Hi Folks,
Hope you all had a great Christmas and have recovered from your Hogmanay hangovers. We’ve got a great year of music lined up for you, but we’re taking a break this month, so there’s no show tonight. We’ll be back on February 7th. Hope to see you all then!
Si & Paul
It’s the last Acoustic Edinburgh of the year, and we’re seeing the year out with a very special show! Not one, but two touring bands are stopping into The Third Door on their way through Edinburgh, and both are unmissable.
Headlining are Abagail Grey, on their Winter & Icicles tour. Abagail Grey is the creation of highland singer-songwriter, Claire Campbell. Both a classically-trained pianist, and traditional fiddler, she is regularly joined by two harpists, trumpet, bass and drums and her music has been described as “serene, elegant and beautifully crafted” (The Scotsman), and her debut album was hailed as “one of the best folk albums to come out of Scotland” that year (Daily Record).
Our other touring band are the wonderful Brighton-based Seadog. Signed to Folkwit records, they play music with cello, guitar, clarinet, glockenspiel, melodica, accordion, samplers (and more) that has been compared to the Mamas and Papas, or The Byrds. Source magazine described them as “steeped in an era where Nick drake and Neil Young records roamed the land…beautiful and ethereal vocal harmonies”.
As if this wasn’t enough (!) we have the singer, accordionist, sawista, pianista, yodeller, and redhead, Brigid Kaelin (her words, not mine!). Newly relocated to Edinburgh from Nashville, she is properly brilliant – last time I saw her she was wowing the customers of Favorit in the small hours by playing an impromptu set on the saw, but she has also played in on stage with Elvis Costello. And rounding off an extraordinary night of music, we have a welcome return to Acoustic Edinburgh from charismatic singer-songwriter Becca Fox.
Phew! Saws, Accordions, Harps, Clarinets, Trumpets, Samplers… and it’s all free!
Tuesday 6th December, 7.30, The Third Door (beneath Negociants).
Do not miss this one…
Si
Related show
It’s the 1st Tuesday of the month again and we’re delighted to have a return of the astounding talent of Adam Holmes & the Embers, this time for a headline set plus 3 stunning support acts:
Our support acts for Tuesday:
WeatherFolk
Danny Mullins
Paul Gilbody
The name has changed but the venue is the same (well nearly – there’s a spanking new sound system now!) – The Third Door (venue formerly known as Medina… VFKAM).
Still FREE ENTRY!
Doors 7:30pm
Exciting things are afoot in our cosy wee basement music venue! Over the next few weeks and months you’ll notice a number of changes as Medina becomes what we hope will be an exciting hub for live music in Edinburgh. First up, to reflect a new page in the venue’s history, its name is changing to The Third Door. You can also expect some refurbishment and a rearrangment to help the venue work better for live music. But rest assured that despite the changes, Acoustic Edinburgh will continue to be the best place to come and see a fabulous selection of musical wonderment of an evening.
Speaking of which, this month is no exception! We have a headline from the charismatic Bob Hillary and the Massive Mellow. Music News Scotland said of their recent album:
“You can hear the quality in each and every track from the get-go… this is a beautifully executed album with sweet lyrics and original melodies. There is something a touch reminiscent of Paul Simon in Bob Hillary’s voice but his folksy roots are funkier with some dub influences and a world music sensibility. If you caught him at any of the music festivals this summer, this album is the perfect way to transport yourself back to a green field in the Summer sun enjoying a mellow mood. Highly recommended.”
Joining Bob this month, we have Gecko 3′s frontman Marty Phillip, Alex Pearson and Hoochie Fig‘s Tim Riley!
As ever, we’re open from 7.30ish – 11.00ish, it’s in Medina, this Tuesday, and it will cost you nothing!
See you there!
Si
One minute there’s a huge upside-down purple cow outside Medina and it takes ten times longer to get a pint (or cross the street for that matter), and the next you get your city back… But where have all the shows gone? Where are you going to go for a dose of culture and entertainment now?
I think you all know the answer to my plainly obvious rhetorical question. This year Paul and I decided to take a break from the Fringe, and actually got a chance to go and see some shows ourselves. But now the tourists are gone, we’re itching to be back behind mixing desk and laptop to invite you down to our second living room (conveniently located under Negociants) and listen to some of our very favourite musicians as they play to you for free.
This Tuesday, we’ve got a headline from Adriana Spina, who has had a run of sell-out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, many in considerably larger venues than Medina. Adriana’s mix of Americana, folk and rock caught the ears of Sheryl Crow for whom she played support, and she has also performed with Paolo Nutini and Eddi Reader among others. She comes to Acoustic Edinburgh fresh from releasing her debut album “Never Coming Home”, and I think you’ll be in for a treat hearing her material performed in such an intimate venue as ours.
Joining Adriana this week on our line up are Chris Keys, Joanne Summer, and Rob Howell. Fantastic all of them – but I don’t need to convince you, just click through to listen to their music!
As ever, we’re open from 7.30ish – 11.00ish, it’s in Medina, this Tuesday, and it will cost you nothing!
See you there,
Si
Although we’ve decided to take a break from running official Fringe Festival shows this year, we’ve decided to let you Acoustic Edinburgh regulars have an extra-special treat for the start of the month of Festival craziness… We’ve got two shows almost back-to-back!
First up, this Sunday we have the second in our occasional series of early evening shows down at Bond no 9 in Leith. As usual, we have loads of fabulous acts, and our headline is provided by the musical genius that is Chris Bradley. Chris is probably one of Scotland’s most respected performers, with a masterful command of songwriting and an uncanny ability to find unexpected melodies. I’m really looking forward to hearing him in the laid back surroundings of the Bond no 9 conservatory! We’re open from around 5.30 – 9.00 in Bond no 9 this Sunday 31st July. Also on the bill are welcome returns to AE from Becca Fox, Ned Goodwin and John Sloan!
Next, on Tuesday we have our usual monthly slot in Medina. We’re delighted to annouce a headline set from one of our favourite local female artists Amy Duncan who’s been working hard on a new album’s worth of material, an Acoustic Edinburgh debut from Lake Montgomery, whose extraordinary, apocalyptic blues makes her a mesmerising performer and as if that wasn’t enough – sets from Gavin Taylor (with Jenny Hill on double-bass) and a warm up set from our own Paul Gilbody.
We’ll be running at our usual time of 7.30(ish) – 11.00 in Medina this Tuesday 2nd August.
Entry to both of these events is FREE, which is handy if you are planning on saving some pennies for all the pricey fringe events coming up later in the month!
If you want to keep up-to-date on what the rest of the line-up is for these events, then the best way is to follow @acoustic_ed on Twitter.
Hope to see you all at one (or both!) of these events!
Si
Summer has truly kicked in and what better way to ‘go large’ on your live music fix between festivals than come to another stunning line-up of FREE live music at Acoustic Edinburgh this Tuesday!
July’s headline is Fife’s finest musical duo The Coaltown Daisies. Gorgeous songwriting, stunning vocal harmonies and expert guitar work mean this will be another night you’d be an idiot to miss!
The Coaltown Daises fuse together the musical stylings of established singer-songwriters, Lynzy Moutter and Vivienne Bern. Both have an abundance of experience in a variety of areas of music from organising one of Fife’s most successful music nights to recording in Hollywood with highest calibre of session musicians. It is no surprise that their shared passion for music in all shapes and sizes steered them towards meeting in the middle and collaborating just last year. Detailing their music with dual harmonies, intelligent lyrics and raw emotion, they want nothing more than to perform in front of a great audience.
The Coaltown Daisies are Lynzy Moutter and Vivienne Bern.
As ever, we have 3 stunning support acts: former Rags and Feathers frontman Tom Snowball, Baby Taylor and Johnny Pugh.
See you there!
Where: Medina (below Negociants, Lothain Street)
When: Tuesday July 5th 2011 – Doors 7:30pm
How much: TOTALLY FREE! (plus cheap booze)
We really enjoyed our outing in sunny Leith last month, and we’ll definitely be doing it again, but don’t be worried that we’ve forgotten all you folks for whom Leith might as well be Falkirk it’s that far away and other-worldly! Just because we’re trying a few other venues doesn’t mean we aren’t committed to our regular monthly slot at the fabulous Medina.
This month, our headline comes from the darkly mysterious The Dead Man’s Waltz. Hailing from Skye and carving a distinctive niche with their stylish and evocative folk noir, their music weaves a spell that will draw you into their irresistible tales culled from recent history. Lovers of the music of Yann Tiersen, Beirut, Kurt Weill, and Tom Waits will find a lot to please them here, but The Dead Man’s Waltz are no mere pastiche… expect to be impressed!
As ever, our headline band will be ably supported by three other wonderful acts. This week we are lucky to have Jason Kyrone, K-Lab and one other mystery guest.
Tuesday 7th June, Medina, 7.30ish – 11.00, FREE entry, most drinks only £1.50!
See you there!
Si
So we’ve become aware that our monthly Tuesday night slot in Medina is “too far” for some of our Leith-based friends so we thought we’d bring our stunning acoustic music to you!
Leith has a thriving music scene of it’s own and we’ve found the perfect space to run our new events in the friendly atmosphere of Bond No. 9 on Commercial Street.
As a Tuesday night is a school night and doesn’t suit some folks, our new events will be early evening on lazy Sundays to glean the most from your weekend. Live music will run from 6pm until 9pm so plenty of time to get home for your beauty sleep and also make the most of your afternoon. DJ Si will provide lounging grooves as always.
Don’t worry – our regular monthly events in Medina continue as normal – we just thought we’d bring you a little extra.
So the Acoustic Edinburgh Sunday Sessions are born – with our first event this Sunday (May 15th).
The format will remain the same – 3 support acts and a headliner – and for our first event we’re proud to present a headline from stunning Inverness based band: James Mackenzie and the Aquascene
Words from their website: “2010 proved an outstanding debut year for James Mackenzie and the Aquascene, with the young Highland band delivering across a series of festivals including goNORTH, RockNess, Belladrum and a triumphant main stage appearance at Loopallu. July 2010 saw the release of the their debut EP, Frase and Phable, and the band embarking on a series of dates and small tours which ensured the initial press quickly sold out and generated a significant fan base. This blizzard of activity also saw the band gaining support from a host of regional media, receiving airplay on BBC Radio 1 in Scotland, but more importantly, establishing a strong, coherent identity, and front man Mackenzie developing into a charismatic and engaging presence in the live environment.”
And here’s what the press had to say:
“James Mackenzie and the Aquascene’s creative development in the last twelve months has been substantial and frontman Mackenzie has matured at considerable speed as a songwriter.”Northings Arts Journal
“The local act delivered a fine set of languid, string laden folk-rock, which at times was very impressive indeed. Their set boasted some genuinely lovely meditative wanderings; among them was ‘The Boat Song’, which demonstrated a range of musical and lyrical strengths which promises much for the future.” HI-Arts
“Melodic, yearning singer-songwriter set apart from run of the mill thanks to appealingly unpolished strings and harmonies. There’s something tender and rather promising going on here.” ICA
Support slots from some Acoustic Edinburgh regulars: Keith Paton (of Hoochie Fig), Douglas Kay and our own Paul Gilbody.
FREE ENTRY!
GREAT FOOD!
LIVE MUSIC 6pm-9pm (but get down early!)
SEE YOU THERE!
Related show
For our first proper summer event this week, we’ve got a really great headline act for you. Hailing from Glasgow, and promoting their new EP “Superglue”, Aerials Up having been getting a lot of great press recently. It’s no surprise that Vic Galloway got them his Radio 1 show for a live session earlier this year, having tipped them as one of this bands to watch for the coming year. They count Jo Whiley, Snow Patrol, and the Futureheads as fans, and Artrocker recently described them as “a combination of the Arcade Fire and the Polyphonic Spree”. If that doesn’t wet your appetite for a night of amazing music down in Medina, then I don’t know what will!
Our headliners will be joined as ever by 3 stunning support acts: Hannah Werdmuller, Paul Gladwell and Alan R Davison. So, even if it weren’t free entry and the drinks weren’t £1.50 a pint, you’d really be getting your money’s worth!
See you in Medina, from 7.30ish on Tuesday…
Cheers,
Si