I:
MUSIC BIG BIG COUNTRY
If
BIG BIG COUNTRY
LISTINGS
All concerts take place at the 01d Fruitmarket, Albion Street, Glasgow, unless otherwise stated. Tickets are available from the Ticket Centre, Candleriggs, 0141 287 5511, and all Ticketlink venues. Big Big Country listings compiled by Kenny Mathieson.
See page 41 for previews of Big. Big Country events
I Scottish Singer—Songwriters 7.30pm. £8.50 (£6). Glasgow‘s Carol laula tops an intriguing bill in this opening extravaganza. although more for her box- office appeal than her genuine country credentials. Jim lauderdale has to dig a bit further back for his Scottish roots. but as a strong performer as well as a purveyor of great songs to some of Nashville's finest. his country pedigree is impeccable. Singer Shiela Henderson (see preview) travels from Shetland with fiddler Jenny Napier. while a strong bill is rounded out by country-rockers The Felsons, currently riding high on the back of a splendid new debut album.
I The Coal Porters 10.30pm. £6.50 (£5.50). Sid Griffin has never quite fulfilled the promise of the early Long Ryders albums. btit he remains one of the good guys in the music (and a fine writer on the subject. too). The Coal Porters can always be relied on to generate a hard driving. high energy country rock set.
I Kinky Friedman Heading Watersiones. Princes Square. 7.15pm. £2. The Kinkster reads from his latest novel. Gml Bless John Wayne. See Sat 1.
SATURDAY 1
I Kinky Friedman 7.30pm. £8.50 (£6). Austin‘s most outrageous country music perfomier makes a very rare Scottish appearance. on what will be his only UK date. The Kinkster is better known as a writer of crime novels these days (see Fri 31). but he likes to dust down his outrageously irreverent take on country music between times. Scottish singer and guitarist Jim Hunter completes a not to be missed double bill.
I Chris Jagger’s Atcha 10.30pm. £6.50 (£5.50). Yup. Chris is the younger brother of that Jagger. and Atcha — as in tip and atcha — is an appropiate name for his band. given their infectious. down-home blend of Cajun. Zydeco and Louisiana- inspired swamp rock.
I Big Big line Dancing 1pm. Free. A chance to polish up your line dancing steps (orjust see what that phenomenon is all about) with leading teacher Liz Clarke. Glasgow‘s Steve James Band provide the music. See Frontlines.
SUNDAY 2
I John Prine 7.30pm. £11 (£9). See preview. Cathryn Craig provides support. ahead of her own concert tomorrow night. I Ken Manners Star Bar. liglinton Toll. 8pm. Ken Manners's Sunday night residence at this bar is something of a legend in the city's country circles. The inclusion of two of his gigs (see Thurs 6) may well be the forerunner of an expanded pub fringe in future festivals.
MONDAY 3
I Cathryn Craig with Gary Hall and Mark Wilkinson The Ramshorn Theatre. lngram Street. 227 5511. 8pm. £6 (£5). Nashville's Cathryn Craig (see picture caption) launches a new strand in the Big Big Country programme. with three concerts devoted to the work of singer- songwriters iii the tnore intimate setting of the Ramshom.
TUESDAY 4 - ‘
I Hugh Moffat The Ramshorn Theatre. lngram Street. 227 5511. 8pm. £6 (£5).
I Nick Lowe: From his early days with pub-rockers Brinsley Schwarz, flick lowe has been turning out well-crafted pop records, sometimes with a country feel, sometimes not. His work as a producer for the likes of his ex-wife Carlene Carter, The Pretenders, John Hiatt and The Fabulous Thunderbirds brought further kudos, as did
his co-founding of Stilt in 1976.
lowe hit pay-dirt when his early 70$ song ‘(What‘s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?’ turned up on The Bodyguard soundtrack. Curtis Stigers sang it, but Lowe’s cut as writer was a cool million dollars. That high was followed by the emotional trough of his break-up with presenter Tracey McLeod, reflected in the lovelorn ballads of last year’s The Impossible Bird. He was undeniably chuffed, however, when his former stepfather-in-Iaw included ‘The Beast In Me’ on his great
American Recordings album.
‘I had the title and the opening for ages, and every so often Johnny Cash would ask me about it. I used to think he was taking the piss, but he meant it, and eventually I wasn’t sure which of us I was writing it for. l was so thrilled when he actually out it - I took it as a tremendous compliment.’ (Kenny Mathieson)
I Cathryn Craig has become a regular visitor to Scotland from her Nashville base,
and it is maybe no surprise that her debut album was released by the Perth-based Coldrush label. Recorded on the porch of her former home (her fiance, singer Cary Hall, produced the album), it interweaves the gentle murmer of crickets and the occasional distant dog bark into the recording process.
The unconventional methodology proved a winner, and Porch Songs was greeted with unanimous good reviews, including a real paean of praise from fellow Big Big Country performer Sid Griffin. The beautifully crafted and immaculately performed songs foreground her expressive singing in a wholly organic fashion.
‘I wanted to capture that feeling we had when my daddy sang his old mountain songs at home, but we couldn’t find a studio sound that was right, so we decided just to try the porch. I make my living as a studio singer in Nashville, but in a sense I think of that as almost another person. I had never really had the chance to express myself fully as a musician before, and I’m very pleased with the way it came out - I can say honestly that this is the authentic me.’ (Kenny Mathieson)
Hugh Moffat is best known as a songwriter. but he is also an engaging performer iti his own right. whether solo. as on this occasion. or iii duo with his sister. Katy Mol'l'at. His concert coincides with the imminent release of a new album.
I Rab Hoakes The Ramshorn Theatre. lngram Street. 227 551 1. 8pm. £6 (£5). Scotland's own Rab .\'oakes completes the Ramshorn sequence. Noakes is tnore associated with the folk scene. btit his long-standing interest in country music (among other things. he is the producer of BBC Scotland's BIN/HI New ()prv) will come to the fore in this set.
THURSDAY 6
I John Berry 7.30pm. £8.50 (£6). See preview. Berry shares the concert with singer Kate Campbell, whose debut album. Stiller Front The /.<'l't'('. is currently racking up reviews to kill for in the country press. and with every justification. Her music is a potent bland ofclassic southern sources. with country. blues. folk. Cajun and bluegrass all adding their distinctive flavours to the mix. Guy Clark says that 'right from the git-go I knew Kate was the real deal‘. and that's good enough for me.
I Ken Manners .larvcy's. K-els-o Street. Yoker. 8pm. Free. See Sun 2. The veteran Glasgow country singer also plays an afternoon show for senior citizens.
FRIDAY 7
I Haymond Froggatt 7.30pm. zsfin (co 1. The seCoud weekend of the festival has a distinctly British llayour to it. with all but one of the major names coming from these shores. Raymond l-‘roggatt. a highly- regarded veteran of the British circuit. kicks off proceedings in a more mainstream country vein.
I Hank Wangford and The Lost Cowboys 10.30pm. £6.50 (£5.50). The greatest
living linglish cowboys pleasingly warped sense of humour and satirical sending-up of country icotis is maybe not for the overly straight-faced. btit it‘s all great fun. and Hank atid the boys turn out a lot of straightforwardly good country music in the process.
SATURDAY 8
I NICK lowe 7.30pm. £8,5()(£61.Sce l‘icture caption. The concert is shared with Stockport’s /'/n' (imir/ Noni. .1 fine four-piece Ill the .layhawks l'ucle ’l‘upelo mould. 'lllt‘ll' recent debut album. Killer/1e 'l'ln' (i/m'v Hunts. blends driving country rock with overt gospel influences to good c lice l.
I Stephen Bruton (0.30pm. £6.50 (£5.50). Austin's Stephen Bruton was last seen in (ilasgov. playing guitar with lionnic Raitt‘s band. but he has stepped out front behind his impressive (‘\' as a sidenian including stints with Kris Kristofl‘erson atid Willie Nelson - and songwriter with his own distinctive. biting fusion of country and blues.
I Deliverance and Geronimo (it-'t‘. Rose Street. 332 3135‘. 3pm. £~1t£3i (il’l‘tUIH iii the festival with a double bill of films w llll country music connections (although not very direct oncs. ll has to be said). Musically. .lohn lioortnan's disturbing ])('/l1'(’l’tlllt‘t‘llbllxlllttslliilllltlllSI‘Ul its ‘1)uclling Banjos” sequence. while slide- master Ry (‘oodcr proy ides the soundtrack for the adventures of the famous Apache w ar chief. (irrwtintu ( 13 ,1. Maybe next year the movies could reflect the music as subject rather than background. as in films like (1 '(ll .ll/ner \ Daughter or Sweet Dreams (superior bio- pics on l.oretta l.ynn and Patsy (.‘line respectively). (ieorgc Strait‘s I’ure ('umtll'v. or \Villie Nelson's lt’t't/ Hera/ed .Vlmneel; in which Willie took the title role in the tiltu based on his famous albutti.
54 The List 31 May-13 Jun 1996