News from the Green Note, Camden, London.

Friday, January 25, 2013

We have received the latest newsletter from the Green Note, Camden outlining their forthcoming attractions and giving details of important forthcoming changes at the venue.

A New Year at Green Note…

Hi All,

Lots of news for you this month - the new year is often a time of transformation, changes and of bringing new plans and ideas to fruition, and Green Note is no exception.

As most of you know, last year we worked very hard on developing our ‘Green Note hits the road series’, where, once in a while (usually when we need a bigger space… or bigger stage!), we spread the Green Note vibe further afield, by presenting gigs at other carefully selected venues. These have proved to be a huge success, and we had some great shows last year at The Old Queen’s Head in Angel, The Hoxton Underbelly and Bush Hall. The next couple of months are pretty quiet on this front (we have some real treats in store for later in the year), but we do have one show this month that we’re really excited about and wanted to make sure you all know about: PETUNIA & THE VIPERS, taking place at the Underbelly on Hoxton Square (N1 6NU) THIS SUNDAY, 27th Jan. These guys sound fantastic and have been receiving rave reviews, a couple of which we’re including here, just to give you a little flavour of what to expect…
“Every once in a while, you stumble into a bar or a pub, or around a street corner and the unexpected hits you. Something so good, powerful and chilling that you don’t know what the hell to do other than hoot, holler and yell for more. This exact occurence happened to me Saturday night. With his lonesome-whippoorwill yodel and Eisenhower-threads, Petunia conjured up the ghost of the late Hank Williams. He has a unique, surreal style all of his own… His performances have been likened to an Avant-Country night club scene from a David Lynch movie! When Petunia yodels, the crowd just about levitates on a cloud of barely disguised hysteria….. They are those special kind of seasoned and gifted musicians that make our hairs stand on end and leave us with our jaws dropped and hanging on the floor. Guaranteed from heaven. Danceable, romanceable and haunting ?hillbilly-flavoured-swing inflected-ragtime-goodtime -thunderously rolling-one-of-a-kind-you-don’t-want-to- miss-this-sort-of-a-show.” Greg “James” Callsen , The Eagle 100.9 FM Alberta, Canada
“An evening with Petunia And The Vipers is an exploration of every musical genre that fits under the heading of Americana. The charismatic lead singer Petunia ? real name Ron Fortugno ? was at his best leading the audience in a rollicking good blitz of high-octane rockabilly and bluegrass numbers. But minutes later he was equally at ease crooning his way through an old Hoagy Carmichael number from the 1920s. The guy has the look ? true, as it turns out ? of a well-worn wandering troubadour, and he can yodel for Canada. He and his band appear like something out of the 1950s. It’s not too difficult to imagine them opening for Buddy Holly or Bobby Darin. They are not afraid to improvise, often introducing a touch of Latino into a country or bluegrass offering. And as if to prove their versatility and desire not to be take themselves too seriously, they finished with the old Harry McLintock classic Big Rock Candy Mountain ? complete with cigarette trees and streams of alcohol.” **** Herald Scotland, Review of a show last week as part of Celtic Connections 2013.

Changes Ahead…

We’re also making some changes to how we run the venue itself, prompted primarily by the fact that we’ve been facing some pretty tough times recently. As some of you are perhaps already aware, live music organisations - and particularly small/independent music venues such as our’s - have been hit very hard by the recession and, sadly, over the past few years a number of these have been forced to close down. We too have found ourselves struggling to stay afloat, but for now at least, we’re still here and fighting to keep Green Note going. We really believe in what we have created and know that it is not only a very special place to us and to the musicians who play here, but also to many of you who attend our gigs and have supported us over the years. So, thanks in large part to all your support, we are still standing, and very happy to be so…

However, we will be making a few changes over the next few weeks, the main one being that as from 1st Febuary, we will be closing our kitchen, as it is just no longer financially viable for us to keep this going. Instead, we will be serving a simplified menu from our bar every night and will be working alongside local, independent artisan bakers and chefs, to source a selection of fresh, hand-made vegetarian snacks. Our live music will continue to run as usual, with a slightly earlier start time of 8.30 on most nights, and 8pm on Saturdays. We will no longer take table reservations on ANY night. Seating/Tables are limited and available on a first come first served basis, so the only way to secure a table is to arrive early (doors open 7pm on all nights), but tickets may be bought in advance for most shows. For more information, please keep an eye on our website, which we will be updating regularly with further details.


Upcoming Highlights…

And now to the more interesting stuff… the music! We have some great bands playing over the next few weeks, and it would be lovely to see you at one of these shows! If you don’t yet have plans for this Friday (25th Jan), we have one of the capital’s finest young swing bands, THE BAKER BOYS joining us for their Green Note debut, together with special guest vocalist Leonie Evans. Having honed her craft in New Orleans, Leonie Evans recently left audiences in awe of her inimitable performances on her European tour. The band also features swinging guitarists David Archer and Harry Sankey, who after cutting their teeth on the Paris jazz scene with the likes if Noe Reinhardt and Boulou Ferre, have earned their reputation as two of the UK’s foremost exponents of Django Reinhardt’s Gypsy Jazz. Underpinning this fantastic line up of musicians, Eleazar Spreafico (Argentina) is fast becoming one of London’s most sought after swing double bass players. Join them - and us - for an evening that will transport you to the riverboats of New Orleans and the Hot Clubs of France… Not to be missed!!

We also have some other upcoming highlights we wanted to draw your attention to, including a young singer-songwriter who has been creating a bit of a buzz LOTTE MULLAN, who will be supported by one of our favourite new discoveries of 2012, BROKEN BOAT, who are well worth checking out in their own right (Thurs 24th Jan). We have another Green Note debut from POLICE DOG HOGAN on Fri 1st Feb, who are an eclectic and high-energy outfit fusing country, pop, folk, and rocking urban bluegrass (AND featuring Guardian columnist Tim Dowling on banjo!), as well as the return of one of Green Note’s most popular bands, THE TOY HEARTS who will be playing their usual wonderful combination of traditional and contemporary bluegrass and Western swing.

Also, if you’re looking for something to do on Valentine’s Day, you may want to check out our VALENTINE’s SPECIAL… featuring the amazing ALICE ZAWADZKI, presenting a collection of songs from around the world which explore both the darker and lighter sides of love, and the ultimate greatness of it. Expect to hear songs you know, and songs you don’t, flavours of jazz, folk and old pop, brought together by some of the most celebrated musicians in the UK. Please check out the ‘live events’ page on our website to buy advance tickets or for more information about this or any of our other upcoming shows.

Thanks again for all your support and we hope to see you soon!

Immy & Risa xx

Green Note, 106 Parkway, London, NW1 7AN http://www.greennote.co.uk