Liverpool Music Week 2008

The much anticipated Liverpool Music Week 2008 kicks off on Thursday 30th October and is bigger and better than ever before.


Liverpool Music Week is the UK’s biggest indoor winter music festival, showcasing over 300 live acts across more than 20 venues throughout the city centre.

As in previous years the vast majority of the gigs are 100% free, although you will have to pay to see some of the headline acts.

And don't go thinking it's all just indie music, because LMW (catchy acronym, non?) features a bewildering array of musical genres to satisfy all but the choosiest of musical aficionados.

Quite a sizeable slice of the festival events feature acoustic music and there are far too many events to list here, but some of the highlights include:-

• Friday 31st October - Bumper (Hardman Street)
  Noah and the Whale, plus Ragz, Kaya, Karima Francis, Voo, Alexis Blue, James Yuill, Misery Guts, House That Jack Built, & This Sporting Life


• Saturday 1st November - The Zanzibar (Seel Street)
  Howard Elliot Payne, featuring Sixteen Tonnes


• Tuesday 4th November - The Picket (Jordan Street)
  Make it Break it & Streetwaves showcase, featuring Lee Broderick, Polly Mackey, The New Haze, Natalie McCool, Dave O’Grady

The nice, glossy website for LMW is liverpoolmusicweek.com although if you want the start time for any of the gigs you'll have to visit the MySpace profile at myspace.com/liverpoolmusicweek

And it (almost, but not quite) goes without saying that all the acoustic gigs can be found in the Liverpool Acoustic diary at liverpoolacoustic.co.uk/diary

Satori & Song date move

Satori & Song is the acoustic night that normally takes place on the last Thursday of every month at 07 Cafe Bar, Mount Pleasant.

This note is to let all you acoustic lovers out there know that the event planned for Thursday 30th November has been moved to Saturday 1st November.

It will still run from 7pm to 11pm.

Each month there will be a selection of hand-picked acoustic artists of the very best quality to entertain you, and this time is no exception.

Go along and be prepared to be entertained by

Christopher Wood

Jonas Aslaksen

Charnock and Russell

and Hannah Platt

Hannah (facebook) (MySpace) 07cafebar.com

Cafe 07 Bar, 103 Mount Pleasant, Liverpool, L3 5TB

News from Letters In Red

This just in from Letters In Red

Subject: Battle Of the Bands final!!

Hey Guys!

As I sit here @at my desk in Lancaster contemplating the weekend I thought I would invite you all to join the Friday fun! We're playing in the Battle of the Bands final on Friday @ the Pilgrim in Liverpool, would be great if you could come and support us!!!

Hopefully c u there!!!

LiR


This Battle of the Bands is running as part of the Liverpool Irish Festival, and it's great to see Letters In Red reaching the final. Why not go along and give them your support?

Friday 24th October - 8pm start
£4 entry

Check out the entry in the Liverpool Acoustic diary

The winners of the competition get some tickets to Ireland, although we're sure they'll tell you that the title is more important, as is the chance to play at the Family Folk Up concert on Saturday 25th at St Bride's!

Ragz tour and CD launch

RAGZ - Autumn 2008 Tour Launch Gig




TUESDAY 21st OCTOBER
with support from Jeff Jepson, and special guest Ian McNabb
plus Mellowtone DJs beween the live music



at Korova, Fleet Street, Liverpool
£4 / 3
Doors 8pm



www.ragzmusic.net

www.myspace.com/ragzmusic

www.myspace.com/mellowtonenight




Following her stunning debut EP Little Stings and an extensive tour of the UK and her native Scandanavia, Ragz returns to Liverpool to launch her Autumn tour with her follow up EP release, Bedroom Recordings.
The launch night will see Ragz joined by a very special guest - Liverpool legend and Icicle Works main man, Ian McNabb with support from the fantastic Jeff Jepson Band.



Capturing the rich and deep tones of her powerful yet fragile voice, the intricate musicianship and beautiful melodies that soar from uncharted depths to heights unknown, Bedroom Recordings rounds up a series of low key summer dates, including Liverpool's Carling Academy, The Bluecoats Arts Centre and BBC Radio's Stan Ambrose's legendary 'Folkscene' show.



Bedroom Recordings will be released in five limited editions of 40, each hand numbered, and each edition featuring different combinations of songs, including live favourite "Oh Oh" and "End to Ends" together with many of the newer songs that crept into sets during the Little Stings tour.



Ian McNabb, 'the sweetest guy in rock 'n' roll', confirms the legendary status bestowed upon him by Alan McGee by taking time out from his forthcoming autobiography Merseybeast – A Musical Memoir, to lend his support to Ragz on this very special occasion in Liverpool's Korova.



Ragz is a singer/songwriter born and raised in a land coloured by northern lights and fairytale creatures. Originally hailing from a tiny, forest-surrounded town in the south east of Norway, Ragz made Liverpool her home in 2002, and has since cemented herself into the musical folklore of her adopted city and developed her craft on stages across the UK, supporting the likes of Laura Marling, Eliza Doolittle,
Vijay Kishore, David Ford, Adem, Marissa Nadler, Thea Gilmore, and Ian McNabb; earning favourable comparisons to Joni Mitchell and Jeff Buckley and gaining many new friends and fans along the way…



'Siren with star quality.'
Jade Wright, Liverpool Echo




'Startlingly original'
Liverpool.com




'Watching her live is fantastic, she made people cry'
Phillip Harvery & Joel Ransom, PureFM




'she has one of the most incredible voices I'd heard in a live setting, and the crowd were held rapt in her sway'
Andy Von Pip, The Von Pip Musical Express




'Ragz is well known for her ability to bring a dark hush over the lairiest of audiences - thanks to her sweet, rich voice and beautiful back catalogue of (Joni Mitchell-hued) songs'
Diesel U-Music




'the night is stolen by Ragz. The darker side of acoustic as she sings about the turmoil of voices in the head'
Stuart Glossop, Leedsmusicscene.net



www.ragzmusic.net

www.myspace.com/ragzmusic




EP details:
Bedroom Recordings EP – available from 21st October, limited to two hand numbered editions of 100.



Little Stings EP available at tour dates and via Ragz' myspace site.
Available digitally via iTunes, Napster and AmazonMP3.
Review copies available on request.




Ian McNabb:
Merseybeast – A Musical Memoir - available to pre-order at
www.townsendrecords.co.uk

www.ianmcnabb.com

www.myspace.com/ianmcnabbtheicicleworks



Autumn Tour & new EP – launch October 21st 2008.

Gig review: The Kevin Critchley Outfit

Nerve Magazine's Amanda DeAngeles has reviewed The Kevin Critchley Outfit's Carling Academy gig on 26th September when they supported Ian McNabb.

You can find the review at Nerve Magazine's website here.

And if you didn't catch the exciting, high-energy gig (or want to see it all over again) then Ian McNabb is playing Telford's Warehouse in Chester on 17th November and the Kevin Critchley Outfit (or KCO as we like to call them) will be supporting again.

The KCO's next Liverpool gig is on 5th December at The Zanzibar. Full details from their MySpace profile at myspace.com/kevincritchley

Liverpool Irish Festival launch

It's reconned that 60% of the population of Liverpool is of Irish descent, and the rest just wish they were (or at least that's what it seems like in Durty Nelly's on St Patrick's Night).

OK, so we made the last bit up, but who cares? Because it's time to celebrate Liverpool's links with the Emerald Isle (and vice versa) with the sixth annual Liverpool Irish Festival.

The festival starts on 17th October and runs thought to 2nd November, and features plays, talks, art exhibitions, literature, history, sport, and (of course!) lots and lots of music.

And don't think the music is all just the traditional stuff either, because there's a fair helping of contemporary Irish music too.

However, there are far too many music events to mention in this one post, so check out the programme of events at the festival website www.liverpoolirishfestival.com

And you can pick out your favourite acoustic music elements from the Liverpool Acoustic Diary at liverpoolacoustic.co.uk/diary

And ours is a Guinness!

Tilbrook, Lakeman & Gonzalez gigs

Situated in Hotham Street, behind the Liverpool Empire, the Carling Academy Liverpool is one of the city's best venues.

The former Lomax and L2 was re-born in 2003 as the 1,200 capacity Carling Academy Liverpool and it's nattily-named little sister of a venue the 500 capacity Carling Academy 2.

Not only does this venue support local bands and artists, and play host to some of the UK's best touring bands, but it also opens its doors to some of the bigger acts on the circuit.

And the next two weeks sees a selection of stars come to town to play. Gig times and ticket details for all the acts below (and much more) can be found at liverpool-academy.co.uk

Monday 13th October -
Glen Tilbrook and The Fluffers

Former Squeeze frontman and all round good guy, Glen Tilbrook takes to the stage performing old classics, rarities, solo work and covers.

Wednesday 15th October -
José González

It's amazing to think that this Swedish guitar sensation used to be in a variety of hardcore punk and rock bands before launching his career (and curtailing his PhD in Chemistry) with the classical guitar.

Thursday 23rd October -
Seth Lakeman

Harking from Devon, Mercury Award nominated Seth is one of those talented, young, sexy performers who give the stuffy old traditional world of folk music a bad name. And long may it continue!

Battle of the Bands - acoustic style

Where were you last Friday?



If you weren't at The Pilgrim you missed a great night! The Liverpool Irish Festival pre-kicked off in fantastic style (it doesn't launch officially until next week...) with the first of three heats for the Battle of the Bands - and this year the competition's gone acoustic!



The second heat is this coming Friday 10th October, followed the week after with Heat 3.



Then the winners from the three heats battle it out in the final on Friday 24th October, with the winner performing the following evening at the St Bride's concert.



If you want more information about this event visit the official website at liverpoolirishfestival.com/event.php?id=63



It starts at 8pm every week, and is £2 to get in. Er... and that's it!

Liverpool Acoustic Newsletter - October 2008

There's just so much going on this month that it's impossible to fit it all into one newsletter. So, if you want to keep up to date with all the latest gig details you should check out the diary page on a regular basis, and sign up to receive the News and Reviews blog by email (details on the Liverpool Acoustic front page).

SPOTLIGHT

In the Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight for October 2008 are Thomas-Joseph & Murphy. T-J&M are a local duo who play sweet acoustic harmonies and are making new fans everywhere they play.Visit the Spotlight page to hear more about them and listen to the audio show. If you're a musician and you'd like to take your place in the Spotlight then let us know and we'll add you to the waiting list.

DIARY

October's diary is crammed full of acoustic goodies, and if you're a fan of traditional Irish music then we've got extra treats for you. The Liverpool Irish Festival runs from 17th October to 2nd November and celebrates the links between Liverpool and Ireland. The festival covers plays, talks, art exhibitions, literature, history, and, of course, lots of music. And don't think it's all the traditional stuff either, because there's a fair helping of contemporary Irish music too.

Just as the Liverpool Irish Festival is drawing to a close Liverpool Music Week kicks off. This event has gone from strength to strength in recent years and includes music of all varieties.

If you're a musician and you'd like to add your local acoustic gigs to the diary then drop us an email or use the contact page on the main website. However, make sure you give us all the details we need - we can't put an event into the diary if we've got a start time but no finishing time!

Here are just some of the highlights for October:-


Wednesday 1st - Rob Clarke has a brand new CD called Long Way North. It's available to buy from his website using PayPal www.myspace.com/robclarkeunplugged and was reviewed last month on the Liverpool Acoustic News and Reviews page.

Friday 3rd - Celtic Folk Roots: Battle Of The Bands (Heat 1) - This event takes place at The Pilgrim and is sure to be one of the highlights of the Liverpool Irish Festival. Heat 1 is tonight, followed on consecutive Fridays by Heats 2 & 3, and the Final on 24th. Full details from www.liverpoolirishfestival.com

Saturday 11th - Haunted House Acoustic returns to The Picket with a line up of Richard Batty, Cedar Falls, The Man From Michael, Jessicas Ghost, and The Silk Pigs. Details from www.myspace.com/hauntedhouseliverpool

Saturday 11th - The Family Folk-up's first birthday bash takes place at its regular venue of St Bride's Church. www.myspace.com/therandomfamily1

Friday 17th - The Liverpool Irish Festival officially kicks off with traditional sessions at Peter Kavanagh's and The Blackburne Arms where you can either go along to listen or can join in if the mood takes you. www.liverpoolirishfestival.com

Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th - Christy Moore returns to Liverpool to play two gigs at the Philharmonic Hall. They are sure to be sell outs, so if you haven't got your tickets yet then you know what to do... www.liverpoolphil.com

Sunday 19th - Two Liverpool Irish Festival events take place at The Casa today. The Sunday afternoon session is followed by Youth of the North. Two great events back to back, and kids are welcome too. www.liverpoolirishfestival.com

Tuesday 21st - Ragz launches her autumn tour with a gig at Korova. Also playing is Jeff Jepson and other guests to be announced. myspace.com/ragzmusic

Thursday 23rd - Seth Lakeman plays the Carling Academy.

Friday 24th - Celtic Folk Roots: Battle of the Bands Final. At the Pilgrim. Not to be missed!

Saturday 25th - The Family Folk-up All Star Concert is part of the Liverpool Irish Festival and features some of Ireland's best contemporary musicians, plus the winners of the Battle of the Bands final.

Sunday 26th - The Liverpool Irish Family Concert takes place this afternoon at The Phil and is hosted by Geoff Hughes (TV's Twiggy, Onslow & Eddie Yates). Another event for all the family.

Thursday 30th - Liverpool Music Week kicks off. Woo hoo!

Friday 31st - Irish music star Damien Dempsey appears at The Picket tonight.


You can find out more information about any of the above by clicking on the name of the event in the Liverpool Acoustic Diary.

NEWS AND REVIEWS

Thank you to Rob Clarke for submitting his CD to be reviewed. If you're a local musician and you'd like your latest album to be reviewed then drop us a line. But be warned, the reviewer can only ever be honest when giving their opinions!

NOTE ABOUT EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION

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Graham (on behalf of the Liverpool Acoustic team)