My performance times for Fylde are as follows:-
Saturday
11-12.30 am Milton Street Youth and Community Centre. I am conducting a seminar entitled Songs For Guitar. It wasn't quite what I thought I was doing but - fair enough! I'm not really too hung up about the guitar - if anyone wants to talk about songs and anything else - I'm cool with that. if nobody turns up - I'll talk to myself - songs, guitars, the meaning of life - an inner monologue!

Then I run across town to The Steamer, because I have to take part in the STEAMER MUSIC SESSION running from 12.00- 5pm. My old mate Pete skinner along withhis accomplice form Penny black will be there. its MC'd by Pete Rimmer - also featured is 4Square, Anna Shannon, Joe Topping., and Johnny Jump Up. sounds good!

7.30 that night sees me at The Boston Song Party at the NEW BOSTON HOTEL the Compere is Ali O'Brien. other guests are Strawhead, Viki Swan and Johnny Dyer, The Askew Sisters, and presumably top of the bill Jez Lowe and The Bad Pennies.

Positively you last chance to caych what i do is 10.30 Sunday morning whne I seem to be part of a coven called The songwriters - hosted by Matt Amour, also feauring Anna Shannon, Paul D. Wrigley, and Dave Walmsley.


its very unusual for me to be invited to appear at a folk festival and I am fully sensible of the honour being conferred by Alan Bell and his committee. I hope I don't disappoint.

Just this morning I got an advance review of the my John Dillinger album from Rock n Reel. It'll give a n idea of what to expect as will my website
http://bigalwhittle.co.uk/

Rock n Reel Review - see next month!
****

Big Al Whittle

self-released (http://bigalwhittle.co.uk/)



Erudite and wry, Alan Whittle's been a folk circuit irregular and all-round song-writing chancer for more than a quarter of a century.



A great example of self employed survivalism, he once had a massive Euro hit with a football song, has a lyric in the Oxford Book of Villains, played at the Wembley Country Music Festival, and has had a song featured on The Pentagon website.



On this career-spanning 20-tracker, it's the breadth of his unassuming craftsmanship that's truly impressive. The gentle and tender 'Haiku Song' comes directly after the cruelly blunt murder ballad 'George Joseph Smith'. Tales of personal history such as 'Grammar School Puppy Dog' and 'Swimming Pool' stand alongside cod-Americana country toons ('The Telephone Song' and the unquestioning flag-saluting patriotism of 'There Is A Land Called America'). The mercilessly satirical "Well Done Liz!" is a world away from 'Trish', a self-deprecating song of spurned love set against a backdrop of the fall of Communism. On the latter, the distinctive drumming of Mick Bedford (Chumbawamba) perfectly complements Al's effortlessly artful guitaring



Firmly folk-rooted in blues and music hall rather than finger-in-yer-ear nasalism, Al casually slips from the Max Miller-ish blatant bawdiness of 'Big Red Sausage' to the masterly fingerpicked 'Tribute To Dink'. There are classy interpretations here too – of Roger Brooks' wonderful 'Apartment Song' and of two early blues songs, 'Winding Boy' (Jelly Roll Morton) and 'Pretty Boy' (Tony Jackson).



Oh, and Al's lyrics are great. My favourite: 'Well done Liz! You're the queen that's what you is; not just some arsehole, you've got a castle. Well done, Liz1'



Not just some Al bum, you've got an album. Well done, Al!