Paul Murphy (The Destroyers); Andy Oliveri; Dan Hartland

The Cheltenham Underground welcomes back Paul Murphy!

PAUL MURPHY

One thing that can be said with certainty about Paul Murphy is that he is difficult to pigeonhole. Not surprising, I suppose, given that he is the only folksinger mentioned in Lemmy's (Motorhead) autobiography - “my friend Murph, this little Irish folksinger...”. The enigma persists forty years later.

There are two sharply contrasting aspects to this artist. He is the mesmeric 'grandfather in a fez' (Q Magazine) fronting The Destroyers “a 15-piece - Birmingham band playing a heady mix of klezmer, ska and raucous Gypsy folk punk which has been whipping festival crowds into a gleeful frenzy for the last few years.” (Morning Star)

To others he is a guitar picking folksinger with a huge repertoire of compositions and hilarious improvisations. These two personas are linked by the man's desire to communicate. Whether it's a late night 'up for it' festival crowd or an intimate acoustic setting, he really knows how to engage an audience.

Paul was a precocious talent and a free spirit from the start. Born in Belfast in 1949, he caught the music bug early. He touched The Beatles, met Donovan and climbed a drain pipe to hang out with Joan Baez after he'd been arrested for civil disobedience at a CND rally. The boy was on fire. There was no stopping him. At 16 he left for London, with his guitar and songs, to perform on local TV and radio. He published with Southern Music, hung out with Van Morrison and supported Al Stewart at the Marquee Club. An auspicious start. So what happened? A newspaper clipping from the period gives us a clue. The London correspondent for City Beat asks, “Is it true that Paul Murphy is working in a Salford laundry? John Lee Hooker praised his performance at the Marquee Club. That is high praise indeed!”

Paul had already moved on. Tin Pan Alley was not his destination. He was a beatnik, a troubadour, opting for life on the road. In the tradition of Guthrie and Rambling Jack Eliot he believed that folksinging was a form of social engagement, radical education. Over the years, he has used his music for community building; writing and producing a youth musical to initiate an inner city farm, setting up Songwriter's Cafe to nurture new talent, establishing a social enterprise to work with marginalised kids through music and media production, to mention but a few projects.

Forty years later, he's still on the road and full of enthusiasm. Laterly, he has concentrated on writing, recording and performing with The Destroyers and as a solo artist, often mixing song and spoken word. Creative expression is his life blood which is infectious for audiences and that 'live thing' is what he feeds off. Only now, in response to a growing demand for his work, he has prioritised recording, and committed to producing at least one solo album per year. The first - The Glen - which he describes as “an extended love letter to my late wife Honora”, was released on 1 December 2011.

http://www.paulmurphytv.com

ANDY OLIVERI

Midnight Mile's beard wielding folkster sets out alone, crafting beautiful Americana reminiscent of Ryan Adams et al. Oliveri looks set to be a great force within UK folk in 2012.

http://www.soundcloud.com/andy-oliveri

DAN HARTLAND

Hailing from Birmingham but now settled in Cheltenham, roots music is the inspiration behind much of Dan Hartland's music - folk, blues and country, even early rock 'n' roll. 'Americana' fits best but there's enough of a British influence to make it homegrown.

He lists Ryan Adams, Tom McRae, Ray LaMontagne and Silver Jews amongst his influences.

Dan's chasing the dream: the opportunity to tour modest-sized venues regularly and without the worry that the petrol money will run out would be ideal.

He's released two EPs 'On Someone' (May 2007) and 'Walk the Floor' (September 2008) both of which are available to buy on iTunes: http://ow.ly/6rHoL

Check more here: http://www.danhartland.com

Doors 8pm

Entry £5/£3 NUS