Doors open 7.45pm, concerts start at 8.30pm
CB2 Basement, 5-7 Norfolk Street, Cambridge, CB1 2LD
RACHEL HARRINGTON (USA) AND ROD CLEMENTS
FRAN MCGILLIVRAY AND MIKE BURKE
(Bob Rafkin has had to cancel his UK tour for health reasons)
Following her critically acclaimed debut, “The Bootlegger’s Daughter”, Rachel released “City of Refuge” an album peopled with characters and stories from the American West.
"gothic, inspriringly original" - Q
"like early Gillian Welch...beguiling" - Mojo
"enthralling" - Maverick
web site | MySpace
ROD CLEMENTS
Rod Clements co-founded Lindisfarne at the age of 21, playing bass, slide guitar and fiddle. He went on to write some of the band's best-loved and enduring songs, including their Top Five hit "Meet Me On the Corner", "The Road to Kingdom Come" and "Train in G Major."
Rod's first solo album "Stamping Ground" was released in 2000 and is a collection of contemporary and finely-crafted songs which owe much to Rod's blues roots, his love for the folk tradition, and the history of his native Northumberland in North East England.
web site
“Very impressive” - The Guardian
"The material is beautifully, grippingly balanced - heartbreakingly poignant one minute, rousingly upbeat the next - and the acoustic settings give it all an illuminating freshness" -fRoots
"Absolutely lovely and gorgeous” - Blues in Britain Magazine
Mike’s restrained resonator guitar and Fran’s earthy voice make an intriguing combination that puts a new twist on old music." - Blues Matters Magazineweb site | MySpace
PATSY MATHESON AND CLIVE GREGSON
DREW NELSON (USA)
Patsy was the founder member and one quarter of the award winning female acoustic group, Waking the Witch. They released three groundbreaking albums and a live DVD. They completed numerous tours of the UK, played at many of the major UK festivals, including Cambridge, Trowbridge and Glastonbury and made countless radio appearances, including live sessions on BBC Radio 2 for both Janice Long and Bob Harris.
Following the farewell tour of Waking the Witch in spring 2008, and armed with a bunch of brand new songs, Patsy set about recording a solo album, ‘Little Piece of England’. The new live show features Patsy on guitar and vocals, accompanied by Clive Gregson on acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin and accordion.
web site | MySpace
Clive is an accomplished singer, musician and record producer who started in the music business in the 1970s as the leader of Any Trouble, a band that made five albums and performed hundreds of gigs. Clive then released his first solo record, "Strange Persuasions", described by Hot Press as "a truly exceptional piece of work." The record featured the voice of Christine Collister, and between 1985 and 1992, Gregson & Collister formed a partnership that Rolling Stone called "the state of the art in British folk-rock". Their first four albums all achieved chart success and numerous tours of the UK, USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan further established Clive's world-wide reputation as an innovative leader in the world of British folk-rock.
Over the years Clive has continued to tour the world and release outstanding albums.
web site | MySpace
Every generation has its poets; the writers, musicians, and lyricists who capture the spirit and longings of their time. They tell our stories, giving us the words we need to celebrate or let go. That is the soil in which singer/songwriter Drew Nelson has been toiling.
Drew grew up in Michigan, but escaped the narrow confines of his small-town, Midwestern upbringing by joining the Navy and traveling the world. He was able to see first-hand what was really happening in the world, and come home with fresh eyes to appreciate the realities of life in America. These experiences provided insight and understanding that have found an outlet in songs filled with discovery, revelation, and hope.
Drew’s latest album, Dusty Road to Beulah Land, proves he is not only a great songwriter but also a great storyteller.
web site | MySpace
ANDY IRVINE
ANDY IRVINE
Andy
Irvine has been hailed as "a tradition in
himself." Musician, singer and songwriter, Andy has
maintained both personal integrity and highly individual
performing skills throughout his 40-year career. From
Sweeney's Men in the mid sixties and the enormous
success of Planxty in the 70s, to Irish super group,
Patrick Street, since the 80s, and his current “dream
band,” Mozaik,
Andy has been a world music pioneer and icon for traditional
music and musicians.
Few others can equal his repertoire, Irish traditional
songs, dexterous Balkan dance tunes, and a compelling canon
of his own material that defies description.
It was in 1971 Irvine united with Christy Moore, Donal Lunny
and Liam O'Flynn to form Planxty, fanning the flames
of Irish Traditional Music well into the next generation.
In 1976 he worked and recorded with Paul Brady, making
the classic album
“Andy Irvine & Paul Brady”.
Andy later formed
Patrick Street, featuring Kevin Burke (Bothy Band), Jackie
Daly (De Danaan) and guitar maestro Arty McGlynn,
establishing themselves as one of the finest Irish bands of
our time
Andy Irvine continues along the road he set for himself so
long ago - a vibrant career as a solo artist in the old
style, a teller of stories and maker of music.
web site
Formed in 1999 this very English sounding group play melodic, rolling songs with the emphasis on dynamics and organic sounds. They are lyrically cynical, occasionally dark but not without a glimmer of optimism. James Hibbins' spartan acoustic guitar and rich vocals are now accompanied by Bernard Hoskin on acoustic bass, guitar and mandolin. Their second album "Motes of Dust" was described by Mike Harding on BBC Radio 2 as "an interesting mix of traditional & original songs...I really like it". "I get to hear a lot of bands on my travels: every so often, one really stands out. Pavlov's Cat stood out: they play well, sing well and write very good songs. Highly recommended!" - Clive Gregson.
web site | MySpace
CHRISTINE COLLISTER
Throughout her 20 year career Christine has mesmerized and astounded with her unique blend of soul, blues, pop, jazz, country and folk, and today she remains as powerful, subtle and effortless as ever. Her live performances have always been wonderfully magical experiences and her solo albums have seen her convincingly interpret Smoky Robinson, Nick Drake, Robert Wyatt, Tom Waits, Paul Simon, U2 and Lal Waterson, amongst many others - whilst with every year her own self penned or co-written compositions have developed a distinctive quality - one which connects on a very personal level.
She first came to national attention singing the 1987 theme for the BBC Television series The Life and Loves Of A She Devil. Following a fruitful association with The Richard Thompson Band, Christine enjoyed a period of critical and commercial success in a seven year partnership with Clive Gregson. She also toured and recorded with the female super group Daphne's Flight.
Over the course of her career Christine has become a familiar name on the UK 'live' scene and at all major festivals from Glastonbury to Winnipeg to Cambridge. With a gravity defying voice, assured and impressive live performances and great personal charm she is a phenomenal live act.
'".boundary breaking is routine for Collister and makes her one of the finest grown-up vocalists on the planet..." - Q Magazine
'Christine Collister has a killer voice. As full as Dusty Springfield or as blue as Alison Moyet' - Froots
" … a voice personally delivered by God." - The Times
"Christine Collister can sing the birds down off the trees and send them back with a tiny flick of her vocal chords." - Mojo
web site
CARA LUFT
Canadian Cara Luft was a founder member of The Wailin' Jennys and is turning heads with her blend of roots, folk, rock and country music. With her unique Alt-Roots sound, Luft has a richly deserved reputation for her powerfully elegant guitar work, imaginative songwriting and a distinctive voice that penetrates to the core.
Cara's playing style combines rhythmic grooves, fleet fingers and a commanding resonant sound on the guitar, branching out into mandolin and clawhammer banjo. Her writing is a blend of social commentary, imagination and musical intensity. In performance she balances pathos with joy, telling hilarious stories between songs.
In 2002, Cara joined forces with two other female artists to form The Wailin’ Jennys. Along with a third of the songwriting duties, she was the instrumental anchor and a major contributor to their renowned vocal harmony arrangements. Two Jennys’ albums resulted - the second of which, "40 Days", was awarded a Juno Award for Best Roots Album (Group) in 2005.
She returned to solo performing in 2004 and her most recent album "The Light Fantastic"
was been nominated for a Western Canadian Music Award - Outstanding Roots Recording of the Year.
“a rich roots travelogue whose traditional heart beats with a wholly contemporary pulse. It spans the distance between the mists of English folk balladry and Middle East mysticism, through to the Mississippi Delta and the rustic wonders of the Appalachian Hills, with a certain fearless reverence and no small amount of soul." - Ottawa XpressGilmore
web site | MySpace
