@doricloon
Category: Review
Fit like,
For what it's worth here is my selection of the best of 2008 music releases.
1. Blair Douglas - Stay Strong
2. Ry Cooder - I Flathead
3. Randy Newman - Harps and Angels
4. Emmylou Harris - All I Intended To Be
5. Geraint Watkins - In A Bad Mood
6. Dan Penn - Junkyard Junkie
7; Dr John - City That Care Forgot
8. Brian Wilson - That Lucky Old Sun
9. Freddie White - Stormy Lullaby
10. John Spillane - My Dark Rosaleen
11. Fiona Mackenzie - Elevate
12. Ron Sexsmith - Exit Strategy of the Soul
13. Rodney Crowell - Sex and Gasoline
14. Thomas Fraser - That Far Away Land
15. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
16. Michael Marra - Numbers (Noranside Songwriters Project)
17. Sonny Landreth - From The Reach
18. The Wilders - Someone's Got To Pay
19. Bat McGrath - Communicate
20. Bryan Gear - Kebister Head
They have all brought me enormous listening pleasure and I can recommend them all to you.
Doricloon
Good review of Michael Marra's gig last night at the Blue Lamp, "deep in the Mediterrean Sea" -
Was priviliged to witness Michael Marra's gig at Fat Sams in Dundee on 27 December 2007. A rare treat it was too. At one point I counted nine musicians on stage. Loads of highlights. Alice Marra singing "Monkey Hair" was wonderful. Kevin Murray's jazz chords on guitar gave "Schenetady Calling Peerie Willie Johnson" that distintive feel. Steve Ketley's saxophone riffs and solos on " True Love" and "Peter" were great as was Gregor Philp's guitar work on "Pax Vobiscum" and throughout the set. Christopher Marra's pedal steel guitar made "Letter From Perth" and "When These Shoes Were New" that extra bit special and his guitar playing was a joy. The vocal harmonies throught out were outstanding and The Hazey Janes proved a wonderful backing band. Michael himself was in great form and the setlist included a whole raft of songs from his extensive back catalogue. Monkey Hair, Farlow, Scribbled Down Drunk and Posted Sober, O' Fellow Man, Pax Vobiscum, Constable Le Clock,Julius, Gaels Blue, Letter from Perth and When These Shoes Were New ( Take Me Out Drinking Tonight 
were all additions to his normal setlist. At nearly two hours in length with over twenty songs and outstanding musicianship throughout made this an awesome gig. For next year's hometown gig can I request that the Gaels Blue Orchestra reforms and they play the entire "Gaels Blue" album "live" and then some!
The set list as I remember it was -
First Half
1. Mac Rebennack's Visit to Blairgowrie
2. Bob Dylan's Visit to Embra
3. Grace Kelly's Visit to Tannadice - Hamish
4. Farlow
5. Scribbled Down Drunk and Posted Sober
6. Chain Up The Swings
7. Monkey Hair - Alice Marra vocals
8. Schenetady Calling Peerie Willie Johnson - Kevin Murray guitar
9. O Fellow Man - Kevin Murray guitar
10. Frida Kahlo's Visit to the Taybridge Bar
11. Niel Gow's Apprentice - Kevin on mandolin and Christopher on Guitar
Second Half - with band
1. Don't Look At Me
2. Pax Vobiscum
3. Constable Le Clock
4. True Love
5. Angela Gunn
6. Julius
7. Peter
8. Gaels Blue
9. Letter From Perth
10. All Will Be Well
11. When These Shoes Were New - Take me out Drinking Tonight
12. The Lonesome Death Of Frances Clarke
The band members were -
Michael Marra - vocals ,keyboards, guitar and harmonica
Christopher Marra - vocals, guitars, pedal steel guitar, keyboards and harmonica
Alice Marra - vocals, guitars and keyboards
Matthew Marra - bass guitar
Gregor Philp - vocals, guitars and keyboards
Kevin Murray - guitars and mandolin
Andrew Mitchell - vocals, guitars and keyboards
Steve Ketley - saxophone
Ian Murdoch - Drums
From today's Scotsman - Joyce McMillan's review of The Demon Barber-
The story of Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, has
always ranked high in the annals of English horror, and it's easy
enough to see why. In the legend of Sweeney - who slaughters his
customers with a cut-throat razor, and lets them slide down through a trapdoor into the pie-shop of the comely Mrs Lovett below - several primal fears come together, from fear of submission to the barber's gleaming blade, to fear of life in a pitiless, teeming urban world where human beings are more valuable dead than alive. You won't, though, find any attempt to explore the deeper undertones of the story - or to explain its powerful continuing appeal for theatre
artists and film-makers - in Graham McLaren's colourful but
superficial stage version at Perth, with live music by singer-
songwriter Mike Marra.
Once again - as in his version of Phaedra for Theatre Babel a few
years ago - McLaren proves himself a master of design, rather than
direction. The show's greatest asset is its teetering three-storey
set, which features a ramshackle old Fleet Street house ranging
upwards from the pie-shop entrance at street level, through Sweeney's spectacularly red-painted barber's shop on the first floor and up to Marra's three-piece band, groaning away Tom-Waits-style in the attic.
What happens on the set, though, comes across as a pretty aimless
journey through the evil and the sensational, part fashionable
theatrical exercise in Punch and Judy-style grand guignol, part pure,
vulgar pantomime. In the show's one memorable touch, Kevin
McMonagle's Sweeney emerges more as a lovelorn suitor besotted by Mrs Lovett's charms than as a born murderer - an unloved man driven mad by a glimpse of possible joy. But the usually excellent Gabriel
Quigley gabbles her way through the stereotyped wicked-lady role of
Mrs Lovett in such an extreme Mockney accent that half of what she
says goes for nothing.
The other characters - from Tobias the transvestite pie-boy to
Thornhill the murdered sea-captain - mug their way through their
roughly-drawn roles with an increasing air of desperation. Marra's
wry songs are also difficult to appreciate fully on a single hearing.
The overall effect is sometimes strangely like one of those adult
pantos with added dirty jokes. There's sex and violence, all right,
crudely evoked and sent up; but when the point of it all remains so
obscure, it can seem tedious.
and from The Courier
The Demon Barber
By Joy Watters at Perth Theatre
THE LIGHTS go up but there is still a threatening darkness. A tall
dark house emerges from the gloom with wisps of fog surrounding it.
The setting for this tale of unspeakable acts is complete.
Sweeney Todd has inspired a number of adaptations, including
Sondheim's musical.
Now Perth Theatre associate artist Graham McLaren presents his
version, which he has written, directed and designed.
His starting point is a "penny dreadful" story about Todd accompanied
by a score by Michael Marra.
McLaren's design is outstanding, creating a portrait of 18th century
London, oozing with crime and corruption, that chills the onlooker.
Shaven headed men with chalk white faces menacingly people the stage,
while Kai Fischer's lighting threateningly suggests the evil that
lurks in every shadow.
Sweeney Todd is shown as a malformed outcast—he is given a poignant
reading by Kevin McMonagle, as a man deeply in love. In this version,
there is something of the Cyrano about him and he cuts his first
throat in defence of a lady's honour.
His love, Mrs Lovett, the tart with a heart of ice, becomes his
accomplice. While Gabriel Quigley looks the part, her words often
vanish upwards, lost in the ether.
McLaren begins with storytelling, raising expectations, but then his
script descends into knockabout comedy, innuendo and sweary words to
get a laugh.
At some points, it feels like a curtain-raiser to the panto season.
The three-piece band comprising composer Michael Marra, John Sampson
and Bill Murdoch are perched high on the roof of Sweeney's premises,
and sometimes again the words of the grimly humorous songs are lost
upwards.
While McLaren's designing and directing talents are a cut above, the
writing is disappointing, falling between wit and slapstick.
And from The Herald -
http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/featuresartsreview/display.var.182
7897.0.0.php
Me I really enjoyed it, Michael Marra songs and performance of the same are worth the admission money. Go and see it you will not be
disappointed. I am going back to see it again!
Michael Marra has been nominated in the "Composer of the Year" category of the Scots Trad Music Awards.
You can cast your votes at -
http://www.handsupfortrad.co.uk/tradmusicawards/index.htm
Not that I am suggesting you vote for Michael you understand
An interesting thread in the Footstomping Forum has Michael Marra mentioned more than once -
http://www.footstompin.com/forum?threadid=95187
Here are a selection of the comments
Michael Marra and his band, Quintet, on the Tall Ship in Glasgow. This was a great gig as much for the setting as the music being played. The atmosphere was brilliant.
My favourite gig so far this year was the Hunger Mountain Boys and Earl Brothers at the Classic Grand in Glasgow although Michael Marra and band on The Tall Ship comes a very close second
Michael Marra on the Tall Ship in Glasgow. It was a fantastic night, as others have said.
From today's Scotsman - an article by Steve McCabe on his favourite 5 Michael Marra songs -
http://living.scotsman.com/music.cfm?id=1692262007
What's you own favourite five songs pf Michael Marra's
A lengthy piece and interview with Michael Marra in today's Scotland On Sunday by Mike Wade including his latest project " The Demon Barber"
http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/review.cfm?id=1677122007
Michael's new CD " Quintet" is also reviewed by Norman Chalmers in today's paper -
MICHAEL MARRA
Quintet
***
Tob Records TRCD0023, £11.99
For fans of the Dundee bard, any recordings are worth getting a hold of even when, like this one, they have but five tracks - all dedicated to musicians and singers. Long established in his repertoire, 'Dr John's Visit To Blairgowrie' is here, as is his hymn to Shetland guitar star Peerie Willie, and Shetland eccentric genius Thomas Fraser. All the songs are cheerfully arranged for a convocation of reeds, fiddle, guitar, bass and assorted studio noises.
Norman Chalmers
Michael Marra's recent gigs at An Tobar and the following night at The Ship in Glasgow are getting great reviews in other forums - These from contributors to the wonderful Footstompin' Forum -
"The Marra man was superb, the guy is so talented it must make
singer/songwriters weep, each song is so different with a story and a
life of it's own. I think this man could capture any audience, he
makes each song unique and he takes you on the journey with him. The Peerie Willie song one to make you laugh and cry. The song about his forefather's relation buried overseas after a family tiff was another highlight. His backing crew were ace also."
"Michael Marra is amazing. Just talking to him is fun as his turn of
phrase is brilliant - he takes the simplest of things and makes you
want to listen. He is a true poet. I always think of him in a 'Burns'
vain because as well as being a superb wordsmith, all of his songs
have great humanity in them as well. He is definitely not recognised
enough."
"Michael Marra and band were absolutely fantastic on the Tall Ship
tonight. What a brilliant gig. It looked like a full house to me and
the sound and atmosphere was terrific"
"Aye, it was a cracking gig for the place itself as much as the band,
who played a stormer. Mr Marra's an amazing man."
"Great show from Michael Marra at the Tall Ship last night and
wonderful to hear Michael at last with a proper band highlighting his
latest set of recordings."
Really enjoyed hearing Michael Marra performing "Farlow" live on the wireless gig. Hope it becomes a permanent fixture on his set-list. Been a favourite on his site for a while. That and "Eternity" A rare treat.