Marybeth D'Amico

 I just returned home from my first ever U.K. tour and wanted to share some of my experiences you.  I have to say it was great for me,  after having gone a long time without visiting the States, to hang out in and perform in a place where English is spoken (not that I always understood what was being said!).  By and large people were very friendly and welcoming  where ever  I went.  I also had to master some new challenges on this tour and I think I learned a lot.  First off, simply by performing so often, and second by trying out my act on a solo basis. The initial plan was to perform in a duet with a local musician but that didn’t turn out as expected, so I made the decision to continue the tour as a solo act. That was a good thing for my development, as I have usually been hesitant to get up on stage on my own.  In most instances I think it was a good decision, although in some situations, that was a challenge!   Attendance was also uneven at the gigs, partly reflecting the economic situation but also just the fact that being an unknown songwriter in a strange country is never an easy undertaking!  

I was met at the airport by my promotions agent Julian Lewry, whom until now I had only spoken with online or via telephone. Julian and I had decided to work together back in 2008 to start raising my profile in the UK and he booked and planned the whole tour.  It was kind of a risk on both our parts to work together without having met; Julian had never even seen me live except on YouTube. I think we both knew immediately when we met at Heathrow that it would work. He’s a guy whose got a successful banking career behind him and is pursuing his passion for music promotion and I come from a financial journalism background and am also pursuing my late in life dream, so there’s something there that connects us. We even found out we had some common acquaintances in London from our previous careers. I was also thrilled at Julian’s attention to detail in planning the tour, as that took a great load off of me.  He also goes about this business with a great passion and respect for the musicians he works with in what is not an easy field right now.

June 1, Sheppey Folk and Blues , Sheerness, Isle of Sheppey

The first gig was a great opener to the tour and my introduction to the institution of the British folk club. If more of them are like this, bring on more folk club gigs! On June 1, I performed at the Sheppey Folk and Blues Club on the Isle of Sheppey, an hour and a half due East of London (although disputed by Londoners, the locals clarify that Sheppey truly IS an island)….The folk club was attached to a local social club called the Minster Working Men’s Union where people hang out, drink pints of beer and play darts and such…in the back was a lovely room with a stage where we would play. I was amused when I arrived to see myself billed as a “Nashville Songwriter”….hardly wanted to break it to them that I’m from New Jersey….(by the way I found out the main association with my home state in the U.K. is “The Sopranos” lol….doesn’t help when you have an Italian name).

In any case, it worked enough to draw more than 30 people on a Monday evening, which I found pretty good attendance for an unknown songwriter lady…I was especially charmed by the many warmup acts, consisting of audience members. They were all really talented too, in particular a fellow who played a 12-string guitar.  Also not to be forgotten is club promoter Mark Dean Ellen, whose speciality is yodeling cowboy songs.(!)  He kindly housed us for the night as well.  I was told that at some folk clubs, protocol is quite strict in requiring folk music, but that Sheppey is more liberal in its views. In fact, one woman thanked me profusely afterwards for playing some rockier songs as well (“Otherwise it gets so dull!”) Nice CD sales and all in all, a great evening! 

June 2, Bricklayer’s Arms, Shamley Green

Shamley Green is one of those places that looks like it comes straight out of a tourist catalogue. This well-to-do little village next to Guildford, SW of London, even had its’ “green”  (a sort of well-trimmed sod meadow) voted most “typical” British green one year, but apparently some well-to-do neighbors have complained about cricket activities on the green disturbing them.  Across from the “green” is the Bricklayer’s Arms, a lovely little local pub where I had a yummy Fish ‘n Chips ahead of our gig. Julian and I weren’t sure how the crowd would be, as this is a pub that normally only has an occasional gig on the weekend, and this was Tuesday.  But we were pleasantly surprised at how well the whole gig went down, first with a warmup from the band Mirrorhead and then myself and Tim Whelan performing. There was a nice little crowd, apparently the pub owners had been playing my CD faithfully too, and the audience listened quite attentively and bought a pile of CDs afterwards. Another great night!

June 3 Boilerroom, Guildford

The afternoon of June 3^rd, Julian drove me to an interview at BBC Surrey in Guildford, where I  played “Oblivion” live and had a nice interview with Clare Dutton. That night Tim and I played Boilerroom, a completely different type of venue from the country pub we played the night before. Nearly every night, this place hosts all different kinds of bands, from hip hop to heavy metal to acoustic duos. Unfortunately, attendance at this gig was low, although my friend Jayson from London did his best to bring in some locals. The sound at this venue was really superb though, kudos to the sound folks there! By the way for those of you who don’t know (as I didn’t) the D in Guildford is silent! I took some comfort in finding out that even Londoners aren’t always aware of this (yes, those same Londoners who think Sheppey is not an island….!)

June 4, Icarus Club, London

This gig in London was alot of fun. I shared the stage with Glod from Sweden, Emma Cook from Canada, Greg McDonald (UK) and Mirrorhead (UK). Andy Ropek, who hosts this weekly acoustic event held at The Station Hotel pub in South London (Hither Green), has an infectious kind of enthusiasm in announcing the acts that he chooses. The crowd was appreciative as well. And a highlight for me was meeting Rachel P., an online friend of mine who shares a love of the Dixie Chicks and with whom I’ve been in touch since about 2003. The funny thing about getting to know people online is sometimes you overlook that they may sound differently than you imagine. Rachel had the purest British accent, which I somehow forgot she would have! She also brought two lovely friends with her and took some nice shots of the event. The only downside of this evening was it got kind of late and I was placed last in the lineup, so my friends couldn’t hear my whole set….

June 5^th, Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham

I was off on June 5^th to meet another “online” Rachel, ie., Rachel Harrington. This fabulous singer-songwriter from Oregon, who is on an extensive UK tour with musical partner Zak Borden, has served as a kind of mentor to me for a few years now. We met via the Indiegrrls mailing list and were both looking forward to finally meeting in person, as I would be warming up for her at the Ashcroft Arts Centre in Fareham on the coast about 2 hours SE of London.

This was the beginning of my solo leg of the tour, and what a nice first solo gig. Julian and I drove up in his car, grabbed something to eat at Sainsbury’s (hmm, don’t love the overcooked peas and carrots!) and waited for Rachel and Zak to appear. The venue was lovely and had great sound. How nice it was to play to an attentive and appreciative audience of about 65 people. To top that off, to hear Rachel and Zak was a treat. They really knocked our socks off with their polished duo act. The great mixture of songs from both of them as well as selected covers, combined with their funny chatter back and forth—complete with observations about British ways and road signs—was totally beguiling. These two veterans are really inspiring. They are 100 percent authentic in what they do, and that comes across to the audience. I was happy with my CD sales at this gig, but I never saw CDs fly off the shelf as quickly as this duos’ CDs did. It was amazing!  

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ON THE SIXTH DAY SHE RESTED! Enough said about that! There was time to meet a good friend in London for a drink and then go out to dinner with my friend Jayson, who kindly put me up for most of my stay in London.  

STAY TUNED FOR PART II!!!