Seend Acoustic Club

Wessex Contraband

Lively Irish music, lots of noise and foot stomping, loud singing and whoops, punctuated by furious jigs and reels- and the occasional delicate slow air. Strong harmonies and gentle Christy Moore songs too. And some gospel.

Phil is a mellow, competent folk singer, often seen lurking in local folk clubs and festivals. which he usually helps to organise. He plays guitar ,banjo, melodeon and bodhran, and is half of the lead vocal. Carmen is a classically trained violinist, and is leader of the Trowbridge Symphony Orchestra. She plays fiddle, whistle and mandolin, and has been known to sing backing when she can be persuaded. Jane plays guitar, accordion and percussion, and is the other half of the lead vocal.
She sings blues, soul, jazz and country with various friends in her spare time. Listen to their music here

Also joining us is up and coming singer/songwriter Chris Weston from Trowbridge who has a very unique and delightful style. Have a listen to his stuff here

Mark Abis may be a singer-songwriter who uses the basic tools of guitar and Harmonica but he is so much more than you might be led to believe from such a simplistic definition. The beauty is that different people hear Mark’s music in different ways and hear different influences. He enjoys a very symbiotic relationship with his crowds, mutally feeding and engaging with them so that every time he walks on stage you can be guaranteed something warm and intimate, as well as unique and individual.

Our opening support act this time is Tamsin Rosie Quin, young singer/songwriter and guitarist from Malmesbury, Wiltshire..

Heartwave

This coming Wednesday sees a debut gig in Seend from Devon’s Katie Whitehouse.  Katie is a true poet and storyteller in song. Her songs vary in subject matter wonderfully. From astonishingly intimate glances into what seems like a deeply personal world to witty, jaunty observations about all kinds of people and situations. Each is a window on the world told with a poetic, congruent skill that sounds as easy as falling off a log, it isn’t. Katie is fast becoming a master of her craft.

Katie will be joined by John Clarke from Essex and together they make the duo Heartwave. Katie’s personal lyrics and vulnerable vocals and keyboard playing were beginning to emerge in the South West when she heard one of John’s songs online and felt that he might be a kindred spirit.Also playing is Ken Parsons who resides in Holland.

KEN PARSONS is a Celtic Harper, singer and allround entertainer. What can you expect? Beautiful harp songs, deadly witty short poems and crafted original songs in every posible style, funny, moving, thought provoking”

Ken is multi-instrumental and wth 20 years of singing experience he has a powerful and versatile voice- you can detect his background as a trained choir singer in his more delicate emotional songs but the next minute you hear the raucous harsh, punk, rock and roll and comedy voice he perfected after years as busker and entertainer in pubs and clubs. His own songs are well honed and he does covers as they should be done. Few singers can match his delivery, diction and rapid fire lyricism.

Plus we have a visitor all the way from Birmingham, Alabama who will be doing a floor spot so we have a very international feel this week!

Polly Barrett

We’re delighted to welcome Polly over from Cork, Ireland.  Saw her play a few times last year and she has the most beautiful voice with a lovely Irish lilt, she plays mostly her own songs all of which have that instant likeability factor!

Polly Barrett is the new jewel of Irish folk-pop’……Music Week Magazine
‘Classic and beautiful folk-pop with an Irish flavour’…..Crazewire
‘Mr. Bookshop is a fine introduction to a real talent’……..Hot Press Magazine
‘Gorgeous songs, a quality debut that hints at a long musical career’…..2UIBestow
‘Polly captures the true beauty of love and nature in her lyrics and that’s what makes this album stand out from the crowd’ 6 out of 6….MusicReviewUnsigned

http://www.reverbnation.com/pollybarrett

Bateleurs are an exciting contemporary Folk/Rock band.  Central to their sound is the distinctive dual lead vocals & harmonies of Daryl Ball & Sean Amor.  Daryl’s vocals are smooth with an Irish inflection. Sean’s voice is tender with a plaintiff, jagged edge, which cuts right through and suits their music perfectly.  In 2011 they brought in a permanent and accomplished rhythm section with Chris McCormack (drums & percussion) and Nick Wall (bass) joining the band, which also helped to broaden their authentic sound. Anna Wall has also joined recently to play fiddle and provide backing vocals. Bateleurs employ numerous instruments in addition to the standard guitar, bass, and drums. These include mandolin, fiddle, ukulele, harmonica, piano and cajon.  The band’s set is delicate in parts, raucous in others, but the intensity in each song, matched by the band’s obvious delight in entertaining, never wavers with a change in style and tempo. In summer 2010 they released their ‘New Dar Rising’ EP. The band is popular on the South West music scene and the guys are veterans of summer festivals.  Bateleurs cover songs from a diverse range of new and established artists in their own inimitable style, and they have been favourably compared to the Waterboys, Mumford and Son, The Levellers, Tom Petty and Bob Dylan.  In August 2011 they released their debut album ‘All in the Past’ to critical acclaim.   See them at www.bateleurs.co.uk

Joining us for the half hour support slot this week is another local band The Box Standard fronted by Abi Leeder who has a stunning voice.

The Drystones

This pair of schoolboys have already blown audiences away during 2012, and are set to go on to great things.  They are booked to play in Seend 3 times this year as we’ll see them also at the Beer Festival in May and Acoustic Festival in September.

The Drystones started out when Dean Collier, Chairman of the Priddy Folk Festival, needed to fill a slot at short notice at one of his venues in July 2011 and asked his son Ford if he could step up to the plate. One quick phone call to fiddler friend Alex Garden and the Drystones were formed.

Alex and Ford were friends from school. They both had a background in playing various instruments and in different styles. But they clearly found their stride in arranging lively jigs, played on guitar, fiddle and whistle.

Encouraged by the warm reception at Priddy, and the success of some lucrative busking through the summer, the lads decided to enter the Mid Somerset Battle of the Bands, and they made it into the finals.  The odds were surely stacked against them, as easily the youngest contestants, and the only purely acoustic band they found themselves up against techno, grunge, rap and heavy metal bands. But somehow they seemed to span the wildly different audiences and won over the judges and audience alike to win the contest!

So the band, whilst still less than two years old, have already played several festival gigs. In the meantime you may be able to catch them busking around Wells and Bath. They are also getting practice at local acoustic clubs like The Beacon (Wagon & Horses, Doulting, Shepton) or the Wookey Hole Club.

Jess Morgan

We’re delighted to welcome a newbie to Seend in the shape of folk starlet Jess Morgan all the way over from Norwich. She has the most beautiful voice and when we heard her online we just had to get her to drop in on her tour of the south west.

Jess writes songs that tell stories – about women and men, life and death, work and play; the adventures of the real and the imaginary sure to make you laugh and cry. Jess is a singer-songwriter who is steadily building a name for herself in roots and folk music at home and away. Accompanied by acoustic guitar Jess’s style has been likened to that of the classic names of the 1970s but with her own easily distinguishable voice. Songs are peppered with influence from British Folk music as well as country, folk and blues from across the Atlantic.

Check out her music here 
http://www.jessmorgan.co.uk/