SARA WATKINS
The Tunnels,
Bristol, UK

8th November 2016

Lineage:
Church Audio CA-14 cardioids > CA-9200 >
Edirol R-09HR (@24/96) > Cool Edit Pro 2 > CDWave > TLH
Recorded 15' from house right stack

Recording, transfer & artwork by boombox

1. Too Much
2. You And Me
3. Banter
4. Say So
5. Without A Word
6. Fiddle Tune
7. Like New Year's Day
8. Young In All The Wrong Ways
9. One Last Time
10. Your Bright Baby Blues
11. Anthony
12. Different Drum
13. My Friend
14. Banter
15. The Truth Won't Set Us Free
16. Long Hot Summer Days > Michael McGoldrick Tune
17. Banter
18. Move Me
===========SUGGESTED DISC SPLIT FOR ENCLOSED ARTWORK==========
19. Banter
20. Tenderhearted
21. Encore Break & Banter
22. Early In The Morning
23. Banter
24. Take Up Your Spade

CLAYDON CONNOR Support Set:
1. Lightning In A Bottle *
2. The Sweetest Thing
3. The Kind Of Man I Am
4. Banter
5. Whiskey Nights
6. Born By The River
7. Foolish
8. Some Things Come From Nowhere
9. We Could Have It All

* Guess at title

boombox's notes november 2016:

Sara Watkins should need no introduction - as a member of Nickel Creek, I'm With Her, The Watkins Family Hour and a solo artist in her own right, she's one of the most talented acts around and perfect for a rainy night in Bristol (or indeed any other night). Support act, Claydon Connor, who hails from the Isle of Wight, was a pleasant surprise. With a bit of a British take on country, along the lines of much-missed Ahab, but still showing an affinity for Neil Young and Tom Petty, he had some very good songs, performed very well and might well be one to catch now while you can.

The Tunnels is a small intimate venue, but the PA never quite seems sufficient, so Sara was very quiet and the applause very enthusiastic, leading to a nightmare recording scenario. Added to that the squeaky chairs, audience coughs and ignorant bar staff, who must take pleasure in launching the empty bottles into the skip with as much noise as possible, made mastering more difficult. So the songs are very clear, but quiet, and the applause loud, even though I took 6dbs off it and used a bit of compression. (Note I did not use more than the tiniest fraction for the music to preserve the dynamics.) This is definitely a candidate for remaster by someone more proficient than me using my master files - Hint! Hint! That said, after I excised or reduced the volume of coughs and miscellaneous noises, it's still a good representation of the artists' talent.

As always, go out and see these artists, buy the merch and support local promoters like Tim at CRH - who knows who you may discover?

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