Headline: TEN STOREYS HIGH
with: THE BEGGAR GIRLS, GARY STEWART, INGE, PAUL GILBODY

Entry: Free!

There’s something about sunshine and acoustic music, isn’t there? For those brief few days of summery weather, the sound of guitars, bongos and darbuka form part of the acoustic backdrop of the Meadows and any other of Edinburgh’s green spaces. People you never knew owned a pair of shorts also turn out to own a mandolin. How does that happen?

So, let’s celebrate this unseasonably seasonal weather with a night of the very best in acoustic music down in Medina! Our headline act, TEN STOREYS HIGH, are one of Edinburgh’s favourite acoustic-fueled bands, with a successful album and singles under their belts. You may have seen them at the Queen’s Hall during Spectrum, or at any one of their other numerous big stage appearances, and if so you’ll know they are not to be missed in the Acoustic Edinburgh setting.

The rest of our line up this week celebrates the huge diversity of acoustic music. We have THE BEGGAR GIRLS bringing an inspirational and uplifting mix of Eastern European, French and English folk music; GARY STEWART with his exhilarating and masterful songwriting; INGE’s breathtaking country-tinged vocals; and PAUL GILBODY with his usual masterclass in how to make an acoustic guitar groove.

See you there!
Si

P.S. Listen to tracks from our artists by following the links above.

Headline: GRAYSON
with: HERCULES MANDARIN, THE MIDDEN, THE GO AWAY BIRDS, ANDY MCCARROLL

Entry: Free!

This month’s Acoustic Edinburgh sees performers from all corners of the earth (e.g. Australia! Glasgow!) converge on Medina for a night of fabulous unplugged music. It’s going to be an exciting night, because almost all our acts are making their Acoustic Edinburgh debut.

An exception is the return of GRAYSON. Since appearing for a three song set last year as part of a UK tour, he caught the attention of Rifle Range Records and after returning to Australia was flown back north to Ireland by the label to record his debut album, Somewhere in the Night. It’s a pleasure to welcome him back to Medina for a headline set of acoustic Australiana (think Crowded House for a hint of what Australiana means!)

As ever, the headline act is just the cherry on the musical cake that is Acoustic Edinburgh, with everything from the beautifully affecting folk of THE GO AWAY BIRDS to the self-proclaimed “filthy epic rock’n'roll” of HERCULES MANDARIN via the fantastic harmonies of THE MIDDEN and a solo set by Edinburgh super group the Elements’ ANDY MCCARROLL.

See you there!
Si

P.S. Listen to tracks from our artists by following the links above.

Headline: BOSIE
with: DAVID DONNELLY, ALEX BOWEN, DOUGLAS KAY, PAUL GILBODY

Entry: Free!

Hearing how much fun we had without him last month (and fearing for his job as master of ceremonies, perhaps?) Paul has rushed back from the Antipodes to return as host for this month’s Acoustic Edinburgh. And I think it’s going to be another unforgettable night…

Headlining is one of those acts that restores your faith in the quality of music coming out of Scotland at the moment - BOSIE chart the perfect course between folk and jazz to bring you an utterly beguiling mix of upbeat melodies and downtempo accompaniment. With accomplished guitar work, a beautiful voice and an impressive array of collaborators (e.g. Finlay Quay, Joe Malik, Salsa Celtica, and the Basquiat Strings), it’s no wonder they were finalists for VH1’s song of the year. I challenge you to listen to their myspace page and not want to stay awhile.

Joining them this month will be a set by their own renowned bassist DAVID DONNELLY with his singer/songwriter hat on, the bittersweet avant-pop songstress ALEX BOWEN, the probably-still-tanned DOUGLAS KAY fresh from his world tour, and our very own PAUL GILBODY starting the night off with freshly-honed acoustic grooves.

See you there!
Si

P.S. Listen to tracks from our artists by following the links above.

Headline: SANDRA MACBETH
with: ZIGGY CAMPBELL, GRAEME MEARNS, TWO CARVED STONES, SON OF THOM

Entry: Free!

This month’s Acoustic Edinburgh is a bit unusual - our very own master of ceremonies, Paul, is away on a world tour of the southern hemisphere, so I’ve enlisted the help of two extra special Guest Hosts for the evening: ZIGGY CAMPBELL (of FOUND fame) and Damon Thompson (aka SON OF THOM) will share the effort of trying to fill Paul’s shoes! In addition to attempting to match Paul’s extensive, adjective-filled introductions, each will be playing a set, so you can expect some banjo and guitar-based wizardry!

Joining our hosts in a fantastic line-up this week will be the irrepressible GRAEME MEARNS, and excellent singer-songwriter duo TWO CARVED STONES. Lastly, but very far from leastly, is our headline act: the blow-your-socks-off SANDRA MACBETH and her band. Sandra has invented a whole new genre of “dirty pop” to capture her extraordinary musical evocation of smoke filled Parisian night clubs where everyone is having a good old knees up. I’m finding it hard to describe (as you may be able to tell) but suffice it to say that we’re in for a great night!

See you there!
Si

P.S. Listen to tracks from our artists by following the links above.

Headline: FANATTICA
with: AL SHIELDS, GAVIN MOORE, JOHN SLOAN, K-LAB

Entry: Free!

Firstly, I should apologise for the lateness of this email - it got stuck, like all other forms of traffic in the British Isles today, in a sprinkling of snow on the information super-highway. Sorry about that!

Of course, it would take more than a mere meteorological phenomenon to stop *you* from making your way to Medina this week for your soul-warming dose of musical marvels (especially given it’s free). And you’ve already got the first tuesday of every month inked into your diary in any case, haven’t you? So this is really just to let you know what treats you have in store…

However cold it might feel outside, our headline act this month is guaranteed to bathe the room in warmth and light. FANATTICA bring the spirit of the Balkans to produce a rousing and soulful mix of Greek forbidden songs, Baltic sea shanties and stirring ballads about Polish supermarkets. Unmissable. (Seriously - check out their tunes from the link above.)

The rest of the evening is pretty extraordinary too, with punchy acoustic grooves from K-LAB, soaring vocals from JOHN SLOAN, accomplished songwriting from GAVIN MOORE (member of Folk music’s most famous dynasty), and AL SHIELD’s wonderful Americana.

So, get out the snow ploughs and start your journey to Medina right now…

See you there!
Si

P.S. Listen to tracks from our artists by following the links above.

Acoustic Edinburgh comes but once a month, yet there is an awful lot of great acoustic music going on in Scotland each week at various open-mic events.

Tonight sees the return of Playback which aims to showcase the best of Scottish Open-Mics every month (on the 2nd Wed of each month) in the stylish space of The Voodoo Rooms. Not just music but comedy and spoken-word are on offer so if you’re at a loose end on a the 2nd Wednesday of the month then go along and be entertained!

Featuring: ROB HOWELL, with HUNDREDS* OF OTHER ACTS

From: 9:00 - 12:00. Free entry!

(*estimated number only)

Every year, Paul and I try to do something special for our January show. And by “something special”, I mean something appropriately shambolic, laid-back and celebratory. Something that will ease our wearied and hungover audience into the musical delights of the year to come. Something that’ll put a spring in your step but not tax your brain too much. So, a good few years back the Acoustic Edinburgh Hangover Party was born. Last year, we weren’t able to run it, sadly (because, however keen we are, we weren’t about to persuade Medina to open its doors on New Year’s Day).

This year, we’re back!

As is now traditional for these events, we’ll have the greatest and best of the previous year’s acts back to perform a song or two. For one night only, we lift the “no covers” policy and you can expect some unusual reinterpretations! (Mr Gilbody’s gospel sing-along version of Rage Against the Machine’s “Bullet in the Head” was a personal favourite of mine from a few year’s back.) I won’t spoil the surprise by telling you who’ll be coming along…. not least because we still don’t know the complete list. But some of my absolute favourite acts have already signed-up.

Ending the night will be a full headline set from the incomparable ROB HOWELL. Rob played to great acclaim at one of our festival shows last year and we’re very happy to have him back. His soulful songwriting and heartfelt vocals are reminiscent of Nizlopi at their very best, with just a hint of the likes of Iron and Wine, so it’s no surprise that last year he was picked to play support to Colin Hay. I can’t think of a better tonic for the start of the new year than listening to a full set of Rob’s music. So… don’t miss it!

See you there!
Si

Featuring: JO MANGO,  with SCATTERBRAIN, BEN TD, ROSSCO GALLOWAY, PAUL GILBODY

From: 9:00 - 12:00. Free entry!

For many people in the know, there has for some time been an oft-asked question… when is JO MANGO going to play at Acoustic Edinburgh? Well, we can finally reveal the answer: this Tuesday!

Jo’s collaborators read like a who’s who of contemporary folk. She’s toured with Vashti Bunyan, Adem, Juana Molina and Vetiver, as well as playing with the likes of Devendra Banhart and Eddie Reader. Her beautiful combination of spine-tingling vocals and quirky instrumentation are genuinely beguiling - and with it she has the power to bewitch any listener. It’s no surprise that her fans include the likes of David Byrne, who invited her to play at the Carnegie Hall.

With steadily increasing airplay (her last single was voted “Single of the Week” on Radio 2) and a second album due out soon, produced by Adem, it can’t be long before Jo is headlining far bigger venues than ours.

“Jo Mango is uniquely gifted, as a musician and as a performer. She writes the most beautiful songs and her sense of fun in life has made this last year that I have been on the road with her a luminous one. Kind, original, musical and clever, I know Jo will go far.” Vashti Bunyan.

Jo will be ably supported this month by the supremely talented BEN TD; Acoustic Edinburgh favourite Ken Barrett with his new outfit SCATTERBRAIN; the ever-soulful ROSSCO GALLOWAY; and our very own PAUL GILBODY.

As the Scotsman put it: “on dark, wet, windy nights in autumn there can be few better ways of coping with the nights drawing in than the aural equivalent of putting your freezing hands to an open fire”.

Don’t miss it!
Si

Featuring: THE ELEMENTS,  with CHRIS BRADLEY, EWAN MACPHERSON, NICK KEIR, DANIEL MCGEEVER

From: 9:00 - 12:00. Free entry!

Who are the best-loved regulars at Acoustic Edinburgh over the years? If we were to compile a list, you can be sure that three singers would be on that list somewhere: Alan Davison, Shona Brodie and Dougie Kay. So, we’re in for a treat this month as Edinburgh’s newest supergroups comes to Acoustic Edinburgh with *all three of them* together! THE ELEMENTS is Alan’s brainchild and with it he aims to bring together the best of Edinburgh’s musicians. You can get a sense of what the band is all about by checking out their video online here. See how many of Edinburgh’s great and good you can spot! Eventually, the hope is to have 15-20 collaborating in writing and putting on huge live events.

So… best catch them now before they’re way too big for Medina’s bijou stage!

Joining The Elements this month, we have a return visit from CHRIS BRADLEY - sure to be a superstar by this time next year - along with EWAN MACPHERSON’s beautiful down-tempo folk, accomplished songwriting from the hugely experienced NICK KEIR, and a mellow acoustic 60’s vibe from Alfonzo’s frontman DANIEL MCGEEVER.

See you all there!

Si

Featuring: Rags and Feathers, Gecko 3’s Marty Philip, Rob Sproul-Cran, Colour Green, Paul Gilbody

From: 9:00 - 12:00. Free entry!

A few months ago I was lucky enough to be in one of Edinburgh’s ”other” basement music venues to catch an extraordinary, luminous set of modern down-tempo folk music with just a dash of Americana. Well, within a couple of bars I was captivated and knew that we had to get them to visit Edinburgh again for a headline set at Acoustic Edinburgh. Luckily enough, they’ve just released their debut album ”The Other Side Of Morning” and this proved the perfect time to get the incredible RAGS AND FEATHERS to make the trek east.

Now, I know I’ve used words like “unmissable” more than a few times over the years in these emails. But… but… really… you’d be daft not to take this chance to hear them! If you don’t believe me, how about a second opinion (or three)?

“Wow, now here is an exciting band…this is downbeat, low key Velvet Underground-style country and western singer/songwriting that just gets better and better with repeated listens…..Incredible stuff.”
Rick Fulton, The Daily Record

“It is a belief of mine that if Rags & Feathers were to forward “Talk Show Host” to the desk of Phil Spector, superstardom would beckon… wonderfully free-thinking in sound and lyrics, putting the mind at ease. Just sit back and let the music unhinge the doors of your mind.” Bluesbunny

“best new band I’ve heard this year” Simple Folk Radio

Failing that, listen to their songs on: www.myspace.com/ragsandfeathersmusic

As ever at Acoustic Edinburgh, the headline act is not the only musical treat of the night. With four other superb acts playing throughout the night, there’s no better way to spend a chilly Tuesday evening than to lean back on the cushions, sample Medina’s selection of fine beverages, and open your ears…

See you all there!
Si