When: 7.30pm on Monday 23 April 2012
Where: Band on the Wall, 26 Swan Street, Manchester M4 5JZ

We’re excited to be presenting a headline show for Hey! Manchester favourite Gabriel Minnikin, with his band the Fast Country.

Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Gabriel Minnikin is a singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer. His voice is unbelievable, ranging from the gravely depths of a bass to the richer timbre of a baritone. He has toured extensively as a soloist, been a side musician for many great artists, produced records, and has even had a hand in recording a film soundtrack. Gabriel was a member of the Canadian country rock band The Guthries (signed to Hay Sale Records) in the late 1990s and early 2000s who toured extensively throughout Canada and the UK. The band released their first album, Off Windmill, in 2000, followed by the self-titled, The Guthries, in 2002. Following that album the band members decided to pursue solo projects.

In 2004 Gabriel made Manchester his home. That year he released his critically acclaimed debut record, Hard Feelings, establishing him as a recognised singer/songwriter in his own right. In 2006 he found himself back in Canada, recording what would be his sophmore release, Wandering Midnight. Despite being a relatively unheard record, it did produce some interest from fans, labels and press. He has gained radio support from John Peel and Bob Harris, and is a regular guest on BBC Radio Manchester.

As a soloist he has been fortunate enough to tour and share stages with great artists including I, Calexico, The Handsome Family, The Earlies, Bone-Box and Samson & Delilah, to name but a few. In the summer of 2010 Gabriel and his younger sister Ruth toured as The Minnikins supporting artists including Jools Holland, Jose Gonzalez, Duke and The King, Frazey Ford (The Be Good Tanyas) and First Aid Kit. During the same period The Minnikins performed at a number of UK festivals including End of The Road, Meadowlands, Truck, Glasgow Americana Festival, and Canadian Blast.

Although Gabriel’s musical roots are in the pedal steel and banjo sheen of classic Americana, his third record, Parakeets with Parasols, brings a grandiosity and cinematic sweep to his country-folk stylings – think Tom Waits meets The Wizard of Oz. Gabriel hopes to release this record in 2011. Gabriel is currently working on a rock n’ roll album, Remember Remember, which he aims to release in 2012. In addition The Minnikins are working on a joint record, using their family’s history as a source of inspiration, which is due to be released in 2011.

Support comes from another Hey! Manchester favourite, Walton Hesse. Burst into being from the sunny imagination of songwriter Matt Grayson, Walton Hesse are a lapsed congregation of optimistic outcasts standing on the shoulders of Big Star and Wilco, peering into the shaft of a 13th Floor Elevator. Frontier-facing and burdened by a twisted nostalgia this alt-country psych creation blend the melodious harmonies of Matt and Nicola Crosby haunted by the ghostly union of Gram and Emmylou to bring Arizona desert plains to the streets of Manchester.

This show is a co-promotion with Band on the Wall.

Tickets are available from Band on the Wall’s box office, Common (both no booking fee), Piccadilly Records, Vinyl Exchange, Seetickets.com, WeGotTickets.com, Ticketline.co.uk and on 0871 220 0260.

Attend on: Facebook | Last.fm