Dana Fuchs: Bliss Avenue

Bliss Avenue

Dana Fuchs

Ruf Records

Track List

Bliss Avenue
How Did Things Get This Way
Handful Too Many
Livin’ On Sunday
So Hard To Move
Daddy’s Little Girl
Rodents In The Attic
Baby Loves The Life
Nothin’ On My Mind
Keep On Walkin’
Vagabond Wind
Long Long Game

Dana Fuchs is another new artist to me. Right from the start, one thing is clear: she sings with such passion and feeling there is little doubt that the each and every song really means something. No punches are pulled at any stage during the 12 songs.  “If there’s one line that sounds thrown away or dialled in, it has to be redone,” says Dana. “Every word needs to express the emotion of the song or no one will get it and it leaves me cold.”

The emotion is understandable; the songs cover subjects such as her brother's death and the loneliness brought on by life on the road. “I’m excited for people, especially those fans who have stuck so close with me, to hear Bliss Avenue,” says Dana, “because I really purged my soul in a starker, more naked way, both lyrically and musically.''

All of the songs were written by Dana and guitarist Jon Diamond (with tracks 3 and 7 enlisting more collaborators). Musically, we find ourselves firmly in the blues genre - primarily the rock end of town - with roots and soul showing their hands at various times over the course of the album. There's even a touch of Gospel on Livin' On Sunday. There are several changes of pace, from up-tempo rockers such as How Did Things Get This Way to the slower offerings like So Hard To Move.

The theme running through the whole of Bliss Avenue is the pursuit of happiness despite adverse (even desperate) circumstances. Interestingly, the effect is to create an air of positivity rather than downbeat blues.

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Stand out tracks: Bliss Avenue, So Hard To Move, Rodents in the Attic, Vagabond Wind.

There's a very interesting interview with Dana about the making of Bliss Avenue here.

For further information, head for the official Dana Fuchs website.

CSC Teesside News Update

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The first of three Summer news updates is now available on the Teesside page of the Chess in Schools and Communities website.

Head here for further details.

The 5th London Chess Classic

The 5th London Chess Classic

                                      December 7-15 2013

An announcement from Malcolm Pein:

''I am delighted to announce that the 5th London Chess Classic will take place at Olympia from Saturday December 7th to Sunday December 15th. The 5th Classic will not feature top level Classical Chess, but it will be headlined by a world class Rapid tournament as well some celebrity contests if I can find some celebs that are brave enough.

The switch to Rapid is because Vishy Anand and Magnus Carlsen will doubtless be very tired so soon after the conclusion of their world title match at Chennai which is scheduled to end on November 26th.

The schools events will be expanded and the festival, with weekenders, FIDE Open, simultaneous displays and lectures will take place as usual.

The FIDE Open will probably act as a qualifier for the main event and there will be some Blindfold Chess and Chess 960 so it should be an all round chess extravaganza.

Tickets will go on sale in September after the field has been finalised. The venue will again be Olympia.

Please watch this site for more information including the festival entry form. Latest developments will be posted on Twitter via @londonclassic. Once again there’ll be a cutting edge live broadcast and I’m looking forward to welcoming you to the biggest Classic ever.

Malcolm Pein
Chief Executive
Chess in Schools and Communities''

Julia Fordham At The Arc

Julia Fordham

The Arc, Stockton-on-Tees

27.6.2013

Julia Fordham's UK tour has been selling out at most venues. The Arc, as usual, had their finger on the pulse and brought another quality act to Teesside.

The tour repertoire consists primarily of material from the new compilation album Under The Rainbow (essentially, all of the hits from the late 1980s onwards). Accompanied only by Grant Mitchell (not that one) on piano and augmented by a couple of duets with special guest Judith Owen, Julia treated us to a very intimate show, punctuated by friendly chats with the audience.

Revealing that her Mother is a Geordie, Julia was quickly steered away from extending the Newcastle boundaries southward by a plea to think of the audience as 'Smoggies'. It was to prove a recurring catchphrase throughout the evening.

The music had depth, the songs were moving and the voice assured and emotive. An impressive performance all round and another triumphant evening for The Arc.

Keep up to date with the latest news and tour dates over at the official Julia Fordham website.

Further Reading

My latest chess book reviews - featuring Chess Psychology: The Will To Win! by William Stewart (Everyamn Chess) and My Best Games of Chess 1908-1937 by Alexander Alekhine (Russell Enterprises) - can be found in the new issue of CHESS Magazine (July 2013).

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Head here for ordering details.

The Who

The Who

 Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle

20.6.2013

Roger Daltrey hinted at a Who tour when we saw him at The Sage in 2011. Two years later, it became a reality as the habitually underrated Quadrophenia was dusted off and presented as a complete body of work.

Vintage Trouble did a good job as the warm-up act. The lead singer ran through the audience to whip up the enthusiasm!

The Who appeared promptly at 8.30 p.m. and played non-stop until 10.40 p.m. Quadrophenia has long been in the considerable shadow of Tommy for decades. I think the tide may be finally turning.

The sound was excellent; the power incredible. Roger Daltrey's blood-curdling screams on the likes of Love, Reign O'er Me were all present and correct (despite his claim of suffering badly from hay fever) and Pete Townshend was on terrific form.

The were many highlights, but two stood out. During 5.15, John Entwistle appeared on the big screens and audio of his exemplary bass playing was married to the sound of the live band. The same impressive trick was pulled later on with Keith Moon singing his old trademark, Bell Boy.

The Who followed Quadrophenia with a selection of hits, namely: Who Are You, You Better You Bet, Pinball Wizard, Baba O'Riley, Won't Get Fooled Again and Tea and Theatre (featuring Roger and Pete performing a duet on an otherwise empty stage).

It was undoubtedly one of the best gigs I've ever seen. Hopefully there will eventually be a Blu-ray release of the tour.

Meanwhile, here's a few more photos from the excellent evening.

Federal Charm

Federal Charm

Track List

Gotta Give It Up
I'm Not Gonna Beg
No Money Down
Somebody Help Me
Reaction
The Stray
There's A Light
Tell Your Friends
Reconsider
Come On Down
Any Other Day
Too Blind To See

Hailing from Manchester, Federal Charm is a big sounding rock band with blues influences and real presence. Indeed, it's the rock side of things that takes centre stage, genre-wise. It's a big sound, to be sure - heavy on guitar riffs and energetic drumming, with vocals bordering on metal.

The pace rarely dips from 100 mph but there are a couple of tracks (Somebody Help Me and The Stray, plus the cover version of Reconsider) for which the needle hovers slightly more to a slower blues sound.

The album is marked by the swagger of self confidence; that's no bad thing of course and Federal Charm look set to break out from club land and into the wider world. Their big sound cannot be restrained!

In the the words of guitarist Paul Bowe: ''The songs aim for a bit more of a commercial vibe, as a lot of kids are buying blues rock again. We can’t wait for the CD sales to start happening, but we love playing live. At the moment we’re happy as long as we can eat and put gas in the tank. There are a lot of bands out there, but we have a collective belief and confidence that good product and a good band will always rise to the top.''

It will be interesting to follow their inevitable progress.

Stand out tracks: Gotta Give It Up; Somebody Help Me; The Stray

Federal Charm will be released on 1 July.

For further details, including tour dates, please visit their official website.