Shop Sessions have lift off. Hayley Strangelove & Jonathan Tarplee Live

To say we've been excited about the start of the Shop Sessions is a massive understatement. I wasn't sure whether it was excitement or age related incontinence that made me want to wet myself (really hoping it was the former). Anyway not sure you needed to know that.... so oh yeah that was it, excited!!!!

Why so excited? I'll tell you why... We had two superb artists coming to play live original music in our little family run bike shop. The artists who had the first Shop Session sold out in 2 days were Hayley Strangelove, a wonderful powerhouse of a voice who writes personal emotion filled songs and Jonathan Tarplee, a great guitar technician who also pens interesting and creative lyrics that draw you in and make you pay attention.

So after making sure the audience was rhythmically capable with a little foot stomp clappy action Hayley Strangelove was introduced...

You can't help but get on Hayley's side straight away, she has such a playful way with the audience and after announcing she had a new album coming out in a couple of weeks it was straight into 'Dig a little deeper' a track off the new album. Straight away we were into foot tapping, head nodding territory. I know I was enjoying it and I had a good look around and everybody seemed to have just as big a grin as me. Part way through the first half set Hayley did a tongue in cheek Kate Bush style song called 'Mummy's Little Darling' showing a great theatrical side to her performing, just brilliant.
The penultimate song of the first half for Hayley was a brand new (the ink still drying) tune which Hayley wanted to air and what a tune it was. Hayley really does have songs running through her with heartfelt personal lyrics, it was definitely a winner!! Hayley kicked off the 2nd half of the evening where she left off with everybody moving along with the music and feeling the power of her voice. I have had so much feedback since the night on how blown away everyone was by the power of Hayley's voice & I have to say I felt exactly the same the first time I saw Hayley live. Simply wonderful. My favourite song from Hayley's set was ' Stay a while' which showed all the different textures to Hayley's voice the soft and hard and you can check it out by using the link below. So I know you're gutted you missed this if you weren't here but fear not Hayley is back as half of the duo Baxter which pairs her with the equally amazing vocals of Paul Senior in July so make sure you get yourself a ticket, you'd be mad not to.

 

Vid Link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-mM0thDFVU&feature=share&list=UU-d7vgJ8dv0ZvcROoEPm8iA&index=1

 

Jonathan Tarplee was this months featured artist and what a marvellous contrast Jonathan's style made a much softer voice with mesmerizing guitar skills. It worked perfectly. After announcing that he was just about to start work on a new album Jonathan went into a beautiful intro to a song called 'Galleries' a lovely melodic song that captivates you with the intricacies of the guitar work and heartfelt vocals. As somebody who wrestles with a guitar it was great to see a technician at work. Jonathan has great feel and dynamics throughout his songs and his relaxed conversation between tunes just makes you want to keep listening. Part way through his first half set Jonathan had everybody joining in with an infectious song that makes you want to sway & sing along called 'Big Low Copper Moon'. You can check it out with the video link below. Jonathan continued the first half on a song that judging from the response I've had since the gig blew everyone away. It was a cover of 'Romeo & Juliet' by Dire Straits and what a great cover it was. The first half came to a close with a cover of a Mamas & The Papas song called 'California Earthquake' which I had not heard before... what a tune & what a way to finish the first half with some riffy string bending awesomeness... 

After threatening to start his 2nd half set by playing the whole works of Kraftwerk because we were in a bike shop he actually went into an impromptu version of 'These boots are made for walking' but changed the lyrics to 'These bikes are made for riding' which cracked everyone up..genius!! This was followed by a new song that was as yet untitled which just reinforced that this was a great night for new original music. A wonderful night was brought to an end with Hayley joining Jonathan up front to finish with a real crowd pleaser taken from an EP that Jonathan has made with his band The Blue Yellows. The song was 'No Tobacco, No Jesus' which had Hayley clapping and singing along with Jonathan while the audience were back in foot tappy, head bobbing mode, a great end to the night... After such a superb night we couldn't leave without an encore and Jonathan duly obliged.
You really need to go check out Jonathan solo or with The Blue Yellows you will have a wonderful night

 

 

Vid Links

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2KWuPoosXM&feature=share&list=UU-d7vgJ8dv0ZvcROoEPm8iA

Charlotte's Pick Of The Night Vid
http://youtu.be/QCPPDKofE1A

 

Well what can I say the first Shop Session was an unmitigated success and that was down to the two wonderful artists from the night so we would really like to thank Hayley Strangelove and the Featured artist for the night Jonathan Tarplee two absolute stars.

 

 

To find out who is playing the next Shop Session and contact details go to

 

http://www.thecyclejunction.com/blog/?page_id=1447

 

 

For everything Hayley Strangelove

 

https://www.facebook.com/hayleystrangelove

 

 

To find out where you can watch Jonathan Tarplee solo or with The Blue Yellows just follow the blue yellow brick road...

 

http://www.blueyellows.co.uk/

Are You Experienced Stockport.... Blues to the bone Spider Mike King & Angelo Palladino

So it was Friday night all I had to do was get to Stockport from Sandbach in the remnants of the mad Friday rush... I crashed into the wonderful little musical oasis that is Barista Café Bar Stockport with camera in hand at 8pm. No worries Angelo Palladino was mid sound check so I quickly grabbed one of the lovely Cappuccino's from the designated Barista and got myself settled. You're always close in this venue even at the back but I made sure there was enough space between me and the stage so the camera didn't end up poking the artists in the eye when I pointed it at them. I really like these intimate gigs you can feel every inch of energy and emotion from whoever is in front of you.

Spider Mike King took to the stage first and settled into the chair which was front & center. I've heard Spider Mike played on the Roots & Fusion radio show and loved what I'd heard. So I was looking forward to hearing this & my eagerness was increased as Spider Mike explained he was going to try some new material for us which was the reason for a few notes in front. I always love when artists try new stuff because you can see them feel their way around finding how the new stuff fits them, it's almost like seeing the finishing touches to the songwriting process, the final little tweaks if you will, a great honour to see the final push from page to performance. Now if I'm going to watch someone play blues it's got to be believable, so not some snotty nosed kid telling me how hard they've worked and how they've payed their dues but as Spider Mike headed into his first couple of songs I was with him enjoying the story telling and part of this was because he had a demeanour that said I've been around & I've got stories to tell. It's always a good sign when the foot starts tapping before I've even realised & I was moving and enjoying every guitar strum right the way through the set. Strangely enough one of the songs that really grabbed me was Serenity which definitely has a more mainstream feel so I was pretty shocked how much I enjoyed it as it's normally the out and out bluesy stuff that floats my boat. Serenity just showed that Spider Mike definitely has more strings to his guitar(or bow if you like). To finish a great start to the night it was back into a blues number with some great fretboard fireworks.

 

Video Link

http://youtu.be/Hu3UQ5XSqD4

 

So where do you go from such a good start...

 

There's two things that struck me when I first had a quick chat with Angelo Palladino.. First the dudes older than me so that makes him at least 22 and the other is he's infectious, I just felt like everything was going to be amazing, he just gives off good vibes and excitement. He took to the stage like there was no other space in the room that would fit him. He looked right at home with his array of guitars and amps behind and a big grin up front. He kicked off with Nighthawk a wonderful bluesy riffin tune accompanied by blues harp and one of my favourite tunes from Rick Stuarts Roots & Fusion shows of the past few months. I was fixated with Angelo's performance it's as if he's possessed by the spirit of the blues, it seems to take over his very essence the music being summoned from deep within, you can read it on his face, feel it in his voice and then watch it embrace his whole body. During the first couple of songs I kept looking down at his feet to see where his pedals were, there was nothing there but my ears were hearing what sounded like a change of effect? He was making his guitar sing with different voices by the way he was stroking, strumming, hitting the guitar it was wonderful.  You can probably tell by now I was loving this. It was taking all my energy not to get up and dance for fear of annoying those sat behind me. You just want to move, it's like being under the spell of the Pied Piper, your body is gonna do whatever the music tells it to. I was a foot stomping head nodding puppet throughout. One of the many standout tunes was Angelo's take on the Leadbelly song 'Where did you sleep last night' [this is the song that whenever you try and explain it to people they always say 'Oh you mean the Nirvana song'.. No I don't I mean the f****** Leadbelly song ok!! ;-)] I absolutely love the original and it was great to hear Angelo put his stamp on it. I was trying to figure out how to answer the question 'well who does he sound like' that you're always asked when you're trying to get someone else to listen to them. Firstly he sounds like Angelo Palladino which should be enough but if pushed I keep coming up with a mix of Keith Richards, Robert Cray & Howlin Wolf or maybe I should just say 'go and see him and make up your own mind he will blow you away'.  

 

So people go and see Angelo Palladino he will blow you away.......

 

 

Video Link



http://youtu.be/z2kRZGeMgEs

 

Finally if you see the names of Spider Mike King or Angelo Palladino on a gig flyer or advert it means your in for one kick ass night so get yourself down there.

Big thanks to Spider Mike King , Angelo Palladino, Rick Stuart (Roots & Fusion) & Phil for doing mystical things to make sure the right magical spell is cast...

 

You can find everything Spider Mike King here (go buy stuff people)..
I recommend The Blood River Sessions Vol 1 which I've been enjoying since the gig :)

 http://www.spidermikeking.com/

 

For a serious dose of Angelo Palladino head here (warning you may never recover)
Angelo is normally carrying 2 CDs around with him.. The Knucklebones EP & Blood, Blues + Bad Dreams Album both are wonderful make sure you get your copy when you go see him

http://www.angelopalladino.com/#/

 

To find out what is happening on the mighty fine Roots & Fusion radio show...

https://www.facebook.com/rootsandfusion

 

You can also listen to past Roots & Fusion shows on mixcloud for musical wonderment

http://www.mixcloud.com/RootsAndFusion/



Sumptuous Southern Comfort.. Hannah Aldridge live a Grateful Fred event

I've been mad busy the last few weeks and didn't think I was going to make it to any gigs this month but my wonderful wife convinced me it was worth travelling to Southport to go and relax for the evening. So as I didn't think I was going to make it I hadn't really checked the people playing at this Grateful Fred night, I was flying blind, it was going to be a night of discovery.....

Getting over to The Atkinson was a big rush which means I didn't have time to go pick up my camera so unfortunately only got a few pics and 1 vid that's watchable but the important thing was I got myself settled in before Grateful Fred hit the stage.

The ever dependable Fred's started the night off. I'm really enjoying watching them start these evenings they always seem to be having fun with plenty of playful banter between themselves and the audience which always leaves me settled and relaxed. So a cool start..

Grateful Fred Band in full flow

The support for the evening was The Goat Roper Rodeo Band(I know what a top name). I'm always a bit dubious when a band is described as Country because it's 50/50 whether I'm going to enjoy it. As the band started I was thinking I'm not supposed to like this it is definitely not music that I normally listen to, but I looked down and there it was.. my foot tapping away and what's this on my face a grin?? Oh no my head's starting to nod.. it was too late they had me. I can't quite put my finger on it maybe it was the energy maybe it was the harmonies or maybe it was the mesmerising runs of Jim the lead guitar player but they had me. I totally enjoyed watching, listening and moving to The Goat Roper Rodeo Band(I just had to type it again, the name is ace) especially when they headed towards the blues. Having the musical door opened a little wider is always cool and I've just pushed mine a little further open to let this Country Blues sound come in and sit down alongside all the other great music I like listening to. In case you were wondering I thought they were ace & I raced down at the end of the night to grab myself a CD. I thought this was worth racing up the M6 for & then wondered what Hannah Aldridge was going to be like???

The Goat Roper Rodeo Band

Like I said this was going to be an evening of discovery I hadn't heard any Hannah Aldridge before but my ears pricked up as soon as Hannah announced she hailed from Muscle Shoals. I love that Southern States sound so my expectations were high.. As soon as the first notes came out of Hannah's mouth I knew this was going to be great. The wonderful Southern drawl melting the words so they eased effortlessly into your ears. It really is one of the coolest sounds on the planet and as 'You Ain't Worth The Fight' hit home I was hooked. Now I know the way I have described the sound up until now might have you thinking that the sound was laid back and easy listening but the wonderful thing was that Hannah's voice has a real punch delivering emotion and feeling right into your gut when required, it's a great contrast and really works well. As the set progressed you could see how at home Hannah felt on stage passing on anecdotes and backgrounds to the songs making them feel even more real. We even got an impromptu lesson on the use of 'Y'all' but to be honest it doesn't matter how much we try it's never gonna sound as cool coming from a room that would normally say 'Yous' ;].
My night was made complete when Hannah delivered 'Howlin' Bones' a totally gritty southern bluesy masterclass simply sublime. The night was made even more special because we could actually buy the CD which has not been officially released here or in the States yet. Obviously I made sure I got me a copy of that, Y'all should do the same..

http://youtu.be/iV4IYFdOKrk

Hannah Aldridge video link
(Pic is not great with the lighting but the audio sounds fine)

I can't believe I nearly missed this. Y'all should head out and see Hannah Aldridge live she is totally awesome(Right I'm not gonna try and fit Y'all in again I'll just have to accept the only way I'm going to sound cool is to stand in front of John Paul White and mime ;])

Grateful Fred have done it again... If you've not been to a Grateful Fred event yet get yourself over to Southport next month you won't regret it.

For everything Grateful and Fredish..
http://gratefulfred.co.uk/

To Rope a Goat (Not sure what you do when you've got one???)
https://www.facebook.com/TheGoatRoperRodeoBand

Sumptuous Southern Sounds of Hannah Aldridge..
http://hannah-aldridge.com/

The Stray Birds take to the skies & leave us in the clouds

Is that title too wordy?? I don't need to say anything else really do I ? That's a lot of questions about the title I really should stop typing exactly what I'm thinking right now.....

Anyway from the title you can probably see where this is heading. Well first it's heading to Southport and The Atkinson which is a very cool arts venue in the northern seaside resort. Last month was the first time we headed to this venue and just to make sure it was as good as we thought first time round we headed back in Feb to see why so many people are talking about The Stray Birds. The Atkinson is still cool.. nuff said.

I won't bore you with the pre gig pizza and the conversation about how it's nice to go somewhere and buy something from real people without having to fill in 15 questionnaires before you're allowed to pay which is what you seem to have to do online nowadays and then asking for the bill in a hurry and the waitress explaining to us that we should go online and fill in 15 questionnaires about the service, how we found out about the place , whether we have ever boxed a kangaroo blah blah blah..[mind shutting down... let me pay I want to go] Oops sorry I seem to have typed it anyway. Oh well on with the evening.

So in case you are reading this and thinking what is this lunatic on about? get on with the review. I would just like to point out this is not a review it is a blog, a diary entry of another gig I have attended and want to remember in my own rambly way available for anyone to read[but you were probably right about the lunatic thing ;)]

So eventually after I'd typed loads of weird unrelated stuff we sat down with drinks in The Atkinson ready for whatever musical wonderment was about to unfold. The evening started as is only right with a Grateful Fred event with an opening foray by the Freds to put us at ease with the world. As the set neared the end people were encouraged to take part in the Duck Call Symphony orchestra or Kazoo-fest as it will go down in the annals of time. It was great fun and the Kazooists [this is the proper technical term... well it might not be I might have just made that up] were led by the master Kazooist Glynne Callaghan while the band played a self penned Irish tune by Fretful Ged (Gerard Martin Sugrue) and then finally You Are My Sunshine. I do need to say the Gaelic tune written by Gerard is ace I have heard him play that before and I really love that sound. Needless to say we were all left in a happy state of mind after that.

 

Link to Kazoofest

http://youtu.be/cyCqG2MDBrk

The support for this night were We Died At Sea who started out with a washboard, double bass, fiddle and guitar and then settled in with drums for percussion. I didn't really know much about these lads but looking around the room they were doing a good job of keeping the spirits high with their ragtime/swing style from across the Pennines.

 

Vid Link

http://youtu.be/T27w8dwRIQI

 

 



So this was it, this was what I had been waiting for... I have a real excited anticipation waiting for a band I've come to see but these days quite often I'm coming in blind(or deaf if you want to use the correct senses.. gee your pedantic ;]). A little explanation required I think, The Stray Birds had been recommended to me by several people but the final straw that convinced me to go check them out was hearing Rick Stuart of Roots & Fusion radio show enthuse about them. So this final recommendation and hearing one track on his show was enough to get me to the gig. I really find I prefer seeing people live first before I go and buy the records as you find out up front whether they can deliver (I've also found the artists I like are normally better live where the emotion is tangible). It was interesting to see that Maya de Vitry and Oliver Craven we're not connected via the usual umbilical, they were playing into mics and all three, so Charles Muench as well, were singing into one mic which gave the trio a very cool on stage chemistry as they moved in and out from the mic. Maya started as lead vocal for the first couple of songs while Oliver looked ready to take off as he rolled onto his tiptoes while he teased some beautiful tunes out of his fiddle. By the time the second song started we were all ready to be led to the stars by the wonderful tones of Maya's voice. So as the music eased it's way deeper and deeper into my subconscious I started watching the effortless way that Charles laid the double bass foundations for each song, hands moving as if a separate entity while the rest of him committed to harmonizing with the rest of the trio. I loved seeing (and hearing) each one take on the lead vocal role as the night moved on giving your ears a contrast in audible magic and stopping you getting stuck in a groove( hey look I made a record reference by accident.. what do you mean 'so what'.. well it made me smile). As you know if you've read my blogs before I'm not great with set lists even more so if I don't know the artists back catalogue of tunes but what I do know is how I feel and as the melodies took root I found my foot tapping, my head nodding and my smile widening and that means I had a great night.
I will definitely be looking out for what The Stray Birds do in the future and in the meantime I'm gonna make sure I get hold of whatever they've got available. I suggest you do the same and if they are playing near you( actually even if they are not near you travel it's worth it) go see The Stray Birds live.

Vid link

http://youtu.be/bbEWEvcTPmE

Big thanks to

Grateful Fred
http://gratefulfred.co.uk/

We Died At Sea
http://wediedatsea.bandcamp.com/

And the truly superb The Stray Birds
http://thestraybirds.com/

Stomping Stockport... Mog Stanley & Jo Bywater live and in your face(Literally)

Well it's been a while since I've seen my old friend Stockport. Having spent my College years at Stockport College there was many an end of year pub crawl resurfacing in my head as we wandered around the old town. My 11yr Old daughter said to me it reminded her of Diagon Alley in Harry Potter and I was thinking the same thing but for a different reason. I was trying to search out the elusive Barista Café Bar. In true wizarding style a spell was required to allow this magical musical venue to appear. So we spoke the spell 'Scuze me mate do you know where the Barista Café is' and mysteriously a passer by just pointed up some steps (It wasn't that mysteriously and I think he might have been a bit pissed)....

Once inside we found Rick Stuart (Roots & Fusion helmsman and our host for the evening) happy to great us. The Barista Café Bar had a very cool cosy vibe. We found our seats, close enough to count the nasal hairs of the performers (If they'd have had any which they didn't, trust me I was close enough to check). I am really starting to enjoy these close up and personal gigs (No, not because you can see up peoples noses) as you really do get a chance to talk to the people who are about to produce musical magic before your eyes and we had a cool chat with Jo Bywater while sound stuff was sorted and Mog Stanley got setup.

So I'd checked Mog Stanley out on youtube and was really looking forward to hearing his thumping blues. Basically Mog was sat a couple of feet away acoustic guitar in hand and the box he'd brought his shoes in propping up one foot. Well that's what it looked like to the uninitiated but all was soon revealed as Mog went straight into 'Little Bag of Bones'. A superb tune that has your head moving and foot going as the rythym catches you and takes control. The shoe box propping up Mogs foot was actually a home made stomp box and it sounded ace giving you a punch in the chest while the choppy riffs drove into your ears. The low easy tone of his voice slid inside the lovely bluesy rhythmic sound to produce a sound your body couldn't resist. I reckon trying to keep still while Mog Stanley plays is a bit like trying to eat a fruit pastille without chewing... you just gotta move. Safe to say this was an amazing way to be introduced to my first Roots & Fusion live gig. People of Manchester and beyond go and get stomped on by Mog Stanley, buy the EP and then wear the T Shirt to prove you did it :)

Full on Stomp shot

Gig Vid Link 

http://youtu.be/saTgJT35m4c

Well now what is there left to say about Jo Bywater... You can't help but flow about outstanding music and Jo's music is sublime. Just so you know it's not just me our whole house is hooked on Jo Bywater FM. We took my 11yr old daughter to the gig and I kept checking across to see her face open mouthed in awe of what was playing out just a few feet from her. I'm starting to lose count now how many times I've seen Jo over the last 6 months but I swear the music seems to be growing wings and flying higher while her voice is getting more emotive with every performance. If you read these blogs regularly you will have already bought the Chasing Tales EP (If not shame on you) and if you've not bought it already there are links at the bottom of this page to go get it but the best way is to go experience the music live and buy the CD from Jo herself as a reminder of how great the night was. Nearly forgot well done Jo for sorting the Stomp Box out great to hear it finally, worked a treat :)

 Gig Vid Link

http://youtu.be/eg9wL2bpT0k

Just remains to say what an absolutely brilliant night we had in this little magical musical oasis that is Barista Café Bar Stockport hosted by the biggest influence on my Ipod playlist at the moment Rick Stuart. Give your musical taste buds the respect they deserve and listen to Roots & Fusion on Pure 107.8 FM Stockport (It's online for those outside Stockport) and then make sure you get yourself to the next Roots & Fusion gig.

To get stomped on by Mog Stanley go here
http://www.mogstanley.com/
& you can buy his music here
http://mogstanley.bandcamp.com/

For bluesy award winning wonderment check out Jo Bywater here
http://www.jobywater.com/
magical music this way
http://jobywater.bandcamp.com/

You can find the Roots & Fusion show here
https://www.facebook.com/rootsandfusion
and on Pure 107.8 FM
http://www.pureradio.org.uk/

To get yourself the best coffee in Stockport
http://baristacafebar.com/

A night out with Grateful Fred and Appreciative Colin and I think Apologetic Dave was about somewhere?

I know the title makes no sense but you know the rules if I type it and it makes me smile it stays...

2014 has crept up on me, so many things going on at the moment with music and bikes and well... life. The year seems to have crept in the front door and made itself comfortable without me noticing just waiting for the right moment to announce it's arrival. 'Ahem you know there's a gig tonight, your first gig of 2014' the year has announced it's intentions....

Well, now you've read that load of self indulgent bollocks lets get on with the years first musical outing. I had heard on the grapevine you know the modern digital one that doesn't involve grapes or vines that the Grateful Fred nights were pretty amazing affairs and that I should go see for myself and so having seen that Jo Bywater was playing the first Grateful Fred event of the year it was a no brainer, we were going.

After a few trips around Southport center (probably looking like we were curb crawling) trying to find parking near the venue we finally halted the merry-go-round and got ourselves into The Atkinson. It was a really pleasant surprise. I needed to check the price on the ticket again we couldn't have paid just 8 quid to come to a gig here? It looked like a smaller cousin of venues like The Lowry or The Birmingham Symphony Hall. Once inside The Studio we accosted Jo Bywater and Colin (Our gracious host for the evening) to say hello and then positioned ourselves in the mosh pit of what was a very cool two tiered theatre.

Right, so cool venue, beer all we needed now were some top tunes..
Grateful Fred took up their positions on stage and immediately I was drawn to the Cigar Box guitar that Colin was holding (that is not a euphemism by the way it is a guitar made from a cigar box). I love the sound these little bundles of joy make. The Fred's kicked off their set and I was immediately put at ease we were in for a good night. The songs performed were covers and it's always nice to be welcomed in by a familiar face (or in this case sound). Everyone on stage was at ease with each other and there was plenty of playful banter and fun. So a great start to the night...

A quick change around and we were musically on familiar ground, this would be the third time we'd seen Jo Bywater play in 5 or 6 months. Now I could just say go read my other blogs where I am enthusing over Jo's music but I won't because Jo's music moves me to words (not tears thankfully). Watching Jo play you almost forget how intricate her songs are because she makes it look so effortless. Songs like 'Wave' off the album 'Cycle Grace Pulse Break' ebb and flow taking you with them. There's no straight forward Oasis like strumming going on here, Jo's hands obviously have a brain of there own negotiating the fretboard without needing direction while the head delivers lyrics that encourage you to listen intently to the story being told. Now, I thought Jo Bywater was doing a solo set but ingeniously she had positioned a percussionist in the audience who was primed to open a can of beer just at the perfect moment. Now that's the work of genius. I'll post a link to the vid at the bottom of this blog so you can hear the offending can. As you can tell I really love listening to this music and I was really chuffed to find out Jo had won Best EP at the FATEA awards while doing this gig. So you must have got the message by now go find out where Jo Bywater is playing and enjoy and once you've enjoyed buy the CD's so you have a musical memoire of a cool gig.

So I had been transfixed on the Grateful Fred lead guitar player who just floated up and down the fretboard and then was wowed by Jo Bywater playing slide how do you add to that.....
Bring on The Toy Hearts and a Steel Guitar, get in !!! (Oh no it's late I've started regressing into football yob mode. Did I really just type get in!!!) Now I had not heard The Toy Hearts before this night so didn't know anything about their music and honestly if someone would have said to me do you want to go see some Bluegrass and Swing I would have probably politely declined and I would have been a fool. Right from the off you could feel the chemistry between this family unit they seemed to have almost telepathic communication. I absolutely loved watching and hearing 'Daddy Cool' or Stewart Johnson as he is known to none family members on the Steel Guitar & for the third time on the evening I was mesmerised by the guitar playing as Sophia Johnson effortlessly created Jazz licks. The whole thing was kept solid by Simon on the double bass but apparently double bass players are like Doctor Who for the band and have to be reincarnated as someone else after a predetermined number of gigs (sorry too much coffee and fatigue have me digressing into ridiculousness again). And the glue that brings this musical masterclass together is Hannah Johnson this lady can really sing with smooth tones spilling over to just the right amount of grit when required. I am so pleased I came into this gig not knowing about The Toy Hearts because my own stupid musical prejudices could have robbed me of a magical evening. I would definitely recommend people go see The Toy Hearts live so Germany you're in for a treat they are heading your way next.

Well what a way to start the year an amazing gig and I think my musical palette has been expanded as well thanks to The Toy Hearts. It's always a good indication of a great concert when you have plenty to say about it on the way home and we were still gabbing on as we reached home an hour later.

Massive thanks to Colin and Grateful Fred as well as Jo Bywater and The Toy Hearts for starting our musical year off in style..

To become a Fredhead you need to go here....
http://gratefulfred.co.uk/

To catch up with the amazing Jo Bywater here is where it is at..
http://www.jobywater.com/
Woollen Hearts Vid with surround sound percussion
http://youtu.be/aP9nVbKltBs

Open your musical minds to The Toy Hearts..
http://www.thetoyhearts.com/

And finally if you want to read the inner thoughts of a madman just check my next blog.......

How best to finish the year... With a BANG!!! of course.

Drag your filthy mind out of the gutter... Thankyou!! Right I didn't have any pre planned gigs to see this late in the year but I have been venturing down to the local Folk Club for the past month which alternates between a guest artist one week and then a singers night for the local members the next. When I checked for the last guest slot of the year nobody had been booked so I mosied on down to the club expecting it to be a singers night. As it turned out Winston official heartbeat and booking personage of Sandbach Folk Club had invited Hayley Strangelove along to do a set. Hayley also performs as part of a duo called Baxter and Paul the other half of said duo was waiting in the wings ready to do a couple of songs alongside Hayley as well.
Once Winston had duly rotored the ever ready floor singers on to the stage [which included yours truly] Hayley took to the stage. After a bit of playful banter and a bit of tuning she opened with a yuletide offering from The Pretenders -2000 miles I was immediately on the edge of my seat not only was it a great song to start with but Hayley's vocals were like a wall of sound giving you a good slap round the chops just in case you weren't paying attention. She filled the room with powerfully delivered melodies which had people moving in their seats, well I know I was nodding and tapping my foot singing along. 3 songs in we were interrupted by the break which was followed by a selection of floor singers before Hayley returned to the stage. During the second half Paul stepped up onto stage with Hayley and they did a great Foo Fighters cover followed by Trouble from Ray Lamontagne (Sorry I get a bit vague about what was played when.. what? I don't take notes you know ;]) Paul delivered these wonderfully and especially hit the spot with me as these are two artists I really love to listen to. So how could you top all this musical wonderment......
Well Hayley introduced the last song as one of the best songs(or even THE best song ever, can't quite remember now, anyway I digress again) and then hit us with Fairytale Of New York. Not only were the vocals out of this world she was doing the vocal equivalent of that Music Hall act where the person dresses half man half woman and keeps switching sides doing female then male. She sang the Kirsty McColl parts in her usual tones but the Shane MacGowan bits she sang low and boy did it work she blew the lid of it and finished my musical gigging year off in the best way possible and The Bells Were Ringing Out for Christmas Day....... ;]]]]]

For everything Hayley Strangelove go to
facebook.com/hayleystrangelove

And for Hayley and Paul as Baxter head to
facebook.com/baxterduo