Diary
Autumn 2010 Programme - booking nowBook online by credit card here or email to reserve and pay by cheque.
click on photos to find out more and listen to the artists....
| Friday September 10th | Beatles, Blues and Blue Violin Project Kingston Barn, nr Canterbury CT4 6JB Doors 7.15pm for 8pm start |
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Former ELO and ELO II stars and current
members of The Orchestra Phil Bates & Mik Kaminski with Tina McBain from The Eleanor Rigby Experience
Beatles, Blues and Blue Violin Tour 2010 One of the most famous violin
players in rock music is coming to play an intimate concert
at The Kingston Barn in September.
ELO spent a staggering 225 weeks in the singles charts and 393 weeks in the album charts, worldwide sales were in excess of 100 million records. And violin player Mik Kaminski (he of blue violin fame), was the violinist during much of ELO’s heyday. He joined the band shortly after Roy Wood left to form Wizzard, and when Jeff Lynne became ELO’s frontman. Mik continued with ELO Part2 and is still with the new incarnation of ELO/ELOll, The Orchestra which still tours the world today. But it is with his spin off project with fellow Orchestra colleague Phil Bates and Eleanor Rigby Experience vocalist Tina McBain that he comes to the Kingston Barn on 10th September. The Beatles, Blues & Blue Violin Project has fast become one of the most interesting new shows currently on the acoustic music scene. Mik Kaminski said ‘We have so far undertaken 4 short UK tours with Beatles, Blues & Blue Violin and the response has been tremendous with many sell out shows. We seem to have captured a niche market somewhere between a top class acoustic show and the popular tribute market. Of course BBBV is not a tribute band, but we do many of covers and reworkings of classic Beatles, blues and ELO stuff. I really do like the whole ethos of just stripping down to two vocals and two instruments. Playing smaller intimate venues can sometimes be more exciting than playing the larger theatres and stadiums. There is nowhere to hide, you can see the whites of people’s eyes in the audience. The show will do exactly what it says in the title and explore some new arrangements of Beatles songs, especially where the Beatles and the Blues meet. The concerts will also include a smattering ELO material, naturally. Phil and I get to work on arrangements whilst touring with the full band project, but I am delighted that we have Tina McBain with us in the line up. Tina is a vocalist of huge talent and has a stage presence that exudes charisma. She came to us with a fine pedigree from the folk and acoustic circuit and was the front for the much acclaimed Eleanor Rigby Experience, a project that involved Phil Bates, Clive Bunker (ex Jethro Tull), Maartin Allcock (ex Tull and Fairport). I can quite honestly say I have been playing this blue violin for well over 30 years with ELO, ELOll and all its incarnations, and have played the largest stadiums in the world, but I am so much look forward to the twice a year tours with The Beatles, Blues and Blue Violin project, playing smaller intimate venues. Phil Bates is a guitarist and vocalist of the highest quality as well as being my friend he is one of the most creative arrangers of music I have worked with. This show will appeal to fans of the blues, The Beatles, ELO and all its incarnations, and of course people who just love great musicianship. It was our good friend Maart Allcock that brought it to my attention, same as he did with Beth Nielsen Chapman, and he wasn't wrong then! Tickets all £13 email me to pay by cheque or book online by credit card here |
Saturday October 2nd |
Girlyman St Gregory's Centre for Music, North Holmes Road, Canterbury CT1 1NX Doors 7.15 for 8pm start |
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We are hugely excited to
present a concert on the first UK tour by a band that are simply
mindblowingly brilliant.
Progressing from long-time stablemates of the Indigo Girls to major
American headliners in their own right, Girlyman are the kind of band
you just never want to leave the stage. Think Simon & Garfunkel,
think Mamas and Papas, think 'I must be in heaven'. Wonderful stuff and
with a large fan base before they even set foot in the country this
tour will undoubtedly be the first of many.
Can the members of Girlyman read
each other's minds? Sometimes it seems so. Onstage they often finish
one another's sentences or burst into improvised three-part ditties so
tight they seem rehearsed. Truth is, the Atlanta-based trio has had
years to develop this rapport. Doris Muramatsu and Ty Greenstein became
best friends in second grade. The two met Nate Borofsky in college at a
talent show, and since then they've been creating their own unique
language of three-part harmony. Informed by 60s vocal groups like Simon
& Garfunkel and The Mamas and the Papas, and infused with years of
classical and jazz training, Girlyman's songs are a dance of melody and
suspensions - an irresistible blend of acoustic, Americana, and rock
The Village Voice calls "really good, really unexpected, and really
different." Girlyman formed in 2001 in Brooklyn, where the friends shared an apartment; their first rehearsal was scheduled for Tuesday, September 11. It was postponed, but the events of that day helped the trio clarify its vision: "We decided to just have fun," explains Nate, "and not take ourselves too seriously. We started by naming our new band Girlyman." Others, however, took the group quite seriously. The first few years brought critical delight, awards, and long opening runs with the Indigo Girls and Dar Williams. Girlyman quickly became a strong headliner in its own right, and now plays in every corner of the country to intensely loyal "girlyfans" who often travel hundreds of miles to see shows. Girlyman sells out renowned venues such as The Barns at Wolftrap, The Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, The Ark, and The Freight and Salvage. They also frequent festival main stages, making a huge splash this past year at the Ann Arbor Folk Festival, the Kate Wolf Memorial Folk Festival, and the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, to name a few. Most recently, Girlyman has been collaborating with comedian Margaret Cho, co-writing songs for her upcoming album, Guitarded. Of Girlyman, Cho says, "They seamlessly blend folk, country, pop, and rock, and they genre bend as fearlessly and flawlessly as they gender-bend. It's the music of my heart and soul. Girlyman is the future and the past and the present." “Heartbreakingly beautiful. Theirs is a sound you could happily drown in” Maverick Magazine 2010 “Magical musicality. This band will transform your artful heart and mind.” Amy Ray, The Indigo Girls "Achingly, meltingly magnificent. I'm completely knocked out with this band Girlyman, they have the most beautiful harmonies I've heard in a long long time" Frank Hennessy Celtic Heartbeat, January 2010 Tickets all £14 email me to pay by cheque or pay online by credit card here |
| Friday October 8th | Folk
in the Barn Introduces..... The Jigantics Luke Jackson Acoustic Architects The Playhouse, Whitstable CT5 1AZ Doors 7pm for 7.45 pm start |
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The
Jigantics The Jigantics are a five piece band based in the UK who formed following a succession of European gigs where the universal lingua franca of dance, proved that when it comes to having a good time and pleasing a crowd, no language barriers exist. From the outset the "Jigs" wanted to blend musical genres to reflect their own diverse interests but within the framework of their shared passion for New Folk Music. The result is a potent mix, drawing inspiration from folk music of different continents and cultures, overwhelmingly upbeat and powerful but with enough light and shade to ensure that "having a good time" involves mixing all the emotions that passionate, well crafted and thoughtful songs provoke.
Luke Jackson
The Acoustic Architects This band grew from a chance visit to a songwriting workshop held in Canterbury about four years ago when the aforementioned Steve Knightley (what influence that man has!) inspired budding, but stifled song writer Dave Woodward to unleash a torrent of creative energy in the form of some really strong, memorable songs. These creations needed an outlet, a raison d’etre and now a few years later are expertly and enthusiastically presented by a four piece band consisting of Steve Allen, Dave Woodward, Bob Carling and Paul Upton. This combo is fast becoming sought after on the local scene, as the atmosphere they create leaves people wanting more. If you like Crowded House, Crosby Stills, Show of Hands – that sort of thing - then you’ll definitely like The Acoustic Architects. Tickets all £10 Box office 01227 272042 or pay online here |
| Wednesday
November 10th |
Martyn Joseph St Mary's Church, Sandwich CT13 9HN Doors 7.15pm for 8pm start |
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Just
when you think you’ve got a handle on singer songwriters, along
comes Martyn Joseph to blow the myth away..... On this tour showcasing material from his brand new studio album Lonely Like America, and in a year that marks 30 years in the business, Martyn proves that there’s nothing predictable about his gigs – only that they can make you laugh, cry, get you thinking, leave you reeling. An acoustic artist with an electrifying spontaneity, this colossally gifted and gracious Welshman has five Top 50 hits to his name (including Dolphins Make Me Cry and Please Sir) and has been in demand on both sides of the Atlantic for over two decades. Touring both solo and with the likes of Ani DiFranco, Art Garfunkel and Jools Holland he has won fans everywhere with his uncanny melting pot of material which ranges from rock to blues, jazz, Americana and even, “funk folk”! A mean guitar player with a powerful voice, Bob Harris has praised the ”outstanding lyrical intelligence” of his songs while he was voted Best Male Artist in the BBC Welsh Music Awards. Shades of Springsteen, John Mayer and Dave Matthews there may be - but Joseph is unique and no two shows are ever the same. He has an enviable high level connectivity with his audience whether it’s an arts centre in his native Wales or a 5,000 strong crowd at the Royal Albert Hall. His gigs are like taking a rollercoaster ride with a chameleon as he dips and dives between mighty and meek songs, railing against the broken promise playground of global leaders, throwing in some wry humour, holding tight to common man anthems and then “disarming” for unexpectedly fragile love songs that can knock you sideways. It might be just another evening when you go in to a Martyn Joseph concert – but it certainly won’t be when you come out..... “Britain’s best kept secret…..a challenging songwriter and compelling and courageous live performer – MOJO “Songs of social commentary as much as love, with a rootsy sensibility” – Time Out “A depth, resonance and emotional punch which belies comparison” – Q “One of the most charismatic and electrifying performers in Britain today” –Tom Robinson, BBC 6 Concert Tickets £16 or £14 concessions email me to pay by cheque or pay online by credit card here |
Sunday December 5th |
St Agnes Fountain 10th Anniversary Tour Canterbury Cathedral Lodge, CT1 2EH Doors 7.15pm for 8pm start |
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St
Agnes Fountain are about to embark on their 10th anniversary sell-out
Christmas tour. With a brand new celebratory album. Since their first get together, to record the eponymous St Agnes Fountain album in 2001, the quartet of founder, David Hughes; Fairport Convention's Chris Leslie and BBC Folk Awards Best Duo 2009, Chris While and Julie Matthews, have brought musical invention and laughter to the star-dust atmosphere of the season. They have now released six treasured albums (four studio and two live CDs) including 2008’s acclaimed "Soal Cake" but it is, without question, their magical live performances that have endeared them to an ever-growing audience (tickets were actually being sold for this year's tour as the curtain fell last year). Christmas, as they say, starts with St Agnes Fountain. Come and join them in celebrating 10 years of starting Christmas. CHRIS WHILE (Vocals, Guitar, Dulcimer, Bodhran and Percussion, Ukulele) People will try to compare Chris While's voice to others but as Folk Roots wrote of her, "She learns from many, takes from few and comes away her own woman". She is described as a singer’s singer and a great guitarist and although her songs have been covered by many other artists, she is the definitive interpreter of her own extremely personal songs. In 1999 at the first BBC Radio 2's prestigious Folk Music Awards, Chris's song 'The Light in my Mothers Eye' was nominated in the best song category. "She rises like an angel from the ashes with a voice to match" The Guardian. Chris performs several of the songs on “The Radio Ballads” C.D’s along with a track on the “Rubber Folk” album. In 2006 she was asked to take the role of the late Sandy Denny in a unique reunion of the 1969 line-up of Fairport Convention at the BBC folk awards. JULIE MATTHEWS (Vocals, Piano, Guitar, Mandolin and Bouzouki, Ukulele) Julie Matthews is recognised as one of the most talented songwriters to have come out of the British Isles. She has been compared to Richard Thompson and Mary Chapin Carpenter but Julie's powerful style puts her in a class of her own. Her songs have been covered by: Fairport Convention, Kellie While, Mary Duff and Mary Black (Thorn upon the rose was a top 10 hit in both Ireland and Japan!) to name but a few. Described by Folk Roots as "awesomely talented" She's a dynamic performer and a multi instrumentalist. DAVID HUGHES (Vocals, Guitar, Ukulele) David Hughes is an acoustic guitarist and songwriter with four solo albums to his credit. His acoustic pedigree is impeccable. He toured the UK and Europe with Bert Jansch, Pentangle and Fairport Convention. His Internet tour diary, The Fairport Tour, published by the Folk Corporation in 1998, sold worldwide. His most recent album, This Other Eden, released in October 1999, features long-time collaborators, Gerry Conway on drums and percussion and Jacqui McShee, vocals; augmented by Spencer Cozens, keyboards; Eddi Reader, vocals; Dave Mattacks, drums; Dave Pegg, bass; and Danny Thompson, double bass. CHRIS LESLIE (Vocals, Fiddle, Mandolin, Flute, Ude, Ukulele) Chris Leslie is one of Britain’s most outstanding fiddlers. Born in 1956 he made his first album recording at the age of 16, with the band Mithras on Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed. From 1984 Chris built an international reputation with the dazzling, acoustic outfit Whippersnapper (Dave Swarbrick, Martin Jenkins and Kevin Dempsey were his companions) and from 1996 he has won further admirers as a key member both of the Albion Band and of Simon Mayor’s Mandolin All Stars. Chris has also appeared with Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson. In 1997 he joined folk rock legends Fairport Convention. Concert Tickets £16 or £14 concessions email me to pay by cheque or pay online by credit card here |