Sunday, January 25, 2009

Traditional North American songs, ballads and blues



Sara Grey, Kieron Means & Ben Paley

Rose's West End Bar, Lismore on Saturday January 31st at 9.00pm
"… Sara has gained a reputation not only for her excellent singing and playing … but also for the sheer warmth and enthusiasm that she radiates to her audience …" - Brighton’s "Friday Folk"

"… much loved and admired by almost anyone that has seen her sing …" - Bob Walton, Southern Rag

"… everything she does is characterised by freshness and enthusiasm … You couldn’t hear half a dozen bars and think it was somebody else … She is one of the select band of performers that still breathe life and vitality into traditional ballads …" - Vic Smith, Folk Roots

"… There are certain singers who have been involved with traditional music over many years – Ray Fisher and Sara Grey also spring to mind – for whom the arts of a singer and of a story teller merge to produce a web of tales and songs capable of transporting an audience from a club room to the intimacy of a kitchen fire side." - Brian Peters in a review of a Roy Harris performance, Folk Roots

"singing by turns restrained, triumphant, gentle, strong, fun and deeply emotional, but always with that beautiful rhythmic vitality that is Sara’s voice." - Molly Nudds, Prittle Prattle

"… clear singing done from the heart … my opinion is that her butterfly voice which expresses a lyric so well, needs only her banjo behind it to make a complete musical statement." - Roy Harris

"… An evening in her company is akin to sitting in a friend’s kitchen, drinking her wine and sharing her songs and stories. When it comes to an end, you feel at peace with the world." - Mick Tems, Taplas

A fantastic evening of voice, fiddle, guitar and banjo, and did I mention the storytelling?

Web Address: http://www.maclurg.com/SaraGrey/index.htm

Friday, January 16, 2009

Canadian Star Lynn Miles



Lynn Miles

Wednesday January 21st at 8.30pm, Rose's West End Bar, Lismore
It has always been a puzzle that Lynn Miles hasn't managed to translate critical raves and peer esteem into broader good fortune. But a world that makes room for say, Lucinda Williams, ought to be able to spare some well-deserved success for Miles ... (Toronto Sun)

The evening's main revelation was Canadian singer-songwriter Lynn Miles. She sang half a dozen songs, and every one boasted a glorious pop melody that rose and fell over surprising chord changes ... (Washington Post)

http://www.lynnmilesmusic.com/home.html

Sunday, January 04, 2009

A Bittersweets Start to 2009


The Bittersweets
Saturday January 10th at 9.00pm, Rose's West End Bar, Lismore
The Bittersweets—Chris Meyers (guitar, keyboards, vocals) and Hannah Prater (vocals, guitar)—live up to their name. They fuse yellows and blues, sunniness and melancholy, with evocative lyrics and lush arrangements, transcendent melodies and Prater’s alluring voice.

http://www.thebittersweets.com/