Liverpool Acoustic Newsletter – April 2010

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April 2010 kicks off with the Easter bank holiday weekend, which can only mean one thing. Yes, that’s right… too much chocolate and the new series of Doctor Who! Oh well, back to the music…

Some of the highlights this month include a one-off open mic at the Almond Restaurant in West Derby (4th), Lazy Genius Easter Special (5th), Seth Lakeman at Novas CUC with support from KCO (7th), T-J & Murphy at Studio 2 (10th), Elbow Jane at The Citidel St Helens (17th), Emily Smith at Pacific Road (22nd), Liverpool Acoustic Live (23rd), and John Renbourn and Robin Williamson at The Phil (29th).

Also coming up this month is the 3rd Degree Music Festival showcasing the incredibly talented musicians graduating at the end of their third year studying at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts – LIPA. You can find a full run-down of gigs at 3rddegreefestival.com Acoustic treats in the eclectic line-up include Rachael Wright, Tibi and her Cello, Monika May, Joe Kenny, Niamh Egan, Fable, Foothills, Milllions of Oysters, Zoe Nicol and the Worry Dolls, Kathleen Button, Will and the Surroundings, Rosie Jones and the Mystery Machine, Tina Refsnes, and The Staves.

LIVERPOOL ACOUSTIC LIVE
This month Liverpool Acoustic Live takes place on Friday 23rd April – St George’s Day – and is a LIPA Special, featuring four graduates of Sir Paul McCartney’s Fame School.
  • Zoe Nicol played for us last October and was a big hit. In fact, so many of you asked us when we were going to invite her back that we just had to bow to popular demand. Zoe will be launching her debut album, and will be joined by her band The Worry Dolls.

  • Rosie Jones also played for us in October when she very kindly filled in for a musician who couldn’t make it due to ill health. Like Zoe, Rosie was also a massive hit, and this time she’s returning with her band The Mystery Machine.

  • Rachael Wright normally plays with a band but tonight she’ll be performing a rare solo set.

  • Tina Rafsnes (Ada and the Deadlocks) will be completing the lineup with a solo set.
There are only 50 tickets available online for £3 in advance from wegottickets.com
There will also be a limited number of £4 tickets available on the door for this intimate and friendly venue.
Doors open at 8.00pm with music starting at 8.30pm sharp. The night finishes at 11.15pm.
DIARY NEWS
Now that the clocks have gone forward to British Summertime there’s no excuse not to get out to some of the new regular events added to the diary this month. And as you can see below, there are lots of them! Maybe it’s the Spring air!

You say goodbye…

  • Woo hoo! Don’tcha just love it when we report that no events have stopped since last month?
And I say hello…
  • Thanks to fantastic support on the first night the new Acoustic Open Mic Night at the Head of Steam on Lime Street is now a regular monthly event, on the second Thursday every month. The night will be a mix of invited guests and open mic, and starts at 8.30pm

  • Game@Mocha returns to the Mocha Lounge on Sir Thomas Street in a new regular 2nd and last Friday of the month slot.

  • There’s a new open mic night at The Beer House inside the Novas CUC on Greenlake Street. It takes place every Sunday from 8.00pm and welcomes musicians, magicians, comedians, poets, actors, and everything in-between (their words, not ours!).

  • The Cellar Club has recently moved and set up home at Novas CUC. It’s now a weekly Saturday night event from 9.00pm to 2.00am, featuring bands (including a fair number of acoustic ones) and top DJs. However, the first one in April starts at 1.00pm and is called the Easter Music Festival, with 30 bands on 3 stages. myspace.com/eggycellarclub

  • The guys over at Rash Records have started a brand new evening of acoustic music at 07 Cafe Bar on Mount Pleasant. It’s taking place on what’s fast becoming a popular date for new events, the last Thursday of every month.
  • Following in the musical footsteps of a certain leaf-flavoured Liverpool tea shop Brew Tea Bar on Bold Street has started it’s own acoustic music night inventively called Brewbar And Custard. It’s a monthly, Friday night event, and details of the event in April will be published at myspace.com/brewbarandcustard
  • The bad news is that we heard about the Musicians’ Gallery in the month that the six month project ended. It involved mainly acoustic, unplugged sessions inside the Walker Art Gallery. However, the good news is that are some “encores” taking place each Saturday throughout April – full details from daveellwand.co.uk/News
  • Lost At Sea Records have started a monthly, Saturday afternoon acoustic event at Mello Mello. The next one is on Saturday 17th and full details will be on their website at lostatsearecords.co.uk
APRIL DIARY SELECTION BOX
Here’s a selection of some of the acoustic events taking place in April. Click on the event in the diary for full details and links. Remember, this is just a selection, and as they say on the adverts “other acoustic music events may also be available”!
Wednesday 7th – Seth Lakeman @ Novas CUC, with support from KCO. Tickets £16.50 from the venue or £10 from KCO members.
Saturday 10th – T-J & Murphy @ Studio 2 at Parr Street, with their monthly residency
Sunday 11th – Open Mic @ The Beer House, Novas CUC. Why not check out this new event and let us know what it’s like? You can even do a short review for the News and Reviews page.
Monday 12th – Come Strut Your Stuff @ The Egg Cafe – moved from the normal first Monday because of the bank holiday. Open floor poetry and acoustic music takes place once a month in Liverpool’s best vegetarian bistro. The event starts at 8pm. Get there by 7.20pm to get your name on the list and to claim a seat. Why not come along earlier and eat before the event? comestrutyourstuff.co.uk
Thursday 15th – Liam Frost @ Leaf – with support from Ragz. This gig is presented by Mellowtone in association with Liverpool Music Week (more on them next month!).
Friday 16th – Rash Records’ Friday Night Frolick @ The Pilgrim – featuring A Harp and A Monkey, The Big I Am, and Zoe Nicol.
Thursday 22nd – Emily Smith @ Pacific Road Arts Centre, Scots Singer of the Year 2008 performs with Jamie McClennan.
Friday 23rd – Liverpool Acoustic Live @ The View Two Gallery. A LIPA Special – Zoe Nicol and the Worry Dolls launch Zoe’s brand new CD, Rosie Jones and the Mystery Machine, Rachael Wright, and Tina Refsnes. 8pm doors, music 8.30pm to 11.15pm. Tickets £3 in advance, £4 on the door.
Saturday 24th – The Clientelle @ Williamson Tunnels with support from Sparkwood & 21, and Marin McGuffie. Tickets from ticketline.co.uk and Probe.
Saturday 24th – John Smith @ The Pyramid, Warrington. With support from local bluesman Peter Price.
Saturday 24th – Under the Influence VOL 18 @ Studio 2 – this time it’s all about Radiohead, with creative covers and original songs inspired by Oxfordshire’s finest.
Wednesday 28th – Strip the wallpaper @ LIPA – 3rd Degree Music Festival presents Monika May, Joe Kenny, and Niamh Egan.
Thursday 29th – Rusted bandwagon @ LIPA – 3rd Degree Music Festival presents Fable, Foothills, Millions of Oysters.
Friday 30th – A day is night @ LIPA – 3rd Degree Music Festival presents Zoe Nicol and the Worry Dolls, Kathleen Button, and Willy and the Surroundings.
Saturday 1st May – Jealous of the moon @ LIPA – 3rd Degree Music Festival presents Rosie Jones and the Mystery Machine, Tina Refsnes, and The Staves. Yes, we know it’s not in April, but it’s the last event in the 3rd Degree festival so we thought we should include it here for completeness!

AND FINALLY…
If you’re into local music then there’s a brand new show coming soon – Insomnia Radio: Liverpool. It can be found at liverpool.insomniaradio.net and local musicians can submit their music at myspace.com/insomniaradioliverpool

Each show will feature some of the very best unsigned, independent, and podsafe music the local scene has to offer.
This month sees a number of guest contributers to the reviews on the news and reviews page – thanks to you all for your help. If you’re interested in contributing to the Liverpool Acoustic website then drop us a line using the Contact Us form or by emailing contact[at]liverpoolacoustic.co.uk
Graham, on behalf of the Liverpool Acoustic Team