A many-layered, multi-textured, one-man folk festival

Walter Strauss
Roses's West End Bar, Saturday May 30th at 9.00 pm
“What a lovely album it is” - Bob Harris BBC Radio 2. This is how the legendary radio presenter describes "Pulling Shadows", the superb album by Californian Walter Strauss. After landing in the UK with a May 9th appearance on Bob's BBC 2 show, Walter will be bringing his fingerstyle guitar wizardry and soulful songs our way.

This fellow is a one man guitar festival. His music is simultaneously fiery and refined, and his multi-layered guitarwork will make you swear several instruments are playing at once. With roots in American music and musicality that evokes far reaches of the globe, Walter weaves Americana, world beat, and jazz into a brand uniquely his own. His music reaches to the heart of the matter, whether in a song about the vast American West or an ambitious guitar translation of far-flung traditional music.

Walter has performed throughout North America, the UK and Ireland with musicians ranging from Grammy nominated kora master Mamadou Diabate to singer-songwriter Corinne West and fiddle legend Vassar Clements. His solo shows are not to be missed. Check Walter out at www.walterstrauss.com or www.myspace.com/walterstrauss.

Rock and Blues from Australia - Jeff Lang

Jeff Lang
Rose's West End Bar, Saturday 16th May at 9.00 pm
A guitarist, singer and songwriter, Jeff has built up a reputation for startlingly original performances, working without a set list, allowing the unique energy of each night to shape the songs.

"Seeing Jeff Lang was like being at church for three hours - a totally sacred event. He's the man as far as I'm concerned." John Butler

"Lang’s music is as fiercely original as it is moving ." Guitar Player Magazine

"Lang is really the godfather of an Australia-based back-to-basics blues movement that now encompasses the John Butler Trio, Ash Grunwald and Xavier Rudd." Bruce Elder Sydney Morning Herald

Website: http://www.jefflang.com.au/

23/08/2009
Here is a review of the gig and some photos, above, from Dave:

‘Murderous Folk’ On The Loose in Lismore

Jeff Lang unleashed his firebrand folk blues at the West End Bar Lismore on 16th May, one of 14 dates on a brief UK/Ireland tour.

Aussie Lang strapped on his acoustic guitar and opened the first set airing some brand new songs, which showed us he still the master of deafening silence, subtlety, tension & violence; before switching to lap steel for the majority of the gig. Ably accompanied by long time bass cohort Grant Cummerford, the crowd were regaled with tunes from his recent recording ‘Half Seas Over’; which is chock-a-block with gritty, gothic tales of greed, ghostlyness and smalltown skullduggery, also a song inspired by Mooncoin!

After the break the ARIA 2006 award winner continued to trawl into his extensive body of works (20 odd solo albums) and when, during finale ‘London’ they launched into an extended piece of fretwork floridity I half expected to see the landlady charge the stage with a fire extinguisher such was the intensity of the playing.

The standing ovation encouraged the acoustic dynamic duo to a couple of encores which sadly wrapped up their two hour set.

Support on the night was talented troubadour from Lismore Mark O’Reilly, who played five acoustic original songs with panache, one to watch for the future.

Gigs for June & July 2009

Blackwater River, Lismore, in flood

John has lined up some high quality gigs for the Summer:

Hat Fitz & Cara Robinson, Wednesday June 10th, venue to be announced. See http://www.hatfitz.net/index.htm

Wishing Well Band, Wednesday June 17th, venue to be announced. See http://thewishingwellband.com/blog/category/events/

Otis Gibbs, Wednesday July 1st, venue to be announced. See http://otisgibbs.com/

Rachel Harrington at the Shanachie

Rachel Harrington
Tuesday May 5th at 8.30 pm
Seanachie Bar, Dungarvan, County Waterford, phone 058-46285

Reared among the Pentecostal pines of Oregon, Rachel Harrington has been doing things in the wrong order for quite some time. She'd had extensive radio play before performing her live show, and she was opening for Grammy winners and nominees before releasing her first record.

“A roots musician in the truest and purest sense... like reading a beautifully written novel ... haunting.” ~ NetRhythms

“Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch...Rachel Harrington. These comparisons don’t seem far-fetched at all given the extraordinary excellence of this debut.” ~ Glitterhouse

Web: http://www.rachelharrington.net/