMIERE DOWN UNDER
Teesside Troubadour will be showing at
Nanga Music Festival near Dwellingup
40 miles South of Perth, Western Australia.
Many Thanks to Ray Downes for organising the event.
AUG 2011: FAB REVIEW IN FOLK ROOTS!
“The whole film flows entirely naturally. The technical quality is first class and the editing exemplary. An indispensable portrait of a folk icon”
AUG/SEPT ISSUE OUT NOW
CLICK HERE
SAT 13th AUG 2011: FOLK FESTIVAL MATINEES
‘TEESSIDE TROUBADOUR’
Introduced by Vin and Craig
@
Saltburn Folk Festival,
Community Theatre
1pm & 3pm – £5.00 on the door.
10th JUNE 2011: DVD & TV LATEST
Selling a folk singer who is more than a folk singer to a non-folk audience is no mean task! Landing a TV slot is notoriously difficult and it came as no surprise at all to draw a complete blank from BBC2, BBC4, C4 and Sky Arts. This baffles people when I tell them and they almost always then ask “But what about regional TV?” The sad fact is there is less regional TV than ever before. It barely exists apart from news programmes. Nonetheless, it is still very frustrating knowing that the film would WITHOUT DOUBT go down a storm across the region if it was shown and instantly create tons of new fans for Vin and the film!
On the positive side, THE SAGE has booked the film – which is a truly magnificent regional platform for the film ! The DVD has also had a string of great reviews in R2, The Link and Stirrings magazines and a plug by Mike Harding on BBC Radio2. A major front cover feature is also forthcoming in Living Tradition magazine. The DVD is selling well at WATERSTONES, WHSMITH and HMV and indie outlets on Teesside and Online orders have already come in from across Britain and the world. So onwards we go – Vin Garbutt media shadow be damned!
MARCH 2011: DVD READY FOR RELEASE
Advance DVDs will be available exclusively at 3 launch screenings starting at Cineworld on April 7th. More details to follow.
It features 82 min. main feature plus
– 60 mins of Extra Concert Footage
– ‘Vinny World @ Cineworld’ featurette
– ‘A Personal Connection’ Director interview.
FRI 2 DEC 2010 @ 10pm ON SKY ARTS
Vin plus clips from the film
on The Jo Whiley Music Show!
UPDATE:
The programme makers have informed us that
the Vin feature has been ‘postponed until further notice’.
ACH…SO CLOSE TO A BIT OF PROMO ON NATIONAL TV 🙁
1,066 ATTEND CINEWORLD !
Cineworld have informed me TT was the 4th biggest pull of the week outselling 20+ mainstream titles. It would have got a 2nd week had it not been for ‘HarryPotter 3D’ opening on 7 screens! M’bro manager Darren also told me of the unusual phenomenon of the audience clapping at the end of each screening despite Vin and me not being there! He said the only other time this has happened was when Century was showing! Gotta love that! So big thanks to Cineworld and all who went. We will be back in early 2011 for 1 night to launch the DVD and Vin will play a short set afterwards. Watch this space!
11 NOV 2010:
THE PREMIERE
& VIN LIVE
Big Thanks to Dave, Darren, Martin and all at Cineworld for doing the biz, to Vin for a great live set as ever; to Tom Marshall and Matt Hallows for filming the event and Kev Howard for doing stills; and last but not least, thanks to all who came and made it a top night !
1-10 NOV 2010: BUILD UP TO PREMIERE
NOV 10th: Craig tweaks finished film again and sleeps like a baby!
NOV 10th: Film has sold most advance tickets for all next week.
NOV 9th: Test screening at CINEWORLD for media folk.
NOV 6th: Craig tweaks finished film!
NOV 5th: EVENING GAZETTE Great Feature
NOV 4th: NORTHERN ECHO Great Feature
NOV 3rd: Interviews & photo shoot at Cineworld
NOV 3rd: HMV M’bro pre-orders 200 dvds.
NOV 2nd: Craig finishes film!
OCT 2010:
PREMIERE & CINEWORLD DATES ANNOUNCED
Following the success of ‘A Century in Stone’ six years ago, Cineworld HQ needed no hard sell and have given the thumbs up to this one too! The Premiere is on Nov 11th and then 2 showings a day until Nov 18th at 2.30pm and 7.30pm. BRAVO CINEWORLD for supporting local culture!
14 AUG 2010: ROUGH CUT PREVIEWED
Pleased to report I have shown the near-completed film to Vin and wife Pat at my studio (how nervewracking was that!) and to about 90 people at this years Folk Festival in Saltburn. An audience Q&A followed which was interesting and useful. Thanks to all who attended. The FINAL CUT is on the way and will be launched hopefully at Cineworld in Middlesbrough as soon as all archive footage is licenced for use.
11 MAY 2010:
FILM PREVIEWED @ TEESSIDE ARCHIVES
A lowkey preview of the Vin film and Q&A was well supported by a capacity crowd with a further 50 people wanting tickets. Many thanks to all who attended.
2009: VIN PROJECT LATEST
I accompanied Vin to Belfast this Summer in 2009 to exactly where The Troubles first started. It was a fascinating trip but the project has had to take an unexpected backseat. Two environmental campaign films that I have made (trying to stop two Teesside councils selling off public green spaces to housing developers) became centre stage when I managed to get both of them shown in Parliament no less! It was another historic first for local film and one which hopefully will help get us the desired result in stopping these developments.
JAN 2007: ANNOUNCING VIN GARBUTT PROJECT
Pleased to announce I have started work on a film about the life and music of folk legend Vin. I first saw him in 2004 when a mutual friend took me to see him live. I was blown away! Serious politics, big subjects local and global, local history and of course I laughed myself silly. It was so obvious that here was my next project. Just like the Eston miners story, it was another important Teesside cultural story that would likely not be told. I had to do it.