Friday 18 December 2009, 8pm
Josephine Foster returns to Café Oto with her full band playing songs from her acclaimed album This Coming Gladness. Tonight she will be joined by Alex Neilson on drums and Vitor Heruero on electric guitar.
“The Coming Gladness brings the folk aesthetic that Josephine has explored in her recent albums to the psyche rock territory of her recordings with the Supposed. This intense, uncompromising music is the looming badlands landscape lit by the charged lightning strikes of an extraordinary voice. That voice belongs to no movement, trend or fashion, any more than the equally haunted spirit of Tim Buckley, another outsider, another unique talent, did in his day. It is simply great music and Josephine Foster is, simply, a great singer, simply a great songwriter. Guitarist Victor Herrero and percussionist Alex Nielson more than contribute to the otherworldly sound of the album. Alex Nielson has been the drummer of choice for Will Oldham, Current 93, and many others, while also fronting his own bands Directing Hand, Tight Meat Duo, and Trembling Bells.”
“THIS COMING GLADNESS is clearly the work of a contemporary trio, and it sounds great....The gorgeous sideways psychedelia of this album's arrangements give the music a much firmer ground than she's had lately.”
The Wire
Listen to This Coming Gladness here:
The Garden of Earthly Delights MP3
Love You & the Springtime Blues MP3
http://www.myspace.com/josephinefoster
Alex Neilson
"Already a legendary free-drummer Alex Neilson has played with most of the musical underground's heavyweights of this era. This one man folk renaissance movement has left a trail of recordings and thrilling live shows with Jandek, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Heather Leigh, Alasdair Roberts, and Richard Youngs in his youthful wake.
Always moving from project to project, Neilson brings a sense of exploration and independence to his playing. As one of the most energetic and 'in-tune' free players around, Neilson has a better grasp than most on trying to get across the nature of improvisation." - stylusmagazine
http://www.myspace.com/directinghand
Victor Herrero
Introduced to music in his childhood while living in the famous monastery Franco erected in a mountain valley west of Madrid (El Valle de los Caídos), Victor Herrero learned to sing Gregorian and Mozarabic chant under the guidance of Benedictine monks. Joining the abbey’s well-respected boys’ choir he performed in around Europe and was featured in the soundtrack and as an extra in the Belgian cult film ‘Farinelli’ (Gérard Corbiau, 1994) Around this time he began studying the classical guitar. As a teenager back in his hometown Toledo he formed a psych-rock outfit called ‘Cicely’, which grew into a popular Madrid-based band. The group lasted 8 years. Following this break-up Victor recorded and released an album of his solo piano compositions. Shortly after this period, Victor began collaboration with North American artist Josephine Foster, accompanying her frequently in concert as well as in the recording studio, most recently playing lead guitar on her new album “This Coming Gladness” (Bo’Weavil Recordings, 2008). On this very same UK label he is set to release his own new solo album due out in early 2009. A collection of his instrumental songs written for and interpreted upon the Spanish guitar, the music embodies different styles which have all formed a part of his experience—classical, folkloric and contemporary threads— all united under the strong influence of traditional musica Andaluz.
http://www.myspace.com/victorherrero
Rodrigo Montaoya
Rodrigo Montoya is musician since 1997 and studied classical guitar and soprano sax. He began Japanese music studies on Tsugaru-Shamisen in 2006 with sensei Tsukasa Kaito in the Japanese Community from his birthplace city Sao Paulo-Brazil. There he has performed in Japanese folk groups (Minyo) and also in contemporary music’s groups in the Brazilian experimental music scene. He came to London in 2008 where he has collaborated with many musicians from the London improvisation scene as the London Improvisers Orchestra and also he has performed in Japanese festivals playing Tsugaru- Shamisen music. Founding member of the Brazilian improvising group ‘ABAETETUBA’, which has recently toured Europe.
Tonight he will be playing a solo set.
