Skip to main content

Rainey Street Band: Brighouse Band of the Year 2014

OK, I only started blogging back in March and some of what I write is very much first time around. Whether this becomes a regular feature I don't know. But...some of my friends have delivered some fantastic music which is continually evolving and which has made Sunday teatimes at either The Beck or at The Cock of The North one of my favourite times of the week and in my view they need to be applauded.

The Rainey Street Band have consistently been entertaining us over the year with their mix of Americana and Bluegrass, with songs from the likes of Simone Felice and The Old Crow Medicine Show. Rainey Street is in Austin, Texas, where a couple of years ago band founder, Dave Kennedy and his mate, and now fellow band member, Tom Firth, headed for a holiday and to pick up on what was happening in the burgeoning local music scene over there. 

Dave had originally played solo, then linked up with ace local harmonica player Ian Crabtree, who has been playing with local legends Blood, Sweat and Beers for years, which then added another dimension. From there on, others have joined - Dave Richmond on bass and Andy Garbett, maestro on the cajon - plus guest contributors like Fletch - and they have just got better.

What I like is that the guys have a core range of great songs which keep evolving. Different versions, added instruments - Tom unveiled a new accordian tonight - mean that every gig is different to the last. They have played away from Brighouse - as far away as Darlington and last week Sowerby Bridge - and they do deserve a wider audience.They also have an eagerly-awaited CD coming out shortly via Jim Ker's Blue Milk Music.

I would challenge anyone to not enjoy listening to the Rainey Street Band. Great music, ideal accompaniment to a good pint or two, lovely guys...and for me, consistently the best live music I've seen in 2014. So, ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Real Ale, Real Music Local Band of the Year for 2014...The Rainey Street Band....


The Rainey Street Band


Comments

  1. Surreal. Like looking in a mirror. This is me!
    Good stuff Chris. Tons of interest. Enjoyed the Manchester pubs piece. I know and love a few of the pubs there, especially the Marble Arch.
    You don't mention walking, as an interest, but I'm sure it'll be in the mix somewhere.
    Thanks for the intro to The Rainey Street Band. Sounds like my kind of thing. So much so that I might well find my way down to the Miller's on Friday. See you there!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the kind comments! I do like walking - guess what, there are a couple of blogs based around it - but so long since I wrote the profile that I can't remember what I put in!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Calder Valley Ale Trail - UPDATED December 2023

The essential guide to the pubs and bars that line the railways in the towns and villages of the beautiful Calder Valley in West Yorkshire, an area which has a lot to offer and captivate the visitor. Here's the latest, updated version.... The original Rail Ale Trail heads through the Pennines from Dewsbury through Huddersfield to Stalybridge, or vice versa, depending on your starting point. Made famous by Oz Clarke and James May on a TV drinking trip around Britain several years ago, it reached saturation point on weekends to such an extent that lager and shorts were banned by some pubs and plastic glasses introduced to the hordes of stag dos, hen parties, and fancy-dressed revellers that invaded the trans-Pennine towns and villages. There are some great pubs en route and whilst things have calmed down from a few years ago, they can still get very busy on a summer Saturday in particular. However, only a few miles away to the north, there is another trail possible which takes in s

1872 And All That....

News has broken over the past few days that Elland Brewery, famous for their 1872 Porter which was voted the Champion Beer Of Britain in 2023 have ceased trading. And with other breweries also struggling, the upheavals I wrote about last month are showing no signs of letting up.... I was out with some friends last Saturday afternoon, celebrating one of our number's birthday. With the drinks and conversation flowing as we enjoyed a most enjoyable catch up, we were joined by another friend who mentioned that he'd been out a little earlier and had heard a story from a good source in one of the local pubs that Elland Brewery who, a mere 6 months ago had won Champion Beer of Britain at the Great British Beer Festival for their flagship 1872 Porter, had gone bust. During a break in the conversation, I scoured Google for news about Elland Brewery. Nothing, apart from that win at the GBBF last year. I mentioned it to a couple of people when I was working at the Meandering Bear in Halif

A Few York Classics....

In which I venture on a whistle-stop tour around some of the finest pubs that are to be found in this beautiful and historic North Yorkshire city.... I have visited York twice in the past month. First time was on a day out from Halifax with the team from the Grayston Unity/Meandering Bear on a beautiful winter's day with bright sunshine, blue skies, and bitterly cold temperatures; the second was an overnight stop to see one of the country's top up and coming indie bands, with grey skies on the first day and heavy rain on the second. Whilst due to the number in our party we were only able to visit two or three pubs on that visit, the second did give me the opportunity to do a trawl of several of the city's finest pubs, although it has to be said that because of the number of pubs there are in the city it can only be a snapshot view of  some of them. And as I was reminded, whilst there are several great pubs in the city centre, it is important to bear in mind that it is in th