Newsletter         23^rd February 2008

Contact details
Tel. 01342 716975
or email:
info_at_acousticsussex_dot_org_dot_uk

Saturday 1 March – SOLD OUT
Ashley Hutchings’ Lark Rise to Candleford
Please note this show (see below) is pretty-much sold out.  There may still be single tickets or late cancellations if you telephone the Chequer Mead Box Office on 01342 302000.

Ashley Hutchings

Support for this show is BBC Young Folk Awards finalist, Ruth Notman, whose debut CD, ‘Threads’ was in many reviewers’ 2007 top ten folk albums.
 “Conclusive proof of the health of British folk; it is packed with more maturity and style than could reasonably be expected from a girl of 18.”
Colin Randall, Salut! Live

OUR UPCOMING EVENTS

Ø     Saturday 1 March – Ashley Hutchings’ Lark Rise to Candleford (w/Ruth Notman) at Chequer Mead

Ø     Monday 10 March – Tom McConville (w/Iain Richardson) at The Ravenswood

Ø     Monday 31 March – Brooks Williams (w/Marsha Swanson) at The Ravenswood

Ø     Monday 21 April – Corinne West (w/David Celia) at The Ravenswood

Ø     Thursday 15 May – Tannahill Weavers (w/Celtish) at Chequer Mead

Click here for other 2008 dates

Now playing on our MySpace jukebox - Lark Rise (sampler), Ruth Notman, Tom McConville and Brooks Williams

Saturday
1 March
LARK RISE TO CANDLEFORD
A musical adaptation by Ashley Hutchings’ Lark Rise band
at Chequer Mead
East Grinstead
www.chequermead.org.uk
Support: Ruth Notman
£14 (£10 conc)     8pm
Box office 01342 302000

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Lark Rise to Candleford, written by Flora Thompson (and now a popular BBC One TV series), recalls the rural England of the late 19th Century, leading up to the Great War of 1914 - 1918. It is crammed full of stories, customs, music, singing games and much more besides.

When the National Theatre decided to put on a play of Lark Rise two decades ago, it was Ashley Hutchings who was appointed Music Director and his Albion Band provided the music.  A follow-up, Candleford, employed the same team.  A record of music and stories from the National Theatre productions soon followed. 

With the recent CD release of this classic album, Ashley has formed the Lark Rise band to once again draw focus to the memorable music of the plays. Joining him in the band is a new generation of singers and musicians, all of whom have discovered the magic of Lark Rise and its words and music.

A concert performance by the Lark Rise band will present music, words, dance and song from the book and the plays, celebrating a lost way of life so memorably captured by Flora Thompson.

Click here for our official News Release (in PDF format) with more about the history of the musical adaptation of Lark Rise.

“If you missed out at the time or are indeed looking for something to get into after your latest fix of Bellowhead then this is where it all began” NetRhythms

“A superb glimpse of an England that is now lost”
Click here for a review of the show from Huntingdon Hall, Worcester

Special support for this show comes from 18 year old BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards finalist, Ruth Notman, whose debut CD, Threads is in many pundits top folk albums for 2007.

“Ruth Notman’s Threads presents conclusive proof of the health of British folk”. Colin Randall, Salut! Live

Lark Rise Band

Lark Rise CD on Elephant Records website

BBC One news item

Ruth Notman

Monday
10 March
TOM McCONVILLE with Claire Mann & Aaron Jones
at The Ravenswood
Sharpthorne
www.theravenswood.co.uk
Support: Iain Richardson

£10 (£12  door)     8pm
Tickets 01342 714810
or buy online via Acoustic Sussex website

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Tom McConville, often known as The Newcastle Fiddle Player, is one of the leading fiddle players of our time. A virtuoso musician and fantastic singer, his rich and warm voice makes his interpretation of traditional and contemporary songs greatly admired by singers throughout the world.

In great demand as a performer, session musician and teacher, playing the fiddle is his lifelong passion and he has achieved every player’s dream of creating his own unique, instantly recognisable sound.

His live performances combine a rollercoaster of musical delights from fast, rhythmic dance tunes - through beautiful slow airs and of course, great singing - all presented with his inimitable sense of humour and style.

Tom met All-Ireland Champion Claire Mann (flute, fiddle, whistle and vocals) and Scots Trad Music Awards ‘Instrumentalist of the Year’ Aaron Jones (bazouki, guitar, vocals) between the thriving traditional music scenes in Newcastle and Edinburgh.  Over several years as friends and musical acquaintances, they have developed a unique and exciting musical relationship, performing a mixture of traditional and original Scottish, Irish and English music and song, enthralling audiences wherever they perform.

“My biggest influence” Seth Lakeman

"When my schoolmates had boy bands on their Walkmans, I was listening to Tom McConville" Kate Rusby

"Tom is a brilliant fiddler and great singer; a wonderful ambassador of the James Hill musical tradition "  Aly Bain

"Tom is a great player, and a terrific singer, he happens to be a number one bloke too. Tom plays as Tom is, with honesty and passion, and an obvious love for the fiddle and traditional music." Dave Swarbrick

Tom McConville

Claire Mann and Aaron Jones

Monday
31 March
BROOKS WILLIAMS
at The Ravenswood
Sharpthorne
www.theravenswood.co.uk
with
MARSHA SWANSON

£10 (£12  door)     8pm
Tickets 01342 714810
or buy online via Acoustic Sussex website

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With bluesy finger-picking, soaring bottleneck slide and swinging flat-picking, Brooks Williams’ music is rooted in the blues and is as fresh and original as any music you are likely to hear. His unique combination of traditional and original music inspired Dirty Linen magazine to call him one of "America's musical treasures”.

Likened to James Taylor, Robert Johnson, Bruce Coburn, Bert Jansch and hailed as “an acoustic guitar god”, he’s back in the UK with a new set of songs and a new album (featuring Dave Mattacks), The Time I Spend With You, the title track of which was written whilst on tour here last year.

“One of the most fluid acoustic/electric guitarists on the planet”  fRoots

Joining Brooks for this show is Marsha Swanson, recently voted Best Folk Artist and Album at the Glasswerk New Music Awards.

Brooks Williams

Marsha Swanson

Monday
21 April
CORINNE WEST
at The Ravenswood
Sharpthorne
www.theravenswood.co.uk
with
DAVID CELIA

£10 (£12  door)     8pm
Tickets 01342 714810
or buy online via Acoustic Sussex website

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Dubbed the “Princess of progressive folk” Corinne West’s music lives smack-dab at that intersection of folk, bluegrass, and country styles that is called ‘Americana’. From the open meadows of California’s sierra mountains, her music has a cool, layered, driven sound and has been referred to as "utterly spell-binding", "radiant" and "extraordinarily beautiful". Corinne can grab one’s attention by almost whispering a hushed introduction to a ballad, but she’s also perfectly capable of raising the roof.

Fellow musician Buddy Craig describes her sound as a cross between Alison Krauss with Union Station and Natalie Merchant. Indeed her writing runs a golden thread through the likes of country, bluegrass, western, Americana and folk, but the resulting style is hers alone and her rhythm guitar playing rings with a song-writer’s solidity. Corinne is forging her own contribution to Americana music, fusing the voice of an original singer-songwriter with the historic tradition of keeping stories alive through song. She delivers a soulful body of music that strikes the listener to the core. Corinne is the ‘real deal’.

"...She writes great songs, plays with top flight musicians, sports a killer voice... There is not a bad song on the CD. With this much talent and drive, I imagaine Corinne West will be an important artist on the music scene for some time."  Americana Roots.com

“I love Corinne's music and truly believe in her as an artist. She has spirit, integrity and talent. I am a massive fan." Bob Harris, BBC Radio2

“Corinne West is a brilliant songwriter with a powerfully eloquent singing voice." Maverick

Special support for this show is David Celia.

Corinne West

David Celia

Thursday
15 May
TANNAHILL WEAVERS
at Chequer Mead
East Grinstead
www.chequermead.org.uk
Support: Celtish
£13 (£11 conc)     8pm
Box office 01342 302000

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One of Scotland's premier traditional bands, The Tannahill Weavers' diverse repertoire spans the centuries with fire-driven instrumentals, topical songs, and original ballads. Their music demonstrates to old and young alike the rich and varied musical heritage of the Celtic people. The band have received worldwide accolades consistently over the years for their exuberant performances and outstanding recording efforts that seemingly can't get better...yet continue to do just that.

"...the Tannies are the best that Scotland can aspire to (and believe me, that is THE BEST)." The Living Tradition.

Tannahill Weavers

Don’t forget that as well as our own shows, the Acoustic Sussex website has a Regional Gig Guide and links to venues and clubs in the South East that offer folk, roots and acoustic music – and our MySpace site contains over 500 links to a variety of other MySpace ‘friends’ sites, including musicians, venues, magazines and lots more.

Regional Gig Guide

For your future diaries...

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Other 2008 dates in the Acoustic Sussex programme include:

Ø    2 June – Amy Wadge + support Andy Walker

Ø    18 June – Eleanor McEvoy + support Caroline Lavelle

Ø    21 July - Eve Selis Band + support (tbc)

More information on all up-and-coming artists can be found on our website: www.acousticsussex.org.uk. You can also find us on MySpace (with samples from some of the artists appearing) at: www.myspace.com/acoustic_sussex. If you know anyone who you think may enjoy our events, please forward this email to them.

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