This weekend at The Musician: Saturday, Julia Fordham and Sunday, Stevie Jones & The Wildfires

Saturday 29^th June

Julia Fordham - SHOW SOLD OUT

£19

juliafordham.com

Having sold millions of records around the world, critically acclaimed singer songwriter Julia Fordham will be returning to the UK for her first tour in 20 years.

Performing with her will be Grant Mitchell, pianist, arranger and producer of her early hits Happy Ever After, Where Does The Time Go, Porcelain and I Thought It Was You. The set will be filled with these favourites plus many others including Girlfriend, Lock and Key, Towerblock and the international hit (Love Moves) In Mysterious Ways. After living in Los Angeles for many years, Julia is thrilled to be coming home to sing her songs again around the country.

Early booking is advisable to avoid disappointment!

“A stylish pop balladeer with a voice that glides easily between the languor of Sade and the smooth high notes of Philadelphia soul.” - The London Telegraph

Sunday 30^th June

Stevie Jones & The Wildfires

£5

plus Jay Leighton, Flying Kangaroo Alliance and James Byron

www.steviejones.com

jayleighton.com

www.facebook.com/flyingkangarooalliance

www.wildfiresessions.com

Northamptonshire singer-songwriter Stevie Jones has been playing live music and entertaining audiences for over 25 years. This special gig gives him the opportunity to air his own material with full band The Wildfires with a line up that features his current regular duo partner Kev Lee, Lou Short (Martin Stephenson and the Daintees), Jake Patrick (Divine Solace). There is also a strong rumour that long-time musical cohort Mark Gill may also appear with them too...

Remember; always check with the venue before travelling:

www.themusicianpub.co.uk

Tonight at The Musician: Dark Side Of The Wall (Pink Floyd Tribute)

Dark Side Of The Wall (Pink Floyd Tribute)

Friday 28^th June

£10adv £12door

www.pinkfloydtribute.co.uk

Making their second appearance at the Musician are the award winning Coventry-based tribute band ‘Dark Side Of The Wall’ for an evening of classic Pink Floyd music.

With over 16 years of live shows behind them this experienced 8-piece line-up still wow their audiences by combining their obvious on-stage enthusiasm with all the necessary attention to detail.

The common perception is that Pink Floyd music can be pretty serious stuff but DSOTW are proof that it be can be great fun too with the special atmosphere they always create during their shows.

DSOTW will be performing Pink Floyd tracks from all their popular albums in well over 2 hours of reverent tribute to their heroes, including all the classics such as Comfortably Numb, Money, Shine On You Crazy Diamond and Another Brick In The Wall to name just a few.

If you’ve seen Dark Side Of The Wall in concert before then you’ll know it’s a night not to be missed, as they bring their theatre show into the more intimate setting of the Musician.

Remember; always check with the venue before travelling:

www.themusicianpub.co.uk

Allan Holdsworth Band: UK Dates

ALLAN HOLDSWORTH BAND

2013 confirmed dates, more dates to come
with
ALLAN HOLDWORTH guitar
JIMMY HASLIP bass
VIRGIL DONATI drums

www.therealallanholdsworth.com

November 4, 2013 - Chesterfield, UK (Real Time Live)
www.realtimelive.moonfruit.com

November 5, 2013 - Manchester, UK (Band On The Wall)
www.bandonthewall.org

November 6, 2013 - New Brighton, UK (Floral Pavillion)
www.floralpavilion.com

November 7, 2013 - London, UK (Borderline)
www.mamacolive.com/theborderline

November 8, 2013 - High Wycombe, UK (Arts4Every1)
www.arts4every1.com

November 9, 2013 - Fletching, UK (Trading Boundaries)
www.tradingboundaries.com

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Francis Bacon paintings make £21m at London auction

Francis Bacon's triptych of Isabel Rawsthorne was

bought by an anonymous buyer

Two works by British artist Francis Bacon, including the first painting he ever sold, have fetched more than £21m at a London auction.

Head III, which sold for £150 at Bacon's first solo show 54 years ago, was bought for £10.4m by an American private collection.

It had been estimated to sell for between £5m and £7m.

A 1966 triptych portrait of Isabel Rawsthorne - Bacon's friend, muse and lover - went for £11.3m.

Bacon and Rawsthorne became acquainted during preparations for their first solo shows at London's Hanover Gallery in 1949.

The work had been estimated to sell for somewhere in the region of £10m to £15m.

Other items included in Sotheby's contemporary art sale included David Hockney's colourful tribute to his home country, Double East Yorkshire, which fetched £3.4m - £400,000 more than its estimated value.

Alex Branczik, head of Sotheby's London Contemporary Art Department, said it was a "strong night" for British art, photography, European abstract works and German artists.

"We offered some great historic works of art and achieved some great prices for them, as buyers went down the connoisseurial route - buying with intelligence and passion," he said.

Source: BBC

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Tonight at The Musician: Nick Harper

Magic Teapot presents...

Nick Harper

Thursday 27^th June

£10adv

No support

www.harperspace.com

Son of the legendary UK singer-songwriter Roy Harper, Nick was born in London and raised in Wiltshire. Having played the guitar from the age of 10 and surrounded by the likes of Keith Moon, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and Dave Gilmour as he grew up, it was no surprise when Nick made his recording debut on his father's 'Whatever Happened to Jugula?' in 1985.

Nick's talent and energy entranced Roy's fans and it was inevitable that he would begin touring and recording in his own right. The 1994 EP 'Light At The End Of The Kennel' was swiftly followed by his powerful 1995 debut long player 'Seed' prompting The Independent to describe him as "hugely talented".

To call Nick a superlative singer/songwriter could put his highly lauded guitar talent in the shade, and to call him a guitarist's guitarist might slight his distinctive, soulful voice and passionate songs. Not forgetting the wild ride that is one of his live shows - from personal introspection to biting political satire via a charmingly caustic wit that would make Groucho Marx proud.

Remember; always check with the venue before travelling:

www.themusicianpub.co.uk

Former Devo drummer Alan Myers dies after cancer battle

Alan Myers, the long-time drummer for the US new wave band Devo, has died, aged 58, after suffering from cancer.

Myers died on Monday in Los Angeles, the band said.

He was Devo's drummer from 1976 to 1985, when they produced the influential album, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, and released the hit, Whip It.

One of the band's two founders, Gerald Casale, called Alan Myers "the human metronome".

"People watching him thought we were using a drum machine," he told the Associated Press. "Nobody had ever drummed like that."

Myers played on classic Devo tracks such as Mongoloid, Jocko Homo and the band's minimalist version of The Rolling Stones' Satisfaction.

The comments were echoed by Mark Mothersbaugh, Devo's co-founder.

"I think he probably influenced a lot of drummers that are out there now because he was really great at being very precise and minimalist," he told the Reuters news agency.

Myers parted company with Devo after their album, Shout, to pursue jazz and music "off the beaten path", Mothersbaugh said, adding: "We always regretted it when he left."

Source: BBC

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Tonight at The Musician: Matt Andersen + Sunjay Brayne and Howlin' Mat

Matt Andersen
Wednesday 26^th June

£7adv £9door

plus Sunjay Brayne and Howlin' Mat

www.stubbyfingers.ca

www.sunjaybrayne.com

www.howlinmat.co.uk

An enigmatic personality and larger than life showman, Canadian Matt Andersen has been earning fervent reaction from audiences across the globe these last few years. Matt's sprawling blues, roots, rock hybrid with his soulful voice and dynamic guitar style has sparked a phenomenal buzz back home in Canada. Matt has also toured the U.S. and Europe with America, Randy Bachman, Bo Diddley, Little Feat and a host of others.

Remember; always check with the venue before travelling:

www.themusicianpub.co.uk

I Am Legend author Richard Matheson dies

US sci-fi and fantasy writer Richard Matheson, who wrote the 1954 vampire novel I Am Legend, has died aged 87.

A spokesman for the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films said Matheson died on Sunday in Los Angeles, but no other details were provided.

In a career spanning some 60 years, many of the author's works were adapted for both the big and small screens.

I Am Legend was his most successful, inspiring three film adaptations - most recently in 2007 starring Will Smith.

The novel was considered a landmark work in the genre, ushering in apocalyptic themes to post-WWII America.

Vincent Price starred in the first adaptation in 1964, titled as The Last Man on Earth.

Charlton Heston later starred in the 1971 adaptation, Omega Man.

The 2007 version saw Smith star as Robert Neville - the seemingly last human on Earth - trying to find a cure for a genetically-engineered virus that has turned the population into mutant vampiric creatures.

Born in Allendale, New Jersey, in 1926 and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Matheson first began publishing science-fiction and horror stories in the 1950s.

His earlier works adapted into films included 1953 novel Hell House, 1956's The Shrinking Man and 1958's A Stir of Echoes.

The 1978 novel What Dreams May Come was also adapted into a big screen version in 1998 starring Robin Williams, which won an Oscar for best visual effects.

Steven Spielberg's first feature-length film, Duel, was also based on Matheson's short story of the same name.

Spielberg tribute

"Richard Matheson's ironic and iconic imagination created seminal science-fiction stories and gave me my first break when he wrote the short story and screenplay for Duel," Spielberg said in a statement.

"His Twilight Zones were among my favourites, and he recently worked with us on Real Steel. For me, he is in the same category as [Ray] Bradbury and [Isaac] Asimov."

Matheson also worked as a writer for numerous TV shows including The Twilight Zone, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Martian Chronicles and Amazing Stories.

He penned the teleplay Nightmare at 20,000 Feet in 1963 for The Twilight Zone, which starred William Shatner and featured the famous shot of a gremlin peering into the window of an aeroplane from its wing.

He was also responsible for writing The Twilight Zone episode Steel, which inspired the 2011 Hugh Jackman film, Reel Steel.

Matheson is credited with influencing several generations of storytellers including Stephen King, who dedicated his 2006 novel, Cell, to him.

Matheson had been due to receive the visionary award at the Academy of Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Films' Saturn Awards on Wednesday.

The organisation said the award would be presented posthumously and ceremony would be dedicated to the author.

Source: BBC

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Oxfam copy of TS Eliot's The Waste Land sells for £4.5k

A rare UK first edition of TS Eliot's The Waste Land that was donated to an Oxfam bookshop has been sold for £4,500 at auction.

The book of the modernist poem, dating from 1923, was published by Hogarth Press, founded by Eliot's friends Leonard and Virginia Woolf.

It was given to Oxfam's Turl Street branch in Oxford and had been expected to sell for between £2,000 and £3,000.

Shop manager David Sorrell described it as "a wonderful item".

The type in the donated book is thought to be hand-set by Virginia Woolf. It is part of an edition of about 460 copies.

It was donated by Colin Cohen who was given the book by a relative.

The book was among more than 25 items given to Oxfam shops around the country that were auctioned by Bonhams.

They included a collection of etchings of ancient and modern Rome by Giuseppe Vasi, which was donated to Oxfam's bookshop in Stratford upon Avon and sold for £4,200.

Two Japanese photo albums, with photos by Kozaburo Tamamura and Felice Beato, donated to Oxfam's Bridport bookshop, sold for more than £1,500.

Source: BBC

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Review: Steep Grade – Funk Machine

Steep Grade – Funk Machine (Independent)

New York six-piece Steep Grade has been performing in and around their home city since 2004, playing an infectious, upbeat hybrid of rock and funk, with original songs and classic covers. Instrumentally, they include trombone and saxophone alongside guitars, bass and drums, and their feelgood approach provides an unbeatable, vibrant soundtrack for sunny days in the park, driving with the windows down and, of course, the dance floor.

Their debut album “Sucker Punch” arrived back in 2006, and can still be found for sale on various sites, but for many, “Funk Machine” will be their introduction to the group - and it’s a handsome way to get acquainted. Their influences appear to run the gamut, from Herbie Hancock’s ‘70s funk excursions (“Head Hunters”, “Thrust”, etc.), Stevie Wonder and Funkadelic, to jam rock bands such as Phish and The Samples.

In frontman Damien Teed they’ve a singer with a soulful voice, with no interest in vocal acrobatics, but with ample expressive range. The rhythm section of drummer Dylan Teed and bass man Patrick McCarthy drive the music on, leaving plenty of room for lead guitarist Rob Maresca and the horns of Brian Borrelli and Marty Peters to apply the punchy dynamics that considerably elevate this 13-track collection.

They begin with “Sophie”, its playful arrangement and positive vibe does much to set the tone of the album, and the following number “Girl Is Suicide” confirms our first impressions, and then adds a Santana-esque sax groove for extra pleasure. On “Evil Eye” it’s the song that grabs you by the lapels, and applies a little shadow and doubt; and when it comes to the fore mentioned ‘classic covers’ their big band, brass-driven take on Pink Floyd’s “Have A Cigar” is superb.

www.steepgradeband.com

www.facebook.com/SteepGrade

www.reverbnation.com/steepgrade

Steep Grade CD Baby Page

Phil S.

Sell music on Amazon at ReverbNation.com