Charlie Parr Returns

Charlie Parr is returning to Australia after creating a huge impression here earlier this year when he supported Paul Kelly as well as performing a number of shows on his own.

That tour came off the back of Parr coming to prominence with his song that featured on a clever Vodaphone television advert. But there’s more to Parr than that song. He’s   a fingerpicking blues guitarist with a cool voice and a swag of great songs.

Parr is currently touring in support of his seventh album, ‘Roustabout’.

A quick visit to Parrs website www.charlieparr.com is a bit of fun. There you will find the following biographic information;

One spring day in 1979, a young Charlie Parr made his way down to East Side Lake in Austin, Minnesota carrying a Johnson 9.9 outboard motor and half of a gallon of gas. His pockets were stuffed with stolen cans of Blatz. The motor did him no good at the lake since he didn’t have a boat, but he was lucky and traded it to a truck driver at a nearby filling station for a beat up Gibson 12-string guitar. He kept the gas.

A confused and shy individual, Charlie Parr plays original and traditional folk and Piedmont-style blues, accompanying himself on National resonator guitars, 12-string guitar and sometimes a banjo. He’s released 6 cd’s, 3 of which are still available, the latest of which is called “Roustabout” and contains something like 14 tracks of original and traditional folk music recorded in true monophonic sound.

Charlie Parr has failed at most things in his life. Music seems to have rendered him unemployable and is the only thing he’s ever done with any confidence. A lot of folks have been saying nice things about Charlie, despite the lingering odors and indecipherable comments he makes. It says a lot about folks; they’re hanging in there with him, in spite of himself.

JANUARY
5 – Front Cafe/Gallery, Canberra, ACT
6 – Tomerong Hall, Tomerong, NSW
7 – Heritage Hotel, Bulli, NSW
8 – The Basement, Sydney, NSW
9 – The Clarendon Guesthouse, Katoomba, NSW
12 – The Brass Monkey, Cronulla, NSW
13 – The Junkyard, Maitland, NSW
14 – Macquarie Hotel, Port Macquarie, NSW
15 – Sound Lounge Currumbin RSL, Gold Coast, QLD
16 – The Zoo, Brisbane, QLD
17 – Bon Amici, Toowoomba, QLD
20 – The National, Geelong, VIC
21 – The Corner, Melbourne, VIC
22 – Karova Lounge, Ballarat, VIC
23 – Mossvale Park, South Gippsland, VIC
23 – Ruby’s Lounge, Belgrave, VIC

New Paul Kelly Tour Announced

2009 looks like being a busy year for Paul Kelly – even by his standards. He’s already ventured around the country with Leonard Cohen, in what was an early contender for “tour of the year”. Now he’s about to head up to Byron Bay for the East Coast Music Festival.

When that is done Kelly will embark on his own tour and its one of the most extensive he has done in several years, that’s if you call the whole East Coast of Australia ‘extensive’. SA , WA and Tasmania probably have a different definition.

The tour celebrates the recent release of ‘Songs From The South – Volume II’ – the latest in a series of best of albums which we estimate will reach Volume V by the time Kelly retires in his early 90’s.

Kelly will be joined by a cracking good band – not surprises there – including  Pete Luscombe on drums and vocals, Bill Mc Donald on bass and vocals, Ash Naylor on guitar and vocals and Cameron Bruce, on keys and vocals.

The era covered by Songs From The South Volume II begins with 1998’s ‘Words & Music’ and carrying on through to last year’s ‘Stolen Apples’, it is a period defined by countless collaborations, different bands, genre hopping, eight official studio albums, some 102 new songs, plus another half-dozen-or-so soundtracks, musicals, plays, live recordings and tribute records.

Volume II would make for a great set but it will be supplemented  by songs from Volume I which included such gems as Leaps and Bounds, Sweet Guy, Dumb Things, From Little Things Big Things Grow, Before Too Long,  From St Kilda to Kings Cross, When I First Met Your Ma, To Her Door,  and How to Make Gravy and about ten other gems.

Kelly’s choice of opening act is very interesting. Joining him on the road is Charlie Parr from Duluth, Minnesota, whose style bears the influence of hours spent listening to country blues records and Smithsonian/Folkways field recordings.

Charlie’s finger picking, freewheeling tune, ‘1922 Blues’ is the soundtrack to the recent, hugely successful Vodafone TV campaign. Charlie plays original and traditional folk tunes, plus blues covers by the likes of Mississippi John Hurt and Charley Patton, favouring National resonator guitars, 12-string guitar and banjo in his performance.

His self-taught mix of slide, finger-picking and quasi-frailing technique come together with a voice that’s low on drama and high on impact. Dignity, and the struggle to keep it, are central themes in Parr’s songs. The gamblers, the union workers, the criminals and the sinners that wander around his songs come straight from real life observation. The stories he tells get into some dark spots; that place where regret and remorse part company.

Tuesday 28th Apr – Sawtell RSL Club (Sawtell), NSW
Wednesday 29th Apr – Queensland Performing Arts Centre (Brisbane)
Thursday 30th Apr – The Events Centre, Caloundra (Sunshine Coast)
Friday 1st May – Twin Towns Services Club (Gold Coast)
Saturday 2nd May – Empire Theatre (Toowoomba)
Sunday 3rd May – Ipswich Civic Centre (Ipswich)
Tuesday 5th May – Brothers Leagues Club (Cairns)
Wednesday 6th May – Townsville Civic Theatre (Townsville)
Friday 8th May – Pilbeam Theatre (Rockhampton)
Saturday 9th May – Brolga Theatre (Maryborough)
Sunday 10th May – Moncrieff Theatre (Bundaberg)
Wednesday 13th May – State Theatre – Sydney
Thursday 14th May – Wyong Leagues Club (Wyong), NSW
Friday 15th May – Newcastle Civic Theatre
Saturday 16th May – Regent Theatre (Wollongong)
Sunday 17th May – Canberra Theatre (Canberra)
Tuesday 19th May – Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre (Shoalhaven)
Friday 22nd May – Palais Theatre (St Kilda)
Sunday 24th May – Peninsula Lounge (Moorooduc)