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Sunday 20 February 2011

contribute to democracy protesters' communication

the ability to communicate and organise through the net and digital formats generally has been crucial to the upsurge in democracy movements in the middle east - and elsewhere. corrupt regimes try to shut downs these channels of communications. avaaz, the campaigning organisation, is raising money to help strengthen and maintain them. learn more and contribute - http://0tw.it/kuo

Thursday 17 February 2011

setlist for fans' gig - sat 5th march

here's the probable setlist for the fans' gig and the gig on the following tuesday at the good intent in rochester (see http://www.myspace.com/thesimonhopperband or earlier blog for details).

it's a mixture of old favourites and new work - some tracks from 'resolute love' the newest cd, and unrecorded material. it may be changed, tweaked, amended or otherwise tampered with, however, as the songwriter's mood shifts and changes between now and the gig date.

1 Resolute Love G/4
2 Dandelion Seeds Cm/4
3 Long Time Gone G/4
4 Bodies In The Way D/4
5 Solid Ground D/4
6 Orange Room Ab/4
7 The Ballad Of The Suffolk Five Eb/4
8 Jeffrey And Robert And I D/3
9 The Grain Is In The Wood Em/4
10 I Fell By The River G#m/3

1 Two In The Margins Dm/3
2 Everything Em/4
3 And I Have A/4
4 Three Promises D/4
5 What You Do C/4
6 Lord Mancroft's Reply C#m/4
7 Warp And Weft Bb/4
8 A Body Needs A Body To Hold C/3
9 Forgive The Child E/4
10 Move Gracefully G/3

E Oh Sally Ann G/4

Friday 11 February 2011

gigs in march

Saturday, March 5 - 7:30pm

Annual Fans' Gig
Four-piece
Sundridge Park Lawn Tennis & Squash Rackets Club Lawn Close, off Garden Road, Bromley, Kent BR1 3NA / 020 8464 9106
Entry free with collection
http://www.spltsrc.co.uk/
British Rail to Sundridge Park or Bromley South / Buses 261, 314


Tuesday, March 8 - 7:30pm

The Good Intent
Trio
John Street, Rochester, Kent, ME1 1YL / 0871 223 8000
Entry tbc
http://www.myspace.com/goodintentrochester

resolute love reviewed #2

After their 2010 summer tour, Simon Hopper and Andee Price locked themselves in Quantum Leap Studios, Kent for a few days in order to capture the songs and the essence of the live performance energy they enjoyed on tour. They wanted to give their album the spontaneity and 'raw' edges of a live album with the minimum of edits.

It's true that the vocals and instruments sound as if they are actually 'live', with Simon playing mandolin and mandola, and Andee on double bass. Both their voices complement each other, each with their own space, alternating whenever necessary... Just listen to 'Solid Ground' and 'Oh Sally Ann', or the magical 'What You Do'.

The 'live' recording gives this album a warm sensation, an emotional feel, too, in spite of the rather playful rhythms found in most tracks. Simon Hopper's voice is warm and deep, bringing you close to him and wrapping you up tight. In tracks such as 'Two In The Margins', it becomes even surreal, unearthly, when accompanied by the sound of the double bass.

There are only eight tracks in this album; unfortunately only eight because we would have liked the journey to continue for ever and ever. The only thing to do is press 'Play' and you can go on your travels again together with Simon and Andee in a world where everything, absolutely everything, is love. This is the kind of musical journey we would like to never end.

http://bluesmatters.com/magazine/

Buy at; www.simonhopper.co.uk/buy