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Newsletter 8th March 2009 |
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Contact
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A
reminder of our upcoming shows - 23 March to 21 May
2009: |
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Please
book early for these next shows as they are proving very popular and we
don’t want you to be disappointed! Now playing on
our MySpace site: Mark
Erelli ( 4 tracks), Eliza
Carthy and Bridget St
John click
here | |||||
Ø
Monday 23 March |
Mark
Erelli
Support:
Cate Ferris |
Ravenswood,
Sharpthorne |
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Wednesday 1 April |
Eliza
Carthy
Support:
Robert Brown |
Chequer
Mead |
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Monday 13 April |
A very rare appearance
by
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Ravenswood,
Sharpthorne |
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Monday 4 May |
Karine
Polwart
Support:
Dan Reed |
Ravenswood,
Sharpthorne |
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Thursday 21 May |
Cara
Dillon
Support:
Horses Brawl |
Chequer
Mead |
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Monday at
The
Ravenswood Support: Cate Ferris Tickets are also
available at Hobgoblin in Crawley and Bullfrog in |
Over
the past 9 years, New-Englander Mark
Erelli has been steadily gaining the reputation of one of the
most talented writers and gifted musicians on the American folk scene,
settling into a timeless, classic folk singer-songwriter groove where
gritty, honest songs reflect the world around us. Erelli’s lyrical and
musical intelligence marks him out as one of the finest storytellers in
contemporary folk and he deservedly won the International Songwriting
Contest in 2005. Erelli’s songwriting talent is
the reason he’s been chosen to join 7 other top international songwriters
in the Darwin
Song Project, one of a number of events
taking place in 2009 to mark the bi-centennial of the birth of Charles
Darwin. With a Masters Degree in Evolutionary Biology, Erelli is uniquely
qualified to take part. The Project takes place in Erelli
released his self-titled debut at 24, exhibiting an uncommon musical
maturity. Now 34, with an assured and varied back-catalogue, multiple
awards and growing notoriety as an accompanist, he has one of the most
impressive and varied reputations in modern roots
music. Beyond
his solo career, he has also fashioned himself into one of the most
in-demand instrumental sidemen, touring with Lori McKenna and gaining
strong attention as a writer, performing in Nashville song circles and
backstage pickin’ parties with the likes of Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Trisha
Yearwood, Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt and others. “(Delivered
is) darkly magnificent...Mark Erelli (has) something to say and a unique,
poetic, compelling way of saying it.” Vintage
Guitar
“When
it comes to providing thoughtful, compelling folk-rock and “Erelli
addresses tough issues (war, development, love, post-9/11) with the grit
of John Hiatt and the melancholy beauty of Ron Sexsmith.”
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Wednesday Support: Robert Brown
Click
here for News Release (PDF file) |
Twice-nominated for a
prestigious Nationwide Mercury Prize, Eliza Carthy is also the winner of
more than 7 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. This year, she is nominated in 3
categories in the 2009 awards (Best Singer, Best Album and best Orginal
Track), to be announced in Eliza
has been a regular guest-presenter on the BBC Radio 2 Mark Radcliffe Show
and has made several appearances on BBC TV’s Later with Jools. In
addition, she has presented her own four part series on the history of
English Folk on BBC Radio 2 and was recently the subject of the ITV
documentary, Heaven & Earth. She also featured prominently in
the acclaimed BBC Four Folk Britannia season. Eliza was the first
traditional English musician to be nominated a BBC Radio 3 Award for World
Music (for 'Anglicana'). In March 2005, Eliza co-presented the awards with
Benjamin Zephaniah - an event that was broadcast on BBC
Four. A truly
inventive and innovative singer and fiddle-player, Eliza is a gifted
musical conceptualist confirming her position as, arguably, the most
impressive and engaging performer of a generation. Touring on and off
since the age of 14, Eliza has performed and recorded with a diverse array
of artists from Paul Weller to The Wainwrights, Yorkshire-born and now
Edinburgh-based, Eliza Carthy grew up immersed in the world of traditional
music. She divides her time between touring and recording with her
legendary parents, Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson and numerous
pioneering solo and band projects. Describing herself simply as a ‘modern
British musician’, Eliza is only just beginning to reach the height of her
musical powers. Though she’s only just turned 30, Eliza has revitalised
and made folk music relevant to new audiences and captured the most
hardened of dissenters with intelligent, charismatic and boundary-crossing
performances. Accompanied by Willie Molleson
on drums, Emma Smith on double bass and Phil Alexander on keyboards
/ piano accordion, Eliza will showcase original material from her
acclaimed new album, 'Dreams of Breathing Underwater'
““A
fizzing firework display full of colourful contrasts, vivid narratives and
big characters” **** Mojo
“A
shape-shifter of an album packed with musical and lyrical intrigue” ****
Uncut
“Bewitching
and original… a gloriously natural singer”' ****
Q
“Her
boldest album yet” Word Seriously impressive”
Daily
Telegraph "Magnificent"
**** The
Guardian “Eliza
Carthy is one of the figureheads of the English folk revival …
compelling” Evening
Standard |
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Monday at
The
Ravenswood with
special guest: Tickets are also
available at Hobgoblin in Crawley and Bullfrog in Click
here for News Release (PDF file) |
A very
rare performance by the late John Peel’s favourite singer-songwriter from
the 70s, Bridget St John.
London-born, Her
popularity peaked in 1974 when she was voted among the top 10 most popular
female singer in that year's Melody Maker readers poll, alongside Sandy
Denny. A highly-accomplished guitar player, Commercial success did not
follow the critical acclaim that Joining
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Monday at
The
Ravenswood Support: Dan Reed Tickets are also
available at Hobgoblin in Crawley and Bullfrog in Click
here for News Release (PDF file) |
Award-winning Scots songwriter
Karine Polwart combines sharp observations, expressive vocals and
pop-inflected melodies with a probing intellect and compassionate
lyricism. Possessed of a tender heart, the emotional depth of her lyrics
effortlessly incorporate both contemporary and traditional folk
influences. Twice
winner of Best Original Song at the BBC Folk Awards and nominated for two
2009 awards (Best artist, Best Album), she’s collaborated with alt folk
balladeer King Creosote, Idlewild front man Roddy Woomble, the
intellectual maverick of English folk song Chris Wood, bluegrass ace Tim
O’Brien and even the BBC Scottish Symphony
Orchestra. A
former children's rights worker, and driven by a strong sense of social
justice, Karine allows images, narratives, questions and wry comic asides
do much of her work. She tries never to say too much. And whether
it's the dilemmas of modern parenthood, the unsettling kindness of lies,
or the resilience of hope, she admits most of her songs are an attempt to
make sense of the fact that “there are people in this world who don't
think like you do” (as she sings in her 2006 song, Daisy). All of
which is precisely the kind of sideways, allegorical approach to
contemporary living that you might expect from someone with a Masters
degree in philosophy. Following the breakthrough of
her debut album Faultlines, which won Best Album at the 2005 Awards, and
its more lush and polished 2006 successor Scribbled in Chalk, Karine took
time out to give birth to her son in 2007. In an extraordinarily creative
and productive maternity leave, she recorded not one but two albums,
including Fairest Floo'er, a collection of Scottish traditional songs.
This return to her origins had a profound influence on her current
bittersweet collection of original songs, This Earthly Spell. Indeed all
four of her solo CD releases prove she's a writer able to combine ancient
traditions with sharp contemporary observations and an independent
sensibility. “She
weaves a deliciously thought-provoking magic that draws you back, time and
again, for more.” “a
passionate, perceptive songwriter”
Uncut magazine “exceptionally
subtle and melodic” Q
magazine “takes
the heart to places few singers even know exist”
WORD
magazine |
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Thursday Support: Horses Brawl
Click
here for News Release (PDF file) |
Irish
songstress Cara Dillon has a rare talent that you only come across a
handful times in your whole life. Her staggeringly beautiful voice has the
ability to reach inside the soul of a song and imbue material with not
only profound sweetness but also poignancy and depth.
Born in
Dungiven in 1975, Cara was brought up in a close musical family immersed
in the rich cultural heritage of her native Co. Derry. Having won the All
Ireland Traditional Singing Trophy aged only 14 she went on to sing with
Oige, De Dannan and then Equation. It was in this band that she met her
husband and musical collaborator Sam Lakeman. The combination of Cara's
expressive vocals and Lakeman's rippling piano and fresh production
squeezed new life into ancient material. Their original songs sit happily
alongside the traditional, reinforcing the debt they owe, whilst pointing
to a distinct and distinguished musical identity all of their own.
It was
Cara's unrivalled vocal talent and Sam's musical and arranging skills that
have seen them signed to major record labels since they were 19. First,
Blanco Y Negro (Warners) and then the enviably hip Rough Trade Records who
released her 3 solo albums to date, which have earned astonishing critical
success and showered her with countless awards and accolades. During the
course of their careers they've performed to appreciative audiences the
world over and have featured in some of the most exciting projects and
events around. Apart from giving birth to premature twins, 2008 saw the
release of Cara's first live DVD called " The Redcastle Sessions" and in
February 2009, she released her acclaimed 4th album " Hill Of Thieves".
The album immediately went to No 7 in the official UK Indie album
charts. Whether
she's singing her native traditional songs of lost love and emigration, or
their original compositions, you will be hard pressed to find a more
emotive and captivating performer. Cara Dillon is at the very top of her
field and one has the feeling she'll be there for a very long
time. Support: Innovative
instrumental duo from "What
may well be the world's most beautiful female voice..."
Mojo "Dillon's
crystalline, angelic voice is an instrument of rare beauty capable of
melting the sternest of hearts" BBC Support: Innovative
instrumental duo from |
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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. |
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For
your
future diaries... |
Future 2009 dates in the
Acoustic Sussex programme include: Ø
8 June – Dick
Gaughan + Mary
Hampton Ø
19 June – Show of
Hands with Miranda Sykes (SOLD
OUT) Ø
26-28 June – Crawley Folk
Festival Ø
6 July – Christine
Collister Ø
20 July - Iain
Matthews + Mary
Leay Ø
7 September – Sam Baker
(band) + The Haley
Sisters 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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