Tag: blues

BALLING THE JACK at Blues Kitchen, 111 Camden High St, London, NW1 7JN

Here’s a message for anyone into blues music…..

BALLING THE JACK at Blues Kitchen, 111 Camden High St, NW1 7JN

Thursday 13th Jan 8.30pm onwards ** FREE ENTRY**

Little Axe’s solo gigs are almost unparalleled blues experiences as he channels the ghosts of the Delta – Wolf, House, Patton and Johnsons (Robert and Blind Willie!) – through 21st century technology.

Skip ‘Little Axe’ MacDonald is one of the big dawgs of modern blues. He is a veteran of the Sugarhill Records house band, backing Grandmaster Flash amongst other early rap artists. In the ’80s he was founding member of Tackhead with… producer Adrian Sherwood. In the early 1990s he started experimenting with his first love, the blues. In 1994, as Little Axe, he released the pioneering dub-techno-blues album, The Wolf that House Built. Five further albums have followed on Fat Possum and latterly Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records, including last year’s superb Bought For Dollar, Sold For A Dime. www.little-axe.com

Support comes from cellist-vocalist Hannah Moulette, who taps England’s folk roots and mixes and loops in blues, jazz, gypsy to create a thoroughly 21st century brew. www.myspace.com/moulettes

What’s more it’s FREE ENTRY and I (Joe Cushley) will be spinning a variety of 13 Bar Blues ranging from 1920s Hokum to brain-frying punk R’n’B from the day after tomorrow, via African and European strains of the boogie disease.

First 50 punters also get a copy of the Balling The Jack compilation I put together for Ocho Records. http://tinyurl.com/32je49s

SEE YOU THERE – * FOR FREE * – FOR THE FIRST UNMISSABLE GIG OF THE YEAR.

Borderline Crossing: An evening of acoustic, folk & blues on 3rd Monday each month at Boat Inn, Newbold-on-Avon, Rugby

A fantastic evening of acoustic, folk and blues music is lined up on the 3rd Monday of each month at The Boat Inn, Newbold-on-Avon, near Rugby.

This Monday (15th February) will see more first-class acoustic, folk and blues music lined up.

Resident trio BorderLine Crossing (Chele Willow, Pete Willow and Dave Cook) present a special guest each month. In January the amazing singer-songwriter Rob Halligan played and this month’s special guest is the superb electric fiddle-player Joe O’Donnell with a unique ‘unplugged’ format of his band Shkayla.

Born in Limerick and now based in Coventry, Joe has rocked the Irish and UK music scene since the 70s, not least through his work with East Of Eden, Terry and Gay Woods and the guitar legend Rory Gallagher.

Named after the Gaelic word for ‘stories’, his Celtic fusion band, Shkayla recently released its long-awaited album, Celtic Cargo which has picked up stunning reviews from Europe’s top music publications for its powerful rock and funk rhythms and arrangements of songs and tunes from Ireland, Scotland and Brittany.

Monday’s line-up will feature Shkayla’s versatile keyboards-player Martin Barter and Coventry guitarist Si Hayden who enjoys a huge reputation in his own right for his impressive fingerpick and flamenco-style playing.

I didn’t know O’Donnell’s music before and I was amazed by the splendid mix of folk, rock and jazz, that distinguishes the album. These guys have developed an awe-inspiring sound and they managed to put these old tunes and songs in a fresh and airy dress. Folk World magazine, Germany

The very best in Irish-based folk rock: thoughtful arrangement and powerful settings of jigs, reels, ballads and songs, sometimes delivered with a jazzy feel, sometimes as hard-edged rock. Fiddle On magazine

Folk rock of the highest calibre highlighted with O’Donnell’s storming violin playing. FRoots magazine

Further details from Pete Willow 01788 832608 or 07887 552896  www.myspace.com/borderlinecrossing

The music starts around 8.30pm and admission is free – but have some change handy for the raffle and guest collection! Set your satnavs to CV21 1HN.

The club meets on the 3rd Monday of each month. Next month’s featured act (March 15th) is Three Dollar Tag (Howard Lincoln, Pete Jackson, Bob Powell and Mick Shaler)

From last months club:

Rob Halligan: Regarded as one of the finest unsigned performers on the scene, Rob’s latest album, Best Thing That’s Happened was produced by Wet Wet Wet’s Graeme Duffin and Sandy Jones.In the late 1990s Rob was playing indie-pop-rock with his band, Goldsmiths. His life took a new direction after the death of his father during the 9/11 attack and this would be evident in his writing. His songs challenge faith, politics and complacency and are delivered with a rough spirituality, brutal honesty and tested to be true.

‘Dancing With Seagulls’ was Rob’s first solo project, produced by Simon Goodall (Cliff Richard) and widely praised in the folk and rock press. Radio 2 presenter, Paul Gambaccini, commented, “These are some of the strongest songs I’ve heard for a while”. The album had airplay on BBC1 TV, BBC Radio 2, and a host of local TV and radio stations.

Rob has now played at some of the finest acoustic venues and festivals in the UK including the MAC in Birmingham, The Norwich Arts Centre and The Lot in Edinburgh. He has twice headlined at the Godiva Festival and played the Acoustic Festival of Britain. He also sings with 1980s hit makers After The Fire and often tours with the acclaimed singer and guitaristGareth Davies-Jones.

“If Rob Halligan gets the recognition he so richly deserves, I advise to book him now, because I predict that very shortly, this extremely talented singer songwriter is going to become very ‘big-time’!!” Chris Tobin – Covfolk

The club meets on the 3rd Monday of each month. Future dates for your diary:

February 15th – Joe O’Donnell’s Shkayla Unplugged
March 15th – Three Dollar Tag (Howard Lincoln, Pete Jackson, Bob Powell and Mick Shaler)