Ash Grunwald The Grains Beau Young @ Oxford Art Factory 12.08.2011
August 20th 2011 11:54
Singer/Songwriter Beau Young opened up the night with a solo acoustic performance that definitely had a Ben Harper vibe to it. Beau is a nice country boy who normally writes children's song his barn on the farm, but tonight gets a chance to play to a much older crowd showing off some of his talents as a songwriter. His songs were cool and really suited the vibe of an Ash Grunwald show.
As a performance Beau really attacks that acoustic with a claw like right hand, especially in the fills and breaks. He has sweet, yet nasally tone and the set was really impressive.
The Grains came out and brought some funk and seventies cool to rock n’ blues. Four talented dudes with great tunes to swing and sway to. It was a fun set, even if the singers voice was half shot after three weeks on tour, they still put on a blistering set. I was impressed by some of the guitar work. Absolutely amazing solos and again they suited their place on the bill.
Standing outside having a smoke, I saw Ash and Kram from Spiderbait. It was funny to watch fans come up to Ash and get photos taken while Kram, stood back, slightly uneasy. I felt a bit bad for him so said G’day to Kram while Ash gained all the attention.
Inside when Ash came on stage the place went nuts. He banged out a much better set than the last time I saw him opening for Jack Johnson. Clubs are more Ash’s style than big open fields of the Domain in Sydney. It was more intimate and much more intense.
There is no doubting the man’s talent as a guitarist and songwriter. He can pull off an amazing sound just from a stomp box and steel guitar. Tonight, he showed off some of his new toys. An iPad and effects pedal to create loops, beats and samples. The new toy has obviosuly open Ash’s mind to new sounds and played around with them alot in between acappella crowd participation songs and classic Ash tracks including “Tear The Roof Off”, “Hot Mama Vibe” and “Fish Outta Water”.
Ash clearly is in love with his work on stage. He bounced around dancing and grooving to songs when he brought his percussionists out and encouraged audience to get involved. He took requests from the front row and even brought out Kram for a couple of jams as well. A truly strong live performer, Ash really did tear the roof of the OAF with punching set.
As a performance Beau really attacks that acoustic with a claw like right hand, especially in the fills and breaks. He has sweet, yet nasally tone and the set was really impressive.
The Grains came out and brought some funk and seventies cool to rock n’ blues. Four talented dudes with great tunes to swing and sway to. It was a fun set, even if the singers voice was half shot after three weeks on tour, they still put on a blistering set. I was impressed by some of the guitar work. Absolutely amazing solos and again they suited their place on the bill.
Standing outside having a smoke, I saw Ash and Kram from Spiderbait. It was funny to watch fans come up to Ash and get photos taken while Kram, stood back, slightly uneasy. I felt a bit bad for him so said G’day to Kram while Ash gained all the attention.
Inside when Ash came on stage the place went nuts. He banged out a much better set than the last time I saw him opening for Jack Johnson. Clubs are more Ash’s style than big open fields of the Domain in Sydney. It was more intimate and much more intense.
There is no doubting the man’s talent as a guitarist and songwriter. He can pull off an amazing sound just from a stomp box and steel guitar. Tonight, he showed off some of his new toys. An iPad and effects pedal to create loops, beats and samples. The new toy has obviosuly open Ash’s mind to new sounds and played around with them alot in between acappella crowd participation songs and classic Ash tracks including “Tear The Roof Off”, “Hot Mama Vibe” and “Fish Outta Water”.
Ash clearly is in love with his work on stage. He bounced around dancing and grooving to songs when he brought his percussionists out and encouraged audience to get involved. He took requests from the front row and even brought out Kram for a couple of jams as well. A truly strong live performer, Ash really did tear the roof of the OAF with punching set.
| 19 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog