Anna Pancaldi & Liam McClair complete a wonderful year of Live Music at The Shop Sessions

Well what an amazing year it has been at the Shop Sessions. Right from the very first gig of 2015 with Luke Jackson the quality of the music has been simply world class all along and here we are at the final Shop Session of the year excited to see Anna Pancaldi and guest artist Liam McClair.

So the setting of UCan Studios just keeps getting better & better with more artwork to adorn the walls and the seating set out to give the space an almost front room type feel(Albeit a very large front room). So we were comfortable but excited to see the first artist of the night.

Liam McClair hails from Manchester and we were lucky enough to catch Liam earlier this year at Sound Control in the rainy city. But how would he transfer to an unplugged venue with a totally attentive audience? Amazingly well as it turned out, Liam's relaxed manner charmed the audience onto his side right from the off. There was never any doubt that everyone was going to clap or become the nights backing choir at Liam's request.Put simply we were all captivated from the first song Alchemy right through to Honest the final song of Liam's set. We can't recommend going to see Liam live highly enough, with his distinctive vocal tones and addictive melodies which edge into a bluesy feel at times. So an amazing start to the final Shop Session of the year & we hope we get to welcome Liam back in the future...

Liam McClair - Honest

https://youtu.be/lFvcDQ3St8M

And so it was... we had reached the final Shop Session artist of 2015 and what a treat we had in store. We had already managed to catch performances by Anna Pancaldi twice this year and were definitely blown away by the amazing vocals so we were eagerly anticipating a third evening of awesomeness. As soon as we heard Anna kick into Runaway we knew we wouldn't be disappointed. Runaway is a great way to start as it really does highlight the range of Anna's vocals from the smokey lows to the attention grabbing highs, a beautifully contrasting song and voice. The great thing about seeing Anna in this intimate setting is you really warm to her infectious personality as well as her wonderful performances as she chats about anything and everything in between songs which keeps you engaged during a re-tune or natural break. 'Come On Love' really brought out the emotion & power of Anna's performance a real spine tingling experience as the title is sung in an almost pleading fashion.

It was great to hear that Anna is heading out to the US next year where judging by our audience reaction she'll be wowing audiences across the states. 2016 sounds like it's going to be a continuation of a great 2015 for Anna after a year that included gigging 27 days out of one month, being included in the current Levi's campaign and reaching #6 in the Itunes singer/songwriter chart with her debut EP 'Black Tears' and we can't wait to hear all about it. So it just remains to say a big thankyou to Anna for a wonderful performance on what was the last date of her UK tour... and relax....


Also a massive thankyou to Liam McClair for coming down from Manchester. Jonathan & Jason at UCan Studios for allowing us to continue the Shop Sessions in a wonderful venue. All the artists that have been part of our magical music filled year. But especially to our audience for coming out and supporting Live music and musicians we can't have one without the other...

To keep supporting Anna Pancaldi head to

http://www.annapancaldi.com/


You can find out all about Liam McClair here
http://liammcclair.com/


UCan Studios have great facilities so check out what is available
http://ucanstudios.co.uk/

Finally keep your eyes peeled for 2016 at the Shop Sessions
http://www.thecyclejunction.com/shopsessions/

The Jellyman's Daughter Start European Tour at The Shop Sessions

What an exciting month for the Shop Sessions! We would be holding our first Acoustic Event at UCan Studios which is a great live recording studio as well as a music school. Couple that with the international flavour of the evening and we were very very excited.Ok that might be over embellishing a bit, The Jellyman's Daughter were travelling down from Scotland on the first date of their European tour and while Ashley Fayth is Canadian she is based in Chester but what the heck it felt very cosmopolitan to us.

We settled in to our new surroundings in the spacious(compared to the shop) and atmospherically lit UCan studios in readiness for the first artist of the evening Ashley Fayth. Ashley opened with the 'Don't Weigh The Anchor' taken from the album 'Take Back The Fire' which has just been released. Oh what a start! This song is definitely one of my favourites from the album and even though I have seen it a few times live already it was wonderful to hear it stripped back with Just Ashley on guitar/vocals & Daniel J Logan on percussion. Ashley has a voice that can float & draw you in as it does on 'Don't Weigh The Anchor' or 'Seaside' or it can be driving and uplifting as you can hear on songs like 'Lover Take Me' and in the later part of 'I am the bird'. Ashley and Dan finished on the title track of the album 'Take Back The Fire' which is a great crowd pleaser as you're encouraged to join in on the chorus. Ashley definitely left a lasting impression on our audience and I think she won over many new fans on the night as the feedback was great and we can only confirm that you should go out and see Ashley live and buy the album 'Take Back The Fire' it's brilliant.

Ashley Fayth & Daniel J Logan - Lover Take Me

https://youtu.be/uNptrpFvte8

As with so many artists we have at the Shop Sessions the first place I heard The Jellyman's Daughter was on Rick Stuarts Roots & Fusion radio show. I was totally blown away by a song called 'Blue Lullaby' which had an absolutely amazing Cello riff underpinning the song. So when Emily & Graham contacted us about coming to play we naturally jumped at the chance. There are not many artists that play the Shop Sessions we have not seen live somewhere else before to ensure the quality stays sky high so my heart was in my mouth as they started the first song. Would they be as good as the recordings we'd heard? They answered with an emphatic yes as their harmonies intertwined to beckon us in with the track 'Darling Corey' which is actually the final track from the self titled debut album. So they started on a high, where to go from there then? Upwards of course with one my favourite independent songs of the year 'Blue Lullaby' it's got everything a driving Cello riff, soulful solo vocals from Emily and soaring harmonies as Graham joins the vocal to create an all encapsulating sound. Superb!

The Jellyman's Daughter - Money Can't Buy Me Love (Cover)

https://youtu.be/ML0HcWBZVsY

As the night progressed I have to say I was mesmerised by the Cello it was wonderful to hear & just as importantly see it played to produce contemporary sounds. The duo have an obvious connection while performing & really do look like they enjoy sharing their music and so they should, it is a very interesting and distinct sound. I do like good vocals and individually Emily & Graham have great voices but when they harmonise it takes the sound to another level just sublime. As you can probably tell we fell in love with the music of The Jellyman's Daughter and we're sure you will too so make sure you catch them soon.... 

The Jellyman's Daughter - Come Back To Me

https://youtu.be/pijKVnK7F18

Definitely go and find out what's happening with The Jellyman's Daughter here

http://thejellymansdaughter.com/

We are hoping to see Ashley Fayth back at the Shop Sessions in the not too distant future but in the meantime ..

http://ashleyfayth.com/

Thanyou so much to the artists Emily, Graham, Ashley & Dan and also to Jonathan at Ucan Studios for giving us a new home.

To find out more about UCan Studios

http://ucanstudios.co.uk/

And finally keep upto date with the Shop Sessions by heading over to and sign up to our newsletter

http://www.thecyclejunction.com/shopsessions/

A Celebration of Songwriting

Wow! September already and another magical Shop Session was in store. This was always going to be one of the most important Shop Sessions of the year for us as it would underline the reasons for us starting the Shop Sessions. With the Shop Sessions we wanted to support in our own small way live musicians & great original songwriting but on a more personal note we wanted to expose our daughter to great female artists in a venue that was accessible and friendly for under 18s. So with these things in mind September was an evening of superbly talented female singer/songwriters from around the UK and each with their own individual style...


To kick things off we would see first hand the effect these gigs were having on Charlotte and her friends as Charlotte & friend Leah would be opening up the evening with a couple of covers & then Charlotte would perform a self penned song in this intimate setting. Rather than uber gushing I'll just say very proud dad moment and leave it there....

Well we were very excited to see Rebecca Cullen back in the building with a whole host of new material since her last visit in 2014. It really was a given that this set would be awesome. The stripped back vulnerability of Rebecca's songs never fail to hit the mark and delivered with so much soul & feeling. It was great to hear songs off the new EP 'Some Build Castles' and we totally recommend you head out and get a copy..

 

Rebecca Cullen - Carry On

https://youtu.be/QsCN1vmXkfo

Next up we were treated to an artist we had enjoyed from afar. Marina Florance travelled from 'The Land of The Rising Sun' ok I may be over embellishing here, I mean Norfolk, so definitely from the East. I have personally been captivated by Marina's songwriting for a couple of years and already had a few EP's in the collection so it was an absolute joy to have Marina play them unplugged in a cosy setting for us. It's always a good feeling when you see someone live and they are every bit as good, if not better than the recorded versions you're already in love with. The highlight of the whole evening for me was the end of the performance of 'Big Legged woman Pt2' as the song was finished by Marina's mum who was in the audience just priceless and you can check it out in the vid below.

 

Marina Florance - Big Legged Woman Pt 2

https://youtu.be/WVTCPDjJUE0

This evening had already been one of our favourites so how do you finish off? Well I'll tell you how, with an artist who we've seen several times over the past couple of years and she never fails to captivate, Katie Ware aka Little Sparrow. Little Sparrow was accompanied this evening by the world class globe trotting Sarah Dale. I almost think the best way to enjoy Little Sparrow is to close your eyes and just allow the music to transport you to what sometimes can seem quite a surreal world. This floating acoustic pop really is beautiful. Katie's amazing voice, stunning harmonies & Cello from Sarah combined to finish he night on a magical musical high.

 

Little Sparrow - Wishing Tree

https://youtu.be/CFrLmPIlTxY

Massive thanks to Rebecca, Marina, Katie & Sarah for being unbelievably great. Big thanks also to Charlotte and Leah for opening the evening. You should go see these wonderful artists live and in the meantime follow the links below and buy their music so they can go make more wonderful music.

The world of Rebecca Cullen
http://rebeccacullen.co.uk/music/

For everything Marina Florance
http://www.marinaflorance.com/
and you can purchase music here
https://marinaflorance.bandcamp.com/music

Find out what's going on with Little Sparrow..
http://www.littlesparrow.org/

Finally we'd love you to come and help us keep supporting live music so come along to a Shop Session
http://www.thecyclejunction.com/shopsessions/

Shop Sessions In Harmony With Rita Payne

We have already had a wonderful year of live music at the Shop Sessions but I've only just realised that the August Shop Session would be the first of 2015 to have non solo artists. It wasn't by design but to break this pattern of solo artists we would be opening the night with The Grateful Fred Ukulele Trio and Rita Payne a duo from deepest darkest Doncaster(Not sure what's deep or dark about Doncaster but I do like a bit of alliteration) would be the featured artist for the evening.

It's always exciting to see and hear music that's a bit left field and The Grateful Fred Ukulele Trio definitely offered something a bit different with a Rhythm, Lead & Bass Ukulele filling the room with sound. With 'Vinnie' on lead Uke & blues harp, Peter McPartland on Rhythm and Vocals and Grateful Fred himself (Colin) on Bass & Vocals a sound is created that seems like a trick of the light it's so full and captivating that you keep needing to double check.... yep all that sound is coming from those mini-me stringed instruments. It was made extra special to me as last time I saw the Trio live they were still cover song heavy but on this night in the spirit of the evening TGFT played a good mix of self penned songs and classics and they all sounded great. What an ace start to the evening...

 

The Grateful Fred Ukulele Trio - Friendly Fire

https://youtu.be/ULqwFe79_M0

 

 

Right, so anyone who has talked to me about music for more than 5 minutes probably knows that one of my favourite bands of the last 3 or 4 years has been The Civil Wars, so when I checked out a Civil Warsesque version of Billie Jean by Rita Payne I knew this was going to be a Shop Session I would really enjoy. Rhiannon Scutt & Pete Sowerby make up the constituent parts of Rita Payne. Rhiannon provides wonderful guitar riffs and vocals while Pete quite often takes the lead in vocals and adds atmospheric percussion that worked perfectly in these unique surroundings. Right from the word go Rita Payne created a captivating sound that had people hooked in and clapping along  with the opening track  'Caught In the Middle' from the album 'We're Getting There, Aren't We?'.

 

 

Charlotte's Choice

Rita Payne - Goodbye

 

https://youtu.be/ST-hQiDx2_M

 

 

The duo continued effortlessly through the night moving from Rhythmic, energy infused tracks into beautifully crafted harmony filled songs making sure the senses were never bored or stuck in a rut. One minute our feet & heads would be urging themselves to move with the sounds and the next we would be floated away from the  mundanity(not even sure if this is a proper word, but you get what I mean ) of every day living with gorgeous songs like Goodbye. All that remained was for Rita Payne to finish with my personal favourite track Ashes as the encore which they duly delivered to a very appreciative audience(especially me).

 

 

 

Rita Payne - Ashes

 https://youtu.be/DA4gMxcxmg8

 

 

Massive thanks to The Grateful Fred Ukulele Trio and the very amazing Rita Payne. Make sure you checkout the links below to keep track of both these artists they are well worth following and seeing live....

 

Rita Payne...

http://ritapaynemusic.com/

 

The Grateful Fred Ukulele Trio

http://www.gratefulfredukuleletrio.co.uk/

 

The Shop Sessions

http://www.thecyclejunction.com/shopsessions/





Garron Frith Returns To The Shop Sessions

Ok I know I'm a bit behind with the Shop Sessions blogs... it's been a crazy full on couple of months for music, cycles & life for us at Shop Sessions Towers(by which I mean our little corner of cycling & music nirvana the shop).

So back in July we were excited to be welcoming back some familiar faces to the Shop Sessions audience... guest for the evening was Paul Henshaw and the featured artist was a return for Garron Frith. Both artists left great impressions in 2014 and both were returning with new material which we were really looking forward to hearing.

Kicking off the night with a new track Paul Henshaw went straight into 'I declare shenanigans' which may possibly be the title of his next album?? and what a start Paul immediately imposes his intentions to deliver emotion filled tales of love, life, death & buying records... Some people really do feel like they are just going through the motions when they play live but you never feel that with Paul Henshaw right from the introduction of the song to the performance he helps connect you to the songs through the description of the part of his life that inspired it and then performing as if reliving the experience all over again. You should go and see Paul live he will take you on an emotional roller coaster and for the right reasons you'll want to cry, get angry, laugh and that's what songs should do fill you with emotion....

 

Paul Henshaw - Bandages & Glue

https://youtu.be/FSg8Uz6OdmQ

 

 





There is no better way to round off a summers evening than a cool drink and some awesome music and that's exactly what we were enjoying as Garron Frith effortlessly flowed between addictive blues, smooth Americana and sophisticated acoustic songs. You get the feeling that if Garron had been born on the other side of the Atlantic he'd have been destined for huge commercial success and I think it's  a damning indictment of mainstream UK music when somebody this good is not a household name. Having seen Garron many times live now it struck me that every time I'm engrossed in his performance and his easy going manner that just makes him seem cool as cucumber under any circumstances whether it's a huge theatre or like this evening an intimate trip over the front rows feet venue.

Charlotte's Choice

Garron Frith - Good Thing

https://youtu.be/MhRwXoJanQA

 

It was great to hear some songs that will be included on the new album Garron is working on right now but equally I always enjoy being reacquainted with old favourites like Good Thing & Not The Man the latter being one of my absolute favourites as Garron hits a riffy blues highpoint in the night. Being able to watch this level of musical mastery up close is just an absolute pleasure and I as with everyone I spoke to from the night left with a huge smile and another magical musical memory and all thanks to Garron Frith. You really should go see Garron live I promise you will not be disappointed.

 

Garron Frith - Not The Man

https://youtu.be/mZu4CszoTbM

 

For everything Garron Frith head to..

http://garronfrith.co.uk/

 

Make sure you keep track of Paul Henshaw here..

http://www.paulhenshaw.com/

 

Finally to find out who's up next come visit us..

http://www.thecyclejunction.com/shopsessions/

 

Slainte Kal Lavelle Live at The Shop Sessions

It seems we are drawn to music and musicians that are linked to Ireland in some way, whether it be that they are Irish or most of their music and background are tied to Ireland. This month was no different we had the wonderful Kal Lavelle who hails from Ireland but now lives in London and we were really looking forward to it...

But before we indulged ourselves in Kal's music we had a great introduction to the nights music by way of Katie O'Malley. See with a name like that there has to be an Irish connection somewhere but as it happens as soon as Katie introduced the first song it was clear that although there may be relatives and family history that goes back to Ireland Katie is firmly rooted in Rochdale... As Katie finger picked her way through the first song it was easy to hear why people around the Manchester area love listening to her self penned tunes. A gentle melody lies beneath a unique voice that has a really interesting gentle rasp. It really is a lovely sound that Katie has and once heard you will never forget that soulful voice....

 

Katie O'Malley Live At The Shop Sessions

https://youtu.be/HhVd5LH3zK8

 

 

Now we've seen Kal Lavelle a few times since her first performance at the Shop Sessions in August 2014 and what never fails to grab me is the way Kal connects with an audience pretty much immediately and this night was no different. Straight away Kal was joking with the audience about losing her beer behind the Shop Sessions banner and then explaining what Slainte (there's supposed to be an accent mark above the a) means to people like me that didn't know. So 'Cheers' er I mean 'Slainte'. Kal started the set with the very beautiful sounding 'Blue Lagoon' which Kal described as the first song she had written that 'wasn't shit'. I don't know how many songs it took to get to Blue Lagoon when Kal started song-writing but what a lovely tune this is. The pace picked up with the foot tappingly ace song 'Kate' which we found out won Kal a song-writing competition at Uni leading to the purchase of the guitar she was playing this very night. So we were already enraptured by the performance so far and then one of the highlights for me was 'Gypsy Blood' my personal favourite track from the 'Shivers' EP. So not only was Kal going to sing probably my fav Kal Lavelle track but she invited up another Shop Sessions favourite Little Rach to help out with the harmonies and it was simply sublime, two superb artists stood a few feet away creating musical magic.

 

 

Kal Lavelle -Blue Lagoon

https://youtu.be/O7SPnX5HkHw

 

 

Kal is so connected to the songs and you can hear it as she emotes as well as sings, you feel the sorrow, the passion, the angst and the elation as she delivers each song with feeling and an honesty that can quite often be missing from an artists live performance especially if they've been playing the songs for a while. It was great to hear Kal play some new songs, in some cases still being written but all sounding like the new Kal Lavelle recordings are going to be all kinds of wonderful. Everyone really enjoyed joining in with Berlin one of Kal's new tunes and another indication that Kal is just going to keep going from strength to strength. It was easy to pick Charlotte's favourite for the video this month as soon as Kal announced she would play 'Breakfast At Tiffany's' the last track off the 'Shivers' EP Charlotte loves this track and you can check it out below to see why...

 

 

Charlotte's Pick - Kal Lavelle - Breakfast At Tiffany's

https://youtu.be/rnqNItLmJVQ

 

Kal was absolutely brilliant again at the Shop Sessions and as proof to that when Kal offered up a choice of two songs to do as the encore the audience insisted on both and not being one to disappoint Kal obliged with excellent performances of 'Sing' and Gnarls Barkley's 'Crazy'.

A special mention goes out to the very very awesome and always welcome Little Rach who did an impromptu performance of 'If You Go' at Kal's request and it was amazing. We can't wait to see Little Rach back out on the road and recording.

 

There is no doubt in our minds you should go grab the Shivers EP and find out where Kal may be playing live by checking out the links below you will be glad you did...

 

For everything Katie O'Malley head to

https://www.facebook.com/katieomalleymusic

 

Go checkout the awesome Kal Lavelle here..

http://www.kallavelle.com/

 

Kal Lavelle also runs some of the best live music events in London and you can find out about the

We Love Shows events here.

http://www.kallavelle.com/we-love-shows.html

 

To find out who is coming up next at The Shop Sessions...

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





Adrian Roye Live at the Shop Sessions

Well this Shop Session seemed to come around quick and if our live scouting trips to see Adrian Roye and Emily Jones earlier this year were anything to go by we were in for a treat...

Guest for the evening was a very talented singer/songwriter from Newcastle-Under-Lyme, so pretty local, called Emily Jones. Emily is just starting out on her musical journey but we were so impressed when we heard her at a local acoustic showcase we knew it would be great to get her down to the shop sessions. Emily introduced us to her lovely melodies accompanied by interesting well thought out lyrics. All the feedback we've had from the evening showed us how right we were to invite Emily along with plenty of people telling us on the evening and in the days following how much they enjoyed Emily's music and everyone was blown away by the fact that she's still only 18. We'll definitely be keeping an eye on Emily Jones as she grows into her musical skin. So a wonderful start to the evening...

Emily Jones -Unthinkable Thought

https://youtu.be/Iq06f2gw5Ug

 





 

 

We have been looking forward to this Shop Session for several months not least because Adrian Roye's  album Reclaimed has become a firm favourite in our house. Couple this with the fact that we were absolutely blown away when we went to see Adrian live at a gig in Birmingham a couple of months ago, we were excited... So no pressure then...

There was definitely no cause for concern as soon as Adrian launched into possibly my favourite song of the last 6 months 'Plastic Bag Goldfish' I was grinning from ear to ear and judging from the response from the audience they were enjoying it just as much.

 

 





 

 

Adrian Roye - The Calling

https://youtu.be/NbEH0kDalpo

 

With Adrian's personable links between songs joking with the audience everyone was soon hooked into his personality as much as the wonderful tones as he performed songs from 'Reclaimed' and the EP 'Telephones & Traffic Lights'. Using a small amp to float beautifully ambient melodies into the room was the perfect backdrop for simply the best vocal performance we've had at the Shop Sessions. Adrian has an amazing vocal range as well as pitch perfect control made even more impressive when you understand that the vocal performance was totally unplugged and it didn't need any electronic interference his natural vocal textures are simply wonderful. The whole performance was uplifting and left me wanting to immediately listen to more Adrian Roye music especially as the album 'Reclaimed' captures Adrian's sound perfectly so it's a great way to remind ourselves of an absolutely fantastic night of live music.

 

Here's one of my absolute favourite tracks off the album played live..

 

Adrian Roye - I Claim You

https://youtu.be/phh7SpG3a8E

 

We can't recommend seeing Adrian Roye live enough whenever & wherever you can so follow the links below and hunt him down and then allow his voice to caress your ears...

 

Everything Adrian Roye & The Exiles can be found here..

http://www.adrianroyemusic.com/

 

To find out more about Emily Jones..

https://www.facebook.com/emilyajonesmusic

 

And if you don't want to miss any of our brilliant Shop Sessions

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

Sublime Shop Session Marc O'Reilly Live

So you all know we get excited about the Shop Sessions and pretty much everyone who comes to play we've already seen live and have the recordings but this one was extra special!!. My apologies to everyone else who's played but Marc O'Reilly has probably been my favourite artist recorded or live of the last couple of years (and I am including in that CDs & live performances from Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Queens Of The Stoneage ace as they were) so this was like a Birthday and Christmas all come at once. So no pressure then but our expectations were high. Had we built ourselves up for a fall?? You'll have to read on to find out....

First up for the evening was Albert Jones who is Marc's lead guitarist in the band as well as an accomplished solo artist. After explaining he'd not played unplugged to an audience since his very first gig Albert went into a lovely finger picked song called 'The Promise'. Seemed to me like he jumped straight into the frying pan lay down and said 'I like it here', what a superb start to the night. With the song 'All I Need' you could really pick out the soulful tones of Al's voice in this intimate setting and it was so easy to immerse yourself into the flow of the songs. 'Ain't No Sunshine' just re-inforced the fact that Al has wonderful soulful tones to his voice which is really impressive as someone who's being touted as a lead guitarist. Al's set was over all too quickly which is always the sign of a top artist and he finished with a Shop Sessions favourite 'This Door' (my daughter had been sat at the front whispering it to him constantly I believe, so well done for not cracking under the immense pressure of a 12yr old ;] ).. Actually if memory serves me right I believe Al did some sort of Bryan Adams jukebox thing to explain that his penultimate song would be a Ryan Adams song not a Bryan Adams song which had everyone in stitches. Anyway where was I?? Oh yes the final song 'This Door' basically it's catchy as hell it has a great riff that makes you move and lyrics that encourage you to sing along what else do you need? We can't recommend Albert Jones highly enough if you get chance to see him live as part of a band or solo just do it......

 

Albert Jones - All I Need

https://youtu.be/MhhPPkr6-ro

So it was time..... Would the performance meet the excitement and expectation???
Marc launched into 'Lord of War' and the answer was an emphatic Hell Yeah!!!
I was into a full on head splitting grin right from the start with 'Lord of War' the music is superb and the message is simple George Bush is a dick!! So moving on...
It was Marc's guitar mastery that first drew me to his music when I was told to check out a session video of 'An African Day' which is an instrumental fingerstyle guitar piece about 2 years ago. Seeing it live and unplugged I have to say was stunning it really does seem to create the soundscape the title suggests.

Marc O'Reilly - An African Day

https://youtu.be/HuZvJ9o1YHA

So two songs in and we'd already been treated to some serious acoustic riffage and then some delicate soul searching sounds, there was no doubt this was going to be a special Shop Session. By this point I was lost in the soul grabbing sounds of the guitar and husky soulful tones of Marc's voice. The performance just oozed charisma and energy creating a real buzz in the room which was palpable. The thing that struck me most about the flow of the music was, unlike some artists Marc doesn't seem to flatline i.e. he doesn't just find a niche and sit in it he takes you from picture painting instrumental, through heartfelt darkness to all out I can't stop myself moving & I feel great, basically a roller coaster of sounds and emotions which means you don't drop into a solid state trans. By the time we reached 'You Never' from the latest album Human Herdings the whole audience was immersed in the sounds, it was great to see head nodding & bodies moving even in this seated & cosy venue.

 

 

Marc O'Reilly - You Never

https://youtu.be/603Pgq5keRU

 

 

It was inevitable after such a performance that this gathering in a bike shop was going to woop, clap and shout for more even though Marc and the Irish based members of the band Peter & Michael had to get to Hollyhead to catch a ferry at 2.30am. It was great that Marc, Albert Jones and Peter Byrne obliged with a wonderful impromptu blues jam with Peter Byrne (normally Marc's drummer) climbing on a Cajon for the first time, they basically took the roof off the place superb!!!

 

 

We can't thank Marc, Albert, Peter, Michael and Oli enough for including us in this UK tour it was simply my favourite gig for atmosphere & quality of music for as long as I can remember. What I'm trying to say is you need to find where Marc O'Reilly and the band are playing and go see them, buy the albums and then tell everyone you know about them. There shouldn't be an Ipod in the world that isn't playing Marc O'Reilly music!!

Here's the Fellowship of the Ring just before they set off on their quest, you can see the Hobbits at the front....

 

 

 

You can find out what's going on with Albert Jones here

http://www.albertjones.co.uk/

 

To immerse yourself in the wonderful sounds of Marc O'Reilly head here

http://www.marcoreillymusic.com/

 

Don't miss live music in a Bicycle Shop

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



Sean Taylor Live at the Shop Sesions

Well that came around fast it seemed like a few days ago we'd had the first Shop Session of 2015 and now we were all ready for Shop Session No2, the month had flown by. We had good reason to be excited we were in for some world class Blues from one of our favourite poetic blues men Sean Taylor and as if that wasn't enough we had multi award winning Jo Bywater as the guest artist.....

It was a special night for us as a family because myself and my 12 yr old daughter were opening up with one song to celebrate her completing her latest guitar exam (I know self indulgent dad gushing in progress, feel free to skip on). Suffice to say the family was very proud....

Anyway on with the show as they say..

The nights guest artist was Shop Sessions favourite Jo Bywater fresh from a succesful 12 months with a FATEA award winning EP 'Chasing Tales' and collecting the Liverpool Acoustic songwriting challenge award. Jo was straight into the distinctive riff of 'Chopping Wood' a track from the 'Chasing Tales' EP it never fails to get the foot tapping. The raw tones of the resonator Jo plays filled the room to great effect and I totally found myself following the rise and fall of each track with plenty of swaying and moving going on (not drink induced before you say anything). We've been lucky enough to see Jo play a few times over the last 12 months and it's been great to hear new songs emerging as she explores the sounds of resonator and blues harp like 'Empty Promises' which we heard for the first time. 'Riches to Rags' brings a side of Jo's vocals to the fore that breathes atmosphere and life into the song making it easy to hear how the sound and writing captivated Liverpool Acoustic.
Well, what a brilliant way to set the night up. If you've never heard Jo Bywater make sure you follow the links below and go see Jo live you'll be as captivated as we are..

Jo Bywater - Empty Promises

https://youtu.be/Ope3m09-cag

To say we were excited about being included in Sean Taylor's latest UK tour was a massive understatement. Having been wowed previously by Sean at the Liverpool Irish festival I knew this was going to be an amazing evening of Blues.
Sean kicked of with a new tune 'Les Rouge Et Les Noirs' which proved a beautiful introduction to Sean's deft touch on the guitar, the notes and vocals just floating in the air. After some schooling in the pronouncation of Sandbach, Sean picked up the pace with Texas Boogie an infectious foot tapping song which I think will be on Sean's forthcoming album just recorded in Austin Texas.  Now don't tell anyone(Top secret info follows ;) ) but Sean did use a delay effect on the evening but we were happy to forego our 'Unplugged' status for such a haunting sound it was simply wonderful and totally immersed you into songs like 'Heaven' & 'So Fine'.

 

Charlotte's Choice

Sean Taylor - Texas Boogie

https://youtu.be/jqMxrLQHfmk

 



Looking around the room everyone seemed just as entranced in the guitar mastery happening in front of us as I was and couple this with interesting and poetic lyrics meant we were lucky enough to witness some music filled magic. Sean doesn't do many cover songs but when he does there is always an interesting reworking to remove the song from it's original guise like the powerful 'Sixteen Tons' which I don't think you will hear anywhere else in the same form. A first for the Shop Sessions was a spoken word piece that reinforced Sean's poetic style and the feedback from the evening was that it really caught the audiences attention.
Sean finished the night with a high energy cover of Richie Havens Freedom followed by the warm appreciation of some very happy music lovers and who could blame them we'd just been treated to as good a night of acoustic blues as you'd find anywhere.

 

Sean Taylor - Hold On

https://youtu.be/vSwMYwNQYjE

A very big thankyou to Jo Bywater & the wonderful Sean Taylor for an amazing night of blues infused music. Make sure you keep a watchful eye out for Sean's new album which will be out later this year.


For eveything Jo Bywater head to
http://jobywater.com/


To find out what's happening with Sean Taylor go to
http://www.seantaylorsongs.com/


Finally to find out who is coming up at the Shop Sessions
http://www.thecyclejunction.com/blog/?page_id=1447

Luke Jackson kicks off 2015 in style

It seems like an eternity since the previous Shop Session way back in November and we were definitely suffering withdrawal symptoms. We didn't realise how much we would miss listening to live original music in the shop. Thankfully the wait was over, February saw the return of the Shop Sessions and what a wonderful start we had planned...

As has become customary Kwalaparla opened up proceedings & to be perfectly honest I can't remember too much about how it all went as I was just really excited that we were off again on another musical journey. I think I did a lot of excited jabbering between 2 or 3 songs & all seemed to be off to a good start..

Once the opening Ritual was over it was time to introduce the nights guest artists Daniel J Logan and Pete Wilson. Daniel & Pete have been session musicians on many recordings with Dan being an integral part of Thea Gilmore's band for a few years. I had seen Dan & Pete perform a few times but always cover songs so I was really interested to see & hear their own material.  I had to wait for the original material as they opened with a great version of Britney Spears 'Hit Me Baby One More Time' (now there's a song I never thought I'd hear at the Shop Sessions). It was great to see them make an instant connection with the audience and everyone was on their side by the end of that first song. From there Dan & Pete ran through 6 or 7 original songs starting with a song called 'Barcelona' penned by Dan. I really enjoyed hearing their original tunes and the stories behind them. The standout tune that I still can't get out of my head over a week later is Neanderthal man, a song about the Misogynistic attitudes Pete's wife encountered at work daily. Listening back to the nights music is helping me remember that a lot of the tunes made me want to dance and bounce about the groove & rhythms really encourage you to nod, tap & stomp along.  So it was a great start to the 2015 Shop Sessions & I thoroughly recommend you go and see Daniel J Logan and Pete Wilson live if you see them listed you'll have a great night.

 

Daniel J Logan & Peter Wilson 'Neanderthal Man'

http://youtu.be/aj1m5g1NmlI

 

To say we were excited about this first Shop Session of 2015 would be quite an understatement & not just because of the long wait from the last one of 2014. In June 2014 we went to watch a 19yr old acoustic artist called Luke Jackson play a gig for Rick Stuarts Roots & Fusion radio show in Stockport and we were quite simply blown away! Luke went straight to the top of our must have artists for the sessions and when October 2014 came around & it was time to start booking artists, Nikki Luke's booking agent, was the first person we contacted. It was all agreed all we had to do now was wait impatiently....

 

As Luke took up position at the front of the Shop it was easy to recognise that that's his natural habitat whether in front of 50 or 5000 people instantly take notice. Starting with a wonderful A Capella intro to Fathers Footsteps the audience was captivated. Luke's voice and Atkin guitar filled the room with a wonderfully bluesy, soulful sound.

 

 

Charlotte's Choice

Luke Jackson 'Sister'

http://youtu.be/YHkeVX7wdw0

 

Seeing and hearing Luke unplugged in this small acoustic space really highlighted the subtleties of his sound from the technically proficient guitar runs to the perfect pronunciation as he delivers the lyrics. It all came back to me how after seeing Luke for the first time I was impressed by the clear and vivid story telling of his songs that demand you listen. I love the range of Luke's songs as well, from the Riffy driving sound of 'Sister' to the gentle, sorrowful tone of 'Out Of Time' amazing range for one man and his guitar.

 

Luke Jackson 'Out Of Time'

http://youtu.be/1FEt9CzzK4Q 













It's a rare gift Luke Jackson has, if you close your eyes and just listen you'd think he'd lived a thousand life times with songs that could be from 100 years ago or yesterday timeless and full of feeling and infused with heartfelt emotion. We really hope that Luke reaps the rewards of his talent & hard work, we can't think of many more deserving a top artist & top fella as well....

 

Well what a start to 2015 absolutely brilliant big thanks to Luke Jackson, Daniel J Logan & Peter Wilson. You should really get out and see these people live and where possible buy the music like Luke Jackson's wonderful album 'Fumes & Faith'

 

For everything Luke Jackson go to

http://lukepauljackson.com/

 

To find out what's happening with Dan & Pete checkout Dan's facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/danieljloganmusician

 

And to find out what's coming up at The Shop Sessions

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