EP review: Matt Moss

EP REVIEW

Artist: Matt Moss

EP: I Am Gone


Website: theharmlessmusician.blogspot.com




I’ve had the privilege today of reviewing a wonderful folk/acoustic musician, Matthew Moss. His 5 song EP is out now, and trust me, it’s one of those albums you’ll want to get, put on your iPod, and walk out into the woods. I promise you, I wish I had his music to theme some of the most beautiful moments of my life.


I’m positive this EP covers whatever mood you are in. From harmonicas, to beautifully smooth guitar, to some electric guitar for kicks, to very soft and heart touching vocals, every song flows smoothly together and each one seems to complete the next. It’s as if they all are friends completing each others sentences.


The last song “Soldier” (a highly recommended song from me) has a wonderful surprise ending. Please, go listen to this EP and support this upcoming musician.


I Am Gone is available to buy from bandcamp

© 2010 Noisesession

Mathew Street Fringe this weekend

This August bank holiday weekend sees the return of the Mathew Street Festival, and with it comes its kid brother the Mathew Street Fringe.


Whereas the main outdoor festival is known for its vast array of cover bands, the Fringe showcases the current music scene. Now, that's not to say that today's original bands don't get a look in on the main programme, with Williamson Square hosting the Original Bands stage on Sunday, compered by BBC Radio Merseyside's Dave Monks [The Pool] and featuring the likes of The Bo Weevils, Ragz, and The Sixteen Tonnes. 


There are also a number of indoor venues offering great original music too, particularly O'Neills at the bottom of Wood Street where John O'Connell and guests have three gigs over three days.


But Keiser Thiefs and Stayed As Quo aside, it's the Fringe where you'll find some fantastic music featuring the cream of the music scene from Liverpool and beyond, with plenty of acoustic treats in the mix. Unlike the main festival, the Fringe isn't programmed centrally and it's left to the Liverpool venues which support music all year round to plan their own lineups.


The venues taking part are:-

• 3345 Parr Street
• Aloha, Colquitt Street
• Bad Format Social Club, Trueman Street
• The Bluecoat
• Bumper, Hardman Street
• The Grapes, Roscoe Street
• Heebie Jeebies, Seel Street
• The Krazyhouse, Wood Street
• Leaf Tea Shop & Bar, Parliament Street
• Mello Mello, Slater Street
• O2 Academy, Hotham Street
• The Picket, Jordan Street
• St Luke's bombed out church, Leece Street
• Studio 2, Parr Street
• What's Cooking, Albert Dock
• The Zanzibar, Seel Street

For a full list of all the events at these venues, visit mathewstreetfestival.org/whats_on/?festivalStrandId=2

Although there are too many events to list on the Liverpool Acoustic website (hence the link above) there are a few that jumped out at us, mainly because some of the people involved sent us some lovely emails asking us to give them a mention. So, in date order...


Saturday 28th August - Under the Influence VOL 21 - the Beatles one "Daytripper"
9.00pm @ Studio 2, Parr Street - Free
Hosted by Kaya featuring creative covers and originals from some of Liverpool’s finest, including Ste Hedley, Reid Anderrson, OCD, Kevin Critchley Outfit, and Stuart Anthony's Long Lost Band.


Sunday 29th August - Dead Cities & Friends
7.30pm @ Mello Mello - Free
Dead Cities & Friends give you an evening of beautiful tunes. The trustworthy folksters invite some of their favourite Liverpool acts to join them in the fantastic Mello Mello surroundings: Dead Cities, The Big House (Candie Payne & Paul Molloy), Misery Guts, Jonny Sands, and Dave O Grady


Sunday 29th August - Acoustica
7.00pm @ 3345 Parr Street - Free
Featuring Shellsuit, Suzanne Jones, Chris Selman, and David Glyn Jones


Monday 30th August - Mathew Street Fringe @ The Bluecoat
1.00pm to 4.00pm - Free
Carrie Hayden, Mark Magill, and Sparkwood & 21


Monday 30th August - The Eclectic Collective
7.00pm @ Studio 2, Parr Street - Free
Jennifer John, Kaya & Captain Temper, Christina Malley, Perri Alleyne-Hughes & Neil Campbell, The Invisible Wires, and Michael Ryder

The Engine Rooms, and charity fundraiser Sunday 29th August

Despite the name, Liverpool Acoustic covers a wider area than just the city of Liverpool, and we know that there's plenty of good stuff going on just a little further afield. So when local musician Matt Swift told us about The Engine Rooms we couldn't resist giving it a nice plug.

The Engine Rooms is a community-based arts centre in Skelmersdale. It's run as a social enterprise which means that any profit goes back into the organisation. Its aim is to provide an inclusive, safe and harmonious environment for people to explore, express and share what they love in life, and offers a range of education and extra curricular activities for the whole community.

If you want to find out more, including details of the gigs they've got planned (Albert Lee, Bob Brozman, Preston Reed, The Christians), then head over to www.engine-rooms.co.uk

We'd particularly like to tell you about the charity fundraiser for Cancer Reasearch UK that's taking place on Sunday 29th August.

Doors open at noon and they've got ten bands performing until 6.00pm on the live stage. The lineup so far is Shipwrecked In Suburbia, The Showgirls, Blanket Apology, slr, Yamasall, The Tony Lewis Experience, and Element.

In between the bands they've got the cream of Skem's acoustic scene playing twenty minute sets on the acoustic stage. These include Matt Swift, Katie Nicolas, Terry and Kristan's Gypsy Duo, and Steffi Borg and The Endeavors.

Entry is free and they'll have lots of activities to keep families entertained. In the
courtyard outside there will be a birds of prey display, they have a very nice chap who will be setting up a reptile room including snakes, lizards, spiders etc. Add to that face painting, hot and cold food and much more and you're set for a great afternoon.

At 6pm they close for an hour and reopen at 7.00pm for the cabaret evening. A top class cabaret band will play two set lists with a DJ in between and a raffle with some great prizes. The evening event will be ticket only priced at £5 each with all money going towards Cancer Research UK.


There's a full alcoholic licence so the evening event will be over 18's only.
Further info can be found on the Engine Rooms website or just give Terry a call on 01695 731016.

Liverpool Acoustic Live preview - 27th August 2010 - Barrry Briercliffe EP launch

Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight #32
August 2010

1. Barry Briercliffe - Hold On 

2. Stuart Todd - Calm Before The Storm

3. Rae Clark - Mary, Mary

4. Rich Man's Ruin - Tommy's Lot

5. Miss Gradenko - Driven To Tears 

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 27th August at the View Two Gallery on Mathew Street. 

Local singer-songwriter Barry Briercliffe will be launching The Alive EP at this event, and has put together a top class supporting line-up.

Stuart Todd is an accomplished singer-songwriter who never fails to entertain whether he's playing solo like tonight, or with his band The Freebies.

Rae Clark has influences ranging from Pink Floyd and Sigur Ross to Fairport Convention and Fleet Foxes, so who could fail to be impressed? Certainly not those who enjoyed his last performance for us at the View Two and have been pestering us ever since to book him again!

Miss Gradenko is Italy's number one female-fronted Police tribute band, and they've recently found a new musical direction by going acoustic.

Rich Man's Ruin is a new folk group from Liverpool uniting the undoubted talents of Gabi Monk, Alun Parry, and Vinny T Spen.

There are only 30 tickets available online for £4 in advance from wegottickets.com - the rest of the tickets are being sold directly by Barry. When these tickets are gone (and we're expecting another busy night) then entry will be limited to a small number of £5 tickets available on the door.

Please note doors open at the earlier time of 7.30pm with music starting at 8.00pm sharp. The night finishes at 11.15pm

Join the facebook event here.

Barry Briercliffe

myspace.com/barrybriercliffeonline

Barry Briercliffe is a talented acoustic singer-songwriter from Kirkby who has gigged extensively across Merseyside and the Northwest. He takes his influences from the likes of Damien Rice, REM, KT Tunstall, and Pink Floyd. Barry's strong, soulful voice coupled with his great lyrics and quirky use of loop pedal enable him to build up layers of sounds, rhythm and voice that will excite and inspire audiences. 

His album When All You Need Is Answers is available to buy from his MySpace profile and The Alive EP is being launched on the night of this gig.

Barry took over the space left by the demise of Acoustic Slice and now hosts the Acoustic Live Lounge at 3345 Parr Street every Monday evening from 8.30pm. Acoustic Live Lounge is on a summer break at the moment, but will be returning soon.

Stuart Todd
myspace.com/stuarttodd

Stuart Todd is an acoustic singer songwriter on the Liverpool Music scene. His first EP 'Playing The Field' was recorded in 2004, followed by a second EP Man On A Mission' in 2005. Stuart worked with Neil Campbell in the group Triad before re-emerging as an acoustic duo with the release of their long awaited studio album Campbell Todd in October 2007.

Last year Stuart went back into the studio with engineer and co-producer Andy Fernihough to compile a collection of tracks. The resulting album 'A Question Of Time' ponders on relationships and the passing of time; with the music very much in the spirit of the singer-songwriter movement of the late 1960's and early 1970's.

In November 2009 Stuart launched the album with his new band The Freebies in Parr Street Studio 2.

A Question Of Time is available to buy on CD in the following stores;

• Probe Records in The Bluecoat, School Lane, Liverpool £4.99 
• Piccadilly Records, Oldham Street, Manchester £5.99
• News From Nowhere, Bold Street, Liverpool £5.99

You can also download the album on iTunes, Amazon and CD Baby.

myspace.com/stuarttodd
myspace.com/thefreebies
reverbnation.com/stuarttoddthefreebies

photo © Adrian Wharton

Rae Clark

myspace.com/raeclark

Rae Clark is a local singer-songwriter whose musical influences span a wide range of musicians, from Sigur Ross and Pink Floyd, to Fairport Convention and Fleet Foxes. He has an album called Wee Monkey which is currently available to buy on MySpace here.

Rich Man's Ruin

richmansruin.co.uk

Rich Man’s Ruin is a folk group based in Liverpool, England, and comprising Gabi Monk, Alun Parry, and Vinny T Spen. 

The music consists of three vocals, guitar, banjolele, autoharp and harmonica, and together they play songs old and new.

You can catch them playing at festivals up and down the country, and locally at the Woody Guthrie Folk Club in the Ship and Mitre pub on Dale Street on the last Thursday of the month. www.woodyfolk.co.uk

Miss Gradenko

myspace.com/missgradenkopolice

Miss Gradenko is Italy's number one female-fronted Police tribute band! The group comprises Adriano Arena (guitar), Marco Biggi (drums & backing vocals), and Serena Merega (bass & vocals). They aim to bring to the stage the greatest Police songs, preserving the distinctive sounds of the band, but still leaving room for creativity, improvisation and adaptations, using a personal style.

Last autumn saw the band head back into the studio: the need of experimenting led the trio to try acoustic interpretations of Police songs, along with some Sting masterpieces.

  

Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight #32 - August 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.

Open Mic UK auditions in Liverpool, and Brit Writers Awards Unpublished

We've got details to share with you of two opportunities for musicians.

Open Mic UK is the biggest music competition in the UK for singers and solo artists. If that's you, then this is your chance to perform live in front of some of the country's top producers, label execs, promoters, and DJs.

The heats take the form of live shows across the UK, with the final being at the O2 in Old London Town. The overall winner bags a recording contract, a guaranteed single release, and up to £30,000 investment.

The age categories are Under 18, 18 to 25, and over 25.

The auditions hit Liverpool on the morning of Sunday 12th September, at The Liner Hotel in Lord Nelson Street. Audition places are limited, so you'll have to be quick to register. For full details visit www.openmicuk.co.uk

The Brit Writers' Awards Unpublished 2011 is now open for submissions in the following categories: songwriting, poetry, short stories, stories for children, novels, non-fiction, screen plays, and stage plays. There are '16 and under' categories for songwriting, short stories, and poetry.

The deadline for submissions is 25th February 2011 or once 20,000 submissions have been reached (whichever happens sooner). 

There is an entry fee, but the prize of £10,000 plus a publishing contract might just be enough to persuade people to try.

Full details from www.britwriters.co.uk

News and Reviews survey results

At the end of June we asked you, the readers of the Liverpool Acoustic news and reviews blog, to let us know what you think of the service by completing a short online survey. A big thank you to those of you who took the time to complete it and to give us your informative and constructive comments.


The results are as follows. All figures rounded to the nearest 10% (yeah, we know it isn't scientific, but it's easier to understand!)


ACCESS: How do you access the Liverpool Acoustic News and Reviews (tick all that apply)
100% - email mailing list
40% - also read the online version


OVERALL FREQUENCY: What do you think of the overall number of posts each month?
20% - too many
80% - just right


NEWS: What do you think of the number of news posts each month?
60% - too many
20% - just right
20% - could do with more


MUSIC REVIEWS: What do you think of the number of music reviews (albums) each month?
20% - too many
80% - just right


LIVE REVIEWS: What do you think of the number of live gig and event reviews each month?
20% - too many
60% - just right
20% - could do with more


INTERVIEWS: What do you think of the number of interviews each month?
60% - just right
40% - could do with more


FUTURE IDEAS: What would you like to see included in the future?

All of the suggestions proved popular, particularly 'Opinion', 'Tips and advice for musicians', and 'Competitions'. Two replies asked for more variety!


Thanks also to those of you who added extra comments, all but one of which were positive.





We've taken on board the feedback from the survey and as a result we've changed the way we post items to the News and Reviews blog.


From now on news items will be restricted to two posts per week, from Monday to Friday. If there is more news we need to publicise we'll either add it to our Twitter feed at @lpoolacoustic which also appears at the top of the website pages, or combine more than one news item into the same post.


Keeping news items to weekdays frees up the weekend (Saturday or Sunday) for album and live gig reviews. We'll add in the occasional 'Opinion' post in addition to competitions, interviews with promoters, and tips from established musicians, and if we end up with more items than weekends we'll slot one or two in during the week in place of a news item. The monthly newsletter will remain on the first day of each month, and the above schedule will be adjusted accordingly.


And even though the survey is over, you can still send your comments and suggestions to use via the Contact Us page.

Gig review: T-J & Murphy @ View Two - Liverpool Acoustic Live

Gig review: T-J & Murphy @ The View Two Gallery 
Liverpool Acoustic Live - Friday 23rd July 2010


T-J & Murphy supported by Jeff Jepson and Simon Cousins: A night of acoustic guitars and voices.


Since my first encounter with T-J & Murphy, I have never been able to get enough of their music, eagerly awaiting their selective gigs but none more than this performance because of the intimate nature of the space and in anticipation of new material for their impending second CD.


As regular support to T-J & Murphy, I have also heard Jeff Jepson on several occasions but usually in venues with sound systems and engineers unsympathetic to his unusual vocal renditions, so was unsure whether I had actually ‘heard’ him.


Simon Cousins I had no knowledge of but based on previous Liverpool Acoustic selections, was curious about.



Simon Cousins
See www.myspace.com/sicousins for information about Simon


I admire Liverpool Acoustic for giving new artists a platform to develop and explore their performing skills, how else can a musician grow. One such is Simon, who took the first brave step, introducing the night with classic covers and his own material, some plucked fresh from dreamscapes recalled on awakening.


Performing to a sea of faces and focused eyes and ears, barely a few feet away, I have no idea how Simon plucked up the courage to even begin but he did, nervously at first but gaining confidence.


Let us hope courage does not desert, that he continues his journey of discovery and can carve a path through a crowded musical world which can be harsh but also unbelievably rewarding.



Jeff Jepson
www.myspace.com/jeffjepson

I must admit to having heard respected local musician, Jeff Jepson, more often by chance, than by design and on those occasions though taken and fascinated by his melodies found inadequate sound systems and unsympathetic engineers struggling with the timbre of his voice and thought I had not really listened to his songs. Therefore, I was anxious to hear him in a more stripped down environment.


Strangely, as I listened, I found myself subconsciously singing along in the realisation that several of his songs had surreptitiously instigated themselves in my mind. Until then, I had no idea they were in my head!


Unfortunately, the intimate and naked environment of View Two and the combination of Jeff’s unusual but compelling voice with miked acoustic ‘cello, usually one of my favourite instruments in its mimicry of the human voice, illustrated how difficult an act he is to sound mix, with ‘cello and voice fighting uncomfortably, possibly pure acoustic or muted ‘cello might have provided an easier balance for two such strong and individual sources of sound.


Luckily, by one of my favourite and most remembered of his songs, a heart rending, lilting, impassioned, classic love song, “More than a Favour” (“… More than a favour.. you would lay your life down..”), an uneasy reconciliation had been struck and the rest of the set was easier to listen, inspiring me to at last purchase Jeff’s CD.


Playing this at home, the more controlled environment released Jeff’s talent, demonstrating how this extraordinarily wrenching voice, at times swallowed and others semi falsetto with unusual, compelling, impassioned and imaginative instrumentation weaving beautiful harmonies, requires careful and sensitive handling, to let the music shine, stories of life told by a sympathetic and shy voice.


A caged Jeff flew free and at last I heard his song which I will now listen out for.




T-J & Murphy
See www.myspace.com/thomasjosephandmurphy for information about T-J & Murphy, their gigs, how to book them and so on and so forth.


Usually comprising the twin guitars and voices of Thomas-Joseph Mealey and David Murphy this duo captured my imagination, even before I first heard them, when the force of nature that is Thomas burst into my sadly demised venue Heart and Soul, a coiled spring, an explosion of emotion and opinion, bending and contorting a skinny wraithlike body, struggling to contain the passion and intensity within, despite skin tight jeans and rakish hat.


He blew out as he blew in, leaving us breathless in his wake, a young man on a mission to release his soul, entrapped by the practicalities of life but awoken to the call by I know not what cosmic event or lightening strike.


In his mission Thomas is joined by the other side of his coin, David Murphy, the two joined by an invisible umbilical, a mystical bond, interweaving intimately and effortlessly in melodic duet of voice, guitar, heart and mind.


Despite the familiarity of many hearings, Thomas’s extraordinarily expressive and lyrical voice, Dave’s emotively empathetic harmonies caressing the emotion, still rend my heart to shreds, a tender soul bare and bleeding before me, an age of experience, sorrow and understanding way beyond tender years, belies the tough exterior, revealing vulnerability with honesty hard to bear, portals wide open to reveal a landscape of the mind.


Whether moody and introspective or sunny and whimsical T-J & Murphy’s intensely melodic songs and their poignant , heartfelt lyrics each tell a tale, taking us on a journey though personal experience, stories of life, lives and loves, intense pictures which play in the mind like virtual reality, glittering guitars conjuring ghosts.


Looking back over the playlist for this occasion I note they sang thirteen songs, more than an hour which passed in what seemed a blink, immersed as I was in the worlds conjured by the music of T-J & Murphy, old and new, brought even more vividly to life by the intimate surroundings and intense performances of Thomas and Dave. Jeff at the helm of the mixer, intimately familiar with their songs and the musicianship of the duo, stripped away any barrier of amplification and the music flew free, enthralling, engaging and completely absorbing.


Of the six new songs performed that night, my two favourites which stick in my head, were “Island of the Saints” and “Joanna Love”, the images conjured by each etched in my mind.


Island of the Saints:
“….from the shoreline lies an Island, over the waves…. there’s a cross upon the hill peering through the misty blue and emerald Green.. directed like a star navigating those intended from afar….. your head upon my shoulder ….I feel alive for the first time in a long time….I see the light for the first time in a life time….”


Shimmering guitar captures shimmering sunlight on aqua water after stormy seas, an island, just emerging over the horizon, glimpsed from dark shores, an oasis where hope lives, in company of birdsong and tinkling pure water, bathing sorrow and hurt, emerging once more into light to feel the warmth of humanity.
A truly beautiful song, Thomas’s voice describing so poignantly the extreme emotion of rediscovering the beauty of life, Dave caressing and soothing with whispered harmonies, a magical song.


Joanna Love:
“….you walk in a crowded room he walks in right next to you….I see it in our eyes you’ll be lonely tonight…..he thinks he’s the heart and soul…everyone he thinks he owns…he’s losing you.. you’re slipping through..Joanna come …upstairs to the room above…we’ve got time the night is young…he won’t mind if he don’t know…you help ease my mind..I’ll make you feel warm inside…give you all the love you need,…I see you are all alone, guess it’s time I made my move…I hesitate there’s too much at stake…drinks go down … clowns come out..I laugh with you …we see right through…I turn around, Joanna, love is what we’ve found”


Gentle caressing guitar, sooths like a lover’s slow hands, lingering, giving unconditional love, healing the hurt of neglect, soft gentle vocals speak of wanting to know and understand, to mend what is broken, a blossoming of love and expression of such tenderness, it does inescapably draw tears.
Those two songs alone would be reason enough to buy their soon to be recorded new CD.


Of the other new songs, I have yet to get my head round “ Star Crossed Love”, yearning for lost love and “Fading Out”, about life and memories fading like pictures on a wall, both more narrative and meandering in nature, melancholic, wistful and somehow heavier, though within them both are extraordinarily beautiful melodic lines and interludes which I look forward to exploring. Unfortunately, YouTube clips of these songs are recorded in the harshly echoey surrounds of Studio 2, which make them difficult to listen to, so guess I will have to wait for their next live performances.


The remaining set comprised many of my favourites from T-J & Murphy’s “Weary Night’s” CD which remains permanently by my hi-fi, worn out and listless from constant playing.


Hearing them live made me realise what immediate performers this duo are, there are no effects, everything flows directly from their mind and souls to fingers and voice with no need for enhancements, they are complete.


Though practically every song from Weary Nights has become part of me, of the selection played tonight, my favourites must be “ A Stranger to Myself”, “Iron Man” and in particular “Old Dog”, each evoking such powerful emotion and empathy with our human condition that I cannot help but stop and listen every time I hear them. Striking a certain resonance within my psyche they remain lodged in my brain.


You will need to buy the CD to make up your own minds and to hear another favourite, not performed tonight, ”Free man walking” but briefly:


A Stranger to Myself
“... thought on my mind… I won’t get to sleep tonight... guess life, guess life changed me.....guess time, guess time aged me....I don’t , don’t know me no more....I’m a stranger to myself.....look in the mirror, I see somebody else...”
A hauntingly beautiful yet melancholic song gently, sorrowfully describing how life draws its own pattern on us, despite or in spite of where we might wish to travel.


Iron Man
“..the lines on his face mark his every fall from grace…everything he’s ever done wrong… his crooked nose misshapen by the blows, the blows he knows he deserves… there’s pain in those veins… I can see it in your eyes, it’s eating you inside, because the eyes don’t lie… window to the soul… iron man… hope you understand you drove me away.. words too proud to share… tears he should have cried back then… ”
Wistful strumming guitar, slide guitar of regret and the exceptionally expressive timbre of Thomas’s voice illustrate the heartbreak the lyrics describe, how pride can destroy and how some things can never be mended.


Old Dog
“... my boots and jeans are fading, my face looks like it’s weathered many a storm....miles they mount behind me.....days I thought would never end, just memories in my mind.....I know and I know and I know, I ain’t got much time.....it feels like I’m reaching, I’m reaching the end of the line....”
Movingly poignant , guitar and viola (or is it violin?) exquisitely describe life’s journey along the dusty road into sunset, mouth organ marking weary steps as time passes and everything moves towards its end.


I am glad some of my time on this mortal coil has been filled with the music of T-J & Murphy.


That’s it folks, now go and listen to them.


© August 2010 Chumki Banerjee

Folkscene's Above The Beaten Track preview

Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight #31.5
Above the Beaten Track 

- Folkscene Special
August 2010

To whet your appetite for Above The Beaten Track on Saturday 14th August (see previous post here for full details) we thought we'd give you a little treat. This extra Spotlight show is the edition of BBC Radio Merseyside's Folkscene programme that was originally broadcast on Thursday 29th July.

The show's host Stan Ambrose interviews Dave McTague from Mellowtone about the forthcoming event at The Bluecoat, and plays songs from some of the artists playing on the day, including Atlantic Massey, Ragz, Stuart Anthony, Misery Guts, and Jeff Jepson.

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

Or listen online below

(not available for email subscribers)

Full details can be found at myspace.com/mellowtonenight and you're invited to join the Facebook event here.

p.s. Did you know that Folkscene is UK radio's longest running folk programme, and has had the same two presenters, Stan Ambrose and Geoff Speed, since the very start, over 39 years ago?

p.p.s. Did you know Stan Ambrose will be playing his harp throughout the day in the Foyer Hub.

Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight #31.5 - August 2010 (Above the Beaten Track Folkscene Special)

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.

Above The Beaten Track this Saturday 14th August @ The Bluecoat

Above The Beaten Track takes place this Saturday 14th August at Liverpool's Bluecoat venue. It starts at 2.00pm and runs through to 10.00pm, and it's absolutely FREE.

Here at Liverpool Acoustic HQ we're really excited about taking part in it for the first time this year, and we've got some fantastic musicians lined up to play for us during the afternoon and evening. It's a mark of the event's success that it's had to move from the previous home in the View Two Gallery to the more spacious surroundings of The Bluecoat - Liverpool's unofficial creative hub - and will be bigger and better than ever before.

We've posted below the full press release from Mellowtone, the organisation behind the event, along with the timings for the day and the details of all the partner organisations taking part. We hope to see as many of you as possible there on the day.

The details for events like this inevitably end up getting tweaked along the way, so for up-to-date artist details check out the posts on the official facebook event page here facebook.com/event.php?eid=142572325769959&ref=ts

And while you're on t'Interweb why not read Peter Guy's interview with Mellowtone head honcho Dave McTague here peterguy.merseyblogs.co.uk/2010/08/dave-mctague-mellotone.html

Graham and Stuart, for the Liverpool Acoustic Team

Above The Beaten Track is a festival celebrating the creative grass roots scene of Liverpool, featuring live music and DJs, performance art, poetry and audio-visual spectaculars - shedding a bit of light on Liverpool’s cultural underground, all in a relaxed festival-like atmosphere. Moving to a new home at The Bluecoat for our third annual event, Above The Beaten Track’s heart and soul are beating stronger than ever.

Our philosophy is all about inclusion, not only giving a platform for the oft-maligned marginal grass roots musicians of our fair city but letting our friends and partners have a hand in running the festival. In addition to the usual Mellowtone and Beaten Tracks offerings, this year we have stages being hosted by Liverpool Acoustic, Lazy Genius, Bagism and Culturepool will be returning once again to add their birthday festivities to our little soiree. Draw The Line, the social art event specialists make a welcome return also, along with newcomers from Loaca.Art and the Bluecoat traders. 

The restaurant upstairs will be serving food and drink all day, and let’s not forget our BBQ either – join us in the courtyard for some festival flavours in between stages.

We welcome back musical friends old and new this year – Irish whirlwind Atlantic Massey, psychedelic darlings The Wicked Whispers, indie folk upstarts Misery Guts and our favourite Nordic siren Ragz, plus a whole lot more.

Our Beaten Tracks DJ team have been busy too, scouring the city to gather up a raggle-taggle bunch of the city’s finest spinners of vinyl old and new – expect a wide range of quality tunes from the hands at the helm of the old 1-2’s.

All in all, we like to have a party. The sort of party that we’d like to go to. With our friends, music that we all love, films, art, food and drink. So here it is, the return of Above The Beaten Track for another year and all we ask is that you come and join us.

OUTDOOR STAGE

DJs: Richie Vegas, Jonnie O’Hare, Bugsy, Monkey, Ian Knowlson

14.00 - 17.00 - Culturepool’s 4th Birthday Party

14.00 – Claire Mooney

14.30 – Tom George

15.00 – Sensorites

15.30 – Paula Simms & Andy Frizell

16.00 – Dan Wilson (The Cubical)

16.30 – John “The Man with the Silver Spoons” McGuirk

17.00 - 22.00 - Mellowtone & Beaten Tracks presents

17.00 – Andy Steele

17.25 – Dave Owen

17.50 – Eva Petersen

18.15 – Jeff Jepson

18.40 – Ragz

19.10 – Misery Guts

19.35 – 15 Storeys

20.10 – Emily & the Faves

20.40 – The Wicked Whispers

21.15 – Atlantic Massey

GALLERY STAGE

Liverpool Acoustic

14.00 – Matt Swift (Feat guest vocalist Barry Briercliffe)

14.25 – Avant Gardner

14.50 – Paul Donnelly (Strawhouses)

15.15 – Stuart Todd

15.40 – Joe Keelan

16.00 - 17.00 - Lazy Genius Hour

16.00 – We Walk In Straight Lines

16.30 – The Grande

17.00 - 18.00 - BAGISM - hosted by Tom George (see partners’ info below for more details) followed by a performance by Loved Ones feat. Nik Glover

Liverpool Acoustic & Guests

18.05 – Rob Clarke

18.30 – Jez Wing

18.55 – Laura James

19.20 – Tony Kehoe

19.45 – The 10p Mixes

20.10 – Stuart Anthony

20.35 – SJ Downes

21.00 – TJ & Murphy

21.25 – Daniela Bove and The Belongings (Feat. Nicole Collarbone)

BEATEN TRACKS BAR AREA

An installation, a journey, an exploration into the history of black music, curated by the Beaten Tracks DJs. Featuring documentaries, film footage and visuals created by DJs and artists, plus selected photographs from Terry Cryer ‘the dean of UK jazz and blues photographers’ (MOJO magazine), accompanied by a sonic journey from the Delta to Detroit, starting with blues and jazz and moving through reggae, dub, soul and funk and more...

Jonnie O’Hare: 14.00 - 15.00 •

In Dangerous Rhythm: 15.00 - 16.30 •

Mike Stout: 16.30 - 18.00 •

Lord Borthbury: 18.00 - 19.00 •

Toxeth Rebel Alliance 19.30 - 20.00 •

K Marley 20.00 - 21.00 •

HUB / FOYER

DJs: Clutterfunk, Paul Maguire & Eat Your Greens and a host of other DJs

14.00 - 22.00 Draw the Line(see below for more details)

Stan Ambrose

PARTNERS:-

MELLOWTONE

Mellowtone is a collective of like-minded souls putting on regular nights of music focusing on delivering the very best acts from the city’s thriving music scene to their faithful followers, in addition to bringing performers from around the world for your listening pleasure. Their spiritual home is Mathew Street’s View Two Gallery, but they’re nomadic by nature - with some of the most intimate venues across and around Liverpool playing host to their particular brand of party in the past. It’s a laid back affair, and though predominantly acoustic in outlook, they’re also quite partial to plugging things in now and again.

Mellowtone’s focus is on showcasing the best music from a genre-spanning selection in their own unique and intimate style - you can find rootsy country blues on the same bill as intricate and delicate folk and chilled out reggae, all sandwiched together by the resident DJs Richie Vegas and Jonnie O’Hare, spinning a laid back selection of grooves taking in funk, soul, blues, jazz, hiphop, reggae, afrobeat and anything else that takes their fancy.

They have been quietly creating a stir for a while now, but remain as fresh and inventive as ever - an acoustic cornerstone of Liverpool’s music scene. mellowtone.info

BEATEN TRACKS

Beaten Tracks is a Liverpool-based collective of DJs and artists who champion the rare, the dusty and the forgotten areas of music. Expect funk, soul, reggae, afro-beat, Latin, blues and jazz nuggets, a mellow vibe and soulful enlightenment.

With some of the most sought after vinyl on Merseyside in tow, Beaten Tracks look to set the scene for Above The Beaten Track in the way they know best. Sound tracking some of the most laid back nights to be found across Liverpool, including a residency at Mellowtone, the Beaten Tracks DJs are becoming renowned for framing some of the most interesting and diverse live acts from the city and beyond.

CULTUREPOOL

Culturepool, Liverpool’s largest (and free!) independent art and culture network, is celebrating its 4th birthday. Over the last four years culturepool has dipped into the unique melting pot of creative originality that is Liverpool: musically, artistically and culturally. By creating a relaxed and informal environment culturepool provides a space for people to discover new and existing art and cultural events with a chance to meet artists and performers, often with free or discounted tickets.

Celebrate with culturepool and a host of local musical talent, and find out more about their new project, ‘Building on What We’ve Got’, as part of 2010 Year of Health and Wellbeing. culturepool.org.uk

LIVERPOOL ACOUSTIC

Liverpool Acoustic is a central resource for Liverpool’s vibrant and exciting acoustic music scene - the only one of its kind in the UK. The website hosts an extensive diary of acoustic events, from festivals, theatre concerts and folk clubs to showcases and open mic nights. The News and Reviews page carries information about upcoming events, reviews of CDs and gigs, interviews with local musicians, and a monthly newsletter on the first of each month. Liverpool Acoustic Live is a monthly acoustic music showcase. Each night features three or four of the best acoustic performers, singer- songwriters, bands and musicians on the local scene today performing alongside highly-talented performers from across the UK and overseas. liverpoolacoustic.co.uk

LAZY GENIUS

Lazy Genius is an all encompassing beast ...comprising of a club night, promotions company, and artist representation, coupled with a relentless work ethic and ‘man about town’ attitude to life and work.

Rooted in a love of live music, Lazy Genius’ primary focus is the promotion and facilitation of the best new music in Liverpool and beyond. Running regular club nights and band showcases as well as collaborating with friends old and new on lots of different projects. lazy-genius.co.uk

BAGISM

The Liverpool Bag Consortium aim to promote artistic experimentation, free speech and communal love - in bags! Inspired by John and Yoko’s original concept circa 1969, the performance will comprise improvised music, poetry/dialogue and visuals. Inside a bag, the performer’s age, race, gender, disability and ‘coolness’ are all irrelevant. Come and take part - bring your own bag! (A duvet cover will do).

T V LUX

We’re pleased to welcome back TV Lux to this year’s Above The Beaten Track. Utilising a heady blend of light graffiti images (light drawings and sculptures with homemade LED wands and brushes), the immediacy of mobile phone video-art and improvised live VJing; accompanied by examples of photography and live art multi-media performances with a host of short film makers. myspace.com/tvlux

THE BLUECOAT

Situated in the oldest building in Liverpool’s city centre, the Bluecoat hosts a contemporary programme of exhibitions and events showcasing talent across all creative disciplines including visual art, music, literature, dance and live art. As well as presenting work by internationally acclaimed artists, the Bluecoat is a hub for new talent, providing studio spaces for artists within a unique creative community.

The poster display at the Bluecoat (on the historic staircase which dates back nearly 300 years) reflects some of the history of the building as an arts centre. It was selected from their archive, which is by no means complete, though posters and other print from all exhibitions and many live events from the late 1970s onwards are preserved. “The posters reflect a history of music at the Bluecoat over many years. Several artist/musicians are represented: Yoko Ono (1967), Stuart Sutcliffe, John Hyatt (the Three Johns) and Captain Beefheart, whose poster for his first ever painting exhibition (1972) was hand drawn when in town for a gig at the Stadium. The music we presented is pretty eclectic: John Zorn’s Naked City, Carla Bley, Michael Nyman, David Murray, the Last Poets, Nitin Sawhney, Jeremy Deller’s Acid Brass (brass band versions of acid house anthems), Whirled Music – so dangerous the audience sat behind a safety net and the performers wore wicker masks. And ‘world’ music of another kind from Ali Farka Toure. The posters recall memorable gigs: Jazz Jamaica, Linton Kwesi Johnson’s dub poetry, or Pop Mechanica’s early Perestroika outing in the West when the anarchic Leningrad ensemble jammed with Liverpool’s finest indie guitarists at St George’s Hall and pelted the audience with raw sausages.“

Bryan Biggs, Artistic Director, the Bluecoat.  thebluecoat.org.uk

C.A.L.M.

And now a word about our charity partner ... The Campaign Against Living Miserably, is something we’ve long supported. Tasking themselves with battling the devastatingly high rates of suicide in young men, C.A.L.M. do great work across Merseyside and nationally in raising awareness and engaging with young men to remind them that being silent isn’t being strong. thecalmzone.net

LOACA.ART

Contemporary craft & art fairs in the courtyard at the Bluecoat, providing a unique opportunity to see, buy and commission work from selected local artists and makers, including the best of the region’s up and coming creative talent. loacaart.co.uk

DRAW THE LINE

Draw the Line is a growing Liverpool art social event aimed at the professional artist and everyman alike to unite under one roof and enjoy a casual doodle together. The aim is to provide a free event where people of the city could gather and indulge in some collective creativity, part social networking, a bit of artistic therapy and all about a love of doodles ... drop in and leave your mark! drawtheonline.com