Nick Harper – Avebury Rocks – A concert in support of he Prospect Hospice in Wroughton and a chance to see both Nick and the great Preston Reed.

Preston Reed

One of the greatest and most influential guitarists in the world, Preston Reed has been captivating audiences globally for almost three decades with the two-handed integrated percussive style he began developing in the 1980’s. He is a direct influence on many of today’s best known acoustic players including Andy McKee, Jon Gomm, Usman Riaz, Kaki King and others.

Premier Guitar Magazine said recently, “You can’t speak about the acoustic guitar scene today without including Preston Reed”.

Preston’s music combines chord-based grooves, soaring melodic runs and polyrhythmic percussion, fulfilling the orchestral potential of the guitar body.

The power and depth of Preston’s timeless, imagery-evoking compositions are as unique as his execution.  Blues, rock, metal, funk, jazz and classical styles are distilled into a breathtaking visual and sonic experience – a border-hopping musical language that tells stories without words.

As millions of YouTube viewers have discovered, Reed’s recordings and live performances continue to define the sound of the pioneering compositional guitar genre he invented over a quarter century ago.

“… widely thought of as the world’s most gifted guitarist” Total Guitar

“In a class of his own” London Evening Standard

“True spellbinding guitar mastery” Guitarist Magazine

“Will drop your jaw” Playboy

CC Smugglers

Up-beat country blues in the spirit of rock ’n roll, or New Roots Music (to use the title of CC Smugglers’ first album). The six British band members are teachers and social workers and spend their free time travelling the country in an old van. They played gigs in the back of beyond and on the street for two years. Once, when they were busking, Jools Holland walked by. They tossed a demo at him. Holland picked it up and arranged a joint concert not long afterwards. Other early admirers were Jarvis Cocker (Pulp) and Seasick Steve. CC Smugglers went on to win a few hours of studio time at a country festival, which they filled with songs heavily influenced by Tom Waits, Muddy Waters and Hank Williams. These self-made men are one of the best live acts of the moment. Massive musical influences, great party animals.

CoCo and the Butterfields

Colourful, energetic and crowd stamping, Coco and the Butterfields are on a mission to bring people of all backgrounds together to have have a good time! Playing a mix of folk, pop and rap with touches of country, rock and blues their uniquely styled music has been them supporting the likes of Bastille, Seasick Steve, Scouting for Girls, Wheatus and King Charles. If you’ve never seen them before you’re in for a treat!

Port Erin will transport you with their melodic space rock, but at the same time get you grooving to their seriously fluid funky grooves and staccato percussive rock beats. Think Captain Beefheart meets The Police – now there’s a vision! PE have just released their 3rd album ‘Floating Above The City’ and are playing Glastonbury Festival for the 5th time this year before playing for us at Avebury Rocks.

“Port Erin are a genre unto themselves, ‘meta-music’, if you will. ‘Floating Above the City’ is one of the most unique and diverse albums that will hear this year. In fact, it’s probably one of the most unique and diverse albums that you will hear in your life.” – Lyric Lounge

The Loose Salute

The Loose Salute is a gang of friends in the sense that its members are about reporting back from the world they live in and making records that represent something for them. You can hear the fun and the “Devil may care” attitude running throughout each and every performance with the sheer sense that making music is a celebration not a labor.

The Loose Salute was formed by Ian McCutcheon (drummer with Mojave 3) and Lisa Billson (singer/songwriter on “Frenetic” with Orbital) who Ian met after hearing her singing along to Bob Dylan songs while she cooked in the Fortress rehearsal studios cafe. Since this life changing encounter the band have released the critically acclaimed “Tuned to Love” (Graveface US label and Heavenly in the UK) which preceded there first EP release “Suck It Up Buttercup”. There latest Album “Getting Over Being Under” was also released by Graveface over in the U.S. as well as indie label Big Potato Records in the UK.

“Their delivery cannot be faulted. McCutcheon’s vocals are reminiscent of Elliott Smith and when Lisa Billson assumes vocal duties the effect is stunning as she shifts from melancholy languor to upbeat ecstasy”

Nick Harper is the local boy who is partly to blame for Avebury Rocks. Nick took inspiration to help set up Avebury Rocks from his mother, Monica Weston, a Marlborough schoolteacher  who died of cancer in the Prospect Hospice. Avebury Rocks is also inspired by The Love Hope Strength Foundation, whose events he has consistently supported.
This year Nick is sporting the first of three vinyl LPs charting his 20 years of making music and will be rocking out with a full band to celebrate.
“Dylan for the iPod generation” – Acoustic Magazine
“Betjemen with a guitar” – Guitarist Magazine