Amsterdamned Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Favourite son of Wanamaker, Indiana, USA, Otis Gibbs returns to WagonWheel Presents… at The Greystones on Wednesday July 11th. Writer of songs, teller of tales, populist agitator, social dissident, planter of 7000 trees, photographer, musician, iconoclast. A man trying to live decently in an indecent world. Otis comes to Sheffield as part of an extensive UK tour to promote his brand new record ‘Harder Than Hammered Hell’. Support comes from Mark Wynn. Advance tickets priced at £8 are available from http://www.wegottickets.com/event/153483 and over the bar at The Greystones. Entry on the night will be £10. Doors open 7.30pm for an 8pm start. ***OTIS GIBBS*** Otis Gibbs is a man in search of an honest experience. Gibbs is often referred to as a folk artist, but that is a simplistic way to describe a man who has planted over 7,000 trees, slept in hobo jungles, walked with nomadic shepherds in Romania, was a fifth grade yo-yo champion and once wrestled a bear (and lost). Otis has played countless, theaters, festivals, bars and house concerts and has managed to carve out a living, while remaining happily independent. Much of his work concentrates on the world ignored by pop culture. Sometimes forgotten, obsolete, or simply marginalized, it is a world that doesn’t fit into a twenty-second sound bite, or talking point. Otis has spent the last fifteen years traveling across America and abroad documenting this world, and has a story to share about each stop along the way. Harder Than Hammered Hell, is Otis Gibbs’ sixth album. It’s also the fourth release by Wanamaker Recording Company, the East Nashville based independent label he started in 2008 with long time partner Amy Lashley. The album title was inspired by experiences Otis had when he worked as a tree-planter in Indiana. Much of what he learned came from a seventy-year-old friend/co-worker. The man would describe ground that is too hard to dig as, “harder than hammered hell.” He would also use the phrase when referring to a difficult job, or a particularly tough person. Otis found it a fitting metaphor for the difficulties of leading a creative life The album features performances by Thomm Jutz on guitar, Mark Fain on bass, Paul Griffith on drums and Amy Lashley on vocals. When asked about his approach to making records Otis replied, “I’m silly enough to believe that I’m the world’s foremost authority on what an Otis Gibbs record should sound like. I tend to enjoy stripped down arrangements that highlight the song and the vocal.” Jutz’ tasteful playing style blends perfectly in this setting. Gibbs produced the record, with Jutz engineering, making this their third collaboration. There is a feeling of strength and perseverance that resonates throughout this record. Otis’ work often speaks of accepting the harsh realities of life without giving into them. Songs like Never Enough, Made To Break and Broke And Restless are a reflection of that spirit. Don’t Worry Kid recalls childhood feelings of not fitting in. “I wish that more people would be honest with kids and let them know that there’s nothing wrong with feeling different. Any sane person would feel out of place in a society that idolizes celebrities and trash culture while catering to short attention spans. The good news is they’re not alone and it does get better.” Big Whiskers was inspired by a childhood memory. In1966, the World Record Flathead Catfish (79lb 8oz) was caught out of White River near Gibbs’ childhood home. Otis fished that same river countless times and heard many stories of huge catfish spotted there. Otis asked his friend, Adam Carroll to help him finish a song based on some of these tall tales. Gibbs and Carroll met up at a rundown hotel outside of Austin, Texas and finished the song in an afternoon. Otis currently resides in East Nashville with his partner Amy Lashley. “It’s the perfect mix of wit and grit” No Depression “Gibbs is a Midwesterner with a long beard, a trucker’s hat and and a bag of sharply observed country-rock songs, some far enough to the left side of the political fence to make him a spiritual descendent of Woody Guthrie and brother of Steve Earle.” The Boston Herald “With a proper growl, a lefty sensibility and a well picked acoustic guitar, Otis Gibbs is the Steve Earle of his generation, albeit without the drug history or the divorces.” Americana-uk.com http://www.otisgibbs.com/ ***MARK WYNN*** A veteran of numerous York bands, Mark Wynn released his self titled debut solo EP of blues edged country folk in 2009. Steeped in the influence of the likes of Townes Van Zandt and Steve Earle, several full length releases have followed as well as hundreds of gigs all over the country. http://markwynn.bandcamp.com/ Facebook Event page: http://www.facebook.com/events/443616152316990 Last.fm Event page: http://www.last.fm/event/3302538 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amsterdamned Posted July 11, 2012 Author Share Posted July 11, 2012 This is tonight. More on it here from the Telegraph: http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/listings/music/otis-ready-ing-himself-for-greystones-show-1-4723076 Live music kicks off from 8pm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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