John Martyn Portrait

Gilly is looking to sell this portrait she has made of John Martyn using mixed media.

Please follow the link and thanks for you interest.

REVIEW: SELFIE by Jim Pearson

A new solo album from Jim Pearson, here’s a track by track first impressions review:

This album starts by breaking the mould of starting with your firecracker track. “Who wants the World?” The opening chords are poignant, foretelling sadness. The track lapses into laconic beats, and you wait. Wait, expecting Jim to burst into song, but the sparse, interesting instrumentation continues. A reluctant melody joins and then leaves, no voice sounds, the music fades slowly away. I find this music very comforting, I could listen to this track for hours, but the reverie is broken by the second track, “The Organ Donor”, a more recognisable Jim Pearson song which expresses our collective anxiety coupled to our apathy, a battle of lyrics and drumbeat, come on we can overcome this sense of doom! The upbeat driving confirm the hope behind the questions. 

We’re still on familiar territory on the third track, “Until it’s Not”, a whimsical beat with west coast underscore, sixties keyboard sound. Jim’s lyrics can’t be described as easy, they make you think. The similar theme of negative lyrics continue with “Into the Night”, but the soaring brass suggests an optimism, moving into a happy clappy feel, a great vibe, dancing into the night suggesting avoidance of the something that went wrong.

“Twenty Twenty” Reminds me of a TV Detective theme music feel, instrumental, which some Rick Wakeman fuzz keyboards in the mix. It feels like you are spiralling into a plug hole until suddenly the mood lifts you out again just in time. I don’t know if the title suggests looking backwards or forwards given the early January release date, but it keeps the mood up before “Happy Sad” takes us back into the mould with wordplay lyrics, bouncy melody and a nod to grunge mid song. 

“The Inevitable “ is a happy tune with a foreboding feel to the mantra like lyric, leaves you slightly disturbed despite the building crescendo. “Swimming with Sharks” is classic Jim Pearson, maybe tongue in cheek swipe at swimming with dolphins, it maintains a good contrast between the happy tune and the rather alarming lyrics. These two will both be a favourite singalongs at Jim’s gigs I’m sure.

“Heads in the Cloud” covers a very 21st century issue in the lyrics, and is followed by ”Wherever You Go There You Are” A most unusual sound, kind of 21st century banjo and Wild West piano, both simple but pleasing melodies.

“Quid Pro Quo” A driving, insistent beat with a two sided story to tell, another demanding lyric.

“You for Me” A heavier, uptempo song with a common theme of boy meets girl and promptly doubts everything about himself. Both the song and the album are over before this is resolved, leaving us, again, questioning, perhaps unfulfilled, hoping for more.

Elements of this album remind me of Jon Redfern’s first album, especially instrumentally, which is one of my very favourites, Jim has some great lyrical themes and develops them well through some of these songs. Listening through two or three times I felt that the album could maybe do with a touch more joy in it here and there, but there are some good songs in here and I’m looking forward to hearing them again, both from the album and when they get played out live.

Coming soon on Bandcamp.

A 2020 Revival

A number of events have conspired to make me want to write a few notes hear, and there are plans to attend some good shows in the coming year, so I should have plenty to write about if the muse stays with me!

So what’s occurring that makes me want to write? Well to start with we paid a visit to The Raven Folk Club last night, and what a joy that was. Good humoured and diverse, a wealth of talent, stretching folk to its most elastic, pleasing on the ear, good beer at the bar and all for the price of a couple of quid for raffle tickets. There was even an Elton John anecdote. I’m not going to list songs and performers, just to say it’s a good night out. Every Sunday at the Bear and Billet in Chester, every week something different.

There seems to be a resurgence of folk (again) around where we live, with another new club opening at the end of the month, and several fledgling clubs doing well already, on top of the long established nights that seem to be thriving too. Splendid!

Out of the blue

We interrupt this long term silence to bring a live blog from Bromborough Folk Club at the Bridge Inn in Port Sunlight. We're here as usual for whatever comes up in the mix, which is always interesting, but with more than half an eye a young man called Joseph Little, who has been playing in the area for a few weeks, gaining in popularity and winning his first half hour guest slot in The Ship at Handbridge, Chester on Friday.

His two songs tonight both self penned , "Flowers" is delivered in a powerful and confident voice with a little vibrato at times,  and you feel the emotion whether he is singing quiet or loud. The melodies are his own too and complex, showing a depth of listening and playing. "Replace" has a hypnotic guitar rift for the verses and Joseph attacks his strings when he needs to, not afraid to let the guitar sing out too.  "Now that I've got your attention" he booms out after a short soft line, certainly does the job, his playing and his singing have a dynamic, he understands that there is more to a song than just words and notes.

In between sings he apologetically offers his 6 song  CD for 2 pounds...  Up a quid and with 2 extra songs from last week, those of us they have heard it have been urging him to charge more!

Joseph Little is new to the Folk circuit,  but both he, his brother and his father play in various rock bands so he has got used to playing to an audience. We've enjoyed watching and listening to Joseph develop over the last few weeks and hope to continue to report good things in the future.

2011-01-25 Ani Difanco at The Lowry, Manchester

First gig of 2011 and here we are at Manchester's striking The Lowry to see Ani Difranco performing at the Quays Theatre - a small horseshoe shaped room all done in bright red with 3 layers of stalls around the edges. It's a hard room, and not the most comfortable either. Ani Difranco seems to attract a good crowd in Manchester, colourful and characterful, we feel almost rebellious being a straight couple in this company which more or less filled the Theatre.

Before we get to Ani though we are introduced to Liz Lawrence - singer, songwriter and guitarist, new to me and hiding behind her long fringe for much of the set, Liz Lawrence played nine of her own songs and held the audience well right through, but first I had to get over her time keeping legs - she seemed often to be marching on the spot, and when this was coupled with her upper body swinging figure-of-eights with a long guitar neck in hold during the up tempo segments, seemed slightly child-like, but represented the music taking full hold and didn't stop the songs being well worth a listen - clear lyrics, confidently and deftly sung over a rhythmic guitar with plenty of colour and variety. There were some strong songs in there - they weren't often introduced so I'm guessing titles, but "Trouble with My Sleeping Heart" and "Funny Old World", "Monday Morning" and "Cards on the Table" all stand out. A touching new piece dedicated to Liz's mother who was in the audience was a sensitive and thoughtful song too.

Ani Difranco is one of a kind. We saw her here a few years back and enjoyed a strong performance in this very theatre - tonight we'd have gladly settled for more of the same, but with no band and only a veritable collection of acoustic guitars on the stage, we were clearly in for something different. Off to a screaming start as the guitar lead pulled over the drinks and towels were put down, Ani set off into her set with "Anticipate" and started her onslaught against her guitar strings right from the off - huge bass string twangs fired off and fingers with heavily reinforced nails raking the higher notes with a major passion- a performance full of "piss and vinegar" as Eric Bibb once borrowed from somebody else. The guitar playing is never straight forward with Ani - and while you could hear her New Orleans home influencing her latest songs, those blues chords were soon being bent and twisted into a new key to fit the sound needed for the song. This effort driven playing, the bending of keys and the wringing of the guitar for that needed sound are all so reminiscent of Neil Young's electric playing, but this is no copycat act, Ani Difranco has her own way and her own mind. Lyrically thrilling, her mind so clearly used to thinking and reasoning, she delivers songs that make you question your own mind, and then a couple more that are so wonderfully tender, and then a comedic number but not without it's own hard centre.

Missing her young daughter and claiming to be not very chatty, we still got a fair bit of talk between songs, and Ani is as fond of the f-word as Gordon Ramsey, but "oh my, fuckety-fuck" was a new one on me, and a new song "If You're Not" had us all laughing with it's punchline "If you're not getting happier as you get older, You're fucking up!"

A great evening then, memorable - not perfect, the sound in the red tin theatre was not the best, levels up and down to try and cope led to rattling speakers and quite a lot of interaction with the "sound guys". You know it's been a good one though when the artist does a whole night without playing any songs that you know (apart from the very last) and none of your favourites, but it hasn't mattered at all.

Gilly found this very useful set list site for anyone who wants the full list:
http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/ani-difranco/2011/the-lowry-manchester-england-13d2d181.html

Earle on Townes

A useful link so I thought I would share it here as well as remember where I left it!

Shrewsbury Folk Festival - Live!

Sat in the comfort of our own home last night we watched Eric Bibb knock the socks of the audience at the Shrewsbury Folk Festival with a belter of a set - we enjoyed curry, rice and chips, wine, coffee, the internet, en suite bathroom, central heating, our own house... yes we watched it on the live video stream - brilliant! Better view, great sound, comfy chairs, no camping - great shows - Eric was on top form - opening up well with "If I don't get well no more" and on into a set of mostly original material. Backed by stand-up bass, drums and electric guitar, Erioc Bibb rocked the night away.

The only criticism was the compere who came on and killed the atmosphere flat when the audience were baying for more - he could have milked it a little longer even if there was a curfew and no time for an encore - no - just a litter announcement...

Anyway tonight it's Show of Hands and then the Dhol Foundation - should be worth tuning in. We will be - chile tonight!

Crosby Stills & Nash - MEN Arena Manchester

Stood listening to "Wooden Ships" - the first CSN encore song at Manchester gave me a spiritual line directly back to Woodstock - these 3 guys are still at it, still enjoying it and still well able to deliver. Sadly the sound at the MEN Arena was not delivering and the whole thing was a little flat. Early on as the trio took us through some semi-acoustic songs, there was a dire hiss from the p.a. throughout and the guitar sounds were tinny at best - a great shame - and a disgrace really when the tickets are so expensive and the music is so good - these days there is no excuse for low quality sound.

There were some highlights - a Crosby - Nash duo was particularly good, and the one-off (because Manchester is his home town) Cold Rain was very well received by the audience. Stephen Stills was given due adoration for his guitar solos - one notable series of exchanges with the organ was particularly good - of it's day if you must, but I enjoyed it!

Most of the greats were there, and they slipped in Dylan's "North Country Fair" too - David Crosby was still reeling from Nash's attempts at explaining cricket (The Ashes having just started) but didn't let it detract from the music, Graham Nash was on top form, his singing obviously coming right through his body before it got out of his mouth - Stephen Stills not sounding quite so harmonious these days, but still fiery and still making those guitars howl.

Most of all we went to pay homage to a great trio - so job done there - shame about the sound - they could learn a trick or two from the 4th member of their other band who has recently proved that stadiums can sound good whether you play loud or quiet.