THE final line-up for Southern Fried, Perth’s eighth annual celebration of American roots music is now in place with the return of the Outdoor Stage, a new all-day rockabilly event, free gigs in city centre venues and a programme of themed films showing throughout the weekend.
Punch Brothers, Rhiannon Giddens, McCrary Sisters and The Fairfield Four headline this year’s Southern Fried Festival in Perth Concert Hall and other city centre venues from Thursday 30 July to Sunday 2 August.
Southern Fried, which won The Scottish Event Awards Small Festival Award in 2014, will also feature an all-women celebration of the songs of Dolly Parton plus a host of support acts, guest artists, late night gigs and free shows.
Samantha Crain – who has recently toured extensively and collaborated with Swedish sensations First Aid Kit – completes the Late and Southern Fried Songwriters Sessions in The Salutation Hotel on Friday 31 July with her quirky, earthy interpretation of folk music.
She joins Canada’s Meaghan Blanchard and ex-Phantom Limb lead singer Yola Carter for the intimate upstairs gig as Della Mae and Speedometer featuring James Junior rock out downstairs.
Lonesome vocals from former Old Crow Medicine Show mainstay Willie Watson and the distinctive southern soul, country, blues sound of Lisa Mills complement the alt-country and blues of Amythyst Kiah in the Songwriters Sessions on Saturday 1 August while Doug Seegers and Champion Dog Veitch – in his first Scottish gig in 30 years – entertain downstairs in The Salutation Hotel.
The free Outdoor Stage on Perth Concert Hall plaza on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 August shines a light on many home-grown musicians who are influenced by Americana.
Opening Saturday afternoon’s session, young musicians from DIY Rock Shop’s special Southern Fried week will show off what they’ve learned.
They are followed by the hazy, Americana-inflected sound of Red Sky July; husband and wife duo, Ally McErlaine (also guitarist with Texas) and Shelly Poole (formerly Alisha’s Attic), along with former model Charity Hair.
Dundee-based bluegrass and roots revival seven-piece, Wire and Wool, are up next, followed by Glasgow’s Eugene Twist combining unique pop sensibility with ethereal Americana and folk.
Dundee’s Louisiana zydeco and Cajun dance band Boogalusa and Glasgow Americana outfit The Chaplins bring Saturday’s outdoor action to a close.
Sunday on the Southern Fried Outdoor Stage starts with New York-based JD & the Straight Shot performing their blend of blues and New Orleans-flavoured roots music with a dash of classic rock.
Perthshire institution Wolftrain follow with their great electric blues sound covering rock ‘n’ roll, swing and original material.
Daniel Meade & The Flying Mules bring their irresistible mix of country, blues honky-tonk and ragtime.
Featuring some of Perthshire’s finest musicians, Rancho Rebop and the Full Moon Howlers are masters of their own infectious blend of good-time bluegrass, country, blues and western swing.
Dundee guitarist, Simon Kennedy, and his band are the penultimate act and Sunday draws to a close with a thrilling set from Perth’s R’n’B, country rock and Americana band with a Scottish twist; The Holy Ghosts.
The Rockin’ All-Dayer in The Twa Tams from 2pm on Saturday 1 August features Scotland’s finest rockabilly bands, The Hot Rod Sinners and Uncle Red, and a rare Scottish appearance by Keith Turner & The Southern Sound with one-man band Dollar Bill in support.
The Flipsville DJs and Gordon Watson on will keep the music flowing on the decks throughout the day while hot-rod and custom cars around town will add to the rockabilly vibe.
Southern Fried Film is a new collaboration between the festival and their friends at Perth’s Playhouse Cinema.
Over the weekend, the cinema will screen a programme to complement and connect to the music line-up, with a great mix of classics, documentaries, family films and the odd curveball.
On the movie bill are Inside Llewyn Davies and Another Time Another Place, the concert film of the movie featuring Southern Fried openers Punch Brothers and Rhiannon Giddens.
Dolly Parton stars in Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and Rhinestone, and Sunday night headliners The Fairfield Four’s music is on the soundtrack of the Coen Brothers classic O Brother Where Art Thou and on Down from the Mountain, the documentary behind the making of the film. The kids are catered for with animated movies Rango and The Princess and the Frog.
Tickets are likely to go fast for the popular free launch party in the Twa Tams on Thursday 30 July as the whole Southern Fried weekend gets off to an energetic start with Perth favourites Red Pine Timber Co and outstanding all-female bluegrass quintet Della Mae.
The Twa Tams is the venue for another free gig on Friday 31 July combining the electrifying bluegrass and Celtic sounds of Central Scotland’s Dirty Beggars with the hard-hitting gravel-laden vocals and slashing bottleneck steel guitar of former Perth resident Dave Arcari.
Young Bridge-of-Earn five-piece The Carolways bring their feel-good party rock ‘n’ roll to Greyfriars Bar in a free gig on Saturday 1 August.
Festival goers can step into the limelight with the free Southern Fried Open Mic in Greyfriars Bar on Sunday 2 August and can perform their favourite country classics accompanied by Stuart Nisbet and Andy May in Country-oke in Greyfriars Bar on Friday 31 July.
Festival director, Andy Shearer, said: “We’ve wanted to stage a major rockabilly event for some time and we’re very happy we can make it happen this year. That’s part of an extension of the programme to include evening gigs at two of Perth’s best-loved venues, The Twa Tams and Greyfriars Bar, for the first time.
“We also have another addition to the line-up with a great cinema programme in partnership with Perth Playhouse with a mix of feature films, music documentaries which all have links to some of this year’s festival artists as well as a couple of great kids movies with great American roots soundtracks.
“We’ve also now completed the line-up of singers for our fabulous Dolly Parton celebration on Saturday night with the addition of Mississippi blues-folk artist, Lisa Mills, and Oklahoma’s indie-American songwriter Samantha Crain, making for an amazing blend of voices and musical styles.
“Both artists will also play their own solo sets as part of The Songwriter Sessions at Late And Southern Fried at The Salutation Hotel, along with Willie Watson, a superb singer and former member of Old Crow Medicine Show and Dave Rawlings Machine.”
Visit www.southernfriedfestival.co.uk for all the festival info and make sure you are a Southern Fried Facebook and Twitter buddy for all the back stage chat.
For tickets and Festival Passes contact Horsecross Arts box office on 01738 621031 www.southernfriedfestival.co.uk.
Notes to editors
Southern Fried – Perth’s annual Festival of American Roots Music is organised by Horsecross Arts, the creative organisation behind Perth Concert Hall and Perth Theatre. Now in its eighth year, the festival offers three days of the very best in Americana, covering all the roots music bases from blues to bluegrass, soul to country, rock and gospel. www.southernfriedfestival.co.uk
Follow us on Facebook – Southern Fried Festival Perth and find us on Twitter @SouthernFriedPH.
Make sure you get in touch soon with interview and pic requests.
SOUTHERN FRIED 2015 Thu 30 Jul – Sun 2 Aug
Mon 27– Fri 31 Jul
Southern Fried Rock Shop
Clearwater Studios
10am – 4pm
Thu 30 Jul
SOUTHERN FRIED LAUNCH PARTY
FREE
Red Pine Timber Company, Della Mae
The Twa Tams
9pm
Fri 31 Jul
SOUTHERN FRIED FILM
Inside Llewyn Davies (2013)
Perth Playhouse Cinema
2pm
SOUTHERN FRIED FILM
Another Time Another Place: Celebrating the Music of Inside Llewyn Davies (2013)
Perth Playhouse Cinema
4.15pm
Punch Brothers and Rhiannon Giddens
Perth Concert Hall
7.30pm
The Dirty Beggars and Dave Arcari
FREE
The Twa Tams
9pm
Country-oke
FREE
Greyfriars Bar
9pm
SONGWRITERS’ SESSIONS
Meaghan Blanchard, Yola Carter & Samantha Crain
The Salutation Hotel
10.45pm
LATE AND SOUTHERN FRIED
Della Mae and Speedometer featuring James Junior
The Salutation Hotel
10.45pm
Sat 1 Aug
SOUTHERN FRIED FILM
Rango (2011)
Perth Playhouse Cinema
11am
SOUTHERN FRIED FILM
Best Little Whorehouse In Texas (1982)
Perth Playhouse Cinema
1pm
SOUTHERN FRIED FILM
Rhinestone (1984)
Perth Playhouse Cinema
3.30pm
SOUTHERN FRIED OUTDOOR STAGE
FREE
Southern Fried Rock Shop
Red Sky July, Wire and Wool, Eugene Twist, Boogalusa & The Chaplins
Perth Concert Hall Plaza from 1pm
Dean Owens and the Whisky Hearts
Frontier Ruckus
The Salutation Hotel
2pm
Rockin’ All-Dayer
FREE
The Hod Rod Sinners, Uncle Red
The Twa Tams from 2pm
Keith Turner & The Southern Sound, Dollar Bill
The Twa Tams
8pm
Because We’re Women: The Songs of Dolly Parton
Meaghan Blanchard, Yola Carter, Samantha Crain, Amythyst Kiah, Della Mae, The McCrary Sisters & Lisa Mills
Perth Concert Hall
7.30pm
The Carloways
FREE
Greyfriars Bar
9pm
LATE AND SOUTHERN FRIED
Doug Seegers, Champion Doug Veitch
The Salutation Hotel
10.45pm
SONGWRITERS’ SESSIONS
Amythyst Kiah, Willie Watson & Lisa Mills
The Salutation Hotel
10.45pm
Sun 2 Aug
SOUTHERN FRIED FILM
The Princess And The Frog (2009)
Perth Playhouse Cinema
11am
SOUTHERN FRIED FILM
Down From The Mountain (2000)
Perth Playhouse Cinema
12pm
SOUTHERN FRIED FILM
O Brother Where Art Thou (2000)
Perth Playhouse Cinema
2.15pm
SOUTHERN FRIED OUTDOOR STAGE
FREE
JD & the Straight Shot, Wolftrain, Daniel Meade & The Flying Mules, Rancho Rebop and the Full Moon Howlers, Simon Kennedy Band and The Holy Ghosts
Perth Concert Hall Plaza from 1pm
Southern Fried Open Mic
FREE
Greyfriars Bar
1pm – 6pm
Chris Smither, Alvin Youngblood Hart
The Salutation Hotel
2pm
SOUTHERN FRIED FILM
O Brother Where Art Thou (2000)
Perth Playhouse Cinema
2.15pm
Rock My Soul
The McCrary Sisters, The Fairfield Four and special guests
Perth Concert Hall
7.30pm
Media contact Pam Dochard, Horsecross Media Relations, pdochard@horsecross.co.uk, tel 01738 477728, mob 07884 017199.
ENDS
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Horsecross Arts contact details…
Contact: Pam Dochard
Phone: 01738477728
Email: pdochard@horsecross.co.uk
Website: http://www.southernfriedfestival.co.uk
