March 2011 Acoustic Blues Weekend at The Artrix, Bromsgrove
Posted on: Dec 29, 2010 by John Anderson
Euroblues Promotions Limited and The Artrix, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire presents an ‘Acoustic Blues Weekend’ of workshops, jams and performance. Mark your calendar for Friday 4th March to Sunday 6th March 2011.
The programme will offer classes starting Friday from 1pm to 5pm and an evening jam/open mic session from 8pm to midnight for ‘participants only’. On Saturday, classes will run from 10am to 5pm followed by a public staff concert at 8pm. On Sunday, classes will run from 10am to 4pm. The classes will cater for all levels and we recommend you bring along a portable recorder for future reference.
Born in London, Eddie Martin started playing acoustic guitar and harmonica at the age of 16. He became a keen student of Dr Ross and Joe Hill Louis. Today, he is recognised as the outstanding one-man blues band in the UK. With 10 acclaimed CD/DVD releases on Blueblood Records, his 14-year professional career has seen him run numerous workshops for blues guitarists and harmonica players. For the weekend, Eddie’s class is for all levels. Working through a course book, the emphasis is on playing to get you through basic techniques (e.g. bending and trill) to more advanced techniques (e.g. tongue block) using jams and set pieces.
Sonny Black first picked up the acoustic guitar around age 17 when he heard ‘San Francisco Bay Blues’ by the great Jesse Fuller. After years of playing and touring with his band, Sonny has reverted to roots music and now plays fingerstyle blues, ragtime and country. For the weekend, Sonny will have a close look at Open D tuning and explore the use of chords and slide techniques.
Michael Roach from Washington, D.C., is the founder of the European Blues Association and the Director of the annual Blues Week and Acoustic Blues Weekend programmes. With five CD albums to his credit and one instructional DVD (An Introduction to Country Blues Guitar), Michael is firmly established in traditional music circles. For the weekend, he will conduct a finger picking master class. He will teach beginning to advanced chord progressions, rhythm, and demonstrating alternating bass patterns in country blues and ragtime guitar.
The registration fee is £135 (£125 conc) for the weekend. A single day rate for Saturday only is £80 (£75 conc) and includes evening concert followed by the late night jam. The rate for Sunday is £65 (£60 conc). Advance booking is required and all fees are payable to The Artrix Box Office at (01527) 577 330.
Regarding accommodation, we are staying at the Premier Inn Hotel (Bromsgrove, Central). It is a one-minute walk from the arts centre. Their telephone number is 08702 428 000. Furthermore, the Artrix has a list of hotels and other accommodation, including local B&Bs available from the Box Office.
