Friday, January 28, 2011

MICHAEL GRAY SPRING TOUR: NEW UPDATES

Thu Mar 24, 5pm
New College, University of Alabama
Gorgas Library Room 205, Campus, Tuscaloosa AL
no reservation needed: free & open to public: be early!
Bob Dylan & the Poetry of the Blues

Tue Mar 29, 6.30pm
Statesboro Holiday Inn
455 Commerce Drive, Statesboro GA 30458
limited no. of tickets on sale at $35 including food & drink
Throw My Troubles Out the Door: Bob Dylan & the Southern Musical Landscape

Wed Mar 30, 4pm
University of Georgia
101 Miller Learning Center, UGA, Athens GA 30602
no reservation needed: free & open to public: be early!
Bob Dylan & the Poetry of the Blues

Thu Mar 31, 3.30pm
University of Georgia
247 Miller Learning Center, UGA, Athens GA 30602
restricted admission
Searching for Blind Willie McTell

Sun Apr 3, 2pm
Nighthawk Books, Highland Park NJ
212 Raritan Ave., Highland Park NJ 08904
free admission but donations requested
Bob Dylan & Beyond: Geniuses of American Music

Mon Apr 4, 4.30pm
Connecticut College
English Dept., 270 Mohegan Ave., New London CT 06320
no reservation needed: free & open to public: be early!
Bob Dylan & the Poetry of the Blues

Wed Apr 6, 6.30pm
New School, NYC
5th Floor, Room 510, 66 W. 12th St., NY NY 10011
reservations: TurnerL@newschool.edu
Searching for Blind Willie McTell

Sat Apr 9, 8pm
Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge, Ireland
Main St, Newbridge, Co. Kildare
tickets €15 (€13 concessions)
Box Office: boxoffice@riverbank.ie
or buy online or phone 045 448327
Bob Dylan & the Poetry of the Blues

Tues Apr 12, 8pm
Passionfruit Theatre, Athlone
9 Northgate, Athlone, Co. Westmeath
Box Office: 086 333 8547 or buy online
tickets: €10
Bob Dylan & the Poetry of the Blues

St. George's Terrace, Carrick, Co. Leitrim
Box Office: info@thedock.ie or phone 071 96 50828
tickets €12 (concessions €10)
Bob Dylan & the Poetry of the Blues

Thu Apr 14, 8pm
Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar
Linenhall St., Castlebar, Co. Mayo
Box Office: linenhall@anu.ie or 094 90 23733
tickets €10
Searching For Blind Willie McTell

Fri Apr 15, 8pm
Locke Bar, Limerick
The Loft at The Locke Bar, 3 Georges Quay, Limerick
Box Office: 085 208 5737
tickets: €12 (concessions €10)
Love Me Slender: The Genius of Early Elvis

Sat Apr 16, 1pm
Cúirt International Festival of Literature, Galway
All enquiries: dani@galwayartscentre.ie
Searching For Blind Willie McTell

Sun Apr 17, 8pm
Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray
Main St., Bray, Co. Wicklow
Box Office: 01 272 4030 or
http://mermaid.ticketsolve.com/performances/all_shows
tickets €12
Bob Dylan & the Poetry of the Blues

Wed Apr 20, 7pm
Cork World Book Festival
Central Library, Grand Parade, Cork
enquiries/tickets: 021 492 4900 or
libraries@corkcity.ie or www.corklibraries.ie
Love Me Slender: The Genius of Early Elvis

Thu Apr 21, 8.30pm
Droichead Arts Centre, Drogheda
Stockwell St., Drogheda, Co. Louth
Box Office: in person or online at www.droicheadartscentre.com/booking
or by phone 041 983 3946
tickets €14 (concessions €12)
Bob Dylan & the Poetry of the Blues

Tue May 17, 8.15pm
The Salon, Vienna
Salon, Praterstraße 17 (Hof), 1020 Wien
Free admission: be early!
Some Special Dylan Solo Moments

Thu May 19, 2.30pm
University of Vienna Refractions Of Bob Dylan Conference
Main Lecture Hall, Amerikahaus, Friedrich-Schmidt-Platz 2, Vienna
How Did Bob Dylan's Version Of Americanness Impact '60s British Culture?

Wed May 24, tba
Bristol University Seven Ages of Dylan Conference
details tba
Keynote Speech 
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6 comments:

  1. Joe McShane3:37 pm

    Michael,
    I thought you might be interested in an event I attended: “Forever Young: Celtic Connections: A tribute to Bob Dylan for his 70th Birthday” on 24th January.

    It was filmed on four cameras by the BBC, or an indie working on their behalf, & was introduced by Whisperin’ Bob Harris (remember the last time he introduced Bob?) so I think it will be part of a May celebration by BBC4.

    Hopefully the following will help you decide whether to watch or not:

    It was fun & I’m glad I went. But the ensemble ending of predictable sing-alongs was violently anti Bob, though I suspect the majority of the audience would disagree with me. The big (70%) majority of the audience was also older than even me. A failing of the event as it simply didn’t reach the young. Too establishment by far. Few risks. Much more respect shown for the material than Bob’s ever done. Mainly 60s predictables, professionally rendered.

    The musical plusses:

    1. 'Mississippi' – the delightful Rab Noakes. Solo. Great. Only true highlight of an otherwise predictable 2nd half.

    2. Tim O’Brien – A bluegrass 'Maggie’s Farm' & 'Lay Down Your Weary Tune'. (My non Dylan-fan chum, who bought the tickets, enjoyed this very much, & I think rightly.)

    3. Eddie Reader – 'Buckets Of Rain' solo...as you would expect but what a voice she has.

    4. Thea Gilmour – 'I Pity The Poor Immigrant' introduced appropriately as a “professional steal” from Tramps & Hawkers.

    5. Nice effort from Gemma Hayes – 'Most of the Time'.

    The negatives:

    1. Laura Cantrell – accused Bob of “carpetbagging” & said “anyone in Nashville” could have written 'I Threw It All Away'.

    2. The host, Roddy Hart, was far out his depth with 'Not Dark Yet' & his (house) band had one too many guitarists, an overloud keyboard & drums.

    So, if 1 to 5 make the TV, I think you’ll enjoy it.

    Joe

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  2. Unknown1:47 pm

    mortinstDear Michael,
    Early in the '70s you kindly wrote some articles for me in The Radio One Story of Pop, and I have happy memories of West Malvern together and lots of early tapes.
    I have been a working author and newspaper reporter/ editor ever since; you have truly added tremendously to the quality of human life.
    I have lived in Tokyo for the last 12 years and am editor of The Japan Times's Sunday features section, called Timeout.
    I would like to talk about lots of things, not least the possibility of you writing something for a 2-page broadsheet feature I am hoping to put together for May 24, including a story from a friend here, Heckel, who translated Chronicles, and other fascinating folk.
    Please reply to me in this space, and suggest how we might get into direct e-mail contact.
    Very Best Wishes,
    Andrew Kershaw

    ReplyDelete
  3. Michael Gray10:51 am

    Hi Joe
    Thanks for all this info. I'm especially enticed by the prospect of Rab Noakes' 'Mississippi'. Rab and I go back a long way - to my Rafferty days, of course - and I like some of his work enormously. Back then he used to perform (live) a pretty good version of Elvis' 'A Mess of Blues'. The most recent album I have of his is Unlimited Mileage (2007) - actually by Rab Noakes & The Varaflames - which has several fine things on it, including a strong song called 'Too Old To Die'.

    Andrew - hi there! Good to hear from you. Send me another message giving your e-mail address; I won't publish it but will be able to e-mail you back.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous8:49 pm

    Dear Michael,

    No doubt Laura Cantrell (see joe's report) meant the term “carpetbagging” as an insult
    but I think the term is one the "Dixie" singing Bob would view as a huge compliment. It

    My dictionary defines it as an American term for "One from the North who usurps the South".

    Her term acknowledges he (from the very far North) took the music of New Orleans and the Mississippi and the Minstrelsy traditions and made them his own - stitching together in his myriad borrowings and leavening those with their war poets' and general's words -it's a tremendous career tribute in one word.

    homer

    ReplyDelete
  5. roger golliver4:29 pm

    Any chance you could come to Portland, OR after your California tour?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Michael Gray4:45 pm

    Good of you to ask, Roger, but I'm afraid not: my flights are booked & that leg of the tour finalised - unless you're in a position to offer me a slot somewhere viable on Feb 25 or 26...

    ReplyDelete