Liverpool Acoustic news and reviews

Threshold Festival this weekend

2012-02-10T00:01:00.000Z

After a long wait, months of planning, the loss of the main venue, and its resurrection as a multi-venue event, Threshold Festival 2012 is finally here!

As you already know (you do know, don't you?) the Liverpool Acoustic Afternoon is taking place at Elevator Bar on Saturday 11th February from 2pm to 7pm. Full details can be found here, and on our facebook event page here.

But we're only a small cog in a very large machine, and events are happening from Friday through to Sunday at a variety of locations in the Baltic Triangle, as well as places further afield.

We understand that if you haven't managed to buy your day or weekend tickets in advance you can still pay on the door at most of the venues (space allowing), although if this is your plan then please take cash as there won't necessarily be any facilities to pay by card.

The main Threshold website has links to the 2012 brochure.

thresholdfestival.co.uk

And the tumblr site will contain any changes and updates as the weekend progresses.

thresholdfest.tumblr.com

If you're planning on tweeting about the event then it would be great if you could use the twitter hash tag #threshold12 so the rest of the world can see.

You can keep up to date with the Liverpool Acoustic Afternoon by following @lpoolacoustic

Other useful twitter accounts to know are:-

@ThresholdFest

@ElevatorStudios

@DeanElliot

@RobRivieres

@LeonPearceMusic

@OxtobyMusic

@RobVincentMusic

@TheBigIAm
@MulderMusic (Robert Mulder)
@OnlyChildMusic (Alan O'Hare)

@HeddaAronssen

See you there (or thereabouts!)

NEWS BLAST #14 [8/2/12]

2012-02-08T00:01:00.040Z

Our warm and toasty NEWS BLAST #14 is the first one of the year and makes a pleasant change from the icy blasts we've had in recent weeks. What's more, it's almost guaranteed to contain at least one item that might conceivably be of interest to possibly one person reading this. Or your money back.

goNORTH, YOUNG MAN... OR WOMAN - goNORTH is a music festival that takes place in Inverness on 6th and 7th June. The submission window for bands and musicians wishing to take part opened at the end of January and closes on 20th March. One act selected to showcase at goNORTH will also secure the opportunity to play three top European festivals in Belgium, The Netherlands, and Denmark. Full details from gonorth.biz

IS YOU AM BARD? - Don't fancy going north in search of fame, fortune and a festival spot? Then why not try your hand at the 2012 Isambard Folk Award, a national competition with the winners claiming two festival appearances, a Songs Form The Shed recording session, and coverage on Folk Radio UK. The closing date for this is 1st March, and details can be found at bristolfolkfestival.com

PARKLIFE - OK, so you don't want to go north or south and would prefer to stay local in your search for stardom and a captive crowd to play in front of? Then why not apply to take part in the Croxteth Park Music Festival on Sunday 24th June? Applications are open from 1st March and details can be found at croxtethparkmusicfestival.co.uk

HUNGARY FOR A BOTB? - Joanna Tamburello is organising a Battle of the Bands at Liverpool Student Union's Scholars Bar (The Haigh) to raise money for a six week mission trip providing aid to Hungary. If you're interested in taking part then you can find out more information on the facebook event page here.

FENDER BENDER - Liam Atkinson's dad has recently had stolen from him a white Fender Stratocaster Plus with Fender Lace Sensor Pickups and a Tobacco sunburst Peavey Wolfgang. If anyone gets offered these instruments by anyone in the Merseyside area please contact Liam and let him know. The Strat has sentimental value and has been his Dad's main guitar since the 1980s. Liam's facebook profile is here.

OXJAM TAKE-OVER TO YOU - It's the time of year when Oxjam, the October-long music festival, recruits its next batch of volunteers to run the Oxjam Takeover in cities across the country on one weekend during the month. If you've got organisational skills and knowledge of the local music scene then why not volunteer? It's all for a great cause! Details of how to apply can be found at oxfam.org.uk/Oxjam

YOU CAN CALL HIM AL - Acclaimed singer-songwriter and qualified educator Alun Parry is running a course in April 2012 entitled 'Be A Great Songwriter!'. If you're interested in discovering the key to powerful lyrics, writing a catchy tune, or finding the emotional sweet spot in one of your songs, then this is the course for you. For more information, and to register your interest visit Al's website parrysongs.co.uk

ALL AT SEA - A high profile London based events company is looking for talented and hardworking singer pianists, duos, cover bands and singer guitarists to work on a luxury cruise liner travelling for four months around Europe. This is an ideal way to combine travel and work, with accommodation and food provided. Click here to see the ad and reply. And if you let us know if you're successful, we'll be there at Southampton docks to wave you off!

GO AHEAD, MICA MY DAY - Back in October we told you all about a songwriting course being run by Lipa graduate Meike Holzmann in the Sefton Park area. Two of you lovely people saw that post and signed up for the course proving, if proof be needed, that these news items are actually read by real, live people! Commenting after a previous course, one participant said "This is a great short course, whatever level you're at. Even if you're not overly musical it will inspire you and get your creative juices well and truly flowing. I came out of this with one complete and two partial songs and a million ideas to work on and tools to get more when/if these run dry." The next course starts on 22nd February, runs for five weeks, and places are strictly limited. The intensive two hour sessions cover essential topics such as inspiration and themes, lyrics and music, melody and hook, formats and structures, and tools and techniques, while taking a creative, practical and interactive approach. Details can be found at micamusic.com and you can email info@micamusic.com to book your place.

WHAT YOU DOING ST PADDY'S NIGHT? - An Irish act is needed for 17th March this year in Neston, either solo, duo or band. This is a paid gig, and if you're interested give Paul a call on 07549 701 326.

HIGHLY STRUNG - Are you a musician looking for some strings to add that special touch to your next recording or live event? Luke is available for session work on cello, bass, guitar and piano, as well as musical arrangements, songwriting, workshops, and possible collaborations. Contact Luke via his ad here.

GETTING THINGS OFF YOUR CHEST-ER - Mandy is a singer looking to team up with someone to do open mic nights in Chester. Influences include Ani Difranco, Tori Amos, Jonny Land, Ray Lamontagne, and Placebo. If you're interested you can get in touch here.

CRAIG'S LIST - Local singer-songwriter Craig Cavanagh, aka Mr C, is looking for a guitarist to work with on some acoustic tracks, gigs and open mic nights. You can see some of his stuff on youtube, and can reply to him here.

SEARCHING FOR RENAISSANCE MAN... OR WOMAN - An American singer and guitarist based in Berlin is looking for a singer or instrumentalist (or both) with whom to play folk and/or renaissance music in Liverpool once a month. We kid you not! You must be able to read notation, sing harmony and melody, and rehearse your parts on your own so that the joint rehearsals are more productive. If you're interested you can reply here.

OMFG! - OK, before you say anything, yes we know this isn't acoustic but here at Liverpool Acoustic HQ we like to support events for young people and as such we're giving it a plug. OMFG! U-18 is a new clubnight for Under 18s. It's launching on Friday 10th February at The Picket. Check out the details on their facebook page.

Steve Knightley at Hungry Horse Acoustic this Friday

2012-02-06T00:01:00.004Z

Steve Knightley, the driving force behind the award winning Folk and Roots band Show of Hands, is coming to Wirral on Friday 10th February.

Angela and John Owen, organisers of the Hungry Horse Acoustic Club, are delighted to host one of only two north west dates on the Exeter-based Knightley's 22 date solo tour of England.

When playing as Show of Hands, Knightley is joined by multi-instrumentalist Phil Beer and double bassist Miranda Sykes, and the band has successfully sold out the Royal Albert Hall three times.

Knightley is renowned for his strong, trademark narrative songs which reflect the escapades, hopes and fears not only of people in his native West Country but beyond, and he pulls no punches when writing highly literate songs about bigger, global issues. BBC Radio 2's Mike Harding describes Steve as “One of England’s greatest singer songwriters”.

Performing as support for Steve's second visit to the Hungry Horse will be guests Phil Henry and Hannah Martin, a talented and much sort after duo who also hail from the West Country.

Steve Knightley first visited the Hungry Horse Acoustic Club last February when it was still in its former venue in Little Stanney, and the concert was a complete sell out. The club moved to its new venue - Whitby Sports and Social Club, Chester Road, Ellesmere Port - last July and is benefiting from the larger upgraded facilities which also provide good access for wheelchairs. The concert will take place in the main concert hall and it all starts at 8.15pm.

Co-organiser John Owen comments - "We are absolutely delighted that Steve has once again chosen to bring his massive talents to our club. I am sure we are all in for a superb evening's entertainment".

It is recommended that tickets are booked in advance by ringing 0151 678 9902. The full club programme and more information can be found by visiting hungryhorseacoustic.com

EP Review: The Fifth Movement

2012-02-04T00:01:00.010Z

EP REVIEW

Artist: The Fifth Movement

EP: This Brewing Storm

Website: thefifthmovement.com

I’ve been following the exploits of Kevin Critchley since he shoved his first EP in my hand back in 2006 and I was blown away by the energy, power and passion in those four tracks. Kevin went on to form the Kevin Critchley Outfit by bringing in regular members Luke Moore (cello), Josie Forsey (violin), JJ Rio (bass), and Paul Walsham (drums and percussion) to produce an all-round bigger, deeper sound. When I reviewed KCO’s debut album Scars on the Liverpool Acoustic News and Reviews site in April 2009 I gave it a ‘fully charged’ thumbs up.

Fast-forward to November 2011 and things had moved on. The lineup had changed with the addition of Alex Williams taking over on drums and percussion, and Graeme Runeckles picking up bass duties. They also started performing live with an expanded string section and the occasional choir – so not your average indie band then! With their music taking on a much wider scope, and no longer wanting the group to be focused around one person, KCO changed their name to The Fifth Movement and launched a brand new EP This Brewing Storm as a sample of things to come.

The first track Stop the Chaos opens with 16 seconds of frantic acoustic guitar strumming before the string section sweeps in, and wow! I wasn’t expecting that! The orchestration gives it the feeling of a Bond soundtrack or a 1970s Love Boat-type theme tune, and it sounds boss! But this track is multi-layered beast and we’re soon introduced to Kevin’s powerful vocals and Luke Moore on piano as the mood and tempo changes throughout the piece.

Unravel also starts with just guitar, but this time broodingly picked in ~~KCO’s~~ (sorry, old habits die hard) The Fifth Movement’s trademark minor key, as the strings, instrumentation and vocals are introduced all haunting and dreamlike.

C-Song is one of the highlights of The Fifth Movement’s live set, giving the band members the chance to shine as individuals whilst creating a cohesive togetherness that only comes from a high level of musicianship and hours of practice. While understandably not having the full energetic buzz that comes with playing this live, the recorded version still ably captures the feeling of regret over lost opportunity as described in the lyrics.

Entropy is an instrumental that opens with four quivers from the string section – supplemented on this EP by Christoph Demetriou and Greta Svabo Bech – before piano, autoharp, guitar, bass and percussion are introduced with an ever-increasing sense of urgency and menace, much like the brewing storm in the EP’s title. I can imagine this track being used as the opening music to a Hollywood-produced psychological drama or horror movie, it's that good.

One of the things I enjoy most about my involvement with the local music scene is seeing artists exploring new musical collaborations and artistic directions. Kevin Critchley and Luke Moore, the creative driving force behind The Fifth Movement, can never be accused of sitting on their laurels, and it’s refreshing to see a group of musicians so dedicated to pursuing their own musical path with scant thought for genre or labels. A word of praise must be saved for Gary Lloyd who produced, mixed and mastered the EP brilliantly. We’re told that This Brewing Storm is just a taste of the band’s forthcoming album. If that’s the case, then grab your wellies and brollies, batten down the hatches, and get ready for the full storm to hit. It’s going to be quite a ride!

This Brewing Storm can be bought direct from the band - contact details on their facebook page facebook.com/TheFifthMovement

Liverpool Acoustic – liverpoolacoustic.co.uk

Graham Holland is the owner and editor-in-chief of the Liverpool Acoustic website. He also runs the Liverpool Acoustic Live events with local musician Stuart Todd. In real life he's an e-learning teacher and Apple Distinguished Educator, has been producing podcasts on a regular basis since July 2006, and runs a number of websites for other organisations.

Liverpool Acoustic Newsletter - February 2012

2012-02-01T00:01:00.126Z

January's Liverpool Acoustic Live was an amazing night. A jam-packed View Two Gallery (sorry if you didn't get a seat!) enjoyed some fantastic music rounded off with a cracking acoustic set from The Grande. There was dancing too!

Our third anniversary gig later this month has already sold out online, with only a handful of tickets available on the night on a first-come, first-served basis when the doors open at 8.00pm. The only way to get access to event tickets before they go on general sale is to join our event publicity mailing list by clicking here.

We're not the only ones with a notable date this month, as the Woody Guthrie Folk Club turns into a toddling two-year-old. Check out the Liverpool Acoustic review of December's WGFC here, then get your tickets for February's event here. This is a popular night and almost always sells out in advance.

Apologies to any huge stars visiting Liverpool this month, but the biggest name in town has to be Threshold Festival, and Liverpool Acoustic is delighted to be taking part again for this grass-roots event's second outing. Details of the Liverpool Acoustic Afternoon can be found below.

LIVERPOOL ACOUSTIC AFTERNOON

The Liverpool Acoustic Afternoon @ Threshold is on Saturday 11th February 2012 at Elevator Bar and Cafe on Parliament Street and features a wonderful mix of local, national and international musicians performing from 2pm to 7pm.

Heck, we've only just posted all the details in our last News and Reviews post. If you missed it then the link is here.
newsandreviews.liverpoolacoustic.co.uk/2012/01/liverpool-acoustic-afternoon-threshold.html
There's also a Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight show featuring one track from each of the musicians who are playing for us on the day - well worth listening to, even if we do say so ourselves.

Threshold day and weekend tickets are available from tiny.cc/threshold12tickets

liverpoolacoustic.co.uk/live

LIVERPOOL ACOUSTIC LIVE

The next Liverpool Acoustic Live is our 3rd birthday bash on Friday 24th January 2012 at the View Two Gallery.

Stephen Langstaff
Ratty Little Fingers
Holly Taymar & Chris Bilton [York]
Rob Rivieres
Simon Madison

As we said in the introduction above, advance tickets for this are already sold out. There will be a maximum of 15 £6 tickets available on the night when the doors open at 8.00pm but these will be on a strictly first-come, first-served basis. Once these have gone then we'll have reached our capacity and won't be able to let any more in. If you want to receive details of our event tickets before they go on general sale then sign up to our events publicity mailing list here.

Doors open at 8.00pm with music starting at 8.30pm sharp. The night finishes at 11.15pm

Join the facebook event here.

liverpoolacoustic.co.uk/live

DIARY NEWS

Here's our latest list of new events that have started, and current events that have changed or ended. If you know of any we've missed then do let us know so we can share the news with the rest of the world.

You can follow more up-to-date news on our twitter feed twitter.com/lpoolacoustic so come and join us in the twittersphere!

All change

All change? No change.

You say goodbye...

Events finishing? Pah! We ain't got no events finishing!

And I say hello...!

The Sunday Sessions is a new event at The Zanzibar, taking place on the second and fourth Sunday of every month from 4pm to 11pm. Hosted by Ian McNabb, it's partly booked acts and partly open mic. If you'd like to be involved then contact the venue on facebook, by phone 0151 707 0633, or just turn up. This event is free.
Ample Music Promotion has a new weekly night every Saturday at Barcelona Bar. Each night sees two acoustic performers and two bands, and entry is only £2 on the door. 8pm to 11pm, details from facebook.com/amplemusicpromotion
There's a brand new Open Mic at the newly relaunched Elevator Bar on Parliament Street. It's hosted by Simon Lomax and runs from 5pm to 10pm on the first Wednesday of the month (hey, that's tonight!)
Elevator Bar also has a weekly Acoustic Night every Friday from 5pm to 9pm, with a special 'Pizza and Cocktail' special offer.

FEBRUARY DIARY SELECTION BOX

Here's a selection of some of the acoustic events taking place in February. Click on the event in the diary for full details and links.

Wednesday 1st February - Lindi Ortega @ Leaf - Canadian Lindi Ortega plays fine country-tinged Americana described by some as a blend of Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, and Emmylou Harris. Support on the night is from Marc Hannon (Springtime Anchorage) and Emily Cimber. Tickets are £6 in advance, with details here.
Wednesday 1st February - Will Kaufman's Hard Times & Hard Travellin' Woody Guthrie Show @ Grateful Fred's, Formby Royal British Legion. STOP PRESS: this event is now SOLD OUT. The next Grateful Fred night is Thursday 1st March when Eddie and Frank Thomas bring their roots and blues music all the way from Mississippi, USA. Info here, and tickets here.
Monday 6th - Come Strut Your Stuff @ The Egg Cafe - This event is back to its regular 'first Monday of the month' slot. Open floor poetry and acoustic music takes place once a month in Liverpool's best vegetarian bistro. The event starts at 8pm but if you want to perform you'll need to be there before 7.30pm to get your name on the list. comestrutyourstuff.co.uk
Friday 10th - Nick Wall's Music To Die For @ Leaf - Nick Wall (Vintage Radio & Music To Die For) is celebrating his 50th birthday by putting on a night of live music. Performing will be The Flamin' Mamies, and Our Morals. Tickets are £5 (£1 unwaged) on the door or in advance from nctwall@hotmail.com. Event starts at 7.30pm with the bands on from 8.45pm.
Friday 10th to Sunday 12th - Threshold Festival @ The Baltic Triangle (various venues). Full details from thresholdfestival.co.uk and tickets are available from tiny.cc/threshold12tickets
Saturday 11th - Liverpool Acoustic Afternoon @ Elevator Bar and Cafe. 2pm to 7pm, full details here. Entry to Threshold ticket holders only.
Saturday 11th - Radical Liverpool @ Studio 2, Parr St. Alun Parry headlines this month, with support from Our Morals and the Liverpool Socialist Singers. Tickets £4.50 in advance here. Doors open at 7.00pm
Saturday 11th - James Walsh (Starsailor) @ The Zanzibar, with support from The City Walls, The Fifth Movement, and Jessicas Ghost. Tickets £8 in advance, £10 on the door. We're told tickets are selling fast! Facebook event here.
Saturday 18th - The Edwardian Picnic supporting Brother & Bones @ The Shipping Forecast. Tickets £5 from seetickets.com. Also playing are The Buffalo Riot, and friends. Facebook event here.
Tuesday 21st - Beth Jeans Houghton @ Eric's, with support from Goodbye Lenin, Eva Petersen, and Beaten Tracks DJs. Tickets £9 here, and facebook event page here.
Thursday 23rd - Woody Guthrie Folk Club @ The Ship & Mitre - This popular folk club is the place to hear songs of humour, struggle, life and justice. Back to its regular 'last Thursday of the month' slot, tickets for this regularly sold-out event are £3 from wegottickets.com with singers getting this refunded on arrival. Full details at woodyfolk.co.uk
Friday 24th - Liverpool Acoustic Live @ The View Two Gallery, with Stephen Langstaff, Ratty Little Fingers, Holly Taymar & Chris Bilton [York], Rob Rivieres, and Simon Madison. Entry only by £6 on the door, which opens at 8.00pm. Tickets very limited (only 15 left), and on a first-come, first-served basis.
Monday 27th - Cancer Research UK Charity Night @ Studio 2. Jessicas Ghost, Jo Bywater, Rae Clark, Barry Briercliffe and Adriano Arena (Miss Gradenko), plus special guests. All money raised goes to the charity. Tickets £5 from wegottickets.com, and the facebook event is here.
Friday 29th - TJ & Murphy @ The Unity Theatre, with support from The Big I Am. Tickets £6.50 here.

MARCH DIARY SNEEK PEEK

In our monthly newsletter we normally list just the events coming up in that particular month. However, there are some events in March that deserve a bit more advance notice, so here you go.

Wednesday 1st - Eddie and Frank Thomas @ Grateful Fred's, Formby Royal British Legion. These Mississippi brothers bring their American journey of story and song to the banks of the Mersey. Info here, and tickets here.
Friday 2nd March - Jann Klose @ The Cavern Club. Grammy award nominated Klose returns to Liverpool for the fourth time to play at one of his favourite venues. Details from jannklose.com
Friday 2nd - Joan Baez @ Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.
Wednesday 7th March - Cass McCombs @ Leaf. One of only four UK shows, with guests tba. Tickets £9, facebook event here.
Friday 9th March - Bird @ Liverpool Acoustic eXtra, the View Two Gallery, with support from Thom Morecroft, and special guests The Sea Kings [London]. Tickets available from wegottickets.com/liverpoolacoustic

AND FINALLY...

If you're a local acoustic musician looking for gigs then don't forget to check our facebook page on a regular basis as we often have promoters posting to say they have slots free or are booking for future events.

Liverpool Acoustic is now on Soundcloud. We haven't got much sound to share with you in our cloud just yet, but it's a really good way for local acoustic musicians to share their sounds with us. soundcloud.com/liverpoolacoustic

You can get in touch by emailing contact@liverpoolacoustic.co.uk

Graham -
on behalf of the Liverpool Acoustic Team

Liverpool Acoustic Afternoon @ Threshold 11/2/12

2012-01-28T00:01:00.004Z

LIVERPOOL ACOUSTIC AFTERNOON
- THRESHOLD PREVIEW
SATURDAY 11TH FEBRUARY 2012

Saturday 11th February 2012 is the date of the Liverpool Acoustic Afternoon @ Threshold.

Hosted by Liverpool Acoustic's Graham Holland, and local musician Rob Rivieres, this event is taking place at the newly relaunched Elevator Bar and Cafe on Parliament Street (next to Giant bikes) and runs from 2pm to 7pm.

Entry is by Threshold Festival tickets available for the day or weekend from tiny.cc/threshold12tickets

This preview features information about the performers, including links to their websites, plus the Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight show featuring one track from each of them.

Below is the current lineup and running order, although with a festival on the scale of Threshold this could change at any minute (fingers crossed it won't). Any changes will be updated on this post and on the facebook event page.

UPDATE - 1ST FEBRUARY
We're pleased to announce the addition of Rob Vincent from Liverpool band Night Parade to the lineup. Below are the new timings.

2.00 Dean Elliott [Worcester]
2.30 Rob Rivieres [Liverpool]
2.55 Léon Pearce [Jersey]
3.20 Oxtoby [Australia]
3.45 Rob Vincent [Liverpool]
4.15 The Big I Am [Liverpool]
4.40 Mary McCombs [Liverpool]
5.10 Robert Mulder [Canada]
5.35 Alan O'Hare [Liverpool]
6.00 James Munro [Stockport]
6.30 Hedda Aronssen [Norway]

Tickets for all other Liverpool Acoustic shows are available from

wegottickets.com/liverpoolacoustic - including Liverpool Acoustic eXtra on 8th March featuring Bird, The Sea Kings [London], and Thom Morecroft.

Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight #63

Dean Elliott - The Actress
Rob Rivieres - No Romances
Léon Pearce - Till The End
Oxtoby - How Am I Supposed To Believe (When All That You Do Is Deceive)?
The Big I Am - Dancing
Mary McCombs - Gaia
Robert Mulder - Work and Play
Alan O’Hare - Only Child [Demo]
James Munro - Reply If You Like
Hedda Aronssen - I Will Follow You

Listen online here

(not available for email subscribers)

or download the show for free

(right-click to download)

Dean Elliott

Dean Elliott
www.deanelliottmusic.com
Dean Elliott is an Acoustic, Folk Singer and Songwriter from the West Midlands.

Calling influence from musicians such as Nick Drake, Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, Dean began writing in his teens performing his unique blend of heartfelt acoustic folk to the pubs and clubs of his hometown of Worcester.

After fine-tuning his songwriting and performing craft at Sir Paul McCartney's 'Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts' (LIPA) in 2003, Dean shot to fame after being asked to perform as Buddy Holly in London's West End as the lead role in the Olivier nominated hit musical 'BUDDY - The Buddy Holly Story'.

In that time he gained a rather large fanbase and exposure whilst working tirelessly on creating a repertoire of songs with which resulted in Dean's first studio album - 'Tales from Whittington Tump'. Joining Dean on the record included Accordian, Piano, Cello, Double Bass and Banjo players from across the country and also full strings. The release of the album in December 2009 was recieved with acclaim from many reviewers including the N.M.E. One reviewer quoted that Dean's lyrics "spoke directly to the heart".

Since then and since Buddy, Dean has toured around the UK performing his music in venues such as the O2 Academy - London, Liverpool's 'Cavern Club' and The Bedford, London. He has also performed in countries as far reaching as the USA, Canada, Latin America and India whilst also appearing on such shows as TV's 'Richard and Judy', Radio 2's 'Jonathan Ross show' and BBC London Tonight.

Dean has just completed a new 3 track E.P in November 2011 titled 'When the dust settles down'.

Rob Rivieres

Rob Rivieres
robrivieres.com

“I always find it difficult when people ask me to describe my music. I’ve never liked the idea of putting things in a box, putting a label on something. I tend to prefer the question ‘Why do you write?’ I always try to be honest with my music and I strive to create songs that will inspire people. Music is my way of expressing something meaningful, an experience, an idea, something honest that I want to share, something that will make people really think and feel. That instant, when a song brings people together in spite of their differences to share something beautiful; it’s in that instant that music unifies us. It’s that intimacy, that vulnerability, that’s why I write songs.”

Rob Rivieres is a twenty-three year old acoustic singer-songwriter from the north west of England. Crafting conscious lyrics with soft vocals and simple melodies Rob creates a minimalist yet deeply soulful sound.

His debut EP, Before the Dawn, was released online in May 2011 and offered as a ‘name-your-price’ download. As well as building and managing his own website he regularly posts videos on Youtube and strives to maintain a direct relationship with his fans using several social networking sites.

Drawing on the ‘the delicate moments, dramas, dilemmas and dreams we all find ourselves drifting in and out of’, Rob writes conscious tales to inspire and intrigue. He is currently writing material for a new EP whilst gigging in and around Liverpool.

Léon Pearce

Léon Pearce
leonpearcemusic.co.uk

Influenced by the great songwriters, Paul Simon, Nick Drake and The Beach Boys, Léon is constantly writing new music and improving his material.
The Jersey-born musician frequently draws on personal experience when it comes to crafting songs about love, friendship and heartache, and the raw intensity of emotion that we all feel in the Spring of our lives. With a single set for release on Valentine’s Day, and plenty of gigs coming up, this emerging artist is one to watch.

Oxtoby

Oxtoby
OxtobyMusic.com

Science by day. Music by night. Neil Oxtoby is a an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist, as well as being a qualified physicist. Oxtoby usually performs as a solo artist, but also invites friends to join him on stage so you never know what to expect from any given show. Currently in the process of recording his first full-length album at Parr Street Studios, Oxtoby will be performing new original songs and a cover song at this year's Threshold Festival after enjoying last year's festival from the audience. You can help to write Oxtoby's Threshold setlist by requesting songs via his Facebook page facebook.com/OxtobyMusic

Rob Vincent (photo by Rebecca Cresta)

Rob Vincent (Night Parade)
robertvincentmusic.com

If there’s a lot of half-finished, semi-fulfilled, vaguely unsatisfying music around these days – songs that say nothing to you about your life – then maybe it’s because the people who make it haven’t lived much of a life themselves.

Not so in the case of Robert Vincent, the searingly honest Liverpool singer-songwriter whose mix of folk, rock and country is like a Mersey Van Morrison or a Scouse Springsteen.

Born in 1981 into a house that rang to the sounds of Johnny Cash, The Beatles and Pink Floyd, Robert knew before he was five years old that he wanted to be a musician. When he became a father at 17 he had to balance the hard graft of life in a working band with the responsibility of providing for a family. He’s seen setbacks and false dawns, he’s come near to success only to have it snatched away, but he’s never lost his faith in his music. And now that faith is coming good.

“I’ve done the whole thing of trying to be what people want me to be,” Rob explains in his warm and good-humoured Scouse drawl, “And in the end I just thought I’ve had enough of this. The songs I’ve written now, some of them sound like Johnny Cash and some of them like 50s rock’n’roll – but they’re what *I* wanted to write. And the funny thing is, the more honest I am the better people like it.”

The result is Rob’s debut album ‘Life In Easy Steps’: a set of songs that are alternately as open and empathic as ‘Second Chance’, and as raw and righteous as ‘Riots Cry’ – all held together by a singular lyrical vision and a voice that can soothe, comfort or tear down a wall. In a sea of plastic pop, this is real rock and roll.

“There’s no smoke and mirrors about it,” Rob says with a smile. “It’s like a good old fashioned country record. Sing what you mean – and sing it like you mean it.”

“The record is about trying to be the best person you can possibly be,” he continues, “And I think that’s what most people want from themselves. You want to be a better human being. I write from the point of view of being a dad, and worrying about the world my kid is growing up in. The world focuses so much on the individual – iPhone, iPad, I, I, me, me all the time – and there’s something unhealthy about it. We feel cut off from other people. But if music is good at anything, it’s reconnecting us.”

The Big I Am

The Big I Am
facebook.com/thebigiam

Liverpool duo The Big I Am are Colin Heaney and Peter McPartland.. These fine musicians have created a glorious blend of acoustic folk-pop. At its core the tenor ukulele and cuatro. They have become favorites of Tom Robinson BBC 6 Music who describes them as being "…subtle, melodic and mysterious…sounds like Peter Gabriel and Steve Reich having an acoustic jam." The BIA will feature on an album curated by Tom Robinson and will release another two albums this year. Collecting Skies can be bought from Rash Records.

Mary McCombs

myspace.com/marymccombs
reverbnation.com/main/music_artists#!/marymccombs
Mary McCombs formed an Indie band in the early 1990s, writing and performing their own material which was influenced mainly by Cocteau Twins and The Sundays. McCombs was the lead vocalist of the band which performed at many Liverpool venues and several in London and various University campuses nationally.

She is a regular performer with the ‘Sense of Sound’ singers, and performs as a solo artist on the local acoustic/folk circuit which includes the 2012 Threshold Festival where I also played in 2011.
Mary is currently hosting a folk night at The Cornmarket in Liverpool city centre and will be performing at the Wirral ‘Folk On The Coast’ Festival in June 2012. She is also a member of Dave Jackson and the Cathedral Mountaineers as a backing vocalist; who will also be appearing at Threshold 2012. She has recorded a CD called ‘Selling Flowers’; 10 self-penned songs available at ‘News from Nowhere’ in Bold Street. There’s another CD coming soon.

Robert Mulder

Robert Mulder

muldermusic.com

Robert Mulder is a 20 year old Singer/Songwriter from Canada, currently studying songwriting at LIPA.

He has been performing as a solo artist for over 5 years and recently assembled an eclectic international ensemble from Singapore, South Africa, Jersey, and Norway to add a special touch to his catchy indie/folk tunes. They are currently working on an EP entitled "Across the Plastic Pond" scheduled for release in September 2012. His music is simple, yet powerful; a clear and unique voice with poetic lyrics that reflect a resounding wisdom of everyday life.

Alan O'Hare

Alan O’Hare
twitter.com/onlychildmusic

Alan O'Hare is a singer-songwriter, and lead singer of The Trestles. Only Child is a demo recording for a future project. youtube.com/watch?v=I0VGSM8L-eM

James Munro

James Munro
myspace.com/jamesmunromusic

James Munro is a Stockport based Singer/Songwriter whose influences include artists such as Bob Dylan, David Gray and Morrissey. He began to share his songs when moving to Liverpool - the city where his family are from – in 2006 and since then has immersed himself in both the Liverpool and Manchester music scenes. Along the way, James has supported Ocean Colour Scene on their 2011 UK acoustic tour and later that year earned himself a mention in the NME magazine when playing as part of the NME Sunday Sessions with the Morrissey approved, The Heartbreaks. 2009 saw him record a demo CD entitled The Impression On Me which was followed by the 2011 home recordings, The One Take Shake. Now back in Stockport, Munro performs regularly in Manchester and Liverpool and looks to record and release his first EP very soon. Stay tuned for news on recordings and forthcoming gigs.

Hedda Aronssen

Hedda Aronssen
heddaaronssen.com

soundcloud.com/heddaaronssen

Hedda Aronssen writes pop-music with memorable melodies, honest lyrics and dynamical arrangements. The Norwegian artist has together with her 4 piece band made their unique sound, with a a variation of influences. After 2 years of gigging in Norway and the UK, she is now in the progress of recording her first EP, Unread Letters, to be released in June 2012.

Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight #63 - February 2012 (Threshold)

If you get the chance, please support your local artists by emailing them, joining their mailing lists, leaving them comments, going to their gigs, and buying their music direct from them where possible. The Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight is produced and presented by Graham Holland on behalf of the Liverpool Acoustic website. It is also available on the Internet courtesy of Art In Liverpool FM (Defnet Media), and is a proud member of the Association of Music Podcasting. The theme music is King of the Faeries by Andrew Ellis from his CD Midnight On The Water.

The Grande playing Liverpool Acoustic Live tonight

2012-01-27T00:01:00.003Z

Liverpool Acoustic Live returns tonight, Friday 27th January 2012, with a rare, stripped-back set from one of Liverpool's best alt-country bands The Grande, ably supported by Geoghegan Jackson, Simon Cousins, and Cherry Colby.

Entry is by £5 advance ticket available until 6pm tonight at wegottickets.com/liverpoolacoustic or for £6 on the door.

Doors at the View Two Gallery open at 8.00pm, and the music starts at 8.30pm sharp and runs through to just after 11.00pm.

See you there!

Threshold 2012 - interview with Chris and Kaya

2012-01-24T00:01:00.005Z

Threshold Festival is back for the second year from Friday 10th to Sunday 12th February, and with the closure of the CUC has spread its wings across venues old and new inside the Baltic (Love) Triangle, and a little further beyond.

Liverpool Acoustic is taking part again, and will be bringing the Liverpool Acoustic Afternoon to Elevator Bar and Cafe from 2pm to 7pm on Saturday 11th February. We'll tell you more about that in a future news item, along with a special Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight show, but if you really can't wait then visit our facebook event page to find out more.

Day and Weekend tickets for Threshold can be bought from tiny.cc/threshold12tickets

Last year’s Threshold was a big hit with critics, acts and audiences alike, not bad for a first effort. So, where to go from there? We sent Liverpool Acoustic reporter Luke Moore to track down organisers Chris and Kaya Carney and ask them what to expect for Threshold 2012….

First off – congratulations are in order after an amazing debut festival in February 2011 and of course on getting married last year! How have things been going in the run up to Threshold 2012?

Thank you very much! Well…There was a point in the beginning of November as we started finalizing the programming where we thought, we are actually almost ready to go. You know when you think you must have forgotten something.. And then the CUC closed and we had to think outside a completely different box! Needless to say, the last few weeks have been, shall we say interesting?

After hosting Threshold 2011 and a whole host of other great events, it was disheartening to hear that the Liverpool CUC (Contemporary Urban Centre) is closing at the start of this year. As you had originally planned this year’s festival there, what challenges have you faced in making sure the show still goes on?

We love our new venues; Camp & Furnace is a fantastic warehouse space & really is THE ‘up & coming’ venue in Liverpool, The Blade Factory’s got nooks and crannies that create a fantastic maze of events, The Picket has been one of our favourite venues for years, Elevator is the creative hub for musicians in the city and putting on an event within the Nordic Church makes perfect sense with all the Scandos who have been part of the festival’s inception. The Lantern Theatre is the newcomer, and also an exciting fringe space. But this is the phoenix from the ashes.

It has been hard – we’ve lost our biggest sponsor and all the infrastructure/logistical work. It’s now all on us, and it’s all made on love and community spirit – we’ve renamed the Baltic Triangle the Baltic Love Triangle, but you can’t pay for things with goodwill, so we have had to work around the clock to try and make things work.

The festival runs from 10th – 12th February, often a quiet month for gigs and events, yet last year the event was packed out for almost all of the time. What have you got on offer that will bring in the crowds this year?

More than anything it is the sum of the events, the best grassroots art in the city, not just music but visual and performance art too alongside established acts and the up-and-coming… the quirky with the more commercial. As long as it is good, we try and find a space! We’re not following a scene, we accommodate for what’s going on.

Liverpool’s music scene is a hot-bed of new acts across a wide range of music and you again have an impressive number of bands and solo artists showcasing their wares this year. Who stood out last year and what acts should we be looking out for at Threshold 2012?

Every time I start talking about being excited about one thing, I remember another thing. Friday’s line up is pretty much Kaya’s dream gig with Louis Barabbas & The Bedlam Six headlining and lots of the most exciting alternative steampunk, folk, pop, blues, singer/songwriters on the line up + a whole room of Antipop – with their rock solid line-up (literally) in addition to Newpath, a post rock visual experience which has Chris all giddy and lots of acoustic wonderfulness accumulating with after parties from ‘Are you Louche?’ with The Elementals, who closed last years party so gorgeously and some VERY special guests tba.

But then Saturday goes from the newly signed Chelcee Grimes with her soulful pop and up-and-coming Coffee & Cakes for Funeral through to more established Nu folk wunderkinds Stealing Sheep, All We Are and Laura J Martin with international Scouse favourites TJ & Murphy.The Liverpool Acoustic stage features Oxtoby Music, The Big I Am, Robert Mulder plus many others and on the Liverpool Live Stages buzz bands Man Get Out and The Thespians will be rocking out after a fantastic full day of funk, soul, hip hop and craziness part presented by the fabulous guys of Soul4Soul. There’s also Debt Records’ line-up, one of the audience darlings from last year + a double afterparty with the WAXXX guys, Mr Paul, CANTMIXWONTMIXSHDNTMIXDONTMIX and Upituprecords.

And we haven’t even started talking about Sunday which a LOT of people are talking about. We have invited Diplomat of Sound to do a Chai Wallahs stage with Yes Sir Boss, Coda, Joe Driscoll and We the Undersigned. Most people who’ve been to Glastonbury, Bestival, Green Man Festival or Secret Garden Party have wandered into this tent – a funktastic experience no-one should miss.

That could be big enough, but we have a dribble worthy line up at Elevator for the full festival and a smoking hot bill for Sunday at The Picket with Sandi Thom, The Hummingbirds, ambitious and epic The Fifth Movement (formerly KCO), Natalie McCool and a few other handpicked ones from Sandi’s label Guardian Angels Records. Basically – we try and put on the festival we want to see. And then hope we get to see some of it!

But it’s not just about the muso’s, right…?

No very true! We have quite a few theatre and dance groups doing stunt performances and pop up pieces plus Impropriety and other programmed theatre groups.

So, something for everyone by the sound of it! How much are tickets?

In advance they’re a bargain £25 for the weekend or £10 for the day, it will be more on the door, so get your tickets early!

Fantastic! Well, I guess you both have a lot to do in preparation for Threshold but where can people find out more about the event?

Visit www.thresholdfestival.com plus they have piggybacked onto the app of media partners Liverpool Live & you can download it from the website www.liverpool-live.info

Luke Moore writes for Liverpool Acoustic, is the Liverpool/Cheshire editor for Independent Music News and is a talent scout for Deuce Management & Promotion. Luke is also a composer, arranger, session musician (cello, bass, piano) and works with a variety of signed and unsigned artists in the North West of England. This article originally appeared on Indie Music News and is republished here with kind permission.

@thresholdfest #threshold12

The festival is still on the look out for willing volunteers to help steward all the events they've got planned over the weekend. The more people they have volunteering, the shorter each of the stints will need to be. And as a volunteer, when you're not doing your volunteering thing you can get into any of the other events for free? It's got to be worth it, hasn't it?

Check out this video to find out more.

EP Review: Bird

2012-01-22T00:01:00.006Z

EP REVIEW

Artist: Bird

EP: Phantoms

Website: birdofficial.co.uk

There’s a lot to be said for living with music for a little while before writing a review. I’ve had this disc in and out of a CD tray for a couple of months now just soaking up the tracks without wanting to miss anything - and there’s certainly a lot here.

First of all, I should come clean and say that I’ve been following this band on the local scene in for the best part of a year. I saw Bird play at The Zanzibar about nine months ago and as the heady mix of vocals, washy guitars and long violin notes bordered on intoxicating, I couldn’t help thinking that if I was in a female fronted band, I’d probably want it to sound just like this. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing them live twice more at Liverpool venues - at The Masque (may she rest in peace) and at Eric’s, the latter being the official launch night for this, their Opus #1.

There’s a lot of positive things to say about the music on show and Phantoms does not sound like the product of a band that have only been together for around a year. The title track - which has been the grand finale in the band’s set when I’ve seen them live - opens with a repeating guitar motif, insistently hypnotising the ear into submission. A catchy wailing chorus is the real payoff for this track, as Adele Emmas’ vocals soar into the higher part of her range and push the emotion over the edge. This is a band setting out its stall and giving a promising indication of songs yet to come, a strong opener and a definite single, I hope.

The second track Hey Hey Moonshine takes the energy levels right down - it’s brooding guitars, rim-clicks and a breathier vocal for most of the way, building nicely to a chorus that could so easily be over-embellished. Bird hold back, letting the violin break at the end unsettle before giving way to an equally unnerving bass intro to Tides. The guitar picking transported me briefly to the likes of Zero Seven, Massive Attack and Goldfrapp (quite sublime, I really wanted to hear more of this intro!), then after two short verses, a wailing figure that harked back to the style of the chorus in Phantoms. A grower, I’m sure, even if I felt I was snapped out of the mood the intro set up a little too quickly, but still the track ticked along nicely before a cheekily placed Spanish guitar wraps the song up.

Finally - with thunderclaps, nursery rhyme, and rain - The Witch Hunter. The eeriest track on the EP by far, a different vocal sound is blended with picked guitars and a nod towards the first Bat For Lashes album. The final third of the track has violin and cello play against the haunting “Ring a ring a roses” vocal line and as the music builds to hint at a more filmic sound, then unravels, it’s clear that this is a band that have plenty more to offer.

Bird are back in the studio recording a new EP and like the rest of their rapidly expanding fan base, I can’t wait to hear what they come up with. To find out more, visit birdofficial.co.uk

Liverpool Acoustic – liverpoolacoustic.co.uk

Liverpool Acoustic Live preview - Friday 27th January 2012

2012-01-17T10:00:00.000Z

LIVERPOOL ACOUSTIC LIVE PREVIEW
FRIDAY 27TH JANUARY 2012

Friday 27th January is the first Liverpool Acoustic Live of 2012 at the View Two Gallery on Mathew Street. Kicking off a new year of fantastic local, national and international acts performing at one of Liverpool's best acoustic venues we've got:-

The Grande
Geoghegan Jackson
Simon Cousins
Cherry Colby

Tickets are £5 in advance or £6 on the door.

Tickets for all Liverpool Acoustic shows are available from

wegottickets.com/liverpoolacoustic

Doors open at 8.00pm with music starting at 8.30pm sharp. The night finishes at 11.15pm

Join the facebook event here.

Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight #62

The Grande - Rose Tinted Picture
Geoghegan Jackson - Threads
Simon Cousins - Love's Counterfeit
Cherry Colby - Give You My All
The Grande (Ben Sherwen solo acoustic) - Smile

Listen online here

(not available for email subscribers)

or download the show for free

(right-click to download)

The Grande

Firmly immersed in Americana & Alt. Country, The Grande have made a real name for themselves on the local music scene and look set to take their brand of heartfelt, bittersweet songwriting to a whole new level after the release of the much anticipated twelve track LP Bleaker St. in November 2011, launched at a sold out show at the famous Eric’s club in their hometown. [Read the Liverpool Acoustic review here]

The Grande are Ben Sherwen (Guitar & Vocals), Melissa Parker (Vocals), Joel Lynch (Guitar), Scott Poley (Pedal Steel, Guitars), Paul Davenport (Bass) & Phil Stevens (Drums).

Taking you on a journey through love lost and battles won, The Grande have become renowned for their memorable shows, drawing you into a whirlwind of emotion from the rousing crowd favourite Don’t Melt Me Down through to the anthemic harmony-laden Ghosts whilst taking in wistful heartbreakers 'Stay, Tonight', and Life’s On Hold and every sentiment in-between along the way.

The Grande wear their heart on their sleeve from the first note to the last, drawing on timeless influences such as The Band, Neil Young & Ryan Adams along the way but always staying true to The Grande’s roots.

thegrande.co.uk

Geoghegan Jackson

Geoghegan Jackson are Susan Geoghegan (guitar) and Helen Jackson (vocals), an acoustic pop/folk duo who hail from Liverpool. They originated from indie/pop band BettyNoire, who played in Liverpool, Manchester and London and later, as a duo, Beamish, supported Cud’s 2008 farewell tour.

They have currently been collaborating since February 2011, with influences including John Martyn, Nick Cave and Patti Smith. Geoghegan Jackson play their original pop folk with edge and have been compared as a “Mellow Zep.” They are currently gigging and releasing new material on a five track EP, “Parlour in the Sun”, recorded at Liverpool’s Parr Street Studio. Released by Lapwing Records, the EP features, in addition to the title track, “Threads”, “Cool Morning”, “Fossil Friend” and “Catch a Train”. Online release date is 23rd january by Lapwing Records.

reverbnation.com/geogheganjackson

Simon Cousins

Simon Cousins is a singer songwriter who was as a member of Liverpool indie country rock band The Onset and folk rockers Ophiuchus. His solo work is in an acoustic, folk and country genre. Cousins performed at the Glastonbury Festival in both 2010 and 2011. His first solo single, Love’s Counterfeit, was released on 11 November 2011 as a digital download format through iTunes.

sicousins.co.uk

Cherry Colby

Cherry Colby is an acoustic singer/songwriter from Liverpool who has been performing and writing for a number of years and has played across the country at various festivals and venues. Accompanied by the beautiful cello playing from Fiona Shaw, her acoustic music expresses soul, desires and emotions. Cherry's songs 'Give You My All' and 'Liverpool Lights' were featured on BBC Introducing in 2011, and she will be back in the studio early 2012 to record her new EP.

facebook.com/CherrySingerSongwriter

Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight #62 - January 2012

EP Review: Ste Hedley

2012-01-14T00:01:00.002Z

EP REVIEW

Artist: Ste Hedley

EP: Gig @ Your Door

Website: stehedley.co.uk

Gig @ Your Door is Ste Hedley's first EP which follows his debut album Graces, recorded while at LIPA. It was there he played for a number of Gospel choirs whilst majoring in bass guitar, which he has played to good effect with Lindsey Cleary. “I went to LIPA to become a bass player and ended up a singer songwriter, I reckon I was always wanting to be at the front of the stage: people who know me will understand.”

Listening to the 5 tracks on this EP I was struck at how professional and polished they all are, but but not before being caught by Ste Hedley's voice and lyrics which made me want to stop and take notice. The first track Polar Bears is lively, smiley and thought-provoking - so much more than an just eco song (which is a small part of this track) with clever lyrics and a chorus that just asks to be played again.

The second track Take Time is a well-crafted love song, one of two on the EP. The other one, First Time, features the beautiful voice of Sandi Thom, who compliments rather than overshadows Ste's vocals. Twenty Eight and Monsters, another two cracking tracks, complete the collection. Whether it's Ste's voice, his lyrics or the melodies that make you stop and listen, or all of those reasons and more, you wont be disappointed.

Ste listens to the likes of John Mayer, Adele, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye and much more, and says anything can spark an idea for a song, whether conceptual or lyrical, or sometimes its discovering a boss chord.

Ste Hedley turned the normal way of things on its head for this EP. He planned on singing 399 gigs in 21 days, playing everywhere from local music venues to people's front doors, with every gig being a chance for someone new to hear the songs. He has had some funny reactions, like dogs trying to eat him, with the strangest situation turning out to be an impromptu gig in a laundrette.

Gig @ Your Door EP is available to buy from iTunes and from Ste's website.

Liverpool Acoustic – liverpoolacoustic.co.uk

10 bands 10 minutes - Sat 14th Jan

2012-01-11T00:01:00.001Z

As mentioned in January's newsletter, 10 Bands 10 Minutes is back on Saturday 14th January at The Kazimier.

If you've not heard about this event before the concept is pretty simple - 10 bands each do a 10 minute set and cram in a song from the night's featured artist, which this time round is Neil Young.

The 10 bands include a number of local and national acoustic artists, and the full list is:-

Married To The Sea
House That Jack Built
Neil Jung & Big Divorce
Mark Morriss
The Loose Moose String Band
Joe Keelan
Novice Mathematic
Stephen Hudson & The Fiat Pandas
Dutch Marathon
David Broad

Entry is £4 on the door, and the doors open at 8.00pm.

P.S.
This is an ideal opportunity to catch David Broad who will also be playing at Liverpool Acoustic Live on Friday 27th April as part of his national tour with Serious Sid Barrett.

Live review: Woody Guthrie Folk Club

2012-01-08T00:01:00.002Z

Live review: Woody Guthrie Folk Club @ The Ship & Mitre
Thursday 29th December 2011

Visiting the Woody Guthrie Folk Club for the first time was like going back to my musical roots. It was many years ago in the upstairs room at the Ship & Mitre on Dale Street that I first discovered folk music when I stumbled across the Liverpool Singaround Folk Club. After just one visit I was hooked, and I ended up attending every week to play my songs, and enjoy the singing, the company and the real ale. It was here that Folk North West magazine introduced me to other folk clubs across the region which, in turn, lead to me getting bookings on the folk club circuit, joining the Shellback Chorus, and playing festivals across the UK. Happy days!

The Liverpool Singaround Folk Club closed in 2002, so I was delighted when I heard that Alun Parry had decided to hold his new Woody Guthrie Folk Club upstairs at the Ship & Mitre. Despite the event’s reputation and popularity (the ticket-only nights are regularly sold out), the nostalgic venue (for me, at least), and the fact it’s been running for nearly two years, I’d never been able to get along to one of the nights before, so I was really glad when the opportunity to attend was unexpectedly presented to me at the end of December 2011.

Alun Parry opened the first half of the night with a solo song he wrote about the time his Dad, the hero, stood up for the rights of passengers on a train from Barcelona in 1962. This was followed by Greedy Fingers, which was commissioned by Bolton UNISON for the N30 strikes and puts into song the frustrations felt by the average worker made to pay for the mistakes of the banks, big business and government. Linus then joined Al on banjo, along with Gabi and Peter from The Good Intentions, for a rendition of Midnight Special. This traditional song, about a man who ends up in prison and feels badly done by, was made famous after Lead Belly first recorded it in 1934.

Linus, Alun, Gabi & Peter (photo © Sharon Latham)

The folk club is named after legendary singer-songwriter and folk musician Woody Guthrie. It's no surprise then that it promotes ‘songs of humour, struggle, life and justice’, all four of which were encapsulated by the first three songs of the night.

The rest of the first half featured members of the club who’d asked to sing. First up was a young lady whose name I missed (sorry!) who played a ukulele and sang one song. This, it turns out, was the first time she’d ever performed in public, and she couldn’t have found a more friendly and supportive bunch of people to do it in front of. Fred was up next and sang two songs unaccompanied. The self-penned Peace On Earth, Goodwill To Men was as good as any traditional folk song you’ll hear, and the tale of the cockerel put on trial for ‘having his way’ with Nancy Hogan’s Goose was fun.

Wassailing is an ancient southern English tradition from this time of year that sees groups of people travelling around the village from house to house or orchard to orchard, singing songs, and drinking to ward away evil spirits and promote a good harvest for the next year. Why am I telling you this? Because three members of a group called Greenblade sang two unaccompanied Wassailing songs, one from the home of cider, Somerset.

Richard was up next with two unaccompanied songs, one originally from the Fens area of Norfolk, and one ‘collected’ (a folky term for when someone first writes down a traditional song that they’ve heard someone singing) in Wirral in 1920. Finishing the first half was young Nick on guitar, who ably accompanied Alun on Al’s own You Are My Addiction, and Dylan’s The Times They Are a-Changin’.

The break provided a welcome opportunity to stir wide-eyed at the massive board downstairs showing all the different ales and beers on sale from around the world. I opted for a rather nice cherry stout, which sounded like it aught to be a Christmassy drink. Back upstairs we were offered a selection of cakes, the excuse being that it was Christmas. I don’t know who make the bara brith, but it was spot on and went perfectly with the stout!

The second half kicked off with Al and Gabi singing Merry Christmas Everyone. They are normally joined by Vinny and perform as Rich Man’s Ruin, but poor Vinny was too ill and unfortunately missed a golden opportunity to take part in this Shakin’ Stevens masterpiece. There’s always next year, Vinny!

Next was a powerful song called ‘Esperanza’ – Spanish for ‘hope’. It was written by Al and Gabi via text message and was based on a news story that the BBC broke in October 2011. In Spain over a period of 40-50 years, up to the 1990s, doctors, nurses and Catholic nuns stole babies from the enemies of the Fascist state or those judged to be 'morally deficient', and sold them to Franco’s supporters, then latterly childless Catholic families. This is a real-life song about real injustice – Woody would be proud!

Al and Gabi finished their set with Guthrie’s Bury Me Under The Willow Tree, and the Chumbawamba song El Fusilado (The Executed One) about the Mexican revolutionary who survived being ‘executed’ by firing squad.

Then we were back to our singers from the audience, and John, suitably donned in a Christmas cardigan, sang unaccompanied versions of The Holy And The Ivy, and the Corpus Christi Carol. He was followed by two thirds of the award-winning The Good Intentions, as Gabi and Peter treated us to Black Train, and Jon Byrd’s wonderful original song Silent Night.

Kath and Emma sang the traditional song The Wind And Rain followed by a quaint song about a talking frog! Emma on guitar with Josh on acoustic bass performed the traditional The Blackleg Miner, and The Rose Of York, as sung by Roy Bailey. The last of the floor singers was Linus who, to my utter shame, I missed when I popped downstairs for another pint and bumped into someone I knew. However, I was back in time to see Alun round off the night singing When I’m Cleaning Windows on his banjolele, and the two traditional closers – Oh Mr Cameron (words by Al’s mum Norma), and Woody Guthrie's Union Maid. The perfect end to an interesting, varied, and highly enjoyable night.

The general perception of folk music is that it’s not current and that only older people enjoy it. The Woody Guthrie Folk Club well and truly blasts that myth to smithereens by combining traditional (there's little more traditional than a Wassailing song) with modern (you can’t get more contemporary than a song about the November 30^th strikes), and performers old and young. I’m not going to fall into the trap of saying which of the performers are in the former category, but I’ll gladly point out Linus, the girl with the ukulele, Richard, Nick, Emma and Josh as being closer to the teenage end of the age spectrum. And this can only be encouraging for the future of folk music.

The Woody Guthrie Folk Club normally takes place on the last Thursday of the month. Due to the high demand for places, everyone attending has to buy a ticket in advance, although at only £3 it’s hardly going to break the bank. The good news is that if you turn up and perform on the night you get your money back!

Full details can be found on the club's website at woodyfolk.co.uk

Please note that this month's Woody Guthrie Folk Club is taking place a week earlier, on Thursday 19th January. At the time of writing there were only 13 tickets left. You can buy yours at wegottickets.com/event/150157

Liverpool Acoustic - liverpoolacoustic.co.uk

Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight - January 2012 eXtra

2012-01-04T00:01:00.000Z

LIVERPOOL ACOUSTIC SPOTLIGHT
JANUARY 2012 EXTRA

Normally the Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight features the artists due to appear at our live music events. Now that we're no longer organising a second monthly event on a regular basis the extra Spotlight show will instead feature other artists from the local scene in much the same way that the 2011 Christmas Special did. If you're a local acoustic artist and would like to be considered then message us on Facebook or email contact@liverpoolacoustic.co.uk

Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight #61

Listen online here

(not available for email subscribers)

or download the show for free

(right-click to download)

Thom Morecroft - Holly
thommorecroftmakesmusic.blogspot.com
Tom will be playing the Liverpool Acoustic eXtra show on Friday 9th March with Bird, and The Sea Kings [London]
Interview - Joseph Dene
Joseph Dene - Secret Lady
josephdene.com
Interview - Clever Little Tramps
Clever Little Tramps - I Was Sleeping
facebook.com/cleverlittletramps
Interview - Alan Roy, Stonetown Sessions
Find it on facebook
Galley Beggar - Sun God
galleybeggar.com
Taken from the album Reformation House, available to buy from their website using PayPal or from iTunes.
Kev Eustace - Carry This Torch
mp3unsigned.com/Kev_Eustace
Seven Years Behind - Saudade
facebook.com/sevenyearsbehind

Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight #61 - January 2012 eXtra

Liverpool Acoustic Newsletter - January 2012

2012-01-01T00:01:00.185Z

Welcome to 2012!

We've got so much to look forward to (or not, depending on your point of view), as this year sees a whole host of special events.

The Olympics and Paralympics (Go, Team GB!)

The extra bank holiday in June for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee (thanks, Liz!)

The European Football Championships (yet another opportunity for England to not win silverware)

And, of course, 2012 heralds the end of the world (those Mayans never could count properly...) so please make an orderly queue at your nearest Ark.

2012 is also set to be another great year of music in Liverpool, with its network of dedicated promoters and venues gearing up to bring us some of the very best local, national and international musicians around.

LIVERPOOL ACOUSTIC LIVE

The next Liverpool Acoustic Live is on Friday 27th January 2012 at the View Two Gallery and features a feast of fantastic music.

The Grande are Liverpool's premier alt-country band, and are riding high having released their fantastic debut album last November. This is real good, feel good music from the band set to make a real impact in 2012.
Geoghegan Jackson are duo Susan Geoghegan on guitar and Helen Jackson on vocals. Together they make great music, influenced along the way by John Martyn, Patti Smith and Nick Cave. Their new EP Parlour In The Sun is due to be released this month too on Lapwing Records.
Simon Cousins is a singer-songwriter and musician, who was a member of Liverpool indie country rock band The Onset and folk rockers Ophiuchus. His solo work is in an acoustic, folk / country genre, described by Tim Peacock of Whisperin and Hollerin' online magazine as "showcasing a fluid finger-picking style and a gentle, unobtrusive voice which nonetheless carries a determined presence."
Cherry Colby is an acoustic Singer/Songwriter, originally from Liverpool but now based in Yorkshire. 'Liverpool Lights', a track from her new EP, has already been featured on BBC Introducing this year and another track 'Give You My All', was featured on Yorkshire Coast Radio 'Undiscovered'.

Tickets are £5 in advance from wegottickets.com/liverpoolacoustic and available on the door for £6

Doors open at 8.00pm with music starting at 8.30pm sharp. The night finishes at 11.15pm

Join the facebook event here.

liverpoolacoustic.co.uk/live

DIARY NEWS

Thanks to Michael and Tony who, following a Wednesday night in town, told us about two events from the diary that no longer take place. The update came a day too late for December's newsletter, so we're sharing it with you now. If you know of any events that have stopped, started, or changed then do let us know so we can share the news with the rest of the world.

You can follow more up-to-date news on our twitter feed twitter.com/lpoolacoustic so come and join us in the twittersphere!

All change

The weekly 2Track @ Tank (St Helens) is now monthly, on the last Tuesday of the month. They'll be adding to that a 2Track Sessions night mid-month which will be filmed. If you're interested in taking part in either event email James or join the facebook group.

You say goodbye...

Bumper Acoustic no longer takes place at Bumper on Wednesday nights.
Stripped and Bare acoustic no longer takes place at Heebie Jeebies on Wednesday nights.
Jody Cooper's Thursday night open mic at Aki's on Lark Lane has come to an end after over a year. Jody would like to thank everyone who took part during that time.

Due to the imminent closure of the CUC a number of other regular events have also come to an end. If any of them find a new home we'll be sure to let you know.

Before Dark @ Jamaica Rooms Beer House, Fridays 6-9
The Cellar Club @ The Beer House, Saturdays 9-2
Open Mic Night @ The Beer House, Sundays 8-11

And I say hello...!

Move along now, there's nothing to see here.

JANUARY DIARY SELECTION BOX

Here's a selection of some of the acoustic events taking place in January. Click on the event in the diary for full details and links.

Monday 9th - Come Strut Your Stuff @ The Egg Cafe - This is a week later than normal because of the Bank Holiday. Open floor poetry and acoustic music takes place once a month in Liverpool's best vegetarian bistro. The event starts at 8pm but if you want to perform you'll need to be there before 7.30pm to get your name on the list. comestrutyourstuff.co.uk
Saturday 14th - Radical Liverpool @ Studio 2, Parr St. This monthly event returns with Claire Mooney headlining, and support from Our Morals and a full set from the Liverpool Socialist Singers. Tickets £4.50 in advance here. Doors open at 7.00pm
Saturday 14th - 10 Bands 10 Minutes @ The Kazimier - if you don't know the format, it's pretty simple. 10 bands each play a 10 minute set, making sure they include a song by the featured artist which, in this case, is Neil Young. Amongst the performers are Mark Morriss, Joe Keelan, David Broad, and the Loose Moose String Band. Tickets are £4 on the door - details here.
Thursday 19th - Lanterns on the Lake @ The Static Gallery - Here at Liverpool Acoustic HQ we take our hats off to the Harvest Sun guys who continue to bring some of the best touring artists to our fair city. Newcastle-based Lanterns On The Lake fuse the fragile and graceful end of the folk spectrum to the most luminous properties of cinemascopic rock. Tickets are £6.50 in advance and details can be found here.
Thursday 19th - Woody Guthrie Folk Club @ The Ship & Mitre - This popular folk club is the place to hear songs of humour, struggle, life and justice. Please note that this month's date is a week earlier than normal. Tickets are £3 from wegottickets.com with singers getting this refunded on arrival. Full details at woodyfolk.co.uk
Thursday 26th - Josh Rouse @ The Black-E - here's another cracking gig from the Harvest Sun guys which is sure to be a sell-out. Tickets are £15 in advance, and details can be found here.
Friday 27th - Liverpool Acoustic Live @ The View Two Gallery, with The Grande, Georghegan Jackson, Simon Cousins, and Cherry Colby. Tickets £5 in advance and £6 on the door, which opens at 8.00pm

FEBRUARY DIARY SNEEK PEEK

In our monthly newsletter we normally list just the events coming up in that particular month. However, there are two gigs on the first day of February this year that deserve a bit more advance notice, so here you go.

Wednesday 1st February - Lindi Ortega @ Leaf - Canadian Lindi Ortega plays fine country-tinged Americana described by some as a blend of Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, and Emmylou Harris. Support on the night is from Marc Hannon (Springtime Anchorage) and Emily Cimber. Tickets are £6 in advance, with details here.
Wednesday 1st February - Hard Times & Hard Travellin @ Grateful Fred's, Formby Royal British Legion - Will Kaufman presents a live documentary on the life and music of Woody Guthrie, setting his songs in the context of 1930s America - the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression, and the New Deal. Support is from the delightful Nadine Carina. Doors open at 7.45pm, music starts at 8.00pm, and tickets are £6.50 from here.

AND FINALLY...

We're in the process of developing a brand new website for Liverpool Acoustic that will see all of our content brought together in the same place. So, if there's something you think we should be adding or changing now would be a good time to tell us. You can get in touch by emailing contact@liverpoolacoustic.co.uk

Graham -
on behalf of the Liverpool Acoustic Team

Christmas greetings from Liverpool Acoustic

2011-12-23T00:01:00.000Z

Twas the night before the night before Christmas
And all round the Liverpool Acoustic HQ
Not a creature was stirring
Not even a Gruffalo

That's because the Liverpool Acoustic team members are taking a well-earned festive break. Don't worry though, we'll be back on New Year's Day with January's newsletter, and a whole twelve months of news, reviews, podcasts, and live events to look forward to.

Don't forget, if you're heading out to any of the events in the Liverpool Acoustic Diary at this time of year then it's probably worth checking beforehand to make sure it's still taking place before you head out through the door.

Happy Christmas from the Liverpool Acoustic team - Graham, Stuart, Al, Allan, Robbo - and thanks to anyone else who's contributed in any way during 2011.

Album review: The Grande

2011-12-20T00:01:00.000Z

ALBUM REVIEW

Artist: The Grande

Album: Bleaker St.

Website: thegrande.co.uk

Way back in 2008 at the start of my first ever CD review for Liverpool Acoustic I explained that one of the ways I measure the quality of a CD is by the length of time I keep it in my car’s CD player. In the case of Bleaker St., the debut album from local alt-country band The Grande, it’s been entertaining me while driving for five weeks and sees no sign of being replaced any time soon.

The reason I like Bleaker St. so much is because it’s just so damned good! From the opening guitar riffs of Don’t Melt Me Down to the home-spun intimacy of the closing title track, this album doesn’t have a single duff track on it. Normally I’d highlight one or two tracks that stand out from the rest, but in this case that would be most of the tracks. What we have here is top-class songwriting, with fabulous musicianship and singing, all professionally recorded and engineered - a genuine treat to listen to.

Don’t Melt Me Down starts the album by setting the standards high and introduces The Grande’s trademark sound along the way. Ben Sherwen’s lead vocals are perfectly matched by Melissa Parker’s harmonies and complimentary vocals, and Joel Lynch’s lead guitar is underpinned by Ben’s acoustic guitar, Paul Davenport’s bass, Phil Stevens’ drumming, and Christian Madden’s guest appearance on the wonderfully evocative Hammond Organ.

Hollow House introduces Scott Poley on pedal steel guitar for a song that wouldn’t sound out of place on an Eagles set list or album. In fact, can I be the first to dub The Grande as The Scouse Eagles? In my opinion they’re that good, and whereas Don Henley needed Glenn Frey’s help to write some of their best hits, Ben Sherwen manages the feat seemingly effortlessly by himself.

The album continues with Open Heart, a song I found myself singing along to even on the first hearing – the sign of good songwriting, in my book. Rose Tinted Picture slows the pace and allows Melissa to take centre stage with lead vocals, and the contrast adds yet another dimension to the album’s sound.

And the cracking songs continue one after another. Life’s On Hold is followed by Wasted, with a suitably sad harmonica sound. Ghosts sounds more contemporary and, dare I say it, commercial (nothing wrong with that!), while Sunset On The Years is a beautiful ballad with great musicianship and sweet harmonies.

Coffee And Wine has a more traditional country feel to it with the added fun factor of a honky-tonk piano and banjo. Smile slips effortlessly back into the slower pace that the band does so well, allowing the songs to speak for themselves, with Ben and Melissa sharing the vocals.

At five and a half minutes long Stay, Tonight is by far the longest track on the album, although it never outstays its welcome despite the slow tempo – yet another sign of a well written song. The final track on the album is Bleaker St., a lo-fi recording which surprises (pleasantly, of course) with the introduction of Scott on mandolin.

The iTunes Gracenote database lists the genre for this album as ‘Alternative’, probably because the person who first added it couldn’t find a better way to describe it from the options available. However, ‘alternative’ is probably as apt a way as any to describe it, given that Bleaker St. combines roots, Americana, alt-country, and rock ‘n’ roll into a potent mix of music planted firmly into the genre I like to call ‘just great music’.

If you haven't already bought this album, then what are you waiting for? Buy it. Now. You won't be disappointed. After all, my car's CD player doesn't lie.

Bleaker St. is available to buy as a digital download and a limited edition CD from thegrande.co.uk

The Grande will be headlining Liverpool Acoustic Live on Friday 27th January at the View Two Gallery. Tickets are £5 in advance and available now from wegottickets.com/liverpoolacoustic

Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight 2012 Christmas Special

2011-12-17T00:01:00.000Z

LIVERPOOL ACOUSTIC SPOTLIGHT
2011 CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

Welcome to the Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight 2011 Christmas Special. We put out a call on our facebook page for any local acoustic musicians who have Christmas songs that we can play. We expected a couple - instead we got a sleigh full! Many thanks to everyone who submitted a song. Yes, we know they're not all acoustic, and they're not all from local artists, but they all fit into the Christmas theme in one way or another.

As we say on every show (read the blurb right at the bottom) now is as good a time as any to show your support for our local artists by sending them messages on facebook, 'liking' their page, going to their live gigs, and buy music direct from them where possible. If you like a song that you've heard on this show, let the artist know. It'll make their day, and maybe even brighten up their Christmas!

Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight #60

Listen online here

(not available for email subscribers)

or download the show for free

(right-click to download)

Alex Hulme - I Won't Be Home This Christmas
alexhulme.net
Download this song for free from Cityscape Records
Rob Rivieres - I Just Want Christmas Back
robrivieres.com
Visit Rob's website to download Before The Dawn EP for free
The Southbound Attic Band - A Red Rose
Barry Jones (vocals & guitar), Ronnie Clark (bass)
myspace.com/southboundatticband
The 10p Mixes - Christmas Number One
Danni (keyboard & vocals) and Will (guitar)
the10pmixes.blogspot.com
Download the Christmas Number One EP for free here
The Good Intentions - Silent Night
thegoodintentions.co.uk
This song was written by Jon Byrd from Nashville, and performed with permission.
Tom Menarry, ft Amelia Rose - Is This Christmas? facebook.com/tommenarry
Lipa student. Ton (vocals and piano), add vocals Amelia, Produced by Fraser Car-Gomm.
Faraday (Martin Minshall) - It's Christmas Everywhere
facebook.com/Faraday.Official
Download this track for free from here.
Graeme Heerden - Christmas in the Morning
soundcloud.com/grafa16
Lipa student
Music by Graeme, Words by Graeme, and Bobbie Jones
Download this track for free here.

Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight #60 - Christmas 2011

Thanks for reading, and a message from the Mail Chimp

2011-12-15T00:01:00.000Z

It's that time of year when we traditionally thank people for... er... stuff.

So...

Thank you for reading the 130-odd (and some have been very odd!) Liverpool Acoustic News and Reviews posts during 2011. Whether you read them on the website, in a feed reader, or subscribe for free via email, we hope you've found them interesting, helpful and enjoyable.

Now that's all well and good, but it's come to our attention that some of you don't know about the separate mailing list we use to tell the world about Liverpool Acoustic's live music events. These events include our monthly Liverpool Acoustic Live gigs, but also include the other events we get involved with throughout the year such as Liverpool Acoustic eXtra, Liverpool Acoustic Afternoon, the Threshold Festival, Above the Beaten Track, the Liverpool Irish Festival, the Working Class Life & Music Festival, and the Liverpool Acoustic View Two Songwriting Challenge.

If you sign up for the Events Mailing List not only will you hear news about our events before the rest of the world, you'll also get the first opportunity to buy tickets before they're placed on general sale. For example, our end-of-year mail shot due out next week will contain a secret link to buy tickets for our Liverpool Acoustic Live 3rd anniversary bash on 24th February, with Stephen Langstaff headlining. These won't be on general sale until January, giving you the first chance to snap up tickets for this highly anticipated gig.

Once you've signed up you can change your name and email address at any time, and unsubscribing is simple too - just click on the appropriate link at the bottom of each email.

To join the Events Mailing List either click on the Mail Chimp postal delivery operative below or if you'd prefer not to click on our furry cousin you can click here instead.

Gig review: Ian McNabb @ The Capstone

2011-12-13T00:01:00.001Z

Gig review: Ian McNabb - 50 Songs (part 1) @ The Capstone Theatre
Friday 9th December 2011

You could hear a pin drop.

Silence, reverence... call it what you will, it's surely what an artist craves: the undivided attention of those who have paid to see a performance. Ian McNabb had the intimate Capstone Theatre in the palm of his hand last Friday night.

As part of a unique double header over the weekend, McNabb played two different solo sets, over two nights, each with 25 songs on the list. It was a viable commercial idea (both nights were close to sold out) and a creative one too.

Digging out the back catalogue is always an easy option to shift tickets at this time of year. But the ex-Icicle Works singer put a bit more thought in than most - and promised his fans he would dig out a few obscure tunes.

He did. And for a man who sings in the grown-up 'Lady By Degrees', "don't bang on about some obscure band," it's pretty ironic that his followers will do exactly that about him to whoever they meet.

The gig itself was a revelation. McNabb wandered on looking like a Laurel Canyon lothario and treated the Capstone to a tour-de-force of performance. We had the solo acoustic troubadour belting out the likes of 'Hollow Horse', 'All Things To Everyone' and 'The Lonely Ones'; the John Martyn-esque phased, electric reading of 'Stood Before St Peter' and the piano man delivering a heartbreaking, but life-affirming version of 'Believer Of Me'.

McNabb has received negative reports for his between song banter in the past, but sipping on water and Guinness, he was charming company with an anecdote or two breaking up the set. New songs 'King Of Hearts' (clearly written during a Bill Withers week on Spotify) and the Scott Walker-esque 'Ancient Energy' kept his hand in the present, but it was the likes of 'Evangeline', 'Love Is A Wonderful Colour' and 'Seven Horses' which had the crowd singing along.

It's a dilemma for the artist, but one not for these nights.

I suppose on a cold December evening, with the River Mersey whipping up a bleak, midwinter storm, what the crowd are listening for is less important. That they are still listening at all is surely good enough...

© 2011 Alan O'Hare

Liverpool Acoustic - liverpoolacoustic.co.uk

Rare chance to see Dom DufF at Monday Marmalade tonight

2011-12-12T00:01:00.008Z

Dom DufF is a highly-renowned, innovative and exciting musician from Brittany in north west France who crosses Breton influences with great guitar licks. You can find out more about him, including links to his music and videos, at www.domduff.com

Dom DufF is visiting Liverpool on the last stop of a UK tour and will be playing tonight - Monday 12th December - at Monday Marmalade at Chameleon Bar on Back Colquitt Street.

Also playing as part of a great line-up will be Frazer Churchill and his Jazz Band, and James Whitehouse.

There will be open mic slots available too if anyone else wants to play.

The night starts at 9.00pm, with the first act on at 9.30pm and the night finishing around midnight (although there's a late license to stay open longer if it's busy!).

You'll find drinks offers of £2.50 for single spirit and mixer, and £3.50 doubles. 2-4-1 on cocktails are complimented by 2 bottles of lager for only £3.00!

And if you want to keep up with who's playing Monday Marmalade each week then you can find out on the facebook group.

GIT Awards are here

2011-12-10T00:01:00.001Z

For those of you who missed the announcement last month (where have you been hiding?) the GIT Awards are coming to town next year, and all local musicians are invited to take part now.

GIT is Getintothis, the website and music column from Liverpool Daily Post and Echo journalist Peter Guy, a man who knows more than most about the local music scene.

Rather than wasting our time paraphrasing the press release (those pressies won't wrap themselves, you know!) we've included it in full below. Suffice it to say, the GIT Awards are a welcome and long-overdue addition to the city's cultural calendar, and Liverpool Acoustic will be supporting it all the way.

NEW AWARD RECOGNISES NEXT GENERATION OF LIVERPOOL MUSICIANS

SOME cities have wonderful pop music histories, some might be lucky enough to enjoy successful periods in the future, but few can confidently say, they have both. Liverpool is one of a select bunch of cities that can. Like London, New York, Chicago, Detroit and Los Angeles, it can accurately claim to have changed the complexion of modern music. Now, a new prize, the GIT Award (named after the popular local music blog Getintothis - www.getintothis.co.uk), is about to recognise the best of the future crop of Liverpool musicians who may go on to do what Scousers have been doing for more than half a century – changing the course of history. As award-winning writer and Word Magazine associate editor Paul Du Noyer, author of the peerless history of the city’s pop music culture, Liverpool Wondrous Place, says, “Music is not just the heritage but the heartbeat of Liverpool.” But, it’s not just about rock and roll and the guitar bands the city has mostly been famed for, the GIT Award will celebrate Liverpool's current rich musical diversity. From the thriving hip hop scene to its electronica artists, from its long-established country and roots community to punk, folk and metal, the GIT Award is open to all.

Peter Guy, Liverpool ECHO journalist and editor of Getintothis, says, “Think of it as the Scouse Mercury Prize - but, the only criteria being that it has a clear connection with Liverpool; ie: the record was made, produced or recorded by Liverpudlians. "Unlike the Mercurys, there will be a transparent judging panel and as many grass roots musicians won't record a full album during the course of a year, we're asking for four tracks be submitted to be eligible for entry - think of it as an old school four-track EP."

And the prize? It's a little belter. Sandhills Studio is offering a day's free recording time with a top producer, while the winners will play next year's Liverpool Sound City and Liverpool Music Week. Vice Magazine, meanwhile, has asked Getintothis to promote an exclusive gig at their London-based bar, The Old Blue Last, featuring the winners. On top of this, film-maker Ian Gamester, who has been shortlisted for the prestigious Virgin Media Shorts film, will make the band's video promo which will be screened by Picturehouse at FACT’s boutique Box cinema for the winners and their nearest and dearest. Further goodies from sponsors will be announced in the coming months.

The GIT Award had an official launch at Liverpool Music Week's spectacular closing party at the Contemporary Urban Centre on November 11. Twelve nominees will be announced next spring before the winner is unveiled days before Liverpool Sound City 2012 where they will feature on the Getintothis stage.

In the meantime, spread the word, The GIT Award is officially ON - musicians, bands and creative types everywhere, send your four tracks to getintothis@gmail.com or alternatively post to Peter Guy, The GIT Award, Liverpool Daily Post & ECHO, PO Box 48, Old Hall Street, Liverpool, L693EB. If you're a business and would like to get involved with the GIT Award, please email peter.guy@liverpool.com.

SPONSORS /

A stellar list of sponsors, both from inside and outside the music community, have added their considerable cultural and commercial heft in supporting the inaugural GIT Award, including: Liverpool Sound City, Liverpool Music Week, Cream, Creamfields, Vice Magazine, The Quietus, Liverpool Vision, ACME, It's Liverpool, Liverpool City Council, Culture Liverpool, FACT Cinema and Art Gallery, Liverpool Museum, Probe Records, The Music Consortium, Bido Lito! Magazine, WAXXX Magazine, Sandhills Recording Studios, Elevator Studios, The Motor Museum Recording Studios, Dawsons, Resurrection, Lost Art, Weavers Door, Bold Street Coffee, The Green Cauldron, Cains Brewery, The Bluecoat, Static Gallery, The Masque, Leaf, Sentric, CMU Daily, EVOL, Mellotone, Harvest Sun, Samizdat, Behind The Wall Of Sleep, Another Media, Obscenic, Mercy, Hive Collective, Jon Hillcock's New Noise, UR BEATZ, Seven Streets Liverpool Live and LIPA.

JUDGES /

Thus far the judging panel comprises Vice Magazine global editor Andy Capper, Liverpool-based EVOL promoter Steve Miller and Getintothis editor Peter Guy. The full panel will be announced shortly.

QUOTES /

Dave Pichilingi, CEO Liverpool Sound City, the city’s annual music festival and conference said: 'Sound City has always championed the vast pool of talent from Liverpool and the wider region, and having worked with Getintothis since our formation in 2007, the GIT Award represents the perfect showcase to celebrate new music. We're proud to offer the winners a chance to play Sound City 2012 and with such a diverse range of music out there it'll be fascinating to see how it evolves.'

Former NME journalist and director at Liverpool vision, Kevin McManus, said: "We are really happy to support the GIT Award. Liverpool has a worldwide reputation for its creativity and for continuing to produce some of the UK’s best music and most innovative music businesses. This award gives new talent an important platform and provides some well deserved recognition for the numerous new acts breaking through."Mike Stubbs, Director/CEO, FACT, said: “FACT has been developing and supporting fledging artists for over 20 years and as a result we've seen first-hand the huge amount of creative talent that Merseyside produces. That's why I am delighted to be supporting this great initiative.”Paul Du Noyer said: “I love the idea of an award to celebrate the musicians who are actively creating new music today – these are the very artists who will enrich the city's future.”

Bido Lito! Magazine editor Craig Pennington said: "Being at the coal face of new music in Liverpool, we feel it is important that new music is celebrated in as many ways as possible. An award to champion the musical achievements of our city's creators is a fantastic move forward and, being constantly at the forefront of new music in the city, GIT are the perfect guys to present it. We wholeheartedly support the project."

Sandhills Recording Studio engineer Al Groves, said: "Sandhills Studio was set up to provide an independent recording studio for grassroots musicians, and in the last five years we have had the pleasure to work with some of the most exciting artists the city has to offer. We are really pleased to offer the winner of the GIT awards a day's recording in Sandhills Studio, and we can't wait to hear what the artists come up with."Liverpool City Cllr for Culture and Tourism, Wendy Simon said: “The city is proud to support the Getintothis Award, as a city we are recognised for our great musical talent and these awards are a great way to acknowledge this talent.”

NEWS BLAST #13 [7/12/11]

2011-12-07T00:01:00.012Z

NEWS BLAST #13 is bucking the 'unlucky' trend by bringing you a fortuitous bag of news-type goodies.

UNDERAGE EVENT - calling any 14 to 18 year olds who are looking for a gig. Dominic Dunn is running an Underage Night on December 20th with the aim of giving unsigned young local musicians the opportunity to get some gigging experience and to develop a following. It's taking place at The Harbour Bar in Crosby, and there will be a dry bar. Get in touch with Dom on Facebook if you're interested. You do have a facebook account, don't you?

RE:WIRING HALTON - And in other youth news, Re-Wire is celebrating 10 years of providing mentoring, gigs and recording for budding young rockers in both Widnes and Runcorn. Countless (really?) bands have taken their first step and received expert guidance and development opportunities through the Re-Wire programme, and look set to continue well into the future at their new venues, the HRMZ Youth Hub in Grangeway, Runcorn (Saturday mornings) and the CRMZ, Kingsway, Widnes (Saturday afternoons). If you know of any young people in Halton who'd like to get involved contact the council's Music Development Officer Martin Cox on martin.cox@halton.gov.uk 0151 907 8360

KEEPING ON TRACK - The weekly 2Track open mic takes place on the first Tuesday of the month at Tank bar in St Helens. They're looking for more budding musicians who'd like to come along and play a few tunes in a compact and relaxed venue. It starts at 8pm and is free, and you can find the facebook group here.

SINGER SEEKS ACOUSTIC GUITARIST - Local singer, Lisa, is looking for a guitarist to accompany her for a bit of fun, and to make a bit of money too. She already has a number of venues interested in booking her and just needs someone to strum along. Interested? Reply here.

FEMALE SINGER SOUGHT - Singer songwriter Mark Roberts is looking for a female vocalist, ideally an instrumentalist as well, to join him for a forthcoming recording project to be released by a folk label. Interested? Contact Mark here.

ONLY UNSIGNED ALLOWED - The people behind the International Songwriting Competition are launching a unique new international competition designed for solo artists, bands, and singers who are not signed to a major label record company or any affiliates, subsidiaries, or imprints (try saying that sentence after a couple of sherrys!). If you're interested in trying your hand you can find out more information at unsignedonly.com

THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SLOWBUSINESS - Recently launched, Slowbizz is a brand new network aimed at solo artists looking for house concert opportunities, and potential hosts looking for quality artists. Find out more at slowbizz.com

CEILIDH (IS IT TOO LATE TO SAY I'M SORRY) - more to the point, is it too late for Gillian Blease to find a New Years Eve Ceilidh, preferably towards the South Manchester area? If you know of anything then drop her an email here.

BACK TO DOUBLE BASS-ICS - Here's an offer you don't see every day. Aigburth-based double bass player with live, studio and touring experience is looking for a new project to get his teeth into. If you think a DB would enhance what you're doing musically then get in touch here.

THE OTHER SIDE OF WEDNESDAY NIGHT - (isn't that Thursday morning?) Actually, it's a Liverpool-based collective of writers, artists, songwriters and composers that meets once a month in the upstairs room at the Ship & Mitre on Dale Street. It's aim is to encourage creativity and provide a forum for 'frustrated creatives'. The next one is on Wednesday 21st December from 7.30pm, and you can find more details from theothersideofwednesdaynight.blogspot.com

Liverpool Acoustic Christmas Party preview - Friday 9th December 2011

2011-12-05T00:01:00.001Z

LIVERPOOL ACOUSTIC
CHRISTMAS PARTY PREVIEW

FRIDAY 9TH DECEMBER 2011

Friday 9th December sees the Liverpool Acoustic Christmas Party at our spiritual home, the View Two Gallery on Mathew Street. Our last Liverpool Acoustic event of the year is set to be a fabulous feast of acoustic music to thrill the ears and sooth the heart.

Sonnenberg
Farrago
Alex Hulme
The Liverpool Acoustic Team

Tickets are £5 in advance or £6 on the door.

Tickets for all Liverpool Acoustic shows are available from

wegottickets.com/liverpoolacoustic

Doors open at 8.00pm with music starting at 8.30pm sharp. The night finishes at 11.15pm

Join the facebook event here.

Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight #59

Sonnenberg - Sun At The End Of The Rain
Farrago - St Christopher
Alex Hulme - Bones

Listen online here

(not available for email subscribers)

or download the show for free

(right-click to download)

Sonnenberg is a folk-type of band based around the singer/songwriter Zinney, multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Dave Thom, and percussionist/tabla-ist Saul Hughes.

After the release of their debut album Fishing In The Pool (Probe Plus 60, 2007) the band has performed in a variety of formations (2, 4, & 6 piece) in small venues as well as larger ones such as the Shepherds Bush Empire and The Boardwalk (Sheffield).

The new album End of the Rain is due for release in February 2012.

You can buy Fishing In The Pool from Probe Plus, Amazon, and iTunes.

sonnenberg.org.uk

Farrago are a musical duo playing original alt-folk. Although they are from the UK, they formed in Australia in mid-2010. Ian Bennett has been playing his original music in bands on the London music scene for over 10 years and here he joins with Ruth Dix, a classically trained pianist who has turned her hand to the melodica, with unexpected and exciting results. They are recently returned to the UK and are playing shows around the country and writing more new music!
farragoband.com
facebook
Buy Farrago's music from farrago.bandcamp.com

Alex Hulme is a solo singer/songwriter from North West Lancashire signed to indie Label Cityscape Records. Mixing his use of unusual tunings inspired from artists such as Nick Drake, Fionn Regan and Foy Vance, Alex crafts pop tinted vocal melodies with rich folk guitar. Most notable for his use of on the spot live multi-layer looping of both his guitar and vocals in a very succinct and natural fashion which, along with his arrangement of vocal harmonies and guitar parts makes him stand out from the crowd.

Alex’s prolific gigging over the past year has seen him support artists such as Avi Buffalo, Emmy The Great, Dan Mangan, Allie Moss, The Secret Sisters and The Travelling Band, as well as being championed by Ultimate- Guitar.com, BBC Lancashire’s Sean McGinty and Liverpool’s Object of Dreams magazine among others including Somojo Magazine who made Alex their Male Artist of 2010. After a festival tour over the Summer, which saw Alex play Liverpool Soundcity, Cockermouth Rock Festival and a variety of smaller indie festivals, Alex's latest EP There Was A Boy has been gathering momentum with plays from BBC 6 Music, Q Radio, Amazing Radio and Terry Christian's show Northerners With Attitude. Alex's new EP 'The Start' will be out in January.

alexhulme.net

Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight #59 - December 2011

Gig review: Jon Gomm @ Liverpool Acoustic Live (View Two Gallery)

2011-12-03T00:01:00.001Z

Gig review: Jon Gomm (Liverpool Acoustic Live)@ View Two Gallery
Friday 25th November 2011

Blending Bon Iver's melodicism and breathless virtuosity, Getintothis' Sean Bradbury wonders why Jon Gomm remains a mystery to the masses.

'Are there any guitarists in here?' asked Jon Gomm halfway through his set.
'I've just given up,' came the instant reply from a man in the audience.

He was probably being serious. High above the hen nights and hedonism of Mathew Street on Friday evening, Gomm was putting on a musical masterclass at the View Two Gallery, redefining what is possible with six strings and a wooden frame.

It's almost unfair the things he can do on a guitar. Take his opener Passion Flower. Rumbling into focus with a series of thunderous strums, slaps and scratches filled in by emotive legato lines, Jon proceeds to tap harmonics, detune and retune for melodic effect and drum every inch of his instrument's body, while laying down some Justin Vernon-style falsetto flourishes. Everything swells, retreats, and then fades out just as it came in.

That's the first six minutes of his set covered. The standard didn't slip and not one jaw left the floor for the next hour.

Every unique and intricate tune seemed to have a similarly bespoke backstory.

An incredible instrumental take on Chaka Khan's Ain't Nobody was made to order when a woman of a certain age asked Jon for something she could dance to. He returned to the same venue next time armed and ready.

Waterfall, inspired by Hindu goddess of music Saraswati and with a verse sung in Urdu ('do feel free to join in'), was built on cascading
torrents of percussion and haunting vocals.

Just as mystifying as his prodigious ability is an explanation for why Gomm is not much, much bigger.

Perhaps there is a danger with someone as technically proficient as Jon that he will remain a 'guitarists' guitarist' revered for his chops but lacking the crossover appeal for radio play and TV time.

With almost half a million hits on Youtube and counting, Passion Flower could change that and give the Blackpool virtuoso the break he needs to cement his status as a northern Lindsey Buckingham.

Supporting Jon on a varied and impressive Liverpool Acoustic Live bill were local gypsy jazz duo The Manouchetones, riffing effortlessly on several Django Reinhardt numbers with warmth and wit, and Nadine Carina, whose dreamy Swiss folk-pop was at times vulnerable and at others playful but always accomplished.

Many thanks to Sean Bradbury and Peter Guy for giving permission to reproduce this review. It was first published on Peter's Getintothis music blog and you can find the original here.