James Brown biopic gets go ahead

The life and music career of soul singer James Brown is to be brought to the big screen in a biopic produced by Mick Jagger.

The film will be directed by Tate Taylor, known for his Oscar-winning adaptation of The Help in 2011.

Brown will be played by US actor Chadwick Boseman who portrayed the history-making baseball player Jackie Robinson in the upcoming film 42.

Taylor said of 'the Godfather of Soul': "Those are big shoes to fill."

According to Hollywood trade magazine The Wrap, Boseman will portray Brown over a period of several decades, from his impoverished youth in Georgia to becoming one of the founding fathers of funk music and most important figures in 20th Century pop music.

The Brown biopic has been in development for years, with various actors and directors attached. The as-yet titled film is due to begin shooting in the US this year.

The Wrap reported Taylor may reunite Viola Davis, Oscar winner Octavia Spencer and Nelsan Ellis - three of the stars of The Help - on the project.

Jagger will also be portrayed in the film by an actor, along with his bandmate Keith Richards and US musician Little Richard.

A relative newcomer to the Hollywood scene, 31-year-old Boseman gained recognition in the US earlier this year for his role in 42 which told the story of Robinson, the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball in the 1940s.

The film is due to be released in the UK on 13 September.

Source: BBC

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Artist Grahame Hurd-Wood to paint all St Davids residents

An artist is attempting to paint a portrait of every resident living in his home city.

Grahame Hurd-Wood has already painted 112 of the 1,800 people in St Davids, Pembrokeshire, the smallest city in Britain.

The 55-year-old believes he can complete the rest in about five years by doing one portrait a day.

He hopes to exhibit all of the paintings in the city once he has a complete collection.

"I started doing the portraits about 14 years ago and the original concept was to paint a few people and create one large image," said Mr Hurd-Wood, who has lived in St Davids since 1984.

"I have got up to 112 and I know if I can do that I can do the population of St Davids.

"It's doable - it will take a few years if I can be quite productive about it.

"I reckon I could probably do one a day or within five years but it depends on how people respond to the idea."

'Massive' task

Mr Hurd-Wood said the small portraits can take anything from 30 minutes up to five hours and the general reaction is "positive".

"It's both me asking people and then asking me to do a portrait," he added.

"I feel quite nervous initially doing the portraits but the people are intrigued and like to see themselves painted."

Originally from Gosport, Hampshire, Mr Hurd-Wood grew up in Derry, Northern Ireland, and came to St Davids initially for a year in 1984 but decided to stay.

"It's a very large part of my life," he said.

"I just feel it's my home now and it's something I would like to paint about.

"When I have completed the portraits, I want to initially have an exhibition in St Davids and then get it to further afield as it's a massive piece of work."

Source: BBC

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Vladimir Putin 'underwear' painting removed from Russian gallery

Police in Russia have seized a painting depicting the country's president Vladimir Putin in women's underwear from an art gallery in St Petersburg.

The portrait features President Putin combing the hair of Russian Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev.

Its artist, Konstantin Altunin, has since left the country to seek asylum in France, according to the director of St Petersburg's Museum of Power.

Police said four paintings that were seized broke unspecified legislation.

Two of the other pictures removed from the gallery poked fun at conservative Russian politicians who led a campaign to introduce controversial anti-gay laws.

Gallery owner Aleksander Donskoi claimed he had been given no formal warrant or explanation for the removal of the paintings, which were included in Altunin's exhibition entitled Rulers.

The gallery's director, Tatiana Titova, said Altunin had fled the country following the confiscation of the paintings.

One of the pictures seized features Mr Putin in a nightgown, standing behind Mr Medvedev and stroking his hair, while the prime minister is depicted with a woman's body and wearing lingerie.

Another shows St Petersburg legislative assembly member Vitaly Milonov - one of the architects of Russia's anti-gay laws - against the background of a rainbow, the symbol of gay pride.

A fourth painting depicting the head of the Russian Orthodox Church adorned with tattoos was also confiscated from the Museum of the Authorities.

St Petersburg, which hosts the G20 summit next week, was one of the first Russian cities to introduce a law against what it terms 'gay propaganda'.

Source: BBC

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Haim announce UK dates in December:

Haim announce UK dates in December:

4 Dec: Norwich, UEA


5 Dec: Birmingham, Institute


6 Dec: Leeds, Metropolitan University


8 Dec: Manchester, The Ritz 


9 Dec: London, The Forum


12 Dec: Glasgow, ABC


13 Dec: Dublin, Academy

Tonight at The Musician: Blind Willies

Blind Willies

Wednesday 28^th August

£6adv £7door

blindwillies.net

"San Francisco's Blind Willies are the kind of band whose music sharply divides listeners' opinions almost instantly. While some might take that as a knock, I consider it a testament to the intensity and tenacity with which they explore their own boundaries. A heady mix of americana, blues, folk, and rock 'n' roll, their latest album Needle, Feather, and a Rope showcases frontman Alexei Wajchman's incredible range of emotional nuance." - Laurel Kathleen, Best New Bands

Remember; always check with the venue before travelling:

www.themusicianpub.co.uk

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Review: Garrett Heath – Whisper In The Dark

Garrett Heath – Whisper In The Dark (Independent)

“Whisper In The Dark” is singer-songwriter Garrett Heath’s third album release since 2009 - though it’s the first with international distribution, which makes it much easier to find. It’s a literate, understated collection, and after living with it for a week or so, I’ll be keeping a keen look out for his earlier records.

The Pennsylvania native lives in a cabin with his family, out in the wilds of his home state, and he records his music in a home studio built in a converted wood shed. The easy, rootsy nature of both Heath’s approach to recording and his lifestyle as a whole is reflected in a collection of songs that are never less than warm and wholly inviting.

Heath’s sound and style feels rooted in the folk music and singer-songwriter fare of the ‘60s and early ‘70s, and that owes a great deal to his themes of love and loss, which are, of course, timeless. He backs them with a well-rounded production and a range of instruments, including guitar, harmonica and a relaxed rhythm section.

Beginning with “I Still Believe”, a slow-build love song with a simple message at its heart and a chorus that burrows deep. It’s followed by the jauntier “Don't You Worry”, and listeners of a certain vintage will be reminded of Jackson C. Frank and John Prine’s wonderful early records – which is obviously no bad thing. The atmospheric “Sorrows and Pain” might be the pick of the bunch, where distressed strings and Heath’s sorrow-drenched delivery underpin its hard-luck narrative and general air of desperation. Great stuff!

www.garrettheathmusic.com

www.reverbnation.com/garrettheath

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Phil S.

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Pet Shop Boys to headline Edinburgh Hogmanay

Pet Shop Boys are to headline Edinburgh's Hogmanay Concert in the Gardens, organisers have announced.

The pop duo, who have been having hit records since 1985, will bring in the New Year with a performance in West Princes Street Gardens.

The concert is part of the Hogmanay celebrations, which also include the world famous street party.

Pet Shop Boys had been due to play at Hogmanay in 2006-7 but the events were cancelled due to poor weather.

Neil Tennant, the group's singer, said "We are delighted to bring this show to Scotland on New Year's Eve.

"We've always felt we've had some unfinished Hogmanay business in Edinburgh after the weather put a stop to the planned 2006 show and this is going to be a fantastic way to see in the New Year."

Along with partner Chris Lowe, Tennant has sold more than 50 million records worldwide, making them the most successful duo in UK music history.

Since 1985 they have had more than 20 Top 10 hits, including four number ones - West End Girls; It's a Sin; Always on My Mind; and Heart.

The other acts which will be part of the Concert in the Gardens will be announced later.

The concert is separate to the Street Party, another ticketed event which about 80,000 people will attend on nearby Princes Street and the surrounding area of the city centre.

Pete Irvine, artistic director of Edinburgh's Hogmanay, said "The Pet Shop Boys are on top of the world at the moment, and with Edinburgh's Hogmanay being the only UK appearance of their spectacular new show, they are the perfect band to help us celebrate our 21st anniversary at the very cusp of Scotland's most eventful year."

Tickets for the Concert in the Gardens go on sale on Friday 30 August.

Source: BBC

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Kasimir Malevich's burial site in Russia to be marked

Malevich's 1916 Suprematist Composition was sold

by Sotheby's for $60m in 2008

Russian officials say they will commemorate the burial site of the artist Kasimir Malevich, found to be under a new housing development in a Moscow suburb.

The world-famous abstract artist died in the Soviet Union in 1935.

An urn containing his ashes was buried in the suburb of Nyemchinovka, but the location was only pinpointed recently.

Now there are plans to put up a plaque and name a school after Malevich, who launched abstract Suprematism in art.

He is especially famous for a painting called Black Square. In 2008 another one of his paintings, Suprematist Composition, sold for $60m (£39m) at a Sotheby's auction in New York.

About 80 paintings by Malevich are on display in galleries worldwide.

The Moscow region's ministry of culture said the site chosen for the housing development did not have protected cultural status, as the ministry did not know where Malevich's ashes had been buried when the project went ahead.

Work on the development, called Romashkovo-2, began in 2011 and only a year later did a local group called "Nyemchinovka and Malevich" find the exact place where his ashes had been buried, the Russian Lenta.ru news website reports. By that time a block of flats had already been built.

During World War II a memorial plaque marking the site disappeared. Malevich had asked to be buried under a favourite oak tree, but that too disappeared in Soviet times and the field where it stood was repeatedly ploughed up.

Source: BBC

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Tonight at The Musician (27/8): The Carp Family + Mrs Pilgrimm + One Suspicious Monkey

Magic Teapot presents...

The Carp Family + Mrs Pilgrimm + One Suspicious Monkey

Tuesday 27^th August

£3adv

plus more TBC

The Carp Famly on Facebook

www.facebook.com/mrspilgrimm

One Suspicious Monkey on Facebook

The Carp Family are a predominantly acoustic 6-piece band featuring the songwriting and vocal talents of Stewart Brackley, front man with The Marinucci's and formerly with Black Carrot. The Carp's sound has many influences ranging from skiffle to country to clesma.

**Unfortunately the Grant Hart & The Burn/Burning show has been cancelled due to circumstances beyond our control. Ticket refunds are available from all points of purchase.**

Remember; always check with the venue before travelling:

www.themusicianpub.co.uk

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Edinburgh Fringe ticket sales up 5%

Ticket sales at this year's Edinburgh Fringe are up by an estimated 5%, according to its organisers.

The Fringe Society said more than 1,943,000 tickets were issued, with some shows still to have their final performance.

It follows a slight drop in ticket sales last year caused by a clash with the Olympics being held in London.

Many individual venues are reporting even higher increases, with established venues up between 20% and 30%.

The 2013 programme for the Fringe, the biggest arts festival in the world, featured 45,464 performances of 2,871 shows at a total of 273 venues across the city.

The programme contained 713 free shows which do not sell tickets but asked the audience to contribute at the end of the show.

These shows were not included in the box office ticket sales.

Kath Mainland, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: "Our loyal and enthusiastic audience has once again been treated to the most amazing cultural experience and has been both challenged and entertained by a programme of spectacular work across all art forms from all around the world.

"Over the past 25 days, audiences from Edinburgh, Scotland, the rest of the UK and across the globe have been inspired by world-class performers, writers and artists in the largest celebration of art and entertainment in the world.

"I would like, on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of people who visited the Fringe this year, to thank them for showing us their incredible talent and courage by bringing so many extraordinary shows and events to our capital city."

The 2014 Edinburgh Festival Fringe will run from the 1 August to 25 August.

Source: BBC

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Wiltshire museum's Rex Whistler collection bid awarded £350k

A museum's bid to buy a collection of material by 20th Century designer Rex Whistler has been awarded £350,000.

More than 1,000 items such as drawings, diaries and designs are in a personal archive The Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum hopes to acquire.

The grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund means the museum needs to raise a further £10,000.

Some 75 personal items of the Kent-born designer are currently on temporary display at the museum.

Between the wars Whistler had risen to prominence with a collection of work that included commercial designs for Wedgwood Pottery, Shell Petroleum, Guinness and The London Underground.

Adrian Green, museum director, said: "Acquiring the archive will ensure that future generations appreciate the talent of an artist whose work epitomises the interwar era."

As a member of the Welsh Guards, Rex Whistler trained as a tank commander on Salisbury Plain where he painted and sketched fellow soldiers as well as painted the inside of the officers' mess to make it look like a Bedouin tent.

He was killed in 1944, aged 39, on his first day of action in World War II, in Normandy.

After his death, Whistler's brother Laurence assembled the personal collection and it has remained in the family ever since.

Source: BBC

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