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PLAYING OUT LOUD!
ARTICLES
GIG OF THE MONTH
BUDDY WHITTINGTON, THE BROOK, SOUTHAMPTON, MARCH 9
 Born
in Fort Worth, Texas in 1956, Buddy Whittington began playing guitar at the age
of eight after being inspired by his sister's records of The Beatles, Rolling
Stones and, in particular, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton. By the
age of 14 he was already a part of the Dallas/Fort Worth music scene and playing
regularly in the clubs along Jacksboro Highway.
Although he became versatile enough to be able to play anything from the country
music of Bob Wills to the rhythm and blues classics of Bill Doggett to rock 'n
roll, his main love was the blues. During the early 80's, he formed and sang
with his own group "The Sidemen" who became well known to a large audience who
loved their down home grooves. In 1991, "The Sidemen" were booked at a club
called Dallas Alley to open up for none other than John Mayall. Apparently John
was impressed enough to keep in touch and, when Coco Montoya left the
Bluesbreakers in 1993, there was no doubt in John's mind who to call. Ever since
that out-of-the blue phone call, Buddy has brought a powerful new dimension to
the Bluesbreakers' sound.
It's been a Mayall tradition for the Bluesbreakers’ guitarist to cover a Freddie
King instrumental, starting with "Hideaway" by Eric on the "Beano", "The
Stumble" by Peter on "A Hard Road", and "Driving Sideways" featuring Mick Taylor
on "Crusade". Buddy continues this tradition in style with "Sen-Say-Shun" on the
“Blues For The Lost Days” album, Mayall's 1997 Silvertone release. The Texas
influence rears its head on "Dead City" from the same album and on "Ain't No
Brakeman" from 1994's “Spinning Coin.”
Unlike countless rock 'n rollers who carry racks of guitars around for every
show, Buddy likes to keep it simple and plays only one - his 1963 Stratocaster
plugged into a Dr. Z amplifier. He is also an accomplished blues songwriter and,
in addition to the songs he sings with the Bluesbreakers on live shows, on the
Bluesbreakers CD “Stories” he contributed his own "Romance Classified". He and
longtime Mayall drummer Joe Yuele co-wrote "Pieces And Parts" and together, they
also co-wrote 'Always a Brand New Road' on 1999's “Padlock On The Blues” and
“Awestruck and Spellbound” on the latest CD “Road Dogs.”ROAD DOGS’.
Although John Mayall makes Los Angeles his home base, Buddy is proud to live in
Hurst, Texas with his family where he was raised and born to play the blues. He
is currently working on material for a future album of his own.
MARJORIE THOMPSON, EASTNEY RMA TAVERN,
SOUTHSEA, MARCH 20
& PLATFORM TAVERN, SOUTHAMPTON, MARCH 23
 American
singer-songwriter Marjorie Thompson who plays a couple of gigs in Hampshire this
month, is also an extremely talented guitarist in the folk blues tradition.
Originally from New York City, she took up the guitar in the mid-1960's. Aged 10
she received a $16 department store guitar when her ambition to learn to play
piano was thwarted. She became a passionate and fairly adept young player, in
the traditional styles of the blues artists of the 20s and 30s as well as New
York street singer Rev Gary Davis and the rediscovered Mississippi John Hurt.
After a year of determined and constant playing, she was rewarded with a Guild
F-30, similar to John Hurt's, which she still owns. By age 12, Marjorie could
pick a solid alternating thumb groove with a detailed melody line, no mean feat
even for older, more experienced players. At the same time, she discovered a
strong attraction for science, and achieved a degree in Biochemistry in 1974,
followed by a PhD in Biology in 1979. The biological knowledge was quickly put
to practical use: the first of her seven children was born in 1980. She then put
music aside to begin an academic career as part of the biology faculty and
deanery at Brown University.
But something special and important happened in 1999. "That spring, I noticed an
ad in Acoustic Guitar magazine," she remembers. "A photograph of Jorma Kaukonen
(formerly of Hot Tuna). He had opened a guitar camp in rural southeastern Ohio.
" The Fur Peace Ranch Guitar Camp was offering weekend workshops with Jorma and
other master musicians (including Jorma's Hot Tuna partner, Jack Casady). "I was
terrified, but wrote the deposit check immediately."
The first visit to the camp in August 1999 led to Marjorie rediscovering the
passion and desire to play that she had experienced as a teenager. She returned
repeatedly to the camp in the ensuing to study with Jorma, now her master
teacher and good friend. Although she had played a lot of guitar over 35 years,
she had never written a song. But all that changed in the summer of 2001, when
she heard songs that were demanding to be written -- the Rev. Gary Davis used to
say that songs were "revealed" to him, and by November of that year she had
written 40 songs. Jorma's wife and manager and Marjorie's friend, Vanessa,
pronounced the songs and Marjorie's performance of them good and urged her to
seek an audience.
The diminutive Marjorie, with a full time academic job and a full house, to say
nothing of stage fright, became her own booking agent and producer. A demo CD
opened the door to a year's worth of bookings - 92 the first year out. Since
then she has recorded four studio albums of her songs and her career as a
country blues artist has continued to grow. She continues to play scores of
concerts each year both in the USA and overseas. More recently, she has served
as Jorma Kaukonen's teaching assistant at Fur Peace Ranch. Also in 2007 she
recorded her fifth album, which like the previous four is filled with quirky,
humorous and heartfelt original songs.
RED PRIEST, TURNER SIMS CONCERT HALL,
SOUTHAMPTON – MARCH 11
 Named
after the flame-haired priest Antonio Vivaldi, Red Priest are one of the major
success stories on the international Early Music scene. This extraordinary
English ensemble has redefined the art of baroque music performance, playing
largely from memory. This allows an operatic level of freedom and interaction
between the musicians.
Red Priest’s highly imaginative programmes are drawn from myriad baroque sources
to create a kaleidoscopic range of moods and colours. Their performance at the
Turner Sims will include stolen masterworks and long-lost jewels of the genre,
performed with typical swashbuckling virtuosity and theatricality. On the bill
are pieces by Bach, Vivaldi, Handel and Couperin.
Red Priest’s lineup is Piers Adams on recorders, Julia Bishop on violin, Angela
East on cello and Howard Beach on harpsichord. Red Priest have been enjoying
fantastic reviews and enthusiastic responses from audiences for years, but their
career got a boost when they were profiled on TV’s South Bank Show in April
2005. Viewed by an audience of nearly a million people, this led to sellout
concerts in the UK. Red Priest recently returned from its 20th tour of the USA
in six years and they have also played in Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Norway,
Israel, Turkey, Austria, Russia, Mexico, Bermuda and Japan over the last few
years.
Tickets for the Turner Sims concert are £16 through
www.turnersims.co.uk and the
concert starts at 7.30pm.
MARTIN STEPHENSON, ASHCROFT ARTS
CENTRE, FAREHAM – MARCH 29
 Geordie
troubadour Martin seems to divide his appearances between solo gigs and gigs
with his reformed band The Daintees – this one is a solo.
The quirky singer, songwriter, musician and performer was born in County Durham
on July 27 1961. He was initially fired up to play in a band when the Punk Rock
phenomenon exploded in the late 1970s. Then, as now, however, Martin's free
spirit incorporated a love for an eclectic range of musical styles, from
Rockabilly, show tunes, through to straight ahead rock and full-tilt Punk.
Martin formed The Daintees in the early 1980s, releasing a debut single “Roll On
Summertime” on the Kitchenware label. His debut album on the London Records
label was the great “Boat To Bolivia” in 1985. Full of great songs like “Little
Red Bottle” it was well-received, and Martin and The Daintees soon carved out an
awesome reputation as a live act on lengthy tours.
Subsequent albums “Gladsome, Humour And Blue” in 1987, “Salutation Road” in 1989
and “The Boy’s Heart” in 1992 failed to distil the essence Martin’s music quite
as effectively. Martin continued to tour, often playing in Highland folk clubs
and tiny bars, before leaving London Records in 1993 and signing to Demon
Records for whom he made three highly acclaimed albums “Yogi In My House,”
“Sweet Misdemeanour” and “Beyond The Leap, Beyond The Law.”
Following the sale of Demon in 1998, Martin released “When It’s Gone It’s Gone”
on Get Rhythm and in April 1999 released his eponymous album on the Floating
World label. The album consisted on rerecordings of some of his finest songs.
Now relocated in the Highlands of Scotland, Martin continues to plough his own
furrow, playing where he chooses. It could be a small club, a festival or
Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, but you are just as likely to find him playing
ragtime on the streets of Inverness or playing with his band “The ToeRags” in
Spain.
This year he is touring with The Daintees including many dates in the north of
England and a tour of Australia during April and May.
BOY KILL BOY, RAILWAY INN, WINCHESTER –
MARCH 23
 Boy
Kill Boy are back on the road promoting their new album. The Essex 4-piece had a
gold-selling success with “Civilian” in 2006 and follow it up with “Stars and
the Sea.”
Based in Leytonstone, East London, Boy Kill Boy was formed after the demise of
Future of Junior when original bassist Jim Lewis joined Cherryfalls. They
brought in bassist Kev Chase and formed Boy Kill Boy. In May 2005 they released
their debut single “Suzie” for record label Fierce Panda, and that summer the
band opened the Radio 1 stage on Sunday/Friday of the 2005 Reading and Leeds
Festivals. The second single followed later in the year after they were signed
to Fallout. “Civil Sin” was followed by “Back Again” on the Vertigo label and
reached #26 in the UK Singles Chart. The re-release of “Suzie” on the same label
reached #17. The debut album “Civilian” entered the UK Album Chart at #16 in
2006.
In May 2005 the band stepped in to replace Nine Black Alps on the NME New Music
Tour 2005 after the band's singer caught the mumps. Boy Kill Boy had only been
billed to play one support slot on the whole tour but ended up playing numerous
extra slots supporting Maximo Park and The Rakes. They returned the following
year as headliners for NME’s New Bands Tour 2006, and also toured in the USA
supporting Trhe Charlatans and Echo And The Bunnymen, also playing an extensive
UK Headline tour in October of that year. The following month they supported
Feeder for one of their dates in aid of War Child at the Camden Roundhouse. This
was also in conjunction with the “Shoot Me Down" single, released for the
charity.
The Fierce Panda release of “Suzie” appeared on the soundtrack of the street
football video game Fifa Street 2 released in winter 2006 by Electronic Arts.
“Civil Sin" appeared on the soundtrack to the Fifa 07 football video game. Also,
their single “Back Again" appeared in the Test Drive Unlimied videogame.
Boy Kill Boy recorded their second album in Los Angeles with Oasis producer Dave
Sandy and also released a limited edition single “No Conversation” in November
2007. Their current lineup is Chris Peck on vocals and guitar,
Kevin Chase on bass and vocals, Pete Carr on keyboards and Shaz on drums.
BUCK 65, WEDGEWOOD ROOMS, PORTSMOUTH –
MARCH 19
 Buck
65 is actually Richard Terfry, a Canadian musician who fuses many genres
together, but is basically a hip-hop artist. Now aged 35, he has gained a
reputation for frequently changing his style and constantly trying new things.
Born and raised in Mount Uniacke, Nove Scotia, Richard is now based in Toronto,
moving there after he and his fiancée split up. He was first inspired by hearing
rap music in the late 1980s while listening to his local radio station in
Canada. He released his first record “Stinkin’ Rich” on No Records in 1993, a
label operating out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Later he changed his name to Buck
65, explaining the decision on his website: “My dad started calling me Buck 65
the day I was born. I don't know why. That's the truth. A lot of stories have
been made up about where the name comes from, some of them by me. I've lied
about it. But "where does the name come from?" is a boring question. And the
truth is, I don't even know myself!”
He later joined up with fellow hip-hop artist Sixtoo to record “Sebuntonedef”
and they renamed themselves Sebutones and released a total of three albums from
2003 onwards. In 2005 he released two albums as Buck 65 on Warner Music Canada.
Buck 65 has a simple attitude to music, basically he makes music for himself and
if other people like it “that’s wonderful.” As he says: “I'm a big music fan. I
have a massive record collection. And there's no kind of music I'm not
interested in. We all fall under the influence of artists we admire and respect.
I'm no different. I worship Bambaataa, Townes Van Zandt, Leonard Cohen, Captain
Beefheart, Skip James, Johnny Cash, Iggy Pop, Radiohead, Jacques Brel, Serge
Gainsbourg, David Lynch, Egon Shiele and countless others. But I try as hard as
I can to carve out my own place confidently and leave those influences behind
when putting the pen to paper or entering the studio or stepping onto stage.”
BELLA HARDY, FERNEHAM HALL, FAREHAM –
MARCH 23
 Along
with the established artists on the folk circuit appearing at this year’s
Gosport and Fareham Easter Festival is one of the upcoming female artists of the
genre, Bella Hardy who appears on the last day of the festival.
Now in her mid-twenties, Bella comes from a little valled called Edale in
Derbyshire’s peak district, a place with a tradition of communal song. As a
child Bella was always singing, but it was her Mum who made her play the fiddle,
despite resistance from Bella. But when Bella went to Folkworks Youth Summer
School at the age of thirteen, she realized that there were lots of very cool
people of her own age playing folk music.
Bella arranged to meet up with some of the friends she had made at summer
school, and a year later The Pack was formed, with whom Bella recorded the one
and only Pack album “12 Little Devils.” Aged eighteen, Bella moved to York to
study English Literature, then spent three years singing with the folk trio Ola.
In 2004 Bella entered the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards as a solo artist,
getting to the semis as an unaccompanied singer, and going through to the finals
as a fiddle singer.
Now an established solo performer, Bella’s voice has been described as
“mesmerizing” and “faultless” by critics. As well as singing unaccompanied
ballads, she also entwines her remarkable vice with her own fiddle accompaniment
to breathtaking effect. She also teaches song, plays fiddle in ceilidh bands and
works as a musical odd-jobs woman. She also released her first album “Night
Visiting” last year containing eleven self-written songs, some of which were
enthusiastically played by Mike Harding on his BBC Radio 2 show.
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BUDDY WHITTINGTON,
THE BROOK, SOUTHAMPTON, MARCH 9
MARJORIE THOMPSON, EASTNEY RMA TAVERN,
SOUTHSEA,
MARCH 20
&
PLATFORM TAVERN, SOUTHAMPTON, MARCH 23
RED PRIEST,
TURNER SIMS CONCERT HALL, SOUTHAMPTON, MARCH 11
MARTIN STEPHENSON, ASHCROFT ARTS CENTRE,
FAREHAM.
MARCH 29
BOY KILL BOY, RAILWAY INN, WINCHESTER.
MARCH 23
BUCK 65, WEDGEWOOD ROOMS, PORTSMOUTH,
MARCH 19
BELLA HARDY, FERNEHAM HALL, FAREHAM,
MARCH 23 |
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