Thursday, 21 March 2013

MIX-UP 04.04.13: THE AGE OF GLASS - HUNTING BEARS - SKUTCH MANOS


THE AGE OF GLASS

Trad sounds, plugged into the digital vortex and turned up to 11! Reaching back through the annals of time, The Age of Glass pluck at the abundance of styles which rocked the world of music, blending them up in a whirlwind of contemporary 21st century modulation. With a stage show of monstrous energy and proportions, these boys are here to crawl inside your ears like a crazed bug, nibbling at your brain and digesting it into an aural soup, the like of which has never been tasted or heard before.

HUNTING BEARS

Hunting Bears are a Leeds-based band of full group harmony vocals, melodic harp line, bowed double bass and rich guitar textures. Influenced by the melodic, lyrical West coast Americana of the 1960s and 70s as well as the reverb-soaked sounds of contemporary Yorkshire artists such as Richard Hawley, the band have spent the last two years performing at festivals such as Greenman and Beatherder, whilst ssettling into the Leeds music scene. They are currently recording their second e.p.

SKUTCH MANOS

Skutch Manos (formerly The Acoustic Conquistador) are a dynamic 3 piece led by Arlen Connelly on Classical guitar, backed by the thunderous cahon of Holly Prest and Grant Russell on double bass. Their high energy performances of original and embellished arrangements are something of a musical adventure and bridge the gap between John Williams and Rodrigo and Gabriela.

“Really has to be seen to be believed” - Band on the Wall 2012


ABOUT MIX-UP:

MIX-UP is a monthly night hosted by The Magic Hat Ensemble, which as the name suggests features three musical acts across different styles and forms.

Held on the first Thursday of the month at The Klondyke Club in Levenshulme (1 Burnage Range, third road on the left from Levenshulme Station off Albert Road, walking towards Burnage – call 0161 224 4122) the night promises to offer three quality bands, all for a nominal entry fee.

MIX-UP is a cracking night of live music featuring the cream of Manchester’s music scene. We will soon be confirming further acts for future nights.

You can keep up to date with who’s playing and when on our websitehttp://www.mixupmcr.com/

Please, please show your support for the night by joining our Mix-Up Facebook group. http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Magic-Hat-Ensemble-presents-Mix-Up/177181375690177

It will be great to see some familiar faces and hopefully some unfamiliar ones on the night!

Wednesday, 6 March 2013

MIX-UP 07.03.13: GOGO PENGUIN - ZACC ROGERS - ZOE KYOTI (SOLO)

GOGO PENGUIN

Manchester piano trio GoGo Penguin are an exhilarating live act drawing on a heady brew of influences from Aphex Twin, to Brian Eno, Debussy to Shostakovich and Massive Attack to EST. The debut album Fanfares (Gondwana Records) has won rave reviews from the Guardian to BBC Music, support from the likes of Mike Chadwick and Gilles Peterson and was nominated for best jazz album at the World Wide Awards. It is the band's unique ability to synthesise and develop each other's melodic and harmonic ideas while drawing on music from classical to electronica that makes GoGo Penguin's music so enthralling and their debut album such a powerful opening salvo from a bold new voice in UK music.

Chris Illingworth - piano
Nick Blacka - bass
Rob Turner - drums

"GoGo Penguin seem destined for great things" - BBC Music

"Harmonically ambitious music that's both immediately exciting and cerebrally led" - Mercury Music Prize

ZACC ROGERS

Zacc Rogers performs using the latest looping technology live, beat boxing, harmonica and guitar to create soundscapes. Zacc also likes to perform songs which are as traditional and as far away from modern technology as you can get. At the heart of Zacc's music is a strong Blues sound but he also blends and brings to the mix elements of Soul, Jazz, Yee-Haa, Rock & Roll, Gospel, Folk and Reggae.



ZOE KYOTI (SOLO)

Zoe sings, writes songs and plays the guitar. She takes inspiration from emotion, unusual noises and the desire to express herself through more than words alone. She last performed with her band at MIX-UP a year ago and we are pleased to welcome her back for a solo set this month. Zoe has a number of projects on the go including her own Zoe Kyoti Band who are currently working on their first album; The Magic Beans a stripped down acoustic trio comprising of vocals, guitar and double bass; the all female singing trio The Woo Hoos and she also sings with songwriter and vocalist extraordinaire Jesca Hoop. Alongside all of that Zoe is host of the excellent Sunday night event song Song Swap: a weekly gathering of acoustic roots, folk and blues music held at Kro in Heaton Moor, Stockport. A great jam night where all are welcome to sing/play.


ABOUT MIX-UP:

MIX_UP is a monthly night hosted by The Magic Hat Ensemble, which as the name suggests features three musical acts across different styles and forms.

Held on the first Thursday of the month at The Klondyke Club in Levenshulme (1 Burnage Range, third road on the left from Levenshulme Station off Albert Road, walking towards Burnage – call 0161 224 4122) the night promises to offer three quality bands, all for a nominal entry fee.

MIX-UP is a cracking night of live music featuring the cream of Manchester’s music scene. We will soon be confirming further acts for future nights.

You can keep up to date with who’s playing and when on our websitehttp://www.mixupmcr.com/

Please, please show your support for the night by joining our Mix-Up Facebook group. http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Magic-Hat-Ensemble-presents-Mix-Up/177181375690177

It will be great to see some familiar faces and hopefully some unfamiliar ones on the night!

Monday, 4 February 2013

MIX-UP 07.02.13: THE MAGIC HAT ENSEMBLE - WALK - SKUTCH MANOS


  • THE MAGIC HAT ENSEMBLE

    The Magic Hat Ensemble burst out of the Manchester scene back in 2006 and have continued to surprise and enchant audiences throughout the UK and Europe. Their sound, excitement and energy they bring to the music as well as the joy they show whilst performing is infectious and a delight for the jazz fan and the uninitiated alike.

    The group’s most recent album, Made in Gorton (Jellymould 2011) has garnered plaudits from the Jazz and national press and has brought attention both at home and internationally. Their relentless UK touring has seen them play in practically every county and major UK city and turned them into one of the tightest units on the road.

    "They really are making the jazz world sit up and take notice. Great arrangements and tremendous playing. Very, very listenable indeed." - BBC Radio Scotland

    "Confirms that it's possible to be adventurous and innovative within the confines of a genre. A gem." - Manchester Evening News

    "They play bop with an expert relish." - The Guardian


    WALK

    The sequencer blues project of Rik Warren and David Schlechtriemen.

    "The kick with Walk is the evolution to sequencer blues; leaving electric blues in the past by warping their sonic creations with 21st century gadgetry." - Now Then Manchester


    SKUTCH MANOS

    Skutch Manos (formerly The Acoustic Conquistador) are a dynamic 3 piece led by Arlen Connelly on Classical guitar, backed by the thunderous cahon of Holly Prest and Grant Russell on double bass. Their high energy performances of original and embellished arrangements are something of a musical adventure and bridge the gap between John Williams and Rodrigo and Gabriela.

    “Really has to be seen to be believed” - Band on the Wall 2012


    ABOUT MIX-UP:

    MIX_UP is a monthly night hosted by The Magic Hat Ensemble, which as the name suggests features three musical acts across different styles and forms.

    Held on the first Thursday of the month at The Klondyke Club in Levenshulme (1 Burnage Range, third road on the left from Levenshulme Station off Albert Road, walking towards Burnage – call 0161 224 4122) the night promises to offer three quality bands, all for a nominal entry fee.

    MIX-UP is a cracking night of live music featuring the cream of Manchester’s music scene. We will soon be confirming further acts for future nights.

    You can keep up to date with who’s playing and when on our websitehttp://www.mixupmcr.com/

    Please, please show your support for the night by joining our Mix-Up Facebook group. http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Magic-Hat-Ensemble-presents-Mix-Up/177181375690177

    It will be great to see some familiar faces and hopefully some unfamiliar ones on the night!

Monday, 3 December 2012

MIX-UP 06.12.12: BLUE ROSE CODE - TANK & TRUMPET - ADAM FAIRHALL & PAUL J ROGERS

BLUE ROSE CODE


Blue Rose Code is London-based/Edinburgh born singer and songwriter Ross Wilson whose highly acclaimed folk/roots 'Caledonian Soul' recently captured the attention of legendary double bass player Danny Thompson (John Martyn, Talk Talk, Kate Bush) who also guests on the forthcoming debut album North Ten, released via Reveal Records in February 2013. 


'Ross is a suberb singer, songwriter and guitarist, beautiful songs a genuine pleasure to be involved' - Danny Thompson



'Imagine John Martyn meeting a young Van Morrison and being shipwrecked with a bundle of Chet Baker records' - Time Out


TANK & TRUMPET

Using recycled, tuned gas tanks, a trumpet and a dash of electronics, Tank and Trumpet create evocative miniatures designed to transport and transcend. Their music is dreamlike, full of mystery and wonder and unlike anything you will have heard before. They perform as a duo and often work, write and perform with other instrumentalists and singers. Their recent collaboration "On Yonders Hill" with folk singer Sam Lee featured on his Mercury nominated album, Ground of it's Own.

Tank and Trumpet are:

Saul Eisenberg - Gas Tanks and percussion

Steve Chadwick - Trumpet and percussion


ADAM FAIRHALL & PAUL J ROGERS

Adam Fairhall plays piano, and Paul J Rogers plays diddley bow, laptop, turntable, frying pan, broken zither and other objects. Their music mixes samples from old blues records and electronic processing with Adam’s distinctive playing, which draws upon now-extinct forms of early jazz piano, free jazz, and many styles in-between. The duo plays original compositions that are highly atmospheric and sure to linger in the mind. Their debut album, Second-Handed Blues, was released on ASC Records in 2011.

Paul J Rogers’ exquisitely placed samples from crackly blues records are stunningly evocative - Jazzwise

Adam Fairhall is a total star – Independent on Sunday


ABOUT MIX-UP:

Mix-Up is a monthly night hosted by The Magic Hat Ensemble, which as the name suggests features three musical acts across different styles and forms.

Held on the first Thursday of the month at The Klondyke Club in Levenshulme (1 Burnage Range, third road on the left from Levenshulme Station off Albert Road, walking towards Burnage – call 0161 224 4122) the night promises to offer three quality bands, all for a measly fiver.

Mix-Up is a cracking night of live music featuring the cream of Manchester’s music scene. We will soon be confirming further acts for future nights.

You can keep up to date with who’s playing and when on our websitehttp://www.mixupmcr.com/

Please, please show your support for the night by joining our Mix-Up Facebook group. http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Magic-Hat-Ensemble-presents-Mix-Up/177181375690177

It will be great to see some familiar faces and hopefully some unfamiliar ones on the night!

Monday, 22 October 2012

MIX-UP 02.11.12: MIX-UP AFROBEAT ORCHESTRA - HONEYFEET - PADDY STEER



A big party celebration for a year of MIX-UP! Check out the line up:

MIX-UP AFROBEAT ORCHESTRA

First we created a big band...this time it's a big afrobeat band! Those of you who saw the debut performance of the MIX-UP Big Band led by Paulo Dias Duarte back in March will know that we don't like to do things by halves. This time The Magic Hat Ensemble will be taking to the stage joined by many musical friends to recreate some of their favourite afrobeat tunes. Expect a large, groovy afrofunk session with ma
ny horns and the one and only inimitable MC Kwasi thrown in for good measure!

HONEYFEET

Quite simply one of the best, most entertaining live bands in Manchester. Honeyfeet first played at the second ever MIX-UP in a trio format and have been firm favourites ever since. The band comes in many different numbers depending on where and when you catch them but this time they're bringing the bigger line up for you lucky people.
A band formed from whiskey drenched writing sessions and smokey, late night jams.
Honeyfeet’s distinctive sound is held together by the inimitable singer and flautist Ríoghnach Connolly and guitarist Ellis Davies. From jazz clubs to underground cellar bars, nowhere is left unmoved when Honeyfeet unite their spiky jazz sensibilities and rhythm & blues energy. Audiences dance themselves into a frenzy to grooves which owe as much to hip-hop as they do to Ethiopian jazz.

PADDY STEER

Paddy is a Zelig-like character along the timeline of Manchester's musical activity. It's a testament to his musicality that he has played with such a wide range of music and artists over the years, be it as a bass player, drummer, Hawaiian guitarist etc. or all these roles at the same time. Paddy’s attic studio is like the magic workshop – not only does he make music in there, but he also makes instruments, mends junk, films animations and constructs robots. Never one to blow his own trumpet, Paddy quietly gets on with developing his craft. There is something of the fairy-tale cobbler working late into the night in order to make the finest shoes in the kingdom, or maybe the musical elves strike up while he's in bed. It’s a sometime cartoon-like music dense with events, new textures and the colours of children’s paintings, sounds like a Swiss cuckoo clock made of egg boxes and horsehair, glued together by an African Moog player in a Vietnamese iron monger's shop.

WHERE?

Held at The Klondyke Club in Levenshulme (1 Burnage Range, third road on the left from Levenshulme Station off Albert Road, walking towards Burnage – call 0161 224 4122)

CONTACT

http://www.mixupmcr.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Magic-Hat-Ensemble-presents-Mix-Up/177181375690177

https://twitter.com/mixupmcr

Thursday, 27 September 2012

MIX-UP 04.10.12: ORCHESTRE DC DANSETTE - BO WEAVIL - NO GOOD BEATNIKS

ORCHESTRE DC DANSETTE

Inspired chiefly by the music of the African continent, from the drive of Congolese soukous and Kenyan benga to the mellower styles of Malian kora or Ethiopian music. Guitar driven but with a jazz-anchored horn section and lyrics taken from the likes of presidential speeches, newspaper reviews and philosophical treatises, this is joyously inauthentic and idiosyncratic dance music!

BO WEAVIL


We know that you know that behind every blockbusting boyband, glamorous gaggle of giggling girls, plaintive cry of unrequited love and strident scream of wild psychedelia lies appalachian old time music. From boyzone to the beatles, bo diddley and bo carter, the line is long....... we, the Bo Weavil, bring you old time country blues the way we want to play it..... we hope you like it.

NO GOOD BEATNIKS
No Good Beatniks are a collective of like minded musicians who operate as a jam band with the focus on dirty grooves and distorted jazz. They improvise broken beats with a dancefloor vibe on analogue equipment and classic instruments. Funky original music and warped covers.

The three core members operate as a trio but often collaborate with special guests. For October's MIX-UP the band will be joined by Steve Chadwick on trumpet.

Henry Botham (RSL) Rhodes, Clavinet, Organ, Melodica, Piano, Harmonium
Steve Chadwick (RSL) - Trumpet
Nick Blacka (Aim) - Bass
Rob Turner (Gogo Penguin) - Drums

ABOUT MIX-UP:

Mix-Up is a monthly night hosted by The Magic Hat Ensemble, which as the name suggests features three musical acts across different styles and forms.

Held on the first Thursday of the month at The Klondyke Club in Levenshulme (1 Burnage Range, third road on the left from Levenshulme Station off Albert Road, walking towards Burnage – call 0161 224 4122) the night promises to offer three quality bands, all for a measly fiver.

Mix-Up is a cracking night of live music featuring the cream of Manchester’s music scene. We will soon be confirming further acts for future nights.

You can keep up to date with who’s playing and when on our websitehttp://www.mixupmcr.com/

Please, please show your support for the night by joining our Mix-Up Facebook group. http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Magic-Hat-Ensemble-presents-Mix-Up/177181375690177

It will be great to see some familiar faces and hopefully some unfamiliar ones on the night!

Tuesday, 28 August 2012

MIX-UP 06.09.12: ROLLER TRIO - KIRSTY MCGEE - TIMBEROS DE LA TIMBALA


ROLLER TRIO

Roller Trio are James Mainwaring tenor sax and electronics, Luke Wynter guitar and Luke Reddin-Williams on drums. Still in their early ‘20s they met whilst studying at Leeds College of Music. Luke W and Luke RW began jamming together before James (LRW’s ex-flat mate) joined in. They started playing and jamming together as a trio and it was immediately apparent that they had a special chemistry. Their music is a fresh, visceral stew of conventional and experimental sounds that features stonking
riffs, thrashy noise, evocative songs and electronic soundscapes. `their invigorating mix of rock riffs, angular drums, electronic loops and James powerful tone and use of circular breathing and multiphonics mark them out as a powerful new band in their own right – one with their own unique voice.

"Dark, menacing, bass heavy - the new sound of UK jazzzzzzz! - Gilles Peterson

"With musicianship, dynamics, bravado and focus well beyond their years, The Roller Trio's debut album has taken this listeners breath away. Catch their powerful live performance for further proof of a band destined for greatness" - Mike Chadwick Jazz FM

“Every now and then you see a band and think, wow this lot have really got it. For such a young band they are ridiculously accomplished - there's hundreds of hours of playing together behind their super-tight sound and quiet confidence. Roller Trio have a nasty bite but their catchy bark will get you in the end”. - Jez Nelson BBC Radio 3

KIRSTY MCGEE

Twice nominated for BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Kirsty McGee has been recording and touring to critical acclaim since her debut in 2002. Her style continues to defy categorisation and charm audiences around Europe, earning her the tag of 'cult' singer-songwriter in the UK.

Combining styles as diverse as folk, jazz, chanson and Americana, her work is held together by her distinctive lyrical style and astonishing voice, equally comfortable in dark, intimate ballads and up-tempo carny-shuffle numbers. Her shows explore a cross-section of these energies through an extensive range of subject matters and instruments. Reviews for her most recent album 'No.5' (recorded live in one take with her full band The Hobopop Collective) have been unanimous in their praise for her skilled handling of words and impeccable taste in arrangements.

Kirsty McGee is of course at the very core of The Hobopop Collective, whose full-bore sound is further complimented where necessary with contributions from a select chain-gang of revered and secretive illuminati. In this project McGee has worked with world class players from many corners of the music scene, including musicians whose CVs bristle with the likes of Guillemots, Karine Polwart, and The Brute Chorus

With a history of politics, homelessness and wanderlust, Kirsty McGee suffuses her work with a musical vagrancy that enriches her songs and styles, from "hipkat trilby swing" (acoustic magazine) to "exquisite and skeletal" (Q Magazine).

'Bewitching' **** - Q
'One of the greatest groups in the current music scene' **** - Maverick
'A fascinating talent' - Clash
'Rich, versatile and immaculately controlled' - Americana-UK
'Breathtaking' - Acoustic Magazine

TIMBEROS DE LA TIMBALA

Timberos de la Timbala play Cuban rumba. Forget about ballroom dancing, Zairian guitar music, and rhum babas; this is the untamed music of Cuba's most lively barrios, a dynamic improvised music for celebrations and dancing, featuring only percussion and vocals. Once described as the pinnacle of improvisation by the jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie, rumba grew from the poorest areas of Cuba’s western cities more than 100 years ago and is still very much a vital force in contemporary Cuban music today.

Timberos de la Timbala has grown, over the last three years, from the La Timbala Rumba Study Group and now involves up to fifteen players, including some of the musicians involved in La Timbala’s other projects. The idea behind the group is to present traditional and contemporary styles of rumba, to create our own new compositions and identifying styles, and to develop links with musicians in Cuba.

The group is led and directed by Manchester-based percussionist Christian Weaver.

ABOUT MIX-UP:

Mix-Up is a monthly night hosted by The Magic Hat Ensemble, which as the name suggests features three musical acts across different styles and forms.

Held on the first Thursday of the month at The Klondyke Club in Levenshulme (1 Burnage Range, third road on the left from Levenshulme Station off Albert Road, walking towards Burnage – call 0161 224 4122) the night promises to offer three quality bands, all for a measly fiver.

Mix-Up is a cracking night of live music featuring the cream of Manchester’s music scene. We will soon be confirming further acts for future nights.

You can keep up to date with who’s playing and when on our websitehttp://www.mixupmcr.com/

Please, please show your support for the night by joining our Mix-Up Facebook group. http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Magic-Hat-Ensemble-presents-Mix-Up/177181375690177

It will be great to see some familiar faces and hopefully some unfamiliar ones on the night!