Newsletter             23 January 2010

Contact details
Tel. 01342 716975
or email:
info_at_acousticsussex_dot_org_dot_uk

A few things to let you know about…

Kate Walsh with Bob Harris

Ø     The beautiful singing of Kate Walsh (Chequer Mead, 27 February) can be heard live in session tonight on BBC Radio 2 Bob Harris show. Tune in or ‘listen again’ on the BBC iPlayer.

Ø     Iain Morrison (support for Anais Mitchell next weekend at Chequer Mead) received a 5 star review for his recent show at Glasgow Concert Hall (for more, see below).

Ø     Tickets for the Dave Swarbrick concert (8 March at The Ravenswood) are now available by advance booking only, by 28 February latest – please book online or reserve on tel 01342 714810 or 716975.

Ø     The Jeff Lang concert on 8 February has been cancelled. Very few advance tickets had been sold, which follows several low turn-outs for recent events. Apologies to anyone who had bought or reserved tickets for what would have been a superb evening of top roots music.

Upcoming shows:

Visit our MySpace jukebox to hear sample audio tracks (and video clips).
Now playing:
Anais Mitchell, Iain Morrison, , Kate Walsh, Jono Harrison and more

Ø     Saturday 30 January
Click here for more details below

Anaïs Mitchell
Support: Iain Morrison

Chequer Mead
East Grinstead

Ø     Thursday 11 February
Click here for more details below

Hounds of Love
The music of Kate Bush

Chequer Mead
East Grinstead

Ø     Saturday 27 February
Click here for more details below

Kate Walsh
Support: Jono Harrison

Chequer Mead
East Grinstead

Ø     Monday 8 March
Click here for more details below

Dave Swarbrick
Support: Dana & Susan Robinson

Ravenswood, Sharpthorne

Saturday
30 January 2010
7.30pm
Anaïs Mitchell

at Chequer Mead
East Grinstead
www.chequermead.org.uk

Support: Iain Morrison

£11 all seats  
Box Office 01342 302000

Watch video clip of Anaïs Mitchell here

Click here for News Release (PDF)

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What can we say about Anaïs Mitchell (who played her first ever UK gig for Acoustic Sussex in 2005 and now makes her 4^th welcome return)?  Well, at a time when the music industry seems to be using flash and dazzle campaigns to distract us from the dubious quality of some the acts they present, Anaïs is, by contrast, someone who grew up on a sheep farm and developed a music form all of her own: poetic, sometimes challenging, and always enchanting.

Listening to this young singer/songwriter perform her meticulously written songs, fervently singing them in a distinctive, almost childlike voice, you’d think it was her life mission to rouse the hearts and minds of her listeners with an acoustic guitar. She’s spent time in Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East, bringing a worldly depth to her writing, which she presents to her audience with a graceful presence of spirit.

Whilst Anaïs isn’t new to Acoustic Sussex audiences, this is the first time she’s played at the larger Chequer Mead Arts Centre venue, so we’re hoping for a great turn-out from her ever-increasing fan-base.

2010 will also see the CD release of the unique 'folk-opera' Hadestown that Anaïs has written and performed in back in her native Vermont. Among others, the recording features Ani DiFranco, Justin Vernon (from Bon Iver) and Greg Brown (you can read the Hadestown press release here.) Expect to hear plenty of samples from the opera in this special UK headlining date.

"The earthiness of Shawn Colvin, the child-like bite of Joanna Newsom, and the urban jumpiness of Ani DiFranco."  AllMusic

“A songwriter of startling clarity and depth, equally skilled at turning a melody or lyrical phrase into what you didn't know you needed until you heard it." Acoustic Guitar magazine

Support for this show is from a truly exciting new artist on the scene, Iain Morrison, who’s coming all the way from the Outer Hebrides just to do this show. His exceptional and eclectic Sinking Boats CD was one of our 'best of 2009'. Last week, Iain received a 5 star review in The Scotsman, following a show at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall.

“A spellbinding mixture of rock, folk and even classical stylings, by turns heartrending and uplifting, at once timeless and modern" The Scotsman

"An enigmatic and truly original mix of creative elements ..startlingly imaginative, even surreal observations" Hi-Arts

"A remarkable slice of rural folk"  Rock n Reel

"Highly recommended" The List

Anaïs Mitchell

Hadestown Folk Opera

Iain Morrison

Thursday
11 February 2010
8pm
Hounds of Love
The music of Kate Bush

at Chequer Mead
East Grinstead
www.chequermead.org.uk

£12 (£10 conc)  
Box Office 01342 302000

Click here for News Release (PDF)

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Kate Bush only toured once, in 1979. With the blessing and personal involvement of her of her former tour manager and Kate herself, Hounds of Love is the first time that a live interpretation of her music has been toured in the UK.

This is no pastiche or cabaret act. Fronted by the passionate and impressive Josie Mills, this dedicated band of musicians are bringing to life songs that deservedly appeal to generations of music lovers. The band's programme includes many of Kate's hit's including Wuthering Heights, Babooshka, The Big Sky, Wow and Running Up The Hill, amongst others. Without attempting to emulate the voice of Kate Bush, Josie finds the expression to communicate Kate's songs with impressive, passionate sympathy.

Watch the band on their dedicated YouTube Channel and read some of the comments from people who've seen the band live, eg.

"Just to hear the songs performed live would have been enough, but your vocal mastery and the bands performance was astounding."

"Saw you at Milton Keynes and was amazed! Kate herself would have been so proud."

Hounds of Love

Saturday
27 February 2010
7.30pm
Kate Walsh
at Chequer Mead
East Grinstead
www.chequermead.org.uk

Support: Jono Harrison

£12 (£10 conc)  
Box Office 01342 302000

Click here for News Release (PDF)

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Two years ago, 26 year old Kate Walsh recorded her beautiful debut album in her producer's bedroom for £500. It became an iTunes sensation, going straight to the No1 spot. Not bad for an album of delicately fragile and, some would say, confessional songs.

Calling 26-year-old Kate a singer songwriter is like saying Van Gogh was a cartoonist. Kate is, er, different. She adores Debussy, studies cello, listens constantly to Classic FM (and little else) and bemoans the demise of vinyl and CDs. She's entertainingly scathing about the conventional music industry (”it’s fickle, selfish, impersonal and backstabbing”) – and has established her own cottage industry to do it her way. And when she sits down to write a song you’d better lock up your hearts for you instantly become Kate’s close personal confidante as she bares her soul with shocking candour.

Listening to the very real pain and fragility of her music you imagine the author must be a quivering wreck permanently teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Far from it – chattering away ten to the dozen like she’s known you all her life, Kate Walsh is warm, funny and likeably self-deprecating, fully recognising the self-indulgent nature of the confessional songwriter’s art. And art this truly is.

Whilst Kate insists she's not ambitious for fame or glory, she is - rightly in our view - immensely proud of the bigger sounds that characterise her latest CD, Light & Dark.

Kate Walsh

Read about Kate in the Sunday Times Culture magazine published in November 2009

Monday
8 March 2010
8pm
Dave Swarbrick

at The Ravenswood
Sharpthorne
www.theravenswood.co.uk

Support: Dana & Susan Robinson
£13 (£15  door) 
Buy online via Acoustic Sussex website

or ‘book now, pay later’ on 01342 714810

Click here for News Release (PDF)

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Dave Swarbrick first became a hero of the British folk scene as as young instrumental virtuoso in the Ian Campbell Folk Group. By 1967, he'd  teamed up with Martin Carthy has a duo. This remarkable pairing played an important part in the tremendous shake up given to British folk music.

When they split as a duo in 1969, 'Swarb' went off to join the finest line-up of the hugely influential Fairport Convention and his contribution to folk/rock music is legendary and well documented.

In 1984 Swarb left Fairport and, along with Kevin Dempsey, Chris Leslie and Martin Jenkins, formed Whippersnapper, a group renowned for its drive and acoustic prowess.

In 1993, Swarb moved to Australia and for the next three years he lived in the Blue Mountains. He returned to England in 1996 a period of ill health followed, with a celebrated moment in 1999 when the Daily Telegraph ran a very premature obituary while Dave was ill in hospital. With his usual good humour, he retorted, "It's not the first time I've died in Coventry."  Since that time, his health has continued to improved such that he was able to start performing again in 2008, both solo and with Martin Carthy, along with other collaborations and festival performances with Fairports at their annual Cropredy Festival.

"The intensity of Swarb's fiddling ensures that sparks fly, its very occasional wheeziness only adding to the essence of spontaneity and conveying the total conviction in his music-making" NetRhythms

Dave Swarbrick

Dana & Susan Robinson

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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Acoustic Sussex is grateful for the funding support provided in 2009 by the PRS for Music Foundation

Future 2010 dates in the Acoustic Sussex programme include:

Ø     23 March – Lau + support Matthew Ord

Ø     1 April – Martin Simpson + support Emily Slade

Ø     26 April – Emily Smith + support (tbc)

Ø     17 May - Eliza Gilkyson

Ø     16 September – Show of Hands

More information 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/acousticsussex. If you know anyone who you think may enjoy our events, please forward this email to them.

If you know anyone who you think may enjoy our events, please forward this email to them. Many thanks

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