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Sat 1 April
The Musician |
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Tony Alles Bluesville
featuring P.J. Baker
With his deep, rich voice and skilful electric and acoustic guitar talent, local blues man Tony Alles shows his deep love and appreciation for the blues, bringing a fresh and innovative sound to the genre As well as original material, he reworks classic blues standards into funky, high octane shuffles. He is joined by renowned Nottingham harmonica player and vocalist P.J. Baker, Big Wayne Hogan on upright and electric bass and Jewellers Eye mainman Graham Summers on drums. |
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Sun
2 April
The
Musician |
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Deltahead
www.deltahead.net
"Deltahead's live act is totally unique.
A two piece from Stockholm, Sweden, they both sit at 28" Ludwig
bass drums, separated by a radiogram type bass speaker emanating
Daliesque horns. Benjamin then plays a stand up bass sitting down
and David plays slide guitar, while they both sing and drum simultaneously
with radio interference and occasional washboard! Has to be seen
to be believed. Punk Blues Noir!" |
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Wed
5 April
The Musician |
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Mike
Dowling
www.mikedowling.com
If fine blues, bottleneck, and ragtime
are your thing, don't pass up Mike Dowling.
His singing and guitar playing are as natural
as oak cask fermentation, leading to a heady
brew that is truly pure of spirit. Fluid
and precise as a guitarist, his gritty vocals
have a sense of playfulness and bounce that's
very appealing. He plays country blues, but
throws in some really nice jazz and country
swing, and covers a spectrum from Mississippi
John Hurt to Wynonie Harris to The Delmore
Brothers with better known items as
Mean Old Frisco and Key To The Highway thrown
in for good measure.
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Thu 6 April
The Donkey |
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Dan Britton
homepage
Dan Britton is a dynamic singer-songwriter with an amazing power in live performance. He blends US West Coast, hints of Irish and Country, roots and rock into his own unique style. Go and see Dan perform solo, with his band, or as a duo with Chris Conway and you'll come out a fan. He has played with Jackie Leven and Cathy Lesurf and has supported the likes of the Bob Geldof, Frances Black, Roy Wood.The Saw Doctors, The Incredible String Band, and Dick Gaughan. He has released several nationally acclaimed albums. A passionate performer, his powerful voice and stage presence immediately attracts attention.
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Joel Evans
www.joelevans.co.uk
Joel Evans’ music has drawn comparisons with the likes of Paul Weller, Gin Blossoms, Neil Finn and The Eels. Joel’s first cd Different World was released in 2000. Despite a lack of promotion and a distinctly home-made feel it still managed to generate some very positive reviews. Work began on a follow-up in 2002. Two-and-a-half years later the completed album Wired finally arrived. During this time many of the original songs were ditched or re-written, parts re-recorded, lyrics and directions changed and on several occasions everything ground to a halt. However, there's no doubt that the ten tracks that survived were worth the wait as Wired loaded with infectious melodies, well-crafted arrangements, and apparently simple songs that gradually open up to reveal hidden depths.
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Fri
7 April
The
Y Theatre |
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Colin
Blunstone & Rod Argent
of The Zombies
The
Zombies burst onto the sixties scene with their chart
topping debut “She’s Not There,” the
first of many distinctive tracks. After nearly 30
years of separate careers, Colin Blunstone and Rod
Argent reunited at London’s Jazz Café in
the late ’90s and now they’re on the
road again with their new band. Expect the hits of
The Zombies and the cream of their solo years including
Argent’s classic anthem God Gave Rock And Roll
To You. |
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Fri
7 April
The Musician |
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Dawson & The
Dissenters
www.dawsonsmith.com
Rockin' blues and roots from this
eclectic and electrifying band. Featuring
consummate frontman Dawson Smith and the
guitar wizardry of Simon Faulks both of whom
deliver superb original songs and powerhouse
vocals. Expect material from Dawson's two
excellent solo albums, Valley Boy and the
newly released, blues based album The River
Road plus a
selection of well chosen blues and roots
classics from the likes of Lucinda Williams,
C.C. Adcock and John Hiatt. |
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Sun
9 April
The
Musician |
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Derrin
Nauendorf
www.derrinnauendorf.com
Renowned for his intense live shows
and raw emotive music, Derrin Nauendorf’s music is hard to
categorise,made up from many roots styles, blues, folk and Americana.
Untamed acoustic guitar, cutting lyrics, a powerful, evocative
voice and honest songs, delivered with passion, but twisted to
a unique sound. “First impressions? One Australian guy with
an acoustic guitar and his mate with a homemade drum kit. What
would you think? Me too. I then listened to this live album and
Derrin, guitar, sidekick and drums proceeded to blow me away.” – David
Blue, Net Rhythms. |
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Kevin
Thorpe
www.bluearmadillo.com
Former Out of The Blue frontman
Kevin Thorpe's music is firmly rooted in the song writing
styles of artists like Willie Dixon, Little Willie John,
Ry Cooder, John Hiatt, Dr John and Lowell George. The result,
powerful versions of songs by these writers and his own acclaimed
material, saw Out of The Blue applauded as innovators, a
band whose 'chops' were displayed alongside great songs,
making them unique and influential on the British and European
club and festival circuits.
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Wed
12 April
The Musician |
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Paul
Rishell & Anne Raines
www.paulandannie.com
Guitarist
Paul Rishell and harmonica player Anne Raines
base their ensemble playing style on close
communication, listening keenly to other players
to support rather than overshadow them, and
their duo work is also marked by this sensitive
interplay that has become central to their
live performances. Although they have become
known for their close attention to pre-war
acoustic blues styles, Paul and Annie first
found their musical common ground in Chicago/Texas-style
electric blues. Their 2000 release Moving to
the Country (2000), won them the W.C. Handy
Award for "Acoustic Blues Album of the Year."
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The Blues Devils
Three of Leicester’s finest blues talents have joined forces to create an extraordinary acoustic blues trio, which has been performing some storming gigs over the past twelve months. Together Mick Ridgeway (Mojo Hand), Bob Dayfield (Dr Bobs) and Tony Alles (Bluesville) combine three voices, acoustic & slide guitars and blues harp to breathe new life into a great selection of homegrown songs and well-loved standards.
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Thu
13 April
The Musician |
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Big
Bill Morganfield
www.bigbillmorganfield.net
"Chicago blues is a powerful
force in the right hands, which, in this case,
belong to the son of Muddy Waters. The comparisons
are inevitable, but the big man is up to the
challenge." - Entertainment Weekly. As
the son of one of the most influential musicians
of the 20th Century, Bill meets many of the
burdensome expectations placed upon him. His
father's legacy lives on in the tools of his
art, Big Bill has both Muddy's touring amp
and guitars. More importantly, Bill carries
Muddy's spirit and love for the blues. Bill
won the 2000 W. C. Handy Award for "Best
New Blues Artist".
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Ian
Siegal Band
www.iansiegal.com
“You should be very proud to have this
young man in your own country. You have someone right
here who can really sing the Deep Blues. He’s
got church in his voice. If my Daddy was alive today
he'd say ‘That's my Boy!’" - Big Bill
Morganfield (Muddy Waters’ son). “Grounded
in tradition, airborne by imagination, this is one
of the most inventive blues recordings ever made by
a British artist.” - MOJO magazine Feb 2006. “The
closest thing I’ve heard to Chester Burnett” -
Jeff Beck “His lyrics are several notches above
the usual Blues fare, displaying rare wit and originality” -
Blues Revue. As well as opening tonights show with
his band Ian will join Big Bill on stage later
in the evening.
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Sat
15 April
Borders |
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David
Wyatt
www.davidwyatt.net
David
Wyatt, singer-songwriter, emerged onto the acoustic
scene with his debut album 'China on Paper Planes'.
His voice is powerful, evocative and emotive, with
soaring dynamics covering four octaves through which
he delivers a myriad of beautifully melodic and sometimes
quirky songs, complimented by his honest guitar style.
What's refreshing in contrast to this is his humorous
and slightly eccentric approach as a live performer.
Which makes David, although working in the same contemporary
songwriter field as David Gray, Damien Rice and James
Blunt, very much his own man.
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Sat
15 April
The
Criterion |
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Jezz
Hall
www.jezzhall.com
Nottingham
based singer-songwriter Jezz Hall, rather disconcertingly
offers Black Sabbath’s Tony lommi as his guitar
hero and ’60s psychedelia as his primary influence.
The biggest part of his musical education though,
came during a year out from his American studies
course, which he spent exploring the Mississippi
delta. He'd been attempting to write for several
years beforehand but the Mississippi experience really
fired him to make a serious move into establishing
himself as a singer/songwriter, infusing his interest
in English traditional styles with his fascination
for jazz, blues and American roots music.
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Sat 15 April
The Shed |
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Gabby Young
www.gabbyyoung.com
"If Ani di Franco had sex with Jeff Buckley in 1920 while on acid listening to Ella Fitzgerald, that would be the wonderful music of Gabby Young." On the scale of things, Gabby Young's voice is way off the scale. In fact, there aren't any scales broad enough for a vocal range that would melt marble at a hundred paces. One minute she's whispering and you feel the need to cry; the next she's growling and you can't believe the notes she hits are humanly possible. One of the youngest singers ever invited to join the National Youth Choir of Great Britain, Gabby's soulful shimmering voice is so powerful it leaves you breathless, whilst her starkly original lyrics burn deep into the memory.
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Michelle Lewis
www.michellelewismusic.com
If you meet Michelle before you hear her music, you
might be surprised to find out she plays folk. She
doesn't fit the profile. She quotes Homer Simpson before
Paul Simon. She drives fast. She throws snowballs.
She talks loud, she eats meat, and if you leave the
mayonnaise off her sandwich she might try to fight
you. If you hear Michelle's music before you meet her,
you might be surprised at her exuberance. Her songs
throw you against a wall. They kick you out of the
house and walk around naked. They call up to heaven.
They crumble at your feet. Michelle's music is caring,
vivacious and completely authentic. Watch her perform
and you will understand.
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Sat
15 April
The Musician |
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Ian
Wills & The Willing
www.ianwillsandthewilling.com
Ian’s
Wills journey from childhood tearaway to
successful entrepreneur and original street
poet, is a movie waiting to be made. Live
Wills’ lyrics/poems are offset by music
from his collaborative partners ‘The
Willing’, who feature Jesse Wood (Ron
Wood’s son) on guitar. Their music
supports and adds theatre to the words, shifting
from ‘The Wall’ era Pink Floyd
to funk laden grooves reminiscent of Parliament
or underlining the weighty comparisons of
Ian Wills to Ian Dury. Is this a band? Is
this poetry? Is this a kind of musical or
rock opera? All we can say is that it is
the modern storytelling of everyday people’s,
everyday struggles.
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Country
Joe McDonald (solo)
www.countryjoe.com
“And
it’s one-two-three what are you
waitin’ for?” Country Joe
MacDonald was a charter member of the
San Francisco hippie hall of fame. He
was right there with Janis Joplin, Grace
Slick, Skip Spence and Jerry Garcia and
the rest of the dudes and dudettes who
made the San Fransico Bay Area so vibrant
(stoned?) in the mid-to-late ’60s.
With Country Joe And The Fish, he made
music that espoused his political views
through experimental acid rock and good-timey,
folk sing-along songs that had them all
joining in at Monterey and Woodstock. ‘And
it’s five-six-seven, isn’t
it really great?” Country Joe is
coming to bring a genuine blast of hippie
sunshine to The Musician. You could resist
the draft, but you can’t resist
Country Joe.
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Sun
16 April
The Musician |
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Buster
James
www.busterjames.com
Formed
in the late ‘70s Buster James have been
thrilling crowds all over the UK and Europe with
their own energetic brand of blues and boogie
for two decades. A blistering live act, their
line-up contains players who have performed and
recorded with artists as diverse as Steve Marriot,
Dire Straits, Dave Stewart, Mungo Jerry, FM and
Iron Maiden. This inventive and exciting band
has six available CD’s of mainly self-penned
material as well as unique versions of classics
such as Fleetwood Mac’s “Oh Well” and
Neil Youngs “Rocking in the Free World”.
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Tue
18 April
The Musician |
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The
Black Diamond Heavies
www.blackdiamondheavies.com
We
like our Southern blues-rockers bestial and
destructive and the Black Diamond Heavies
slam together piano, harp, slide guitar and
drums, growling and spewing with as much
poison as bourbon in their blood. Their sound
is homicidally distorted and their songs,
guttural, juke-joint blues, the kind that
shake the moonshine from your ass pocket
and transform your fists into the devil sign,
aren't immune to the trite sway of nostalgia
and romanticism. Those craving no-bass electro-blues
could do much worse than the Heavies, but
consider yourself warned: By comparison,
the White Stripes are a hipster minstrel
show.
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Jawbone
www.dangblues.com
Jawbone is over-driven 12 Volt DC enhanced non-oscillating
six string harmonicanized slide-blues holler stomps of
2-Headed Dogs Hands With 6 Fingers, Tombstone Chevys,
Japanese Zeros, Holy Coca-Cola Donkey Oil, The German
Flu Deathbed Redemption Russian Coal Mine - Amen. Or,
to put it another way, Jawbone is a one-man-band blues
assault from Detroit that has a sound that strips the
Blues to its bare-bones with a primeval stomp that's
the missing link between Lightning Hopkins, Zoot Horn
Rollo and The White Stripes.
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The
Dirty Backbeats
www.thedirtybackbeats.co.uk
Leicester
based psychedelic, blues, punk, rock
and roll band The Dirty Backbeats have
been kicking about since 2003. Now playing
around the country with acts such as
Vincent Vincent & The Villains, "They
sound like the Kings Of Leon meets the
Sensational Alex Harvey Band with a bit
of The Coral thrown in." - Steve
Lamacq - BBC 6 Music 2005, or "Like
a gypsy circus troupe with a rabid Jack
White ringmaster. The Dirty Backbeats
act like they're the first to grow their
hair and play awesome psychedelic garage
rock." - The Fly 2005. "Manically
brilliant live with original killer tunes
that make you wanna rock n roll." -
Luke Wilkins - Kerrang! Radio 2005.
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Wed
19 April
The Musician |
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The
Stevie Nimmo Band
www.bluearmadillo.com
Over
the past decade, as one half of The Nimmo
Brothers, Stevie Nimmo has earned the respect
of audiences all over the world. Held in
high regard by his peers, he is rightly considered
as one of the finest blues musicians on the
scene today. Though brother Alan who was
the more dynamic performer of the siblings
in The Nimmo Brothers show, Stevie however
brought a certain depth, emotion and above
all songwriting power to this extraordinary
partnership that saw them captivate and enthral
audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.
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Tue
25 April
The Musician |
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Geoff
Muldaur
www.geoffmuldaur.com
One of the great voices to emerge
from the folk/blues scenes centred in Cambridge,
MA and Woodstock, during the '60s. Geoff made
a series of influential recordings with Paul
Butterfield's Better Days, his then wife Maria
and notables such as Bonnie Raitt and Jerry
Garcia. He dropped out of sight in the mid-1980's
for a working sabbatical, but continued, to
hone his craft, 'flying beneath radar'. "His
voice - reedy, quavering, otherworldly - is
so unusual that the music he sings becomes
little more than a context, a jumping-off point." -
the New York Times "There are only three
white blues singers, and Geoff Muldaur is at
least two of them." - Richard Thompson |
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Wed
3 May
De
Montfort Hall |
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Dr
John & The Lower 911
Dr John is universally celebrated as the living embodiment of the rich musical
heritage exclusive to New Orleans. His dry, gravel cackle is one of the
most infectious sounds in both jazz and popular music. During his career,
which started half a century ago, he has worked with countless stars, including
The Band, Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, Sonny and Cher, Van Morrison and Aretha
Franklin. Having won Grammy awards in 1989, 1992, 1996 and 2000, Mac 'Dr John'
Rebennack will always be a musician who never ceases to explore the endless possibilities that
music presents. A true living legend. |
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