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Gregory & the Hawk | Les Shelleys: Tom Brosseau & Angela Correa | Laish @ The Albert, Brighton
Type PR Presents:
From USA, two of Fatcat Records' finest...
Gregory and The Hawk
...&
Les Shelleys: Tom Brosseau & Angela Correa
+ Laish (WILLKOMMEN RECORDS)
Date: Saturday 20th November
Venue: The Prince Albert. 48 Trafalgar Street Brighton BN1 4ED (01273 730499)
Time: 2-5pm (Special Matinee show)
Cost: £5 adv More on the door. Tickets from: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/97221
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Gregory And The Hawk
We found Gregory and the Hawk by accident. We were having some pints at Southpaw in Brooklyn when the band came on stage and Meredith Godreau began to sing, instantly stunning everyone in the room. She was in the studio a month later beginning work on her FatCat debut.
A native New Yorker with a captivating voice and a clear gift for songwriting, Meredith began playing both piano and violin from an early age, switching to guitar through high school and college. She began playing solo shows in small venues around New England, and made a few cds to hand out at shows which proved incredibly popular. Word spread fast, and the 2006 heyday of myspace added rocket fuel to the fire. When we talked with her about working together after the Southpaw show, we had no idea that her songs had already sold 15,000 copies, had not seen the 17 pages of cover versions on youtube, and had never been to one of her (more common) solo shows.
The name Gregory And The Hawk was conceived in 2003, initially devised to avoid her being perceived or pigeonholed as a female singer-songwriter (though, perhaps ironically, when pressed for a list of influences Meredith cites Nick Drake, Liz Phair, PJ Harvey). Meredith remained playing alone under that name for a few years, until she met Mike McGuire in New York in 2005. The two played live shows together for several months before teaming up with bassist Jeff Ratner and drummer Adam Christgau (both of New York band Paper And Sand). The four of them recorded the 'Boats And Birds EP', which they self-released in 2006.
Soon after, the four friends moved apart, and so Meredith began playing live with just Jeff on upright bass, and herself on acoustic guitar and vocals. This was how she played most of the shows to support 'In Your Dreams,' the debut album, again self-released in 2007. The only players on 'In Your Dreams' were Meredith, Mike McGuire (who also engineered most of it), and Susan Ambrose. The recording of 'Moenie and Kitchi' was somewhat different; while Mike, Susan and a host of others contributed, many of the instruments were played by the album's producer Adam Pierce (Mice Parade).
The gentle, hook-laden songs of Gregory And The Hawk's mostly solo/acoustic sets have received much of their considerable attention through internet streaming and downloads, resulting in a groundswell of support that belies the fact that up until now, there has been no label, no manager, or indeed any other supportive network to help them on their way. Gregory And The Hawk have but one thing on their side - the ability to craft spellbinding, idiosyncratic pop songs, that sound at once suggestive, familiar, and yet very much of themselves.
http://www.myspace.com/gregoryandthehawk
Les Shelleys
Les Shelleys are an acoustic guitar/vocal duo from Los Angeles, consisting of FatCat’s folk asset Tom Brosseau and his singing partner Angela Correa, better known as the indie-pop singer/songwriter Correatown. Their debut album together, is a collection of tracks taken from a vast body of recorded works – beautiful, harmony-heavy voice and guitar arrangements of American standards and folk traditionals from various points of the last century.
Introduced and encouraged in 2002 by California-based songwriter/film-maker Gregory Page, Brosseau and Correa began with a repertoire of Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie, Sister Tharpe. There is an undeniable timelessness to Tom and Angela’s work here – something we have seen before in Tom Brosseau’s FatCat releases under his own name (three full length albums and a handful of singles) – a gracious and praising nod to the frankness and honesty of the great folk songwriters whose work they recount.
By eschewing textual complexity in favour of a simple acoustic guitar and voice combination, Tom and Angela allow a focus on the purity and sweetness of their intermixed voices. Tapping into those inherently romantic and tender qualities of vocal harmonies that serve pop and folk music so well, an instantly likeable, charming personality is given to a time-tested songbook.
Tom was born and raised in Grand Forks, North Dakota and now resides in LA. He comes from a family background steeped in music - growing up in a house with instruments lining the walls, and learning to play at an early age. He was taught guitar by his grandmother, whilst his grandfather played in a band called Buck and the Bucanneers, that included fiddle and double bass. His grandfather also had a great collection of records, and Tom's early influences included Guy Lombardo and The Inkspots.
Originally from the small town of Yuba City in Northern California, Angela Correa has lived and traveled over much of the world. Over the course of her musical career she has released three full-length albums, two EPs, and licensed songs to other media. She and Tom toured the UK together - performing songs by Correatown, Tom Brosseau and Les Shelleys - to rapturous response.
Their debut, self-titled album as an ensemble will be released by FatCat in November, a flooring collection of arrangements ranging from Bob Dylan to Peter DeRose to Woody Guthrie.
http://www.myspace.com/lesshelleys
Laish
Laish is an old word meaning the tribe of Dan. Laish is also the given name for Daniel Green and company’s musical outlet. Green has been making himself useful amongst the Willkommen Collective, Brighton and London's alternative folk scene. He plays drums and sings with the progressive folk behemoth, Sons of Noel and Adrian, as well as occasionally lending his talents to Laura Marling, Alessi's Ark, The Leisure Society, The Climbers, Shoreline, OCDC, Curly Hair, Redwood Red, Rowan Coupland and Kopek.
Laish play honest, humble, humourous and uplifting songs. Daniel's distinctive voice is joined by an inventive fingerpicking style, unusual vocal harmonies, violin, melodica, rumbling bass and rattling drums. The band that has sprung forth features Ben Gregory and Mike Miles from Curly Hair on rhythm section, violin by folk singer Jo Burke and vocals by Cathy Cardin from Sons of Noel and Adrian and Redwood Red.