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| Two musicians have just been added to the upcoming Mike Heron concert in Abbot House (details below). Mike Hastings (from the Glasgow based band Trembling Bells) and his musical partner, classically trained classical violinist Solveig Askvig (who performed in the band Pendulum) will be flying in from the South by Southwest Festival in Austin Texas to accompany some of the Incredible String Band classics. Formed in 1965, the ISB soon broke from the folk club beginnings they shared with Bert Jansch and Billy Connolly to pioneer an eclectic, ‘world music’ approach. This led to them being propelled into the Top 5 of the British charts behind the Beatles, Cream and the Rolling Stones. In total, they produced over 14 seminal albums and appeared at the famous Woodstock Festival in 1969. Mike`s solo album `Smiling Men With Bad Reputations` - produced by Joe Boyd, originally released in 1971 and then reissued in 2003 - featured a once-in-a-lifetime stellar cast from the aristocracy of folk-pop-rock musicians, including Pete Townshend, Richard Thompson, Elton John, Jimmy Page, Steve Winwood, Keith Moon, Dave Pegg and Ronnie Lane. Cited as “an inspiration and a sign” by Robert Plant, admired by artists as diverse as KLF and Paul McCartney, the ISB have always exerted an influence of legendary proportions that continues to this day. Since the break-up of the ISB in 1974, Mike has continued to write songs in epic quantities (many re-released recently on the Glen Row Tapes CD) and has fronted a variety of bands, most recently his Incredible Acoustic Band. In the late 1990s he and Robin Williamson reformed the Incredible String Band for several years. Mike`s solo album `Where the Mystics Swim` revealed a songwriter forever pushing the boundaries, but retaining his originality, creativity and musical integrity. In 2006 he was commissioned to write music for John Burnside`s poem `Song for Irena` as part of a poetry/music project entitled Ballads of the Book at Glasgow’s Celtic Connections. More recently he was invited to play at Sid Barrett`s tribute in London; a testament to the groundbreaking role Mike has played in the British music scene over four decades. Mike performs in a duo with his daughter Georgia (keyboards, percussion and vocals), whose own songwriting and performance has been described in a recent Scotsman review as “arrestingly artless" and "the nu-folk answer to Martha Wainwright". They have also performed at the Crossing Borders festival at The Hague, Holland, and an all-star Folk Britannia event at the Barbican. Their unique performances are a potent mix of new songs and much-requested ISB favourites. Tickets priced £14 are on sale in Abbot House on 733266 and at Third Base Records on 722554. |
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