The Voodoo Rooms , 19a W Register Street, Edinburgh
Sat April 6, 2024 7:15 pm (Doors: 7:15 pm )
General Admission

Erja Lyytinen is one of the leading blues-rock guitarists on the international touring circuit. During a recording career spanning 19 years, the High-Flying Finn has released twelve studio albums as well as several live albums. Lyytinen’s music... Read more
Erja Lyytinen is one of the leading blues-rock guitarists on the international touring circuit. During a recording career spanning 19 years, the High-Flying Finn has released twelve studio albums as well as several live albums. Lyytinen’s musical pallet is vast, encompassing the very best of contemporary blues-rock whilst inspired and influenced by the blues greats of yore.

The artist’s last studio album Waiting for the Daylight was released in 2022 and was ranked #3 on Finland ́s Official Physical Album Charts and #14 on the IBBA October Charts in the UK.

The first single released from Erja's latest studio offering, Bad Seed was chosen as the 13th Best Rock Song of the year by Classic Rock Magazine. Furthermore, Lyytinen’s guitar solo from Bad Seed reached 10th place in Guitar World’s Best guitar solo of 2022 reader's poll. Lyytinen has been acknowledged for her work by her fans, peers, and the industry alike with a treasure trove of accolades. This includes being ranked #2 on Total Guitar Magazine’s “10 Best Guitarists Now” poll as well as being awarded “Best Guitarist” at the 2017 European Blues Awards.

Erja made history by being the first Finnish artist nominated at Canada ́s Maple Blues Awards in the B.B. King International Artist of the Year category.
On 6th December 2022 - Independence Day in Finland, the Queen of the Slide guitar was cordially invited to the Presidential Castle. An event that rounded out a wonderful year in a fitting fashion.

In the first half of 2023, Erja Lyytinen released the latest instalment of her series of guitar tuition books. Subsequently, Lyytinen’s newest concert album Diamonds on the Road – Live 2023 will be released on the 6 th of October 2023.

Support comes from Iain 'The Gator' Donald. Often compared to Ry Cooder, The Gator is a master of slide guitar and performs solo as well as Sister Gavin & The Gator. 

The Voodoo Rooms , 19a W Register Street, Edinburgh
Sun May 12, 2024 7:15 pm (Doors: 7:15 pm )
General Admission

Billy Walton is an accomplished guitar master from the vibrant New Jersey Shore music scene. He earned his stripes in the rock & roll trenches, playing lead guitar for many years with Jersey icon, Southside Johnny. He has also shared the stage wi... Read more

Billy Walton is an accomplished guitar master from the vibrant New Jersey Shore music scene. He earned his stripes in the rock & roll trenches, playing lead guitar for many years with Jersey icon, Southside Johnny. He has also shared the stage with music legends; Little Steven, Gary US Bonds and Steven Tyler, to name a few.

 

The Billy Walton Band grew out of this rich musical heritage, and found its groove when Billy connected with bassist William Paris. With the addition of Tom Petraccaro on sax, Eric Safka on Hammond B3, Bruce Krywinski Jr on trumpet, and Shane Luckenbough; the band has truly hit its stride. More recently, the arrival of vocalist extraordinaire Destinee Monroe has brought the band to a wholeTheir efforts met with immediate interest from the fertile British Blues scene, leading to multiple successful tours across Europe and eastern United States. They have a solid, dedicated fan base which is growing quickly. In addition to blues rock fans, the jamband scene has also embraced the band – hungry for their high energy live shows.


The Voodoo Rooms , 19a W Register Street, Edinburgh
Sat July 6, 2024 7:15 pm (Doors: 7:15 pm )
General Admission

Dana Gillespie’s 2021 memoir, Weren’t Born A Man (Hawksmoor Publishing), lifted the lid on one of entertainment’s wildest, most adventurous and creative lives. Dana was born in 1949. Mid-childhood, she moved from the country to cent... Read more

Dana Gillespie’s 2021 memoir, Weren’t Born A Man (Hawksmoor Publishing), lifted the lid on one of entertainment’s wildest, most adventurous and creative lives. Dana was born in 1949. Mid-childhood, she moved from the country to central London just as a full-scale blues revival was under way. By 16, she was recording singles for Pye. In 1968, she was signed by Decca, leading to two LPs, the second of which, Box Of Surprises, was written entirely by her. At the turn of the decade, Dana was in the original London cast of two prominent musicals – Catch My Soul and Jesus Christ Superstar. Simultaneously, she was part of a team of session singers (Elton John, David Byron, Madeline Bell) who recorded soundalike versions of pop hits for Avenue Records. She and childhood friend, David Bowie, were both managed by Tony Defries and his MainMan company.

In 1973, Dana’s third album, Weren’t Born A man, recorded at Trident Studios and produced by Bowie, Mick Ronson, Robin Cable and Dana, came out on RCA. The follow-up, Ain’t Gonna Play No Second Fiddle, appeared in 1974 and Dana undertook a US tour in support of it. While Dana was working on demos for her third RCA album, MainMan imploded. Unable to record while still in contract, Dana returned to the UK and sought gigs and acting jobs, appearing in The People That Time Forgot (1977), The Hound Of The Baskervilles (1978), Nic Roeg’s Bad Timing (1980) and Mai Zetterling’s Scrubbers (1982). Among the people with whom she acted were Doug McClure, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Denholm Elliott Joan Greenwood, Terry-Thomas, Kenneth Williams, Roy Kinnear, Penelope Keith, Prunella Scales, Art Garfunkel, Harvey Keitel and Kathy Burke.

In 1982, Dana resumed her recording career with Blue Job (Ace Records), a collection of early 20th century bawdy blues numbers. She kept one foot in the pop camp with the 1984 album, Solid Romance (Bellaphon), which spawned international hit, ‘Move Your Body Close To Me’, before committing to the blues full-time. She founded and ran the Mustique Blues Festival with Basil Charles OBE, for two decades. In 1997, she joined the UK leg of Bob Dylan’s tour as ‘special guest’. There are now two strands to Dana’s recording career which run in parallel; her singer/songwriter blues albums for Ace Records and (in Europe) Wolf Records, and her albums of bhajans (devotional songs). Dana tours worldwide, including India, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Britain and beyond, frequently performing with the London Blues Band. She regularly appears in the UK capital at the 606 Club, Chelsea, and The Temple of Art and Music, Elephant & Castle. Her Decca recordings have been anthologised as London Social Degree (RPM, 2019) and her RCA recordings as What Memories We Make (Cherry Red, 2019). Dana’s most recent albums are Under My Bed (Ace, 2019) and Deep Pockets (Ace, 2021).

 

 


The Voodoo Rooms , 19a W Register Street, Edinburgh
Thu September 19, 2024 7:15 pm (Doors: 7:15 pm )
Kara Grainger Band

Her music career began in a small suburban town of Sydney Australia and since then has taken her on an incredible journey throughout the globe.  Combining slide guitar, soulful vocals and a heartfelt approach to songwriting,  Kara'... Read more

Her music career began in a small suburban town of Sydney Australia and since then has taken her on an incredible journey throughout the globe.  Combining slide guitar, soulful vocals and a heartfelt approach to songwriting,  Kara's  truly unique sound will leave you  uplifted, inspired and always wanting more.

 At the age of 16 Kara joined with her brother Mitch Grainger to form the band "Papa Lips". The band toured consistently throughout Australia and produced two studio albums that received national air play.

The band was heavily influenced by the sounds of Stax recording in Memphis, and by the Funky style of blues and soul that derived from New Orleans.

In 2008 Kara signed to Australian label "Craving Records" and was invited to the US by producer David Kalish where she recorded her debut solo album. The recording entitled "Grand and Green River" received critical acclaim and remained in the top 30 of the Americana Charts for 38 straight weeks.

Since then Kara has made three further albums whilst residing in the US. In 2011 "LA Blues" was recorded live at Studio City Sound. The cd paid tribute to some of Kara's earliest blues inspirations and in 2013 kara recorded and released"Shiver and Sigh" through Los Angeles record label "Eclecto Groove." The album was produced by grammy award winning producer David Z with some of LA's finest musicians, including Mike Finnigan, Hutch Hutchinson, James Gadson and Kirk Fletcher among others. 

One of Kara’s touring highlights was performing in North east India for the Himalayan Blues Foundation. Her performance at the "18 degrees cultural Festival" introduced the local community to roots and blues music for the very first time.

She has traveled to Indonesia several times to perform at the the Jakarta International Blues Festival, performing together with her US band and also as a special guest with "The Jakarta all Women Blues Review".

In 2011 she toured Japan openning the show for "The Swampers and Donnie Fritts", the infamous house Rhythm section for "Fame Recordings" in Muscle Shoals…She has taken her band to Switzerland where she performed at the "Sierre Blues Festival" as well as "Lucerne". The band has also toured in Belgium, Germany, France, Luxembourg and Spain..

In the US Kara has performed at several Festivals such as 'The Portland Waterfront Blues Festival', 'Blues from the Top' in Colorado and "Austin City Limits". She has also opened the show for many extraordinary acts such as Peter Frampton, Buddy Guy,Taj Mahal and Jonny Lang, to name a few.


The Pleasance Theatre , 60 Pleasance, Edinburgh
Sat October 12, 2024 7:15 pm (Doors: 7:15 pm )

The young Thorbjørn Risager grew up in the small town of Jyllinge, about 30km from Denmark’s capital city, Copenhagen. The former fishing village sits on the eastern shores of Roskilde Fjord with a bustling harbour that has stunning... Read more

The young Thorbjørn Risager grew up in the small town of Jyllinge, about 30km from Denmark’s capital city, Copenhagen. The former fishing village sits on the eastern shores of Roskilde Fjord with a bustling harbour that has stunning views where the sunset meets the distant hamlet horizon. Staring out into the expanse of clouds and the undisturbed landscape opposite as the breeze ambles past, blowing on the fjord, which hides Viking stories of times past, watching the sun go down – it’s hard for anyone not to sit, think, reflect and dream of the world beyond.

He grew up in a household where both parents were music teachers. “It was very natural for me to pick up an instrument and play,” he says. “I started with the mandolin, then guitar, then saxophone until high school when I discovered that singing was even more fun.”

He was introduced to the sound of the Rock ‘n’ Roll greats – Elvis, Fats Domino and Little Richard – listening to his neighbours’ record collection before discovering the music of B.B. King and Ray Charles in his late teens. This changed everything.

He had long been singing the blues, often playing with friend Emil Balsgaard, when he enrolled to study music at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen. “The most important thing that came out of studying music was that I began to write music. For many years I had considered myself a singer who interpreted other people’s songs. I didn’t consider myself a writer of music. But I discovered it was not as difficult for me to write a piece of music as I thought.”

When this clicked, he left behind his fledgling career as a teacher and threw himself heart, soul and body into his music. As he saw his 30s approaching on the horizon like the sun breaking into a brand-new day, the former interpreter of other people’s music took control of his destiny and has not looked back since. 

He formed Thorbjørn Risager Blue 7 in 2003 before swapping it to Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado in 2014, and over the last twenty years, has sent them on their way to become Denmark’s premier roots-rockers.

The Rhythmic Music Conservatory was not only beneficial to opening the door for his writing, but he also met future bandmates Kasper Wagner and Hans Nybo there, whilst Peter W. Kehl was also a former student.

They’ve won two Danish Music Awards (with seven nominations), the “Best Band” in the European Blues Awards and the winner twice of the prestigious German Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik Jahrespreis – German Record Critics’ Awards.

The septet has blazed a trail across Scandinavia, Europe, Canada, the US and Asia for the past twenty years. They’ve been captivating crowds with their dynamic stage presence and a sound that fuses soul, Chicago blues, boogie and rock ‘n’ roll with a voice where Ray Charles, Van Morrison and Billy Gibbons meet in the middle. They’ve brought dancing shoes to Europe’s largest festival stages and low-light noir-ish blues to Jazz clubs around the globe.

 

 

 

 


The Voodoo Rooms , 19a W Register Street, Edinburgh
Fri October 25, 2024 7:15 pm (Doors: 7:15 pm )

Powerful and energetic, standout act with an ultra confident, no-holds-barred swagger. Gerry Jablonski and the Electric Band have a unique trademark sound and style. Their raw and crafty stage show takes the audience on a rollercoaster ride of ... Read more

Powerful and energetic, standout act with an ultra confident, no-holds-barred swagger.

Gerry Jablonski and the Electric Band have a unique trademark sound and style.

Their raw and crafty stage show takes the audience on a rollercoaster ride of dangerous, charming and gutsy music with hooks and melodies that cross genres and age groups.

“an absolutely refreshing and life affirming experience. The best band you never heard of” Classic Rock  Magazine

2018 Blues Awards - UK Blues Act of the Year


La Belle Angele , 11 Hastie’s Close, Edinburgh
Sat November 2, 2024 7:15 pm (Doors: 7:15 pm )

Dom Martin was brought up in the often tough, but community driven streets of Belfast Northern Ireland and has certainly paid his life and musical dues.  He has made a fairly 'meteoric' rise in terms of today's industry with ... Read more

Dom Martin was brought up in the often tough, but community driven streets of Belfast Northern Ireland and has certainly paid his life and musical dues. 

He has made a fairly 'meteoric' rise in terms of today's industry with his jaw dropping, entirely natural sounding and unforced/unschooled skill on acoustic guitar, matched with an authentic 'Belfast Blues' voice, bringing to mind comparisons with many from (Glasgow born) John Martyn to Rory Gallagher, with nods to many in-between, not least perhaps the likes of Van Morrison and Foy Vance.

Dom has won multiple awards for his acoustic work with a 2019 European award, UK awards in 2020/2021/2022 and as a result is now an inductee in the UK Blues Hall of Fame.

Dom is equally adept on electric with his power trio, having won the UK Blues Awards Best Instrumentalist Award 2022 & 2023. The trio is always an extremely popular addition to any blues/rock festival.

In late 2018 Dom was invited by Cerys Matthews to play a live session on the BBC Radio 2 Blues Show and she described his work as “absolutely wonderful stuff”. 

At the end of 2019 Dom released his debut album, “Spain to Italy” which attracted a lot of attention and promised a successful career ahead for the Irishman.

A second and highly reviewed studio album "A Savage Life" was released in April 2022 which cemented Dom's place in the UK and European Blues/Rock scene and in September 2023 he released his latest album "Buried In The Hail" on Forty Below Records scoring many top marks with reviewers and gaining Classic Rock Magazines "Blues Album of The Month" above many industry top names. 

In August 2023 Dom and his band gained many new fans whilst aboard Joe Bonamassa's KTBA Mediterranean Cruise III and he was certainly the talk of the ship. 

“Dom Martin is the next rising star in the global roots scene. Jump aboard now before he passes you by.” – 
Rock and Blues Muse

Support comes from Blue Nation
 


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