All the shows, writers, & performers described below are well worth looking out for.
 
If they're performing near you, go see them.
 
And if they're not,
book them yourself !
 

Where possible, the pix below link directly to the artists' own websites.
 
But this one just leads to more pix of me in various guises.
 
You have been warned !
 

Kenny Young & the Eggplants

The Eggplants have been playing in New York City clubs for several years, as well as making an annual pilgrimage to the UK.
 
And for the last five years,
we've brought them here to Oxford.
Some folks have travelled over 50 miles to get here,
and others have walked in from round the corner,
but each year gets better than the last !
 
This year, we'll be at the wonderful Vaults Cafe
for a gig on Saturday 14 October
Book online NOW at cafe-acoustic.org
 

Jesus Hopped The 'A' Train

Our No.1 pick from this year's Edinburgh Fringe. Brilliantly written and brilliantly performed, this drama was so powerful that we were unable to speak for several minutes after it ended.
 
Don't miss any opportunity to see anything written by Stephen Adly Guirgis, directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman or performed by New York's LAByrinth Theater Company.
 
All the cast were outstanding - Joe Quintero, Ron Cephas Jones, David Zayas, Salvatore Inzerillo, & Elizabeth Canavan.
 

Peter Morris

Peter Morris is an astonishingly-talented young playwright. Maybe this is the first time you've heard of him, but I assure you it won't be the last.
 
His contributions to the last two Edinburgh Festivals ("The Second Amendment Club" & "The Age of Consent", both directed by Edward Dick) have revealed an extraordinary insight into the minds behind the tabloid headlines.
 
Using his remarkable ability to capture the speech-patterns, phrasing and vocabulary of a whole variety of British and American sub-cultures, Peter explains the seemingly inexplicable in the world around us. Where others can see only good and evil, Peter Morris shows us how blurred the line between can be.
 

Ben Duhl

I felt I had to make a special separate entry for Ben Duhl, whose phenomenal performance of "The Second Amendment Club" (see above) brought the character so vividly to life.
 
Ben's ability to sustain his intensity and concentration throughout this long and complex monologue is quite astonishing. And each time he performs it, you would swear that he is that character thinking those thoughts and putting them into words for the first time.
 
In a few years, the world will know this name.
 

Hip Harp Fantasies

So why would I recommend a woman with a harp?
 
Well, Deborah Henson-Conant is no ordinary woman, and she plays no ordinary harp - an electric instrument carried in a body harness and sounding like - well some numbers sound like the blues, some like Jimi Hendrix and others like a full mariachi band.
 
Oh and by the way, she has a really wonderful voice and has written some truly original songs.
 

Doctor Prospero

An extraordinary and thought-provoking one man play based on the life of the Elizabethan magus Dr John Dee, written by Stephen Davies for actor Gareth Armstrong.
 
Towards the end of his long life, Dr Dee looks back and considers his achievements and follies, his former fame and current neglect, ....and the recent visit of a Mr William Shakespeare.
 
Was he the role model for Shakespeare's Prospero?

 

J D Hinton

An excellent songwriter blessed with a rich bluesy voice, JD's songs have been finding their way into more and more movies recently.
 
But if you really want to appreciate his well-crafted lyrics, with their irresistible combination of naked emotion and subtle word-play, you should see him perform them live in a small smoky nightclub.
 
Failing that, you better just buy his CD,
and turn the lights down low.
 

Rick Solem

Accompanying JD on a recent tour was the equally remarkable Rick Solem, another truly talented singer and songwriter - but also a brilliant and versatile pianist.
 
Grab any chance to see him perform live. Unfortunately, outside of LA, such chances may be limited, so you may have to settle for his excellent CD "Just Lucky I Guess".
 

The Man in the Flying Lawn Chair

A unique piece of theatre from New York's 78th Street Theatre Lab based on the true story of Darwin-award-winning Larry Walters, who attached an ordinary lawn chair to 45 weather balloons and flew to 16,000 feet.
 
The play focuses on the transformation of his life, before and after his fifteen minutes of fame.
 

The Umbilical Brothers

OK, so you've probably heard of these two Aussies by now, but I still can't recommend them highly enough.
 
Their unique blend of mime and vocal sound effects has to be seen to be believed, as they conjure up an invisible cartoon world of horses, helicopters and heavy artillery.