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 5 - The Bedford - The Abbey Tavern - Dublin Castle

The Bedford was the first of three London dates running back to back, and it's a pleasure to play. I've said much about it over the years and hold it close as my favorite London venue for my music. Tonight's gig was five songwriters doing the usual four songs over two parts of the evening. A Swedish lad called Ludvig Andersson was waiting patiently for soundcheck looking like a Americana star already, and we started talking. He is an interesting guy, he travels over from Sweden to play gigs knowing that to get a cheap flight to London and back is actually cheaper than staying in a hotel over here! You've got to admire that kind of thinking and he was a great performer too. Backstage we all swapped touring stories, guitars, and a rather interesting conversation with another artist Simon Wells about the lost Dr Who tapes recently found. Simon was another interesting chap, a writer as well as a musician with the bohemian vibe to boot. It was a warm and friendly night with a good receptive crowd no animosity from the other performers and a sense of camaraderie.

My pedal board has raised a few eyebrows this year as the textures really do add a little depth to the vibe I try to create with my songs. Tonight was no exception with "the Garden" being particularly psychedelic! 

The Bedford in Balham, backstage graffiti wall

The Abbey Tavern is a place I've never played before and is essentially an open mic night that you book to play on. It has the option to record the three songs you perform and I'll no doubt have one of them up soon to listen to. The pub where the stage is present is all open plan so people all sit around and you get up and do your thing. It's very relaxed and a nice vibe in there, I'd imagine this place would be great to try out new material or to play tracks in development. The other artists on the bill were all friendly and I stayed around to chat to the people who listened giving out flyers and introducing myself. I then left to catch a very good friend of mine play in the Camden Eye to a slightly different vibe. 'Lewisberg' has just started solo performing but he played fantastically well against a tough background.

London looked quite beautiful on the way to The Dublin Castle in Camden today. The overground train I was on from Wimbledon is mostly overground rooftop height and everything was silhouetted against a cold December sunset. Quite a different view from my last visit to London where the overground journey exposed a darker derelict side to East London I'd never really experienced even when I lived here. Forgotten railway stations hold their ground amongst industrial buildings that were once key players now ghosts of themselves. Nature has taken over and grown around empty playgrounds and concrete graffiti ridden structures. Not today though it looked like a panning shot from an amalgamation of a Richard Curtis/Tim Burton movie... all romance and mystery.

Photo by aaron bennett photography

Dublin Castle is somewhere I'd never played on my own and I was the only solo performer there. Soundcheck was great and my effects sounded huge through the PA. Headliners 'Fracture' were a nice bunch and I'm sorry I couldn't hang around for their set as I was homeward bound that night and had to leave early. 

Unfortunately a bit like the other historic indie pillar venues I've played in London recently the crowd was sparse. I must say though the few that were there were great and listened and engaged with me. It's a shame seeing these venues across the country become less engaged with but that's a whole different conversation and is covered by many. Dublin Castle is a fantastic venue and its staff are all approachable and nice and the sound guy is very good indeed.

My voice is not running on full steam at present, I have a vocal chord injury. It's really made me realise the importance of looking after it as I've always been extremely nonchalant and taken it for granted that it would always be there. Every musician is scared of colds and I'm no different, avoiding people with them and getting all paranoid when a gig comes near. Nothing has prepared me for an actual vocal chord injury though and it's quite a shock when things you used to do become a struggle. My point to this confession is... singers....look after your voice. It will go if not respected, and when it does you will S@*t yourselves! 

Next stop The Good Ship...

Stay Safe

Andy x

Gig Diary 4 - The Regal Rooms - Five Ways Folk Club

The Regal Rooms is the other half of the two most important figurehead venues for songwriters in London. The Bedford was a place I was recommended to play very early on when I started performing on my own and I fell in love with it on my first visit. It's Shakespearean theatre decor makes for as grand backdrop for the singer/songwriter guise. The Regal Rooms in Hammersmith was it's sister venue often regarded with a certain respect for its history of having industry present at shows. Showcases tend to be arranged there for wide eyed hopefuls on the brink of discovery. It's with sadness I say that the Regal Rooms's future is in jeopardy now it's been bought out, which now makes this gig even more poignant as it was to be my last as it stands in the venue. It was your typical Regal Rooms gig, great sound, civilised crowd, cheeky camp compare, and some fine talent on the bill with a touch of show tune and theatrics thrown in for good measure. I often feel the odd one out in London but have never felt out of place in either of these venues. My voice had taken a battering by the end of these dates more of which later but for now the Regal Rooms I salute your hospitality and memories.

The Fiveways folk club was a real shot in the dark for me. I'd never heard of it before trying it out and didn't know what to expect. After getting to the pub which seemed the same as any other Weatherspoons in a suburb in anywheresville, I was told it was upstairs in a tiny room. So upstairs I went a little confused trusty guitar on back and Jack Daniels In hand. The room is just that.. very tiny and it's modest decor and school room chairs had me thinking maybe I was in the wrong place. I must admit I'd had my reservations but this was turned by the warmth of the people who frequent this aptly named club into the perfect example of what I imagined true folk clubs to be. It was an older crowd who where respectful, graceful, attentive and open to my material even though some of my songs don't necessarily fit the bill of purist folk music. I performed more pure acoustic songs leaving behind my box of effect tricks that night. Another thing that is a huge factor as well as the people  in the atmosphere of the place is there's no PA! Completely acoustic....nothing! Which I actually enjoy the pressure and tend to rise to it as it's comfortable for me. I thoroughly enjoyed myself at fiveways and I'm back next year. It's different but it's untouched by media and expectations...it's a small room where people play songs that shape peoples experiences and traditions...there's a purity in that.

Tonight I'm playing at the legendary Dublin Castle in Camden :-)

Stay Safe

Andy x