Sheehans Acoustic Avalon

Iain Archer

Archer began his career with a move from Belfast to Glasgow in the mid 90's where he made two albums with Sticky Records, an Ayrshire based indie label. These early works led to him being invited to tour as support act to John Martyn, where he formed a friendship with the legend and accompanied him on vocals.

Soon Archer was asked to join forces with Snow Patrol and spent a year on the road and in the studio. During this time Iain was involved in co-writing key tracks on Snow Patrol's soon-to-be breakthrough album 'Final Straw', which would later earn him an Ivor Novello Award.

A string of successful solo albums have followed. We are very much looking forward to his appearance and are indebted to Taylor Guitars and Fender GB for bringing him to Acoustic Avalon

More info → www.iainarcher.co.uk

Yvonne Bloor

Yvonne Bloor teaches guitar in Leicester and has studied with Professor Michael Lewin of the Royal Academy of Music and Nicola Hall. She has worked as a specialist guitar examiner for the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and for Trinity Guildhall and given a series of lectures on learning the guitar at Trinity College London. She has also been a regular monthly contributor to Guitar Magazine.

Yvonne has played in concerts throughout this country and abroad and has broadcast on Radio Leicester. She has performed in master classes given by John Mills, Carlos Bonnell, Gary Ryan and Simon Dinnigan and has played with the Graff Orchestra of Great Britain as soloist in Schubert’s Sonata Arpeggione and with the Knighton Chamber Orchestra playing Rodrigo's Fantasia para un Gentilhombre.

Julie Ellison

Julie has earned a reputation as one of the UK’s leading female guitarists. In the words of one reviewer: “Julie is not just ‘good for a girl’, she is a true guitarist’s guitar player”.

Her music draws from ragtime, country blues, rock and classical influences to create a diverse range of original songs and guitar instrumentals, interwoven with inventive re-workings of classical pieces and guitar standards.

Julie is a columnist with ‘Acoustic’ magazine alongside the likes of jazz star Martin Taylor; regularly attracts press coverage from both specialist music magazines and mainstream publications; makes frequent broadcasts of live performances on BBC radio and has appeared on Yorkshire TV’s magazine programme ‘Calendar’.

She has given concert performances at arts centres, theatres, guitar festivals and music festivals across the UK.

Our thanks to Rotosound strings for sponsoring Julie's appearance at Acoustic Avalon.

More info → www.julieellison.co.uk

Steve Fairclough

Steve Fairclough spent most of the 90's as the International Demonstrator for Takamine & Parker Guitars and KORG keyboards.

He toured throughout Europe and America playing at all the major Music Industry Shows, and built a reputation as a consummate musician and composer. His work featured on many promotions and features. His demonstration tracks were featured by leading Sound Magazines in England and America, and he was involved with the voicing of the early "Toneworks" range of Effects from KORG.

He stopped touring in 2000 after being invited to play at the "Muriel Andersons All Star Guitar Nite" in Nashville, and in his career has worked alongside such diverse musicians as Brian May, Pat Martino, Billy Cobham, James Burton, Martin Taylor to name but a few.

After 6 years heading his own highly successful Sound Design company (www.stevefairclough.com), he still continues to write for TV and Film, but now he has now returned to the Music Industry, with a new enthusiasm and desire to spread the word about Breedlove Guitars.

In Steve's words, "these guitars are phenomenal. They have a great story to tell and a fine pedigree to back it up, and I cant wait to get out on the road to tell guitarists all about."

Steve Fairclough appears at Acoustic Avalon 2009 courtesy of Breedlove Guitars.

More info → www.stevefairclough.com

Sophia Johnson

Sophia Johnson always wanted to be a guitarist. Transfixed by Michael J Fox's rendition of Johnny B Goode in Back To The Future, the deal was sealed by her guitar, banjo, dobro and steel-guitar playing dad, Stewart, encouraging 'proper' classical guitar lessons but peppering the serious musical education with Beatles and Chuck Berry riffs. With the mixing of genres and influences playing a big part in Sophia's style from the earliest stage and a passion for acoustic guitar in it's many forms becoming clear, it was no surprise that her first major gig was with Birmingham-based jazz/classical/latin/flamenco fusion group Trio Gitano - recording a critically acclaimed album and playing a number of prestigious national shows on the cusp of the late 1990's acoustic guitar resurgence. Ever pushing the boundaries of genres and looking beyond conventional influences, Sophia developed a fascination with 2 wildly different, but hugely influential players - Django Reinhardt and Clarence White. Mixing the bluegrass and gypsy jazz styles of these players has brought Sophia to where she is today - taking a leading role in her original bluegrass and western swing band, The Toy Hearts and garnering wide attention in Europe and the USA including the prestigious accolade of being the first ever British female guitarist to feature in Flatpick Guitar Magazine.
Just back from a US tour that saw The Toy Hearts play major festivals and shows in Indiana, Oklahoma, Austin, Dallas, Houston and Nashville, Sophia is currently writing material for the band's third album, due to be recorded in Nashville in early 2010, and preparing for a European tour in December 2009 with the multi IBMA award-winning Steep Canyon Rangers.

www.toyhearts.co.uk

Thomas Leeb

Austrian born Thomas Leeb plays a style he calls 'the bastard child of acoustic fingerstyle'. This style owes as much to percussive techniques as traditional fingerstyle guitar as his tunes are usually punctuated by slaps, pops and beats. Adding to the overall effect is his frequent use of ringing harmonics. The resulting blur of busy hands and fingers has to be seen to be believed.

His repertoire consists of self-penned numbers, traditional tunes and occasional covers of Guns 'n' Roses, Bjork and Bob Marley songs..

Leeb released his first album, the now out of print Reveller, as a precocious 17 year old. However, his unique style didn't come into full force until his 1999 album Riddle. He has since released four further albums and toured Asia, North and South America and Europe.

Along the way he has picked up a number of influential fans such as Eric Roche who was his guitar teacher, "for about five minutes and then I heard him play" and Guthrie Govan who thinks that "what Thomas does on an acoustic guitar probably shouldn't be legal.".

Our thanks to George Lowden guitars for sponsoring Thomas at Acoustic Avalon

More info → www.thomasleeb.com

Chris Newman & Steve Lockwood

aka Hot Lips and Chilli Fingers.

Steve met Chris about six years ago when he turned up for a studio session for an album Chris was putting together. They found much in common and the magic was there.

Their music is an eclectic mix of both original and cover songs from the last 80 years, although you may not remember the first time they were released they have timeless appeal.

The range of styles are beautifully packaged in a seamless roller coaster ride through traditional music. These international musicians have recorded and toured extensively over the last 20 years.

Chris Newman & Steve Lockwood appear at Acoustic Avalon courtesy of Collings Guitars.

More info → www.steve.ms/index.php?id=226

Michael Messer

Michael Messer was born in Middlesex in 1956. Throughout his childhood and teens
he played rock music with his two brothers and in various local bands. In his early
twenties, Messer spent time in Nashville where he had the chance to meet and hear
some of the ‘greats’ of country music performing in their home environment.
These included Roy Acuff, Hank Snow and Johnny Cash. Back home in England in the
late seventies, Messer was mastering the art of Mississippi delta blues slide guitar,
buying his first National steel guitar in 1979. He began playing blues gigs, both as a
solo artist and in various local bands in the early eighties

"Michael Messer is a virtuoso slide guitarist who has one of the best bands performing
some of the greatest blues tunes produced this century. His playing encompasses the
entire history of the blues but is totally individual and contemporary. His use of
turntables in the band adds a new element to the music and Messer’s
haunting vocals ooze authenticity and integrity. The American magazine, ‘Spirit’
listed Michael as one of the greatest slide guitarists ever alongside
Duane Allman and Ry Cooder". Dave Tracey

More info → www.michaelmesser.com

Jayson Norris

Since his arrival to the UK, Jayson Norris has successfully started his own label Rangiputa Records; composed, produced, designed and marketed his debut album ‘A Basket Full’; played some of London’s biggest festivals including Love box 2007, Secret garden festival 2006, Toast 2006,2007.
Jayson has built up a cult following in London and the UK with sell out gigs; featured on the Popworld compilation album along side Rogue Traders, Westlife and Lil Chris; Toured and supported Dave Dobbyn on his UK tour; supported kiwi artists such as Anika Moa, Breaks co-op, The Black Seeds, Hayley Westenra, Bruce Conlon (Eight), The Thin men, Nathan King (Zed) and Jason Kerrison (Opshop).
Jayson has also shared the stage with international acts such as Andrea Boccelli, where he sang backing vocals and played in front of other international stars some of which include Bjork, Paul McCartney and Will Young.
Combining his rich, earthy voice with carefully written songs, Jayson’s cultural, musical, Maori and New Zealand heritage is subtly reflected within his sound of acoustic roots/rock.

Jayson is appearing thanks to the support of Yairi guitars.

More info → www.myspace.com/jaysonnorris

Gareth Pearson

Gareth is an acoustic guitarist and composer from Cwmbran, South Wales UK. He has performed at festivals and concerts worldwide and was personally invited to the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society in Nashville by Tommy Emmanuel and by Southside Johnny to perform at their annual New Years Eve concert in New Jersey at the tender age of 17.
Gareth has a formidable string of concerts and guitar festivals behind him including The Montreal Jazz Festival and regularly conducts guitar workshops when appearing at festivals.

Along with Tommy Emmanuel and Jan Akkerman, Gareth has toured and performed with Andy Mckee, John Renbourn, Ray Davies of the Kinks, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, and other well known guitarists and musicians.
Gareth’s influences are wide, but his own distinctive voice is clearly audible in his own compositions. In performance, his “Exuberance of Youth” as one fellow musician put it, is clearly evident.

Our thanks to G7th Capos for sponsoring Gareth at Acoustic Avalon.

More info → www.garethpearson.com

Steven Sproat

We are delighted to bring something a litle different to Acoustic Avalon in the form of Ukulele virtuoso Steven Sproat. Ex Redcoat Steven has 3 albums and singles to his name, and has performed with the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain at Ronnie Scotts, as well as solo performances at festivals in New York and Dublin. He is the author of 3 books on the Ukulele, and carries out workshops regularly around the country.

Steven is appearing courtesy of Lanikai and Kala Ukuleles.

More info → www.stevensproat.com