HowWasTheShow Blog

Ben Weaver's UK Tour


Erik Brandt and Dave Strahan of the Urban Hillbilly Quartet just wrapped up a UK tour this past weekend with a show in Glasgow, Scotland on Saturday night. Their most recent album "Amelia's Boot" was picked up recently by Native/Fundamental Records and is now being shopped to European audiences. They've been gigging across England and Scotland supporting its release since June 13th.

Brandt and Strahan will be back in the US before I arrive in the UK. However, St. Paul resident Ben Weaver's UK tour is still in full swing. I'm looking forward to catching up with him on July 6th at the Windmill in London to do a live show review where he'll be supporting release of his album "Hollerin' at a Woodpecker." Weaver tells me that the UK tour is going well. The first date was last night at the Borderline in London, and today he heads to Sheffield to support NoahJohn (NoahJohn is essentially, Madison resident Carl Johns and a variety of musicians.) "Got into town at 6am and just caught some sleep last night," Weaver wrote in and email this morning. "English breakfast but left the beans. " (Sounds like he might have a similar distaste for the staples of the English diet as does Har Mar Superstar, who complained at his Minneapolis "Going Away" show on May 29th how much he hated Bangers and Mash.)

You can welcome Weaver back to town July 13th when he performs at the 7th St. Entry.

The Prisoner

I've become obsessed with the 1960's television series, "The Prisoner." Filmed on location in Portmeirion, Wales the show is the perfect combination of camp and surrealism with a generous portion of mystery thrown in as well. An extremely influential element of 1960's TV, even the Beatles were apparently fans.

Most of the outdoor scenes of what is referred to in the series only as "The Village" take place in Portmerion, and I was elated to find out that it's only about an hour or so drive from Holyhead in Wales where I'll be catching the ferry to Dublin in two weeks. I most definitely plan a pilgrimage.