The Captain's Log

Tourdate: 16th and 17th September

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Thursday, 8:30pm.

It's dark behind the blacked out windows of (tour manager) Shari's bus.

(Drummer) Neil is, as ever, unfazed by the darkness, wearing sunglasses, rolling a cigarette and pointing out (singer / songwriter) Felix's sister (a very talented lady, just returned from competing in the Beijing Olympics) amongst the throng of unknown faces queuing to see us and our co-headliners The Travelling Band.

It's always a strange and beautiful mixture of intoxicating ego boost and humble gratitude when you see a long line of people you don't recognise about to pay to see your show.

This evening, it's particularly good: the venue was already busy and buzzing when The Crave and Imajim were playing (who, incidentally, were pretty damn good - check out their MySpaces, links above) and, once this crowd gets through the door, Waterrats is going to be rammed to the gills.

I'm also wondering how Neil can see anything at all through two heavily tinted layers of glass? Is this one of those drummer things?

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Thursday, 9:15pm.

We've left the protective cocoon of the tour bus and are enjoying the weird and wonderful outside world. We only started the tour a few hours ago and already normal life seems like a distant and impenetrable world, governed by alarm clocks incomprehensibly mundane tasks like buying some milk on the way home.

The Travelling Band are just about to start, this is the first time I've seen them and I'm looking forward to it.

They come on stage, tinker briefly and launch into their set. And they're...

Wonderful!

A technicolour tribe, huge heads of hair bouncing across the stage, happy hippies singing harmonies so good it sounds like Crosby, Stills and Nash doing backing vocals for the Jayhawks.

The audience, now having to squeeze together to fit in the room are loving it, too: a group of young women at the front have that that lost-in-the-vibe-and-the-soaring-harmonies smile, their eyes glazed, swaying in the rhythm from side to side...

Further back, men looking suspiciously like industry types are nodding their heads with sage smiles of approval...

Claps and cheers greet the end of every tune as the multi-instumentalists from Manchester swap guitars for mandolins, mandolins for keys, keys for harmonica, song flows into song and it's feels like it's over a bit too soon...

A great show!

We'll be on the same bill on September 26th at The Deaf Institute, Manchester... BRING IT ON...

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Thursday, 11pm.

We've played...

We had fun...

We got some feet shuffling...

Having given the audience a great mix out front all evening Yanni (Waterrats' sound man) is tidying away, my fellow band members have graciously allowed me to demonstrate what I mean when I say "I'm good at carrying things," the bus has been packed up, the job's been done...

I'm now backstage with Alabama 3's harmonicist and all-round handsome devil Nick Reynolds who came along to join us on stage to model sunglasses, be alarmingly taller than hey Negrita...

and a give me a run for my money in a One Mississippi blow-off...

As usual, I'm babbling harp-geekery at Nick. Tongue-blocking, tongue-slapping, tongue-pulling, tongue-raking, and I'm blissfully unaware that I'm boring the blonde beauty on Nick's arm to death, at least until she grabs him and shows him that there are better things to do with lips than blow harp...

Nick, it seems, agrees with her. It's at this point that I remember the text messages that (guitarist) Matt and (bassist) Paulie send me for my harmonica nerd moments (a concise and apposite "shut up Will") and head back to the bus for a beer, where The Barker Band's Nella Johnson and friend-of-the-band Alicia...

...are lending some much needed glamour to the proceedings and where Neil, inevitably, is still wearing sunglasses.

We play who can pull the silliest face for the camera...

I win.

Friday, 2.45am.

Back in the studio...

Time to sleep, but...

Why is my bed wrapped in plastic?

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Thanks to Ella and Felix for the photos

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick note to let you know that the new Hey Negrita album YOU CAN KICK is now available in all good record shops (and some bad ones). The record includes the single THE LAST THING THAT I DO (Room Service Part 2), which has already had over 650,000 views on youtube and got to No. 3 in the daily chart.

Our UK tour kicks off in London tonight (Tuesday 16th September) at Monto Water Rats in Kings Cross with our album launch party, so come on down and get involved. We will then be taking our tunes to the good people of Britain in the form of a 14-date tour plus 10 radio sessions (including Radio 4's Loose Ends this Saturday 6:15pm-7pm) and a number of in-store performances. See below for details.

You can get your copy of the album at all good retailers, including: HMV, Zavvi, Amazon, iTunes, Play.com, Rough Trade, Piccadilly

Clash Magazine have featured one of our tracks on their 'Ones To Watch' cover-mount CD this month along with a half-page interview/feature. You can read it here: http://www.clashmusic.com/feature/hey-negrita

Our friends at Penny Black Music also interviewed the band at our recent Glasgow gig. You can read this here:
http://www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk/MagSitePages/Article.aspx?id=4818

We hope you're all well and look forward to catching up with many of you over the next few weeks.

Cheers,

Felix
Hey Negrita
http://www.myspace.com/heynegrita
http://www.youtube.com/heynegrita
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hey-Negrita/7289699383?ref=nf
http://www.last.fm/music/Hey+Negrita


Tour Dates:

September
16th London, Water Rats
19th Cambridge, Arts Piucturehouse (Acoustic)
20th Bath, Moles
22nd Norwich, Arts Centre
23rd Swindon, 12 Bar
24th Cheltenham, Slak
25th Guildford, Boileroom
26th Manchester, Deaf Institute
28th Leeds, The Brudenell
29th Newcastle, The Sage Gateshead
30th Nottingham, the Maze

October
1st Leicester, The Musician
2nd Oxford, Jericho Tavern
4th Coventry, Tin Angel


Radio Sessions:

Sept 18th
BBC Radio Solent
Interview and session with Charlie Croker

Sept 20th
BBC Radio 4
Session for Loose Ends (6:15pm-7pm)

Sept 22nd
BBC Radio Suffolk
Interview

Sept 23rd
BBC Gloucestershire
Interview and session with John Rockley

Sept 25th
BBC SCR
Interview with David Allen

Sept 26th
BBC Manchester
11pm LIVE interview with Matt White on the late show

Sept 28th
BBC Merseyside
Interview and session with Dave Monks

Sept 30th
BBC Radio Nottingham
Interview with Dean Jackson

Oct 2nd
BBC Oxford
Interview

Oct 4th, Coventry
BBC Coventry
LIVE interview with Vic Minett


In-store Performances and Signing Sessions:

September 22nd
Soundclash Records, Norwich

September 24th
Badlands Record Shop, Cheltenham

September 28th
Jumbo Records, Leeds

September 29th
Reflex Records, Newcastle

Hi Everyone,

With a London headline show next week and with Glastonbury, Bestival and the support for The Beach Boys in Germany confirmed, it seems like a good time for a little update on what we've got planned over the next couple of months.

I hope you're all well and look forward to seeing many of you at The Borderline a week on Friday (May 2nd).

You can now join us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hey-Negrita/7289699383?ref=nf

Cheers,

Felix
Hey Negrita
http://www.myspace.com/heynegrita
http://www.youtube.com/heynegrita


What's going on in Hey Negrita land:

Saturday April 26th: Main support for The Beach Boys in Hagen, Germany

Friday May 2nd: Headline at The Borderline, London
Support from Viarosa and The Epstein
Tickets available at: http://www.seetickets.com/see/price.asp?code=304572&userid={C83C5CCC-0FE4-46AD-9438-8FB384CCE265}&filler1=see&filler2=ven-srch

New Single 'ROPE' Released June 2nd
'ROPE' is the first single off our new album 'YOU CAN KICK' and it features a sick and twisted Alabama 3 remix on the B-side.
The single will be available on 7" vinyl and download on June 2nd.
Check out the video we filmed at the Enchanted Forest in Austin, Texas. This is an old hippy commune where we played during SXSW last month.


Friday 13th June: The Big Session Festival (near Leicester)

Tuesday 17th June: Oran Mor, Glasgow

Friday 27th June: Glastonbury Festival (Leftfield Stage and Last Man Standing Saloon)

Friday 18th July: Larmer Tree Festival, Dorset

Friday 5th September: Bestival, Isle Of Wight

Saturday 13th September: End Of The Road Festival, Dorset


Here are a few pics from the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas last month:


Pauli unleashes the funk at The Enchanted Forest


Felix and Bliss at The British Music Embassy @ Latitude 30


Matt at Cafe Mundi


Artist cuddling up to a 2-dimensional Felix at The Enchanted Forest


Neil at The Enchanted Forest


Felix, Bliss and Matt's right hand at a session for KGSR FM at The Four Seasons Hotel


We Dreamed America showcase at The British Music Embassy @ Latitude 30

Hello there,

With the release date of our new single ’Rope’ approaching quickly, I thought this would be a good time to give you a little update on what’s been going on in the world of Hey Negrita and what we’ve got planned for 2008.

Following a crazy 2007 that saw the departure of Hugo and Gus, the formation of a new band, recording of a new album, a tour of UK prisons and the making of the documentary ’We Dreamed America’ our plans for 2008 are shaping up nicely.

I hope you’re all well and hope to see many of you at The Borderline on Friday May 2nd.

Boogaloo,

Felix


So far this year…

We recently returned from the SXSW Music and Film Festival in Austin, Texas where we played 5 gigs, promoted the US premiere of the documentary and appeared in 2 TV interviews and on a number of radio stations. We then headed to New York for a St. Patrick’s Day gig with fellow Brits Kitty Daisy & Lewis, The Barker Band and a mind-blowing solo set from our very own Matthew Ord.



What we’ve got planned…

New Single:
’Rope’ the first single off our new album comes out May 19th on 7" vinyl and download. Our friends from the mighty Alabama 3 have done a sick and twisted remix for the B-side. We filmed a video for the song after our performance at a hippy commune in Austin’s Enchanted forest.


New Album:
Our new album will be hitting the shops in September. The record is dedicated to our friend and brother, Chuck Sanders, who passed away just before Christmas last year.
We recorded all the tracks at Big Blue Music in Colindale with producer Steve Ancliffe and mixed them with Greg Duffin at CTS in New York. The record was cut pretty much as live, with Neil in the drum room, Matt and myself in the living room, Pauli in the upstairs bedroom and Captain Bliss in the corridor. We mixed to half-inch tape via some great vintage gear, avoiding computers wherever possible. We hope you enjoy listening to these songs as much as we enjoyed recording them.


Festivals:
We will be performing at Bestival, The End Of The Road Festival, The Big Session Festival The Larmer Tree Festival and the West End Festival in Glasgow. There are a few more that will be announced in the next couple of weeks.


The Movie: ’We Dreamed America’
Lat year we took part in the music documentary ’We Dreamed America’ which offers a fascinating insight into the new British country and roots movement. The film features music and commentary from Hey Negrita, Guy Clark, Bob Harris, Little Feat, Tom McRae, Alabama 3, BJ Cole, Old Crow Medicine Show, Kitty Daisy & Lewis, The Broken Family Band, Matthew Ord and The Barker Band as well as music industry heavyweights and journalists from Mojo, The Guardian Newspaper, Blues Matters and Maverick Magazine.

The Film will premiere in the UK at the East End Film Festival on Friday April 18th at the Rich Mix Cinema, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA (Nearest tube: Liverpool Street). The film will be introduced by Bob Harris and will be followed by a short Q&A with the director, Alex Walker. Hey Negrita, Kitty Daisy & Lewis, Matthew Ord and The Barker Band will be performing at the after party at Anda De Bridge, 42-44 Kingsland Road, Shoreditch E2 8DA (10-minute walk from the cinema)

Tickets are £7 (£5.50 concessions) and they get you into the screening, the Q&A with director Alex Walker and the after party.
You can order your tickets from the box office on: 0207 613 7498
There are no online bookings for this event.

The after party is a free event that is open to the public on a first-come first-served basis. To guarantee entry you are advised to buy a ticket for the premiere.

Hello there,

Following 57 gigs (a UK tour and 2 US tours), the completion of the Buzz Above album, The Hum Below acoustic album, 3 music videos, 7 festivals and a Channel 4 documentary, Hey Negrita will be taking the rest of the year off to recuperate and get in shape for the 2007 onslaught.

We would like to thank everyone who has supported us over the last year (especially those of you who bought our records).
We would also like to say a special THANK YOU to our mentors and maitre d..s Larry Love, Rock Freebase, Sister Devlin Love and Nick Reynolds from the mighty Alabama 3 for their support and friendship.

Here are some pics from the last leg of our UK tour.

Look after yourselves and see you in 2007.

Cheers,

Felix

P.S. You can keep up to date with all Negrita-related shenanigans at:
http://www.myspace.com/heynegrita


Hey Negrita pose in front of the Angel Of The North


Felix and Larry Love in the hotel bar after the gig at Birmingham Academy


On stage in Reading


Felix and Hugo backstage in Birmingham


Sister Devlin Love


Felix and Rock Freebase flee the after-party in Birmingham


Hey Negrita backstage at the Birmingham Academy


Alabama 3: Rock Freebase, Devlin Love, Larry Love and Nick Reynolds


Alabama 3 (on stage in Nottingham)


Felix and Rock Freebase breakdancing after the gig in Newcastle


Sound check in Reading


Felix collapses on stage in Reading


Larry introducing the band


The Bearded Lady makes an appearance backstage in Reading


Hugo..s belly


Felix and Gus on stage in Birmingham


Alabama 3 on the run


Felix and Hugo on stage in Reading


Devlin Love contacting the god of tecno chilli



Felix and Larry



Felix and Nick Reynolds (aka Harpo Strange Love)


Gus and Larry


All good things must come to an end. Hugo and Felix after the last gig in Nottingham.


See you in 2007

UK and US Tour Dates 2006

UK Dates
Feb 14 - POP, London
Feb 22 - The Borderline, London
Feb 24 - The Troubadour, London
Mar 1 - Number 10, London


US Dates
Mar 9 - The Living Room, NYC
Mar 10 - The Iota Club, Arlington, Virginia
Mar 11 - The Pour House Music Hall, Raleigh, NC
Mar 12 - The Basement, Nashville, TN
Mar 15 - SXSW MUSIC FESTIVAL - Buffalo Billiards


UK Dates
Mar 31 - The Troubadour, London
Apr 6 .. What..s Cookin’ @ The Sheepwalk, London
Apr 10 - Notting Hill Arts Club, London
May 6 - 12 Bar Club, London
May 19 - The Troubadour, London
May 20 - Bar OneTwoSix, London
May 22 - The Bassment Club, Chelmsford (with Gina Villalobos)
May 28 - The Porter @ Moles, Bath
June 7 - ’London City Showcase’ @ The Borderline, London
June 9 - The Troubadour, London
June 15 - BBC Club West One, London (showcase for radio and TV)
July 7 - The Troubadour, London
July 10 - The Bedford, London
July 13 - Brixton Prison, London
July 21 - Rainbow Trust fundraiser, Hampton Court
July 22 - Lovebox Festival, Victoria Park, London (afternoon)
July 22 - The Crosby, Scunthorpe (late show)
July 28 - Cambridge Folk Festival (’The Mojo Magazine’ Tent)
July 28 - ’Standon Calling’ Festival (Main Stage), Hertfordshire
Aug 10 - The Borderline, London (with Shana Van Morrison)
Aug 20 - Secret Garden Festival (Main Stage), East Anglia
Sep 15 - The Troubadour, London


UK Tour with Alabama 3:
Sep 20 - The Doghouse, Dundee (with Alabama 3)
Sep 22 - Cafe Drummond, Aberdeen (with Alabama 3)
Sep 23 - Ullapool Loopallu Festival, Scotland (with Alabama 3)
Sep 24 - King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow (with Alabama 3)
Sep 25 - The Basement Club, Carlisle (with Alabama 3)
Sep 26 - Trinity Arts Centre, Bristol (with Alabama 3)
Sep 27 - Glee Club, Cardiff (with Alabama 3)


US Tour with Tony Joe White:
Oct 3 - Hotel Cafe, Los Angeles, CA (with Tony Joe White)
Oct 4 - Moe’s Alley, Santa Cruz, CA (with Tony Joe White)
Oct 5 - Cafe Du Nord, San Francisco, CA (with Tony Joe White)
Oct 7 - Mississippi Studios, Portland, OR (with Tony Joe White)
Oct 8 - Tractor Tavern, Seattle, WA (with Tony Joe White)
Oct 10 - The Basement, Nashville, TN
Oct 11 - The Living Room, NYC


UK Tour with Alabama 3:
Oct 26 - Bournemouth Opera House (with Alabama 3)
Oct 27 - Liverpool Academy (with Alabama 3)
Oct 28 - Manchester Academy (with Alabama 3)
Nov 7 - The Borderline, London (with Cracker)
Nov 8 - The Borderline, London (with Cracker)
Nov 9 - Oxford Zodiac (with Alabama 3)
Nov 10 - Exeter University (with Alabama 3)
Nov 11 .. Tenby Blues Festival (with Alabama 3)
Nov 18 - Reading Fez Club (with Alabama 3)
Nov 19 - Birmingham Academy (with Alabama 3)
Nov 20 - Newcastle Academy (with Alabama 3)
Nov 21 .. Nottingham Rescue Rooms (with Alabama 3)