Matt Henshaw Recommends ... Emily Carr

When you walk into a pub, order a pot of tea and take a seat, place you Wednesday scarf and coat on the back of your chair, take a sip and watch some open mic acts you're not usually expected to be overly impressed, but in Leicester, where there's seemingly an open mic night every night of the week you might just be surprised from time to time.

I went down a Wednesday night show just south of the city centre hosted by The Simpletones and was knocked out by the talent. I've seen Matt Zara, Kate Rendell and Becky Edwards down at the Cradock open mic nights from Little & Large, and loads more acts that I'm sure I'll share with you another time, but this time around I'd like to shine a light on Emily Carr ...

Emily was seemingly shy, although everything about her makes you want to shout and point and exclaim how great she is. Carrying the weight of the 2010s, as all teenagers do in the decade they leave school, Miss Carr is strikingly visual and has a voice that nabs your attention puts it in a box and let's it float upstream.

I like guitars, I love Emily's guitars, maybe it's because they're blue and white, maybe it's because they're exceptional pieces of wood, or maybe it's because she plays them wonderfully, either way it warms the cockles of my heart, and I'm sure the way she sings and plays will cheer you too.

Matt Henshaw's Acoustic Rhythm'n'Gospel Cavalcade Launch Night !

Friday 21st March ! Next week at The Cookie Jar / The Crumblin' Cookie in Leicester !!



Support from Matt Henshaw Recommends ... acts including ...

James Byron

Rosa-Leigh

Matt Zara

An absolute stellar line-up I'm sure you'll agree ! Plus Soul & Gospel DJs, good food and drink, non-alcoholic cocktails and tea included of course !

Check the event on Facebook and tell me that you're coming if you're coming ...

Post by Matt Henshaw.

Matt Henshaw Recommends ... 2013 (Ones to Watch for 2014)

A quick summary of the recommendations I made in the latter quarter of 2013 ... keep your eye on there chaps and chapesses !

Charlotte Carpenter

Leah Sinead

The Simpletones

Matt Zara

Mattayoux

Savanna Bones

The Bobcats

Stay tuned for more !!!

Matt Henshaw Recommends ... Matt Zara

Recommending again, this time an absolutely sensational guitarist, who at a such a young age wasn't born when John Major was prime minister, is one of the most accomplished and talented musicians I know. Playing bass or guitar he can transform a melody into symphony with one instrument. Often times it's not cool to bash on about someones talent being amazing just because of how young they are, so for a second let's just completely discard the simple fact that Matt is barely tackling his GCSEs and know that at whatever age he is simply a brilliant musician, if he was 44 I'd have the same amount of respect and admiration for him, and I'm sure by 44 he'll have a lot more stories to tell about his wild successes as a guitar man.

Now, I'm no whizz kid on the guitar, I went to the Manchester school of simplicity, starting out learning the chords to Noel Gallagher songs and then ripping a few licks off of The Stone Roses' John Squire and eventually attempting some Hendrix, Clapton and Jimmy Page, but Matt Zara eats, breathes and sleeps his instrument, I would be surprised if he sleeps with it, such expression and dexterity in his fingers, a skill at improvisation and playing by ear that most don't develop and execute with such ease.

Let's just say Matt would be my first port of call if I ever needed a serious guitarist, session man or tour buddy, he'd be an asset to any ensemble and a pleasure to share the stage with, no doubt one day I'll find myself saying the words "and on guitar, Matt Zara!" to a huge round of applause and some ecstatically excited girlish screams, if only from me ! And if he'd join a band with me at the helm.

I met him for the first time at an open mic night in Leicester and unfortunately missed him, but he, and his whole family, sat and watched me do a few tunes and I felt as though I'd found a new friend and a family away from home straight away, beautiful people, it wasn't until he mentioned that I should go to an open mic the following night nearer his home and with some of his friends that I really had the chance to be blown away, and discovered a further set of incredibly talented people and indeed a musical family.

The first step in my dream band of Matt's ... I already have an organ and piano player in mind, I'll let you know about him further down the line, but here's one of Matt's original compositions ... you might catch him playing in Leicester, a open mics, busking or alongside the fabulous Mark Elliott and Martin Luke Brown ...



I'm working on my guitar skills ... the next "title video" I upload might just include a guitar solo ... oooooooooh ...

Spread The Love!
MHx

PS. here's me doing some plucking and strumming ...