August 17th 2010 : "Jon Gomm Presents..." concerts in Leeds
I'm delighted to announce I can finally reveal all the details of my upcoming residency in Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK, where each month I'll be taking one of my favourite acts I've met over the last few years touring the length and breadth of Britain, and bringing them to play with me in front of my home crowd.
The format of each concert will be: one set from me, one set from my guest artist, and finally something to make each show truly unique and memorable - a bonus set of some live collaboration with me and my guest making some music together!
October 30th 2010 - Jon Gomm Presents... BRENDAN CROKER 
My first guest is the inimitable Brendan Croker - Leeds legend, Notting Hillbilly, and long time musical collaborator with the likes of Mark Knopfler and Steve Phillips. Brendan's music is all about putting his whole soul into every note he plays, his style plundering the rootsier sides of blues, country and jazz. And Brendan started off the "Collaborators" series of gigs in Leeds in 2004 which are the inspiration for my special residency now.
November 27th 2010 - Jon Gomm Presents... AMRIT SOND
For this month's concert, I invited fingerstyle guitarist Amrit Sond, winner of a Grammy Award for "Best Instrumental Pop Album", and was delighted when he accepted. Raised in Kenya and then Kuwait by Indian parents, Amrit's music is steeped in the traditions of Africa, India and the Middle East. However, as anyone who has seen him will testify, Amrit is one of those very rare musicians for whom the word "unique" is not hyperbole.
December 18th 2010 - Jon Gomm Presents... MIKE DAWES & AMY TURK
This month's guests are guitar & harp duo Mike Dawes & Amy Turk, hailing from Bath. Using a combined 53 strings and several feet of wood they tap, slap, pluck and bash their instruments to create a unique and intricate sound. At just 20 years of age, their effortless mastery of their instruments and delicate textures of their compositions are truly extraordinary.
January 29th 2011 - Jon Gomm Presents... ROGER DAVIES
My guest for this concert is the quintessentially West Yorkshire songwriter, Roger Davies. His immaculately crafted songs tell of the ordinariness of life in Huddersfield, amongst other things, all delivered with understated humour and delightful turns of phrase. A legend in the making.
February 26th 2011 - Jon Gomm Presents... JOHN WHEATCROFT
I first met this month's guest, John Wheatcroft, at the London Guitar Show at Wembley, where we developed an instant mutual respect for each other's musicianship. Liverpudlian John is Guitar Techniques magazine's resident guru and Head Of Guitar at Guitar-X in London. Having toured the planet with Carl Palmer of ELP, his current focus is his own brand of acoustic jazz, which combines the timeless swing of Django Reinhardt with more modern styles, for a sound that is all his own.
March 26th 2011 - Jon Gomm Presents... MICHAEL WATTS
I'm delighted to welcome my old friend Michael Watts to be my final guest in this special run of gigs. Ecuadorian-born Michael is a fingerstyle guitarist now based in Brighton. He was Guitarist magazine's Acoustic Guitarist of The Year at the age of 22. Not only is Michael a master of touch and technique, and a composer of lustrous harmonies and dancing melodies, he is also an aficionado of the world's finest guitars. Ervin Somogyi - possibly the greatest living luthier - described Michael's playing as "A joyous revelation".
The venue I've chosen - The Grove Inn - is a little pub tucked away in the city centre, and is the spiritual home of acoustic music Leeds. It is small meaning the gigs will be truly intimate and the atmosphere very special, but obviously all gigs are very likely to sell out! Tickets are only £5 (click the buttons above to purchase). Entry on the night wil be £7
June 28th 2010 : Guitar Tab back up on the website
We've finally managed to get the Tab back online: only the old stuff is here at the moment: a complete lesson, with audio, called "Two Hand Grooves", which is an introduction to tapping and percussive techniques. And excerpts from two songs from Hypertension: H and Butterfly Hurricane. Enjoy! (But don't hurt yourself, or your guitar...)
June 26th 2010 : Leeds Guitar Night/Masterclass - the aftermath!
| The 2010 Leeds Guitar Masterclass last month was a huge success! Here's a testominial from one of the class: "I found the Masterclass to be a exceptionally well organised day. The venue was ideal, food and drink arrangements were excellent and the choice of tutors offered very different ways to approach the instrument. I would definitely attend this again and would happily pay more as I learnt a lot, had a thouroughly enjoyable day and got to meet lots of like-minded individuals. My only suggestion would be to do it more often! Thanks for a great day." (Mik Copley) |
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| The Leeds Guitar Night concert was fantastic too, as one reviewer said: "The evening was a delightful assault on the senses, which, I feel, demands to be seen and not just heard to fully appreciate the finger-picking and fretting-contortion mastery. I will definitely be coming to future Leeds Guitar nights and, in the meantime, tracking these guys down on their tour calendars." (André Foreman) |
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Thanks to Stuart Ryan and Pino Forastiere, and to Eiger Studios for hosting the masterclass, and to the Brudenell Social Club for hosting the concert.
We'll definitely be putting both events on next year, so watch this space!
June 10th 2010 : New Video - Topeka
After a day filming with students at the University of Chester, we have a new video for you: Jon performing the instrumental piece 'Topeka' from the Don't Panic album. Take a look:
If you like the track, you can purchase it from iTunes (click here) or from Bandcamp (click here). By the way, if you buy from Bandcamp all the money goes to keeping Jon on the road - Apple's shareholders don't get their rather large percentage!
April 16th 2010 : Summer Festivals
Festivals confirmed for 2010 so far include: Off The Tracks, Sunningwell, Upton Blues, New Quay, Moor Music, Worcester Music, Congleton Jazz, Greenbelt, Acoustic Gathering and Alchemy! Now I'm just praying for non-stop sunshine...
April 15th 2010 : First appearance in German press
I did an interview with German magazine Akustik Gitarre, and it's in the latest issue: read it here. They also featured my instrumental tune Topeka (from Don't Panic) on their covermount CD, in between tracks by Ali Farka Toure and Toumani Diabate! What an honour.
April 5th 2010 : Review of Don't Panic on Contact Music
"It's difficult to imagine anyone else even coming close to producing such a masterpiece in the acoustic arena today." 9/10. That'll do! Read the whole review here.
March 17th 2010 : Spring Mailout
The spring mailout was hand-delivered last week to the thousands of email addresses of Gomm-fans across the globe, with news of tour dates, Guitar Nights, masterclasses, new video filming and more. If you missed out, sign up to the mailing list now! (Or read the latest mailout here )
Feb 19th 2010 : Jon in new issue of Acoustic
A nice little interview with the wonderful rock journalist Joel McIver, and a hearty endorsement of the new album! Have a read....
Feb 16th 2010 : Leeds Guitar Masterclass coming in May!
As Stuart Ryan and Pino Forastiere are coming to my town for the Guitar Night concert, I've also persuaded them to stay on to give classes at a fantastic new guitar experience: the Leeds Guitar Masterclass! It'll be on Sunday May 16th, and it has it's own page -
There will be three 90 minute classes (one each with Pino, Jon and Stuart) and an informal open-mic / jam session at the end of the day, all for £49! To book, contact us at info@jongomm.com or call Natasha on +44 (0)7931 797 846.
Jan 26th 2010 : Leeds Guitar Night 2010
We can confirm that on Friday May 14th 2010 Leeds venue The Brudenell Social Club will play host to Leeds Guitar Night 2010, featuring Jon, Stuart Ryan (resident acoustic expert at Guitar Techniques magazine) and Pino Forastiere (Italian guitar legend). Tickets are £8 from here: www.wegottickets.com/event/71479
AND a special one-day guitar workshop will be happening at a studio in Leeds on Sunday May 16th - a rare chance to learn from these three masters of the instrument and in a friendly and relaxed environment. More info here: www.myspace.com/leedsguitarnight
Jan 21st 2010 : Don't Panic review on Whisperin' and Hollerin'
A fantastic and very detailed review on this esteemed music site - read it HERE
Jan 19th 2010 : Feature on Jon in the Market Rasen Mail
We've just seen a wonderful article in the Market Rasen Mail all about Jon: his music, his concerts and his attitude to the music industry:
"Talented Jon Gomm plays music as if it is an extension of his soul and the guitar he strums, taps, bangs and manipulates to sound like a full backing band to his solo performance looks almost as if it is growing from his hip and is attached to his arm.
Such is the perfect blend of man and instrument that it results in a unique sound not heard anywhere in the mainstream drag of pop and rock and it is hard to believe that Jon was not born to perform."
Read the rest of the article HERE
Jan 17th 2010 : Jon in the Sunday Express
Today's Sunday Express featured an article on independent music entitled "Rage Against The Record Machine", and Jon was one of the subjects. Click the thumbnail below to see the article...
January 15th 2010 : Don't Panic is album of the month at The Music Critic
The highly respected website has given the new CD 5 stars and described it thus: "This is an album of great beauty, outstanding musicianship and fantastic songwriting." Read the full review HERE.
December 16th 2009 : Want a guitar lesson?
I'm honoured to have been asked to do some guest teaching in contemporary acoustic techniques at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance in London in March and April. As a little extra, I'll be putting a few hours aside to give some one-to-one lessons while I am there, so if you'd like a private guitar lesson with me, and can travel to London, get in touch. The dates are March 11th & 18th and April 22nd and 29th, and it's first come first served! Email me at info@jongomm.com to register an interest...
I do give the occasional lesson at my house in Leeds, West Yorkshire: if you'd like to book something just get in touch. If people travel a long way for a lesson, we'll generally do a good 3-hour-plus session to make it worth the journey.
December 16th 2009 : Guitar Heaven....
January and February 2010 gigs have just been announced, including a mini-tour with a show called Guitar Heaven, which is a triple-bill of acoustic guitarists: flamenco-fusion artist Byron Johnston, fingerstyle prodigy John Dignam, and of course Jon Gomm. Check February on the Live Dates calendar...
December 14th 2009 : First reviews of Don't Panic appearing...
Please keep your eyes peeled for reviews of the new album on the net and in the press and if you find one please let us know! Email info@jongomm.com. Here's a few quotes from reviews we've seen so far:
"Pushes the guitar's envelope, fitting small moments of genius into each and every song" The Herald (Scotland)
"Once you get over the jaw dropping manoeuvres and technique, you will be rewarded by some spectacularly beautiful songs." Blues & Soul magazine
"Great, great album... leaves me openmouthed and in awe of this man’s talents." The Music Guru website
"A guitar virtuoso of the highest order" Leeds Guide magazine
December 7th 2009 : New album Don't Panic out today!
You can now purchase the new album as a CD or download from the Music page (The CD comes with a free signed poster. And shipping is FREE worldwide!! Surely the best Chrsitmas pressie since.... erm.... socks.) Or you can buy from your favourite internet retailer by following the links below:
CD available from: |
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Download available from: |
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If you have any trouble getting hold of the album, email us and we'll help!
November 12th 2009 : New video Loveproof online now
Watch it on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyHqGmwY8hg
We asked Jon why he chose to shoot a video for Loveproof: "I'm fond of this track because it's different from anything I've produced so far, but also somehow at the same time it seems really quintessentially me! When we were filming, the location chose the track, we didn't know which song we'd be doing. We found this nice spot and the light was good, it seemed to be a little urban oasis of tranquility. And Loveproof just fit the mood." (From contactmusic.com)
October 28th 2009 : Don't Panic - listen and pre-order NOW!
You can now listen to previews of all 11 tracks from Don't Panic on the Music/Video page.
You can place a pre-order on that page too, which means you're guaranteed to get a copy as soon as possible (and before we sell out!)
You can also listen to the previews at:
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/jongomm
Last.fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Jon+Gomm/Don't+Panic
Facebook: http://apps.facebook.com/ilike/artist/Jon+Gomm
From the release day the download will also be availlable from iTunes, eMusic and a host of other stores, and the CD will also be availlable from Amazon in the UK, and Candyrat.com in the US.
October 21st 2009 : Album Launch Gigs
The Launch Gig for the new album, Don't Panic, has been scheduled for Friday December 4th at The Brudenell Social Club in Leeds. I'd banned myself from playing in Leeds until the album was finished, so this is my first gig in the city since 2008! Tickets are available from http://www.wegottickets.com/event/61515 or Crash Records and Jumbo Records in Leeds.
We've also arranged 2 more launch gigs in two towns I particularly love playing in: Glossop and Lincoln, on December 17th and 18th. More details on the Live Dates page.
October 15th 2009 : New Album Artwork Unveiled
Some of you may recall I announced some album artwork quite a long time ago. But life took an uncomfortable grip, and the album got delayed a tiny weeny little bit. (2 years ish.) So it needed a makeover for me to feel able to finish it, so here it is... new title, and new artwork.
Ta-da!
It was done by Jack Hudson, and I think it's beautiful. Lot's of other things he makes are beautiful too. Look: http://jackhudsonillustration.blogspot.com/
The VERY clever amongst you will have spotted the connection between the album title and the 30th anniversary of the book of my childhood The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. There's a conservationist theme* to the artwork in memory of Douglas Adams, who was also a pretty decent rock-fusion guitarist.
The CD also comes with an 8-page booklet with all the lyrics and some of my personal thoughts about the songs.
Audio samples will be online in a few places mega-soon, and pre-orders will be available mega-soon after that.
*a theme which is supposed to link metaphorically with the general feeling of alienation-via-urbanisation-of-man propogated through the album, but I'll leave that nonsense to the reviewers.
October 6th 2009 : Chitarre Magazine feature
Jon is featured in the new issue of Chitarre (Italy) - there's a full-length interview, plus an exclusive guitar transcription. http://www.chitarre.com/
Click here to read a preview of the article (English and Italian)
October 1st 2009 : New album DON'T PANIC out DECEMBER 7th 2009!
The waiting is nearly over! The new album Don't Panic will be released on Monday December 7th, meaning the recorded versions of songs such as Gloria, Waterfall, Afterglow and Weather Machine will finally be available.
The CD will be available to preorder at the end of October, and downloads will be available from this website plus the usual outlets (iTunes, etc) from Dec 7th. A sneak preview of the album will be unveiled very soon, as will the first peek at the artwork.
August 2009 : want to watch a full Jon Gomm gig right now?
Then you are in luck... The lovely folks at Webstock, Lincoln have uploaded my set from the last time I played the festival, all 1 hour, 34 minutes and 36 seconds of it! From Nik Braveheart's introduction to the complete encore. Enjoy!
February 2009 : Some interviews online
A couple of interviews with Jon for your pseudo-enlightenment - firstly a video interview from Manchester-based podcast GSFCUK.com:
Secondly a live performance and interview with Jon's neighbourhood's community radio station East Leeds FM. Click below to open or download the mp3 file:
And finally a recording of a phone interview with Isle Of Man Today. Click below to open or download the mp3 file:
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