On Friday 1st of June Grateful Fred is co-hosting the appearance of The Sally Spring Band from Nashville, USA at Cafe D’Art in Formby village.

We were unable to arrange for Sally to play at Grateful Fred’s as our dates didn’t’ coincide but Kevin at the Cafe D’Art was able to arrange for her to play there.

It’s a great opportunity to hear a real stalwart of the American acoustic music scene in person in a really intimate atmosphere.

If you were at the Cafe last month when we had the wonderful Stacey Earle and Mark Stuart playing you’ll know how intimate the atmosphere was.

WARNING!! The Cafe D’Art is a small venue so I’d recommend you get there handy to ensure you get a good spot.

Entry is FREE and Sally will appear at 9.00pm.

Here’s a recent video of Sally appearing at Gerdes Folk City 50th Anniversay Concert in New York City.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

This month Graham and all at Liverpool Acoustic welcome  the return of  Lizzie Nunnery three years after she last performed for us.

In support they’ve got Dan Whitehouse from Wolverhampton, Dayve Dean from Cheshire, and The Science of the Lamps.

Tickets are £5 in advance from wegottickets.com/liverpoolacoustic or £6 on the door.

Doors open at 8.00pm with music starting at 8.30pm sharp. The night finishes at 11.15pm

You can hear all of the artists on the latest edition of the Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight.

In the world of roots and acoustic music, there is always a new surprise around the corner. One new sounds creeping out of America is that of shape-shifting MC Taylor, sometimes known as Hiss Golden Messenger. Fans of BBC Radio 3′s Late Junction will probably have heard DJ Max Reinhardt play some of his songs on the programme recently.

So who is Hiss Golden Messengeror MC Taylor or whoever they are? Well Hiss Golden Messenger are actually the performing name of Mr MC Taylor and his band mate Scott Hirsch, plus a bunch of other musicians who occasionally join in. Although he sounds like he might be a Southerner born and bred he’s not. If you’re picturing an old timer playing banjo or Texas holdem on his porch, he is actually a Californian, so really a dab hand a studio wizardry and possibly even partypoker rather than the older lower-tech arts of the South.

Despite this urban start, Taylor first studied folklore in San Francisco, before moving to North Carolina to really mine the heart of the American roots tradition. Back home in San Francisco he recorded with a band called Court and Spark, but his recent output has included EPs called Bad Debt and Country Hai East Cotton and an album by the name of Poor Moon.

His voice has that ‘croaky but honeyed tones’ to quote the Guardian and his lyrics have a off-beat motel blues tinge to them. To give you an idea, have a listen to Jesus Shot me in the Head which you can hear on SoundCloud. It is the sort of lyrics that Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen might have written when they were residing in Nashville. An outsider’s droll take on country. Two albums he cites as particular influences are Fairport Convention’s Full House and Traffic’s The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys. So, his influences even stretch to this side of the Atlantic.

My previous post said that My Darling Clementine are appearing at Grateful Fred’s on the 4th of July.

In fact they are appearing on Wednesday the 6th of June!!

Sorry.

Great new video from “My Darling Clementine” who are appearing at Grateful Fred’s on Wednesday 4th July.

Tickets are going fast because of the publicity we received on The Bob Harris Show when the band appeared recently and mentioned us so if you are coming please dont’ leave it to the last minute. Tickets are limited to 100 and there are only 32 left!!

Tickets Online Here

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

We, Grateful Fred, are still looking for a fiddle player to our join our little five piece combo!!

If anybody knows anybody who plays the fiddle and would like to play at least once a month, (wow), at Grateful Fred’s can you point them in our direction?

They can contact me (Colin) on 0797 077 4618.

Dont’ forget this Thursday (26th April) we are co-hosting the excellent Stacey Earle and Mark Stuart from Nashville, USA at the Cafe D’Art, Chapel Lane, Formby.

Its’ a very small venue so space will be at a premium and there is no entrance fee so if you are thinking of coming along to hear some fabulous music then I’d get there a little earlier.

Music should start around 9.00.

See you there!

I appear to have given the wrong date for the appearance of “My Darling Clementine” in yesterday’s post.

I apparently stated that it was on June 4th when in fact it is on Wednesday the 6th of June. Apologies and thanks to Peter Cowley for pointing that out.

“Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart” at Cafe D’Art, 26th April.

Last night I listened to Rob Ellens’ wonderful “The Full Enchilada Podcast” that featured a “live” performance by Stacey & Mark at the Cafe Rio in Glasgow.

I thought they sounded great and the 26th promises to be a wonderful evening of “live” acoustic music at the Cafe D’Art.

Here’s a link to the Podcast:

http://flyinshoes.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-full-enchilada-medicine-show-concert-special-with-stacey-earl

If you thinking of coming to see Stacey & Mark then I’d suggest you get there early as it is a very small venue and it’s a free ticket event so it’s likely to be packed.

On Thursday 26th of April “Grateful Fred” in conjunction with “Cafe D’Art” in Formby will be co-hosting the excellent USA artists Stacey Earle and Mark Stuart from Nashville, Tennessee. As there is no “Grateful Fred Night” on 2nd May this might be a great way to “top up” your acoustic music appetite. It’s free entry at the Cafe D’Art and the music should start around 9.00pm.

If you want to hear Stacey & Mark before then you can hear them here tomorrow: www.ukcountryradio.com/presenterRobEllen.php

You can find out more about Stacey & Mark at their website: http://www.staceyandmark.com/Default.htm

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances that have affected the band “Lyra Celtica” we will have to cancel the Grateful Fred Night for Wednesday 2nd of May.

Sadly there have been major changes within Lyra Celtica and they will now not be appearing.

Apologies to anyone who was looking forward to seeing them at Grateful Fred’s and of course any tickets already purchased will be refunded or will be valid for our next Night with the excellent “My Darling Clementine” on Wednesday 4th of June.

Could I ask anyone who kindly took posters for Lyra Celtica at last week’s Grateful Fred Night if they could take them down from anywhere they may have placed them?

I am really sorry to have to cancel a Grateful Fred Night as we enjoy them ourselves so much.

However, for anyone who’d like to keep the Grateful Fred feeling going between now and the 4th of June we, “Grateful Fred” will be appearing at Cafe D’Art in Formby on Thursday the 10th of May when we’ll attempt to play 2 x 45 minute spots without Kevin, the owner, throwing us out!!

We’d love to see you there.

Colin