I had a lovely time performing at the inaugural Deepdale Festival last month. In a beautiful North Norfolk setting, and with glorious weather, the weekend showcased all the wonderful local talent the area has to offer. There was a friendly, relaxed and welcoming atmosphere and it was a lot of fun having drummer Terry Anderson from The Mojo Preachers join me impromptu during my set.
Congratulations to Jason Borthwick and Chris Haycock for a successful festival, here’s to next year!
Live performance of ‘First Cut is the Deepest’ by Cat Stevens:
Thanks to local photographer Jon Clifton for some excellent photos from my set at the festival. More can be seen at his website:
http://jonclifton.zenfolio.com
Future Radio Show
Music is my passion and I had a great time at Future Radio recently recording my own People’s Playlist radio show, talking about, and playing 12 of my favourite songs. The show will be broadcast on Monday 23rd October at 2pm and also available to listen again on their website. Hear what I’ve selected here:
Norwich Sound and Vision Conference
A week after attending Amplify Introducing, the BBC’s music event in London, where I got to interview Bob Harris, it was really nice to be back at another music conference, Norwich Sound and Vision. There was a full day of insightful panels during the Friday providing a practical guide to revenue, music rights, promoting gigs, building a fan base and connecting with the industry, finishing with an In Conversation with Dave Rowntree of blur.
The first panel I saw was about performing live which is now the single biggest revenue stream for established artists. The FAC (Featured Artists Coalition) and education programme CMU:DIY, who hosted the conference, illustrated the live path that artists take; from open mics and self promoted shows to club gigs, slots at festivals and theatres.
The panel included Rosie Arnold, the promoter at Norwich Arts Centre, who advised on promoting and putting on your own gigs. She stated that it is important to consider every detail and how it is essential to get an engineer to enable the gig to have good sound. She believes in always paying artists and the Arts Centre, when it can, prefers to get local supports for gigs. She finds the best way to sell tickets for gigs is still by talking to people and carrying around tickets with you.
Paul Reed at The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) advised on applying to play festivals and said it was best not to send too much exhaustive information. He felt people were more open to discovery at festivals. Singer songwriter Roxanne de Bastion talked about how she started on her live journey, playing at open mics which then led to her getting longer slots at them. She felt it really helped her hone her craft and also loves the intimacy of performing living room gigs.
During the afternoon session, the discussions moved onto building your artist business and how to choose your business partners. For Roxanne, DIY means do it your way, not necessary to do it all yourself. When finding out who you need to work with she said she always trusts her gut. Chloe Forsyth, music lawyer at Harbottle Lewis, joined the discussion and outlined the different deals that are now available to artists and how to choose what is best for you. The panel also talked about PRS, who help you unlock revenue from compositions and live work, PPL who are concerned with recordings, and digital distributors such as Tunecore, who enable you to get your music to Spotify and iTunes.
In conversation with Dave Rowntree
It was great to hear an In Conversation with blur’s Dave Rowntree who I also saw do a great DJ set at OPEN’s Common People Britpop indie night. He talked through his career journey and how things have changed radically from his early days in the band when they would physically post demos.
Although the channels have changed he acknowledged that it is still just as difficult to break through. He feels a lot is down to luck and good songs. Technology dictates and defines changes in music and a radical difference is how you can now speak directly to fans and that you don’t need a label to get your music on sale.
He also talked about songwriting, how it can be very lucrative, and how to write a hit. His answer was to write 1000 songs and really practice your craft. He told the audience that Damon Albarn writes constantly so you have to absolutely love writing. When asked if he knew a hit when he heard it, he said that although feeling an emotional connection is good, you also need an outside objective, so the rest of band always listens to Damon’s work and give their honest thoughts.
Upcoming Gigs - Oxjam, Tom McRae, Frank’s Bar
Looking ahead to gigs, and I have a few coming up over the next few weeks. I am really proud to be part of Oxjam Norwich and will be playing at the Karma Kafe this Saturday at 5pm. Also performing will be my talented student Breeze Redwine. 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 after party. Full details are here: https://www.facebook.com
I am also excited to be performing for the first time at the John Peel Centre for Creative Arts in Stowmarket supporting singer-songwriter Tom McRae who I really admire. He is one of the most respected songwriters around and has consistently released outstanding and highly acclaimed material. I recently saw his show at Norwich Waterfront and so it’s lovely to be supporting him on the final date of this current tour. For tickets:
www.wegottickets.com/event/412
My next acoustic gig at Frank’s Bar is Sunday 29th October which is a lovely chance for me to play a mixture of original songs as well as favourite songs in an intimate setting. Live music starts around 7.30pm.
OPEN Norwich, Americana night
On November 10th I will be playing a great Americana night at OPEN Norwich. Headliners are wonderful duo Worry Dolls, multi-instrumentalists Zoe Nicol and Rosie Jones, who I saw at Maverick Festival and the Americana Music Association UK conference. Their debut album “Go Get Gone” was released earlier this year.
Also performing are the superb Morganway who will be playing a special stripped back intimate set. It’s going to be a lovely night of Americana.
More information and tickets here:
http://opennorwich.org.uk/what
For all my music news, latest gigs and teaching information, please visit lisaredford.com
Lisa with Bob Harris at Amplify Introducing
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.