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PLAYING OUT LOUD!
NEWS

Easter is early this year which means that the Gosport and Fareham Easter Festival is only just over two months away. It takes place from March 24 - 28 at Ferneham Hall and Ashcroft Arts Centre in Fareham, and festival organiser Peter Chegwyn has already booked a host of top names from the folk world. They include Ralph McTell, Oysterband, Show of Hands, Sharon Shannon, Eliza Carthy Band featuring Spiers & Boden, Jez Lowe & The Bad Pennies, Country Joe McDonald (Woodstock & Monterey Pop Festivals legend), Chris Newman & Maire Ni Chathasaigh, Harvey Andrews, Rod Clements formerly of Lindisfarne, Eleanor McEvoy, Martha Tilston, Broderick, McDermott's Two Hours, Tiny Tin Lady, Mick Ryan & Pete Harris, George Wilsonand many more acts to be confirmed.
For further information, please contact info@gosportfestival.co.uk
Festival information: 023 9252 8017
Ferneham Hall Box Office: 01329 231942
Ashcroft Arts Centre Box Office: 01329 310600
See also www.gosportfestival.co.uk

As usual we will be keeping you up to date with all the music festivals in the South this year through our Festival Focus section which will resume next month. In the meantime here are a few dates that have already been arranged:

Winchester Folk Festival - May 13 -15
Blues On The Farm, Pumpbottom Farm, near Chichester - June 23 - 26
Larmer Tree Festival, Tollard Royal - July 14 - 17
Trowbridge Festival - July 21 - 24

Blues fans may be interested in the Boogaloo Blues Weekend to be held from Friday
January 21 - Sunday January 23. It’s at Littlecote House Hotel, Littlecote, Hungerford in
Berkshire and the performers include The Elevators + Geno Washington + The Purple Aces + Bad Influence + Station House + TJ Johnson + Dave Clark + Sam Kelly + Kate Periera + Sean Webster. Tickets are available via 01252 793430

Jazz fans have a couple of weekend events on the Isle of Wight next month:

NORTON GRANGE RESORT
YARMOUTH (01983 760323)
Feb 11 - 14 - Traditional Jazz Weekend with The Antique Six, Bob Dwyer’s Hot
7, Papa Joe's Allstars, Phil Mason New Orleans All Stars

SHANKLIN HOTEL
ISLE OF WIGHT (01983 862286)
Feb 21 - 25 - Jazz weekend with the Denise Lawrence Band, Roger Marks, Gerry
Brown, Mike Snelling

Fans of Americana can look forward to some great events starting at the Railway Inn in Winchester next month. Amongst the acts from the USA are:

Thursday 24th February - Deadstring Brothers from Detroit + The Exciters - see
www.deadstringbrothers.com 
Sunday 27th February Americana Festival with Laura Veirs & the Tortured Souls
Black Nielson, Gina Villalobos and Karl Blau - see www.lauraveirs.com  &
www.ginavillalobos.com
Friday 22nd April - Chuck Prophet & the Mission Express - see
www.chuckprophet.com 
Tuesday 26th April - Ben Weaver - see www.benweaver.net 
Mid-April, date TBC - Sarah Sharp - see www.sarahsharp.com 

It’s a sad farewell to one of the UK’s top saxophonists, Dick Heckstall-Smith, who died just before Christmas. Dick was a stalwart of the original mid-1960s blues explosion playing with the Graham Bond Organisation John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated, going on to play with many more outfits including Colosseum with Chris Farlowe. I last met him when he guested with Southampton University Jazz Orchestra at their Christmas do a couple of years ago. A gentle affable man and an inspired musician, he will be sadly missed by all who love jazz and blues.

Anyone out there remember a 60s band called The Attack? If so, we want to hear from you. We need help for the autobiography of lead singer Richard Shirman which is currently being prepared. The Attack were the band who made the original version of Hi-Ho Silver Lining which was a hit for Jeff Beck, and the album they originally recorded for Decca is being released later this year. Amongst their fans was the late John Peel.
Any information, memories, photographs or memorabilia would be welcomed -
just email Ashtnp@aol.com  or stick something on our Message Board. Thanks!

There is a great new opportunity for local musicians to get radio airplay across the South of England. South Live is a new BBC radio programme broadcasting from 7pm to 9pm every Sunday which showcases local musicians from Hampshire, Dorset, Surrey and Sussex.
Two local artists are featured every week, who each play live in the studio. The playlist is made up of music from local artists and there is a weekly demo panel in which a group of judges with wide industry experience assess tracks that have been sent in to the show. The winner is then featured on the show the following week.
The programme also features interviews with established artists like Nitin Sawhney,
Carleen Anderson and Arthur Brown as well as other music features.

Chris Bennett of BBC South is the man to speak to on 01273 320429. He says that:
*If you are a musician, we invite you to send us a demo.
*If you are an organisation concerned with helping musicians in the South, we invite you to send a link and a brief summary so that we can link to you.
*If you are a promoter - let us know about your gigs.

You can get an idea of the show by looking at the associated mini-site at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/southerncounties/going_out/south_live

Swanage Blues Festival is on 4-6 March 2005 and as usual, admission is totally free to all venues. Artists booked include The Guv'nors, Innes Sibun Band, Roland Chadwick's Blue Healers, JC & Angelina Grimshaw, The Jives, Arecibo and Crosscut Saw, with many more to be confirmed. See www.swanage-blues.org  or call Steve Darrington on +44 (0)1929 422338

January is a notoriously quiet month for the big names in the music business, so we urge you music-starved people to get out there and support local musicians in pubs and music venues and put some money by for some big tours which start in February 2005 and visit the following venues in the South:

TONY HADLEY VS MARTIN FRY OF ABC:
Feb 11 - Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre
18 - The Anvil, Basingstoke
Mar 6 - Portsmouth Guildhall
Apr 29 - Salisbury City Hall
May 6 - Southampton Mayflower Theatre

GLITZ, BLITZ & HITS TOUR - SWEET, RUBETTES & SAILOR:
Mar 4 - Salisbury City Hall
17 - Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre
Apr 2 - The Anvil, Basingstoke

SOLID SILVER 60s SHOW - GERRY & THE PACEMAKERS, THE SEARCHERS, THE MERSEYBEATS & THE SWINGING BLUE JEANS
Feb 25 - Salisbury City Hall
Mar 22 - Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre
Apr 8 - The Anvil, Basingstoke
Apr 27 - Portsmouth Guildhall
Apr 28 - Weymouth Pavilion Theatre
May 3 - Southampton Mayflower Theatre

Another good friend of Playing Out Loud, American singer Dennis Locorriere - “the voice of Dr Hook” - has just announced his UK tour dates for next year.
He kicks off the tour with a date at the Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne, Dorset, on Saturday March 19. We’ll be putting the full itinerary on the website soon.

American alt-country band Kevin Montgomery & The Road Trippers are returning to the Isle of Wight in January 2005. They will be appearing at Ryde Theatre on Sunday January 8th 2005. The band will include Al Perkins from the Flying Burrito Brothers, Mike McAdam from the Steve Earle Band and Robert Reynolds and Paul Deakin of the Mavericks. Tickets are £12 from 01983 730930 or Box Office, Ryde Theatre on 01983 568093. More info on www.kevinmontgomery.com

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Featured artists:
see POL Articles

Emma Johnson Turner Sims Concert Hall, Southampton Thurs January 13


Aynsley Lister
The Brook, Southampton January 22


Call Up the Groups The Anvil, Basingstoke
Thurs January 20


David Kitt Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
Thurs January 27


Jive Aces
The Albert Bar, Southsea
Thurs January 13


Jim Diamond & Snake Davis Ashcroft Centre, Fareham
Sat January 29