I have had a busy time recently playing some great local gigs and enjoyed a fun evening of live music last month at The Garage, Norwich celebrating the release of my student Breeze Redwine’s debut EP ‘Trust’ which has received lots of airplay on BBC Introducing as well as many other radio stations across the world.
There was a really supportive and enthusiastic audience for Breeze who shone on stage and demonstrated her amazing versatility as an artist. She performed original tracks, as well as favourite songs and duets with myself and local songwriters Kolin Durier and Grant Ley who also performed sets on the night.
Here are some live videos from the evening:
“Heal” Tom Odell cover https://youtu.be/al8YcJmLK-k
“Yours” Ella Henderson cover. Breeze Redwine and Lisa Redford duet:
Breeze performing her self-written song “Danger in the World” which appears on EP ‘Trust’:
Lisa Redford “Never Was a Yesterday”: https://youtu.be/447KyFaT51E
Thanks to local photographer Ian Edwards for some excellent photos from the evening. They can be seen at his website: http://ianedwardsphotography.zenfolio.com
I also recently performed a special acoustic set at Frank’s Bar on Bedford Street who are hosting live music on Wednesday and Sundayevenings. It’s a lovely intimate setting, also with great food, and provided a nice opportunity for me to play a mixture of original songs as well as tracks by artists I admire including Tom Petty, Ryan Adams, Neil Young, Cat Stevens, and also some indie favourites by the likes of Arctic Monkeys and New Order. The next acoustic session I am playing there is Sunday, October 29th. Live music starts around 8pm.
This weekend is the inaugural Deepdale Festival and I’m really looking forward to performing Sunday at 12pm on the Brick Barn Stage. In a beautiful North Norfolk setting and with an emphasis on showcasing all the wonderful local talent the area has to offer, the line up for the full weekend has now been announced.
There is more information on the festival here on the All Things Norfolk website:
http://www.allthingsnorfolk.com/events-in-norfolk/deepdale-festival.html
Next month I am really proud to be part of Oxjam Norwich and will be playing at the Karma Kafe on Saturday 21st at 5pm. The full line up has also just been announced and as well as Karma Kafe, there will be live music at various venues across the city including The Birdcage, The Mash Tun and Rumsey Wells and later on a funk and soul afterparty. Full details are here: https://www.facebook.com/norwichoxjam/
At OPEN Norwich on Thursday 12th October there will be a fundraising gig in aid of Norwich and Central Norfolk Mind with the aim of giving young artists a chance to perform and help raise money and awareness for the hugely important issue of mental health. Breeze is among the performers on the evening and also on the line up is indie folk duo Red Dear, singer songwriter Ellie Bea and the dark pop of the excellent Hydra Lerna.
The event is called Landscapes of the Mind and earlier on, between 4.30-6.30pm in the OPEN Club Room, a digital workshop for 11-18 year olds is also being run in partnership with the Millennium Library. Based on celebrity culture, the free workshop aims to discuss celebrity culture and its impact on well being. It will provide an opportunity to write, perform, film and edit your own spoken word performance. Organiser Katharine Lyons Burke hopes to organise more events for young people in the future. For more information on the gig and workshop visit here:
http://opennorwich.org.uk/whats-on/gigs-events/lotm/
Grapevine for Music have continued to bring quality acoustic, folk and Americana music to the Guildhall. Also on October 12th Portland-based songwriter John Craigie will be performing as part of his first UK tour following the release of his new album No Rain, No Rose earlier in the year
Musically comparable to legendary songwriter John Prine, Craigie has become renowned as one of the best storytellers of our time. The vagabond troubadour has charmed audiences in all 50 US states and throughout Europe, with a DIY spirit seldom seen these days.
While touring solo and with the likes of Jack Johnson and Todd Snider, Craigie has taken the stage at festivals; sold out venues, intimate house concerts, centre camp at Burning Man and Gregory Alan Isakov’s farm. Craigie’s true home is on the road, playing and singing and telling stories to everyone who wants to listen.
There is excellent local support from Yve Mary B and guitarist Mark Howes who will be starting the evening with sets of soulful, bluesy Americana and Country/Folk.
For more information visit Grapevine for Music’s Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/GrapevineForMusic/
For all my music news, latest gigs and teaching information, please visit lisaredford.com
Talented Norfolk Singer and Songwriter Lisa Redford will be teaching Guitar and Ukulele at Wensum Lodge, King Street in Norwich this Spring. These are exciting new music courses being launched in association with Norfolk County Council Adult Learning with taster sessions and 10 week beginners courses.
Passionate about teaching music, Lisa Redford is a local musician and professional music tutor who has been described by legendary BBC broadcaster Bob Harris as "one of our finest singer songwriters". Lisa has earned worldwide acclaim for her heartfelt acoustic music and her original songs have featured on BBC Radio 2 and other radio stations worldwide. Having taught locally for over 10 years as well as in Manchester and New York City, Lisa loves sharing her skills and experience as a touring musician and has performed, written and recorded many songs.
In her latest feature for All Things Norfolk, Lisa focuses on the exciting launch of her fundraising single in aid of Future Radio "This Fine City" about Norwich and how we're all coming together znd overcoming this tough time.
"I began volunteering at Future Radio in 2018, regularly hosting the Afternoon Session and also briefly covering NR Sounds which showcases bands and artists from Norwich and the surrounding areas of Norfolk and North Suffolk. It has been so rewarding and enjoyable to be part of the station - certainly been a real buzz broadcasting live to listeners and sharing my passion for music"
All Things Norfolk business member, singer-songwriter and music tutor Lisa Redford has written and recorded a brand new song at home during the lockdown "From Afar"
Lisa got her inspiration for writing this song when walking in her local area in Norwich and seeing a poster in a window which said "know you are loved from afar" . The song is all about missing loved ones but knowing that we can still love and care from them "From Afar" until we meet again. Once the song was written Lisa then recorded an acoustic version of it from her home studio.
We highly recommend that you take a listen to "From Afar" by visiting https://lisaredford.bandcamp.com/track/from-afar and support this talented local artist by purchasing the song digitally for £1 . You can also view the video by visiting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfnukKmLcqc
It has been a little while since my last All Things Norfolk column. I had a really busy summer playing lots of festivals in the area and further afield. Here in Norfolk I really enjoyed performing at the first F-19 festival, a major new music festival in Feltwell at the stunning St Mary’s Church; all profits from the festival went towards the upkeep of this stunning medieval building.
I was also part of a brilliant line-up for The Waterfront Sessions. It was an all day promoted by The Tilting Sky celebrating some of the regions finest country and Americana artists by the riverside at Norwich Waterfront and it really showcased the wealth of talent here.
In July I also released a single Let Go - the second from my latest EP Edge of Love. It has been receiving some lovely airplay on many stations and shows including BBC Introducing Norfolk. Edge of Love has continued to get great reviews, so much so that I’m excited to be releasing a new single I Just Can’t Forget next month. The ballad, like all of my songs, comes from the heart and has a more soulful country sound with harmonies, piano, pedal steel acoustic and electric guitar
It features terrific local musicians: The Vagaband’s Jose McGill - who also produced the EP - plus Mark Howes from local blues duo Dove and Boweevil and Mikey Shaw on drums. The single has already been performed live in session for Whispering Bob TV’s Under the Apple Tree - intimate live acoustic sessions recorded in the home studio of legendary BBC broadcaster Bob Harris - certainly one of the highlights of my career so far!
I am really excited that the PledgeMusic crowdfunding campaign for my next release is already at 86%! A huge thank you to all those of you who have pledged or shared the project. As an independent artist it really means a lot.
Recording for the new EP has just finished here in Norwich and it has been a really productive and exciting process. As mentioned, I am working with the super talented musician and producer José McGill – band-leader of the award-winning local band Vagaband – who has created some beautiful arrangements and played an array of instruments.
There is also a host of other local musicians who have been involved. Noel Dashwood – from Norwich based folk trio Alden Patterson and Dashwood - has contributed his wonderful dobro and harmonies. We have performed live together in the area playing festivals such as Folk East in Suffolk and supporting Sarah Darling and Eliza Carthy at Norwich Waterfront and OPEN. He will be performing with his trio at Epic Studios on 22nd November opening for renowned folk artists Show of Hands.