Thursday 13th June

RHATIGAN
KEITH MOSS
WOODCHUCK
MATTBACKER

Thank you to all our old friends and new ones who came to see RHATIGAN last month on the CUSHY night. We had a ball, particularly as we resurrected some of our favourite songs from the LATE DEVELOPER album, which was fun. I'd forgotten how great it is to rock out, RHATIGAN have become more genteel of late, though believe me the mad dog is always just under the surface. I'll be back in town this month and will play a few tunes solo later in the evening.

As some of you may know I've been dividing my time between London and Dublin recently and one of the singer songwriters I've enjoyed the most on the 'RUBY SESSIONS' weekly nights in Doyles pub Dublin, is the wonderful KEITH MOSS. He is a punk poet for the new millennium. Funny and heartbreaking angry and uplifting. The legacy of John Ottway and Wreckless Eric lives on in this huge young talent. As far as I know, despite his tender years he has released three albums do date, the most recent being this years 'GLOWING GROOVES FROM THE COBWEBBED LAIR' but if you can't order one of them through your local shop visit www.cluas.com to download some MP3's, or www.peoplesound.com to buy his 1st album 'DRIZZLE DREAMS AND HEARTACHE CARTWHEELS'.

The alt/country music collective that is WOODCHUCK is a new one on me but from visiting their web site www.teamwoodchuck.com I was intrigued enough to invite them to play on a CUSHY night. Listening to their singles 'HANG ON' and 'EVERY THING COMES BACK TO YOU' they have all the required ingredients of hopeless heartbreak and hapless romanticism to convince you that they are the real deal.

MATT BACKER and I go way back, so far back in fact that I probably shouldn't mention it. Although he is far too much of a gentleman to say it, his time working with me on my first album 'To Hell With Love' which, although it was quite fun, was not necessarily the most illustrious or successful project on his impressive CV. He is a highly sought after session guitarist if you visit his web site www.mattbacker.com you can trawl through the list of his credits but he is also a great songwriter. He has a gift for writing great melodies and bittersweet lyrics, never betraying his musicality and college music roots as his debut album 'IS THAT ALL' on Warm Fuzz records evinces. Tonight he is launching his single 'EVERY THING IS NOT ENOUGH' so come down and be thoroughly entertained.

£5/£4 with flyers

Thursday 9th May

RHATIGAN

SCOUT NIBLETT

MORNING STAR

I know I said the RHATIGAN band wouldn't be playing till we finished the new record but we miss you, so we are re-visiting our spiritual home 'The 12 Bar' on the 9th and since Cushy is my club, I can play when I like so "nah nah nah nah nah". Come and hear some new tunes and older ones reinvigorated by our time apart.

SCOUT NIBLETT is an intriguing prospect. I'd never heard of the band before last month then in the space of a week the name popped up everywhere. Ostensibly 'the band' is a girl from Nottingham called Emma who already has a worthy reputation by her association and collaboration with the wonderful SONGS:OHIA and the label SECRETLY CANADIAN who have released the album 'SWEET HEART FEVER'. I am waiting for my copy but I was able to hear her live cover of Nirvana's 'VERSE CHORUS VERSE' click the song title link to hear an MP3 of that performance. Her ragged, intense and soulful sound bears comparisons with PJ HARVEY, SANDY DENNY, LIZ PHAIR and LAURA NYRO, this could be the discovery of the year, so far.

I first heard of MORNING STAR through the venerable John Parrish who has worked with main man Jesse on some recordings. Following the release of the debut album 'My place in the dust' on French label Microbe, Jesse's interests have widened. He has recently put together a live compilation culled from the last 3 years work with different line-ups as diverse as a 30 piece orchestra, to solo performances and 3 small band line-ups. Recently he's been on tour in France with a 5 piece group. Apart from all that, Jesse runs an open mic music club, a monthly Kareoke, 'Discoordination' in 'The Chelsea' a working mans club in Easton, Bristol. His weekly choir have started singing Beach Boys songs and he's working on a 'funky poetry beautiful' LP with Jim Barr (the band's called Invisible Hands) the 1st lp 'Disparation' released on cup of tea in '97 with a single 'Me and the Piggies' to be released this summer. Phew!

£5/£4 with flyers

Thursday, 11th April 2002

Featuring

JAMES YORKSTON
LIANNE HALL
ROBERT ROTIFER
WILLIEM VINCENT

Some great songwriters for you to discover at this month's Cushy night.

JAMES YORKSTON of YORKSTON ATHLETIC is a new Domino signing. Formerly the bassist with garage punk band Huckleberry, latterly emerging from the contemporary folk scene in Scotland with singles on Bad Jazz and The Fence Collective, James balances traditional folk cadences with chiming electric guitar, harmonium and swinging beats to produce a compelling and fresh sound. As I write this I am listening to an advance copy of the Simon Raymonde produced album 'Moving Up Country' due out soon and it is a very happy marriage of all their influences, featuring Simon's subtle orchestrations and glorious piano. Meanwhile you can hear the epic 10 minute single 'The Lang Toun' on Domino Radio.

LIANNE HALL is one of my favourite singers, her voice is an improbable blend of warm dusty cool and her folk songs evoke the promise of spring and the taste of mint tulips on scorched summer afternoons. Lianne has had a diverse musical background, including a stint with all-girl jazz punk band WITCHKNOT and trance-dance project PICO. She quickly found favour with John Peel and has a couple of sessions under her belt as a result. There is a nine track CD available, 'TROUBLE' on Beat Bedsit Records which is the perfect introduction to her blissed out vibe

This is a return visit to Cushy for Austrian ROBERT ROTIFER who's solo work carries on the pop tradition of his former band THE METIC but with more room for his wry observation and melodic twists. He has compiled a selection of recordings on the cd, 'A Different Cup Of Fish' which is available at Rough Trade or from www.robertrotifer.co.uk.

First up tonight is WILLIEM VINCENT who will be familiar to some of you as the bassist in Paddy Wan Ash. His understated calmness provides a solid bottom for the Paddy mayhem, but it is the quiet soul of his solo work which will be on display tonight.

£5/£4 with flyers