It’s all about the audience!! New Year’s greetings for 2013
It’s all about the audience!!
Thanks to all the great UK live music venues I got to play at in 2012;
Mostly I have been concentrating on Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire, London, Surrey, Gloucestershire and Northamptonshire.
Looking forward to launching my new English songs at live music venues in 2013; local, national or global :0)
Season’s greetings to all music lovers – Christmas 2012
December 22nd, 2012
Thank you to all the enthusiastic audiences and live music venues for a great musical year.
It has been a great year for song writing and getting to know my live and online audience better, how my original English lyrics can touch so many people and that they are willing to come on a musical journey with me.
‘Ballad Of An Ordinary Man‘ was my political song of the year; it talks to most people about the changing political horizons and is quite thought provoking I’m informed. There is another album being worked on; the hard part is knowing which new songs to put on it, which ones to leave out and how to keep it simple.
A big thanks goes out to all the loyal live music venues and festival organisers throughout the UK that keep inviting me back to perform my Anglicana finger-style guitar technique, also to the music reviewers and Radio stations that share my music with a wider listening audience.
It is heartening to hear that being a British musician can still make a difference to how people feel.
Pete Christie Live Music Event at The Dolphin Pub in Blandford Forum
December 12th, 2012
The Dolphin is a great live music pub
What does a musician want from a music pub: an appreciative audience, a great landlord that always books you again after the gig, a cup of coffee and a pint of bitter shandy, the chance to try out new songs and sell some albums to new and existing friends; The Dolphin in Blandford Forum offers all of this :0)
“Wired” is ForestFM’s programme devoted to the local music scene in and around Verwood in Dorset, broadly covering Bournemouth, Poole, Southampton, Salisbury and West Dorset. After an almost 3 year gap Tony Warren returned to present Wired on 5 October 2012.The show features both signed and unsigned artists and studio, session and live recordings. Each week there will be featured artists and archive tracks from Wired sessions and live recordings.More information at www.forestfm.co.uk
Original English song ‘Normal Shade Of Blue’ acc. Francesca Milner
November 17th, 2012
Performing ‘Normal Shade Of Blue’ acc. by Bournemouth musician Francesca Milner on keyboard and vocals @ Solid Air
Performed on the handmade Lowden O10; the acoustic guitar ‘Normal Shade Of Blue’ was written on, @ Solid Air run by Conrad Barr at The Cellar Bar, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK
‘Normal Shade Of Blue’ has been with me for a few years now and for a while it was my opening song to give the fingers a good warm up. I’ve recently added a new intro that I’m very happy with.
There are a number of versions of ’Normal Shade Of Blue’ out there;
Audiences often request this song and I recently did a real time transatlantic version of ‘Normal Shade Of Blue‘ at a gig for a lady in Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada, which inspired me to the add the lyics to this website for her.
Somewhere, lurking in a file, is a video of James Harrison playing piano and singing ’Normal Shade Of Blue’ whilst I stood in a Frank Sinatra style pose, accompanied and did harmonies, at a lovely venue called Cafe Fleur in Canford Cliffs, where the pair of us shared a monthly residency.
On the homepage of this website is a version filmed at conversion live (clive #7) garden party 2011; I’m very happy with the sound quality of that live recording
Reviewers often make mention to ’Normal Shade Of Blue’:
BBC Radio South Live’s Phil Jackson – Pete Christie on BBC Phil Jackson South Live Demo Panel on BBC Introducing reviewed ‘Normal Shade Of Blue’ 11_04_2010 as part of their South: Live showcases unsigned musicians. Quoted about the song and their perception of my approach to music :
- Al Scott, Metway Studio, Brighton I thought he was extremely accomplished. The whole package just sounds like he really knows what he’s doing. It was a nice song, an interesting lyric. He plays very well. He bought an interesting edge to it. The band were understated but right where they wanted to be.Very Good.
- Nick Coquet, The Brighton Source Nice sparse arrangement, a simplicity emphasises the story-telling aspect. There’s a melancholic maturity in what he’s talking about and I think that matches the maturity of the man. Uncluttered – Let’s the flow of his words come out. ”
- Chris Taylor, The Greys, Brighton The one thing I look for in a good songwriter is where a performer paints good pictures and this man does that. If you close your eyes when you listen to his lyrics, you can see those pictures – They’re there. They’re real and that’s the essence of good storytelling with a song. There’s a lot more going on behind the voice than you immediately gather. His south of the river, not Americanised, voice works very well. ”
“FRANK” – Pete Christie – Review
by Beca Fludgate
“Normal Shade of Blue” is a story type song and finds Pete drinking “coffee flavoured water in a service station” – this illustrates the humour that flavours the whole album which although quite intense and dark also lifts the listener with moments of irony and bittersweet analogies.
Karl Hayman review at Mr Kyps supporting Jackie Leven in December 2010
Pete Christie is the archetypal singer songwriter, opening his set with a wistful and dreamy number called ‘Normal Shade of Blue’, an ode to unrequited love. His story of distance and missed opportunity is paired with interesting chord voicing and well used vibrato during instrumental sections. His playing style is further defined with his second song, using a loop pedal to create a rhythm track as a basis for his emotive lead playing.
‘Frank’ – Review by Fiona Heyes – formerly with Live Wire
“…a mini masterpiece, Normal Shade of Blue. The addition of other musicians on this track reduces the impact of the awesome loneliness of Pete’s solo guitar version, a welcome relief for those not readily given to tears…”
‘Ghosts on the Dance Floor’ Ron Trueman-Border additional guitar by Pete Christie
November 12th, 2012
“…Performed at The Square and Compass in Worth Matravers on 10th November. Ron Trueman-Border is joined here by another excellent singer songwriter- Pete Christie…”
Great to catch up with Ron Trueman-Border again!! A great British singer songwriter.
Another great night of live music on the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset UK.
Pete Christie’s political song ‘Ballad Of An Ordinary Man’ video
October 12th, 2012
British singer songwriter acoustic guitarist Pete Christie performs ‘Ballad Of An Ordinary Man’ on YouTube
A song which protests about the erosion of the principles of life that were once described as ‘rights’, only to be conveniently re-defined as merely temporary privileges by the changing of political horizons.
Next up is on the Fire Stage is Pete Christie. Pete is a singer songwriter that I’ve long admired. He’s got the common touch in terms of his song writing. His songs portray an attitude of dogged determination and have plenty of character.
Some of his material definitely falls into the protest singer category, but others also have a far more personal touch, symbolising an individual’s inner struggle and their relationships with people and society around them offering a counterpoint to songs coming more about society.
Pete always gives off the vibe of a musician totally absorbed in what they are doing on stage, coming out of it to talk to the audience between songs. He plays his songs very much live, meaning that even the songs of his you think you’re familiar with may well throw you on the day. It’s also a set that sits on the cusp between night and day and that’s a good metaphor for the performance, the clarity of daylight dwindles and the uncertainty of the night begins to take hold. Issues aren’t black and white, events tend to be impacted by what’s in the shadows and Pete’s songs reflect that well.
This is a performance to savour, one to take onboard and definitely one to experience, Purbeck Folk festival has chosen it’s acts well.
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