SXSC - Down Home & Down Here

Thursday 8 January 8pm BEN WEAVER JANE BARTHOLOMEW OWEN TROMANS The Ax and the Oak is Weaver's 6th album at the ripe old age of 29; it is by far his most adventurous to date. Weaver explains, "The majority of this record was written in Berlin, the summer of 2007. I was staying in a friend's flat in Prenzlauer Berg. I had many pictures in my head at that time. This record is not about Berlin, but about what being in Berlin allowed me to create." Produced by Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Iron & Wine), the album juxtaposes electronic musical sounds with warm acoustic instruments with textural results that defy the usual expectations of the singer/songwriter genre. It's hard to argue with the results—evocative, hushed songs that illuminate Ben's affinity for the natural world of birds, phone booths, empty parking lots, strangers in the checkout line, plastic bags stuck in trees and whatever else typically goes unnoticed in the sidewalk cracks. "...country-rooted Americana full of weary determination and aphoristic clarity, somewhere between the Band and Tom Waits." The New York Times "...strange, skin-prickling tales picked up from the Moebius strip of a lost highway he's been compelled to travel on.... like a hillbilly Leonard Cohen." Mojo www.benweaver.net www.janebartholomew.net www.owentromans.co.uk Tickets £8 Click here to buy tickets from Ticketweb Or call them on 08700 600 100 (24 hours) Please click here for venue details, directions etc.

Sunday 15 February 8pm ELLIOTT BROOD TWO FINGERS OF FIREWATER Since their beginnings with their EP, Tin Type, home of the cult hit, “Oh, Alberta!”, to their Juno-nominated, debut full length Ambassador, Elliott BROOD have earned the praise of connoisseurs and critics alike. They’ve won over legions of fans with their raw and energetic live shows and their atmospheric, richly crafted records, making a name for themselves worldwide. They’ve carried their tune through seven cross Canada marathons, including the headlining spot on the Exclaim! Magazine sponsored Wood, Wires & Whiskey tour and opening shows for Wilco, Blue Rodeo, Corb Lund and The Sadies. They have completed three European tours, playing Festivals throughout Europe, Great Britian and Scandinavia, including an opening spot in Paris with Broken Social Scene. The BROOD have toured through the USA with Do, Make, Say Think and early this year, they made their debut in Australia with the release of Ambassador on ABC Records in the spring of 2008. www.elliottbrood.ca www.myspace.com/twofingersoffirewater Tickets £8 Click here to buy tickets from Ticketweb Or call them on 08700 600 100 (24 hours) Please click here for venue details, directions etc.

Tuesday 10 March 8pm PETER BRUNTNELL & THE MURDER OF CROWS EMILY BARKER & THE RED CLAY HALO Recorded mainly in his home studio in Devon and co-written by long-term and long distance (they swap lyrics and melodies over the telephone) Canada based writing partner Bill Ritchie, Peter & The Murder of Crows finds Peter in a reflective yet settled frame of mind. Since relocating to the west coast from London he's taken time out to help raise an ever expanding family and indulge in his passion for surfing and although he still takes time out to hit the road, one listen to the track Domestico will make it clear where his loyalties now stand. It lies amongst all the trademarks of a classic Bruntnell album - acoustic driven folk based pop with just a hint of psychedelic that's all delivered in a very British fashion. - Domestico is in many ways the lynchpin of the record as it examines his family loyalty, contentment with his lot in life and a slight but contradictory desire for perhaps a little bit more. "One of England's best kept musical secrets." Rolling Stone "One of the finest songwriters in Britain." The Independent www.peterbruntnell.com www.emily-barker.com Tickets £10 Click here to buy tickets from Ticketweb Or call them on 08700 600 100 (24 hours) Please click here for venue details, directions etc.

Friday 11 April 8pm KILL HENRY SUGAR TALI TROW Born and bred in New York City, Erik Della Penna and Dean Sharenow perform as the drum/dobro duo KILL HENRY SUGAR, creating stark, northeastern roots music with what the Village Voice calls, “Cinematic gravitas.” The two met performing around town and discovered a shared fascination with the city's corrupt beginnings and the frenzied ambition of its inhabitants. Kill Henry Sugar became the minimalist, streamlined vehicle for this ongoing discourse. Think Gangs Of New York (the book, not the film) meets Metropolis (the film, not the book). Much of the material for their current release, Swing Back And Down, was inspired by the epic timeline of life in the boroughs. Recording took place in the basement of Della Penna's grandmother's Bronx apartment, among silver gelatin prints of generations past. The songs are snapshots of New York life painted in stark, vivid tones — the cunning corruption of Tammany Hall politics; the muted spirit of the huddled masses; the power and paranoia of the modern metropolis. An early copy of the CD impressed folk icon Joan Baez, and she was inspired to add two of the songs to her distinguished repertoire. Soon after, Ms. Baez saw the pair perform, and Kill Henry Sugar was asked to be the backing band for her 2007/8 world tour. The duo recently wrapped up a second European outing with Ms. Baez and are now back in the studio. "Exquisite compositions, stunningly performed without a net." Joan Baez http://www.myspace.com/killhenrysugar http://www.myspace.com/thewellbeingband Tickets £8 Click here to buy tickets from Ticketweb Or call them on 08700 600 100 (24 hours) Please click here for venue details, directions etc.



Unless stated, these gigs will take place at The Railway Inn, St Pauls Hill, Winchester. It's only 120 capacity - imagine your front room with a bar and a big PA. Click here to see the venue on multimap The venue is 5 minutes walk from the train station. If you're arriving from London Waterloo (or other stations on that line) leave the platform and on your left there are some steps. Go down these, turn left, walk under the tracks, go up the next steps on your left, walk out of the door on your right, walk through the car park and the Railway Inn is just there, on your left, when you get to the end of the car park. If you're coming by train from Southampton (or other stations on that line) just leave the platform and go through the door in front of you into the car park. Then just follow what it says above. Trains to Winchester leave London Waterloo at least once an hour. For more train times and prices click here for thetrainline.com Back to the top