Review Centre: Folk Singers

"ust recently, the wife and I settled down to watch Harmonica Lewinsky at the Owlsworld tent at the Rickmansworth Canal Festival. Ha ha; bloody hell :-D Now, *there's* someone successfully mining the music hall/rockney/Americana/Tottenham-to-Hemel mash-up seam, with a guitar, a box of harmonicas and a flat cap his only tools; there’s not many of his kind left these days. Top marks also for his stage persona—that of a man so used to hostile audiences that's he's willing to create one for himself if necessary :-D—which made for an inordinately entertaining hour. The wife and I even danced a bit: we were meant to do a conga, but instead we did a messy foxtrot to “My Old Man’s a Dustman” because, when in Rome, you’ve got to have a right old proper cockney knees up. Or something. Very enjoyable indeed."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"David was always very friendly and professional during the organisation for our event and made the entire process as simple as possible. He has a HUGE repertoire of material and all of my guests (young and old) thought he was fantastic! a real STAR on every level."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Cameron is a fantastic musician, both for weddings and various other occasions. During the preparations for our wedding, working with him was always straightforward. He interpreted our unusual song selection for the ceremony very well, fitting the occasion. Furthermore, he has a great talent for captivating his audience. Even before the wedding, he transformed our bridal shower and the champagne reception after the ceremony into an unforgettable experience for us and our guests. Our guests still rave about him today. And we're not just repeat customers, but also happy to be part of his crowd whenever the opportunity arises."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I would like to thank you for playing at our wedding reception at the Durker Roods Hotel. We all had a fantastic, memorable evening. The best Ceili we’ve ever been to. Thank you, Sarah & Gary "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Jack played at my husband's 50th birthday party. It was a small gathering in the garden at home and the music was perfect, such a lovely voice and Jack played such a great range of songs to suit the kids and the adults of all ages. It was a super fun night, I wasn't sure if having a musician was too much for a party at home but it worked perfectly. Jack was so professional and in advance was great at planning the evening with me. I would highly recommend for any party large or small."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Tony Vani is almost as well known for generously encouraging and showcasing fellow musicians as he is for his versatility as a musician in his own right. His focus is on blues and classic rock with his band, “Stir” (Mark Bishop, bass; Shirley Dianne Baker, vocals; and, Christ Whiteman, drums). He also plays gospel blues with “Tony Vani and the Holy Blues Band” (Vitas Slapkauskas, bass; Matt Smith, guitar and, Chris Lingard, drums) and performing Delta blues in his duo with slide guitarist Kenny Pauze or by working solo. As every musician knows, you are not a true musician unless you have had that nightmare gig. Tony recalls one night at a club in Napanee when he had to do the walk of shame after being fired on the spot because his guitar string broke. Thus, he learned the great guitar player lesson: “though shalt not leave home without a spare guitar and have it tuned up, ready to go”. His most memorable gig was when he performed for his Mom on her 80th birthday – it was the first time she had ever heard him. Over the years, he has generously and tirelessly organized many open mics at The Belleville Club featuring a mix of amateur and professional musicians who perform solo or join in with others. He creates such a relaxing atmosphere that it feels like the concert is taking place in your living room. “I enjoy bringing out new people and watching their confidence grow. Music is therapy. People have the opportunity to try out new things, have a safe place to practice performing in public, and besides, it’s fun”, he laughs. Known predominantly for his harp playing, his favourite harmonica influences include Little Walter, Paul Butterfield, Charlie Mussellwhite and Corky Siegal. “I am so impressed with their tone, virtuosity, rawness and overall feel”, he says. Other musical influences include Eric Clapton, The Allman Brothers, John Mayall, Muddy Waters and Robert Johnston. Self-described as self-taught, he says: “I always had awareness of what my personal style would be and I sought out teachers or I learned from playing along with records. I followed my passion.” He has just released a new CD of original material entitled “Her Blues” based on his own personal life experience of living with a loved one’s suffering. It’s a 7 year labour of love that is deeply reflected in the songs he has included on this album. Tony divides his time between his music, working with physically and mentally-challenged adults and living with his partner Debbie Hoskins, owner of the seven dogs who run their household. Find him at www.tonyvani.com or on Facebook @TonyVani and go out to support live music because #livemusicmatters."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Incredibly talented individual with a heart of gold. Very professional. Will definitely do work with again."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Great experience with Duo Colore! Highly entertaining and lots of fun for an evening of food and fun"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Incantevole, sbalordisce come la sua voce ti attraversa e giunge dritto al cuore! Merita merita merita!!!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Everything Can Change, from Adam Karch and it's an interesting mix of acoustic and electric fused folk/blues music with solid vocals. Opening with It's Your Song, a contemporary, radio style track with a solid melody and clean acoustic guitar work, Adam Karch shows his stuff on vocal and guitar, backed by Richard Deschenes on bass and Marc-Andre Drouin on drums. JJ Cale's classic, After Midnight gets a substantial rework and I like it. Starting with acoustic slide and fine finger picking, Karch's stylistic vocal phrasing really changes the track and it's as cool as the original. Very nice. Porch Groove (Sunday Morning) is a real relaxing meandering melody on acoustic guitar. Very nice. Another nice cover is Bob Dylan's Don't Think Twice, It's Alright. Karch has one of those voices that is warm and refreshing and his picking style is clean and concise. Very nice. Wrapping the release is another Porch Groove (Saturday Evening) with a more contemporary finger picked melody. Karch is a talented musician and vocalist who has put together a real nice release. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I first witnessed The DooLallys years ago at a kind of impromptu kitchen session. I think deeply soulful is the best way to describe their mix of pipes, strings, and song - seamless switches between O'Carolanesque 18th Century rave style to sweet balladeering, along with true and loving versions of traditional Irish music tunes, all layered with a knowing hedge school poetic sensibility. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Has played here very regularly. Very entertaining and enjoyable. Provided a great atmosphere throughout the evening. "

Rating: 9 / 10 Share this review:

"Beautiful, authentic and soulful are words too small and inadequate to describe magic and atmosphere that these remarkably talented people create! Most highly recommended."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We booked Ben for our wedding evening party ( 26/06/15). We left him to sort his own playlist apart from a handful of songs we requested. Wow what a brilliant choice we made booking him. His vocals were amazing and he performed flawlessly. Everyone was asking where we found him and commented how good he was. He entertained us all and made our evening just that more special. We will be going to see him play again. Many thanks Ben, Andy & Paula "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Abbiamo scelto LOVEAFFAIRE DUO per la musica del nostro matrimonio. Ci hanno fatto sentire sin da subito a nostro agio ed sono stati scrupolosi nell'accogliere le nostre richieste. Tutti gli invitati ci hanno fatto i complimenti per la musica! Li consiglio vivamente!!! We chose LOVEAFFAIRE DUO for our wedding music. They made us feel at ease right away and were scrupulous in accommodating our requests. All the guests complimented us on the music! I highly recommend them!!!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: