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PLAYING OUT LOUD!
ARTICLES
Hayseed Dixie - The Brook, Southampton
- Friday September 21.
 HAYSEED
DIXIE
Make an entry in your diary for Friday September 21 if you like hillbilly rock
with a touch of humour. That’s the date Hayseed Dixie play their rearranged gig
at The Brook in Southampton. The Hayseed boys started out as specialists in
converting AC/DC music to their own unique style, but they have since branched
out into writing their own material and reinterpreting other rock and pop
classics.
According to the sleeve notes for the first Hayseed Dixie album, "A Hillbilly
Tribute To AC/DC" their interest in AC/DC started when they found a collection
of AC/DC records in the valley of Deer Lick Holler in the Appalachian mountains
of the USA, where a stranger had crashed in his car and expired. They could only
play the records at 78 rpm on an old Edison Victrola player, but the boys all
agreed that it was mighty fine country music. Well, if you believe that, you?ll
believe anything!
One thing is true though, Hayseed Dixie have built up a huge reputation as a
sensational live act since they formed in 2001. They don’t just to AC/DC covers
- after their debut album sold over 100,000 copies worldwide, they went back
into the studios to record some of their own songs. The result was "A Hillbilly
Tribute to Mountain Love" released in 2002, an inspired exploration of one of
the primary reasons for drinking, cheating, killing and going to hell.
The next development in the career of Hayseed Dixie was hearing some songs by
the band Kiss and realising they were kindred spirits. So in February 2003 they
spent two inspired days in the recording studio to produce their third album
"Kiss My Grass - A Hillbilly Tribute To Kiss." There followed a joint tour with
Kerosene Brothers followed including over 100 shows all over the USA and
Australia which included much heroic drinking.
Feeling the need to plough some fresh fertile fields, the boys began to focus on
getting to the UK and Europe. as well. In 2004 they released of "Let There Be
Rockgrass" and the first UK tour took place. According to Hayseed Dixie, the
full spectrum of hell was raised and "Rockgrass" became an international
phenomena. The 4th album “A Hot Piece of Grass” soon followed as did another UK
tour where they became festival favourites.
Now they're back on tour in the UK again with a new album “”Weapons of Grass
Destruction” and as lead singer Barley Scotch says: "We ain't even started
drinking yet. We've just been on a recon mission so far. Now we know where the
party people around the world are, and we're coming back to close the deal!
Hayseed Dixie are: Barley Scotch - singer, guitar & fiddle, Don Wayne Reno -
banjo, Dale Reno - mandolin and Jason D. Smith - bass.
Maud La Forest - The Point, Eastleigh -
Saturday September 15.
 MAUD
LAFOREST
Fans of classical guitar music may be interested in a recital at The Point in
Eastleigh on Saturday September 15. Texas based musician Maud La Forest is the
visitor and she will be playing from 8pm onwards.
Born in France, Maud started playing the guitar at the tender age of 4. She
moved to England for three years, where she made her first public appearance at
the age of 10. In 1996 she settled in Texas where she studied at SMU with Robert
Guthrie. She later studied at the Peabody Conservatory with Manuel Barrueco, and
holds a Bacherlor and a Master of Guitar Performance. Additonally she benfited
from the musical teaching of Carlos Marin.
Maud regularly participates in masterclasses with world-renowned guitarists such
as Sergio Assad, Roberto Aussel, Manuel Barrueco, Carlos Bonnell and many other
guitarists. She has also won many prizes at competitions in the USA and Europe,
including the Guitar Foundation of America, the International Guitar Competition
in Buffalo, New York and the American Strings Teacher Association in Texas. She
also received first prizes in the UFAM, the International Guitar Competition in
Nurtingen, German, and the Collin County Young Artists concerto competition. In
several of these events Maud was the first guitarist to receive such an award.
More recently she was awarded 2nd prize in Mottola, Italy, 3rd prize in Arhanes,
Greece and another 3rd prize at the International Solo Competition of the GFA in
Oberlin. She was also the youngest musician ever to be selected by the Dallas
Classic Guitar Society.
She has also made many radio broadcasts in America and France. Her appearance at
The Point in Eastleigh organized by Southampton Classical Guitar Society is the
last in a 22-date tour of Europe. Tickets are £13, concessions £9 through 02380
642333 or via the website
www.thepoint-online.co.uk .
Kosheen - Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth -
Saturday September 22.
 KOSHEEN
Bristol-based trio Kosheen featuring stunning vocalist Sian Evans play a gig at
the Wedgewood Rooms in Portsmouth on Saturday September 22 when they will no
doubt be playing some tracks from their brand new album “Damage.”
One of those bands who are difficult to categorise, the most surprising thing
about Kosheen is that they are not better known. They have been around for
nearly a decade with singer Sian, Darren “Decoder” Beale and Markee “Substance”
Morrison consistently producing exciting and original songs since the single
“Hide U” which reached No 6 in the UK charts. The world soon realised that
Kosheen were were something special with the singles “Catch”' hitting No 15 and
“Hungry” reaching No 13. The accompanying album, 'Resist' released in 2001, a
powerful mixture of drum’n’bass, trip-hop, chillout and hip-hop-inspired beats
went on to reach number 8 in the UK and made the top 30 in Australia, The
Netherlands, Belgium and Greece. It has since sold half a million copies
worldwide.
With their second LP “Kokopelli”, Kosheen changed their music style and turned
to more rock-oriented tunes mixed with electronica & trip-hop. The first single
from the album, "All In My Head", became a huge hit and reached No 7 in UK
chart.
The band's brand new album "Damage" was released on March 23, 2007 on Island
(Universal) in Europe but not the UK. The UK edition of “Damage” which has just
been released contains two additional never-heard-before tracks. “Damage” is a
mixture of inspirations from electronic influence from "Resist" and guitar tunes
from "Kokopelli” can best be described as dark electro / synthpop.
Kosheen’s live sound is slightly different from their studio sound and on their
current tour they are keen to show how they have progressed. As Markee says with
enthusiasm: "I feel like we're a band that's different to anything else out
there, We can stand up and do a tune like any other rock band, but we can also
go to a club and smash it up there as well. We want to be able to do that in all
areas. It's just being greedy really!"
Tickets for the Wedgewood Rooms gig on the 22nd are £14 through 02392 863911.
Howe Gelb - Larmer Tree Gardens -
Friday Sept 14th & Sunday Sept 15th.
 HOWE
GELB
There’s some fine Americana on the bill at the second End Of The Road Festival
in the beautiful Larmer Tree Gardens at Tollard Royal near Salisbury this month.
And none finer than the music of Howe Gelb who plays there on Friday 14th and
Sunday the 15th.
Now in his fifties, Howe has lived in Tucson, Arizona on and off since 1972. It
was in Tucson that Howe formed the music collective Giant Sand in 1980
(originally called Giant Sandworms).
The late Rainer Ptacek was in the original lineup as was drummer Tom Larkin, who
both appeared on the band’s first album “Valley of Rain” in 1985, which cost the
princely sum of $400 to make. By the late 1990s people were finally beginning to
take notice of Giant Sand’s mixture of Southwestern roots and garage rock. By
this time Howe and Giant Sand had spawned a number of spin-offs including OP8,
Calexico and The Friends of Dean Martinez. More members came and went before
Howe and friends recorded the album “Ramp” in 1991, “ Center of the Universe” in
1992 and “Purge & Slouch” and “Glum” in 1993 and 1994 respectively.
Howe released his first solo album, “Hisser” in 1998, a year after losing close
friend Ptacek to cancer. Howe had been devastated at losing his long-time band
member, especially as they were about to record what was to be their most
successful Giant Sand album to date, “Chore of Enchantment.”
The new millennium has seen Howe spending a great deal of time on tour and
recording another solo album, “Confluence,” a piano instrumental album, “Lull”
and several more albums before the excellent “Sno’ Angel Like You” which got
rave reviews when it was released last year.
Also appearing at the End of The Road Festival are a number of great American
acts like the Willard Grant Conspiracy, Jim White and Lambchop and a host of
other bands like Super Furry Animals and Midlake. For ticker details see the
website www.endoftheroadfestival.com
Arnie Cottrell - Louisiana album with
Steve Howell.
 ARNIE
COTTRELL
Southampton musician Arnie Cottrell fulfills a long-time ambition this month
when he flies off to Louisiana to record an album with old friend American Steve
Howell.
Arnie is familiar to live music lovers all over the South of England, where he
has performed regularly over the last decade or two. A consummate guitarist and
mandolin player with a smoky voice, Arnie specialises in Americana, folk and
roots music and is well respected within the UK music community. He turned
professional last year, after serving a long apprenticeship playing at music
venues, pubs and festivals across the South and further afield.
Arnie first met Texan Steve Howell in the mid 1970s and they have been friends
ever since. They will be making their album in Darren Osborne’s studio in
Shreveport. Darren is the son of the legendary bass player Joe Osborne and he
will be playing drums on some of the tracks.
Arnie is full of enthusiasm for the project: “Steve is my best friend,” says
Arnie, “and we are making the album we have always wanted to make. We aim to do
it in 5 days flat after a couple of days’ rehearsal. I’ll be staying at Steve’s
home in Marshall, Texas, during the trip.”
Steve Howell has been turned on to country blues since hearing the legendary
Mississippi John Hurt in the mid 1960s when he was a teenager. Later, he
discovered the music of Blind Willie McTell, Robert Johnson, Son House and many
other blues legends. He first met Arnie Cottrell while he was in the US Navy
during the 1970s. Based in Havorford West in Wales, he met Arnie at a folk club
and they began playing together.
After returning to the USA in 1977, Steve attended Louisiana State University
from where he graduated in 1980 with a Degree in Communications. During this
time he played on the Shreveport club scene through the late 1970s initially as
a duo with guitarist David Dodson in 1977 and then with his partner, Shreveport
restauranteur Jim Caskey, beginning in 1978. Steve and Jim have been regular
performers at Shreveport's Red River Revel Arts Festival, having played the
festival every year, except three, since its inception. Their duo, Howell &
Caskey, has opened for Country Joe and the Fish, Anson Funderburgh and the
Rockets, Bugs Henderson, Ponty Bone and the Squeezetones, and shared the stage
with blues legend Brownie McGee.
Steve currently lives in Marshall, Texas, with Leigh, his wife of 32 years, and
their sons, Sam and Ben. He is an independent oil and gas producer with business
interests in fuel sales and in the abstract and title industries. He has served
on the Cypress Valley HUD Corporation Board, the Marshall Regional Arts Council,
the Central East Texas Fair Board, and other civic boards. He is also past
chairman and a current board member of the Red River Radio (NPR) - KDAQ Advisory
Board, serves on the Building Committee and chaired the Five-Year Plan
Subcommittee for KDAQ in Shreveport, Louisiana.
King Creosote - The Joiners,
Southampton - Friday September 14.
 KING
CREOSOTE
King Creosote who were a big hit at this year’s Green Man Festival drop into The
Joiners in Southampton for a gig on Friday September 14. The band goes under the
name of King Creosote, but it is actually the forum for a man called Kenny
Anderson to deliver his very personal songs.
King Creosote are led by Kenny Anderson who is the driving force behind the
Fence Collective which propelled KT Tunstall to national fame. Formerly with the
Skuobhie Dubh Orchestra and Khartoum Heroes, Kenny went solo after realising
that an increasing number of his songs were either not folky or bluegrass enough
for the Dubhs or had too few chords for the Heroes! A unique Scottish
singer-songwriter, Kenny plays under the name King Creosote to air his songs
which display a very personal take on the madness of modern life and the frailty
of human relationships.
Kenny or KC maintains that the song is more important than the style and that
the performance outweighs recording quality. He should know, having released a
couple of dozen albums of his songs on his own Fence label. No sample should be
longer than four seconds and although samples should be in tune or time, they
need not necessarily be both. KC detests noodling virtuoso turns and thus has a
go at whatever instrument is at hand.
Kenny actually comes from Fife, which is Jackie Leven country is you are
familiar with another great Scottish musical talent. He’s been running the Fence
Collective for over ten years. It wasn’t until the “Rocket DIY” album in 2004
that Kenny started reaching a wider audience. Released on the 679 label, a
subsidiary of Warners, the album received widespread critical acclaim.
The new album “Bombshell” has been equally well received with critics declaring
that it tells you everything you need to know about Kenny’s maverick musical
personality covering genres from twisted folk to driving country rock. “The idea
this time around was to make the songs sound bigger and more accessible,” says
Kenny. “I’m not leaving home, but I am getting out a lot more.”
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Hayseed Dixie
The Brook, Southampton
Friday Sept 21
Maud La Forest
The Point, Eastleigh
Saturday Sept 15
Kosheen Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
Saturday Sept 22
Howe Gelb
Larmer Tree Gardens Friday Sept 14th
& Sunday Sept 15th
Arnie Cottrell Louisiana album
with Steve Howell
King Creosote
The Joiners, Southampton
Friday Sept 14 |
Southampton's No 1 recording studio
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