http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/leisure/ Stroud News and Journal /leisure/ en-gb Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:03:48 +0000 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:03:48 +0000 http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/leisure/rssterms/ M6 nvincent@newsquest.co.uk (Nigel Vincent) webmaster@digitalmedia.newsquest.co.uk (Tim Joy) http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/resources/images/999889/?type=rsslogo http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/leisure/ http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/leisure/5066667.Lucy_Wainwright_Roche_at_the_Albert/?ref=rss LUCY Wainwright Roche is the daughter of musicians Suzzy Roche, of The Roches, and Loudon Wainwright. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:03:07 +0000 a1f9a2917852d2a54304a64a22f4e1cc http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/leisure/5066621.Celebration_of_Joe_Strummer_at_the_Albert/?ref=rss LOS Mondo Bongo celebrate the music of Joe Strummer, late frontman of The Clash and The Mescaleros, at the Prince Albert in Rodborough on Monday, March 22. The band's name isn't likely to be familiar but the group members should be: Mike Peters, The Alarm's frontman, Simple Minds bassist Derek Forbes, Gary Numan guitarist Steve Harris, and Joe Strummer's post-Clash bandmates Pablo Cook (percussion) and Smiley Culture (drums) from The Mescaleros. The five-man band perform songs made famous by Joe Strummer, who died in December 2002 aged 50. I spoke to Pablo Cook about his relationship with Joe. "Joe was part of my life for more than 20 years, through his music and the music I created with him, and as part of my family - he's my son's godfather." Pablo met Joe when filming a Spaghetti Western style video for his band, The Grid, in Almeria, Spain. "Joe had a house there and we invited him to do a cameo in the video, which he did. We got on very well and sometime later he called me and said 'let's make some music'. "We started off just playing music round the campfire, initially with his wife and my wife and our kids, and it grew from there. "He was an amazing guy, and he didn't work like any other artist I've ever met. It wasn't a case of getting organised. His approach was emotional and spiritual. You never knew how it was going to turn out. "He also had a real kindness about him. On tour with The Mescaleros we'd often find ourselves waiting around at the venue until 5am until he had spoken to every single person who had waited to say 'hi'. "There is a lot of ego in music, and a lot of musicians will disappear out of the back door as quickly as possible after a gig, and get back into their egotistical world. But Joe wasn't like that." As well as Clash and Mescaleros tracks, Los Mondo Bongo's set includes a cover of Jimmy Cliff's The Harder They Come. Recorded spoken-word excerpts from Joe Strummer begin and end the set. Ray Gange of Rude Boy fame will be accompanying the band as DJ. Los Mondo Bongo are at the Prince Albert, Rodborough, on Monday, March 22 at 7.30pm, call 01453 755600. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:51:10 +0000 51382e628ddc03a9b1c9fbfac711c021 http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/leisure/5066589.A_Stroud_Home_Companion/?ref=rss ZADKIEL'S Almanac and Advertiser is an old-style variety show, featuring guest musicians and a cadre cast doing musical numbers and comic skits. It's being recorded for radio before a live audience at The Space on Sunday and will be broadcast on Stroud FM (107.9FM) in April. "It's an English take on the American programme A Prairie Home Companion, which is hosted by Garrison Keillor," said Steve Rowley of Stroud FM. The show's sterling cast is to include folk veteran Johnny Coppin and Stroud accordion/piano maestro Pete Rosser. "We took the name from a publication called Zadkiel's Almanac, which really did exist. It was produced in the 1830s by a man called Richard Jones Morrison, who lived at Sheepscombe House, and it featured his predictions for the future." Zadkiel's Almanac and Advertiser at The Space, Lansdown on Sunday at 7pm. Tickets are available in advance at Kane's for £3, or £5 on the door. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:42:47 +0000 5f61a0e09ae3f58aaccb3e9ac694e3fc http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/leisure/5042763.Stroud_s_got_talent/?ref=rss Review The Door Undiscovered Youth Talent Contest 2010 Sub Rooms STROUD'S got talent - this was proved beyond any reasonable doubt at the Door Project’s Undiscovered Youth Talent contest. Twenty six young people aged 11 to 20 took part in the ninth annual competition having been whittled down from more than 60 applicants. There were singers, dancers, bands and even a ventriloquist (Kieran Powell, who won audience favourite). Talent contests traditionally conjure up images of bad karaoke or knobbly knee contests, for me anyway. This was definitely not the case tonight; in fact I was blown away by the incredibly high standard of performance. Thirteen year old Ellie Higgs (winner of best original composition) truly stood out as a singer and songwriter with individual character and enormous potential. She’s already nailed the elusive skill of being able write and perform with an emotional honesty that almost moved me to tears (I said almost - I’m not Cheryl Cole.) There was a wealth of talented female vocalists and a few really good bands particularly indie-rockers The Envy, who won Best Band, and Inkerman Street, who performed a rousing cover of a King Blues song (all aged between 15 and 18). The Best in Show award went to 11-year-old Penny May who also won the best vocalist aged 11-14 category. By this point I’d clapped so much my hands were seriously chafed and some of the audience had taken to stamping their feet in appreciation instead. Mary Jess Leaverland, the winner from two years previously, returned to do the honours of presenting the many deserved prizes. Having just won The Chinese X Factor, she’s flying the flag high for Gloucestershire as a hothouse of international talent breeding. Some of the contestants from tonight will undoubtedly go on to bigger and better things. I left the event feeling inspired, enthused and very grateful to live in such an exciting, creative part of the world. Who needs the X Factor when you’ve got the Stroud factor? Milly Chowles Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:43:18 +0000 f153bfaae9b3803cc059af1c0c881e58 http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/leisure/5042737.Like_Doris_Day_with_a_bullwhip/?ref=rss ENGLISH Ceilidh band Steamchicken have been likened to 'Doris Day with a bullwhip'. They're harmonica and mandolin led, underpinned by bass, piano, drums, punctuated by a three piece horn section. Harmonica player Ted Crum, one of the band's founder members, is from Coventry and recalls tremendous jam sessions at Jerry Dammers' house in the early 1960s (Jerry went on to form The Specials). And elements of ska are still to be found in the musical melange that is Steamchicken. Check them out at this month's Stroud Ceilidh, at the Sub Rooms on Saturday. Ceilidh starts 8pm, tickets available from the Sub Rooms at £10/£8.50/ accompanied children £5 - 01453 760900. Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:37:59 +0000 50985b3a433b003b2c18e45e7e66eb52 http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/leisure/5042748.Sex_Pistols_svengali_checks_out_the_talent/?ref=rss MALCOLM McLaren, notorious Sex Pistols svengali, and ex-husband of Vivienne Westwood, will be checking out two Stroud bands who have made it through to the regional finals of Live and Unsigned in Cheltenham on March 27. Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:40:52 +0000 01a93ef32a1bf238652bb9ecfd869fce http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/leisure/5042729.Sue_Brown_celebrates_collagraph/?ref=rss ‘LIBERATION, expansion and discovery’. That’s what printmaking means to artist Sue Brown, whose latest exhibition, A Celebration of Collagraph, opens at the Museum in the Park on Saturday. Sue's work is inspired by animals, birds and nature, and is rich in colour, pattern and texture. She studied etching to degree level in the late 1970s at Bristol. In 1996 she added collagraphs to her portfolio of work after discovering this printmaking technique being taught at Wynstones Steiner School near Gloucester. The process involves making a collage, sealing the surface with varnish, then inking and printing the plate with an etching press. The technique provides intaglio prints with deeply textural surfaces. It is also safe and non-toxic and stunning results can be achieved with basic everyday household materials. If you want to find out more, come and meet Sue in the gallery on Sunday, from 2pm to 4pm. She will be demonstrating her craft, sharing her passion for printmaking and answering questions about her work. Sue will also be leading taster workshops for adults on Saturday, March 27, and a drop in Mother's Day card making session for families with children aged 5 - 12 on Sunday, March 14. For further information call 01453 763394. A Celebration of Collagraph - prints by Sue Brown, at The Museum in the Park Gallery, opens Saturday and continues until April, open Tuesday to Sunday, admission free. Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:35:25 +0000 03445a4f10ac5db536fad91b480e7da6 http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/leisure/5042700.Brother__it_s_not_thou/?ref=rss TWENTY-one year old Jenna Witts’ latest album, released in January, is called Brother but it’s not about her brother. Her first album is called Barefoot and Eager, and it is about her brother. Her brother thinks both albums are about him, and because of this he currently has ‘a bit of a big head’. When she was 13, Jenna's family had a barbecue in the back garden, and she played a couple of songs that she had written. By some fortuitous twist of fate, her grandparents had invited one of their bowls playing friends along who, it turned out, was the mum of folk veteran Steve Knightley. She was so impressed that she brought Steve round the next day to hear Jenna for himself. Jenna repeated the songs for Steve, in her sitting room, as he sipped a cup of tea on the sofa. He too was impressed and has since been instrumental in bringing her talent to a wider audience. Barefoot and Eager was named one of the Financial Times Top 10 world albums of 2007, and songs from the current album have received airplay on Radio 2 by Aled Jones and Bob Harris. Jenna is at the Prince Albert in Rodborough on Tuesday, March 9 at 7.30pm. Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:26:28 +0000 c84d92c3684d9ca1d2b48795385a283f http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/leisure/5026321.Gloucester_Symphony_Orchestra_at_the_Subs/?ref=rss GLOUCESTERSHIRE Symphony Orchestra introduces former leader of the Gloucestershire Youth Orchestra and Gloucestershire Young Musician finalist, Beatrice Scaldini (violin) in a thrilling performance of Prokofiev`s 1st violin concerto in D Major at the Sub Rooms on Saturday, February 27. Born in Florence, Beatrice has benefited from an eclectic range of musical experiences in both in Italy and the UK. As a violinist she is equally at home in both the modern and period performance spheres. Beatrice trained at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole in Florence, graduating with full marks and honours in 2006, then at Trinity College of Music, gaining a Postgraduate diploma with Distinction. She was subsequently awarded the Newby Trust Scholarship to continue her studies at the Royal Academy of Music with Lydia Mordkovich and Mateja Marinkovic. She is now specialising in Historical Performance under the guidance of Walter Reiter. Also in the programme are Ravel`s magical Mother Goose Suite and the serene Mozart Symphony no 35, the Haffner. Gloucestershire Symphony Orchestra is at the Sub Rooms on Saturday, February 27 at 7.30pm, £10/£8/ - under 18s free, call 01453 760900. Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:18:47 +0000 03c69263a4801e5e358369602afa06c7 http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/leisure/5026358.Youth_talent_discovered_at_the_Subs/?ref=rss Review The Door Undiscovered Youth Talent Contest 2010 Sub Rooms STROUD'S got talent - this was proved beyond any reasonable doubt at the Door Project’s Undiscovered Youth Talent contest. Twenty six young people aged 11 to 20 took part in the ninth annual competition having been whittled down from more than 60 applicants. There were singers, dancers, bands and even a ventriloquist (Kieran Powell, who won audience favourite). Talent contests traditionally conjure up images of bad karaoke or knobbly knee contests, for me anyway. This was definitely not the case tonight; in fact I was blown away by the incredibly high standard of performance. Thirteen year old Ellie Higgs (winner of best original composition) truly stood out as a singer and songwriter with individual character and enormous potential. She’s already nailed the elusive skill of being able write and perform with an emotional honesty that almost moved me to tears (I said almost - I’m not Cheryl Cole.) There was a wealth of talented female vocalists and a few really good bands particularly indie-rockers The Envy, who won Best Band, and Inkerman Street, who performed a rousing cover of a King Blues song (all aged between 15 and 18). The Best in Show award went to 11-year-old Penny May who also won the best vocalist aged 11-14 category. By this point I’d clapped so much my hands were seriously chafed and some of the audience had taken to stamping their feet in appreciation instead. Mary Jess Leaverland, the winner from two years previously, returned to do the honours of presenting the many deserved prizes. Having just won The Chinese X Factor, she’s flying the flag high for Gloucestershire as a hothouse of international talent breeding. Some of the contestants from tonight will undoubtedly go on to bigger and better things. I left the event feeling inspired, enthused and very grateful to live in such an exciting, creative part of the world. Who needs the X Factor when you’ve got the Stroud factor? Milly Chowles Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:26:21 +0000 cba8bb817e310db9b88fac8bbd16108a