It’s going to be a busy weekend.

Back at the start of this year, I mentioned the series of OBS Unplugged events running at Leicester’s Musician. Those of us who went along regularly saw an impressive range of acoustic-based acts. The genre is in good shape.

Tonight and tomorrow, the OBS Unplugged finales are being held – a celebration of the wonderful talent that we saw in January. Ten acts are scheduled to play on each night and the Musician is likely to be filled full (especially if previous years are anything to go by). I know how much organiser, Val McCoy, has agonised about each of these nights. A perfectionist, she wants to ensure that the balance between the different acts is just right; the right number of men with acoustic guitars, women with acoustic guitars, duos, trios, out of town acts and acoustic bands.

I’ll be compering the nights. I’d better get a haircut in advance! It won’t do for me to turn up scruffy and disheveled.

Each act that’s playing tonight has something special about them. I’ll be looking forward to seeing Lucy Davies-Kumadiro again. Regular readers of Sonic Breakfast will have seen my feature here.

I mentioned in that post about Lucy that I was so impressed by Birmingham based singer-songwriter, Guy Jones, that I had bought his CD, Long Way Home. It’s since been a regular listen in my car. I drive a lot of miles, perhaps almost as many as Guy travelled in writing the songs for this EP. It’s a quality EP, ideal for traveling on motorways, highways, B roads and village lanes.

Last year, Guy got the opportunity to spend three months travelling across the United States. He covered 20 states, played 30 shows and resolved to write and record en route. ‘Long Way Home’ is the result of his labour. It’s four tracks that are steeped in the traditions of Americana seen through the eyes of a Brummie.

My personal favourite, Albany Honey, has a really sweet story attached to it. Scott and Veronica Gates are a couple from Albany, Indiana, who have been together since they were young. As he crossed America, Guy got into a 2 month long email conversation with Scott, who had asked him if he could write a song to celebrate his love for Veronica. The result is stunning; the video is worth a few minutes of your time.

If you’re in Leicester (or perhaps even an out of towner) and you’ve got more than a few minutes to spare this weekend then the OBS Unplugged finales come highly recommended from these quarters.

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