Music / acoustic
Folk music picks of the month: June 2015
When singer-songwriter and guitarist Michael Chapman claimed to be a ‘fully qualified survivor’ in 1970 even he would have doubted that 45 years later he’d still be performing. One of a very few folkies who combined the troubadour trade with innovative contemporary acoustic guitar playing he’s rightly celebrated for both. By contrast, John Peel favourite Bridget St John vanished from public view after her fourth album in 1974 and has only sporadically been seen since, having moved to the States, so her joint appearance with Chapman at St George’s (Thursday 10) will be a big event, especially for folk veterans. And the same crowd may well head over to the Folk House on Saturday 27 for Julie Felix another star of the 60s folk boom re-emerging after a fifteen year hiatus. But will Daddy still be taking us to the zoo tomorrow?
A younger generation gets its turn, too, first with Texan singer-songwriter Jarrod Dickenson bringing his classic Dylanesque story songs to the Folk House and then the great ‘songwriter’s songwriter’ Ron Sexsmith will appear at St George’s (Monday 29), celebrating 20 years as a recording artist with new album Carousel One just released, while fellow Canadian Sarah Jane Scouten brings her poised voice and well-honed songs to Canteen on the same night. And our very own Canuck troubadour Jimmy Goodrich is always well worth checking and he appears at No 1 Harbourside (Friday 19).
But getting bang up to date in the aftermath of the highly successful Lapland weekender The Lantern has a couple of excellent gigs. The first is a trio of English folk virtuosity – Martin Simpson, Andy Cutting and Nancy Kerr (Tuesday 9) each being worth the ticket price and together being unmissable. The second showcases Bristol’s nu-folkster Cadbury Sisters (Wednesday 17), real siblings (and BIMM graduates) whose impeccable three-part harmonies are just one element of their highly creative folk-pop update on traditional themes. Similarly imaginative – if a little more raucous – The Model Folk headline a triple bill at Grain Barge (Friday 12) while those heading further out there should definitely check the ’shamanistic Scottish folk-rock’ of Trembling Bells at The Cube (Thursday 25).
It’s all down home at The Exchange when The Railsplitters bring proper bluegrass from Boulder, Colorado with support from our own Sheelanagiggers Kit Hawes and Aaron Catlow, who will also be appearing in swingier mode as part of the Al Fresco Trio at Canteen (Sunday 07).
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