Dacey & Bonner: listen to our first ever recorded track here

I love the double bass - which is why I'm so chuffed to be playing my first gig as part of a new singing, guitar and double bass duo, Dacey & Bonner so soon  (Tuesday Dec 13th at Ship  & Giggles Preston as part of their Alternative Music Night).

I'm the Bonner bit which is the English version of my Irish language based surname Kneafsey and Hannah Dacey, the double bass player, is the Dacey bit, obviously, which is another Irish name anyway.

We're both big fans of that classic jazz-pop John Martyn album "Solid Air" which, aside from John's slurry wild vocals features that awesome of most awesome bass players Danny Thompson on double bass. Video of John Martyn & Danny Thompson playing Solid Air

Danny's the guy doing all that driving magic on 1960s folk-jazz originality that was the world famous Pentangle. He also adds that extra cool to Nick Drake tracks you've probably heard.
For our first track though we though we'd start with a good old northern cover which we messed with just a tad and has just a touch of double bass-messing, harmonies and the jangly red Gretsch guitar - Half The World Away.
Half The World Away - Dacey & Bonner

Noel Gallagher wrote it for Oasis and for the theme music to northern comedy the Royle Family. So it's all Manchester and that does me since I was only born 8 miles away and spent so much of my teenaged years wandering around bemused in Aflek's Palace.

The Aurora version's sweet too - and who could resent a John Lewis Christmas advert - do you remember it?

Of course we write our own songs too, we've played music together since 2011 with Sweeney Astray,  but we've got more tracks on the way...

Dacey & Bonner will be playing at the Plungington Hotel in Preston on Friday December the 16th. They are available for bookings at wedding and parties too.

LIve Music & Great Food in Pendle Lancashire this Friday

Mike Kneafsey playing live at the Barley Mow seafood pub/restaurant this Friday Nov 25th at 8pm.
Looking forward to this. Got to work out my set yet and crack on with it. I've got a song list on this website if you go to the home page. I keep adding to it. mikekneafseyguitar.com

"The Barley Mow marks the start and end of a walk up Pendle Hill, and puts the ‘pub’ in the Seafood Pub Company! Serving pub classics and on-trend eats our proper pub has its own wow factor with a hunt lodge style interior and 6 guest bedrooms…

We source the best of British produce to ensure high levels of quality and consistency and also have daily changing specials.

Mike Kneafsey is providing the live music from 8pm. Mike is a professional musician and guitar teacher based in Clitheroe, Lancashire since 2008. He has previously supported the likes of Dodgy, Midge Ure of Ultravox, John Bramwell of IAmKLoot, Julie Felix, Miles Hunt of the Wonderstuff."

Plus been practising with double bassist Hannah Dacey as we are planning to gig as a function duo Dacey & Bonner. We have two demo songs ready for listening soon.Dacey & Bonner

Hannah just messaged from London. She's recording a video with an artist which has involved her having her hair spiked up like a punk during an all day shoot.

As well Sweeney Astray are recording an EP called "Flow" Tomorrow singer Katie Ritson will be recording with engineer Elliott Dryden in Clitheroe. She has vocals and guitar to put down.

At 12 noon I'll be coming in to add some Grestch electric effects and finish off vocals on a new version of the Rooks of Kathmandu.

www.sweeneyastray.co.uk

Listen to our songs on soundcloud Sweeney Astray
[audio src="https://mikekneafseyguitar.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/sweeney-astray-only-you-can-do-this-to-me-acoustic.mp3"][/audio]https://www.facebook.com/daceyandbonner/

Summer Beer Festival at St.Michael & St.John's: Friday August 12th & Saturday August 13th

CLITHEROE is having a 2 day beer festival and live music to coincide with the Food Festival weekend, as a fringe event.

The Ragamuffins, Bad Cardigan and blues-funk act, The Mighty Revelators, are headlining and accompanying the afternoons and evening beer drinking, live on stage at St.Michael & St.John's Parish Centre on Lowergate.

From 3pm Friday August the 12th until 1am & 12 noon Saturday August the 12th until 1am

Real ales, craft beers and ciders on tap, are being provided by our own micro pub The Ale House, with its excellent reputation for independently brewed beers.

Other Lancashire music acts include Mark Duckworth, Hannah Spurgeon, George Banks (of Good Foxy), Mike & Katie (of Sweeney Astray), songwriter James Bailey (from the near by village of Chipping) and Nyima. All accomplished songwriters and regular performers.

When you consider the recent music festivals in the Ribble Valley, Cloudspotting near Slaidburn and Beatherder near Sawley (we won't mention the one that got away) and a Middle Earth Beer & Music Festival at Hurst Green, Clitheroe has been doing quite well this summer.

A tiny town with a population of 14,770 (2011), Clitheroe has had jazz weekends, new bars and restaurants opening and local bands and singers performing regularly. All this within walking distance or a short drive from the residents in a exclusive rural setting at the base of the picturesque Pendle Hill.

Not bad eh!

Friday August 13th music line up at St. Micahel's & St.John's Parish Centre

music from 3.30pm includes Sean Keefe, Mark Duckworth and many more...
plus our headline act  blues funk giants....

11pm...The Mighty Revelators

Saturday Afternoon & Evening Music at St.Michael's & St.John's

4pm....Hannah Spurgeon

5pm...Nyima

6pm...Oliver Day

7pm....James Bailey

8pm....George Banks (of Good Foxy)

9pm...Mike & Katie (of Sweeney Astray)

plus our headliners

10pm...Bad Cardigan

11pm...The Ragamuffins

Beer Beer We Want More Beer

The Middle Earth Beer & Music Festival 2016 is taking place this weekend at Hurst Green Village Hall  on the road between Longridge and Clitheroe in Lancashire. Friday the 17th June is a ticketed evening event with live music. Saturday June the 18th lasts all day from 12 noon until midnight and beyond and it's £3 to get in but you do gain a nice commemorative beer glass - and there's live music all day and night.

I COULD spend days, hours, diving into an ocean of beer tasting geekiness, describing in depth (with pics, market research, vox pop interviews and video diaries of course) the forthcoming palate-glory which is the Middle Earth Beer & Music Festival 2016 happening this weekend in Lancashire, England. 

But I'm not going to do that!

Instead I'm just going to tell you how good it's going to be and have done with it. Put simply, this weekend at the Middle Earth Beer & Music Festival there will be a selection of ale choices like I could've never imagined when I first started drinking back in the 1980s. As a 15-year-old,  having my first proper pint of bitter in my local pub in Deane, Bolton, all I knew was that you didn't drink trendy lager because it wasn't "proper" and mild was going down hill.

I knew it was a social triumph having your brothers put a jacket on you, to make you look older,  and take you down the pub. It meant entering a world of laughter, story telling, inebriation, girlfriends, mates and sometimes the full on action of an adventure somewhere new in weird, exotic, even dangerous surroundings.

Since then though the drink itself - the ales  - has gone further into a new culture, way beyond cartoon characters like Andy Capp supping a pint with a fag stuck to his bottom lip. The choice of ales, the difference in taste and style, has exploded into a world of consumerist fantasy -with complex imagery association involving elves, dwarves, the void, famous writers, exotic locations, serial killers, acid trips - you name it, being marketed and brewed right now as beer-association love juice! A pint down the pub has blown up into another world of craft beers, real ales and even a new cider industry boom.

This weekend is no exception. Our festival is themed around the fantasy novel Lord of the Rings - now a bunch of massive budget films and an international merchandise set in the imaginary world of Middle Earth. So expect some themed beers and maybe even the odd hobbit lingering among the crowds.

Expect to be impressed.

If you appreciate the subtleties of flavour, alcoholic blurry eyed merriment and you've got a chirpy and amused imagination then you're laughing all the way to the Gents. The world of ales now; it is beer drinkers heaven. The magical variation on flavour match the joyful write ups and clip imagery too. It's not just talk. Our festival has plenty to offer as well as continuous live music, as you can see from the lists with this article.

So I have to state clearly and loudly that The Middle Earth Beer & Music Festival involves drinking the most glorious and finest ales I have ever tasted in 30 years of supping. I mean it. Even better than last year. 2015.

Trust me I have tested this out.

No kidding. No exaggeration.

I returned to the town of Clitheroe in Lancashire to live with a relative back in February.

I happily discovered that my mates were in the best, friendliest bar, I've ever spent time in - The Ale House in Clitheroe - which also happens to be the base for the Middle Earth Beer & Music Festival 2016. (even if it goes pear shaped socially from this point on, it will have been the "friendliest bar with the best beers I've ever been in") with a rotating selection of real ales and craft beers. It was two streets from where I lived and I suddenly wasn't on the brink of homelessness and the general poverty which is prevalent in the UK today. Time to celebrate life, friendship and laughter with beer!

I spent a few months testing my new theory that these craft ales and real ales at the Ale House ( a micro pub in the centre of town)  also gave me hardly any hangover. That may be just me. I also drink more slowly than I used to though I promise, scout's honour, that I did try hard to get a hangover and hardly got touched.

Personally my favourites are the citrussy pale ales. I love them.

By the way there will be a shuttle bus to take people from the Ale House to the Beer Festival in Hurst Green this Saturday. Check at the Ale House for times or on the website.

It just seems funny now that as an 18 year old backpacking on an Inter rail across Europe (a chance to travel all the trains of Europe on one month's ticket taken up by generations of travellers) with friends when I discovered hefe weiss bier in Munich. I was shocked. What gunk had they been serving me In Bolton. I'd been cheated. The beer in the 80s in the north of England was hard to drink. You took pride in your manliness in getting used to it for the effect it had on you. German beer, on the other hand, was sweet and gorgeous, easy to drink, all frothy and fizzy in golden glory served in enormous jolly tankards. Our beers were miserable and vomity bland in comparison. They smelt like the morning after and tasted like you'd washed your shoes in the barrels.

Like the dire nightmare of being brought up with instant coffee (Mellow Birds was like factory floor scraping, weedy dust that made insipid dishmuck) - over the years I can now say that we have good coffee in this country, finally. I no longer have to bazz off to Amsterdam or Bruges, or Copenhagen or Paris to get a good coffee. Equally we now have beers to rule the world ( in good taste obviously I'm  not talking about rebooting our old Empire of atrocities and exploitation).

What I'm saying is...when it comes to beer and coffee we've made it ! The UK is up there with the best. The dark days of murky slops, for those who don't know any better,  are over for many pubs.
Your local festival in the Ribble Valley is here to prove it.

(as an aside it's somehow comforting to know we still have rank food in restaurants compared to say the French or the Spanish no matter how many cooking shows there are on terrestrial TV. We wouldn't want to start getting good at food as well now would we. )

Mike Kneafsey My Official website

2016 Middle Earth Beer & Music Festival: The Acoustic Afternoons

It's that time again! Getting ready for the summer and hoping to slow down the crazy 21st Century mad panic daily rush on the road to nowhere with some weekend time in a field with beer and music.

Time to take part in an established summer ritual and cultural phenomena, for many of us, known simply as the festival or festival season. In this case - the Middle Earth Beer & Music Festival 2016.

This is a 2 day event, the whole thing, taking place in a village hall slap bang in the middle of Tolkien country (arguably Tolkien country)  and the "Acoustic Afternoons" are just one small part of it...it's the part that I get to organise and maybe even fret about, and wonder why I booked an act slap bang in the middle of the Republic  of Ireland's European Championship 2016 football match with Belgium (Eire being my favoured team). Now I only get to sneakily glance at the game on some freakoid media device in the midst of drunken revelry with distracted  passion. But never mind.

What you actually need to know, if you're reading this, is who's playing, when and what beers are on.

What's the deal.

The snazzy pics and the official site is at http://www.middleearthbeerfestival.co.uk/ this, on the other hand, is a rogue blog provided by industrial hedgerows.

The reason I claim the festival is "arguably" in Tolkien country is because J.R.R.Tolkien apparently wrote passages of his world famous hobbit romp, "The Lord of The Rings" while guesting in a room at near by Stonyhurst College.

It doesn't take much imagination to wonder if he found the local village of Hurst Green, which hosts our festival, to be an inspiration for his fictional small town folk of the Shire (home of the hobbits which featured in the earlier chapters of the book). It certainly has the rolling green scenery and red faced rural characters familiar to those who've read the books and seen the films, and we have the ales that hobbits would be proud of.  Hence the name - the Middle Earth Beer & Music Festival.

So feel free to come to our festival drink some ale, dance, sing and disappear forever on a magical adventure straight after it's all over full of zest for life and a belief in fighting against evil. Bring your magic rings and be a hobbit weekender!

We have bands on...

The evening headliners are...which I'll talk about later...

Friday June 17th - The Swing Commanders
Saturday June the 18th - Good Foxy

The Middle Earth Beer Festival 2016 will take place at the village of Hurst Green in Lancashire (on the road between Longridge and Clitheroe) on the evening of Friday June 17th and the whole of Saturday June 18th.

This year our Acoustic Afternoons will involve six local artists that we know and love.

Saturday June the 18th 2016

 at 12 Noon ...Mike Kneafsey

at 1pm        ...James Bailey

At 2pm       ...Hannah Spurgeon

At 3pm        ...Gary Binks

At 4pm        ...Mark Duckworth

At 5pm       ...Blanty

  Sweeney Astray will be playing live at the Middle Earth Beer & Music Festival 2016 on the evening of Saturday June the 18th.

The indie blog: Welcome to the music at the Middle Earth Beer Festival 2015

http://www.middleearthbeerfestival.co.uk/

 SOME drink in silence but many of us like to party to the sound of music...especially when we're letting off steam over a long weekend. Which is why we've got around 20 acts playing live at the Middle Earth Beer Fest 2015. We've got a huge variety for the ears, covering all kinds of tastes and fancies, purely for your pleasure while you sample our vast array of great beers.

Blues, folk, Americana, easy listening, party rock, songwriters male and female, lead guitar solos, finger picking and the vast majority of acts playing completely original tunes - bands like Cheating Hearts, The Kausters, Good Foxy and The Remedy, songwriters such as Seamus MacLoughlin and David Jaggs, are well known in Lancashire music circles, especially venues in Blackburn, Clitheroe  and Preston.

(all the acts featuring at the beer fest are listed below with a write up and links to their music)

Many of our visitors will be exposed to the performances of these talented Lancashire artists for the first time.We've seen them before and we know they can deliver and we can't wait until the weekend starts (Thursday June the 11th until Sunday June the 14th)!

Those of us who have been involved in these festivals from the start (it's our seventh one) know what to expect. Boisterous laughter, great pies, the occasional bursts of singing and dancing, commemorative mugs, random fancy dress hobbits, and the sensation of temporarily leaving the everyday mundane behind and replacing it with a bit of magic and merriment.

All that to a backdrop of sweet green northern English countryside. Countryside which presumably inspired the writer J R R Tolkien as he resided at nearby Stonyhurst College, close to the village of Hurst Green, in the 1940s, and wrote chapters from the now internationally renowned book Lord of the Rings.

The resulting 21st century film franchise of the Lord of the Rings as a spin off from the book, has (it could be argued)  turned into a self contained mini industry in itself. Hence the theme and feel of the festival as a mix of rural reality, fantasy novel and international visual media imagery.

Welcome to the Middle Earth Beer Festival 2015!

And so to the music...for a full comprehensive guide to the sounds awaiting you at the festival click here for the official website http://www.middleearthbeerfestival.co.uk/music.html

In order to catch one of your favourite acts it's best to get there at least an hour beforehand. Then chill out. You can always have a few beers!

Thursday June the 11th

From 6pm          Open Mic Session
                  then Western Valley Hot Club
(£5 entrance fee)

Friday June the 12th

Evening             The Purple Tones plus special guests, Lewy Bodies
(£5 entrance fee)

Saturday June the 13th, 12 noon until 12 midnight
(£5 entrance fee)


12pm         Intro Mike Kneafsey (of Sweeney Astray),

12.15pm    Jono Bond

12.45pm    Nyima Murry

1.30pm      Mark Duckworth

2.15pm      Stuart Swarbrick

3pm            tba

3.45pm       Skygreen

4.30pm       Mog Stanley

5.15pm       Corned Beef

6pm            David Jaggs (of The Ragamuffins)

6.45pm       George Harris and the Memory Makers

715pm        Sweeney Astray

8.15pm       Seamus MacLoughlin

9pm            The Kausters

10pm           Cheating Hearts



Sunday June the 14th
(£5 entrance fee)


12.15pm     Brett Hamer

1pm            Down To Earth

2pm            Blanty

3pm            The Remedy

4pm            Good Foxy

Saturday 12.15pm JONO BOND

 

 Dylanesque songster with his own self penned expressions of fine music and feeling. Jono has been a regular performer in venues such as the Atrium Cafe's Acoustic Sessions in Clitheroe. 

To listen to his songs here's a recent demo EP which Jono put on soundcloud. Click on the link. 

https://soundcloud.com/jono-bond-1/sets/the-attic-tapes-part-1

 

Saturday 12.45pm NYIMA

 

  A natural talent, Nyima has her own songs, a distinct, powerful vocal delivery and a charismatic presence on stage. It's no surprise that she's been given recent professional bookings in Lancashire. Catch her set before she moves to London in the Autumn. One to look out for in the future as she carves out her own niche.

https://soundcloud.com/nyimamurry/feeling-good

 

Saturday 1.30pm MARK DUCKWORTH

 

 

This is a link to a video featuring Mark Duckworth with a fantastic original song called "Oceans".

https://youtu.be/pLbSMJG_B-Y

Here's what Mark has to say about his music (Reidys Music in Blackburn)  -

"Applying tales of unique experiences, personal battles, love, loss and hopes of bringing people together to music laden with flamboyant guitar playing and soaring vocals.
Songwriting is a catharsis that keeps me somewhere close to sane in a very insane world!
My influences include: Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Elliott Smith, Jeff Buckley, Pat Metheny, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, The Smiths and many more.
Hope you enjoy the music and be sure to check me out at a venue near you soon! Cheers!"

Check more of his music out at the following sites:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/MARK-D...
http://soundcloud.com/markduckworthmusic
http://www.reverbnation.com/markduckw...

  

Saturday 2.15pm  STUART SWARBRICK 

 

  Expect to hear some beautiful guitar work from Stuart, a regular performer at the Middle Earth festivals, subtle and well crafted with a sensitive and thoughtful touch to everything he sings and plays. An experienced folk soloist -it's good to have him back!

 

Saturday 3pm TBA

 

Saturday 3.45pm SKYGREEN

 

  Psychedelic folk rockers from the wild Lancashire outpost of the village of Chipping, uplifting original tunes from a four piece which is sure to send your soul spinning over the Pennines in a haze of music glory. Perfect with a pint and the mythology of elves and hobbits.

 

Saturday 4.30pm MOG STANLEY

 

 

One Man Rock n Roll Machine. Toe tapping extraordinaire Mog Stanley provides folk electrica  blues in the form of self penned originals. Manchester's Mog, will growl and ride out those afternoon riffs for your pleasure with an array of fuzzy licks and distortion. Enjoy.

The Grass Isn't Always Greener - listen to Mog by clicking on the soundcloud link...https://soundcloud.com/mogstanley/the-grass-isnt-always-greener

 

 

Saturday 5.15pm CORNED BEEF

 

 

So what do folks get up to down the farm in these parts? They rock out in the barns and thrash in the hay! Our friends from Clitheroe and farmhouses beyond combine elements of punk, jazz, ska and prog rock with the nurtured attention to arrangements of true music lovers. And they write a good melody. Heartfelt angry lyrics, thrash riffs and original sounds from these locals with genuine creativity and the ability to rock. 

 Check out the video...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTgrap5rxqw

 

Saturday 6pm DAVID JAGGS

 

  Charismatic singer songwriter and energetic front man of the Ragamuffins and not surprisingly a regular festival performer and favourite with the locals. Constant gigging and continual play on BBC Radio over the years has turned this talented songster into a confident pro. Expect wit, charm and a proper tune.. 

Check out  The Ragamuffin's EPs and albums and listen for free on  https://theragamuffins.bandcamp.com/

for a full bio http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ragamuffins

“Asp Bites” Online Review “I'm not often impressed to the same margin I was when I heard The Ragamuffins via BBC Introducing. They are definitely a band for me, and their "kitchen-sink-drama jangly indie-pop songs" are really appealing. Together with their addiction to cups of tea, their music is close to my heart. It's similar enough to fit into the generically popular 'indie' category that's overwhelmed nowadays, but reasurringly different."

https://youtu.be/X-scqilBoiU

Link to a video of The Ragamuffins - It Never Rains On Mossley Hill (Live outside St George's Hall, Liverpool)

 

Saturday 6.45pm GEORGE HARRIS & THE MEMORY MAKERS

 

 

• Folk

• George Harris - 6 strings and a voice

  Carl Slater - 4 big strings

  Jack Rostron - The Bins

• Home Town Chorley

• Bio

  Hailing from Preston, Lancashire, this Folk ‘n’ Roll trio craft beautiful folk country music, combining ear pleasingly melodic hooks with a raw, rootsy stomp, all seamlessly glued together with Georges timeless voice. The backbeat of the songs gravitates towards honest folk based music with a retro blues tint, while George takes inspiration from the shade and the sunshine in life to pen down his thoughts.

  Love To The Sea - click on the link to listen and watch George Harris and the Memory Makers

  https://youtu.be/Ls1kciDaOB4 

 

Saturday 7.15pm SWEENEY ASTRAY

 

 

Acoustic based, indie folk act singing stories in a song. Over the last few years Sweeney and songwriter Mike Kneafsey have supported the likes of Dodgy, Smoke Fairies, Mike Heron (Incredible String Band), John Bramwell (I am Kloot), Travelling Band, Martin Simpson, Miles Hunt (The Wonderstuff), Marc O'Reilly and Midge Ure (Ultravox). They will be closing the final Ribchester Music Festival 2015 on Sunday June 28th. http://www.ribchesterfestival.co.uk/tickets/4588646105

 "Mike Kneafsey’s songs are a unique mix of poetic balladry, catchy melody, acoustic songwriter and alt indie folk. Every song tells a story, whether it’s about love and the ocean, backpacking, drinking or fighting in a war. It’s about good music and togetherness.."

Today's line up includes Mike and Anna Ashworth (drums) two of the core trio and The Remedy's Elliott Dryden on electric bass. Elliott plays regularly with Sweeney and recorded and engineered their first single The Rooks of Kathmandu. https://sweeneyastray.bandcamp.com/

To watch them live click on the video link of the song Cafe Rendezvous

https://youtu.be/gUMlpoZuJ30?list=PLbERofwv1-RPk_lzMhXJtiIE7ra7ub-cD

 

 

Saturday 8.15pm SEAMUS MACLOUGHLIN

 https://youtu.be/Bwxz7lGpOB4 

Click on this link to watch Seamus MacLoughlin - Could I Be Your Lover

  "Seamus Mcloughlin is based in Preston, Lancashire and is a touring singer and songwriter. Seamus has played major venues such as Sheperds Bush Empire in london, to the Rockwood Music Hall in New York and festivals world wide, opening for and playing with bands and artists such as The Alarm, The Wonder Stuff, Andrew Bird, Kasey Chambers, Starsailor, Ocean Colour Scene, Karima Francis, Rae Morris, Mark Geary, and Many Others. He has performed many times at the South by southwest festival in Austin, Texas and at the CMJ conference in New York and has toured the USA extensively. Playing from Los Angeles to NYC from Chicago to Kentucky."

 

Saturday 9pm THE KAUSTERS

 

 

"The Kausters are a Preston-based band consisting of Matthew Gallagher, Hartwig Wienken, and Christian Lees. The band is an extension of their friendship which comes across on stage. Their music has elements of rock, but it’s not rock, elements of blues, but it's not blues, psychedelic, but it's not psych, elements of country, but it's not country, elements of soul, but it's not soul. It‘s everything in between.

The three piece blues influence band are led by Matthew Gallagher (of Victorian Dad and others) on vocals and guitar."

www.myspace.com/thekausters

 

Saturday 10-12pm CHEATING HEARTS

 

  "Cheating Hearts are a local 5-piece bar-room,  rock n' roll, country, soul band, Americana band…!! 3 great singers, guitars, mandolins, piano, Hammond organ, loads of harmonies, groovy rhythm section. You name it and they can play it…(probably). Seriously this band can choose from loads of material, from Chuck Berry to Joni Mitchell, Lindisfarne to Steve Earle, The Faces to Bob Dylan and Hank Williams and all points West from there.

Never too loud (well, hardly ever) but loud enough to ensure that everyone has a great night. Members of this band have played with Chuck Berry, Black Grape, Denny Laine, Nico, John Cooper Clarke and Nanci Griffiths amongst many others…

Join us at The Middle Earth Beer Festival for two hours of Country, Soul and Rock n' Roll and more."

TICKETS / ADMISSION £5.00

 

Sunday June the 14th 12pm -5pm

Sunday 12.15pm BRETT HAMER

 

 Blackburn based songwriter with alternative four piece rockers, The Loom, Brett will kick off our Sunday with his own self penned acoustic tracks. Expected strong hearted country alt blues from an experienced performer on the Lancashire music scene.

"Emerging as four burning embers on the East Lancashire landscape are 'The Loom' Unassuming yet effervescent in character, diversely enchanting, capable of lifting the meanness of any spirit with the eclectic(that word again)mix which this collective offers. Vocally soulful, earthly dynamic."

http://www.reverbnation.com/theloom4

Sunday 1pm BLANTY

 

 "Born & bred in Rossendale, Lancashire, Blanty set off travelling with his guitar over 20 years ago & has become (in my opinion) one of the best entertainers around.. He can often be seen playing around East Lancs and Manchester & can easily play for 5+ hrs, he was recently called "Unbreakable Blanty" (due to him never taking a break) he was also called "the human jukebox",a good egg!".... ... He has lots of his own songs & also plays Spanish & Celtic songs & music as well as a never ending stream of ad lib lyric, music and covers when needed, ..."

 https://www.facebook.com/Blantymusic/timeline

https://soundcloud.com/blantymusic

 

 

Sunday 2pm DOWN TO EARTH

• Folk, World, Alternative

• Short Description

  A vibrant trio with a common love of music, rhythm and nature. A folk/alternative blend of acoustic, voice, drumbeat and the ethereal sound of the Handpan

• Bio

  One evening in October 2014 Kim Metcalf (Handpan, percussion), Edward Foster (classical guitar, voice) and Filomena Ianni (acoustic guitar, voice, percussion) made the 'accidental' discovery that joining their different sounds, original pieces, ideas and vibes filled them with magic, made them happy and was really fun!
  
  Since then, the duo Eddie and Filo's 'Water & Earth' and Kim Metcalf's 'Play The Space' have came together in what now is Down to Earth: poetry in music, the dreamy ethereal sound of the Handpan, the beat of drums and twinkling of guitars, weaved with vocals and visions and just a love of everything music does to our hearts and soul.
  The Magic goes on.

   

  Watch them perform live https://youtu.be/28Va5kxxXr4

Sunday 3pm THE REMEDY

 

 

• modern, acoustic, songwriters

• Band Members

  Hannah Rose - Vocals and Guitar

  Elliott Dryden - Bass

• Home Town

  North West - Lancashire

• Record Label

  Unsigned

• Short Description

  Hannah and Elliott are a local, up and coming, mellow, modern, acoustic duo...

  And WINNERS of The Reidys Home Of Music Talent Competition 2013

• Long Description

  The Remedy are an up and coming, mellow, acoustic duo consisting of singer-songwriter Hannah Spurgeon and creative bass player Elliott Dryden. Formed in and inspired by the picturesque Ribble Valley, The Remedy, who are both 18, won The Reidys Home of Music Talent Competition 2013 playing their own brand of inspiring acoustic music. Described by a local journalist as "tall and skinny and tight and melodic" their self-penned songs are said to be “captivating, carefully crafted and tasteful”. Comments made upon their live appearances include "you took me on a journey that was so beautiful I felt part of the performance" and praise including "they project optimism from the stage". 

   

Sunday 4pm GOOD FOXY

 

  Good Foxy - "This lot have made an art form out of fusing stoner rock with deep rooted blues and rock sensibilities." - Plug, Sheffield. "The Ribble Valley's Good Foxy have an intelligent and well executed 70's inflected rock and roll sound that nods to outfits such as The Cult and The Doors while retaining a vibrant originality." - Matt Evans

  TICKETS / ADMISSION £5.00

 

Western Valley Hot Club, Lewy Bodies, The Purpletones, The Cheating Hearts, Good Foxy, David Jaggs, Mike Kneafsey & Sweeney Astray, Seamus Macloughlin, George Harris and the Memory Makers, Skygreen, Mark Duckworth, The Kausters, Mog Stanley, Nyima Murry, Jono Bond, Blanty and more...

 

Mike Kneafsey writes and promotes for Industrial Hedgerows and has two other blogs at 

https://musicworkersdiary.wordpress.com/ 

https://sweeneyastraynews.wordpress.com/

He also teaches guitar, hosts events like this one and writes songs and performs solo and with Sweeney Astray. Here's his official website...

https://mikekneafseyguitar.wordpress.com/ 

Click on the link below to watch the music video of the track "History" filmed in Catalonia with cellist Marta Canellas.

  https://youtu.be/xWUK1xSTuGk

 

 

Plus don't forget the music on Thursday and Friday

Thursday 11th June 2015 - 6pm onwards open mic plus WESTERN VALLEY HOT CLUB

 

 (taken from the official website)

Western Valley Hot Club + Open Mic Session from 6.00pm

Great harmonies and instrument changes along with polished musical virtuosity; Western Valley Hot Club also use their vibrant and entertaining personalities to create a memorable occasion. Dance the night away or just watch in admiration…a real feel good factor band.

Western Valley Hot Club are: Gaynor Sutcliffe, Lead & Harmony Vocals, Violin, Piano & Accordion.

Simon Brady, Lead & Harmony Vocals, Guitar,Mandolin, Lap Steel. Ray Walmsley Double Bass.

ADMISSION /TICKETS £5

Friday 12th June 2015 - Evening THE PURPLE TONES plus special guests LEWY BODIES

 

The Purpletones + Special Guests; Lewy Bodies

Lewy Bodies is a new and very exciting alternative indie band from Manchester. Big things are expected and you can be there to watch it happen.

The Purpletones - soul, rock, jazz, blues and pop..!! The Purpletones play it all entirely live, no backing tracks & with a full band feel. Krystal Cooper has a stunning soulful voice, has worked with the Supremes and is on the radar of many major labels. Trish Watt is a superb blues guitarist who has worked with musicians from 10CC, Sad Cafe, The Pixies, Teenage Fanclub and Status Quo.

TICKETS / ADMISSION £5.00

 

 

 

 

Beer Festival Line Up: Evening Acts and Music in the Afternoons (MiddleEarth Music and Beer Festival 2014)

The weekend starts from now...

This weekend sees the start of the 2014 Middle Earth Beer and Music Festival and if you like you could mark it in your own mind as the start of the fairer weather months - spring and summer. Outdoor meandering at stalls and indoor meandering from real ale to real. And all to a backdrop of live music.

Here's a decent enough list of what's going on musically over the weekend. So if you need to plan your musical preferences ( a plan that may well be ruined by spontaneous enjoyment) this is a good place to start.

There is shed loads of live performances running from the evening of Thursday April 24th through Friday and Saturday until after 4pm on Sunday the 27th April, with evening and afternoon sets of swing, jazz, hillbilly, rock, blues and original acoustic songwriters.

And of course there will be a great stock of beers to mill about with...

Beer & Cider

We’re bringing in over 40 real ales from local real ale brewers as well as some from around the country that you maybe won't be as familiar with.

In addition we’ll have another excellent selection of real cider from independent ciders makers up and down the country.

Brewers will include...

Bollington, Tyrril,  George Wright, Caledonian,  Wensleydale, Wadworth, Batemans, Adnams, Northumberland, Lytham, Milestone, Wentworth, Allgates, Kirby Lonsdale, Fuzzy Duck, Bogart, Hopstar, Three Bees, Thwaites, Wychwood and others TBC

...and the music.

There are three ticketed live music evenings to be enjoyed on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday. This is separate from the Music In The Afternoons which includes solo acts, duos and bands - all for a £3 entry fee. Plenty for your ears to enjoy while you drink and wander about in all the outside goings on (which I haven't even had chance to look at yet in this complex day and age of endless online event description ...but I will be enjoying it all in real life).

I hope this list will make it clear and easy for all you punters out there to understand. At least now while you're still sober. Please invite your friends to the online facebook events, share the music and make arrangements for lifts and babysitters now. The more of us the merrier.

LISTINGS:
 
Thursday April 24th Emma Stevens plus the Remedy.  
Doors open 6.00pm Tickets £8.00 / Music starts at 8.00pm

 Friday April 25th Rambunkshus  
 Doors open 6.00pm Tickets £6.00. Music starts around 7.00pm (Soul DJ) 

  Saturday April 26th Swing Commanders
Doors open 7.00pm / Music from 9.00pm / Tickets £10.00

Also note:   and if you can't get tickets to see the Swing Commanders at this point, for reasons of musical self preservation I have to mention that nearby  on the very same night is another gig in Clitheroe at the Grand venue on York Street.  The Gren Bartley Band with Sweeney Astray!
 doors open at 7pm, music starts at 7.30pm and tickets are £8.50. 

Swing Commanders have sold out before so hurry and buy your tickets.

Saturday April 26th Afternoon Acts (£3 entry):


11.15am Peter Aldridge
12pm Blanty
1pm Mog Stanley
2pm George Harris
3pm Bad Cardigan
4pm Western Valley Hot Club

Sunday April 27th Afternoon Acts(£3 entry)

11am Mike Kneafsey (of Sweeney Astray) with Elliott Dryden
12pm Brother Bastion
1pm David Jaggs (of The Ragamuffins)
2pm Sean Keefe and the Hostages
3pm The Jackrats (£3 entrance fee) 

 

Thursday Evening April the 24th:  Emma Stevens plus The Remedy 

 sample Emma Stevens youtube from Radio Two http://youtu.be/M4E2diZyqos

With loads of recent airplay on the BBC Emma’s visit as part of her spring tour is a real coup for the Middle Earth Festival.

“I write and sing haunting folk & pop songs with a twist and lots of sparkle. We’re looking forward to meeting you in person on my forthcoming UK tour which visits the Middle Earth Festival on Thursday 24th April 2014. Emma x

The Remedy

Doors open 6.00pm Tickets £8.00 / Music starts at 8.00pm
  
 The Remedy are an up and coming, mellow, acoustic duo consisting of singer-songwriter Hannah Spurgeon and creative bass player Elliott Dryden. Formed in and inspired by the picturesque Ribble Valley, The Remedy, who are both 18, won The Reidys Home of Music Talent Competition 2013 playing their own brand of inspiring acoustic music. Described by a local journalist as "tall and skinny and tight and melodic" their self-penned songs are said to be “captivating, carefully crafted and tasteful”. Comments made upon their live appearances include "you took me on a journey that was so beautiful I felt part of the performance" and praise including "they project optimism from the stage".

Friday Evening April 25th: Rambunkshus

The North West's finest Rhythm and Blues, Northern Soul and Funk band, playing authentic rare sounds of the Soulful States from the 50's, 60's and 70’s.

A versatile seven-piece line-up of professional and semi-professional musicians, bass, drums, keyboards, two guitars, sax and trumpet, Rambunkshus authentically cover the brightest stars of Motown, such as The Temptations, The Four Tops & Smokey Robinson to the greats of Rhythm and Blues Ray Charles & Sam Cooke and James Brown, to the less famous but equally esteemed stars of Northern Soul, such as Solomon Burke, Jackie Wilson, Johnny Taylor and Billy Butler.

Experienced soul DJs accompany us on our travels

https://www.facebook.com/Rambunkshus

Doors open 6.00pm Tickets £6.00 Music starts around 7.00pm (Soul DJ) 

Saturday Evening April the 26th: Swing Commanders

http://youtu.be/YiddPfBNCe4

Swing Commanders: "If it swings, they can, and will play it"

The Swing Commanders is a stunningly vibrant and versatile group that performs an exciting mix of 1940’s classics, boogie-woogie, western swing, 50’s jump jazz and more!

Every member of the Swing Commanders sings and plays at least one instrument, sometimes three. Yet what makes them stand out even above their incredible music ability and performing skills is their joie-de-vivre.

Doors open 7.00pm / Music from 9.00pm / Tickets £10.00

 And if you can't get tickets to see the Swing Commanders at this point, for reasons of musical self preservation I have to mention that nearby  on the very same night is another gig in Clitheroe at the Grand venue on York Street.

Saturday Evening April the 26th: at the Grand in Clitheroe and please note, not at the Beer Festival: Gren Bartley Band plus Sweeney Astray 

 doors open at 7pm, music starts at 7.30pm and tickets are £8.50.

http://www.thegrandvenue.co.uk/event/acoustic-village-gren-bartley-band-guests

OK Free Music at the Beer Fest in the Afternoon apart from a £3 charge to stay for the Jackrats.

The Western Valley Hotclub at 4pm Saturday

If you’re in the mood for a bit of feel good music you can dance along to and you’re looking for what’s on in that fits the bill then pop along to this  as The Western Valley Hotclub will be ready to give you an earful of fantastic tunes.

 The Western Valley Hotclub will be playing a variety of Swing, Bluegrass and Gypsy Jazz so you really mustn’t miss this fantastic opportunity to see such quality music. The band consists of Simon Brady who sings and plays Mandolin as well as Guitar, Gaynor Sutcliffe who also sings and plays Violin & Accordion and Ray Walmsley who plays the Double Bass.

Bad Cardigan at 3pm on Saturday

Jack Anwyl & Tom Randall.
http://badcardigan.bandcamp.com/
http://badcardigan.tumblr.com/
http://www.soundcloud.com/bad-cardigan

Biography

Bad Cardigan formed in September 2011. An acoustic duo from Lancashire; Jack Anwyl and Tom Randall. Both sing, both play guitar to create a harmonious array of music, playing self penned original songs. 

"We have supported The Levellers at Manchester Academy 1 and Liverpool 02 Academy. And played in Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and London and have spent some wonderful nights in Yorkshire. Tweet us, like us on Facebook (but only if you actually like our sound!). We are also on Instagram, Tumblr, YouTube, Soundcloud and Twitter.
 

It is hard to say who inspires us as our musical interests are so varied but a few inspirational artists include John Frusciante, Alex Turner, Bon Iver, Jimi Hendrix and Dallas Green. Hope you enjoy our music! Feel free to message us your thoughts!
PS "name your price" on Bandcamp means if you want to pay nothing enter "0" after clicking "buy now" .

Description

Here's a link to live video/audio recordings of Complexity, Manchester to Exeter and Nursery Rhymes: http://vimeo.com/33656385 Two more links to recordings from our EP: Complexity http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fright-on-management%2Fcomplexity%2F&

 

George Harris and the Memory Makers (solo set by George) at 2pm on Saturday

 

Biography

George Harris is a singer-songwriter based in Preston, Lancashire and has been writing honest, folk based songs for half a decade. Taking inspiration from first-hand experiences and artists such as John Martyn, Foy Vance, Bob Dylan, Alex Ebbert, Eddie Vedder and Ben Howard George has played live in pubs, cafes, garden parties, house parties and festivals for the past few years. After playing the circuit as a solo artist George now plays with support from two good friends; Jack Rostron (Drums) and Carl Slater(Bass) . George Harris and the Memory Makers recorded their first EP at Brock and Broll Studios in the summer of 2013 (available for download on Facebook). The Band looks forward to starting the recording of their second EP in the near future, meanwhile George Harris and the Memory Makers continue to write and perform with relentless enthusiasm. George Harris - “I can smell an album”.

http://youtu.be/Ls1kciDaOB4

 

Mog Stanley at 1pm on Saturday

One Man Rock n Roll Machine. Toe tapping extraordinaire.

Biography

Song singing, guitar playing foot tapping blues folk indie musician residing in the northern quarter of beautiful England.

"Mog Stanley has a bright future in the music industry, his melodic and haunting vocals are beautiful and touching. Mog’s well put together Blues style riffs, combined with his modern day and thought provoking lyrics provide endless listening experiences." Freaky Pug Records

"Gut-thumping Northern Blues" Caroline Rennie (All fm)

Description

www.mogstanley.com

Blanty at 12pm on Saturday

  Blanty has lots of his own songs & plays styles from all around the world (there is a recording from The Western Sahara on his Soundcloud page), also lots of Celtic songs... he stayed with & was taught by champion piper Con Durham of Kerry for 3 years ...... he also knows lots of Spanish songs, fluent in fact https://www.facebook.com/Blantymusic https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=459706854145689 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoUiSKRqUh64nMf_G_wd0jzOBirdBBE- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoUi-SKRqUh4CLK2p-q59OjvhyxDyOvxg 

Blanty recently played 2 slots at Musicport 2013 festival (he will be playing Musicport 2014 North Sea & is booked for The Free Stonehenge Camp 2014, he was involved in Oxjam Takeover Manchester 2013 & has supported George Borowski. 

More info and pictures of Blanty to come..Sunday Music In The Afternoon...write up to follow shor

Sean Keefe and the Hostages at 2pm on Sunday

About

Bluesy Slide Guitar Americana

Biography

After selling and fixing up instruments for more years than we care to remember, we tried playing 'em instead, all at the same time, and we liked it.

Description

Songs about swamps and motel rooms, serial killers and lost roadhouses that only appear once every 1,000 hangovers....

Artists we also like

Tom Waits, Fred Eaglesmith, Steve Earle, Bruce Springsteen, Creedence, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Georgia Satellites, Cake, Volkerfirm.

Genre	Bluesy Slide Guitar Americana
Members	Sean Keefe - Guitar, Dobro, Harmonica, Vocals, Breadmaking Andy Guttridge - Bass, Guitar, Vocals, Providing Rich Ilott - Piano, Keys, Guitar, Theramin, Swirly Noises Scott Callaghan - Drums, Guitar, Optimism

ENDS


Don't forget to invite your friends to the facebook event and tell them about it!!

https://www.facebook.com/events/466846573387996/

Thank you for listening.

Mike Kneafsey

Mike Kneafsey is lead singer and songwriter with Sweeney Astray. He also teaches the guitar full time and works as  a professional musician playing solo gigs as well as being an occasional promoter, writer and compere.

Sweeney Astray will be playing live at the Grand in Clitheroe on Saturday April the 26th. (doors open at 7pm, music starts at 7.30, tickets are £8. The Gren Bartley Band will headline the night).
Mike will be playing a solo gig with vocalist and multi instrumentlist Katie Ritson (Royal Northern College Manchester) at the Times pub in VBlackburn on Friday May 2nd.

To hear our music visit the following sites...

http://www.reverbnation.com/sweeneyastray

official website...http://www.sweeneyastray.co.uk/

https://soundcloud.com/mike-kneafsey-songwriter/tracks

https://soundcloud.com/streamhttps://soundcloud.com/sweeneyastray-1

and please can you like our Facebook page. It really helps us know you're there!!

https://www.facebook.com/SweeneyAstray

Sweeney Astray is

Vocals/guitar Mike Kneafsey
Drums/percussion - Anna Ashworth
Double bass/vocals- Hannah Dacey

Musicians Katie Ritson (vocals/guitar/piano), Elliott Dryden (bass) and Marta Canellas (cello) - also play gigs with Sweeney Astray and at Mike's solo gigs.

Sweeney Astray playing live at the Grand Clitheroe

Vocalist and songwriter Katie Ritson (Royal Northern College Manchester)

Cellist Marta Canellas trained in Vienna and originally based in Barcelona.

Elliott Dryden bass player with the Remedy and with Mike Kneafsey. He is also training as a sound engineer and works professionally as a musician and sound man.

Swing Commanders

"If it swings, they can, and will play it"

The Swing Commanders is a stunningly vibrant and versatile group that performs an exciting mix of 1940’s classics, boogie-woogie, western swing, 50’s jump jazz and more!

Every member of the Swing Commanders sings and plays at least one instrument, sometimes three…

Yet what makes them stand out even above their incredible music ability and performing skills is their joie-de-vivre.

Doors open 7.00pm / Music from 9.00pm / Tickets £10.00