SUNDAY-FUNDAY 26th May
The Wheel (Branston): Axminster Burnes and The Rug Cutters 1pm
Now this is how you write a ‘Facebook About’
About:
Seven-piece playing New Orleans Rhythm & Blues, Rock & Roll and some Funky Blues & Jazz
Artists We Also Like:
Platform, Dick the Box ,Rambling John, Kate Burton, Rachael Dixon, Will Powell, Ray Baguley, Dom Stockbridge, The Bouviers & the many musicians who have supported The Railway.
Band Interests:
Playing live and drinking beer – but not necessarily in that order!
Band Members:
Axeminster Burnes – guitar/vocal, ‘Funky Slim’ Wilson – bass guitar/double bass/vocal, ‘Dangerous’ Dale Dawson – piano/keyboards, Simon ‘Cookin’ Potts, Phil ‘The Pulse’ Panto – Drums, ‘Junior’ Humphreys – alto sax/harmonica, Eric ‘The Viking’ – tenor & soprano sax, Big Daddy ‘G’ – baritone sax.
Influences:
New Orleans Rhythm and Blues, Dr John, Fats Domino, Neville Brothers, Ry Cooder, Duke Ellington, Louis Jordan, Ray Charles(The Atlantic Years!) Smiley Lewis, Prof. Longhair, Earl Bostic, Diz & The Doormen, Joe Turner and many, many more………….
Current Location:
Probably in the pub
The Noels Arms: ‘Lil Roosters’ 4pm
As the UK’s one third of the internationally renowned Award winning Cajun band ‘The Cajun Roosters’ (http://www.cajunweb.de/en/band/band.htm), Chris Hall and Hazel Scott are no strangers to the international stage. They have been invited on many occasions to headline at major festivals in various countries including Denmark, Germany. UK, Holland, Luxembourg, Poland, France, Ireland, USA (where they appeared on local television/radio from the Eunice Liberty Theatre, LA), and recently to the International ‘SIM Fest’ in Indonesia. In addition, the two have done several tours with Grammy award winners (Steve Riley) and completed several internationally produced CDs as well as various session-work projects. They have appeared in the internationally distributed programmes ZingZillas (BBC TV) and the Mark Lamarr Show (BBC Radio 2).
Chris Hall (R. Cajun, Bearcats, Zydecomotion, Creole Kings, Cajun Roosters, Out of the Swamp) is a 30-year musical veteran on vocals, accordion, guitar, harmonica and has played with and learned from the best Louisiana musicians, honing his distinctive punchy accordion style. His reputation has led to collaborations with pop royalty– Paul McCartney, Dave Gilmour, Bill Wyman and recently Whitesnake’s Bernie Marsden. As well as a star recording on Paul McCartney’s Run Devil Run album (with subsequent appearances on The Tube, Jools Holland Show, Top of The Pops and even a gig at The Legendary Cavern Club in Liverpool), he has also recorded with Kate Bush for her comeback album which wowed the critics and public alike. Undoubtedly a skilled showman with a flair for that elusive Cajun spirit!
Hazel Scott (Hazel Scott Playboys, Out of the Swamp, Petite et la Gross, Cajun Roosters) holds down the rhythm section with guitar, vocals and percussion and has also played and toured internationally with some of the biggest Cajun names out there (Mitch Reed, Steve Riley, Kevin Wimmer) and this year appeared with the legendary Tom Paxton in Skagen festival in Denmark. She was also invited to sing with fellow Scot Donnie Munro (of Runrig fame) in the festival’s farewell Ceilidh song taking centre stage, with members of the Black Family and The Dubliners’ on a cappella vocals. Charity performances have included a musical promotion for the NCT featuring Nancy Sorrell and Brian Belo (Big Brother). She is known for her mixing, simple, driving guitar rhythms and blasting Cajun down-home vocals as well as a quieter more-Celtic vocal style and picking guitar–things to drive the feet or warm the heart.
Although used to gigging outside UK shores, they relish the excitement of playing locally in more intimate sessions and as a duo are well known for playing in much-loved venues in and around their home town of Derby. They have played regular afternoon and evening gigs in local Derby hostelries such as the Silk Mill, The Flowerpot, The Exeter, The Brewery Tap as well as The Maze (Nottingham) and Off the Tracks Festival (Castle Donington) to name but a few.
Although rooted in that back-porch sound of Louisiana, they mix them ol’ Cajun blues sounds with a little touch of Scots-Celtic soul and a large dose of sunny favourites ranging from Kate Rusby through Bob Dylan and Van Morrison to the good ol’ lively sounds of Johnny Cash–all with a touch of Cajun-hot-sauce attitude for an authentic new ‘Bayou-Brit’ sound that may surprise but definitely delight!.
One thing I love about when Lil Roosters come to town, I get to say “Have a listen to Hazel’s voice on this video, If this doesn’t move you in some way then maybe Music isn’t right for you!”
The Geese and Fountain (Croxton Kerrial): Sunday Session from ‘Bob Cullum and the Welfare Mothers’ 5pm
Bob Collum hails from Tulsa Oklahoma but is long settled in deepest Essex; an unrepentant and incurable anglophile who’s released a series of acclaimed albums while regularly gigging with his ever-evolving Welfare Mothers.
Pay Pack & Carry arrives with the anticipated meld of tradition and innovation. Based on a long-established fusion of power pop and country music it shows once again his mastery of both, overlaid with many other fascinations, and featuring a couple of significant guest collaborators in Martin Belmont (Ducks Deluxe, The Rumour) and Peter Holsapple (REM, The DBs) who just happen to be musical giants.
Recorded over the course of a year Bob’s preference has been never to spend more than two consecutive days in the studio: “It keeps it more fun; doing just a couple of days at a time you avoid getting bogged down”. As previously he uses former Vibrator Pat Collier’s studio, allowing Pat to take much of the producer’s role.
The core players are long-serving drummer Paul Quarry, bassist Matthew Hall, and recent recruit Mags Layton on violin. Mags came with new perspectives, initiating the Bernard Hermann vibe to ‘Blue Sky Rain’, radically altering the song and squeezing out all guitar bar Martin’s arpeggios and fills.
She’s also allowed Bob to rein back on the more traditional country elements. The title track proves a fine example of how they can infuse his compositions without being blatant. He’ll reference particular Byrds and Monkees songs as “not trying too hard to sound like country songs. Taking the elements but doing it organically rather than dramatically”.
There are readings of both Mike Heron’s ‘Log Cabin Home In The Sky’ and Michael Nesmith’s ‘Different Drum’, as Bob strongly believes doing covers prevents a performer seeming too self-absorbed. Peter Holsapple provides harmonies on both: “I knew it was right up his alley. Peter can do the vocal asides – the ‘yeahs’ and ‘woos’ I wish I could.”
Avoiding self-absorption is typical of the man. Getting Bob Collum to stay on the subject of his music can be some task, though he does concede: “I like the new album”. Then he’ll be making light of his abilities, and start talking about The Beatles again. It may speak to his grounding, self-awareness, and sense of standing on the shoulders of giants, but underplay it as he might Pay Pack & Carry provides yet more evidence of his singular talent.
