live
MICHAEL CHAPMAN
Grand Theatre Arts Wing, Swansea
Fri 15 Nov
Michael Chapman has been performing
for nearly 50 years, and he’s yet to find
a comfortable cranny in which to fit.
Growing up in Yorkshire, his earliest
exposure came on the late-60s folk circuit
in Cornwall, where he was studying art;
this being a time when acoustic guitar
innovators could achieve some overground
popularity, he was signed to Harvest
Records alongside Pink Floyd and Deep
Purple. Accordingly, his 70s releases
were at least as ‘rock’ as ‘folk’, with Fully
Qualified Survivor and Wrecked Again
the LPs whose reputations have endured.
The 80s and 90s saw Chapman cast
back to relative obscurity, but quietly
honing his guitar skills – a technique that
encapsulates jazz, bluegrass and John
Fahey-style ‘American Primitive’ playing.
This goes to explain why the musician,
now 72 years old, has been embraced by
travellers in the folk underground and the
musical avant garde. Notable among these
is Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, who
has consistently bigged Chapman up and
toured with him earlier this year. There
was also a tribute album released last
year, where his compositions are tackled
by the likes of Moore and William Tyler, as
well as contemporaries of sorts like Maddy
Prior. Hard to predict what the audience
demographic will be like in Swansea, but
YouTube clips indicate his playing remains
dextrous and his voice nicely gravelly.
Tickets: £12.50. Info: 01792 475715 (NG)
BUZZ 44
ALICE IN CHAINS
Newport Centre
Sat 16 Nov
“The truth resonates with people,” says Alice In Chains vocalist William DuVall. Is that why Seattle’s
AIC have stood the test of time while so many comparable 90s bands have fallen by the wayside? The
Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, DuVall’s second album with the band, proves they’ve still ‘got it’. He took
over as lead vocalist in 2006 after the tragic death of frontman Layne Staley in 2002 and has had a
surprisingly positive response from even the most hardcore AIC fans.
DuVall recalls Kerrang!’s review for their 2006 London Astoria concert – a five-page spread “raving”
about it. The band’s popularity has certainly not waned, with a gigantic gig in Brazil just last month
and playing Madison Square Garden over two decades after their first album’s release.
The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here paints a landscape of the band having travelled the world together and
how they “built the band back up from oblivion.” There is an honesty about the album, a reflection of
the current state of the band – much like each of AIC’s albums.
The song Voices stands alone, it resonates and according to DuVall is a little more reflective than the
other tracks. The video adds to the haunting quality of the song with Seattle referenced via subtle
visual images. Alice In Chains have always been masters of varying their sound – adding depth and
soul into their music, producing not just heavy sounding music but “jangly” material, as DuVall puts it,
with a country influence. DuVall says he enjoys performing the newer material: Hollow and Stone, from
The Devil…, are fun to play, and he also singles out Acid Bubble from 2010’s Black Gives Way To Blue.
When asked about the current state of music he laments about downloading “gutting” the business.
Despite the fact that new bands will have a harder time to make a living from their art, he is adamant
that “the need for music is not going anywhere.” And what does he want these new bands to learn from
Alice In Chains? “Be yourself”, he says. “Do your own thing.”
Tickets: £27.50. Info: 01633 656757 ALICE PATTILLO
DHOL FOUNDATION
Queens Hall, Narberth /
Pontardawe Arts Centre
Fri 22 / Sat 23 Nov
It seems safe to assume that the
Dhol Foundation will be the only dhol
drumming group to perform in Narberth
or Pontardawe this year. This is not a
zing at the expense of these towns, or
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