For my first post at We♥Music I decided to share one of my favourite performers from The Green Man Festival, which has provided me access to many modern talents including the likes of Will Oldham, Joanna Newsom and Tunng.
In 2005, I discovered Alasdair Roberts. He was the closest thing to a traditional folk singer at the festival. Back then he was singing a collection of traditional death ballads taken from his album, "No Earthly Man". I fell in love with his haunting Scottish vocals and his simple 'one man and his guitar' approach.
Another feature I like about Alasdair are his tales of training under this folk singer or how he came to learn a song.
Needless to say I repeated the experience at The Green Man Festival 2006 and I was eager to see him play once more at The Sage Gateshead in Newcastle on 10 April 2007.
This time he was sharing songs from his latest album, "The Amber Gatherers", a composition of his own tracks. It seems like Alasdair's attempt to create modern folk songs that capture the traditional spirit of the Seven Seas and the Scottish Highlands. Unlike previous performances he had a supporting band. In my opinion the new songs aren't as effective as the death ballads but they are still worth a listen. As a live performer he is compelling and commands the attention of his audience even during his weaker songs.
 DISCOGRAPHY
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By way of background, he previously released tracks under the name "Appendix Out" but his career gained momentum when he was discovered by Will Oldham and signed to the Drag City record label.
He is currently touring the United Kingdom and his albums are available at iTunes and eMusic.
Sincerely,
Ryan
Alasdair Roberts on the web:
Official Website
Biography
Discography
Live Tour Dates
Drag City
Please check out Russ's excellent concert photos from a different gig.
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