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PLAYING OUT LOUD!
ARTICLES
Capercaillie - The Brook, Southampton -
Friday October 21.
 The
Brook in Southampton feature two top folk acts this month. Oysterband
with support by the excellent Nick Harper bow in on Thursday October 20, then
the following night Capercaillie play the 600-capacity venue.
Named after a large species of grouse, Capercaillie have been at the top of
the Scottish folk tree for over twenty years. Crafted majestically around
the sensuous vocals of Karen Matheson, Capercaillie combine traditional roots
credibility with commercial clout, in part through the Gaelic folk songs
Matheson learned as a child from her grandmother.
Formed in 1984 at Oban High School in Scotland, initially to play for local
dances, the band have built up a huge reputation over the years for their
treatment of traditional and Gaelic music from the West Highlands of Scotland.
Capercaillie play groundbreaking contemporary Celtic music featuring ethereal,
yet powerful Gaelic vocals, intricate rhythms, and a combination of
traditional Scottish and electric instruments. Many comparisons have been made
between
Capercaillie and Clannad both for their overall style and their ventures from
traditional to more modern sounds.
The current band lineup sees Karen Matheson on vocals, Donald Shaw on
keyboards and accordion, Charlie McKerron on fiddle, Manus Lunny on bouzouki,
guitar and vocals, Ewan Vernol on bass, James Mackintosh on percussion and
Michael McGoldrick on flute and pipes.
No less a luminary than actor Sean Connery says: "Karen Matheson has a
throat that is surely touched by God.” And website
www.musicaldiscoveries.com
summed up the band’s talent in a recent review by saying: "Capercaillie,
credited with being the major force in bringing Celtic music to the world stage,
have indeed returned to their roots, peforming primarily an acoustic-based set
while retaining a lush style that produces a vibrant and contemporary sound.
With the majority of the artists playing more than one instrument as well, the
band's musicianship was superb and the set clearly illustrated tremendous
virtuosity, skill and overall command of their craft. We really can't wait to
see
them again." For ticket details ring 02380 555366 or you can book through the
website www.the-brook.co.uk .
Mukka - Salisbury Arts Centre - Friday
October 28.
 "What
an excellent noise" said the late John Peel after hearing the music of
Mukka who play Salisbury Arts Centre on Friday October 28.
The 8-strong band play a mixture of Gypsy, Klezmer, Eastern European and
Middle Eastern music with “a jazzy kind of swing and punky energy” according to
fRoots Magazine. Their latest album “Life, Life!” springs from their love of
Balkan and Arabic dance music and is the most exciting example yet of Mukka's
highly original and personal style. For the first time, Mukka's original
compositions sit alongside their interpretations of traditional melodies.
On “Life, Life!” Mukka have re-invented the doina, traditionally a
Romanian ballad of loss and yearning. The album includes the track “Shaky
Sheikher” written during a tour of the United Arab Emirates and is so called
because
of the fear induced by the Sheikh's disapproval at the clash of their loud
shirts. It is perhaps the most frenzied piece of music Mukka have ever recorded.
Another track, “Kate's Kopenitsa” was written at the Koprivshtitsa Festival
in Bulgaria, inspired by the sound of 1,000 zornas, 2,000 fiddles, 3,000
accordions and an infinity of bagpipes.
After Mukka’s recent London club appearance at Gaz's Rockin' Blues, the
Evening Standard wrote "A small corner of Soho exploded around midnight last
night as Dana Cordorean Berciu, a Romanian diva with a line in angst-filled
doina
ballads provided stark counterpoint to the original but out-there
instrumentals being wielded with furious abandon."
The band lines up with Kate Hands and Frank Biddulph on violins, Serge
Pachnine on accordion, Oliver Baldwin on bass, Andre Saint Clair Dyer on drums,
Jo Frazer on flute, plus singer Dana Codorean-Berciu and dancer Beatrice
Parvin.
For ticket details ring 01722 321744.
Ray Davies - Southampton Guildhall, Southampton -
Wednesday October 12.
 Singer
Ray Davies of The Kinks who plays Southampton Guildhall on Wednesday
October 12 has just released a new EP called “The Tourist' on V2 Records to
coincide with his national tour.
“The Tourist” is the first taste from his eagerly anticipated first ever
solo studio album “Other People's Lives” due for release early next year.
The highly collectible 4-track EP is a veritable Ray Davies masterclass in
songwriting and features the following songs:“The Tourist” - Recorded in London, February 2003, which combines Ray’s
distinctively emotive vocals wrapped around astutely observed lyrics.
“Yours Truly, Confused N10” - The first of the three bonus tracks, this was
originally recorded with Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra in
2002.
“London Song” - The original version appeared on the Storyteller collection
of live & recorded acoustic tracks and spoken dialogue - an edited version of
his storyteller show. This version has been remixed especially for the EP.
“Storyteller - First recorded in 1998 and released as part of his
“Storyteller” collection alongside “London Song.”
Ray’s date at Southampton Guildhall is one of 17 dates on his national
tour - ticket details are available on 02380 632601.
Joe West Trio - Talking Heads, Southampton - Thursday
October 27.
 In
keeping with their highly eclectic approach to booking music acts, the Talking
Heads venue in Portswood Road, Southampton have lined up a highly individual
band from the USA later this month. The Joe West Trio appear on Thursday October
27, and they look like a band well worth seeing.
Joe West is a singer/songwriter from Santa Fe, New Mexico who some have dubbed a
"trailer park crooner," while others say he's a "time-traveling-Mark
Twain-gone-punk." Whatever you call him, Joe West's humorous, beer-drenched
tales of love, booze and UFO's have been winning over crowds all over the USA.
From 1998-2001 Joe had a band called The Sinners who rose to the top of the
highly competitive Austin Music scene in Texas, earning enthusiastic reviews,
media awards and a regular spot at Austin's renowned Continental Club.
There, he amassed such a following that he nearly swept the Austin Chronicle's
Readers Poll in 2000. The album "Jamie Was A Boozer" was awarded four starsby
the Austin Chronicle and was one of the Top Texas Albums of the Year.
In 2001, Joe moved back to his home town of Santa Fe where he quickly became a
local mainstay, playing weekly at the infamous Cowgirl Hall of Fame.
While playing in the town Joe caught the attention of Frogville Records, who
signed him to their label and supported the recording of “South Dakota Hairdo,”
a critically-acclaimedCD which was rated one of the best albums of the year by
The New Mexico Music Industry Awards Joe now leads The Joe West Trio, a national
touring band which features
ex-Mary and Mars member Ben Wright on lead guitar and a young man named Noah
Baumeister on upright bass. Witty original songs and standard country classics
are the specialities of The Joe West Trio. As a side project, Joe has created
The Intergalactic Honky Tonk Machine which he calls his "solo, time travelling,
musical device." With the use of musical loops, a small Casio keyboard, acoustic
guitar and other electronic items, Joe tells his narrative tales to entertain
and transport listeners along the vast time line of American music. Whether
we’ll see this unique machine at the Talking Heads on the 27th is another
matter, but it sounds like a real good-time gig, and I for one will be there.
Ticket details are available on 02380 678446 or see
www.thetalkingheads.co.uk .
Guy Davis - Quay Arts Centre, Newport, IOW - Fri
October 14 & The Anvil, Basingstoke Thurs October 20.
 Guy
Davis is a musician, composer, actor, director and writer, but first and
foremost he’s a bluesman. The charismatic American who was raised in New York
City makes a couple of appearances in the South this month, at Quay Arts Centre,
Newport, Isle of Wight on Friday October 14 and The Anvil in Basingstoke
on Thursday October 20.
Throughout his career, Guy has dedicated himself to reviving the traditions of
acoustic blues and bringing them to as many ears as possible through the
material of the great blues masters, African American stories, and his own
original songs, stories and performance pieces. His influences are varied - he
admires great blues musicians like Blind Willie McTell, Skip James, Manse
Lipscomb and Mississippi John Hurt. But it was through listening to Taj Mahal
that he found his way to the old time blues. His writing and storytelling have
been influenced by Zora Neale Hurston, Garrison Keillor, and especially by Laura
Davis, his late grandmother who lived to be 105 years old.
Though raised in the New York City area, he grew up hearing accounts of life in
the rural south from his parents and especially from his grandparents, and they
made their way into his own stories and songs. Guy taught himself the guitar and
learned by listening to and watching other musicians. One night on a train from
Boston to New York he picked up finger picking from a nine-fingered guitar
player.
Throughout his life, Guy has had overlapping interests in music and acting.
Early acting roles included a lead role in the film "Beat Street" and on
television as 'Dr. Josh Hall' on "One Life to Live." Eventually, Guy had the
opportunity to combine music and acting on the stage making his Broadway musical
debut in 1991 in "Mulebone," which featured the music of Taj Mahal. In 1993 he
performed off-Broadway as legendary blues player Robert Johnson in "Robert
Johnson: Trick the Devil," receiving rave reviews.
Davis' writing projects have also included a variety of theatre pieces and
plays, a collection of three short stories, music scores for films and many
other projects. But over the last decade Guy has concentrated on writing and
performing music, releasing the albums "Stomp Down Rider," "Call Down The
Thunder," "You Don't Know My Mind," "Butt Naked Free," "Give In Kind" and
"Chocolate To The Bone." His latest CD is called "Legacy."
Lizz Wright - Turner Sims Concert Hall, Southampton -
Friday October 28.
 One
of the jazz vocal scene’s hottest new talents makes her debut at Turner Sims
Concert Hall on Southampton University campus on Friday October 28. With a style
drawing upon influences in jazz folk, R&B, neo-soul and gospel and an
extraordinary honeyed alto voice, Lizz is rewarding the faith put in her by
Verve Records who signed her in 2003.
The middle child of a minister from rural Georgia, Lizz took the music world by
storm in 2003 with breakout performances at Billie Holiday tributes in Chicago
and Los Angeles and with her debut album “Salt.” With her latest album, Dreaming
Wide Awake, Lizz has simultaneously delivered a record that embraces the history
of jazz, gospel, R&B and the singer-songwriter tradition. For the album, Lizz
chose to work with Craig Street, a producer famous for his work with a broad
palette of singers including Cassandra Wilson and k.d. lang.
The twelve songs that create moments on “Dreaming Wide Awake” range from Lizz's
self-penned title track to The Youngbloods' Summer of Love anthem "Get
Together," from her co-writes "Hit the Ground" and "Trouble" to the 1960's pop
smash "A Taste of Honey" and from originals by Marc Anthony Thompson (a.k.a.
"Chocolate Genius") to Neil Young's classic "Old Man." Lizz says of the album:
"Sometimes we do things and realize the wisdom of what happened later, after
doing it," says Wright; "that's what happened with this record. Naturally I'd
wanted to take a step further or a notch up. But I'm learning that deep inside
myself, beyond the echoes of other peoples' expectations and thoughts about who
I am and what I do, I really like simplicity and I am a very mellow person. This
project helped me to be okay with expressing that."
Lizz sums up her approach to the album by saying: "Music lives in that place
where anything can be picked up. It can become a different statement in someone
else's hands than in my hands. The fact that it can be passed from hand
to hand is something beautiful, almost spiritual. It means different things in
different places, and I approached this record as if there is no history. I was
just a voice, and I loved it."
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Capercaillie
The Brook, Southampton
Friday October 21
Mukka
Salisbury Arts Centre
Friday October 28
Ray Davies Southampton Guildhall, Southampton Wednes October 12
Joe West Trio
Talking Heads, Southampton Thursday October 27
Guy Davis
Quay Arts Centre, Newport, IOW
Friday October 14
& The
Anvil, Basingstoke Thursday October 20
Lizz Wright
Turner Sims Concert Hall, Southampton Friday October 28
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