Fresh back from the Virgin Music festival in Barbados and a stint of recording in Texas, internationally acclaimed slide guitar player and songwriter Martin Harley takes to the road in his native country this December. His music has been enjoyed from within London's prestigious Royal Albert Hall to the far reaches of the globe, from Australia to America, Mali to Montreal and almost everywhere in between. Playing both regular guitar and acoustic weissenborn (a traditional Hawaiian style slide guitar played across the lap) you can expect to hear songs from all four studio albums.
Performances at Europe’s biggest festivals including Glastonbury’s Acoustic and Avalon stages, have cemented his popularity within the acoustic roots scene. The home grown, hard touring approach he’s employed over the years has built a strong fan base worldwide. His 'British Americana' sound is influenced by Delta Blues and Gypsy swing mixed with a road worn style of song writing that echoes a life on the move.
Martin’s recordings and live shows alike have prompted such praise as:
"In the Martin Harley the future of British roots and blues is assured" Blues Nights
"Amazing" Johnny Walker BBC radio 2
"Song writing that is staggeringly good, no one is making music like it" Guitarist Magazine
‘Drumrolls for Somersaults' the fourth album, reached number one in the Itunes UK blues chart in April 2010.
Martin’s ‘Blues Gone Green’ bike tour (27 shows over 1200 miles in 31 days on a customised bicycle carrying all his own equipment) and holding the world record for the ‘worlds highest ever gig’ in the Himalayas, has reinforced the idea that ‘This is no ordinary musician’ (Maverick Magazine)
www.martinharley.com
www.martinharleyband.com
Support from Thomas Ford
Thomas Ford is a hard-playing one man blues trio from the UK. His music displays a range of influences, rooted in Delta blues tradition, with an emphasis on playing his own songs in his own style. His enthusiastic live shows have taken him across the UK and into parts of Europe over the past three years, whilst releasing two self-penned albums (2009's 'Separation Street' and 2010's 'Thomas Ford'). Both have received critical acclaim, and have been distributed to audiences, radio stations and press writers from the Eastern block to the East coast of the US. 2011 has been a relatively quiet year, but much is planned for 2012; a new record, a subsequent tour to promote this, mini-tours on the continent and new video clips
http://www.reverbnation.com/thomasford
