Last updated 7th May '99.
Details will be added / updated as the artists supply us with information.
An evening of blues to start the festival.
This is a trio (at The Festival they could be a six piece band), making waves as they build a reputation for being a raw, hard nosed, unwavering, blues outfit. They are Mama Josie, an uncompromising vocalist who rattles her vocal chords and a tambourine. She has sung with several Funk and Jazz artists whilst working on several of her own projects. 10 5 Neuton's Jez Donnelly is the guitarist and Italian Alfie Steamboat plays harmonica and guitar. He tells us he has played all over Europe with a variety of different artists and bands. He has also written songs for other musicians. This trio came together in August last year and were soon playing the acoustic venues at "The National British R'n'B festival" in Colne, Lancashire. The crowds they played to there were won over by the group as have every audience since. They then played The Norton Park Blues Festival in Devon, jamming and playing and winning over the crowd again. 10,000 fans were there, many praised the trio describing them as one of the best new acts in the country. Back in their home town of Hastings, they played in many of the pubs building up a strong local following.
Before Christmas the band were busy recording their first CD, "Buttered Muffins". It is a five track EP including four blues standards and an original tune of their own.
Buick 6 is the meeting of three fine musicians interested in creating a rich texture from obscure early blues material. They also incorporate their own songs and manage to provide a wide spectrum of sound and rhythm, giving the listener a unique insight into the power of Delta Blues.
The main frontline instrument is the semi-acoustic national Resonator guitar played by internationally acclaimed slide guitarist and vocalist Roger Hubbard. He was first discovered by the US recording company Blue Goose/Yazoo back in 1971 and subsequently cut his first album "Brighton Belle Blues" to great acclaim from the music press: "Hubbard's guitar playing, straight picking and bottleneck is highly sophisticated but consistently effortless and musical, so that the record could be good textbook for other blues guitarists." - Rolling Stone magazine.
The mandolin also features strongly in the band's set, also played by Hubbard, adding an ethereal quality to the music, flying on a magic carpet of bass and drums, bringing it to a different kind of high.
Liam Genocky on drums is well known for performing with Paul Brady, Gerry Rafferty, John Martin, Bert Jansch, Steeleye Span etc., and he imparts an individuality and spontaneity to Buick 6. If you add to this his considerable experience working with African drummers, combined with excursions into free-form jazz, this makes him one of the most exciting drummers around.
Colin Gibson on bass guitar completes the groove side of things. Having been on the road with Ginger Baker's Airforce, also gigging and recording with Snafu, Skip Bifferty, Alvin Lee, John Mark and Johnny Almond, Bert Jansch, Lee "Scratch" Perry and Alan Hull, as well as TV appearances with Van Morrison. There is no doubt that this man is a serious bass player. Drawing from deep down, the liquidity of his playing is an important catalyst in the chemistry of Buick 6.
Discography :-
Cypress Grove - Taxim Records TX1003 - 2TA
Juice Machine - Taxim Records TX1014 - 2TA
Foolin' with this Heart - Taxim Records TX9001 - 2TA
Roger Hubbard - Brighton Belle Blues - Taxim Records - TX1021 2TA
Described as "A unique Power Trio featuring the electrifying explosive talent of red-hot guitarist Stevie Zee", one could be forgiven for expecting another leathers and lather, heavy metal mayhem merchant's rowdy riff with bags of stage presence but no substance. What you get is quite simply one of the most adept blues come rock bands from this area that are making waves, not in the sea here in Hastings where they reside, but both nationally and internationally. His biography and press kit makes the almost obligatory references to Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ritchie Blackmore and Johnny Winter. Joey Scruggs, president of the Cascade Blues Association and editor of Blues Notes USA wrote, after seeing one of Stevie's performances during his American tour, "Zee has totally captured the feeling and tone those legendary axemen had with their playing and that tone gives you the shivers."
During that tour of the USA, Stevie Zee won over audiences at the Oakland Blues Festival, The Oregon Coast Blues and Jazz Festival and the Portland Waterfront Blues festival. This time he was also playing in clubs and venues all along America's West Coast. He played in clubs and concert venues in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California. He shared stages with Pat Travis, Bad Company and Coco Montoya from John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. They are getting used to receiving great reviews wherever they play. The band has played throughout Britain, featuring at festivals including the Great British R and B Festival and the Maltings Blues Festival at Farnham. They have toured Europe with a great response in France, Spain and Ireland.
The Band's album, "Wail" on Sandcastle records has world-wide distribution. It is a mixture of its title track and other high energy cuts and smoochy, sexy slow blues. Songs I liked were the title track "Wail", along with "Burned", "Dark Eyes", "My Little Girl", "Body Count" and "Hi-Tail Woman". The CD has already had radio acknowledgements and Sue Humphreys Management tells me enquiries have come from fans as far away as New York, Italy and Australia. OK, so it's all "hype", but give them a listen, live if you can, or spin the CD. Make up your own mind about the Stevie Zee Band. You will discover down on the south coast we have another winning team. The offers are coming in, Stevie and the band have already been invited to perform with REO Speed wagon, Bugs Henderson and Joe Satriani.
The Stevie Zee Band are: TERRY PACK, bass and CHRIS SHARLEY, drums. Terry has played with Johnny Mars, The Enid, Cosey Powell, Brian May, Dr John, Phil Guy, Louisiana Red and Keith Emerson, among others in a long line of great musicians. Chris has played with Sassafras and the Mick Clarke Band who have toured extensively through Europe.
Saturday is "folk reunion day", the annual reunion of the Black Horse Folk Club. In addition to the musicians, there are morris dancers and jugglers. For the younger people, there is a Punch and Judy show and face painting.
Identical twin brothers Pete and Chris Fyfe have been involved with the British folk scene for over thirty years. In that time they have been associated with several highly respected bands including the Kitchen Band, Eavesdropper and Collaboration, all who appeared at clubs, concert halls and festivals (Fairport reunion, Cambridge Folk Festival etc) throughout the late 70's and 80's. Following the demise of Collaboration, Chris moved to Hastings and has since been overseeing the popular musicians' session at the Stag in the Old Town. Pete, since teaming up with Hastings-based fiddle player Garry Blakeley as the duo Band of Two, has been performing their "good-time" brand of Celtic music throughout Britain and Europe. The Fyfe Brothers will perform at the Black Horse Festival, this will be their first official appearance together in eight years. Their trademark duelling mandolins (possibly revisiting their arrangement of Captain Pugwash Down Under, where they crossed swords in a Jimi Hendrix meets the Spinners kind of way) will be a main feature of their set.
Not just ex-residents of the Black Horse folk club, but for many years they were an essential part of the folk club.
Speakeasy have performed in pubs and clubs all over the UK for the past few years, becoming increasingly well known for their inventive portrayal of covers of Neil Young to Nirvana songs. Speakeasy are Ginni Hogarth and Keith James. They both sing and play guitar. For the past year they have been showing their talent and skill at various venues four or five times each week. They have a CD "Quirk". They will no doubt perform some of these songs and as Keith explains " We were solo artists before we became "Speakeasy" so it is natural for us to do our own stuff as well".
The Yazoo Skiffle Company pride themselves on presenting original 1950's style "skiffle music" with the addition of various material drawn from blues, gospel, work songs and a little 50's rock 'n' roll. Their line up includes "terrific" John Smith on acoustic rhythm guitar and lead vocals, the "amazing" Paul Smith on acoustic lead guitar and bottleneck slide guitar. The "incredible" Mark Smith is on stand-up acoustic "slap" bass. This man is famous for his rockabilly leanings apart from the twenty pints of lager. To give the whole sound a bit of a "Cajun" feel, they have the "world famous" Bob Smith on Louisiana melodeon. On the back line there is another Smith on percussion and washboard. They are good fun and their set rocks along. The wearing of silly shirts is compulsory, as is the drinking of "millions" of pints. Their audience is requested to be as daft as they are at all times.
The name "skiffle" is believed to have been first coined by jazz trumpeter Ken Colyer. He spent time researching his music in New Orleans. The music is akin to the style of "Jug" and "Spasm" bands that existed in the American Deep South and borrowed from blues, gospel, work songs and American folk. It was played on such household instruments as oil jugs, washboards and tea chest basses with the inclusion of guitars and banjos etc. When the English were first exposed to the music through Ken Colyer, Russell Quaye, Lonnie Donegan and Chas. McDevitt, it led to the formation of hundreds of "skiffle" groups and an interest in the American culture of R and B, gospel and folk blues. The English music scene developed from here to the rock and pop culture of today.
The Yazoo Skiffle Company play as near as possible to the fifties' skiffle tradition using the songs of this period and the line-up is also in keeping. There has been an upsurge of interest in the music, especially on the London "pub scene". The sheer good fun, simplicity and spontaneity of the music makes for pleasant uncomplicated entertainment.
Thomas Leeb has earned himself in his native Austria and abroad a name as "the guy who plays drums on his guitar". He produces stunning rhythms and breath-taking melodies. He was born in Carinthia, Austria in 1977. He was 13 when he started to play guitar and in 1993 he made his first stage appearance. Two years later he brought out his first CD. The following year he toured throughout Ireland and became a studio musician in Dublin. In 1997 his second solo CD entitled "Hope" was distributed. Last year he became award winner of the International Guitar festival "Open Strings" in Germany (with Alex de Grassi, Peter Finger, Tim Sparks, John Renbourne and Leo Kottke). This is what has been said of his young talent: "He has great power in his style and I expect to hear a lot from him" - Tim Sparks (USA). "The crowd was wowed!" - the St. Augustine Record (USA). "That guy must have twenty fingers" - Dublin Arts Club (Ireland).
Martin Abrahams (guitar/vocals/stomp box) and Jeremy Lucas (guitar/backing vocals/electric guitar/bass) have been together two years. This versatile duo (sometimes a trio with Charlie Gask on bodhran) play in a folk based style but have been known to cover 30's jazz, reggae and soul. Here we see their folk roots with haunting airs and unique arrangements of traditional songs and tunes.
MEET ON THE LEDGE were a trio from the Midlands who made a tremendous impact in 1066 country on their second visit last year. They captivated the audience during the Folk Club's reunion. They came on stage to an ovation and reluctantly left the stage to even more applause. Their CD sales on the day way outnumbered Oysterband's. This may have been due to their television appearances on Meridian news throughout the previous day.
The two surviving members from their days as an acoustic three piece from middle England are lead singer and guitarist Ron Holmes from Warwick,and multi instrumentalist and songwriter Allen Maslen, the second best known bloke ever to come out of Stratford-upon-Avon. The band began in 1993 as a duo when Ron and Al (who were playing in a rock band together) decided to give their ears a rest with some "unplugged" gigs on a Sunday lunchtime. In a relatively short time the trio have achieved a lot. Their third CD is out now and they headlined the Festival in Warwick last year.
They gained their name as a bit of a joke, and appear to be lumbered with it now. They had done five or six gigs before realising they did not have a name. When they saw an advertisement placed in the local paper by the landlord of a pub they were playing in, they were shocked to see "BIG RON AND AL WITH THE LONG HAIR". They had to choose a name quickly. Meet On The Ledge seemed like a nice name. Nobody has ever accused them of trying to rip off Fairport Convention because they had taken the title of their anthem. Ironically, they had a couple of gigs at Fairport's Simon Nicol's local inn near Banbury, and Simon has rung them a few times since to give them gigs at some of his many watering holes! Having achieved this "seal of approval" they decided to keep the name.
The Fairport influence shows, because they are such big fans, and Al's song writing is more than a little inspired by the brilliant Steve Knightley. Other than that it's hard to describe the music because there are so many influences in there. Al had been a professional session guitarist for years, playing in everything from rock band to Greek restaurants. You might recognise him from his session work on the James Whale Show. He had never played folk before forming the band. Ron has always been a big folk fan, but his involvement in rock bands has prevented him from playing much acoustic stuff. Their slow songs have a kind of "stadium ballad" feel and a journalist described their last album as "thrash morris!"
Ex-residents of the Black Horse folk club.
The band are now presenting us with an additional program. See above for further details.
This is the South East's premier folk rock band. They are five fine musicians with diverse influences covering the Celtic tradition, jazz, rock and funk.They perform traditional music and songs from the British Isles but also write and perform new exciting numbers. You only have to see them play "live" once, note the fans dancing in the aisles, to realise this is no ordinary folk band.
Dave Pegg of Fairport Convention said "The Fairports folowed the Tabs at a festival in Sussex (the Black Horse Festival 1997). They're really great and i booked them there and then for our own Cropredy festival where they drew a fantastic reaction from the crowd. I heartily recommend them!"
The diverse talents displayed by the band members mean that the Tabs put their own slant on the folk/rock genre pioneeredby the legendary Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and the Albion Band. Often a Nick Cooper bassline will blend pure funk invisibly with an otherwise traditional sounding reel. Multi-instrumentalist Roger Flack is responsible foor the rockier edge to many of the songs. The electric bazouki is just one instrument in Dave Pellet's armoury and lends the band a further distinctive edge. Garry Blakeley pens many of the Tabs' songs. Garry is a fine and highly regarded fiddle player with twenty five years experience performing throughout Britain and Europe and has encyclopedic knowledge of traditional music. Drummer, nineteen year old Andy King has not been with the band too long. However, he is already recognised as an intricate and powerful player. He has replaced Phil Flack on the sticks. Phil's input developing the band's music was tremendous but with Andy's talent on display during their high energy performance the band's fans at Black Horse '99 will not be disappointed.
For the past few years, the Black Horse Festival has provided a day within their weekend of music with a wider "world" influence. It may not be WOMAD, but it is as excitingly new to music fans. This year the Sunday sessions have attracted some internationally known stars in their field. First, an afternoon of African music.
Experience the exotic rhythms of Africa! Assem Ni play a brand of music from Ghana called "High Life" which, explains Nana, "is a cross-mix of colonial influences" and closer to traditional African music than the kind of happy, "dancing" popular guitar tunes from countries like Zaire and Zimbabwe.
Nana is a Ghanian percussionist and multi-instrumentalist who received his basic musical training from the Ashanti Cultural Centre in Ghana. Hailing from a family of musicians, he was socially involved in traditional music as a child prodigy drummer from the age of nine years, when playing for the "elders" and on festive occasions. After being educated in America and England, he later found that music was a natural and obvious means of expression for him.
Nana has worked professionally with a vast range of musicians from traditional African music through to jazz and pop. These have included Oumou Sangere, Fela Kuti, Andy Hamilton, Ali Farka Toure, Chris McGregor, Dudu Pukuwana, David Murray and Nick Mason.
"The Four Brothers" are from Zimbabwe. They toured Europe last year and Phillip Magwazi wrote in Africa's The Sunday Mail "the Four Brothers have filled the niche left by the Bhundi Boys.... Albert Ruwizthi, you will mistake for Munhumumwe, is doing lead vocals. Keep the flag flying high, lads..... off to Germany and Europe again....This will mean Harare and Zimbabwe will be starved of entertainment". In America they were described thus: "The Brothers are an electric band in both senses of the word. Their music is upbeat and delightfully ebullient, the interplay between the two skittering lead guitars is full of surprise, an inexhaustible stream overflowing with bright melody. The rhythm section, urgent and tireless, makes it clear that this is music for dancing. Above all are the wonderful vocals."
At last - a local act that has been noticable by it's absence; one of the finest outfits we have the privilege to see locally.
Anybody who saw them on Hastings Pier with Johnny Mars two years ago will be the first in the queue for tickets. Formed over fifteen years ago, they are Britain and Europe's most widely known Cajun band. They are commonly acknowledged as the pioneering force which has inspired many other bands to make this exciting music. They claim to be our key link as Britain's Cajun connection with Louisiana. They have played at Sir Paul McCartney's Christmas party, the Belfast Festival, The Bulldog Bash Bikers' Festival, UK Crazy Daze Bikers' Festival, National Chopper festival, Sidmouth Festival and Cajun festivals from London to Cumbria. They have been invited to play at Colne's R and B festival and have performed at the Bute Jazz Festival.
Persuing a theme that was well received last year. Monday afternoon is open to our local young talent. Support the future of our festival!
The Crypt in Hastings are holding a number of showcase events for young local bands. From these events, three bands will be chosen to play during the early part of the afternoon.
The selected bands are: Little 10, Cage Theory and Go Bear Go.
To finish the session, the Crypt will be providing us with a 'name' guest band: Sonafariq.
Last night, and it's party night!
"Yard Shaker" was the eagerly anticipated debut studio album by traditional 60's style ska / reggae band Intensified out now on both CD and vinyl on Grover Records. It has been received with a lot of praise from both fans and the music press.
Guaranteed to get people dancing, Intensified are up for the challenge of keeping the authentic styles of both Jamaican ska/rocksteady and British Trojan reggae alive. Their good-time feel has earned them a large following and a reputation as one of Europe's best traditional ska/reggae bands. "Yard Shaker" is a follow up to last year's "Don't Slam The Door!" compilation on Grover that included some of their previously recorded material. With a warm sound, catchy melodies and excellent vocal arrangements, they follow in the tradition of Prince Buster, Skatalites, The Wailers, Derrick Morgan, Desmond Decker and the many other excellent artists who put Jamaica on the musical map in the 1960's.
The band have gigged regularly throughout the UK and Europe, recently playing at The Summer Jam in Cologne, Europe's biggest Reggae Festival where they joined Jimmy Cliff, Skalites, Asian Dub Foundation, Buju Banton, Bim Sherman and Dennis Brown. In their time they have been joined on stage by Lee Thompson of Madness, legendary trombonist Rico Rodriguez and Morrissey.
The Blackman Brothers will be playing a mixture of "Soul Classics" and "Motown Melodies", all favourite juke box hits from the 60's and 70's. They feature favourites from many artists including Curtis Mayfield, The Isley Brothers and "Mr Motown", Smokey Robinson.
The band was formed by David and Martin Blackman after a split with the then very popular band "Soul Express". Other members of the Blackman Brothers are Martin Luckhurst - guitar, Ashley Pepper - keyboards and Grant Young - bass, all musicians who have been playing for many years in a variety of different successful line-ups. David and Martin Blackman both sing lead and harmony vocals and add additional rhythm guitar and percussion. The band will have with them on the stage at the Black Horse festival, the amazing "Bob's Brass", the horn section that formerly played with the popular soul band "Time Machine". They stole the show at Black Horse '95 and have done so again every time they have been invited back.
It's time he had a mention! Clive Drew-Clifton (from Pilot Sound studio) has been doing the front-of-house sound for a number of years. It's a non-stop job from early Friday through to Monday night, with only the occassional break if a band have their own engineer, but then he is still on hand for an emergency. A big hand please!
Oh, alright, there's others as well - too numerous to mention - who help put on the event. Thanks to all!
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