LATEST
News February 2012
Already been a great February for Stompin' Dave with an appearance with Grandpa Banana founder of legendary 1960s band The Youngbloods at Charlton Down. Next up is a gig at Ringwood Folk(Feb 21) where Dave will reunite with his old Stompin' partner Prof Oz. Then Dave makes his debut at The Barnfield Theatre(Feb 23), Exeter, with a bluegrass concert with the excellent Carrivick Sisters. With special guest young banjo whiz Edward Bennett. Then Dave & his band will be making two appearances at the begining of March at Weymouth Pavilion(Mar 1) and The Chapel Art Centre(Mar2), Bath.
OLD NEWS
News December 2011
EXCITING JANUARY FOR DAVE
January is shaping up to be an exciting month for Dave with the return of Winter Blues Acoustic featuring Michael Roach from Washington DC, USA in Exmouth & South Petherton. Dave will also be back at The Electric Palace this time with a night of Banjo & Fiddle featuring Edward Bennett, Kate Lisauer(USA) and The Gollywhoppers.
Dave will be performing with his band at The Boogaloo Blues and Boogie, The Cellar Bars, at The Farnham Maltings for a blues and boogie extravaganza.
Stompin' Dave is pretty much taking a well earned rest over the holiday period after a very busy year.
Performances have included London Remix Festival, Wilderness Festival(Oxfordshire), Maverick Festival, Ealing Blues Festival, Wallingford Beer & Blues Festival, Boogaloo Blues Festivals(IOW & Torquay), Wadebridge Folk Festival, Exmouth Festival, Landulph Festival, The Great Dorset Steam Fair, and The Dorset Knob throwing festival.
Dave also toured Ireland in the spring and autumn, including performances at Dublin's famous Whelan's. Dave was winner of the FOAOTMAD old-time banjo contest back in February.
Dave has also had a very successful year promoting gigs - all of which have have included a Stompin' Dave performance. For example in his hometown of Bridport Dave has organised six very successful events at The Electric Palace.
These have included Winter Blues, Good Ol’ Bluegrass(with The Thunderbridge Bluegrass Boys & The Carrivick Sisters), Sublime Folk, A Rocking Dance Party(with Earl Jackson), Appalachian Roots(featuring Ira Bernstein and Riley Baugus from North Carolina, USA), folk legend Julie Felix.
Dave also performed a support spot at The Electric Palace at The Secret Sister’s(from Alabama, USA) sell out gig.
Dave also arranged and performed tours across the West Country with his Sublime Folk Concerts featuring Maurice Dickson from Northern Ireland. And with The Whitetop Mountaineers, from Virginia, USA, as well as a gig with champion bluegrass fiddler Aaron J Lewis(USA).
Other notable gigs this year have included The Chapel Arts Centre, Bath and The Marine Threatre, Lyme where Dave gained a rave review from The Daily Telegraph.
Dave released his eleventh Stompin’ Dave CD Bluegrass Banjo Solo this summer(the disc received a five star review from Maverick Magazine) which he coincided with festival appearances at The Didmarton & Cornwall bluegrass festivals, the two largest bluegrass festivals in the UK.
Dave followed this up in November with yet another release, this time in partnership with young banjo champion Edward Bennett from Penzance, Old-time fiddle & banjo.
News November 2011
DAVE PRESENTS FOLK LEGEND JULIE FELIX
Stompin’ Dave announces a great support act for folk icon Julie Felix gig at The Electric Palace on Friday 2nd of Decemeber. Very few acts nowadays can genuinely be classed as unique but Mike Dawes & Amy Turk are the only steel string guitar and concert harp duo in the world today. Both musicians employ unorthodox performance techniques such as two-handed tapping and percussive playing, to create an extraordinary musical and visual spectacle. Quite simply, this is guitar and harp like you've never heard before.
“I saw Mike and Amy perform at Bournemouth Folk Club earlier this year and they completely captivated the audience. They are well worth the admission fee in their own right. This is promises to be a spectacular evening.” Formed and currently residing in the South of England, this inventive duo have been stunning audiences and critics since 2008. Their music often defies description, taking influence from celtic, classical, world and popular music. With a combined fifty three strings Mike Dawes & Amy Turk reputation is snowballing. “Completely Spellbinding’” The Evening Post. “Incredible” International Guitar Foundation.
Headlining the event is the legendary Julie Felix. Back in 1964 Julie was the first solo folk artist to be signed to a major British record company she subsequently headlined the Royal Albert Hall prompting The Times to declare her “Britain's first lady of folk.” Julie was the resident singer on the TV show The Frost Report and had her own BBC TV series. Her 1960s recordings included Going to the Zoo. In the 1970s she became the first artist to have a hit on the RAK label with her version of Paul Simon's If Could '(El Condor Pasa). She has performed across the globe. After nearly fifty years of making phenomenal music nothing’s changed, she’s still brimming with energy on stage and off, with her performances exuding the pure joy of music.
With Stompin’ Dave himself promising a short appearance this will be a unique one off night of entertainment, not be missed. Dave’s recent Appalachian Roots concert with Ira Bernstein and Riley Baugus was a big hit with two hundred people in attendance. This will be Dave’s sixth promotion at The Electric Palace this year including Winter Blues, Good Ol’ Bluegrass, Sublime Folk, A Rocking Dance Party and Appalachian Roots as well Dave supporting the Secret Sister’s sell out gig. Dave says “I’m absolutely thrilled to be presenting folk legend Julie Felix. I’ve had fantastic support for my events at The Palace this year and I have big plans developing for next year. Please help by attending Julie’s performance or by spreading the word.”
News October 2011
QUITE AN AUTUMN FOR STOMPIN' DAVE
Its been quite a autumn so far for Bridport’s Stompin’ Dave Allen who is performing at The Sun Ray Folk Club at Broadmayne Village Hall on Thursday October 27th.
This September Dave performed at The Secret Sister’s sell out concert at The Electric Palace. Dave also released his eleventh Stompin’ Dave CD Bluegrass Banjo Solos(the disc received a five star review from Maverick Magazine) which he coincided with festival appearances at The Didmarton & Cornwall bluegrass festivals, the two largest bluegrass festivals in the UK. The end of September Dave promoted and appeared on a short tour with The Whitetop Mountaineers from Virginia, USA that harvested a packed crowd at The Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis plus Dave’s first total sell out promotion at Dorchester Arts Centre.
Just this week Dave secured his first headline festival appearance at The Fire On The Mountain Festival, at Tan Yn Y Mynedd in Wales for next year. As well as bagging a showcase spot at The Association of Festival Organisers Conference, Nottingham where the cream of the UK’s festival movers and shakers meet each year.
Dave winner of the FOAOTMAD old-time banjo competition 2011 has also completed recording on a new CD Old-time Fiddle and Banjo with fellow banjo champion Edward Bennett from Penzance. Edward appeared with Dave at The Dorchester Art Centre gig. The CD that is due for release before the end of the year features live recordings of the duos appearance from the beginning of this month at Landulph Festival, Cornwall, as well as studio material. So watch out for performances, sure to be announced soon, for this new exciting duo.
In November Dave is planning a short tour of Ireland that will include a headline appearance at Dublin‘s famous Whelan‘s, as well as appearing with Maurice Dickson and Catherine Ashcroft at The Island Arts Centre, Lisburn, near Belfast. On his return Dave will be promoting and making a support appearance with Appalachian Roots at The Electric Palace on Wednesday the 16th which features dancing master Ira Bernstein and supreme old-time banjoist Riley Baugus from North Carolina, USA.
On Friday December 2nd Dave will be presenting 1960s folk icon Julie Felix at The Electric Palace (which may possibly include a short, token Stompin’ Dave appearance) before hanging up his stompin’ shoes for a well deserved rest this Christmas.
News September 2011
THE WHITETOP MOUNTAINEERS
Stompin' Dave is promoting and performing at events across Devon and Dorset with The Whitetop Mountaineers, from Virginia, USA, this September.
The Whitetop Mountaineers is made up of the young duo, Martha Spencer and Jackson Cunningham. They both live in Whitetop, Virginia. Their shows feature old time country duet singing, up-tempo old instrumentals as well as high energy Appalachian dancing. Jackson and Martha have played concerts, festivals, workshops, and dances throughout the United States, UK, Ireland and Australia including Merlefest, Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and The National Folk Festival.
Their shows feature old time country duet singing, up-tempo old time fiddle, clawhammer banjo, bluegrass mandolin and guitar instrumentals as well as high energy Appalachian dancing.
Stompin' Dave says “It’s really exciting to be promoting and appearing with touring performers from the USA for the first time, the concerts I’ve arranged with the Whitetop Mountaineers are sure to be very special events. It’s a great pleasure to be supporting travelling, up and coming traditional musicians who come from an area whose music has inspired me so much personally.”
For more info on the upcoming gigs please see the GIGS section of this website.
News July 2011
STOMPIN' DAVE REVIEW IN THE TELEGRAPH
Renowned culture and art critic Charles Spencer is championing Stompin’ Dave. A review of Dave’s recent performance at The Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis, appeared in The Telegraph arts section on Monday 25th July. In an article entitled How I stumbled on Stompin’ Dave, Charles Spencer gives Dave a knock out review
“The best thing about my job are those rare moments when you stumble across a fresh new talent who completely blows you away. And sometimes it happens in the most unexpected places. I was pottering around Lyme Regis the other day when I saw that a guy called Stompin’ Dave Allen was playing at The Marine Theatre and decided to give him a whirl. He turned out to be an utter delight.”
Dave said “This very pleasant chap came up to me at half time and said he was a art critic he said he was loving my performance, then he bought a couple of CDs. But I wasn’t expecting to receive a review, I was thrilled to see it in The Telegraph, with my picture.”
In the review Charles Spencer waxes lyrically about Bridport based Dave “Stompin’ Dave’s is a master of all kinds of American roots music ranging from bluegrass to electric blues guitar, with a nice line in self-deprecating patter between numbers. He’s partial to showbiz gimmicks, juggling with his banjo and playing his guitar behind his head like Hendrix, but there is great sincerity and feeling in his performance, too.” The review concludes with a description of Stompin’ Dave as “a formidable musician and a true original.”
These really are exciting times for Dave, who shortly following his appearance at The Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis appeared with Earl Jackson at The Electric Palace’s A Rockin’ Dance Party which was a great success with an all dancing audience, followed by making his debut appearance at London’s largest blues festival The Ealing Blues Festival where Dave was a big hit.
“I’ve been really working really hard the last ten years playing about one hundred and fifty gigs a year, its only the last year or so with The Electric Palace as a springboard that I’ve started to play theatres and art centre, previous to that I was taking any performance offers that came my way. Perhaps this review in The Telegraph will lead to some really exciting possibilities.”
read the full review on The Daily Telegraph online:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-news/8659468/If-Mr-Pooter-had-been-Ian-McKellens-understudy....html
