Verbal grooves to the Saturday Acoustic at Korova: 21st, 28th December & January the 4th

This is the best time to extrapolate a few greedy sentences from the depths of the musical mind...the day after I've been to a Preston singers night on the Preston musical circuit. When I've had a recent carouse on the carousel of rocking horse rock n'roll roundabouts in the city centre of our fine Lancashire post milltown , as I like to think of it. When it's fresh!

Having personally spoken and mingled with the joyous elite, the creme brulee and inner circles of promoters, songwriters, organisers, movers,artists and arse shakers, I am now ready to regurgitate the social study and eye witness research - I'm ready to put all these conversations into a blurb (participant observation in practice no less).

Here goes - let's talk together about the next three Saturday Acoustics based at Korova Arts Cafe & Bar in the context of the Preston music scene and in the context of Korova's wild artistic flavours which go way beyond simple Americana and into the realms of hypnotist magician meets playwrites and dancers.

First of all it has come to my attention that people I talk to on the scene - by this I mean the hipster downtown acquaintances of the dark corners of late night bars and venues pushing their music and art products to each other (comparing download track marks, friendship likes and gig listings) - don't actually listen to what you say to them. No matter how clearly you say it.

Let's put that straight in print right now. On the off chance that any of us have the attention span to go beyond the facebook panic for attention and past the personal daydreams of ego glory which seems to bewitch any individual who has ever picked up a guitar or microphone.

I include myself in this so be offended if you must and I include every single person I've ever taught the guitar to and been in band with. The trick is, to try to be nice, honest, loving and never, ever ,ever sell your soul. And maybe you should be a little sheepish if you're having to pay for your own tours or your mum bought your PA.

Straight Talk: 

 Sam Buist, the guy who runs Korova, asked me to set up regular Saturday Acoustic nights at Korova Arts Bar and Cafe. The next three are on Saturday December the 21st - which is this Saturday coming. Saturday the 28th of December and Saturday January the 4th 2014.  The idea is to combine local acts with outsiders. And to choose the best acts which are the most popular, talented acts from out of town or newcomers whom we think are good.

We would like people to come along to the open lounge After The Mill nights which take place on the second Friday of every month. Then we can book people we can see perform and have a nice social hang out and get together for musicians and poets and general performers. The next one of these will take place on Friday January the 10th.

Now we know that the Mad Ferrett, the New Conti, Bohemia, Roper Hall, Fanakis exist and we believe that it all rolls into one enjoyable music scene with a lot of friends and hopefully not too bitchy rivals. We probably wouldn't exist without each other. But wouldn't it be nice to share our love of music with other people from outside the inner circle and other musicians from out of town! Shall we.

It's worth pointing out that this is just an additional night to all kinds of things that go on at Korova because it is an arts cafe and bar.And sometimes they're all happening at the same time. Are you still with me?

And the good thing is we are making our own entertainment. Otherwise its corporate telly, corporate coffee houses, corporate social media sites, nasty music business elites and let's fund the big breweries while using sweatshop workers off Amazon so we can help them dodge tax because we're all Thatcherites now? Hopefully we are not. Well I never buy anything off Amazon - so there you go.

(And if you think of yourself as a Preston anarchist who wants to abolish government think to yourself don't worry the Tories are already abolishing government and that's why you're paying out a whopping great energy bill to a private energy company which used to be run by the government for your benefit. And that's why you have shit wages. etc etc and that's why you pay extortionate rent because you agreed to shrink government/social housing stock when you didn't vote against it. Who knows, one day we'll all be on Star Trek and beyond money. Magically, without leaving the sofa.)

Oh and one last thing. I know that sound systems in bigger venues look more crash, bang wollop with fairy lights and pictures of iconic mythological superstars. And I will never claim to be a sound engineer. But acoustic music is well served by a mini system. It doesn't often get mushy and loud. It's intimate and they are right in your face at Korova. And I am working on getting a better sound system in. Korova has its role.

The main thing to remember is... I do care about you.

So which acts are on at the next three Saturday Acoustics:

 Saturday December the 21st at 9pm, performing live at Korova Arts Cafe and Bar: Sweeney Astray

 "Sweeney Astray..modesty in spades...a truly marvellous, marvellous band ...and for me Mike Kneafsey is at the very top of English songwriting...if not THE top," George Borowksi, of George Borowksi and the Fabulous Wonderfuls.

Sweeney Astray is..

Mike Kneafsey - songwriting/vocals/guitar
Katie Ritson -vocals/guitar
Hannah Dacey -double bass/vocals
Anna Ashworth -drums/percussion

Formed in 2011. Now on the Rubi Records label, Lancashire. Presently recording an EP -  Hope In Exile - at Sunny Bank Studios. 

Sweeney have played venues and festivals throughout the north west and are named after a medieval poem "Buile Suibhne" (Sweeney Astray) translated from Irish by the late Seamus Heaney.

A unique twist of lyrical folk, indie and pop melody in a northern English setting.  

Please "like" our facebook page, check out our free downloads and gigs and our homepage. 

http://www.reverbnation.com/sweeneyastray

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

https://www.facebook.com/SweeneyAstray

http://youtu.be/VoMM36l3Xsc

 Saturday December the 28th, performing live at Korova Arts Cafe & Bar, David Rybka of Victorian Dad.

David Rybka Singer Songwriter UK (wigan)
Also with band VICTORIAN DAD

"Hello, my name’s David Rybka and I’m a singer, guitarist, singer/songwriter,. I usually write and play on a Martin 6 string but I have been known to play on the piano every now and then.
Not sure as to how I would describe my music.. this is a really difficult thing to ask a musician
But im sure in my influences of Neil Young,Bruce Springsteen,John Martyn,The Doors,Ryan Adams, Richard Thompson,Bob Dylan,The Beatles,Nirvana,Prokovief,Gyspy Jazz, Indian Classical… theres a musical quagmire of influence from every aspect of influence so my music just seems to come out like that..

So anyway, I suppose I’d say that some of my music is bluesy, heavy rock like blues that is. Some is classical based but with rock/folk influences.,Etheral and haunting and some is a little on the darker side.

I’ve been writing and performing music since I was 13 , I learnt how to play guitar first, by listening to my favorite records in my bedroom with the like of Nirvana & Metallica and many others …too many to mention. I then went onto make some bands after school like “Dedweight” who recorded in the same studio as the verve, we made 2 EPs, not sure if there still around anymore.. after that disbanded I was offered a gig as a solo act at Haigh Music fesyival in Wigan, I needed a band and with the good musical folks around me at that time I came up with a name “Victorian Dad” we have been together since 2007 and released our debut album “the Thin Thread “ of March 2013, we still gig regularly up and down the country.

All the while ive been on a path writing and playing songs, I toured Mexico in 2010/11 and played in some crazy places like a High Security Prison in Cuernavaca , The Jungles of palenque and in Jazz and Blues Bars in Mexico City and Cholula.. I was also touring around North Spain playing in Little clubs and Bars where I got looked after very well in way of Food and Money.. You don’t see that as much in the UK. Its tough but Life draws you to the hard side and you begin to want to realize your dream ever more…

Up to this point I hadn’t managed to get my solo songs down on record, I kept writing and writing and never finding how to get the sounds from my head to the recording studio, I didn’t have any money, I was surviving on life nothing else.. doing few jobs here and there to make ends meat and no one was offering me free studio time..

So here I am and it’s 2014, Im booking gigs all over the country, im trying to get my EP on a indi label and im fresh minded that 2014 there will be better musical opportunites coming my way.
please come watch me, or buy my ep when it’s out.
Thanks for reading and see you further up the road,"
David
 https://soundcloud.com/david-rybka/look-at-yourself

George Harris and The Memory Makers performing live at Korova Arts Cafe and Bar on Saturday January the 4th, 2014.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpJNZ5K_b-U

 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/George-Harris-The-Memory-Makers/176953149120266

Basic info

Founded	2013
Genre	Folk
Members	George Harris - 6 strings and a voice Carl Slater - 4 big strings Jack Rostron - The Bins
Hometown	Chorley

"hip young folksters from Chorley" 

 Hope to see you all down there soon. Don't forget after Sweeney Astray have played Korova at 9pm this Saturday, at 10pm, there's going to be a grand Christmas Party with musicians galore!!