Phillip Henry: musician extraordinaire on Roots and Shoots

On Monday 4 October Phillip Henry will be performing live for Roots and Shoots in the Phonic FM studio. There's a lot of good, innovative music around these days by young performers. But occasionally a musician comes on the scene who has something quite special. And Phil is really special: an exceptionally talented, inventive and extraordinarily sensitive music master who put his everything into his craft. Yet Phil remains exceptionally modest and only moves into the spotlight when he has an offering that will leave his audience spellbound.

With every instrument that Phillip Henry plays he gets the best and then a bit more out of it. He is a virtuoso of, amongst other instruments, dobro, lap steel and harmonica. And he's studied with the very best in Britain, the States and India. His songs and tunes range from his arrangements of traditional melodies from Britain and elsewhere to foot stomping boogy numbers to his own fresh innovative compositions. And he's a fine singer too.

It is with typical understatement and modesty that Phillip Henry is launching his new album Live in the Living Room in one of the most intimate venues in Exeter rather than a big auditorium. Listen into Roots and Shoots to find out where and when. If we spread the information too widely, you will definitely not all get in.

Phil's performance with the exhilarating, first-rate local band The Roots Union at the recent Acoustica Festival at Exeter Phoenix was one of the high points of the weekend. For a while, the band members are concentrating on solo and smaller group projects. Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin will be showcasing their extraordinary talents as a duo.

We expect Phillip Henry, accompanied by Hannah, to be playing music from his new album Live In The Living Room when they appear on Phonic FM's Roots and Shoots. If you're planning to drive while listening, pull over. If you're in your living room, prepare to boogie.

Roots and Shoots on Phonic FM on Monday 4 October, 18:00 - 20:00 UK time.

http://www.myspace.com/phillip.henry

Text and photo (Phil & Hannah at Sidmouth Summer 2010) by Martin Hodge

Tango, flamenco, ceilidhs and more

Well, lots of post-Acoustica Festival music too...
Lais..De Valse Zeeman..Dorothea
Dan ar Braz..Broken Prayer..Celtiques
Yo Yo Ma..Milonga Del Angel..Spirit Of The Tango
Hugo Diaz..Melodia De Arrabal..Hugo Diaz Tango
Sway 89..Bad World..Revolution
Adam Donen..Maldoror..Immortality
Romica Puceanu & The Gore Brothers..Hora Dinswpre Ziua..SoundsFrom A Bygone Age
Javier Ruibal..Perta De La Medina..Rough Guide To Flamenco Nuevo
Polly & The Billets Doux..
Back To Earth..Fiction, Half-Truths And Downright Lies Pic: album cover. Sculpture by Sophie Wiltshire. Photographed by Jacob Stone
Taraf De Haidouks..Duba Duba Si Hora..Electric Gypsyland 2
Sr Mandrill..La Forre De La Guilarre..Maximus Texturus 006
Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick..Arthur McBride..Prince Heathen
The Committee Band..Bosolu / Spanoletto..It's About Time!
Zouk All Stars..Tan Ton Kampran..Zouk All Stars Story Vol. 2
Andy Clarke..My Lady's Coach..Gather To My Side
The Mountains & The Trees..Make Amends..I Made This For You
Holly Ebony..Moonbathing..A Memory Of Life
Daily Planet..Take Your Time..The Big Scoop
Mulatu Astake..I Faram Gami I Faram..Mulatu Steps Ahead
Lais..Le Grand Vent..Dorothea
The Poozies..We Build Fires..Chantoozies
Sr Mandrill..Reino De La Luna..Sr. Mandrill
Quinteto Suarez Paz..Oblivion..Milonga Del Angel

and, of course, our theme tune, bits of which we played twice:

The Tango Band..Tarantella..Berlin Nights

Alone

Monday 20 September 2010

Martin Henning was alone this week.
I played the following:
Moroccan Spirit..Derviche..Moroccan Spirit
El Tanbura..Sar A Lay..North African Cafe
Selim Sesler..Cripple's Air & Pebbly Paths Of Mucha..Selim Sesler
Sr Mandril..Reino De La Luna..Sr Mandril
Stanley Clarke Band..Labyrinth..Stanley Clarke Band
Melonious Quartet..Habenera Casalinga..Planetes Musiques
Digitacoya..De Trampa..Tango Fusion Club
Bollywood Bass..Mystic Whomp..Bollywood Bass
Forty Thieves Orkestrar..The Man Who Drinks..Electric Gypsyland 1
Taraf Gouamas..A Ya Bibi..Planetes Musiques
Romica Puceanu & The Gore Brothers..Doi TavarasiAm La Drum..Sounds From A Bygone Age
Zelwer..The Fiancees Dream..Electric Gypsyland 2
Compagnie Giulia..Al Alva Venid..Compagnie Giulia
Daughters Of Elvin..De La Grant Joie d'Amours..Galdrbok
Electric Light Orchestra..The Diary Of Horace Whimp..The Best Of E.L.O.
Shedloads Of Love..You Don't Miss Your Water..Love And Affection
Lazy..Station Blues..Too Little Too Late
Monkey Gland Blues Bad..Waste A Little Time..Demo
Dalla..Turning The Tide..Cribbar
Andy Clarke..Back Among The Mermaids..Gather To My Side
Daily Planet..The Lochs Of Dread/Cooley's Reel..The Big Scoop
Wig A Wag..Paskou..Wig A Wag
Plantec..Kejet..A'Raok
The Guo Brothers & Shun Tian..Fishing By Lamplight..Yuan

Count To Fire

It was a very special evening on rootsandshoots as we welcomed the highly talented and entertaining Will Odgers (lead vocals, guitar) and Joe Mansfield (violin, vocals) from Exeter-based band Count To Fire.

Will and Joe played live: Screen Play, In Another Life and City Lights. An outstanding performance. Many thanks to them.
From the band's highly regarded new album In Another Life we played Casablanca, I'm The Man You Need, Battles and Emotion Machine.

Count To Fire are playing this Saturday 18 September at 10pm in The Voodoo Lounge at Exeter Phoenix, one of 50 or more performers at the 2nd annual Acoustica Festival at the Phoenix. The evening before, Count To Fire play at an album launching party at  
The Old Firehouse in Exeter. They'd love you to join them there. You don't live in Exeter? Well, find them on Myspace or Facebook and book them to appear where you live, whether it be Torquay, Turkey, Togo or wherever!

We also played:
Guichen Brothers..Les Autre Mondes..Dreams Of Brittany
Dalla..Polperro Furry..Cribbar
The Mountains And The Trees..Travellin' Song..I Made This For You
E.L.O..Telephone Line..Best Of E.L.O.
Daughters Of Elvin..Donna Pas Vos Ay Chausida
E.L.O...Confusion..Best Of E.L.O.
Monkey Gland Blues Band..Maggie McGill..MGBB
Shedloads Of Love..Feeling Alright..Love And Affection
Guo Brothers..My Second Life..Yuan
Charbel Rouhona..Hikayat Kel Yaoum..Salamat
Mahala Rai Bauda..Lest Sxy..Electric Gypsyland
True Blue..Scumbags & Skallywags..Demo
Daily Planet..Boss..The Big Scoop
The Roots Union..Badlands..From The Gutter To The Stars
Stanley Clarke..Bass Folk Song No.6..The Stanley Clarke Band

On Monday we are delighted to welcome the local trio Count To Fire to the Phonic FM studio. They have been getting accolades for their music from both sides of the pond:

“For such a ‘young’ band, Count To Fire show exceptional maturity in both their sound and lyrics.”
whisperandhollerin.com

“One of the most impressive things about Count To Fire is that while most of their influences come from across the pond they don’t go out of their way to sound American like so many of their other British alt-country counterparts.”
americana-uk.com

“Will Odgers has a gorgeous, reflective voice like Bon Iver, and the songs are similarly evocative. Spare musicianship never overplays its hand, using a rare economy that carries the full emotional spectrum. A band who need bringing into the spotlight.”
John Earls, Channel 4.

“They sounded good because they are good.”
DJ Lee Rawlings after Count To Fire played live on his Spitting Feathers show.

Producer Colin Cripps rated the trio so highly that he invited them over to his studio in Canada, where their new album In Another Life was recorded. It was released on 6 September. You can hear tracks on

http://www.myspace.com/counttofire

Catch Count To Fire live on Roots and Shoots on Phonic FM between 6 and 8pm on Monday 13 September.

Not to be missed.

M & M's Monday mix

Tracks played were as follows:
Oskorri..Zazpi Jauziak..Hi Ere Dantzari
Oskorri with Martin Carthy..Nafarroa..Carthy In Company
Sr Mandril..El Otro Joe..Sr Mandril
Kassav..Zouk La Se Sel Medikaman Nom Ni..Best Of Kassav
Chloe Hall..Outside..Outside
Roy Bailey..Anna Mae..Folk Against Fascism Vol 1
Daily Planet..The Big Scoop..The Big Scoop
Stanley Clarke..Bass Folk Song No. 10..The Stanley Clarke Band
Nico Saquito..A Orillas Del Cauto..Rough Guide To The Music Of Cuba
Okan Murat Oz Turk..Gerizler Basi..Music From The Tea Lands
Shriekback..Hylife Dbl Plus..Cormarant
Brenna Maccrimmon..Semslyemin..Rough Guide to Turkish Cafe
Jaime Leigh..Pretty Polly not avail. commercially
Compagnie Giulia..Lamento Di Tristano / La Rotta..Compagnie Giulia (A tribute to Mike Edwards)

Dalla..Maggie May..Cribbar
Mary O'Shea..Forget-Me-Knot..Dolly O
Mulatu Astake..Ethio Blues..Mulatu Steps Ahead
Shedloads Of Love..Loneliness..Love And Affection
The Roots Union..From The Gutter To The Stars..From The Gutter To The Stars
Oi Va Voi & Taraf De Haidouks..A Rom And A Home..Electric Gypsyland
Les Desterrados..Buenos Noches..Les Desterrados