STRAWBSWEBNEWS - ARCHIVE
STRAWBSWEBNEWS - FEBRUARY 2007
Sent: 8 Feb 2007
Kids waited with toboggans
As I sheltered from the snow .....
Well January has gone by without a Strawbswebnews e-mail (v busy), but this
morning, as London is carpeted with a cover of thick but fairly damp snow
(unusual for this city), there's a fair bit of Strawbs news for you.
DICK
Contents
--------
* Strawbs @ Cropredy
* Universal CD releases
* Acoustic/Electric touring - Feb 2007
* Acoustic Strawbs in Spain
* Just once in a very blue moon - Willoughby on Nanci Griffith UK shows
* Brian Willoughby and Cathryn Craig Spring tour
* Fire down below
* Summer days all float downstream - US and Canada electric summer tour
* Going Dutch - Acoustic Strawbs in Holland
* Conny Conrad/Dark Ocean release, guest star: Dave Cousins
* Cry No More CDs available at www.witchwoodrecords.co.uk/live in 2007?
* Loads of downloads
* Ken Laws illness
* Benedictus - Strawbs tribute band
-----------------------------------------------------
==================
STRAWBS @ CROPREDY
==================
At last, the news that the Strawbs (full Hero And Heroine line-up) will be
playing at Fairport Convention's 40th anniversary celebrational
extravaganza in August 2007.
They play on Thursday 9th August along with recent folk album of the year
winner Seth Lakeman (Freedom Fields is well worth a listen) and Jools
Holland and his band. Friday will see the Liege & Lief line-up of
Fairport (with Chris While depping for Sandy Denny) perform the whole of
that classic album, with Richard Thompson headlining. Saturday artists
include former Fairporter Iain Matthews and the Billy Mitchell
(ex-Lindisfarne/Jack The Lad) and Bob Fox duo. To finish off Saturday,
judging by the 30th anniversary show which was fabulous, we can expect a
fantastic Fairport plus guests set to finish off the festival.
Fairport have a shiny new website at www.fairportconvention.com on which
more details will soon emerge. Tickets are not available yet but will be
available off the website in due course.
For those who've not been to Cropredy before - lots of useful info on
Fairport site, including FAQs on camping etc and a useful "virgin's guide":
http://www.fairportconvention.com/cropredy.php. Hope to see many of you
out there "on the ledge" in August ....
=====================
UNIVERSAL CD RELEASES
=====================
Great news that the "missing" albums should be released on CD this year in
time for Cropredy - Strawbs, Dragonfly and Nomadness, all with bonus tracks
for which there just wasn't quite room on the boxed set ...
Also some indication that the existing CDs (Antiques through to Ghosts) may
be re-released with additional/alternate bonus tracks/live material. Watch
this space.
====================================
ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC TOURING - FEB 2007
====================================
We're half way through the Jan/Feb UK acoustic tour, which finishes on
Saturday 17 February in Matlock Bath in Derbyshire; the next day the
Electric band swings straight into action with a return to the Robin 2 at
Bilston, where they filmed the DVD last year (no news as yet about a
release date for this though we are hoping that it won't be too long now).
For reviews of the current tour, check out www.strawbsweb.co.uk.
Tour dates below:
Acoustic
--------
Thu 8 Feb 2007 - Trinity Arts, Gainsborough
Fri 9 Feb 2007 - Playhouse 2, Oldham
Sat 10 Feb 2007 - Quay Arts Centre, Newport, IOW
Tue 13 Feb 2007 - Huntingdon Hall, Worcester
Fri 16 Feb 2007 - Cambria Arts, Tregaron
Sat 17 Feb 2007 - The Fishpond, Matlock Bath
Electric
--------
Sun 18 Feb 2007 - Robin 2 Club, Bilston
Tue 20 Feb 2007 - The Stables, Wavendon, Milton Keynes
Wed 21 Feb 2007 - The Brook, Southampton
Thu 22 Feb 2007 - Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis
Fri 23 Feb 2007 - Cheese And Grain, Frome
Sat 24 Feb 2007 - Landmark Theatre, Ilfracombe
Sun 25 Feb 2007 - Princess Pavilion, Falmouth
I'm hoping to be at all of these except the Southampton show. Come and say
hello if you can find me.
=========================
ACOUSTIC STRAWBS IN SPAIN
=========================
A first time for the Acoustic Strawbs in Spain,
Saturday 17th March 2007
Musiques Disperses Festival
Cafe De Lescorxador
Road Labrador 4
Lleida
Spain
Performance: approx 22.30
Doors: 19.00
==================================================================
JUST ONCE IN A VERY BLUE MOON - WILLOUGHBY ON NANCI GRIFFITH SHOWS
==================================================================
Brian will be accompanying Nanci Griffith for promotional dates in the UK: -
Mon 26 Feb 2007 - The Stables, Milton Keynes
Thu 1 Mar 2007 - Jazz Cafe, Camden Town, London
Fri 2 Mar 2007 - Mermaid Theatre, London (with the BBC Orchestra)
==================================
BRIAN WILLOUGHBY AND CATHRYN CRAIG
==================================
Brian and Cathryn also take to the boards for their Spring tour. Dates below:
March
Friday 9th - High Barn - Gt. Bardfield
Saturday 10th - Red Lion - Kings Heath
Monday 12th - Jazz Bar - Chambers St, Edinburgh
Wednesday 14th - Irvine Folk Club
Thursday 15th - Leisure Centre, Ashington
Friday 16th - Carlisle Folk & Blues Club
Saturday 17th - Kings Head Hotel - Richmond, N Yorks
Tuesday 20th - Croxdale Folk Club, -
April
Sunday 1st - Hitchin Folk Club
Monday 2nd - Regent Hotel, Doncaster
Wednesday 4th - Cross Keys, Uppermill
Saturday 14th - Sneek Festival, Holland
Tuesday 17th - Dartford Folk Club
Friday 27th - The Woodman Inn, Kingswinford
Saturday 28th - The Rondo, Bath
May
Thursday 3rd - Wrexham Folk & Acoustic Music Club
Saturday 5th - Walthamstow Folk Club
Tuesday 8th - St Neots Folk Club
===============
FIRE DOWN BELOW
===============
Rumours coming in that Dave Lambert's 1960s band Fire may be reforming for
one or more live shows, with the original line-up of Lambert, Dick Dufall
and Bob Voice. More when I have it ....
=====================================================================
SUMMER DAYS ALL FLOAT DOWNSTREAM - US AND CANADA ELECTRIC SUMMER TOUR
=====================================================================
The US and Canada can expect some electric line-up shows in June and July.
The band fly out around 19 June to the States and fly back from Canada
around July 7.
Shows announced so far:
Saturday 23 June 2007 - Stephen Talkhouse, Amagansett NY
Tuesday 26 June 2007 - Strand Lakewood NJ
Others are still being contracted and supports finalised.
Saturday 30 June/Sunday 1 July 2007 - STANfest, Canso NS
Tuesday 3 July/Wednesday 4 July 2007 (2 nights) - Hugh's Room, Toronto ON
Thursday 5 July 2007 - Centre in the Square, Kitchener ON
A further date is likely for Montreal but not till later in the year.
More detail when I have it.
=========================================
GOING DUTCH - ACOUSTIC STRAWBS IN HOLLAND
=========================================
Prior to the North American trip there's a Dutch outing for the Acoustic
Strawbs:
16 June 2007
Stania State
Rengerswej 98B
9062 EJ OENTSJERK
Netherlands
Time: TBA
=========================================================
CONNY CONRAD/DARK OCEAN RELEASE, GUEST STAR: DAVE COUSINS
=========================================================
Dark Ocean, Conny Conrad's band who wowed the audience with a powerful show
at the NPL in Teddington, back in January 2005, have released a new album
Cosmica which features two tracks on which our very own Dave Cousins wrote
the lyrics and sings vocals:
Track 7 - Bloodless Sun
Track 11 - Skip To My Lou
Album now available from www.witchwoodrecords.co.uk
http://tinyurl.com/36amla
======================================================================
CRY NO MORE CDS AVAILABLE AT WWW.WITCHWOODRECORDS.CO.UK/LIVE in 2007 ?
======================================================================
Also in stock at Witchwood Records are the three CDs which you can buy from
Cry No More at their infrequent, but much-enjoyed gigs.
http://tinyurl.com/33tenw
Rumours at the Christmas 2006 show that there would be the possibility of
further Cry No More appearances in the Spring along with some possible Roy
Hill dates. No news as yet, but hoping ...
==================
LOADS OF DOWNLOADS
==================
The Witchwood download site at
http://www.7digital.com/stores/listing.aspx?shop=369 has a wider selection
of Witchwood Media Strawbs and related releases. You can preview tracks
and buy the ones you want at £0.99 a go. Available:
Acoustic Strawbs - Baroque & Roll
Strawbs - Blue Angel
Strawbs - Déjà Fou
Strawbs - Sampler
Dave Cousins - Two Weeks Last Summer
Dave Lambert - Work In Progress
Strawbs - Deep Cuts
Strawbs - Live At Nearfest 2004
Strawbs - Heartbreak Hill
Strawbs - Painted Sky
Wakeman & Cousins - Hummingbird
Jennifer Cutting's Ocean Orchestra - Ocean: Songs For The Night Sea Journey
Strawbs tracks are also available on a wide range of other sites
Check out http://www.pinnacle-digital.co.uk/labelinfo/retailers.htm to see
if your favourite site carries Strawbs material (both Witchwood Media
material and the classic A&M albums).
================
KEN LAWS ILLNESS
================
Unhappy news just in that Ken Laws (Hudson Ford drummer and all-round nice
guy) is seriously ill with an inoperable cancerous brain tumour. He had
had surgery in August 2005 for an earlier tumour, then radiation and chemo
ever since. Unfortunately the tumour has come back and it looks as though
it is in a place too dangerous to operate on. He will hopefully be
consulting a expert who specialises in treating such cancers and there may
be some options for treatment though it isn't yet clear whether that will
be the case.
I'm sure our thoughts are with Ken and Maryanne now - if anyone wants to
send good wishes please do so through me as Maryanne has her hands full
just at present and has asked me to act as the contact point.
send any messages to dgreener@ndirect.co.uk
=================================
BENEDICTUS - STRAWBS TRIBUTE BAND
=================================
News in of a Strawbs tribute band from Alex Bowler:
"I thought you might be interested to know that we are reforming our
Strawbs tribute band - Benedictus - in the new year. Benedictus was formed
a few years ago and we rehearsed several classic Strawbs songs but never
performed live due to various commitments. We have decided to reform with a
new drummer and hope to play live next year. We are based in Somerset.
Our aim is to capture the essence of some of the finest Strawbs songs and
to remain as true to the original recordings as possible. Our lead singer
Roy Fernyhough does not try to sound like Dave Cousins (!) but simply sings
the songs in his own style. We do however try to emulate the vocal
harmonies that made the band sound so distinctive.
Songs we hope to feature in our set would include:
Benedictus
New World
The Flower and the Young Man
Autumn
Lay Down
Down By The Sea
Martin Luther King's Dream
I Only Want My Love To Grow In You
and several others.
The line up includes:
Roy Fernyhough: acoustic guitar and vocals
John Blake: electric guitar
Dave Usher: keyboards and vocals
Alex Bowler: bass guitar and vocals
Philip Blake: drums/percussion
There's expected to be an inaugural show/party down in the south-west of
England where the band are based. More details to come when I have them.
[ENDS]
DICK GREENER
London, UK
e-mail: dgreener@ndirect.co.uk
STRAWBSWEB - www.strawbsweb.co.uk
"You'll scarcely believe all the pleasures inside"