On Sunday, November 22, Hairyamp Promotions will be rounding off a busy year in style with a live performance from acclaimed American singer-songwriter Josh T.Pearson within the intimate and unique setting of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Valletta.
Pearson’s stunning 2011 masterwork Last Of The Country Gentlemen was ranked as one of UNCUT magazine's 50 Greatest Singer-Songwriter Albums of All Time and made almost every notable end-of-year list. He is renowned for playing unorthodox and atypical venues, and the 16th century church should create the perfect ambience for such a concert.
Originally from Texas, Josh T. Pearson formed the short-lived phenomenon that was Lift to Experience, who released one sprawling masterpiece, namely 2001's The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads before splitting up soon after. They were so revered by the BBC’s John Peel that he had them record three sessions in five months, which sessions were later included in the Best 125 Peel Sessions of all time.
Josh T. Pearson describes the years that followed Lift to Experience’s dissolution as a period of “soul-searching,’’ and it would take some ten years until he finally released his first solo album, the afore-mentioned Last of the Country Gentleman. Josh T. Pearson’s debut solo album is a collection of seven songs drawn from the lessons of what he describes as “a rough year”; songs that are personal, powerful and painful; songs that move with their honesty, that offer hope from the trials he’s suffered and survived.
The critical acclaim surrounding the album’s release was quite astonishing. Clash Music wrote, “Pearson's mournful growl, and the brutal honesty in raking over his personal failings, makes for a majestic, in-the-dead-of-the-night confessional.” The Line of Best Fit said it was “one of the greatest and most compelling albums to emerge this decade so far.” Evening Standard described Last of the Country Gentlemen as “a melancholic masterpiece” and the BBC said “It’s a raw and white-knuckled collection, one which captures the phenomenal emotions of the man’s solo live sets.”
Last of the Country Gentlemen was named Rough Trade‘s ”Album of the Year 2011” and nominated in two categories, "Best Album" and "Breakthrough Act" at the 2011 MOJO Awards. UNCUT placed the album at number 5, while Mojo ranked it number 7, Rolling Stone number 33 and Q number 42 in their "Top 50 Albums of 2011” lists.
Tickets for the concert at the Church of St Mary Magdalene (opposite the passport office in Merchant’s Street) are available online from www.ticketline.com.mt. Due to the limited space, only 150 tickets are being made available.Robert Farrugia Flores from Plato’s Dream Machine will open proceedings with a solo acoustic set. For more information, click here.