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| SOUTHERN FRIED PROGRAMME 2010, PERTH |
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 Howdy pardners! It’s wagons roll for Scotland’s most comprehensive Americana festival, Southern Fried which heads into Perth from 30 July to 1 August. Seasick Steve leads a posse of top acts including Carolina Chocolate Drops, The Holmes Brothers, Justin Currie, Paul Buchanan, Holly Williams and many more. And with blues, country, rock ‘n’ roll, gospel, soul and R&B all on the menu along with food, workshops, sing-alongs and kid’s events; saddle up and ride in to the Fair City for a weekend of warm Scottish hospitality with a Southern flavour! For tickets and info call Horsecross Arts Box Office on 01738 621 031 or visit http://www.horsecross.co.uk/southern-fried-2010/ Sponsored by EventScotland Festival Pass - £60 (£50 concessions) access to all five evening gigs in Perth Concert Hall and Perth Theatre. Thursday 29 July Festival Launch Party with Red Pine Timber Company The Twa Tams Thu 29th July, 8pm Admission Free Help us kick Southern Fried off in style, with an informal party hosted by Perth’s very own outlaw gang, Red Pine Timber Company. http://www.myspace.com/redpinetimberco Friday 30 July Opening Concert: The Holmes Brothers Carolina Chocolate Drops Perth Concert Hall Friday 30th July, 7.30pm £16/£14 concessions One of the best-loved acts on the American roots music circuit, The Holmes Brothers’ amazing three-part harmonies mix Wendell Holmes’ gruff and gravelly vocals with Popsy Dixon’s soaring falsetto and Sherman Holmes’ rich baritone to bring the soul and spirit of gospel music into everything they perform. “Timeless, deeply soulful and uplifting gospel-drenched blues, street corner doo-wop, ballads, R&B, country and funk.” New York Times “on stage or in the recording studio, the three become like a mystical fourth entity, inexplicable yet sublime, a gift to the world of music.” Chicago Tribune www.theholmesbrothers.com The Carolina Chocolate Drops are a virtuosic, multi-instrumental trio who have reclaimed and revived a near-forgotten brand of black, banjo-driven string-band music from North Carolina’s Piedmont region, making it fresh and vital and mixing it up with a diverse range of influences from contemporary R&B to Gaelic mouth music! “The trio performed the numbers at breakneck speed with only the occasional sobering waltz to catch breath. It was exhilarating…The standing ovation at the end was well deserved.” **** The Herald “From opening chord to closing note, this talented threesome had the audience in the palm of their hands. Impossible to pigeon hole, and equally impossible to dislike.” ***** The Scotsman www.carolinachocolatedrops.com Late And Southern Fried: Craig Duncan And Friends (10.45pm) Elizabeth Cook (11.45pm) Phantom Limb (12.45am) Perth Theatre Friday 30th July, Doors Open 10pm £14/£12 concessions Craig Duncan And Friends US bluegrass fans are regularly rocked by Craig Duncan And Friends’ brilliant delivery. Bandleader Craig Duncan is a burning hot fiddler; lead singer Billy Smith has performed with legends like Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs, Lester Flatt and Jimmy Martin; Mark Barnett is a breathtaking banjo player; and Kris and Dale Ballinger round out the sound with superb harmony singing to create the classic bluegrass sound. Presented in association with the Scottish Bluegrass Association. www.craigduncan.net www.scottishbluegrass.com Elizabeth Cook Described as “this generation’s Loretta Lynn” by Nanci Griffith and regularly compared to Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris, Elizabeth was a huge hit at Southern Fried 2008. With a family background that reads like the countriest of songs, her mixture of sassy humour, emotional honesty and a killer voice is impossible to resist. Produced by Don Was (Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones), her brilliant new album, Welder is both heartrending and hilarious and should see her take a big step towards the stardom she so thoroughly deserves. www.elizabeth-cook.com Phantom Limb Fronted by the extraordinary voice of Yolanda Quartey, Phantom Limb’s influences – the likes of Gillian Welch, Aretha Franklin, The Band, Etta James and the Staple Singers – are distilled into a highly distinctive sound. "Quartey is a phenomenal talent, drawing on gospel, soul and country inflections to produce a range of effects" The Independent "Phantom Limb may well be the most musically sophisticated band the UK has produced in far too long a time…What astonishes most is just how good it is" BBC Online www.phantomlimbmusic.com Saturday 31 July Shape Note Big Sing with Tim Eriksen Perth Theatre Studio Sat 31st July, 10am £4/£3 concessions Sacred Harp Shape Note singing developed as a form of musical notation to aid communal and congregational singing in the US from the late 18th century onwards. Tim Eriksen is an expert practitioner of this uniquely beautiful four-part harmony style and is a very experienced teacher, having taught Nicole Kidman and Jude Law for the film Cold Mountain, as well as singing on much of the soundtrack himself. Tim will teach participants the basics of Shape Note singing and then lead a short informal performance in the Concert Hall foyer at 1pm. www.timeriksenmusic.com Old-Time Fiddle Workshop with Ben Paley Tilt Room, Perth Concert Hall Sat 31st July, 11am £4/£3 concessions Ben is one of the foremost players in the style of music that laid the foundations for country, bluegrass and everything else that sprang from these roots. This workshop is open to intermediate and advanced players. www.benpaley.com Delta Blues Guitar Workshop with Kieron Means Norie Miller 1, Perth Concert Hall Sat 31st July, 11am £4/£3 concessions Kieron is a master of many acoustic guitar styles but focuses here on delta blues in this workshop for intermediate and advance players. Songs Across The Sea with Sara Grey Norie Miller 2, Perth Concert Hall Sat 31st July, 11am Free Admission American folksinger Sara Grey traces the passage of songs from the Northern Ireland and Scotland across the Atlantic and how they’ve come back to us in the form of folk, country and bluegrass. In this fascinating interactive event Sara will compare celtic sources with American or Canadian versions showing changes and similarities and will encourage participants to sing choruses and ask questions. Singers and non-singers alike are equally welcome. www.maclurg.com/saragrey Shape Note Big Sing with Tim Eriksen Perth Concert Hall Foyer Saturday 31st July, 1pm Admission Free Come along and enjoy a short performance from participants in Tim Eriksen's Shape Note Big Sing. They'll work all morning with this great teacher and musicologist to learn the basics of what is a very powerful unison singing style and you can hear the results. www.timeriksenmusic.com Bluegrass Fiddle Workshop with Craig Duncan Tilt Room, Perth Concert Hall Sat 31st July, 2pm £4/£3 concessions Craig Duncan is a master of many fiddle and violin styles and is one of the finest bluegrass players in the USA and is greatly in demand as a teacher and has authored several tuition books and DVDs. This session is a great opportunity for advanced and intermediate players to learn from an acknowledged great. www.craigduncan.net Bluegrass Banjo Workshop with Mark Barnett Norie Miller 2, Perth Concert Hall Sat 31st July, 2pm £4/£3 concessions The banjo is the signature instrument of the classic bluegrass string band and Mark Barnett is a hugely gifted player and teacher of it. A rare chance for players to spend some time with such an accomplished musician, this workshop is open to players of all levels of ability. www.markbarnettmusic.com Grass Mountain Hobos Joe Cassady and The West End Sound The Twa Tams Sat 31st July, 3pm Admission Free The Grass Mountain Hobos’ brand of music is authentic and complex, mixing equal parts of the carnival, farm, tavern and circus. Two acoustic guitars, a banjo, mandolin, doghouse bass and a fiddle create the unique backdrop over which the 6 vocalists paint malevolent yet harmonious works of art. Multiple award winners in their native Canada, the Hobos steamroller audiences into submission wherever they play. You have been warned. www.grassmountainhobos.com Founded in 2005 in Manhattan's Lower East Side, Joe Cassady and The West End Sound are among the main protagonists in a growing roots rock scene in the Big Apple. “It doesn't take a genius to work out that Joe Cassady is a damn fine musician and an even better songwriter.” Maverick www.myspace.com/joecassady Sara Grey, Kieron Means and Ben Paley Norie Miller 2, Perth Concert Hall Sat 31st July, 4pm Free Admission Sara Grey is a fine American singer, banjo player and song collector and currently a resident of Perth. Her son Kieron Means is a very talented singer and guitarist and Ben Paley is one of the best old-time fiddle players to be found on either side of the Atlantic. Together this trio produce a full and unique sound on a wide range of material including blues and gospel music, old-time songs and ballads from the Appalachians, Ozarks, New England and the West, many of which have travelled from the British Isles to the US. http://www.maclurg.com/saragrey http://www.benpaley.com The Roots Of Elvis featuring Paul Buchanan Justin Currie Tim Eriksen Rachel Harrington Yolanda Quartey Holly Williams and more to be announced Perth Concert Hall Saturday 31st July, 7.30pm £18/£16 concessions As well as being the world’s first rock’n’roll star, Elvis Presley was also an unwitting trailblazer for what is now known as Americana. Bringing together country, rhythm’n’blues and gospel influences with a contemporary twist may seem uncontroversial today but was an act of heresy in the musically and racially segregated America of the 1950s. In the year he would have been 75 (a sobering thought given that peers like Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry and Little Richard are still performing) a brilliantly diverse group of US and UK singers join with our superb house band to explore the musical roots of Elvis. Blues, country, bluegrass and spiritual tracks covered by Elvis will be stripped back to something like their original form, some will choose to celebrate The King’s electrifying rock’n’roll vision and others still will put their own unique stamp on some very familiar material in what promises to be an unforgettable night of music. www.elvis.com Late And Southern Fried: Tim Eriksen (10.45pm) Holly Williams (11.45pm) The New Madrids (12.45am) Perth Theatre Saturday 31st July, Doors Open 10pm £14/£12 concessions Tim Eriksen Tim Eriksen is "widely regarded as the best ballad singer of his generation" (BBC Radio). Accompanying himself on fiddle, banjo and guitar he transforms American tradition with ancient New England ballads and shape-note harmony, love songs and lullabies, and haunted originals alongside Southern Appalachian and Irish songs. Best known as the frontman of the folk-noise band Cordelia's Dad and for his extensive musical contributions to the film Cold Mountain, he is also the only musician to have shared the stage with both Kurt Cobain and Doc Watson. The stark beauty of his voice and sparse accompaniment represents hardcore Americana at its most elemental. www.timeriksenmusic.com Holly Williams Although she’s the daughter of Hank Williams Jr and therefore the granddaughter of country music’s first and greatest star, Holly Williams wears this potentially crushing legacy lightly. While a gift for songwriting clearly runs in her genes, she has paid her dues and followed her own musical path, creating a distinctive style that owes as much to rock, blues and folk as it does country. “And then I hear her voice. And I’m blown away…Her music is this mixture of Bonnie Raitt and Sheryl Crow...I love it.” www.the9513.com “Holly Williams may just be the most exciting singer-songwriter to come down the alt.country pike since Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle and Nanci Griffith burst onto the scene over twenty years ago.” American Music Channel www.hollywilliams.com The New Madrids Influenced by the great Americana songbook and its eternal ties to its Scottish roots, The New Madrids bring you music with all the joy of Springsteen, the sleaze of Skynryd and the tears of Townes. Formed from the ashes of much-missed country rockers Southpaw, The New Madrids also feature former Revivals singer Ian Hutchison, bringing a tougher edge to their already muscular sound. Sunday 1 August Slide Guitar Workshop with Rod Clements Norie Miller 1, Perth Concert Hall Sunday 1st August, 11am £4/£3 concessions Ex Lindisfarne multi-instrumentalist Rod Clements is a wonderful guitarist and this session is a must for any players wanting to find out more about Rod's masterful slide technique. www.rodclements.com/workshop.html Songwriting Workshop with Rachel Harrington Norie Miller 2, Perth Concert Hall Sunday 1st August, 11am £4/£3 concessions One of the Americana scene’s very finest emerging songwriters, Rachel draws on folk, gospel, country and bluegrass influences to earn her comparisons with Emmylou Harris and Gillian Welch. In this interactive session she’ll discuss her approach to creating songs and help participants write their own. Please bring your instrument and a work-in-progress, a song you’re stuck on or an idea to share with the group. A piano will be provided. www.rachelharrington.net Bluegrass Brunch with Goldrush Redrooms at Perth Theatre Sunday 1st August, 12.30pm £12/£6 under 12’s Join us for a feast of southern and soul food as we present an extra-special version of the mouthwatering menu that will be on offer throughout Southern Fried weekend. Food and music are inseperable in the American South so we’re very pleased that Scotland’s finest bluegrass band, Goldrush, will be with us to make the experience all the more authentic. And since it’s Sunday, they’ll sprinkle their set of traditional tunes and classic songs with some great gospel numbers too. This will be a fantastic fun, family occasion but places are strictly limited so please book early to avoid disappointment. www.scottishbluegrass.com/goldrush.htm Eleanor and Julia’s Big Yee Haa! Perth Theatre Studio Sunday 1st August, 2pm and 4pm £6 Saddle up with family favourites Eleanor and Julia on a star spangled adventure exploring the United States of America on a fun-filled, magical, musical road trip for all the family. This concert is aimed at children under 7 but older siblings and grown ups will undoubtedly enjoy this US of Awesome experience. Children (and grown ups!), why not dress up in your finest cowboy and cowgirls gear and join us for a hoe-down lot of fun! Open Mic Session Greyfriars Sunday 1st August, 3pm Free Admission In response to requests from our audience last year, we’ve now added an open stage where Southern Fried fans can join local performers and festival guests in the intimate Greyfriars bar, home of Perth’s regular open mic nights. If you’d like to book a slot to perform, please contact us on info@horsecross.co.uk www.greyfriarsbar.com Songwriters Concert: Rachel Harrington with Rod Clements Nels Andrews, AJ Roach and Ian Thomas Parks Salutation Hotel Sunday 1st August, 3pm £8/£6 concessions A revelation as a fantastic songwriter and rivetting live performer on her Southern Fried debut in 2008, we’re delighted to welcome Rachel back to Perth, this time in the company of ex Lindisfarne mainstay Rod Clements. “Like tuning into some obscure backwoods American radio station from sepia-tinted days of yore. There is an innocence, a willingness, an awkwardness and an honesty that shines through ... her music inhabits that fertile space between folk, bluegrass and country.” **** The Irish Times www.rachelharrington.net The Strut and Stumble tour brings together three of the alt.country scene’s very finest songwriters. Nels Andrews and AJ Roach have played together many times and are joined by multi-instrumentalist Ian Thomas Parks, the main man behind acclaimed band An American Starlet. Nels Andrews: “His songs are music as landscape, timeless tales that instantly take root in your mind…if Annie Proulx wrote songs she would sound like Nels Andrews." Americana UK www.nelsandrews.com AJ Roach "a deep woods troubadour with a cunning wit and a southern gothic spiritualism... a poet with a voice that crackles, pierces, smokes and then smoothes it all over with a shared shot of hope.” Pop Matters www.roachmusic.com www.roachmusic.com/strut_and_stumble.php http://www.myspace.com/anamericanstarlet Bluegrass Harmony Singing Workshop with Goldrush Norie Miller 2, Perth Concert Hall Sunday 1st August, 3pm £4/£3 concessions Goldrush are Scotland’s best bluegrass band and as well as being instrumental virtuosos they are brilliant harmony singers and excel in producing the high and lonesome sound bluegrass is famous for. This session is open to singers of all levels of experience and none. www.scottishbluegrass.com/goldrush.htm Seasick Steve plus special guests Perth Concert Hall Sunday 1st August, 7.30pm £22.50/£20 concessions An overnight sensation at the ripe old age of 65 after he performed on Jools Holland’s 2006 Hogmanay Hootenanny, Seasick Steve has since gone on to play every major European festival, sell hundreds of thousands of records and enjoy sold out tours of the UK. Performing his raw, rough and ready blues on suitably ramshackle homemade instruments, Seasick Steve is a killer live act and is not to be missed. “After tonight's hugely entertaining, at times staggering show, it is hard to imagine that any of the veteran bluesman's devotees went home remotely disappointed.” The Guardian www.seasicksteve.com |