Gig review: Folk at the Manor @ The Old Manor Club

Gig review: Folk at the Manor @ The Manor, Withens Lane
Sunday 13th & Sunday 20th June 2010




13th June 2010 - Singers night & Phil Chisnall

Folk at the Manor (every Sunday, at The Manor on Withens Lane) held the second of its special singers’ nights. This week the evening was hosted by Vinny Spencer and the first half remained open mike. The second part of the evening was the “special” element and the time was given over to local singer songwriter and very talented guitarist Phil Chisnall.


Phil performed his own songs both old and very new, some covers and his performance was punctuated with anecdotes of his experience of the acoustic music scene in the North West. Phil is a regular at Folk at the Manor on open mic and singer’s nights so his talent is well known but it was lovely to hear him do a longer set.

His latest song written at the behest of a fan was to celebrate how good life is for Phil at the moment. It was sung with some irony given his motor had bitten the dust earlier in the week. Still there were no problems with his playing or his voice and those that missed it missed out.






20th June 2010 - David Newey and Christi Andropolis

This week was guest week at the Manor and the duo that was booked to play form part of a bigger folk band called Rubus. David Newey originally from Portsmouth and Christi Andropolis from New York combined to perform songs and music that needs to be heard. Catchy tunes with a message drawn from diverse subject matter. From spinsters (that you should imagine are Barbara Cartland like) to disillusioned war veterans, it seems T’internet can provide a research tool for songwriters that knows no bounds.


David and Christi now both live in the North East and are part of the folk scene that is growing up around Newcastle University School of Arts and Culture. Very talented performers in their own right between them they play piano, fiddle and guitar; their music brings both English and American traditions alive. Christi was teaching on Monday so they travelled all the way home straight after entertaining us for an hour or so. I hope they will be back in the area soon they are well worth a listen to!




Full details of Folk at the Manor can be found at www.folkatthemanor.co.uk


Review © 2010 Kathy Runswick

Album review: Jukebox Gypsy

ALBUM REVIEW


Artist: Jukebox Gypsy


Album: Jukebox Gypsy


MySpace: myspace.com/jukeboxgypsymusic

Jukebox Gypsy have achieved the perfect blend of traditional Celtic and English folk, Americana and Folk Revival with their eponymous debut. 


The album opens with the raucous ballad Whatever Happened To Elijah Cale setting the feel for the rest of the album. The vocal harmonies and interplay between Ben Blance, Dave Hastie, Johanna Hillebrand and Isaac Tabor throughout the album are a brilliantly arranged with call and response sections fitting perfectly. The album steps back from it’s up-tempo opener with the more relaxed banjo lead February and featuring Lucy Macdonald’s exquisite violin line and a catchy chorus.


The uplifting Celtic climax of Union Hymn is quickly contrasted by the Americana feel of Papa Joe’s slide guitar groove. The delicate opening violin line of Water slows the albums pace as the song introduces finely balanced male/female vocal harmony and guitar harmonics.


The album’s passage from genre to genre adds to the aesthetic of the record springing a few surprises on listeners. The Automatic immediately reminded me of Stephen Still’s early solo records with its blues acoustic guitar line and as the texture builds towards the end of the song it unleashes a brilliant solo. A couple of tracks later the record slips into Hey Mama a catchy, easy going Ry Cooder-esque protest song with a gypsy jazz solo, reminiscent of something from a ‘30s D’jango Reinhardt record which was a nice little surprise..


The climax of the album comes from Over The Mountain a song CSN&Y would be proud of. This song really grooves and the electric guitar has a heavy blues rock flavour.

The album then ambles to a close with two more quiet tracks: the delightful Celtic flavoured Innismor & delicate folk song The Rain Invitation which showcases Johanna Hillebrand’s solo vocals.


I think if the album had closed with the barnstorming Over the Mountain and the last two more sedate tracks had come earlier in the running order the album would feel more solidly concluded rather than having these later tracks feel slightly like after thoughts. The fluidity of the album’s genre makes it a thoroughly enjoyable listen.


The album is available to buy here jukeboxgypsy.bigcartel.com

© 2010 Matt Moss - matt[at]liverpoolacoustic.co.uk
Liverpool Acoustic – liverpoolacoustic.co.uk

Gig review: Alex Berger @ Rodewald Suite

Gig review: Alex Berger @ Rodewald Suite, Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
Saturday 3rd July 2010

Alex Berger's debut at the Philharmonic Hall's Rodewald Suite marks the arrival of a major new voice on the British music scene. Berger has spent much of the last decade writing and performing in New York whose geographic influence is clearly heard through the material but what marks out the mainly piano based songs and steers them away from inevitable comparisons to the likes of Ben Folds is the rich canyon of British influences that kept the audience guessing and left this reviewer still searching for a genre after two hours.

These are quite simply beautifully crafted songs with direct, honest and often witty lyrics that are no less visionary and poetic in their outlook. A personal favourite for me was 'Your Last Night In Queens' which had one of the strongest piano riffs of the night and reminded me of albums such as Kate Bush's 'Lionheart' (without the clutter) or the bygone and much missed days of a perfectly sane Elton John when such tracks could regularly be found tucked away on albums like 'Tumbleweed Connection' or 'Honky Chateau'. This is no retro sound by any means though; what stood out was the freshness of often complicated arrangements with some pretty impressive playing and put one more in mind of recent writers such as Tina Dico or Zero 7's fantastic 2006 album 'The Garden'.


Songs of this calibre can withstand anything from the most stripped down to the most detailed treatment from a producer and Berger's live and recording career looks comfortably set to embrace both. By the end of the evening, his hugely impressive debut recording 'Snow Globe' had been played in its entirety and there are a cluster of imminent performances around the country including York, Leeds and London.





'Snow Globe' is available on iTunes and CD Baby and if the gig was anything to go by this is a musician that will be around for many years to come.


alexbergermusic.com
myspace.com/alexbergermusic

© 2010 Mike Neary - neary72[at]hotmail.com

Liverpool Acoustic Live this Friday 23rd July almost sold out

Just a reminder that the next Liverpool Acoustic Live gig takes place on Friday 23rd July at the View Two Gallery on Mathew Street.


Performing on the night will be Thomas-Joseph & Murphy with an extended set featuring songs from their debut album Weary Nights and their second album due out later this year.


Support is from Jeff Jepson and Simon Cousins.


T-J & Murphy have completely sold out their allocation of tickets, and tickets can no longer be bought online. If you haven't got a ticket and you would like to attend then there will be a small handful of £5 entries available on the door when we open at 8.00pm. Be early, and please bear in mind that we cannot let in more than the official capacity of the venue for obvious safety reasons, so once the spare tickets are gone, they're gone.

KCO rare acoustic gig this Saturday 24th July

KCO (that's the Kevin Critchley Outfit, if you didn't know) have a big acoustic rock sound. However, in a one-off gig at the View Two Gallery this Saturday 24th July the guys will be bidding to prove to you lovely Liverpool Acoustic followers that they've not lost touch with their inner-acoustic!


The epic acoustic rock outfit will be swapping drums for percussion and bolstering the string and vocal sections to bring a different flavour to songs from their debut album 'Scars' and their forthcoming album. It's a show not to be missed!


Support on the night is from Benjamin Stead and Shane Beales


Doors open at 8.00pm, and tickets are only £3 from www.wegottickets.com/event/85213 and the facebook event is here.


You can read the Liverpool Acoustic review of Scars here.


www.kcomusic.co.uk

Liverpool Lennon poetry competition

Calling all poets across the globe! Are you a John Lennon fan or passionate about poetry? Then this is your opportunity to enter the world's first Liverpool Lennon Poetry Competition.


The Beatles Story is searching for the Liverpool Lennon Poet 2010, in conjunction with Roger Cliffe-Thompson of Event Poets. The competition is set to take place as part of the John Lennon Tribute Season; a two-month cultural programme of events in Liverpool, which will mark 70 years since Lennon's birth and 30 years since his untimely death.


Poets from across the world are encouraged to enter unpublished verses in three categories, which celebrate the life of the music legend. The UK Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy will lead a team of judges who will award our winning Poets the prestigious title of Liverpool Lennon Poet 2010.


To find out more information of how to enter the Liverpool Lennon Poetry competitions please check out the briefs and terms and conditions.



The categories are:


1 - Performance Poet:
Can you not only write, but perform a poem at our Poetry Slam that celebrates the life of John Lennon? The Beatles Story is looking for a Performance Poet worthy to receive the prestigious title of Liverpool Lennon Performance Poet 2010.


Prizes: 1st place £1000, 2nd place £250, 3rd place £100


Closing Date for entries: 5pm Friday 10th September 2010
Poetry slam: Saturday 6th November 2010
Entries to: poetry@beatlesstory.com
(Please remember to include the category you have entered in your email, along with your full contact details)


download Performance Poet brief (500kb)



2 - Paper Poet
Whether you live in Liverpool, Australia or the North Pole everyone can enter the Paper Poet competition. Capture our judge's imaginations, by writing up to 40 lines of rhyme about the life of John Lennon.


Prizes: 1st place £100, 2nd place £50, 3rd place £25


Closing Date for entries: 5pm Friday 10th September 2010
Finalists announced: By Friday 8th October 2010
Winner announced: Saturday 6th November (at the Performance Poet event)
Entries to: poetry@beatlesstory.com
(Please remember to include the category you have entered in your email, along with your full contact details)


download Paper Poet brief (500kb)



3 - Schools Performance Poet
Can your team of poets write a poem that celebrates the life of Lennon and another poem based on John's song lyrics or song titles? Can they then perform their poem in a poetry slam? As part of this celebration we are inviting Merseyside secondary schools to take part in a ‘Schools Poetry Slam'. A Poetry Slam is a competition that enables people to combine written poems with performance.


Closing Date to register interest: Friday 18th June 2010
Closing date for paper submissions: Friday 2nd July 2010
Finalist notified by: Tuesday 9th July 2010
Poetry slam: Tuesday 9th November 2010
Entries to: shelley@beatlesstory.com


download Schools Performance Poet brief (500kb)

Oxjam Summer Shenanigans this Friday 16th July

Oxjam is a music festival that supports the fantastic work that Oxfam does around the world, and in the run up to the big day in October there will be a number of great events that you can get involved with.


The first one is taking place this coming Friday 16th July at Baa Bar's new premises on Myrtle Street. It starts at 6pm and runs until late. The lineup is half bands and half acoustic, so there's something for everyone. Check out the poster above for full details.

The Willows Suite charity performances 15th and 16th July

Back in May we published a review of The Willows Suite, a delightful concept album from The Southbound Attic Band based on Kenneth Grahame's classic book The Wind in the Willows.


The great news is that the album is set to be performed in full this coming Thursday 15th and Friday 16th July at the Formby Little Theatre, with all proceeds going to two appropriate local charitities - The University of Liverpool Small Animal Teaching Hospital, and the Formby Little Theatre.


Full details are in the poster below and also available at myspace.com/southboundatticband

Liverpool Acoustic Live preview - 23rd July 2010

Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight #30 
July 2010

1. Thomas-Joseph & Murphy - Power Of Persuasion 

2. Thomas-Joseph & Murphy - Soliloquy

3. Jeff Jepson - Aligned

4. Simon Cousins - Love's Counterfeit

bonus tracks

5. KCO - Temptuous Eyes

Taken from the album Scars available to buy from kcomusic.co.uk 
Check out their rare acoustic gig at the View Two Gallery on 24th July

5. Stephen Langstaff - Spires 

Taken from the Acoustic EP available to buy at gigs stephenlangstaff.co.uk 
Check out Stephen's Liverpool Summer Pops headlining gig on 30th July

Download the show for free 
 (right-click to download)

Or listen online below
 
(not available for email subscribers)

This month's Liverpool Acoustic Live takes place on Friday 23rd July at the View Two Gallery on Mathew Street and features three top acoustic acts from Liverpool.

Thomas-Joseph & Murphy offer stunning vocal harmonies, interweaving guitars, and strong original songs. They are riding high on the success of their first album Weary Nights, with their second album being almost finished and due to be released later this year.

Jeff Jepson is a singer-songwriter, musician, and producer who is well known, and equally well respected on the local music scene, with a voice and songs touched with pure magic.

Simon Cousins has been a mainstay of the local music scene for many years. Previously with The Onset he's now branching out with his solo material.

There are only 25 tickets available online for £4 in advance from wegottickets.com - the rest of the tickets are being sold directly by T-J & Murphy, details at myspace.com/thomasjosephandmurphy When these tickets are gone (and we're expecting it to be sold out!) then entry will be limited to a small number of £5 tickets available on the door.

Doors open at 8.00pm with music starting at 8.30pm sharp. The night finishes at 11.15pm

Join the facebook event here.

Thomas-Joseph & Murphy

myspace.com/thomasjosephandmurphy

T-J & Murphy return to The View Two Gallery on the 23rd of July for the first time this year. In fact there have been few Liverpool gigs for duo this year due to touring and recording their second studio album, so this gig will be a special one.

They have played support for Nick Harper and Eliza Carthy in recent months winning them fantastic live reviews and publicity. They have also been invited to play the International Guitar Festival of Great Britain for the second year running in November.

Part of this success stems from their highly acclaimed first studio album ’Weary Nights’ and from their flawless live performances. Stunning vocal harmonies, interweaving guitars, and strong original songs can all be expected from a TJ & Murphy gig.

Previous shows at The View Two have completely sold out so get your tickets early.

Interviewer Ralph Bush caught up with T-J last week, and he spoke of his excitement at July's Liverpool gigs. “Yes I’m really looking forward to them, looking forward to letting the fans hear some of our new songs. We've got two great gigs - one at the Echo Arena on the 10th for International Beatles Day and one at The View Two on the 23rd.”

Weary Nights is available to buy from CD Baby, Amazon MP3, iTunes, and direct from the boys at their gigs.

Read the Liverpool Acoustic review of Weary Nights here.

Jeff Jepson 
jeffjepson.co.uk 
myspace.com/jeffjepson

Jeff Jepson is a singer-songwriter, musician, and producer originally from the Isle of Mann who impresses with his distinctive voice everywhere he plays.

Although he'll be playing solo acoustic for us at the Liverpool Acoustic Live gig, he's also to be seen about town with the Jeff Jepson Band, and making music with the Neil Campbell Collective and with Alex Dunford.

Simon Cousins
myspace.com/sicousins 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Cousins

Simon Cousins is a singer songwriter in the vein of James Taylor, Nick Drake and John Martyn. He was a member of Liverpool's indie rock band The Onset during the 90's and is returning from this year's Glastonbury Festival, where he played with the cult indie folk group Ophiuchus performing their first gig in 23 years.

He studied music at the Liverpool Music College and has a degree in Philosophy from Liverpool University. His solo work is in an acoustic, folk / country genre, described by Tim Peacock of Whisperin and Hollerin Magazine as "showcasing a fluid finger-picking style and a gentle, unobtrusive voice which nonetheless carries a determined presence." You can read the review here.




Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight #30 - July 2010

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.

The Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight is produced and presented by Graham Holland on behalf of the Liverpool Acoustic website. It is also available on the Internet courtesy of Art In Liverpool FM (Defnet Media), and is a proud member of the Association of Music Podcasting - supported by Libsyn

The theme music is King of the Faeries by Andrew Ellis from his CD Midnight On The Water.

Stephen Langstaff at the Summer Pops

Stephen Langstaff has a busy month ahead.


Not only has he got his own Liverpool Summer Pops gig at the Stanley Theatre on Friday 30th July [tickets here] and a personal appearance on BBC Radio Merseyside's The Pool with Dave Monks on Sunday 25th [details here] but he's also landed a cracking gig at the Echo Arena supporting legendary rockers Status Quo on Friday 9th [details here]

Find out more, including a link the the recent Liverpool Echo interview, at stephenlangstaff.co.uk

Free songwriting course at The Shewsy

North End Writers is holding its first songwriting project this summer.


Songwriting workshops will take place between 1.00pm and 3.00pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Shrewsbury House Youth and Community Centre (‘The Shewsy’) in Everton, from June to September.


The sessions will be run by singer and musician Ade Jackson, who has worked for many years as a producer and arranger on the local music scene and is a published poet and writer.


The workshops are primarily geared toward promoting creativity and songwriting activity in the north Liverpool area, but all are welcome. All sessions are free of charge.


Anyone wanting to find out more about North End Writers or the songwriting project should call 0151-345 9126 (North End Writers office) or 07762 010 529 (Ade).


We know these sessions have already started, but you can sign up any time.


Ade also tells us that they're busy building a recording studio at The Shewsy which could become a very useful facility for local songwriters to record their music. We'll let you know more in due time.

Liverpool Acoustic Newsletter - July 2010

July is upon us, and now that we haven't got to worry about following England in the World Cup (bah, humbug!) why not get out and enjoy some of the fantastic acoustic music on offer around the city of Liverpool and across the wider Merseyside area?

LIVERPOOL ACOUSTIC LIVE

June's Liverpool Acoustic Live was another storming success. A jam-packed View Two Gallery enjoyed sets from Pete Cunningham, Dogstar, and Mark Byrne. The evening finished off by the fabulous Lorelei Loveridge and The Harem, with her final band gig in the UK before leaving for Qatar in August.

July's Liverpool Acoustic Live takes place on Friday 23rd July,

• Thomas-Joseph & Murphy
• Jeff Jepson
• Simon Cousins

T-J & Murphy have been making waves since they hit the scene with their unique brand of guitar playing and accomplished songwriting and performance. They're preparing for the launch of their second album and will be playing an extended set of old and new songs. They're joined by former member of The Onset, Simon Cousins, and local songwriter and producer Jeff Jepson for what is set to be a special night.

Entry on the door will be £5, but you'll save money by ordering tickets in advance for £4 from wegottickets.com

And if you're planning on coming to this one we recommend you get your tickets in advance. Only 25 will be online, with the other 25 being sold exclusively by T-J & Murphy myspace.com/thomasjosephandmurphy

Doors open at 8.00pm with music starting at 8.30pm. The night finishes at 11.15pm.

Facebook event is here.

www.liverpoolacoustic.co.uk

DIARY NEWS

Another month, another bumper crop of new events. Fab, isn't it? It's great to see new event popping up, but they'll only be successful if people support them, so why not get out of the house this summer and see what's going on?

You say goodbye...

• Not so much a 'goodbye' as a 'see ya later'. Monday night's regular Acoustic Live Lounge is taking a summer break, but is hoping to be back some time in September. We'll let you know once we know.

And I say hello...

• And not so much a 'hello' as a 'hello again'. Game@Aruma is the new weekly acoustic open mic event run by Greedy Jesus after the event's recent move from its former home in the Mocha Lounge. It takes place every Wednesday in what used to be Heart and Soul but is now Aruma on Mt Pleasant.
• Game@Aruma also has a mixed band and acoustic night every Friday evening, so there are now two weekly events to look forward to.
• Little Green Cafe Bar on Aigburgh Road has a new weekly acoustic event featuring booked acts every Thursday.
• The Engine Rooms in Skelmersdale has an acoustic night called UNPLUGGED! (Skem is in Liverpool, right?) We're not sure whether it's a one off (or a two off since it's down for July and August) but we'll let you know as soon as it's confirmed. Full details from www.engine-rooms.co.uk
• Mike Drummond has contacted us to tell us about an open mic event called Keep It Live he hosts ever Monday night from 8pm at Envi on Fleet Street. Why not check it out and let us know what it's like?
• Ash Welsh has also contacted us to tell us about Stripped and Bare taking place every Wednesday in Heebie Jeebies basement bar from 9pm to 1am. The format is four booked acts with open mic and laid back tunes in between.
• North End Writers is hosting a songwriting project this summer at Shrewsbury House Youth and Community Centre (the Shewsy) in Everton every Tuesday and Thursday from 1-3pm. Details are in the diary.

JULY DIARY SELECTION BOX

Another of our new style Diary Selection Boxes this month containing highlighted events of note. If there's something from the diary you'd like to see highlighted next month then simply drop us a line and we'll sort it for you.

Friday 2nd - John O'Connell plays Simply Dylan @ The Cavern Club. The last one of these gigs was sold out, so you'll have to check to see if there are any tickets left for this one. 0870 344 4444

Saturday 10th - Beatles Day is upon us again, and features T-J & Murphy playing at 12.30pm in Chavasse Park, and 8.00pm for the main concert at the Echo Arena - tickets and details here They're no longer playing in the Cavern Pub in the afternoon, as previously advertised, but will be live on BBC Radio Merseyside from 11.00am.

Thursday 15th & Friday 16th - The Southbound Attic Band perform The Willows Suite @ Formby Little Theatre. Tickets only £4 each from wegottickets.com

Friday 23rd - Liverpool Acoustic Live @ The View Two Gallery, featuring Thomas-Joseph &; Murphy, Jeff Jepson, Simon Cousins. 8pm doors, 8.30pm music. £4 in advance, £5 on the door. liverpoolacoustic.co.uk/live

Saturday 24th - KCO @ The View Two Gallery with a special acoustic show, featuring songs from the debut album Scars and their forthcoming album.Tickets £3 here

Thursday 29th - Woody Guthrie Folk Club @ The Ship and Mitre, Dale Street. 

Friday 30th - Stephen Langstaff @ Stanley Theatre (Liverpool Summer Pops 2010)

AND FINALLY...


If you follow the Liverpool Acoustic newsletter then why not fill in our quick and easy survey? We'd really like to know what you like and what could be done better. You can find the survey at liverpoolacoustic.co.uk/survey and it will be online for the whole of July, with the results being shared in August.


We're finishing with a strange request. Do you know anyone who can play the saw, and who can teach Sharon, our wonderful Liverpool Acoustic Live door person, how to play it? If so then get in touch using the Contact Us form or by emailing contact[at]liverpoolacoustic.co.uk and we'll pass on the message.


Graham,
on behalf of the Liverpool Acoustic Team