So, things have been a bit quiet on the blog front lately - as I've been so busy gigging all over the place! Thanks to everyone who has made it out to support me.

I've recently been told that 'Roadtrip Nation' - a travelogue documentary aired in the US, Australia and New Zealand are going to be using my track 'Floating' in one of their episodes - I'm not sure when it's going to be aired yet, but watch this space and I'll let you know when you can see it. You can find out more about the series here.

I've also heard that 'Hole in the Sky' was reviewed in Blues Matters! magazine last month. Unfortunately I haven't been able to get my hands on a copy yet, but from what I hear it was very positive. As soon as I get hold of it I'll post it up for all to read - in the meantime, if you happen to have seen it with your own eyes, please get in touch.

Blues Matters!

Please keep an eye on the gig listing, as you can see there's plenty more to come over the summer - as always it'd be great to see you down there.

Andy

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick one to say that I'll be playing at the Jazz Guitar Festival at Poole Lighthouse on Saturday the 14th of February.

It promises to be a really fantastic event, with such jazz guitar legends as John Etheridge, Martin Taylor, Tony Smith and Jim Mullen.

Other local guitarists playing include Steve Banks and Paul Bennet.

Tickets for the festival are available online at www.lighthousepoole.co.uk
or from Lighthouse Ticket Office on 0844 406 8666.

So it would be great if you could make it down, it would be great to see some friendly faces there!

Cheers
Andy

Hi,

I'm very pleased to say that Forest FM have awarded me with Breakthrough Artist of the Month for November 2008.

To celebrate this, on Monday 27th October, I'll be live in session on Tony Warren's show 'Wired' from 8pm. For those of you in the New Forest area, you can tune in to 92.3fm. You can also listen live online here. It promises to be a fantastic session, as I'll be joined by the fabulous Tom Caulfield to accompany me on guitar.

On Saturday the 1st of November, I'll be performing with the Andy Grant Trio at the New Legion in Verwood. It really will be a night to remember as I'll also have support from Tom Caulfield and the Crazy Chesters (Jess Upton and Steve Wilson) and there should be a few more nice surprises in store, so please try and make it down.

Thanks very much to Tony and Alan at Forset FM for all the work they do promoting wonderful unsigned musicians throughout Dorset and Hampshire.

Andy

Hey,

I'll be playing at the Regal Rooms at the Distillers, which is in Hammersmith (London) on Friday the 17th of October.

It's free entry and promises to be a really great night, apart from myself, Fraser Anderson is also on the bill, who's a really fantastic Scottish singer-songwriter, go and have a listen to his music at www.myspace.com/fraseranderson.

It's my first London gig with all the new material, so if your in the city, it'd be great to come down, your support would be very much appreciated!

Find out more about the Regal Rooms at www.myspace.com/theregalroom.

The address is:

The Distillers,64 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London W6 9PH

Nearest Tube is Hammersmith. Click  here for a map

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Andy.

P.S. If you missed the BBC South Live Session on the Radio, you can still listen to it online here

 

Hi,

Just thought I'd let you know that if you missed my previous radio sessions, then not to worry as I'm doing another one this Sunday (21st September) on South:Live, to be broadcast at 7pm on BBC Southern Counties and BBC Radio Solent.

This time I'm going to be performing 4 live tracks, as well as a collaboration with a hip hop band called the Southern Suspects (yes, really!). You can go and check them out at www.myspace.com/southernsuspects.

The session will start at 7pm sharp, so don't be late if you want to listen live. You can tune in to: 103.8fm (Dorset),96.1fm (Hampshire), 104.8fm (Surrey) or 95.3fm (Sussex)or listen online here. If you do miss it, you'll be able to listen online for a week online on BBC iPlayer.

Also, If you are interested in coming to see my gig at Mr Kyps on the 23rd of October, supporting Derrin Nauendorf, please get in touch via myspace or email to get your hands on some tickets.
 

If you'd like up to date news on gigs, reviews, interviews etc. why not sign up to my mailing list on the main myspace page?

Happy Listening!

 

Andy

Hi,

So, there's been quite a lot going on lately. On Saturday, I went down to BBC Solent as a guest on the lovely Sally Taylor's radio show, which was a real pleasure. Thanks to all of you who listened in, if you missed it, you can catch it online here (I was on about 2 hours into the show if you want to skip through the rest).

There's also been a new review of 'Hole in the Sky', published on Overplay.com, which you can read below, or in its original form here.

And a big thanks to all the people who downloaded 'Prioritise' from the-mag.co.uk last month, and put into the top 5 downloads for August.

More news to come soon, but if you'd like to be the first to know what's going on, then sign up to my mailing list on the main page.

Cheers,

Andy

Overplay review:

Like a highly-tuned pop ninja, Dorchester's Andy Grant uses the smallest of means to exert the biggest of forces. 'Hole In The Sky' offers up eleven tunes of pared-down blues and folk, but the songwriting and six-string dexterity is anything but basic.

There's deep delta magic aplenty with the bottleneck acrobatics of tracks like "Bessie", "Indifference" and the rootsy Jeff Buckleyesque "Come On Strong" perfectly complementing Andy's gruff, hearty vocals. However, the good thing is that these rougher cuts are interspersed with a variety of softer, more contemporary textures.

"Divided" marries a poppy tune with a lush folky feel, "Move On" nods towards the grown-up sound of Counting Crows or Matchbox20 and "Prioritise" is an oddly charming resurrection of skiffle. "Elements" hints at the twinkling simplicity of The Beatles' "Blackbird" and "Your Smile" is shamelessly romantic; but the standout moment has to be the sweetly undulating rhythms of "Heaven Knows." Like'60s garage anthem "Gloria" put through the bliss blender this packs energy and subtlety into just a few chords. Like everything here, it's simple stuff done well.

Hi,

I'm going on the Sally Taylor show on Saturday (30th August) on BBC Radio Solent. The show airs from 8am - 11am and I should be on at around 10 o'clock, performing two live tracks.

You can listen on 96.1fm (Hampshire) or 103.8fm (Dorset) or you can listen online here

If you have any suggestions on which tracks you'd like me to play, then let me know via myspace, or you can email agmanagement@live.co.uk.

Happy listening!

Andy

So...

I was invited down to play on the Wessex FM stage on Weymouth beach this week, first on Monday and then again on Wednesday for Carnival day. Turning up on Monday evening, I think I even commented on how the weather was 'cheering up' and being early (like the professional, hard working musician that I am) I even had time to sit out on the promenade with a pint whilst I planned my set, but as the time approached for me to go on stage, so did the ominous looking black cloud roll in, and the rain began.

And as the rain came down, harder and harder, the first drips came through the roof of the stage, and quickly turned into a steady stream, making a growing puddle on the stage floor. The prospect of plugging in my pedal board was getting less attractive by the second, and the soundman soon came running over and announced that his desk was full of water and the show could not go on.

So back I came on Wednesday, ready for carnival day, and walked the long walk down the promenade through the crowds of people to the Wessex FM stage. It was slightly overcast, but I remained optimistic that today I would get to play. It was just drizziling slightly as I was setting up my gear, and I managed to play a whole song and a half before the rain was pretty torrential and the puddle was getting dangerously close to my pedals and the whole thing was, again called off.

Well, that's the Great British summer for you, but it is hard not to take it slightly personally, when both times the rain stopped and the sun came out just as I would have been finishing my set. Maybe I'll write a song about it....

Anyway, thanks very much to those of you who did come down, and I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to play. Never mind though, just have to wait until next year (or you can come and see me at one of my up and coming 'inside gigs')

..

Hi,

Thanks very much to everyone who listened to the South:Live demo panel on Sunday, and to all of you who showed your support by texting or emailing in - it paid off and they have offered me a session in their live lounge on the 21st of September. If you'd like to be reminded closer to the time, then sign up to the mailing list on the myspace page. (I promise I won't pass on your email address to any 3rd parties)

If anyone would like to listen to Sundays show again, then you can do so on BBC iPlayer until the end of the week. (select 'radio stations' and then Southern Counties at the bottom of the page - the show is called South Live)

As you can see from my gig list, I'm playing at the Joiners in Southampton on the 13th August supporting the Birds of Wales. If anyone would like tickets, please get in touch via Myspace or email agmanagement@live.co.uk

Keep watching this space - should have some more news for you all soon

Andy

Hi Everyone,

I just thought I'd let everyone know that my song 'Bessie' is going to be featured on this Sunday's (27th July) broadcast of South:Live! on BBC Radio Southern Counties and BBC Radio Solent.

The show airs 7 - 9 (UK time) , and if you can't get it on the radio, then you can listen online on the BBC website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/southerncounties/local_radio/index.shtml  Just click the 'Listen Live' button on the right hand side.

The track is going to be featured on the 'Demo Panel' and critiqued by 'industry proffesionals'.

You can show your support by texting: 07786 20 70 70 or emailing: south.live@bbc.co.uk

Hope you enjoy the show!

Andy