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PostPosted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 10:52 am 
On Friday October 3rd we welcome US singer/songwriters Rod Picott and Amanda Shires to The Grapes. The duo are frequent touring partners and are currently working on an album of songs which promises to be rough, ragged and as wonderfully inspired as their guitar and fiddle led live shows. Support for the evening comes from acclaimed singer/songwriter Dan Raza. Advance tickets priced at £6.50 are available from Jacks Records (http://www.jacksrecords.free-online.co.uk/) and Seetickets.com. The price on the door will be £8 and they open at 7.45pm.

http://www.myspace.com/rodpicottandamandashires

http://www.seetickets.com/see/price.asp?code=323642


***ROD PICOTT***

On the back of his 2007 full band tour in support of recent album 'Summerbirds', US singer/songwriter Rod Picott returns to the UK with Texas fiddle player and frequent side musician Amanda Shires. The pair are currently working on an album of songs they have written together, which they will be showcasing here. Noted for his work both writing with and producing Slaid Cleaves, Picott is a favourite of BBC Radio's Bob Harris. A fine singer, songwriter and storyteller, after several visits to the UK, tonight he makes his Sheffield bow.

Growing up in the small mill town of South Berwick, Maine, Picott was exposed to a surprising mix of musical influences. His father, a former marine owned a record collection that spanned from the marches of John Philip Sousa to Ray Charles. His older brother, an avid record collector, introduced Rod to the punk poetry of Patti Smith and The Clash, finishing the groundwork of influences that Rod would draw from later in his own music. The seacoast area of southern Maine had an unlikely but thriving local music scene in the late 80's and and Picott spent his late teens and early twenties in bands playing the clubs from Boston MA. to Portland ME.

After a few years in Boulder, Colorado busking the streets and studying song craft 1994 saw a move to Nashville TN. Picott established himself as one of the better new writers in town and hosted a weekly showcase called Rod Picott's Fireside Whiskey Hour as well as opening shows for Alison Krauss and Union Station and Gillian Welch. His co-write Broke Down with Slaid Cleaves was the most played song on Americana radio in 2001.

Picott's debut release, Tiger Tom Dixon's Blues, announced his arrival as an artist of note. The album received airplay from Bob Harris on the BBC, and Music Row magazine's Robert Oermann called the debut, "the birth of a major, major artist".

2002's Stray Dogs displayed even finer skills as a writer and vocalist and featured guest appearances from Alison Krauss and frequent co-writer Slaid Cleaves. The album was embraced by Americana radio and found it's way onto the chart for 5 weeks. It also found it's way onto many year's-best lists in both the States and Europe.

Released in November 2004 on his own Welding Rod Records label, Girl From Arkansas brought Picott's eye for lyric detail and whiskey-voiced delivery together with a newfound intimacy.With Girl From Arkansas, Rod Picott continued to thrive and expand as a storyteller and singer.

In 2005 a collection of live performances titled Travel Log was released. Recorded in front of a small crowd in Charlotte N.C. the cd documents a soulful performance with accompaniment from Dobro and lapsteel player Matt Mauch.

In 2006 Picott co-produced, [with David Henry] Slaid Cleaves' Rounder Records release Unsung to great reviews.

In the summer of 2007 Rod assembled some of his favorite musicians and Nashville sidemen and went after his fourth studio album. The resulting Summerbirds is a beautifully realized collection that contains both full on rockers and the elegant ballads his audience has come to know him for. Maverick magazine called Summerbirds "as damn near perfect as you can get" and gave the album a full five star review. A full band tour through the UK and Italy followed the European release of Summerbirds. Rod and the band played live on the BBC in London and a distribution deal with Proper Distribution was signed for the album. Picott continues to tour the U.S. in support of Summerbirds.

"It’s a privilege to be present on nights like these." Americana-uk.com live review

http://www.myspace.com/rodpicott

http://www.rodpicott.com


***AMANDA SHIRES***

Arising from the sun-driven plains of West Texas is fiddler and singer/songwriter Amanda Shires. She sews lyric to melody like land turns to sky. Her muse brings forth songs of heartache; losing loved ones, finding happiness, and the interludes of life in between. Bringing solace to the solemn, as well as clarity and whimsy to the down trodden, Amanda’s bow paints landscapes for stories to unfold, while her voice sings and lulls you into a field of golden possibility.

At 16 Amanda Shires was already playing fiddle with Tommy Allsup and The Texas Playboys, an auspicious start that more than suggests her natural talent and soulful delivery. From there, Shires went on to be one of the founding members of Lubbock, TX’s Thrift Store Cowboys, releasing 3 albums independently and reaching top ten statuses on many CRS charts around the country as well as becoming the number one selling act in 2007 for the respected internet retailer Miles of Music. In 2008 one of Amanda Shires compositions with Thrift Store Cowboys was featured on NPR's All Songs Considered.

As an in demand side player and studio musician, Amanda has worked with Texas legends Billy Joe Shaver, and Gary P Nunn. Her facility across a range of styles has lead her to work with Folk/Bluegrass favorites The Rowen Brothers, and Buddy Spicher to name a few.

Her first solo album release Being Brave from 2005 is testament to her short but extraordinary career, mixing brilliant arrangements and performances of traditional fiddle music along with several of her own compositions. Now 25 Amanda Shires stands in front of an already impressive body of work and on the edge of a career infull bloom.

Amanda Shires is currently living in Nashville recording her second solo album as well as a duo album with frequent touring partner and co-writer Rod Picott.

“I remember sitting in an airport waiting for a plane and my drummer Kenney running up and saying ‘there’s a girl here you gotta hear’ and we walked up and there she was this beautiful girl with a fiddle standing by herself and smiling and playing and I said ‘How about some Faded Love?’ and she played so pretty that Kenny and I missed our plane.” Chris Isaak

http://www.myspace.com/amandashiresrunning

http://www.amandashires.net


***DAN RAZA***

Dan Raza is a 23-year old English singer who has been captivating audiences since first bringing his own brand of roots music to the stage in late 2006. Since that time, he has opened up for Joan Armatrading on her European tour and played throughout the UK, sharing the stage with artists such as Mary Gauthier, Badly Drawn Boy, The Sadies, and Slaid Cleaves. An East London resident, Dan's song, 'Every Little Dog,' charted his response to the 7th July bombings and has been heavily featured on Neil Young's 'Living With War' website where it received thousands of plays. Dan is currently writing and recording for his debut album with his band.

"Truly spellbinding" Maverick Magazine

"One of the best support acts i've seen" Slaid Cleaves

"a beautifully put together set of songs with strong lyrics supported by equally spellbinding melodies, his influences of early roots folk are evident and add roundness to some inspirational songwriting" Sandman Magazine (from review of his appearance at our Americana Night in February 2008)

http://www.myspace.com/danraza


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 1:35 pm 
And the Facebook action:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=28342027545


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:35 am 
This is a week today! The man who wrote Broke Down with Slaid Cleaves! At The Grapes! You get the idea, it'll be great...


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 8:51 am 
CraigA wrote:
This is a week today! The man who wrote Broke Down with Slaid Cleaves! At The Grapes! You get the idea, it'll be great...


And it'll now be TONIGHT!

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 9:59 am 
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Scone hoarding gobshite
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Joined: Tue Nov 22, 2005 10:10 pm
Posts: 6601
Location: still annoying craig
but did he write 'flowered dresses'? cos thats me fave.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 10:02 am 
That was Karen Posten. He didn't write any of the stuff off Slaid's 'Unsung', just co-produced it.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 10:04 am 
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Joined: Tue Nov 22, 2005 10:10 pm
Posts: 6601
Location: still annoying craig
oh.

im not coming then.


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