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Post by madmission on Jul 16, 2015 12:32:23 GMT
Now, I've been told I'm ok doing a little light spamming on here as long as it's loosely Tull related... so here goes
I'm sure there will be many on here who saw Tull in the early noughties who remember Willy Porter supporting them. I saw him/them in Derby and again in Wolverhampton and was blown away by Willy's guitar skills and moving songs, so much so that me and 'she who must be obeyed' bought all of his available CDs and became a firm fan. Sadly, we never got to see Willy again and have followed his fortunes from afar, only getting the occasional Willy fix when I managed to aquire bootlegs from friends in The States. One of these contacts, who runs a public access TV show over there, emailed me early last year to tell me Willy was touring with Martin Joseph but sadly it was too late to organise a trip to one of the show. Possibly because of the response Willy got on that short tour, he returned in September to do a solo tour and this time I was forewarned The annoying feature of this tour was that he played in a number of venues in the south of England but his only dates north of Watford Gap were Kendall, Lancaster and Abington in Scotland!!... Nowhere in the Midlands where I live. As I love my live music, I decided that distance should not be an obstacle and the wife and I decided to have a few days away in Scotland and take in the Abington show en route... I was so glad I did.... the show was fantastic and I got to meet the man himself. Willy seemed genuinely moved that there were others plus ourselves who had travelled large distances just to see him and promised he would try to come back the following year (2015)
When I got notification of a tour this year, I contacted his UK agent to hook him up with some local venues but sadly the people I knew had all got a full schedule for the year and couldn't fit Willy in. Now maybe it was desperation or maybe a moment of madness but I've somehow agreed to put on a show myself
So I'm posting to share my website for anyone who may be interested and hope this also serves as a memory jogger for those' like me' who saw and appreciated WP all those years back and would like to maybe see him again either with us or at any of his other gigs I've put a few videos on my site so that people can see what he's all about
We've called our venture A500 music to give the illusion that we are an established, professional organisation but hey who knows.. we might make a success of this and do it all again
a500music.co.uk/
willyporter.com/
Please feel free to add your own personal recollections of Willy supporting Tull and of course, message me if you want tickets (avoiding using online ticketing)
Cheers
Ian
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Post by JTull 007 on Jul 16, 2015 16:15:28 GMT
Met Willy a month after seeing him with TULL @ Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia Aug. 7, 2003, Very cool music and lots of style... I would love to see him with Martin in December
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Post by steelmonkey on Jul 16, 2015 23:06:31 GMT
Very cool...
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Post by maddogfagin on Oct 8, 2015 8:24:48 GMT
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Post by madmission on Oct 8, 2015 23:08:12 GMT
I'd strongly recommend anyone who gets chance to go and see him, it'll be the best tenner you've spent musically in a long time.
He was fabulous at our show this weekend, the guy's such an entertainer as well as an all round good bloke.
willyporter.com/shows/
It was his birthday on Sunday so we had to mark his first visit to Stoke on Trent fittingly
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Post by maddogfagin on Oct 12, 2015 8:10:12 GMT
www.wegottickets.com/event/325101HUTTON RUDBY: Village Hall THU 15TH OCT, 2015 7:30pm £10.00 + £1.00 Booking fee = £11.0023 tickets available Wisconsin native Willy Porter is a guitar virtuoso with an insinuating voice that sneaks past your defenses and gets under your skin. The Washington Post has called him “a dazzling acoustic guitarist with a moody baritone,” while the Boston Globe describes him as “an acoustic picker with the Olympian speed of Leo Kottke bolstered by rootsy vocals and twisting, offbeat lyrics.” Willy has toured with Tori Amos, Paul Simon, and Jethro Tull, whose leader, Ian Anderson, said of him: “Willy Porter’s music demonstrates admirably that the technical excellence of his guitar-playing will never overwhelm the essence of the song itself. In perfect symbiosis, the disciplines of performance and songwriting combine together to create the unique work for which he is admired by professional peers and audiences alike. Oh – and a damn fine singer too. Thank goodness he doesn’t play the flute.” His music is engaging, original, and occasionally haunting, and between songs he tells hilarious stories, perhaps inspired by his background in improv comedy. Each tour date became a unique event, a musical experience much greater than just a review of past, present and future recorded work. One his latest disc, Human Kindness (2015), Porter brings all of his acoustic, electric and multi-string chops to bear in service of a great collection of songs. This album is a driving, tuneful return to the pop sensibilities of his best work that also showcases Porter’s growth as a writer, musician and producer. He toured the UK in Autumn 2013 and February 2014 with Martyn Joseph, along with a solo UK tour is October 2014, and his performances went down a storm every night with audiences all asking the same question…”When he is coming back?” “I enjoy the security of obscurity,” Willy said in a recent interview, but he’s an artist who deserves an even wider following. £10.00 + £1.00 Booking fee = £11.00
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Post by madmission on Oct 13, 2015 17:37:00 GMT
Just the one date left in England then across the border into Scotland for his last couple of shows.
This was filmed at our show in Stoke.... The man's a fabulous entertainer
*edited* to update video with better quality one
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Post by maddogfagin on Jan 20, 2016 9:04:17 GMT
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Post by madmission on Jun 11, 2016 14:39:01 GMT
For anyone who may be interested ?
Willy Porter is flying in for a holiday/tour of Ireland in August and while on this side of the pond, he has agreed to play just 'four' UK dates and we have been fortunate enough to bring him back to Stoke on Trent for one of these dates. We still have tickets left, so if anyone wants to see him check our website for details and videos of when he last came. Cheers
a500music.co.uk/
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Post by nonrabbit on Jun 12, 2016 8:45:59 GMT
I'm only now catching up with this thread and many, many thanks for posting Ian! I must have missed the Irish dates because I can't find any details on the official page and I'm sorry about that because I would have gone along to hear this great musician. I've heard the name but never heard him play. This is beautiful. " Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, recently described Porter's musicianship this way: "Willy Porter's music demonstrates admirably that the technical excellence of his guitar-playing will never overwhelm the essence of the song itself. In perfect symbiosis, the disciplines of performance and songwriting combine together to create the unique work for which he is admired by professional peers and audiences alike. Oh — and a damn fine singer too....." www.notmuch.com/willy-porter
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Post by madmission on Jun 15, 2016 18:20:37 GMT
Hi NoneRabbit
There won't be any tour dates for Ireland as it's a rather unique event where people were invited to join Willy on a holiday tour around Ireland where they will be visiting music bars and the like where I guess Willy will jam along with local musicians. I don't know if this is still open to new takers but it was on the website when I last looked but was priced considerably more than I could afford to pay. I bet it would be fantastic to be at one of these nights though.
I'm only now catching up with this thread and many, many thanks for posting Ian! I must have missed the Irish dates because I can't find any details on the official page and I'm sorry about that because I would have gone along to hear this great musician. I've heard the name but never heard him play. This is beautiful. " Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, recently described Porter's musicianship this way: "Willy Porter's music demonstrates admirably that the technical excellence of his guitar-playing will never overwhelm the essence of the song itself. In perfect symbiosis, the disciplines of performance and songwriting combine together to create the unique work for which he is admired by professional peers and audiences alike. Oh — and a damn fine singer too....." www.notmuch.com/willy-porter
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Post by madmission on Sept 25, 2016 15:47:18 GMT
We were privileged to host Willy Porter again in Stoke last month and as we captured some great video of the show, thought I'd share some of it here. He's already promised to come back again next May but this time with his co-writing and singing partner Carmen Nickerson, so be sure to try and catch them if they comes anywhere near you.. I can't stress how amazing the guy is.
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Post by madmission on Jul 31, 2017 19:30:07 GMT
Hey, remember me Willy Porter?
Well he's back in the UK again and playing handful of shows before heading over to do his Ireland tour.
He won't be in my hometown of Stoke this time but he's doing a couple of new venues. The Tower of Song in Birmingham and Lowlands in West Derby. Liverpool I'll be heading over to the Liverpool show in a couple of weeks, looks like a lovely little venue and believe me, there's nothing quite like being at one of Willy's intimate solo shows... the guys so damned talented and funny as hell. If you get chance to see him please do so because I promise you, it'll be the best tenner you've spent on a live show in a long while. willyporter.com/shows/
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