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PLAYING OUT LOUD!
ARTICLES
Eugene Hideaway Bridges -Mr Kyps, Poole
- Wednesday February 28.
 If
you live in the Poole area you’ve got a treat when a very talented blues
guitarist and vocalist, Eugene Hideaway Bridges, comes to Mr Kyps music venue on
Wednesday February 28.
The son of the blues guitarist Hideaway Slim, Eugene is the fourth child of
five. His mother was from the Bullock family (the same as Anna Mae Bullock
better known as Tina Turner) and Eugene claims he got his guitar skills from the
Bridges side and his voice from the Bullocks. At five he was already playing
with his father around Louisiana. With his brothers as The Bridges Brothers he
sang gospel and was the musician of his church touring with the Pastor, Elder AA
Edwards. At thirteen Eugene was entering R&B talent shows and had formed his
first R&B band, The Five Stars.
Eugene moved to Texas to join the Air Force at sixteen, playing in the Air Force
band for the next three years. On leaving he joined The New Chosen Singers on
guitar and vocals and went on to play with The Mighty Clouds of Joy. Following a
move to Houston, Eugene released Blues, Gospel and R&B recordings by the three
bands he was running at the time. These included the first line-up of the Eugene
Hideaway Bridges Band. They toured the USA from coast to coast.
Eugene then travelled alone to Europe, where BB King Bassist Big Joe Turner
spotted him in Paris, offering him the position of lead guitarist/vocalist with
Big Joe Turners Memphis Blues Caravan. A year later he left to work under his
own name again and formed The Eugene Hideaway Bridges Band. Signed to the
Blueside label, Eugene recorded “Born to be Blue” produced by Mike Vernon. His
live performances received rave reviews and Eugene was awarded vocalist of the
year by the UK's Blueprint magazine and won the Trophees France Blues 99
Chanteur De LAnnee.
In 2000 Eugene signed to Armadillo and released his next CD “Man Without A Home”
which was played worldwide and he appeared, often headlining, at major festivals
in the USA, all over Europe, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia.
His 2003 release “Jump the Joint” reached Number 4 in the US Living Blues
Charts, remaining in the charts for three months. Eugene’s songs also appear
regularly in The National Association of Rhythm & Blues DeeJays charts. He was
nominated for three 2003 US Cammy music Awards. In September 2004 Eugene
recorded the CD “Coming Home” at The Zone Studio in Dripping Springs, near
Austin, Texas, using a full horn section led by Seth Kibel, on several tracks.
He also had Texan guitarist and friend Rocky Athas joining him on two cuts.
An excellent guitarist with a smooth, soulful voice Eugene is a big man with a
big personality. A big hit at the Larmer Tree Festival a couple of years ago,
he’s bound to put on a storming performance at Mr Kyps.
Blues Supergroup - The Brook,
Southampton - Thursday February 22.
 A
real blues supergroup comes to Southampton’s Brook music venue on Thursday
February 22 bringing together musicians from bands like Stone The Crows, the
Spencer Davis Group, Keef Hartley Band and the Big Roll Band.
The artists lining up are Maggie Bell, Colin Hodgkinson, Miller Anderson, Zoot
Money and Colin Allen. A brief biog on each member follows.
MAGGIE BELL - the Scots Queen of the Blues, once the star of Stone The Crows, is
one of the greatest blues and soul singers of her time. Born in Glasgow into a
musical family, she sang with local dance bands as a teenager. In the 60she
toured German US Airforce bases, before returning to Scotland with guitarist
Leslie Harvey to form ‘Power’, which later became Stone The Crows. All was going
well, but in 1972 Leslie Harvey was electrocuted on stage. Jimmy McCulloch
joined the band and they continued to tour and record, but eventually the
management decided that Maggie should continue as a solo artist. Jerry Wexler
wanted to team up with Maggie and the result was 'Queen Of the Night' which
earned rave reviews and Maggie then recorded her second album, ‘Suicide Sal.’
For many years Maggie has lived in Holland where she continued singing and
touring in Europe. Now she’s back home in the UK and has teamed up with the
cream of British musicians for this tour.
ZOOT MONEY - One of the best “good time performers” in the business, Zoot not
only plays great keyboards but also sings with guts and emotion. He’s been a
formidable contributor to the British music scene for four decades! Playing with
Alexis Korner, as well as his own Big Roll Band he became a permanent fixture at
the Flamingo in Wardour Street, London – known for his somewhat outrageous
antics on stage. Influenced in his early days by Jerry Lee Lewis and Ray
Charles, he’s been a wr iter, musical director, producer and actor. He tours,
not only as a solo artist, but also with his own Big Roll Band and performs
regularly with Alan Price.
MILLER ANDERSON - The guitarist who’s played with many of the top bands since
the 60’s. Miller came to London in 1965 from Scotland and joined the Keef
Hartley Band in 1968 as vocalist and guitarist and recorded five albums on which
he was also the main songwriter. The band appeared at the legendary Woodstock
Festival. He has also been a member of Savoy Brown, Chicken Shack, Mountain,
T-Rex and Donovan’s band. Miller has toured as a guest musician with Deep
Purple, appearing on their live CD/DVD recorded at the Albert Hall in 1999 and
of course Miller has been a member of The Spencer Davis Group for the past 15
years and has recorded & appeared live on Jon Lord’s (Deep Purple) solo
projects.
Amy Winehouse - Guildhall, Southampton
- Sunday February 18.
 Currently
riding the crest of the British Nu Jazz wave, singer Amy Winehouse visits
Southampton Guildhall on Sunday February 18 on her current tour.
Amy Winehouse has been popular with the British press and tabloids who sometimes
prefer to focus on her rowdy behavior and heavy alcohol consumption, rather than
her distinctively soulful and jazzy vocals. Her platinum-selling breakthrough
album “Frank” produced comparisons ranging from Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan
to Macy Gray and Lauryn Hill.
Born to a taxi-driving father and pharmacist mother, Amy grew up in the
Southgate area of north London. Her upbringing was surrounded by jazz. Many of
her uncles on her mother's side were all professional jazz musicians. While at
home, she listened to and absorbed her parents' selection of greats: Dinah
Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Frank Sinatra among others. However, in her
teens, she was drawn to the rebellious spirit of TLC, Salt-N-Pepa, and other
American R&B and hip-hop acts of the time.
At the age of 16, after she had been expelled from stage school, Amy got her
first break when pop singer Tyler James, a schoolmate and close friend, passed
on her demo tape to his A&R, who was searching for a jazz vocalist. That
opportunity led to her getting a recording contract with Island Records. At the
end of 2003, when she was 20 years old, Island released her debut album,
“Frank.” Her amalgam of jazz, pop, soul, and hip-hop received rave reviews. The
album was nominated for the 2004 Mercury Music Prize as well as two Brit Awards,
and its lead single, "Stronger Than Me," won an Ivor Novello Award for Best
Contemporary Song. Following her debut, the accolades and inquiring interviews
appeared concurrently in the press with her tempestuous private life.
In 2006, her management company finally suggested that she enter into rehab for
alcohol abuse, but instead, she dumped the company and transcribed the ordeal
into the UK Top Ten hit "Rehab." It was the lead single for her second
critically acclaimed album, “Back to Black.” This time around the music delved
into the sounds of '50s-'60s rock & roll, R&B, and soul with productions divided
between Remi and British DJ and multi-instrumentalist Mark Ronson.
Seb Clarke - Railway Inn, Winchester -
Friday February 9.
 A
band who were an absolute wow at last year’s Larmer Tree Festival play a gig at
the Railway Inn in Winchester on Friday February 9, although how they are going
to fit on the stage at this cosy venue I don’t know! This Is Seb Clarke are a
band from Stoke-on-Trent who numbered twelve musicians in their lineup at the
last count.
Front man, vocalist and guitarist Seb Clarke is a charismatic leader with a
touch of John Lennon about him. Seb started out as a solo artist in 2001 playing
soulful ballads armed only with his acoustic guitar and blues harp. A tour of
acoustic tents at numerous festivals culminated in a performance at T in the
Park. Later that year, the line-up expanded to incorporate a bass player and
drummer, but the trio rapidly grew into to its present size. The band sound was
getting faster, louder and more energetic and soon developed into a curious
blend of Northern Soul and punk. Comparisons with early Dexy's or The Clash with
brass come closest to describing their eclectic sound.
This in due course led to the name This is Seb Clarke. As a solo artist Seb had,
for obvious reasons, been billed under his own name but now the act had very
much become a band. Already, as a nod towards old Northern Soul posters, sixties
Stax album cover designs and Spinal Tap(!), the band had begun to advertise
itself, with tongue firmly in cheek, as This Is Seb Clarke, and so a solo
acoustic act had officially become a full throttle, stomping twelve-piece
Soul-Punk band.
In summer 2004 the band went into the studio to record their highly acclaimed
debut album “Rover” which has sold consistently well since. Continued critical
success led to sell out shows across the country including gigs at the West End
Borderline and major festival appeances including Guilfest alongside The
Subways, The Pogues and Paul Weller, and airplay from Janice Long (Radio 2),
Dermot O’Leary (Radio 2), Claire Sturgess (Xfm) and Hugh Stevens (Radio 1
onemusic).
On stage the lineup includes Hammond organ, bass guitar, drums, piano, lead
guitar and a brass section comprising trumpet, tenor sax, alto sax, baritone sax
and trombone. This Is Seb Clarke are sharp dressers and nifty movers though how
they are going to manage their choreographed routines at The Railway is beyond
me! Don’t miss a great act.
Patrick Wolf - Wedgewood Rooms,
Portsmouth - Wednesday February 14.
 Still
in his early twenties, lanky singer-songwriter Patrick Wolf who plays a gig at
the Wedgewood Rooms in Portsmouth on Wednesday February 14 has packed a lot of
experience into his short life, both musical and personal. Tipped as the natural
successor to artists like Nick Cave and Tim Buckley, his third album is about to
be released.
Born in 1983 in County Cork, Ireland he moved to London, his adopted home, at an
early age. He began his musical education with the viola and violin aged six
then travelled across Europe in an orchestra. By the age of 11, he started to
write songs to escape from bullying problems at school on a stolen four-track
late at night on viola and theremin. He built a theremin during this time too
and played in the Science Museum and with the pop group Minty.
At 15, he left for the countryside and learnt the harp. He was still playing in
orchestras and composing late at night on organs and harps, living with horses
and sheep and big hills. However, for the time being, he kept his voice a
secret.
Returning to London at 16, he ran away from home to a run-down haunted house on
the river in nearby Richmond. In this haunted house, he found an old out-of-tune
harpsichord, and started playing that too . He then caught the attention of Fat
Cat Records and got given an Atari and mixing desk to start recording songs
"properly." Influenced by the writings of Angela Carter and the music of Joni
Mitchell he started to create his own style.
Aged 17 he formed a band called Maison Crimineaux making gabba-shouting-punk-pop
music. They went to play in Paris where he met Capitol K who loved Patrick's
voice and enquired about any solo material. So Patrick played Capitol K his
Atari, harpsichord and viola songs, which was enough for Capitol K to ask
Patrick if he could release an LP for his new Faith and Industry label. Patrick
went through years of four- track tapes and scores to put together an album that
told his story of puberty and transformation from boy to wolf. “Lycanthropy” was
born!
During the recording of ‘Lycanthropy,’ Patrick studied composition at Trinity
College of Music for one year. The album was released in the summer of 2003 and
met much critical acclaim. He also made some guest appearances as a viola player
with Chicks on Speed and The Hidden Cameras. The German based record label
Tomlab later released the album in America and Europe.
In late 2005, Patrick Wolf signed a record deal with Loog, a subsidiary of
Polydor who released his album “The Wind In The Wires.” His third album “The
Magic Position” featuring collaborations with Marianne Faithfull and Edward
Larrikin of Larrikin Love is soon to be released
La Chicana - Pig and Whistle,
Bournemouth - Friday February 16 & Ashcroft Arts, Fareham - Saturday 24.
 Tango
music with a rougher edge is the speciality of a band called La Chicana who make
appearances in Hampshire and Dorset this month. You can see them at the Pig and
Whistle in Bournemouth on Friday February 16 and Fareham’s Ashcroft Arts Centre
on Saturday the 24th.
La Chicana was formed early in with the accent on the "canyengue" rhythms and
humorous melodrama of early tango as opposed to more solemn later flavours. The
band believe that the essence of tango lies in its 1920s spirit of rebellion and
spontaneity which puts it ideologically closer to rock music than to the
orchestral forms that popularised it in the world since the 1940s. La Chicana
are solid musicians with just a taste for improvisation and noise. All they need
is the chance to prove that tango music should thrive as popular music in the
streets while it continues to dazzle from the orchestral stand.
They have performed in many tango-bars, night clubs and milongas of Buenos Aire,
never failing in the task of combining communication with soul, danceability
with pathos. Their first independent release spans from "guardia vieja"
instrumentals to forgotten gems of the 30s' and their own songs. Since then,
they have taken advantage of numerous tours to the most dissimilar corners of
the world (Spain, Germany, Brazil, Canada, England and Senegal) to add to their
music elements of different cultures akin to tango. In their second release :
"Un giro extrańo" (A strange turn) there is a thorough deepening of the concepts
of the first CD : Tango with refined arrangements, more of their own songs,
rhythmic investigation into African and Brazilian milonga and insightful visits
to non-tanguero Argentine folklore.
La Chicana line up with Dolores Sola on lead vocals, Acho Estel on guitar and
backing vocals, Osiris Rodriguez on violin, Martin Cecconi on bandoneon,
Federico Tellachea on percussion and Manuel Onis on bass.
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Eugene Hideaway Bridges
Mr Kyps,
Poole
Wednes February 28
Blues Supergroup The Brook, Southampton
Thurs February 22
Amy Winehouse Guildhall, Southampton
Sunday February 18
Seb Clarke
Railway Inn, Winchester
Friday February 9
Patrick Wolf Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
Wednes February 14
La Chicana
Pig and Whistle, Bournemouth
Friday February 16
&
Ashcroft Arts, Fareham
Saturday 24 |
Southampton's No 1 recording studio
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