Competition

Judge #8: April - July 2009

Amanda Rodgers (Ms.Manray) - Stranger Than Paradise

Ms.MANRAY will choose ONE WINNER to play Stranger Than Paradise at the STANDON CALLING FESTIVAL this Summer 2009.

Amanda, better known as Ms.Manray, is co founder of Stranger Than Paradise, the Gypsy Cabaret Club based in London. Stranger Than Paradise relishes in Gypsy, Klezmer, Roma, Tzigan, Russian Ska, Serbian Breakz, Kroatian Turbo Folk, Cajun Skiffle, Swamp Water Blues, Polka Barbershop, Busking Flamenco and Bollywood!

"My music inspiration came at a very early age. I started my career playing in a boy band, aged 4. I looked like a boy so I thought it more advantageous career wise to play the part. We were called the Blue Moons, and we played mostly  50's covers.  My musical inspirations at this time were Elvis Presley, David Cassidy, Frank Sinatra, The Platters and  Dion and The Belmonts to name a few.
We had sell out shows in our living room and we were bound for glory . But with our success came a clash of egos. My sister (known in the band world as Jocko) and I started to have musical clashes. After 3 gruelling years of singing and practising boy moves, my hair began to grow and I began to take a keen interest in girls, particularly the likes of Ann-Margaret, July London, Chris Conner and Judy Garland, I left the band in an attempt to go solo."

"My mother is a concert violinist, and as a result (much to my dismay) I ended up playing the violin too. I found the posture of playing excruciating and always preferred to play the fiddle lower in my chest. This style was frowned upon so i gave up the violin for my preferred instrument the accordion. I liked the way it looked and felt. This was frowned upon by my mother too, she said the accordion was played by gypsies and therefore not a real instrument. I was intrigued. What is a gypsy ? I asked her and she explained more to me about the dress style than the heritage. I was most impressed. I thought when I grow up I'm gonna be a gypsy."

30 years, several miles and 7 accordions later Stranger Than Paradise was created.

Stranger Than Paradise is a club night that caters to the gypsy spirit. Where a fiddler is respected, a bald belly cherished and a minstrel is something other than a servant.

 

Stranger Than Paradise listings:

Saturday June 13th.
Stranger than Paradise pre-festival Summertime Hoedown:
with Blackberry Wood a 12 piece gypsy country ragtime jazzy salloon foot-stompin mouth-watering feast, with hoolahoopin moonwalking shenanigans and corsets and sequins running wild!
Plus Delilah! The beautiful burlesque ukulele babe from San Francisco on a whistle stop tour!
and the tremendous circus sideshow act The Tango Liqueur Flambe duo - Australian acrobats, tango and strings.... oh my!
plus loads more acts to be confirmed!

7pm-7am @ The Miller Bar
£7  b4 11- £10 after.
96 Snowsfields, London Bridge SE1.

Links and Information:

http://www.myspace.com/gypsymadness

http://www.myspace.com/strangerthanparadise

Competition shortlist

March 2009 - July 2009

Competition info

Check out the competition info page for the current shortlist and general info.

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