earlier at Maverick

For next month's 12th annual Maverick Festival in Easton there's a free bus service from Wickham Market railway station. ♫

♫ Magnificent weather for another brilliant Maverick producing some wonderful hats and for us the newbs on the Medicine Show stage perhaps the most rewarding, especially Banjo Jen.  Our ears pricked at a very lateral keyboard solo from the Cordovas closing the Southern Sounds stage Saturday..  When we pointed out that the lead singer appeared to really fancy himself Rachael's friend asked for my long lens to get a better look and then said If I was that good looking I'd fancy myself.

Sunday a very pleasant conversation with Alan Mutimer and we suggested that Hachfest might return in its original form Hacheston Music Day ... who knows?

This weekend it's the eleventh Maverick Festival at Easton Farm Park and they've all been wonderful and miraculously virtually no rain which looks assured again.  Promoter Paul Spencer is speaking highly of the Cordovas who close the outdoor Southern Sounds stage Saturday.  What really impresses us is rocker Terra Lightfoot with her band will be playing at the after party in the Easton White Horse ... just a hundred tickets and a good chunk already gone ... ♫

♫ Judging by YouTube Canadian Terra Lightfoot doesn't mess about and a bit of rocker, what's more last night Ella spoke highly of her, we're guessing Ella saw Terra at this summer's Maverick ... we failed there.  You can see Terra and band (just one of two UK dates) plus blueser Tom Attah Friday in Easton at Maverick's Thanksgiving Party.

♫ Like we said as always bands we're yet to know we liked at the tenth Maverick Festival in Easton.  Friday night we rocked out to the rocking Orphan Colours (awkward name) benefitting from the power saw tenor sax of Nik Carter.  Saturday on the undocumented Travelling Medicine Show stage we were charmed by SJ Mortimer and just one Flying Pig (they gave us a cd ... appreciated) and charmed on the Barn stage by the Worry Dolls (excellent name)  ... plus the Henry Brothers replaced our lost They Were Young And Cheery Though Neither One Could Swim badge (also appreciated).

♫ This weekend is the tenth Maverick Festival at Easton and this will be our eighth.  We know tonight we will enjoy Police Dog Hogan and tomorrow The Henry Brothers plus Albert (not Alvin or Arthur) Lee but the joy is there will be bands and players we don't know we like yet ... looking forward to it.

Last night at the Maverick festival in Easton Sonia Leigh was her rock'n roll self and said she'd sing Bar for us this afternoon; in the Moonshine Bar the gentle voice of Joel Rafael was matched by the steel guitar of Brit CJ Hillman and we're planning to attend Stompin' Dave Allen's flatfooting workshop tomorrow morning. ♫

♫ Last night Canadian Lynne Hanson and her band hit the spot at the Eye Bank and we were sonically tickled by the melodic bass licks of Mari Joseé Dandeneau.  In 2014 we photographed Lynne on crutches at Easton Farm Park and it has taken three operations and until this year for her to be right again ... pleased to hear it.

♫ It was so packed at last night's Maverick concert in Easton Farm Park that some were watching the show on cctv in the bar.  Being appreciated were local band The Kevin Duffy Band, British banjo annoyer Dan Walsh and the sweetly soprano Canadian voice of red haired Meaghan Blanchard.  Next Maverick show is February at the farm park and promoter Paul Spencer must have dug into his mad money because bill topping is Diana Jones.

♫ Depping for Brigitte Demeyer at Easton Farm Park last night Canadian Lynne Hanson arrived on crutches and her whole left leg in a hinged splint.  'Are you fed up of telling people how you hurt your leg?'  'No'  'How did you hurt your leg?'  'Playing touch football, I twisted awkwardly'  'US or Canadian rules?'  'Errrr'  'Three downs or four?'  'Three'  'So Canadian rules then.'  Would be very nice to have her back at next year's Maverick. ♫

♫ It had to happen in time but the rain at the Maverick Festival this weekend in the Easton Farm Park didn't seem to spoil anything much.  A sultry Friday night was quite magic with multiple vans selling interesting foods, loads of bar staff on a bar that stayed open till end of play and Police Dog Hogan have just got bigger and better plus closing by Rev Peyton's Big Damn Band who were positively nuclear ... Breezy Mrs Peyton is an entertainment in herself.  On a moist Sunday our Maverick was pleasantly ended by the dry Geordie wit of Graham Shipcote.

♫ Guaranteed lovely weather this coming weekend, always is for the Maverick Festival at Easton farm park.  Looking forward to rocking out with the Reverend Peyton (though he does clash with the Goat Roper Rodeo Band), having our hearts broken by Mary Gauthier, hopefully touching Holly Williams ...

TONIGHT! The Fat Band (prepping for a gig in Jerusalem?!) and the Broadside Boys at the Riverside Centre Stratford St Andrew + Maverick Festival pre-festival hog roast and hi-jinx at the Easton White Horse.  The festival is 4-6 July with a lineup including Hank Williams' granddaughter Holly ... we just want to touch her. ♫

♫Tomorrow evening Kim Richey will be playing Maverick at Easton Farm Park in the Tack Room ... bit of a walk but worth it.  Our thanks to Maverick for renewing their ad, well we do regularly get 14,000+ visitors a month.  You could reach that happy 14,000 with just £9.95 for a two month ad.

♫When we visited a Rabble Chorus rehearsal in Easton three years ago we were impressed by Kirsty Logan's arrangements but there wasn't that many of them.  Now there's enough for a flash mob in the Ipswich John Lewis with Barbara Ann Spencer taking lead.  PS: This song and choir on the cd of last year's Maverick Festival.♫

♫ The Maverick concert at the Halesworth Cut tonight is part of the town's art festival and we're desolate we can't make it but with a following wind we should be snapping their second annual Thanksgiving ranch party next month at Easton farm park.

♫ We think we know that the mother of one half of Madison Violet is ill which is why their UK tour has been cancelled.  They were to play Maverick at Easton Farm Park this Monday and though the pre-booked can get a refund the concert is still on with Brooks Williams, new to us The Arlenes, and from the Maverick Festival 2010 The Ragged String Band.

The monthly Maverick concerts moved temporarily to Easton farm park last Friday with the audience sitting at small tables with red tablecloths and table lights, felt quite sophisticated just being there.  We've said it before they can all sing in country and Society and The Deadly Gentleman gave us no reason to change our minds plus the latter's banjo player Greg Liszt rendered a blistering Lonesome Road Blues as a tribute to Earl Scruggs who had died two days earlier.

♫ Returning at this summer's Maverick festival in Easton are Otis Lee Crenshaw and Otis Gibbs (bet that'll cause some confusion) plus Police Dog Hogan Friday and Saturday whilst somewhat closer in the middle distance Isy Suttie from Peep Show is top of the bill at Jokers in the Ipswich Manor Ballroom Sunday week.

♫The Maverick concerts used to be at the Easton White Horse but the function room at the back of the Framlingham Crown is bigger and early last night promoter Paul Spencer was already jubilant at the near heaving turn out for his first show there.  Ukulele goddess Lucy Sampson now supported by bass player Ian Bearcroft delighted, the Henry (they're not really) Brothers at the end of their set sang without mikes and Brooks Williams who might be described as a light tenor played guitar with the deceptive ease and authority that only comes with having done it forever.

Maverick tonight at the Easton White Horse is Kara Grainger and Andrew Duhon, really wish we could be there ... like we've said before they can all sing in country.

♫Judging by all the parked cars in Easton Saturday night Buddy Morlock (recordees of his songs include Garth Brooks, Nanci Griffith and Joan Baez) was being very popular in the White Horse.

♫ More stalls at this year's Maverick festival in Easton, perhaps fewer cowboy hats and Police Dog Hogan stormed the place with more dancers than we've ever seen plus youthful air banjoists.  From Detroit the Orbitsuns' Vinnie Dombroski asked the audience What else you gonna do?  Go bowling?  Not round here Vinnie.

Today there are clawhammer, flatfooting and uke workshops and tonight more Orbitsuns, Otis Lee Crenshaw, Melanie and the excellent (if poorly named) Vagaband close the evening.