#ThrowbackThursday - where we were on this date in Septembers past

Porto, Portugal 

We've often been travelling at the ends of Septembers because Dave's birthday on the 25th is a good excuse to get away! I know then that during late September a decade ago we were visiting Austin, Texas, for the first time with our friends Andy and Barbara. Amongst other memorable experiences, Wednesday the 27th was the evening we went to an amazing small gig at The Cactus Cafe, discovering singer-songwriters Danny Schmidt and Anais Mitchell. They are both still favourites of ours! I wasn't blogging that long ago though so don't have photographs.

Instead, this first photograph is of a huge public sculpture in Porto, Portugal, where we had a long weekend in late September 2013. It rained. A lot! But we did still get out and about taking a tram ride to the coast, being awestruck by the gorgeous Lello bookshop and loving the art deco Fundecao de Serralves park.

Waiting for the tide at La Flotte 

On this day in 2014 we were caravanning on the Ile De Re in western France. This was before I had bought my Roquetas folding bicycle so I wasn't able to totally appreciate the miles of cycle routes criss-crossing the island. I must go back. We did enjoy fresh sardines and several good walks though. I remember the fishing villages here being particularly picturesque. We had to leave on the last day of September though because the campsites were closing down for the winter season. We weren't quite the last to leave and could happily have stayed longer.

St Nicholas' church window 

We were in the UK for the 29th September 2015 and it was the last day of our British summer tour which we had begun in the April. We were near to Weymouth and back on the trail of Lawrence Of Arabia, plaques to whom seem to crop up disproportionately often in our travels. We visited Moreton to see his grave and also the incredible engraved glass windows in nearby St Nicholas church. The day before we had met up with Dave's brother, Andy, and his wife Lynda for a pretty walk that included spying over a hedge to Thomas Hardy's cottage. The cottage is owned by the National Trust which I am considering rejoining, for a year at least, because there are numerous properties across south Devon that we haven't previously visited so a year's joint membership could be worthwhile.

I love being able to look back across my blog posts like this, reminding myself of how much we have done and seen over the years. I wonder where we might be this time next year?

A spot of culture in Tavira!

Bolshoi Ballet Lost Illusions 

Lest you all think that we're spending all our time walking or just lazing around in the sun with good books, today I have indulged in a spot of real culture by Going To The Ballet! There's two cinemas in Tavira, both of which show films in their original languages with Portuguese subtitles. We were browsing the listings at the nearest venue, the Tavira Gran Plaza, less than an hour's walk away, when I spotted the Bolshoi's Lost Illusions! I blogged about this on Theatrical Eastbourne a few weeks ago, not imagining that I'd actually get to see it. The performance was excellent and different to the classical ballets I have seen previously. While it didn't have the spectacle of Don Quixote, it more than made up for that in sheer emotion. The delight, anguish and despair shown through the dances was incredible and the storyline, by ballet standards, was a believable one. A young composer squanders his musical talent and chance of true love in favour of fame and fortune, only to realise that there's more to life than money.

I've supported some new music recently too, two very different artists, the first of which is fundraising on +PledgeMusic and the second on +Kickstarter:
Joan Osborne's new album, Love And Hate, has just 10 days left of its campaign and is at 61% of its target. Pledges start at $10 for a download of the album when it's finished.
Peter Mulvey's new album, Silver Ladder, has 13 days left on the campaign and is already practically at a fantastic 200% of its target! However, Mulvey has exciting ideas for the overspend. Pledges start at $1 for three songs immediately or $10 for a download of the album when its finished.

In one of those 'small world' coincidences, I found this YouTube of Peter Mulvey with Anais Mitchell singing the Magnetic Fields song, Book Of Love. If anyone knows where Dave's heard this song before, can you Comment below?!

I just found another Kickstarter project to back

photo by Rachel Ries 

I love Kickstarter! So far I have backed six projects, three of which have reached their funding goals, two of which haven't and one I backed today which still has 28 days to go - exciting times.

Local-to-me documentary film The Moo Man had a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund its UK cinema release. Two of my favourite Austin musicians Devon Sproule and Sam Baker have both turned to Kickstarter to help with their most recent albums and now I discover through Anais Mitchell that Brooklyn songstress Rachel Ries is fundraising through the platform for her new album Ghost Of A Gardener.

We saw Rachel sing at the Blind Tiger Club in Brighton when she accompanied Anais on the Young Man in America tour in 2012 but this is apparently the first music of her own in five years. Ghost Of A Gardener also features the Austin contingent of Devon Sproule, Paul Curreri, Danny Schmidt and Carrie Elkin - all favourites of mine.

Please pop over to Kickstarter, check out Rachel's music and help out if you like what you hear!

Anais and Jefferson and The Kit and a Blind Tiger

Anais and Jefferson

A wonderful musical evening yesterday with new discoveries, amazing performances, and the promise of two more potentially great gigs in the next couple of months. We went to the Blind Tiger Club in Brighton which I think is a lovely venue but Dave is generally unimpressed by. Plusses are bunting, sparkly lights and Crabbie’s Ginger Beer; minus is mostly the seating which isn’t very comfortable unless you’re first through the door, but at least there is some.

The gig was Vermont singer-songwriter Anais Mitchell who is back in the UK to finally promote the album, Child Ballads, a collaboration with Jefferson Hamer which has been three years in the making. Their painstaking work was obvious in every note and everyone in the club was transfixed from start to finish. The pair have selected English and Scottish folk songs and brought them ‘back home’ with gorgeous Americana harmonies and guitars. I love the recording which we’ve had on the iPod for a while, but seeing the work performed live was breathtaking. Both Anais and Jefferson are so talented and their voices blend together perfectly. I hadn’t seen Jefferson before and he’s certainly worth a look - almost as beautiful as the lace-up leather boots Anais was wearing! The recording seems to favour Anais more but the gig was a definite partnership. If they’re coming anywhere near you over the next couple of months (and the gig isn’t already sold out!) make sure you get yourself a ticket. This one’s a real treat.

This Is The Kit

Anais and Jefferson were preceded by Bristol’s This Is The Kit performing a set of their own songs. Quirky and lyrically interesting, after a slightly nervous start we both were impressed with their singing. Briefly checking them on Facebook, I think the band performs in a variety of combinations around pivotal Kate Stables, and we saw a duo of Kate and Rozi. I wouldn’t necessarily travel especially to see them again, although I’d support a local-to-me gig, but I will be keeping an eye on their future work and will probably download at the weekend if there’s an album available.

The aforementioned potentials started taking shape when I got home from a drab day at work. Dave reminded me of April’s Pete Mulvey gig at Lewes Con Club which we had looked into but not yet got around to booking. I very much like his album and he’s got a great voice, but he’s apparently sharing the bill with Birds Of Chicago who I don’t yet know at all. More research required so I’ll be on YouTube if you need me!

Then as we were rushing to get ready, Dave also mentioned that Rachel Ries is playing in the Brighton Festival Fringe in May. We saw Rachel once before, last year at the Blind Tiger Club in Anais Mitchell’s Young Man band. I’ll be interested to see more of her work, and she is sharing the bill with Brighton’s Emily Baker who I think is really good. Emily played support for a fun Amy Wadge gig at The Greys, several years ago now, and I’m definitely up for hearing how her music has evolved and discovering what she’s doing now.

So that’s Pete Mulvey in Lewes in April and Rachel Ries/Emily Baker at Brighton Festival Fringe in May. Please don’t go buying the last tickets for either until I’ve got mine!