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World Unlimited What's On
World Unlimited: 2010: music - the key to new frontiers
World Unlimited 20th Anniversary Patron - Seth Lakeman
World Unlimited-Celebrating the worlds finest music since 1989
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September 6th
Kath Bloom + This Frontier Needs Heroes
Kitchen Garden Cafe 7.30pm
Kath Bloom is some kind of legend, she comes from a special place where country, blues and folk are made beautifully translucent and emotive. Highly regarded but a bit of a mystery. The Connecticut based singer/songwriter has a special gift - her almost supernaturally beautiful, wavering soprano is one that has to be heard, she has a clear transparent moonlight quality that has a earthly raw quality that can silence a room. Kath made some very very limited edition albums in the 70’s and 80’s with the amazingly (and equally dreamlike) guitarist Loren Mazzacane Connors, full of songs that float and melt into the ether. Impossibly beautiful. However music was put on the back burner as life changed and she raised a family, trained ‘problem horses’ and taught special music programmes to kids. Just as she was starting to write and release CD-R’s again, Richard Linklater decided to use her song ‘Come Here’ in his 1995 film ‘Before Sunrise’. Life altered - not much - but the public conciousness was rightfully tweaked. Slowly her old recordings and new material have been seeping back into the world. This included a special tribute album by artists such as Josephine Foster, Bill Callahan, Devendra Banhart, Mark Kozelek and Scout Niblet. The more you hear of Kath Bloom, the more you notice it’s not just the arresting voice, but the power of the songwriting. “Beautiful” is the typical response—the kind of beauty that comes from truth, musical and lyrical. “Devasting” comments NPR’s Song of the Day. There are no good comparisons, but imagine the cool of Joni Mitchell combined with the heat of Maria Callas. In reality, she’s simply Kath Bloom: vocalist, songwriter and musician extraordinaire. 'One of the most beautiful singers ever. Heartbreaking'.—Devendra Banhart 'One of this country’s finest living songwriters'.—Andria Spring+ This Frontier Needs Heroes
This Frontier Needs Heroes is the American Folk duo of brother-sister Brad and Jessica Lauretti. Listening to This Frontier Needs Heroes is like having Brad and Jessica play in your backyard while the sun comes up. They play intimate, striped down songs full of honest personal stories of love, loss and longing for a better world. Both poetic and rowdy, Brad and Jessica will make you laugh and cry with their raw powerful delivery and delicate harmonies. Their 2009 debut release "This Frontier Needs Heroes" received much acclaim from NPR, Time Out New York, Time Out London and Decider. They received a new level of attention with enthusiastic blog coverage from around the globe and hundreds of shows across the US and UK including dates with Tallest Man on Earth, The Handsome Family and the End of the Road Festival. “Their music ranges from simply arranged, heartbreaking ballads to raucous foot-tappers, complete with rambling electric guitar solos and handclaps... both call to mind vast and often desolate American landscapes.” NPR|
Tickets now available for Kath Bloom from www.WeGotTickets.com |
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September 19th
Son Of Eagle ,Chris Ricketts and Mark Willshire, Crayon
Music touches the hearts of people in many different ways... it joyously brings together unlikely friends and creates all sorts of unusual musical combinations. This is where you will find Ben Edmonds, Dean Collier, Sarah Lloyd, Phil Thompson and Dave Hart: a curious mix of personalities, creative strengths and skilful musical abilities. Son of Eagle. With such different musical backgrounds and styles, few would put these 5 together. Could it be an accidental meeting and collaboration of minds? Doubtful. These 5 were meant to create and perform the fantastic music they make together. Their first EP was released in March 2010
Hare & Hounds 7.30pm
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September 17th- 19th
Acoustica Festival
Exeter Phoenix
alt-folk, folktronica and Americana - 50+ artists across 4 stages. Also including DJ's, films and an alt-art fair. Featuring: Scott Matthews, Alasdair Roberts, Cate Le Bon, Andy Votel, Ruarri Joseph, Smoke Fairies, Sweet Baboo, The Mountains and the Trees, Erinn Williams, Rodney Branigan, The Miserable Rich, Urusen and many others Both day and weekend tickets are available. Ticket link - http://www.exeterphoenix.org.uk/acoustica_festival.php_________________________
September 22nd
+ support Abi + Howard James Kenny
Rainbow Courtyard 7.30pm
+ support Abi
Born in the heart of England and immersed in the musical heritage of a legendary legacy, meet Abi! This talented and exceptional musician is 16 summers old and writes, sings and plays music with a maturity yet precocious talent that can be simply described as sensational.+ support Howard James Kenny
Influences from Nick Drake to Stars of the Lid to Juana Molina to Liars to Tom Baxter and onwards… Task In Hand Promotions – "His solo side arm had it’s first outing last month and he managed to blow everyone away with a sensational set! Some call him ‘a one man Sigur Ros’, some call him ‘a whisper in a giant cave’, some call him ‘acoustic Fuck Buttons’, we call him Howard James Kenny … and he’s ruddy good!" 2000 Trees – For fans of Oceansize & Sigur Ros… "Fink meets Aled Jones"|
Tickets now available for Tommy Reilly from www.WeGotTickets.com |
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September 23rd
Girlyman
Hare & Hounds 7.30pm
Girlyman are the kind of band you just never want to leave the stage. Think Simon & Garfunkel, think Mamas and Papas, think ‘I must be in heaven’. Girlyman formed in 2001 in Brooklyn, where the friends shared an apartment, the first few years brought critical delight, awards, and long opening runs with the Indigo Girls and Dar Williams. Girlyman quickly became a strong headliner in its own right, and now plays in every corner of the country to intensely loyal "girlyfans" who often travel hundreds of miles to see shows. Girlyman sells out renowned venues such as The Barns at Wolftrap, The Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, The Ark, and The Freight and Salvage. They also frequent festival main stages, making a huge splash this past year at the Ann Arbor Folk Festival, the Kate Wolf Memorial Folk Festival, and the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, to name a few.“Heartbreakingly beautiful. Theirs is a sound you could happily drown in” Maverick Magazine 2010 "Just when you really get into the groove of the best new folk-rock band to appear on the scene since Ani DiFranco reinvented the "one girl, one guitar" routine, Little Star is over. At the end of "This Is Me," you're abandoned, left howling for more; naked, crazy, and prepared to hunt down Ty, Nate, and Doris so you can make them sing to you all day long. Then the repeat function on your stereo kicks in, and your inner beast is calmed for another 46.4 minutes." Boston Edge|
Tickets now available for Girlyman from www.WeGotTickets.com |
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September 26th
Patsy Matheson, accompanied by Clive Gregson
Kitchen Garden Cafe 7.30pm
‘A magical pairing of an ex Waking the Witch songstress with one of the country’s finest guitarists’ Celebrated singer/songwriter Patsy Matheson - recently described as ‘one of the UK 's great contemporary female folk musicians’ - has teamed up with guitar ace Clive Gregson to create one of the liveliest and most dynamic acoustic collaborations around. Patsy, probably best known for her work with the award-winning acoustic outfit Waking the Witch, certainly knows her way around the UK folk circuit. Prior to forming Waking the Witch, she had released two self-penned albums, performed solo at Glastonbury Festival and even won a song writing competition where the judge was no other than Clive Gregson… Now based in the US, Manchester-born Gregson, as well as performing solo, has also worked with Nanci Griffiths, Christine Collister, Eddi Reader and the Richard Thompson Band. An established singer-songwriter, he is also, according to Guitar Player magazine, one of the world’s top 1000 Guitarists. This will be Patsy’s second tour with Clive, and she is delighted to have him joining her on acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin and accordion. For more information, see www.patsymatheson.co.uk or www.clivegregson.com|
Tickets now available for Patsy Matheson and Clive Gregson from www.WeGotTickets.com |
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October 4th
Thea Gilmore + support Louis Eliot and the Embers
Glee Club 7.30pm
“Here’s to tonic, here’s to gin, here’s to sparks and here’s to gasoline…” You’re The Radio We are lucky to have musicians like Thea Gilmore, musicians that want more from themselves and more from music than some pre-formed, whistle-friendly cud, something to chew on but never fully digest. In an age where artists – male and female – tend to be either hyper-sexualised or completely neutered, Gilmore is that rare creature, an actual adult with a heart and a soul, a grown up with an opinion. Thea Gilmore is a real person tackling the sort of issues real people deal with every day, only, unlike the rest of us, she tackles those issues with an utterly beautiful voice and songs that touch on folk and jazz and rock and Americana. Not for no reason does Bruce Springsteen buy her records, do artistes ranging from Martha Wainwright to Mike Scott seek to collaborate with her, and not for no reason does Tom Waits’ celebrated percussionist Michael Blair appear on Murphy’s Heart, Gilmore’s tenth album – one that follows a sustained period of artistic and critical success._________________________
October 17th
Commercially Inviable Special with James Summerfield, Richard Burke, World Of Fox
Richard Burke
Richard Burke previously screamed his way through seven years of Indie rock mayhem with the wonderfully shambolic Starries before deciding that his delicate, lusty vocal chords were much better suited to the comparatively quieter world of off-kilter folk. His forthcoming debut album, “An Ocean Full Of Broken Stars”, clocks in at just under 30 minutes and is simply a magical, mesmerising collection of songs. Listeners to the album will immediately be drawn to future single, “Brown Eyes, Dark Hair” and his stunning, highly personal take on Yazoo’s “Only You”. Whilst Indie Rock mourns his loss, then, Off-Kilter Folk can rejoice as he melds the fluent guitar style of Jose Gonzalez to the tunefulness of Teenage Fanclub, all the while incorporating his wonderfully quirky and often heart-wrenching lyrics. To paraphrase the shy, often self-deprecating man himself, some people just think he's shit. A more generous, objective observer would suggest that such people merely fail to see his worth. For the record, we think the naysayers are misguided fools. “An Ocean Full Of Broken Stars”, will be released on Commercially Inviable in Autumn 2010
World Of Fox
A prolific and committed independent musician, Simon Fox aka World Of Fox, was formerly leader of Birmingham’s post-rock pioneers, Grover. Between 1993 and 2003 Grover released a host of albums, singles and split releases on independent labels around the world. Broadcasts on BBC Radio1 (including a Peel Session in 2001), plus airtime on a variety of independent stations in Europe and the USA, helped Grover build a dedicated international fan-base and influence the UK post-rock scene. As well as performing solo, Simon can often be seen/heard collaborating with other artists. Most notably, he was one half of electronica duo Krafla, was a founder member of the Experimental Music Collective, recorded and gigged an album with Clair Horton, is currently working with James Summerfield and is a regular guest DJ for the Grumpy Man DJs. His debut album on Commercially Inviable is “Everything is for the Best”,Hare & Hounds 7.30pm
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October 19th
Anais Mitchell + support
Hare & Hounds 7.30pm
From a 200-year-old farmhouse in rural Vermont, Anaïs Mitchell writes songs that are as intimate as conversations and as rich in detail as short stories. With three full length critically acclaimed albums under her belt, including ‘Hadestown’ which received sensational reviews from all corners such as The Guardian, Times, Rolling Stone and NME, Mitchell is that rare musician who is equally comfortable wielding an acoustic guitar alone onstage, or scripting a vast operatic journey into the underworld. In 2004, Mitchell made her debut record, ‘Hymns for the Exiled’, produced by long-standing collaborator Michael Chorney. A copy of the record found its way to Ani DiFranco, who offered to release her next album, The Brightness, and later a collaboration with Rachel Ries, ‘The Country EP’. The following few years saw Mitchell continuing to play shows around the world, while simultaneously working on ‘Hadestown’, her most ambitious project to date - an epic “folk opera” retelling of the Orpheus myth. The piece began as a live performance created in collaboration once more with Michael Chorney who arranged and orchestrated the songs, and fellow Vermont director Ben t. Matchstick. In their neck of the woods—TV-less by choice, far from big cities, in a land of radical politics and culture—making your own entertainment, and getting your friends and neighbors to help you flesh it out, is the only way to go. After fine-tuning the show, the trio gathered a cast of two dozen, commandeered a silver-spraypainted schoolbus, and hit the road (through several blizzards) for a couple of ragtag DIY tours of New England. The next logical step? Hadestown, the album. Mitchell’s songs and Chorney’s orchestral arrangements were re-imagined by producer Todd Sickafoose and performed by a dream-team lineup including Ani DiFranco, Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Greg Brown, and Mitchell herself, among others. The resulting album caught the attention of critics and music fans across the world, receiving five star reviews and raves from some of the most esteemed publications around. “Multi-layered, sensationally good and endlessly absorbing…an extraordinary album.” THE SUNDAY TIMES, UK, ‘Hadestown‘, CD of the Week ***** “Mitchell has created something joyful and witty that yields more with every listen” THE GUARDIAN, UK ***** “Hadestown is nothing short of incredible, whether you extract individual tracks like ‘Wedding Song” or listen to the endearing tale as an artfully rollicking whole. Mitchell has always been good, but “Hadestown” is her Odyssey” NME 9/10 ’Hadestown’ has made Mitchell an Americana princess” UNCUT *****|
Tickets now available for Anais Mitchell + support from www.WeGotTickets.com |
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October 20th
Ellen and the Escapades - "of all the times"
Hare & Hounds 7.30pm
Leeds based Ellen and the Escapades are finding themselves firmly at the front of the alt-folk wave currently sweeping the UK and beyond. Their self released debut single “Without You” bought them to the attention of both music lovers and the music industry and also led to the band being asked to play the BBC Introducing stage at both Leeds and Reading Festivals. This year started with studio sessions from which they appeared, blinking in the sunlight, just in time to be booked for a main stage appearance at Glastonbury as winners of the Q Magazine/Glastonbury Emerging Talent competition. “This gorgeous self-released single showcases a band with a fine line in bittersweet melodies whose eponymous front woman soothes your ears with her soft, Yorkshire lilt. Definitely one to watch.” The Guardian “We've got a fantastic new band; I was so thrilled with them. They're called Ellen and the Escapades and they’ll be playing all over the place." Michael Eavis (Glastonbury Festival)|
Tickets now available for Ellen & The Escapades "of all the times" from www.WeGotTickets.com |
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November 2nd
An Intimate Evening with Raul Malo
Glee Club 7.30pm
The former Mavericks vocalistenlists Steve Berlin of Los Lobos as co-producer and releases his first album of new songs in seven years. Malo has an exceptional voice, a burnished tenor that harks back to Roy Orbison and the great Cuban singer Beny Moré. NEW YORK TIMES Raul Malo has a voice on par with the best: Sinatra, George Jones and Orbison. ROLLING STONE Malo’s superb voice is big and melodic with a natural vibrato. Exquisite.” WALL STREET JOURNAL On “Lucky One”, his first album of original material in seven years, Raul Malo has shed his musical shackles. “I have been fighting my whole life against people who want to pigeonhole music. We fought that in the Mavericks. I feel like I’ve got no restrictions anymore,” the Grammy winner says. “I’m not really writing for any specific genre. I feel like I can do whatever I want.” Clearly, followers of Malo’s eclectic career — both with the Mavericks and after — know he’s always chafed at placing any confines on music. Or, as he laughingly confesses, “If most people do what I’ve done in my career, they’d be driving a taxi by now.” And a voice like his deserves a loving, sturdy melody to wrap itself around. Although completely contemporary, the music on Lucky One recalls the great tunes of the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s, made famous by Malo’s musical heroes like Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Merle Haggard and Buck Owens. The songs on his Fantasy Records debut range from the silly to the sublime, by Malo’s own design, and draw on his deep love of country, rock, jazz and Latin music. After close to 20 years of making music, Malo is having more fun than ever. “I get to play exactly what I want. I have a great band. I have great fans,” he says. “It’s really fantastic. And the creative freedom I have now, I wouldn’t trade that for the world.” The liberation that true talent and vision bring has led to the ultimate freedom so lovingly evident on Lucky One: “I know that at the end of the day I can go somewhere with my guitar and someone will come see me.” Raul will be accompanied by Michael Guerra (accordian & bajo sexto)._________________________
November 16th
Lulo Reinhardt
Kitchen Garden Cafe 7.30pm
Lulo Reinhardt is from the clan of Reinhardt’s to which belongs his grand uncle, the world famous musician Django Reinhardt. At the age of five he was taught by his father Bawo, and played in the Mike Reinhardt sextet from the age of 12. From a traditional long line of performing musicians, Lulo represents one of the most unique voices in Gypsy music today. “he audience often expects me toplay exclusively in the style of Django Reinhardt. As well as this, I Have found a style of my own.” Lulo explore’s a fusion of styles from Flamenco, Latin, Brazilian Jazz combined with his own artistic stamp and Gypsy influences. His name has achieved international acclaim. He founded “I Gitanos” with his father Bawo and cousin Dege. The first result of their new way, Gypsy goes Latin to which Nicky Marrero participated In 2008 Lulo found a new audience in Australia after a successful tour. He recorded a CD and DVD, “Lulo Reinhardt Live in Melbourne”. In 2009, Lulo toured with IGN (international Guitar Night) in Europe, USA and Canada. Lulo has played on many major events such as Rock Gegen Hass, International Cultural Festival Sahara en el Corazón (Algeria - with Brazilian guitarist Zezo Ribeiro), World Roma Festival Khamoro, Jazz Goes to Town (Czech Republic), Jazz and Blues Festival (Czech Republic) and Sidmouth Folk week (UK). Today Lulo Reinhardt’s International Latin-Swing project feature’s violinist Daniel Weltlinger from Australia, bassist Harald Becher from Germany, drummer Uli Krämer from Germany and keyboardist Sean Mackenzie from Australia. In 2010, The Latin Swing Project released a new album. They are touring in Australia, Europe and The UK. "..the finest concert of acoustic guitar I have ever seen.." John Shand. The Sydney Morning Herald|
Tickets now available for Lulo Reinhardt from www.WeGotTickets.com |
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November 24th
Emily Portman
Kitchen Garden Cafe 7.30pm
Emily Portman is a singer, writer and concertina player based in the North East of England. She is also fast making waves beyond the folk scene, being featured as a soloist on the BBC's adaptation of 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' as well as appearing on alt-folk songwriter Alasdair Roberts’ forthcoming album. Emily originally hails from Glastonbury, where, raised on a diet of fairytales and deep Somerset folklore she began songwriting at the age of six, starting out with a keyboard, a tape recorder and a thirst for blood-curdling stories. After years immersed in traditional songs, Emily's return to songwriting has already grabbed attention across the BBC, with a live session for radio 6, high praise on radio 2 and with Radio 3’s ‘Words and Music’ broadcasting live performances of songs from the album at their 'Free Thinking' Festival'. Inspired by folktales and ballads, Emily weaves harmony-rich narratives relaying female experience, accompanied by viola player and singer Lucy Farrell (fresh from touring with The Unthanks) and harpist-singer Rachel Newton of BBC folk Award Nominees The Shee. These visceral visions of a darker Albion conjure landscapes where mythical sirens collide in urban backstreets. Emily’s 2010 debut album ‘The Glamoury’ has been received with overwhelming critical acclaim, with The Observer hailing it ‘A remarkable and original debut.’ 'From the first moment I heard Emily sing, I knew that she was special. She is beautiful and charming, and with her love of the tradition and her well-chosen songs, she graces the English folk scene.'Shirley Collins|
Tickets now available for Emily Portman from www.WeGotTickets.com |
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