ACOUSTIC ALCHEMY RETURNS TO PERFORM AT THE
PONTE VEDRA CONCERT HALL
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL — The Ponte Vedra Concert Hall welcomes the return of Acoustic Alchemy on Thursday, June 12.
For nearly 25 years, Acoustic Alchemy has pushed the limits of the acoustic guitar’s potential by embracing a spectrum of musical styles ranging from straight ahead jazz to folk to rock to world music and beyond. In the two and a half decades since their earliest recordings – despite a tragic setback in the late 1990s and the inherent challenges of the 21st century music industry – the group has assembled and sustained a vast and loyal following that stretches well beyond their U.K. origins.
The band’s story begins with two guitarists, Nick Webb and Simon James, who recorded a self-financed, self-produced album in the mid 1980s entitled Acoustic Alchemy. Shortly after the release, James left the partnership to study flamenco guitar in Spain, leaving Webb to promote the record on his own. Webb turned to a rock guitarist named Greg Carmichael, whose background complemented his own – Webb had studied jazz at Leeds College of Music, while Carmichael had studied classical at London College of Music – and the two assumed the name of Acoustic Alchemy.
The duo initially worked for Virgin Airlines, recording in-flight music for trans-Atlantic flights, then signed to MCA, where they released their 1987 debut album, Red Dust & Spanish Lace. The album included assistance from percussionist Mario Aragandoña and drummer Bart Smaak, and was the first of many to be produced by German sound engineer Klaus Genuit at Hansa Haus Studios in Bonn.
After two more records on MCA (Natural Elements in 1988 and Blue Chip in 1989), Acoustic Alchemy moved to GRP, which would be their home for the better part of the 1990s. Reference Point, released in 1990, was nominated for a GRAMMY® Award, and marked the beginning of a successful run on GRP that included Back on the Case (1991), The New Edge (1993), Against The Grain (1994) and Arcanum (1996).
The GRAMMY®-nominated Aart (2001) is their biggest selling album to date, and includes assistance by saxophonist Jeff Kashiwa. Radio Contact (2003), the band’s final release on Higher Octave, is the first in their discography to include a vocal track – “Little Laughter,” performed by Joe Harrop.
Four years in the making, Roseland is Acoustic Alchemy’s newest recording. The album was self-produced in Gilderdale’s home studio in York, England (with some post-production in London and Germany), and released on the band’s newly formed label, Onside Records. Roseland is being licensed to U.S.-based Heads Up International, a division of Concord Music Group, and is scheduled for release on September 27, 2011.
Tickets for this seated show will go on sale this Friday, April 4 at 10AM. Tickets will be available for purchase at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall and St. Augustine Amphitheatre box offices, findmytix.com, and all Ticketmaster outlets.
SHOW: Acoustic Alchemy
DATE: Thursday, June 12, 2014 TIME: Doors 7:00pm / Show 8:00pm TICKET PRICE: 1st Four Rows – $39.00-; All remaining rows – $29.00
