It's very exciting to report that Young Runaways will be performing live on tonight's Janice Long show on BBC Radio 2. The show starts at 12am and will be on iplayer for anyone who isn't a night owl!
Young Runaways features my friends Matty Pinfield (who plays Drums at some of my gigs and produced three of the songs on my EP) and Lucy Phillips (who plays the lovely violin solo on my song Very Own Way)
Thursday, 30 June 2011
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
Had a lot of fun at two excellent gigs last week, one at The Crossroads Blues Club with Matty and Mick, and the other playing a duo set with Mick at The Black Boy Inn in Bridgnorth.
At the crossroads we played the main set after the night was kicked off with an open mic session hosted by the wonderful Chickenbone Blues Band Among the open mic performers was the magnificent Dave Bristow who features in this short video I filmed
Matty Pinfield offered his services to the Chickenbone Blues Band for a rollicking set that ended the first part of the evening
And then we took the stage, performing mostly blues (it's a blues club, you see)
plus originals and a few surprises, like this impromptu version (as much a surprise to us as anyone!)
Thanks to Mike Dickeson for these pictures.
Saturday, 11 June 2011
Songwriter's Cafe, BCR FM
On Thursday night I was thrilled to hear my track Very Own Way on Big City Radio 89.1fm. They have an unsigned show every Thursday night from 7pm. Many thanks to presenter Phil Docker and the rest of the team.
I heard it having just got into the car on the way to play guitar for Louise Kilbride at Songwriter's Cafe hosted by the wonderful songwriter Paul Murphy. Described on Paul's website as a "weekly live radio show from a microvenue under the treehouse" this gig was brilliant and it's impossible to do it justice on here (especially as I'd stupidly left my camera at home.)
Basically Paul hosts the evening before an invited audience and at the same time the whole thing is broadcast on the Internet via Paul's website and Rhubarb Radio. From time to time the team manning the Internet side of things share what those listening on line are saying, and in return they get name checked and cheered for by everyone in the room.
The acts performing were all superb. It was very cool to see some familiar faces among the performers; David Timothy who runs the wonderful Free Love Club at The Yardbird (I'm there on July 3rd) performed a very touching set of honest and witty tracks in his trade mark finger picking style. Kevin Frankie Williams with Dave Smith who are both regulars at The Crossroads Blues Club (I'm there on June 16th) finished the evening with excellent original blues songs that went everywhere from emotional and tragic to joys and hysterical.
An act I hadn't come across before were Layla Tutt and The Good Lads, a three piece who made an incredible, inimitable sound featuring all kinds of unusual and very cool instruments.
Paul Murphy began the night with three beautiful, poetic tracks that illustrated how much he deserves the respect and affection this little community of music lovers showed him.
It was my first exposure to Songwriter's Cafe and apparently I've really been missing out on an important bit of local music history as it's be going through various guises and venues since 1996 (see the website for more info)
A great event, I hope to return.
I heard it having just got into the car on the way to play guitar for Louise Kilbride at Songwriter's Cafe hosted by the wonderful songwriter Paul Murphy. Described on Paul's website as a "weekly live radio show from a microvenue under the treehouse" this gig was brilliant and it's impossible to do it justice on here (especially as I'd stupidly left my camera at home.)
Basically Paul hosts the evening before an invited audience and at the same time the whole thing is broadcast on the Internet via Paul's website and Rhubarb Radio. From time to time the team manning the Internet side of things share what those listening on line are saying, and in return they get name checked and cheered for by everyone in the room.
The acts performing were all superb. It was very cool to see some familiar faces among the performers; David Timothy who runs the wonderful Free Love Club at The Yardbird (I'm there on July 3rd) performed a very touching set of honest and witty tracks in his trade mark finger picking style. Kevin Frankie Williams with Dave Smith who are both regulars at The Crossroads Blues Club (I'm there on June 16th) finished the evening with excellent original blues songs that went everywhere from emotional and tragic to joys and hysterical.
An act I hadn't come across before were Layla Tutt and The Good Lads, a three piece who made an incredible, inimitable sound featuring all kinds of unusual and very cool instruments.
Paul Murphy began the night with three beautiful, poetic tracks that illustrated how much he deserves the respect and affection this little community of music lovers showed him.
It was my first exposure to Songwriter's Cafe and apparently I've really been missing out on an important bit of local music history as it's be going through various guises and venues since 1996 (see the website for more info)
A great event, I hope to return.
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Crossroads Blues Club
The Robert Lane Band (Robert lane, Mick Jeynes and Matty Pinfield) perform the headline set at The Crossroads Blues Club, Birmingham on the 16th of June.
The band will play a mix of original tracks (including some new never heard before songs) and covers of Blues songs by artists including Robert Johnson, Chuck Berry and Eric Clapton.
They will also welcome special friends as guests to jam at the end of the evening.
The night will kick of with an open mic session.
Here’s some info from the Crossroads Website
Rob is a young Birmingham-based Guitarist, Songwriter and Singer and great supporter of The Crossroads. In May 2010 he was chosen by the LG Arena to perform before concerts by both Dire Straits' front man Mark Knopfler and international superstar singer/songwriter John Mayer. Robert exudes a proudly eclectic style which touches on introverted singer songwriter and broken hearted blues journeyman.
The band will play a mix of original tracks (including some new never heard before songs) and covers of Blues songs by artists including Robert Johnson, Chuck Berry and Eric Clapton.
They will also welcome special friends as guests to jam at the end of the evening.
The night will kick of with an open mic session.
Here’s some info from the Crossroads Website
Rob is a young Birmingham-based Guitarist, Songwriter and Singer and great supporter of The Crossroads. In May 2010 he was chosen by the LG Arena to perform before concerts by both Dire Straits' front man Mark Knopfler and international superstar singer/songwriter John Mayer. Robert exudes a proudly eclectic style which touches on introverted singer songwriter and broken hearted blues journeyman.
Monday, 6 June 2011
Standing in The shadows of Mowtown
My mate Mick Jeynes who plays Bass in The Robert Lane Band has lent me one of the best music films I've ever seen.
It's the story of The Funk Brothers, the session musicians who played on the Mowtown records of the 50s, 60s and 70s. As the opening sequence of the film points out these musicians "played on more number-one hits than The Beatles, Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, and The Beach Boys combined."
The film not only tells the story of Hitsville USA, the small recording Studio where so much of the defining music of the twentieth century was recorded, but also reunites many of the original Funk Brothers for an amazing concert.
Watch this slightly cheesy advert to get a feel for the film.
It's the story of The Funk Brothers, the session musicians who played on the Mowtown records of the 50s, 60s and 70s. As the opening sequence of the film points out these musicians "played on more number-one hits than The Beatles, Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, and The Beach Boys combined."
The film not only tells the story of Hitsville USA, the small recording Studio where so much of the defining music of the twentieth century was recorded, but also reunites many of the original Funk Brothers for an amazing concert.
Watch this slightly cheesy advert to get a feel for the film.
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