Sun 19th March, 2017
8:00 pm - 10:30 pm (Doors: 7:30pm)
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Will Johns is recognised as one of the most distinctive and exciting performers on the British Blues scene today. His guitar playing is both modern and cutting edge but also steeped in the blues history passed from generation to generation. Hardly surprising as Will has direct heritage to a golden age of music. As well as being a spellbinding live act, Will is a hugely respected songwriter, having thrice been nominated for ‘Best Original Blues Song’ by the British Blues Awards in 3 consecutive years.
Born in London, Will’s parents are the legendary L.A. record producer/engineer Andy Johns and actress/model Paula Boyd. From the age of 15 Will taught himself guitar but received huge encouragement from his world renowned uncle, Eric Clapton.
Having been writing and performing for over 15 years across the globe Will has picked up many accolades along the journey, not least his BBA nominations for ‘On My Back’ from his debut solo album Count On Me in 2012, and for ‘Kissing You’ from the superb Hooks & Lines album in 2013. A big favourite among festival goers, Will has appeared across the U.K. at such prestigious events as Blues On The Farm, Birmingham Jazz and Blues and Cambridge Rock Festival.
2015 looks like it could be the busiest and most fruitful year of Will’s career to date. He has been working hard on writing and recording new material for his third album “Something Old, Something New..” The moving anthem, ‘Last Page of the Blues’ is due for imminent release.
The year started with Will travelling to Russia with good friend Malcolm Bruce on a cultural and musical adventure that has been documented on Discovery Russia and can be viewed on their website. After performing at The Central House of Artists the adventure really got under way visiting the remote territory Mordovia, performing in the GULAG region in a women’s prison for 200plus serious offenders, an experience Will describes as one of the moving of his life. As if this wasn’t enough immediately afterwards they were involved in a minor car accident 150km from anywhere in the midst of gales and snowdrifts!!
He has still found time this year to complete a U.K. tour as part of Fresh Cream alongside Malcolm Bruce and Chris Page on drums performing the songs of Cream. The tour included a memorable show at The Borderline, London which featured the original lyricist Pete Brown.
Will has also made regular guest appearances with stunning vocalist Malaya Blue, joining her at The Skegness Blues & Rock Festival and at The Jazz Café for an Anti-Slavery Charity event among others.
2014 had seen the start of this momentum and had included a successful tour of Moscow and St. Petersburg as part of The Great British Rhythm & Blues Invasion. Prior to that Sons Of Cream, a precursor to Fresh Cream with Malcolm and Chris has toured the U.K. to many enthusiastic sold out venues.
Will has released two excellent solo albums, Count On Me released in 2008, and Hooks & Lines in 2012. Whilst living in L.A. during 1996 Will formed the band GLYDA with Jesse Wood and Tramper Price, releasing one album and three Eps and wooing audiences in the USA, Ireland, France, Germany and the UK.
Jasmine Rodgers
- 1st album of original songs written by Jasmine Rodgers
- Produced by Sean Genockey of Black Dog Studios
- Featuring collaborations with Hotei Tomoyasu, Scott Matthews, members of Red Racer and Pyramid Ship and Dan Carey
- Alternative folk/alternative rock Jasmine Rodgers is a singer-songwiter from London with a Japanese poet mother and a Middlesborough rock singer dad. Her first foray into music (apart from singing Fleetwood Mac on Capital Radio’s 30 second Wonder segment age 11) was as front woman to rock band Boa, which has a loyal international following due to their single ‘Duvet’ used as opening theme song to award winning Japanese anime ‘Lain Serial Xperiments’.
Following on from the anime theme, Jasmine Rodgers wrote and performed for the soundtrack of Armitage III, a US/Japanese anime film featuring Juliette Lewis. Jasmine Rodgers took time out from the musical world, and Boa, to complete a degree in Zoology. After graduating she recorded an EP of original acoustic songs and began performing at well-loved venues across the UK (including Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Royal Albert Hall) and Italy (including Venice Biennale), collaborating with musicians including Indian classical musicians such as Mendi Mohinder Singh and Waqas Choudhary for the New Art Exchange’s Mela.
Old friend and producer Sean Genockey (Jamie Lenman, Tom Mcrae, Futureheads) has been instrumental in helping Jasmine Rodgers to develop her sound and the result is an intimate portrayal of her experiences in an exquisite and heartfelt setting, never losing her rock and folk music heritage. Her debut album also includes Icicles, produced by double Mercury award nominee Dan Carey (Kate Tempest and Nick Mulvey) and collaborations with Japanese rock legend Hotei Tomoyasu (Kill Bill) and Ivor Novello winner Scott Matthews. John Hogg (Red Racer, Moke) provided backing vocals, bass and mandola, Dan Kavanagh (Jamie Lenman, Godsized) and Charlie Morton (Pyramid Ship, Moke) provided drums and percussion, and Danny Keane (Scott Matthews, Anouska Shankar, Nitin Sawnhey). The album has been mastered by Ed Woods (Chess Records, Roger Daltrey, Guy Massey)
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