For this inaugural tour of our shores, John has secured a comprehensive list of dates the length of the country and one guarantee is that audiences will be captivated by the show he puts on. It helps if you possess an extraordinary flair for nailing the art of entertainment, especially when it comes to marrying the close alliance of wit, satire and conviction with the timeless appeal of the folk-inspired acoustic guitar.
As the tour reached the midpoint, there was no more
appropriate place for an artist like John Craigie to be than the homely
surroundings of a community library. Among the throngs of literary content, the
wares of a travelling troubadour settle and prosper. Such wares mingle in the
guise of stories and songs, often infusing a social awareness, while balancing
the microcosm of personal experience with the progressive tendencies of a wider
world.
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| The label says it all |
At this point, readers can become listeners to grasp more
about the music of John Craigie in the usual sources. This is highly recommended.
Without preaching too much about the obvious, you will discover the archetypal American
folk troubadour. A performer holding onto the traditional ideals that forged
ahead in the sixties, while also applying a nod to Woody Guthrie, without harking
back too much to the past. Most importantly though, John is fully embedded into
the contemporary power of song.
As you would come to expect from a folk singer based in
Portland Oregon, politics does play a small part, but it is probably a more
general liberal outlook on life and perceived social commentary, which
spearheads John’s songs and stage presence. Aside from the songs, many of which
can be found on his albums, this show shed an entertaining light on growing up
and residing on the West Coast and how its communities interact. Ranging from
the relationship between Seattle and Portland, ordering a late night mac ‘n’
cheese to receiving a certain kind of university education and serving brownies
at an election party, the lengthy interludes between songs never outstayed
their welcome.
To launch another successful evening presented by the events
team at Thimblemill Library, Coventry based singer-songwriter Izzie Derry made
a return appearance in the area to share her songs and prove an ideal opening
act for John. Izzie is beginning to make a name on the local scene and what she
brings to the stage is the innovation to stretch her talented vocals. The songs
are showing positive signs of developing alongside how she utilises the
acoustic guitar. She is definitely an artist to look out for as she forges a
path for her music alongside life’s other demands. John’s continual courtesy
towards Izzie added to the cordial atmosphere of an evening that resounded to
the artistry that a single performer and their powerful plugged-in accomplice
can weave.
In what can be a crowded world of the solo acoustic
performer, even those crossing the Atlantic to reach out further, John Craigie
commendably stood out from the posse with a welcoming left field effect.
Hopefully, sufficient interest can be generated from this visit to make these trips
a regular occurrence. Thoughts turn back a decade to when Otis Gibbs first made
tentative steps to share his songs in our listening rooms. If John Craigie
comes even close to replicating the onward trajectory that rolled out from that
point, there will be a load of satisfied music fans throughout the land. Allow
him the space and time, and this guy will deliver.
