Past Gigs At The Talbot

| | | | | | |

Past Gigs At The Talbot

These are some of the superb gigs promoted by Cambria Arts up to December 2008 and by Wild West Wales since March 2009 at the Talbot Hotel in Tregaron, the best Roots Music venue in the West!!!

Friday 20th November2009 Doors open 8.00 pm music starts at 8.40pm (ish)

FABULA RASA + Support

FABULA RASA

FABULA RASA - A very lively band from Hungary featuring Edina “Mókus” Szirtes − vocal, violin, Guszti Balog − vocal, bass 'voice', Kornél Varga – guitar, Balázs Cserta − wind instruments, Gábor Földes − bass guitar, Ákos Kertész – drum, percussion

Fabula Rasa were formed in 2006 and made their first public appearance at the Budapest Fringe Festival where they were awarded a special prize. They have since given concerts at several festivals, cultural institutions and clubs all over Hungary. Their first album, ’Csindratta’, featuring their own compositions, was published at the end of 2006. Their eclectic musical world is inspired by the exciting rhythms, many-coloured themes and the extreme emotional heatedness of the peoples of our neighbouring countries (Serbia, Romania, etc.,). All this is infused with contemporary musical studies and experiences, often seasoned with elements borrowed from modern electronic music. In 2007, Fabula Rasa’s original composition ’Furfangos dal (Tricky)’ reached the final in the World Music category of an international songwriting competition, being among the 14 best from 15 000!

You Tube Video of Fabula Rasa Live on Hungararian TV

Friday 25/09/2009 Doors open 8.00 pm music starts at 8.40pm (ish)

ALLAN TAYLOR + Support

Allan Taylor

Allan Taylor, the consummate performer, a writer of literary gracefulness whose troubadour chronicles encapsulate the realism of otherwise unsung heroes, otherwise uncharted lives. Few people can convey with such eloquence their life experiences. His songs are written from a lifetime of traveling; always the observer passing through, each song is a vignette of life, like a story told over a drink in a bar; characters come to life like people you know and places become as familiar as if you had been there. His songs have been recorded by more than a hundred other performers of various nationalities (there are more than sixty cover versions of his song “It’s Good to See You”, in ten different languages), proof enough that a concert by Allan Taylor will be an experience to remember. As Allan says at the beginning of each concert, “Sit back and enjoy the journey.”

Reviews of Leaving at Dawn:
David Kidman, fRoots, August/September 2009:

The latest album from Allan, his 20th, is heralded as showing a return to the more folk-inflected style of troubadour song that characterised his earlier years. Whatever, Allan remains the consummate craftsman-in-song, and he hasn’t in any way abandoned the key themes and concerns that he’s developed and made very much his own over a long and illustrious career. Leaving at Dawn is absolutely quintessential Allan Taylor, instantly recognisable for its telling combination of a uniquely expressive, warm and inviting vocal delivery and an attractive, precisely captured instrumental backing, centred as ever around Allan’s own intricately moulded and mellifluous guitar playing. But it’s also the product of an artist of total maturity and integrity, delivering work of the highest self-imposed standards and exhibiting (in every single aspect of its presentation) supreme confidence without complacency.

This new batch of songs was written(with just one 1993 exception) between 2001 and 2007, each one a prime example of Allan’s second-nature ability to directly share his emotions in simple yet always profoundly literate language, thereby taking the listener on a journey that feels personal yet contains universal truths aplenty. Allan’s musings are affectionate and eloquent, yet often more complex than they appear, primarily because they’re shot through with the perceptiveness and realism that are the hallmarks of a true observer.

Leaving At Dawn is full of songs that follow the songwriter’s eternal preoccupation, reflection with regret, either musing sensitively on love (Lay Soft On Your Pillow, Back Home To You) or embodying a strong sense of genius-loci (Provence, New York In The Seventies), often memorably bringing together both strands in the same song. Especially beguiling here are two songs in traditional vein (Firefly, already celebrated in Tom McConville’s fabulous recording, and The Last Of The Privateers), The Almost Man (a chokingly pertinent tribute to Allan’s father), and Winter (a beautiful and masterfully poetic expression of tender reassurance), while Red On Green is Allan’s own translation of a poignant song of farewell composed by Massimo Bubola based on a WW1 love-letter written my Massimo’s uncle.

The disc’s exceptional, state-of-the-art recording draws you in right close, with Allan’s very special and intimate delivery cocooned by the immaculately judged and empathic contributions of a handful of other musicians (guitar, dobro, accordion, banjo, bowed psaltery, fretless bass). I feel sure that Leaving At Dawn will come to be judged as one of Allan’s finest ever collections.

Nigel Schofield, The Living Tradition:

Everything about this CD declares quality and consideration. Recorded with stunning digital clarity and released on SACD (don’t worry, it plays on your old CD player), it is packaged in a new design of durable jewel case and features a cover shot which is a little work of art in itself [‘delicate – looks like Vermeer”].
This collection of a dozen new songs is contemplative and elegantly crafted. While many of the songs here are reflective – a meditation brought on by the passing of his father, a translation of a lost soldier’s letter home, New York In The Seventies which does what it says on tin, several songs of discreet departure -, the overall mood is of optimism and possibility: “Let’s get on the road and follow that golden star” is the ultimate response to the arrival of the urn containing his father’s ashes.
What slips by almost unnoticed on first hearing is the narrative power of most of the songs here: they certainly evoke a time; they clearly depict specific situations; but they also subtly tell a story – one reaches the end of a song, having, as it were, enjoyed the view, wondering how you got to where you now are. By the time you’ve figured what’s happening, you’re hit with The Last Of the Privateers – a full-on narrative ballad.
Allan Taylor has always had that felicitous skill of making you want to listen to his latest album – rather than it simply prompting a return to earlier work. Here, it is not just the quality of the writing and singing which draws you back to the CD, but also the spacious, acoustic settings: they are rooted in folk music and are richly textured – among the instruments one hears accordion, banjo, fiddle, cor anglais, bowed psaltery, fiddle, viola, a looping fretless bass and, of course, magnificent rolling acoustic guitars. It is, in short, an acoustic treat.
Speaking of the album’s folk influence, one must quote Allan’s note on the tradition-based Firefly: “Many of the finest songs I know are from the tradition and the British Isles and Ireland are graced with some of the most beautiful and powerful songs in the English language.” Some of the finest songs you’ll hear this year on this CD. To steal a line from The Almost Man, “he’ll smile and say, ‘You did it, Al’ ”.

You Tube Video - "Los Companeros" Recorded live in Brussels 2007

Friday 17/07/2009 Doors open 8.00 pm music starts at 8.40pm (ish)

CHRIS MAYFIELD and THE NEVER ENDING BAND

20 years a musician in England and Europe

20 years a musician in America

Playing with everyone from Zoot Money and The Big Roll Band to JJ Cale, via Noel Redding, working his way over those 40 years from Kent to Kentuckky via London, Amsterdam, California, New Orleans, Missisippi, Memphis, Nashville, Chigago and New York. Playing his own style of swampy, chuggin, down home bluesy music. Having recorded the album “Standing in The Light” whilst in the UK in 2007 he is currently gigging with the “Never Ending Band” featuring Chris Mayfield – Guitar and Vocals, Les Morgan – drums, Thaddeus Kelly – Bass and Mick Paice – Tenor and Alto Sax.

“Chris Mayfield has just released a new solo album which has enough about it to justify the label of cult hero.”

Record Collector Magazine 2008

Friday 12/06/2009 Doors open 8.00 pm music starts at 8.40pm (ish)

JENNIFER CROOK AND HER BAND + Support - The Nodding Shakespeares

Jennifer Crook

Jennifer has been playing, singing and making music for a number of years. A finalist in the BBC Radio 2 Young Tradition Award in 1993, she has appeared on national tv and radio, and worked in a variety of acclaimed acts. Her collaborations have ranged from the virtuosic hammered dulcimer and harp duo Cythara (who performed the soundtrack for BBC series ‘The Private Life of Plants’) to the festival mayhem of world-dance fusion band Elephant Talk, taking time to form the lively pop-folk outfit Madigan, and a top class duo with multi-instrumentalist Henry Sears along the way. It is a testimony to how highly she is regarded that her current band includes a number of internationally respected musicians including leading concertina player Rob Harbron, Maclaine Colston on hammered-dulcimer, Bethany Porter on cello and Josh Clark on percussion.

Her new CD "A Few Small Things" is Jennifer’s first completely solo project and the first to contain entirely original material.

**** "Exquisite and thoughtful singer-songwriter fare. A special talent, Jennifer has produced a remarkable CD with a great collection of self-penned songs...sensitive and emotional it begs repeated listens."

Maverick

You Tube Video - "A Few Small Things" album launch at The Rondo Theatre, Bath, England. 1st May 2008

The Nodding Shakespeares

Supporting Jennifer Crook are a newly formed Llanelli based trio with some startlingly original songs and a few re-spun classics alongside. The bands style ranges from soulful female singer songwriter ballads to rousing folk/pop. Three English teachers, three bottles of red, a Christmas jamming session and this is the result.

Thursday 14th May 2009 Doors open 8.00 pm music starts at 8.40pm (ish)

CHRIS DIFFORD + Support

CHRIS DIFFORD

‘When it comes to vernacular British pop few do it better’. Q

Wry, witty, touching, compassionate, emotionally and socially engaging.’ Word Plus…..

To delight and entertain you, award winning, Chris Difford takes to the road, SOLO, in 2009. Now firmly established and recognized as one of the UK’s most respected and loved singer song writers, and a leading component of one of the greatest British rock/pop bands “EVER”, Squeeze! Chris will be dipping into a large repertoire of solo material, including songs from his two critically acclaimed albums, “I didn’t get where I am” & “The last temptation of Chris” as well as new takes on some Squeeze classics.

‘The best recordings in years from a national treasure.’ Mojo

‘More monochrome detail than a Sillitoe novel.’ Uncut

For the uninitiated, Difford is co-founder and front-man of the legendary and indefatigable Squeeze - who's relentless 2008 touring schedule climaxed in sharing the main stage at V with Girls Aloud, The Feeling and The Verve, and a sold out gig at Radio City Music Hall in the US.

This time around, while Squeeze prepare for another summer of touring, Difford will treading the boards alone - bare and naked, as it were, plying not only his trade of the master of song construction and writing, but sharing with his audience, what has become his trade mark, dead-pan, comedic telling of tales both new and old………AND he’s going to bring a projector with him too – so we can expect a “show and tell extravaganza”. Certainly not one to take the usual route, Difford is sure to delight and entertain.

Throughout this extensive tour of Great Britain, support will be provided by one of UK’s most exciting new acts – Ella Edmondson! Without a doubt, one hotly tipped to become a household name in 2009 – Ella will be promoting a new album – Hold Your Horses – due for release in the UK on Feb 16 2009.

Tickets go on sale online straight after the previous gig at the Talbot on Friday 17th April, and shortly after from the Talbot Hotel reception.

Chris Difford

Friday 17/04/09 Doors open 8.00 pm music starts at 8.40pm (ish)

HIDEAWAY TRIO featuring GARETH PRICE + Support - John Dignam

An evening of the very best music from contemporary Welsh Musicians

Gareth Price

Hideaway Trio is a fabulous blues/rock band based in Pembrokeshire. The bands inspiration comes from the great blues based trios such as Cream, Jimi Hendrix ,Stevie Ray Vaughan. Gareth Price is one of the most expressive and emotional young electric guitarists around today and his guitar work is very ably augmented by the amazing Alan Rowlands (formerly with the Forest Hillbillies) on drums and the ever solid Mr Dai Codd (formerly of Night Crew) on bass. This bands mission is to bring people the very best in blues, rock, full tilt boogie and soulful guitar. Think Jimi Hendrix meets John Mayer in Eric Claptons white room and you’ll be somewhere near the mark. This is a special gig for the band as it marks the launch of their brand new CD on Wild West Wales Records.

John Dignam

John Dignam is a young acoustic guitarist. At 18 years old John has performed onstage with the great Tommy Emmanuel and has played to numerous audiences throughout the UK. Since discovering the music of Tommy Emmanuel, Chet Atkins and many others he has been inspired to cover their songs and write his own. This is picking at it's best and this young Swansea based guitarist is destined for great things.

Friday 20/03/2009 Doors open 8.00 pm music starts at 8.40pm (ish)

LIVE AT THE TALBOT RE-LAUNCH

SHEDLOAD OF LOVE + Support - Bob Fish

Shedload Of Love

Advance Price: £8, £7 conc, £6 members

Door Price: £9, £8, £7

(16-18 £3) (11-15 £1)

(-11 free)

This is the first gig under the new Wild West Wales Live At The Talbot banner and we kick off with a fabulous band who sound like Al Green, J.J.Cale and Tony Joe White hanging out in Neil Young's barn. Brockley and Deptford based collective of musicians. Shedload Of Love have been known to play both sitting down and standing up but always on the money, featuring Paul Astles ~ vocals and guitar, Martin Brown ~ lead guitar, Simon Cowderoy ~ bass, Brian Foley ~ tenor and soprano sax, washboard, tambourine and vocals, Les Morgan ~ drums and percussion...and cheese, Mick Paice ~ alto sax and harmonica, Garry Walsh ~ piano and organ.

*****Shed Load are a 7-8 piece ensemble featuring some of South London’s finest working musicians. Paul Astles fronts the band best described as a New Orlean’s Los Lobos from South East London. If you like to get lost in the Mississippi mud or deep in the Bayou they are not to be missed. Is Les Morgan the best drummer on the planet ? Probably.

- Jonty King 2008

Bob Fish

When DARTS are mentioned these days, the response is either who? or wow - one of the best live bands ever! Bob was one of the singers in the highly successful doo-wop / r’n’b outfit. In 1978 the band sold more concert tickets in the UK than any other act that year. He toured the world with the band and they had hit records in the UK & Europe. Bob ended up with a mix of fourteen, silver, gold & platinum discs and some fantastic memories.

In 2001 Bob bought a Oscar Schmidt autoharp & hasn’t looked back. He is now the proud owner of three beautiful custom built Pete d’Aigle ‘harps and these days plays an eclectic mix - from old time bluegrass, through rock and pop to his own material inspired by the likes of the Carter Family, the Stanley Brothers, Tim O’Brien, Steve Earl etc.

One of Bob’s recent musical highlights was to attend the California Autoharp Gathering in 2008. He went as a punter, but came away with a booking as a tutor & workshop leader for 2009.

Please check out:

www.amazingdarts.com

www.daigleharp.com

www.bobfishphotomontages.com

Bob Fish

Cambria Arts Farewell Christmas Party featuring The Max Pashm Band

Llanddewi Brefi Village Hall, Saturday 20th December 9pm

Cambria Arts bid farewell with their annual Christmas Party on Saturday 20th December at the venue where it all began, Llanddewi Brefi Village Hall, featuring the collective of U.K based Jewish, Greek & Balkan musicians, The Max Pashm Band. Uniquely blending traditional Greek/Balkan/Gypsy & Klezmer music with high energy electronic beats & digitally manipulated effects, the band performs worldwide and are renowned for their exciting, uplifting and innovative live shows.

Cambria Arts founder, Hilary Booth says: "We couldn't ask for a better swansong than a great dance band in our original venue. We presented The Peth there in the summer and it was a brilliant night and we want all our friends to all come along and share a celebration of the history of our little group at our last Christmas Party, with another full-on party. There'll be lots of memorabilia, a DJ, bar and snacks, a traditional Christmas tree and decorations - the night will probably go on until very late. We're sure there are going to be tears shed all around, but also some wonderful memories that we hope to share."

Band leader, Max Pashm first rose to fame in the late nineties with his debut album ‘Weddings, Bar-mitzvahs & Funerals’ released on Sony Music in 1997. He thrilled audiences worldwide with his unique blend of sequenced beats, fused with his live percussion and Greek, Hebrew & English vocals. As one of the early pioneers of world/fusion music, he went on to work with Nitin Sawhney, Levellers and has remixed artists including Ekova, Ska Cubano, Sex Pistols to name but a few. His groundbreaking Kritika/Dance song ‘Queen of Sikim’ from the first album charted across Europe.

After a short break following the birth of his daughter, Max formed the Max Pashm Band, which combined with Max’s blistering electronic beats/percussion and vocals, forms a very powerful and uplifting fusion of the old & new,both on stage and on CD. Max also remixes other artists, as he has done since the late nineties and compiles compilations for Nascente Records, including the recent release ‘Beginners guide to Greece’. The long awaited new album ‘Never mind the Balkans – Here’s Max Pashm ‘ was officially released in September this year.

Tickets available at www.cambriaarts.org.uk, 01974 298965

Max Pashm

Cambria Arts Farwell Party

Hair of the Dog, at the Talbot on Friday 30th March 2007(9pm)

HAIR OF THE DOG

American 7-piece Hair of the Dog, who play the Talbot on Friday 30th March(9pm) are described by organisers Cambria Arts as 'a moveable feast of raw Zydecajun honkytonk dance hall blues!'

Led by Whit Connah and Barbara Panter-Connah, Hair Of The Dog has been making bodies shake and feet glide for almost 30 years, the band celebrate the culture and musical spirit of their native Louisiana. HOTD are not a Cajun, Zydeco or Blues band, but those traditional elements still inform the music - the impassioned vocal delivery and Barbara's strong Balfa-style fiddling; the driving accordeon and sizzling electric guitar. Also present are influences from honky-tonk Country music, rockabilly and even rock and roll--all a part of the musical atmosphere of growing up in the South and each a reflection of the musical interests and roots of
various band members.

This gig came out of a chance meeting with pedal steel guitar ace Bill Flemming and Cambria Arts organiser, Ron Dukelow. Ron explains: "A mutual friend asked me to go along to help out at a charity function a year or so
back, where Bill was playing. His skill on one of the most difficult instruments to master, the pedal steel guitar, was just amazing and when we spoke after the event he told me that he was planning to bring his friend over to play and would we be interested in getting them along to the Talbot. After he handed me a CD and I listened to what they did, I thought they'd be perfect - a mixture of 'real deal' Louisiana musicianship that will appeal to the listeners and dancers at the Talbot." The band are playing several dates around the UK, with several in Wales, thanks to Bill who is undertaking a course at Aberystwyth University and currently resident in the town.

Jim Moray - Friday 16th March 2007 (9pm)

Jim Moray

Jim Moray, who appears at the Talbot, Tregaron on Friday 16th March (9pm), is a 24 year old singer, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer who has created startlingly contemporary recordings of England's traditional songs and which have been described as the most significant development in folk music in the last 30 years.

Jim released his debut album, Sweet England, in 2003 on his own unlikely named Niblick-Is-A-Giraffe Records. Just a month before, he had completed the final year of his music degree at Birmingham Conservatoire, submitting the album as his final project. The ten track album had been recorded for next to nothing in a bedroom studio made up of equipment bought with his student loan. He had played virtually every instrument himself adding in just a few pieces performed by fellow students. He had also engineered, arranged and produced the songs single handedly. The final album was causing waves even before it was released, and in an unprecedented move for a previously unknown artist, he was presented with the Album Of The Year Award as well as the Horizon Award 2004 for best newcomer at the Radio 2 Folk Awards.

Since then Jim has gone from performing in local folk clubs to this year playing the main stage at Cambridge Folk Festival. He has been featured in The Independent, Mojo, The Telegraph, Uncut and The Times and reviewed in countless other publications here and abroad. He has performed radio sessions on The Andy Kershaw Show (Radio 3), The Mike Harding Show (Radio 2), Late Junction (Radio 3), Tom Robinson's Evening Sequence (6 Music), The Janice Long Show (Radio 2), The Verb (Radio 4), A Place Called England (Radio 3), The Phil Jupitus Show (6 Music), and has performed for TV on The Celtic Connections 2004 Special (BBC4) and The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2004 (BBC4).

He has had his music featured on the trailer for ITV's drama Murder City. Tracks by Jim have also appeared on compilation albums including Nu-Europe (Manteca), which reached 16 in the World Music Charts of Europe, and The Big Session Vol. 1 (West Park). And he has toured in his own right in the UK, Benelux, Australia and Canada, and has done dates in Italy and France, and has provided support on tours by The Oysterband and John McCusker in the UK.

Jim will be accompanied at the Talbot by his equally talented sister, Jackie Oates. Jackie was a finalist in the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award 2003, and has since gone on to represent England at the European Network of Folk Arts festival in 2003, and has appeared on several acclaimed folk albums; Sweet England and Jim Moray by her brother; Beam (Laurel Swift and Friends), Cruel Sister (Rachel Unthank and the Winterset), Witness (Show of Hands), Ghosts and Greasepaint (Barry Lister) and Twilight of the Dogs (Les Barker).

Saturday 3rd February 9pm

HALFLIGHT

Halflight, the hottest new band from Cardiff

Halflight

Tregaron arts group, Cambria Arts, reckon that Cardiff based Halflight, who play the Talbot on Saturday 3rd February (9pm), are destined to become one of the UK's hottest new bands. Halflight began at the end of 2003 after band leader, Sarah Howells' previous band Jylt, tragically came to an end. Bassist, singer and best friend, Nia George had been diagnosed with lukaemia and eventually died of the illness at the age of only 21. Despite the indescribable sense of loss and despair this brought, Sarah was compelled to continue writing and performing and out of this, Halflight was born.
In 2004, Halflight's debut release, the E.P. 'Subside' ,signalled the arrival of a rare new talent. Centred around Sarah's heart-breaking vocals, Halflight take acoustic and electric guitars and cello and transform them into a compelling and emotive sound. After the success of Subside, the band followed up with a bold mini-album entitled 'Pick Me', which has won them an army of fans around their base in Cardiff.
Cambria Arts' organiser, Ron Dukelow says: "Our instinct for sniffing out prospective stars of the future proved accurate when we featured a young singer/songwriter from Belfast in several shows through 2003 to 2005; Duke Special has gone on to become one of the hottest new pop properties of the past year. His latest single was 'record of the week' on Radio 2, and he is in big demand in radio, TV and on the live circuit. We think that Halflight have an equally bright future."
Halflight write songs of delicate, haunting beauty based around the powerful and emotive vocals of songwriter and founder Sarah Howells. In seemingly simple songs of loss and re-emergence, the band fuse guitars, cello, drums and vocals, to create a sound that is at once richly resonant and thoroughly compelling. Pick Me, while still unmistakably Halflight, takes Sarahs sound to a new place. There are still the fragile, whispered songs in Loveworn and The Ending but songs like Smiles and Air and the title track Pick Me show the more resolute and 'cutting edge' side to the band. The band are now at work finishing their first full-length album that they hope will be released later this year.
With a sound that manages to merge the sound of Coldplay with someone like Cat Power, it's not surprising Halflight have wide appeal without being
mainstream.

SPECIAL EVENT

Kreg Viesselman

Hafan Café, Tregaron, Friday 21st July 8.00pm

Kreg Live at The Talbot

Tregaron arts group, Cambria Arts, stage a surprise gig at Hafan Café on Friday 21st July, when Kreg Viesselman returns to promote his new CD on the local Red Kite Records label.

The gig represents something of a full circle for Kreg, as Cambria Arts gave Midwest-born US troubadour his first-ever UK gig, opening for the mighty Eric Taylor, at the Talbot back in October 2003, and his 'Gone To Lewiston' is a standout track from Red Kite Records' 'Live! at the Talbot' CD.

Following an enthusiastically-received follow-up Talbot show, Red Kite's Martin Levan invited Kreg to record his third album, along with the pick of Colorado's musicians, at their Llanwrda studios. The resulting CD, 'The Pull', was released on 3 July, and is already picking up rave reviews, as well as prestigious regional and national airplay (including Radio 2's Bob Harris and Radio London's Robert Elms, who's dubbed 'The Pull' his 'album of the year').

Kreg's folk-blues roots are still firmly in place, but 'The Pull' showcases a fully matured sound that's distinctively his own: gospel, southern soul, Celtic, and world music influences are now all part of Kreg's style - add to that his wonderful guitar skills and a unique road-parched voice that's prompted comaprisons with Joe Cocker, John Martyn, Tom Waits, Guy Davis, Ray Lamontagne, and even Van Morrison, coupled to a repertoire of heart-wrenching and poetic songs, and you have an artist whose star is very much on the rise.

Cambria Arts' Andrew Hawkey says: "We're proud of the part we've played so far in Kreg's rapidly-rising status, and we're really pleased that he's managed to make the time to come back to Tregaron to showcase his new CD."

The show is the first of a projected series of occasional al fresco gigs presented by Cambria Arts in the intimate surroundings of the courtyard-garden at Hafan Cafe, just off Tregaron Square.

Tickets, which are limted, are available from Cambria Arts on 01974 298965 or via their website www.cambriaarts.org.uk

Listen to sample MP3s from Kreg's new album on Red Kite Records "The Pull" by clicking on the following links:-

Saturday Night

Aileen

Honey Of The Vine

Man Without A Care

The Pull

Jaipur Kawa Brass Band

Talbot Hotel, Tregaron, Friday 30th June 9.00pm

Jaipur Kawa Brass Band

A spectacular of the exotic sounds and colours of the Indian subcontinent is what Cambria Arts promise for their gig at the Talbot, Tregaron on 30th June, as the Jaipur Kawa Brass Band make their return.

Introduced by the British in the 18th century, the brass band is now a feature of life itself. They accompany events such as national or religious celebrations, popular festivals and also life events such as weddings. In India there is no marriage without a brass band! Hameed Khan Kawa, tabla maestro and musical director of the legendary Musafir, developed the idea of creating a brass band of his own to present the fantastic sound of the Indian Brass Band. He selected the most talented musicians from the best local bands of Rajasthan, with a repertoire blending popular themes from Bollywood films, traditional music of Rajasthan with its distinctive Gypsy sound, and even a touch of Hindustani classical music to create a sound which is individual, exciting and totally unique.

Cambria Arts' spokesman, Ron Dukelow says: "Their show at the Talbot last year was one of wildest gigs we've ever seen at the venue. We had a wedding party in from Lampeter, which made the whole evening feel like a festival, and the antics of the fakir, with his swords, knives, hooks and stone ball were jaw-dropping. This is a show in every sense of the word."

The band's debut UK tour in 2005 was a resounding success, with over 60 performances all across the country from The Isle of Skye down to Penzance; their four appearances on one day at Glastonbury Festival earned them an invitation to return for the whole weekend in 2007!

Performing with an amazing energy and humour, the ten musicians in this unique musical feast represent the soul of contemporary India.

Thursday 15th June - The Chris Hodgkins Trio.

Chris Hodgkins

On tour to promote their debut album, 'Present Continuous', The Chris Hodgkins Trio is led by the trumpeter and award-winning director of Jazz Services for 20 years. Raised in Cardiff, Chris co-founded the Welsh Jazz Festival and was instrumental in establishing the Welsh Jazz Society with David Greensmith. As a professional trumpeter, Chris has toured the UK and Europe - also appearing at the Sacramento Jazz Festival in the States.

The trio is completed by Alison Rayner on double bass and Max Brittain on guitar. Alison toured the world in the 80s with the critically acclaimed Latin-jazz group the Guest Stars. She has worked with such jazz luminaries as guitar legend Tal Farlow and New York jazz poet Jayne Cortez. Max Brittain's inventive and sensitive guitar playing has accompanied a diverse range of musical greats including Cleo Laine, Georgie Fame, Herb Ellis, Charlie Byrd and Marion Montgomery, as well as the National Symphony Orchestra.

Friday 16th June - Lisa Mills.

Llisa Mills Live at the Talbot

Friday 16th sees the return of Alabama's Lisa Mills. Hand-picked by none other than Robert Plant to support his tours of the USA and Europe, Lisa is one of the most sought after acts on the blues scene. Lisa Mills grew up in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where her early heroes were Elvis Presley and Brenda Lee; later influences were Chaka Khan, Bonnie Raitt, and Aretha Franklin. She has also been dubbed 'a modern-day Janis Joplin', very appropriate when you consider that she's frequently fronted Joplin's legendary former band, Big Brother & The Holding Company.

Cambria Arts' organiser, Ron Dukelow says: "We are all big fans of Lisa, both professionally and personally, and are especially pleased to see her in Wales again, as she lost everything when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast where she lives."

Lisa has recently been recording with the UK band The Big Town Playboys for their new album along with Jeff Beck , Andy Fairweather-Low, Robert Plant and Jools Holland, and she has become a regular visitor to Europe appearing at the famous Bergen Blues Festival in Norway, Glastonbury and many other UK folk and blues festivals. She also contributed a track to the Red Kite Records CD 'Live at the Talbot'.

Tickets are available from Cambria Arts on 01974 298965

Stephen Fearing from Toronto

STEPHEN FEARING + DAVE SUTHERLAND

Fans of great acoustic guitar playing are in for a treat as Canadian singer-songwriter Stephen Fearing stops off at the Talbot, Tregaron on his latest UK tour on Friday 5th May. The exceptional Toronto-based musician is no stranger to the Live at the Talbot audience, having shared the bill with Oh Susanna in May 2003, and again appeared in 2004. He so impressed the crowd with his great songs, remarkable guitar skills, uniquely emotional voice, and charismatic stage presence, that Cambria Arts re-booked him immediately.

As Cambria Arts' organiser Ron Dukelow says: "Stephen 'wowed' our audience last time. He's one of the finest solo performers we've seen - be sure to come along and make the discovery for yourselves."

For almost two decades Fearing has been penning some of the most literate and emotionally charged 'folk' music on the planet. His seventh and latest CD, 2003's 'That's How I Walk', is a defining work in the career of one of Canada's most respected artists, blending a raw, streetwise edge with evocative, soul-searching imagery to produce music of quiet passion and depth. His voice, once heard, is unforgettable, and he's a real 'guitarist's guitarist', nothing less; fans of John Martyn or Richard Thompson will recognize in Fearing a fellow master craftsman, yet Stephen is still very much his own man.

Dave Sutherland (With Atlanta Georgia based Bill Fleming on Pedal Steel Guitar)

Supporting Stephen will be cult London singer-songwriter Dave Sutherland with his unique blend of disarming folk/country. Having toured or shared the bill with the likes of Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Bert Jansch, and Glenn Tillbrook, Dave's pairing with Stephen Fearing completes what promises to be an unforgettable night for all lovers of top-grade songcraft and guitar picking.

Tickets are available from Cambria Arts on 01974 298965.

Hear Dave Sutherland live on the BBC Dave Cash show.

Cambria Arts Big Bank Holiday Weekend at the Talbot

Talbot, Tregaron Friday 28th April - Sunday 30th April

Katell Keineg

First up are Katell Keineg, Ann Scott and Adrian Crowley. Since the early 1990s, Katell Keineg - born in Brittany, raised here in Wales - has been musically active in both Ireland and the United States, emerging as one of the most inspiring and deeply moving performers around. Merely to dub her a singer-songwriter is to give no indication of the adventurous range of her music - suffice to say that anyone who's collaborated with The Waterboys, Iggy Pop, and Natalie Merchant, has been produced by Eric Drew Feldman (Captain Beefheart, PJ Harvey), and recorded stunning covers of songs by, among others, Bob Dylan and Nick Drake, is no regular troubadour. With her otherworldly Irish/Welsh lilt and serene stage presence, Katell's music combines elements of Celtic pop, world, even country music, in an irresistible mix that's won her a richly deserved fanatical worldwide following.

Since emerging onto Ireland's thriving songwriter circuit in 2002 with her distinctive Pauper Tiger Ep Ann Scott has been going from strength to strength, in particular with the recent release of her debut LP. A performer of striking originality, Ann has shared the stage with artists as diverse as Blondie and Fairport Convention. Her fresh takes on love, obsession, freedom and sorrow reveal a writer with a fondness for stories and characters with songs such as Wilbur Clown and Whistle Tom ultimately telling their own tale.

Galwegian Adrian Crowley first stepped into the Dublin music scene in 1999 with the release of 'A Strange Kind', quickly followed by the live album 'When You Aer Here You Aer Family' recorded in Chicago. Following successful tours of the UK and US, his third album 'A Northern Country' has just been released to grat acclaim from magazines such as Alternative Press, TimeOut New York and The New Yorker.

El Equipo

Sunday 30th gives a complete contrast as Cambria Arts celebrate the end of the Mid Wales Open Art Fair with a hot dance night as El Equipo take the stage. El Equipo began as a collaboration between Cuban bassist Jimmy Martinez and English piano player Sara McGuinness and has grown into an 8-piece band playing hot Salsa and Cuban Son with a serious groove. The band features top musicians from Latin America and Europe. The exciting cultural mix of the band enriches their compositions and arrangements, combining their own modern influences with traditional styles.

Talbot regulars may be interested to know that Jimmy was leader and bass player of leading young Cuban Son band Asere. With them he toured extensively and arranged and recorded 2 CDs. He has been living in England for 2 years where he has been playing with many top Latin bands.Sara is well known on the UK Salsa scene, and has played, written and arranged for many of the top bands in the country. Sara has played and studied in Cuba with musicians from the Buenavista Social Club.

El Equipo also features the vibrant and inspirational musicianship of: Elpidio Caicedo - Lead Vocals, Bill Bland-Congas, Richie Pla-Bongo, Roberto Pla-Timbales, Simon Finch-Trumpet. The band's recent appearances include Heineken Green Festival, Cork, Smollensky's London, The Rainbow Festival, Watford, The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen and Momo's London.

Celf Cambria Arts
Bridgend House
Llanddewi Brefi
Tregaron
Ceredigion
SY25 6RL

Tel: 01974 298965

LOUISE TAYLOR + JULIA HARRIS (support)

Recognized as one of America's finest and most soulful songwriters, many years on the road have brought Vermont-based Louise Taylor to intimate coffeehouses, large concert halls, and festival stages across the US and Europe - and now to the Talbot, Tregaron on Friday 24th March! Louise has released five critically acclaimed CDs on the prestigious Signature Sounds label.

Louise says that she wants her music to reach people from the inside out and that the music that gets her excited 'comes from a sensual place - it's a physical experience that starts with a groove'. She cites Nina Simone as a lifelong inspiration, as she told us: "To me, that's what a real woman should sound like - fearless, sophisticated and soulful." Her richly moving voice combines with an astonishing self-taught guitar technique, while her articulate and thought-provoking songs draw on diverse musical idioms - African rhythms, world music, blues, Celtic soul, and percussive jazz. Comparisons have been made with the likes of Bonnie Raitt and Joan Armatrading, but critics agree that Louise is an incomparable and mature performer, guaranteed to entrance all lovers of intelligent songcraft.

Continuing their policy to bring the best young up-and-coming Welsh-based talent to Tregaron, Cambria Arts welcome the charismatic Julia Harris from Cardiff, whose music has been variously described as 'urban acoustic' and 'f**k-off-folk' - disarmingly honest, highly personal songs that capture hearts and minds wherever she plays.

Tickets are available from Cambria Arts on 01974 298965

Juliet Turner plus Pierce Pettis

Talbot, Tregaron Friday 10th February 9.00pm

Juliet Turner

Cambria Arts' present an international show packed with songwriting talent at the Talbot, Tregaron on Friday 10th February which features one Ireland's biggest stars, Juliet Turner with her band and support from Alabama born songwriter, Pierce Pettis.

Juliet started writing songs in her mid-teens, and in 1996, whilst at university in Glasgow, recorded her debut album, 'Let's Hear it for Pizza'. Moving to Dublin, she started to play live shows, and made such an impression on that city's competitive music scene that she was soon opening shows for Bob Dylan, Gabrielle, Sting, U2, and Brian Adams, and touring with the likes of Joan Armatrading, Brian Kennedy, and Roger McGuinn.

In 2000 Juliet released her second CD, 'Burn The Black Suit', which went double-platinum in Ireland and was voted one of the 100 all-time Irish albums by Hot Press magazine readers. 2004's 'Season of the Hurricane' also went platinum, boosted by the Radio Two hit 'Everything Beautiful is Burning'. And in 2005, Juliet won the prestigious Meteor Music Award for Best Irish Female Performer.

A unique performer Juliet performs her 'pop veering into darker territory' in a quietly confident style, interspersed with flashes of wicked humour; with her strong but fragile voice, beautifully articulate wide-ranging songs, and eccentric off-the-cuff inter-song anecdotes.
Adored by both critics and public alike, Pierce Pettis is one of this generation's most masterful songwriters. His music is distinguished by his uncanny ability to capture universals in human experience by drawing on the humor and trials in daily life. Pettis' music can simultaneously pull on our hearts and keep us laughing. The beautiful harmonies, inventive yet subtle percussion, strong guitar, and Pierce's rich vocals are a constant throughout his body of work.

Tickets are available from Cambria Arts on 01974 298965.

Celf Cambria Arts
Bridgend House
Llanddewi Brefi
Tregaron
Ceredigion SY25 6RL

Fantazia

Talbot, Tregaron, Friday 17th February 9.00pm

Fantazia

Friday 17th February sees a long-anticipated return visit to the Talbot, Tregaron from Fantazia, one of the highlights of Cambria Arts' 2003 season. This scintillating bi-cultural nine-piece extravaganza are promising to banish the winter blues with their unique brand of 21st century roots music from Algeria via Hackney. In oud player and multi instrumental Yazid Fentazi, Fantazia have a talented composer, whose tunes are distinguished by strong melodies, vibrant rhythms, and dynamic arrangements. The band's line-up encompasses drums, bass, percussion, keyboards, violin, sax, trumpet, flute and multiple vocals, a combination that manages to be both quintessentially Algerian and quintessentially London ... drawing on deep North African traditions, but combining them with the kind of contemporary sounds you'll hear thumping out of doorways and car windows right across the Capital.

With a dynamic second CD, Mul Sheshe, to promote, supported by heavy airplay and live sessions with the likes of Andy Kershaw, Fantazia return to the Talbot's stage to serve up its irresistible menu: a night of music with Western pop sensibilities and funky horns, as though the Famous Flames have crashed a particularly wild party in London's North African enclave.

Tickets are available from Cambria Arts on 01974 298965

Martyn Joseph

Talbot, Tregaron Friday 20th January 9.00pm

Martyn Joseph at The Talbot January 2006

Review by Andrew Hawkey

It's superlatives time again, so hand me down that thesaurus ... The reputation of this astonishing artist certainly precedes him, but nothing had prepared those of us previously unacquainted with his work for the sheer strength and impact of our evening with Martyn.

The Penarth-born, now Cardiff-based singer/guitarist has developed over the last couple of decades into a veritable one-man music industry: he's released 22 albums, and toured tirelessly world-wide, gathering a fanatical following for his forthright yet modest on- and off-stage persona, and his matchless brand of songcraft, in which accessibly memorable melodies support elegantly-crafted lyrics that reveal his tender understanding of (among other things) relationships, fatherhood, death, and the female psyche, as well as his passionately righteous indignation at routine social injustice, political chicanery, cult celebrity, and endemic hypocrisy.

But Martyn's no self-righteous protest singer or preacher: rather, he's the epitome of the common man, albeit a highly evolved one, with a richly life-affirming message for us all, one that might well constitute a template for the conduct of life in these troubled times. And the strength of his (unobtrusive) religious faith surely contributes to the the robustly easy-going confidence that he exudes ... enough, perhaps, to give the determined agnostics among us cause for reflection ...

Armed with three guitars - two acoustic and an electric - plus harmonicas and pedals galore, Martyn's show is full-on from the get-go. He packed 25 songs into his two sets, including everything from his universally acclaimed new CD Deep Blue. The anthemic 'Can't Breathe' ('the killer Coldplay anthem that never was', proclaims the review in Mojo), the heart-melting 'I Would Never Do Anything In This World To Hurt You', and 'Proud Valley Boy', his reminder of Paul Robeson's unlikely role in the relief of Welsh miners' poverty, were standouts, and a tantalizing trawl through his extensive back catalogue. Despite an end-of-tour cold, Martyn's voice was hugely emotive, a whisper one moment, a soulful roar the next, while his guitar work is an essay in robust, unflashy functionality. His personal sound-man worked subtle magic at the desk, pulling out vocal echoes at the meaningful juncture ... the whole evening positively shone with the accumulation of Martyn's years on and off the road, honing and perfecting the skills with which he's blessed.

No one left the Talbot less than charmed, inspired, and thrilled (and probably spoken to personally) by Martyn Joseph, nor, to judge by the throng around the merchandise table, did anybody exit empty-handed. This had been a very special night, and if everyone in the audience tells their friends about it, a full house for his return visit - already being negotiated - looks likely. Comparisons are invidious, but we suggest you miss this man at your peril - in the crowded field of solo performers, Martyn Joseph is quite simply in a class of one.

- Andrew Hawkey

The Storys

Talbot, Tregaron, Friday 13th January 9.00pm

The Storys

Are you ready for The Next Big Thing? According to Cambria Arts, The Storys, who play the Talbot on Friday 13th January, could well be it! With four singer-songwriters all taking lead vocals on different songs, the sound of this thrilling new six-man band is both fragile and intense - they range from tender country-tinged ballads to ocean-wide stomping anthems, their astonishing multiple harmonies underpinned by glorious acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, and a killer rhythm section, in the best traditions of the finest transatlantic powerpop and harmony vocal outfits - think Eagles, CSNY, Fleetwood Mac, Raspberries, even Beatles. But these are no stone-washed denim Californians: The Storys come from - South Wales!

The band (Steve Balsamo - 3.5-octave vocals/gtr; Andy Collins - vocals/bass; Dai Smith - vocals/gtr; Rob Thompson - vocals/gtr; Brian Thomas - drums/percussion; Alan Thomas - keyboards/mandolin/banjo) was formed with the express purpose of creating classic songs with great hooks, melodies and lyrics, and one listen to their dazzling self-recorded and -released debut CD 'The Storys' proves that they've succeeded. Their first-ever gig, before a crowd of over 70,000, was at the Olympic Torch Concert outside Buckingham Palace, where they immediately attracted the attention of the critics; the band is already enjoying prestigious airplay, and building a passionate fan-base (thanks in no small part to the reputation and charismatic appeal of Steve Balsamo, who landed the coveted lead role in the West End revival of Jesus Christ Superstar in 1996, and who's even had one of his songs covered by Meatloaf!).

Everyone at Cambria Arts is united in the belief that The Storys could well be The Next Big Thing - be sure to book early, and catch them at the Talbot before they go global!
Celf Cambria Arts
Bridgend House
Llanddewi Brefi
Tregaron
Ceredigion SY25 6RL

Ffon/Phone: 01974 298965

No.1 Station

Talbot Hotel, Tregaron, Saturday 17th December 9.00pm

No 1 Station

Cambria Arts end 2005 in style with a Christmas dance party at the Talbot, Tregaron featuring one of Britain's premier ska bands, No.1 Station.

Formed by singer/guitarist, Sir Marcus Downbeat and saxophonist, Stuart "Stax" Atkins in 2001, No 1 Station are dedicated to playing ska and rocksteady in the style and spirit of the classic Jamaican Blue Beat record label. Sir Marcus (aka Mark Downie) has previously worked with such legendary names as Lee 'Scratch' Perry and the Upsetters, Rico Rodriguez and Prince Buster (some of you may also remember him as guest of the Trojans on their last visit).

Perennial favourites at Glastonbury, the band feature some of the best British-based ska musicians and, as well as their stomping rhythm section, will feature a three-part horn section. Geoff Bartholomew on trumpet, Ras Bert on Trombone and "Stax" Atkins on saxophone will bring that special sunshine unique to the sound of brass.

With the second volume in the "House of Joy" CD series in the pipeline, No 1 Station are keeping the original sounds of Jamaica alive into the 21st century, with a smile on your face and rhythm in you feet at the Talbot this Christmas!

Tickets available from Cambria Arts on 01974 298965

Glen Tilbrook & The Fluffers

Talbot, Tregaron, Friday November 11th 9.00pm

Glenn Tilbrook & The Fluffers

Former frontman and co-songwriter with one of Britain's best-loved bands, Squeeze, Glenn Tilbrook plays dates at The Talbot, Tregaron on Friday 11th November and The Tabernacl, Machynlleth on Saturday 12th.

"I'm not reinventing the wheel / I just like the way it makes me feel," Glenn sings on his latest release Transatlantic Ping Pong. When the wheel in question is the perfect three-and-a-half minute pop song, Tilbrook is a certified patent holder and member of that elite group that includes such tunesmiths as Lennon & McCartney, Ray Davies and Elvis Costello.

Squeeze were one of the most successful bands of the past thirty years, with many top fifty hit singles and albums. 'Up the Junction', 'Pulling Mussels (From A Shell)', 'Tempted', 'Take Me I'm Yours', 'Another Nail In My Heart', 'Black Coffee in Bed' and 'Labelled With Love' are just a few of the titles that Glenn co-wrote with Chris Difford, and their influence can be heard on contemporary artists such as Blur, Weezer, Aimee Mann and Fountains of Wayne. Jools Holland and Paul Carrack are just two ex-band members who have since gone on to successful solo careers.

Now a successful solo artist, touring throughout the world, Tilbrook has perfected a signature style marked by brilliant melodic invention, cheeky humour and slice-of-life pathos, all wrapped up with unshakable hooks, superb guitar playing and his golden-boy tenor. There's also a degree of unpredictability about a Glenn Tilbrook show - indeed, his impulsive stage antics are fast approaching legendary status.

Celf Cambria Arts
Bridgend House
Llanddewi Brefi
Tregaron
Ceredigion SY25 6RL

Ffon/Phone: 01974 298965

To Listen to some of Glenn's music click the links below.

Fighting For Peace

Stark Naked

Jumping

Cambria Arts have a busy weekend of international music lined up at the Talbot, Tregaron as firstly Ernie Payne from USA takes the stage on Friday 18th November, followed by the legendary Finbar Furey from Ireland on Sunday 20th.

Talbot, Tregaron, Friday 18th November & Sunday 20th November 9.00pm

Ernie Payne

Ernie's debut CD, 'Coercion Street' was released to rave reviews in April 2004. The record is being played all over the world and was picked up by Andy Kershaw (BBC Radio 3), on whose show he has recorded two live sessions.

At the core of the music is Payne's stunning voice, a deep, rich baritone, mournful but soothing. He can sing songs that tear at your heart, nailing the feel of each tune so well, that you instantly know the meaning, without knowing the words. The stories told in the songs are intimate and visual and as he is singing he makes the listener feel as if he is talking to them personally, directly and one on one.

Ernie says: "I was born in Louisiana, U.S.A. Raised in Evangeline Parish and East Texas. Late blooming baby boomer, nurtured by God fearing Baptists and Creole Catholics and the powerful fun of the second line drum. I'm trying to serve the blackness well."

Hailed as Ireland's Prince of Pipers, Finbar Furey, as leader of the legendary Fureys, has done so much to popularise Irish Music for over thirty years and to bring it to a wide and appreciative audience.

Finbar formed the Fureys with his brother Eddie in the 1960's, and from playing to audiences in clubs and pubs, the band soon found themselves headlining concerts and playing to thousands of people on major European tours. The band soon also enjoyed a string of best selling singles all over the world, becoming one of the few Irish folk groups to make it on to Top Of The Pops.

Since making his decision to go solo, Finbar¹s reputation has increased with every performance. He has toured extensively in Britain, Australia and played festivals and concerts in Europe and the USA, bringing his rare talents to a worldwide stage. Finbar also made his film debut, singing and appearing in the Martin Scorsese film 'Gangs of New York'. Finbar will be accompanied by the highly regarded Gary O'Briain on guitar and piano, and fiddle player, Maurice Lennon, who co-founded Irish supergroup, Stockton's Wing.

Tickets for both gigs are available from Cambria Arts on 01974 298965

Szapora
Talbot, Tregaron Friday 9th September 9.00pm

Szapora

Friday 9th September sees a return visit for the exotic multi-national Gypsy band, Szapora, who made their debut on the Talbot stage in March last year. Formed by Dave Kelbie in 1995, and originally called The Budapest Cafe Orchestra, Szapora have become legendary for brilliant and mesmerizing performances of Gypsy music from all over middle and Eastern Europe. The music is a furious, reckless, passionate mix of doina's from Romania, csardas' from Hungary and hora's from Bulgaria, played with a terrifying energy and technical brilliance that will fill your head and bring you to your feet.

After their appearance alongside Taraf de Haidouks, Goran Bregovic and other international names in the Barbican's 1000 year journey International Gypsy festival and the critically acclaimed series of concerts at Theatre du Bourg Neuf - Avignon, this remarkable collaboration between two Bosnian sisters, five British musicians, a Polish Roma Accordionist, and a Sarajevan singer/guitarist continues with the release of the new CD 'The Homeland of our Wanderings' and national tour.

Tickets are available from Cambria Arts on 01974 298965

To Listen to some of Szapora's amazing music from their latest album click the links below.

GIG REVIEW - Gary US Bonds - Talbot, Tregaron, Friday 8th October 9.00pm

Gary Us Bonds Live At The Talbot - Photo By Mark Pickthall

Forty-plus years ago, I had one of those pre-transistor battery portable radios, in tasteful two-tone blue and grey, with a lid that acted as the aeriel when you opened it up ... you had to get the thing pointing in just the right direction in order to achieve half-decent reception, and then, if you were lucky, through the late-night static, Radio Luxembourg would be playing 'Quarter to Three' or 'New Orleans' by the exotic-sounding Gary U.S. Bonds. Boy, I loved those records, but it certainly never occurred to me at the time that I'd ever get to see him play in the flesh, still less shake his hand ... but, it all panned out that way, on a night that will surely register with all who were there as one of organiser's Cambria Arts' all-time high points.
On the penultimate night of their UK tour, promoting their splendid 'Back In 20' CD, Gary and the boys (and girls) were well and truly up for it - this was a SHOW in every sense of the word, finely honed and full of power, commitment and communication. For well in excess of two hours, they gave a non-stop performance of the kind that only a road-seasoned all-American outfit can, that swung from stomping roadhouse R'n'B to heart-wrenching soul ballads. Mark Leimbach (guitar), Hal B. Selzer (bass), Lance Stark (drums), Jim Wacker (keyboards), and Don Cipriano (sax), augmented by Gary's wife Laurie Anderson and daughter Laurie Jr. on glorious gospel-tinged backing vocals, simply oozed class and authority - Leimbach and Cipriano, in particular, served up countless solos of distinction, while Selzer's solo showcase almost demolished the building.
As for the great man himself, Gary's knack of 'working' the audience, developed over a 45-year career and countless thousands of gigs, is an object lesson in charm and persuasion - he drew us all in, had us singing along, and conveyed a tangible flavour of the huge span of his career, and the legends he's met and collaborated with along the way, from Otis Redding to Springsteen, by way of Chuck Berry, Elvis, the Beatles, Little Richard ... you just know you're in the presence of the real deal. For a man in his mid-sixties, Gary's energy is boundless, and the range and power of his voice inspirational. From the above-mentioned early hits to great self-penned songs from the new CD like 'You Can't Teach an Old Dog New Tricks', via songs from his 1980s Springsteen-produced era like 'This Little Girl is Mine', and inspired covers of Ray Charles, Presley and Chuck Berry standards, the man is nothing less than a human jukebox ... standouts were Gary's touching version of Otis's 'Dreams to Remember', and the breathtakingly moving 'Daddy's Come Home', which surely brought a tear or two to many an eye ...
Encores, in the shape of a roaring rock'n'roll medley and a climactic take on Delbert McClinton's 'Roll The Dice', brought this most memorable of Talbot nights to a thoroughly satisfying conclusion. The icing on the cake came when the road manager confided that, in the unanimous opinion of Gary and the entire band, this had been in all respects the best night of their tour - due in no small part to the enthusiasm of the audience. So, for those of you who were there, please feel free to give yourselves a little pat on the back. We all deserve it!

- Andrew Hawkey

Gary US Bonds

PLEASE SEE: www.mc-records.com.

Also see: King Biscuit records "live" CD: Gary U.S. Bonds Live at the Stone Pony at www.kingbiscuit.com.

Gary's official website www.garyusbonds.com

Listen to Clip of Fannie Mae from Gary's new Album.

Listen To clip of You Can't Teach an Old Dog New Tricks from Gary's Latest Album.

PAST GIG

Baghdaddies
Talbot, Tregaron Friday 7th May 9.00pm

The Baghdaddies

Hop onto The Baghdaddies magic carpet on Friday 7th May at the Talbot, Tregaron, for an amazing musical trip from Eastern Europe to the Middle East. The Baghdaddies have been astounding audiences across the country for over five years with their eclectic fusion of Balkan gypsy songs and rhythms with funky dance grooves. Throw into the mix a little jazz, reggae and ska and you have one of the most danceable bands on this or any other planet.
Hailing from Newcastle The Baghdaddies have performed at many of the major European outdoor festivals and even entertained at Dracula's castle in Transsylvania. Appearances at Glastonbury, Edinburgh Fringe, Sidmouth Festival and Royal Festival Hall and radio sessions for John Peel and Andy Kershaw on BBC Radio 1 have brought their unique talents before a nationwide audience. They released their first album 'Last Tango in Babylon' in 1998 and their latest CD 'The Fabulous Sound of Toon Tone' was released in 2001. For a tour of the music bazaars of Eastern Europe and the Middle East book your place on their magic carpet early.

Lisa Mills

PREVIOUS GIG

Lisa Mills

+ support from Gwenno,

Talbot, Friday July 9th 9.00pm

With her sultry voice and riveting presence, Lisa Mills, who performs at the Talbot Hotel, Tregaron on Friday 9th July, has been compared to many but is matched by few - she's been dubbed 'a modern-day Janis Joplin', very appropriate when you consider that she has frequently fronted Joplin's legendary former band, Big Brother & The Holding Company.

Lisa Mills grew up in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where her early heroes were Elvis Presley and Brenda Lee; later influences were Chaka Khan, Bonnie Raitt, and Aretha Franklin. As a full-time mother, her music had to take a back seat for 15 years, but she also found the time to gain a fine arts degree in sculpting.

Lisa's recently been recording with top UK band The Big Time Playboys along with Jeff Beck, Andy Fairweather-Low, Jools Holland and Robert Plant, with whom she's toured USA and Europe, and who says of her: "You should all check her out - she has a wonderful voice". Her 2004 UK visit included an appearance at the Glastonbury Festival. She's accompanied at the Talbot by blues bass demon Ian Jennings and vocalist Mo Birch.

Having already travelled the world with Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance show and starred in the S4C soap Pobol Y Cwm, Gwenno, who will be supporting Lisa, decided to concentrate on her musical career. Since being signed-up by Caernarfon record label Crai she has released 2 EP's titled 'Môr Hud', and her latest, 'Vodya'.

The critical acclaim that these recordings achieved was reflected at the 2002 Welsh Music Awards in Cardiff when she won Best Newcomer at the Dance Award night, and Best Video at the Rock and Pop Award night.

Enter content here

Amy Wadge

Amy Wadge, who has previously won the much coveted 'Best Female Solo Artist' at the Welsh Music Awards, has taken time off in the last year as she recently became a mum, but is now back with a renewed sense of vigour and a whole new bank of stories to tell and songs to sing. With years of touring experience under her belt (she has supported Van Morrison, Jeff Beck, Damien Rice and Eric Bibb amongst others), Amy has developed and nurtured an absolutely captivating and quite magical live experience, which she will once more take to the road with over the coming months. We are very pleased to be able to bring Amy back to the Talbot again. ‘Pint sized poetess with a valley quaking voice. Her songs have a raw vibrancy that suits her earthy voice and emotionally mature lyrics’ - Q magazineSupporting Amy is Garron Frith who is local to Tregaron but now does most of his performing up in the North West. In Nov 2007 Garron Frith released his debut album on Ravine Records. The album was produced by Simon J Alpin and features 10 acoustic based songs with a little help from Chuck Prophet, The Willard Grant Conspiracy, Grand Drive, Simon on lap steel and Mandolin and some great other musicians along the way. This led to tour supports in 2008 with everyone from John Cooper Clarke to Glenn Tilbrook. Last year Garron toured England and Ireland and opened for acts such as Midge Ure, Imelda May, The Saw Doctors and Ian McNabb. The year ended with a sell out show at The Verge in Hyde, Greater Manchester and Garron was asked to open for Madeleine Peyroux at the Lowry. ‘One of the North West's best kept secrets - that is until now!’ - Maverick This will be a great night with two superb performers.

Friday 4/12/2009 Doors open 8.00 pm music starts at 8.40pm (ish)

INU

INU Biographies

The individual members of Inu are excellent musicians, each of them bringing their own wealth of musical knowledge and experience to the band's powerful and evocative sound. The band line up as follows:-

Marick Baxter - Wooden flute, Silver flute and Whistles

Marick began playing the whistle as a teenager and became interested in folk music shortly after. He was drawn to Celtic (and Irish) music in particular, and at the age of seventeen travelled to Ireland where spent a number of years. After performing widely across the whole country, he settled in Galway and studied under the tin whistle virtuoso Mary Bergin for three years. His studies with Mary gave him a solid grounding in the tradition which he developed in his flute playing. He has since played all over Ireland, Scotland, England and Europe in many bands of many different styles of music. He has always come back to folk music and the Irish and Celtic traditions in particular. It was only after he started playing that he found out his Scottish great-grandfather was a keen flute and concertina player. After moving back to his home town of Bath, he set up the Bath Folk Club with wife Louise. The Folk Club has already attracted a great deal of attention, featuring a number of high profile musicians at its gigs and sessions. Marick's playing is energetic, thoughtful and imaginative. He is also among a very small minority of players who can use Irish traditional techniques and style authentically on the silver flute. He has performed and toured with Henry Seers and Jon Hicks. As well as being a musician and music promoter he is also a much-in-demand sound engineer and runs the Dragonfly PA hire company.

Louise Baxter - Vocals and Guitar

Louise grew up in south-east London during one of the most exciting periods in British popular music. Her grandfather, Ken Rogers, was a highly respected jazz and blues pianist, and accordionist (and was also one of Jools Holland’s early influences and teachers); whilst her father, Harry, was a music promoter (promoting such bands as Squeeze, Dire straits and Billy Idol). With her outstanding musical pedigree it is no surprise that she was appearing regularly in London clubs by the time she was a teenager. After performing for many years with different bands in London, she moved to Bath where she met Marick. Since then she has started singing folk music, to which her very natural and powerful voice is particularly suited. Combining her interest in folk music with her love of jazz and blues, she runs the Bath Folk Club with her husband; the Bath Folk Club Singing Group (with with Nancy Kerr and Jennifer Crook); and continues to sing in jazz and blues bands in the area. She is currently preparing for a few solo projects. The bands CD The Thousand Mile Journey features one of Louise's own compositions: the song John’s Mermaids.

Bethany Porter - Cello and backing vocals

Beth has been playing music since very early childhood. She comes from a very musical family, where her brother, sister and both her parents play instruments. Her aunt (Diana Burrell) was a cellist of high renown and as Beth’s aptitude for this very expressive instrument was noticed at very early age, it seemed natural for her to inherit her aunt’s cello. After studying very hard in her youth and gaining a great deal of orchestral experience, she moved to Bath to study music (at Bath Spa). She met Marick shortly after, and with the addition of Mike and Louise, Inu was formed. Beth has versatility and a flair for improvisation that is rare among classically-trained cellists. As a result of this, she is much in demand as a session musician and plays with many more bands than we can count! In her time she has appeared with Babel, Bellowhead and The Cedar and Eliza Carthy and Peter Gabriel (to name just a few). Beth playing adds a deep, warm and rich sound to Inu’s music and her musical ideas are an integral part in Inu's individual sound.

Breda Horgan

Bodhrán Breda grew up in north Cork playing music with her family. Her Mother and father, keen musicians, encouraged her and her sisters to explore the rich tradition around them. By the time they were teenagers they were selected to tour Belgium and France, and were regulars at the Willie Clancy Summer School every year. It was at this festival that Breda met the other members of Inu. Not long after, she moved to Bath with Mike and was invited to join the band. Breda is a skilled musician, able to turn her hand to any type of music with ease. This has made her a valuable addition to Inu, considering the different styles they like explore in their music. Her approach to bodhrán playing is subtle yet active.

Cris Piersné - Guitar and Mandolin

Inu’s newest member Cris was originally drafted in to cover a couple of gigs that Mike couldn’t do. The band enjoyed playing with him so much he became a permanent member and now due to Mikes over-commitment as a school teacher he is now the rhythm player for the band. Cris is steeped in Eastern European music having spent many years travelling the Balkans and learning tunes with his wife. Since returning to the UK along with wife Nel, Cris set up the band Malarchy and ran numerous sessions in eastern European and Klezmir music around the Bristol area. Cris is in constant demand as a session guitarist and is also the guitarist with the RSVP Bhangra band.

Friday 16/10/2009 Doors open 8.00 pm music starts at 8.40pm (ish)

BECK SIAN +Support (tba)

Beck Sian

Beck Siàn came to the UK, from Australia, in mid 2006 for a six month tour. She hasn't stopped touring here since, and is now happily living in a valley in mid Wales. With a Welsh mother and a father with Irish blood, and a passion for Celtic music, it isn't surprising that Beck Siàn has found herself settling in Wales for the time being. She is enjoying researching the local tales of dragons and the supernatural. Her debut CD 'Unfurling' is continuing to receive rave reviews, and now there is a brand new CD, 'Waltzing Matilda', which highlights the Australian-Celtic musical connection as you've never heard it before. Beck has been influenced by her famous cousin, Kate Bush, and she has the ethereal, pre-Raphaelite look, a lively and colourful persona, and a truly striking voice. Her performance includes Celtic, Folk and her own original music, for which she has won awards - all linked together by themes inspired by nature, storms, forests, and ghost stories.

www.becksianmusic.com

Beck Siàn - 'Unfurling'

"For virtually all of this disc's 53 minutes the result is charming and intriguing and yes, quite magical. Both earthy and unearthly. Weird even, sure. Charisma aplenty, an amazing singing voice, and a quirkily original writing talent are but three of the common factors, but Beck sounds like no-one else even though there are occasionally theatrical touches in her delivery which definitely remind me of Kate Bush. As well as possessing an amazing voice, Beck's a multi-talented musician, on this CD playing guitar, tenor recorder and Celtic harp. As a general observation, Beck's music - and her writing - is marked by a quite special quality of tactile sensuality in the way that she uses her chosen images and sounds; she also has a natural ear for creative instrumentation in her settings, for the most part eschewing the obvious effects and going instead for innovative colours that genuinely enhance the words. My favourite pieces here are those where all these expressive virtues come together in a unified attempt at conveying a special experience or mood or quality of atmosphere: the extraordinarily powerful 'Under Thunderous Skies', also 'Moss', 'Tangled In Green', 'Mountain Ash' and the two brief a capella tracks. Beck's music is seriously enchanting; she clearly has a very special talent. Generally speaking, Beck's music isn't really like anything else you will have heard."

David Kidman - Folk Roundabout/NetRhythms

Friday 14/08/2009 Doors open 8.00 pm music starts at 8.40pm (ish)

DAVE SUTHERLAND + Special Guests - The Appletree Boys

Wild West Wales are proud to present another evening with Dave Sutherland here in Tregaron. Since the last time he played the Talbot Dave has been touring the States and writing new material for his next album (his fifth).

Born in London. In the nine years since he started struggling his way through the few chords he knew down the London pubs, Sutherland’s learned to pick guitar like a wizard, paid his dues as support act to Glenn Tilbrook and Bert Jansch (who produced his debut), toured the US and recorded four studio albums, including his latest critically aclaimed album on Red Kite Records, "On The Waiting List."

**** "Fine Americana with a hint of folk"

Maverick

*** "Sharp observations spliced to Folksy Americana"

Q magazine

Dave's website is http://www.davesutherland.co.uk

Dave Sutherland Band Launch the new CD "On The Waiting List" at Llanddewi Brefi Village Hall, Friday, 27th June 2008. The Only Gig In The Village!

Click Here For Info On New Dave Sutherland CD

New Dave Sutherland CD Info

Dave Sutherland

The return of live music to Llanddewi Brefi Village Hall begins on Friday 27th June with the launch of singer/songwriter Dave Sutherland's new album, 'On The Waiting List'. Dave is undoubtedly one of South London's best kept secrets and one of the most, at least up to now, underrated singer songwriters in the UK. "On The Waiting List" is Dave's fourth studio album and at the show he will be accompanied by the stellar band who play on the record, which includes members of Ray Davies' touring band.

The new CD, which will have it's official release in July, builds on the strong Americana-meets-South London feel of his last two albums, "Comfortable Junction" from 1999 and the highly acclaimed "American Refrigerator" from 2002. "On The Waiting List" finds a fully matured artist in complete control of his melodic and lyrical powers. By turns, dark, humorous, witty and poignant, the album reveals Dave's observations on issues such as the search for love, love gone wrong, domestic abuse, the vagaries of drink and drugs, and life after prison.

And why launch the album in mid Wales? As Cambria Arts Ron Dukelow explains: "The album was recorded at Red Kite Studios in Llanwrda and will be released on Red Kite Records, the same label that released 'Live at the Talbot'! The record is another example of Red Kite's ability to find the true sound and individual voice of the artists that they represent and record at their superb facility just a few miles from here. The sound is clear, warm, organic and "real" which puts the listener in the room with the musicians as they put the songs down. The record will appeal to all lovers of style of classic Americana from artists such as John Prine, Steve Earle and John Hiatt."

The show will feature the talents of long-standing friends from Dave's live and studio work, Paul Furnace and Matt Percival, who provide guitar and bass respectively, while Toby Baron and Sweden's Gunnar Frick, from Ray Davies' band handle drums and percussion, and keyboards, pedal steel and accordion.
Tickets are available from Cambria Arts' website www.cambriaarts.org.uk or from Oriel Cambria Gallery on 01974 298965

MAY BANK HOLIDAY EVENT

IAN ROWLANDS

The Talbot Hotel is putting on a special musical entertainment event on 2^nd May. 7pm onwards, tickets are £5.00. Featuring Ian Rowlands, plus Twm Morys and his band from North Wales, started about 20 years ago by busking and playing in pubs etc. They turned up in the pub on the Hotel's Drovers Day (an annual event) about 20 years ago and just started playing! They play mostly Welsh folk music with small harp, guitar, banjo etc. The band’s proper name is Bob Delyn a’r Ebillion but as their drummer can’t make it they will be jamming in the bar.Also Playing are the band Newshan who started 8 years ago as a 5 piece band of family / friends in Ysgol Gyfun Llambed and have played together ever since. They play cover versions in both Welsh and English as well as their own songs. Their name is taken from Cwrtnewydd and Pontsian where they live. This promises to be a well attended event, contact Shan at the Talbot for more information at talbot.hotel@mailsaq.net

Grupo Lokito - Talbot Tregaron on Friday 18th April (9pm)

Grupo Lokito

Grupo Lokito, who play the Talbot Tregaron on Friday 18th April (9pm), is described as an exuberant explosion of sound that fuses Congolese and Latin rhythms. The seven musicians who make up the band bring with them a wealth of experience and an ability to span generations and continents with musical confidence and style.

Cambria Arts' Hilary Booth says: "We wanted two great dance bands to bookend the Mid Wales Open Art Fair. No.1 Station had the crowd on their feet on the opening day of the show with their Jamaican ska and bluebeat, and now we're looking forward to another great night of rhythm from Africa and the Caribbean to celebrate what has been a very successful art show."

A dynamic on-stage partnership between pianist Sara McGuiness and Congolese singer José Hendrix Ndelo forms the driving force behind the band. Sara's talent on the piano has seen her playing alongside living legends from the Buena Vista Social Club and she has recently been recording in Mali with flautist Dramane Coulibaly and his band. She has performed at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall and Ronnie Scott's, besides touring as far afield as China, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Brunei and Algeria.

José first came to the UK two years ago as the lead singer with young Congolese band Planet Elegance. He is a versatile performer who has sung with the National Classical Choir of Kinshasa as well as the likes of Papa Wemba, Werra Son and Koffi Olomide. José will be backed on this occasion by three top Congolese vocalists: Eugene Makuta on vocals, Limousine on lead guitar and Mara on drums. Colombian timbalero Roberto Pla, known in London as the "Godfather of Latin music", and bassist Elpidio Caicedo complete the Grupo Lokito line-up.

Friday 25th January 2008 - The Winchester 4, Freefall, Matthew Reynolds and Liability Bennett 8.00pm

Cambria Arts new live music venture at the Talbot Hotel, Tregaron - The Dead Elephant Club - gets underway on Friday 25th January with The Winchester 4, Freefall, Matthew Reynolds and Liability Bennett all taking the stage.

Named in honour of the 19th century circus elephant that met its end and is interred in the garden of the Talbot, the Dead Elephant Club will feature the best in emerging talent from Wales and the rest of the UK.

Cambria Arts organiser, Hilary Booth says, "Over the years we have regularly featured support artists in our Live at the Talbot shows, but this year we wanted to make the promotion of new talent a much bigger part of our live music programme. In the past we have treated the Talbot crowd to performances from artists that have gone on to fame and chart success, including Nizlopi and Duke Special, and the club will now be on the lookout for more stars of the future. We decided to give the nights their own name because they will feature a much broader range of music than the regular roots programme, taking in pop, rock, ska and many other musical genres."

This Friday's showcase features the Aberystwyth based band, Winchester Four who are Dyfrig Williams (vocal/guitar), Cynrig Williams (guitar), Ben Wheeler (Bass) and Sam Wheeler (drums/percussion). Formed at Easter in 2006, the band has been making a name for itself rocking the Mid Wales circuit and is currently finishing a debut EP.

Winchester 4

Matt Reynolds

Matt Reynolds

Matthew J Reynolds is an acoustic singer songwriter from Somerset who is already a veteran of several rock and metal bands in the very competitive Bristol live scene. Matt grabbed the runner-up spot in the worldwide VH1-sponsored Song Of The Year contest and has a debut album due for release shortly.

Freefall

Also from Aberystwyth, Freefall have an average age of 16, but boast mature musical styles that blend jazz and funk, with a tight rhythmic drive and blazing brass section. They offer a foot-tapping alternative to the distorted guitars of stereotypical teenage music.

Liability Bennett

Liability Bennett is becoming a well-known face on the vibrant Cardiff live circuit, both playing gigs and hosting open mic nights. The passionate music of this Swansea-born singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist demands full attention.

Special ticket prices are available for young adults, and available on the door or in advance from Cambria Arts' website at www.cambriaarts.org.uk . The show starts at 8pm, or phone 01974 298965 for tickets and further details.

The Trojans

Talbot Hotel, Tregaron, Friday 14th December 9.00pm

The Trojans

Friday 14 the December sees the long-awaited return to the Talbot Hotel, Tregaron of crowd favourites, The Trojans led by Gaz Mayall, son of legendary father of the British blues scene, John Mayall.

Specialising in ska & reggae with a dash of soul, funk, R&B and world roots, The Trojans were formed in late 1986 from the ashes of Gaz's first band Gaz's Rebel Blues Rockers. The Trojans debut gig was the Astoria on Charing Cross road by London's Centre Point on the 23rd December 1986 supporting premier ska band Potato 5 and ska legend Laurel Aitken. Within two and a half years they headlined the same venue with the same acts as support for them!

During their early years the band recorded several albums, which were very well received on the UK underground all on Gaz's independent label Gaz's Rockin' Records, the first being 'Ala-Ska' featuring the classic single 'Gaelic Ska' launching a whole new genre of Afro-Celtic fusion that has since become a hallmark of The Trojans' sound. Several records were licensed to Japan from '88, with 'Spirit of Adventure' on Sony records opening up an avenue of succesive tours to the country, where they are still very popular today.

Some original members are still regular performers with the band including saxophonist Rudy Jones and drummer Mark Hamilton. The unconventional line-up often features bagpipes, violin, guest female vocalists, on top of the regular two guitars, drum, bass percussion regular touring group with Gaz at the centre stage singing and playing melodica. Occasionally guest horn players and the Trojan's long time founder saxman Colin Humphries appear.

The band are perennial favourites at venues and festivals throughout Europe and the UK, and never fail to get the Talbot dance floor packed. Tickets are available from www.cambriaarts.org.uk or from Oriel Cambria Gallery in Tregaron.

Kirsty McGee

Talbot, Tregaron, Friday 9th November 9pm

Kirsty McGee

Kirsty McGee, who makes her Live at the Talbot debut on Friday 9th November (9pm), has been described as a maker of delicate yet stubborn songs, an instinctive traveller, a human scrapbook. Years spent as a hitchhiker and a period of homelessness have enriched her knowledge of people and places, all whilst keeping her moving. After spending a while building tree houses and bagging-out earth from tunnels at road protest camps, Kirsty sold all her possessions and hitched to Cornwall where she lived in a beach hut and learnt to fingerpick guitar.

Her affinity with a life of perpetual movement and a hand-to-mouth existence has made its mark on her songs in a manner reminiscent of Jack Kerouac and the 'beat' generation, and has made her music difficult to classify. She has been variously described as producing 'folk noir' and 'hobopop', and she and partner, Mat Martin were described in Maverick magazine as 'Simon and Garfunkel: the Tim Burton version!'

Her studio albums have attracted collaborations with some of the most important names in the scene, such as producers John Wood (Honeysuckle, 2002), Boo Hewerdine (Frost, 2004), and Neill MacColl (Two Birds, 2006). Her albums are recorded live in the studio, her shows are simple and direct, and much of her work has been made using the instruments she has built herself.

The evolution of her work is set to continue in still closer collaboration with multi-instrumentalist and musical partner Mat Martin. A fourth studio album planned for 2008 promises to encapsulate the hobopop style in a new collection of simple, edgy songs played on traditional American instruments. The combination of English literary songwriting and American influence recorded in an open and direct way has already proved a winning formula.

Tickets are available in advance at www.cambriaarts.org.uk

Visit Kirsty's Myspace page here

Hummingbird

Talbot, Tregaron, Friday 28th September 2007

Hummingbird

Hummingbird, who play the Talbot, Tregaron on Friday 28th September (9pm), bring together three of the finest female singer/songwriters in the UK into one dynamic band. Amy Wadge, Edwina Hayes and Cathy Burton are a blend of three unique & distinctive voices; three acoustic guitars; three accomplished musicians; three passionate songwriters. Put them together and you get a range of contemporary roots music with tremendous harmony, verve and sheer class.

Deciding in late 2005 that there was safety in numbers, the three friends got together and formed a band. A mutual heroine of theirs, Emmylou Harris plays a Gibson "Hummingbird" guitar, hence the name.

Not a collection of doe eyed teenagers whose mother sent them to a stage school and are now looking to marry a footballer, these are three professional musicians, who make a living, almost, from music as well as doing a multitude of other jobs (dog walking, working in a crouton factory, barmaid etc!) - anything that needs to be done to get a collection of battered Japanese cars to the next gig. They have amassed 9 record deals, 11 lawyers and 14 managers between them. They could write the "beginners guide to the music biz" if someone thought it would sell and if they could find a manager, lawyer, publisher and agent.

They teamed up with the "Mighty Vibration" production team in January 2006, who have just produced the number one album for Sandi Thom, and made their debut album. Somewhere between Kirsty Macoll and a female Crosby Stills and Nash, their album, "They Don't Make Mirrors Like They Used To" is a collection of 12 songs that really do show that a combined thirty years on the road means practice makes perfect and believing Richard Thompson to be a sex symbol is no shame!

Tickets are available from Cambria Arts on www.cambriaarts.org.uk or from Oriel Cambria Gallery, Tregaron

PAST GIG

Daby Balde, Talbot, Tregaron, Friday 6th July 9pm

Daby Balde

After a sensational debut tour here in July and August 2005 , Daby Balde and his 7-piece band are back for an extensive UK tour, which stops off at the Talbot Hotel, Tregaron on Friday 6th July (9pm)

Daby is one of Senegal's best-kept secrets, long celebrated at home and now exploding onto the international scene. His stunning arrangements are based on the Fula traditions from the south of the country and feature the fiddle, accordion and flute alongside the more familiar West African sounds of the kora, acoustic guitar and percussion. With strikingly rich and beautiful melodies, captivating vocals and a repertoire that ranges from euphoric to melancholic, Daby Balde is a West African star on the rise.

Hailing from Casamance ( the southern area of Senegal separated from its northern half by the Gambia ) it's quite clear that Daby has developed in isolation from Dakar, the country's musical hothouse.

Introducing Daby Balde was released in 2005 on the World Music Network label to critical acclaim. On the album, recorded in Senegal and Belgium, Daby sings in Wolof, Mandinka, French and Fula. Daby aims to keep his Fouladou culture alive. His compositions are messages of peace, love, brotherhood, social justice and faith in God.

In addition to their stunning WOMAD/Radio 3 performances, festival appearances here also included The National Theatre, the Rise and Kilburn Festivals, Marlborough Jazz Festival, Bath International Guitar Festival, Wickham Festival and Croydon Festival in addition to a Froots show at Live On The Park.

Talbot Tregaron, Friday 15th June 2007 9pm

Asere 2007

Asere make their first visit to the Talbot, Tregaron since 2004 on Friday 15th June (9pm). A group of young musicians who came together to play traditional Cuban son, their career took off when, during a Cuban tour in 1996, the Colombian singer Totó la Momposina came across this new band and was immediately struck by their energy, rich songwriting and powerful delivery.

Soon after Asere recorded their debut album "Cuban Soul" live in an old radio theatre in Habana. The record managed to capture the sweetness of their soulful son and the power of their more uptempo rhythms which are more akin in style to the tough salsa of the 70s. Their follow up, "Yo Soy el Son" followed soon after, further consolidating the band's reputation at the vanguard of contemporary son.

Comfortable with classical son, respectful of their musical forefathers and yet keen to step into the future, in Asere we find the son tradition dressed up in baseball caps and trainers, an expression of young urban Cuba, these musicians seeking to develop the music through their inventive songwriting and arrangements, building a fresh sound for a new generation.

Since 1998 Asere have performed constantly across Europe, impressing many with their dynamic show and infectious energy. They have also celebrated their versatility performing with Totó la Momposina in 1999, with the legendary drummer Billy Cobham and as the backing band for Papa Noel's "Bana Congo" project in 2002.

In 2004 they made their most extensive tour yet with over 50 concerts and 30 workshops throughout the UK, Ireland and Norway, appearing at festivals from Inverness to Penzance and from Hull to Hastings, with Glastonbury and WOMAD in between. 2006 and 2007 have seen further tours, and Asere are now Billy Cobham's Latin band of choice on his tours. Virtuosity and energy go hand in hand at Asere gigs as they continue to generate excitement wherever they go.

Eliza Gilkyson - 11 May 2007, 9.00pm

Click Picture for Sample from Eliza's new CD

Eliza Gilkyson

Cambria Arts welcome back one of the most memorable performers at the Talbot in 2006 - if you missed her last May, here's another rare chance to witness this revered leading figure from the American folk scene.

With no less than 13 wonderful albums to her name, Eliza Gilkyson has built a richly deserved reputation as one of the most original and influential artists of our time. Los Angeles-born, Eliza was seemingly destined to become a musician - her father was a hugely successful songwriter ('Memories Are Made of This', Jungle Book's 'Bare Necessities'). She spent time in New Mexico and Europe before moving to Austin, Texas over 20 years ago. Since 2000, her last 4 CDs have yielded a Grammy nomination and a high industry profile, helped by much valuable airplay. Paradise Hotel, her latest, is regarded by many as her finest to date: its songs address subjects such as the inadequacies of the Bush regime, the Asian tsunami, and the letters of her Revolutionary War soldier grandfather, and it was a runner-up album of the year on the influential online magazine Folkwax.

Eliza is a hugely important and mature artist at the peak of her powers, and an imposing and unforgettable on-stage presence; with breathtaking second guitar accompaniment from her long-time live collaborator, the illustrious Robert McEntee, this promises to be another unmissable night. Early booking is advised.

'Gilkyson's signature as an artist is her courage. She lays it all bare, in song and on stage.' - Austin American Statesman

' ... edgy, intelligent songwriting and richly worn, delicate vocals.' - Chicago Sun Times

Zubop Gambia

Talbot Hotel, Tregaron, Friday 10th November 9.00pm

ZUBOP GAMBIA

The Talbot, Tregaron plays host to one of the most musically diverse bands on the live circuit on Friday 10th November (9pm). What do you get if you put musicians from South Africa, West Africa, the USA, Northumberland, Bradford and Bognor Regis together? ZubopGambia, of course! That's the easy bit! Now try to imagine what global dance rhythms combined with elements of pop, reggae, blues, traditional West African music, jazz, English folk, South African township music, Eastern European beats, salsa, samba, rock and ska sounds like.

Following two sell-out tours in 2003 and 2005, the band are on the road once again playing their highly danceable brand of 'worldbeat' music. Featuring the talents of master musicians Mosi Conde from Guinea on vocals, kora, balafon guitar, djembe, and Njega Sohna from Gambia on djembes, talking drum,vocals, alongside the classic Zubop horn and rhythm section.

All eight band members are composers providing very diverse input into the repertoire, forged by collective arrangement into a coherent sound which is unmistakeably Zubop.

The band has completed seven tours in Germany and Switzerland, and performed (for both dancers and listeners) in most parts of Britain from Orkney to Cornwall, West Wales to Norfolk, and most recently Shetland. The frequency with which they receive return bookings testifies to their ability to delight audiences in any venue.

For this night only, Cambria Arts is running a special introductory Membership promotion. If anyone wants to become a member of Cambria Arts and enjoy all the benefits, including a minimum of £2 off any gig ticket purchase, they can join at this gig and have a free ticket on the night. For further details phone 01974 298847.

Tiny Tin Lady

Tregaron Friday 27th October 9.00pm

Tiny Tin Lady

Tiny Tin Lady has become one of the fastest rising bands on the UK acoustic scene, winning acclaim everywhere for their unique and bewitching blend of original songs, thrilling harmonies and great live performances.

Bandleader, songwriter and guitarist Danni Gibbins (18) is being hailed as one of the most promising and original new writers of her generation. She shares vocal duties with sister Beth (13), and the blend of Danni's haunting, ethereal voice with Beth's raunchy blues-inflected attack makes for compelling listening. The line up is completed by bassist, Helen Holmes (18), whose rootsy, funky playing provides a solid foundation for Danni's blistering guitar work.

Together since February 2004, they have already been invited to many of music's biggest events including Glastonbury and the Cropredy Convention. On the latter occasion the legendary Fairport Convention joined and played alongside the girls onstage. They have also played at many other festivals including Trowbridge, Gosport, Poynton, Middlewich and have toured with Midge Ure, Jah Wobble & The English Roots Band and The Dylan Project.

Folk Icon Ralph McTell had this to say after their first Cropredy Appearance in August 2004. He says: "One of the best things in the festival was Tiny Tin Lady's performance. These three girls show a talent and a respect for music that far belies their tender years."

Fairport Convention's Dave Pegg agrees: "They're brilliant. They have talent, charm and loads of chutzpah!"

Tiny Tin Lady is a very special blend of roots honesty and pop sensibilities and are destined for great things.

Freshly Ground

Talbot, Tregaron, Friday 28th July 9.00pm

Freshly Ground

Freshlyground, who play the Talbot Tregaron on Friday 28th July (9pm), are being heralded as nothing less than the "new sound of the new South Africa". These seven talented and diverse musicians from Cape Town have created a sound that is as contemporary, urban, funky and distinctly African as they are. Their explosive live performances first brought them to the public's attention in Cape Town, where rumours started to circulate of a sensational new band. Since then their ability to fuse the traditional with more contemporary grooves is a formula that has earned them a massive following amongst both black and white audiences; in a country still struggling with the legacy of Apartheid, a huge achievement.

Although the band members are from diverse musical and geographical backgrounds, between them they weave a sonic magic that is highly infectious and undeniably groovy. The guitar rhythms and bass lines never stray far from their African roots and lyrics sung in both English and Xhosa firmly ground the band to their homeland. Add to this some of the catchiest tunes on the planet and you have a recipe for global domination.
Record label Sony/BMG Africa saw the potential of Freshlyground for mainstream success in 2004 and promptly signed them. Since then things have moved fast. Their album "Nomvula" has reached double platinum status in South Africa, and the singles released from the album have topped the charts. The recent invite to support Robbie Williams on his South African dates is proof of their successful cross over into the mainstream. Freshlyground are now all set for a European release of "Nomvula". On top of this, their 2006 calendar includes dates at the Cannes Film Festival and performing for FIFA in Berlin for the Semi-Finals of the World Cup. If you haven't heard the name Freshlyground yet you very soon will!

Hamilton Loomis

Talbot, Tregaron, Friday 4th August 9.00pm

Hamilton Loomis

Hamilton Looomis, who appears at the Talbot, Tregaron on Friday 4th August (9pm), has been described as 'the hottest thing out of Texas since the jalapeno! He has also garnered the support and praise of some of the finest bluesmen of the past fifty years. "Innovate, don't imitate" was the advice given to the young Hamilton Loomis by his mentor, Bo Diddley, and it speaks volumes when the likes of Diddley, Johnny "Clyde" Copeland, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, and Albert Collins take you under their wings. The twenty-something Texas sensation isn't just another cat-in-a-hat with a Strat - he has crafted his blues roots into a funky recipe all his own.

A multi-instrumentalist, Hamilton practically grew up in the spotlight. He began on drums and piano at age five, guitar at age six, then conquered the harmonica. Gigging non-stop since age fourteen, by seventeen he had played the world-famous Delta Blues Festival for an audience of 40,000. Before he was eighteen, he was writing, arranging, and performing his own material. His first CD, titled simply Hamilton, received a Grammy nomination for 'Best Contemporary Album of the Year'.

Touring with his own USA band, they radiate a potent vibe and boast razor-sharp arrangements with a Hammond underbelly and Hamilton's groove-driven guitar, all weaving around his silky, soul-drenched vocals. Hamilton also believes in giving a real show, so be prepared for him to leave the stage and get down with the crowd!

Tickets are available from Cambria Arts on 01974 298965.

Click the links below to hear MP3 samples from Hamilton's latest CD: Kickin' It

99 Miles

No No No!

Who Dat?

PAST GIG

Tia McGraff plus Damian Etherington

Talbot, Tregaron, Friday 14th July 9.00pm

Tia McGraff

This show features two Canadian-born singer-songwriters - one now resident in Nashville, the other right here in Wales! Tia McGraff is one of the fast rising stars of the high octane Nashville music scene. Her gutsy alto, ranging from soul-stirring passion to angelic beauty, has been heard everywhere from Canada, Toronto Blue Jays to European radio stations, to the Savannah Folk Music Society and the coveted spotlight of Nashville's Bluebird Café.

In 1994, Tia's first studio album, 'Small Town Life', catapulted McGraff into a bright spotlight; her very first song , 'Mister', received airplay across Canada and launched her recording career. The album received heavy airplay and video play on CMT Canada and radio, and the single, 'Dance Me Back', climbed to the Top 20 on the European Country Music charts, alongside established names like Faith Hill and Vince Gill. The album was also nominated for Independent Album of the Year by the ECMA. Tia's subsequent albums, 'Jewels's Cafe' and the recently released 'Outside of the Circle', have delighted fans and critics alike, and reinforced her growing stature as a songwriter of true substance on the Nashville scene.

Since moving to Nashville, Tia has honed her songwriting skills, and has co-written with such major names as Randy Bachman, Mark Slaughter, Celine Dion songsmith Dan Hill, and Andrew Gold. Tia says: "I want to reach out to those who are searching for something and I hope listeners find themselves uplifted, inspired and feeling a greater sense of purpose. If we are in a true place of love, that's all God wants ... and that's all there is ... there's nothing else."

Tia will be performing with her long-time songwriting partner and guitarist, Tommy Parham.

Supporting Tia will be Damian Etherington. Now resident in Llanteg, Pembrokeshire, Damian, a Canadian born singer-songwriter spent much of his life in Atlanta, Georgia. Dubbed 'Acoustic Flair', his music has been described as having an eclectic freshness with thought provoking lyrics. He brings a unique rhythmic guitar style that blends fluent finger picking and percussive strumming with a warm emotive voice.

Listen To Tia by clicking here

And Here Too

Friday 19th May 2006 9.00pm

Eliza Gilkyson

Cambria Arts present an enticing all-American female songwriter showcase evening at the Talbot, Tregaron on Friday 19th May, offering a delightful contrast - a revered leading figure on the US contemporary folk scene, and a relative newcomer full of promise.
Over the course of 13 albums, Eliza Gilkyson has built a reputation as one of the most original and influential artists of our time. Los Angeles-born, she was born to play music - her father Terry was a successful songwriter (among his hit songs were 'Memories Are Made of This' and 'Bare Necessities' from Jungle Book). She spent time in New Mexico and Europe before moving to Austin, Texas over 20 years ago. Her career hit full stride in 2000, since when her four most recent CDs have further raised her industry profile and garnered a Grammy nomination and much valuable airplay. Paradise Hotel, her latest, is regarded by many as her finest - its songs address subjects like the inadequacies of the Bush regime, the Asian tsunami, and the letters of her Revolutionary War soldier grandfather, and it's a runner-up Album of the Year on the influential Folkwax on-line magazine. Eliza is a hugely important artist at the peak of her powers and will be accompanied by acclaimed Austin guitarist Robert McKentee.

Supporting Eliza will be Kentucky-born Jan Smith who is a prominent member of Charlottesville, Virginia's vibrant music scene. Her deceptively unassuming folk/bluegrass songs celebrate the America of small towns, domestic life, open highways and stars in the Arizona sky. Her newly-released second CD 29 Dances places her firmly in the style of Iris Dement and Gillian Welch. She's accompanied by partner Jeff Vogelgesang on mandolin and guitar.

Tickets are available from Cambria Arts on 01974 298965

Nizlopi - The Talbot Hotel, Tregaron, Friday 24th September

Nizlopi - Picture by Mark Pickthall

Nizlopi - The Talbot Hotel, Tregaron, Friday 24th September

All preconceptions of the duo format are unceremoniously swept aside by the astonishing Nizlopi, without doubt one of the most original and iconoclastic acts to feature at the Talbot. Luke Concannon and John Parker have been playing music together since their schooldays, and the enormously likeable young Leamington Spa twosome have honed their category-defying jazz-informed folk/hip-hop into an irresistibly engaging form that's uniquely theirs. In a performance that brings together the audience-grabbing skills of the best buskers you ever saw and the kind of theatrical spontaneity that only the most fearless performers can muster, these personable lads, once the bewildered onlookers have got themselves adjusted, can do no wrong.

The first breach of convention comes with the show's opening gambit, which finds them playing unamplified in the middle of a somewhat nonplussed audience - audacious stuff. Once on stage and plugged in, John holds down a physically-taxing dual role as virtuoso double-bass wielder and simultaneous funky 'human beat-box': remember Bobby McFerrin? Luke, meanwhile, plays hectic acoustic guitar, excellent if unconventional bodhran, and sings with glorious abandon a selection of their rather brilliant songs, which confound impressions of Middle England as a staid curtain-twitching haven by tackling subjects such as falling in love with a beautiful eco-warrior puppeteer and swimming in a flooded quarry. Most touching, perhaps, is 'JCB', a childhood vignette of a proud Luke riding shotgun in his dad's yellow digger down the Coventry by-pass, and which includes period references to heroes of the time such as the A-Team'S B A Baracas and Bruce Lee.

Cambria Arts clearly hadn't reckoned on promoting Nizlopi as a dance act, and had placed rows of chairs across the dance-floor, but many were soon cast aside as a certain amount of spontaneous footwork was prompted, not least by soon-to-be-released potential hit single 'Fine Story'.

Audience participation is very much part of the deal with these guys, who had the crowd singing chorus parts and call-and-response snatches - their claim to break down the audience-performer barrier is certainly well justified. True to their unconventional form, their unplugged coda continued amidst the punters even after the final 'Goodnight' had been uttered. In the final analysis, it would be very odd indeed if Nizlopi were 'for everybody', but for most of us they were a real breath of fresh air, and 'stars in the making' was the general consensus as we slipped out into the night.

- Andrew Hawkey

Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez

Talbot, Tregaron, Saturday 23rd July 2005 9.00pm

Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez

The 2004 Talbot performance by the wonderful Chip Taylor and Carrie Rodriguez was one of the year's magical highlights, so by public demand, on Saturday 23rd July, they're back!

Chip Taylor's biography and CV is nothing less than extraordinary. Hailing from Yonkers, New York, his brother Harry is a world-renowned vulcanologist, while his other brother is Academy Award-winning actor Jon Voight. Chip's 1950s high-school band was the first white act signed to the King label, and his subsequent songwriting career, spawning such classics as garage-rock anthem 'Wild Thing' and 'Angel of the Morning', has seen his songs covered by Frank Sinatra, The Pretenders, Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Cash, Fars Domino, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Linda Ronstadt, and Shaggy, to name just a few. Chip's chain of 1970s country-rock albums are regarded as masterpieces of the genre; and he can also claim the second-longest span of No. 1 hits in music history, between The Troggs' 'Wild Thing' in 1966 and Shaggy's 'Angel of the Morning' in 2001.

By the 1980s, Taylor had left music to become (what else?) a spectacularly successful professional gambler, but in 1995 he returned to writing, performing and recording to huge critical acclaim in America and Europe. Some 40 years Chip's junior, his current musical collaborator is the charismatic Texan Carrie Rodriguez, and their celebrated creative partnership, combining Chip's sterling country/folk songs and trademark laconic delivery and Carrie's marvellous fiddle playing and exquisite singing is entrancing audiences and purchasers of their three collaborative CDs (including the brand-new Red Dog Tracks) alike.

Chip and Carrie are accompanied by the superlative and distinctive guitarist John Platania, who not only featured prominently on all Chip's fine pre-1980s albums, but also was a sideman for Van Morrison for many years, and Swedish bass player, Petter Eriksson.
Celf Cambria Arts
Bridgend House
Llanddewi Brefi
Tregaron
Ceredigion SY25 6RL

Ffon/Phone: 01974 298965

Chip & Carrie Audio Clip

PAST GIG

Jaipur Kawa Brass Band
Talbot, Tregaron, Saturday 2nd July 9.00pm

Jaipur Kawa Brass Band

Sound the brass and the drum! The dazzling sounds of Rajasthan take to the stage at the Talbot Hotel, Tregaron on Saturday 2nd July.

Hailing from a long family lineage of musicians and sharing his life between Jaipur and Paris, Hameed Khan Kawa, a tabla maestro and artistic director of Musafir, has known the sound of the brass band since his birth. In its native place, Rajasthan, the brass band is a feature of life itself. Exposed to different musical styles - jazz, Western traditional music, Indian music - Hameed developed the idea of creating a band of his own to present the fantastic sound of the Indian Brass Band.

He selected the most talented musicians from the best local bands of Rajasthan, with a repertoire blending popular themes from Bollywood films, traditional music of Rajasthan with its distinctive Gypsy feel, and even a touch of Hindustani classical music to create a sound which is individual and unexpected.

The melodies and songs are developed with much refinement, featuring virtuoso solos and dazzling improvisations on the clarinet and trumpet. The percussionists elaborate their fast and spontaneous playing with the sophisticated rhythms of India, providing counterpoint to the Gypsy danseuse, the fakir with his astonishing acts and of course the band itself.

Jaipur Kawa Brass Band has firmly established itself on the international music scene, and its performances include Roskilde Festival, Dunya Festival, Mar de Musica, Forum des Cultures Barcelona, Venice Carnival, La Carnavalcade (Football World Cup in Paris), Expo Suisse , Paléo Festival and Sfinsk Festival, as well as WDR and BBC Radio Three.

Performing with an amazing energy and humour both on stage and in a moving parade, the ten musicians in this unique musical feast represent the soul of contemporary India.

Celf Cambria Arts
Bridgend House
Llanddewi Brefi
Tregaron
Ceredigion SY25 6RL

Ffon/Phone: 01974 298965

The Only Gig in the Village!

Jeffrey Foucault

For the first of an occasional series of 'outreach' solo gigs in the intimate surroundings of the Foelallt Arms, Llanddewi Brefi, Cambria Arts are delighted to welcome back the outstanding young Wisconsin country/folk/blues singer-songwriter, Jeffrey Foucault on Tuesday 21st June.

Jeffrey first appeared at the Talbot, Tregaron back in 2003, as part of the Chautauqua Tour, and his 'Crossing Mississippi' is the opening track on the acclaimed Live! at the Talbot CD.

Although he's still in his late twenties, Jeffrey has built an enviable reputation as a writer and performer of rare maturity and substance. His two critically acclaimed CDs, Miles from the Lightning (2001) and 2004's Stripping Cane, are packed with emotive and atmospheric songs that record, with compassion and wisdom, the day-to-day lives and dreams of small-town backwoods Americans: Foucault's literary songcraft bears comparison with the work of Steinbeck, Faulkner, and Townes Van Zandt. His guitar work is an essay in nimble blues-inflected technique, while his outdoor-weathered voice lends a timeless sepia beauty to his live performance. For anyone who cares about quality acoustic songwriting and the future of American folk music, this is a night not to be missed.

Capacity at the Foelallt is limited, so tickets are only available in advance from Cambria Arts on 01974 298965

Celf Cambria Arts
Bridgend House
Llanddewi Brefi
Tregaron
Ceredigion SY25 6RL

Ffon/Phone: 01974 298965

Eugene 'Hideaway' Bridges Band, Talbot, Tregaron Friday 10th June 9.00pm

Eugene 'Hideaway' Bridges

If you like your blues with a big spoonful of southern soul, then Louisiana-born Eugene 'Hideaway' Bridges, who plays with his band at the Talbot in Tregaron on Friday 10th June, is your man.

Born in 1963, the son of the blues guitarist "Hideaway" Slim, Eugene is the fourth child of five. His mother was from the Bullock family (the same as Anna Mae Bullock better known as Tina Turner) and Eugene claims he got his guitar skills from the Bridges side and his voice from the Bullocks. At five, he was already playing with his father around Louisiana. With his brothers as The Bridges Brothers he sang gospel, was the musician of his church touring with the Pastor, Elder A.A. Edwards, and at the age of thirteen had already formed his first R&B band, The Five Stars. Since those early days, he has gone on to play with The Mighty Clouds of Joy and Big Joe Turner's Memphis Blues Caravan before forming his own band.

Eugene's live performances have received rave reviews and he was awarded vocalist of the year by the UK's Blueprint magazine, and won the Trophees France Blues' - Chanteur De L'Annee. He has appeared, often headlining, at major festivals in the USA, Europe, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia, whipping up a storm wherever he goes with his distinctive southern sound. 2005 sees Eugene on another major tour taking in Australia, Europe and America to promote new CD, "Coming Home".

Celf Cambria Arts
Bridgend House
Llanddewi Brefi
Tregaron
Ceredigion
SY25 6RL

Ffon/Phone: 01974 298965

ALBERT LEE & Hogan's Heroes

ALBERT LEE

The Talbot Hotel, Tregaron, Saturday 9th April 9.00pm

Cambria Arts' eighth Annual Tregaron Open Art Exhibition has been one of the best attended and most successful of recent years, and it comes to an end on Saturday 9th April with one of the arts groups favourite gigs - the return of Albert Lee and Hogan's Heroes.

Of all the international gigs they play each year, the Talbot really is one of Albert's favourites, and his annual visit, along with his superlative band, is a Cambria Arts institution of which they're enormously proud.

Albert's 40-year career has taken him from Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds to Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, and he's toured and recorded with, among countless others, Emmylou Harris, Eric Clapton, Glen Campbell, Dave Edmunds, Dolly Parton, Bobby Bare, Joan Armatrading, The Crickets, Gene Clark, Ricky Skaggs, Joe Cocker, The Everly Bothers, Linda Ronstadt, and Rodney Crowell. Herefordshire-born, but California-based since the '70s, Albert's been voted Guitar Magazine's 'Best Country Picker in the World' on 5 consecutive occasions, and after two previous nominations, was awarded a coveted Grammy in 2003. He has earned the respect of artists, fans and critics worldwide, and is simply one of the all-time greats.

His band, Hogan's Heroes, too, have a staggering pedigree: Gerry Hogan - Pedal Steel (Ricky Skaggs, Jimmy Nail, Wet Wet Wet, The Proclaimers, Everly Bros, Pulp); Pete Wingfield - Keyboards (Paul McCartney, Level 42, Steven Bishop, Elkie Brooks, Chris Rea, Cliff Richard, Little Richard - and '70s hit single '18 With a Bullet'); Brian Hodgson - Bass (Shakin' Stevens, Denis Waterman, Johnny Halliday, Billy J. Kramer, Sonny Curtis, Kenny Rogers, Lonnie Donegan, Kirsty McColl); Peter Baron - Drums (Charles Aznavour, The Three Degrees, Cleo Laine, Leo Sayer, Elkie Brooks Band)

Albert and the band will be supported by Austin, Texas-based Danny Schmidt, an outstanding young acoustic songwriter/poet/guitarist whose three CDs and live performances have attracted copious critical acclaim.

Tickets are on sale from Cambria Arts on 01974 298965.

Celloman

The Talbot Hotel, Tregaron, Friday 18th March 9.00pm

CELLOMAN

Ivan Hussey, aka Celloman, produces a big sound with his five-piece band who appear at the Talbot, Tregaron on Friday 18th March, and it is a sound like no other. An exotic blend of Middle Eastern and African rhythms, Eastern and Western Classically inspired melodies, hypnotic harmonies and driving funky bass & drums.

Ivan trained classically at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama until he was 17, when he 'took to the dark side' and joined the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra. Going on to tour with Duran Duran, and play on the classic first Soul II Soul album. As a session player he has worked with scores of big names including Mick Jagger, The Spice Girls, Shola Ama, The Stereo MC's and The Lighthouse Family. His string arrangements have graced hits by Gabrielle 'Dreams', Take That 'Babe', and Maxi Priest 'Close To You'; all No.1 chart successes.

The live act with Ivan on electric cello, and his fantastic band, Oli Savill; percussion; Oroh Angiama - bass guitar; Kosimo Keita; drums; and Samy Bishai - electric violin, is described as both raunchy and tender, danceable and mellow. Listeners to Radio 3's Late Junction voted their performance at Womad in 2003 'their favourite festival moment'.

Tickets are available from Cambria Arts on 01974 298965

Cathryn Craig and Brian Willoughby - Talbot, Tregaron, Friday March 4th 9.00pm

One of the finest acoustic acts on the circuit, Cathryn Craig and Brian Willoughby, who make a welcome return visit to the Talbot, Tregaron on 4th March, were a highlight of Cambria Arts' 2003 season - they're featured on the 'Live at the Talbot' CD.

Brian Willoughby began his professional career backing Mary Hopkin, and has performed session duties with artists ranging from Monty Python to Sweet's Brian Connelly. He joined The Strawbs as lead guitarist in 1978, and his superb musicianship can be heard on seven of their albums. In addition, his acoustic duo with fellow Strawb Dave Cousins has produced two acclaimed albums. Brian has also recorded and toured with Texas folk legend Nanci Griffith, and in more recent times has released Black & White, a CD of his own songs, co-written by and featuring Cathryn Craig.

As a Nashville session musician, Cathryn has worked and recorded with Emmylou Harris, Bobby Bare, Shel Silverstein, Tom Paxton, Chet Atkins, Bill Medley (Righteous Bros.) and many others, and she's written with Silverstein, Tommy Boyce, Richard Dobson and more. Her two solo albums, Porch Songs and Cathryn Craig, have reinforced her reputation as one of America's finest acoustic performers.

The duo will be supported by multi-talented guitarist/keyboard player/singer-songwriter/session man/producer, Phil Bates. Phil formed Trickster in 1976 (2 LPs on the Jet label), joined ELO Part II in 1993, and has collaborated with artists as diverse as Duane Eddy, John Miles, Bev Bevan, and Gordon Giltrap. As a solo performer, Phil's a master of musical styles ranging from classic rock to Celtic introspection.

The Soothsayers - Talbot, Tregaron, Friday 4th February 9.00pm

Soothsayers' Adesose Wallace

The streets of south London, where roots and dancehall rub shoulders with Afro beat, hip hop and dub provides the recipe for the unique sound of the Soothsayers, who appear at the Talbot Hotel on Friday 4th February.
The sweet vocals of Adesose Wallace summons the vibe of his native Lagos to the stage while the beautiful reflective voice of Zimbabwean soul princess Netsayi Chigwendere floats alongside. Add to this a slice of chunky horns from co-writers and producers Idris Rahman and Robin Hopcraft, and a rhythm section that'll rock you until sunrise, featuring musicians working on the cutting edge of the UK music scene as well as performing with many of the big names from Africa and the Carribean. Fat, rootsy grooves with a sprinkling of afro jazz to keep your feet moving, heart beating and soul alive.
Whilst Soothsayers debut album, Lost City, received rave reviews in the UK press, the live show presents a set of new material that continues the band's journey from its Afro jazz roots into exciting new territory. Prepare yourself for an organic sound as fitting to the streets of South London as to the dance floors of Lagos or Kingston.
Tickets available from Cambria Arts on 01974 298965

Ezio - Talbot, Tregaron, Friday 14th January 9.00pm

Ezio

Ezio, who play the Talbot, Tregaron on Friday, January 14th, are living proof of the old adage, 'less is more'! In 1990, guitarist/songwriter Ezio Lunedei, whose musical roots lie somewhere between Van Morrison and Jeff Buckley, met Kenyan-born Mark 'Booga' Fowell (guitar): the upshot was the formation of a dynamic duo that's continually bucked all the trends, playing with an emotional and rhythmical power and unity that's brought them universal acclaim.

What Ezio deliver is no dreamy introverted songwiter show, but a powerful performance that ranges from rocking anthems to heartrending and unforgettable ballads. Over the course of 14 years they've earned a reputation as one of Europe's hardest working acts, playing countless gigs both as headliners and co-billed with the likes of Paul Young, Big Country, and Joan Armatrading, recorded a number of superlative albums, and built a devoted worldwide following (they're huge in Germany!). As an indication of their popularity, in 1999, despite having no manager or record label at the time, they famously booked the Shepherds Bush Empire - and sold out! Ezio really are that good.

Tickets available from:

Celf Cambria Arts
Bridgend House
Llanddewi Brefi
Tregaron
Ceredigion SY25 6RL

Tel: 01974 298965

Visit The Ezio Website Here

Listen to Ezio Here!!

PAST GIG

Koko Kanyinda

Koko Kanyinda & Soukous Koumbele - Talbot, Tregaron, Friday May 28th 9.00pm

Cambria Arts were disappointed when the planned concert by Mosambique stars, Mabulu at the Talbot, Tregaron on Friday 28th May was cancelled when they pulled their European tour. However, they have found a superb last minute replacement in the shape of Koko Kanyinda and Soukous Koumbele.

Now resident in the UK, Congolese master drummer and vocalist, Mukala Koko Kanyinda began his career as a professional musician at 14 after studying with Kadima, the greatest master drummer of the sixties. He soon moved to Kinshasa, the continent's musical nerve centre in the 60s and 70s, and where he established his credentials working alongside the Congo's finest stars, Docteur Nico, Papa Noel, Sam Mangwana and rumba bands, Cercul Jazz De Brazzaville and Vox Africa.

Andrew Hawkey, Cambria Arts music coordinator says: "We have had some great music from the African continent over the past few years, and we are really pleased to have Koko and his 6 piece band come along. In fact the whole Live at the Talbot programme is going fantastically well at the moment, with bigger crowds than ever before. We confidently expect the dance floor to be full once again on Friday."

Now one of the leading African percussionists and drum teachers in the UK, he is much in demand on the international circuit. In 1999 he was invited to join the "Master Drummers of Africa", touring across the UK and in 2001 he joined the "African Jazz All Stars" on a Europe wide tour. In September 2003 he was invited into the BBC Radio 3 studios as one of the featured artists on Andy Kershaw's World music show.

In Soukous Koumbele, Koko has assembled the finest Congolese musicians and singers living in the UK. Their music takes influences and rhythms from across the African continent from Congolese rumba and soukous to Nigerian ju-ju, and Jamaican nabing.

THE STRAWBS

The Strawbs - Talbot, Tregaron, Friday 3rd September 9.00pm

Cambria Arts welcome The Strawbs, one the greatest bands of the British music scene, to the Talbot Hotel on Friday 3rd September. The Classic Rock Society recently presented band leader, Dave Cousins, with their Lifetime Achievement Award, marking 30 years in rock music. Famed for their seminal early-'70s albums 'Grave New World' and 'Bursting At The Seams', as well as the hit singles 'Part Of The Union' and 'Lay Down', The Strawbs spent much of their time from the mid-'70s in the States and Canada, touring with the likes of Santana, The Eagles, Blue Oyster Cult, Joe Walsh, King Crimson, and Frank Zappa.

In 2000, founding band members Dave Cousins (guitar, dulcimer, and vocals) and Dave Lambert (guitar and vocals), together with Brian Willoughby (Strawbs lead guitarist from 1978) formed the Acoustic Strawbs, a dynamic acoustic line-up dedicated to performing a mixture of classic Strawbs tracks and exclusive new material. 2002 and 2003 saw the trio touring extensively in the UK and Stateside, to rapturous response, as well as recording the wonderful 'Baroque and Roll' CD; and a 'Live in Toronto' DVD is due for imminent release.

Talbot regulars will recall Brian Willoughby's magical 2003 gig with his partner Cathryn Craig (and they're booked for a return visit early in 2005!). Brian has recently opted to concentrate on his work with Cathryn, and he has been replaced in the Acoustic Strawbs by the familiar face of Chas Cronk, who originally joined The Strawbs as bass player in 1974.

Expect an evening of sparkling nostalgic musical virtuosity from these three legends of the British folk and rock scene.

Enter content here

Wild West Wales Music

Wild West Wales - Helping Keep Music Live - Email: info@wildwestwales.com

Accessibility

Copyright

Data Protection

Disclaimer

Privacy Policy

Terms & Conditions