Updated: 13 Nov 2019
Electric Band 2018
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Acoustic Strawbs poster
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Strawbs press pic - credit: ###
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Acoustic Strawbs press pic - credit: Joelle
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Acoustic Strawbs colour press pic - credit: #####
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Acoustic Strawbs pic - credit: Joelle
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Acoustic Strawbs pic - credit: Joelle
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Dave Cousins pic - credit: Michel Parent
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As Strawbs move gracefully into their sixth decade of music making, it is still difficult to categorise the unique sound that has made them Britain's most successful international progressive folk-rock band.
David Cousins, who leads the group, has been described by the influential All Music Guide as: "the most talented Dylan influenced songwriter to come out of England". Strawbs are often mentioned in the same breath as progressive rock bands like Yes, King Crimson, and the Moody Blues. It is well documented that Rick Wakeman left Strawbs to join Yes but returned to appear at Strawbs 40th Anniversary Celebration.
However, beyond progressive rock, Strawbs have another key component in their in their complex and intricate songs, in that they emerged out of the British Folk movement of the mid-1960s. The band started life as the Strawberry Hill Boys playing bluegrass, before moving into the mainstream by making the first Strawbs album with Sandy Denny in 1967, a year before she recorded her first album with Fairport Convention. The recording with Sandy attracted the attention of A&M Records in Los Angeles who signed Strawbs as the first British band on the label!
Strawbs has a devoted fan base that continues to grow on the strength of albums like Grave New World, Bursting At The Seams, Hero And Heroine and Ghosts, and classic songs such as "Lay Down", "A Glimpse Of Heaven" and "Benedictus".
Acoustic Strawbs comprise David Cousins, along with lead guitarist Dave Lambert, and the astonishingly versatile Chas Cronk, who together formed the front-line of the classic 1970s line-up of Strawbs which had a remarkable seven consecutive albums in the Billboard Top 200 in the USA.
With five decades of colorful history behind them, Strawbs evolved from 1960s British Folk Movement roots to a powerful and enduring force in progressive rock music. Led by the charismatic David Cousins, who has been called the most talented Dylan-influenced songwriter to come out of England, Strawbs dynamic performances, marked by impassioned vocals, tight harmonies, and precise instrumentation are exciting, lush and timeless.
With Cousins at the forefront (vocals, guitar, dulcimer and banjo), Chas Cronk on bass, Dave Lambert (lead guitar and vocals), and Tony Fernandez on drums, today's Strawbs look very similar to those who brought us some of our favorite classic rock albums, including the iconic "Hero & Heroine", ranked by Rolling Stone Magazine in 2015 as one of the top 50 progressive rock albums of all time. Relatively new to this veteran Strawbs line-up (a line-up that has through the band's existence included music legends Sandy Denny, Rick Wakeman and Blue Weaver), is Dave Bainbridge, a keyboard virtuoso who has mesmerized audiences across Europe and North America while performing with his Celtic folk/rock band Iona.
Acoustic Strawbs shows receive rave reviews:
"Carefully selecting their repertoire from less than obvious sources they invest the rarely performed material with considerable energy and thoughtful arrangements."
(Record Collector - 2003)
"Unlike many groups that are past their commercial prime and churn out inferior, dispirited versions of the hits from their glory days, the Acoustic Strawbs stand out as a band that performs their old material with passion and precision. Furthermore, they have broken new ground by harnessing the power of their electric incarnation in an acoustic setting."
(Chicago Tribune – May 2003)
"Hearing the brilliant Strawbs [at the Edmonton Folk Festival] was like a tutorial in UK folk music from the past 40 years.
(Edmonton Sun – August 2004)
"Like a Ray Davies steeped in Arthurian folklore and rustic reverie, David Cousins' visionary talents are to the fore conjuring up a mythical canvas of Albion awakening."
(Uncut – September 2008)
"Tell me what you see in me revealed it to be a virtual blueprint for the harmonies and arrangements of the entire Styx catalogue. Oh how she changed, similarly, sounded like a vocal model for latter day bands like Fleet Foxes."
(Schenectady Times Union – September 2010)
The songwriting was phenomenal, and the way the trio embellished sublime melodies with supreme harmonies and incredible instrumentation made their performance unforgettable. In fact, I repeatedly thought "music just isn't this good anymore".
(Philadelphia Examiner – September 2011)
