Pete Christie from Conversion Live! on Vimeo.

A newcomer to the show, the power of one man and an acoustic guitar is undeniable. Playing finger-style guitar technique varying from near-silence to a multi-layered wall of sound.

Episode #7
CLive Garden Party 2011. On the lawns of Conversion Studios in Dorset, we hosted an intimate party celebrating the half-birthday of the Conversion Live webshow. This episode highlights 7 of the great acts that performed: The Paper Shades, Saturday Sun, Imber, Pete Christie, Fujalada, Jack Grace and Stop Go Sixty.

conversionlive a pioneering online monthly music show. Featuring intimate stripped down performances and exclusive interviews from both emerging and established artists

Review

Pete Christie
Album: Frank
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 9
Website: http://www.petechristie.co.uk

When I was off on a trip recently I got talking about singer/songwriters and one name that came up was Dorset singer/songwriter, Pete Christie. Not long afterwards a contact through Facebook came up with the same name. It had been a while since I’d seen Pete perform live and it just seemed right to get out “Frank”, his most recent album and spend some time in his company.

Then came the big surprise, I didn’t actually have a copy of “Frank” which means that my knowledge of the works of Pete Christie come through his live performances and the occasional radio show that I’ve caught him on are what’s implanted his songs in my head, not a bad feat when you hear as much as I do.

So I felt it time to remedy that situation, so Pete, here’s a belated review of “Frank” I hope it’s served you well.

Pretty much every time I’ve seen Pete perform it’s just been him and a guitar, occasionally with a bass player in tow, so I wasn’t really expecting a band album. Having got over that shock it was time to give the album a really good listen.

The first thing you notice is the songs, without an iota of doubt it’s the poetry and music that highlight Pete as an outstanding writer. It’s the ability to hold your attention when singing about the everyday that separate the good from the great. It’s turning those observations into words and melodies that capture the imagination where genius lies.

Joining Pete on the album are a host of Dorset performers, including Frankie Milner, Aimee Newsome-Stone and Monique Houraghan, who have performed Pete’s songs over the years. Hearing the songs like this shows just how well they’ve been written, how they can sound so different and still impact you the same.

As Eric Morcombe famously said about notes, ‘I’m getting all the right notes, not necessarily in the right order.’ It’s the same with words, it’s not just what Pete says in his songs, it’s how he says it and more importantly what he doesn’t say.

“Frank” can mean straight forward and honest, not holding back. That sums up the album oh yes and the poetry and the melody. This is an album of songs that matter. Pete Christie is a master of Anglicana.

FRANK album cover

Neil King

  - an audience review

Review by Katherine Knotts 29/09/2011

The Ship Inn, Langton Matravers, Isle of Purbeck, Dorset UK

Packaging Pete Christie is no easy task (in spite of the fact that modern notions of marketing and promotion seem to demand it), so when asked, how would I respond to the question “what does Pete Christie do?”

In the first instance, let’s leave to one side the temptation of making comparisons. They’re rarely precise, and less often useful. Moreover, it’s hard to imagine that the object of comparison ever wanted a box named after them.

So – here it is. On two occasions I have seen Pete play live. On each I was struck with two thoughts, and one question.

Thought One:
Pete is, above all things, a craftsman. His hammer and nails are notes and silences alike – building each melody in a unique percussive style. He doesn’t play music, he creates it. This isn’t nuance here folks – it’s a critical distinction. It’s also his joy. Never have I witnessed someone delight in the very art of making music quite as much as he so clearly does.

However, in a crowded market-place, technical brilliance is rarely enough. And so to:

Thought Two:
What clinches the deal is not his skill, but his soul. Pete – whether he realises it or not – is a modern storyteller. So deftly he assumes this mantle, the long memory that has been handed down from the folk greats of generations past. His music ripples with social, political, personal consciousness, and sensibility. He tells stories that need to be told – or perhaps more importantly – stories that need to be heard.

And so to the question – “what does the future hold?” Is what we’re hearing a dying art, or a fresh new take on the collective memory, cultural intelligence, and simple joy of this thing we call “Music”?

For my part, I do hope it’s the latter.

Defined by The Troubadour as a ‘powerfully melodic and intelligent, lyrically diverse and thought-provoking singer-songwriter’, great things were to be expected from my first listen of Pete Christie. Thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed. Residing in the Isle of Purbeck near Bournemouth, Christie is a true ambassador of the genres of Folk and Traditional music, writing honest and sincere lyrics which are lost with many of today’s modern singer songwriters.

WE’LL ALL IDENTIFY WITH THE SONGS – THIS IS WELLER WITHOUT A FUSE

Upcoming Live Music Event: Pete Christie @ The Farncombe Cavern, Godalming, Surrey

Check out the Farncombe Cavern / Pete Christie Facebook Event Page

The Farncombe Cavern
The Freeholders
St. John’s Street
Farncombe
Surrey GU7 3EJ
Tel: (01483) 416741

The Farncombe Cavern is an intimate and comfortable venue, with a capacity of about 75 with a mix of seating and standing.

Their focus is covering a broad range of genres including blues, country, folk, roots, and jazz.

Pete Christie Tickets can be purchased online or at The Freeholders Public House in advance at £8.00 each, or £10.00 at the door.

Let us know on the Facebook Event for Pete Christie @ The Farncombe Cavern if you are joining us for this fun evening of great music.

PRESS RELEASE

Pete Christie is a singer-songwriter/acoustic guitarist who plays from the heart and sings

from the soul – a must see for anyone who loves acoustic music. “Intense, passionate vocals and a clear grasp of how to write a great song – mesmerising….” Pete Christie has been compared to many acclaimed musicians from Martin Simpson to Paul Weller,

and was recently described as being “a cross between Pete Townsend, Mark Knopfler and

Richard Thompson, but with a great voice; though without the fame !!!” Pete Christie has developed his own original powerful style of acoustic fingerstyle

guitar technique. His songs are original and contemporised anglicana roots, with a mix of rock,

folk and country. His individualistic fingerstyle guitar technique can coax anything from

achingly beautiful simple, sparse, and haunting accompaniment, to an explosive,

almost neo-flamenco rhythm. It’s as if Pete “duets” with the guitar rather than just

casually strumming it, and he has perfected the art of making it sound like there

has to be more than one musician on stage. Over his 40 years as a performing musician, Pete has been a guest with a diverse array

of guitarists and musicians such as Nick Harper, Jeff Lang, Glenn Tillbrook, Ezio,

Ruby Turner, Hugh Cornwell, Bob Brozman, Martin Harley, Matt Andersen, Ben Montague,

Jackie Leven, Kieran Halpin, Steve Tilston, Rory Ellis, Dave Pegg, and frequently

with Derrin Nauendorf. Pete is based on the Isle of Purbeck in southern UK and is touring with his latest

studio album ‘Frank’, which shows off his gift for tethering his romantic ruminations

to memorable melodies and instrumental harmonies. The album has been called “refreshing”,

“honest”, “wonderful”, “natural”, “versatile”, “…heartfelt songs that recall

McTell’s glory days…”, and “delivered by a master craftsman”. “Frank is not

background music. It’s a wonderfully written book brought to life by sounds”.

“Waiting in the Wings” is Pete’s most famous song; and according to Minor 7th in the USA,

“it is reminiscent of the off-the-wall stuff of Brian Wilson and Sir Paul as produced

by Sir George Martin.” Pete Christie is passionate about his handmade guitars and the quality of sound he

is producing and proud to be a “Featured Artist” for Avalon Guitars.

To find out more about Pete Christie, leave a comment, or rate Pete’s performance

please check out ‘Pete Christie Google Reviews’

Gomstock 2011 Charity Music Festival held at The Compasses Inn in Gomshall, between Dorking and Guildford, Surrey is a lovely music festival to play at. The audience is used to good quality music every Friday, where Fiona, the landlady not only pays a musician fee but she also passes around a helmet to collect a donation from the enthusiastic audience as a contribution to the artist.

The weather stayed sunny all through my set and I enjoyed bending those strings. ‘Waiting in the Wings’ went over well with the audience.

In recent years The Compasses has been responsible for organising a mini music festival now known as ‘Gomstock’. The festival is set within the delightful surroundings of The Compasses garden with green lawns rolling down to the gently flowing Tilling Bourne brook., where they hold a fun duck race.

 The event features musicians and other entertainment activities for all age groups hence ‘Gomstock’ has now become a favourite family event which attracts both locals and visitors from much further afield. The proceeds of this charity music event are distributed to charities nominated by Fiona, the Landlady. All musicians invited to perform kindly give their services completely free of charge. The event takes place during the last August Bank Holiday weekend; this year on Sunday 28th .

Check out more Gomstock photos on Facebook

Playing at The Black Swan Inn in Swanage is always a fun event.

The crowd ebbed and flowed throughout the evening but 3 men from Gloucestershire stayed glued to my acoustic roots and folk set and offered a wonderful praise comparing my original anglicana songs, fingerstyle guitar and loopstation technique by saying ‘I was in a league of my own’, as they had originally planned to see award winning Martin Simpson, who has been nominated 23 times in eleven years of BBC Radio 2’s Folk Awards, again. Thanks guys! High praise indeed.

Maybe it is time I played in Gloucestershire again!

You could hear a pin drop when I sang ‘Waiting in the Wings‘ I love how this song touches so many people. It has become one of my classics; ‘Waiting in the Wings’ has on occasion changed the course of people’s lives after taking on the sentiment of the lyrics ‘that life is not a rehearsal and to make the most of it by doing what you want to do, now’.

Swanage Folk Festival, Swanage, Dorset

“A weekend of concerts, dance, sessions, workshops, a ceilidh, a craft fair, children’s entertainments, trade stalls, around 50 traditional dance sides in a grand parade Saturday afternoon through the town and ending on the sea front.” 9th – 11th September 2011

Local pubs hosted a number of informal sessions, with music for all to join in with. According to The Daily Echo, Swanage expected to attract thousands of revellers to the seaside town for the Swanage Folk Festival annual folk festival.

Shot taken at Dancing Ledge, a cliff-top beauty spot on the Isle of Purbeck.

See the Pete Christie Music map to local music events.

After years on the road, touring around London and the Southern UK, it was time to play at home on The Isle of Purbeck again.

So the ideal venue in Purbeck to play is The Bankes Arms Purbeck Beer Festival in Studland. Playing to over 1,000 people at lunchtime is a great feeling. I played a lively set to get the audience going for the day, with the help of Paul Graham on sound.

As Clive Connor says “A Top quaint traditional pub, with great sea views and real ale from its own Isle of Purbeck Micro Brewery”

“Great songs, great singing and great stories”

Bob Kirkpatrick runs a successful folk club on the music circuit, at Broadmayne Village Hall, Dorchester, that offers a wonderful venue for unplugged acoustics, has grown a lovely loyal audience of music lovers and hosts a charming and welcoming evening for visiting musicians.

Pete Christie I made some new friends at Sunray Folk club and rekindled old acquaintences, who listened intently to my songwriter performane of crafted lyrics. It means a lot to me to know that people can be touched by the words like ‘Waiting in the Wings’, in a venue where every note is heard. The Lowden sounded great and the sustain was awesome.

Kieran Halpin is a true storyteller; with comical anecdotes about travelling with his famiy in a caravan in Australia,among other touching stories, delivered in an engaging Irish brogue. I enjoyed ‘I don’t write love songs any more’; a sentiment I relate to!

Fine gentlemen players.

Sunray Folk Club

We like how Bob always puts on food for his musicians and  audience at Sunray Folk Club events . Nice one Bob!