Sunday 13th March - The Coal Porters plus guests
Liverpool, Stanley Theatre, University Of Liverpool
160, Mount Pleasant, Liverpool, L3 5TR
Tel. 0151 794 6868 www.lgos.org
£13.50 advance

“Swift yet surefooted, banjos, mandolins and fiddles gallop along…while harmonies glow like, well, coals. Brilliant” **** Q magazine

“…a feast of highly crafted ensemble playing with the odd virtuoso turn. Special mentions go to Carly Frey, whose fiddle-playing is often breathless, and the exquisite banjo playing of Dick Smith. Griffin has rarely written better songs…” **** Uncut magazine

The Coal Porters were formed a decade ago in Los Angeles by ex Long Ryder Sid Griffin, author of the hit single ‘Looking for Lewis and Clark.’ Internationally recognised for their exuberant live shows which show them at their best. They are now firmly established on the UK touring circuit as the best acoustic bluegrass act around - the “Clash of Bluegrass” are an acoustic act with attitude.

The Coal Porters began life as “a full on electric folk-rockin’ monster”, enjoying indie chart success in the UK and Europe and frequently touring Europe and the States. In 1999, however, Griffin produced Lindisfarne’s “Here Comes the Neighbourhood” comeback album and as a result, the Coal Porters metamorphosed into an authentic all-acoustic Bluegrass Band and never looked back. Their album’s ‘The Chris Hillman Tribute Concerts’ and ‘Turn The Water On, Boy!’ built on this exciting new acoustic format, which audiences across the country instantly warmed to.

Their new album ‘Durango’ has been released to rave reviews from ‘Q’ and ‘Uncut’ among other calling it “…bluegrass with a slyly authentic feel, but with the flinty rockisms of Crazy Horse or, indeed, Griffin’s other band, the Long Ryders.”

However it is their exuberant live shows which show this group at their best, and they are now firmly established on the UK touring circuit as the best acoustic bluegrass act around - the “Clash of Bluegrass” are an acoustic act with attitude.  All dates: http://www.adastra-music.co.uk

Wednesday 18th May - The Zombies plus guests
Liverpool, Stanley Theatre, University Of Liverpool
160, Mount Pleasant, Liverpool, L3 5TR
Tel. 0151 794 6868 www.lgos.org
£17.50 advance

The mid ’60s rock group The Zombies, were famed for writing melodies as gorgeous as those of The Beatles and The Beach Boys. Singer Colin Blunstone’s distinctive voice, described as ‘wispy wonderfulness’ manages to be both sweetly angelic and deceptively strong and was a key element of the band’s sound. The band scored hits in the mid and late 1960s with She’s Not There, Tell Her No and Time of the Season. Their influence can be heard in The Doors, The Byrds and The Kinks and they ‘ve more recently been name-checked by contemporary artists including REM, Foo Fighters, Paul Weller, The White Stripes, Super Furry Animals and Fleet Foxes.

2009, saw The Zombies pick up a Mojo award for their 1968 classic album Odessea and Oracle. The masterpiece of pop psychedelia is ranked 80 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Keyboardist Rod Argent, guitarist Paul Atkinson and drummer Hugh Grundy met at St. Albans school in 1961 and began experimenting musically. They brought on bassist Paul Arnold, who introduced the others to the talented singer Colin Blunstone, a top student and athlete who was headed for a secure job in an insurance firm before a more glamorous destiny beckoned. The nascent group began their live gigging in local venues doing the 50s rock and soul standards common to bands everywhere at the time. They even did Gershwin’s Summertime.

Paul Arnold, whose interest was waning (he eventually became a physician) was replaced by Chris White on bass. The band began playing shows around St. Albans in 1962, building up a loyal following over the course of the next year. In 1963, as university beckoned, they began to think about breaking up. Rod and Chris entered the band in a local band contest (The Herts Beat Contest) that had a recording deal with British Decca Records (famous for being the label that turned down The Beatles) as first prize.

In 1964, the group began recording. Decca staff producer Ken Jones became infatuated with Argent’s She’s Not There and pushed for it to be released as the first single, edging out the version of Summertime they’d also recorded, and Chris’s You Make Me Feel Good, which became the B-side. The song was the first of what would be many moody, understated, original gems from The Zombies that would make them, in retrospect, one of the best bands of the period. The single was a worldwide smash in 1964 and The Zombies were on a euphoric high. Everything was going right. She’s Not There even made it onto the popular TV show Jukebox Jury, which happened to feature George Harrison on the panel that week - and he loved the song. The tune made number one in America.

After the amicable split of the band, shortly after completing the baroque pop classic LP, Odessey and Oracle, Blunstone briefly worked in the insurance business before resuming his musical career. In 1969, he signed with Deram Records and cut three singles under the pseudonym of Neil MacArthur, including a re-make of The Zombies hit, She’s Not There which charted in the UK. Sadly in 2004, Paul Atkinson, who had become a successful music-industry executive, died in L.A. at the age of 58 after a long illness.

The Zombies are: Colin Blunstone - lead vocals Rod Argent - organ, vocals Tom Toomey - guitar, vocals Jim Rodford - bass, vocals Steve Rodford - drums

The Zombies - She’s Not There
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5IRI4oHKNU

The Zombies - Time Of The Season
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfwFpRnOeGg