Billy Bragg, Phil Ochs, Bruce Cockburn, Michael Hedges, Rory McLeod, The Men They Couldn't Hang, CSN, Neil Young, Barenaked Ladies, Ani Difranco, Leon Rosselson, Steve Earle, R.E.M., Loudon Wainwright 3, Simon and Garfunkel, Warren Zevon, Michelle Shocked, Martin Carthy, Richard Thompson, The Everly Brothers.....the list is endless really....
For Ritchie:
Rush, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, CSN, Cat Stevens, Simon and Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, R.E.M., The Doors, The Everly Brothers, Sam Cooke, Tracy Chapman, Peter Gabriel.....etc etc
Sounds Like
We're mindreading sometimes - we're happy to be joined at the guitar.....
Bemis are Gareth Howells and Ritchie Leo - Both play guitar, with Ritchie filling the sound with a twelve string acoustic. Both have decades of playing behind them, with their friendship and commitment making their vocal harmonies tight and expressive. They sing songs they believe in, mostly that they write themselves, about issues they care about or their own personal life.
Bemis recently won the award for Best Folk/Roots act in the 2008 Portsmouth Guide Awards, beating tough competition with their growing reputation in the South.
Bemis are becoming more and more visible, with regular gigs in London, appearances at venues like the Halfmoon in Putney and the 100 Club in Oxford Street. They have also been seen at The Brook in Southampton, Wedgewood Rooms in Portsmouth, the Cyder House Inn near Guildford, No.10 Cafe in Bridport and Centre Stage in Bournemouth. They played the Stokes Bay Festival and the Longest Day festival in 2008, a 5 week residency in Thailand in 2007 - and this year have already made a big impression at the Bearded Theory festival in Derbyshire, the Secret Garden festival in Farnham and a returning appearance at the Hampshire Green Fair near Petersfield.
They have supported artists like Phil Beer, The Men They Couldnt Hang, Megson, Lucy Wainwright Roche, Ella Edmondson, Kirsty McGee, Kaki King, and many others.
In their live sets, they play a wide range of other material besides the long list of songs they've written themselves. These range from rock n roll songs from the fifties; acoustic rock from people like Crosby, Stills and Nash, and Simon and Garfunkel; pop artists like the Beatles, the Everly Brothers, Prince, Kate Bush, Bruce Springsteen, Peter Gabriel and David Gray; artist from the roots tradition like Richard Thompson, Loudon Wainwright, John Denver, Phil Ochs, The Men They Couldn't Hang and Tracy Chapman.
These artists that they cover are influences in their own music, and their lyrics inspire them to write about how we relate to eachother and what matters in life.
Live, Bemis can show the dynamics of their sound, the passion in their performance and the pleasure they want to share from what they do. With some great events planned for 2009, they look forward to meeting you at a gig soon!!!
CHECK OUT THEIR NEW CD "TIME ENOUGH AT LAST" AVAILABLE FOR ONLY £5
THEY ARE CURRENTLY RECORDING THEIR SECOND ALBUM WHICH WILL BE AVAILABLE LATER IN THE YEAR.
'you've gotta see bemis. the songs churn into little hurricanes, the sweet parity of their vocals so reminiscent of latter day CSN&Y' paul simmonds/the men they couldn't hang
"BEMIS are a folk duo from Portsmouth with mesmerising lyrics, great vocal harmonies and lots of enthusiasm." - The Hive Bar in London
How's it going? There is a free track available for you at the moment on our myspace page. Just click the FREE DOWNLOAD box at the top of the page and enter a valid email to download the tune. How cool is that!
Have a great week and thank you very much for being electronically connected to us as friends and fans.
Hey guys, just wanted to say a huge thankyou for your part in making The New Theatre Royal Show a huge success, you were amazing and really looking forward to doing somthing similar very soon, good luck in the song comp too and catch up soon.
http://www.shac.net/OperationLiberation
UK National Demonstration against Vivisection breeder - be there and take part in history in the making!
>> When: 12pm, Saturday 26th September 2009
>> Where: Highgate Farm, Highgate lane, Normanby-by-Spital, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, LN8 2HQ.
Contact info@shac.net for transport.
hiya boys, richie can you ring me tonight after 7? about how to get to the studio etc i think i need you there about 12, but will know for sure tonight after i have spoken to the engineer... nxx
Just a quick update. I have a new track up on my MySpace page. An oldschool acoustic rock duet, featuring the amazingly gifted Jennifer Parrott. So, please go have a listen & let me know what you think :)
