The Listening Room

Sunday 29th January: Jo Wilson (Hosted by Scott Renton)

Jo Wilson has trouble knowing how to describe his music. He writes about things that he cares about, things that puzzle him, and things which annoy him. He loves beautiful harmonies and interesting chord sequences, and delights in odd rhythms and time signatures. He finds writing about himself in the 3rd person mildly amusing.

Jo is currently getting himself back into the Edinburgh music scene after a year working in Pakistan, which provided plenty of new ammunition for those scribbled notes which may one day make it to fully-fledged song status.

“Jo Wilson hushes the room with a minute or so of delicious loops that abruptly end whilst his songs of faith sweep through the room. Icarus doesn’t overtly retell the tragedy of Daedalus’ son, but hopes (over a breezy island strum pattern and cool chord progressions) that “maybe to Heaven I can break through.” Lazarus then asks us to step into the surprised man’s sandals and try to imagine the electricity of a human resurrection. Solid, beefy guitar set and enlightening lyrics, although the quick death of the brilliant loops and layers is a hard truth.” 
Darren Thornberry, Out of the Bedroom

“There is an intelligence about the way the songs are put together that is very refreshing, and the lyrics take this beyond throw away pop into something altogether deeper and more challenging. Buy [Puzzle]… catch them live. This is fantastic.”
Chris Graeme

“Both artists bring with them a mastery of their instruments that makes this a fantastic listen - keyboards are used to great effect, Jo’s guitar work is deft and Tim’s saxophone gives a refreshingly jazzy feel to some of the songs. A fresh breath of life to the indie music scene.”
Peter Frizelle, Cross Rhythms

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Sunday 22nd January: Darren Hendrie (Hosted by Caro Bridges)

Darren Hendrie has been playing all kinds of music on various instruments from an early age, and has come a very long way since his dad taught him the chords to Peggy Sue on the guitar when he was 14. He’s played in several bands over the years but has only been playing his own stuff publicly since August of last year, getting himself involved in music nights such as Out of the Bedroom and The Listening Room.

The first song he ever wrote however, at the tender age of 17, was named “Calling Out” and was only ever heard by his ex-girlfriend. She apparently described it as a cross between the Foo Fighters and The Goo Goo Dolls, so it can’t have been all that bad. Perhaps one day we’ll get to hear it?

Nowadays Darren writes songs he’s happy playing to anyone and everyone, and rightly so because they’re damn good. With influences ranging from Nirvana to Abba, via The Stone Roses and The Chilies he’s not against trying different sounds, moods and techniques.

His songs are, in his own words, “about love, loss, hope and human connection”; and listening to them you can’t fail to spot a talented young man who is passionate about his music and who deserves to go far. Come along this Sunday and you’ll forever earn the right to tell your grandkids “I saw Darren Hendrie way back when he was playing small acoustic pub gigs in Edinburgh. Funny to think that nowadays.”

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If Tomorrow Felt Like Today by Darren Hendrie

Sunday 15th January: Henry Bird (Hosted by Norman Lamont)

Henry Bird is a little country boy with a big voice come to the big city for the first time, guitar and knapsack in hand and walking shoes on his feet. Playing songs flecked with soul, folk and jazz he has been making his way round the scene supporting such people as John Smith, the Groanbox Boys and the Geordie Tentree’s Band as well as playing at the Sedbergh Folk Festival and Rowchester.

Whether you like the rolling fields and the reams of the fiddle or smoky jazz joints with them honky tonks, you’ll find something that speaks to you in the music.

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Sunday 4th December: Christmas Special (Hosted by Lindsay Sugden)

Yes, it’s that time of year again. No featured act this week because we know you’re all so full of Christmas cheer and goodwill that all that you can think of doing is singing about it.

Right?

So anyway, presenting two hours (minimum) of open slotty goodness. Learn (or write) a Christmas song, or just play whatever takes your fancy. Bring Santa hats, mince pies and a hearty laugh, and we’ll take care of the rest.

A very merry festive season from all of us at The Listening Room, and a huge thank you to everyone who’s played and and everyone who’s listened! It’s been a damn good year for us and we’re looking forward to your music and your company in 2012.

Please note, this is the last Listening Room until Sunday 8th January!

Sunday 4th December: Dave Keir (Hosted by Tom Watton)

Whilst being a seasoned performer, Dave Keir is relatively speaking still a Listening Room n00b. However after two or three open slots we were so impressed that we just had to ask him to perform a featured slot. And when we did, he not only agreed but asked if he could join the Listening Room hosting team. A beezer of a feature set AND a charming new host, how could we refuse? Dave carried out his first shift as a host most ably on Sunday just gone, and will undoubtedly dazzle us with his frankly scary fingerpicking skills, beautifully crafted songs and clever lyrics this coming Sunday.

Now of course, we wouldn’t book someone if we didn’t think they were of a worthy calibre, but seriously, this man deserves your attention; make sure you catch his set this Sunday.

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Sunday 27th November: The Darcy DaSilva Band (Hosted by Dave Keir)

After being together for three months, The Darcy DaSilva Band have played at venues such as The Roxy 171, The Tron Theatre, The Globe in Dumfries and are soon to be performing at The King Tuts before Christmas. They enjoy writing and performing and would like to share their music with everyone who’d like to hear it.

Darcy DaSilva is a singer-songwriter from Moniaive in Dumfries and Galloway. She draws on inspiration from the interesting people she meets and the places she visits. This year Darcy is completely focusing on music and this has led to her going on tour with Creative Scotland and starting to record her first album.

Calum Morrison is a guitarist from the South Side of Glasgow. He also sings beautiful and is thought to be the glue of the band. He is currently studying at the RCS in Glasgow and is a song-writer in his own right.

Eddie Seaman is originally from Letih but is now also studing in Glasgow at the RCS. He is a dedicated Highland Piper but also a sensitive whistle player which is mainly what he does on Darcy’s songs but occasionally he’ll get out the Border Pipes for a tune!

Malcolm Bushby, originally from Tasmania, is the newest addition to the band. He is a fiddle player who currently lives in Newcastle. He studied at the Lews Castle College on Benbecular but now is a full time teacher and musician.

Darcy has worked with musicians such as Karine Polwart, Aaron Jones and Phil Cunningham and loves collaborating. She enjoys sharing her music and is always writing.

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Mending isn’t Beautiful by Darcy DaSilva

Sunday 20th November: Paul Gladwell (Hosted by Daniel Davis)

Paul Gladwell has been on our radar for several years now as a regular performer around Edinburgh and beyond. His songs are finely crafted and delivered with equally high levels of professionalism and honesty. His influences include the likes of Rufus Wainwright, Richard Thomson and Nick Harper; and echoes of these can be heard in his own songwriting, though clearly more as homage than as imitation. From the dark and brooding to the pleasantly pop, Paul’s songs have something for everyone.

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Sunday 13th November: Windlestray (Hosted by Hannah O’Reilly)

Windlestray are perhaps best described as a well kept secret. They consist of young husband and wife team Ross (Vocals, Guitar, Programming) and Jennifer (Vocals, Synth & Piano) Baird, Ally Dennis (Guitar, Bass, Sampler) and Rory Macdonald (Drums). Longtime regulars of The Listening Room might recognise Ross and Rory as band members of beloved former host Darren Thornberry in Thorn’s Musical Journey. 

As a band they have been around for several years now, but Windlestray continue to be surprisingly elusive in their public performances. Nonetheless they are a respected and highly regarded outfit by those in the know. Their music is an intelligent mixture of classic and modern influences which is melodically complex and yet honest, uncontrived and accessible. You’ll love them if you like the likes of The Last Battle, Frightened Rabbit, The Unwinding Hours, and Y’all Is Fantasy Island.

We’re very pleased to have Windlestray perform an unplugged feature set this Sunday night at The Blue Blazer, this is one you don’t want to miss.

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Here’s Ross performing a stunning little Windlestray song at The Listening Room a few years ago, alongside our very own Darren Thornberry.

Sunday 6th November: Danny Mullins (Hosted by Rob Sproul-Cran)

Danny is a classically trained pianist who picked up the guitar when he first went to university at eighteen and has struggled to put it down since. He feels the same about playing drums/pots/guitars/people.

Danny eats more chocolate than is considered healthy for a person, and often struggles to get up in the mornings. He is a musician and performer who performs, learns and teaches internationally as part of a theatre company called The Nomadic Academy of Fools who he has trained with for two years now.

More recently he supported Phil Kay and Cameron Sinclair at “Phil and Cammy’s Late Night Nonsense” at the Fringe festival for a short run of musical comedy shows. He began teaching outside the fools academy this summer at “The Secret Grove” based at the Botanic Gardens.

Previously he has toured with Bob Hillary and the Massive Mellow ( Chrysalis Records ) and written material for their second album. This year he has London Management and music video work with the people who worked for Fatboy Slim.

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Sunday 30th October: Gavin Taylor (Hosted by James Whyte)

Gavin Taylor is an accomplished instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, music teacher and he also produces and arranges. Born in Edinburgh he has been a musician for the past 26 years. Gavin wowed us in a Listening Room featured act recently alongside Toby Shippey as “The Whisky River Boat Songs” but he has agreed to return and share some of his own songs. Musically his influences range through blues, jazz, reggae and salsa music, and his onstage sound has a definite hint of americana to it. Not only are his songs beautifully crafted and great to listen to, but Gavin is what you might call “a musician’s musician”. Come along if only to watch a roomful of guitarists wistfully watching this man’s hands. 

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Sunday 23rd October: Lisa Rigby (Hosted by Caro Bridges)

Lisa Rigby started penning tunes a while ago but properly since 2004, as a result of a songwriting partnership with Iona Marshall as ‘Soul Alba’. When Iona left Edinburgh Lisa kept playing and gathered enough songs to make an album ‘Hello’ with the assistance and guidance of Dave McGruer and Stuart Clark.

Her main musical outlet at the moment is singing, playing and co-songwriting with the band Townhouse alongside Stuart Clark and John Farrell.

Lisa holds the enviable but well-deserved accolade of being the Burnsong Songwriting Winner for both 2007 and 2009.

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Sunday 16th October: Sir Tom Watton (Hosted by Daniel Davis)

Sir Tom Watton is a pleasure to experience live: he’s energetic, heartfelt and always entertaining. Musically speaking he has broad ranging influences (including Danny Thompson, Fairport Convention and, err … Enya) though broadly speaking his sound can be described as “folky”. Or as he says himself, “a mixture of genres, but a good mix”. We think that’s pretty fair. Except for the bit about Enya, obviously.

He’s also one of the people who helps to run The Listening Room, and you may have seen him host on occasion.

Tom started performing his own material at the age of 14, in an improvisational comedy duet ‘The Lesbian and the Thespian’ with Sarah Bentham.

Since then Tom has written in a variety of styles, including comedy, but he mostly composes folk influenced acoustic songs. As a double bass player and bass player Tom has accompanied Ollie Banks, Harriet Frank, Alastair James, Phil Simpson and his dad; John ‘The Jazz Pistol’ Watton.

It was onstage at Beached 2006 in Scarborough that compere Graham Rhodes gave Tom his stage name (Sir Tom Watton) when Tom was playing double bass for acoustic guitar virtuoso Ollie Banks. The title was given as an accolade for his organisational work with both Beached and Acoustic Gathering.

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Sunday 9th October: Calum Carlyle (Hosted by Caro Bridges)

Calum Carlyle is an independent singer-songwriter from Orkney, now based in Edinburgh. He writes an enchanting blend of acoustic pop and plays solo gigs as well as gigs with his band, The Mixed Reactions.

He’s played throughout Scotland and England, and even a few times in Australia, as well as three past appearances on the Wickerman Festival Acoustic Village main stage. He’s also on the committee of Edinburgh’s longest running open mic night, Out Of The Bedroom, and he’s in two other bands, Neoviolet and The Ferny Brackens.

Calum has a solo CD out called Honesty And Thorns, and another called “Another Side of Calum Carlyle”. Both are reasonably priced and can be listened to on his website.

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