Welcome to the Liverpool Acoustic news and reviews blog. Here you'll find news about acoustic events in and around Liverpool, and reviews of gigs and CDs. If you've got something to add use the 'Contact us' page on the main site.
Now here's a clever idea! Are you a musician, either solo or in a band? Have you wanted to sell your music at gigs but not wanted the hassle of carrying round a box of CDs? If so our friends over at Mad Bouncy Dogs have solved the problem with the birth of Electro Puppy.
ElectroPuppy.com allows you to sell anything online that can be downloaded, from single mp3s to complete albums, plus magazines, e-books, software, photos, videos, and audio books. You set it up on the website by filling in the details and uploading the files, and Electro Puppy mails you a set of business card size cards, each with a unique code on. You can then sell the cards for whatever price you want. The buyer enters the code and downloads the files. And everyone's happy!
If you're interested then check them out. Liverpool Acoustic has no vested financial interest in Electro Puppy - we just thought it was a great idea and a useful resource that some of you might find useful!
If you've been following the media coverage of the devastating earthquake in Haiti then the chances are you couldn't fail to have been moved by the desparate plight of the survivors. Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and is the least able to cope with such a tragedy. Hundreds of thousands of people are dead, many thousands more are injured, and millions are homeless.
It's at times like these that Liverpool's music community steps up to the fore and makes a very real and positive contribution to help those who need it. And you can help too.
Below are the details of four benefit gigs which will be raising money for Plan, a child-centred community development organisation which has been working in Haiti for many years and which is already contributing to the relief effort at the heart of the affected areas. More information can be found at their website www.plan-uk.org
Me Nan Loves... Haiti
Thursday 28th January @ The Magnet, Hardman Street
9.00pm to 4.00am
Minimum £3 donation
Hip-Hop, Reggae and Dub-Step pioneers 'Me Nan Loves...' present their Haiti benefit at the Magnet.
Friday 29th January @ The Cavern Club, Mathew Street
8.00pm to 2.00am
This is the biggie! This fantastic event features an amazing line-up.
Compere: Frank Sidebottom Brian Nash (Frankie Goes To Hollywood) Nigel Clarke (Dodgy) Ian Prowse (Amsterdam, Pele) Thomas Lang Alun Parry Al O'Hare Darren Poyzer Clare "Fluff" Smith.
Tickets are £10 from
If you can contribute to this event in any way (maybe by offering a prize for the raffle/auction) email love@love-haiti.org
The man behind the overwhelmingly successful 'Liverpool Tsunday at the Zanzibar', in aid of the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004, returns to The Zanzi to help the Haiti Benefit cause. Line-up to be announced shortly.
By The Water’s Edge, the debut album by Sparkwood & 21, has been highly anticipated by the faithful, who regularly commute to their live shows; most notably at their recent album launch in St. Brides Church as part the Family Folk-up. The band has taken its time in recording this album but it’s been worth the wait.
Sparkwood are a brotherhood from Liverpool led by Dave Williams and John Daglish. Although they form the heart of the group, it would be a mistake to overlook the rhythm section of Nik Kavanah and Steven Silker, who deliver just the right ambience. Sonically, the band creates a rich aural landscape courtesy of Jeff Jepson as their producer. Mandolin dominates proceedings but never sounds in any way intrusive. Stylistically you could term their music Americana and Alternative folk with references to Fleet Foxes and Wilco.
Slip Away is an understated opener that sets the tone for the rest of the album. Indeed the band has a gift for understatement but they’re not afraid to rock out whenever the occasion presents itself. Musically they group display great dynamics; most notably on the tracks To Be On My Own and Still. There is a melancholic undertone in much of the material but this serves to make the album a cohesive statement. Even the more light hearted moments are undercut by its lyrics; Down On Love and Never Meant are a case in point. Despite the melancholic nature of the material however, I found their music joyous and uplifting and this is probably reflected by the large following the group continues to enjoy. Yes it’s possible that the writer of this material has suffered but it’s the type of suffering that the listener can relate to. The highlight Heaven Only Knows displays what this band is really all about; great songs, gorgeous harmonies and tasteful musicianship.
For first time listeners this album may not grab you straight away but in the tradition of great music repeated listens will reveal it charms and is a record that will hold up far longer than any current disposable fad that gets over promoted.
For this years first interview I was lucky enough to speak with Rachael Dunn, a north-west singer-songwriter who the Liverpool Echo described as having "warm, sweet, intoxicating vocals and gorgeous insightful songs." Having performed on BBC Radio Merseyside her music has also been aired by several American radio stations. Rachael's next album 'Alpha Ghost' is slated for a Febuary release.
You’ve become part of the Liverpool acoustic scene within the last few years what made you want to perform live? My first live gig was May 2008 at 'The Mocha Lounge' with encouragement from local poet and writer Amanda de Angeles I decided to share my music. Prior to that the idea of getting up in front of people scared me to death, and although my first live experience was nerve wracking and scary, I felt such a buzz and rush of adrenaline, overcoming fear can give you a real sense of achievement.
What drove you to write your music? Being born into a very musical and artistic family was the driving force that lead me to be creative on many levels. Visual art was my first choice of expression but I had an underlying fling with music, it's something I picked up and put down many times throughout my life. In March 2007 I found myself becoming more drawn towards music and after polishing up and improving my guitar skills the song writing started to flow.
Which artists/bands influenced you as you began to write? Would you say these people still influence your music? I grew up listening to Kate Bush, Clannad, Japan and David Sylvian, my brother who is five years older, certainly influenced my musical ear. I’ve always had very eclectic taste and love 50's and 60's harmony bands like Dion and The Belmonts and The Everly Brothers. When it comes to my own style of music I think melody and harmonies are very important.
What inspires you to write? My inspiration to write can be triggered by many things, all the things life throws at you, weather positive or negative I try to put a reflective or spiritual slant on what I’m writing about, rather than bitterness, pain or blame. I’m inspired visually by the beauty of nature and also the harsh contrast of the changing seasons.
How do you approach song writing, do you find it is different each time or do you have a formula that you stick to? Generally I start with a theme or idea of what the song is about then I try to seek out the music on my guitar, after I have a melody I'll write lyrics and the song comes to life sometimes instantly other times more slowly over a matter of days or even weeks.
Which songs do you wish you could have written? To me songwriting or any creative expression is so personal and individual that I never really wish I had written someone else’s songs. Although we all aspire and are appreciative of great music, your own songs are a little piece of you and you cannot be someone else.
A lot of musicians struggle or are reluctant to categorise their music what genre would you place your music in? Everyone will have a different opinion so its difficult to pin down what my style is but if forced to categorise I would say Folk/acoustic organic and natural. Although with any genre of music you either like it or you don’t.
Are you writing at the moment? I’m writing with musician and producer Alex Dunford on various songs, for my forthcoming album 'Alpha Ghost' that I'm releasing at the end of February all being well.
What's coming up for you, any gigs or recording? My next gig is on 26th Feb. The Folk Upstairs @ The Zanzibar and my album 'Alpha Ghost' will be available from the end of February and all the details will be on www.myspace.com/rachaelveronicadunn
This interview was originally published on Matthew Moss' blog, The Harmless Musician Type, which consists of Matt's ramblings about music in general, and the local scene in particular. You can find the blog at http://theharmlessmusician.blogspot.com/
Matthew is a musician and student; he likes music so decided to make some. He enjoys Johnny Flynn, Mason Jennings, Neil Young, David Gray, Bob Dylan, The Yeah Yeah Yeas, Mumford & Sons, and Blind Pilot.
We will be publishing more of Matt's interviews with musicians on the local acoustic music scene in the future. Many thanks to Matt for making them available to followers of the Liverpool Acoustic News and Reviews blog.
Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight #22 Preview of Liverpool Acoustic Live 22/1/10
1. Vinny T Spen - Hasta Paraiso
2. Andy Chandler - 82 Miles
3. Suzanne Jones - Headstrong
4. Sparkwood & 21 - Down On Love
bonus track
5. John O'Connell - Out On The Vine
Download the show for free (right-click to download)
Or listen online below
(not available for email subscribers)
The next Liverpool Acoustic Live gig is taking place on Friday 22nd January 2010 at the View Two Gallery on Mathew Street. The doors open at 8.00pm and the music starts at 8.30pm.
Entrance is £4 on the door, or £3 in advance from contact[at]liverpoolacoustic.co.uk
We've got a new line-up of Vinny T Spen, Andy Chandler, Suzanne Jones, and Sparkwood & 21.
Vinny T Spen comes from the folk tradition, and is heavily involved with the Manor Folk Club in Wallasey. His songs, however, are a long way from what most people would think of as folk music, and are firmly in the singer-songwriter bracket with captivating stories of life and love, and with great lyrics and easy melodies.
Many thanks to Vinny for stepping in to fill a vacant spot in the running order. We'd always planned to have him back at Liverpool Acoustic Live - we just didn't think it would be so soon!
Andy Chandler was born in Stockport, and inspired by Manchester's flourishing indie scene. Classically trained, he began writing songs when he was just eleven years old. His childhood heroes were Ray Charles, Tom Waits and Otis Redding but by 2008 it was the guitar sounds of Radiohead, Elbow and Kings of Leon that were inspiring his writing.
With this in mind Andy started to work with guitar-playing collaborators who helped him find and develop his sound. Whilst writing his new material and playing 'bill-paying' piano bar gigs, Andy was invited to open for and accompany award-winning soul singer Nate James on his UK tour.
The tour's success lead to invites from the leading lights of London's acoustic scene with gigs at The Great Indoors, London Unplugged, Curious Generation and The Bedford.
In October 2008, Andy wrote and recorded his debut single, 'Playboy Money' and three days after putting pen to paper it was signed by ITV producer Gavin Blyth for his forth coming film.
The early part of 2009 saw Andy continuing to develop his sound and collaborating with an exciting collective of musicians.
In July he went into the studio with producer Fred Ruddick (No Fakin’, 6ix Toys) to start work on his first batch of demos. With the help of fellow musicians Miss Afrika, Terry Butters, Mark Beaney, Jake Foord and Adam Beaney he has produced nine tracks that he can't wait for the world to hear!
Autumn 2009 saw Andy embarking on an extensive tour of the UK allowing him to showcase his new material and continue to develop his fanbase.
'Andy Chandler is sensational. Truly one of the most original male vocals I have heard since the start of London Unplugged. It's a pleasure to have Andy take to the stage and capture our audience with his stunning songs and passionate stage presence. A true artist and most definitely a rising star.' London Unplugged
Suzanne Jones was the lead singer of a Liverpool based band called The Frocks, which some of you might remember. After 8 years hiding and writing up in her attic, she's decided to go it alone, and she's currently in a highly creative phase. Suzanne has just starting to perform again and plans to record her first solo album in 2010.
Suzanne has played on the Liverpool acoustic scene over the last few months and is looking to spread her music further afield over the coming year. She's had fantastic feedback so far, such as this quote from a visitor to her MySpace profile. "You sing with such clarity and purity, and the words carry such weight. It is a beautiful combination. I love these here on your page, particularly Headstrong and Future's Lane. Headstrong has been going round my head all day."
Sparkwood & 21 are four close friends (Dave Williams, John Daglish, Nik Kavanagh and Steven Silker) who came together one warm summer's night to keep themselves immersed in music. Fast forward to today and they've made a small, but treasured dent in the affections of a whole bunch of friends and acquaintances across the UK and beyond. With a growing reputation as one of the best live bands to have emerged from Liverpool in recent years, they begged, borrowed, scrimped and saved to record and release their debut album 'By The Water's Edge'.
The new album By The Water's Edge is available to buy from Sparkwood & 21's MySpace profile hereusing PayPal.
John O'Connell was born in 1959, and was raised in the Everton area of Liverpool. At the age of 22 he began to play music full time and was one half of the duo Groundpig. John’s musical influences are routed in acoustic, folk and classical guitar. His major influences are Stefan Grossman (ragtime guitar), Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, Martin Carthy and anything that presents itself in acoustic fingerstyle guitar. However in order for John to continue making a living he had to stray from this path and play what would be considered a more popular style of acoustic music, i.e. Paul Simon, Lindisfarne, James Taylor, Neil Young and Bob Dylan.
John plays many styles of music and if you were to see him play live, you would be pleasantly surprised to hear music from the likes of the Poques, David Gray, Cat Stevens, U2 and Oasis. John also plays a wide range of instruments such as Nylon String Guitar, Steel String, Mandolin, Five String Banjo and Harmonica. He also mixes into his live sets, a number of his own original songs from his two latest albums which have also been featured many times on Radio.
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.
As you probably already know, it's not just Liverpool which has an Irish Music Festival - Manchester has one too. This year it's taking place from 5th to 21st March at venues across the city
Tony Hannigan, our Acousticfest friend from M19 Bar in Levenshulme, has sent us an email because he's looking for musicians to play at a variety of Irish Festival and other gigs coming up in March. The details for each of the opportunities are set out below.
We are now booking acts for the following events and venues. When applying for gigs please put your name in subject.
Below is the message we've received from Barry Briercliffe.
Happy New Year, hope you all had a fantastic time and a wonderful Christmas! Acoustic Live Lounge @ 3345 Parr Street, Liverpool is starting up again after the holiday season with the first Acoustic Live Lounge of 2010 taking place next Monday 11th January.
The night will feature 30 minute sets from James Munro and The Big I Am plus loads of open mic. Night starts at 8:30pm and it's free entry.
Celebrate the start of the new decade and new year with us at the Bar 3345, Parr Street, Liverpool
So, where were we? Oh, yes! That's right, we were contemplating the ice and snow.
And we were also considering braving the sub-zero temperatures and venturing into Liverpool City Centre for some acoustic music, weren't we?
Wenceslas' Castle is a brand new event of folk, acoustic and alternative music taking place at Leaf Tea Shop & Bar on Parliament Street (opposite Cains).
It takes place on Friday 8th January, 8pm start - and it's free entry
Performing on the night will be Andrew Raven, Ottersgear, The Low Countries, and The Random Family
Saturday 9th January sees the next Acoustic Dream event organised and hosted by Sue Cullen. This time it's taking place at Studio 2 at Parr Street, and features music from Andy Ainsworth and his new band, Zak Harley, and Michael Ryder.
There will be a raffle on the night, with money going to the Walton Centre.
So, farewell the Noughties, and hello to the... er... Tens? Tennies? Tenners? Doesn't have quite the same ring to it, does it? At least one thing hasn't changed, and that's the huge array of acoustic music in the Liverpool and Greater Merseyside region.
This month sees some great artists at the Liverpool Phil, including Charlie Dore and the Hula Valley Orchestra (16th), the return of The Imagined Village (18th), and a celebration of Django Reinhardt's 100th Birthday (23rd). Check out liverpoolphil.com for more details.
LIVERPOOL ACOUSTIC LIVE
After December's break Liverpool Acoustic Live is back on Friday 22nd January. The line-up now features acoustic blues from Naomi Mather, Lancashire singer-songwriter Andy Chandler (who'll hopefully be making use of the View Two Gallery's grand piano!), solo acoustic music from former Frocks band member Suzanne Jones, and energetic folk rock from local band Sparkwood & 21.
Doors open at 8.00pm with music starting at 8.30pm. Entrance is £4 on the door or £3 in advance from contact@liverpoolacoustic.co.uk
DIARY NEWS and SELECTION BOX
The world seems to still be in holiday mode, so we haven't got any diary news to speak of. If anything comes up we'll post it on the News and Reviews page. Of course, if you find out about an event that has stopped, or a new one that we've not got in the diary, then drop us a line using the details on the Contact Us page and we'll let everyone else know.
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. If you'd like your event to get a special mention in a future newsletter then let us know.
Monday 4th- Come Strut Your Stuff @ The Egg Cafe. First day back at school, and the best way to clear away the holiday cobwebs. 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 7.20pm to get your name on the list. comestrutyourstuff.co.uk
Saturday 9th - Acoustic Dream @ Studio 2 at Parr Street. Sue Cullen's event features quality acoustic music from Andy Ainsworth and his new band, Zak Hartley, and The Kraize (Bristol). It's free to get in, and the raffle will be raising money for the event's home charity The Walton Centre.
Saturday 16th- Charlie Dore & The Hula Valley Orchestra. 8.30pm in the Rodewald Suite. Tickets £12 and more info from liverpoolphil.com
Monday 18th- The Imagined Village @ The Liverpool Phil. 7.30pm - tickets £19.50 and £24.50. More info from liverpoolphil.com
Friday 22nd - Liverpool Acoustic Live @ The View Two Gallery. Naomi Mather, Suzanne Jones, Andy Chandler, and Sparkwood & 21. 8pm doors, 8.30pm start. £4 on the door or £3 in advance from contact[at]liverpoolacoustic.co.uk
AND FINALLY...
If you've been to a great open mic night or jam session and would like to share it with the rest of the world then why not write a review for the News and Reviews page? You can send it to us using the Contact Us form or by emailing contact[at]liverpoolacoustic.co.uk
Graham on behalf of the Liverpool Acoustic Team Graham, Stuart, Gemma, and Gill
