Playing Out Loud UK- The Souths guide to the live music scene -POL ARTICLES-

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Home Start here for the best in live music LIVE GUIDE Complete area by area guide to live music in the South News The latest live music news Reviews Great musicians, great gigs & great reviews! Articles POLs exclusive interviews and gig previews Competitions The Best and the rest the South has to offer! Archive If you missed it, it's right here! Contact Links	POL Articles Shady Gordon Interview with Peter Ashton “I’M THE male Norah Jones,” says Dorset’s finest export, singer-songwriter Gordon Haskell. “That’s what they reckon in Germany anyway. Norah and I did an hour each of our songs on a German TV programme, and the people there noted that we appealed to the same audience. That’s something that hasn’t been picked up by the music press in this country.” Gordon is currently promoting the new album “Shadows On The Wall“ which has just been released. “I’m thrilled to bits with it,” enthuses Gordon. “We did most of it at Warehouse Studios in Oxford, and the production by young Steve Watkins has worked wonders to bring out the sound of every instrument.” “Harry’s Bar” has sold over 320,000 copies to date, and the single “How Wonderful You Are” over 260,000, but the success of both is ongoing. “The single has hit the charts all over Europe’” confirmed Gordon. “It’s just hit the charts in France - every month another country falls for the single and the album - we’re expecting million plus sales in America.” “Shadows On The Wall” picks up where “Harry’s Bar” left off, nine of his own songs, plus two covers. The emphasis on strong melodies and sincere lyrics is an ongoing feature of his new work. “I haven’t changed,” says Gordon, “everything I write means something. I’m not in this for the money - I’m more interested in the spiritual side of things and creating something which will make people happy; there’s not enough kindness in the world.” Gordon is keen to praise the musicians who worked with him on the album including guitarist Robbie McIntosh, drummer Sam Kelly and Eric Bibb’s pianist Janne Peterssen. “Their immense talent and respect has helped me emormously,” says Gordon, “and their company is one of the great joys of being a musician.” Gordon kicks off an 11-date tour with Robbie McIntosh in the middle of this month with the new single from the album, “Whole Wide World” released a few weeks later in time for a shot at that elusive No.1 spot just missed last year. Meanwhile Gordon looks ahead with enthusiasm. “I’m one hundred per cent confident about the future,” says Gordon. “I just want to keep on writing songs and singing them.” Fans of the warm and affable troubador will also be glad to hear that Gordon intends to play many more live gigs next year. The current tour reaches The Brook, Southampton on Friday November 29th (tel: 01329 231942), coincidentally the day on which “Whole Wide World” is released. (©Peter Ashton 2002) Click here for Gordon Haskells "Shadows on the wall" CD Review. 21st Century Boys Preview by Peter Ashton LOOK OUT for 21st Century Beatnik; they’re a band put together by Southampton singer and guitarist Neil Simpson. They have just start gigging in the area with recent dates at The Platform, The Joiners and other venues, and play The Thomas Tripp in Lymington on December 1. “We are all experienced musicians in our twenties,” says Neil, “and our style could be described as heavy soul. All the guys have made their mark in other bands; I chose the name 21st Beatnik because I admire the writing of William Burroughs, Jack Kerouac and Charles Bukowski. We’ve got Jim Rogers on drums, Chris Hann on keyboards, Andy Early on guitar and Dylan Clarke on bass. I also play guitar and handle the vocals. We all have the same approach to music - to play with power and passion, with a working class ethic to work hard to get it right. It’s music from the soul, and whatever it takes we’re going to make it professionally.” “We started rehearsing in June this year,”continued Neil,”doing songs that I had already written. We’ve already completed a demo album which is the basis for our stage act, and I’ve already got another ten songs ready to record. The next step is to go for a proper record deal and get the songs published. The real ambition is to go full time professional with the band. Over the next year I will probably continue to do solo and duo gigs over the country to get myself better known nationally, fitting in as many band gigs in the process.” (©Peter Ashton 2002) Taking it's Tola Preview by Peter Ashton JIGS, reels and waltzes and much more are promised when Irish folk musicians Tola Custy and Mirella Murray get together at Mr Kyps in Poole on Tuesday December 10. Tola’s sweet fiddle tones and Mirella’s subtle accordion will also be complemented by fellow musicians Ed Boyd on guitar and John Joe Kelly on bodhran. Tola Custy from Toonagh, County Clare and Mirella Murray from Claddaghduff, Connemara have been playing together for almost a decade now. Their blend of foreign tunes, Tola’s own compositions and traditional Irish standards and their fine musicianship have made them a popular act. Mirella plays accordion with a bouncy, light style while Tola produces a pure, rich tone from his fiddle. Tola and Mirella have made a CD together, “Three Sunsets”, on which fellow musicians Ed Boyd and John Joe Kelly also appear. Newly composed Bulgarian tunes sit alongside traditional reels, jigs and waltzes, Scandinavian airs plus brand new tunes. Mr Kyps music venue is at 8a Parr Street, Ashley Cross, Lower Parkstone, Poole. For more information ring 01202 748945. (©Peter Ashton 2002) Wild, wild Beck Preview by Peter Ashton SINGING cowboys are a bit of a rarity these days, but Mike Beck is one of that rare breed following in the footsteps of Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. The cow-poke from Nevada turns up with his guitar in the City Bar in Portsmouth on Wednesday November 27 for a gig. Mike has spent most of his life cowboying in Nevada, California and Montana and playing music from Nashville to Los Angeles. Now he divides his time between sharing his songs about life in the American West with his other job as as a consultant who is able to help owners with troubled horses all around the world. Not only does Mike sing original country music, much of it captured on two CDs, “Life Of A Buckeroo” and “Cowboys & Angels”, but he also recites traditional cowboy poetry by renowned cowboy poets like Bruce Kissakadin, Curly Fletcher and Badger Clark. His love of the West is brought to life in both forms with charm, humour and understanding. Admission is £4 on the door; for more information contact Barking Spider Promotions on 02392 436267. (©Peter Ashton 2002) Rockabilly Pals Interview with Peter Ashton CALIFORNIAN rockabilly band The Paladins must be one of the hardest working bands around. Averaging 200 live dates and 75,000 miles per year on the road, San Diego's premiere roots band will be well into their second million miles by the time they reach Southampton’s Brook venue for a gig on Thursday November 21. Paladins guitarist Dave Gonzales started the band with high school pal Thomas Yearsley nearly two decades ago. The band has gone through many line-up changes since, with Dave the one constant member. Gonzales is just thankful that The Paladins are still around to play what Dave calls rockabilly in its purest form. "We stay pretty rootsy about the songwriting thing,” says Dave. “We're not big political or ballad writers. We're honky-tonk, rockabilly with a little blues in there," he said. "We really like the vintage trip - that's what the Paladins have always been about.” Gonzales credits his mother for sparking his continuing interest in music : "She was hip, you know. She bought all the cool records when they came out and supported our garage bands. I'm lucky that I got turned on to that music and never shied away from it. I've always just really liked early rock 'n' roll, rockabilly and blues." With rockabilly going through something of a revival, particularly in the States, Gonzales is more excited about the Paladins than ever. "It's great, man. It's coming around again, and a lot of young people are coming out to our shows to hear us.” Tickets for The Brook gig are £12.50 through 02380 555366. (©Peter Ashton 2002) Blast-Off for Starship Preview by Peter Ashton IF quality American rock music is your thing, The Brook is the place to go these days. Cult 60s psychedelic rockers Jefferson Starship are the next outfit to land at the Southampton venue on Saturday November 2, following recent visits by The Electric Prunes, Tony Joe White and Southside Johnny. The history of Jefferson Starship goes way back to 1965, when their forefathers, Jefferson Airplane were formed by Paul Kantner and Marty Balin, becoming the first San Francisco rock group to be signed by a major record label. Their debut album on RCA, “Jefferson Airplane Takes Off” was released in 1966. When Grace Slick joined the band the following year she brought with her the songs “Somebody To Love” and “White Rabbit” which both hit the USA Top Ten during the “summer of love”. Jefferson Airship became icons of psychedelic rock over the next five years releasing groundbreaking albums like “Surrealistic Pillow” and “Bless Its’ Pointed Little Head.” Jefferson Airplane disbanded in 1972, with Paul Kantner recruiting Marty Balin and Grace Slick to form the first incarnation of Jefferson Starship in 1974, which produced three albums together before both Marty and Grace left the band. The group produced three more albums before Paul left in 1984 taking the “Jefferson” name with him, leaving the group called just “Starship”. Ironically they enjoyed even greater commercial success including two USA No.1 hits in 1985 and 1986 - “We Built This City” and “Sara”. Starship finally sank in 1990; meantime Kantner and Balin had revived the early Jefferson Airplane line-up. The tortuous career of Jefferson Starship resumed in 1991 with a new lineup including former Tubes drummer Prairie Prince and blues violin master Papa John Creach who died in 1993. Over the last ten years Jefferson Starship have performed nearly 800 concerts in 21 countries, recruiting a sensational new vocalist Diana Managano along the way. The current tour includes rare songs from “Surrealistic Pillow” to commemorate the 35th anniversary of its release, plus songs like “Crown of Creation” and “Sketches of China”. For ticket details ring 02380 555366. (©Peter Ashton 2002) The Big Show Preview by Peter Ashton UBIQUITOUS is a word that comes to mind at the mention of folk duo Show Of Hands; they seem to have played every domestic folk festival this summer. The talented pair - Steve Knightley and Phil Beer - are still very much in demand this autumn, too, with visits to Salisbury and Winchester towards the end of a 48-date tour. The success of Show Of Hands lies in the combined power of Steve’s haunting original songs, the quality of their vocals and harmonies and their multi-instrumental virtuosity on the guitar, mandocello, fiddle, mandolin and cuatro. Between them Steve and Phil play five guitars, two cello-mandolins, one cuatro, one violin and one mandolin during their act. This means keeping in tune a total of 62 strings stretching over 130 feet! In addition to sell-out shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall and appearances all over the UK the two have also performed in some pretty unusual places. On a hill overlooking the Taj Mahal, at the behest of a local headman on a hastily erected bandstand in the jungle in Indonesia, and on a car deck on a cross-channel ferry to mention just a few. They have also taken their talents as far afield as Australia and North America, and had a memorable experience this summer when they played a special open-air concert at the celebrated Eden Project in Cornwall. Show Of Hands play Salisbury Arts Centre on Saturday November 30 (ticket details 01722 321744) and Winchester’s Theatre Royal on Tuesday December 3 (ring 01962 840440). Their tenth album, ‘Cold Cuts’, was released earlier this year and features live recordings of the band’s most popular and most requested stage performances. Show Of Hands have given us two copies as prizes to give away in a competition. All you have to do to have a chance of winning one is sum up Show Of Hands in just 12 words on an email. Do this by December 10th and you could have a chance! (©Peter Ashton 2002) Click here to Email your entry Good Luck! Viva Vee Preview by Peter Ashton AMERICAN pop star Bobby Vee is still very much in demand forty years after hits like “Rubber Ball” and “Take Good Care Of My Baby.” He’s back in the UK topping the bill on the All American Solid Gold Rock N’ Roll Tour which stops off at Bournemouth and Portsmouth this month. Born Robert Thomas Velline in Fargo, North Dakota in 1943 into a musical family, it was no surprise when Bobby took an early interest in music. Says Bobby: "I played saxophone in the high school band, but I wanted to rock out. “ Bobby’s brother Bill had his own band but was reluctant to let him join them. Eventually Bobby cajoled his way into the band, The Shadows (the American version) despite misgivings about his youth. "I kind of backed into the band’, says Bobby, “I was fifteen years old and my ears were glued to the radio. It didn't take long before I started singing the songs and they started rockin' along." Bobby's story took on a bitter sweet flavour on February 3, 1959. A light plane carrying Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and The Big Bopper crashed in a snow covered Iowa field, killing everyone on board. The performers were due to play their next gig in Moorhead, Minnesota where Bobby was now based. Other performers who had travelled by road decided to continue with the show, and the promoters appealed for local talent to help fill in. Bobby, a huge Buddy Holly fan, responded as he knew all the words to the songs, and took his chance with huge success. It was the first step on a career which was to lead to huge chart success both in the USA and in the UK where Bobby clocked up seven Top 10 hits by 1963, including “Run To Him” and “The Night Has A Thousand Eyes”. The All American Solid Gold Rock N’ Roll Tour plays Portsmouth Guildhall on Thursday November 14 and BIC, Bournemouth on Sunday November 17. (©Peter Ashton 2002) Lindis-Fine Preview by Peter Ashton LINDISFARNE, described by Mojo Magazine as “the working class heroes” of the music scene are back on the road again. The enduring Geordie folk-rock band are in the middle of a tour which includes a trip across the Solent to play the Medina Theatre at Newport on the Isle of Wight on Tuesday November 26. Live gigs have been Lindisfarne's life-blood throughout their 30 plus year career. As co-founder and drummer Ray Laidlaw points out: " It's crucial that we continue to perform 'live'. The magic of the band is that creative surge that comes from a living, breathing entity. It continues to excite us that we can re-visit old songs as well as new and give them another 'spin'; that keeps the process interesting for us and, we believe, for the people who come to our shows. Unless we continue to be creative, we are selling ourselves - as well as our audience - short ". Lindisfarne’s last CD “Promenade” which the band introduced at Southampton’s Brook venue earlier this year, showed that their sound has evolved into something both classic and contemporary. With two singers of real character in Billy Mitchell and Rod Clements, who also co-wrote many of the tracks with producer Nigel Stonier, the band sound better than ever. This summer also saw a new development in Lindisfarne’s rich career when they played club and festival dates in the USA as Lindisfarne Acoustic. Playing unplugged enabled the band to play many intimate venues that would have been unsuitable for the electric band. The positive reactions from audience encouraged Lindisfarne to repeat the experience in the UK in the spring of 2003, and dates will be announced soon. For ticket details ring the Medina Theatre on 01983 527020. (©Peter Ashton 2002) PERENNIAL folk-rockers Lindisfarne, who are currently on a national tour have donated a copy of their latest CD “Promenade” for a competition. The band take a trip to the Isle of Wight on Tuesday November 26 when they play the Medina Theatre at Newport. To get your name in the draw for the CD just tell us in which English county is the island of Lindisfarne from which the band take their name. Answers via email by November 20, and you could just get lucky. (©Peter Ashton 2002) This competition is now closed. Unlucky! Next Time! Harper Harping Interview with Peter Ashton WILTSHIRE-BASED singer-songwriter Nick Harper feels he is finally coming out of the shadow of his famous father, folk singer Roy Harper. “More and more people are coming to see me for who I am,” says Nick, “people seem to like what I do, and I’m much more my own man, more comfortable and relaxed with myself.” With his family background, it was inevitable that Nick would forge a career in music, starting in 1983 when he appeared on his father’s “Whatever Happened To Jugula” album – a collaboration between Roy Harper and Jimmy Page. Nick toured with his father and recorded regularly with him thereafter. Nick’s energy and talent entranced Roy’s fans and it was no surprise when he began touring and recording in his own right, beginning with solo EP in 1994, “Light At The End of The Kennel.” Nick’s career got a lift when he played support for Squeeze front man and songwriter Glenn Tilbrook in the mid-1990s. Tilbrook was so impressed that he offered Nick a job playing with Squeeze and promptly signed Nick to his own label, Quixotic Records. Following tours in the UK, USA and Japan, Nick recorded his second album “Smithereens” produced by Glenn. The album and a subsequent 40-date solo tour including devastating appearances in New York and Glastonbury confirmed Nick Harper as a formidable talent in his own right. Nick’s third album “Harperspace” confirmed his talent as a passionate songwriter with a conscience. “I do cover the whole gamut of what I feel in my songs,” says Nick, “and also what the virus that we are is doing to this planet, but I hope that doesn’t sound like preaching. I go out to entertain people, but if I plant a seed at the same time, that’s OK.” Nick has developed a reputation for creating a great rapport with audiences which is captured on his latest live album “Double Life’”. As Nick proved at Talking Heads last year, it’s an ideal venue for a relaxed and spontaneous performer. Admission is £5 on the door. (©Peter Ashton 2002) At Holmes Preview by Peter Ashton ATTENDING a Holmes Brothers gig is rather like witnessing a revivalist meeting in an American juke joint. The blues/gospel trio suggest holiness but rock with a vengeance, as they will prove at The Anvil in Basingstoke on Thursday November 21. The Holmes Brothers consists of two brothers, Sherman and Wendell Holmes, and drummer Popsy Dixon. Sherman and Wendell were born and raised in Christchurch, Virginia. Their schoolteacher parents encouragedthe boys to listen to traditional Baptist hymns, anthems and spirituals as well as blues music by singers like Jimmy Reed and Junior Parker. Both sang in the church choir, with Sherman studying clarinet and piano before taking up bass, and Wendell diversifying with trumpet, organ and guitar. The siblings played in separate bands before forming The Sevilles in 1963. Over the next three years they backed touring artists like The Impressions, John Lee Hooker and Jerry Butler, gaining a wealth of experience. After The Sevilles disbanded, Sherman, Wendell and fellow Virginian, drummer Popsy Dixon, continued to play in a variety of bar bands until 1980, when The Holmes Brothers band was formed. Rooted in blues and gospel, The Holmes Brothers have since built up a highly individual sound which could be described as “spiritual soul.” It’s based on three-part harmony singing, mixing gravelly vocals with a soaring falsetto and a rich baritone. The result is a spiritually uplifting sound which combines traditional and contemporary influences with energy and sincerity. The Holmes Brothers have produced half a dozen albums since their recording debut in the late 1980s, and have a new album to unveil at the Anvil. It’s called “Speaking In Tongues” and was produced by superstar Joan Osborne, a big fan of the group, who also sings backing vocals throughout. The album mixes original songs with traditional material, plus covers including Bob Dylan’s “Man Of Peace” and “Gamble & Huff” by Love Train to produce a fascinating hybrid of American musical styles. Tickets for The Anvil gig are £12.50 through 01256 844244. (©Peter Ashton 2002) Looking for a different article? Click here for our NEW archive	NOVEMBER Featured artists: The Hamsters @ The Brook Southampton Thursday 28th. Lindisfarne @ Medina Theatre Newport IOW Tues 26th. Arnie Cottrell & Tim Payne @ Shoe Inn Plaitford Fri 22nd & Platform Tavern Thurs 28th. Foo Foo @ Bent Brief Southampton Sat 16th. Nick Harper @ Talking Heads Southampton Wed 13th.