We are pleased to announce further details of our recent move into the U.S. with “The Austin to Boston Tour”, a unique adventure featuring Ben Howard, The Staves, Nathaniel Rateliff and Bear’s Den. After the success of the Communion debut U.S. tour, Communion in the Redwoods in Big Sur and the ongoing monthly residencies in Brooklyn and San Francisco, we’re proud to confirm new tour dates this spring.

“The Austin to Boston Tour” will kick off March 15 across twelve dates in North America. Beginning at South by Southwest in Austin, the four emerging talents from the U.K. and U.S. will pile into a convoy of vintage VW Camper Vans and embark on a journey concluding in Boston at Berklee College of Music on March 31. The tour will be documented by one of Los Angeles’ most praised young filmmakers Marcus Haney, who will capture the essence of the artists involved with daily interview footage, live footage, and beautiful travel footage.

Ben Howard is a highly praised British singer-songwriter poised for breakthrough in the United States. His impressive live shows have lead to sellout tours across the U.K. and throughout Europe. Howard and his band, through relentless touring, have created a huge word of mouth buzz. He has recently received plenty of love from the British press and the influential BBC Radio1, and with upcoming features in NYLON and spins on KCRW, his fortunes look set to continue across the pond. His debut album Every Kingdom (Communion Records) reached #7 in the U.K. charts. This tour will serve as Howard’s first American headline visit to coincide with the U.S. release of the album on April 3.
www.benhowardmusic.co.uk

The Staves are English sisters Emily, Jessica and Camilla Staveley-Taylor, whose unique vocal harmonies and haunting melodies have already seen them tipped for success by The Guardian, iTunes, Time Out, and The Independent to name a few. Known for their jaw-dropping live performances, The Staves recently supported The Civil Wars across the southern U.S., and will be touring with Michael Kiwanuka across the U.K. in February before heading out to SXSW. The latter part of 2012 will see the release of their much-anticipated debut LP, the first record on which father and son producers Glyn and Ethan Johns (whose combined credits include The Rolling Stones, Ryan Adams, The Eagles, Ray LaMontagne, Kings of Leon) have shared production duties.
www.thestaves.com

Denver-by-way-of-Missouri songwriter Nathaniel Rateliff who the New York Times describes as “pensive” and “rousing,” earned acclaim with his latest LP In Memory of Loss (Rounder Records) produced by Brian Deck (Iron & Wine, Josh Ritter). He spent 2010/2011 supporting Mumford & Sons on tour.
www.nathanielrateliff.com

Andrew Davie’s old band, Cherbourg, was one of the breakthrough acts of 2010, wowing fans with just a pair of stunning EPs. Then, unexpectedly, he split up the band. In March of this year he officially unveiled his new project, Bear’s Den—a delicate, subtle blend of his old band’s romanticism and the influences of Nick Drake and Bonnie Prince Billy.
www.bearsdenmusic.co.uk

TOUR DATES

March 15-18 Austin, TX SXSW Communion Shows
March 19 Oklahoma City, OK The Blue Door
March 21 Kansas City, MO The Record Bar
March 22 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
March 23 Evanston, IL SPACE
March 24 St. Louis, MO Old Rock House
March 25 Nashville, TN The Basement
March 27 Philadelphia, PA World Café Live
March 28 Vienna, VA Jammin’ Java
March 29 New York, NY The Mercury Lounge
March 30 Woodstock, NY Bearsville Theater
March 31 Boston, MA The Red Room @ Café 939

Tickets will go on sale Saturday January 28th. Check local listings and venue websites for ticketing information.

Communion are proud to present Nick Mulvey at the Slaughtered Lamb on April 5th!

At 26 years of age, Nick Mulvey has accomplished more than most musicians will achieve in a lifetime. A key founding member of Portico Quartet, Nick has toured the world picking up a wealth of international acclaim, including a Mercury Music Prize nomination for their debut album ‘Knee-deep in the North Sea’.

In total Nick spent six amazing years working with friends, embracing and pushing a new musical instrument to the forefront of cutting edge music. Although he has loved every moment, he now feels that the time is right for him to return to his first musical instrument (the guitar) and work on a solo project.

Nick is essentially a self-taught musician who has been fortunate enough to have worked with some amazing people that have influenced his work greatly. He is a musical innovator, who is looking to combine and sit between genres. All of his music is about the groove and with his new material, there is no holding him back.

Nick is just about to embark on the most exciting years of his career. With confirmed appearances at Glastonbury, Bestival and The Secret Garden Party scheduled for Summer 2011, plus plans to record a debut EP, it shouldn’t be too long before Nick’s ambitions begin to materialise.

Tickets £6 adv. from here

Communion Bristol is back for 2012!

Before introducing the cracking line up for Bristol’s first Communion of the year we are rather delighted to announce that we’ve had a change of venue and Bristol’s nights now will be taking place at the Louisiana.

So what have we got for you? A line up of beautifully delicious musical loveliness that’s what.

Twin Falls
After previously running the excellent indie label Exercise1, Luke Stidson decided that he was ready to go back to doing what he’d done before – writing and recording songs in his bedroom.
Adopting the moniker Twin Falls, Stidson released two well received EPs and soon found the likes of BBC 6Music’s Tom Robinson and Steve Lamacq giving the records some strong airplay.
2011 saw the release of his debut album ‘Slow Numb’
At points you’d be forgiven for thinking Neil Young was a big influence on the out-and-out folk/country moments (he is). You may think the nasty fuzz guitar and synth pop combinations were intended to remind you of Grandaddy (they probably were) and you may even think the ethereal light that touches the production as a whole makes a distinct nod to the late great Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse. All of this would be true, but it’s the finely tuned oscillation between these points that help give ‘Slow Numb’ its unique character.
https://www.facebook.com/twinfalls

Joyce the Librarian
Brizzle boys Joyce the Librarian are playing their Communion debut. A delicate mix of twisted, melancholic melodies – featuring a flugelhorn or two – the band have just seen the release of new EP The Weight of the Line. Expect a crowd.
http://joycethelibrarian.bandcamp.com/

Like Spinning
Studying music at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, Kari started Like Spinning in 2009. After moving back to Oslo and playing around town for a couple of years, she now lives in East London playing in various London venues. With influences like Diane Cluck, Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, CocoRosie, Joanna Newsom, Midlake and Warpaint she combines ethereal vocals with melancholy indie.
http://www.likespinning.com/

Arianna
Another artist making her Communion debut this February is Arianna. A wistful combination of folk and blues, this Gloucester based girl is currently working on her next EP, Urban Hymn which is due for release later this year.

Doors: 7pm

Tickets: £5 adv. available here

Communion & The Hope Live are proud to present…

FOY VANCE
(www.foyvance.com)
+ support

Doors: 8pm / Tickets: £8 adv.
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Foy Best Vance was born in 1974 in Bangor Co-Down in Ireland. However even before Foy was a year old, his preacher-man father along with his mother and three elder brothers had packed up their belongings and caught the boat to America, the land of the free.

Relocating to Oklahoma, Mr Preacher-man preached the length and breadth of the vast country with family in tow. It was in the black churches of the South that young Foy soaked up the deep riches of the southern roots and started to sing. Music was Foys only outlet and it didnt take long for his folks to notice that their boy had a special gift. Thats when the preacher-man taught him how to play the 12 bar blues, a moment which proved to be a milestone for Foy.

Moving back to Ireland five years later, Foy cut his teeth gigging all over Ireland and Scotland with a soul funk band which didn’t prove enough to satisfy his musical aspirations. It was around this time that he took a renewed interest in his fathers acoustic although the soul flavours have never left him.

Every once in a while an artist emerges to shake you from your seat and touch your soul, singing as if it were the last time he would ever perform. With a distinctive, cracked, soulful voice and a skill to write profound storytelling songs, Foy Vance belongs to a calibre of artists that stands the test of time, irrespective of trends or fads, delivering heartfelt songs about the human condition that everyone can relate to.

David Wax Museum
http://davidwaxmuseum.com/
Recently anointed as Boston’s Americana Artist of the Year (2010 Boston Music Awards), the David Wax Museum has been called “pure, irresistible joy” (Bob Boilen, NPR) and hailed by TIME.com for its “virtuosic musical skill and virtuous harmonies.” It is no surprise that its acclaimed performance at the 2010 Newport Folk Festival was hailed as one of highlights of the entire weekend by NPR. The Museum fuses traditional Mexican folk with American roots and indie rock to create an utterly unique Mexo-Americana aesthetic. Combining Latin rhythms, call-and-response hollering, and donkey jawbone rattling, they have electrified audiences across the country and are “kicking up a cloud of excitement with their high-energy border-crossing sensibility” (The New Yorker). The band’s new album, Everything Is Saved, produced by Sam Kassirer (Josh Ritter), has been drawing rave reviews from all corners and has propelled the band into the national spotlight, with a feature in Paste Magazine, a Daytrotter session, and a nod from TIME magazine as one of the top ten acts of last year’s South by Southwes.

Aoife O’Donovan
http://www.aoifeodonovan.com/
When USA Today predicted that Aoife O’Donovan would soon become “the newest darling of the Americana set”, it had already been true for quite some time. Aoife is renowned for her ability to breath magic into anything she sings. Since her first professional engagement singing lead for the folk group The Wayfaring Strangers, she has maintained a wide variety of side projects and collaborations, working with numerous other artists including Ollabelle, Sometymes Why, Karan Casey and Seamus Egan, Jerry Douglas, Jim Lauderdale, Darol Anger, Sarah Jarosz, Sara Watkins, Christina Courtin, Noam Pikelny and Chris Thile (The Punch Brothers). Most recently she has recorded and performed with Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Stuart Duncan and Chris Thile as a guest vocalist on The Goat Rodeo Sessions (Sony Masterworks Oct 2011). For the past 10 years, Aoife has been fronting the alt-bluegrass/string band Crooked Still, which she formed when she was 18. Her natural talent for songwriting recently came to the attention of Alison Krauss, who recorded Aoife’s song Lay My Burden Down, which is included on Alison’s album Paper Airplane (2011 Rounder Records) and can also be heard in the film Get Low (2010 Sony Pictures). In June 2010, Aoife released her first solo recording in the form of a limited edition 7” vinyl. Featuring two original tracks, it garnered rave reviews from audiophiles worldwide. Her solo debut full length album is due for release in 2012.

Trixie Whitley
http://www.trixiewhitley.com/
Trixie Whitley, the daughter of bluesman Chris Whitley and the phenom that legendary producer Daniel Lanois built his critically Black Dub project around, is a force of nature waiting to be unleashed on any stage she takes. Already headlining festivals in Europe on her own and having taken the US by storm alongside Lanois with Black Dub, she steps out here just before heading into the studio to record. With a voice, musical chops, and presence that can’t be denied, this will likely be one of your last chances to see Whitley in a small room. Don’t miss it.

Jones Street Station
http://www.jonesstreetstation.net/
Known for their unique take on traditional Americana, Jones Street Station has shared stages with such notable acts as Ben Kweller, Brett Dennen, Grace Potter, and Deertick.
“Of all the bands Brooklyn has produced in recent years, rarely has the borough birthed an Americana-rock love child like Jones Street Station. But this isn’t just Appalachia-on-the-Hudson—the band is just as fond of rockstar timbres and synths as it is mandolin, banjo licks and harmonica. We’re not the first to liken them to a little band called Wilco, and we’d humbly submit the folk/pop stylings of The Avett Brothers and the jamboree ethos of Akron/Family for comparison as well.” –Paste Magazine

Julia Easterlin
http://www.facebook.com/juliaeasterlin
Julia Easterlin is one part Regina Spektor, one part loop scientist, and a sophisticated musical mind that can wield composition, production, and performance in one fell swoop.
Not only is Easterlin a versatile singer-songwriter, vocalist, pianist, and guitarist, but her looping machine also makes her into a virtual one-woman band. On songs like “Go Straight Away,” she loops her vocals, building a multi-layered song live on stage, track-by-track. Her voice combines seduction with a haunting edge, and her music weaves story with an otherworldly vocal dance, drawing listeners deep into each well-crafted piece.

Doors: 6pm – Show 7pm
Age: 18+
Tickets: $12 door
Tickets available on January 20th here

Entrance (solo)
http://www.theentranceband.com/web/index.php
The Entrance Band kicks out a veritable explosion of mind-bending, skyscraping high-volume electric power. The trio – which includes singer/guitarist Guy Blakeslee, drummer Derek James and bassist Paz Lenchantin – set out for new musical frontiers with their full-on melding of psychedelic freakout and punk rock intensity. Co-founder of Ecstatic Peace Records, Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, says, “The Entrance Band’s new music is the most alluring and, yes, entrancing vibe I’ve yet to experience in this new age. A soundtrack for the new groove.”

Tim Cohen (solo)
http://www.timcohen.com/
“Tim Cohen is best known as the lead singer-songwriter of the Fresh & Onlys, and his solo work for Captured Tracks continues in the loose and lo-fi vein of the band he fronts; however, the music on Magic Trick, his followup to 2010′s Laughing Tracks, shies away from the garage leanings of the Fresh & Onlys in favor of a backyard jam session-vibe. Here, he alternates between eeriness (some songs are pure campfire spook-story ) and heartfelt intimacy. ”
–Prefix Mag

Hot Lunch
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hot-Lunch/116240715101900?sk=info
Hot Lunch is a high-fiveingly awesome punk ‘n’ roll quartet comprising members of Parchman Farm, Men’s Club, Fells, Cheetah Speed and Harold Ray Live In Concert. They are hell-bent on updating heavy old-school rock, but they’ve been known to dabble in reinventing early ’80s skate punk and proggy, mind-melting jams fueled by medieval maidens, trident-chucking centaurs and intergalactic revenge fantasies.
If the members of Hot Lunch were to roll up some Dungeons & Dragons characters, they would be an evil Drow Wizard, a battle-axe wielding thief, an Elvin warrior and a spell-casting executioner with totally radical moat digging skills. No member of this band is vegan or vegetarian and one time the singer ate a hot dog that was cooked onto a slice of pepperoni pizza.

Matt Baldwin
One of the more unexpected – if worthwhile – byproducts of the 21st-century underground American folk revival is a renewed interest in solo acoustic guitar music. Spare, haunting, pastoral sounds have a struck a new chord, and the words John Fahey and Takoma are hip again. Just check the mighty Tompkins Square and Strange Attractors labels for the proof in the pudding.
Matt Baldwin, raised in California’s rustic Pacific Grove, educated in the alternative Mecca of Berkeley, sits in the center of this quiet, swirling scene. He is the visionary wildcard of today’s solo guitar music, the ambitious fever dreamer, the serpent in the grass. Towering tall with long blonde locks, he conjures from his axe dark and mystical realms. He calls his music “New Age,” and he may not be joking.
Featured on Tompkins Square’s 2006 Berkeley Guitar LP, Baldwin now steps into his own with his debut solo release. Unlike many of his peers, he looks beyond the traditions of Fahey (whom he calls “a teacher,” not a god). He brings portentous and progressive elements into his music, alongside a dreamy country lilt. He covers Krautrock legends Neu! (”Weissensee”) and metal Vikings Judas Priest (“Winter”), and culls inspiration from prog heroes Yes on closing epic “Rainbow.” His music comes on like a creeping moss, verdant but threatening, comforting yet unsettling. It will work its way inside you.

Ready Steady
https://www.facebook.com/readysteadyband
Ready Steady began when Paul and Amber moved to California from Kentucky, via Arizona. They both dreamed of living in California from a young age, and once in the golden state, the two of them married and commenced to writing songs based at first on a shooting star over Mt Tamalpais. While Paul Oldham comes up with the guitar riffs, Amber Oldham (née Savarro), an actress and a writer, co-writes the songs with Paul, adding melodies and lyrics. Since then new friendships were forged as well as old friends found to form what has become Ready Steady. Featuring Bob Thayer, leader of San Francisco band Rad Cloud, on bass guitar and backing vocals; Chris Matthews, fellow relocated Louisvillian, on rhythm guitar and keys; and Mark Ostiapak, of the band Teeeth, on the drums to round things out. Ready Steady’s sound is inspired by the punk and new wave of the late seventies to early eighties but also pulls from Paul’s six year tenure with Royal Trux as sound engineer and sometime bass player, as well as his many years refining his hollering skills singing back up with his brother, Bonny Prince Billy. Additionally Paul played bass and electric guitar in Louisville band Speed to Roam with long time collaborator George Wethington, of Louisville, who occasionally contributes lyrics to Ready Steady.

Doors @ 7:30PM – Show @ 8:30PM
Tickets: $10 adv/$12 door
Age: 21+
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We’re thrilled to launch Communion Manchester on 2nd February at Night & Day with a fantastic lineup:

AGE OF GLASS – An incredible 3 piece reggae/blues/folk/dance trio sure to lift the party levels to dizzy new heights. They tore it up at Glastonbury last year and are genuinely one of the most exciting bands in Manchester at the moment. Check them out here: www.theageofglass.com

WILD BIRDS – Former members of The Travelling Band, The Vox, Sycamore & Manchester’s finest 60′s soul spinning Revolver DJ’s have come together to form what some might describe as a Super Group. Think ‘Tonight’s The Night’ era Neil Young meets The Band with a bit of The Replacements. Then stop thinking about that and come see Wild Birds!

BEANS ON TOAST – He’s run one of the most popular club nights in London (FROG), he’s run some of the best drinking & dancing establistments in London (Nambucca, The Flowerpot, The Wheelbarrow) and he’s performed in front of thousands at festivals and huge venues across the UK with just a guitar and a vocal like a cockney Tom Waits. Beans on Toast is a Communion favourite and an unquestionable legend. Signed to Frank Turner’s Xtra Mile Recordings, hear him here: www.beansontoastmusic.com

TAYLOR & THE MASON – Two beautiful Northern lasses playing guitars, singing sensational folk/blues/jazz originals with stunning harmonies. What more could you want? www.myspace.com/taylorandthemason

THOM STONE – He’s toured with Mumford & Sons, Foy Vance & Matt Costa, relocated from London to Manchester 3 years ago because he loves the place, plays & sings soul/R&B/blues with his electric guitar. www.soundcloud.com/thomstone

Doors: 7.00pm / First act on around 7.45pm – get down early to avoid disappointment!

Tickets: £5 adv / £7 on the door

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We’re really looking forward to kicking things off in a big way – come and join in the Communion party!

There’s also going to be a free copy of Communion’s Flowerpot Sessions up for grabs for one lucky advance ticket holder! More details to come very soon.. Tell your friends!

Follow @communionmcr to keep up to date

Every once in a little while a show will come along and quickly become an ‘I was there’. This is surely one:

Communion Edinburgh on 27th January 2012 at Sneaky Pete’s

Foy Vance
http://www.foyvance.com/

‘Foy’s a giant’ - Pete Townshend

‘An unbelievable voice, in the premier league of British songwriters’ - The Sunday Times

‘The missing link between Richie Havens and Stevie Wonders’ - The Independent

MJ Vincent
http://www.myspace.com/mjvincent

We see this as our Northern Irish occupancy, we can’t think of a better man to lead the charge than MJ Vincent

Doors: 7pm

Tickets: £10 adv. Buy here!

Communion Glasgow returns with a great mix of some of the most exciting acts in Scotland right now:

Sa Harans - featuring 3 members of the Attic Lights, Sa Harans provide great Pop songs laced with infectious melodies.
https://www.facebook.com/saharansmusic

The Wellgreen – are a two piece band from Glasgow comprising of Stuart Kidd and Marco Rea, they have the most delicate songs bolstered by the most affecting harmoines since Simon & Garfunkel.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Wellgreen/127419890627428?sk=info

Brown Bear & The Bandits – Recently featured in Vic Galloway’s picks for 2012, they have songs with meaningful lyrics and perfect pop hooks, sure to be a big year for the Largs 3 peice.
https://www.facebook.com/brownbearandthebandits

Marie Collins – the impressive teenager has already performed at a number of festivals in her short career and the singer songwriter looks set to have a Big year in 2012.
https://www.facebook.com/mariecollinsmusic

Doors open at 7.45, show starts at 8pm.

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Yet another month, yet another incredible Communion line-up. This month we are excited to bring Nathaniel Rateliff back to London! Heading over from Denver, his music evokes tenderness and honesty, while his voice bellows with impressive power. His debut album ‘In Memory of Loss’ was released last year to critical acclaim. Do not miss this!

Also on the line-up is the eerie electronic sounds of Seasfire. Luke Richie brings his unique brand of atmospheric folk to the arts club, playing songs from him album ‘The Water’s Edge’. Gill Landry, previously a member of the band Old Crow Medicine Show, has now gone solo and is heading over from the US to play a string of Communion dates. Opening the show is singer-songwriter Annie Eve.

Tickets £8 in advance or £10 on the door

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