Sweden - Saloon Hillbilly Oxhagen

Hi all...

First of all I'd like to say that this little blog write up on this gig will not do it justice and I will have to be careful not to descend into a 'wish you were here' style tourist episode. We flew over on Norwegian Airlines (787's are proper good!) and were greeted by the venue owners who took us straight away to Hard Rock Cafe in Stockholm for dinner and a photo with the staff. Stockholm is absolutely beautiful and everywhere is less populated and clean with shimmering lights over incredible architecture and grace. I fell in love with it instantly....

Conny and Karin (the venue owners) own farmland which they have kept in the family for generations and built their own venue upon its land from which they put on events. Keeping it low key and exclusive they retain all control over what's going on and it gives the place its own vibe. It has a western saloon décor and is situated 30 mins away from the capital amongst a backdrop of Sweden's beautiful rural area. They really are beautiful people and took us in to their home like we were one of the family with the best hospitality I have ever experienced ...period. I feel I have a strong bond with them in the small time I stayed with them sharing a lot of the same ethics and desires.

The first thing I saw as we pulled into the farm that night was a huge wild moose in the garden....just chillin out! The day of the gig we had an extremely relaxed soundcheck having so much time to do what we wanted and explore their home.

The gig was packed full of amazing gentle souls who for which Terry and I being there seemed an event they hadn't experienced much. They were lovely to us and I have received messages from them afterwards.  The weather was so nice there was food being cooked and people walking in and out which meant the event took a private party style feel. People were talking as we played which is new for the tour but they were enjoying themselves and watching. Of course it's always a little daunting doing something like this as there can be a little language barrier but after the show you could tell people had engaged with both Terry and I  because of them expressing how grateful they were for us coming over. 

The next day was a free day for us to explore a little of their local area has to offer. We drove their American car over astonishing countryside, hills, and rural Sweden visiting the sea, a Viking church, a castle where we had afternoon tea...all organised by Conny and Karin. Like I said I'm rushing through it as hearing me go on about it isn't good reading ;-) I wrote a song whilst I was over there called "Sky City" as this was the first sign I saw as the plane touched down in Sweden. I will post a video of the song at a later date.

I can't say thank you enough to Conny and Karin, I hope our stay made them as happy as they deserve to be because I know how much work they put into this event and I wish the Saloon Hill-billy every ounce of success and hope to go back sometime soon....

I love Sweden!

Next stop London at the Half Moon in Putney this Thursday - 29th May. Stage time approx. 8pm.

You can still buy tickets for my headline show in Worthing at The Connought Studio on July 5th

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

Stay Safe

Andy

Xx

Mostly listening to

Coldplay - Midnight

I defy anyone listening to this when standing in a field in Sweden with a ghostly twilight to not be emotionally effected!

Terry Reid Tour 2014 - The Cellars at Eastney - Portsmouth

Hi all!

So Its my pleasure to be on tour again with Terry Reid, this time in Portsmouth, Wolverhampton, Newcastle, London and....Sweden! Yes the land of Moomins! I've been to a few dates I wasn't playing on such as Brighton Komedia, and the Jazz Cafe where I had a great chat with Michael Kiwanuka about his second record (he had come to see Terry as "no one does it like him") and Terry is in good spirits for the tour.
So we start with the Cellars in Portsmouth...

This time he has brought some cosmic Americans with him from over the pond and cosmic they most definitely are! They are his backing band for most the dates on the tour and also playing a musically bonkers Bluegrass set to open the night. They are called "The Cosmic American Derelicts" and the name is very apt as its though they have been beamed straight from planet Woodstock. They are the most gentle and incredibly musical people I have ever met, they can deal with any genre chucked at them and with George the bass player, there's a Keith Richards alter-ego inside him hiding just below the surface! Lovely fellas though all of them and they compensate Terry perfectly.

My set is now peppered with some new songs from my up coming album due in the summer "Science & Magic". The songs have been going down well and the older songs that are on the album have now bedded in to a point I can deliver them right. Because of the intimate nature of the crowd there is room for explanations of songs and anecdotes and they engage with the whole evening perfectly. You really can't ask for more :-)

Terry is in good form tonight after a rather meloncollie start for him (he does like to shake things up), the version of "Brave Awakening" was spellbinding and the evening takes on a kind of "living room" gig kind of vibe. 

Next stop Wolverhampton on Wednesday 21st May

Tickets for my Worthing show in July can be bought from this link

CLICK HERE

Stay safe

Andy xx

mostly listening to

Beck - Morning Phase

BBC Bristol & Chris Helme

A modest but attentive crowd gathered to watch Chris Helme (Seahorses) and myself at The Cellars at Eastney. I've had the pleasure of playing together with Chris a number of times and he never fails to impress with his fantastic song-writing, honest and cheeky demeanour. His performance, if it was possible has grown to be a real lesson in what one man and guitar can do, its a pleasure to watch. It was relaxed in the venue which allowed us to talk more with anecdotes about the Seahorses, touring experiences, and where our songs come from. Always a pleasure to see him.

Chris Helme Website, Click here

My BBC Radio Bristol experience was professional and slick which I've come to expect from them. Laura Rawlings and her crew were very hospitable which makes for a relaxing vibe in which to perform live on radio which can always be a nerve-racking experience. After a discussion on the trials of being a solo performer, a live rendition of 'Heartbeats', and my up coming album 'Science & Magic', I ventured out into the graffiti covered streets of 'Stokes Croft' in Bristol.

Stay Safe

Andy xx

NEXT GIG: 

I will be supporting JAMES WALSH (Starsailor) at the Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms on April 16th 2014. Please contact me at andrewfostermusic@gmail.com for reduced tickets. :-)

Gig Diary 2 - Bar Vinyl & The Alleycat Club

Ah Camden...I'll always have an emotional link to Camden as I spent a lot of time up there when I lived in London. I've played the Jazz Cafe a few times, met Noël Gallagher there, watched the Bluetones and other indie favourites in a place that was once the home of Britpop. I've walked the lock on summer nights, gone round the bustling markets under the low lights and cobblestone streets. I've bought clothes, food, art, taken in the vast range of culture madness and general oddness that is that square mile...but one thing still and always has intrigues me. How have the police not caught the drug dealers!? I mean it's so easy and there so stupid with it as well, Camden lock bridge is still the hotspot and they couldn't be more pathetic in there attempts to be inconspicuous if they tried! If someone would like to enlighten me as to why it seems so blatant there please let me know....because I guarantee if I went undercover i'd suss them out in 30 mins....without question!

The place still excites me even though I can understand why it would irritate a lot of people. There's more tourists now taking pictures of the big Converse attached to the shop wall than there is actual alternative purists, although you can still find them. It's the bizarreness that I adore, the fact you get people walking down the road in full cyberpunk getup or one sleeve missing and a monocle, or a guy dressed as Albert Einstein....and no one cares....it's great...I love that! The extravagance, the weird and wonderful, and the fantastic stalls will always be inviting to me.

So the gig was in Bar Vinyl which is a small bar down the street with Britpop legend 'The Good Mixer' at the end of it. It has a nice interior and was a lovely place to go and have a few drinks and some nice food to get out of the Mighty Boosh outside. I think it needs a little more work to really make it a serious live venue though, it's essentially set up for small cocktail bar type background music or a small club environment, not really live music I would say. The gig wasn't greatly attended and so the vibe was small and not noteworthy which gives me very little to engage with. So unfortunately not great....the few people that witnessed it liked it, and I played quite well, so no harm done! So with some time to kill I went and sat on London Bridge and watched things.....I like watching things you see...

During the next day on Monday I took the opportunity to see the London Observatory. Being a space nut it was something I absolutely adored and I think anyone with even the slightest interest in space exploration, the structure and need of 'time' socially and it's importance in nature, or just want to have a nice walk in a park....should go to Greenwich and experience the mueseums. I was lucky enough to see the space photography exhibition there as well, and the planetarium is something else! I'm not going to bore you with it because I could talk all day about it...just go!

Yuri Gagarin ....an that...

The Alleycat club in Denmark Street had all the credentials of a fantastic evening. The venue was in London's guitar haven for a start! It's 50s rock and roll decor and basement entrance make you feel like you are entering into history and the haphazard wallpaper of old rock and roll magazines and NME's only add to that. It was complete with smooching couple in the back of the venue, I had to look twice as I thought it could have been Danny Zuko and Sandy. After soundcheck I realised that this night may suffer from a poor attendance as there wasn't much foot traffic coming in and the bar had been open a while. When I played there was a few more in and people enjoyed what I did but I found it hard to engage and really only getting in my stride at the end. 

I approached it more jokey and less professional maybe than usual as it just seemed a little patronising to be waffling on a sales pitch in a vibe-less room! Fantastic venue though and it was just an unlucky night of poor attendance. Thanks to the people who were there though, and your comments are appreciated hope you enjoy the CD. 

Next stop The Troubadour...I've heard a lot about this venue, let's try it out!

Stay Safe

Andy xx

FREE DOWNLOAD 'DREAMSCAPE'

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