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Woody Pines (Jonathan Woods to his mum) had been writing and playing as well as any of his generation long before producing his debut solo album in 2005.
The material is rich in character and redolent of place, namely rural, real America. His style has been compared to Paul Burch and his presentation likened to Mark Olson, but he'd dug even deeper for his source inspiration, with a passion for the early ragtime and jug band greats.
Earlier, those leanings set him off on a musical journey which led him to form the highly-rated Kitchen Syncopators with Gill Landry (Old Crow Medicine Show) who performed everywhere from New Orleans to Seattle's Folklife Festival and the Oregon Country Fair.
After striking out on his own and moving to Asheville, western North Carolina, his repertoire was re-shaped to create a pleasing blend of old-time/juke joint/country blues so authentic and evocative you'd swear they might be period pieces.
The 2007-issued Lonesome Shack Blues with its great pickin' and just-right lightness of touch, won him an even bigger following among the kinda folks who seek their musical fix courtesy of Professor Longhair or Mississippi John Hurt.
Woody Pines Circa '09 is now a person and a band, his playing companions - Zack Pozebanchuk (bass), Darin Gentry (fiddle) and Nathan Taylor (drums) - providing so much brotherly support and bonhomie they are now one and the same and have adopted the stage name.
In between a busy touring schedule that has taken them to venues and festival stages from Wisconsin, Washington, Oregon and Michigan to Indiana, Texas, Tennessee, West Virginia and Ohio, they recorded killer tracks for the widely-acclaimed new album, Counting Alligators which has been picking up rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic.
The album reunited Woody with Gill, who helped out on a bunch of the studio sessions in Nashville.
The Mountain Express, labelled Woody an "old soul and natural performer playing like an all-state champ who took to hopping trains and frequenting speakeasies".
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Thurs March 18: FREE
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Fri March 19: Snowdrop Inn, Lewes, East Sussex
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Sat March 20: The Globe Hotel, Topsham, by Exeter, Devon Tickets from 0139 877895 or 873407 |
| Sun March 21: Aberystwyth Arts Centre - www.aberystwythartscentre.co.uk |
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| Mon March 22: Theatre Mwldan, Cardigan - www.mwldan.co.uk |
| Tues March 23: Victoria Hotel, Menai Bridge, Anglesey. Tickets ( £10) from 01248 353020 |
| Wed March 24: FREE |
| Thurs March 25: The Maze, Nottingham |
| Fri March 26: The Tolbooth, Stirling, (with Ramsay Midwood and Doghouse Roses) www.stirling.gov.uk/tolbooth |
| Sat March 27: The Village Hall, Gartmore |
| Sun March 28: Crofthead Hall, Neilston, East Renfrewshire |
| Mon March 29: FREE |
| Tues March 30: The Old Library, Kilbarchan. Tickets (£15) from 01505 706070. |
| Wed March 31: The Pleasance Cabaret Bar, Edinburgh - www.edinburghfolkclub.org.uk |
| Thurs April 1: Acoustic Music Club, Kirkcaldy |
| Fri April 2: Birnam Arts Centre - www.birnamarts.com |
| Sat April 3: Jumpin Hot Club @ The Cluny 2, Newcastle-upon-Tyne - www.jumpinhot.com |
| Sun April 4: Heart of Hawickauditorium - www.heartofhawick.co.uk |
| Tues April 6: The Eastgate Theatre, Peebles - www.eastgatearts.com |
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It is four years since "the hillbilly hurricane from Kansas City, Missouri", aka The Wilders, first arrived in the UK to start blowing us all away.
Since then, they have returned each year and won a reputation as one of the most highly-charged and entertaining acts to tour here.
Following their first sensational sell-out run at The Famous Spiegeltent during Edinburgh Festival Fringe, they carried of a coveted Herald Angel (the equivalent of an Oscar) for their outstanding contribution to the event, and collected a clutch of five-star reviews.
That led to television and radio sessions, headline summer festival slots and a sell-out show at Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall during Celtic Connections in January, 2009 (filmed and televised by BBC 2).
Their latest album (their fourth), 'Someone's Got To Pay', charted in America where it won alt-country Album of The Year title in the Independent Music Awards. A brand new release is on the way.
The Sold Out signs went up when the band last toured here. The Scotsman told readers: "They generate the kind of tunes that should by rights leave vapour trails".
Long ago established on the US festivals circuit as a "white-hot" act, the Stateside quotes tell the same tale.
"If this were old Salem, they'd be burned at the stake. They play like they're possessed," said one reviewer.
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| Thurs May 6: Borough Theatre, Abergavenny www.boroughtheatreabergavenny.co.uk |
| Fri May 7: Park & Dare Theatre (Rhondda Rocks Music Festival), Treorchy, Glamorgan www.cynonvalley.co.uk |
| Sat May 8: Theatr Harlech www.theatrharlech.com |
Sun May 9: Taliesin Arts Centre, Swansea www.taliesinartscentre.co.uk |
| Mon May 10: FREE |
| Tues May 11: Aberystwyth Arts Centre www.aberystwythartscentre.co.uk
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| Weds May 12: FREE |
| Thurs May 13: The Welfare Hall, Ystradgynlais, Swansea www.thewelfare.co.uk |
| Fri May 14: Theatr Mwldan, Cardigan www.mwldan.co.uk |
| Sat May 15: Wyeside Arts centre, Builth Wells, Powys www.wyeside.co.uk |
| Sun May 16: Galeri, Caernarfon www.galericaernarfon.com |
| Mon May 17: FREE |
| Tue May 18: FREE |
| Wed May 19: Strule Arts Centre, Omagh www.struleartscentre.co.uk |
| Thur May 20:Town Hall, Bangor www.northdown.gov.uk |
| Fri May 21: Flowerfield Arts Centre, Portstewart www.flowerfield.org |
| Sat May 22: Market Place Theatre, Armagh www.marketplacearmagh.com |
| Sun May 23: Black Box, Belfast www.movingonmusic.co.uk |
| Mon May 24: FREE |
| Tues May 25: Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny wwww.eaf.ie |
| Wed May 26: Nesbitt Arms Hotel, Ardara, Co Donegal www.ardarafestivals.com |
| Thurs, May 27: Séamus Ennis Cultural Centre, Naul, Fingal, Co Dublin |
| Fri May 28: Bath International Music Festival www.bathmusicfest.org.uk |
| Sat May 29: Radcliffe Centre, Buckingham www.empty-rooms.com |
| Sun May 30: The Tunnels, Temple Meads, Bristol |
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Everyone's talking about them as the hottest new act on the rootsy Americana scene and ever since UK radio started playing tracks from the sensational new album, Fields of Fescue in December, and Americana UK awarded the CD an 8-out-of-10 rating, describing the release as "blisteringly good", the word has spread like an out-of-control bushfire right across Europe too.
As a result, the album soared to the Number 11 slot on the Euro Americana Chart after so many contributors - mostly music journalists and radio presenters who send in returns - included it as one of their latest fave raves.
Meanwhile, Scotland’s most highly-respected music writer, Rob Adams, writing in The Herald, has described the band as “a treasure” while reviewing the album for The Herald. Awarding Fields of Fescue and 4-out-of-5 rating, he said:
“The American roots music motherlode just keeps producing treasure, none more winsome and exciting than this quartet who take their name from one of Virginia's most prominent peaks and their repertoire largely from the old-time, bluegrass and folk ballad traditions.
“Combining unadorned, honest singing with fiddle tunes that evoke both keening bagpipes and lonesome train whistles, interlaced with brilliantly audacious mandolin breaks, Furnace Mountain sound like a marriage between Be-Good Tanyas and the best bits of Nickel Creek - except with true Appalachian soil caked onto their boots"
The band will arrive in the UK for their first ever tour here in September and most of the dates (Scotland, England and Wales) have already been snapped up due to the "must book 'em" demand. |
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| Thurs Sept 16: Regal Theatre, Bathgate, West Lothian |
| Fri Sept 17: Eastgate Theatre, Peebles, Scottish Borders |
| Sat Sept 18: Dark Holler Day festival, The Tolbooth Theatre, Stirling |
| Sun Sept 19: Glasgow (venue tbc) |
| Mon Sept 20: FREE |
| Tues Sept 21: The Old Library, Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire |
| Wed Sept 22: Edinburgh (venue tbc) |
| Thurs Sept 23: Jumpin' Hot Club, The Cluny, Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
Fri Sept 24: Span Arts Centre, Narbeth, Wales
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| Saturday, Sept 25: The Maze, Nottingham |
| Sun Sept 26: Victoria Hotel, Menai Bridge, Anglesey. Tickets from 01248 353020 |
| Mon Sept 27: FREE |
Tues Sept 28: Saint Bonaventure's Parish Social Club, Bristol |
| Wed Sept 29: FREE |
| Thurs Sept 30: Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline, Fife |
| Fri Oct 1: Crofthead Hall, Neilston, Renfrewshire |
Sat Oct 2: FREE
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Sun Oct 3: Fest 'n' Furious Weekend, Dundee
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