Latest News / Blog
Vote for Jim in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2013!
Thu, 22 Nov 2012Jim has been nominated for Best Album, Best Trad Track (for Lord Douglas), and Folk Singer Of The Year in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards!
The Best Album Award will be voted for by the public for the first time this year, so please please put your vote in and tell your friends!.. This can be voted for here http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00yrkrj - you'll need a BBC ID to sign in.
Thu, 22 Nov 2012Jim has been nominated for Best Album, Best Trad Track (for Lord Douglas), and Folk Singer Of The Year in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards!
The Best Album Award will be voted for by the public for the first time this year, so please please put your vote in and tell your friends!.. This can be voted for here http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00yrkrj - you'll need a BBC ID to sign in.
Tue, 09 Oct 2012Hi
The Autumn solo tour is looming. Over the next two months I'll be visiting Builth Wells, Martletwy, Bracknell, Liverpool, Bury, Livingstone, Paisley, Birmingham, Sheffield, Seaton and London. Tickets for all the shows are available by clicking on a date in the tour dates section to the right.
Meanwhile, I'm busy writing and planning some special things for next year (to be announced very soon...).
I hope to see you somewhere in October/November.
Sat, 03 Dec 2011
A short video (in Vietnamese...) produced by the British Council about the trip to Vietnam to represent the United Kingdom in the 8th UNESCO World Congress in Hanoi, ending in a sold out show at the Hard Rock Cafe, Ho Chi Minh City.
Thanks to Tho Le, Trang Bui, Cuong Dang, Joel Mills and Emily Wilcox-Sloan, and all at the British Council.
Sun, 26 Jun 2011I've done a new podcast. Featuring me talking rubbish over tracks from Mike Waterson, Gillian Welch, Sam Amidon, Emily Portman and more. Stream it using Mixcloud here :
Jim on WNYC in New York
Fri, 27 May 2011John Schaefer's New Sounds on WNYC in New York featured 'Rufford Park Poachers' in a show dedicated to young English folk artists this week. It's available as a podcast here and is well worth a listen.
I went and played live on the New Sounds show last year and John and his engineer Ed Haber were really welcoming and obviously more knowledgable about English folk song than most radio presenters over here. It's a great show and I hope I can visit again sometime.
Fri, 27 May 2011John Schaefer's New Sounds on WNYC in New York featured 'Rufford Park Poachers' in a show dedicated to young English folk artists this week. It's available as a podcast here and is well worth a listen.
I went and played live on the New Sounds show last year and John and his engineer Ed Haber were really welcoming and obviously more knowledgable about English folk song than most radio presenters over here. It's a great show and I hope I can visit again sometime.
Spring gigs
Tue, 01 Feb 2011Hi,
Belated happy new year! I'm still on a comedown from the Hadestown show last week, but here is what I'm doing for the next few months. All shows are solo unless otherwise indicated. I hope to see some of you there!
2nd Feb - The Queens Theatre, Barnstaple
19th Feb - Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool
25th Feb - BAND SHOW IVFDF, Bristol
2nd Mar - Red Lion Folk Club, Birmingham
24th Mar - Cecil Sharp Song Project Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury
26th and 27th Mar - Cecil Sharp Song Project Cecil Sharp House, London
14th April - BAND SHOW Cecil Sharp House, London
15th April - BAND SHOW Brundenell Social Club, Leeds
10th May - St Davids Hall, Cardiff
Tue, 01 Feb 2011Hi,
Belated happy new year! I'm still on a comedown from the Hadestown show last week, but here is what I'm doing for the next few months. All shows are solo unless otherwise indicated. I hope to see some of you there!
2nd Feb - The Queens Theatre, Barnstaple
19th Feb - Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool
25th Feb - BAND SHOW IVFDF, Bristol
2nd Mar - Red Lion Folk Club, Birmingham
24th Mar - Cecil Sharp Song Project Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury
26th and 27th Mar - Cecil Sharp Song Project Cecil Sharp House, London
14th April - BAND SHOW Cecil Sharp House, London
15th April - BAND SHOW Brundenell Social Club, Leeds
10th May - St Davids Hall, Cardiff
Hadestown
Tue, 02 Nov 2010I'm flattered to have been asked to play Orpheus in Anais Mitchell's folk opera Hadestown in London. It's based around the myth of Orpheus and Euridice and set in a post apocalyptic depression-era America. Justin Vernon from Bon Iver sang the role on the album so it's a big honour to be thought of for this. Anais will be playing Euridice and Martin Carthy is playing Hades! It's happening at the Union Chapel on January the 25th.
There are some early bird discount tickets available here - http://www.wegottickets.com/event/98465
Here are some of the things written about the album and a bit of the press release about the London show -
“Multi-layered, sensationally good and endlessly absorbing...
an extraordinary album.” SUNDAY TIMES, CD of the Week *****
“Hadestown is nothing short of incredible...
Mitchell has always been good, but “Hadestown” is her Odyssey” NME 9/10
“Mitchell has created something joyful and witty that yields more with every listen” THE GUARDIAN *****
“Nothing short of awe-inspiring” DROWNED IN SOUND 10/10
From a 200-year-old farmhouse in rural Vermont, Anaïs Mitchell writes songs that are as intimate as conversations and as rich in detail as short stories. She is the rare musician who is equally comfortable wielding an acoustic guitar alone onstage, or scripting a vast operatic journey into the underworld.
‘Hadestown’ is the most recent of Mitchell's three critically acclaimed albums released on Ani DiFranco's Righteous Babe imprint. Recorded with a dream-team lineup including, among others, Ani DiFranco, Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Greg Brown, and Mitchell herself, Hadestown caught the attention of critics and music fans across the world, receiving five star reviews and raves from some of the most esteemed publications around.
For the first ever performances of Hadestown on this side of the Atlantic, Mitchell has assembled a star cast from the UK's own folk scene, with the legendary Martin Carthy and Jim Moray both having answered personal requests to be involved.
Tue, 02 Nov 2010I'm flattered to have been asked to play Orpheus in Anais Mitchell's folk opera Hadestown in London. It's based around the myth of Orpheus and Euridice and set in a post apocalyptic depression-era America. Justin Vernon from Bon Iver sang the role on the album so it's a big honour to be thought of for this. Anais will be playing Euridice and Martin Carthy is playing Hades! It's happening at the Union Chapel on January the 25th.
There are some early bird discount tickets available here - http://www.wegottickets.com/event/98465
Here are some of the things written about the album and a bit of the press release about the London show -
“Multi-layered, sensationally good and endlessly absorbing...
an extraordinary album.” SUNDAY TIMES, CD of the Week *****
“Hadestown is nothing short of incredible...
Mitchell has always been good, but “Hadestown” is her Odyssey” NME 9/10
“Mitchell has created something joyful and witty that yields more with every listen” THE GUARDIAN *****
“Nothing short of awe-inspiring” DROWNED IN SOUND 10/10
From a 200-year-old farmhouse in rural Vermont, Anaïs Mitchell writes songs that are as intimate as conversations and as rich in detail as short stories. She is the rare musician who is equally comfortable wielding an acoustic guitar alone onstage, or scripting a vast operatic journey into the underworld.
‘Hadestown’ is the most recent of Mitchell's three critically acclaimed albums released on Ani DiFranco's Righteous Babe imprint. Recorded with a dream-team lineup including, among others, Ani DiFranco, Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Greg Brown, and Mitchell herself, Hadestown caught the attention of critics and music fans across the world, receiving five star reviews and raves from some of the most esteemed publications around.
For the first ever performances of Hadestown on this side of the Atlantic, Mitchell has assembled a star cast from the UK's own folk scene, with the legendary Martin Carthy and Jim Moray both having answered personal requests to be involved.
Discount tickets for London
Tue, 14 Sep 2010A limited amount of discounted tickets for the London show at Cargo on Sept 29th are available through Bright Young Folk at the price of £10. Click the link below.
Hope to see you there.
http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/
Tue, 14 Sep 2010A limited amount of discounted tickets for the London show at Cargo on Sept 29th are available through Bright Young Folk at the price of £10. Click the link below.
Hope to see you there.
http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/
In Modern History reviews
Thu, 24 Jun 2010All the reviews of In Modern History are being added to the gallery as they come in (click 'gallery' in the menu above and choose 'press'). They say things like...
"This new set shows him moving towards the mainstream, relying on his fine, distinctive voice rather than shock tactics... One of the folk scenes great originals" **** - The Guardian
"Subtle sweetness alongside bitterness and bile. Theres also beauty, beastliness and weirdness. Alluring" **** - The Mirror
"This album marks the full flowering of his singular talents...A ravishing record with an abiding theme:expect the unexpected." ****1/2 - The Sun
"Pretty wonderful" - Outstanding - The Independent on Sunday
"A compelling landmark in contemporary folk" Album Of The Week - The Independent
Thu, 24 Jun 2010All the reviews of In Modern History are being added to the gallery as they come in (click 'gallery' in the menu above and choose 'press'). They say things like...
"This new set shows him moving towards the mainstream, relying on his fine, distinctive voice rather than shock tactics... One of the folk scenes great originals" **** - The Guardian
"Subtle sweetness alongside bitterness and bile. Theres also beauty, beastliness and weirdness. Alluring" **** - The Mirror
"This album marks the full flowering of his singular talents...A ravishing record with an abiding theme:expect the unexpected." ****1/2 - The Sun
"Pretty wonderful" - Outstanding - The Independent on Sunday
"A compelling landmark in contemporary folk" Album Of The Week - The Independent
Mon, 03 May 2010Pre-order the standard edition of the new album, In Modern History - Jim Moray Shop, Amazon.co.uk
The deluxe version, and limited edition content will be available to order through Pledge Music very soon...
Tue, 19 Jan 2010
Jim Moray : A Beginners Guide
‘A Beginners Guide’ compiles tracks from Jim Moray's three ground-breaking and award-winning albums – 2003’s BBC Radio2 Folk Album of Year ‘Sweet England’, ‘Jim Moray’ in 2006 and fRoots Critics Poll and Mojo Folk Album of the Year winner ‘Low Culture’ in 2008 - and also includes tracks from his rare and much sought after ‘I Am Jim Moray’ EP and a bonus video to his award-winning XTC cover ‘All You Pretty Girls’.
Released worldwide on April 25th, 2010.
US Publicity for Jim Moray: A Beginner’s Guide is being handled by Tracy Mann (MG Limited) and Lisa Shively (Press Network).
"The most significant musician since Bob Dylan to decide that the folk idiom is the perfect vehicle for his musical adventures and experiments" Bruce Elder, Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
“Though Folk has returned to the mainstream in recent years as alt.folk, the term mostly signaled a return of drippy singer-songwriters. Only a few try to take on the stark verities of traditional British folk songs. And Moray differs even from them by stapling such songs to modern pop forms. He’s continuing Fairport Convention’s folk-rock experiment, and Low Culture comes even closer to success even than Sweet England. (…) In any other context, he might be a conventional, mainstream figure, but the bottomless trove of sturdy old folk tales, and his musical imagination, spark brightly. (…) There isn’t much lower, or better, culture than that.” – Album of the Week **** - The Independent (UK)
Last minute gig TONIGHT.
Thu, 17 Dec 2009Hi,
I'm standing in for a poorly Tim Van Eyken at short notice tonight in my native Bedminster.
8pm, The South Bank Club, Dean Lane, Bedminster, Bristol.
Thu, 17 Dec 2009Hi,
I'm standing in for a poorly Tim Van Eyken at short notice tonight in my native Bedminster.
8pm, The South Bank Club, Dean Lane, Bedminster, Bristol.
Albums of the decade
Wed, 09 Dec 2009Patrick Wolf – Lychanthropy (2003)
Kathleen Edwards – Failer (2003)
The Blue Nile – High (2004)
Frou Frou – Details (2002)
Wild Beasts – Limbo Panto (2008)/Two Dancers (2009)
Dizzee Rascal – Boy In Da Corner (2003)
June Tabor – An Echo Of Hooves (2003)
James Raynard – Strange Histories (2005)
Art Brut – Bang Bang Rock And Roll (2005)
Radiohead – Kid A (2000)
The Dears – No Cities Left (2004)
Edit: I thought of two more. Can't believe I forgot these :-
Mew - Frengers (2003)
The Streets - Original Pirate Material (2002)
Wed, 09 Dec 2009Patrick Wolf – Lychanthropy (2003)
Kathleen Edwards – Failer (2003)
The Blue Nile – High (2004)
Frou Frou – Details (2002)
Wild Beasts – Limbo Panto (2008)/Two Dancers (2009)
Dizzee Rascal – Boy In Da Corner (2003)
June Tabor – An Echo Of Hooves (2003)
James Raynard – Strange Histories (2005)
Art Brut – Bang Bang Rock And Roll (2005)
Radiohead – Kid A (2000)
The Dears – No Cities Left (2004)
Edit: I thought of two more. Can't believe I forgot these :-
Mew - Frengers (2003)
The Streets - Original Pirate Material (2002)
Radio 1 session!
Thu, 15 Oct 2009Jim and Bubbz will be live in session for Rob Da Banks show on Radio1 this Saturday (17th October) - it's very early in the morning, but will be on listen again if you can't listen live.
Thu, 15 Oct 2009Jim and Bubbz will be live in session for Rob Da Banks show on Radio1 this Saturday (17th October) - it's very early in the morning, but will be on listen again if you can't listen live.
edit: listen again link - http://bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00n6xn5 - about 1'45 in. magic.
Jackie Oates on XFM
Wed, 30 Sep 2009Jackie's cover of The Sugarcubes 'Birthday' - produced and arranged by Jim - has been placed on XFM's 'X-posure top 5' playlist. The track has previously recieved airplay from John Kennedy and Cerys Matthews on BBC 6Music, and has been well recieved pretty much everywhere.
The track is available on limited edition vinyl, with artwork by jim sleeve designer David Owen, from jackies website.
Meanwhile, 'Lucy Wan' recieves more Radio1 airplay over the weekend. Not a bad tally!..
-- Post From My iPhone
Wed, 30 Sep 2009Jackie's cover of The Sugarcubes 'Birthday' - produced and arranged by Jim - has been placed on XFM's 'X-posure top 5' playlist. The track has previously recieved airplay from John Kennedy and Cerys Matthews on BBC 6Music, and has been well recieved pretty much everywhere.
The track is available on limited edition vinyl, with artwork by jim sleeve designer David Owen, from jackies website.
Meanwhile, 'Lucy Wan' recieves more Radio1 airplay over the weekend. Not a bad tally!..
-- Post From My iPhone