King's Head - March 12th Los Chinches
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WHAT IS CHICHA AND WHO ARE LOS CHINCHES?
London's very own Amazonian Cumbia band Los Chinches present their jungle grooves and psychedelic vibes direct from London Town.
Born in the heat of the British summer Los Chinches brought together a diverse and dynamic mix of musicians who had all caught the Chicha bug. Taking influence from the raw, gritty sound of the early Peruvian pioneers and adding their own eclectic touch the band is creating a new sound.
Los Chinches interpretation of Chicha music is very much their own, with backgrounds in many musical styles from rock n' roll to jazz to Latin, fusing London's punk attitude and spirit with timeless Amazonian vibes. Their sound and live performance is a psychedelic burst of energy driven by a fierce frontline of percussion.
Miguel Villa (timbales), Marty 'El Haircut' Shtrubel (guitar / bass / vocals), Gareth Finnegan (guitar / vocals), Ciarán O'Rourke (keyboards / percussiony things), Matthew Taylor (bass / vocals), Thomas White (congas / grooves), Tora Koike (bongoes / vocals), Karlos Kanti (vocals / guiro / percussion).
Special Price of £10
www.wegottickets.com/event/63782
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At The Union Chapel - March 27th Aly Bain & Phil Cunningham
Aly Bain is the best known and most significant fiddle player in the celtic tradition. He is rightly regarded as Scotland's supreme fiddler- arguably the finest of all time. As a founder member of Boys of the Lough, Aly has toured extensively in America, Europe and the UK. In 1994 Aly was awarded an MBE in recognition of his services to music and was further honoured in 1999, receiving the degree of Doctor of Music from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.
Phil Cunningham is a world famous accordion player and composer. At sixteen he joined his brother John in the highly acclaimed band Silly Wizard. He was nominated in June 1996 in The Scotsman as one of Scotland's most influential people. In recent years Phil's work load has included numerous commissions for TV and film and an increasing amount of work as musical director for television and large theatrical events. His Highlands and Islands Suite and other collaborations have been a highlight of Celtic Connections in Glasgow. In 2002 Phil received an M.B.E. for his contribution to Scottish music. In 2009 he recorded with Mark Knopfler on Mark’s CD “Get Lucky”
Aly and Phil have been touring together since 1988 to packed concert halls. They recorded their first album The Pearl in 1994 and since then have recorded several CDs and toured throughout the World numerous times. Together they have featured on the TV series “The Transatlantic Sessions”.
In February 2005 they won the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards – BEST DUO Award.
The duo have also been nominated in the -Scottish Trad Music Awards 2006 for the Live Act of the Year sponsored by Greentrax Recordings.
"They are simply the best traditional musicians you are ever likely to hear." Mike Russell, The Glasgow Herald.
This concert takes place at Islington's Union Chapel This magical venue with its excellent acoustics is perfect for Aly & Phil's music.
For tickets go to www.wegottickets.com/event/65750
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King's Head - April 9th Los Pistoleros
Los Pistoleros featuring Bobby Valentino, BJ Cole and Martin Belmont
Los Pistoleros have been called "Britain's super-star Americana band". Over the years they have worked with some of the top names in pop and rock music. Their music encompasses the best elements of the Americana including R’n’B, Tex-Mex, Rock’n’Roll, Country and Swing. Recently they released their debut CD, “Trigger-happy“, on the legendary Track Records () to critical acclaim and later this year will see the release of a live album recorded at Dingwalls in London.
Bobby Valentino - vocals, violin & rhythm guitar
Bobby first carved his reputation as a renegade virtuoso during the Punk era as a founder member of The Fabulous Poodles but is most often recognised as the violinist and co-writer of the smash No.1 hit “Young at Heart” by the Bluebells (the biggest selling single of 1993). His inspirational violin playing has gone on to be heard working with artists as varied as Bob Dylan, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Bob Geldof, Alabama 3, Shania Twain and he is an occasional member of Mark Knopfler's current band. It is with Los Pistoleros that his song writing and his timelessly seductive singing come to the fore. He has also performed in West End musical theatre: in ”Destry Rides Again” with Alfred Molina and Jill Gasgoine and in “C.H.A.P.S.” at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East. Occasionally he can be seen in films and commercials, usually taking the part of Clark Gable.
B.J.Cole - pedal steel guitar
BJ is best known as the sonic terrorist of the pedal steel and over the last 30 years has succeeded in pushing the barriers of the instrument to uncharted territories. He has worked alongside artists of the caliber of Marc Bolan, Sting, Pet Shop Boys, Pink Floyd, Elton John, REM, Elvis Costello, The Verve, Robbie Williams and Dolly Parton, and is featured heavily featured on Shania Twain's current album. He has recently released two critically acclaimed albums on Cooking Vinyl: "Stop the Panic" (2000) a collaboration with Luke Vibert and "Trouble in Paradise"(2004) featuring contributions from Groove Armada and Alabama 3.
Martin Belmont - lead guitar, 6 string bass & vocals
Martin started his playing career in the classic 70s pub-rock band Ducks Deluxe. He later went on to become a founder member of Graham Parker & the Rumour, Nick Lowe’s Cowboy Outfit and Carlene Carter’s CC Riders. But the rôle he is most proud of is being the hands of Eddie Grundy in the “Archers” on BBC Radio 4 (the longest running soap-opera in the world) - whenever Eddie ‘plays’ guitar, it is Martin, and he never divulges future plot developments to the band no matter how much they beg! He released his debut solo album “Big Guitar” (2001) on Demon Records to great acclaim. He has written songs for Linda Rondstadt and in Los Pistoleros he has been known to sing a song or two while his guitar adds a grit and twang, and a splash of surf, to the bands country boogie.
Kevin Foster -bass & vocals
The word ’bass’ seems too small for what Kevin brings to Los Pistoleros ... not only does he have the uncanny ability to marshal the group's musical telepathy but also, unlike his compadres he sees little need to name-drop. If persuaded he will, however, admit to day-trips with Hank Wangford and Jackie Leven. The song he co-wrote with Sgnr. Belmont, “One More Heartbreak” (which, of course is on the CD), can be heard in the Billy Connoly and Sharon Stone movie “Beautiful Joe“. With his lead and harmony vocals and his boyish good looks, not to mention his burgeoning song-writing talent, he’s an indispensable member of the Platoon.
Jim Russell - drums
Jim is very reluctant to tell anything whatsoever about his past but rumour has it that he is as good a recording engineer as he is a drummer (he thought he ought to have a proper job). We did discover after many hours of late night interrogation in the back room that he has, in fact, worked for producers of the calibre of Martin Rushent (Human League, Stranglers, etc.) and Langer & Winstanley (Madness, Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Elvis Costello, etc), he ended up as “The League’s” drummer and, of course, always sounded fantastic. He still does. He is now the “skin basher” of choice for Scotty Moore (Elvis Presley’s guitarist) and has just returned from recording an album with him in Nashville. He was heard “bashing” on the outro of the film “Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”, being the drummer on Stretch’s “Why Did You Do It”. These days, he is also a regular with Paul Young.
Lõs Pistõler`õs n. pl.[Sp.] 1. Mexican/Spanish for the gunmen/bandits. 2. Latin for “The Pistols”(Sex Pistols) 3. Pistolero much used in continental Europe to describe a gigolo.
www.wegottickets.com/event/70240
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King's Head - June 11th - Martin Carthy
Martin Carthy is one of the finest singers and interpreters of British traditional music and an innovative and highly influential guitar player.
He made his first solo album, Martin Carthy in 1965, recording this and his second album with Dave Swarbrick. From 1970 to 72, Martin was in Steeleye Span. In 1972, he began recording on his own, marrying Norma Waterson the same year and joining her family's group, The Watersons. He also joined The Albion Band, working with them on the album Battle of the Field.
Between and during group ventures, Martin maintained a busy solo career, recording such acclaimed albums as Crown of Horn (1976) and Because It's There (1979).
In the early nineties Martin renewed his partnership with Dave Swarbrick, producing two more fine albums, Life and Limb and Skin and Bone. By then Martin was working alongside his wife and daughter, Norma Waterson and Eliza Carthy (both Mercury Music Prize nominees and successful artists in their own right) as Waterson:Carthy. The albums Waterson:Carthy (1994) and Common Tongue received great praise. His new solo album Waiting for Angels is now available.
www.wegottickets.com/event/70242
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King's Head - July 9th Boo Hewerdine
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Boo makes a welcome return to the Klub this Summer. Boo's first success came with 1980s band, The Bible. Two of their finest songs, Graceland and Honey Be Good, came tantalisingly close to becoming huge hits. (A third, Glorybound, is one of the recordings about which Nick Hornby rhapsodises in his book 31 Songs).
The first Boo Hewerdine solo album, Ignorance, was released in 1992, followed by Baptist Hospital in 1996 and Thanksgiving in 1998, both made with Nick Drake producer John Wood, and by Anon in 2002. In 1994 The Bible briefly reformed though the album they recorded, Dodo, wouldn't appear until end of the decade. That same year, five songs Boo had written or co-written appeared on the album of Eddi Reader, triggering a parallel career with her that continues to this day. (In 2003 he produced Eddi Reader's acclaimed Sings The Songs Of Robert Burns.) Over the past decade Boo has not only regularly played and written together with Reader, but has also enjoyed composing songs for her.
Boo has written for several other artists - in 1989 he released Evidence in collaboration with the American country singer Darden Smith. Towards the end of the Nineties he began to write songs for pop artists, including Natalie Imbruglia, Mel C and Alex Parks.
"At my gigs people cry a lot," says Boo. "Not necessarily because they're miserable."
www.wegottickets.com/event/70241
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September Pierre Bensusan
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